http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/traipsingabout/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from traipsingabout en-us Sun, 20 Dec 2009 09:56:00 +0000 Sun, 20 Dec 2009 09:56:00 +0000 I just stepped outside the office to watch the torrent of raindrops start to fall to smell the thirsty soil drinking it all in. If that sounds like a peaceful thoughtful experience then maybe I canrsquot explain through writingmdashperhaps through an expression ITrsquoS RAINING CHUCHOS AND GATOS The first rainstorm of the seasonabout time too since the dust and the heat were gett http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/El-Salvador/Bajo-Lempa/blog-397130.html Itrsquos amazing how my senses can bring me back so quickly to memories I didnrsquot even realize I had. Sitting in the back of a pickup truck on my way down to Ciudad Romero the strong smells of dust burning trash and soap the kind used for washing clothes reminded me of my first days in the campo last year. The way the light spills golden on the sugar cane fields in the late afternoon http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/El-Salvador/Bajo-Lempa/blog-371937.html I am acutely aware that I havent updated my blog for about 2 months now I apologize for the lack of updates but be assured that I havent been a huevona lazy during this time. Quite the oppositeweve been working pretty much nonstop on several projects and are moving forward at a pace that I cant believeNote There are a lot of pictures posted on this blog from the past 4 months so http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/El-Salvador/blog-343684.html The decision to get up at 330 in the morning to jump on a bus for four hours is a decision you can only make the night before. So thats what I didwaiting in the muddy street at 4 a.m. listening to frogs and hearing the first chirps of birds while watching the stars slowly rotate their way across the sky and hearing the honking of the bread sellers as they started their daily rounds balancing http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/El-Salvador/Perquin/blog-317963.html During the rainy season in El Salvador the saying when it rains it pours takes on an entirely new meaning.When walking on dirt roads becomes wading calfdeep through slushy mud and who knows what else since the cows and pigs trod the same paths while the roads transform into streams with gentle currents or algaecovered lakes and ponds I once saw a group of tadpoles spawning in the middle http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/El-Salvador/Bajo-Lempa/blog-297626.html Last night five youth performed a revival of a play that Aryeh first created with the tcnicos agronomists of the organization two years ago. Although we had a rather rocky time putting together this peice 3 of the original cast members dropped out and only 1 remained constant in his own part the result after 5 rehearsals with all present and bringing in new folks was fun and moving. http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/El-Salvador/Bajo-Lempa/Ciudad-Romero/blog-300607.html Ive been through a complicated set of emotions in the past few weeksthrough what I would consider my latest adjustment period. The thing they usually dont tell you about culture shock is that it comes in waves...some that are more intimidating and crushing than others. I had thought it was an orderly processthe honeymoon period the culture shock then the delicious profundity of feeli http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/El-Salvador/Bajo-Lempa/blog-285961.html At the prodding of the youth we put together an improvised play with a very short 2 weeks of rehearsal for Mothers day. Uniting the two communities Ciudad Romero and Nueva Esperanza we had a cast of 14 youth who crossdressed to make the theme of gender more apparent and to internalize and understand the different roles that men and women play in daily life plus its just funny and campy http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/El-Salvador/Bajo-Lempa/blog-280881.html Click the above link to see the work Im doing featured in the ArtCorps May enewsletter Haz un clic para ver una versin en espaol tambinHeres the beginning of the article...Theater has proven to be a necessary tool for helping the youth of Bajo Lempa El Salvador develop teamwork and leadership skillsand receive an invitation to perform internationally. We believe that art is a tool t http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/El-Salvador/Bajo-Lempa/blog-280396.html AVISO WARNING SOME CONTENT OF THIS ENTRY MAY BE DIFFICULT TO READ FOR THE FAINT OF HEART ANDOR STOMACH.That being said I was recently inspired to write about my notsoglamorous experiences here in hot flat rural El Salvador by the ingenious travel writer J. Maarten Troost author of The Sex Lives of Cannibals The Book . Reading this book and laughing out loud convinced me that its in http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/El-Salvador/Bajo-Lempa/Ciudad-Romero/blog-275837.html It is easy to talk about the first performances of this year in quantitative terms. The youth from Nueva Esperanza performed their play Juntos podemos from a quote from the communityJuntos podemos pero solo no podemos nada Together we can but alone we cant at all on the night of March 28th. The play Que no se vuelva a repetir was presented the morning of March 29th for an audience http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/El-Salvador/Bajo-Lempa/blog-268978.html Nearly every day here the issue of immigration hits and washes over me from this other side.A taxi driver I met in San Salvador had lived in Venice Beach and spoke fantastically vulgar street English which he probably learned from working in a Mexican restaurant on Wilshire. When I asked him if he had been other places around the States he said yes. When I asked if California was his favorit http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/El-Salvador/blog-267719.html These other previous musings are about things I've noticed in my spare timereally what I've been doing most of is theatre and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm currently working with four different groups have rehearsals six nights a week and twice a day two times a week have bought costumes and paint and have written 3 scripts. Those are the plain facts but of course the intrica http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/El-Salvador/Bajo-Lempa/blog-252716.html I've been living on my own for the first time in a small casita complete with a large backyard bursting with fruit treesmangoes lemons limes oranges bananas coconuts maranon cashew almond and others that are still a mystery to me that and I keep forgetting the names for them. I also have my very own pila and latrine to complete the picture and Cristina has told me that she'll be g http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/El-Salvador/Bajo-Lempa/Ciudad-Romero/blog-252724.html Chuchos It's amazing the things you can learn from animals. I've learned so much from the people here but two of the most interesting interactions I've had have been with dogs. Human culture affects them as well just as it impacts food beliefs government and the natural world. My first experience was with the dog Surdan who actually technically belongs to Cristina's mother who passed away http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/El-Salvador/Bajo-Lempa/blog-251377.html When you wake up in the morning in Ciudad Romero its to a dawn of sounds. Around 5 a.m. the chorus of a hundred gallos commence their melancholy howling encouraging the insects to bring their buzzing from a forte down to a piano. Some time later the air is sprinkled with the twitters and whistles and cries of the native birds waking up in the early light. Then the mooing and baaing starts http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/El-Salvador/Bajo-Lempa/Ciudad-Romero/blog-243597.html The ArtCorps training in Antigua was a trulydare I say magical experience. During the 5 days that we spent together I learned new skills and ideas to enhance my work in El Salvador...even better I had the opportunity to forge relationships with some truly incredible artists who are giving a year to share their talents with others to make a difference. I was humbled by the amazing skill an http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Antigua/blog-242178.html I have begun my yearlong adventure in the lovely city Quetzaltenango or Xela which I adore despite the smell of gasoline smoke and the sound of barking stray dogs at night. It is beautifully nestled in the mountains which you can see towering elegantly above the cement blocked and brightly colored buildings. First and foremost I want to thank several people for their apoyo support http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Guatemala/Quetzaltenango/blog-236607.html Once we arrived in Bariloche we spent a little time looking around the bus station for Tony and Michelle who we hadn't met before but who were gracious enough to house us anyway and finally found them. We met Paige and Ellie as well as we went over to the sports club with them to swimThen they dropped us off at the airosilla gondola where we took the ride up to Cerro Otto it was a go http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/San-Carlos-de-Bariloche/blog-137908.html Ceviche sayvechey Cold souplike dish usually bearing suspect raw fish or unidentifiable parts of aquatic creatures. How does it taste when cooked correctly...incredible. The basic ingredients limes lots of em raw seafood virtually anything to your liking shrimp octopus fish lobster prawns scallops conchalagua tomatoes bell pepper onion salt. Isnt it dangerous to eat http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Ecuador/Galapagos/blog-169337.html