Today, the newcomer's Spanish class took a field trip! I was more of a cultural lesson than a language lesson, but any good language teacher would tell you that the two are intertwined. First, we went to downtown San Salvador, which is the older part of the city. Street vendors and markets were everywhere, and I will return to them for sure. But our first destination was the Bibliotheca Nationale, the home of a considerable collection of old and new Salvadoran literature. Digital, braille, and hard copies of many texts are available.  There was also a large painting of all the presidents of El Salvador:

That's Patrick and Hudak looking presidential; the brass plaque is a key to who is in the painting.

Then we went across the square to the Palacio National, which is the center of the government. They seem to have been on a hiatus, as it was mostly closed inside with no tours possible.

From there is was a short walk to the burial site of Msgr Oscar Romero, a pivotal figure in the fight for independence here. The tomb was somber, and clearly a site of some national importance and pride.

Even more important and heartfelt, however, was the place where he was killed. He lived and cared for a hospice center in San Salvador. He was an activist for the poor of El Salvador, and because of that, he was a target. While he was serving mass, a gunman fired a shot from a car in front of the church, through the open doors, all the way to the altar, where Msgr Romero had just lifted the chalice. One shot to the chest killed him.

More on Msgr Romero soon.  (There is a movie: "Romero" on Youtube)

Te rest of the day was taken up with opening a bank account and getting a debit card. And a quick swim in our pool before the thunderstorm.