Tostados con Aguacate

Well, it´s Monday again and I just finished up my Spanish class for the day. I have some time here in the computer cafe to write a bit. Right now it is packed with little kids. They just got out of school and the computer video game craze has officially hit my town. I can tell they really want to get on my computer, but they are just going to have to wait. haha!

Yesterday I had a very good day. It started a little weird but quickly got better once the afternoon hit. I was woken up at 6 a.m. to the sound of trumpets, drums, electric guitars, and the loudspeakers of the church across the street. All at MAXIMUM volume. I was like, come on, really, you´re starting at 6 a.m... ahhhhhhh! It is my ONLY day to sleep in and it was definitely a rough way to start the day, especially since I was pretty ill for most of the day Saturday. Anyway, ear plugs are a God send, so if you come to visit me, I highly recommend you bring a few pairs. Anyway, after I woke up a bit later I proceeded to do a little power yoga session in my room to some reggaeton music while the rest of the family was at church. It was a good outlet to get out some frusteration.

I went up to the nature park later in the afternoon with the rest of my group and we spent some time in the forest. It is so nice and peaceful up there, no car horns, buses, exhaust fumes, roosters, nothing but the sound of the birds and water. It was so nice. We even ran down the trail on the way back. It felt so good to run as running isn´t really appropriate here, especially for females. It is a huge security risk for a female gringa to go anywhere alone, so I always bring a male volunteer or a trusted local with me anywhere I go. It is a little weird to not be able to walk the streets alone or go out for a jog or a hike. The danger is just too high.

Anyway on the way home, we ran into the gentleman who operates the nature park. We stopped and chatted with him. Guess how old he is, yep, 71. He hikes this huge mountain every day and works outside. He is the happiest guy and he credits the aire pura, pure air, for his great health. We continued down into town and outside of Jesse´s house, some of the girls from the Catholic Church had a tostada stand set up. We enjoyed fresh guacamole right from the avocado on the tostada and a little cheese, kind of like feta on top. It was soooo good I had two. We sat outside in the street on little stools, called bancos, and we just enjoyed watching who passed by.

This week we have a cooking class lined up for Thursday and possibly a field trip on Friday. I am getting anxious to find out my site soon and find out what I will be doing for 2 years. Training is intense and tiring, I sleep for about 10 hours every night. I just can´t seem to get enough sleep at this point. I think it is my body´s way of trying to adapt.

That´s it for now! Thanks for all of the emails!
Miss you all very much!
Tara