a few more thoughts about the savior...

So today was a really great week. We spent most of the week with each other (all 33 of the trainees) doing stuff as a group. It made me appreciate even more the dynamics of our training group. Everyone gets along great for the most part. The more I learn about people, the more I find the quirkyness & weirdness in everyone, which i LOVE.

It was just nice to get out of the community and not have spanish class allllll day. We spent a few days this week in the capital, San Salvador. San Salvador is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with over 2 million people living there. No wonder its one of the most dangerous places ever. We had bus orientation today... Our spanish teacher told us to bring alittle extra money so we have something to barter with when we are held at knife point. I don't think she was kidding. Good thing Peace Corps doesn't put any of their volunteers anywhere close to that city. Anyways, in San Salvador we checked out many museums. Some of them very interesting, some of them not too much, but overall it was great to learn all about my new country. We also went to the US embassy. It was nice to have someone open my drinks for me while I sit on a comfortable couch in air conditioning (hey, when you live like we have lived for the past 3 weeks, you certainly appreciate alot) We had a question/answer session to some guy who looked really important for about hour. I had about 5 cups of coffee (because I can... and it wasn't instant coffee) and about 4 chocalate cupcakes.

So earlier this week we saw other "gringos". I now understand how it feels when I hear other PCV's when they see gringos. Its really weird, like what do we do? Make eye contact? Say hello? Smile and Nod? Or just act like no big deal... But it really is strange, like all I really want to do is ask, "What are you doing here", but I just continue staring at them (as if we don't get enough stares)

Once again I wanted to emphasize how it really is all about the little things here: I was playing baseball with a bunch of girls and women in my community, and I was never involved in such an exciting game of BASEBALL (mind you, with only females as well) they were just screaming, laughing, jumping up and down, congratulating each other, having the time of their lives. Also, I went to a rodeo the other day and during an intermission they had activities. One of the activities consisted of having kids jump over each other (yep, exactly how it sounds) but I mean the whole audience was laughing, clapping, cheering, etc. The other trainees and I just have the look on our face of "Wow, it doesn't take much to please these people" Really cool though. Maybe I'll understand it one day. Maybe not.

Why i have grown to love my family here:
-they skype with their family from virginia every night and sing to their one year old grandson the same song every time. (I sung head, shoulders, knees, and toes to him in spanish the other night!)
-they encourage me to speak in spanish every chance I get
-they don't laugh at me when I do
- they give me coffee like there's no tomorrow
- they seem to know every time when I'm ready to eat, so that I don't have to akwardly ask them for food - they also seem to know just the right quantity of food to give me
- they love to have fiestas
- they love their family
- my 80 year old grandmother pours liquor into my soda when I'm not looking (as she is on her 5th cup of straight liqour)
- i feel safe & at home (well as much as I can in a foreign land)

Just a few things I was wondering about:
- I've gotten at least 200 mosquito bites since I have been here. What if one had Dengue?
- Why do the mosquitos love me and only eat me (the one with the bug spray on) out of everyone in my house?
- How will it be working with youth who have NO idea what a dream or aspiration for the future really is?
- How could it possibly rain THAT much EVERY night?
-What will happen if a tire does fall off of one of those trucks that holds over 40 people?
- How could it possibly get any hotter once summer hits?
- Where will I be today when I urgently have to run to the bathroom? (sorry probably a bit much, but its the truth)
- How much weight will I actually gain? (Living next to an ice cream shop is probably the worst thing that has happened to me since I've moved here)
- How is it that my spanish teacher is one of my favorite people here, even though we hardly know anything about each other because of the language barrier?

One more thing, as a side note: Just as things are beginning to get tough and finding it hard to imagine I'll be here for 2 years, I hear from my parents just how proud they are of me. Thanks guys :) Means alot to have supportive parents, who understand why I am here..

Paz y amor.