El Salvadoran Independence Day

September 20, 2008

Well not too much to report as of late, but I think it only appropriate to start out with one of my worst fears coming true. I’ve gotten used to just going to bed as of late, whereas as for the first few months I always checked my bed because of the ants that kept invading it in the beginning. I fixed that problem, but now I will be sure to start checking it again :)…..check out the pic…..

I spy.....

oh.... hello there.

come to bed my sweet...... ahahahahaha

Yeah, that little guy was waiting for me the other night. After a 15 chase around the room, I finally got tired of trying to spear him with my machete and just chopped him in half with a knife…..haha.

In other news, I have enjoyed the latest rash of remakes of US songs here. I thought that most of the 80s and some 90s songs they were remaking in Spanish, but turns out now they are redoing the Elvis songs too. They basically just steal the beat and change the words to rhyme in Spanish, but it’s pretty funny. Is that legal? Haha.

Also, we have started to hold meetings for the scholarships that we are going to give for the University for 2009 as the San Pedro Nonualco Scholarship Committee. There will be 5 scholarships given to students and residents of San Pedro in the amount of $1,000 a year given in disbursements of $100 a month. All of the money comes from donors in the United States and Canada. The scholarship committee started working with just High School students helping pay the tuition and costs, but now that the government has started paying the majority of that this year, we have been able to turn more of the focus on a level of education that the majority of them never thought possible to be able to attain. Slowly I think the committee will work its way to just focusing on the University scholarships if the government continues to pay for high school tuition. As always, anyone wishing to donate to giving students who have no chance at going to college without help, feel free to do so through the donate tab or email me if you would like a tax-deductible way to do so. The first meeting we held for just our town we had about 40 people show up with another 10 who told me they couldn’t be there but wanted to apply. I think we are planning on starting the selection process on December 1, 2008 and finishing up in time for me to head out to visit home for Christmas.

Hmmm…. Ah yes, I also finished my worm box the other day, a miniature model of what I saw up in Chalatenango (the northern province of El Sal) that time. Knowing my luck though, about 5 minutes after me and some of the neighbor kids finished cementing the floor of it, a storm came up with the hardest rain here I’ve seen in country all day and filled the plastic that I had covering it to the point that it sucked all the plastic into the cement and brick boxes and then proceeded to fill the two boxes. Life is good.

prepping the ground for my wormboxes, haha, i love that word

I forgot to take a pic until now of the process

finishing up cementing the bottom part

after it all filled up with water and prepared it like this so as not to turn into a "turtle pool" as everyone said it looked like, haha

In political news, the whole Hugo Chavez (Venezuela) and Evo Morales (Bolivia), with a little bit of Honduras, deal here has become pretty huge. Everyone (those who have access to media) is always interested to know what I think and if I have heard the latest updates. Commercials now are all over the place here on TV bashing Hugo Chavez and linking him to other leftist political parties here in country in an effort to gain advantages for the coming elections. Apparently, last night they showed a clip where Chavez was caught talking about the El Sal elections coming up and how that he hoped the left won because they are guerrillas. Anyways, it’s all getting really interesting down here, but from what I’ve heard from the US (and from reading online), it doesn’t seem to come up a ton. Same ole crazy world.



Finally, El Salvador celebrated its Independence Day on September 15 of this month, and it was all pretty cool. There is a Mass to start it all off in the morning and then all the schools gather in front of the mayor’s office for a little presentation and then they all line up (each one has a band and dancers….kinder to high school….it’s pretty amazing) and start to parade throughout the streets of the main town. Then each one swings back around to the main plaza in front of the office to do a final band hoorah, and then pass on to let the next one come in and be announced by the mayor. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Don Raul’s kid Francisco was directing the band of the high school so I was there to take pics of them a lot as well.

During the anthem here.

The middle schoolers as dancers for their group

The High Schoolers.

The kinder boys.... awesome.

The kinder ladies.

More high schoolers.

Almost forgot, I finished the Book of Mormon....whew. Now I kept Thomas More as a nice redirect afterwards, now I can get into that, but I haven't decided what next. More will be a challenge if I actually let it.

I saw First Knight with Sean Connery and Richard Gere last night on tv at the neighbors house and a dialogue caught my eye. Enjoy.

"Arthur: We have had our share of war. Now, I look forward to quieter days. But first, admit our guest.

- Malagant...- Malagant is here at my invitation.

Malagant: May I congratulate the King on his forthcoming marriage. I see my place hasn't been taken yet. I was first among your knights.

Arthur: You left of your own free will.

Malagant: We each of us must follow our own road.

Arthur: Where does your road take you? To Leonesse?

Malagant: Leonesse is my neighbour. I offeredthe lady a treaty of friendship.

Guinevere:- Is burning villages friendship?-

Malagant: Yes, My Lady...Your land is becoming lawless.Were you not just attacked?

Guinevere:- You know who attacked me.-

Malagant: I made it my business to know. Justice has been done.-

Guinevere: You know no law above yourself!

Arthur (reading): "Armed forces to be given access to all Leonesse." "Troops to assist in the enforcement of law... in all Leonesse."

Arthur to Guinevere:- Do you want to sign this?-

Guinevere: I'll never sign it.

Malagant: She's very brave...now she's to be married. Will Camelot protect Leonesse?-

Arthur: Is Leonesse in need of protection?

Malagant: Come. Arthur.I'm here to settle this business. Leonesse is too weak to stand alone. Let's say half each. The lesser gives way to the greater. What nation is greater than Camelot? The land of justice. Come... your hand on it. We'II all live together as friends.

Arthur: You offer mewhat isn't yours to give.

Malagant: You all know me.You know I'm a man of my word. Don't make an enemy of me. - I mean no harm to Camelot.-

Arthur: You know the law we live by. Where is it written. Beyond Camelot live lesser people? People too weak to protect themselves, let them die?

Malagant: Other people live by other laws.Or does your law rule the world?

Arthur: There are laws that enslave men. And laws that set them free. Either what we hold to be right and good and true is right and good and true for all mankind under God. or we're just a robber tribe.

Malagant: Your words are talking you out of peace and into war.

Arthur: There's a peace you only findafter war. If that battle must come. I will fight it!

- And I!- And I!

Malagant: The great Arthur...and his great dream. No dream lasts forever.