Conversations

with various Salvadorans about the death of Michael Jackson:

Thursday night, my host mother Esperanza calls out to me from her porch as I am walking back from the latrine, ignorant of the news.

ESPERANZA: Were you just in your house crying for Michael Jackson?
ME: ...no...why should I cry for Michael Jackson? He's crazy.
ESPERANZA: He's dead.
ME: No. I don't believe you.
ESPERANZA: He died of a heart attack.
ME: But he was still young...really?
ESPERANZA: Here, we'll turn on the news right now. I thought you were in your house crying.

We watch the news.

ESPERANZA: Aren't you going to cry?

Some time later...

ESPERANZA: I mean, Michael Jackson, everyone in the world knows him. And he is so rich. So very rich. So rich he even went to the moon.
ME: Huh?
ESPERANZA: Michael Jackson. He went to the moon.
ME: What? No. No singer has ever gone to the moon. Not even Lance Bass...
ESPERANZA: But they said it on the news, that he walked on the moon.
ME: What? Do you mean...the Moon Walk?
ESPERANZA: Right. When he walked on the moon. He even has property on the moon.

After my lengthy explanation, the host family is finally set straight.

ALL, REPEATEDLY: Dance! Dance like Michael Jackson did on TV!
ME, REPEATEDLY: I can't! I don't even think it's possible on a concrete porch in sandals!

The next morning...

ESPERANZA: Were you scared by the ghost of Michael Jackson last night?
ME: Huh?
ESPERANZA: You don't worry that Michael Jackson will haunt you?
ME: No. I don't believe in ghosts. Plus, why would Michael Jackson haunt me? He doesn't know me.
ESPERANZA: You don't believe in ghosts? But what would you do if someone died and then you saw them in the street?
ME: I wouldn't see them. They would be dead.
ESPERANZA: I think Michael Jackson is haunting you.
ME: Why? Because I am the only gringa here?
ESPERANZA: .....

Text messages from a high school student named Anderson in my site

Hi! I am in pain, my favorite artist died.

I have cried oceans like you have no idea I am very sad.

I am watching an appreciation they're doing I think the best one has died.

Do you know, I like the songs EARS SONG, BILLIEAN, USA OF AFRICA and TRILLER.

***
Paz, amor y RIP Michael Jackson, Farah Fawcett, and more importantly the Metro Red Line victims, one of whom was a Salvadoran immigrant and has therefore been on the news here.

Trapped

Today I came to San Salvador to find out why I have been sick to my stomach for the past two weeks. But the Peace Corps doctors and the Salvadoran lab techs couldn't crack the case, so I have been forced to spend the night in San Salvador. This is normally not bad -- I get a paid hotel room with hot showers and at least some TV channels in English -- but I did not come prepared for an overnight visit and have a pile of things to do at my site. And if all the labs come back negative again tomorrow, the whole trip will probably have been for nothing.

At least I am getting the chance to put up some photos.

My host family at the Feria de la Pina

This t-shirt spotted on the street in my site. The guy's brother apparently goes to Maryland. Terps represent!

My friend Matt distorting the beautiful view of Parque Nacional El Imposible

Paz, amor y SALUD.

Enfermedades

So I'm still sick to my stomach, have weird skin breakouts probably caused by the fact that it's the rainy season and our clothes never dry, and my muscles have continued seizing up a week after that killer hike. I woke up this morning and immediately took 4 different pills. Needless to say, living in El Salvador is not fun right now.

It's really amazing how being sick can color everything you're doing and make you question your reasons for being here at all. I just keep thinking, why would anyone want to live in a country that their body continuously rejects? I am physically being told to go home.

The good thing is that all the symptoms of all of these problems are minor, so I have generally been able to keep working and keep busy, although everything gets done slower and sometimes I have to force myself to just lie down.

Our first stove project meeting was yesterday, and tons of people showed up and signed up to participate, which means that they listened to a lesson about how fuel-efficient stoves benefit the environment and their health, and they will provide either money or some of the materials to build the stoves in their houses. I hope to provide the more expensive materials and labor costs through grant money, and if USAID doesn't have enough I will probably be soliciting you, the gringos. Be prepared.

We did just get some USAID money to take some of the school kids on a field trip to see agricultural projects, despite the fact that the kids are rude, horrible and completely undeserving of any joy (school is still in my house and they leave Wednesday, thank God! Maybe I will finally like children again.)

The rain has also slowed down work considerably. For example, my invitation elves (students who have to do community service for their scholarship program) and I still haven't passed out all of the invitations to the stove project meetings because it keeps pouring rain right when we've decided to go walking around the community. Plus, I made a ton of lovely posters to describe each stove model the families get to choose from, and then the rain ruined them -- when it rains really hard, the water floods my house. There is still a small pond under my bed.

I forgot to bring hike and pineapple fair pictures. Sorry!

Paz y amor.

Feria de la Piña

Today is our town's annual Pineapple Fair, which is apparently famous nationwide, but I didn't realize exactly how famous until I got here...and saw tourists from all over the country and food food vendors ripping them off, especially the rich ones from San Sal. And me and my Volunteer friend, seeing as we are gringas.

There are probably about 6 TV stations here, including Telemundo, whose cameraman was unobtrusively filming me...too bad I was wearing a stained t shirt and basically didn't care about my appearance at all when I got dressed this morning.

Vendors are selling pineapples and any possible food or drink made from them, including chicha, a strong pineapple liqour, pastries and pineapplesauce. I never thought I'd say this, but I kind of don't want a pineapple for a while.

Other highlights of this week have included unexplained stomach troubles and a beautiful hike through a national park that was so unexpectedly difficult that I have been taking painkillers for the past few days just to regain my ability to walk.

Pictures of the fair and the hike to come.

Paz y amor.

La bolsa decepcionada

Well folks, I'm back onstage. Well, really more like ongrass.

A couple of days ago I did my first performance with Gringuísimo, a group of Peace Corps volunteers who visit different sites in the country and do skits about the environment, AIDS, etc. We did a skit called "La Vida de Basura" (the life of trash) at one volunteer's school and I played the role of Bolsa Decepcionada. I thought that meant Deceiving Bag (wouldn't you?) but turns out it means Disappointed Bag...good thing I double checked that before I learned my lines. I had a long and tragic monolouge where I cried and cried after I learned I couldn't be recycled (I was a plastic grocery bag.) It was one of the most fun things I've done here and I will probably do it again next week. Plus, our performance was near the touristy city of Suchitoto, where there is a lot of artisan stuff and a huge lake, so we hit that up afterwards.

The Fiesta de Flores y Fruta (fruit and flower festival) is now over after lasting the entire month of May. The last day was June 1, the same day our new leftist president, Mauricio Funes, was inaugurated. Apparently Hillary Clinton spoke at that ceremony, and although I was listening on the radio, I must have missed that...

That day was huge in our community, and not even because of the inauguration. People from all over brought huge palanquins of pineapples and coconuts to the church and gave the fruit away or sold it. I ate one and a half pineapples that day and had no room for dinner and enough fruit to last me the rest of the week. Our youth group also did a ring toss, people sold all kinds of food and danced in front of the church in costumes...the dancers were, unsurprisingly, drunk. All in all, a very good day.

On the downside, I have been forced to teach English every day because we lost the temporary English teacher, who was there until the permanent one comes back from maternity leave. This would not be a problem if it were my only job here, but I have other projects going on and trips planned and the kids are little devils (I swear to God Salvadorans do not teach these kids basic manners) and don't care at all about school and I'm not supposed to be alone with them anyway, as I'm not a legal teacher. I am supposed to help out or direct class with the real teacher in the room. In homage to my insistence on this rule, the principal shows up to supervise my English classes, waits until I say, "Good afternoon," and the kids repeat it, and then he promptly leaves forever. The classes, incidentally, are an hour and a half.

Is it any surprise that I have planned to be absent all next week? He breaks his promises and I'll break mine.

Here are some fotos for you...
My current dietA palancaIsabelle as the Chica OrgánicaLake Suchitlan

Paz y amor.