How You Doin Bubba

It is almost always the first thing I hear from ole Brad "Pepe" Kaiser.
And it makes me glad that there is another Texan in my community
With another Texan just down the road, ole Jenny in Tecoluca.

The day starts off just like any other day, even though everyday is never going to be anything like today, it always starts off the same. The roosters are singing and it is 3am which is affirmed by my watch. It is time to use that one sheet I have and wrap myself up for the remaining time I have to sleep. One of the best feelings is that 3am reminder that the air is fresh, the dogs will soon be joining in for the chorus with the roosters, and I have 3 more hours of sleep.

6am, people are talking outside of my room, the radio is blasting my favorite channel, AH BAY SAY, Pitbull seems to be on every song, and if not it is usally the best 80s song you could ever imagine. A quick stretch and smile on my face and I open the door, "Buenos dias", "Buenos dias Miguel!" Everyone has been up since 5 and they have already eaten and ironed their clothes. I head for the latrine and then grab my towel and get ready to bathe.

Concentrate, it is cold, but it is going to get pretty hot today. Enjoy this. Dumping the water on my head I talk to my host mom Ana who is just outside of the shower cleaning dishes. I tell her the plans for my day. After it is breakfast which is usually pancakes, or chicken and rice, or ramen noodles. And after I eat I try to catch some of this Mexican show called "Casa De La Risa".

The rest of the day is filled with (on a normal day) Spanish class and then culture class. From 8am to 12pm we talk Spanish vocabulary which includes vocabulary about the body, the mayor's office, and adjectives and descriptions. 12pm to 1pm is lunch time and usually have a nice nap in the hammock. After that we go back to class to learn more about the community and the country. Classes are over at 3pm and we are free.

Usually after I will go back home and hangout with the kids next door, play frisbee, or walk around and feed the cows mangos. I finally got to see the new Harry Potter. I bought it from a man for 1 dollar, and it is in Spanish, and it is in black and white. Lumos!

Sometimes it can get frustrating, not only because I want to be able to speak more fluently or because I miss Lite Bite so much, but rather because there are so many things to be done and sometimes it feels like we are not actually doing anything. Of course we are indeed doing many things, and most importantly we are adapting and learning how to live in the Valley of Hammocks for the next 2 years.