Costa del Sol

So it feels like I've been going at 100mph for the past three weeks. I have yet to spend a day doing nothing. This past weekend we had two birthdays in my house. On friday we went to La Luna, a salsa club. I've never been salsa dancing before so it was quite the treat. At one point in the night I happened to be sitting by myself when this beautiful women came over and asked me to dance, well, I think she did. She did grab my hand and lead me to the dance floor, so I followed...naturally. We I got out there she just kept saying: "mueva las caderas" (move your hips) I tried to no avail. She bored of my poor salsa moves and handed me off to one of her friends who proptly depositted me to my friend Elizabeth. We then happily enjoyed our mediocre Americanized salsa moves. On Saturday we all went to Costa del Sol, a really great beach. We hung out at a resort all day chillin on the beach. That night a group of us stayed overnight because Sunday was our friends birthday. The sweetest part is that we got the rooms for free because the Casa payed for them all day. We spent the night eating, drinking, and chilling in hammocks. What the life! Sunday we took a 4 hour bus ride with three transfers back from Costa del Sol to Antiguo Cuscatlan. I almost fell off a moving bus because it was so overcrowed. It just about scared the crap out of me. I was only hanging out of the bus for a couple minutes until I pushed myself in to saftey. It was quite the adventure.

Long awaited photos!

Coffee beans laying out to dry










Isla de los parrajos - Thousands of birds and their crap.










My room, affectionately called "la Cueva"










Sur Lidia and some kids










Laying on top of the truck










Mountains near Jayaque


Niños

Volcano at Puerto del Diablo

Me and the guys at Puerto del Diablo

Washing clothes by hand in the Pila room

Chillin on the hammock in our ¨living room"

Portrait from Romero's Casita

Suchitoto

Here are some photos from the past couple weeks. It's an odd assortment and in no order.

busy few days

Well, a lot has happened since the last time I posted. First, we had a pretty intense earthquake last week. It was a 6.2 on the Richter scale and the epicenter was about 30km off the coast. But when it hit I just about soiled myself. That was the first time I had ever experienced anything like that.
On Sunday a group of us went to Puerto del Diablo. It is a beautiful place for hiking and there was an open air market. We hiked around some awesome rock formations and got into some pretty precarious spots…it was AWESOME. Many of you know how I love to chill out on rocks, so Sunday was like a dream. A couple of us had to leave early, but the other half of the group stuck around and got to do an awesome zip-line over a huge ravine. I was so jealous, but luckily it’s only about 30 minutes from the Casa, so watch out, I’ll be back.
Pandemic has hit the Casa community and left 12 people in bed today. They had the poops and the pukes. It was pretty narsty, and I am so blessed to be healthy. I’m sure my day will come soon enough. It was really a shame that it hit today too because today was our first day at our praxis site. My praxis partner was one inflicted with the bug so I had to make the journey to Tepecoyo by myself. Already on the first day I was helping teach computer skills. I was so overwhelmed by the language barrier, especially with the adults. The kids are fine and we can both laugh about my silly errors. The drive to Tepecoyo was exhausting too, with about 3 hours in the micro today.
I know it’s taken me so long to get some pictures posted to the blog, so I hope you can wait a little longer. The computers here take forever to load stuff up.
I think the word for the day is overwhelmed and tired. So with that—adios.

Patricio

¡Clases mañana!

Tomorrow we begin our first day of class! I´m excited...I think. I´m taking three classes in Spanish: Sociologia, Politica, y español, and two in English, Theology and my praxis class. Today was another long and hot day. We went to more praxis sites to see where people will be placed. We went to Fe y Alegría, a school run by this cute old nun, sister Marcos. We have been making many site visits and I´m really looking forward to getting in something a little more regular. Last night some of us stayed up until about 3am, sitting in the Hammock, listening to the cool breeze blow through our courtyard. (I´m still not sure if staying up until 3 was a good idea or not because now I could easily fall asleep sitting here. I am making some great connections with people and the sprouts of great new friendships are poking their heads. I am not yet accustomed to the many new sights and sounds of San Salvador, to the roaring buses, the car alarms, the roosters crowing, the dogs barking, the latina music blaring, the children laughing, the barbed/razor wire everywhere, the ubiquitous flowers which grow in the most unexpected places, the houses and shacks made of tin and scraps, my dirty feet at the end of the day. Everything is so much more real and in your face. The violence and poverty is real and extreme, but so is the hope and the laughter. Last night we were able to meet with Fr. Dean Brackly S.J. It was so great to finally meet him after so long. I have read a number of his works, and he is such a inspiration to me. He gave us some words of wisdom for the semester and answer questions, except for mine. I asked how we can keep the fire alive when we return to the US and how we can begin to live lives of solidarity. He wouldn´t answer it, and said I would just have to wait. I actually think that´s a pretty good answer. I ok with waiting. I just can´t wait to get some tortillas tonight and relax with my new friends.

Buenas,

patricio

Happy MLK Day

Hey all,

So the past couple of days have been pretty amazing. We are still doing orientation so we have been visiting the Praxis sites. We went to Tepecoyo, which is where I will be 2 days a week. The town is beautiful and we were there for the opening of their computer lab, where Amber and I will be teaching computer classes. Yesterday was a free day so some of us went to Suchitoto, a small town by a beautiful lake. We had lunch, had a couple beers, went for a tour of the lake. We went out to a beautiful island called Isla de los Parajos. There were thousands of birds, it was nuts! Dinner is calling, more stories later!

Adios

patricio

Buenas a todos y todas

Hello all,

I am here in El Salvador. The trip was painless, and actually quite fun. I met an interesting guy on the plane from El Salvador and we spoke all most the whole way here. The past 48 hours have been so intense with orientation to the Casa program. We have already visited the UCA and even seen the rose garden where the 6 Jesuits and their 2 friends were murdered. Today we sat through hours of meeting about health and safety. My room is nice. I am living in a double by myself so i have plenty of room. It was quite surprising though to find that my living room has no roof and there are actually 2 trees growing there. Well, it´s actually more of a courtyard, but my room opens up right to the outside. There is an awesome hammock that hangs between the trees, and is great for taking siestas...if I ever have time. The Casa staff is amazing including the cooks who are preparing delicious food for us. (don´t worry Ma, it´s safe to eat) It is hot, but not as hot as I expected. At night it actually gets quite cool and I´m really glad to have my sweatshirt. The people I have met have all been so nice and welcoming, the other students and the Salvadorans. Tonight we are going for pupusas, yum. I hope you have enjoyed my rambling and first entry from El Salvador!

Hasta luego!

All my bags are packed...

...and I'm ready to go. I leave in 7.5 hours! Wish me luck, and my next post will be from sunny San Salvador!

My praxis site...

Well, last night I got an email about my praxis site for next semester. This is where I will be working two days a week for the next 4 months, becoming a part of a marginal community around San Salvador. This is what the Casa website has to say about Tepecoyo, where I will be:

La Javia (Located in Tepecoyo)

Tepecoyo is a rural community located about 1 hour from San Salvador in the department of La Libertad. The area of Tepecoyo historically has been a coffee growing area. Other crops that are grown are corn, maicillo (a small corn-substitute grain), beans and tabaco. There are some people who raise livestock such as cows, pigs, and chickens. Primarily, the people have dedicated themselves to the cultivation of coffee, brick making, and the production of milk products such as cheese. However, with the recent fall in coffee prices, many of the land owners are no longer producing coffee, leaving most people in the area without work or income. As a result, many families do not have means to survive and many children go without education because families cannot afford the basic costs (uniform, food, school supplies, transportation, etc.). Another challenge the people face is lack of water (especially in the countryside where many natural springs have dried up or are contaminated because of improper disposal of garbage). La Javia is a nearby rural village just outside of the small town of Tepecoyo and is made up of 3 zones.

Role of Casa Student: Students participate in several newly developed programs including teaching English classes for the youth of the community, offering computer classes for all members of the community (children to elderly), tutoring students, and getting to know members of the community in their own homes through conducting home visits. Also, students participate in a soy project where they have the opportunity to assist in the making of soy milk and also participate in the distribution of milk to children on a daily basis. These programs are all new to the community of La Javia.

Thanks again for stopping by to see what I'm up to!

Peace,

Patrick

One week left!

So, I've got exactly one week from right now until I'm in the air somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico. Everyone keeps asking if I'm scared or nervous, and I'm really not. I'm pumped. It seems like I've been planning on this for so long that now that the date is really approaching I'm ready and waiting. I'm starting to accululate a pile of crap in the corner on top of my backpack. Now I just need to put it in and get on the road.
If anyone wants to catch up before I leave, please give me a ring or an email!

Peace,

Patrick