Niños

More graffiti: Bush and Saca (Salvadoran President) are immigrants. We aren´t illegal This is such a sweet picture...Franklin, my compañero, working with one of the children
Angela and Leonel
This is my new boyfriend, Alejandro!

A few more pictures...

My compañeros: Dimas, me, Angela (my new compañera in Cuerpo de Paz), Pedro, Roberto, Mario, Franklin, and one of the kids from the community


Stacy (a friend of Angela's), me, Roberto, and Angela by the Rio de Lempa (flood prone area)











One of our workshops with the kids was cancelled...so we went to the beach! We ate at "my restaurant"--Mariscos Mary

Fun

This was the path we took to get to the water falls on SundaySome of the artwork that the kids have completed in the workshops

I went to a waterfall near my house on Sunday. It was so nice to swim and be cool for a moment! I also finally made it to see the coast on Saturday. It was great to at least put my feet in the salt water! Its hard to believe that I've been here for 2 months and its the first time that I've been to the ocean! My manager is planning an outing to the beach soon, and I'm really looking forward to it. I am still enjoying my work, but I'm just exhausted all of the time!

A few pictures

Pictures from top to bottom:
1) Memorial site where 6 Jesuits were assassinated on the campus of the University of Central America during the war. Extremely moving, but its hard to comprehend the level of violence during war...anywhere...
2) A few drawings in the Chapel at the University
3) A quote from Romero: "If they kill me, I will be brought back to life in the Salvadoran people" Does it give you chills, too?
4) Graffiti in the centro in San Salvador. "No imperialism" "24 years of struggle...Always until the victory" I actually like some of the graffiti in El Salvador
5) The national Cathedral where Romero is buried

My guys

These are three of my coworkers at REDES--Mariona, Moises, and Mardo--taken in the REDES office in San Salvador. All 3 are great guys, and I feel blessed to be working with them!

Still good, but...

(Pictures above: The first one is one of my roommates, David, napping on the way home from work in the ambulance that we ride in. My other roommate's name is Angela--a fellow Marquette alumni...small world! The second picture is a flooded home in one of the communites that we work with named San Augustin. It flooded in October due to tropical storm Stan. Yes, that's right, October! The next picture is lago de Suchitlan in Suchitoto where I live. El Salvador truly is breathtaking...The last picture are 3 of the 4 artists who I am working with in the implementation of workshops. Roberto, Franklin, and Pedrito--3 of the coolest, passionate, real men that I've met!)


So, I´m still happy to be in El Salvador, but the reality is setting in. The organization that I am working with is undergoing major changes which makes for a tense atmosphere. I really love my coworkers, and it looks like I won't be working with them after June 30...a big disappointment. On the bright side, I'm enjoying what I'm doing right now, in the moment. I'm working with a group of artists/musicians who are part of a group called COOPARTE. All local Salvadorans...an extremely talented, intelligent, passionate group. The name of the music group is Yolocamba Ita...their music is spectacular...The kind of music that makes you feel and gives you chills. We're doing workshops with children in 3 communities.

I feel at times that I've been given a gift to be exposed to such good people. I'm learning so much. About El Salvador, the struggle of the people, corruption, inequity, politics, the reality of the NGO world...I'm also learning about myself, and how sometimes I just need to let things go and again remind myself that I can't save the world...but I can try, and surround myself with people who believe in the same ideals and together we can work together towards a better world.

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now! I'm exhausted from heat, travel, and work with the kids so I'm having trouble really making sense of what I'm saying here. Un abrazo muy fuerte á todos!