que les vaya bien.

El Pital and La Palma

After a long time of procrastination, I finally went to El Pital, the highest point in El Salvador. Unfortunately, the northern region has been under pretty legit cloud cover, and while the hike was great, and worth it, the view from the top was pretty hilarious, and the temperature was insanely low.

El Parque Central, La Palma, Chalatenango

This might look like nothing, but if you look close, you can see a very brightly painted store.

Closed  up tight.

Dan, in front of the beautiful view of the the country.

My best "Never Ending Story" pose.

View through the patches

Mama Cabra

Baby Cabra

Step mama cabra. These were the only animals I saw during the while 11km hike.

nunca jamás.... nunca

I should have done this the other way around, but here is the list of things I won't miss here in El Salvador.  I think it's a pretty reasonable list. Fair. I felt my skin flush with a couple of them. All in all, I love El Salvador, but there are just some things I can't wrap my open-mind or patience around. Little nags, and big issues. All part of the experience.

And just for the record, 23 days till the Central American Farewell Tour begins. Maybe we should get some shirts made up.

• Getting el gripe. I have been pretty fortunate when it comes to the number of tummy problems I've had in ES, I have been strangely unfortunate when it comes to constant, lingering colds.
• Roosters. Only good for screaming at.
• Thick, smooshy tortillas.
• Boquitas Diana. They're NEVER as good as you want them to be.
• People spitting on the bus, or your floor, or anywhere.
• Foot soup. It's tasty till you get the foot... or the heart, or kidneys.
• Litter
• Tamales
• Kolachampan
• Cipro
• Going to mass. As a non-believer, I have respectfully sat through so many masses and bible studies than I did through the first 22 years of my life. Por mi culpa, por mi culpa, por mi gran culpa.
• 80's music and the tinny stereos it's blasted on
• Running into english speaking deportees who trick you into responding and will not leave you alone. 
• hair gel
• reading the daily Cifra in the newspaper
• Wet ceramic tile
• Insane sidewalks
• Pilsener beer
• bad judgement
• the PCV bubble
• tourists that make all gringos look reaaalll bad
• catcalls
• Lack of "indoor voices"
• Jaime's clipart
• boiling all my drinking water
• Eastern Terminal
• those candy vendors on the bus who place the candy on you, even when you do your best to not let them. They always find a way. Pro.
• The "grab both handles by the door" move.
• mosquitoes
• "less than successful" bus rides
• racism
• machismo
• rose-scented toilet paper
• being asked if I'm "Barca" or "Real" almost daily.  Don't care. Don't watch soccer. No TV, less interest.
• constantly smelling like wood smoke
• a persistent sweat mustache when I hit warmer regions
• panzas. Mine, his, hers, theirs. All of them.
• burning plastic
• getting creepy text messages from my lobo hostbrother
• Not having a word in spanish that means creepy. 
• The best option for pizza is Pizza Hut.
• Jalisco hot sauce
• perpetually dirty feet
• buying phone time by the dollar
• Spending tons of money and energy on velas and cajas and monthly dinners on the death anniversary, yet letting kids grow up with no idea when their birthdays are because it's never celebrated. (Unless she's a girl and she turns 15, in which case you'll spend all of everyone's money on the quincenera and then have none to keep her in school...) Just saying.
• bolos
• spoiled sons
• Bus preachers. Always screaming about the lord.
• Nasal singing. 
• The shameless interchangeability of the letters B and V. Botar and Votar are TWO DIFFERENT THINGS!!! Side note to the bicho who spray painted "Rebolution!!" on the curb outside of the village. I roll my eyes every time I pass, may your uprising fail.
• Standing out like a 5 foot 7 inch, fair skinned, green eyed monster.
• the crunchy texture my hair has taken on
• People in the US asking me how things are "south of the equator." Because I have no idea.
• going inside and ending each day when the sun goes down.
• street dogs
• cockroaches
• being proposed to by visa seeking strangers, or their wives
• being asked to give all my things to cualquier fulano.
• Being on a micro when it breaks down
• the non-existence of sarcasm 
• soccer

And a Bonus Video to boot. To be fair, its pretty boring, but I've been thinking a lot about my Kids back in El Cocalito, and missing them. Sometimes you have to take a walk down memory lane. Here's a quick clip of Dan Clarahan teaching the kiddos some karate at the school. We finished with a lesson on bow throwing into a punching bag. It was pretty great.

Esto Extrañaré

I will miss...

Speaking Spanish

Making purchases by the quarter

Yucca Frita

Pupusas

Cooking with wood fire

Washing my clothes by hand

Hammock Naps

Weekend Travel

Alfajores

Latin music

The Gallardos and the Alvarados

Kids camps

Being really excited about going to a real supermarket, especially if there is Peanut butter to be bought

Comparing notes with fellow PCVs on Sulfur burps, fevers, bug bites, and stomach gurgles

Making cowboy coffee out of strong, local, powder-ground coffee

Letting my hair go wild with the humidity

Hard, Paste dishsoap

Mosquito nets

Regular door to door fruit/veg/icecream/lightbulb/hammock/bread salespeople

Eating with my hands

Walking through markets

Glaring at piropo making bichos

Being disconnected from the outside world

Not tipping

Greeting people on the streets as I pass

Open-air road travel

Using the "my phone has no minutes" excuse for why you never called that fulan@ back

Playing the "como se diceeee...." game

Bucket baths

Frijoles in any possible manner

Teaching kids new things

The slow life

Conserva de coco on the 259 bus route

Pretending to not speak spanish

Shameless bilingual gossiping

My Best friend, Milena

Being able to use my lowly bachelors degree before my name. Soy, Licenciada Yessica Hid-le-so

Youth Groups

Frilly Aprons

Fresh eggs

Seeing kids in their school uniforms, pressed and polished

Jocotes

Balancing things on my head

Comedors

Neighbors' tiendas

Salva Cola

Making Shampoo

Kick Ass women

Encountering english phrase shirts that just don't work right.

Adorable brown babies in cloth diapers and sapitos

Monkey screaming after a good laugh, or when it's time for recess

Buying DVDs for a dollar

Sunshine

Being recognized with a smile at Cafe d Cafe, Sisimiles, the recarga stand at the Sonso terminal, the Especial to El Poy, Don M, La Teja, etc...

The 30b route through San Salvador

Dinner at Miriam's house, every Sunday

Feeling like this country and this experience have made me into a complete, powerful person. There's nothing I can't do after succeeding at this.

Photo Evidence.

Pupusas de El Cocalito

Horses and Muchachos

Not the best misplaced shirt I've seen, but she works it

Some of my Como planear mi vida girls on our field trip

Cute baby in a gown an cowboy hat? Adorable.

One of the many, many views of beautiful volcanoes in this pais

Pinatas. I Fear and love them.

My Como Planear mi Vida boys at school in their uniformes

This baby chick was tossed into a well by Brian. Bien tremendo

Two things I love. La cena cooked over an open flame and Milena

El Zarzal kids going down mainstreet

On a Field Day with Pati and her friend at Cerro Verde

Ooi! Dulces!

Escuela Americana camp at Lago Coutepeque

Me, getting the tour of terrain from this guy.

Meeting the (hopefully permanent) American Ms. Ambassador of El Sal

My Favorite coffee cups

My Girls, in our Tie Dye

Goobers.

My Women's group at my house in El Cocalito, gossiping.

Our shampoo operation

My Gallardo Girls at La Barra de Santiago this Christmas

I Love Leafcutter Ants, and we share a love for Mandarine Oranges

S'more making 101.

Laundry day in El Cocalito

Ugh, marching bands...

Baile! I love when they keep it tipico.

What's the Lunch Special? Gallina india, pues.

My comadre and I at Christmas

$2.50 for Panama's freshest, tastiest ceviche.

Thanks defective, right ovary and subsequent medical evacuation!

80's theme party, Perquin, Morazan

Stuck in the Cappy

Due to the recent changes in security measures and protocol San Salvador is basically closed off for anything besides medical or official business, which is a big change for PCVs in this little country. I am thankful that the COED-RHS group had the great fortune of coming in on time to have the last blazing San Salvador swearing-in party and be closing our service right as all these changing are coming into play.

Because of these new changes, I am stuck in San Salvador alone. The main streets to the Eastern Terminal were closed and I missed the last especial bus to my site until Monday. Two nights of hanging out... snooze.

Thankfully I had a great time with all my friends at Costa del Sol in La Paz, and then we brought it back to the capital for an "official" COS all night party. I had a blast even waiting 45 minutes with the ladies and Don Marcelo, our favorite taxi driver, in the drive in line at McDonalds very early in the morning.

My COS date is the 10th of February. Clarahan and I bought our plane tickets today. I'll be landing in PDX at 8:30 pm on the 23rd. (Meet me, we'll have a party.) I can hardly believe it. 

The beginning of the end

I need to start eating with a fork, I need to not talk about gastrointestinal issues, I need to learn to talk about things that have nothing to do with El Salvador or Peace Corps. These things are not interesting to anyone outside of my friends here.

More seriously, I have been out of the US culture for the last 2 years. No tv, sporadic internet, spanish language radio, no social life outside of a few gringos and my community. This might sound melodramatic... but that's kind of a horrifying prospect. Diving headfirst into all of this, even though it will also be great, is scary. People find PC interesting for about 4 minutes, and rightfully so. El Sal has been my life, and I have little more to talk about.

We live in a little bubble here, and in some ways, defend it's borders. Due to our need to immerse ourselves in the Salvadoran culture and push away things American, we never have to confront the problem. However, a few weeks ago, I spent time with non PCV gringos, and the realization hit me.

I've become a little socially stunted.

On the plus side, I'm really looking forward to having new conversations. Throughout these last 2 years I've been reusing conversations, jokes and interactions with Salvadorans in the campo. For my part, I always privately blush when I re-use a joke with a second group of people in the US. Contrived. Here, it's just a part of immersion. You use whatever technique you can to get people to laugh, to interact, to like you. It's a cheap, useful, and fuerte tool.

You know how many times I've had the same conversation about mitos and frijoles and las lluvias? Igualito. Down  to the punchline. Exactly. The. Same.

Cheap. Socially cheap.

I guess on the plus side, my absolute ignorance of basically everything will hopefully lead to some kind of conversation... I'll be schooled. Hopefully, I'll at least have the pleasure of having good tasting microbrews on the table while I learn the ways of the new world.

Call me Casey Kasem, if you will.

I feel that if you want to get to know someone, you can get pretty far by listening to the music they like. For me, it speaks volumes when a person doesn't have any chispa, or passion, for music. In the last two years, music has been a tool for evil, in the form of bumping techno or 80s music coming from my neighbor's house at all hours, and for good. The good outweighs, of course. Volunteers share music and share the experience. I taught kids songwriting and dancing, and the music brought us together. You want to make connections with people when you don't speak their language so well, quite la pena and belt out some popular spanish song, and they won't let you forget about it for the next two years.

I can get lost in music, and one of the perks of going back to the US, is that I will have even more music to absorb. But these are the top 26 songs that will always and forever be ingrained in my mind as Peace Corps, 2010-12. I should note, however, that these are the ones that I actually like. The list of songs that I had beaten into my brain against my will over and over again (this includes Bob Seger's Down on Mainstreet, UB40s Red, Red Wine, and a random Techno song called "its my life") will have to wait until I can manage to listen to them again and rank my hatred.

So let us begin.

Calle 13. Anyone who knows me, knows that I've been a total nerd for Calle 13 since 2008.
Due to their sheer, amazing talent, they top the list en general. But since this is a list of top songs, not top groups, I’ve picked the most fitting 4 tracks. But they will always win... hands down.

1 La Perla. Part of my “Buenos Dias El Cocalito” playlist, along with several songs on this list, got me through my time in Ahuachapan. Every morning….

2  La Jirafa. Ditto. Also, great video.

3  Latinoamerica. Just. Amazing. While romanticized, sometimes you need a romanticized version of your world. Perfect.

4 La Vuelta al Mundo.  If I were to get a “tatuaje de calle 13” it would be from this song.
si quieres cambio verdadero, pues, camina distinto. Yet, I already have a tattoo I'm not crazy about, entonces, that probably won't happen. Probably. Maybe.

This makes the list most especially because it’s all about trading your boring life for a life of love, sand, uncertainty and vagando around the world, following your heart. If you don’t speak Spanish, you’re missing out, tragically.  This seems like just the right place to switch gears. I’ll hesitantly leave 13^th street for #5 en adelante.

5 Blood. The Middle East. I listened to this song (along with Miike Snow's Animal, which didn't quite make the list) over and over and over during the flights to El Salvador. I cannot listen to it without thinking about how that felt. Literally flying into the unknown, with 25 dollars in my pocket, and knowing there was no going back. Sounds pretty sentimental, and while I don’t get sentimental about it now, this song touches the heartstrings, a little.

6  El y Ella. Ricardo Arjona. Personally, I really don't care for Ricardo Arjona… and even this song is so cheesy. It only makes the list because this song is my first two months in El Salvador, in Istepeque Spanish classes.  Besides, what would a girl love better at the start of her PC life than a song about a gringo and a latina falling in love against all odds? Yeah, know better now. Horrid song, worse idea.

Not every song feels like a snuggie. I aprovechar’ed aplenty the fact that my community members don’t speak english, to vent my frustration through music. That'd be the next 2 songs.

7 F**k You. Cee Lo. Again, on the “good morning El Cocalito” playlist. Not coming to my meeting? Talking smack behind my back? Well… let me passive aggressively put this song you can't understand on at a medium volume every morning… TAKE THAT.

8  99 Problems, Jay-Z. I had at least 99. At least. 

9 Bold as Love Jimmi Hendrix.  Just around my 1.5 year mark, Jeremy French sent me a 2 disc care package. One called “rebirth” for when I’m up, and one called, morbidly enough, “suicide” for when I just need to do a little wallowing. This one is a gem of an upper.

10 Yes we Can, Pt 1. Lee Dorsey. This is just a good funky, song. Some lessons those bichos could definitely write down.

11 Cuando me Enamoro. Enrique Iglesias y Juan Luis Guerra. I know it’s from a telenovela, but what a sweet song. I can’t hear it without thinking of my camp kids at Lago Coatepeque. The best.

12  Corazon sin Cara. Prince Royce. If you’re going to listen to “bachata-esque” music, you can’t go wrong with Royce. He's way better than Aventura. I'll say it. Even though the message, which is very much like Bruno Mars’ “Just the way you are,” is ridiculous, it totally works. Awee, sweet.

13 No Me Doy por Vencido. Luis Fonsi. A song about never giving up. In Spanish. Cheesy goodness. When the chorus comes, you can’t help but pump your fist to the sky. Also, sang this all the time on the guitar with my kiddos. Good memories.

14  Thank You. Sly and the Family Stone. Because sometimes you gotta dance it out, alone in your room.

15  Middle Distance Runner. Sea Wolf.  Moody and sweet, but sweet in a backhanded way. Makes me take a realistic look into the future at my re-entry into the dating world. Pfft. Men.

16  Safe Travels. Peter and the Wolf. Announced the unofficial PCES Danny Sanny song, way back when we all lived in Istepeque.

17 45-46 was my number. Toots and the Maytals. Another JFrench reborn special.

18 Santa Monica. Everclear. Recently remembered that I’ve harbored a love for Everclear ever since I was a tween, and I’m glad I did. Art Alexakis, my fellow Oregonian, has no idea how well this song fits the Salvo life. Need to get out of your head? Leave your site, go to the beach, and get sucked out by that crazy Salvadoran riptide. Done and done.

19 Mariposa Tracionera. Mana. This song makes me crack up, and blush. This song goes on the list for Dr. Curly, PhD.  Gotta ride the tide, man.

20 Malanina. Havana Mambo. It’s a little goofy, but as a gringa chick in ES, you gotta put up with a lot of machista b.s. Sometimes you just have to own it.

21  I Gotta Feeling. Black Eyed Peas. Not a BEP fan by any means, but COED/RH 2010-12 had the last best swearing party. This was the song. Put it on, we’ll bring the house down.

22 The Greatest Sum. The Avett Brothers. Almost any Avett Brothers song could apply to this list, especially if I had written it in my first year. Pretty sure they made it on my Cocalito Hammock Recommendation list. As it is, the Avetts need to make an appearance, and this song is the best representative.

23 Old Before YourTime. Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs. I would be very mistaken to leave Ray off any list of mine. Jolene almost took the list, but this song is so beautiful, and just hits the spot.

24 Alejate de Mi. Camilla. As my BFF Milena says, They’re so ugly, but their songs are so pretty. 

It’s kind of true, and while it’s pure latin pop, that’s alright by me.

25 Single Ladies. Beyonce. Best Swearing in pre-party ever. Mr. Kennedy and I TORE THE ALAMO UP. :)

26 Sloop John B. The Beach Boys. Because sometimes all you need to do to get through those rough patches is harmonize to the line “let me go home.”

Here I leave you with a bonus # 27. Gotta bring it full circle.