Laura Salvadora: Daysi

She's the youngest daughter of quite a big family and has thus been given the role of caring for her ailing mother and father. She's seen the likes of her community and has ardenty tried to better her situation, and that of others. She's worked hard all of her life- she not only went to high school, (a rarity here) she graduated a year early. She worked as a health promoter- one who makes house visits from dawn to dusk, hiking around these montsrous peaks, most days without lunch. Her mother has hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, and is practically house-ridden. Her father, while very friendly and gentle, suffers dementia and cannot help domestically very much. Her own health, perhaps genetically, has been in jeopardy with panging chest pains from hiking so much. So, she had to give up work as the promoter. She always looks for new and better opportunities and sought training to become and educator for illiterate adults here. Under request from the people here, she started giving free classes to teach reading. At three o'clock everyday, she waits patiently at the casa comunal to give her classes. Sometimes people come, maybe 3 or 4. Many times, perhaps from sheer embarrassment, they don't.
Many of her sibling have left for the states and she'd like to go some day. But she is needed here and knows she has to better her English. So she's looking for a course to learn computation and English. She's 20 years old, and unlike most of the young ladies her age, she remains single and childess and is is no rush to do either any time soon.
When I see Daysi, I see an incredibly bright, tenacious, caring, patient, beautiful woman caged by circumstance. She wants so much to be something more, something better than expected. But there seem more forces holding her back.
I first met Daysi dirning the census. Actually, I first visited her house when she was not there, and questioned her father, Don Floro. And while enjoyed his colorful stories and charming kindess (he showed me a bettle scar from the war right away), I realized soon that he was in no way capable to answer the census. So on my second visit there, I met Daysi; who, with her excelling education not only gave me accurate responses, but she also knew more than ANYONE else about HIV and other health related questions. When I asked if she'd ever had an AIDS test, she confessed she didn't, but really, had no need to (if you know what that means). I wanted to give her a hug right away. You go girl!
That first visit, I stayed for nearly 2 hours talking with her. I almost cried when she opened up about her situation. I felt utterly clueless with what I could do to help.
One of my favorite things about Daysi is that we can actually talk. It may sound mean... but truth be told, most of my conversations with the gente here don't reach much depth. I've had the same chats about the weather and chores too many times. But with Daysi, we can have more substantial conversations without the awkward silences or hackneyed conversations. She really is one of my closest friends here, probably my best, and I want so much to help her.
She asked for help with her classes. It's maddening. And delicate. How do you make people come who don't want to. I hope with some new collaboration and pleading we might be able to get a few more regulars... but in truth this seems like something that slowly fizzles out. I guess when you've been used to not reading your whole life it's a hard decision and a huge effort to change. But if no one comes, Daysi will have to stop and there goes another job.
So today, I thought I'd share a little about one of my favorite people here, Daysi. She really is amazing, and she could be so much more if only she were given the right chance. She deserves it.

Dasyi and me at a Fiesta Rosa (or quinceñera) I attended.

Anything new with me you might ask? Well, a stint that has the potential to be quite an obstacle has arisen. Due to 3 cases of swine flu in Morazon (my department, or state) school has been suspended. It's a pending suspension that tentively will stop August 2nd (our summer break begins in November). But it could last longer, being in that this damn virus is only growing.
It is scary to be sure. But I'm also bummed. I was just getting started with the school! And now all of that footing is going out the window for the time being.
I guess this will give me the chance to focus on other areas, but the school really is a great resource for me, and I don't anticipate such an easy entrance in other fields.
In other news. Mike, the volunteer who called Los Cimientos home before me, is visiting. For the months after his service ended he backpacked through South American and worked his way back up here. It seems like quite a fabulous trip actually. He hiked through patagonia and visited a dozen countries and spontaneously traveled around practially the whole continent.
But now he's stopping by for about a week. It's nice to see him, I like taking advantage of his knowledge... and bogging him down with a million questions about his experience. But I'm also a little nervous. I guess I really value his opinion and now that he's here seeing what I'm doing in his old site... UNDER PRESSURE.
Also, this past weekend I went to a quinceñera, or as they call it a Fiesta Rosa. What an ordeal it was. So much effort was put into it. And I have to say I don't think I've ever seen an uglier pink dress.
Here are some pics... I'll preface them with saying that Salvadorans don't smile in pictures. Don't ask me why.

I thought all of these boys were adorable, they were fooling around the whole time, not really knowing what to do. I'm not exactly sure why they get so many little ones . But these kids at least had the role of holding the train of the Quince's dress while she walked.