Just in case I was unsure that rainy season was in full swing, upon returning to site three events confirmed this fact.
First off I was assaulted with a huge wave of humidity. I do not know what percentage the humidity is here, but it is high. Too high. My normally bone straight hair is frizzy, curly and unruly. This is really not ok. I do not have the life skills to deal with hair like this. I have never had to deal with out of control strands. As many Salvadorians have naturally curly or frizzy hair, they must deal with this problem their entire lives. And do you know what they do? They use hair gel. Most use a gel called Gorilla Snot... So there's that. Secondly my pila water is back to its dark brown hue. Ugh. It is so hard for me to justify taking a bucket bath with this water. Actually I just took a bucket bath and I actually feel more filthy than I did before... And then lastly (as if I needed anything else) I was without electricity for the first 24 hours I was back. Welcome back to site Chelsea!
So why was I out of site long enough to forget the rainy season realities, you ask? I was in the States for a fantastic vacation. I was able to see a couple of very good friends from college. We got dinner and hung out in Boston. They crashed at my Uncle Paul's house with me. Uncle Paul made us his famous waffles with bacon and fruit salad the next morning. It was as fantastic, as it always is, and I am pretty sure they are ruined for breakfast now, as I have been for years. We went our separate ways after breakfast, but I am so glad I got to see them.
The main reason for the trip was to see my friends Amanda and Dave get married. It has been about ten years since I have been to a wedding so, besides my extensive wedding knowledge granted to me through watching obscene amounts of TLC, I do not have a lot to compare it to. But it really was the perfect weekend. I showed up on Saturday for the rehearsal dinner and made fast friends with all of the people I was crashing with at Amanda's family's guest house and all of the relatives who had come in already.
Sunday, wedding day, was awesome. Amanda's family supplied us with breakfast fixin's, and then group of non-wedding party folks headed (including myself) headed to the Hudson River for a little time on Amanda's family boat. I ended up getting a bit burnt, but it was enough fun that I did not mind in the slightest. The ceremony was at 4pm and it was perfect, I cried. Amanda looked beautiful and the groom, Dave, was very handsome. It was a short ceremony and and then the newly married couple headed off to the reception in an antique car of Amanda's family. The reception, in a refurbished barn, was stunning, the food was delicious and the band was great. Dave is Mexican, so the band played some typical Mexican music along with more popular tunes. All in all it was an epic night. The couple headed off to Spain for their honeymoon and have now re-located to England where Dave is based in the US Air Force.
Another huge perk of my trip was the fact that I got to see a ton of my Boston based relatives. I stayed most of my time in Boston with my Uncle Paul. He spoiled me rotten, and I loved every minute of it. Uncle Paul and I went and had dinner with his brother and wife, my Uncle Dick and Aunt Joyce. It was so great to see them. They are Pug breeders and often show them at national competitions. You should hear they way they talk about and dote on their babies. Unfortunately it was at this dinner that I got food poisoning. It was delicious, but I was out of commission for several days afterwards. All of my Salvadoran friends think it is hilarious that I got food poisoning in the States. They are convinced that I will need to stay in El Salvador for the rest of my life because I can no longer eat American cuisine. Oh man, I fear they might be right.
I had some flight troubles and ended up having to spend several more days in Boston, poor me right? I was able to visit some other relatives, which I was so grateful for. I saw my Aunt Mim and Uncle Tommy one afternoon. They hooked me up with a lot of sweet toothbrushes to use in a dental campaign I want to set up in my community. I was also able to see my Uncle Kevin, another one of Uncle Paul's brothers. Uncle Paul and I met him for breakfast in morning before I flew back to El Salvador. It really is so great to see family that you have not seen in forever.
I am now back in El Salvador and being very productive. I will update on my projects soon!
