Sun., Nov. 9

- Niña Tomasa’s still not doing well. Is having a hard time controlling her bladder and needs help moving around, although she’s been spending almost all of her time in bed or in the hammock. She said yesterday she was dying, so I’m not sure if that means she just feels horrible or if she really is. She’s got some exam results due tomorrow, so we’ll see what those say. I want to help but there doesn’t seem to be much I can do, especially not being family.

- Spent much of the day washing, including Stitch and some clothes that had gotten a bit funny-smelling during the rainy season. Watched Gilma kill a chicken to make soup for lunch (Astrid and Manuelito wanted to watch too, but Gilma was afraid they’d try to copy it in play. Contrast with rabbit fiasco at the Ranch), nap in hammock, down the road to cut some cane with the kid (with permission this time). Joalgar and his disabled painting kids had a spot on “Cantando por un sueño,” which also continues to feature astonishingly bad clothes on the contestants.

Sat., Nov. 8

- Into the office, where I was going to finish updating my blog (let it go for over a month there – whoops!), but Carmen had come in and was unusually conscious of the fact that I was there, so I ended up doing more invoicing and then trying to hunt down/add up various sales sheets.

- Gilma bought a giftbag and bow for the blanket and children’s perfume for Maritza’s baby (Daniel Isaac) and we dropped them off on the way home, but she wasn’t at the ‘comedor.’

Fri., Nov. 7

- Up nice and early, ready to go in less than the 1 ½ that has turned into my morning time requirement, then off to drop Hector at school and go to the Migration office. Carmen stopped to get gas on the way but drove off from the first station because she thought the guy there was rude, which made her remind me of Heather that much more. At Migration, got to pay $80 and will have to go back next week to pick up the new ID card. But they didn’t say there had been any problems with the paperwork, so I’m hoping that will go smoothly. Then to the lawyers office to pick up a receipt for BVS reimbursement, to Aristides’ house to pick up a document for me to take to the office, and to the bus station. I stopped in Zacate on the way back to go to the phone office in person (it should be in on Monday) and look for canned pumpkin at the grocery store for a possible Thanksgiving visit with Adam and Crissy (no success there). Then squeezed on another bus back to SN, where I went to lunch and filled out a few ‘facturas’ before heading home.

- Another ‘vela’ in the evening, this one in La Caseta.

Thursday, Nov. 6

- Called the customer service number to see what’s going on with my phone, as it’s now been 4 weeks since Loli and I took it in to Zacate. Got lots of rings, then finally an operator who transferred me to another number that rang some more before disconnecting. So I guess crappy customer service is an international phenomenon.

- Then called the Migration office, where they told me my stuff had been reviewed, gave me a code, and told me to come into window #4. So that was a pleasant surprise. Started making plans with Carmen to meet at the bus terminal tomorrow morning, then she just suggested I come into SS with her in the afternoon and stay overnight at her house. That sounded better to me than getting up early and dealing with unreliable cell phones to meet up. So she drove me to my house in the afternoon, I threw a few things in my backpack, and off we went. Of course, I still want to ask her what the hell is going on with the stores, but it wasn’t a very appropriate time or place (and I’m also pretty sure she doesn’t know), so we found other things to talk about. First stop in the city was to pick up her son Hector (and his friend Carlos, who looked more like her) from his private Christian school “Nuevo Pacto.” Then to a small “librería” to buy some supplies for the two of them to make a poster about Salvadoran culture. So Carmen covered the piece of poster-foam with blue paper and then the boys did the “real” work of cutting up a poster she had bought of El Salvador’s Patrimonio Cultural and gluing the pictures on. Apparently they got a 10. Then Carmen and I took her daughter Jacqueline to a nearby playground/park, where I had a nice conversation with a woman who was happy about Obama. Pupusas for dinner, then I ended up sleeping in a spare room at Carmen’s sister’s place right across the ‘pasaje.’

Wed., Nov. 5

- Said a little prayer on my morning visit to the outhouse, and sure enough, a few minutes later I heard on the radio that Obama had won. It doesn’t even appear that any recounts will be necessary. So I spent all morning on Google News (variations on the theme “Obama won, almost everyone happy about it”), talking to Sarah Bruckler about how happy we both are, and waiting for his acceptance speech to download (I only ever got about 1/3 of the way through it). Maybe it’s just the ‘liberal media,’ but it was striking how much worldwide support there seems to be for him. Not that anyone in the office was all that pumped up, since their either don’t know/care about the differences between the candidates (“they’re both centrist anyway”) or if they do, weren’t especially susprised by the results, as the polls had shown Obama leading for a while. There was also quite a bit of attention given to him being the first black president, which really is pretty amazing. I’m quite happy even as a white person – I can’t imagine what it must feel like for a person of color to see someone who looks more like them be elected to one of the most powerful positions in the world. Amid all the excitement and hope, however, there were also calls for caution, which is something I feel, too. There seems to be a common sentiment that things are really going to change now, and while that might certainly be true (especially with Democrats controlling both houses of Congress, too), it’s not like things are going to 180. In the Latin American context, at least, it’s not like Obama’s going to open up the border and legalize all the immigrants, although it may be true that the FMLN has a better chance of winning with him in office. Nor if Africa going to suddenly turn into a land of peace and prosperity just because there’s a black man in office. But at least it seems like the U.S. has redeemed itself a bit in the world’s eyes, like maybe they’ll be willing to give us another chance now. I feel strangely patriotic.

- Niña Tomasa threw up a bit in the evening – hope she’s okay.

Tue., Nov. 4

- To CR with Carmen to deliver products and collect money, sort of like in the good ole days.

- Back to SN, where I checked Google News every 5 mins. to see if there were any exit polls or projections of anything. Nada. Just that people were voting and there were long lines. So it was a pretty anti-climactic election day, seeing as how I voted over a month ago. Then before I went to bed I heard that Obama only had 44%in VA and under 50% in another swing state (FL?) and thought “Oh shit, not again…”

- Nine months

Mon., Nov. 3

Elections tomorrow. Apparently Barack Obama’s grandma, who played a bit part in raising him, died last night. What timing. The polls show him fairly well ahead, so I’m hoping for no surprises.

Sun., Nov. 2

- Spent a good chunk of today in the cemetery for “Dia de los Difuntos/Finados/Muertos,” which was actually a pretty happy day. Families all get together (Berta and Enrique came) to paint and “enflorecer” the graves of loved ones. I went with Gilma’s family. She and I wandered over to where the padre was holding a mass while Mario cleaned up their mother’s grave and one of a daughter who had died before turning two (dead children face “la claridad” in the east and adults “la oscuridad” in the west, and the cross goes at their feet). I wandered down to the river at some point, then ended up going two more times with Astrid and Heidi (and Oscar and Fabi). Will have to go back for a swim. Then just sort of hung out for a while visiting and observing. We were there from about 10:30am – 2:30pm.

- Then to Río Roldán to tell my “encuestadores” there about the “asamblea” tomorrow and to take some more too-late photos. I walked into some barbed-wire clothesline at one point and got a little bloody spot between my eyes. Very graceful, as always. Then went to check out the old rail bridge with Herbert, where we ended up staying until the sun went down. I’ve been wanting to see both the cemetery and that bridge for a while now, so it was a good day of exploring.

- The rainy season has ended just as suddenly as it began. Not only have the rains stopped, but the temperatures have dropped (all of a sudden I can sleep without the fan), the air has gotten dry (all of a sudden I’m using chapstick and the laundry dries in a few hours), there’s a nice breeze, and the stars and volcanoes seem to have re-appeared after hiding behind low-hanging clouds for the last 6 months. The river has already dropped noticeably, I no longer have to step around and through puddles in the yard, and if the road to El Carmen isn’t passable yet, I imagine it will be in just a few days. It’s glorious. The mosquitoes, however, are still very much alive and well…

Sat., Nov. 1

- Went to a “vela” (wake/vigil) in the evening in La Papalota, not because we knew the person who had died but because Pilar had called to say that she and Israel would be there. Gilma got pretty dressed up. I wore my jeans for I think the third time since I’ve been here – they do seem to have gotten a bit tight. A few people had on thick sweaters an Pilar was wearing a knit hat. It was probably 70 F. Gilma visited and flirted and I got sleepy and we left around 10pm.

- They painted lines on the road (and put in reflectors, many of which have been pulled up by mischievous children) about a month ago, but there are still no streetlamps, which is all the better for seeing the stars.

Fri., Oct. 31

My first Halloween outside the U.S. People know it’s “Día del Brujo” but no one around here seems to celebrate it. I asked if I could try to carve a small watermelon that I’d seen on the table in the morning, but it had disappeared in the evening and I didn’t really feel like pushing it.

Thursday, Oct. 30

Someone had the office camera, so Don Luis and Don Carlos came to see if they could use mine on a trip to Isla Montecristo, and said I could come along. It ended up being a wonderful day – gorgeous ride along the other side of the river (I feel a bit guilty, but I think it’s prettier on that side), where there were only a few muddy parts in the dirt road south of San Carlos, then in a “lancha” (boat) from La Pita to Montecristo. That in itself was lovely, as it’s been quite some time since I’ve been on the water. Once on Montecristo we visited the sea turtle hatchery and got to release the ones that had hatched the night before, which was pretty neat. I couldn’t help but think how idyllic it all seemed, being so off the beaten path with the sound of the waves crashing on the beach and the soft breeze. Although I’m sure it would not be so great out there in the rain of heat or emergency. After the sea turtle project visit, we got back in the ‘lancha’ and headed to the community proper, where Don Carlos settled some bills for the sale of sea turtle eggs and Don Luis talked to some guy about legalizing the ADESCO. Then back in the “lancha,” through a small canal that had been just sand a few hours before at low tide, and back to La Pita on the mainland. Soda and sweet bread, then another nice ride (~45 min.) back to San Nicolas, while I thought how random and lucky a day it was.

Tue., Oct. 28

- My fairy godmother finally wrote me again, saying she hadn’t because I love Monica more and Monica is a devil. Ohhhhh boy.

- There’s a new moon and no clouds, so the stars are gorgeous. It stayed relatively cool all day, apparently because of some cold front that produced winds strong enough to knock over a bunch of trees in San Salvador (the “winds of October”). I’m loving it.

- Paty and I actually had a conversation for almost half an hour. I’m pretty sure that’s the first time that’s happened.

Fri., Oct. 24

- Into SN to upload pictures from yesterday, then to El Carmen with Robyn to take more pictures. That turned out to be quite the adventure, of course, what with it being really hot, Leo not driving all the way there so we had to walk a ways (about half an hour?) in the very-muddy road (part of that barefoot for me, as the flip-flops were more trouble than they were worth), me being pretty sure I was going to slip and fall on my camera. There was even a quick trip down the river (back in the flip-flops by that point) on a path that reminded me of the one on the volcano in Nicaragua. All of which made me realize that maybe I’m not as much of an outdoors person as I like to think, as I spent a good chunk of time worried that I wasn’t going fast enough or about falling and getting muddy. To be fair to myself, though, I hadn’t known in the morning that I was going to be tromping around in the muck, in which case I usually wouldn’t have my nice camera and wear flip-flops.

- Jenny (Robyn’s Art Corps friend) decided to head out when we got back to San Marcos. She has a one-way ticket to India in January, not really sure how long she’s going to stay. The wandered/adventure-seeker part of me wants to be just like her (she’s also worked as a whitewater rafting guide, which I once daydreamed about), but I’ve got to admit that the part of me that just wants a stable job and my own apartment has been getting stronger and stronger. Still, she was just fun to be around and I wish we’d gotten to hang out more.

- Wasn’t feeling all that great when we got back to SN, possibly from not drinking enough water in all that heat. Spent the whole weekend sleeping and taking Tylenol and Immodium and even one of my prescription migraine pills. Tomasa seems to think my showering in the evening is to blame…

Thurs., Oct. 23

- Ended up waiting at the house until 1pm after some communication mix-ups, then went to Los Cálix to take pictures for the Patrimonio Cultural catalog, which I enjoyed – David did all the talking and list-handling and I just took the pictures.