Day 7

No container yet. We're figuring Monday by lunch. because the last we heard from the shipping company, they said Friday evening. It's apparently en route from Guatemala right now. I'll bet it's parked on the side of the road near here with a driver sleeping in it because it's not a business day. We need a customs agent to unseal it and it would block the street here so it's just as well it didn't arrive Friday night to taunt us over the week-end. Oh well, it's out of all of our hands. I've learned before that everything is always "mañana" in Latin America.

It's Sunday here. It seems to be a rest day for most. All of the restaurants and markets are open. There's not really anything for me to do. I'm going to chat with Ed later about some audio/music ideas he came up with. Mel and Sean are working with the fabrics we got at the market in San Salvador (which was crazy) trying to make dye lots and get a few patterns made so they can hit the ground running tomorrow.

The San Salvador market was pretty cool. Huge and busy and bustling. I didn't feel crowded or unsafe at any point but If someone wanted to grab my camera or something they'd be gone in a flash. I have no idea how we found our way around because it's a huge rats nest of stalls selling everything from fish to beads to wicker, to pirated DVDs. There's a giant gothic church in the middle that has been engulfed by streets lined with fruit and vegetable stands that you drive through on the way into the central market building. We parked inside underneath and from there we braided and weaved our way through multiple levels and inside and out, stopping when we saw something on our list. Mario had it all laid out where to go first etc. A woman we bought some stuff from became our guide. We were asking her where to get this and that so she took us around to show us. We left all of the thing we had bought to that point with her mother at her stall and then cam eback to pick it up and she got us back to the van.

Tomorrow is a big day. 9am there's a lot of different help showing up. I apparently have at least three eager hands who want to know about electricity and lighting, and there's a group of sewers as well. It'll be great to have all the help once the container shows up. The municipality is also sending over manpower for unloading once it arrives. My team doesn't speak any english and all I can do is order beer in spanish so I'm not sure what we'll do until lunch but we'll figure something out.

Mel - Day 6

Passed on breakfast again this morning and over to Es Artes we headed. On the way we stopped at the fabulous bakery we found earlier in the week - Pan Lillian. Tasty, tasty stuff and crazy cheap. We go to Es Artes and started some blogging and some emailing while waiting for Sean to arrive. I also ventured to eat a couple of biscuits from the bakery (my first real food in 2 1/2 days!) Sean arrived and we decided to set to work organizing the props and costume workroom. As we were about to start a pickup truck pulled up outside and out jumped 6 young men with painting tools who immediately set to work scrubbing the walls in the room we were about to work in. Turns out the room was going to be painted that day in preparation for the launch party that will be held there. Except no-one had told us this was happening. After some negotiation, it was agreed that they would come back to paint that room tomorrow morning so that we could work today.

Sean and Mike set up the room and then Sean took me on a tour of the treasures they had found at the market. There is some very neat stuff! They managed to find most of the props and other than a bit of breakdown and decoration they should be fine as they are. He also managed to find some great fabric for the costumes. Due to the direction that the show has taken Sean has decided that we will make a basic costume for all 36 cast members that will consist of a basic 'tunic' style top with various modifications for sleeve and neckline, and either pants or a skirt for the men and women. He found a heavy muslin which he wants to dye different colours for each of the various groups of characters. Each of these costumes will then be fitted and altered for each specific actor. They will also receive decoration of varying degrees depending on their specific character. It think it is a fantastic design and will result in an incredible looking production but I have to say that I am a bit concerned at our timeline at the moment. At this point we have only 9 days before we move into the chapel space and only 11 before our tech dress. We are talking with the dyer on Monday at 9am but we don't know how quickly that can be done. The new news on the container is Mon. late morning for its arrival which is hopefully accurate as it contains the two sewing machines (that we hope still work). I know that all of these things have a way of working themselves out and that the community is so supportive of making this project happen that we won't have trouble finding replacement sewing machines or extra help. But right now, it does seem to be a bit daunting.

We had lunch and then I headed home for a nap while Mike and Sean went to Esquela Taller to meet the entire cast. Afterwards, to liven our mood and push away the oppressive heat, we went for a lovely swim at El Tejado. For dinner it was Gringos tonight as we were all craving a bit of home - a hamburger and fries. Earlier in the day I had decided enough was enough and took some Imodium so that I could keep some food in me long enough to actually absorb some nutrients. I didn't eat a lot but man it felt good to be eating at all.

We joined everyone in the square for cervezas and made plans to go to the disco later. Patricia decided she would pick us up at Sean's place so he wouldn't have to walk up the ridiculously steep hill that takes him from his hostel to town. So, she shows up in her very run-down Jeep and we piled in making 7 of us in total. I don't know how we made it up that crazy cobblestoned hill! I think it was by sheer will of everyone in the vehicle and the crazy Spanish cheering. So.... the Disco... crazy hot.... crazy loud - nothing new there. But the odd thing is it's like a wedding. Everyone in town goes. Young... old... man... women... gay... straight. It was quite and entertaining night. We even met a guy who keeps this giant locust as his pet. I mean it was huge! He passed it around to everyone to hold and pet (No.... I was not that brave). Eventually, we stumbled home in the cool night air drunk on the joy of the evening. (okay - and a couple of cervezas too!)

Words of the day:

Suero = this crazy hydration drink you get at the pharmacia. Basically what they put in IV bags.

Pan = bread

Queso = cheese

The Church in the Square at Sunrise

The Church in the Square at Sunrise..... stunning!

(picture by Sean Mulcahy)

The Stations of the Cross

Start of the Procession

Large Jesus!

Speaker on a Pole (the guy with the car battery is walking just ahead of this)

The Night of the President's Visit Pictures

El Teatro alight for the celebration. This is the larger theatre in town.

The streets were alight with candles on the curb and in metal trees.

Disco Church (you can do amazing things with Par Cans and a chase sequence!)

Angels that were part of the celebration.

One of the angels decided to pose for Mike.

Mel's Day 3, 4, and 5!

Sorry for the lack of entries for the last couple of days but as you may have gathered from Mike and Sean's posts, I have not been feeling quite myself. Well, that might be an understatement. If it is Montezuma's revenge in Mexico what is it in El Salvador? Well, whatever it is, it is pissed!... I mean angry!.... It's not revenge but abject hatred.... vengeance! For the last two days I have eaten nothing except a few saltine crackers that Mike managed to find for me (thank you to the best husband ever) and drank only gatorade while sleeping practically all day immediately in front of a fan. I have also had more conversations about my digestive system with both friends and strangers alike than I have had in all of my life!

But I will leave this lovely topic for now and try to describe the rest of the last three days. Wednesday was quite good. Mike and I hung out at Es Artes most of the day. Sean went home mid-morning as this was the day he started feeling ill. Shortly before lunch, Mike and I found ourselves involved in a production meeting of sorts but minus the director or designer. There were concerns from the local crew about authenticity in design and the issue of live animals and all I could do was keep saying that I couldn't make any decisions but that I would broach their concerns to Ed and Sean. We then planned to have a production meeting the next morning with everyone there.

Mike, myself, Tatiana, and Capitan Roca (the website designer - I haven't gotten the story on the Capitan part of the name yet) headed over to Villa Balanza for lunch. It was Chiles Rellanos today and they were YUMMY! It's basically green peppers stuffed with potatoes and meat with a breading all around it and a bit of tomato sauce too. We tried to get Sean to join us but due to the lack of phone access it became a bit of an adventure. One of the waitresses was sent up the road to check on him. This meant that poor Sean, who was in the throes of intestinal agony, opened his door to find a woman with gold teeth and wearing the traditional garb that all the waitresses at Villa Balanza wear who spoke only Spanish and was frantically trying to communicate something to him. Eventually they got him to a phone in the house where he was able to speak to Tatiana and sort the whole thing out.

In the afternoon we had quite a wonderful experience with checking out the market and some of the smaller stores in Suchitoto. Tatiana had arranged for a young woman name Ohenia (I am sure I spelled that incorrectly) to accompany us to the market. Thank goodness she was with us! I can’t imagine having to navigate all of the shops and stalls asking for prices and availability with my pathetic amount of Spanish! The goal of this trip was to price out different items so that Sean or I would know what our options are in Suchitoto and could go and pick them up quickly another day. Everyone was so pleasant even if they did look questioningly at these foreigners running around with a notebook and camera just asking what price everything was. Thank goodness for Ojenia as I am very good with the 'Quanto questa?' part of the transaction but terrible with the flurry of Spanish that usually follows that question. We had a leisurely evening where we met up with Ed and Trevor for some pupusas. They were tasty. And then off to bed we went.

It was Thurs. morning that I woke up with my intestinal issues. I managed to make it to Es Artes for the production meeting but soon after that I went home to be - where I then stayed for the next 30 odd hours. In the meantime, Sean and Mike puttered around at Es Artes. The container had still not arrived and so there wasn't much for them to do. It was again a leisurely day for them which, from what I hear, ended in a wicked game of crazy eights!

Friday morning dawned with the chirping of the geckos. This was the day of the big trip to the huge marked in San Salvador. As much as I wanted to go, my body had other ideas, and so I stayed in bed. Apparently it was quite an adventure and a very successful shopping trip but I will let Mike and Sean tell you about that. By Friday night I was going stir crazy (I was tired of having long intense conversations with the gecko that lives in our room) so out we ventured. The President was coming to town and they were setting up a reception for him in the town square. Also, it was Friday and that means Stations of the Cross day. (not sure if this is only during lent or all year long) What a moving and at the same time strange ritual. It starts at the large church in the town square and processes all around town. Alter boys, a priest and a nun are in the lead with a huge Christ carrying the cross immediately following. Then, directly behind that are all of the men. The women walk in a line on either side of the whole procession. There is singing and praying led by the priest who is 'piped' through a 'MASH' like loudspeaker mounted on a pole and this whole system is run off of a car battery which is carried by one of the other men. (there are pictures to follow) We then watched them finishing setting up and slowly made our way back to our hostel for an intense game of travel Scrabble.

We went to bed but were soon awakened by what I was sure were bombs going off just outside our room. Turns out they were fireworks being set off a couple of blocks away! Wow they were loud! Apparently we are having similar fireworks at the launch celebration. I think I need to find some earplugs before then. Suchitoto is becoming known for its fireworks displays. The story is that one of the more prominent bomb makers for the guerilla army during the war has now opened a fireworks factory in town. I suppose its a great example of taking your skills and using them for good.

Today we have not only words of the day but travel tips as well.

Words of the day:

Ferreteria = hardware store (the first 2 r's are rolled - something which I am incapable of doing and which Ojenia and the rest of the staff at Es Artes teased me about all Wed. afternoon. Try it! It's not easy!)

Cuche Monte = wild boar (we have one of these in the show - although thankfully not a live one - read Sean's post about the rabbits and chicken)

La quenta = the bill (as in the bill in a restaurant)

Travel tips:

Items you should be sure to bring with you...

1. Saltine crackers. The only things I wanted when lying there in agony and not something you want to have to try to find when in that state.

2. A Thermometer. We brought a whole kit of medicinal supplies but not one thermometer!

3. Baby Wipes. Self-explanatory!

Sean's Truth in Blog

This morning I tripped on a chihuahua. I think it was a metaphor for the town of Suchitoto. At first glance, you can pass by it in a blink and never know what sleeps there, but if you land on, (and kick it), you'll be amazed at how much life and vigour lies beneath the sleeping dog. I'm not going to lie, with the heat and illness, the language barrier and isolation and the mere sense of general confusion, it has taken me a while to warm up to this place, (pardon the pun). Now, with the better part of a week past I am finally beginning to see what people find so appealing about this community and what it has to offer. The people are all very welcoming, and patient. When I was at a loss for words at the Farmacia, a customer stepped in to translate my wild gesticulations for 'puke'. I have discovered the local bakery, which opens quite early and is on my way into Es Artes. The goods are so fresh and the staff so lovely, it's sugar cookies were all I survived on during my troubled days early in the week. The staff at the theatre are all so keen to build the project and provide support in any and all ways they can. They work with you to bridge the divide in language and generate so many great ideas I sometimes wonder why they even need me here to coordinate the design. At night the town meets in the square just to be neighbourly and by 11pm the whole village is serene and peaceful, except for the dogs and roosters who crow at each other under the stars. Everyone is hot and everyone is sweaty, so convincing someone to have a beer with you is never a challenge. My room is air-conditioned, thankfully, and it has all I truly need in a 12 x 12 space, except for spare towels. Yesterday we made a day trip into San Salvador central market, with one of our co-workers, a driver and a translator. Picture Kensington, 50 times the size with all the stalls built right on top of one another in a maze of baskets and clay, dried fish and sweaty chicken. We had a great time, stayed safe and nobody was robbed. At one stall we spent $60, so the lady working there took a liking to us. She decided that it would be fun to be our host for the remainder of the trip and guided us around corners and down aisles to all the best stalls, finding all we needed on our list. She was amazing and even helped carry our goodies to the bus we had rented for the day. I thought that perhaps the staff here had known her from before, but as it turns out she too was hot and bored and just wanted something to do to pass the time. I am so grateful for her help in finding the right fabrics in the bizarre of flannel and polyester. The natural cottons she dug out for us, I would never have found on my own and the terracotta colour of one is unlike any I've every seen before. We found hand braided rope and clay cooking pots. Carved wooden 'daggers' and beads of all kinds. Turquoise is very popular here and I have been encouraged to use it in the traditional costume wear. Today I look forward to opening up the bags and playing with my new supplies. I am also very anxious to see some the local artisan galleries, and as I walked out of the bakery this morning I saw the townspeople setting up a local market in the square. Souvenirs here I come! I plan to attempt bartering now that I feel a little more comfortable and today I may even eat some more solid foods. This may not be the place for me to retire to, but I understand why people come here, why they might fall in love with the country and why we are working so hard to make a positive impact on it aside from its civil strife. I miss home, but I am also looking forward to the adventures that lay ahead here in the sleepy city of Suchitoto. Its definitely a cultural shift, and one I likely needed to know how lucky I am to live in the snow filled home of the free. Sorry to the flea ridden dog, let me point out that he was not mortally harmed when I stumbled upon his stone bed in the road. Signing off, Sean.