Salvadoran Thanksgiving

Not quite sure how to describe Thanksgiving in a foreign country. First of all - it's just not here. For Salvadorans, Thursday was just another day. In an effort to escape the homesick blues, we left town. We went with two other families to the mountains (where it was suprisingly cold) near the Guatemalan border. We rented a beautiful house near the town of Ataco.

On Thanksgiving Day, we ate tamales for lunch and pupusas for dinner. Maggie and I helped our dear friend Maria prepare wild rice and apple stuffing before we left the complejo, so we did have some traditional leftovers waiting for us when we got home. In the absence of parades and football, James went on a coffee plantation tour and the kids went horseback riding. I upheld tradition and took a Thanksgiving Day nap.

We got home on Saturday morning and turned around for a quick beach run. We finally took Mags and Will to our favorite restaurant overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The view from Cafe Zunzal was the reason I wanted to move to this country in the first place. It's that beautiful. We went swimming in November - hard to believe. On the trip home, we managed to get in a political parade. The locals just looked confused.

As we pulled into town, "Sleigh Ride" came on the car radio. I can't seem to convince my body that it is not still the month of July. And I can't begin to comprehend that we are headed home for three weeks and it is going to be COLD there. We'll be staying at my mother's house from December 19 to Janaury 5. Hope to see lots of friends and family while we are there. Can anyone loan me a sweater?

Playing hooky

James and I have exam review documents due by Friday, as well as final exams completed a week from tomorrow. So... with all this work facing us, we grabbed the kids and went on an adventure. The weather now is just too perfect. The sky is blue and the breeze is blowing. I think I'm still recovering from the rainy season. Who knew how the weather would affect us?

So off we went to Los Planes (pronounced like the word planet without the "t"). It's a park on top of a mountain just a few miles outside the city. We went to the Salvadoran version of Chimney Rock - called The Devil's Gate. We climbed stairs and rocks to an incredible view. The picture of us here is interesting - behind my left hand you might see a red rope. It's a zip line - people were riding down from one of the rock peaks. In the distance the deeper blue color is the ocean. You could see forever.

There were vendors by the parking lot, and a couple of ancient kiddy rides. Mags and Will got on a little ferris wheel that was also run by kids. I can't imagine how old is was. James took a photo but it turned out to be a movie - so you'll just have to imagine the ride. So few things here have warnings, rules or guidelines. It seems like everything we do has an added element of risk - making every outing at the least unpredictable.

I have a confession to make. Letty and I are taking Mags to see Ricky Martin tomorrow night. Why? So we can say we did it. My hope is we'll be home by midnight. But then only a day and half more of school before Thanksgiving holidays. I figure we can catch up on our sleep then. And recover from the three birthday parties we went to in 24 hours this weekend. There's no other way to explain it - parties are big here. We went to the grocery store this afternoon and it was surprising because there was no live music. Salvadorans celebrate everything.

Oh - here's a photo of James and former President Alfredo Cristiani. I'm not sure why he wanted me to take this picture. Maybe he'll explain it sometime.

Happy Holidays to all our friends in SC!

What a week!

We ran the gamut this week - all sorts of highs and lows. I had a dreadful sore throat that I just couldn't seem to shake. We did learn that antibiotics are available without a prescription, and James kindly picked some up for me on Tuesday. But there was just too much going on to take time to be sick, so I never missed school. Lucky for me, we had Wednesday off (Day of the Dead). I stayed home while everyone else went out and did something exciting.

James and our Spanish teacher, Sergio, went to the central market in downtown San Salvador. James had to dress down - t-shirt and ball cap - so as not to draw too much attention to himself. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but it can be dangerous downtown. I'm glad he found a local to take him. He'll have to write his own entry to describe the market.

Of course, it was also Halloween on Monday. We had trick-or-treating in the complejo. Everything started at 5:30 and was over by 6:15 - amazing! Will and his friend Kyle were both Zorro. We got their hats at the artisan market. There is no such thing as a Halloween costume for sale in this country, but everyone seems to make do.

Maggie volunteered Tuesday night and all day Wednesday with a local church. They had learned about a shelter that had no supplies. It's hard to believe that people are still in shelters from the landslides - guess it will be awhile. Maggie's a hard worker and I think they were glad to have her. And her Spanish is really starting to take off. I think the more time she spends being forced to speak Spanish, the better she'll get.

I had the pleasure of chaperoning a field trip to a local orphanage in Saint Thomas on Tuesday. I'm the advisor for a school club called "Helping Hands." I'm not a whole lot of help, since the meetings are all in Spanish! But I was so impressed with the Escuela Americana students who went on the trip. When the priest who ran the orphanage was asked what the kids wanted, he said fresh vegetables. So we took food and played games with the kids. It was a really nice afternoon.

We ended the week with the black tie Marine Ball. It was quite an occasion. The ambassador was there. The highlight for us was meeting the Vice President of El Salvador. Mrs. Escobar had visited Spartanburg about a month ago, and said how warmly she was received. James and I both teach her step-son, and he is a charming young man. And, in the great Salvadoran tradition, the Vice President kissed me on the cheek. It was fun to get dressed up and go out. The other couple in the photo is Letty and Julio Magana. They have adopted us since we moved here - we'd be absolutely lost without them.

We should have a calm week ahead. We're already making plans for our trip home in December. It should be here soon - can't wait.