Photo a day.

April 11, 2014

There is definitely a Flintstone themes restaurant in Itzalco.

April 9, 2014
Students... notes
April 8, 2014

This little gem of a pool is as close to heaven as you get in El Salvador. This pool is fed by an underground stream that is cool and clear. Most of the locals prefer the other hydrothermal pools in the area so this pool is generally empty enough to swim and play at will. Despite the fish that constantly bite your feet this pool is perfect!

April 6, 2014

I love old dying buildings. I feel like if you listen hard enough you can hear the voices of the people who have been in them before. This is a picture of the Itzalco church's right bell tower. If you look close you can see a crack from the an earthquake in the 60's. The harder I looked at the tower to more apparent this crack became. It almost looks like the whole bell tower is going to just shear off in a strong wind storm.

April 5, 2014

So what you cannot tell from this picture is that I am standing halfway in a hidden room in the current FMLN headquarters in San Salvador. During the civil war this building had a cash of weapons hidden in an underground room. The entrance to the hidden room is in now in the women's bathroom. Today only files are stored down there but I could imagine it stockful of grenades and AK47s.

April 4, 2014

I learned how to make tortillas today! I only made one tortillas for every two of the other girl but nobody could tell which ones were mine and which ones were her's... SUCCESS!

April 3, 2014

Nothing like a Washington State apple to brighten my day!

April 2 2014


April 1, 2014

Volcano Itzalco

March 31, 2014

In this picture I imagine Michelle as looking out hopeful and expectant about what she is going to see. All El Salvadorians seem to be like this in life. They are all hopeful despite all of the bad. Even the older generation that has lived through a gruesome civil war is hopeful and excited about the future and the good that they know will come in the next 10 or 20 years. 

March 30, 2014

This is Kiva, she is my new best friend in El Salvador. She is a spunky lab that drags her feet when she walks and likes to jump on whoever enters into the house.

March 29, 2014

This is the third procession I have seen in the two days I have been here. Yesterday there were two for adults and this afternoon this procession is for kids. Tonight there is another procession for God only knows what. It's pretty cool but I'm still trying to figure out what they all mean. 

March 28, 3014

This is inside Connie's house. When you first walk into her house there is a large room that is mostly unused. Then you enter into another room large room. The ceiling in this room is made up of overlapping roofs and is open to the outdoors. Then you pass into the area in this picture. The room to the left is where I will be staying for the next three months. And straight ahead are two separate courtyards and Connie's house in the very back of the house/complex.

March 27, 2014

The sun is setting on the last day with the CCLP group. By 3 a.m. tomorrow morning I will be more or less alone in El Salvador... Time to master my harmonica.

March 26, 2014

Today we went to the ESNA farm to clear a patch of land and cut chile peppers and this is how I looked after only an hour. Everyday I get dirty in the morning, shower at lunch then get even dirtier in the evening. I've decided that the only way to make myself seem less dirty every day is to get tan so the dirt blends in better. 

March 25, 2014
The top picture for today is the picture of a living room/bedroom of a house in Las Trincheras. Today we were on a mission to install some water bottle lights. The top picture is the room without a light and the bottom is the room after we installed the water bottle light. In case you don't know what a water bottle light is it's just what it sounds like. It is a water battle filled with water and stuck into the ceiling and caulked into place. The lights can put off the same amount of light as a 60 watt light bulb.

March 24, 2014

This was taken this morning when we went to the early childhood development center to play with little kids. The center was small and packed to the brim with kids. Even though we could barely talk to each other we played for almost a solid giggly hour.  

March 23, 2014

This was my lunch. It was delicious. It is not really a good example of anything Salvadorian but it made my afternoon. It is just a bunch of vegetables and bread cooked on a grill and slathered with salsa verde and balsamic. 

March 22, 2014

These little kids are jumping around, shoving each other and having a great time in the back of a truck going 50 miles an hour down the highway... I'll never be as badass as a foreign kid. 

March 21, 2014

This is the courtyard in the San Salvador Hostel. The succulents hanging from the wall made me smile when I first walked in. This is where I've been sitting to write my blog and pretend it is not 95 degrees with 80% humidity.

March 20th 2014

On the road today. Last time I'll see the Stuarts in a while!

March 19th 2014

Final packing. Everything is loaded up now. One carry on and 1/3 of a backpack. I'm feeling like I packed too light... Too late now. El Salvador here I come!