“Dios tenia miedo”, Chicharras, and La Catedral de la Señora

Highlights from my week:

Reading and appreciating “Dios tenia miedo” by Vanessa Nuñez Handal.  Viewing the El Salvador civil war during the 80s from different perspectives, past and present, Handal offers it up in bits and pieces in a way that makes it manageable to digest the intensity and sadness of what happened here.  Leyendo “Dios tenia miedo” por Vanessa Nuñez Handal.  Ella se ofrece perspectivas diferentes de la guerra civil durante los ochentas en una manera que me gusta mucho.  Se lo recomiendo. http://nunezhandal.blogspot.com/

In Santa Ana I got to see this old beautiful gothic church in need of renovation.  Visite Santa Ana y vi La Catedral de la Senora, con su estilo gotico, viejo pero muy hermosa.

Chicharra (Cicada) season has begun!  After the first rain they appear. Having lived underground for years, they’re ready to pee, mate, and die.  The males make the sound that vibrates through their bodies with hopes of appealing to as many females as possible. Places with lots of trees, like parks and university campuses, are filled with their sound.  Here in Colonia Escalon, the sound is muffled by city noises, but they’re there in the background filling the air with their love song.  They’ll disappear when the rains come to stay.  Here’s a video to hear their sound and learn more about them en español: http://www.elsalvador.com/mediacenter/play_video.aspx?idr=7181