Some Photos... of Stuff...

This is where Cashews come from...

The fruit above can be eaten, the seed below is a Cashew.

Ladies in Red-ish

Bichas

Lil Princesses

Reinas

My first home grown egg

Future Egg 1, giving me the stink-eye

Embassy Visit. Thanks Ladies!

Horse Race... Thing

My Little Buddy, Adelso

Rosita and Henry

Traviesos

La Nina Reina making Sopa de Patas

Nina Francisca, Wearing the best shirt of the day.

Javelin wielding cowboy

Putting up more rings

Precision

(That's the Infamous Ricardo to the Left)

This Girl, Raquel, knows how to match.

"Sure you can take our picture 'For the church, wiiinkkk'"

Little Madrina

Back to life. Back to reality...

The Family, Christmas 2010.

Connor, with his new bike.

He was happy to see me.

After a great visit home, I'm back in El Salvador. Getting on the return flight was not fun, but, for better or worse, back in site it's like I never even left.

Besides being relaxing, fun and filled with tasty beer, my visit home made me realize that since 2005 I'm always coming or going, and that I would like to be more available, and live somewhere that seeing my family doesn't have to be a big trip or a long, long drive. While I can't say that I won't be living far, far away again in the future, it would be nice to be a little closer for a year or two...

Though I don't think I can live in Albany...

While things are in a lull right now, the next few months are going to fill up FAST. I got notice today that I won 500 dollars to fund a three month lifeskills program in my local school. I am relieved, and so excited to get going.

The women from the cultural affairs office from the US Embassy will be in El Cocalito on the 31st to check out my shampoo project. We'll make a batch of Shampoo de Manzanilla, let the ladies get their hands dirty, and see how it goes. When I got back from vacation, a few of the ladies from the women's group told me that the Manzanilla was giving dandruff, and the aloe vera shampoo went chuco... So much for product consistency. I think we'll be moving on to soap or perfume soon...

The new group of volunteers will be here in a few days, and I'll be heading San Vicente bound to do some training panel, and possibly have my own aspirante here in El Cocalito for a couple of days.

This month also brings my community's Fiestas Patronales, so we'll see rodeos, horse races, dances and baptisms... The requests for my participation as God Mother should be rolling in again soon.

I will have been here a year, officially, the first week of February. A group outing to the beach (La Barra de Santiago, couldn't be more convenient) should be madness.

Last, but not least, Spring Break 2011 = Patt in the Savior. My first (possibly only) visitor from La Yusa. Should be a great adventure.

If I had one wish

I would wish for more wishes. I guess I am selfish...

But otherwise I've been nice all year long.

So here is my Christmas Wishlist

• SD Cards for my Camera
• Any laptop new or used, as long as it works.
• Sharpies
• a 2011 agenda
• a new journal
• A pedicure
• Invitations out to local bars that serve frosty Micro Brews
• Mix CDs
• Arts and Crafts supplies
• a trip to The Chowder Bowl at Nye Beach.
• A camelback waterbottle. Mine have been thrashed.
• Lots of Hangout time with friends and family. I miss you guys.

I'm pretty much counting down the days. This week is packed with stuff. Work, a marshmellow roast at my house this evening, 70 bottles of shampoo to deal with, and PAC meetings to close out the work week. Next week is open, so far, but I have a feeling it will alternately fly and drag by. I'm too broke to do much, but I'll make it work. I can't wait to see my people and be overwhelmed by it all. I'm a little anxious about that second part, but all shall be well. Oh yes. And soon I will be in the land of the free and the home of the Brave. "La Yusa."

Bichos, Bats and Beaches

The Month of December is in Full Swing.

I have a little work and a little play in my agenda, and I started the month off right with a two night trip to La Libertad. Dan Hinkle's grandparents John and Beverly came to see the Savior and made great beachhouse-mates... playing cards, sipping sangria and dishing out lightning fast, one-line zingers.

Some local Beachies
Waiting for the Mytical Green Flash

Heading out for a twilight fish?

Jugando....

Salvadoran Sea Cows

With the change of the season, I have had a new array of plagues in my house. They all keep me company...

The Latest Intruder

They stop by several times a day. Tito and his little sister.
Despite local gossip, she is NOT my child.

BATS! They came back, unfortunately.

Milena and Carmen (or is it Cristina?) after we spent the morning selling chicken.

My Neighbors across the street.
The Little boy looks like Bobby Hill to me...

My pet Leafcutter ants.
These guys are HUGE and go crazy for citrus fruit.

I don't know what species of spider this is, but those tiles are 12in x 12in.
After I took this I went back to take another with something
else in the photo for scale, and he was gone. Cold Shivers.

Another Ant, working away.

Despite my new hatered for shampoo, like I said, I love seeing the finished product. Here is the first in a soon-to-be-expanded line of handmade shampoos. Champu de Manzanilla... or Chamomile shampoo...

Happy 50 something-th Birthday, Mom.

The elastic of my remaining underwear are unravvling at a rapid pace, I have adopted a fleet of leaf cutter ants as pets, it's getting REALLY hot again, and my tomato plants are as tall as I am and FINALLY have 'maters growing. It must be winter, and about time to make my way back home for a little vacation.

At this point La Yusa is so close I could smell it between whiffs of burning plastic and perfume (if my airways weren't clogged with snot and flim from this lingering cold from hell.)

In other good news, my women and I made our first batch of Shampoo, bottled it, and put the labels on. Those babes sold all the shampoo in the first two days. HEY YOOOO.

Next week we will be adding aloe vera to the mix and doubling up. I do HATE shampoo at this point, but I have to say, seeing the bottles all full of honey colored shampoo with the pretty labels was only bettered by how fast those women got them all sold. Bravo, ladies.

Finally, I bought a new camera memory to replace the TWO that have been stolen from me. So I've been taking some photos again. Though, mostly just of my ants, my bats, and stuff like that...

Next week I will be hosting a marshmellow roast in my yard for some local friends. These days, most of my 'friends' are between 4 and 14, so my late night activities have changed. Should be a treat.

Tomorrow will be a fun-filled travel day for a night in La Libertad, in a beach house with La Familia Pato. This month will fly by... I can feel it.

I will throttle you, sir.

I was as surprised as he was when I said it... `You must be totally crazy.´

My wicked scoundrel of a counterpart didn´t think this day would come. From site development on he pleaded for a woman volunteer. Women are nice, easy to handle, and would never speak up against any lies, stealing or shady business. Hell, women probably would never even NOTICE the corruption.

Oh, but wait, Tio Richard. If you're going to invite yourself into my home, sit there and insult my intelligence, talk to me like I'm a 14-year-old and then tell me that maybe I wasn't worth the phone cards and meetings it took to get me into El Cocalito, I will demonstrate to you how your ideas about women are incorrect.

But I will not stoop to your level. Because I will level with you. If you're going to go around behind my back, throwing snarky comments around about me and hinder my progress, I will speak my snark right there to your face. If you want to use intimidation and cohersive measures to keep your position of power over my community, I'll just have to tell you that those measures you took were unethical, unfair, and against all the statutes of your own organization.

When, the next day you call my boss to 'offer suggestions' as to how I should be behaving and such, please keep in mind that if you spent a fraction of the time you spent talking ABOUT me to other people talking TO me, you'd waste a hell of a lot less saldo, and maybe you'd actually get what you asked for: a badass woman volunteer who would get your ADESCO in fighting shape, so a second volunteer could help you all get a Casa Comunal.

But if you think that's what is in store for you, Tio Richard, you are totally crazy.