I have a new found respect for my teachers...

So, I have survived the first week in the school back in San Salvador! The week started off in a fairly sad way - we went to the school to meet the children and see which classes we would be teaching, but whilst being shown around had info casually shared such as - "yes, that little girl who just said hello (she´s 6) was being abused for two years by her daddy" and "that 9 year old boy, his dad has died and his mummy leaves him for weeks at a time, so he´s taking cocaine now".... Went for a walk around the La Chakra area so that we could be ´shown´ to the gang members as being part of the school as this will mean we don´t get targeted at all. Apparently last time a member of the 18 gang mugged a teacher, he got ´punished´ by the leader with a baseball bat. Hm. So anyway, lots of sad things and a shockingly casual attitude to death - teenagers here are the same as anywhere, stroppy, temperamental, deeply in love, except that they have the power to order ´death´ as a consequence of, say taking a mobile phone... It makes you realise the amazing amazing work the nuns are doing here, literally saving lives every day. This particular time, Sister Cruz sat down the boy whose phone had been stolen, and talked to him for 5 hours. Then when he went to find the people who he had asked to kill the boy that took the phone in order to stop them, Sister Cruz barricaded the boy that took the phone into the school, so that he could not be found before the ´killing order´ was called off. The phone was sold for 5 dollars.

We also discovered earlier this week that whilst there is a huge presence of police and the army with quite frankly unnecessarily large guns, the police are actually corrupt (horrible stories, like handcuffing members of opposite gangs together and leaving them on one person´s home turf) and take a cut of the "rent" collected by the 18 gang. Everyone who is not a member has to pay this rent, and bus drivers all have to pay 5 dollars a day...particularly tricky when each person pays 10 cents to ride the bus. Apparently some ridiculous statistic like 2000 bus drivers were murdered last year. The first time we went to the school, as we got nearer to the rough area on the bus, the bus stopped and everybody turned around to wait for us to get off - it took 5 minutes to convince them that we were with Sister Cruz and wanted to carry on! But, despite all that, don´t worry. As Emma aptly put it, "we have Sister Cruz, God, and the most powerful gang in the Western Hemisphere on our side...."

There are lots and lots of stories like this, but back to the rest of the week! My spanish has improved like you wouldnt believe. Mainly, because over the week I have accomplished the following, entirely in spanish - I have: taught english classes, practiced english conversation and explained grammar to prospective uni students (only 1 english teacher for the whole school), taught choir, taught recorder, taught piano to 5 different 14 year old boys (they loved it and now want 3 lessons each a week!!), taught a dance class, taught a computer class and taught netball! Absolutely exhausting, we´re leaving the house at 6.30am and don´t leave school until 6.30 in the evening! However, it´s the best kind of tired I´ve ever experienced. I think teaching somewhere like this would be tough at the best of times but doing it in a language you don´t know is a whole different ball game! I´m thinking of sitting a GCSE spanish when I get back, I´m certain being here will have helped me that much!

The children here are just SO eager to grab everything that comes their way! They all love learning english and they´re constantly asking to do everything possible extra curricular wise. There´s none of the lethargy that you see in English schools. I think they realise that if they want to get out of here, and don´t want to be in the gang, this is the only way out. (With 800 children in the school, it´s quite amazing to think that literally a whole generation of potential gang members could be averted!) The school is actually relatively well provded for, in that they have some equipment such as computers, and have a new sports area. However, when you contrast it to their homes (shared toilets, shared sinks in the community, not much food but luckily the school gives out powdered milk and gives the kids one hot meal a day) it becomes more apparent how necessary it is.

We´ve met some great kids - my particular fave is Walter, a little 6 year old rascal who will NOT stay in his class, and is just the cheekiest thing I´ve ever met! Controlling kids has been a challenge in spanish (because although they are eager to learn they are still naughty and excitable as anything!) and thinking up quick retorts to the 14 year old boys (most are in love with Aisling as she has the palest skin!) has been difficult! The children that come just for the afternoon are ones that work on the buses selling sweets or in the market selling fruit in the morning, and they can be a bit harder, but I still managed to get a round of applause from 6c (12 year olds that come just for the afternoon) after my first English class with them :)

It´s been pretty funny being around here as a western girl with blonde hair. People do not exaggerate when they say men love white skin... you literally cannot walk past an El Salvadorian male without a wink, pucker, or kissing noise that they´re particularly fond of. Emma accidentally told a four year old she loved him (whilst offering him a pencil - she said te quiero..) and received a wink for her trouble... If British men had only a tenth of the enthusiasm here it´d be great haha, we´ve each already at least two marriage proposals... It´s going to be quite a blow to the ego when I return to England! They LIKE my lily-white irridescence here...

Right, bedtime. We´re up at 4am tomorrow to go to Perquin (great Sunday morning lie-in...) in the back of a pick-up. We were up at 5.30am this morning for a special mass. (I´m getting quite used to receiving illegal communion, I don´t think I´ve made any faux-pas yet). Monday, we don´t have to get up until 6.30am, so it will be great!

Also, I´m still called Lily. I´m getting quite used to it - I particulary like "Senorita Lily, Senorita Lily!" "Yes?" "....Hello."

Lots of love to you all, buenas noches xxxxxxxxxx