Little Things

This is going to be a happy post! Because I want everyone to know that while this is really challenging and while I'm struggling a lot in hearing all of these stories, I'm also having fun!

We leave El Salvador on Saturday. That's crazy because that means we've been in Central America for about 9 weeks!

Here are some things that have happened in El Salvador that have been great and that I hope I don't forget about ever:

• I went surfing! We went to the ocean a couple of times and one of those times I got a surfing lesson and so now I've done that. I fell a few times. (Maybe more than a few). But I also rode a few waves in! 
• During one of our weekend trips, I lived in a host home with my friend Sophia and for dinner one night our host mom gave us papusas and chocobananos.  (A papusa is a tortilla filled with something such as beans and cheese, for example. A chocobanano is a chocolate covered banana.) It was probably the best meal ever.
• During that same weekend, I went crazy one night and started reenacting scenes from Forrest Gump, forcing friends in my group to also participate. So that was fun.
• On Sunday when we got back from that weekend trip we watched Forrest Gump together!



There he is!

• One night a man named Guillermo Cuellar, a musician and song writer (look him up! he's great!), came and sang us some really powerful songs. But also he told a lot of really funny stories. I'd share them, but I'd ruin them if I tried. Lo siento.

• I got a package from Jenny Brockman (who is so great) and it had peanut butter in it!! 
• During our first weekend that we stayed with a family (when I was in the San Antonio Abad community) Leah and I were listening to some sisters in our host family tell us about the war and about family members they lost and then all of a sudden one of the sisters said something really quickly (in Spanish, obviously) and then turned and walked away. So we thought we were supposed to follow her but then the other sisters chased us and told us that she needed to use the bathroom. So that was funny. And embarrassing. 
• I kicked my surfing instructor in the face a couple of times. Oops. Waves are stronger than me.
• As I was writing this, Jillian called my name from outside and so I went to the window and let down my long hair. Actually I just talked to her, but while I was doing that, my friend Julie quietly opened the door and then said my name in a creepy voice and then I was really afraid and I screamed. (She claims she knocked and said my name louder, but I'm skeptical.) Then Jillian came back upstairs and she and Julie started singing "I Like Big Butts." 



Alien.

• One night our room was invaded by "aliens." The aliens happened to be our friends who went crazy and put cups in their hair to make it really tall and said funny things in weird voices. 
•    I ate sugar cane.

See?

•  We went to a soccer game and had a photo shoot instead of watching. Oops. YOLO. (be my friend still, please.) 

 It looks like we were paying attention, but it was totally staged.
We're really funny.

There are other things I'm sure I'm leaving out. But these are some notable moments of joy. I'm thankful to be with a group of people who can be silly but who also enjoy talking about justice and how we can change things. That brings me joy too. They bring me joy.