Unexpected Visitor (2 posts)

June 21, 2008

Well, good and bad things to report in this quick post. I’ll start with the good news :) I had an unexpected visitor(s) yesterday to my site, and actually my house. Ambassador to the United States Charles Glazer, 6 high school and college students from Massachusetts and their teacher, and the security team, came by yesterday to see how a Peace Corps volunteer lives. It was kind of cool to see the whole process. They wouldn’t confirm he was coming until about midway through the day before.

All of us chatting in my house first.

Showing them my back yard (One of my visitors is standing in an antpile right now :)

Then we hustled to get our little plan together, confirm it with his security team, and then the next morning we met with them before everything got started.

The lady students that visited... all very nice girls.

Me and Ambassador Glazer

Mario, the Ambassador, and me

We hung out on my patio with my talking about my experiences here while they, and he, asked questions. After that we toured around my house, my ants welcomed the ambassador to my house as he stood on their home for a little while, that was kind of funny. We left and visited the farm of Don Mario, then climbed up to the main town where we had all our scholarship students waiting in the convent that the Padre had lent to us. I gave a short presentation to everyone and then we had a welcome by a member of the scholarship committee, and then by a student. It actually went ok, we served a medley of fruits to each person and then ended with the US and ES students exchanged a few questions between themselves and sometimes with the ambassador (although there was a lot of translation involved there). At the end of it all, the scholarship student we have that is a painter (we have funded his vocation to allow him to work with the right tools) donated two of his paintings. One he presented to the ambassador, and the other to the teacher. Then we had a basket of ES fruits that we gave and then some pics and that was it.

Me introducing our guests to the our scholarship students.

The US students, the SPN students, and the US ambassador

Finally we left through the back door to visit the parish elderly home (asilo). They all got a kick out of particularly the old guys. I would say that old ladies are much less fun J The best part was when an old guy ran down a parrot to hold for the girls to take pictures.

I would have to say the favorite part of the 7 students (all girls) was the twins next door to my house. They fell in love immediately and with the whole photo shoot that followed.
So it was a good experience, I think the US students saw a glimpse of a little bit of a different kind of life, and our scholarship students will remember that for a little while.

Me chillin' in the elderly paradise haha. The other guy is Amir who works with visas in the embassy.

Padre Tino showing us the elderly home!!

Now, the only bad news I had for the day, was that I woke up that morning with my first day of sickness I would say since I got to my site. I woke up with a cough, headache, and body ache, with led into a fever shortly after waking up. Of all days right? I took an acetaminophen in the morning to ward off the symptoms until the whole deal was over. The sweating that I did during the talk and the walkthrough the farm helped me feel more up to speed for translating, gracias a Dios, but when everything was said and done, it hit me like a ton of bricks. The symptoms kicked up and as well as the fever. I couldn’t quite go home yet though, first because their wasn’t going to be a bus or pickup because the transit police are intown molesting all the people that don’t have legal or up to date tags. So I went to Nina Delfina’s house to do my internet work because they had called me earlier that morning to let me know it had finally come back. My inbox was somewhat ridiculous. I finished my work, talked with the new guy that’s a pontifical seminarian in Monterrey, Mexico, who used to live beside Nina Delfina for a while (he wanted to practice English). He is part of the Diocese of Little Rock, Arkansas apparently, go figure.

After that I crashed in the bed with a large fever and sent a message to the guys in the mayor’s office asking for a ride, eventually they came by and I came home and crashed.

So is the story of the past few days, craziness. Today I feel better, the fever broke after much sweating :)

This is the guy from the elderly home that finally chased down the parakeet for the girls.

Also, the patron festivals for San Pedro Nonualco have started with the beginning of the novena yesterday. There will be a mass every evening for nine days until the closing mass on Sunday the 29th. The town is already decked out with the food and all kinds of other jazz. They are also going to crown the Miss San Pedro of the Patron Festivals tonight. Milagro (Don Raul’s youngest) is in the running so it should be interesting.

Thanks to all those who continued to sign up on the side bar for the two projects!! Only a few more spots left!

From US paper in November:

Bad rap? Hire a publicist!

“If history’s most infamous characters lived today, no doubt they’d employ people to spin their story. Perhaps like this:

Press Release May 1536:

From the Publicist of King Henry VIII

After three wonderful years of marriage, the King regrets to announce that he and his wife, Anne Boleyn, will be divorcing due to irreconcilable differences, witchcraft and treason. The King and Ms. Boleyn each leave on their own accord, and both look forward to individual pursuits. His Majesty will continue his noble reign of England, while Ms. Boleyn has chosen to have herself beheaded, as it will be best for everyone. The King asks that all subjects respect his privacy in this time of great sorrow and not mention the separation of Ms. Boleyn’s name to him ever again, for the matter is over with, and there’s no need to speak of it anymore. Also, the King announces his royal engagement party to Miss Jane Seymour, to take place tomorrow.”