Peggy's 73rd Birthday Dinner

Peggy enjoying her birthday cigar with her favorite companion...La Luna

Eva and I during a laughter intermission

At the end of our road trip, we rolled into Suchitoto as the sun was setting.  We landed at our favorite restaurant.  It was nice to be “home.”  We ordered our favorite dishes.  Peggy lit up a cigar, as she does on every birthday.  We each celebrated by drinking a beer and toasting to her awe inspiring, life changing, presence on earth.

Me, Eva, Rosa, Selena, and Peggy at Villa Balanza

Copan Ruins

 

Copan is known as the “Paris of the Maya World.”  During the Classic Period (AD 250-800) it dominated the region.  This site is rich in hieroglyphics.

Homes of the rich and famous Maya families

I love visiting ruins without researching in depth beforehand.  It invites my imagination to play with the artifacts and ruins and to fantasize about the lives of commoners, royalty, religious, etc.  Then I’m often rudely awakened by archeologists’ facts and conclusions.

Stairway covered in hieroglyphics

I am amazed by the Maya people’s organization.  They populated vast landscapes but were politically organized.  A king ruled each section and the kings held routine meetings.  Like many civilizations during this time, they were advanced mathematically and astronomically.

 

View from the top of a Maya monument looking at their common area

Serious statue in the museum.  Everything is monstrous in size!

Long day of walking...

Honduras - Guatemala Road Trip

Beautiful hills in Guatemala!

The December 26^th, Rosa, Eva, Selena, Peggy, and I drove Sister Pat to her Franciscan community in Gracias, Honduras.  Pat and Peggy worked together in Chili when they were young and in El Salvador during the war.  Now Pat is lives with her community in Iowa but is visiting.

We stuffed ourselves into Peggy’s car and busted out of Suchi.  We drove through the beautiful Salvadorian, Honduran, and Guatemalan mountains.  We passed tiny towns with indigenous people, vibrant fruit stands, and odd-looking animals.  We were driving in the clouds most of the trip.  The air was fresh, the sky was mysterious, and the laughter was pure.

The first night we stayed with the Franciscan sisters in Gracias, Honduras.  Pat read our palms after dinner.  Ha!  My life is unique but she can’t remember what my special line means.  My long fingers say that I’m especially intuitive.  My lines say that I direct my life emotionally but have a similarly strong intelligence.  

Sister Pat, Sister Peggy, and Rosa (My host!) at the Franciscan Home in Gracias, Honduras

We concluded the night in song.  Erica, a novice, played the guitar.  Pat played beats on the table.   The rest of us sang.  We mostly sang Salvadorian songs as that is what they know by heart but Sister Brenda lent me a songbook so I could join in the fun.

Rosa and Peggy in a mototaxi on the way to Copan

The next day we battled our way through the patchas/fallas/potholes to the Copan Ruins.  We wound through the mountains, admired waterfalls, and gazed at the lazy river guiding our path.  After exploring the ruins, we relaxed for an evening in the little town of Copan Ruinas. 

Eva, Rosa, and Selena loving Peggy in Copan Ruinas

We began celebrating Peggy’s 73^rd birthday the next morning.  We settled on an “easier” route for the way home, one with less patchas.  But somehow we got off track.  It took us the same amount of time as our trip there but we curved in and out of borders more than expected.  First Honduras/ Guatemala, next Guatemala/ Honduras, and then Honduras/ El Salvador.  We were like a stitching needle threading our way in and out of countries.  Each of the borders had their own money schemes.  At one point, Peggy and I were in holding for an hour.

Thankfully we ended up at the border entrance closest to Suchitoto and the last part of the journey was a breeze.

Lots of cows and beautiful countryside in Guatemala

Navidad in El Sitio

Short History of Communidad El Sitio

On January 16, 1992 the government agreed to give people the land on which they had resettled, as most were forced from their homes during the war.  People from El Sitio first repatriated Nuevo Copapeyo with many others from the Mesa Grande (refugee camp in Honduras).

While in Nuevo Copapeyo, Peggy spoke with Mercedes (Community Organizer) and a small group about unpopulated land outside Suchitoto.  The group moved and created Communidad El Sitio, named after a tree in the area that was a common meeting place for the gorillas during the war.  They built Peggy a home alongside their own.   

Mercedes explained this to me in Spanish.  My translation may not be fully accurate.

Navidad in El Sitio

Peggy drove Sister Pat and I about forty-five minutes outside Suchi’s center to El Sitio.  We spent the day with Mercedes’ family.  She has six kids (around my age) and most of them have kids.  I have spent time with individuals from this family throughout my past two months here, so the huge gaggle of people wasn’t overwhelming.  I guess my training with the Buccola Crew was helpful too.

We ate extremely fresh chicken sandwiches and tamales.  We drank “coffee” that was actually burnt sugarcane but tastes like coffee.  We relaxed in hammocks.  And we sat and talked for hours.  My favorite conversations were based around stories Mercedes shared from Mesa Grande.

She talked about learning to read and write so that she could send notes to her husband fighting in the war.  She talked about taking care of kids whose parents were out fighting.  She told a story about when she and her husband found out they had the same birthday, after having been married for over twenty years!  They were illiterate like their parents, so they couldn’t read the birth certificates.

Paola snatching a shirt full of candy from the Penyada.

Little boy/angel processing to the Chapel.

When the sun went down, children in the community dressed in costumes for the Posada and sang Christmas carols while waiting for families to gather.  They acted out the Biblical Christmas story and processed on the dirt path (main road) to the chapel.  When we arrived, they performed the Posada with some characters inside the chapel calling and responding to the characters outside the chapel.  They completed the production inside and celebrated the Liturgy of the Word.

Posada call and response at the Chapel door.

Nativity in the Chapel

Afterward, there was an all night dance party in a local family’s yard.  Mercedes gave me a sip of their local moonshine.  I danced until 2am and was one of the first to leave!  There were still little kids running around, lighting fireworks and babies awake next to the loud speaker! 

I stayed the night with Mercedes’ daughter and granddaughter, Amenta and Xiamara.  We had a live chicken under the bed.  I found the next morning that Christmas day is similar to every other day.

Amenta, Xiamara, and Hector before the Posada

Sunday Afternoon Harp Performance

Yesterday afternoon I was blessed by the sound of harps, warm wind, and laughter!  Ha!  These kids first picked up the harp eight months ago.  On Sundays they take lessons over Skype with ladies from Canada.  You will see their Salvadorian teacher in the videos.  He is a guitarist who learned to play the harp with the Canadian women this past year.  Once every couple months Wendy (lovely harp teacher) flies down and teaches intensive lessons at the center.

My favorite song in their lineup.

Check out the view!  Is it really Christmas season?

Santa Lucia's Feast Day Eve

Mom and Dad, remember when Kelley and Tim called home from Pamplona, Spain and started by saying, "We are ok." And followed with, "We just ran with the bulls."  Mom and Dad, I'm ok.  I just survived the craziest, most dangerous/crowded fire.

Really, these people are crazy.  Today is St. Lucy's (Suchi's patron saint) Feast Day.  Last night the carnival came to town.  The rides looked like they were from the 70's and haven't been maintained since.  I was sure kids were going to fly right off the tracks.  People traveled from all over El Salvador to join our celebration.  We talked to people who even flew home from the states and others who walked three hours to spend the evening in Suchi.  The church looked like it belonged in Vegas as it was illuminated with neon lights that changed color every few minutes.  We packed people in to the plaza.  We couldn't move anything but our heads to look up at the...wait for it...FIREWORKS!  I've never seen anything like this.  This was like Barrio San Jose's firework show on steroids.  There were many, many more fireworks, about an hours worth.   They sounded like bombs dropping, the whole earth was shaking, fire was raining on our heads, and we couldn't move. 

They also celebrated with firey toros running around.  They presented saints throughout the plaza on tall, post-like contraptions.  One by one they would set them on fire and they had their own firework show around the saints.  The saints were shooting fire at the stagnant, imprisoned crowd.  It was very beautiful yet frightening.

For the grand finale, there were huge signs with messages like "Feliz Ano Nuevo Suchitoto" and "Que Viva Santa Lucia."  They started spewing fireworks, then lit on fire, then POW, shed skin and another sign would pop up.  These are actually signs on fire, not fireworks in the air spelling things.    Side note for Corvallis people:  If you remember the Pepsi plant at Christmas, it was like those moving figures...ON FIRE...shooting at you!


I have a friend with photos of the firework setup.  I'll try to post them this week.

After, Suchi hosted a huge disco, reggaeton, rave that went until 3am.  Again, I chose to dance my hiny to bed.  It is a three minute walk home but the base was shaking my bed.  These people are crazy and it's all for St. Lucy.

We celebrated this morning with mass.  The place was packed, similar to the plaza last night but St. Lucy didn't shoot fire at us this morning.

Five of the twelve priests that celebrated mass in Iglesia Santa Lucia this morning.  The presiding priest was a Spaniard.

Barrio San Jose's Evening and Rosa's Birthday

8pm Barrio San Jose paraded throughout Suchitoto once again with the marching band.  This time with our float and beautiful Barrio Princess.  Check out the pencil she's using as a handrail and the Santa thrown in for good measure!  My guess is that it wasn't a good health decision to pound our feet on the cobble stone streets and suck exhaust for an hour.

When we returned to our barrio, we hosted a huge firework show.  The fireworks themselves looked professional but the launching and fire safety was far from it.  Sparks were flying everywhere, sengeing clothing, etc.  There was even a point when they lit the toros.  These are bulls made out of sticks that have fireworks taped all over them.  Lucky little boys are chosen to place their heads under these toro figures, hold on to them and run through the crowd.  So imagine this...these boys are on fire, running through hoards of people, with fireballs shooting from their headdresses.    This is the intermission portion of the huge fireworks that rain sparks on our heads.  These people are crazy!  After there was a dance but I chose to dance my little bum to bed instead.


The next day we celebrated Rosa's birthday.  She is our teacher-friend.   I move in with Rosa next week!

 Sister Peggy's attempt at the penyada.

Eva (Rosa's best friend) attempting to swing at the penyada that is already on the ground!

 Rosa with her Tiramisu birthday cake!  I love this girl.  She's very direct, loving, silly, and faithful.  I can't wait to spend more time with her.

Bario San Jose's Oferenda

Suchitoto's patron saint is Santa Lucia.  Tuesday is her feast day and Monday is Our Lady Guadalupe's feast day so Suchitoto is on fire (literally!).  The city is split into seven neighborhoods.  The days this week are divided amongst the neighborhoods.  Each day follows a schedule similar to the schedule below.  Today is my neighborhood's (Bario San Jose) day!

3am: Meet for coffee, sweet bread, and conversation.  This morning we had over 250 residents just hanging in the art center parking lot.
4am:  Residents present the neighborhood's oferenda
4:30am: Fireworks begin to signal the beginning of the procession
4:45am: Residents light devotional candles and marching band launches into song
5am: We process behind the oferenda and marching band, weaving through Suchitoto's cobblestone streets in the dark with our candles.  The marching band plays hymns!
5:15am: Reach the Plaza (regularly a two minute walk) and the neighborhood lights huge fireworks in the square.
5:30am: Neighborhood celebrates a mass together for St. Lucy.  As we walk in, the mass shouts "Viva Santa Lucia!"  We respond "Que Viva!" and repeat.
9am: Neighborhood sponsors party for the kids

Listen to the marching band!

 Oh yeah!  Lovin' it!

Bario San Jose's Oferenda

 Gathering in the Plaza

Marching to the church (Not light yet)

Ill write more about the evening festivities tomorrow...

Time

I never feel like I have enough time, moments, hours, even years.  There are so many people with whom I want to talk and laugh, thoughts I strive to formulate, miles I long to run, books I crave to read, grad programs I itch to join, openings on which I thirst to meditate.  Really, this is my dilemma right now.  Last year, there were vastly different tasks but still never enough time.

So often I live by the clock.  I try to finish one thing before meeting another.  Some days I feel as if I’m rushing more than I am actually listening or accomplishing.  Rushing is a waste of time! While trying to meet all my expectations, I do nothing of substance.

People whom I admire gracefully balance time.  They nurture their own talents, listen to others, and attend to surrounding needs.  They are active, engaged, productive, mindful, aware, and grateful.  They never seem rushed and always have time for spontaneous conversations and moments of beauty or despair.  Father Martin, Sister Peggy, and many others are masters at balancing time. 

One can master time by prioritizing the wellbeing of people (self/others) and welcoming moments of gratitude.  I think that’s the secret!

Skateboarding and Soccer!

I get to run the skate park twice a week!  It is a blast.  The kids don't have professional skate examples, so they are exploring and teaching each other tricks.  They are so polite with each other too!  When they roll along, unable to control their boards, they shout "Con permiso! Con permiso! Con permiso!" This means "Excuse me! Excuse me! Excuse me!"

Karla (Below Left) is one of the two girls who join in the fun.  She's also a steller DJ for us!  All tunes come from her phone!

Jesus (Above Right) is fearless in mastering tricks on the board!  He must be five or so years old.

Juan (Left) is Jesus' older brother.  He carries the same fearlessness as Jesus but has more experience and therefore, more skill. 

A few good men at the art center created a soccer field for my girls soccer class.  It is a blast!  Boys usually dominate the soccer fields (pavement squares) in school and the streets, so I developed a soccer class for girls only.  It is very lax as most of the girls have never played before but we have a blast together.  They started a bit timid but we are rolling now!  They beg for more time after class.  I love it!

Purpose, Goals, Objectives...

What is my purpose here?  When I arrived, my original goals were:

·      To open myself to experiences (individuals and communities) by listening, observing, and asking questions.

·      To learn, study, and practice Spanish in order to hold fluid conversations and develop deep relationships.

Of course, I will continue to strive toward these goals but the productive person in me is looking for objectives and benchmarks.  What is my role?  What am I doing?  I understand that there is profound grace in the above goals but I also know that I have much to share.

At this point, I am impatient with my Spanish ability.  I do see improvements each day but I’m also very aware of my inability to understand all.  I am conscious of the patience others hold while communicating with me.  People give me the time I need to stumble through words (or maybe just sounds and actions) in order to express myself.  I yearn to dive in, to do something substantial, to share myself. 

I grow especially frustrated when I’m fascinated in or curious about the topic or speaker.  My yoga class is already developing a sense of community and I’m thankful for each individual but when we talk before and after class, I know that I miss parts of conversations.  Sometimes the conversations are on health, sometimes spirituality, always from the individual’s life experience.  I’m extremely interested and would love to understand more fully what they are sharing.  Before facilitating a group focused on discussion (one of the hopes for my future here), I need more time to develop my language ability.  I pray for patience.

Left:  Sister Peggy created a beautiful Advent wreath for us!  Below: Our prayer space in Sister Peggy's house.  Love the colors!!!

I have hope and see improvement.  Last Sunday, I facilitated a prayer group for the volunteers, Sister Peggy, and three Salvadorian teachers who host volunteers.  Throughout our hour together, we shared in Spanish.  I love moments of grace that shine through the language obstacle.  I understood the prayers offered and felt the blessed space.  Moments like these feed my excitement for this new place and the opportunities to come.

I’m striving to develop my Spanish skills to develop such environments, to share in graceful moments, and to learn from the Salvadorians.  At the moment, I do what I can.

My goals are vast, immeasurable, and almost indefinable.  I’m more comfortable with objectives and knowing when I’ve met those objectives.  For now, maybe there is more growth in this discomfort than pushing forward to reach an objective and to do.

International Women's Day

“In this house, we want a life free of violence against women.” This logo is painted next to most front doors in town and in compo communities.  It is even posted on the side of Suchitoto buses and on a billboard as one enters town.

 This week we celebrated International Women’s Day in the plaza.  Many women didn’t have to work on the day and the Women’s Office bussed people in from the compo to celebrate.  Students presented well-prepared skits supporting women’s rights and shining light on the rolls of women in El Salvador.  Many leaders from Suchitoto spoke on the topic and they all signed some official document at the end.  While it is a machismo society, the Women’s Office of Suchitoto (started small and by Sister Peggy) has come a long way in promoting women’s rights and supporting women in the area.  It is the second strongest in the country!

Heidi told me a story about the strength of women in this community.  She said a group of women decided that if someone heard any violence against women, they would be prepared to stop it.  One can hear neighbors easily here because most houses are open-air casas.  So, when it happened, the neighbor called her friends and many women quickly and quietly surrounded the house with pots and pans, and all at once, began banging on them to draw attention to the violence, to embarrass the abuser, and to stop the abuse.  It is a truly creative way of immediately addressing the problem.

Side Note:  Suchitoto is a small town but there are communities in the compo that have their own names but are still considered part of Suchitoto.  For example, El Citio is forty-five minutes away but part of Suchitoto.  People from the communities come to town to buy food at the market (no grocery stores here) and to celebrate mass on Sundays.

Happy Thanksgiving Lovelies!

I am overwhelmed with gratitude! This morning, I’ve been focusing on the many people who have influenced, guided, touched, inspired, and loved me throughout the years.  I appreciate the strikingly brilliant and subtle moments of grace that I’ve shared with my friends and family throughout the years.   I’m grateful to each one of you for the unique relationships we share or have shared.  Everyone has transformed me in one way or another.  I’m thankful for rich conversations, painful laughter, simple bits of silence, expressed and non-expressed love, colorfully understood differences, and overwhelming amounts of support.

As I reflect on my life, my whole body is overwhelmed with joy and my spirit reaches out and up with a heartfelt thanks to each person who has touched my life in one way or another. 

I am deeply blessed.  Thank You.

Thanksgiving at Centro Arte Para La Paz!  It's 85 Degrees!

Individual Stories Creating Community

This weekend Suchitoto hosted a Jazz festival.  Watching Sister Peggy walk through the plaza was like watching politician walk through a crowd of supporters.  She really knows individuals, their personal stories, and family history.

Over coffee, she and I discussed the beauty in knowing the deep, complicated, stories of each individual in the community.   When sharing in those stories, there is a genuine sense in knowing, supporting, and accompanying people.  In that way, this place is a true community.  It is not only Peggy who knows individual stories but people throughout the town share in these stories as well.

She offered the question, why is it so easy for us to assume others have a “uni..versal” or “the same…story.”  It is easy for me to ignore or hide difficult pieces of individual stories.  Difficult parts of our lives are often thrown in a pillowcase for us to deal with when we are alone.  Sometimes people share burdens and I choose to move to the positive or to a solution before acknowledging the hurt.  It is more comfortable to move on quickly.  People here share in each others pain, accompany each other, but also move on with a positive “can-do” spirit.

This place feels like a true community.  Individuals share their unique stories and members are blessed with a genuine sense in knowing, supporting, and accompanying each other.

El Citio

The power is out and the lightning storm is pouring rain on our tin roof.  This is one of my favorite sounds, so peaceful.   Unfortunately, it’s not so for the people in the campo.  Many communities lost their homes, crops, and livestock a few weeks ago in the rainstorm.  Tonight’s storm is routine and it will pass.

Anyway, today I rode in the back of a pickup to catch a tippy boat, to walk through chicken yards and up a muddy hill to arrive at a school in “El Citio.”  This is one of the communities outside Suchitoto.  About seventy families live in the community (big for the local communities).  They are lucky because they are one of the few with a school.  I knew that I missed the school setting but today was a solid reminder.  I miss the fun-loving energy and genuine conversations.  Today was their last day of school.  The kids left after class.  About ten minutes later, one of the students walked by the schoolyard herding cows down the main muddy path.  I then looked around and saw many students working among the corn and sugarcane in their yards.  On my way back to Suchitoto with the teachers, they said they need an English teacher.  I think I could fill in when they begin again in January.  Sister Peggy also asked if I could teach a womens yoga class out there.  I’d love to!

Vigil for Jesuit Martyrs at the UCA

Wow, this weekend I was blessed to participate in a vigil for six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper, and housekeeper’s daughter.  In 1989, the army removed them from their rooms in the middle of the night and murdered them one by one.  The Jesuits were committed to educating Salvadorians about their rights and supporting the poor in a time of extreme violence.  Jesuit universities throughout the US also host vigils for them on this weekend in November.

Saturday, we began the day with a lax soccer tournament at the university.    We then walked to a street that runs through the UCA (University of Central America).   Each department within the school created an alfombra, which is a large, carpet-looking piece of art created from colorful salt grains.  The alfombras were huge, vibrant, and moving.  The details were intricate.  Each alfombra told a powerful story or shouted an important message about human rights, faith, and/or Salvadorian history.  The alfombras lead to the area where we celebrated Mass that evening.  Check out the pictures below!

About six in the evening, a couple thousand people and I began processing around the university with candles in hand.  People traveled from all over El Salvador for the vigil.  We processed for two hours, passing memorial posters and tables decorated for the martyrs.  People sang together and load speakers projected readings.   We also remembered other groups of people who were killed throughout the war (teachers, church groups, and whole villages).

At eight, we began a Mass that reminded me of a World Youth Day mass due to its size and production.  There were about fifty priests on the altar and the homily was charged with a challenge to continue working for the rights of all while remaining hopeful.  It was powerful and well delivered.

At ten, some of the biggest bands in El Salvador performed for the people on the same stage as Mass.  The people celebrated together until 2am.  I didn’t make it that late, but I am continuously moved by the way Salvadorians celebrate life.

Doubting and Belonging

One night, the week before I left for El Salvador, I could not sleep.  I began to doubt my decision.  I stared at the dark, slanted ceiling and entertained petrifying thoughts about what could happen during my time abroad and what my life here could, in the most terrifying way, become.  The thoughts snowballed into grandiose images. 

Like all mature, sophisticated, confidant adults, I walked into Mom and Dad’s house and woke mom.  We talked.  We cried.  She offered perfect guidance.  The next morning, I rouse just as excited as I had been all along. 

I don’t know why my heart started beating so fast or why my mind drifted into such a cave during those hours but I’m thankful I was able to approach the journey from a fresh point of view the next morning.  Worries and negative thoughts are paralyzing.  My time down here so far has been a dream.  I wake each morning anticipating another awe-inspiring day.  Today, I was laughing at those horrible thoughts!

While reading The Road to Daybreak: A Spiritual Journey by Henri J.M. Nouwen, I came across a quote that Nouwen’s Spiritual Director (Pere Thomas) shared with him.

“The heart is before and beyond the distinctions between sorrow and joy, anger and lust, fear and love.  It is the place where all is one in God, the place where we truly belong, the place from which we come and to which we always yearn to return (p. 49).”

True that.  For me, paralyzing thoughts emerge from my shallow space, a space where I’m disconnected from my true self and my authentic relationship with God and the world.  When I run, journal, practice yoga, and converse with my friends, I remember the place from which I come and the place to which I yearn to return.  I wish all humans could feel this true sense of belonging.  I belong, no matter where I live, as long as my heart motivates my thoughts and interactions.





This is one of the meditation spaces that I enjoy in the mornings at Sister Peggy's house.  Beautiful huh?  Love it?

STIMMA's Photos

STIMMA is a group from Canada who is funding the Harp Project at the Center.  They just posted photos from their visit to Suchitoto .  They are beautiful!  Check 'em out!

http://footprints.stimma.org/

Listening Levels

The Salvadorians that I’ve met know how to prioritize.  Even if they have jobs to complete, they are never too busy for conversation and to assist each other.  It seems that interpersonal relationships are the highest priority.  They listen deeply.  When I accompanied students to the International Benedictine Youth Congress in Australia, our theme was Dadirri, an Aboriginal word for ‘Deep Listening.’   It’s an important quality valued across all cultures.

I can’t wait to communicate with people here more extensively.  Their stories about family, war, hardships, and blessings are both profound and inspiring.  At this point, I’m listening to words but mostly internalizing body language.  My conversational awareness is surprisingly intense as my limited verbal comprehension highlights emotional comprehension.  As a result, my intuition and emotional intelligence are soaring.   This is an unexpected blessing.  I hope that when my language skills improve, I can remember this deeper level of listening.

On another note, Sister Peggy left for a fundraising trip in Boston.  I’m staying in her house with Xumara, a high school student who is from the campo but lives with Peggy during the week.  She and I are having a blast confusing Spanish/English while cooking and eating together.  I started Spanish lessons so we are both studying in the evenings.   My Spanish is progressing but I’m dancing around and swinging my arms more than ever.  We may not communicate in words well yet but our tummies are sore with laughter!

Suchitoto!

Oh, Suchitoto!  What are beautful little town?!  Today we are preparing for a harp, guitar, flute concert in the old chapel.  I loved waking to the birds this morning!  Sister Peggy told me that they left the country during the war but have since returned.  Amazing, animal instincts. 

This town is so sweet with its little plazas, cobblestone streets, and children playing at all hours in the open areas.  Everyone seems joyful and they greet each other with smiles.  I love seeing the elderly out and about laughing with the kids.  Why don't we see our elderly out and about in such joyful moods in the US? 

Today, we are hosting a harp, guitar, flute, vocal concert at the Center.  The students have been preparing for months with local teachers and classes they have taken with foreigners over skype, here at the center.  The people who have funded to program are in town and the concert is primarily for them.  Fr. Martin, I've been spending time with Wendy who built the harps and has been teaching the students over skype.  It reminds me of the work you do with the students on the mountain dulcimers. 

Throughout this week, I'll participate in a variety of classes to a feel of the place before I begin my work.  How fun?!

Last night Peggy and I went to dinner with two other volunteers and Rosa and Ava who are locals (both 31 year old teachers and best friends).  They have known Peggy since they were 10 and it looks like I'll move in with Ava when one of the volunteers moves out (just over a week I think).

Loves to All!

Bienvenidos!

Thanks for checking in! I am extremely excited to return to El Salvador and to begin my journey here.  I chose this country because Salvadorians cultivate a strong sense of community and faith in life's beauty.  They are also motivated to organize themselves in ways that open the minds and hearts of others.  Their actions are founded on hope and love for humanity.

I chose the title Inviting a Sense of Wonder because the phrase asks for one to open herself emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually to fresh ways of interacting with the world.

I'm currently staying with my friend, Heidi Kallen, in San Salvador and will meet with Sister Peggy on Friday morning.  She and I will drive to Suchitoto at that point and discuss my possible role at Centro Arte Para La Paz (http://capsuchitoto.org/en/) in more detail.

So here I am excited, nervous, vulnerable, curious, strong, and faithful.

I love you all and am thankful for your unique presence in my life!