Refreshed

Just got back in site from being in San Sal. Had a blast this weekend. Saturday was a lot of fun. Spent some time poolside with a bunch of volunteers at the Sheraton hotel and then went out at night. The embassy put on a little shindig for us and their people at the Sheraton which was a little bit of a bust. There were all a lot older and not exactly drinking types like the PCVs. They also had some expensive food which we couldn't really afford, but it was a good effort. I got a free American flag and some beer discounts. Later, we went out to an irish pub, how very unpatriotic, but had a good time once we finally got there (we got a little lost on the way, but it provided for a fun adventure). I really enjoyed myself and I actually got the opportunity to hang out with some people I hadn't spent a lot of time with in the past; a nice change. Anyway, I got my fill of capital fun for awhile. It's a nice escape.

Hopped off the bus around today at 5:20p and was welcomed by the rain. It's raining lightly now, but it must have been heavier most of the day. I visited my health promoter's house (Niña Elba's her name and she's awesome) for a quick chat (she lives by the desvio, the exit to the main road in La Chorrera). Apparently our Unidad de Salud (Santa Rosa's health clinic) just got a new director and Niña Elba's going to take me to meet him soon. I'm excited because he sounds really motivated and hopefully he can give me some info on the local health situation in detail and suggest some project ideas. Anyway, left her house and headed over the first bridge in the community where I waded through some mud in my flip flops until the school director rescued me in his pick up and drove me up to my house. I also am currently wading through mud to get to and from my latrine. Perfect.

Anyway, like I said last week, I hope this week can help get me on track to starting some real work. I feel motivated right now and will hopefully get some things off the ground at the school this week. I have a meeting with the school director, Don Armando, tomorrow to discuss how things are going in general and what the progress is on the library.

Quick sidenote, it is appopriate to address people of respect in a cerain manner (not kids or good friends, but adults, professionals). For men, it's Don and for women it's Niña(neen-ya), which ironically means little girl in Spanish, but that's how it's done here. So you use that prefix followed by their first name.

Other exciting news in food. I found whole wheat pasta in San Salvador! Going back to eating healthy again because the capital is usually filled with lots of fast food , which is horrible, but it's the most exciting option on a Peace Corps budget and probably just as healthy as what people eat here in the campo (the rural parts). I really need to get started on nutrition classes, but I'm waiting for the next cycle of womens-to-womens grants to open up so I can get money to create interactive classes for the women in my community.

Okay, hope you guys are enjoying my blog, time for dinner.