La flor blanca y 18 conejos. The white flower and 18 rabbits.

And we're back, sports fans.  Yet again, time passes and I lack inspiration or time or both to write ... I hope to be more intentional in the future.  But I should face the music; sometimes I'm just too darn busy!

The title of this blog is taken from my most recent Facebook photo album featuring photos from the trip to Copan, Honduras.  Our tour guide at the Copan ruins kept calling me the White Flower, and Copan, in Mayan times, was called the land of 18 rabbits.  If I'd written about Copan a bit closer to, well, when I actually went ... just over a month ago ... I might have been able to tell you why Copan is known as the land of 18 rabbits ... but alas, I can't remember.

So, you're all wondering, I'm sure, something like:  Gee, Sarah, how'd you get to go to Copan?  Well, I'll fill you in.  Every year at Christmastime, the church sponsors a trip for its employees.  And this year, they decided to invite all the teachers and staff at the youth center Cal Pipil.  So, that's how I got to go.  We all met up at the retreat center Centro Gabriel para la Paz Tuesday night, December 15, to have dinner together and go to bed ... because we left Wednesday morning at 4:30 am to arrive in Copan around 9 or 10 am.  And we wanted to make sure to leave plenty of time for border crossings, because the easiest way to get to Copan, in terms of decent roads, is to drive to Guatemala, and then cross from Guatemala into Honduras.  With only one mishap at the Salvadoran border (one of the folks didn't have his original national ID card, only a copy, and they wouldn't let him leave the country), we arrived in Copan around 11:30am Wednesday.  We had lunch together at a parrillada restaurant, aka grill, and then explored the town for the afternoon and evening.  And somehow stayed at quite a nice place for only $20 per person.  Needless to say, I want to go back!!  Thursday morning we were up rather early, 7am-ish, to head to the ruins.  Tons of fun.  Really.  I'm such a nerd.  I loved it.  And then, back on the bus, back to town (because the ruins are about a mile or two outside of Copan) for lunch, and on the road again around 2pm to San Salvador.  We zipped through the borders and arrived I believe around 6:30pm.  Quick trip, but super-fun.  Must go back.

Our posh room.  $20 per night per person with breakfast.  Sweet.

The view outside the hotel.

La parrillada

Yeah, I know, I can't help taking food pictures.

From left, tortillas that aren't quite as good as those I eat here in El Salvador, refried beans, chimol (aka salsa fresca for you foodies), fresh cheese, chorizo, steak, and I believe there's some chicken hiding under the steak.  It was fantastic.

A fruit stand in the center of town

I found brie.  Leave it to me to find fancy French cheeses in Latin America.

The cool part, though, is that this is locally-made brie.  Well, okay, it's probably not called brie because it was made in Honduras, not France, but whatever.  It tasted like brie and was SO GOOD.  I considered stocking up, but without refrigeration, well, not a good idea.

I shared this plate of brie with all my friends.  It was quite fun to introduce them to fancy French cheese.

And more food.  

These are like quesadillas, filled with beans and chicken and avocado and all kinds of other goodies, and are called barilladas.  $2 gets you 2 good-sized barilladas.

Copan ruins!  Need I say more?

And more ruins ... 

Trying to take artsy photos.

You might see a familiar face, if you've been following my blog ... that's Carlos.

And there's me! 

La flor blanca en la tierra de los 18 conejos

This nice man makes jewelry.  I bought earrings.  Ok, 3 pairs.

And we talked about tourism and the economy and all kinds of other interesting things.

So I asked for a photo.

And that was Copan!  What next?  Ah, Christmas traditions!  I'm going to save that for another day.  I need a snack.

So much to tell.

With calendar in hand, I'm going to try to recount the big events in the last month.  I admit there were occasions when I had plenty of time to write, but lacked inspiration.  And now I have time and inspiration!  Enjoy.

As you all know, Thanksgiving Day is about food.  However, as I'm sure you also know, it's not celebrated here in El Salvador ... they're lacking in the pilgrim department, although they have their own bloody history of European conquest and indigenous slaughter.  But on to happier things.  I love to cook.  Cal Pipil (the youth center) has a kitchen.  What better way to celebrate Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday, by the way, but not necessarily because of the pilgrim/Indian history) than to make a meal for my friends?  Enter Mom's "sprinkle chicken" recipe, mashed potatoes, and fresh green beans with onion and garlic.  Yum.  Despite the fact that the oven lacks temperature settings, the chicken was perfect.  And the company was excellent as well.  Somehow I ended up cooking for only men, but as Laura and I like to say, "I have marketable skills!"  So, I guess I was marketing my skills.  And I admit sometimes I do like to show off a little in the kitchen.

Al fresco dining on for Thanksgiving.  Beat that, Pennsylvania.

And the other thing PA doesn't have ... Jamaica [Ha-mai-ka] juice.  Yum.

Happy friends.

From left, me, Daniel, Josue, Oscar, and Carlos

Satisfied?  Yep.

Another happy / satisfied face.  My work here is done.

After I began writing this little section (because I imagine this particular post will have unrelated sections), I realized I skipped two other events that happened the day before.  I went to the beach!  It was awesome.  I loved it.  I can't wait to go back with my sister next week!  And, the night before, we had a peace vigil at the church.  It was full of various activities, not just praying and singing.  There were those, as well as discussion groups, a candlelit march around the neighborhood, and pastoral reflections.  Overall, quite a blessing to plan and be part of.

Me, beach, Pacific Ocean.  Excellent.

Vigil participants

The front of our group

The banner says We ask for peace and justice, God.  Iglesia Bautista Emmanuel

More of our group.  Overall we had about 60 participants.

We affixed our candles after the march, and also lit several others that were sent from friends and sister parishes in the US, Canada, and England.

And there was another concert in the park on Saturday; reggae and ska.  Much more my speed.  Good fun.  I took photos again, but they're nearly identical those from the last concert in the park.  The only differences? We didn't wear the same clothes and I bought a necklace.

The beginning of December brought Vacation Bible School and the closing of the "summer" classes at the school.  I was shifted over to Vacation Bible School, and so didn't actually finish up the English classes that I was team-teaching with another teacher.  A good lesson in flexibility.  I helped with the 10-11 year old class, and among other things, taught them the song Peace Like a River and the game Signs (Thanks, Juan!!)  Tons of fun.

And the beat goes on.  English classes continued at Cal Pipil, and preparations begin for Christmas .... Advent isn't a huge part of the Baptist tradition (well, when I say Baptist I mean my particular church here, Iglesia Bautista ... and they fall pretty much in line with Brethren traditions), but I did enjoy the one opportunity I had to join an Advent devotional call with BVS.  It felt good to reconnect with BVS folks and have a chance to stop and pray and be with Brethren, even if only virtually.

And let's stop here.  I need to refill my water bottle and find a snack.  The adventure continues!

Mosquitoes in December

Hi friends.  Sorry I've been MIA in the blogosphere.  Life has gotten in the way!  I hope to get a post up sometime in the next week or so.  I have so much to tell you about!!  See you soon.

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