sing, even if you hate your voice and have a cold

This morning, I started my Monday off right. I brought my beautiful guitar to Centro Hogar, recently painted by an artist friend. Every Monday morning, the kids put on the weekly assembly, where one of the classes gets to put on some kind of folkloric dance, or a play, or something else special and creative. This week, one of my coworkers suggested I participate, because the kids aren't exposed to live music very often, and it just so happens that I play guitar.

So I spent Sunday learning "Sombrero Azul," a song about the beauty and strength of the Salvadoran people, and this morning in the assembly I told the babies, listen, I have a cold, so if you know this song you can help me sing okay? Everyone can sing - did you know?

Everyone can sing. Even me, even me who hates my singing voice, and even when I'm too shy or too quiet to even be heard, everyone can sing! Even when I hate my voice, and even when I have a cold and sound like I've just smoked a pack of cigarettes. The beautiful thing about trying to teach self-confidence to kids is that we adults have to believe it too.

So, Señorita Lucy held the microphone for me and we all sang, and I played my little guitar, and it was just a beautiful moment.

Dear El Salvador, thanks for always leading me towards liberation and away from fear.

love,
liv

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.

Life, in moments.

Moment one:
The day before my birthday I spent the night in Mariona, the community I accompanied as a Casa student. The family there feels very much like my extended family. When I am there, I feel completely at ease and relaxed and supported. And joyful. This moment captures a little bit of that. These two beautiful girls are Maria Jose, five years old, and Jasmin, four. They were blowing up birthday balloons for me, and it turned into a competition to see who could blow up the balloon the biggest. Only problem is, it's hard to blow balloons that big with such tiny lungs, especially when the air keeps escaping. You'll have to watch the video to see who wins.






Moment two:
I am in the back of a pickup truck, surrounded by the staff of Centro Hogar - my wonderful coworkers - as we return from an overnight trip to the finca. It was just a convivio, a bonding trip, a PJ party, if you will. It was one of the most fun times I have ever had here. And I grew even more deeply in love with them and the work we all do.






Moment three:
Same trip to the finca with the staff of Centro Hogar, teaching them about the wonder of s'mores.







Moment four:
I am in Parque Cuscatlan in downtown San Salvador at a fair of sorts, a sort of rally for NGOs working in San Salvador. We are there representing ANADES (I am showing off my sweet new anades "share love, not HIV" tshirt), but Emilia and I escape the booth we are working to enjoy this moment as we sing along to one of our favorite songs from the Revolution, "no basta rezar."