Here in El Salvador, you would be surprised at how much American stuff there is. I mean, we have all the fast-food restaurants practically (well you have to go to Guatemala to get Taco Bell and I am still praying for Chick-fila to come.) You would not believe how nice the Pizza Hut's are here...I mean the somewhat dark and scary-stuck-in-the-80s Pizza Huts that we had back in the States don't even compare. And over the years, we've been able to get lots of American foods in the grocery store that I know and love. Oh, I remember the first time we saw Oh's cereal in the grocery store (my all time fave)...I literally started crying there in the aisle from joy!! Don't get me wrong, I love Salvadorean food, but you know, sometimes I get a craving for some good ol' Betty Crocker brownies.

Anyways, we definitely had a breakthrough yesterday. We found.....(drumroll please).........International Delight Liquid Coffee Creamer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We had heard rumors that you could get it here at a store that's like Sam's or CostCo, so we borrowed a membership card and went to buy a huge 32 ounce bottle of vanilla creamer. Plus, ridiculously huge box of Frosted Mini Wheats (yummmy) and a year's supply of peanut butter (we like to call it the nectar of the gringos). I know that mom is going to worry that we won't even come home now that we can get so much stuff here, but don't worry, we still have to stock up on grits, Jello instant pudding, Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce, etc. =)

It was kind of a funny day because in the morning we went to the organic/hippy market that they have on Saturdays here just around the block, where we buy organically grown fruits and veggies, crafts, organic coffee, homemade breads and jams, homemade shampoos, etc etc, and then went to the other end of the spectrum in the afternoon to get gigantic portions of overly-processed food products.

Also, yesterday afternoon we went to the birthday bash of a little girl in my class. They have a reputation of throwing the party of the year, so we weren't going to miss out! And they did not disappoint....it was like a make-up theme, and so they gave us all feather boas as we walked in, they you went and they would put make-up on you and glitter all over and they were fixing the girls' hair into fancy up-dos. I mean, the pinata was even a huge high-heel shoe! They had clowns, a DJ, a chocolate fountain where you could dip strawberries, and the most amazing part....they had hired a Chory's hot-dog stand to make all the hot dogs you can eat...these are our favorite street hot-dogs!! They are ridiculously unhealthy...I mean they fry the hot dogs then put them on a bun with double layers of mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, and a Salvadorean slaw. Apparently, to be able to work for them, you have to be able to make about 25 hot dogs per minute because they are incredibly fast. Another interesting thing about birthday parties in El Salvador is that the host actually gives presents to the guests, even if it is just a bag of candy and stickers. I mean, the birthday boy or girl gets presents too, but for example, yesterday the guests got huge bags full of hair gel, body glitter, fake nails, a make-up box, hairbrushes, etc etc etc. Even I got a set of hairbrushes and mirrors!

My friend Cynthia and I in the entrance to the birthday party house.

The giant high-heel pinata

Me and the birthday girl
So that was our exciting day, now guess what I'm going to do? Go drink a little bit of coffee with my creamer.