Hi,
Wanted to note two weird coincidences:
1. Tedde, the program coordinator at CRISPAZ stopped by my community yesterday to say hi and brought books and bugspray. One of the books that she chose by chance was Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. (My roomie Sara gave me a book by June Jordan that had essays talking about Their Eyes and I have been wanting to read it but I didn´t ask for it or anything.)
So, the weird thing is that the book, taken from the CRISPAZ random people leave stuff here library, has SARA SIEBERT bought this book for... written on the inside cover. Apparently she bought the book for someone named Joyce and somehow it ended up in the CRISPAZ library and then randomly in my hands in Concepcion Batres. (For those of you that don´t know Sara Siebert she is my really good friend in Los Angeles and my roomate for like three years.)
2. The second one I have to get clearance to tell, but let me just say that it involves someone who lives in El Salvador knowing someone who now works for AFSCME at UCLA. Ooh, you want to know now don´t you. Small, small world.
So, deb update is I am still visiting projects, starting to create materials for potential interns from the states, grad students, etc. Learning alot. Marianita accidentally erased about 50 pictures from my camera which was depressing, including shots of her performing this traditional dance at a great environmental fair that OIKOS put on. Sucks, but am trying to piece together important stuff from other people and just let it go.
As time passes I am getting to know the people in my neighborhood better and learning more about what people are dealing with. Some of it I feel is better shared in private conversations, but its a great experience to be slowly becoming part of everyday life here.
I went on a day trip with my friend from OIKOS, Hector. We went to a lagoon that someday I will be able to post a picture of, and a bunch of also beautiful towns north of here up in the mountains. (Cities Allegria, Berlin and others.)
I had a profoundly insensitive moment with two of my coworkers at OIKOS, reinforcing my awareness that I am totally immature and shouldn´t be allowed to travel or try to speak other languages. My friend Hector asked me to find the lyrics online to that George Michael song that goes ¨guilty feet have got no rhythm¨ and to Lady in Red, and I thought it was so, so, so cute I started laughing hysterically and couldn´t stop. A day later I was in the field with Hector and another friend Giovanni and I asked Giovanni what music he liked. ¨Rod Stewart and Phil Collins,¨ he answered and again, I don´t know if it was like a total mental breakdown or the stress of speaking Spanish all the time but again I just became hysterical for no reason. Ok, for the reason that Phil Collins reminds me of Disney movies. I just lost it. Zero to bonehead in 2 seconds. Giovanni looked slightly crestfallen, then like puzzled and Hector shrugged and said ¨She laughed at me too.¨ I tried to apologize, saying that it was music from my childhood, that I was not a typical person, that I only listen to angry depressed folk music, etc. but I just got the like talk to the hand. I think they have forgiven me but they may just be plotting revenge of some kind.
So, what else, I have been bonding with the baby. She comes under my mosquito net now at night for a few minutes and pretends to read with me and we hang out in the hammock sometimes and pretend to play cards and call eachother pelo loco about 25,000x per day. A couple of nights ago a commercial came on TV with two people making out while rolling down a hill together. (hard to describe, picture rolling down a hill, then picture two people sucking face while doing it.) She started rolling down the floor with her creepy white haired doll like exactly replicating the commercial then jumped up to her feet like ¨aren´t I funny?¨ and she was. (Perhaps this is a potentially disturbing example of her cuteness, I apologize.)
She almost killed a baby chicken yesterday. It was horrible and hilarious at the same time. She sneaks up on them and captures the little ones. It´s so cute, she has a little strategy, pretending she´s doing something else then pouncing. Yesterday the pollito was so freaked out it wasn´t moving and she had an attack of guilt and tried to make it eat corn, like putting its mouth to the ground. finally, teary eyed she gave up and left and the pollito, realizing she was gone, walked away shaken but basically unhurt.
I have been having a great time with Reina too who is also 26 and Taty´s Mom. We go on alot of walks, etc. (oh my god this is so boring, sorry.) I am going to San Salvador on the bus this afternoon to spend the weekend in the city and attend some staff meetings for CRISPAZ. Everything is good.
Hope you are all well.
I send my love and good vibes,
deb
Wanted to note two weird coincidences:
1. Tedde, the program coordinator at CRISPAZ stopped by my community yesterday to say hi and brought books and bugspray. One of the books that she chose by chance was Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. (My roomie Sara gave me a book by June Jordan that had essays talking about Their Eyes and I have been wanting to read it but I didn´t ask for it or anything.)
So, the weird thing is that the book, taken from the CRISPAZ random people leave stuff here library, has SARA SIEBERT bought this book for... written on the inside cover. Apparently she bought the book for someone named Joyce and somehow it ended up in the CRISPAZ library and then randomly in my hands in Concepcion Batres. (For those of you that don´t know Sara Siebert she is my really good friend in Los Angeles and my roomate for like three years.)
2. The second one I have to get clearance to tell, but let me just say that it involves someone who lives in El Salvador knowing someone who now works for AFSCME at UCLA. Ooh, you want to know now don´t you. Small, small world.
So, deb update is I am still visiting projects, starting to create materials for potential interns from the states, grad students, etc. Learning alot. Marianita accidentally erased about 50 pictures from my camera which was depressing, including shots of her performing this traditional dance at a great environmental fair that OIKOS put on. Sucks, but am trying to piece together important stuff from other people and just let it go.
As time passes I am getting to know the people in my neighborhood better and learning more about what people are dealing with. Some of it I feel is better shared in private conversations, but its a great experience to be slowly becoming part of everyday life here.
I went on a day trip with my friend from OIKOS, Hector. We went to a lagoon that someday I will be able to post a picture of, and a bunch of also beautiful towns north of here up in the mountains. (Cities Allegria, Berlin and others.)
I had a profoundly insensitive moment with two of my coworkers at OIKOS, reinforcing my awareness that I am totally immature and shouldn´t be allowed to travel or try to speak other languages. My friend Hector asked me to find the lyrics online to that George Michael song that goes ¨guilty feet have got no rhythm¨ and to Lady in Red, and I thought it was so, so, so cute I started laughing hysterically and couldn´t stop. A day later I was in the field with Hector and another friend Giovanni and I asked Giovanni what music he liked. ¨Rod Stewart and Phil Collins,¨ he answered and again, I don´t know if it was like a total mental breakdown or the stress of speaking Spanish all the time but again I just became hysterical for no reason. Ok, for the reason that Phil Collins reminds me of Disney movies. I just lost it. Zero to bonehead in 2 seconds. Giovanni looked slightly crestfallen, then like puzzled and Hector shrugged and said ¨She laughed at me too.¨ I tried to apologize, saying that it was music from my childhood, that I was not a typical person, that I only listen to angry depressed folk music, etc. but I just got the like talk to the hand. I think they have forgiven me but they may just be plotting revenge of some kind.
So, what else, I have been bonding with the baby. She comes under my mosquito net now at night for a few minutes and pretends to read with me and we hang out in the hammock sometimes and pretend to play cards and call eachother pelo loco about 25,000x per day. A couple of nights ago a commercial came on TV with two people making out while rolling down a hill together. (hard to describe, picture rolling down a hill, then picture two people sucking face while doing it.) She started rolling down the floor with her creepy white haired doll like exactly replicating the commercial then jumped up to her feet like ¨aren´t I funny?¨ and she was. (Perhaps this is a potentially disturbing example of her cuteness, I apologize.)
She almost killed a baby chicken yesterday. It was horrible and hilarious at the same time. She sneaks up on them and captures the little ones. It´s so cute, she has a little strategy, pretending she´s doing something else then pouncing. Yesterday the pollito was so freaked out it wasn´t moving and she had an attack of guilt and tried to make it eat corn, like putting its mouth to the ground. finally, teary eyed she gave up and left and the pollito, realizing she was gone, walked away shaken but basically unhurt.
I have been having a great time with Reina too who is also 26 and Taty´s Mom. We go on alot of walks, etc. (oh my god this is so boring, sorry.) I am going to San Salvador on the bus this afternoon to spend the weekend in the city and attend some staff meetings for CRISPAZ. Everything is good.
Hope you are all well.
I send my love and good vibes,
deb
posted by D.Helt at 8:46 AM
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