Church: Well, I now wear my head covering when I go to church. It´s a white lace thingy that looks like part of a tablecloth. Also, everytime I go, they call me up to the front to sing!! It drives me crazy because I don´t know the songs in Spanish, BUT, I´m learning. Plus, some of them are the same songs, so I just read the words but already know the tune. Some examples are At the Cross, Power in the Blood, Up the Calvary Way, How Great Thou Art. They say they like to hear me sing. Since I like to sing, it´s actually really nice to have the opportunity. I just get embarrassed. The first time Don Miguel called me up to the front, I was like, WHAT?? I was startled and couldn´t think of anything!! I just stammered up at the front and said, ¨I don´t know any songs in Spanish! Can someone help me find something?¨ So, I called another lady to the front to help me. It was funny, but that day I wasn´t worshipping!! Now, I can actually worship sometimes when I sing. It just depends on if I understand or not. The thing is, they don´t have hymnals. Only a few people have them. But, I found out that I can aske the pastor to buy me one in the city, so next Sunday I´m gonna ask. Also, apart from the service, I´ve had some good conversations about the pants thing and makeup. They aren´t judgemental at all and say they understand that it´s what´s in the soul. However, they can´t tell me why they do it. They just say it´s the mission of their church...or the doctrine, and the pastor says they can´t wear jewelry or makeup or pants or listen to music other than praise music. They can´t tell me why from the Bible though. I completely understand from 1 Corinthians aobut vanity and modesty in dress. The pants thing though???? Anyway, the community is so open and friendly, and I´m getting closer to them everyday. They really share of themselves, and allow me to share as well. There´s a lot of love going on. :) This weekend I´m going to San Salvador to an English church service with the other Christians in Peace Corps. That should be really cool, and I´m really excited to see some friends I made in training. Yeah!!!

Work: So, the exercise classes are great! I´m always soaking wet afterward, but it´s fun. I have about 17 girls that come everytime. We have it tonight, actually. As far as English classes, it´s going well also. I have 31 students in the morning, and about 10 with the adults. I´m thinking about combining the two. The class is so big that I have to move it to the school for more space! The youth really like the English and are putting forth a lot of effort to study. They have their first test this Saturday. The Softball Team is interesting. I can tell we´re going to have some drama with the mix of personalities, but such is life, right? We´re planning a Carrera de Cintas right now as a fundraiser for uniforms and bats. It´s where guys from all over come to our canton to run their bikes or horses and try to put a pencil through a hole that has a numer. That number represents a Madrina, or lady that has a gift. The guy wins the gift and a kiss from the Madrina. They pay $1 to run. Also, we´ll be selling food and stuff. It should be lots of fun. The Health Clinic is a huge story....the mayor of a pueblo next to us is the owner of our land. He told us he´d give us the land for the health clinic. Well, it´s been less that easy, let´s say, to get things done with him - or even to contact him. Our ADESCO and I spend the whole day just travelling and trying to find him or documents or something. BUT, finally, yesterday, after a day running around like chickens with our heads cut off and having 3 different people tell us different things, we eventually received the plans for the land. Now, Thursday we just have to go back to another pueblo where the lawyer is to sign a few things and give him this plan. Then, next week, we´ll have the liberty to start soliciting for funds for the clinic. I´m really excited, and trying not to be stressed out about it all. It´s just that I get so frustrtated with the process here! I mean, come on, if a mayor says he´ll be somewhere, he´s not just going to not show up and then the next time you hunt him down not even apologize or acknowlede that he lied!!! There´s just no respect for the common people here. I was really angry for a couple of days at him and just all of the people in power here in ES and how they treat the people of the cantones. It´s like they don´t matter. But, I´m not angry anymore, just aware. Forgive and Forget, right? My friends and family here are so pacient and humble. I´m trying to learn that as well because coming from the States, I want my rights and I want to be treated a certain way, and I expect respect and professionalism. In the office yesterday, I wanted to say...look, we have rearranged our whole week because you stood us up the other day, and these men gave up 2 days of work. The least you can do is sit down with us and give us details of what the next step is, or to sign the stupid papers!!!! But, of course I didn´t say that, and the way my companeros were just so calm and patient with everything amazed me. They´re just so used to it. I learn something new everyday, and also am humbled everyday. Lots of life lessons here and I´m sorry that I can´t do justice in writing to express how I feel or this experience that I had. I feel like I you´re probably confused by everything I just wrote, so sorry. In my own mind, I´m not sure what I´m thinking either. A million emotions and thoughts happening. Craziness, I know. :)

Well, thanks so much for listening\reading!!! Lots of love from El Salvador, and know that I´m so happy here and loving it!!! P de J rocks!! You should move here too! ;)

Long Live El Salvador!! :)

I´ve now been in my site for 3 weeks, and it´s a miracle how at home I feel. I couldn´t ask for a more welcoming community where I feel at ease to share of myself...God´s truly blessed me with a family environment. I live with Ester, a sixty something year old lady who´s bursting with personality with her high pitched screechy voice that could be annoying but it´s endearing. She´s a Christian, and she´s spunky...I mean a lot of spunk. She takes care of me, but still can give me room to be an adult also, which I like. She´s been telling me the town gossip, even though, ¨she doesn´t like to talk about people, but...¨ I need to know so that people don´t talk about me because of who I hang out with. It´s true, really. So, it´s good to have the inside scoop.

The fact that my canton is mainly evangelical is a good and a bad thing. Good because the people are very giving and loving, and it´s nice to talk about the things of the Lord. Bad because they´re legalistic as well. It´s pretty taboo that I dance, so I´m trying not to do it, even though the young people want to learn. I´d love to teach it, but am afraid of the reprucions (sp?) with the relationships and trust of the parents. Anyway, it´s a minor thing, but it´s just a bit frustrating. It´s the denomination where everyone prays out loud and there´s a lot of screaming and babbling and when people talk,, they have to yell...no one talks in a normal voice. I find that wierd and don´t see how it´s seen as worship or glorifying to God. But, to each his own.

This Saturday I start teaching English. To the youth at 9am and to the adults at 11:30am. Then, we´re trying to start a softball team for the girls to have something to do besides stay in the house. Also, it´s a good opp. to form relationships with a few of them and open doors for really good conversations and learning\teaching opps. Also, on Tues. and Thurs. I´ll be leading an exercise class for the women and young ladies. They need exercise, and it´s a good avenue to discuss health issues...also a good preventitive measure. Then, our main objective is building a health clinic in our canton so the the people don´t have to walk an hour to the town Consuelas, and so that the health promotor has a place to store the medicine and do checkups. Tomorrow a couple leaders and I are going to get papers for the ADESCO and the land authorized so that we can begin soliciting. Then, I´m really excited because since Intervida is already working in our community, we´re going to solicit to them, and I think that option will work out well. If not, we´ll look for other means. Other ideas for future projects are Letrines (half of the comm. doesn´t have a latrine. It´s like an outhouse. So, they just go in the woods\behind the house), Chimneys for the wood stoves, beautifying the field and making it more like a park and more shady and a good place for the people to enjoy life a little. They work so hard and receive so little. It would be awesome for them to have a spot to relax\play.

Regarding cultural norms, my canton´s pretty special. No guys throw piropos, meaning no one says crude things to me as I walk by. I feel pretty well respected overall. The guys, for the most part, are descent and not so machisto like a lot of Salvadorans. So, I´m very thankful for that. However, I´m having to guard myself a bit because I don´t want to be naive and end up with some guy coming on to me. Being the white, tall, ¨blonde gringa¨ is an automatic attention grabber. It´s ridiculus because the people here actually say that everyone in ES is ugly, and that the U.S. has all people bonito. Isn´t it crazy how skin color and height can be so important to some people? I personally think the people here are beautiful, and their appearances (most) are very attractive as well.

Well, that´s it for the current update. For a couple of fun facts: I rode a horse, got peed on by some bug that burned my skin, swam under a waterfall, and am learning to make tortillas quite well. Until next time, God Bless and thanks for reading!