mimi finally visits!

After a year and a half, my little blister has finally come to visit! Having Mimi here has been really wonderful.
Our trip didn't start off so well, however. On the way back from the airport, I made sure to introduce Mimi to the famous Salvadoran food the pupusa. As we were eating, I also ordered an horchata, a local delicious drink, though I warned her not to drink it because of the ice, and I know she has a sensitive stomach. I, in my hubris, bragged that I was "used to the water" and fine to drink it. At 2 am my words came back to haunt me as I vomited violently over the toilet. I tried to play it cool but by the 5th time I prayed at the porcelain god, I decided that this was not, in fact, normal. We rushed to the hospital, where the admitted me. I sent Mimi home, but then was stuck at the hospital for the next day, eating nothing but IV fluid and broth. Mimi was a good sport though and went by herself on a tour of San Salvador, where she learned a lot which she shared with me over the next week.

I know she will probably think it's annoying that I say this, but I am really so proud of the person she is becoming. It's amazing how much she's grown up even just over the past year. Though she denies it, her Spanish is really quite good. Good enough for her to participate in translating at the Eye Care campaign I took her to in Perquin, my friend's site (see the pictures). We spent two days there working with a group of American doctors and Lion's Club members, who brought down thousands of pairs of glasses to El Salvador to give away. In addition they did surgery on cataracts. This year, I organized for 30 people from my community to attend as well, and it was a great success. My site is very sunny and almost everyone suffers from damage to their eyes and no one seems to have glasses. Everyone was extremely excited to finally be able to read the bible again or thread a needle. The entire experience was very inspiring because it was amazing to see these American retirees, who spend their retirement doing such amazing work and truly making a difference in the world. The amount of work and coordination the program takes is enormous. I hope to be involved with activities like that when I am older!

Mimi also had a chance to spend a couple days in my site, meeting my friends. She outshone me at making tamales. Everyone thought she looked very young and was very thin, and everyone said we looked nothing alike, which is funny because they say I look exactly like all my other friends who have visited.

Anyways, it's been a really wonderful visit and I am lucky to have a sister who is interested in coming to see my life here!