¡Mi Cumpleaños Salvadoreño!

After a lot of orientating and such (its like freshman year of college all over again, but actually fun) I finally have a free moment to update this thing.

First and foremost
Yesterday was, as you may know, my 21st birthday! It was a bit anti-climactic to wait all year with all my friends being 21 and leave for El Salvador right before the golden birthday, but it was actually one of my best birthdays yet. I was wished happy birthday many, many, many times in a few different languages all day. We then did some regular orientation stuff, like health and safety talks (about not drinking alcohol, ironically enough...) but also a very adorable bake sale by Kevin and Trenas (the program directors) daughters, lots of delicious wonderful lunch foods, some relaxing time, and a lovely present of Salvadoran art. Then at night we as a whole group went to one of the biggest papuserias in El Salvador, where a group of 30 white kids all stuck out a lot, as always. A papusa is basically a Salvadoran hot pocket, with a dough made of corn and filled with cheese and beans or something of the sort. The food was amazing, a mariachi band sung me the longest and most cheerful happy birthday song I have ever heard, we had delicious cake, everyone made me a card, and then we went to a beautiful look out over the city. Overall, a very good birthday in El Salvador. But i fully expect to have a fake 21 year old birthday when I return, heads up to everyone in Seattle.

















The day before that, we went to the University of Central America, the UCA, where we will be taking classes. Also where the Jesuit preists and women were killed in 1989. It was very bizzare finally going to the place that I have been so involved with for the past few years, with the SOA and everything else. It was, to say the least, overwhelming. I didn't take any pictures because I was so overwhelmed, actually. I know I will be back there 4 times a week though, so I can do that later. It was an amazing experience to finally see in real life, and a perfect (though very somber) start to the semester.

Today we started visiting Praxis sites, where people will be working 2 days a week in groups of 2 or 3. We first visited Tepecoyo, about 40 minutes away. We met some people in the first zone of the village then did a nice downhill hike to the zone 2, where we were served a corn, milk, sugar, and cinnaomon drink thing that, despite it being steaming hot and also about 90 degrees outside, I loved because I could eat corn for 3 days straight and be happy. Then the walk back was roughly a 90 degree climb up cobblestones for about 45 minutes. Small children were running past us, I felt pretty out of shape and pathetic.
Next we went to Los Sitios, where we were served lunch that was...a steaming bowl of meat stew!! In El Salvador, food is a huge sign of generosity, hospitality, and pride, so its really difficult to reject food. Its also difficult to explain that you are vegetarian here. So there i was, with meat broth and a huge chunk of red meat, starving, and sitting next to the women who cooked the meal....it was awkward. I am definately going to have to work on my picky vegetarian streak while I'm here, or else it could be a long and hungry four months. Not saying I am going to eat meat, but maybe I will have to learn to eat the potatoes NEXT to the meat. If not, it will be a lot more nights like this, feeling like a stupid american and nursing a pounding migraine.
However after that we went to the river to hang out with little kids, swim, and play chicken in the waterfall. So, you win some, you lose some.

We have an all free day tomorrow!! Heres to sleeping in until about 8 until the very loud birds wake me up, or the evangelical church next door starts playing loud music.

:Sabine (or, Sabina, as I am in any Spanish speaking country)