Thank God Its Friday

If you’re in Xela this Friday, don’t miss this party. And if you’re not, well, plane tickets are cheap these days aren’t they?

Interview on Joshuazeidner.com Blog

A technology worker named Joshua Zeidner interviewed me for his blog last month, about the work I’ve been doing with Partners in Solidarity.  The link is here for those that would like to read.  Also, a new site should be up for Partners within a few days, more or less designed by me with a little help from my friend DJ Payne on the backend.

Beautiful Photo from Easter Week

Viernes Santo

Originally uploaded by Hugo Escobar

I saw this photo on Flickr and thought it was beautiful. I see this women such as these in processions often, but never looking quite like this.

The Long and the Short of It

NOW added to the endangered species list in New York City, along with independent booksellers and shoe repair: the neighborhood record store.

Quoted from the New York Times article Record Stores Fight To Be Long-Playing

I read this article about record stores dying in New York City and it made me sad.  I’ve had a lot of fun and learned a lot in record stores, and independent retailers in general, over the years.  However, these days I find myself spending less and less money in them as I acquire more digitally.  Especially being in Central America for the last 5 and a half months, where the only way to acquire media has been in the digital form.  Now however, on a two week trip back to California, I’m reliving the feeling of vitality I get when surrounded by the culture inherent in bookstores, record stores and the like and having trouble imagining a world without them.  So I guess instead I’ll imagine a world where even those who acquire mass collections of digital media will also take the time to mosie on down to their neighborhood book or record shop and spend a few bucks, which I did do yesterday at the Booksmith book store in San Anselmo, CA yesterday.

Thoughts on Guate

Its Monday night in Guate, just started my sceond week in school.  This week I start in the mornings instead of the evenings so have more of the day to explore, and work as it may be.  I´ve become quite settled here in xela for the mean time, making traveler friends and local friends.  Its interesting acclimating to life in a country such as Guate, which really does teeter precariously towards anarchy.  There are so many luxuries that we get used to back in the states that don´t exist here.  Sanitation regulations, police protection, reliable transportation.  Within all this though, people are amazingly kind and helpful for the most part.

It really is amazing here that the mechanism functions at all.  This all really set in for me today while I was speaking with a local college student that lives in the home stay with me.  We were walking around town, then took a minibus to the market to buy a cell phone charger for me.  The minibuses are minivans that are filled beyond capacity to around 25 people and drive circuitous routes to pick up as many people as possible.  Fare is around 20 cents US.  They are fun, but so different from anything one would experience in the states.  I´ve been in them many times in the last couple weeks but today the contrast really began to set in.  Living with the family has also been nice but a little difficult.  I´m feeling the need for privacy and will probably grab a weekly room in an apartment next week while I continue my studies.  The family unit, plus three boarders, is a little lacking in privacy ‘ though great for practicing Spanish.

Last weekend had a packed weekend. Went to a gringo’ish DJ party with some friends Friday night, and went out with the local kids from my house on Saturday to a public concert and to club.  The concert was sponsored by Gallo beer, and faetured a large fake christmas tree, the ¨arbol gallo¨.  Fun, but also the most isoalted Ive felt yet, as it was loud and hard to understand people´s Spanish.  Sunday I went to Fuentes Georginas, a tropical paradise with Hot Springs in the hills above Xela.  (link)  Nice to leave the city and be in some actual hot water!

I will probably stay in Xela and volunteer for a while with an org that places donated computers from the states in rural schools.  More on that soon, and more photos soon.  Hope everyone´s well and please be in touch!