How do dogs know Spanish?: April 2009

My Current Life, The Album

Country is different, but the old lady plays the same.

A look down my volcano.

Out working.

A sunset in the campo.

About twenty reasons I will never want to leave.

Over a year has passed. I am so far away from Detroit Metro now. So far away from my old doubts, struggles of packing my bags, saying goodbye, and for the first time in my life, moving away from everyone and everything that I knew. A year truly brings change. At times I have never felt so far away from home, yet, some old relationships have strengthened. Perhaps the struggle to form new relationships emphasizes the importance and uniqueness of the ones that you already have. With others, they are slowly fading; this is disappointing to say the least. Stateside, where there is some distance between me and ‘los del Norte’ I have still felt the changes: deaths, marriages, a falling economy and the frustration caused by having to attempt to explain it all to a young guy who has not been around to see the actual effects. I feel the same way… so much happens here, even when life does not seem to move, but my words don’t serve it justice. It is hard to be stuck between not exactly knowing what is going on stateside and not exactly knowing how to explain everything that happens where I live now. A place I literally call home. With your eyes closed, you wouldn’t recognize me; I listen to different music, speak a different language and without a doubt smell a lot worse (that damn tropical climate).
I don’t want you to confuse what I am saying. This is not a sad entry, just a weird reflection that I find myself writing.

I haven’t drove my beat up, rusted, 91 purple Ford Ranger in 13 months people. What the heck is up with that?!?! I mean, since senior year at Salem High I depended on that thing to help me pick up chicks (and it worked… girls love that thing). I suppose the crazy thing is that in a few years I will be saying “I haven’t road in a chicken bus in a year” or “I haven’t lived on a volcano in a year” or “I haven’t had a combo of amoebas and parasites in months”. The way that people here ask me about my past but never quite understand it, that is how it will be in a little over a year when I land in Michigan again, probably just as weirded out as when I landed in El Salvador, haha.

Current Jimbo Stats:
1) Have not gained weight, but all muscle has turned into tortilla gut… sad, yet funny. Don’t worry – I will get my gym on post-Peace Corps. At least I know that Dave Hannon (friend from the MI and fellow Peace Corps Volunteer) will be hitting the weights… kid is in LOVE with his calf’s.
2) Best friend (that normally hangs out with) – 5 year old named Alexi.
3) Book currently reading: Fidel Castro Biografía a dos voces por Ignacio Ramonet.
4) Music: Mana, Mariposa Traicionera (don’t worry still love me a little John Mayer).
5) Favorite thing to do in site: Hang with two buddies in site, older dudes, and talk politics… It is insane the things that you can learn in the middle of nowhere on a volcano.
6) Coolest thing I have recently done: I am learning to work as an albanil or a mason.

I would love to get some updates like this from all of you... a year flew right by, let´s make sure number 2 doesn´t slip past us without catching up!

with love,
Jimbo

8 Hours of Cribbage!

So while Dave was here, we put on a baseball camp. My buddies Gabe and Wendell came over to help out. More on the camp later... turns out my memory card couldn´t fit all the picks - I promise a good blog on it. However, after the tourny... the gringos locked themselves in my house and we played a complete game of cribbage. If you know what cribbage is, you know that takes like 8 hours - and it did. Tunes, drinky drinks and cards.... fantastic.

My hour 5 Ando was actually histerically laughing/crying... it was amazing

Proof that Ando a) went crazy, b) was cheating... Kimbo - the shades kick butt.

Tortilla gut.... coming home with a lil more jimbo then I packed.

don´t really know what is going on hear.

All in all, Wend and I won. Ando went crazy, and Gabe and I (guy in blue) picked on eachother way too much. Excellente game, better camp and WHAT a weekend!

Baithing on the Volcan

Baithing on the volcan is awesome. Well, maybe it isn´t - but to us, it is AWESOME! End of summer, we go into a lil´bit of a water crisis, but there is always water to baith and wash clothes if you are willing to wait in some rural farming traffic (a line of people with dirty clothes and stinky kids ready to get wet).
Dave and I had some luck, and only had to wait for 45 minutes - and got our wash on.

Four of our buddies... they say that Gringos don´t spend enough time washing themselves. I tell them it isn´t quantity, but quality - they say ¨what?¨

White people point a lot... from my point of view.

Donations Help Me Get Work Done!

Thanks to the quick efforts of los Hannon, those of kinder received a visit from Don Jim, Don David and the tooth fairy. That is right, Dave (in white, dressed as a tooth), myself, and a box of paste and brushes got our dental charla on!

This is my best friend in site... he normally doesnt brush his teeth. He tells me he does not need to because these ones are going to fall out and new ones will come. It is actually pretty brillant thinking - but wrong!

It is the third time I have been to kinder... get it? Jimbo went twice...??? ANYONE?

A lot of pointing... not sure why.

Dave got stage fright. Wow... great drawing Jimbo. But those kids are soaking it all up!

You should have seen it!

They are all looking at me. I am giving them directions on how to hold the brush, how to move the brush, while I am brushing my teeth! MUMBLED, GRINGO SPANISH!

YEAH, RED DOG!

Only one, only take one, please!

Look at all those pearly whites!

Cutest kids ever!

Your donations are put right to work! All of kinder now has a brush at school. They are promised to brush their teeth once a day instead of never! WHAT AN IMPROVEMENT! Mr. and Mrs. H - thank you so much!

This gets weird, was funny at the time.

Dave and I getting fresh.

That backstabber... my two roomates... Ruben y Ando!

One from the personal collection! ha ha.

GQ Sexiest Man of the Year!

More than words.

OK enough of the roomate pics, right?

Ando and the boys!

They miss you man.

Living in the sky.

This dude pops wheelies.

Who is taller?

Short hike, and a lunch

So while ANDO was in town, we were invited to take a short hike and have a lunch!

Anyone want to eat some rabit?

The guys told us that you boil it for 30 minutes... it was boiling for over and hour and a half. Tasted great.

Imagine yourself on a HUGE peak, looking down at a group of women talking and handwashing clothes. Welcome to the campanario. I come here sometimes to baith. We hiked over it while in camino to our lunch site.