Holy Crap

Let me just say, I am falling into the same damn slump that everyone told me - and every other PCV here in El Salvador - I would fall into.

It´s month.... 2 in site, and every day feels like an eternity. A hot, sweaty, spanish eternity.

I can´t recount any recent victory or high point. I haven´t really been doing anything. I´ve been doing less than I was last month... This is the opposite of what I was hoping. Crap.

I spent two days, one night, at Playa Tunco last weekend. It was wonderful. I ate Falafel. FALAFEL. I drank spicy cold micheladas. It was fantastic. It was the perfect little break from what had been a long and kind of depressing week. However, going back to site, I didn´t really feel refreshed, as much as just wishing I had another evening, or six, at the Hotel La Guitarra.

Everyone keeps asking me when I am going to work, and I want to do a lot of stuff, but I feel like my hands are tied until PST II. At least this Sunday, hopefully, I will be putting a floor into my house. (Hopefully) It will be nice to come back to El Cocalito in mid June and move into my new place.

That´s all, Miss you all, Miss home.

But still, okay.

:)

And so the honeymoon ends

Well, I'm finally a legitimate PCV in El Salvador. After a long two months of training, a fantastic swearing in ceremony, and a long, amazing night of celebration, I took a bus out west to my new home.

Since then, life has been the expected, yet unwelcome mix of emotion. I can think of no other time in my life where I have had such radical mood swings. The smallest successes are really great, and the littlest setbacks are really killer.

So far I have done a whole lot of nothing. It's depressing. I live sort of outside of my community which is making it hard to get familiar with the place. My Grandpa Hiddleson died last week as well, which made being here and appearing upbeat all the more difficult.

Right now I am living without electicity and taking bucket baths. I will be looking for a new place within the community to live in the next few weeks when I start my community-wide census.

That isn't to say everything is lame. I have some cool stuff going on too, I suppose. I have nice neighbors, friendly counterparts, a cool location....

Last week was Semana Santa, and I spent a lot of time with my host family at Barra De Santiago, relaxing in a hammock, drinking from coconuts and trying to keep up with the Spanish conversation.

I am writing now from the San Salvador office, here on a medical check up. :\ I'm going to use that as the excuse for why this post is rambling and boring. I'm not feeling well. :)

Anyhow, the photos are all out of order again. My bad. What else, what else. I have a new address, if you want it that or my phone number, just e-mail me. :) Miss you all, Lots of Love

The view from my new front door.

Salt and dye. Semana Santa

The COED group of Istepeque. Alfred, Dan, Milton, Jamie, Me, Dan

The Hermana and I at the Embassy

Clayton looking like a bad ass behind the podium. Almost cried.

The Two Dans

Yeahhhh.