The 9/11 Post

I didn't get on the Internet today intending to write about 9/11, although I did remember that today was the anniversary. But then I saw so much in the news, and on Facebook...God help me, I jumped on the band wagon.

My life is currently flooded with patriotism, because today is El Salvador day at my village school, in anticipation of the Independence Day festivities Sept. 15. But in a teachers' meeting to plan El Salvador day, even the Salvadoran teachers remembered the date as "cuando las torres se cayeron" (when the towers fell.)

First, about Obama's proposal to turn today into a day of service: as a Peace Corps volunteer, my opinion might be obvious, but I love it. It doesn't cheapen the mourning -- people can still remember their loved ones and honor their memories by contributing. Wouldn't that be what the NYC firefighters and the passengers on United 93 wanted?

Second, I'll join the throngs of people who are posting on the Internet where they were when they found out: I was in the new wing of Eleanor Roosevelt High School, waiting outside the door of Ms. Burr's Spanish class for homeroom to start. A friend came up to me and told me what had happened, and I laughed because I thought it was a joke. Then I thought it was an incredibly strange freak accident, and we really need better commercial pilots. Only when we all sat down and watched the news in my next class, World History, did I realize it was a terrorist attack.

Thirdly, I couldn't believe this story in The Washington Post about high school juniors who don't remember 9/11 and have to learn about it in history class. God, do I feel old.

This week I attended a training on child and maternal health in El Salvador with my community counterpart, who is a volunteer health promoter in my village. It was crazy to hear some of the myths Salvadorans believe about pregnancy, like that boys are only born during the full moon or that if you have a premature baby, it means you can't get pregnant again, or that you should never have your baby in a hospital because they do the epistomy afterwards (they do it at the right time here, it's just that the mother doesn't feel it until afterwards.) Some of these myths, as you can imagine, can hurt the mother and baby.

I wanted to put up some photos I've taken recently, but this computer hates me (a computer in a Salvadoran cyber cafe, not working? Never!) Next time, maybe.

Paz y amor.