It's Never A Hair

Ok so amongst the turmoil of life down here, I have been finding solace and comfort in small things. Like discovering a singer you forgot you liked (*ahem* David Bowie) or someone totally new. Joelle introduced me to a group, The Black Keys. Their music is kind of bluesie rockish. Here is one of their songs I really like, it is kind of an odd video, but it gets stuck in your head and you end up listening to it on repeat.

I have also just been introduced to an NPR podcast called Radiolab. It is fantastic. If you are not familiar with it, you should become familiar with it. The podcasts last anywhere from 10 min to over an hour and range in topics. Basically the hosts take a topic, like a part of the brain or biblical stories or different aspects of why humans do the things we do, and they dissect it. They interview experts, play devil's advocate and try to get to the bottom of many topics. The stories they unearth are incredible and teach me about so many different topics. I encourage you to look them up. The podcasts are free to download, you know it being NPR and all. Start with Oops or Detective Stories. They are my favorite so far. 

Another great part of my life right now is the blender I just purchased. I have been contemplating buying a blender for months.  The main thing holding me back was budget. Even the cheapest blenders cost about a tenth of my monthly salary. So every month I would say to my self, this is it, this is the month I will buy a blender. And every month something else came up that required me to put it off. But February was the magic month. I put down the money and walked out of the store a happier person. I have made a licuado (smoothie) (or two) every day since the purchase. Yay for great investments!

Alex and I at the Safety and Security conference. 

My good friend Alex made an interesting observation the other day. Before we came down here to El Salvador if we felt something tickling us, it was pretty safe to assume it was a stray hair or something equally benign like a piece of string. But down here it is never a hair. It is always something terrible like a bug, so our reactions have changed significantly. Swatting, swearing and shuttering are the new and necessary reactions. When I do eventually go back to the states, and bugs are not as prevalent indoors or in my bed, I have a feeling this habit will be hard to shake. It's never a hair. 

My Salvadoran family: Orlando, Evania, Melissa
Melida, Katharine and Josselin. 

With all of the drama going down in PC down here I am so glad to have really exciting events happening in the next few months. First one of my closest friends is coming to visit. Paige and I have known each other, basically since we were in utero. Our dads went to high school together and when my family moved to Virginia, we moved into a house just down the street from Paige and her family. They are like a second family. She is coming for almost two weeks and I am thrilled! Also in May I am taking another trip to the states. I was not expecting to make it back again during my service but a couple of my friends from my time in Little Rock are getting married and I just cannot pass up the opportunity to celebrate with them. I am taking a mini one week vacation, flying in and out of Boston. So family and friends in the greater Boston area, get ready! 

The other day I was at a lunch with some people in my community, including my host dad Orlando. The man whose house we were at was commenting how he wished he could lay down in his hammock, but his dog had ripped a hole in it. Orlando pipes up that he can fix it, no problem. This is when Orlando whips out his sweet hammock making skills that I never knew he had. On the walk back to our houses, we start talking about how he could put this skill to good use and make a little money. So I am going to go into Metapan on Friday and talk to the owner of a tienda I know of and see if he would be willing to sell Orlando's hammocks. Also I am hoping to sell a few while I am in the states. Let me know if you are interested! It is supporting a family that supports me everyday.

Happy Leap Day!