Youth of a Nation

“Must be the colors and the kids that keep me alive”
-Cat Power

Here are a series of children that I’ve had to pleasure to meet during my stay here in El Salvador. Most of these shots were taking from a large pueblo in Berlin, a small cantòn called La Mora (and no, the origins of my family is not this campo, it’s a grand city in Spain, dammit Dad, stop, I can hear you from here), and another pueblo whose name I unfortunately have forgotten. These photos were taking during the training portion of my stay.

The kids here are fascinating and so much fun to play with, I learned so much about how children are raised here, and it baffles me with some of the practiced that are used here. One quick example: soda for breakfast (no thanks, I don’t like diabetes, and my mom paid a lot for my teeth). If you can get them before genders roles change the way they walk and talk and machismo turns the males in to asses they are so open to inter-gender games and not at all apprehensive toward Peace Corps volunteers.

Out of this series of photos, my greatest memory is playing marbles with the brother and sister during the Immersion portion of my training. They were surprised that I didn’t know how to play or hold a marble, and laughed at me…so I took out my ipod and laughed at them. Then I took a bucket bath in a shower that was seriously about 5 feet tall…for those that don’t know, I’m about 6 feet. Yeah, bastards got the best of me.