In El Sal!!

Hola de Antigua Cuscatlan, San Salvador, El Salvador!! Me encanta El Salvador y la gente aqui!
Ok the humidity is KILLING me, though. Literally we walked around yesterday just having to get used to being drenched in sweat. Lovely. we look so beautiful haha.
I will try and keep this updated as best as possible with this lovely internet cafe starting with yesterday´s happenings! (our first day)

So the first night, I didn´t really sleep at all. I couldn´t fall asleep because there were many noises and my little cot is right next to the window. Then, a rooster woke me up at 4:30 or 5 cuz the sun rises that early!! So, when the time came to get ready I hopped in the shower and was greeted with freezing cold water that will definitely feel good after sweating all day probably! we are all happy we don´t have to worry about using up hot water for each other haha.

We headed off to La Libertad--a black sand beach about an hour away. I had my first fabulous baño experience and we ate a few pupusas (i love ayote!--its like a squash).
we then were informed that we were going to be having an initiation competition--who could purchase the nastiest thing (had to be once living) at the fish market on the pier. mmmm little did they know how much i LOVE fish and the smell, etc. there were fish and squid and crabs everywhere--hugest fish i have ever seen!! the smell was absolutely delectable. at the end of the pier we were met with a real treat--men gutting live and huge catfish and little hammerhead sharks.

There were guts and blood in buckets seriously everywhere and one of my Country Directors caught a gutting on film (as I cringed and winced in the background, watching the huge gills and tail of the live catfish flop around as its guts are being pulled out). They got a kick out of my reactions

I finally got some ganas and decided to purchase a little blue crab (we had to carry the competition item around all day--that was part of the deal). I asked the price and the lady said $1.50--sure no biggie! well that got me 1 POUND of little blue crabs. haha they leaked on the bus and smelled nasty in our little garage but I was grateful I didn´t purchase a fish head leaking blood like my team member, Brian did. disgusting.
I love our little house and sanctuary! Our bathroom has a sheet for a door and no roof so when we get sick, everyone will be able to hear cuz its part of our room haha! good thing it will most likely happen to us all! BUT--our toilet FLUSHES!!! HALLELUJAH. that never happens! i´m very grateful for that.

I love my group--everyone is so down to earth and I feel so safe with my Country Directors. Like we were walking home yesterday and pretty close to where our house was they asked us to stop walking and we just stood there and chatted for a few minutes, waiting for this guy to walk past and around a corner (apparently he had been following us for a few blocks and they just wanted to make sure everything was cool and he didn´t find out the general area of where we lived)

Later on, we were on our way to the grocery store and to our cook´s house, Estela, for dinner. we hopped on a micro bus (love the public transporation--its crazy to think its so normal for them!) the bus was already jam packed and we had 9 of us needing to get on. All of the standing space had practically been taken so I had to hunch over and semi squat/bend over in a little corner between the passenger seat and the metal round about entrance. my butt was practically hanging out the window as I hunched over so my head could fit under the ceiling and I was just cracking up because Tyler, my CD, was like haha geez Kenna you´re practically mooning everybody outside! I finally half squatted on a speaker that was right there as well for the last half of the trip but it was definitely an experience--one of the highlights of our day!!

Dinner at Estela´s was delicioso!! I LOVE her and her family already. Her granddaughters are darling (10 and 7 yrs old). this is me, Juliann (my other CD), and Estela.
the 10 year old, Adri, is soo sweet and such a good girl you can tell. We helped her with her English homework!
The 7 year old, Fernanda (Fer), is crazy but hilariously cute. She was singing Enchanted and totally did a Michael Jackson dance (moon walk attempt complete with a crotch grab and ÓW´at the end. hahah NOT expecting that!
We are so lucky to have Estela and I just love these wonderful people in this gorgeous place. I love the tropical trees and plants and flowers.

I am SO EXCITED for English classes next week taught at the LDS employment center! I have many people I am so excited to hug again and talk to! We have a couple meetings this weekend and then projects will start next week with Habitat for Humanity (building homes in San Vincente where the flooding happened and where my family and I visited in November as well), and with eye exams with FUDEM, and developmental community work with Balsamo. I don´t know exactly what to expect but I´m so excited. I feel at home here with my group and that literally is SUCH an answer to prayers for this little family oriented and usually extremely homesick girl. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts and I´m excited to keep you updated! Ps--sorry this is so long haha I am long winded about experiences!