Aniversario de Suchitoto

I have been a true blog slacker lately, I apologize. Before July 4, I was really busy working, and enjoying friends, and eating pupusas. July 4 my fever started, and sore throat. I have been sick for almost 3 weeks now -- tired, headaches, sweats. I finally feel better. At the end of the day, I think it was just a weird virus. But, it could have been mononucleosis (the weirdest virus). All the exams I took came out negative. Sometimes we don't get to have an answer.

I was able to enjoy a little bit of the anniversary celebrations here in Suchitoto. There was a long parade through the plaza, featuring every school from every community near Suchi, as well as various other groups. It consisted of a lot of marching band music and banners. I've come to love the parades here, especially since now I know some of the people in them!

The choir had their first concert outside of Centro Arte, in front of city hall. I felt so proud of them, and all the students and teachers of the arts center. The harpists and guitarists played. The folklore dance group danced, the modern dance group broke it down, and the choir sang Waka Waka with gusto! It was neat to see how many students are participating in these workshops, and how much they have learned...

I was sick during the visit of our friends Ana and Jose from Spain. They are working with an organization from Spain that funds small projects around El Salvador. One of the fun things about Suchitoto is the people that pass through doing various volunteer and service work. We have built a sweet friendship with them, and hope to go to Spain and visit one day!

 

 

We are headed to the states for another visit. Every 3 months we have to leave the country for our tourist visa, so we are taking advantage of the opportunity. We will also spend 1 week in Antigua for our Brethren Volunteer Service retreat as well. 

While I am so excited to see my family, I am also sad to leave Suchi and the community we have here. I guess that's a sign of a place really feeling like home.

Despertada

I am sleepy, but I am not asleep. Not sure why that is. The sound of the rain on the roof is so peaceful. Yet still, I am awake.

I have been sick all week. Not sure what it is, the doctors say dengue, or some kind of infection. I'm on antibiotics, but the headache and body ache continues.

Among the many things I have learned in Suchitoto is the ability to say no. This week I have had to cancel so many things. I hate not being there for the kids, for the women in my yoga class. But, my body says no, and if I don't agree it will be angry. I am tired of being in the house, but the good thing is my "house" is more of a forest!

I have begun some new projects, and am continuing some old projects here in Suchi. Each week I teach:

Intermediate English (2 classes)
English Conversation Class
Basic Computer Skills
Advanced Computer Skills
Yoga (Tuesday and Thursday)
Music Education Program with El Grupo (school in Suchitoto)
Music Classes in La Mora 
(a rural community about 30 minutes from Suchitoto)
Poetry Class in La Mora (challenging my Spanish ability, that's for sure!)
Music Therapy with Kids with Disabilities
Centro Arte Choir

When I look at the list, I think I must be crazy do be doing so many different things. What is my job, anyway?!

The one thing that all of these classes have in common is that they are not usually offered in public schools. These are opportunities that most children and young adults would not normally have. It is so fun to be able to offer those things, and my students are always grateful and kind.

I just can't get over how lucky, how very lucky we are in the United States to have educational opportunities we have. From what I understand, the El Salvadoran government pays for a teacher for every 30 children. Regardless of their age. This means in rural areas, you may have one class with kindergarten, first and second graders, another class with third, fourth and fifth graders, and so on. Often the structure of the schools is such so that the rooms are not clearly separated, meaning you can hear everything that is happening in the other rooms.

I feel grateful, at any rate, that I have had so many educational opportunities, and now I can share that knowledge with others. At the same time, they are sharing their knowledge with me, both speaking Spanish and sharing about our lives.

These experiences have shown me how much I enjoy variety, and developing new skills. I am currently studying for the GRE, with the hopes of going back to school to get my master's in social work! I hope to combine social work and music therapy, working with Spanish speaking immigrants. Not sure what that looks like yet, but I've got a while to figure it out...

Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, grace, and power in it.

 --W.H. Murray