Day 7

Normally I would still be teaching in school right now, but this coming Tuesday is El Salvador’s Independence Day which means, we get out early today, don’t have school Monday or Tuesday, and just for fun- they throw in Wednesday too. Who knew El Salvador was so patriotic? Either way- I’m psyched for the very long weekend! School the past two days was not too eventful, the bus ride on the other hand- that is an experience worth sharing. To be honest, every ride is pretty much a new “adventure” you might say. Highlights include: a man shaking a pouch of coins in your face to pay the fare and various street vendors pushing down the aisle shoving things like fruit, candy, giant sticks of meat, and even colon cleansing pills in your face- really, the possibilities are endless. I’m surprised with something new each day. Now, to add to the entertainment value of your ride, some buses are equipped with sound systems that often blast either rap or techno. My personal favorite bus “enhancement” would definitely have to be those that have TVs in front and play music videos. On the way home from school yesterday there was a series of music videos from a band called “Tigres de el Norte” aka Tigers of the North. Apparently the band is very popular in Mexico, and not that I actually understood the lyrics, but Joaquin informed me that essentially every song from them was somehow related to drug dealers and prostitutes, and here and there, a tiger chasing a small child featured (ya know for artistic value and symbolism haha). Now with all this quality entertainment you can see how it’s easy to get distracted…but you need to be ready for your stop, and I use the term “stop” loosely because you might have 3 seconds to hop off before the driver keeps going. Being “ready” for your stop also includes attempting to stand up (if you are lucky enough to get a seat) without being thrown to the other side of the bus or into various other passengers. If you think it’s difficult to keep balance in a NYC subway- that would be a smooth ride in comparison. Stop signs and traffic lights are more just like decorations in El Salvador- no one actually abides by them. Enough on the buses though. On a little bit of a more serious note- last night Joaquin showed us a movie about the civil war here that took place in the 80’s into the 90’s. He also shared some of his personal experiences of finding family members that had been killed, and facing death himself. The stories and movie were both chilling and eye opening. To think that while I lay safely and happily in my crib in NY (my most pressing concern probably that I couldn’t reach the toy that fell out of my bed) children in El Salvador were hiding under their beds to try and protect themselves from the gunshots and ambushes that were so common. It really puts things in perspective. I feel truly lucky, and that being said I’m going to go start enjoying the looong weekend- both parties and beach trips on the agenda :)