I'm back! but this time from school.
It's nice to be on a keyboard that can type the letter p.

I'm at a pause between tests; the kids seem to be finishing this one up quickly (Language) but they are doing well. I think being bi-lingual helps. The Lebanese kids in Beirut did well with it too; many of them spoke three languages.

Recently a group of EA teachers went on a field trip in Santa Tecla, to visit some possible community-service locations. One was the Posada, a community soup kitchen/dispensary. That's where Carol and I will host our birthday party for local kids. There will be a Hello Kitty Pinata for sure,  (I will be the one with the biggest stick).   The next place was an orphanage that raises organic rabbits, sheep, pigs and fish. Sadly, the government is closing down the orphanages and returning children to the (often abusive) homes they were taken out of. So, there were no children, just an eerie mossed-over playground. Then we went to an old age home for women. They were quite a group!

Here are some shots of the day:

Dear Friends,
I'm working on a Mac that needs a new motherboard ($1300), so it may check out on me at any time. For now, though, I will think positively; denial is not just a river in Egypt.

We continue to settle in pretty well! School is busy for both of us; for me, the testing is full time (I'll be back to part time after next week) and Carol is well into the admissions process. Recommendations loom ahead...  Our little house is getting more comfortable every day, with a lamp here, a vase there.
We're trying not to accumulate stuff, as we have plenty of that back in RI. I'm probably having the most fun out in the yard (which we don't have in RI!) There is a gardener for the complex (it's called the Complejo) and he trims grass and bushes, etc, and also special projects that we ask for. The school provides a lot of plants, and we have bought some at the Jardin Botanico.

We'll be getting up to the nearby city of Santa Tecla this weekend, to set up our birthday celebration at a local food pantry, complete with pinata and pizza, and lots of kids! It should be fun. After that we will explore the local mercado (which is a big outdoor shopping mall) and also get some coarse ground corn, which makes great kitty litter.

I'm gonna post this if I can, and be back later if it's possible.

Dear Friends
I'm sorry to have gone dark for these recent weeks. That was not my intent!
Both macs have had their disfunctions, serious and fixable, but none fatal.
Carol's still can't enter the letter between o and q, which leads to some interesting word choice and syntax.
Mine needs a new master board.... ouch.

Here are some images from a walk today. They will be added to a series called "Decay"