http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/traipsingabout/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from traipsingabout en-us Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:26:25 BST Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:26:25 BST 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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-Islands/blog-169337.html Struttin across ChileRobyn and Aaron First of all if you missed the previous blog about Bariloche I realize that it might have been confusing since that entry actually came before the update one but I published it afterwards... just scroll down and check it out It's a long one but you can cheat and just look at the pictures if you want to. Just because I'm recovering at home doesn't http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/blog-144480.html Coming HomeRobyn and Aaron As some of you may already know I am currently recovering from jaw surgery at my parents' house in Agoura Hills CA. I am doing better and Aaron and my parents as well as numerous family and friends have been a tremendous helpI don't know what I would do without them Here is what happened Last Friday Aaron and I had just landed in Cusco Peru elev. 3400 m af http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/blog-143217.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 It's been more than 2 weeks since I last updated and I apologize...traveling is kind of crazy sometimes allowing little time to breathe or relax and when there is that time I usually just want to go to sleep or do simple things like take a shower and recharge batteries body etc..I'm going to try to get Aaron to add his two cents in this entry since he obviously has a somewhat different p http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Rio-Negro/San-Carlos-de-Bariloche/blog-137085.html