A few weeks ago i went back to Perquín where i lived during the month of Feburary. i met up with the family i stayed with and once again i was accepted back into their beautiful home to spend time with them. As always, i got to have fun with Yaneta and Cristian, playing games, telling jokes and taking photos. It was a refreshing experience to get outside of the city and hang out with the family for a week in the cool mountain air of Perquín.
i was fed the best food that i have had in El Salvador. Celedonia, the grandmother of the house (although she still is very much like the mother) would make me hand made tortillas every day, accompanied by one of her signature plates, usually consisting of beans, rice and eggs. i love the food in this country, especially because not many people eat meat on a consistant level. i consistantly find myself leaving the table, satisfied and happy.
Yaneta and Cristian decided to be silly when i was taking photos of them. it was never a boring moment, when we would hang out.
Along with Orlando, (the oldest son, who is about my age) we made a checkers board for the house. I drew the squares on the board while he cut small pieces from an old broom handle we found. Checkers is a popular game in this country and i have seen many cool improvised boards. The best part was that it was so easy to make, and now they can have a fun and mind challenging game to play. 
Although it is a little blurry, i love this photo! The dramatic shadows along with the highlights of the kids faces and clothes makes it such a dynamic shot. Cristian is on the left, Orlando in the middle and Yaneta on the right. Fortunately, i will be able to see them one more time before i go. i will be attending the winter festival that goes on every year in August in Perquín. i will spend my last 2 days in the country there, hanging out with them and enjoying the festivities.
Right outstide of their home is a small garden where they grow corn and beans. One day, Orlando and i used cumas (small curved blades) to cut weeds and clear the garden of debris. It was such a nice day and a great way to spend it, in connection with the earth. This food will be directly consumed by the family when it is ready, you cant get anymore fresh than that!
Back in Suchitoto, my students are finishing up their final art projects before our big show. We have been painting unbrellas after being inspired by a group we heard about that has a group called umbrellas for peace. The concept of an umbrella revolves around the notion of protection, so we decided to create a campaign about caring for the environment. Some umbrellas have scenes of the beauty of nature, others have scenes of how we are destroying it.
Here is a shot of some of the finished products. I will be hanging them upside down from the ceiling during the show so when people look up they will be able to see the painted parts from above. My show is this sunday, I will make sure to post some photos sometime after the festivities.
A few weekends ago, the group of friends that i practice capoeira with, gave a demonstration to 100 kids in Suchitoto, as a part of a workshop on sports and art. The idea was to open thier minds to other forms of physical activity apart from soccer. And, since capoeira is a mix of so many elements, we thought it would be a great idea to demonstrate it to them. Unfortunately there will be none of us around in Suchi to teach the kids but maybe one day there will be. Here i am playing with my friend Conejo.
This is Paloma and Min, two beginners who catch on quick to the movements of the game. Even though we dont have formal classes or a master to teach us, we still have fun and train hard. I will miss these folks when i leave. Muito axé!
