Frog in the Shower, Dog in the WC

... and happy to report that there are no scorpions in my bed, yet. The frog in the shower, I understand, but the dog sleeping next to the toilet? Not sure what that´s all about, but I could have guessed it because the little WC smells just like a barn and I am grateful that it is outside. This is where I am staying, and it´s great so far. We could have opted for the luxurious yet rustic resort next door, complete with a swimming pool, restaurant, surfboards and surf classes. But we can use all of their services anyway, so we might as well pay less to sleep. This is El Salvador. It is certainly a lot more raw than Guatemala so far, and I wish I had more time to spend here.Yesterday I attempted to surf. It´s been a while and after a few hours trying, I was actually able to ride a few waves in. Well, do you call surging whitewash a ¨wave¨? I´m gonna count it as that because the waves themselves scare me. They are like our biggest days on the island, with that same close-out nature. I could have sworn I was pulled out a bit in a small rip current yesterday. It was around the time that I found myself uncomfortably close to the bigger waves without trying at all. Good thing I spent so much time looking at the Oceanfront Lifeguarding book last spring. I did read this morning that there plenty of rips here, but I´m not so worried about them. For the most part, the water is much more pleasant than I´m used to, with gentler wave action and almost too warm! Did I really say that?

So what am I doing in a cyber cafe if the surfing is so great? Well, first of all, it takes all my might to paddle around out there since I´m not talented at this sport, so I need the rest. Secondly, my face go burned yesterday, despite my efforts to plaster on the sunblock. It´s 

unavoidable, unless you just take a break from the sun. Anyway, it´s fun exploring town a little and seeing what the locals are up to. Over time, I feel as though my writing is degenerating into train of thought sentences. I really don´t talk much here, so I´m in a similar state verbally, caught between languages and long hours of letting my mind wander. I have been reading a book on Rigoberta Menchu that was left on the island (Kenny?) and the story is staggering. She is a Mayan woman who grew up in the 60´s and 70´s in Guatemala, and you would think she was writing from a hundred years ago or more. The stories of the oppression of the Mayan people and poor ladinos are beyond what I could have imagined. After overcoming countless barriers in her life, she ran for president last year without victory in a newly created indigenous party. Talk about overcoming. My next text is in Spanish and is also about the history of Guatemala.

The restaurant service here is really different from what I am accustomed to. You have to place an order at least an hour before you want to eat. Does this mean that everything is very freshly 

made? I think so, because a few weeks ago when I was visiting the market in Santiago with some teachers, the other students were using the old joke, ¨Are they out there killing the chicken or what?¨ Well, just about a minute later, the waitress came bustling in with some eggs from the market to make our breakfast. This is the norm. I watched a woman at a fresh fruit stand run across the 

street for more sugar when she ran out in Guatemala City. And a while ago some friends commented that they had never gotten into a collectivo without stopping for gas on the way out of town. Well, I thought that it was pretty great the other day in San Salvador when even the taxi had to stop at the gas station before bringing us to the bus station a few miles away! Is it a hand to mouth existence or just a cultural quirk?

I may not have time to write again until I am up in Honduras next week. If not, enjoy your weekends! People only sort-of have those here, which has put our whole work system into a new perspective for me. Life is work. You can work for vacations, work for more money, work for a nicer home, work to travel, or work just simply to put food on the table. Being here has certainly made me want to learn so much more about how this society was created and what the nuances are between each part of Latin America. I could go on and on traveling and never get the full answer. But one thing I have been wondering: has anyone written ¨The Bicycle Diaries¨ yet? That would be a good story about this place. I´m sure it´s been done. Although I do not know much about El Salvador, beyond what is in Lonely Planet, the use of the US Dollar as currency speaks volumes. The dollar?? It says ¨United States of America¨ right on it. Oh, that´s right. We gave them over $6 billion not so long ago to aid in the further repression of the poor majority to rise up and be treated humanely. I probably should not simplify what I don´t know much about, but I imagine it was just easier to phase out their old currency and keep ours.