Blind Date

I had my first site visit today to check out my possible future home in El Salvador.

Going back a little. Things have been rough for a long time in El Cocalito. But recently things came to an unfortunate and seemingly hopless dead end. So some executive decisions were made and I will be changing sites in mid-July after the necessary site development and closing up of my current project in El Cocalito.

This has been a hard decision, but I really feel that despite the somewhat short amount of time I have left in country, the decision to move will at least present the opportunity to do some real work. In El Cocalito, the doors are all closed, and the problems there aren't the kinds of problems a PCV can solve.

I haven't told anyone in my site that I will be moving soon (don't tell them, please, kind reader). That is a hurtle I am not sure about how to jump. 

So the next month will be about getting myself, my things and my head in the right place to make this transition, and once I get there, the other half of a site change kicks into gear. House visits, introductions, tepid coffee and figuring out the hours of the local pupuseria, 2.0. I would like to think I will kill it (even more) the second time around. Though, I have to admit, the local dialect situation is a whirlwind. Sure, you might be a fluent spanish speaker in Ahuachapan/Sonsonate, but you get yourself to some middle of nowhere canton in the mountains of Cabanas, and you might as well be in Brazil.

Tomorrow is part two of the preliminaries, and another site visit, this time in Chalatenango.

Cross your fingers for me.

Kiddos

A work in progress at this point. Good job though, 5th Grade!

GQ in Cocalito

Twenty Four

I finally turned 24.... after years and years of waiting.

Just by good chance, Dan Clarahan and I had planned on striking out east that same weekend to visit a few friends in the fresco climate of Morazan.

After a painfully long and cumbia filled cross country bus trip, we arrived at Jaime's site near Osicala and watched her girls soccer team kick some butt. Woo!

Then we hitched out of the area, and made our way up to the even colder climate of North Morazan.

The ever-gracious hosts that are Dan Hinkle and Krystal Atha threw me a rockin good birthday party at their house near Perquin in Northern Morazan. Hinkle informed me that a theme was necessary, so we picked "Pacific Northwest Hipster." Best Idea Ever.

In short, we played games, had tasty drinks, and listened to "obscure" hipster playlists. It was grand. A little later, we had somewhat better musical entertainment in the guitar abilities of Crystal's friend "Che" and somewhat worse entertainment in the Evenescence songs his San Miguel friend played on his cellphone. But all in all, A+ birthday.

Thanks for everyone who called or wished me a happy birthday. I appreciate the thought. You're all so nice. :)

Going outside? Put on your shades...

You don't wanna mess with that.

Cake Trough.

Eeek! The classic Danny-Sanny

It's a hipster party, so someone had to labor at the guitar, trying to play, and failing.

B Day Cake. Cherry with Chocolate

We are all very funny.

Kitchen Time

Awesome.

Getting some stuff going...

Aren't the precious...

Las Ninas

Dan teaching my students to avenge evil.

Anita and Delmi painting the Wooorrllddd

A Video of the Karate Class

Dan Clarahan came to teach my students some Karate, they dug it

Then we had a field day, and played duck duck goose, tug-o-war, kickball, and some other diverting activities... all good, in the hood.

It hasn't been THAT long...

My Youth Group on my front porch, eating popcorn, cereal/marshmellow treats
and watching New Moon... they picked it out, man.

Photo attack of Haydee, aka "Comadre"

"Bienvenidos a mi Bautizo" Ricardito celebrating his baptism.

Mi "Host" Family.

Mi Pareja and dancing partner, Katarine, also "Celebrating" the baptism of her brother.

The procession in La Barra.

Semana Santa is OVER. I was sick for most of it, with a fever, body ache and tummy issues. Made hearing about the DOUBLE meals my brother and nephew got to enjoy on Easter just a little more bittersweet.

On Monday I made it to the opening day of Las Fiestas Patronales in La Barra de Santiago. In the morning I went to the mass with Haydee, and we baptized my new godson, little Ricardito.

Then we spent the rest of the day just enjoying the festivities and the evening being the creepers outside of the dance, watching everyone shake their stuff.

It was pretty great.

My youth group has been working on our World Map, and it should be done sometime before the end of 2011. heh

Oh, in other news, the American Embassy in El Salvador posted their visit to my site and my project on Facebook.com You can check it out by clicking here.

FINALLY, I don't know if you remember, but I'll be turning 24 in less than a month...

and in a totally unrelated note, my address is "Cuerpo de Paz PCV Jessica Hiddleson/Colonia El Cocalito/Correos Cara Sucia/Ahuachapan/El Salvador C.A."

Just in case you were curious... :P

salu... paz.... hasta la proxima

A little bit of this, A little bit of that

Happy Semana Santa, dudes.

Well, May is upon us, but I'll get to that later.

The good news is that I have taken advantage of the week off from school to get some stuff done around the ol' hacienda.

Number one, I got really mad at my landlord, (he's such a punk of an old man) and long story short took matters into my own hands and tore down the ramshackle ramada he put up over my pila that I always hit my head on. Then I built a new one. And it's so spacious, and not bajita, and doesn't have cucas crawling around on it. It hasn't actually rained since I put it up, but I think my engineering will hold up against the rains... Fingers crossed.

Other good news, I spent yesterday morning stirring, and stirring, and stirring. Then Finally, there was soap. FINALLY. Six pounds of lard, 400 grams of caustic soda and two.5 pints of good ol H2O.

It should be ready to use in 3-4 weeks, and I am going to whip up another batch that is better for laundry in the next few days. Cross yo' dedos.

What else? Well, I guess I don't really have much else. I have been working on my map project and next week I will be working with my students to make posters and flyers about garbage and garbage management... Woop.

So, anyway. As I said, it's almost May now, and I don't know if you know this, but I'll be turning 24... Which is pretty crazy. 24, single, and no babies. Success! (Depending on how you measure success) :P

Salu, pues.

Hey

Everything is a little better now...

Just... so. you. know.


Happy Semana Santa!