This past week, my second week of vacation, was pretty uneventful on the whole. It was Holy Week, so the town hall was closed all week (Monday to Monday). As I had just gotten back from a week of vacation, it probably would have been better for me to return to work. That wasn’t an option, however, and I got pretty used to laziness and lying around. A little time off is good, but too much is bad. I already foresee a struggle in readjusting to a normal work schedule when I get back to the states, so I need to start training myself to be more busy and productive than the life of a volunteer demands (not saying volunteers are lazy and don’t do anything, but there is no one to MAKE us do anything and sometimes self-motivation succumbs to temptation and hammocks).
I did accomplish reading most of David Copperfield this week. It’s a long book and, it being a classic and one that they sometimes make you read and analyze in high school, I thought it might be boring. I was wrong, however, and really am enjoying it. Any book that can make me laugh out loud is a good one. I am thinking that Charles Dickens actually deserves to be a classic, because many times I don’t agree with the literary critics.
The only other thing that really occupied my weekend was Donovan. On Thursday afternoon I found him limping around and eventually he was down to walking on only three paws. He kept licking and chewing at his wounded paw until he would cry. I examined it several times (which was tricky with a wriggly little animal that clearly was not thrilled about me touching his foot) to find no blood, no wound, and no foreign objects. It was definitely agitated and inflamed, but likely by his constant licking at it. So I gave him an aspirin and kept him inside for a few days to see how he got along. I would have taken him to the vet on Monday, but by Sunday he was no longer crying and was not licking it much anymore. On Monday he began walking on it as much as he could, and he is doing much better. He still favors it a bit, but he seems to be getting on so I am going to let him heal on his own.
So aside from afternoon after afternoon in my hammock and several long-winded conversations with Ismael to pass the time, there is not much to tell. There was a procession on Friday night that I went to. The town carries a statue of Jesus in a glass casket to his tomb (it’s called the Santo Intierro, the Holy Burrial) through the streets and end up back in the church for mass. Friday is more celebrated here than Easter Sunday. And, unfortunately, there is no Easter Bunny.
Isma is doing well. He worked a double shift (14 hours) on Friday instead of taking the day off like most Salvadorans and then a full day again on Saturday. He thought I was crazy on Sunday morning when I asked him if a bunny had brought him a basket of candy and then started rambling about colored eggs, buts it’s a tradition I think he will get used to (I mean, who doesn’t like Cadbury Cream eggs?). Even better, though, I am going to see him on Thursday.
We are down to less than two months away from the date we expect to get the permission from US Citizenship and Immigration Services for the fiancé visa. There will be plenty to do at that time with getting passports, medical exams, and interviews out of the way, but the long wait is not so long any more. That being said, we should be able to set a concrete date for the wedding soon, as well, so you can all clear your calendars for the celebration. I am trying to prep Ismael little by little for an American style wedding, but the truth is he has no idea what he is getting into. I just hope Aaron’s wedding doesn’t scare him too much, though I imagine ours will be a bit smaller scale.