Farewell USA; Hello El Salvador

My last dinner in the US was on August 3, spent with Richard and Arlene on their deck eating lamb, salmon, and salads. Betsy and Bosco joined us - she has lived in El Salvador and Bosco is from Honduras. English and Spanish intermingled throughout the dinner.

This is the main drag of the complejo, the compound, of the Escuela Americana of San Salvador, El Salvador. My apartment and garden are behind the curved wall, lower level. Another teacher occupies the upper level. I arrived here late on August 4. Arlene awoke at 4:45am to drive me to the airport leaving at 5am to arrive at the airport at 5:45am. Continental had oversold so I didn't have a seat until the very last minute. About 8 people were not as lucky. I don't know why I was almost bumped - certainly my tickets were purchased well ahead of time (March).
This is my apartment - I am standing in my kitchen looking through the living room to the garden beyond. My kitchen is so small that I never need to take a step, I just pivot to reach everything. While it doesn't inspire real cooking projects, it is efficient.
Standing in the living room, looking into my kitchen. My baskets are from Panama; the bananas are ceramic, made in El Salvador.
Standing in the living room looking out at my patio. There is no other place for a table so I almost always eat outside - al fresco. If it is late and the bugs are out or if it is raining hard, I eat in the living room with a plate on my lap. Not really difficult or inconvenient. I miss having a table inside most when I have work to do and need to spread out - if there is a wind or rain, outside is impossible.

I returned on August 4 believing I would start work on August 7. The H1N1 flu delayed the opening so I had a few extra days. Unfortunately this bonus time coincided with a national holiday week so little could be done since everything was closed. I wasn't supposed to enter the school, but I did to get some materials. Teachers started on Monday, August 10, and students on Thursday, August 13. I am teaching AP Literature and Composition, a grade 12 course, Grade 11 American Literature, Journalism 1 and Journalism 2. I am team teaching Journalism 1 since there were too many students for one block, and that was all I had available. This will be challenging since the teacher working with me has never taught in a standard classroom before and has never taught Journalism; she has worked in special services, in one-on-one situations.

That is all for now. Next entry will show my classroom and the school. Abrazos, Mary

Firsts

Mary has left the farm, flying, as I type, back to San Salvador. I miss her already, but we had a blast together these past two weeks. The time was filled with "Firsts".

We had our first ripe tomato from the garden.
We celebrated by having a brunch - a platter of garden vegies, feta cheese, english muffins slathered with homemade mayo, and being civilized, a bottle of local wine. There wasn't much chatter, just mmm's and smacks were mumbled as we chomped the morsels and licked the juices running down our hands.

Isn't that first summer tomato the best?

Other "firsts" from the garden during the visit were snow peas(I planted them late) and spaghetti squash. The garden in the Vineyard is doing great. I'm planning on planting more there next year - I think the peppers, tomatoes & potatoes will do even better on this slope

I'm not the only one who was happy to see Mary, I do believe the young hens were thrilled with her company. Why else would they start laying their first eggs?

The one in the middle that looks like a football was a double-yolker.

Mary & I spent many hours sewing.

While it was baking hot downstairs we chatted and helped eachother with sewing problems upstairs in the cool aircondition.
Amazing this is the first time we've sewed together!

Mary made cases for her sunglasses and travel pillow, while I finished this dress.
It is so much more fun sewing with someone - We highly reccommend it!

To top the list - Mary went to her first ever Baseball game!

Our friend Teresa gave us free tickets to an Apple Sox game. They are a Wenatchee team that consist of college age players.

You know Keith & I had so much fun explaining all the rules of the game to Mary. Just in case you have any doubts, Mary did say she enjoyed herself and appreciated all of our running commentary.

Really!

Honest!

Until next year Mary!

Mary's Summer 2009 Part 3

I've been on the farm for a week now. Some evenings I follow Megan while she does her chores, one of which is milking the goat. From the goat's milk she makes cheese and yogurt - they are truly delicious. After milking...
she returns the goat to the big pen. Behind the milking room is the hen house, where she goes to collect the egg, or sometimes, eggs.
It is not hard to collect the egg(s) because in the evening the chickens are ready to roost.

When Megan goes to the pen where the big goats and the older roosters live she feeds them and tries to protect the one duck with her fancy footwork. What's new on the farm for me are...
the turkeys and the kids. There are also several kittens but they are so cute they deserve their own posting! I need to collect more photos to try to do their cuteness justice.
I am on the farm until Monday, August 3, when I travel by train to Seattle. Arlene will pick me up, take care of me for a day, then drive me to the airport early in the morning on the 4th. I will be back in El Salvador by the evening of the 4th. School will start on the 10th for the teachers, three days later than originally scheduled because of continuing problems with the H1N1 flu. So my next posting will be from El Salvador unless I can squeeze in a kitten posting. Otherwise you will hear from Megan next!

Mary's Summer 2009 Part 2

For those of you who don't know, I have three children: Cecilia, Madeline and Cedric. Cecilia is studying opera performance - she is a soprano - and will begin her fourth year at the University of Brandon this September; Madeline graduated from Concordia University in Montreal with a BFA last year; Cedric will be in his third year at Bishop's University studying physics and math.

Cedric joined Madeline and myself in Montreal and we had a wonderful time exploring the city.

Cedric and I stayed in a house I was able to rent for eight days. Then he and I took a bus to Toronto where we were met by Cecilia, who was staying in Mississauga with her Bel Canto singing teacher. Cedric and I stayed at a motel, an easy walking distance from Pattie's apartment, where Cecilia was staying; in exchange for room and board and voice lessons, Cecilia was doing child care - a good deal for both.

Madeline joined us in Mississauga to hear Cecilia sing for Pattie's birthday party. She was a surprise for Cecilia so I went to the train station to meet her, telling Pattie and Cecilia that I had forgotten an ingredient for the eggplant lasagna I was preparing as my contribution to the party spread. Believing that family should never miss an opportunity to get together, here they are: Cecilia, Cedric and Madeline; obviously I am added to the mix in the photo below.
Madeline had spent the day in Toronto to see the art fair, which she plans to participate in next year. Cedric and I returned to Montreal after a week in Mississauga for a few more days (highlights: hearing Stevie Wonder at the Jazz Festival, wandering the old port, China town, and going to a farmer's market that was absolutely enormous) before I flew to Winnipeg and Cedric bused to Lennoxville where Bishop's is. I visited old friends in Winnipeg, went sailing at Gimli, did some business then on to Seattle. Richard picked me up at the airport, took care of me for a night, then Arlene put me on a train to Wenatchee where Megan stood waiting.

Mary's Summer 2009 Part 1

My summer holiday started mid June with a visit to Louisiana. Ed and Mitzi took care of me again and Mom and Dad kept me entertained with discussions on books and their trip to Israel. Edwin Noah was visiting as well and I sure enjoyed his company - what a great boy! I left them to visit Madeline in Montreal. Here she is with her back balcony garden. I adore Montreal!
Madeline works at a stamp making shop. She is the smallest person who works there but runs the biggest machines as she does her part of the stamp making process. As well she meets the customers and takes their orders. I loved her shop and the people she works with.

Starting.....again

The blog has had a facelift and this is why:

My sister Mary is visiting me on the farm this July to pick vegetables, be amused by goats, hold kittens, collect eggs and admire the various gardens. The visit has inspired us to recreate this blog as shared space and posting responsibilities.

So, this site, which was asleep for many months, is awake again as a joint endeavor.

Two Sisters. Two Countries. Two Lives. One Blog!

Stopping

I've decided that I'm going to end blogging about the Farm.
Nothing drastic, I just want to try a different way of chronicling our Time on the Farm.
Not sure what that will be exactly - but I'm sure it will come about.
But please do come visit us - pet some babies animals, take rambling walks,
enjoy cocktails and listening to the river, frogs singing, roosters crowing and goats screaming.