Children, Fire Ants, and Churches

Hello again! I'm on the University of Central America Campus right now, sitting outside using their wireless internet . It's a beautiful campus with tons of outdoor space and greenery. Makes Seattle U's quad with our 3 rocks in the fountain look kind of sad....

We finally visited the site where I will be working for the semester, a neighborhood called San Ramon. When we got there, they offered us all coffee that is picked and roasted there (score!) and explained to us about the project, which is a social service and a school program that is focused on holistic education. Then we got to go meet the kids and see the classrooms, which basically means we (the 3 of us who were going to be working there) walked in and our knees got SWARMED with small children yelling "HOLA" and hugging us. So, basically, I'm REALLY excited to start. We have to decide between the 3 of us who works in what classroom--the 2, 3, or 4 year olds room, but either way I can't wait. Another awesome thing about my site: the place where we are eating our lunch, the 'comedor' project, is a SOY project!!! Vegetarian lunches! So maybe less personal growth or something on the food front, but also much less awkward refusals of meat or traumatizing meat incidents.

After visiting my site, we did a crazy bus ride up a "road" (a very loosely used term) and then hiked a few minutes up to the highest house in the community that is built on an active volcano. Even though it is only minutes away from San Ramon, where I am working, the people who live in Las Nubes generally have no electricity or running water, and collect most of their water from rain run off or private water deliveries. It was definately a very different world. It does seem, though, that wherever we go, people invite all 30 of us into their house (regardless of size) and usually have something to offer us, like coke, coffee, cookies, or atol (a hot corn drink). I can definately say that few people in the US would be so gracious to having 30 American college students come into their home. Also, keep in mind that about half these kids are taller than their ceilings.

On the way back, a HUGE rainstorm started so we walked our way down as the bus followed. Then, as we got onto the bus, we all slowly realized (starting with me) that we were covered in fire ants! so we all proceded to remove our tevas, birkenstocks, and tennis shoes, douse our feet in water, and slowly realize how much it hurts to be bitten by about 15 fire ants. Hooray!

The next morning we visited the site where Oscar Romero lived and was shot during mass, where a 4 foot tall Mexican nun named Sister Bernadette taught us life lessons, such as "don't go looking for a husband, he will come to you." Like going to the UCA, it really was incredible to see this place after hearing so much about it. That afternoon, on an equally happy note, we visited the largest public hosptical in El Salvador, Hospital Rosales. The doctor who gave us our tour was brilliant and she seemed to know everything about health, politics, etc etc. It was very enlightening to go and see the state of public healthcare in other places in the context of everyone in the US complaining about our own healthcare in the US. A little perspective never hurt anyone...

Today was a VERY hot and muggy day down here. We went to the meditation center at Mariona and some meditation in Spanish, which was an awesome experience. First day of classes tomorrrow, and potentially the first day of hip hop classs? They offer them at the UCA...could be interesting. and awkward. i guess that means today is my last day of summer.....

That is all for now! Sorry I'm so long winded...I promise that won't happen all the time. Hope all is well up north!

Peace & Love,
:Sabina