back from paradise.

Things here are good! I went down to the south this past weekend to celebrate 4th of July with almost all of the volunteers from my group...we had a lot of fun! Also, it was absolutely gorgeous. Left on Thursday, stayed in 3 different volunteers' sites, celebrated the 4th in a town called Paraiso (Paradise), got to catch up with other volunteers, and then came back to Juan Lopez yesterday. It was a lot of traveling, took all of my money for July, but it was worth it. After all, it was for America.

I am back to reality now. Finishing up my diagnostic, desperately trying to cling on to any signs of friendship in my town (I think it's working! a few bumps in the road...found out that my best little high school friend is involved with the drug community- people warned me to stop hanging out with him...finally think I got rid of my Haitian stalker...and another older woman that I didn't know literally made me get in her car because she said the street where I had started to sit & hang out a few times a week is dangerous. I'm learning.), and starting to plan for my first round of English classes. I started working with a local organization that helps the poorer families in my community, so that's been really fun to see the other side of what I originally wrote off as a "wealthy community." The organization has been good for several reasons:

1. I get to do what I actually enjoy doing. (whaaat? my passion isn't teaching IT classes in Spanish?! crazy.)

2. It's a great opportunity to meet more people in my huge pueblo.
and
3. The people who run the foundation are the rich, influential people in town. Those are always great people to be on good terms with, right? Especially when I will inevitably need help later on in my project.

So yup, that's what I've been up to. Still working on the Spanish. It's coming, I suppose...not quickly, but it's a'comin.

Here are some pics...well, nope, my camera just died. So I will try to get back on that soon.

Love you all :o)