Fond Farewells....if you can imagine it

I just realized about 20 minutes ago that this weekend will be my last time in Jayaque.

There is a dance this weekend in Jayaq-city (more specifically Los Sitios, the best city in the world as we say). And so in about 20 minutes, I will make my way on ethe 105 bus from La Seiba for the last time to Jayaque. There is a huge group of us going, about 10 people, to spend the night at Julios house and dance the night away until 2 or 3 in the morning. Then at 5, Colin, a student here, and Trena, one of the directors, will be running 16 miles up and down the huge hill that covers the municipalities of Jayaque and Talnique.

After they get back from their run, the wonderful family we have in the cooperative of about 25 youth and Niña Tere (Julios grandmother) and Fito (who can only be explained by a picture of his smile) are throwing us a Despedida (goodbye party, Im using a lot of parenthesis in this entry). We are going to go to Zapoton, this natural spring/well nearby with huge cliffs to jump 7 or 8 meters into the water, about as high as a telephone pole Salvador tells us. After a day of swimming and eating tomorrow, we will make our way walking to the river in Los Sitios to camp out for the night. Sunday, the four of us gringos (Ryan, Colin, Roe, myself) will make our way back in pickup and bus to set up for our own Despedida in Casa Romero. The 24 of us students will soon be joined by the staff, the becari@s, and about 400 other Salvadoran brothers and sistas.

Projects are pretty much done, I will be working on Roe and my documentary on the women of Jayaque when I return to the states. Its just been an insane past couple of weeks and I apologize for the lack of entries. I just want you all to know that I am coming back Wednesday to the states. We have a retreat Monday and Tuesday (although we all know were going to the beach Tuesday) to "disorient" ourselves, whatever that means, to get ready to come back. Ive found that its not about separating the worlds, however, because we all live in one world, on one planet. Its about meshing it together. Nevertheless, I will still not know exactly what to say or how to say anything about this place quite eloquently or accurately for some time, and I know that. Ideally, I would lvoe to just take a month to rest with my mind that has been working overtime for so long and enjoy the moments and find the life and explore what I need in the states that gives me this same feeling here, life. I want to look into the withinness of it all, and dive further than any surface barrier will allow me.

Thats where I am right now.


Go dance, will ya?