La Caminata (the hike)

Comandante Sombra. We joined a large group (40 people?) on an expedition to walk up the cerro (steep hill, not quite mountain), down into the crater, up the other side, and finally back down. A great day.


bambú


The young boy in the middle was our guide into the crater. His family gathers the coffee beans for the harvest. He wore only flip-flops on his feet and led us down ridiculously steep walking trails. He was basically awesome.


in the canyon/ hikers in distance


volcano and flower


These kids were rock-stars. They ran down the hill at the end of the hike, kicking up dust that got in our eyes.


100-pound sacks of coffee beans

La Virgen (the virgin)

reindeer made of straw/ presents sent from home (thank you Moms!)


This is a farol (or farolito). It is made of wood and colored plastic wrap. There is a candle inside. We marched in a procession from one Catholic church to the other, following a statue of la Virgen de Concepción.


Bruce and friends after the procession.


Kelly, machete, coconut


This is the float for the procession of la Virgen de Guadalupe. Children were all dressed up in traditional clothes. Young boys had fake moustaches. A throng of singing townspeople followed the float for two hours. Two men lead the float with tall sticks to raise the telephone lines to allow the float to pass. Then the insanity began. Fireworks upon fireworks. A man dressed up as a bull, running through the crowd, setting fireworks off in all directions. This is a tradition. Bruce´s hand was slightly burned. We didn´t return to the park for the 3 am mariachi concert on account of a hike the next day. But the fireworks woke us up anyway.


our adorable neighbor in traditional dress

El Volcán (the volcano)

Kelly está lavando la ropa.


cafe


This is the San Miguel (a.k.a. Chaparrastique) volcano. Our pueblo´s police officers are incredibly friendly and took us on three guided tours of the region in their police trucks. We now know almost all of the cantones (very rural areas) in our municipio. We also saw beautiful sites: the volcano, the ¨laguna seca¨(dry lagoon, really a huge crater), hot springs, boiling ponds of mud (Yellowstone-esque), etc. We saw extreme levels of poverty (cantones without water) and luxury (the hacienda of one of the so-called 14 Families who--before the civil war--owned basically everything).


Kelly y la laguna seca


We could see, in the distance, the volcano of San Vicente (our training site). Also at this summit, we could see trenches leftover from the war.


Kelly and tree


coffee country


another amazing tree


tarantulas strike back!


Bruce, after the kill

La Playa (the beach)

coin pouch...¡que chivo!


monster


malaria pills


Hombre Araña/ It´s difficult to find professional-looking notebooks in El Salvador.


chucho (dog, more common here than term ¨perro¨)


at the beach! with our counterparts!


chickens finishing our coconut


sad chicken/ no more coconut


There is a dog in the middle of these cows, asserting his authority.


just like on the Jersey shore

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Every so often it feels as though we are characters in a high school Spanish textbook: Bruce and Kelly are Peace Corps Volunteers serving in El Salvador, Central America. They are working with a development agency that has received a grant from an NGO in the U.S. Help Bruce and Kelly translate the following letter...

There are also times when you take a step back and realize that you are dicing radishes for a Salvadoran first communion.

We have now been in our site for one month (El Salvador for three). We have been keeping busy. Police-guided tours of the region. Excellent, beautiful hikes with new friends. Meetings at the mayor´s office about a new recycling-composting program. Soccer. The Carnaval in San Miguel--said to be the largest outside of Brazil. Candle-lit religious processions. Meetings with NGOs, schools, the local health center, Cruz Roja (Red Cross)...

On Monday we held a general assembly with an audience of our Peace Corps bosses and the leaders of the community. We formally introduced Peace Corps, our individual programs, and ourselves. We also presented a long list of project ideas that included excursions to forests and ancient ruins (of the Lencas), reforestation, environmental festivals, gender equality, sexual education, sporting events, English classes for teachers, community newsletters, nights of poetry/art/music/movies... Most or all of these projects will be youth-centered. We will work on these projects in conjunction with community organizations.

We miss everyone back home! Hope you all are preparing for a festive holiday season. ¡Feliz Navidad y Prospero 2009!