I'm falling in love ...

.... with El Salvador!  Okay, sorry folks, that's super cliche but I couldn't resist.  I've recently been able to do some sightseeing, totally unrelated to my work.  Meaning, yes, I'm making friends!  Two weekends ago I went with some friends to Los Planes de Renderos for the traditional Salvadoran food:  pupusas!  I think I might have explained these in an earlier post, but they're sort of like quesadillas, but are made with corn masa, rather than regular white flour.  They're filled with all kinds of goodies, from beans and cheese to pork skin to chicken.  On that particular Sunday, I had one with cheese and loroco, a local herb, and another with beans and cheese.  And then there's this coleslaw-type pickled cabbage stuff called curtido that goes on top.  I could eat that stuff with a spoon.  It's so good.  But enough about food ... for now.

After lunch we went to La Puerta del Diablo (literally the door of the Devil) to do some hiking.  I would describe La Puerta as El Salvador's version of the Irish Cliffs of Moher, but with less barriers in place to keep one from falling, and vistas over the countryside rather than straight down into the ocean.  Well, some of you are aware of my, at times crippling, fear of heights.  I admit when I saw the steps we'd be hiking up, I really didn't want to keep going.  But Nancy walked in front of me, Manuel helped me up the steps, and Totto walked behind us.  It was totally worth it.  The view was beautiful.  I'm pretty sure we could see the Pacific, but I'm not entirely sure.  It could have been a giant lake.  And this was just the first vista.  There are three official vistas in total, and we hiked the two smaller ones because I'm a chicken.  The second vista was a much shorter hike, about 2 minutes, but a much more open space at the top.  So open, in fact, they had a zip line from one side to the other.  I know this sounds crazy, but I'm going to do it sometime in the next two years.  All in all, a really great afternoon.

Totto, me, and Manuel

La Puerta del Diablo

Yeah, doesn't look so bad from the photo.  But those steps were treacherous in dressy sandals and a skirt.

Manuel looking out over the countryside.

La Puerta del Diablo

Posing in front of a little artisan stand at the vista

La Puerta del Diablo

Daredevil Nancy at the second vista

La Puerta del Diablo

See what I mean when I say the barriers were a bit, um, lacking?  Metal cables and nothing more.

Yes, that is a sheer cliff face.

Sightseeing opportunity number two came a week later in the form of a free (yes, FREE!) concert in Parque Cuscatlan, which is San Salvador's largest park.  It's also the park where the memorial wall is located, which lists the 30,000+ named and unnamed Salvadorans who lost their lives during the 1980-1992 civil war, in part at the hands of US-trained military battalions.  I didn't think of it until now, but I was in that park while thousands of people converged on the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia for the SOA protest. Many of the US-trained Salvadoran military who fought against the supposed Communist guerrilla forces were trained at the School of the Americas (now known as WHINSEC: Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation).  I went with Daniel and Carlos, two friends from the youth center Cal Pipil where I teach English.  There are concerts in the park every Saturday, and while I'm a fan of most music genres, I'm not so much a fan of heavy metal ... but it was certainly better than sitting in my room all afternoon!  Most of the time I can't understand a word heavy metal musicians are singing, and since it was in Spanish, it was even more difficult.  It was fun to sit and listen to music (which actually wasn't too ear-shatteringly loud) and people-watch.  There were folks of all shapes and sizes, doing all sorts of things that concert-goers often do.  And there was a mosh pit.  Very cool ... and much more fun to watch than be a part of, in my opinion.  I certainly didn't participate, but some of Daniel's friends did, and even they weren't "hard-core" enough to keep moshing through the entire song.  A great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  I'm looking forward to this Saturday's concert.  Reggae and ska ... much more my speed ... sort of.

Daniel and Carlos, my crazy friends

Parque Cuscatlan, San Salvador

For your information, the universal I love you sign which Carlos is sporting is actually the sign for Rock on! in El Salvador.  The traditional Rock on! sign that we use in the US is a gang symbol.

Daniel and me

Parque Cuscatlan, San Salvador

There really are fresh vegetables in El Salvador.

Yes, folks, there really are fresh vegetables in El Salvador.  Yesterday was Pastor Miguel's birthday, so I went with he and his family to a restaurant in Santa Tecla, just outside San Salvador, to celebrate.  The restaurant is called "Yemaya: Food from the Earth," and that's exactly what it was.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  It's a vegetarian place.  I had a salad, which I'd been craving ever since ... well, really, since BVS orientation began.  It had fresh spinach, toasted walnuts, red onions, and apples, and was tossed in a hot balsamic vinaigrette.  It was great.  Really, really great.  And the company was great as well.  We had a really fun time.

Yesterday was a very good day.  Ideal, really.  Equal parts fun and work.  I had a meeting at the school where I'll be teaching a summer English class, and we got quite a bit accomplished.  And afterwards, I learned merengue and bachata.  Well, I had already danced both a little in DC when I visited a friend in August, but this was spontaneous and unexpected.  The other folks were rather impressed that I already (sort of) knew the steps.  I spent the rest of the afternoon at Cal Pipil, and around 5:30 or so we went for our "coffee break," which has become nearly a daily thing.  Because dinner is so late here, folks often go for coffee and pan dulce (sweet bread/cake) when we in the US normally have dinner.  I was invited to go to a friend's house for coffee, and on the way we bought semita alta, a delicious sweet treat that's sort of like a vanilla cake with molasses sauce inside.  I love hanging out with the other "piples" (teenagers and teachers associated with Cal Pipil).  I am always welcomed so warmly, and I'm so enjoying getting to know some of the other teachers here at la Cal and in the church.

I really enjoy being here.  There are moments I just smile and feel so blessed to have this opportunity.  The bumps in the road have been pretty minimal thus far.  I'm having a little trouble getting started with my English classes, but I just need to jump in and do it.  My Spanish continues to improve with each passing day, and I'm glad for that.  Food's good, I'm not starving.  I'm making friends.  I don't yet have a key to my house, but hopefully soon ...

Short post, but more to come this weekend ... most likely.  Hasta luego!

Llegada / Arrival

Well.  I’ve made it!

BVS orientation – check.

Latin America orientation in Guatemala – check. 

I spent four days in Antigua, Guatemala, about 30 minutes outside Guatemala City, getting to know the other BVSers who are also working Latin America.  Steve works with Colegio Miguel Angel Asturias in Xela, Guatemala, where Malea has been placed as well.  Lauren works at Hogar de Ninos Emanuel in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, which, yes folks, is where my wonderful cousin Leah served as well.  They’re all great folks, and I had a really lovely time in Antigua.  The weather was quite perfect; not too hot, not too cold.  We spent a lot of our time enjoying each other’s company and exploring Antigua. 

Afterwards, it was off to Ixtahuacan, near the Mexico / Guatemala border, to spend a week with Todd and his wife and daughter at their home.  It was a really relaxing week.  I slept almost 10 hours every night, as their electricity is battery-powered, so when they go to bed, the electricity is turned off as well.  I found myself heading to bed between 9:30 and 10pm nearly every night, and waking up between 7:30 and 8:30 most days.  My body wasn't sure what to do with all the extra rest!  I definitely needed it.  Malea and I helped Katy, Todd's wife, with various chores around the house, helping to cook, learning to make tortillas, taking care of Yana, their two-year-old daughter, etc.  The food was delicious, lots of vegetables and greens, and tortillas made with homemade masa.  Masa is corn flour, and theirs is ground from the corn they grow: indigenous strains equivalent to "heirloom" varieties in the US.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  I didn't know I could love tortillas so much.  Sorry, El Salvador, so far Katy's are the best.  We also helped them set up their market stand on Sunday.  (Keep in mind this was between Oct 19 and 26)  They sell herbs and natural medicines, baskets, pottery, hats, earrings, and a few other things I'm forgetting.  The town of Ixta comes alive on market days, but especially on Sundays.  Malea and I were also invited to wear traje, the skirt and top of Mayan descendants.  We got a few stares in town, but most people were pleasantly surprised to see two fairly pasty white girls wearing traje.

Two days later, I arrived in El Salvador!  To say that I was well received is an understatement.  I was so excited (and still am!!)  After some time for Todd to get acquainted with the folks here, I jumped head-first into my work.  The first week was full of meetings and introductions and worship services and prayers and songs and pupusas (THE Salvadoran food, kind of similar to a Mexican quesadilla) and lots of Spanish.  And I loved every minute of it.  My primary task is to work with Josue, who is luckily a good friend I met in 2009 during my first visit here, and Iglesia Bautista Emmanuel's peace program, entitled Cultura de Paz.  It's like a peace studies program in a nutshell.  We'll cover human rights, gender equality, conflict resolution and transformation, historical memory and reconciliation, defense of the environment, and democratic participation in the context of Christian values, such as community, justice, solidarity, and truth.  How will we do this?  Not really sure yet.  Ideas are floating around.  Where?  In the church, Sunday School, the church's youth center Cal Pipil, the Baptist elementary/high school, and eventually branch out into the neighborhood and public schools.  We want to set up mediation teams, call out kids and youth as leaders, as peacemakers, etc.  I'm really excited about the program.  And really nervous.  And overwhelmed.  But it will be great.  We're not actually starting until January, so we're just in a planning period right now.

So, that's about it for now.  My Spanish is improving, although Salvadorans tend to mumble, which makes it a bit difficult.  Oh, I forgot to mention, I'm also teaching English classes, one of which begins tomorrow morning.  I'm more nervous about teaching than nearly anything else.  But at least it's the first class, so if it goes really quickly or slowly or not very well or whatever, I know I can improve.  I should also mention my English kind of stinks since I haven't been using it much ... if things sound awkward, forgive me!  I'm probably trying to write in English using Spanish syntax.  My apologies!  So, there you have it.

Out to lunch on November 2, to celebrate Dia de los Difuntos (Day of the Dead)

From left: Pastor Miguel, Gaby, Sarah, Arturo, Lidia, and me.

Presentation of Cal Pipil workshop / class teachers.

Saturday's talent show marked 1 full year of classes at "la Cal" as we affectionately call it.

A group of guitar students presenting their song.

Feliz, feliz cumpleanos, Cal Pipil!

Fuzzy picture of me in my office ... having a blast!

Finally, some photos

A tributary of the Elk River in Siskiyou National Forest

Southern Oregon

The Pacific Ocean!

View from Vista Point

Camp Myrtlewood, Oregon

Old growth forest

Camp Myrtlewood

The Three Volunteers ... Me, Beth, and Chelsea

Portland Church of the Brethren

Lacinato Kale in the community garden outside Portland Peace CoB

I couldn't resist taking food photos.

Brussels Sprouts!

Cherry tomatoes!

A cup of water ... because Jon decided to take silly pictures.

A marriage of old and new ... An indigenous Guatemalan woman, married in a Catholic ceremony.

Antigua, Guatemala

The Arch in Antigua

Cathedral

Antigua, Guatemala

Bananas

Todd Bauer's home and fruit tree nursery

Ixtahuacan (Ixta for short), Guatemala

Ditto.

A path along the side of the nursery.

Ixta, Guatemala

Green papayas

Ixta, Guatemala

I always wondered what a fig tree looked like.

Ixta, Guatemala

Mural at Colegio Miguel Angel Asturias, a school associated with Juniata College and Stone Church of the Brethren in Huntingdon, PA.  BVS has a project here, currently occupied by Malea Hetrick, my traveling buddy.

Xela (Quetzaltenango), Guatemala

What a wonderful, exciting trip it's been ...

Orientation was a truly fantastic experience.  As trite as it sounds, words cannot describe the three weeks 35 of us experienced together in the wilds of southern Oregon and the streets of Portland.  As I expected, our time was full of laughter, games, sleeping (and not), eating (and sometimes being a bit hungry), sweating, playing, serving, talking, singing, exploring, listening, and praying.  Because I already knew I would be placed in San Salvador with Iglesia Bautista Emmanuel, orientation was a very different experience for me than for my many of my peers.  While most were looking at project files and trying to discern where they might spend the next year in service to others, I played ping-pong.  Or read.  Or hiked.  Or played kickball.  Of course, I did have some apprehension, but I already knew I was going to a familiar place, where I had a few friends and acquaintances; I knew I would be welcomed with open arms. 

One of the most fulfilling experiences at orientation was the opportunity to participate in a Native American sweat lodge ceremony.  Some of us also had the chance to help with the set-up.  We learned about the significance of each aspect of the sweat, from the number of stones used to the structure of the lodge.  The ceremony begins with a fire built over 28 stones, divided into seven stones per round of the sweat.  Before the fire is lit, an offering of tobacco is made and prayers are sent to the Spirits.  The Spirit Line is established with an altar between the lodge and the fire circle, and only the “fireman” can cross that line.  All others must walk clockwise around the lodge/fire to reach the other side.  The lodge represents the Mother’s womb, and when one leaves at the end of the sweat, he/she is considered reborn.  Women enter the lodge first, cleansing themselves with cedar smoke and acknowledging the four directions, and then men follow.  Once all are seated inside, six prayer ties are placed to acknowledge the four directions, as well as the sky and the earth.  Seven stones, or grandfathers, are placed in the pit in the center, each representing grandfather spirits, and are welcomed by saying mitakuye oyasin, meaning all my relations.  The door is closed and cedar is placed on each grandfather to bless and cleanse.  Water is poured over, combining the four elements of earth, fire, water, and air.  Songs and prayers are offered during the first round to call the Spirits.  At the beginning of each round, seven more grandfathers are placed in the center pit, and the process of cedar and water is repeated.  Round two is designated for prayer, round three for suffering, and round four for thanksgiving, thanking the Spirits for joining us during our journey in the womb.  The sweat ends with closing songs and prayers, and after leaving the womb, greetings are shared between all participants.  Especially important as well is one’s mindset.  If you become nervous about the heat, and put up that barrier, the sweat won’t go so well.  If you instead accept the steam and the heat, and allow it to cleanse and permeate your body, you will have a good experience.  I was a bit nervous, but completed the four rounds, and am so glad I did.  It was incredibly meaningful, one of those transcendent experiences we don’t often recognize in our hectic lives.  I didn’t know the words to the songs or prayers, but I felt the blessings and strength from each person in the circle, as well as all our relations.  It was definitely a reaffirmation that we all pray to and worship the same God.  God is Creator, Sustainer, of all things, regardless of one’s religious or spiritual path.  There are many paths, but all lead to the same Spirit.  I hope someday I’m able to participate again.