Salsa Music in the Internet Cafe

Well, I am loving life right now. It is nice outside and I´m sitting here in the Internet Cafe listening to salsa music while I type. Not too bad for a Friday in Guate. We learned how to make jam this morning in Spanish class. We went up to a lady in the community´s house to learn the process. She is known for her delicious jams. She comes to the headquarters to sell her jam when we all meet for common session. We makes a wonderful mango jam and also makes jam out of some of the exotic fruit of the area. We learned how to make jam as a possible side project to teach to the women in the community. It is a good way for them to have as a small business to bring in some extra money for the household. Plus it is soo good too!

Also, adding to my good day is the fact that I had pepian for lunch. It is my most favorite food in Guate. When you come down to visit, I will make sure you get to try it. This is a good thing as I have been sampling a lot of the cuisine that could make it on Andrew Zimmern´s show, including various parts of the digestive system of various animals. I´m all for trying anything once, but I was beginning to crave something that I was more familiar with and knew how to eat.

More fun side notes:

1. We are almost done with our project. FINALLY! We have the signs up and have only a couple more to make due to some unexpected issues with permission of placement. The key to surviving work down here in flexability, good communication, and repitition, repitition, and more repitition.

2. I find out my site in 7 days, not like I´m counting or anything...

3. I have made it one whole week without a ´"digestive incident" but now that I say that who knows what will happen...Attention digestive system: I am knocking on wood right now...

4. I am continued to be amazed at the volume of everything down here. The houses in our area seem to have a daily battle with the music, and it´s all bad. Nothing like Alvin and the Chipmunks in Spanish blasted at full volume in competition with religious power ballads with some occasional live trumpets and electric guitars, roosters, and camioneta horns mixed in for good measure.

5. Funny story - you can use the volume thing for your advantage. One of the volunteers was raising a pig at his site and he forgot to tie it up. Well, it escaped and it was lost. So, he talked to the guy that drives around in a truck with several loundspeakers, to put out a public service announcement for him. Easy, only 2Q. So the loudspeaker guy basically started to drive around blasting, "Be on the lookout, the gringo lost his pig." Sure enough, the next morning, a sweet grandma came by his house at 5 a.m. with the lost pig. This my friends is the power of the loudspeaker system in Guatemala.

That´s all for now! Cheers!
Tenga un buen fin de semana!
Tara