8&9. dancing with narda in san miguel.

i was planning on posting something last night but got in a little later than expected. FINE BY ME. i went dancing in san miguel with some friends of mine- a girl i recently met and some of her friends. it was VERY fun. My friend's name is Narda. I met her through an NGO in a near-by town. She seems rather special. It's always nice to meet and befriend wonderful people, especially if they happen to be beautiful. Narda is in the red dress.
Tonight, im headed to see a band play in the town of Berlin. Should be fun. I'll take some pictures.
happy weekend.

7

i walk up to the door. no one seems to notice me. the yard is 50 feet wide. at one end, i see Rosie, washing clothes. i begin to sneak in. Ya viene el Gringo says a voice i recognize. Carmen. Her voice has that unintentional quality of announcing her mood. she's happy, i can tell, if not a little tired. i straighten up and walk into the yard. Not untypical of Salvadoran properties, it has a large yard that dissects two small structures. both have covered porches. it's pleasant, once you adapt to it's beauty. It's simple way. And ive done that. i greet the three adults there. all warm people. each in their own distinct way. But im quickly distracted by the absence of the kids. and then i hear laughter. innocent laughter. two kids giggling. so i follow it and walk into a room and then freeze as if terrified by the two year old. i make a face like i've suddenly had a fart with a prize. i then walk across the room, and into a handstand, my feet meeting the wall in front of me so to stabilize me. more laughter. that kind that comes from wonderment. i regain my feet, and look up to see four faces. and a two year old ass. Christopher is bent-over, peeking at me between his legs. That's his hand stand. but that's as far as her can go. he stands. we laugh at each other. he then chases me out of the room. and around the yard. his family is laughing. other people show up to buy tortillas- which is why i have come- and they laugh too. Ten people laughing. Together. Is there anything better? Sometimes. But not tonight. I should have taken a picture. I will soon.

The pictures:

The top picture is my house. the bottom house is my neighbors across the street, taken from my place. they're redoing the streets. taken in january.

6

in january i went to a beach about an hour and a half from where i live. it was fine. i went with a woman and her four daughters. the mom and i drank beer in the back seat on the way there. i mean, laugh out loud funny. i've been to half a dozen beaches here now. they're surprisingly different. but all beautiful.





another peaceful, lovely night here.
y en unas horas ya voy a very la chamaca. "T m gust." Lo mejor mensaje q he recibido aqui.

paz y amor,
w.

5

el salvador elected a new president.
Very interesting.
Read about that here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/16/world/americas/16salvador.html?scp=3&sq=el%20salvador&st=cse


so, im going to hang out with this girl. and her friend.
but i gotta go.

i leave you with this, a picture of two dogs, uh, playing tug of war:

3 & 4

first picture: english class. they're a great class.

second picture: a very pretty lagoon close to where i live.

2

a few weekends ago, i went to the other side of the country to a place called Juayua. It was a lot of fun. On the work side, we gave some important talks on AIDS and arranged for a famous M.D. to come and give a lecture about AIDS to a group of teachers and health promoters, so that they could communicate the same information to the people in their community. we also took a nice hike to these beautiful waterfalls and did a little high-diving.
Disclaimer: i ddint' do much work: it was all L.B.).

1

so, i've been here for a year now. And a day. Pretty wild. In honor of being here one year, i am going to post a picture for every day for the next year. most days i will only write a little. other days, i'll write a little more.
(disclaimer: i got this idea from another volunteer, mr. L. S.).

we'll start this off with some construction pictures. we're paving most of the streets in town. this includes the road seven feet from where im writing this. it's been going on for some time: they tore out the coble stones about two months ago. since then, my house is perpetually covered in dirt. im kind of used to it, which is sad. but im not sad. im happy. content. i hope you are too.
love,
me.