Time Flies!

I can´t believe I have been here almost 2 full months at this point. Time is flying here. We are working hard finishing our training projects for our municipality and then I get my site assignment on March 12. We are making signs right now for our ecological park. It has been hard physical labor. We are using a router to carve the letters out of wood and then painting them in the basement of the muni. This is a little tough as the fumes from the paint are strong and people seem to like to idle their cars indoors for long periods of time. I think a good side project would be promoting the risk of carbon monoxide inhalation. We have been logging a lot of hours. We have this week to finish them and then put them up starting on the carretera, hwy, all the way into town. We have one week to do this. Yikes! So much to do!

I just got back from Antigua today. It is so fun to go there. It is a nice little breather. It is getting close to Semana Santa here and everyone is getting ready. They make these giant colorful fombras on the street to celebrate. A fombra is like a giant mural on the street made with very bright and colorful sawdust. They are very intricate and must take hours to make, only to have them walked on later. They are gorgeous though. Also, the Catholic processions are starting and a lot of people are in Antigua for that. It is fun to learn about a new culture down here. They have a lot of wonderful long standing traditions that are fun to be a part of.

Other than that, I have some fun side notes.

1. Frozen choco bananos are my new favorite food. It is so hard to resist esp. when the store is right up the street and they are only 3Q

2. The ham ketchup mayo sandwiches continue. I can´t come up with a culturally sensitive way to avoid them.

3. Ayudantes are my heros. These are the bus helpers. They go up and down the aisle of the bus collecting money and are there for any other situation. They are agilie as cats. Just today I saw one run and jump on the back on a moving camioneta as it sped away, he spiderman´d up the rear ladder, managed to open the rear emergency exit door of the bus, which they use as another door, and scramble inside as the bus approached 40 mph around a dangerous curve. These guys are unbelievable. Ninja warriors watch out!

4. Mango season has hit! I have perfected eating a mango without a knife. Actually I have perfected eating in general here with a spoon as the only utensil. Tortillas serve as a nice holder for large chunks of meat. Poco y poco! Now, I am no longer stared at as I eat!

That is about it for now! Thanks for all the mail and emails! They are day brighteners for sure. Only a few weeks left and soon I know where I will spend the next 2 years! Yeah!!!!