You Gonna Eat That!? - Mike Watkins /No Cavities And A Negative Stool Sample

Hey, hellooooo.
it is has been a few months, clearly, and now I am proud to say that I have completed my first year of service, had my medical evaluation and am very healthy, and I have no cavities. I am very fortunate to only have gotten amoebas, on more than one occasion, and to have been sick only once this whole time here.

Things are much different, they have been for quite some time. I feel different in my community. Not different as in set apart, but rather I feel just like another member of my community. Whenever I don't eat pupusas for more than 2 days I crave them, I eat 3 tortillas for lunch everyday instead of a half of one like my first months, and I have a dog that is serious about take caring of me. Little kids in the street will now speak to me in English after having taught them how to hear"How are you" and respond with "I'm good thank you." My boys are much more protective with me, they look out for me, make sure I am safe when I am not in site. My community has also met my brothers so they ask questions, want to be updated about them. There are so many more things that have changed that have made it hard, some days, to really envision that in less than a year I will be leaving.

Sometimes I feel like I am not actually going to go back, that is that I am not going home, I am home. Every single house in my community has someone that is right now, or has been recently, in the United States working. I heard a friend the other day tell me something that I could really relate to. He said he felt like his home was in the States, but his country is El Salvador. Sometimes I feel the same way, but reversed.

Now with a year left I am writing lots of letters to South Africa, finishing my reading list, seeing my projects come together, and planning some big changes in the next year and a half.

Your Brother is Better Looking Than You And Your Older Brother

The past 3 weeks have flown by.
My two brothers and sister in law came in,
And I am finally coming down from strep.
I remember when we hungout last time in June of 09. They both told me that they would come and visit me, and a year later they both came to this country where I serve. I had already had almost a month to practice before they came. I got to see the reactions of someone who had never been out of the USA, and the reaction of a seasoned traveler. We also wrestled a few times.

While they were here we celebrated my first full year in this country. And even though I can clearly remember certain poignant parts of this first year, I tend to think of that first year for another volunteer. I never expected anything before coming here, except that I expected it to be hard. And it is. I also knew that I would probably become closer to people as my spanish got better. You can ask my brothers, Tonio and his family are one of the best reasons to come and visit me and El Salvador.