I´m not really a morning person

When I first found out I was nominated for a Latin American country, I was stoked! Night life! Yeah! Finally, I´d be somewhere where they stayed up as late as I like to and sleep in. I remember both Spain and Argentina the night life didn´t begin until around midnight. Well, it´s not the case in El Salvador.

I wake up every morning well before 7:00 o´clock, here. It´s not so much that I want to get up early, but I have no choice. Yesterday, Sunday, I wanted to sleep in because I had nothing to do and suddenly the entire house was alive and the TV was going loud at about 6:00. That´s the way it goes, here, and I´m starting to get used to it.

I also did my laundry, yesterday, after getting out of bed at 6:15. I had it all washed by hand by 8:00 am. I can´t recall a time I was ever that productive by 8:00 in the U.S., unless I had something special to do - like go on a trip, or something. However, I am starting to get used to going to sleep by 9:00p and levitating by 6:00a.

I have fried plantains a couple times a week for breakfast, usually accompanied with red beans ran through a blender and salt. Yes, salt. It´s almost like a side dish here, they use so much of it. I´ve bought some cerial and soy milk - yes, they have soy milk... Silk - and I get in one or two bowls per week.

I´m in San Vicente much of this week, until submersion days starting Thursday. We´re going to go stay with another volunteer for a couple of days in co´s (his or her) site. It´ll be a great opportunity for me to see what it´ll kinda be like. I must admit that it´s up and down, right now. Probably because I´m still a little in U.S. mode.

There is a volcono near me - Volcano Chichontepeque. I´ve read a person can hire police from a neighboring town as an escort to the top. A group of us want to go up, it´s just a matter of getting the time and organizing the small adventure. They have some of the only remaining old growth cloud forest left in El Salvador near the top. I´d love to get a taste for what this place used to be like before 98% of the trees were chopped.

I find I´m tired most all the time. I´m not sure if it´s from the heat, trying to learn the language, or what. I hope I´m not getting sick. Many of the volunteer trainees have become ill with a bacteria or an amebia infestation. They have medicine, but once infected the person basically expells everything out both ends for a couple days.

I´m in an internet cafe and I think I got one that´s used for couples who want a private place to go for a couple minutes. I can hear the people next to me kissing. My teacher told us about these places, but it looks like I picked the wrong one. Ooops.

Anyways, I´ll get some pics up soon and I´ll also make a video of where I´m living and get it posted, soon.