Feliz Belated Día de la Tierra!

Earth Day in Perquin

Amun Shea choir singing for La Tierra

 posters for La Tierra

Hangin' around the light post for la Tierra

Folklorico for la Tierra

P.I.M.P. -in' for la Tierra

enjoying the show in the park for La Tierra

Lined up for La Tierra.

Antarctica for la Tierra

Ballet for la Tierra

Interpretive dance on immigration for La Tierra.

Lantis takes nap on La Tierra.

What did you do for La Tierra?

K.C. the infiltraiter.

As many of you know I studied and lived in East Jerusalem and sometimes visited and worked in the West Bank in Early 2009. The NGO I worked for was a primary news source for what was happening in the occupied territory. Furthermore they brought in different Palestinian and Israeli leaders to give talks in their West Bank office. Once I even went to the West Bank with Rabbis for Human Rights to plant olive trees in order to help the Palestinian land owner prove that his land had been cultivated within the last two years so that the Israeli goverment wouldn't take it from him in order to continue building the illegal seperation barrier.

I digress.

With Isreal's new order No. 1,650: Under this new draconian measure, anyone who doesn't have a "permit" to be in the West Bank is to be considered an "infiltrator" and subject to expulsion or risk up to seven years in jail.

Let me tell ya, their not handing those "permits" to just anyone. Especially students like me who study human rights and international law. Those topics automatically red flag a person as a Palestinian/anti Israel suspect. (I was detained twice because of this). Not fun.

Anyway, I find this experience in the West Bank and invaluable and with this new order in place current and future students along with other Internationals wanting to see for themselves first hand and share with the world the on the ground truth will no longer be allowed in. In this video the reporter shares with us that even HE a legitamate reporter was no longer going to be issued a press pass to enter and report from the West Bank.

So how are we going to get information? Just rely on the good conscience of the Israeli government to pass along the information? The same Israeli governement who in Jan 2009 Bombed an millions of innocent people in Gaza including a 2 UN schools being used as refugee centres?

BAH. Here's the video:

rainbow eucalyptus tree

Introducing (insert drum roll): the Rainbow Eucalyptus tree that I ran across a month ago in Tepetitan, my training community.

Thanks to my friend Leah (thanks leah!) and Facebook

I can now stop calling it "that cool naturally colored tree" 

 I posted the photo. Leah saw it. Then correctly identified the species.  Bam. 

feet, knees, bum and toes, bum and toes.

photo was taken as I was walking around a small pueblo in central El Salvador. Its common to see these types of spray painted murals of Monsenor Romero and Che Guevara.  I especially liked this for two reasons. First, the strapping shirtless cowboy in the doorway. Second, The quote under "Che":

"I rather die on my feet 

then live on my knees"

Current Status: Neither on my feet nor on my knees. Sitting.

my five string

 

Well...actually she's a 6 string.

A couple strings broke the first week I had her and didn't bother replacing them all since I was waiting for a guitar care package from my dad. Sure enough a few weeks ago I received the package containing a set of strings, music, and a turner.

The lack of tuner was my excuse to my host family for not playing. They have been incessantly asking me if and when I will be playing for them. So this is why I have yet to restring or tune my guitar.

Lets get this straight. I am not mean, rude or shy about playing for others. I just don’t know how!

I’m what a friend of mine called a “cliché peace corps volunteer”. It seems as though a good chunk of PCVs purchase guitars at the beginning of their service never having touched one eager to come away semi-pro just to end up selling the thing at the end of their service to new incoming volunteers who have the same false optimism. (this is all true b/c I’ve seen it happen already)

But I plan on being the exception. Yes I know I may possibility be suffering from classic “That only happens to other people but I’m different” disease. 

Let me make my case.

1. I already know how to play “a horse with no name” by a little band named America. You may have heard of them.

2. I come from a long line of guitar players. First, my dad has been jammin’ since the summer of 69 when he got his first real six string. HA ok fine so that’s a song but the man has been playing for as long as I can remember and he’s pretty good.  Then…my uncle Kory bless is little heart left behind a guitar after he passed away and it ended up in my falsely optimistic 13 year old hands. I quickly signed up for guitar lessons and then just as quickly quit going. But I stayed long enough to learn “A Horse with No Name” along with some of the basic chords.  I blame my small fingers.  Then I have two other cousins who play all the time. I mean they really play. We’re talking in front of people. With a band. With fans. So WHY NOT ME!? Right?

3. I’m a classically trained violin player. What I mean to say by this is that I get it. I know music. My fingers are comfortable with strings. My ear has been trained to know when its Right. Wrong. Sharp. Flat. Now this doesn’t mean I can sing but maybe I’ll just stick to songs in G or C or whatever the easiest key might be.

Photographic evidence and inspiration:

            

I know I’m not going to be the next Slash, Flea, Santana or Jimmy (Page or Hendrix) you pick. But I do have a few goal songs.

First to get in with the locals I need to learn Hotel California or some other famous 80’s song. Then for my personal enjoyment I would love to be able to play some of Tristan Prettyman’s songs. Then I need to learn how to play Skinny Love by Bon Iver so I can play with my BFF’s here in El Salvador.  And finally, I would love to get some of the songs my dad plays under my belt so that when I return I can jam out with him and my cousins and uncle during our big family get-togethers. Ya hear that Dad, Kris, Justin and Jarron? :)

About my guitar:

Cost: $40

Make and model : Local handmade guitar shop just outside San Vicente, El Salvador

Additional information: I love. love. love. my purplish woven shoulder strap.

“Dream Deep, for Every Dream Precedes the Goal”

CURRENT STATUS: no calluses on my fingers

under the mango tree

It’s Monday and I had absolutely no motivation to peel myself out of bed.

I'm always cold in the mornings...a balmy 65 degrees gets me curled up into the fetal position in bed.

It’s pretty disgraceful.

But regardless, once up and with my usual beans, eggs, and fried banana breakfast in my belly I felt like I might have the strength to get myself into the bathing area and pour ice cold water over my head.

I go out, stand in the scorching Central American sun and warm up a bit. In less than 60 seconds my skin starts to feel like its baking which signals to me its time to pour some ice cold water on me (insert melody of Def Leppard's Pour some sugar on me).

Aaahhh!! The first one's always the coldest. The trick is to pour at least two more guacals full of water over my head at rapid-fire speed to get my skin and senses over the shock.

Here are the photos of my new bathing area I mentioned in an earlier post.

please note the foliage in the background, I bathe under a mango tree...and off on stage right, are a couple banana trees and palm trees. That's the up side of this cold awakening each day.

CURRENT STATUS: Bathed and very awake, but still might go for some coffee (black w/sugar)

kárate friday

much to my surprise upon arrival to Amún Shéa, a school el Pato and I work with, was having Phys Ed. Japan style. Apparently a JICA volunteer (Japan's equivalant to Peace Corps) taught at the school and once gone left a legacy with the local P.E. teacher... watch out world... El Salvador is training to kick some boo-tay!

* i especially like the cow pie mines in the foreground . .  keepin it real.

Team Perquin

Here's to another fabulous friday
some photos from last week.
featuring Team Perquin: El Pato Hinkle, Teacher Julie,Doña tigra, and Lantis

serve.

Semana Santa Recap

Semana Santa / Holy Week: The week preceding Easter in the Catholic calendar. 

Semana Santa commemorates the last week of Jesus' life,
beginning with His arrival in Jerusalem, celebrated on Palm Sunday,
and culminating in His Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Semana Santa's biggest event in my eyes happens on Good Friday. 

The Via Crucis or Procession depicting the final hours of Jesus 

Here are some photos of the procession and the 14 different stations. 

p.s. if you do engage in this type of ceremony beware 

it lasts 2+ hours, bring water and sunscreen.

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Alfombras: brilliantly colored sawdust “Carpets” 

They line the procession routes. 

The tourism association that I work with decided to make it a little more interesting 

by giving away a prize to the best alfombra. 

I was one of four judges. 

As you would imagine, it was really hard to judge. 

In the end it was a tie. 

Because we can, we changed the rules at the last min.

and awarded two first place prizes.

Here are some photos:

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The Winners

Won for most Artistic

Won for best Technique

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Here are some photos from the night before. 

In a town about 20 min. down the road were I stay

An alfombra was being carefully crafted. 

Here is what I was able to capture in the dark night.

The finished product the next morning.

Caliche

Cliche is Salvadorian slag, which many times is strung together to make complete sentences then in turn causes me to doubt if I actually speak Spanish.
 

Here are some important ditchos and frases:

Chele - light skinned

Cipote/Cipota - Little boy or girl

Bichos/Bichas - Similar to Cipote but used more between friends

Puchica - "Wow" or "Oh My" an expression of surprise or astonishment

Chivo -  Cool or Awesome

Vos - "you" used among friends and family an informal way to address someone.

Salu - like "goodbye"

Gina - flip flops/ sandals

bolo - A drunk

chuco - something that is dirty

chucho - a dog

guacal - large bowl, used to bath with or wash dishes/clothing with.

galán - cool, excellent, great!

pisto - money.

funny of the day

me: "you are cutting out so bad right now"

melissa: "you wanna know why?"

me: "why?"

melissa: "because I'm in Africa"

me: "ha hahaha ha ha"


snippet of Skype conversation between myself and my friend Melissa who is in Peace Corps South Africa. 
Love and miss you Milissa you never fail to make me laugh. (and Derek too)

Cherry Blossoms

This is my second year missing out on the most wonderful time of year in D.C. 

CHERRYBLOSSOM season!

 The Cherry Blossom trees were a gift from Japan in 1912 (yes I'm a nerd and I googled that tidbit)

Anyway, the trees are in full bloom the first week of April. Walking around D.C. is such bliss. I feel like I'm in a Dr. Seuss book because all the trees are cotton candy pink. Talk about the gift that keeps on giving, THANKS JAPAN!  

Aaahhhh. But I digress.
Today I received an email from a truly fantastic friend who is now living and working in Washington D.C.
In said email was attached a photo of my favorite furry friend Jr. taking in all the splendor. 

Northern Morazan aka: NoMo

“Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted

but getting what you have,

which once you have got it

you may be smart enough to see

is what you would have wanted had you known.”

~Garrison Keillor

Find Meanguera on the map and follow it up to Perquin. 
This is the region  know as the Ruta De Paz 
and
the area I’ll be calling home for the next two years. 


To say I feel happy here is an understatment.

A DoñaTigra by any other name...

Many questions have arisen regarding the topic of my nickname.
We all have them here in Peace Corps El Salvador. In our training group we have : Juanmi, Hansel, Hermanita, Chelsita, Preacher, Fro, Milton, el Pato and Carmela.

Mine is : DoñaTigra

Doña is very commonly used before a woman's name in Latin America and most of my encounters are from watching novellas. Growing up I watched these spanish soaps and always thought it would be cool to be a "Doña". I thought it sounded really strong and respectable. Then I get to El Salvador and they don't use Doña but rather "niña"
Since I find it completely unacceptable to be called "niña" Krystal. (Spanish for little girl Krystal)I requested my fellow PCV friends to call me Doña.

wondering where La Tigra comes from...

My first year away at college my roommate and I didn't have t.v. so hours were spent watching movies.(between study groups of course) One movie in particular wedged its way into my life.

ZOOLANDER.

Its a movie about Derek Zoolander, a model, who is famous for a series of poses which are supposed to be devastating, and have suggestive names such as "Blue Steel", "Le Tigre" and "Ferrari" but all in fact consist of him staring at the camera intensely and sucking in his cheeks.

Since I am a female it was changed it to "La Tigra" and was assigned to me by friends once my BAL level rose above .08. It followed me through graduate school and now to Peace Corps El Salvador.
Both nicknames have been eloquently married into one and used to spin sometimes tall but mostly true tales about adventures here in E.S. by my amigo El Pato.
Hope you enjoy following both El Pato and DoñaTigra’s tales on our blogs.

But remember… you buy the ticket… you take the ride.