here she comes, la reina del Transito

Last Tuesday I sat at the table of honor to select who was to become the first ever queen of El Transito. The girls were judged on dress, presentation, modeling, self-introduction and their answers to questions the mayor´s office presented in sealed envelopes. Most of them looked like the wanted to disappear, but in the end we elected our new queen, Susy Ceron, and the event was determined 'muy alegre', a new tradition to be repeated for years to come.

Tour de Reciclaje

All day road trip to the hottest part of the country to raid the ever-increasing roadside supply of plastic bottles. This is how we do it...

Caminta Lago Ilopango

Team Ag4

SAaaaay CONTOUR PLANTING!

What vacation looks like

After months of taking myself too seriously and living in a not so ideal situation for waaaay too long. Said situation involving a lonely, wound up, creepy old man more or less moving in with me...

I got out.

I celebrated the 4th of July by running a 5k, playing soccer and then mingling by the pool with PC friends and the Am Society. Then took off with friends for a few days of canoeing, swimming and loving life on Lato Coatepeque.

Back in El Carrizal now, living in a beautiful tiled house with some of the teachers. Worked out pretty well.

Feria y fiesta

Photos from today's Corpus Cristi religious event. 4 miracles and 4 spectacular altars including live angels, jesus with dreadlocks and fatima as a nun, topped off by blaring tropical heat.

Also a few of the youth group's booth at Ostuma's famous pineapple festival. Unfortunately not many 'tourists' stopped to try their hand at the ring toss, but at least our posters were fabulous.

caminta al volcan

Fieston de los Flores

Here in El Carrizal May = the fiesta de los flores. A month long celebration of spring including viejos (drunk men in masks) lots of pan dulce and fresco (punch). The fiesta concludes with the construction of palancas, tree trunks decorated with thousands of pounds of fruit and flowers, which are carried up to the church by many strong men. The following day, the fiesta concludes with the sharing of the palancas, lots of vendors and carnival games and a drama performed by the viejos where they attack the chuche, the viejo with the black muggers mask and tear off peices of his outfit to hand out to onlookers. Then there's a mass and the selection of a queen through a mini beauty pagent.