The Scene


This afternoon. 
Daniel is getting ready for a run 
I'm editing photos
He cuts the silence with a random question


"are you an organ donor?"

 "YES."

"good, somebody is going to get your eyes and be very happy"

I turn around and find he is putting in his contacts near the pila. 

I have a feeling he is envious of my "lazer" vision in my left eye 

Current Status: decided to sleep with one eye open. ;)

blur

as many of you know it is the rainy season here in El Salvador.

two seasons here in the savior. DRY. Y. WET. end of story.

currently we are in the throws of some very wet and moldy days.

In addition, my little pocket camera has succumbed to a bit of moisture.

Here are some of the pleasantly surprising rewards of Sunday.

lunch

La Cosina de Abuela, Perquin

The lovely "Teacher Julie"

fresa liquado, with a hint of beacon 

appreciating the pot

Was only able to catch the aftermath of what was once Tres Leches. 

Ant with heart shaped leaf

spider suspended at dusk

beautiful leaf. 

look up. its mother. 

what daniel calls fireworks.

 

UH-PROVED.

VERY exciting news hit Daniel and I last friday which we celebrated last night.

He and I both submitted our grant proposals to the U.S. Embassy in San Sal. on the 13th. 


And BAM.


One week later we received the very exciting email beginning with the word 


"Congratulations" 


(my heart skips a beat. the adrenaline begins to flow. The good adrenaline not the kind that explodes when you see the blue and red lights swirling in the rearview.) . . . 


"we chose your proposal to be funded" 


aaaahhh yeah I can hold my head up high and know I did good for my tourism association. 


So the next question is... What the heck was your proposal?


I along with my counterparts put together a proposal for creating a training program which would prepare individuals to work in the tourism industry. 


Focusing on 


1. English for Tourism 
2. Hospitality
3. Cross-Cultural Communication 
All culminating with an experiential learning field trip. 

The english will be taught by myself and daniel with the help of another government organization and professors in tourism along with guest speakers and trainers for the hospitality and communication portion. 


There are other important componets built in such as internship hours, psychological interviews for placements, exams, attendance incentives, and accreditation we are in the process of work out with the government. 


A leadership training component will be added along with tour-guide course, once exceptional students are identified, to add to the sustainability of the program. 


To say I am excited and a little tiny bit intimidated with the preparation is an understatement but I love a challenge and perform best when I jump in with both feet and am forced to tread. 


And those interested in Daniel's proposal (I'm sure he will blog about it) but it focuses on creating a library for a very progressive private school in the area. The embassy librarian has even been offered as a resource! Awesomesauce huh? :)






Current Status: happy as a clam to be putting my schooling/training to work and seeing the fruits ... also currently drinking a different fruit in liquid form. aaahhh the tannins

my wild kingdom

Coffee Beans

Things I love here in el Salvador: 

falling asleep to rain. 

The palm tree in my yard. 

the flowering tree outside my door that always attracts humming birds. 

Ability to paint my house like a box of crayons. 

My tropical bathing area. 

A simple cell phone. 

Subsidized electric bills. 

Exotic birds singing. 

Beans for breakfast. 

Fresh bananas and coffee. 

Slow pace and time to read. 

The rhythm of drums in the distance. 

Cool mornings. 

The safety of my mosquito net.

Texting “Premio” to 5656. 

Realizing its triple saldo. 

Conversations outside my window. 

Chshh chshh to animals and people. 

Pointing with my lips. 

Vendors of all kinds in my neighborhood. 

these broad leaves are super rad 

I've only added this photo but I have about 100 others almost like this. Something about the plant and the moss fascinated me one sunny afternoon

this dude and his amigos have made many cozy webs around our house

friend in my bedroom

Daniel and I ran around like chickens with our heads cut off once this big boy was spotted.
It was fun. 

gettin some of that sweet nector

paint. paint. and more paint. We are NOT afraid of color. 

dia del estudiante

reviewing my iphoto... I found some fun photos from a few weeks ago. 

El Salvador's dia del estudiante/alumno. 

talent show allowed for students of each grade to perform. 

25 cents for the performance. 50 cents if you danced while you sang. 

it was left up to the audience to decide the winnings of each performer. 

i was pleased to find the audience was very generous. 

homegirl really got into it. i adore her free spirit 

and i miss my converse.

 then free time to boogie down. 

standing with friends

Researchers studied 34 students at the University of Virginia, taking them to the base of a steep hill and fitting them with a weighted backpack. They were then asked to estimate the steepness of the hill. Some participants stood next to friends during the exercise, while others were alone. The students who stood with friends gave lower estimates of the steepness of the hill. And the longer the friends had known each other, the less steep the hill appeared.

                                                                            -Tara Parker-Pope

CURRENT STATUS: ENJOYING the heck out of all my company this month