Feliz Dia de Amistad

Instead of Valentine's Day, yesterday in El Salvador was Dia de Amistad, or friendship day. I like that concept way better because even single people can celebrate, and we need a Friendship Day anyway. It's worth celebrating!

That said, my boyfriend came to visit me, but true to the Peace Corps way of life, we spend most of the day doing community stuff together. I had a meeting with some teens to plan Saturday English classes, and then we went to a memorial service.

The service was for Bilma, a member of my host family who died in the deadly earthquake that hit El Salvador on Feb. 13, 2001. Every year around that time they have a service for her. She was a schoolteacher and apparently died getting the kids out of school. She left behind a daughter, Rossell, who was about two at the time and like 9 now.

The memorial service was actually like a big party. Will and I spent most of the mass helping wrap up pieces of sweet bread up in napkins, which everyone ate afterwards with hot chocolate. No one seemed sad or crying. Then afterwards, we ate a big dinner with all the relatives who had come from all over for the ceremony.

It's strange how many death-related things I seem to be doing lately. But the week in New Hampshire with my family, and then this, made me realize that honoring the dead is actually supposed to be a little joyful, too. And yesterday made me thankful that my grandmother lived to be 80 and died with her family around her, instead of having a school fall on her in an earthquake as a young woman.

I have pictures of the memorial, which I'll post later. Paz y amor.