I bless the rains

Rainy season has begun and God, I love it. The weather has suddenly become infinitely more pleasant, and I love the sound of driving rain on my corrugated tin roof (and sometimes I like the excuse not to go anywhere). It's true -- if it's raining, or the Salvies think it's going to rain, they'll stay home and refuse to show up to meetings or anything. I remember that from training but it has yet to affect my work here.

Yesterday was Labor Day here, as in the rest of the world except the United States, of course. It's funny, El Salvador has a ton of traditions that they constantly observe but can give no reasons for. For example, yesterday a bunch of kids dressed up in weird costumes, as old people, devils or sad clowns, and danced in front of the church. When I asked why they did that, people just shrugged and said, "It's tradition." Nor did they know the story behind May 1 and why it's international Labor Day -- Haymarket Square and all that. I had to explain the history to my host family, who were wondering why so many people demonstrate in San Sal every May 1.

Swine flu is dominating the news here too -- I don't have a TV but I listen to a lot of radio reports about "gripe porcina" (pork cold?) although there are no cases reported in El Salvador as yet. Peace Corps is inundating us with emails about it, though.

Here are some shots from yesterday:
The drummers tapping out the beatI never figured out which of the village boys were in these costumes...That one in the corn sack was the agressor and kept fighting people.

Paz y amor.