Our house is your house.

I took a few days off this week to visit some friends in Alegria.  I think I learned more about myself and God and community in those three days than in the last few months in San Salvador.  City life is city life.  Anywhere.

I want to share this song with you. It's my current manifesto / mantra / message.  (Ahem, Marlys, pay no attention to the grammar ... I wanted to get the message across more than do a direct translation!)

"Casa Abierta" - Guardabarranco

Quiero estar bien con mis hermanos                                   I want to be well with my brothers
De norte a sur al fin de mundo                                           From the north to the south to the end of the world
Saber oir y dar mis manos                                                 Know how to listen and give my hands
Sudar jugando algo bien sano                                            To sweat playing something really healthy

Todos aqui somos hermanos                                              We're all brothers
Que mas me da el color, la raza                                         That give me my color, my race
Dentro tenemos sentimientos                                              Inside we have feelings
Que necesitan de sustento                                                  That need support
Si adentro hay buenos sentimientos                                     If there are good feelings inside
No se pueden quedar adentro                                            They can't stay inside

Aqui esta mi casa abierta                                                    Here's my open house
Hay un plato por ti en nuestra mesa                                    There's a plate for you at our table
Sombra de arbol para tu cabeza                                         A tree's shadow for your head
Libro abierto a tu vida mi puerta                                  Your life is an open book and my door is open for you
Casa abierta                                                                       Our house is open
La amistad no cuestiona tu credo                                        Friendship doesn't question your beliefs
A la tierra le gusta que amemos                                          The land wants us to love each other
Sin distinguos de culto y bandero                                        Regardless of our religion or flag

Hard to translate, but I think I got the gist of things.  It's a beautiful song, and totally sums up the last 3 days.  Go find them on iTunes.

It's been a while

I don't think I could ever be a professional blogger.  My readers would riot if I posted so irregularly ... Oh, wait. I post irregularly anyway.  Thank you for not rioting, faithful readers.

March was, well, fast.  Pretty uneventful up until the end of the month.  On the 19th I went with my host mom and her two boys to a patron saint festival out in the country.  Fact: many towns and villages are named for Catholic saints, so on or around the particular saint's day for which the town is named, they throw a huge fiesta.  For those of you in PA / "the Cove", think Martinsburg's July 4th festival, but on a smaller scale.  There is junk food (read: fried yucca, French fries, STEAK, pupusas), fireworks, music, a procession, and dancing.  Oh, and cheap beer for those who choose to partake.  I had a lovely time away from the city, meeting Claudia's family and friends, and making new friends.  And the dance was a blast, even though it was less merengue and salsa and more reggaeton.

The church in San Jose.

Only the bell tower and entrance are original.  The rest was destroyed in the civil war, but has been rebuild by the residents of the village.

Processional

Patron Saint of San Jose ... Jose

The next day was like a family reunion.  Everyone hanging around Claudia's cousin's house, eating fresh mangoes, visiting, relaxing in hammocks.  And did I remember to take photos?  Nope.  Too busy trying not to get up and thus lose my hammock!