Mom and Dad visit El Salvador

Mama and Papa Amadon recently braved airport terminals, security checks, and customs officials to make their way to El Salvador. It was Mama Amadon's very first time out of the United States, so she gets bonus points. They were both troopers, sleeping in my tiny little cement block house (sometimes lovingly referred to as "the bunker"), sleeping on my sofa, washing dishes and clothes by hand, taking public buses, meeting my wonderful friends and coworkers here, and they didn't even get sick, not even once! Good job, guys.

Thanks for coming and for experiencing my life here. Sometimes parents just want to come to El Salvador to sit on the beach with a margarita in hand for a week, but I'm really glad you both wanted to be here for me, to meet the people who are family for me here, to visit Salvadorans' homes and play with the kids at Centro Hogar, to hang out with my friends at restaurants and night clubs. You're real cool. Promise I'll come home for a visit soon.

Mom at the pila, the stone cistern where we store water for washing clothes and dishes (and sometimes bodies when it's super hot outside).

Mom, Dad, and me at the ANADES finca, on our hike to the amate tree and all the way down to the river.

Me and Dad in the back of the ANADES pickup truck, on our way to the finca in Sonsonate.

In the main square of Suchitoto, a great colonial town up in the mountains. There are great restaurants and hotels, and we found lots of great artisan products here.

Mom and me hanging out with the babies in Materno II.

a tour of the historic San Salvador downtown.

bougainvillas growing wild in Suchitoto, overlooking the Lake Suchitlan.

The kids at Centro Hogar were just charmers, as always.