First visitor!

Sydney!!!
(shout out to the Libreria Catolica folks! Check out the sign in the background!)

Outside the Cathedral, very Mary Poppins (feed the birds)
ps they call me that here, "Mary Poppins"

Sydney, the volunteer who left here last September, has come to visit and arrived yesterday afternoon. She spent 2 years here in ES working with the youth in Santa Anna and Chalchuapa. Today we hopped a ride into Santa Anna with Sor. Pati, the Animator (like a superior for the community), who had a meeting there. We visited the school she worked at and she showed me pictures of the girls from the school who are entering with the Salesians here (Sydney is also an aspirant) and all of the nuns commented on her fantastic new outfit or "uniform."

Inside the Cathedral...it's actually all concrete but it's painted very beautifully

They had a life-size photograph of the Shroud of Turin in the Cathedral (Turin is also the home of our founder, Don
Bosco)

Another church...

The theater in Santa Anna where we will see the Don Bosco play soon when the remains of Don Bosco visit!
We are learning a song and everything ;)


It was wonderful to get out and see a bit more of the country and get a better sense of the real world of El Salvador. It was also indescribably lovely to say whatever I felt like and know the words to say! Sydney was running into people she knew everywhere, which gives me hope that I'll get to know more of the greater community outside of our little compound here at Casa Hogar. Apparently there are a lot of local VIDES volunteers in ES that I might get to meet while Sydney's here, and hopefully continue an acquaintance with! Sydney also introduced me to the immigration officer here, who is really nice and speaks English (!) and it seems like it might not be so difficult to get my religious work visa after all, especially if I can get the US Census Bureau to release my fingerprints and background check...

We also checked out the Cathedral and spent some time with Jesus, had Zapote (a very sweet tropical fruit that looks a bit like a potato but is orange on the inside) smoothies, and took a few turns around the Mayor's courtyard.

The courtyard at the Mayor's office. Yes, that statue is exactly what you think it is...Sydney and I had lots of bathroom adventures today as they don't generally stock toilet paper here...and everywhere was out of soap...just thought you might like to know ;)

Hmm...hard to tell the difference between topiary and dance costumes sometimes...  Her boyfriend's outfit coordinated too.  Bright green laces.  Just sayin'.  Some people-watching sessions are very rewarding.