Hmm, I seriously am debating whether or not it is worth the time to write an entry just two days before I will be home, but I already have an opening sentence so I will go on. This is my last time coming into the Peace Corps office. I have officially handed in all of my paperwork and the final report for my Partnership project (don't worry donors...I will have a report and pictures out to you soon, but that will be oh so much easier with a DSL connection when I get to Minnesota). Despite this being my last time in the office and my final days as a volunteer, this trip doesn't feel very different from all the other times I had to come here (basically that it's a pain in the butt to travel so far and I can't wait to get back home to my town, my bed, and my Ismael). I was thinking about it as I was walking from the bank this morning after closing my account...I am done. But it so does NOT feel that way. Maybe it's because I am coming back in less than a month or because I will be continuing with some of the same projects I was working on before or because I have been so busy lately that I have not had time to think about next week. It could also be that all this has been so big and I do not really know how to start taking the next step (besides all the wedding planning and visa stuff); but that thought just opens up another whole can of worms that I do not want to face right now. The short of it is that more than half of my group (those volunteers who arrived at the same time as I did), though our number had slowly dwindled down to 18 over these two years, left this morning and are not coming back. It's strange to think - though for me the change is not immediate because I did not get to see these people everyday - but two of them were very close friends (future bridesmaids) and it is a pretty big concept to grasp that we will probably never see each other in El Salvador again! So I keep saying it to myself and writing it, but it is just not sinking in yet.

So that is where I am, in the office, getting ready to go back home to enjoy another day of fiesta tomorrow, finishing with the Peace Corps. I have a few project details to line up between today and Thursday, a second suitcase to pack, and then I am heading home for a while. It will be a longer visit and hopefully I will be able to get a few details taken care of that will make my and Ismael's arrival easier. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone (family and friends) and my puppy. Then there' Aaron's wedding to enjoy and more friends and family to see there. So once again I think we will be cramming all I can into a short period of time, but I am looking forward to it. Honestly, though, I do not have things so put-together as last time. I have not had time to prep for this trip or to organize reunions, but if I have not learned flexibility here I have learned nothing...so I am n ot worrying or planning or anything until I am there.

Wow, if you can't tell from my rambling I feel kind of scatter brained and not overly coherent right now, so I will wrap up by letting you know that I moved houses last week and am now renting a room in a mansion with a pool (you can ask me when you see me). Ismael and I went to my friend Alison's wedding on Friday (she also married a Salvadoran man) and we had a blast (and Ismael walked away with a friend he might get to see in the States!). I had a couple of good bye parties (even though I am coming back) which were pretty fun. Finally, I have developed a case of chronic back pain or some kidney disorder that I am supposed to get checked out in Minnesota. Otherwise, things are moving along as normal...Ismal working the fields, it rains most everyday, and the pupusas are as tasty as ever. So that's it in a nut shell for now.

So I am signing off as a Peace Corps volunteer, but I will try to keep the blogs up until Ismael and I are in the States for good. After Friday call me at home or email to get together!

I know it’s not a good sign that I do not remember the last update I posted, but I know that a lot has happened since that time. While things seem a bit crazy lately, I still end up with more free time than I know what to do with. I feel busier here (or that I have more going on in general in my life) than I did many times in the USA, so I keep asking myself why did I not seem to have so much down time to fill. I suppose the answer is simple, there is just more to entertain myself with in the states. Though I maintain that much of what we are accustomed to having in the states is unnecessary, I could go for a bit of that familiar distraction right now.

First thing first, while the countdown to my return home is still on, there have been some slight changes to the original game plan. After much waiting on the visa front, we have been told that it will be just a little longer than we had hoped. While we have gathered all of the paperwork, passed the necessary exams, and sent in the required forms as mandated by the embassy, we have been told that we cannot schedule an interview until an interview package has been mailed to us. An embassy rep told us (at a bargain rate of $2.10 per minute!) that due to the large amount of work flowing through the consular department that we can expect to wait anywhere between one and a half to three months for such a package to arrive. That being the case, we are looking forward to that paperwork toward the beginning of August. So plan B is this: I am flying back to Minnesota on July 18 and will be returning to El Salvador on August 7 in order to see the paperwork through and return with Ismael in September (hopefully). I will be in Minnesota for about two weeks and will be at Aaron’s wedding, so I should have time to catch up with everyone before I return here. You all will have to wait just a little longer to meet Ismael, though. As for wedding plans, I do not expect this to set us back much. For now we are just returning the prospective date to late October (say the 26th) as was originally proposed. Though I will no longer technically be a Peace Corps Volunteer when I return, I have work that I will be continuing as long as I am here.

The second big news is that Donovan (my puppy) has braved the cross-continent journey and is now safe at home in Minnesota. It was quite an affair to get him there, but I am glad at least that step has been completed. Ismael and I made the trip to the airport (twice!) to get his paperwork in line and to send him off. After a few long rides in the back of a pick-up, getting up and on the road before the sunrise, and a long day in the Houston airport, he made it to MSP. Mom and Dad were waiting for him and say that although he was a bit nervous he was fine and is now adapting to his new home. The house is a little lonelier without him, but he is in good hands.

Work is pretty booming as of late, though, as I say, I still find some time to get some rest. We are in the middle of spending the $4,595.25 that you all kindly donated for our trash project. We have about half the garden planted and fenced in, one of two murals painted, and construction on the work shed at the composting lot is set to commence this week. Maggie (the new volunteer and I) have also been working on the plans for the environment classes we will be giving at the school next week. On the soccer field lighting project front, I am awaiting the contracts from the embassy which are to be faxed this week. Once those are signed we should receive the money and be able to start construction. The plan is for them to work while I am in the USA and we will have an inauguration celebration (possibly with the ambassador) when I return. The last project is the school library. We are still plugging away at those books, though there has been less and less time to dedicate to that project. That is where I plan to concentrate my efforts when I return in August.

We´re on to June, which means about six more weeks to get everything wrapped up. I ran around last week in San Salvador doing my final medical checks, writing reports, and filling out surveys. My goal is to get logistical things done early to make time for everything else (i.e. visa stuff and saying goodbye to the town). I am also in the middle of two fairly large scale projects which are supposed to be finished by the time I leave, so there will not be a lot of down time in the near future.

The biggest news, in my opinion, is that the papers have arrived from the Embassy! That means I need to send in a few forms and schedule Ismael´s physical so that they can give him an interview date. That is what´s on today´s schedule. This is his last week of work, so as of next week he will be back home. Hopefully we can get an interview date within the next couple of weeks, and that will be the final step until we get to the States. It´s a relief to think that we are almost done for now, but the interview is really the deciding factor.

As for the waste management project...the funds are supposed to arrive in the bank account today, so tomorrow we are scheduled to go buy the first load of materials. This will include large trash cans for the local stores and restaurants as well as equiptment to build a storage shed on the composting lot to endure the rainy season (which has already started). We are definitly excited to get this project underway. We are also preparing to paint an environmental mural and to do trash education classes with the schools.

Finally, I am starting to think about what to do with all of my stuff. Much of the larger furniture Ismael and I have decided to store at his parent´s house, thinking that we might have a place for it later. Other items I will be leaving with the school or the kindergarten. Further still, some things I will give as gifts or just leave it up for grabs to anyone interested. I want to get started on this process, but I still use a lot of what I have, so I have to wait to get rid of it all.

Needless to say, it´s a pretty hectic time, and it´s only going to get more stressful before it calms down. I am staying positive, though, because most everything seems to be happening on time (or at least in a reasonable time frame). But it won´t stop when I am back in the states because then it becomes wedding planning and j0b search time!

I assume many of you have given up on reading this by now, as my updates have become much more sporadic. I assure you that I have the best of intentions, but that just does not always result in action. So this is for those of you hanging in there and still reading. Thanks for sticking with it and continuing to remember me down here! Actually, the two month mark has passed and my days are officially numbered in San Luis. There will be a lot to report in my final eight weeks, but I can already foresee that time flying by.

Many changes have come about since my last post (nearly a month ago), so I will try to catch you up quickly. I now have two new savings accounts, one for the waste management project and one for the soccer field project. Unfortunately, both are currently empty, but just opening them ended up being a task itself. You may be remembering me saying I had the check for the waste management project; we deposited it last week and they need three weeks to cash it as it came in the form of a US bank note. So we are waiting one more week on that one, but the project plans are set to begin spending immediately. As for the soccer field, everything seems to be set and everyone on board except for the Ministry of Education. I too wonder, why are they even involved here? However, their people are supposed to come to talk with our people this week to work something out. My great hope is that will remove the final obstacle to $10,000 being transferred to my bank account, but I have learned here in El Salvador to prepare to face frustration especially when dealing with government institutions and money (whether they will see a penny of it or not).

Speaking of the embassy and soccer, though…last Tuesday we hosted the big soccer clinic with the professionals here in town. Cindy and Jeff (the players) lead the kids in several soccer activities and then sat down to talk about their experiences and the influence soccer has had on their lives. They ended with a snack and by handing out signed diplomas. Afterward, we (Peace Corps), the embassy group and the players went to lunch. I got a chance to hold Cindy’s gold medal from the Athens Olympics, which was a highlight of the day. The kids really enjoyed themselves and are excited to have the players’ signatures as a memory of the event.

The other big news around town is Maggie, the new volunteer who arrived on May 9. She is living with the mayor’s parents, staying in the same room I lived in for my first year here, and seems to be settling in fine so far. I am trying to maintain a balance of introducing her to the town and some projects, but not being on top of her. It’s a hard task to accomplish in a town as small as San Luis. We are together mostly during the day, but for meals and in the afternoons I leave her to do her own thing. In our roles as volunteers it is important to do much of the cultural adaptation and immersion stuff on your own, and I do not want to be thought of as the second Whitney (for her own sanity in the next two years), so I am keeping my distance. So far it is working out pretty well.

I spent last week at the Close of Service conference. It was basically three days at the beach (though we rarely saw the outside of the meeting room) in which it was explained all that I need to do as a volunteer to end my service and go back home. There are various forms and reports to turn in; interviews and doctor’s appointments to schedule; money matters to clarify; packing and getting rid of the stuff that I will not be packing; and saying goodbye to my town, among other things, to take care of. It will be no small feat, which is why I commented that I should have plenty to report on in my final two months, but I think I can handle it on time.

The final news is on the visa front. Things seems to be moving along, and I can only hope they continue to progress at this rate. We received word that our petition for the fiancé visa was approved by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services on April 23. From there it was forwarded cross-country to the National Visa Center for further processing. On May 10, we received a notice that our case package would be received by the US Embassy in San Salvador for following week (last week), and we should expect to be notified of how to further proceed in the visa application process and to schedule an interview after that date. So as we are waiting for some mail from the embassy (which I hope to have next week or the following), we are gathering the forms and information we will need to present at Ismael’s interview. This week we are heading downtown to get his passport. He put in his notice to quit work two weeks ago, and he will be finished at the factory after the first week of June. His work schedule is so overbearing that we decided in order to most efficiently handle all of the running around we are facing to get the necessary documentation, his medical exams and the interview, it would be best for him to be here. This way he can create his own work schedule, help his bother with the farm, and have a chance to spend some time with his friends and family before we take off. I probably won’t mind having him around either J.

Finally, mentioning Ismael, his birthday was this past Thursday (May 15). He was working the night shift and I was at my conference, but I made sure to call first thing in the morning and have the whole Peace Corps group sing him Happy Birthday, which he thought was hilarious. He really did not want to celebrate, so no cake or gifts this year; I promised him that he would not get away so light next year, though.

Ok, this blog is getting away from me again. The past couple weeks have been pretty normal, schedule-wise, but some excitement is on the way.

Ismael and I did go to the rodeo the Sunday before last. They apparently have professional bull-riding teams across the country to compete in such rodeos. I had no idea. So we watched the rides, the rodeo singers, a transvestite rodeo clown (which is pretty scandalous in El Salvador), and some non-professionals on the mechanical bull. All in all, we had fun and it was good to get out of town for a day.

We also took care of a request from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services office for additional evidence that I have been to El Salvador recently. They now have received that information and say they are continuing with processing our case, so that is good news. We hope to hear from them by the end of next month in order to proceed to the Embassy with our visa request.

Here in town, I have taken it upon myself to start the inventory of the donated books that will be the school’s library. It’s pretty tedious work opening up all of the boxes, recording each book’s information, and stamping and numbering each one…especially when I am doing the work by myself right now. The important thing in my opinion, however, is that we have a record of the books and that each one is marked as property of the school so that no one walks off with any of the donations. I have made it through about 250 of what I estimate to be nearly 800 books in total. Once the initial inventory is finished there will be plenty of work to categorize, card catalog, and prepare a check-out system in order for the library to get up and running. Luckily, I will be getting a new volunteer in my town in about two weeks who can help to organize this project and the students who will be helping out as the library committee.

Continuing with work…I mentioned before that the Partnership grant (to which many of you have donated!) has received the full amount of funding. That check is now here and I will be picking it up on Monday from the Peace Corps office. The mayor and I went to the bank yesterday to open an account for the administration of this grant. For security purposes, we have to use a joint account and two signatures are required for all monetary transactions. The mayor is my co-signatory in this case and in order for him to open an account at the bank (as a politically involved person) we need a special permission from the bank’s headquarters. Basically that means we sat at the bank for three hours and were still not able to open this account. I do not believe that such rules exist for politicians opening bank accounts in the USA, but maybe I am just not aware of it. We will return on Tuesday, once the permission comes through, to open the account and deposit the check so we can get to work.

Finally, the soccer field project is also picking up momentum. We were able to open an account in my name yesterday for this project (as I am the sole signatory). Hopefully the money will be transferred sometime next week so we can get the construction under way. The big news, however, is that the Embassy is coming in all of their glory on May 13 for a big soccer event. A group of professional soccer players from the states will be in El Salvador at the time, and so will also be a part of that event. The idea is for the ambassador to attend, but with his busy schedule we are still not sure. I was informed this morning that the crew (embassy reps, soccer players, and Peace Corps staff) will come in the morning to set up and have a press conference. Then we will have lunch and a time for rest before a two hour soccer clinic with 100 kids from the area. So in the end it should be a pretty large-scale event. Getting the kids involved is always fun, though, and they will really enjoy it. It will also be nice to get some publicity for the town because such an event involving the Embassy is guaranteed to bring out the news crews.

Outside of work, I have some activities coming up to get myself out of town. On Sunday, the town hall is sponsoring a town field trip to the beach. All of El Salvador is relatively close to the beach, but somehow I have not made it to the coast this past year; so I will be taking advantage of that opportunity. I will be staying in San Salvador for a meeting on Monday morning with the Embassy regarding the soccer field project followed by lunch with Ismael. Then, in the afternoon, some friends and I are headed dress shopping for a friend of mine who will be getting married here in July. The following weekend (a week from tomorrow actually), Ismael will be coming home to visit. The following week the new volunteers are sworn in and sent out to their communities, so I am headed back to the capital for that celebration. At that point a new volunteer will be arriving to San Luis, so I will have a chance to show them around and get them involved on some of the projects we have started. Finally, in preparation for my departure from the country, my Peace Corps group has a three day conference at the beach to go over our exit plan (or basically all that needs to happen to wrap up our two years of service before we can go home).

So all of that will take me well into May…and the time just keeps rolling by.

I am still here! This whole internet thing is becoming tedious and takes a bit of planning, but I am still here. I spent most of last week traveling around fighting off boredom and the urge to spend hours upon hours in my hammock. So instead I spent that time on a bus (though I am not sure which is better). When I got off of the bus, at least, I was somewhere new and was able to meet up with friends. I went to San Salvador twice since my last update to visit Ismael, went south almost to the airport to spend the night at a friends house, and met up for dinner and a girls night with a few friends on Saturday. It’s been good to get out, good to trade some DVDs with my friend, good to eat somewhere other than my kitchen, and oh so good to see Isma. It seems right now that all of us (my friends, Isma, and myself included) are in an antsy state. We are about three months away from going home, so Peace Corps has started sending out wrap up information. Our closing conference is one month away, at which point we have to turn in our flying out dates! It all seems very close, yet still far away. It seems that work things are progressing and hopefully will be wrapping up. At the same time, knowing that I will not be here much longer, I am starting to miss little things like a car, living close to a city, and a house with air conditioning (but that may be because it’s the hottest month of the year down here). Also, Ismael and I are getting a little tired of this whole long distance thing. So, while three months is not much time, we are all about ready to take that next step.

Somewhere in my recent traveling days I found time to redo my Peace Corps Partnership grant budget. We were looking to submit an adjusted budget to receive the already-donated funds. Today, however, I went online to see where the project was at and it is no longer on the website! That really can mean only one thing…we got fully funded!!! I don’t know where more money came from, but thank you to all of you out there who participated. I just talked with my advisor and she said we should expect a check in about three weeks. There will be a more formal thanks to all of you donors, but I hope you can share in my happiness right now and celebrate because WE DID IT!

On another positive note, we received our first update this week on the visa application since the notice of receipt back in November. It was a request for some additional information, but what that means is that they have started processing our request! They wanted proof that Ismael and I have met in person at least once within the past two years. That shouldn’t be a problem because I currently live in El Salvador and see him on an almost-weekly basis, but they want evidence. So I have copies of my Peace Corps assignment, my visa, and entry and exit stamps from the country. Hopefully with this information, they will be able to finishing processing our permission and we will be dealing with the Embassy by the end of next month. So this is where things may start to get exciting (or overwhelming… we have to wait and see). Depending on how overwhelming, we are looking at Ismael possibly moving home once this permission comes through to handle most quickly the next step of the visa process. It’s all awaiting this permission right now, though.

This week I am hanging out, waiting for some checks, watching “new” DVDs, and trying to help Donovan get comfortable with his new cage. We are not exactly sure when he will be making the trip to the states, but the more comfortable he feels in the cage, the better the trip. On Sunday, Ismael and I are hoping to go to one last Salvadoran rodeo. Fiesta season has basically been over since February, but there is one final, pretty large fiesta this weekend, and Isma does not want to miss it (not knowing when we may head back down to here for another one, he says).

So that’s life right now: on the verge of some big things happening (on the work front and in my personal life) and feeling ready for that change. The other big news I am waiting to hear about is whether or not I will be getting a replacement volunteer next month. That will also affect my work because I may be trying to turn over those projects to the new person; if not, I will be rushing to get things done by July! I will not know any more about that until the end of the month, though, so until then I am working on having patience.

Final update: It hailed yesterday afternoon. I went home a little early from work and went to pay the months rent and Donovan and I made it home just before the storm hit. I had little dime-sized ice balls melting on my floor and the temperature dropped from high 80s to about 60 within a few hours! And I thought I was in a tropical climate!

This past week, my second week of vacation, was pretty uneventful on the whole. It was Holy Week, so the town hall was closed all week (Monday to Monday). As I had just gotten back from a week of vacation, it probably would have been better for me to return to work. That wasn’t an option, however, and I got pretty used to laziness and lying around. A little time off is good, but too much is bad. I already foresee a struggle in readjusting to a normal work schedule when I get back to the states, so I need to start training myself to be more busy and productive than the life of a volunteer demands (not saying volunteers are lazy and don’t do anything, but there is no one to MAKE us do anything and sometimes self-motivation succumbs to temptation and hammocks).

I did accomplish reading most of David Copperfield this week. It’s a long book and, it being a classic and one that they sometimes make you read and analyze in high school, I thought it might be boring. I was wrong, however, and really am enjoying it. Any book that can make me laugh out loud is a good one. I am thinking that Charles Dickens actually deserves to be a classic, because many times I don’t agree with the literary critics.

The only other thing that really occupied my weekend was Donovan. On Thursday afternoon I found him limping around and eventually he was down to walking on only three paws. He kept licking and chewing at his wounded paw until he would cry. I examined it several times (which was tricky with a wriggly little animal that clearly was not thrilled about me touching his foot) to find no blood, no wound, and no foreign objects. It was definitely agitated and inflamed, but likely by his constant licking at it. So I gave him an aspirin and kept him inside for a few days to see how he got along. I would have taken him to the vet on Monday, but by Sunday he was no longer crying and was not licking it much anymore. On Monday he began walking on it as much as he could, and he is doing much better. He still favors it a bit, but he seems to be getting on so I am going to let him heal on his own.

So aside from afternoon after afternoon in my hammock and several long-winded conversations with Ismael to pass the time, there is not much to tell. There was a procession on Friday night that I went to. The town carries a statue of Jesus in a glass casket to his tomb (it’s called the Santo Intierro, the Holy Burrial) through the streets and end up back in the church for mass. Friday is more celebrated here than Easter Sunday. And, unfortunately, there is no Easter Bunny.

Isma is doing well. He worked a double shift (14 hours) on Friday instead of taking the day off like most Salvadorans and then a full day again on Saturday. He thought I was crazy on Sunday morning when I asked him if a bunny had brought him a basket of candy and then started rambling about colored eggs, buts it’s a tradition I think he will get used to (I mean, who doesn’t like Cadbury Cream eggs?). Even better, though, I am going to see him on Thursday.

We are down to less than two months away from the date we expect to get the permission from US Citizenship and Immigration Services for the fiancé visa. There will be plenty to do at that time with getting passports, medical exams, and interviews out of the way, but the long wait is not so long any more. That being said, we should be able to set a concrete date for the wedding soon, as well, so you can all clear your calendars for the celebration. I am trying to prep Ismael little by little for an American style wedding, but the truth is he has no idea what he is getting into. I just hope Aaron’s wedding doesn’t scare him too much, though I imagine ours will be a bit smaller scale.

¡Ojo! I wrote this on Friday, March 7 but couldn’t get online to post it until now, so you have some catching up to do.

I am very much looking forward to this afternoon and the coming week as this unusually busy week comes to a close. There was some initial confusion with the weeks schedule due to the customs office and some trouble getting the 6,000 books donated by Rotary out of there. Things are looking up at this point, so I am thankful that I made it through.

Things really got started on Friday when the Director of Peace Corps El Salvador, the assistant to my program, and a representative from the US Embassy came out to see our soccer field and talk about the stadium lighting project we have solicited. The visit went very well and we feel positive at this point. I was left with a little paper work to get together for the embassy and, pending one last letter of promise the project looks like a go. It still has to be approved by a small committee, but we saw no reason why it should not go through.

Following this, I was scheduled to go to San Salvador on Sunday morning to help sort the 6,000 books donated by Rotary International. Due to the issue with customs, however, there were no books to sort that day. Instead, I went to the canton (where Ismael is from) to help with an Engineers Without Boarders group that has come to work this week. The plan was to help translate in a meeting, but it turns out that one of the engineers has a half-brother who plays soccer in the professional Salvadoran league. His team just so happened to be playing against the Chalatenango team on Sunday, so I ended up taking him to see the game instead. It was fun because I had really wanted to see a game at the stadium and had not gotten around to it before.

So, Monday became the day to sort books in San Salvador. I got up early to catch the 5:30 bus out of town. I left my house early to find all of my neighbors and a few other people from the town outside. The grandma at my neighbor’s house had passed away Sunday night. She was only about 60 years old and it happened suddenly. I am close to the family, so it was hard to start the day off like that, especially when I had to leave to work on a project. Here in El Salvador, wakes are a community event that they do the night after someone dies. It is a night of prayer before the burial. Due to the book project, however, I ended up missing both the wake and the burial. I did not get back from San Salvador until about 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday; after a “How to start a Library” workshop that I attended with four people from the school here.

On Wednesday, I had a million things to do in the office ranging from paperwork for the Embassy, the program for a small festival happening next week, and the request form for a replacement volunteer. I ran around all morning to get that stuff in order and then had to go to Chalatenango in the afternoon to get dog food for Donovan for the time I will be away in Nicaragua. I came back early to go to the prayer session for my neighbor. Here they spend the week following someone’s death praying for the peaceful rest of that person’s soul. When I laid down to go to bed at about a quarter to ten, my phone began to vibrate. It ended up being Kelsey, and we ended up talking for almost an hour and a half. It was good to catch up, and she sounds like she is doing well.

On Thursday, I went to the canton to help with the engineer group again. There ended up not being a lot of construction I could help with, so a group of us went to gather mangos instead. I spent a while visiting with Ismael’s mom and dad while I was in the area. I got back to town before 5:00 to go to the evening’s prayer session for my neighbor.

Today, we had a visiting group of Rotarians at the school and held a small celebration in their honor in thanks for the books they have donated. They were originally six people in total, but apparently another Rotary group from Canada just got into town and tagged along. So while we were expecting six visitors, about 25 ended up there (almost none of whom speak Spanish). We scrambled to reorganize and, in the end, the event went well. Now I am tying up some loose ends before I go on vacation next week and looking forward to this evening because Ismael is coming to visit. I haven’t even had a chance to be bored this week, so I suppose that is the up side to a full schedule. I have been tired enough to pass out by about 9:30 every night.

I might not get a chance to update the blog next week as I will be traveling, but I will let you know how Nicaragua is when I get back.

Ok, now this is the follow up…

I got in from Nicaragua late on Saturday night. I was pretty tired, but I made it back safe and without losing anything so that was what’s important.

I did get to see Ismael on Friday night before I headed out of town, so that was a nice way to start my vacation. On Saturday, I got to packing and getting my house in order before taking off in the afternoon to spend the night in San Salvador in order to catch our 5:30 a.m. bus to Nicaragua. My three friends and I traveled for about ten hours and got into Managua at 3:30 p.m. and headed straight for Granada. We got in and found our hostel by 6:00 so we figured we were doing pretty well. Although we spent the entire day seated on buses, we arrived tired and decided to take it easy for the night. We stayed at a fairly large backpackers hostel called the Bearded Monkey. It was pretty much only inhabited by American and European travelers, but it offered day trips, a full-service restaurant and free internet, so we thought it was pretty good. We stayed there for the three nights we were in Granada.

On Monday, we got up and headed out for breakfast to a little European café with smoothies. Then we went to the market to get some fruit for lunch to take on our day trip. We signed up to go to a lake called Lago de Apoyo. The hostel we stayed at in Granada has a beachfront house there that is open to guests (it also functions as a mini hostel). So we got out to the lake at about lunch time and spent the afternoon there. They had free intertubing and kayaking (which we never got around to). It was a beautiful lake, so we did the swimming first. Then we went for a walk down the main road and found a tree full of wild howler monkeys. That was the first time I have encountered an exotic animal like that in the wild. We headed back to Granada and showered and went out to find some dinner and then spent the rest of the evening playing an old Trivial Persuit game (there is not much to do at night there).

On Tuesday, we got up early and rented bikes to tour the town. First, we headed down to see Lake Nicaragua (the country’s largest body of water), and then to an old convent that has been converted into an art museum. In the afternoon, we found an organization that hires and trains blind people to give massages. It cost about $6, after the conversion, for a 35 minute massage, so we decided to treat ourselves. It was a 20 minute back/shoulder massage and 15 minute lower leg/foot massage. The first 20 minutes was great, but the last 15 minutes confirmed my doubt that I will ever try foot massage again (I am just too ticklish to enjoy it). We had lunch afterwards and sat and drank a glass of wine on the plaza. Granada is a very old, colonial city that was burned down in the 1800’s and rebuilt. It reminded me a lot of Antigua, Guatemala, though on a much lower scale (very touristy, but smaller and lacking some of the flare and variety).

On Wednesday, we got up and caught a bus to Leon. It was about a three hour trip, so we got there at lunch time. We stayed in a nicer hostel (I say that because we had private bathrooms and it was much less crowded) called Via Via. It looked like a good place to center oneself to explore the area as it offered a variety of day trips, but we just had the one day and no time to explore those options. After lunch we headed out to see as many of the countless museums that we could cram in to a few hours. We saw some artwork at the local culture center, the house-turned-museum of a famous Latin American poet named Ruben Dario, a tour of the museum dedicated to the leftist war heroes of the civil war which ended with a rooftop-panoramic view of the city, and the largest cathedral in Central America (so they claim). We stopped to get smoothies after our whirlwind tour and found the best smoothie shop in the world (though I base that opinion on the tasting of only one flavor of smoothie...it was just THAT good). It was called the Viva Leon and consisted of banana, yougurt, and peanut butter (so I know Kelsey would also agree to its superiority just based on the ingredients). But it was really so good that I went back in the morning and got another one (and convinced my three friends to do so as well) and that it merits such a mention in my blog. In the evening we went to a pizza shop/movie theater combination complex for dinner and a showing of “There Will be Blood.” I had no idea what the movie was going to be about, but the Spanish translation of the title made me think it was going to be like the movie “Blood Diamonds,” but based on the oil industry (so I was thinking something focusing on human rights-ish). I was very wrong, unfortunately. While I hear it was up for best picture and that Daniel Day Lewis won best actor for his role, I really did not enjoy it (crazy guy for no apparent reason turned maniac killer…not my type of film…but apparently that’s just me). Leon in general, however, was a really impressive city. There are tons of things to see and do and we were only scraping the surface of the town. Even more refreshing, however, was to see the local youth out and about enjoying the town’s attractions. There are tourists, but much less so than in Granada.

On Thursday, we returned for a second round of smoothies and then hopped on a bus for our long ride to the jungle called the Selva Negra in the central Metagalpa region of Nigaragua. It was a long four hour bus ride over poor, pot hole covered roads. We were happy to get there, have some dinner, and hang out in our room for the night. The Selva Negra is a privately owned coffee plantation founded by German settlers in the 1600’s. It is still functioning and under German ownership to this day (though I am not sure if it is the same family). As they own the area, and it is a working plantation, theirs is the only hotel. We stayed in a bunk room right on the small lake. They offer tours of the plantation, plenty of hiking, horseback riding, fresh made cheeses, and German dishes on the restaurants menu. It was like a little piece of first world living in the mountains of Nicaragua.

On Friday, we went for an hour horseback riding tour and for a midday hike. It was beautiful to look out over the plantation and the mountains and then to head into the wilderness of the woods. The trails are nice, but much more rustic than the state parks in Minnesota. I suppose that is what you want if you are hoping to see wildlife, but we were making entirely too much noise on our walk to hope to see anything. After lunch I had to head out on my own to bus back to Managua to await my early morning bus home. The other three girls stayed as they were heading to Honduras for a second week of vacation, so I came back solo.

The trip back was long, but thankfully uneventful. After a total of about 14 hours on buses on Saturday, I walked into my house at about 10:00 p.m. on Saturday. I was tired, but the entire reason for my coming home on Saturday and not waiting until Sunday was to attend the final prayer service for my neighbor who died on March 2. I managed to stay up until about 11:30, but that’s when most of the town decided to turn in, so I headed to bed. On Sunday, I went to see some of the local soccer games, but basically had a slow day.

Today, I am in Chalatenango getting groceries because I left my cupboards barren before going on vacation. The mayor’s office is closed all week because of Holy Week (it’s the biggest celebration of the year in El Salvador and pretty much the entire country has the week off), so it will be like a second week of vacation. There will be masses and processions and they make carpets out of dyed rice or grains of salt. Friends and family come home to celebrate and it ends up being the biggest thing in town aside from the December fiestas.

Last week escaped me and now February is almost over. There is a saying with Peace Corps that the days and weeks are long, but the months and years fly by. More and more I am feeling that this is true. A particular day may drag on, but before you know it you have less than five months of time remaining out of a two year commitment that you never really expected to end. Of course I knew it would come to an end, but two years certainly sounds long enough that one doesn’t envision what the end will look like. I am not going back tomorrow, but the time is near enough that it has me thinking.

I was feeling a lot of pent up energy from the lack of physical activity I have been experiencing. While I am out of that work lull I had been talking about, I had not been doing much physically to tire myself out by the end of the day. I think it manifested itself in a form of cabin fever, which basically means I was an emotional basket case for a couple of days while I tried to figure out what to do with myself. So, on Friday morning I woke up and headed out with Donovan for a fast four kilometer walk followed by about two hours of washing clothes. That was a good start. On Saturday we ran laps around the soccer field for about 30 minutes. Sunday we did the four kilometer walk again followed by two hours of picking up trash at the soccer field. My muscles definitely feel that activity today. I have a bit of work to do in the office today because I will be out tomorrow and Wednesday, so I am waiting until the afternoon for today’s exercise. After just a few days, I already feel much better. I hope to keep it up for my health and sanity…and for my wedding dress.

Before moving on, I want to thank Ismael and my friends Cristina, Karina and Nicole for helping me deal with last week. I had a hard couple of days, some crazy phone calls, and some misguided sentiments, but I appreciate you all talking with and understanding me.

I did accomplish some things despite my cabin fever (that is what I will call the whole incident) last week. I figured out how to dial Australia and talked to Kelsey. It only lasted for about 8 minutes (because it costs $1/minute plus tax), but at least I got to tell her happy birthday. I also got the school library committee set up to be ready for our incoming book donation. Next week we will be going to a library training, receiving 400 books, and having an inauguration with representatives from Rotary International. Also, we have arranged for a visit with the US Embassy and the director of Peace Corps as the next step in the potential lighting-of-the-soccer-field project. They will be coming on Friday to look around, ask questions, and meet with people here in town. Hopefully they like what they see and hear.

On Saturday I made it to the festival of a town nearby. Ismael got off of work at 6 am and made the 3 ½ hour bus journey to go for a while, too. Poor guy had been up for 24 hours straight and had worked a 10 hour shift before he headed back home. We got lunch and hung out for a little bit, but he headed back to get some sleep before his 6 am shift started on Sunday. Honestly, his stamina amazes me, but more so is that fact that he never really complains about it. I barely function without a good 8 hours, and forget the back-breaking labor! I am very happy that I got to see him even for that little while.

Oh, and I forgot to update you about how last weekend went. The lunch event on Saturday was a let down (and unfortunately I didn’t have high hopes for it in the first place). At this point I prefer not to go into details, but I truly regret having gone, especially against my initial inclination. But Sunday was much better. Ismael’s mom, aunt and I made about 24 loaves of quesadilla. We mixed a ton of dairy products, sugar and flour together, and then spent most of the morning letting the mix set. After lunch we heated up the wood-burning oven and popped them in. About five minutes later they were finished, I had been expecting to wait a while as it baked, and we had a ton of bread. They asked me to stay for dinner and help them make tamales. I couldn’t refuse an offer for tamales, so I stayed. By the time Ismael’s two sisters saw me off onto the bus I was carrying enough quesadilla and tamales to last the week.

Tomorrow, my friend Karina and I are starting our monthly outings with a trip to the Anthropology museum. We had talked about getting our hair cut as well, but then coming back to my house and making something good for dinner. There is also a Museum of Modern Art close to the other museum that we may check out if there is time. The idea is for both of us to get out and do something to avoid such cabin fever situations and the feelings of loneliness that one gets in a long distance relationship (we just happen to have that in common). So I am looking forward to this, our first of outings.

Just to reassure you…it seems like I have talked a lot about my “cabin fever” last week. It is normal to have ups and downs (well, in life) but especially in the extreme situation of a volunteer. I don’t always mention them as I try to keep an up-beat to my blog. I am definitely back to my normal self today. I had a down spell, but I feel good again. It’s easy to let your emotions get the better of you, I just try not to let it happen too often.

Well, for someone who claims to sit around and not do much, the time this past week has really gotten away from me! I went into San Salvador to run a few errands at the office and have lunch with Ismael on Wednesday. The one day trip was, most unfortunately, extended over night when a good friend of mine got mugged in the afternoon and I stayed with her until Thursday. We went out for ice cream and a movie to do some cheering up. The ice cream was wonderful, our choice of movie, however, was not. I hadn't been to a movie theater since seeing Harry Potter V last July, so we really had no idea what was out there. We based our decision to see The Assassination of Jesse James on the posters at the front of the theater. It was quite possibly the slowest three hours of my life, but it included pop corn so that helped.

While at the office I scrounged up a bit of work to keep me occupied as well. We are looking forward to several upcoming visits here in town: visits to the soccer field for the lighting project, visits from my boss to consider placing another volunteer here when I leave, and representatives from Rotary International who are donating 400 books in early March. Aside from preparing for those visits and the upcoming task of organizing a library at the school, I am trying to move forward with the waste management project that I have been talking about. I hope you all received an email about that today (Wed); if not it is because I do not have your email address, but please feel included in the invitation to participate.

I have been working on a revised budget (which is still not reflected on the website, so you will have to trust me). We are still about $1,400 short of our goal and will not receive the requested funding unless we reach the total amount. I am therefore sending out a final request to all those who have not yet donated to the project. Many of you have helped already to support the project, and I truly appreciate your involvement. I just want to give a chance for anyone who may have forgotten or not gotten around to donating yet to participate in this project. It's just as easy as following this link (https://www.peacecorps.gov/resources/donors/contribute/projdetail.cfm?projdesc=519-096&region=latinamerica) and entering the amount to want to give (TAX DEDUCTIBLE) along with a credit card. If you have not yet done so, please consider contributing to a great cause.

Tomorrow, Ismael's mom is going to be teaching me to make Salvadoran Quesadilla (a cheesey sweet bread, same as I brought home at Thanksgiving). I bought some supplies while in San Salvdor to make cupcakes, so that is tonight's plan to celebrate Valentine's Day tomorrow. Ismael may come home on Friday, which would make it even better. Finally, there is a fundraiser lunch on Saturday that I will be attending. So all in all, it makes for a pretty busy week according to my standards. I'll let you know how it all goes.

I am definitely getting settled back into a routine of sorts, including more regular blog updates, but my daily schedule is pretty different than what is was this time last year. I have come to terms with the fact that right now I am at a waiting stage when it comes to work and projects. It’s not that there is no work, it’s just that all of the projects my work before was building up to (mainly the waste management and school resource center projects) have come to a point where outside parties need to take action before we can continue. Actually, it is not a bad spot because all of the projects are at a climax – once we have the money or books we have requested, we will be at the implementation stage. My hope is that in the time I am here I will have enough time to implement the three main projects I have well under way, get the community started, and let them take it over by July when I leave. Of course, that is the ideal, and I can only hope things come together in time for that to actually happen, but as I said…this is the waiting stage.

The waste management project is still waiting for funding. If you see the donation website right now it is not totally current. As many months have passed since we hoped to start this project, the town hall went ahead and paid for about $1,500 of the supplies we had requested funds for. This does not change the actual project in any way, but I have reworked the budget to show a reduction in the amount of money we are requesting. I still have to get approval for this new budget, but if it goes through, the new total we need to raise in donations is $3,000. As about $1,500 has already been donated, that puts us a lot closer to the goal. I have also been looking into other sources of funding and have been working on a grant request for $1,000 from the Minnesota Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Association. They give out grants in April, so it is still a little further in the future, but that would put us very close to the total goal. I did speak with the president of the association and she said that depending on the number of requests they have, they are not always able to give the full $1,000, but any amount would be helpful.

The school resource center is about half finished. We have the first eight computers, and they have solicited funds to hire an instructor. The Ministry of Education has not answered the request, though, and the school director is not much of one to knock down doors demanding things. We had worked out a system last year of volunteer teachers, mostly two local university students, but it is not realistic to expect people to continue to give up to 15 hours a week without pay. The second part of the resource center is the library. We have about 150 books that I secured through donations last year and we have about 500 more coming from Rotary International. Those 500 books, in addition to a library-start-up training, will be coming in March.

The last project is newer, but the prospects are high. The US Embassy would like to donate $10,000 to light our soccer field. My boss asked if we would be interested in such a project in my town, and I said, “Of course!” I am not one to turn down $10,000 when someone so kindly offers. We got an estimate and I wrote a proposal and we are waiting to hear back.

So, in this era of waiting for things to move along, I have adapted to a new, somewhat more low-key routine. I tend to spend the mornings with different cleaning projects and reading (except for those days I go grocery shopping or to visit Ismael’s mom); after lunch I go to the mayor’s office to do any necessary work (or considering that usually can be accomplished within about 30 minutes, maybe I go more to be social and see what is happening in town); in the later afternoon I take Donovan to the park and take time to chat with anyone who may be out (though, to tell the truth, many times it’s just the dog and I); finally, in the evening I try to get out to visit one of the families I am close to in town (or, on a rare occasion, someone stops by to visit me). Low-key, right? Well, it does leave plenty of time for thought and reflection I have to admit. To fill in some of the gaps, a friend of mine (a fellow volunteer who is in the same, not-too-overcrowded-schedule situation) and I have decided to take the chance to get out in our last months here to see the sites that we have missed. We were both too busy during our first year and a half here to get out much and enjoy the sites of El Salvador, so we decided that this is our time. February’s trip is in the works; we are going to start off small and see where we end up.

Finally, Ismael is back into his work routine in San Salvador as well. As he does have work to show up for everyday (heavy work that tires him out), he tends to spend his time off asleep or at least resting at home. He is doing fine, but it’s not the most fun way to pass the days. I am going to San Salvador to pick a few things up from the Peace Corps office this week and we are going to get lunch before he heads to work. After a couple weeks of seeing each other everyday and hanging out all afternoon/evening, it’s hard to be content with just grabbing lunch together, but we both know that this situation will only last a little while longer, and looking forward to July helps.

I am back, after having fallen off of the map for a short while. Thanks to those of you who checked in with me to make sure everything was ok and asked why I haven’t updated the blog. There haven’t been any problems, but my time in the office has been minimal the past couple of weeks because Ismael was home on vacation.

He gets two weeks off per year, which is not bad. Unfortunately, he doesn’t get to ask for days here and there when he wants them. Rather, they tell him that he will be on vacation for two weeks starting said date. So for two weeks, ending this past Saturday, he has been home on break. Being home for Ismael, however, doesn’t mean resting. He spent most of the days doing farm labor, helping his brother and friends catch up. So long as he was here, though, we were able to spend most afternoons/evenings together. It was wonderful having him around for an extended time, rather than the normal 24 hours or less that he usually has when he comes to visit. We were able to get out of town, away from work, family, and everyone, to hang out just the two of us. We went to the zoo and to lunch at Tony Roma’s. We had a great time, but it was made even better by the fact that we NEVER get to go out and do things like that, let alone for an entire day (mainly because of his 6-day-a-week work schedule, but also because the entertainment options in El Salvador are limited to say the least…especially for someone without a car). By the end of the day we decided we need to make time for more days out like that (I guess for most people that would be formal dates, but that’s not the norm for rural El Salvador). Either way, we hope to do something similar again soon.

That is really all that has been going on, though it doesn’t sound so exciting re-reading it written out in a paragraph like that. I don’t know how to explain what has been going on any differently, but it has been the best time I have had in my town in a long time. The hard part now will be getting used to our seeing each other only once or twice a month again. With the fiestas, Christmas, New Year’s, and then his vacation, we have been able to spend a lot more time together as of late than usual, and I have gotten used to it. The next six months of waiting and not seeing each other a lot will be trying, but we are both looking forward to what is to come next.

This week, starting tomorrow, I will be at a volunteer conference with my co-workers (though that feels like the wrong word to describe my fellow volunteers, we can say friends). It is my boss’ final week with the program here, as he will be moving on to the next stage in his life, so we will be meeting to catch up and talk about work, but also to say goodbye. It will be good to see everyone and there will be wireless internet so I should be more available than usual. It will be strange, though, because it is my group’s last meeting prior to our close of service conference in May when we do our wrap up of our two years here and prep work to return to the states. It is finally starting to become a reality that we are a group on our way out (with six months to go we are three-quarters of the way done). That last stretch isn’t really enough time to start anything new, but to finish up what we have been working on and enjoy our lives and communities here while the time lasts (and for me and Isma, to try and get things in line for a move, a wedding, and life in the states). I am looking forward to a chance to spend time with some friends who I don’t get to see very often, though.

On the work front, things are rolling along about the same as before. Slow, with just a few small projects in the work. We applied for a $10,000 grant to get lighting for our soccer field from the US Embassy and hope to hear back on that soon. I am also looking at possibly taking a group of high school aged girls camping for a weekend, but that is in it’s preliminary stages so we will see what happens.

Happy New Year! Just a week late, but that's pretty good I think. I hope you all had a happy holiday season and are enjoying getting back to normal life.

Here things are still pretty slow, after a LONG break. After the fiestas we all pretty much sat around and waited for Christmas. I had a friend come to visit and I was dog sitting for another friend, so we had a full house for the holiday. We did the traditional Salvadoran celebration of setting off fire works and going to mass. Ismael's mom and I had killed my chicken in order to have a holiday feast. It worked out well for a chicken/broccoli alfredo lunch and a BBQ chicken dinner. I didn't have the courage to kill it myself, but I did defeather it (with the help of one of Isma's sisters) and slice, dice and cook it all by myself. Donovan enjoyed the innards and we all ate well in the end. All of this happened for Christmas Eve (that's the real day of celebration here). On Christmas day, my friend and I met up with a few other gals and we headed to San Salvador where my boss had an open house for the volunteers. Once again we ate and visited with friends and had a good time. Ismael had to work Christmas Eve, but was able to meet up with his family on the 25 to spend Christmas day at least with his mom. On the 26 we met up just to grab some lunch before I headed back home.

Taking care of two dogs was about all the excitement I had for the rest of the week. And believe me, this was almost more than I could handle! I couldn't leave them home alone much because the bigger one had no problem grabbing whatever she could reach and chewing it up. But the girls and I (some volunteer friends) got together in San Salvador on the 30 to celebrate the New Year early. We rented a room together at the Sheraton, which is one of the best treats we can afford to give ourselves here once in a blue moon, used the gym, sat at the pool and went out for a good dinner. A hot shower, evening of cable TV, and a trip to the breakfast buffet later I headed home to celebrate the new year with my town. I had talked to Ismael and he said that he didn't think he could make it home for New Year's eve, so I walked the dogs and took a nap in order to be able to stay up until midnight. But pretty soon there was a knock on my door and there was my boyfriend waiting for me to answer. It was a great surprise to see he and his roommate standing there, so we went and got dinner and went to celebrate with Ismael's family in the canton before coming back to the dance and town-wide round of hugs at midnight here in San Luis. All in all, it was a great night.

Since then I have passed a semi-insomniatic week, leaving me tired most of the days yet unable to sleep at night. The second dog went home and I cleaned up the Christmas decorations in my house, so it's been pretty quite as we get back to normal life around here. My big accomplishment yesterday (after cleaning the dead banana leaves out of my back yard) was finishing my first crossword puzzle on my own, without peaking at the answers in the back! Not all that exciting, but as I said, it's been a slow couple of days. My enormous tomato plant is ripening and I have a new tomato or two everyday. I am not sure if it will just die once the tomatoes are picked, that's what happens with the banana trees when their fruit ripens and falls. But for now it is nice to walk out back and bring in something fresh for dinner.

So I am back to the mayor's office during the week, hoping to slowly pick up some work again. Ismael will be completing a full year of working at the factory this month, so they are giving him his vacation. He gets two weeks a year...but they tell him when to use it. So starting on Saturday he will be off for two weeks, which I am pretty excited about. He is planning to come help his brother with the farm here and help with the bull fights at a fiesta in a nearby village, but I am hoping that he just takes it easy. Either way he will be close by so I can't complain.

But, as I say, it's been pretty slow going since the fiestas and there is still one week of summer vacation before school starts, but as things get rolling again I am sure the action will pick back up. I will at least have a school library project coming up in February and hopefully the funding for the waste management project will come through to make that project a reality as well! And with all that down time, I can always get back into my cooking experiments (I did just cut down a new bunch of bananas).

Yes, that is my fiance...riding a bull.We just finished fiesta weekend yesterday after a very tiring three day run. After much debate, Ismael decided he didn't want to miss it and came home from Friday night to Sunday morning (missing a night of work). I was glad to see him, but as soon as he got there he rode two bulls which honestly scared the crap out of me. This picture is actually from his third ride, which was on Saturday morning. He couldn't believe that I didn't get pictures of the first two and wanted to make sure I got the last one, so I managed to stop hyperventillating enough to snap a few.The fiestas in general were pretty good this year. Pretty much what I was expecting, but it was definitly fun. The only problem is that the moment the bull fighting, dances, and music is over, everyone complains about how bored they are again. I am serious, the last bull fight ended at 5 on Sunday, and by 6:00 at least 3 people were complaining about how bored they were. At that point I was so tired I didn't much care, but now I see how ridiculous it was. I probably got a full 5 hours of sleep all weekend, what with the 4a.m. serenades and the constant fire crackers. But for one weekend a year, it is worth it. The dances were full and lasted all night long and the days were filled with parades and bull fights and singers. As I said, all the craziness that we had anticipated.I don't know what else to tell. I honestly feel that there has been so much build up to these fiestas, and now that they are over the entire mayor's office is finally able to breathe. So Christmas will be a much smaller celebration, with a much smaller dance and fewer fire works, but I am looking forward to that too. A couple friends will be coming to visit, so at least I won't be celebrating the holiday alone this year. Unfortunately, Ismael's job does not give him a break for Christmas, so I am trying to work out to come see him on the 25 or 26 (Christmas Eve is actually our anniversary so it's a shame we won't be able to spend it together), but I keep reminding myself that this set-up is only temporary. And Donovan won't be alone either because I am dog sitting for a friend that is going out of town, so I will have a truly full house.Until then I am not planning to do much. I need to go talk with Ismael's mom to figure out when we are going to kill and eat my chicken, so that will probably be a day-long event (preparing a meal from scratch...starting with a live chicken). More on that to come. Otherwise, I have a few Christmas movies and some music, so I will try to create my own little north pole in the midst of the 95 degree weather (though I am still not missing the snow :) Merry Christmas all!

I am sitting in the Peace Corps office in San Salvador right at this moment with a half-numb face. I just got back from the dentist who put some type of covering over a sensitive spot on one of my teeth. I am going back for a follow up in a week and a half because he said if this doesn't do what it is supposed to, I will likely have to have a root canal. Yikes! Apparently part of the problem is an old filling and the other part is that I have been brushing my teeth too rigorously. I didn't know that was a danger, I just thought I was getting all the plaque out of there. Apparently I was wrong. So beware of brushing your teeth, it may lead to root canals!

My week back has gone well, otherwise. Not much of note, actually not much of anything. The vendors have started to roll in for the fiestas so you can now buy french fries in San Luis. There is also a BB shotgun game and an open air butchershop. The pizza and crazy corn should be coming any day now.

Juan came home from the hospital on Friday and is said to be doing better, though he tires out fast still (go figure). He called me on Saturday saying he would stop by to visit when he was in town, but has yet to do so. I figure being allowed to come home means he has improved, but he is still supposed to be taking it easy for a while to avoid a relapse. But on the whole the news seems good.

Even better news is that I will get to see Ismael in the morning! As I am already in the capital, I figured I would squeeze a visit in. So I am going to get up and go spend some time with him in the morning before he has to go to work. Them I am heading to my friend's town to enjoy a day or HER fiestas (I told you...it's that time of year). But I haven't seen my fiance since coming home from the states, so I am really looking forward to that.

Otherwise the fiestas are in tow, and seems all anyone cares to think or talk about. So I suppose I will just sit back and wait for the fun!

Oh, and Kate, the mayor also says hello and I am at the same address. And no, Donovan does not roam free in the streets, he stays in the backyard when I am there (when I am in town, but not at home with him), thus avoiding fight situations. He is going to be neutered on Monday, so that should help avoid creating a need to fight, too.

I am two days back from my visit to the states and more than anything I am finding it hard to get myself up in the mornings. I am back to the warm weather, but I definitely brought a cold back with me. It is good to be back, though it doesn’t feel like I was gone for very long (and I wasn’t as everyone here keeps reminding me). But things here have carried on as normal, and the town didn’t fall apart without me here, so I suppose that is a good sign. (though, mom, we did forget to pack the mayor's million dollar bill, but maybe that can be sent or you can bring it on your trip)

I had a great trip and really enjoyed seeing everyone. Thanks to Mom and Dad for all that we got done, and all the rides, and for the trip in general. And thanks to everyone who took time to come and see me or to hang out. It was great to see everyone. Many volunteers find it hard to go back because there is so little understanding and genuine interest in our work, but you all made me feel great and very supported, and I don't feel I suffered from the distant and misunderstood feeling that I hear so much about. Thanks to all of you again for making me feel back at home during my visit.

After my 5:30 a.m. departure I arrived to San Luis at about 4:00 p.m. ready to go to bed, but with everyone wanting to visit that didn’t happen. I think that most all residents of the town have asked me what I brought them from the states (even people I don’t like very much), so I am glad that I didn’t do many gifts. I brought the gingerbread and pretzel hugs to Ismael’s family yesterday and they were glad to visit for a bit. Unfortunately the candle holder that mom sent to his mom broke, but I am going to see if I can glue it back together. I also saw my chicken while I was there and it is huge (actually it is normal chicken size, but considering how small it was when I brought it home two months ago, it’s pretty large).

I had also brought some Pop Rocks home for some of the kids in town and they went over really well. The kids thought they were weird, so I told them to eat them while drinking Coke, but I don’t know if that happened. They had told me to bring them a snack from the states that you can’t find here, and that is what mom and dad suggested…so thanks for the good idea.

Donovan came home yesterday, and he was pretty excited to see me. He looks like he has lost some weight and the lady watching him said that he wasn’t eating and was moping around for the past few days and had thrown up a few times, so he may have a parasite, so I am going to see about getting him the anti-parasite pill a few days early. He also came home with fleas and ticks (which happens when dogs roam the streets all day), so he got a bath right away. I need to get him some more Frontline (which I was going to buy at home, but I forgot!). So he is ok and really likes the milk bones, but seems a little sad these days 

After unpacking yesterday I got out my Christmas decorations and set up the house. It is not as gaudy or extensive as I would have liked, but at least I have some lights and a small tree. The best part is, thanks to Aunt Cin and family, I have a giant blow-up Santa. The kids all think it’s great, and with the fake snow and a little garland, you get the Christmas feel.

The town is definitely gearing up for the festival; just two weeks left until the big weekend. They have painted everything, planted new flowers at the church, put up advertisement posters, and the talk is endless. The food vendors should be moving in next week and then the band will come the following Wed night to kick things off. I am supposed to be talking with the Globe Trekker crew about the details for them arriving to film the celebration, so I will try to find out when that will air so you all can watch (I think it is on the Travel Channel, but the mayor said it may be the Discovery Channel, so I will get you the details).

I talked with Ismael on Wed when I got home and he is doing well. He is finishing up his week of night shift tonight, and I am always glad when that is over. He won’t have a day off until next weekend, but he said he would come the next chance he has, and I am looking forward to seeing him, as always.

Finally, I have one request for all of you – Juan, Ismael’s younger brother, was taken to the hospital on Tuesday in pretty bad condition. He has bronchitis, and apparently waited until it was really bad (as in needing hospitalization) before getting looked at. His mom told me that he is doing much better and may get to come home today, but he is going to have to take it easy for a while. Also, with Christmas and New Year’s coming soon, and the tradition here of setting off fire crackers, the doctor said he is worried that the smoke could give him more problems. I was happy to hear that he is doing better already, but if you all could include him in your thoughts and prayers, that he continues to get and stay healthy.

The count down is on, just 5 more days until I set foot in the states after 18 months away. How time flies and life changes!

My grand plan was to live simply and cheaply for my last two weeks here, finishing off the food I already have at home. But after eating a bowl of just plain beans for lunch on Saturday I realized that was not going to work and had to bite the bullet and go shopping again. I know I will eat well when I am at home, but I don't want to starve before I get there.

Yesterday Ismael came up to sign the fiance petition forms and get passport photos taken to send in with the packet on Tuesday when I go to the post office. Today I am putting the forms in order, making copies of all documents to keep as a record, and making a cover page and table of contents. Tuesday morning we will be getting the declaration of engagement that a lawyer drew up professionally translated (USCIS won't accept my translation), sticking in a copy of my birth certificate, and sending the whole thing off. It will be a weight off of my shoulders to get the thing in the mail, then we just keep our fingers crossed that the process goes as quickly as possible! I have read all the instructions and tip sheets available for preparing this application so as to avoid delay, so I hope that pays off.

Otherwise, the last couple days in town should be busy. Tomorrow we are going to approve the final draft of the fiesta program to be printed early next week. I have to get a budget in order for the environmental employees for the coming year's municipal budget, so I think that will be on Friday. On Saturday we are heading out to look for donations for the fiestas. And on Sunday Ismael is supposedly going to come home to see me before I take off. Then there is the whole packing and cleaning up my house to worry about. Donovan will be staying with one of the secretaries from the mayor's office, so I think he will be going on Friday. I don't know how he'll handle my being gone, but he really loves Nina Berta, so I am glad he will be staying with her.

I am going to bask in the warm weather to try to stock up before facing November in MN, but I don't know that it will make it any easier. It's going to be a busy trip, but I am looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible! And to hot showers and all you can eat meals :)

I feel like every time I start a post it is with an apology for my delay in updating everyone...so I will stop with the excuses and just say that other things of recent have been given priority. But I will do my best to catch you up quickly.

So with the big news spreading from El Salvador to various parts of the US to Australia and el mundo entero, there has been a lot of talk and a lot of questions to answer, so I have been doing my best. The most important thing, we are both doing well and have gathered almost all the necessary items to mail to Immigration Services when I get to the states in November...just need passport photos and a translation of the lawyer's witnessing of our declaration of engagement. I for one will be very happy to see that little packet off in the mail...so please keep your fingers crossed that that permission comes through as timely as possible!

Then people are asking about the wedding. Let me be honest...it didn't really hit me until about 2 weeks ago that getting engaged means I have to plan a wedding. I suppose with the visa to worry about it just didn't cross my mind. So I am starting on that too, although I am glad to have some help there because I really don't know what I am doing. I wasn't so much one of those girls who has their wedding planned from childhood, so we are starting from scratch and with the basics for now. As I said, I don't have much experience in that department so mom, kristen (aaron's fiance), and a few friends here are helping me get started.

But relationship aside, I have been working to finish the program for our December fiestas here in San Luis. A program doesn't sound like much, but it's like a 20 page yearbook for the town...and I was doing it ALONE, so it had me stressed. Thanksfully I turned it in on Friday and am not thinking about it anymore.

Friday was Day of the Dead, which is a national holiday here. So everything was closed and we all went to the cemetary to put flowers on the graves (I just watched in took pictures). Here they just do flowers. In Mexico I think they still put food and candles out, but that's not the Salvadoran tradition. It makes for a very pretty, lively cemetary (all jokes aside).

Finally, I know I mentioned my banana trees a while ago. I had been waiting for the bananas to ripen for a few months and, starting last week, they did....ALL OF THEM! So suddenly I had about 80 bananas starting last Tuesday. And let me tell you, no matter how much you like bananas, one person can only eat so much. I sent about 30 to Ismael's mom, but that still left me with way more than one person can handle. So I have eaten at least 3 bananas a day for the past week, made bananas pancakes, bananas bread...I kind of feel like Bubba talking about shrimp in Forst Gump. In short, I still have about 20 bananas that are ripening this week and I can't look at them! At least I am not going hungry, is what I try to tell myself, but I have tested and disproved the theory that you can't have too much of a good thing.

Well, just 2 more weeks until I visit, so get planning. I hope to see many of you soon!

Hello again! I know it’s been longer than usual, but I wanted to give myself some time to let many of you know by phone (and I think mom was going to help with some phone calls too) what has been going on here before I did a post for the masses. But I don’t have all the phone numbers here, or phone minutes for that matter, so I apologize if we missed somebody…though it was bound to happen.

So as not to keep you in suspense, the BIG news is that Ismael and I have gotten engaged! It’s something we have been talking about for a couple weeks and we decided that is what we want to do. This happened two weeks ago from yesterday…so as I said I was leaving some time to make the rounds in phone calls first. But we are really happy and pretty excited.

This also means that we are going to start filing for a fiancé visa so that he can move to the states with me when I head home next July. We have started the first round of paper work and are trying to get all the necessary documents together to mail in November when I visit for Thanksgiving. It’s a bit of work and the process is going to take a while, but we are hoping for everything to go through smoothly and timely.

Many people have asked if we will be getting married here, as most of the town is hoping, but this visa has a few stipulations. The first of which is that we cannot get married outside of the states, and a second being that we have to get married within three months of his arrival to the states. Since that arrival date is projected to be late July (in time for Aaron’s wedding), that means we are looking at late September or early October for a wedding date. It still sounds strange to say that!

As this trip home in November will be my only (foreseeable) one before my return next July (hopefully with Ismael), I am going to have to start some wedding prep then. For starters, I haven’t seen Dad’s church yet. Also, thinking of where and what kind of reception we are looking for and a dress. But this still seems rather distant to me.

Many people are asking me how Ismael is feeling about all of this. He is doing great, in my opinion. Considering all of the forms come in English and all documents have to be turned in in English (or with translations) it is my responsibility to physically fill out most of the forms. But he wanted to understand the process, too, so we sat down last week and went over all of the steps. But he has had to round up a lot of information, get photos taken, and come to Chalate to sign a declaration with a lawyer. Personally, he is pretty excited, but as he doesn’t know much about the states (and even less about Minnesota) he doesn’t really know what to expect at this point. And the cold will definitely be something new for him!

So, as I said, this is all very new for the both of us, but we are very happy. And I want to say thanks again for all of the congratulations and excitement from friends and family. I can’t wait for everyone to get to meet and know him, so this is a good excuse to brush up on your Spanish.

Take care!

¡Puchica! It’s already October, the last quarter of the year. We are on the brink of fiesta season here, and from there on out we do what San Luis does best…celebrations!

Well, actually what happens is that many towns in our area celebrate their town fiestas in the final months of the year or in the first months of the new year (late Oct – Feb). San Luis itself is in full force preparing for the great festival week in mid-December. Then, when you throw in Christmas, New Year, and the Epiphany, you have a nice streak of dances, bull fights, fire works, and overeating. It’s the most wonderful time of the year in these parts – summer vacation starts in early November, the rainy season is wrapping up, and in December everyone comes home to San Luis for the festivities. I was swept away last year, but this year I am ready for it.

Now this is not to say that we are done with real work. My computer classes are going well, I am really impressed at how quickly the students are picking things up. Right now they are happy to play around with Microsoft Word and Paint, but soon they will get bored with that so I will be looking for new things to teach them. The ideal would be to get the teachers to include computer work in the regular assignments, but the teachers themselves are not computer literate, so that is a goal to work toward in the future.

Last I checked the waste management project has received almost $1,000 in donations. Thank you to everyone who has supported the project. There is still quite a ways to go so I encourage those who are considering donating, but have not yet done so, to help out with this project. We would like to get started in November, but we will not receive any funds until the requested amount for the project is funded in full. So we are waiting and ready to go.

I have also been doing some looking into plans for next year, in August, when my Peace Corps service ends. While I had thought at one point about looking for work here in El Salvador, right now I am looking more on the home front. I am checking out mostly NGOs for open positions that I would be interested in (mainly program assistant/manager, communications, donor relations, or something of the like). I am looking in Minneapolis/St. Paul because it is familiar, but I am open to most places. So if anyone knows of a good NGO in their area, let me know and I will check it out. It is still a ways out, but I figure looking now and making some contacts may give me a head start come job search time.

Finally, the date for my trip home is coming up. Not until mid-November still, but that’s just over a month away. I know we are looking at Thanksgiving in Ohio and a few days in MN, too. I don’t really know how returning to the states may affect me (mainly cold and busy I imagine), but my goal is to visit with as many people as I can without overwhelming or stressing myself out.

Oh, and one last thing. Tomorrow I should be getting a new addition to my family. My friend Karina is buying me a baby chick for my birthday present. We went to the market yesterday to look for them, but everyone was sold out and says they will be getting more on Friday; so tomorrow we are going to pick them up. In my experience living with chickens, I do not like them as house mates. They are loud, dirty, and untrainable. I am going to see how one does alone, but I think they are more flock animals, so I may end up giving it to someone with chickens to take care of for me. Basically I am not thinking of this chick as a pet, but want to fatten it up to eat ASAP. But with Donovan in the house, he might have different plans for eating that don’t involved letting it fatten much, so I have to look into that too. If anyone knows anything at all about having chickens, let me know because I do not. I talked with Ismael yesterday and he told me what to feed it and where to buy it, but he really just thinks my worrying is hilarious so he wasn’t much more help than that.

Take care!

Well the birthday weekend was a success. A few girls from town chipped in to buy me a cake and some 7-year-old jewelery (that made for 7-year-olds that is). They knocked on my door, threw confetti at me, sang happy birthday in English and Spanish, did a dance they had been practicing, had me blow out a candle, and took pictures of everything. The grill out on Saturday was also a success; Karina and I preparing a meal from scratch for 10 people in under 2 hours. We made corn bread, mashed potatoes, green beans, BBQed chicken, steak, and salad. It was the best meal I have made for myself in a long time and everyone went away stuffed. Afterwards we hit up the dance. And thank you to everyone for your birthday greetings and well wishes, it was a fun weekend.

I would like to take this post as an opportunity to plead for the help of any willing and interested persons in helping to support a project in San Luis del Carmen. My main responsibility as a volunteer in this town is evironmental affairs, and we have been very busy with such. In the past year we have initiated a recycling program, purchased a garbage truck and started a house-to-house trash pick-up service, and have designed a waste management program that we hope will be the positive alternative to people dumping or burning their trash. After analyzing the trash collected on a regular basis in the town, we have determined that about 96% of it is organic material and most of what remains is recyclable. We have an operating recycling program, so we have turned our attention to the organic waste. The project we have designed has, as an end, creating organic compost that local farmers can use to nurture their crops. In order for the project to work successfully and efficiently, we are asking the townspeople to take responsibility for separating their trash at home. We would like to provide each household with three waste bins: 1. organic material, 2. inorganic material, 3. recyclable material. In addition, we will be doing an extensive education program in each home and in each of the six schools of the municipality.

I have applied this project to the Peace Corps Partnership Program for funding. This grant works by receiving donations from my friends, family, and other willing persons to directly fund my project. The total requested amount seems like a lot ($4,595.25), but my goal is to get $25 donations from 184, making the goal seem much more manageable. If you are interested in learning more about the project or in donating, please follow the link I have included below. The benefits of this project for San Luis will be numerous, but we need your help to make it happen. Any donation will be supporting my work and benefitting the town, and will be greatly appreciated. Thank you to all!

https://www.peacecorps.gov/resources/donors/contribute/projdetail.cfm?projdesc=519-096&region=latinamerica

This will be a pre-birthday, pre-holiday weekend update. But before I describe the planned festivities, let me tell you what´s been going on...

This week has somehow turned into a midwestern themed food week. Apart from the 5 loaves of banana bread I have made since mom sent me the recipe, I decided to try my hand at tuna noodle casserole and salvadoran style cheese curds. It´s all turned out better than I thought, considering I have been making up recipes according to the ingredients I have available. All in all, however, I have decided that my toaster oven is by far the best investment I have made (sure the mini fridge and the bed are nice, but they don´t turn out such savory treats). The town has recommended me to open a bakery; that was until they tried the cheese curds yesterday, now they think I should set up a stand at the fiestas.

On the work front, most things have to do with the environment or the new computers. In terms of the environment, we are starting to compost and want to push the recycling program more. The ministry of evironment and natural resources passed some laws a while ago that went into effect on sunday mandating municipalities to provide their towns with trash treatment programs, so we are busy with that. As for the computers, a few university students are taking a few afternoons a week to teach classes to 8th and 9th grade, and eventually the teachers too. I will be giving classes to the 7th graders on tuesday mornings starting this coming week.

For my birthday i am planning to make oatmeal cookies today to give to poeple today and tomorrow. I have had some hints that a few of the girls in the town are going to bring me a cake tomorrow afternoon, but I think that´s the extent of the big day. I am going to have a BBQ with some friends at my house, but that will be on Saturday afternoon. The holiday weekend is to celebrate the central american independence day. There will be a parade on Saturday morning and a dance at night, so we should have fun. A friend of mine will be coming to visit on Saturday and I have heard rumors that Ismael will be coming home too, though he won´t confirm anything. Finally, we have a soccer game on Sunday so hopefully our not loosing streak will continue (not a winning streak because we won one and tied the other, but better than a loss).

I am in Chalatenango today buying food for saturday´s grill out and will be heading home shortly to start baking cookies! Should be a fun weekend, and a nice break from the general inactivity of San Luis on regular days.

Well with the arrival of September, here in El Salvador we don't just await Independence Day, we celebrate the start of the month in which Independence Day falls. So I just got back from sitting with the mayor at the table of honor in front of the town while the school kids paraded and danced for the crowd (and by crowd I mean about 30 people who weren't the school teachers). The actual Independence Day here is September 15, and we will do the same thing over again that morning...but more people will probably come to see. And of course, we will have a dance that evening.

The thing that makes me smile is that they give me the seat next to the mayor in celebration of their Independence Day month, playing their national anthem and giving praise to El Salvador, when I am the only non-salvadoran in town. For one part it makes me laugh because it seems a little inappropriate to me. To everyone here it makes perfect sense, though, that I be up front with the distinguished of the town. So on the other hand it is just another demonstration of why I love it here. The openness and acceptance of this town to me is something you would never find in the USA. I mean, imagine a foreigner coming into a small town in the states, only half speaking the language, and basically just doing whatever is needed in the town/hanging out/playing with kids/setting up a life. Thinking of the reception such a person would receive in the states makes me laugh (and makes me a little sad). But instead of being thought crazy or being otracized, or my motives ever being questioned, here I am welcomed, looked after, and placed in ranks among the most important town leaders. It is a beautiful culture in so many ways.

Reflexions aside, we had another soccer game yesterday. After losing count of our loss streak, we finally won one! We finished 2-0 against the team from my friend Karina's community. We will be going to their field next week for a rematch, so we will see how we fare on someone else's turf.

That's the big news for now. It's getting hotter and raining everyday...which makes laundry a challenge, but that's the season.

First of all, Happy Birthday to Aaron. Though I don't know that he even checks this blog so I will give a call to cover my bases. It's been another couple of hectic weeks here, but I am back in the office today with a bit of paper work to do.

I spent most of last week at a conference with the mayor and another townsperson learning about the design and management of projects. For me, most of the information was a review (how to write a budget, how to manage time, how to write a letter, etc.) but things I am glad for my counterparts to have learned. We stayed at a pretty retreat center and got free food and lodging, so that was an added bonus.

On top of that, I have been working on the design and grant application for a waste management project here in town. I got everything finished and proofed and sent in on Tuesday. We will be doing an education campaign so that people can separate trash in their homes (organic and inorganic) so that we can start composting the organic waste (which is estimated to be about 80% of all of the trash produced here in San Luis). You all will have an opportunity to help out with this project if you like, but I will explain that more later.

My house is getting closer to feeling like a comfortable home. I got my toaster oven fixed (after Donovan chewed through the cord) and now that is back. Also, I bought some fabric to make curtains for my kitchen and have been working on that project (people are pretty impressed here that I can thread a needle, let alone measure and stitch some seems...though not very tidy ones I will admit). Also, thanks to Mom and Dad I should have a real bed and some chairs by tomorrow. I have also taken to cleaning the back yeard, cutting down dead branches, weeding, and trying to get rid of the burnt garbage residue that the last family left for me. I bought a big Rambo style knife (here known as a corbo) to keep my banana trees in line. I actually cut down two trees this morning to try to make some room in my yard. Banana trees grow and reproduce incredibly fast, so cutting down two isn't a big deal because about 2 new ones grow daily. I want to clear some space to plant some flowers or something that doesn't reproduce so rapidly. On the up side, starting next month I should have a new bunch of bananas (about 40 in a bunch) ripen each month until November. That means lots of banana bread (now that I have the toaster oven that is)

I waited so long for Harry Potter, and finished it within four days. I was rather consumed by the book when it came and spent my free time locked in my house reading. So I am caught up, I know the secrets, and my mind is at ease.

Other pleasant news, Ismael made a surprise visit home on Saturday night and I got to see him for a bit yesterday. It wasn't much time because he had to get back for work this morning, but some is better than none.

Finally, I talked with Mom and Dad and I think I will be heading back to the states for a visit in November...Thanksgiving-ish time. I am looking into flights and dates, but I have most of my vacation time and it would be nice to see friends and family again...though I am already weary about the cold in MN in late Novemeber. But I will keep you posted on updates.

This week has been my first back in town in what seems like a long time. I came home on Sunday to a package from Mom and Dad. It’s always nice getting mail, but I knew this one held my very own copy of Harry Potter 7 which I have been dying to read! So I went and found the mayor to get into the office because I could not wait until Monday when I knew that it was inside waiting for me. After three days I am about half way done, it’s kind of taking over my life right now outside of work. I also appreciate the new sandals, Lipton side dishes, and pet odor remover solution that was there…but the book trumps all.

On Sunday the soccer team had an away game, so we traveled north a couple of hours to the town of La Palma for the tournament. We were only 10, so we were one short with no substitutes, and I personally had not done anything active since falling off the horse. Basically, we were dying out there. We lost, but held them at 2-0, which was not bad all things considered. The two boys teams played (both of which are much better and more practiced than the gals) and they lost 5-0 and 6-1. So as I said, we looked pretty decent by the day’s end. It was good to get out, but I realize that I need to get back to doing active things. We have practice tomorrow so that will be a start.

Back on the home front, my house is undergoing a much needed and long time promised makeover. The dirty beige walls in the bedroom and living room as well as outside are being painted light blue. As Donovan is wandering around there, he is also partly light blue today. Also, the overhead light in the living room was fixed yesterday. I had been living since the move with only Christmas lights illuminating the main room. My toilet is supposed to get taken care of too, because it is constantly running. Finally, my pila (which is a stone basin that holds water and has a flat surface for washing clothes and dishes…there are not sinks here, there are pilas) does not currently hold water because it is old and was not well cared for and so it leaks, is supposed to be refinished this week too. So it’s kind of a mess right now with all of this going on, but I should be much better off when it’s all finished.

At work we are having a visit today from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to get official permission to use a plot of land for the municipal composting project that should start next week (pending this permission). Also, now that the computers are in the school, we are organizing a small celebration to include the students, parents, and representatives of the Ministry of Education. We want to arrange something so as to be able to ask the Ministry of Education to pay for a computer teacher. Until that time, two local university students will be fulfilling their required social hours there teaching and I will be pitching in too. That may start next week or the week after, though I really have no experience teaching computing. They figure that since I can use the computer pretty efficiently that I am an expert qualified to teach others, we’ll see if that’s so. It sounds like I will have one grade (maybe 2 classes a week) and the other two will be splitting the rest. I also have a youth group meeting with the girls today, which has unfortunately been on hold due to my extended absence. Then on Thursday I have to go back to San Salvador for a night because the new group of Municipal Development volunteers (the ones who have been visiting me and so forth) will be sworn in as official volunteers. Really I am kind of looking forward to this trip because my entire group will be there, many of whom I have not seen in several months. Also I have had a taste for pizza for a few days and I can go to Pizza Hut there!

Cara, I hope you are doing well. I know recovery takes a while and sitting stationary is no fun, but you’ll be back on your feet in no time. I don’t know why you had surgery, but hopefully it was a one time deal and I am glad to hear that it went as planned. Are you doing physical therapy? Let me know how you are doing and what you are doing to stay entertained.