My wonderful sister few down on April 8th (Easter) for a visit and vacation. I actually went into the capitol on the 7th since her flight was coming in early on the 8th – I then failed to sleep that night for paranoia that I would oversleep and fail to pick her up. I’m guessing nobody is too surprised by that. Anyway, I got to the airport early and waited for her to arrive. She came out and promptly went in the other direction from where I was waiting. After a brief yell – she was back on track.
We immediately hoped into a taxi and left for the western bus terminal – that’s right…I made my sister get on the chicken bus. Alright, the first bus wasn’t a chicken bus…but the second one was. She got good experiences on both buses. The first because there was a little girl that kept wanting to touch her hair and who’s mother was asleep – so nobody could stop her. I was of course paranoid the entire time that our luggage would get ‘lost’ during the ride or transferring between rides.
So, we arrived in my little pueblito at about 12:30. I immediately brought her over to Iris and Sonia’s houses – neither of whom was home. Then we picked up food for lunch and eggs to dye for Easter. (I won’t mention how my sister forgot to bring down my Easter box – but she did manage to bring down a chocolate bunny….thanks Tory!) So, during this process, we need vinegar. So, I walked up and Iris was there! I promptly robed her of some vinegar and invited her down. She walked in and promptly yelled at me for not having a table cloth on the table for my sister. I had to explain that we took it off and put down newspaper to dye eggs. I was then forgiven. The two of them then started talking (through me translating – that got tiring) and just both making fun of me. I should of refused to translate. Any who – during all this fun Rachael came for dinner and egg dying fun (She named Darth Egganator – yes, we had a Star Wars egg dying kite). She was also good enough to bring dessert – brownies and ice cream. Iris had to leave before dinner – the whole running the store thing. Maryann made a lovely roast, mashed potatoes and cream corn…yes, I made my sister cook dinner. Anyway – it was a lovely evening with eggs being dyed, bolos knocking on the door, wine being drunk and food being gobbled.
Monday morning was a lazy morning because the alcaldia was closed for the Easter holiday. We just slept in, made pancakes (or…it could be said I made Maryann make eggs…she did a lot of cooking in my site) and had Maryann do her homework. We eventually ventured out to find lunch and check on a few things. The things were in relation to the stoves we built in the afternoon. Mostly dealing with the stands. Anyway, we wound up building 2 out of the three stoves due to a lack of an ingredient – my bad. It took a few hours to accomplish and was well documented by Maryann. It got a little frustrating at the end – Sonia was harassing me that I wasn’t giving her a stove…I told her when she bought the tambo and supplies I would happily build her one. Sometimes, she just gets that way, but I won’t go into that.
After all that fun, we headed home for showers and a bit of R&R. Maryann was first to shower and was quickly chased out of the shower by a rather large cicada. I wound up having to kill it…I hate killing those things. I forget what we wound up having for dinner, but we eventually made our way back over to Sonias to watch my favorite soap opera. It took some explaining to find out what was going on. After all that, I crashed that night. It’s tiring switching between languages.
Tuesday went by quickly as well. In the morning we went and talked to the English class of Irwin (Son in law of Don Justo or something like that). He’s a nice guy whom helped me buy the bricks for my stoves. Anyhow, we left around 8:45 for his class of all girls. I spoke initially, but they were all really interested in Maryann’s work – not so large of a surprise, and no I’m not bitter. They were a lovely group of girls and they paid attention well. They loved the photos that Mair brought and I hope they got a lot out of it. Apparetly, I will be going back to the class in June. Who knew?
After that, we checked out the Alcaldia and I introduced her to everyone. It was just a quick get to know and see where my little desk was. We ran into Don Justo – I took the opportunity to ask him for two rides. One to the waterfall and one to the airport – I got both. Yes! So, maryann and I then headed off to the waterfall after having lunch with Heidy. We went swimminging (in our clothes) because the water was just so wonderful. When we got back, we went and played softball with the ladies. They now know that someone in the family can play softball and that it isn’t me.
That night, I made Maryann cook one more time (a really great stew that Iris and Sonia both loved – they now know who can cook as well) and we got ready for our trip to Costa Rica. We unpacked all the stuff she brought down for me. I must have at least 4 new pairs of pants, some more towels and other needed supplies.
Wednesday, we got up and out the door around 8:30ish for our trip to the airport. It was then off to Costa Rica!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
The rest of Samana Santa
After the water park, I had Tuesday and Wednesday to get the house in order. I even started a small garden in my backyard. So far, the tomato plants (two varieties), cucumber, watermelon and squash plants have sprotted, but my green peppers refuse to see the light of day. Any way, that time flew.
Thursday we went out to Iris’s parents house for her sisters birthday. There was a whole huge group of us. The group included Sonia, Myra, Iris, Lito, other family and I. It was just a great relaxing time. We had chicken and chilled out on the poarch. We also found pumice stones for my stoves – that was a huge plus. Not to much actually happened.
Friday was a big day – we built our alfombra. Before we started on that, I took the liberty of cooking cookies and making guacamole as a snack for everyone. While I was doing this a religious procession passed by the house. On Good Friday, they have a procession with the statues of Jesus and Mary. Men usually carry the statue of Jesus on their shoulders and the women carry Mary. They proceed through the 12 Stations of the Cross that have been set up throughout the pueblo. Usually, it is a small table with a picture depicting the station. Before they got to my house came the scene where Mary kissed Jesus. They had to lift those statues up to do it, but it was nicely done.
After the procession and baking, it was time to build our alfombra. An alfombra is a carpet made of salt depicting a religious scene and quote from the bible. We started around 1pm and finished around 7 or 8pm. It was a valiant first attempt and I believe we’ll do better next year. Some of these things were incredible. I’ll try and put them up on Snap fish as soon as I can. Anyway, when your done with the carpet you have to protect it until the night time procession passes through. This entailed Iris standing in from of the carpet with a broom and smacking the drunkards away any time they came near. I thus named the broom the broom of drunkards. We also had to keep dogs, children and bicyclists away. We persevered! Around 10:30pm the procession finally arrived at the alfombra. Now, this is when the thing is destroyed. The procession stops on top of the carpet, the Father says a prayer for the family who constructed the carpet and then everyone walks over it. After that, little kids come to take as much salt as possible. I’m not sure why, but that is what they do. I hate to think they are taking it home to use.
Anyway, that brought to an end my first Semana Santa in El Salvador. It was as calm as I thought it would be, but it was fun.
Next up – Maryann!!
Thursday we went out to Iris’s parents house for her sisters birthday. There was a whole huge group of us. The group included Sonia, Myra, Iris, Lito, other family and I. It was just a great relaxing time. We had chicken and chilled out on the poarch. We also found pumice stones for my stoves – that was a huge plus. Not to much actually happened.
Friday was a big day – we built our alfombra. Before we started on that, I took the liberty of cooking cookies and making guacamole as a snack for everyone. While I was doing this a religious procession passed by the house. On Good Friday, they have a procession with the statues of Jesus and Mary. Men usually carry the statue of Jesus on their shoulders and the women carry Mary. They proceed through the 12 Stations of the Cross that have been set up throughout the pueblo. Usually, it is a small table with a picture depicting the station. Before they got to my house came the scene where Mary kissed Jesus. They had to lift those statues up to do it, but it was nicely done.
After the procession and baking, it was time to build our alfombra. An alfombra is a carpet made of salt depicting a religious scene and quote from the bible. We started around 1pm and finished around 7 or 8pm. It was a valiant first attempt and I believe we’ll do better next year. Some of these things were incredible. I’ll try and put them up on Snap fish as soon as I can. Anyway, when your done with the carpet you have to protect it until the night time procession passes through. This entailed Iris standing in from of the carpet with a broom and smacking the drunkards away any time they came near. I thus named the broom the broom of drunkards. We also had to keep dogs, children and bicyclists away. We persevered! Around 10:30pm the procession finally arrived at the alfombra. Now, this is when the thing is destroyed. The procession stops on top of the carpet, the Father says a prayer for the family who constructed the carpet and then everyone walks over it. After that, little kids come to take as much salt as possible. I’m not sure why, but that is what they do. I hate to think they are taking it home to use.
Anyway, that brought to an end my first Semana Santa in El Salvador. It was as calm as I thought it would be, but it was fun.
Next up – Maryann!!
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Un parque acuático
Un parque acuático
So, Sunday night Iris tells me we’re going to the beach on Monday. Well, it wasn’t the beach but a water park! A whole group of us went – Iris and husband, Victoria and husband, Letie and children and a bunch of scattered others.
We borrowed one of Don Justo’s cars and made our way. Now, something is wrong with this car – I think the tires are unbalanced – so at certain speeds the cab would start swinging side to side. Everyone in the car was like, ‘look – the car is dancing to the music” and I was like “are you smoking something – this is a problem”. But, we continued on our merry way and made it round trip safely.
The park itself was small, but fun. There were several large slides, that I made Iris go down, and a nice lazy river. At some point of the day it was brought to my attention that I was probably the only one who knew how to swim well….that made me paranoid and watch everyone else carefully rest of the day.
The trip home was long and we got back late, but it was worth it. Overall, a good time was had by all.
On another side note – I believe the rainy season might be starting. I don’t mind – it helps to drop the temperature.
So, Sunday night Iris tells me we’re going to the beach on Monday. Well, it wasn’t the beach but a water park! A whole group of us went – Iris and husband, Victoria and husband, Letie and children and a bunch of scattered others.
We borrowed one of Don Justo’s cars and made our way. Now, something is wrong with this car – I think the tires are unbalanced – so at certain speeds the cab would start swinging side to side. Everyone in the car was like, ‘look – the car is dancing to the music” and I was like “are you smoking something – this is a problem”. But, we continued on our merry way and made it round trip safely.
The park itself was small, but fun. There were several large slides, that I made Iris go down, and a nice lazy river. At some point of the day it was brought to my attention that I was probably the only one who knew how to swim well….that made me paranoid and watch everyone else carefully rest of the day.
The trip home was long and we got back late, but it was worth it. Overall, a good time was had by all.
On another side note – I believe the rainy season might be starting. I don’t mind – it helps to drop the temperature.
The Secret is Iodine
The Secret Is Iodine
During IST (in service training), another volunteer learned that he was going to be medically evacuated for something. I won’t say what because it isn’t my information to give away. Anywho – he was leaving right before a program of his was about to start. He organized, along with the NGO Farmer to Farmer, to have a farmer (duh) come down from the US and give lectures on milk quality to farmers in and around his municipality. When he told him he was going, they asked for another volunteer to take his place incase some need arose that required some Peace Corps representation….So, I went and learned about milk quality.
I was with the project for approximately 3 days – not to long. I wasn’t really needed all that much….in fact all’s I really did was get free food. I’m not complaining, but still. The representative who came down from the US spoke fluent Spanish, since he was originally from Uraguay, and everything else had been set up before I even arrived. Both the guys I traveled with…the farmer and the representative from the NGO…were really cool and I may call on them to help out my little municipality, since we are large milk producers too.
Now – what I learned. There is this infection of a udder called mastitis (that may just be its Spanish name…I don’t know it in English). Anyway, the udder usually has some bacteria in it, but can develop into a bigger infection that may inhibit milk production. The doctor said that the normal acceptable number in the US is about 200,000 parts per whatever, in El Salvador they were shooting for 500,000 – there were cows with over 2,000,000! It was scary. Apparently, to prevent this type of infection you use iodine – before and after milking the cow. Meaning, the udder should be clean….not clean as in using the cows tail to wipe down the udders…but clean as in the use of iodine. I also learned about nutrition a little bit. Overall, it was interesting – though I will admit to almost falling asleep during some of the presentations.
I actually cut out before the last presentation on Saturday since I really wasn’t needed. I chose instead to get back to my site and relax.
On a completely different, but important note…codico postal – one of my soap operas – has ended. Pablo and Florita are back together, Iebet wound up in jail, Chewie survived his battle with leukemia, Rafa is a big music star and the evil Claudio was killed. Just in case you were wondering.
The new soap opera taking its place is called ´destilando amor´or distilling love - it takes place at a tequila place....
During IST (in service training), another volunteer learned that he was going to be medically evacuated for something. I won’t say what because it isn’t my information to give away. Anywho – he was leaving right before a program of his was about to start. He organized, along with the NGO Farmer to Farmer, to have a farmer (duh) come down from the US and give lectures on milk quality to farmers in and around his municipality. When he told him he was going, they asked for another volunteer to take his place incase some need arose that required some Peace Corps representation….So, I went and learned about milk quality.
I was with the project for approximately 3 days – not to long. I wasn’t really needed all that much….in fact all’s I really did was get free food. I’m not complaining, but still. The representative who came down from the US spoke fluent Spanish, since he was originally from Uraguay, and everything else had been set up before I even arrived. Both the guys I traveled with…the farmer and the representative from the NGO…were really cool and I may call on them to help out my little municipality, since we are large milk producers too.
Now – what I learned. There is this infection of a udder called mastitis (that may just be its Spanish name…I don’t know it in English). Anyway, the udder usually has some bacteria in it, but can develop into a bigger infection that may inhibit milk production. The doctor said that the normal acceptable number in the US is about 200,000 parts per whatever, in El Salvador they were shooting for 500,000 – there were cows with over 2,000,000! It was scary. Apparently, to prevent this type of infection you use iodine – before and after milking the cow. Meaning, the udder should be clean….not clean as in using the cows tail to wipe down the udders…but clean as in the use of iodine. I also learned about nutrition a little bit. Overall, it was interesting – though I will admit to almost falling asleep during some of the presentations.
I actually cut out before the last presentation on Saturday since I really wasn’t needed. I chose instead to get back to my site and relax.
On a completely different, but important note…codico postal – one of my soap operas – has ended. Pablo and Florita are back together, Iebet wound up in jail, Chewie survived his battle with leukemia, Rafa is a big music star and the evil Claudio was killed. Just in case you were wondering.
The new soap opera taking its place is called ´destilando amor´or distilling love - it takes place at a tequila place....
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
A little fun
I escaped from my site on Wednesday and headed off for some good ‘ole Peace Corps training, aka in service training. It was held up in Apaneca…a pueblo located on top of a mountain. In fact, it is the highest pueblo in the nation and that means it was actually cold at night. I’m not talking freezing, but fleeces and blankets….it was sweet.
Anyway, we got there and started off with lunch and didn’t stop eating the entire time. I’m talking big meals, desserts and snacks…I was so full, hell…I’m still full.
The training…well, I wouldn’t quite define it a training….more like receiving information. It gave backgrounds on different projects occurring in El Salvador and the state of El Salvador itself. Things such as the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the economy, and what the European Union is up to. They were presented by people from the embassy, the EU mission and other people in the know. We also got presentations asking us to reflect on our service and why we are here. Those were the more difficult presentations….I’ll get back to you when I have my response.
Anyway…the nights were just filled with catching up with everyone. It was just a nice time to slow down and relax. It went by so quick and when it was over…it was time for the weekend.
When I got back to the capitol, I headed off to the office. We have a new office and it is really nice. It’s huge…the only problem is that is isn’t near anything food wise. You kinda have to hike around to find stuff. Anyway, I went up the the medical office to get sun block and then somehow wound up getting a hepatitis A booster shot…don’t you hate it when that happens. That’s why I hate going to the medical staff….I always wind up having to have something done.
Anyway, that leads to Friday night - there were a bunch of volunteers in the capitol…some returning with me from the above mentioned IST, others for health, still others for the hell of it. So, we decided to go check out the karioki bar….but all the fun happened on our trip there. About 7 of us were walking to the bar when a bunch of Salvadorian police stepped in front us. We were originally confused and thought they were going for others…but no, us. We had to turn, face the wall, put our hands on our heads and spread our legs. Yes, I got searched by a female…don’t worry. But it was a damn thorough search, I must say. I also laughed the entire time….what can I say, I’m ticklish. It was cool by the end and we said bye to the police and got ourselves some beers.
Saturday was just a slow day…I stayed in bed till 9! I then went and signed up for scuba diving for Sunday. I actually took a refresher test on Saturday – I took that bad boy in Spanish and only got 2 wrong…I am bad ass. I can’t say I did much the rest of the day.
Which leads to Sunday – diving in a live volcano! Since I haven’t been diving in two years…I was a little nervous. The first dive didn’t go so well…mostly because I was over-weighted and the group got split into two somehow. But the second dive was nice. There wasn’t much down there – mostly rocks. But there were a few fish – I caught some sleeping, and occasionally the instructor would find a bullet. Apparently, during the civil war, the air force used the area as a practice place. So, there use to be a ton of bullets down there…now there are fewer because of the amount of divers who pick them up I guess. The group itself was a nice group who surprisingly all spoke English. Some were Salvadoreans who spoke English others were tourists…I guess you would say. Anyway, we finished way later then expected, but thankfully, another guy gave me a ride to the bus terminal so I could back home before the last bus left. I think I got back here at like 6:45ish….it was late and I was exhausted. But, well worth it.
So, on Monday I thought it would be just a chill, slow moving day – I was wrong. The Canadian Ambassador came to my pueblito to inaugurate the bridge and water system they helped construct. It was crazy…everyone was running around try to arrange everything…through my favorite happened at the reception, though it came close to not being funny at all. There are a few women cooking this huge feast and they were preparing the soup over a wood fire. What they didn’t notice was that the wind was moving the fire slowly till it eventually started the light the a hose connected to a propane tank! All the women started to run, I had no idea why since I hadn’t since the fire/propane tank combo…but thankfully, the mayor thought quickly and separated the hose from the tank before the fire could reach the tank itself. Never a dull day down here.
Alright, that’s about all that went down. It was an adventure filled weekend and I am exhausted.
Anyway, we got there and started off with lunch and didn’t stop eating the entire time. I’m talking big meals, desserts and snacks…I was so full, hell…I’m still full.
The training…well, I wouldn’t quite define it a training….more like receiving information. It gave backgrounds on different projects occurring in El Salvador and the state of El Salvador itself. Things such as the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the economy, and what the European Union is up to. They were presented by people from the embassy, the EU mission and other people in the know. We also got presentations asking us to reflect on our service and why we are here. Those were the more difficult presentations….I’ll get back to you when I have my response.
Anyway…the nights were just filled with catching up with everyone. It was just a nice time to slow down and relax. It went by so quick and when it was over…it was time for the weekend.
When I got back to the capitol, I headed off to the office. We have a new office and it is really nice. It’s huge…the only problem is that is isn’t near anything food wise. You kinda have to hike around to find stuff. Anyway, I went up the the medical office to get sun block and then somehow wound up getting a hepatitis A booster shot…don’t you hate it when that happens. That’s why I hate going to the medical staff….I always wind up having to have something done.
Anyway, that leads to Friday night - there were a bunch of volunteers in the capitol…some returning with me from the above mentioned IST, others for health, still others for the hell of it. So, we decided to go check out the karioki bar….but all the fun happened on our trip there. About 7 of us were walking to the bar when a bunch of Salvadorian police stepped in front us. We were originally confused and thought they were going for others…but no, us. We had to turn, face the wall, put our hands on our heads and spread our legs. Yes, I got searched by a female…don’t worry. But it was a damn thorough search, I must say. I also laughed the entire time….what can I say, I’m ticklish. It was cool by the end and we said bye to the police and got ourselves some beers.
Saturday was just a slow day…I stayed in bed till 9! I then went and signed up for scuba diving for Sunday. I actually took a refresher test on Saturday – I took that bad boy in Spanish and only got 2 wrong…I am bad ass. I can’t say I did much the rest of the day.
Which leads to Sunday – diving in a live volcano! Since I haven’t been diving in two years…I was a little nervous. The first dive didn’t go so well…mostly because I was over-weighted and the group got split into two somehow. But the second dive was nice. There wasn’t much down there – mostly rocks. But there were a few fish – I caught some sleeping, and occasionally the instructor would find a bullet. Apparently, during the civil war, the air force used the area as a practice place. So, there use to be a ton of bullets down there…now there are fewer because of the amount of divers who pick them up I guess. The group itself was a nice group who surprisingly all spoke English. Some were Salvadoreans who spoke English others were tourists…I guess you would say. Anyway, we finished way later then expected, but thankfully, another guy gave me a ride to the bus terminal so I could back home before the last bus left. I think I got back here at like 6:45ish….it was late and I was exhausted. But, well worth it.
So, on Monday I thought it would be just a chill, slow moving day – I was wrong. The Canadian Ambassador came to my pueblito to inaugurate the bridge and water system they helped construct. It was crazy…everyone was running around try to arrange everything…through my favorite happened at the reception, though it came close to not being funny at all. There are a few women cooking this huge feast and they were preparing the soup over a wood fire. What they didn’t notice was that the wind was moving the fire slowly till it eventually started the light the a hose connected to a propane tank! All the women started to run, I had no idea why since I hadn’t since the fire/propane tank combo…but thankfully, the mayor thought quickly and separated the hose from the tank before the fire could reach the tank itself. Never a dull day down here.
Alright, that’s about all that went down. It was an adventure filled weekend and I am exhausted.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Another weekend in El Salvador
Another weekend in
So, I won’t lie…I’ve been in a funk. I think I’m starting to enter into that “I hate
Where to begin….
I have birds! Or at least it use to be in the plural. He is a green, small parrot. I had two, but one escaped Saturday night while I was changing the food in their cage. I would like to think he’s still out there, but…he probably wound up being food for a bigger animal. All well…at least I still have one.
Well, before all that fun … Iris and I enrolled in a competition! We’re gonna make an ‘alfombra,’ or carpet, out of salt, sand, ash and food coloring. It’s this cool thing they do every year on Good Friday. I can’t wait to try and make it. I’ll keep you guys updated on that.
Otherwise, I wound up going to Heidy’s sister’s Sweet 15 Saturday afternoon. That’s right, they celebrate the 15th birthday, not the 16th. It was a little on the boring side because they are evangelicals. There fore, you cannot dance….it’s against the rules. Neither can you drink or do anything fun. Hehehe. I had the pleasure of sitting with Jessica and her cousin. Her cousin is in the
So, that finished up Saturday.
Sunday was a good day to. Iris and I went to a resort type thing with Victoria and her husband. They are a great couple and always very good to me. Well, first we went to this event at an NGO. The NGO, AGAPE, was celebrating it’s anniversary. So, we checked out a band or two and ate before heading out. At the resort thing, I got to ride a horse for a few minutes for free! It was fun. Though, it was western style….it still felt good. Then I just chilled in the pool and in the hammock. It was sweet. They’ve invited me to join them in hiking a small volcano during the coming weeks. I said yes, but that we’ll have to go slowly. In exchange for how nice they are, the husband asked me to come to his school one day just to talk in English with a group of girls. He would of course provide the ride…so I told him yes and to plan it for the 9th or 10th of April…when Maryann will be hear and can help. I’m sure she’ll love it. Bwa ha ha ha ha.
We got back really late, but the disturbing thing was the trip. We passed by an accident, and there in the middle of the road was someone who had been struck by a car. They were trying to cover him from view with branches, but he was still visible. I wonder what happened.
Alright…now to get back to trying to find a ride to go buy bricks and molasses. Don’t ask.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
AIDS
AIDS
If you remember, a few weeks ago I took three students to a weekend camp about AIDS. This past Tuesday and Wednesday, we completed the project by repeating the charlas in 6 different classes.
The beginning was just a basic definition of AIDS and how it affects the body. Next, we set up a true or false game. Each student was given a piece of paper with a statement on it, They then had to say whether it was true or false. Later, we went into explanations of why something was true or something else false. It was an effective way - considering the time constraints and the attention span of the average teenager.
It was a little trying at times because some classes were horribly mis-behaved and the teacher usually left during the charla (presentation). I can’t say I’m all that effective at controlling students since I still screw up on my Spanish…it doesn’t really enforce the in charge image you want with kids of that age.
So, in the end, I’m glad I did it, but it was tiring.
If you remember, a few weeks ago I took three students to a weekend camp about AIDS. This past Tuesday and Wednesday, we completed the project by repeating the charlas in 6 different classes.
The beginning was just a basic definition of AIDS and how it affects the body. Next, we set up a true or false game. Each student was given a piece of paper with a statement on it, They then had to say whether it was true or false. Later, we went into explanations of why something was true or something else false. It was an effective way - considering the time constraints and the attention span of the average teenager.
It was a little trying at times because some classes were horribly mis-behaved and the teacher usually left during the charla (presentation). I can’t say I’m all that effective at controlling students since I still screw up on my Spanish…it doesn’t really enforce the in charge image you want with kids of that age.
So, in the end, I’m glad I did it, but it was tiring.
Monday, March 05, 2007
a nice long weekend
A nice long weekend
Friday came and I went to
We all met up at the Princess – a nice hotel – and relaxed pool side, then jacuzzi side. It was a great time to catch up with what was going on in everyone’s life. I am now back in the loop…at least for now. I’ll probably be out of the loop by the end of the week – but that’s ok.
We treated ourselves to a nice dinner and then just hung out in the room. That’s right…12 of us shared one room. I slept on the floor.
The next day – Saturday – I did some shopping. I didn’t mean to, but I found this cute little shirt and since it was only $5, I went for it. I only hope Maryann doesn’t steal it when she comes to visit. I might hide it. I also looked at some birds…if you didn’t know, I’m looking for a cute pair of birds to have as pets – I’m not a cat person and dogs are just too much work down here. I went to the pet shop, but they wanted $150 for a pair!! I was like – I think not.
Later that day, I traveled out to Apaneca with a few other volunteers to go on a full moon hike. That’s right, at about 8 or 9pm, about 19 of us climbed up about an hour to a nice spot on the side of the mountain under the full moon. It was really quite beautiful. There came this one point where we were all standing on some sort of small wall in a line. It was quite picturesque to see a group standing in a line in the moonlight. I’ll have to hunt down someone who has that pic.
Any who, when we got up there we set up two tents and started a fire. We even had smoores! There was a little party with bluegrass music playing and bottles of wine all around. A good time was had by all. Though, I must say…it was cold. I slept outside and was freezing even though I had on two layers of pants, 2 shirts, a fleece, socks and shoes, and a fleece sleep bag thingy. At some point in the night I woke up really cold and then
So, needless to say….I didn’t sleep either Friday night nor Saturday night. But that’s ok.
Sunday was a long day just because I was so tired. On our way back from Apaneca, we stopped in at Guayua. It was a touristy town that has a food festival every Sunday along with a nice size market. We chowed down on Mexican food and had a look around town. Angi bought a puppy…a German Shepard puppy. The father of this puppy was like a small pony. But, she fell in love and took that puppy back with her. I looked around for birds, but only found types that I didn’t like. I talked with the woman and I was able to talk down here price by over $10 – but I still didn’t want them. Though, I am proud of my bargaining skills – go me!
After all that, I was thrilled to get my but back to my site. I think I was asleep by 8:30pm and very happy to be so.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Illegal Immigration
The other face of illegal immigration….
One of my close friends had her son leave for los Estados Unidos about 2 weeks ago as an illegal immigrant. He was going to help support his mom and send his younger sister through high school.
He was caught in Los Angeles and is now sitting in prison. If they don’t find a good lawyer, he’ll be there for six months instead of two before being exported.
It was just so heartbreaking to see. The family is so distraught and doesn’t know what to do. The daughter is worried about the mom’s health and what the family will do. They could wind up paying $1000 for a lawyer or more. Money they really don’t have.
It’s so frustrating to see both sides of the argument. I just hope he comes home as soon and as safely as possible.
One of my close friends had her son leave for los Estados Unidos about 2 weeks ago as an illegal immigrant. He was going to help support his mom and send his younger sister through high school.
He was caught in Los Angeles and is now sitting in prison. If they don’t find a good lawyer, he’ll be there for six months instead of two before being exported.
It was just so heartbreaking to see. The family is so distraught and doesn’t know what to do. The daughter is worried about the mom’s health and what the family will do. They could wind up paying $1000 for a lawyer or more. Money they really don’t have.
It’s so frustrating to see both sides of the argument. I just hope he comes home as soon and as safely as possible.
AIDS
AIDS
On the weekend of the 17-18th, another volunteer (Andrea if you were wondering) held an AIDS camp. I think about 15 different volunteers brought three kids each to learn about AIDS and then spread the knowledge through their school through presentations.
The weekend itself wasn’t bad. My three kids came from the local school. I asked the director to recommend three students for the job. Douglas, the director, was great cause not only did he find me three kids but then convinced their parents to let them come. Something I probably wouldn’t of been able to do.
The camp consisted of different people giving presentations, a lot of ice breakers, a small play and conversations. Andrea wisely brought in doctors and health promoters. Especially fun was to see the kids reaction to the condom demonstration. As a side note: I asked Douglas if we should ask the parents if it is ok that the kids see a condom demonstration…he said it was better not to and not to worry. I was, ok.
The only thing that really came up was that there was a lot of down time. That left some of the kids restless, which leads to some foolishness…but nothing to bad. I think it was just mostly kids playing in the itty bitty pool. Then there were the cell phones….who really needs to get a phone call at 4 am?!
Anyhow, it ended right after lunch on Sunday and we headed back. Only, lunch didn’t settle with me well. So, the bus (which we chartered) had to pull over to let me run to store and ask to use the bathroom. It wasn’t too shady of a latrine. But, I think it was a composting latrine since there were to seats in there. I’ll explain a composting latrine another time. Anyway, what I didn’t realize was that my dear friend Abby decided to document the entire thing. She has picture of me running to the bathroom, buy alka seltzer and so on and so forth. How wonderful….
Back to AIDS…
Now I’m at the stage of planning the charlas (charlas = presentations) with the kids. They’ve decided they want to do them solo. So, we’ll form a charla and then everyone will give it to their individual grades. They wind up having to do 2 charlas each. I told them I would be present at all the charlas to lend support and make sure they didn’t forget anything. We’ll be doing this in March.
Finally…I’m doing something!!
On the weekend of the 17-18th, another volunteer (Andrea if you were wondering) held an AIDS camp. I think about 15 different volunteers brought three kids each to learn about AIDS and then spread the knowledge through their school through presentations.
The weekend itself wasn’t bad. My three kids came from the local school. I asked the director to recommend three students for the job. Douglas, the director, was great cause not only did he find me three kids but then convinced their parents to let them come. Something I probably wouldn’t of been able to do.
The camp consisted of different people giving presentations, a lot of ice breakers, a small play and conversations. Andrea wisely brought in doctors and health promoters. Especially fun was to see the kids reaction to the condom demonstration. As a side note: I asked Douglas if we should ask the parents if it is ok that the kids see a condom demonstration…he said it was better not to and not to worry. I was, ok.
The only thing that really came up was that there was a lot of down time. That left some of the kids restless, which leads to some foolishness…but nothing to bad. I think it was just mostly kids playing in the itty bitty pool. Then there were the cell phones….who really needs to get a phone call at 4 am?!
Anyhow, it ended right after lunch on Sunday and we headed back. Only, lunch didn’t settle with me well. So, the bus (which we chartered) had to pull over to let me run to store and ask to use the bathroom. It wasn’t too shady of a latrine. But, I think it was a composting latrine since there were to seats in there. I’ll explain a composting latrine another time. Anyway, what I didn’t realize was that my dear friend Abby decided to document the entire thing. She has picture of me running to the bathroom, buy alka seltzer and so on and so forth. How wonderful….
Back to AIDS…
Now I’m at the stage of planning the charlas (charlas = presentations) with the kids. They’ve decided they want to do them solo. So, we’ll form a charla and then everyone will give it to their individual grades. They wind up having to do 2 charlas each. I told them I would be present at all the charlas to lend support and make sure they didn’t forget anything. We’ll be doing this in March.
Finally…I’m doing something!!
Friday, February 16, 2007
Stoves
So, this past Wednesday I went off to visit Bonnie (another volunteer) and learn the art of stove construction. Special fuel-efficient stoves that burn about 60-70% less wood and cook things faster then regular stoves, to be precise. Kind of important in a country facing massive deforestation.
A lot of people down here use a wood fire to cook things down here, only it is kinda like a bbq design, just a lot of wood below cooking a pot on top. This new stove insulates the burning wood and forces the flames up through a certain spot so all the heat is focused on the pot. Though, I have to admit it is heavier then their regular stoves.
I’m hoping to construct a few in March. I’ll distribute them to different members of the community: the school and two street vendors. This way the rest of the community can see the stoves in action and the women using them can talk about them. If genuine interest in the stoves is shown, I can do a small oven construction project. Sonia already said she would be my helper.
The actual construction took a while, mostly cause there were so many of us constructing and only one saw. But, overall it was fun. I got to play with molasses, sand, dirt, ash and pumice stones. One girl felt mentioned it felt like she was in a co-op. We all were just sitting around constructing fuel-efficient stoves while listening to music…not a bad job, huh.
I figure I’ll build one for myself and use it as a bbq…is that wrong?
A lot of people down here use a wood fire to cook things down here, only it is kinda like a bbq design, just a lot of wood below cooking a pot on top. This new stove insulates the burning wood and forces the flames up through a certain spot so all the heat is focused on the pot. Though, I have to admit it is heavier then their regular stoves.
I’m hoping to construct a few in March. I’ll distribute them to different members of the community: the school and two street vendors. This way the rest of the community can see the stoves in action and the women using them can talk about them. If genuine interest in the stoves is shown, I can do a small oven construction project. Sonia already said she would be my helper.
The actual construction took a while, mostly cause there were so many of us constructing and only one saw. But, overall it was fun. I got to play with molasses, sand, dirt, ash and pumice stones. One girl felt mentioned it felt like she was in a co-op. We all were just sitting around constructing fuel-efficient stoves while listening to music…not a bad job, huh.
I figure I’ll build one for myself and use it as a bbq…is that wrong?
Translating...and translating...and translating
So, I headed out to Santa Rosa de Lima on Sunday (the 4th) to translate for the eye campaign happening out there. That was the reason I left the western conference early. Santa Rosa is on the other side of the country and I didn’t want to do the entire trip on one day.
So, I got out there Sunday afternoon. I got to meet up with a lot of the volunteers/doctors that evening. The campaign was held at the church…since it was the only spot that could hold that many people. We had about 4,000 come through that week. It was organized by a church in the United States, but had people from a variety of faiths. Sunday night was the opening ceremonies. People sang, danced and thanked the doctors for coming. I did enjoy the dances, cause they were actually dancing. Many times down here, it’s just girls jumping in a line and swishing their skirts. There was also a dinner that I snuck into. I pretty much stole food all week long….but more on that later.
The hotel…I’m gonna bitch about the hotel even though I didn’t have to pay for it. It wasn’t really a nice one. In fact, it was bad. They were doing construction when I was there, sometimes at night, so if I wanted water…lets say to wash my hands or flush the toilet…I had to ask them to turn it on. And when I looked at the toilet bowl water there was an oil slick on top from the machinery they were using…so, chances are there was oil in the water I used for showers. I never really did feel clean. There were ants and the bed was nothing I wish to sleep on again….but I survived and managed only to become a little bit cranky. (maybe more then a little bit). Alright, I was just in a bad mood by the end of the week…but I’m an introvert and I never got any alone time. It was driving me nuts. But anyway…on to the campaign!
I spent the majority of the time translating for the same section, near vision. It consisted of five people: Ann, Annie, Carrie, Jason and Roger. They were all nice people and I enjoyed working with them. People would come from having their distance vision checked and then to us. They would check their near vision with a small number chart. For those who couldn’t read, there was a chart with symbols…like stars or hearts. After us, we would either send them to the doctor, send them to have their eyes refracted, get glasses or just release them. For those who didn’t need glasses, we would give them a small knit towel to use to wash and comfort their eyes and sometimes sunglasses or a hat. I think I said the same thing at least 2-300 times a day. It was tiring by the end of the week.
Other sections included: doctors to examine older and diseased eyes, refraction, glasses, fake eyes, consultation and surgery. Surgery was only done on pteregiums or cataracts. In either case, it had to be serious case to receive an operation because there was only a limited number of spots available.
It was interesting and heartbreaking at the same time to see peoples eyes. Some had nubes (pteregiums) and we couldn’t do anything for them unless they were threatening their vision. Your eyes are skin and have stem cells. Nubes form when the sun damages the stem cells on your eyes so that they can no longer prevent the skin from growing over your eyes. From what I can tell…its painful. But only those that had serious cases could receive surgery to remove them.
Other cases included young people who were blinded by accidents, such as a soccer ball to the face, and nothing could be done for them. I also got to see scars from previous eye surgeries. That included the stitch marks on an eye that had received a corneal transplant. Lets just say that if you received an eye surgery within El Salvador in previous years…chances were you were not going to see with that eye again. Many got infected afterward and now are just cloudy.
Many of the people were vary gracias and patient…but not all. Some of the other volunteers were saying that with other eye campaigns, the crowd had be more pleasant. They seemed to think that since this campaign was so large, that the people thought that they could act as they please without there really being a consequence or being embarrassed. I had Salvos fight with me when the testers stated they didn’t need glasses. It went something like this:
‘I need glasses’
‘no you don’t’
‘but my eyes burn’
‘glasses can’t help with that’
‘but I need glasses’
‘no, you don’t’
There were also a lot trying to cut lines, or ask for free medicine. It got tiring at times. Mostly cause they always got mad at me, not the person that told them they didn’t need glasses, but the person who was translating. It’s not my fault!
Another interesting thing to watch was the cultural conflict between the American group and the Salvos. One of the women in my group asked me to ask the Salvo volunteers to direct traffic a certain way. I asked, sometimes they did it, other times they didn’t. She asked me to ask again…I told her to drop it. It’s a cultural thing and you can’t change it is basically what I said. She let it go.
I also had fun with the fact that they couldn’t speak Spanish. One Salvo asked Jason what state he was from. The girl had never heard of Idaho, so I proceeded to tell her it was an ugly state that only had potatoes. Jason learned to recognize when I was telling people that…so he started to interrupt when I got started. It was fun. But, I also tried to help protect them from questions…like when people asked me to ask them how much money they earn. I would tell the questioner that that wasn’t a question I was prepared to ask and that it was personal. By the end I was also speaking Spanish to the English speakers and vice versa. I usually caught it early.
At the end of the week, I was ready to go. I had had a good time with my group, but my little pueblo was calling. Literally, Iris was calling wondering when I was getting back. Friday evening, I said good-bye to my little group of gringos. They were so appreciative and even gave me a couple of bucks for the road. Then on Saturday, I headed home. I left around 7am and got in around 3 something.
Sunday was spent cleaning the house. Though, I caved and had a muchacha come over and wash my clothes. There were a lot of clothes and I just don’t have the strength nor the patience. Besides, she gets them a lot cleaner then I do.
So, I got out there Sunday afternoon. I got to meet up with a lot of the volunteers/doctors that evening. The campaign was held at the church…since it was the only spot that could hold that many people. We had about 4,000 come through that week. It was organized by a church in the United States, but had people from a variety of faiths. Sunday night was the opening ceremonies. People sang, danced and thanked the doctors for coming. I did enjoy the dances, cause they were actually dancing. Many times down here, it’s just girls jumping in a line and swishing their skirts. There was also a dinner that I snuck into. I pretty much stole food all week long….but more on that later.
The hotel…I’m gonna bitch about the hotel even though I didn’t have to pay for it. It wasn’t really a nice one. In fact, it was bad. They were doing construction when I was there, sometimes at night, so if I wanted water…lets say to wash my hands or flush the toilet…I had to ask them to turn it on. And when I looked at the toilet bowl water there was an oil slick on top from the machinery they were using…so, chances are there was oil in the water I used for showers. I never really did feel clean. There were ants and the bed was nothing I wish to sleep on again….but I survived and managed only to become a little bit cranky. (maybe more then a little bit). Alright, I was just in a bad mood by the end of the week…but I’m an introvert and I never got any alone time. It was driving me nuts. But anyway…on to the campaign!
I spent the majority of the time translating for the same section, near vision. It consisted of five people: Ann, Annie, Carrie, Jason and Roger. They were all nice people and I enjoyed working with them. People would come from having their distance vision checked and then to us. They would check their near vision with a small number chart. For those who couldn’t read, there was a chart with symbols…like stars or hearts. After us, we would either send them to the doctor, send them to have their eyes refracted, get glasses or just release them. For those who didn’t need glasses, we would give them a small knit towel to use to wash and comfort their eyes and sometimes sunglasses or a hat. I think I said the same thing at least 2-300 times a day. It was tiring by the end of the week.
Other sections included: doctors to examine older and diseased eyes, refraction, glasses, fake eyes, consultation and surgery. Surgery was only done on pteregiums or cataracts. In either case, it had to be serious case to receive an operation because there was only a limited number of spots available.
It was interesting and heartbreaking at the same time to see peoples eyes. Some had nubes (pteregiums) and we couldn’t do anything for them unless they were threatening their vision. Your eyes are skin and have stem cells. Nubes form when the sun damages the stem cells on your eyes so that they can no longer prevent the skin from growing over your eyes. From what I can tell…its painful. But only those that had serious cases could receive surgery to remove them.
Other cases included young people who were blinded by accidents, such as a soccer ball to the face, and nothing could be done for them. I also got to see scars from previous eye surgeries. That included the stitch marks on an eye that had received a corneal transplant. Lets just say that if you received an eye surgery within El Salvador in previous years…chances were you were not going to see with that eye again. Many got infected afterward and now are just cloudy.
Many of the people were vary gracias and patient…but not all. Some of the other volunteers were saying that with other eye campaigns, the crowd had be more pleasant. They seemed to think that since this campaign was so large, that the people thought that they could act as they please without there really being a consequence or being embarrassed. I had Salvos fight with me when the testers stated they didn’t need glasses. It went something like this:
‘I need glasses’
‘no you don’t’
‘but my eyes burn’
‘glasses can’t help with that’
‘but I need glasses’
‘no, you don’t’
There were also a lot trying to cut lines, or ask for free medicine. It got tiring at times. Mostly cause they always got mad at me, not the person that told them they didn’t need glasses, but the person who was translating. It’s not my fault!
Another interesting thing to watch was the cultural conflict between the American group and the Salvos. One of the women in my group asked me to ask the Salvo volunteers to direct traffic a certain way. I asked, sometimes they did it, other times they didn’t. She asked me to ask again…I told her to drop it. It’s a cultural thing and you can’t change it is basically what I said. She let it go.
I also had fun with the fact that they couldn’t speak Spanish. One Salvo asked Jason what state he was from. The girl had never heard of Idaho, so I proceeded to tell her it was an ugly state that only had potatoes. Jason learned to recognize when I was telling people that…so he started to interrupt when I got started. It was fun. But, I also tried to help protect them from questions…like when people asked me to ask them how much money they earn. I would tell the questioner that that wasn’t a question I was prepared to ask and that it was personal. By the end I was also speaking Spanish to the English speakers and vice versa. I usually caught it early.
At the end of the week, I was ready to go. I had had a good time with my group, but my little pueblo was calling. Literally, Iris was calling wondering when I was getting back. Friday evening, I said good-bye to my little group of gringos. They were so appreciative and even gave me a couple of bucks for the road. Then on Saturday, I headed home. I left around 7am and got in around 3 something.
Sunday was spent cleaning the house. Though, I caved and had a muchacha come over and wash my clothes. There were a lot of clothes and I just don’t have the strength nor the patience. Besides, she gets them a lot cleaner then I do.
Western Conference
The western conference is when all the volunteers in the western part of the country get together. It was actually pretty short. We met on Friday around lunch and were done the next day around lunch. It was held at a beautiful lake, Coatepeque?
The bus trip out there wasn’t bad, especially since we just kept meeting up with more volunteers during the trip. At the bus terminal, Rachael and I met up with all the people from the Cara Sucia (dirty face) area. Later on, we picked up a few more.
The whole thing was basically a meeting where volunteers could share what they were up to. This way, if I want to do a project, I can see who would have information and experience with that type of project. It was definitely helpful and we’ll see what I can put together from it.
They also had some interesting speakers on the second day. One was a gentlemen from the embassy. He was talking about the economy of El Salvador. It’s been a while since I’ve heard terms such as ‘vertical integration’ and ‘GDP’…It’s comforting that I still know what they mean. He was definitely an economist…all for free trade agreements. He got into a little bit of an argument with a volunteer because the volunteer was championing the damage to the every day Salvadorian and he was championing the overall effect. Overall, it was very interesting to hear. The economy is growing, though remittances (money sent home from abroad) make up approximately 18% of the GDP. Unfortunately, that money is being used just for consumerism. It’s not being funneled toward projects that could actually help El Salvador further itself…like roads, schools and water projects. Though there is a movement starting it that direction. It’ll take time.
The next speaker was our security officer…we had less stuff happen in 2006 then 2005. Stuff meaning robberies, thefts and things of that nature. Go us!
Finally, a few NGO’s came out to speak. I didn’t actually get to stay and watch them. I instead took a free ride into the capitol. What can I say…it was just easier.
The truth is, on Sunday I left for Santa Rosa and that is a long trip. So, I decided to break it up by spending one night in the capitol and then completing the trip on Sunday. That night at the hostel was actually quite interesting. I got to talk with people from Ireland, Switzerland, Australia, England and a few other places. It was great. Most were just stopping by El Salvador for a few days.
The bus trip out there wasn’t bad, especially since we just kept meeting up with more volunteers during the trip. At the bus terminal, Rachael and I met up with all the people from the Cara Sucia (dirty face) area. Later on, we picked up a few more.
The whole thing was basically a meeting where volunteers could share what they were up to. This way, if I want to do a project, I can see who would have information and experience with that type of project. It was definitely helpful and we’ll see what I can put together from it.
They also had some interesting speakers on the second day. One was a gentlemen from the embassy. He was talking about the economy of El Salvador. It’s been a while since I’ve heard terms such as ‘vertical integration’ and ‘GDP’…It’s comforting that I still know what they mean. He was definitely an economist…all for free trade agreements. He got into a little bit of an argument with a volunteer because the volunteer was championing the damage to the every day Salvadorian and he was championing the overall effect. Overall, it was very interesting to hear. The economy is growing, though remittances (money sent home from abroad) make up approximately 18% of the GDP. Unfortunately, that money is being used just for consumerism. It’s not being funneled toward projects that could actually help El Salvador further itself…like roads, schools and water projects. Though there is a movement starting it that direction. It’ll take time.
The next speaker was our security officer…we had less stuff happen in 2006 then 2005. Stuff meaning robberies, thefts and things of that nature. Go us!
Finally, a few NGO’s came out to speak. I didn’t actually get to stay and watch them. I instead took a free ride into the capitol. What can I say…it was just easier.
The truth is, on Sunday I left for Santa Rosa and that is a long trip. So, I decided to break it up by spending one night in the capitol and then completing the trip on Sunday. That night at the hostel was actually quite interesting. I got to talk with people from Ireland, Switzerland, Australia, England and a few other places. It was great. Most were just stopping by El Salvador for a few days.
Monday, January 29, 2007
My Birthday!
24! It’s a nice number.
Where to begin…let’s start with the morning. I got up, made myself some pancakes and treated myself to a hot bucket bath. I love hot bucket baths (I’m serious).
From there, it was off to the office. I got there and got all the congrats. They usually said congrats and not happy birthday. It was kinda weird, but cool. I spent the day just chillin. Heidy treated me to lunch…hmmm…free lunch.
In the afternoon I got another surprise. I was sitting on my desk, cause I prefer sitting on my desk then in the chair, when Luis Ernesto came up and was like, “Don Justo wants to see you...something about the Peace Corps”. So, I went down and heard more noise coming from his office. When I walked in, everyone was there and they all stood up and started singing happy birthday! They even bought me a cake! Hmmm…cake. It was really nice.
So, then I was suppose to go play softball, but the teacher I had been waiting for all day never came. That made it to late to go play softball. I hear there were 14 women! That’s huge. I think Rosie rounded up that many to play for me, so…I kinda feel bad that I didn’t make it over there. But, such is life.
I pretty much spent the afternoon chillin at Iris’s place. Till around 6ish when we headed over to Sonia’s place. They blind folded me and led me to her backyard. Which was funny cause they had obviously never led someone who was blindfolded. They forgot to mention steps, hammocks and other obstacles. But, I made it. And when they un-blindfolded me, there were a bunch a friends shouting happy birthday! Another surprise! It was great. They had turkey, rice and some sort of vegetable thing. Then cake, ice cream and the cookies I made. It was great…really great.
That night I had my first Salvadorian sleepover. Heidy lives out in the cantons, and by the time the party ended, it was dark. It’s not always the safest thing to travel down here when it is dark. So, she stayed with me. It was a little weird, but it worked out.
I also opened my package from Mom and Dad after La Fea (my soap opera). I love the Far Side. I got the little calendar that you rip off everyday…I know sit at my desk and giggle. My co-workers ask me what it means…but Gary Larson just can’t be translated and retain the same effect. I’m also pretty sure it’s not their sense of humor. I shouldn’t say that, it can be the sense of humor of some, but not as a whole. I also got more sheets…I love sheets (for the bed). You can’t get nice sheets down here without them costing the world. And yes, in case you were wondering, I pay someone to wash my sheets. I just don’t have the arm muscle, nor the skill to do it. Plus, it only costs a buck.
I continued my fun throughout the weekend. On Friday, I headed out to the capitol. I used the excuse of handing in the computer applications. Side note: I have two schools participating in the program for a total of 15 computers. I was disappointed that one school that stated that it would participate never showed up with the application. All well.
Otherwise, I just kinda hung around with all the other volunteers. I went and saw a movie and then had Pizza Hut for dinner…high living.
Saturday. I caught a ride and headed up to the soccer match in Morizan. I love rides. It was with Allison…she is a PC employee/volunteer. A little tough to explain, but just trust me that she’s all-good. Once there, I actually played soccer. Which would explain why I’m in pain now…but that is beside the point. We lost, but only by 3 goals. Which is huge since half the team was like me…inexperienced. The boys only lost by 1. You could tell the Salvos were getting mad that they weren’t winning by a stronger margin. It was kinda funny. After the fun of the games, we went back to a nice little hotel. The shower was warm, the food good and the beer cold. It was a nice way to end the evening. I slept like a rock.
Sunday was spent traveling. It’s about 7 hours to get from Perkin back to my little pueblito. And that about ends my birthday adventure.
All’s that’s left is to wait for some packages….I love packages
Where to begin…let’s start with the morning. I got up, made myself some pancakes and treated myself to a hot bucket bath. I love hot bucket baths (I’m serious).
From there, it was off to the office. I got there and got all the congrats. They usually said congrats and not happy birthday. It was kinda weird, but cool. I spent the day just chillin. Heidy treated me to lunch…hmmm…free lunch.
In the afternoon I got another surprise. I was sitting on my desk, cause I prefer sitting on my desk then in the chair, when Luis Ernesto came up and was like, “Don Justo wants to see you...something about the Peace Corps”. So, I went down and heard more noise coming from his office. When I walked in, everyone was there and they all stood up and started singing happy birthday! They even bought me a cake! Hmmm…cake. It was really nice.
So, then I was suppose to go play softball, but the teacher I had been waiting for all day never came. That made it to late to go play softball. I hear there were 14 women! That’s huge. I think Rosie rounded up that many to play for me, so…I kinda feel bad that I didn’t make it over there. But, such is life.
I pretty much spent the afternoon chillin at Iris’s place. Till around 6ish when we headed over to Sonia’s place. They blind folded me and led me to her backyard. Which was funny cause they had obviously never led someone who was blindfolded. They forgot to mention steps, hammocks and other obstacles. But, I made it. And when they un-blindfolded me, there were a bunch a friends shouting happy birthday! Another surprise! It was great. They had turkey, rice and some sort of vegetable thing. Then cake, ice cream and the cookies I made. It was great…really great.
That night I had my first Salvadorian sleepover. Heidy lives out in the cantons, and by the time the party ended, it was dark. It’s not always the safest thing to travel down here when it is dark. So, she stayed with me. It was a little weird, but it worked out.
I also opened my package from Mom and Dad after La Fea (my soap opera). I love the Far Side. I got the little calendar that you rip off everyday…I know sit at my desk and giggle. My co-workers ask me what it means…but Gary Larson just can’t be translated and retain the same effect. I’m also pretty sure it’s not their sense of humor. I shouldn’t say that, it can be the sense of humor of some, but not as a whole. I also got more sheets…I love sheets (for the bed). You can’t get nice sheets down here without them costing the world. And yes, in case you were wondering, I pay someone to wash my sheets. I just don’t have the arm muscle, nor the skill to do it. Plus, it only costs a buck.
I continued my fun throughout the weekend. On Friday, I headed out to the capitol. I used the excuse of handing in the computer applications. Side note: I have two schools participating in the program for a total of 15 computers. I was disappointed that one school that stated that it would participate never showed up with the application. All well.
Otherwise, I just kinda hung around with all the other volunteers. I went and saw a movie and then had Pizza Hut for dinner…high living.
Saturday. I caught a ride and headed up to the soccer match in Morizan. I love rides. It was with Allison…she is a PC employee/volunteer. A little tough to explain, but just trust me that she’s all-good. Once there, I actually played soccer. Which would explain why I’m in pain now…but that is beside the point. We lost, but only by 3 goals. Which is huge since half the team was like me…inexperienced. The boys only lost by 1. You could tell the Salvos were getting mad that they weren’t winning by a stronger margin. It was kinda funny. After the fun of the games, we went back to a nice little hotel. The shower was warm, the food good and the beer cold. It was a nice way to end the evening. I slept like a rock.
Sunday was spent traveling. It’s about 7 hours to get from Perkin back to my little pueblito. And that about ends my birthday adventure.
All’s that’s left is to wait for some packages….I love packages
Saturday, January 20, 2007
I thought it was a good idea....
So, I thought it was a great idea to get speakers for my little office area. Heidy and I have been chillin sin musica for a few months now …so I thought it was about time. I bought a pair of $6 speakers and brought them to the office. I should of made sure she had a plentiful source of music first. I love ‘dust in the wind’, but how many times can I honestly listen to it in one day. She’s worse then Louise Ernesto (another guy who works in the office). But, at least it’s not Celine Dion’s ‘My heart will go on’, then I would snap.
My plan is to…when no one is watching…to load itunes on to her computer and then all my music…bwa ha ha ha ha!!! This insanity must end!
In other news…I’m starting work on my garden. So far… I’ve cleaned it out. No small task when one is scared of big bugs…but I did it! I also had the help of Myra. My next step is to get tomato crates and soil. The dirt in my back yard isn’t good for growing stuff…so I’m gonna go steal dirt from Don Justo (the mayor). Then it’s off to the agroservicio to buy some seeds. (Just went to the agroservicio and they gave them to me for free cause they found out I was a PCV! YEY) Maybe I’ll even go pick up some worms from the PC office. I figure I’ll grow the stuff in the boxes and lay down stuff between the boxes to help prevent bug infestations. Apparently, down here they are a lot more common…they don’t have the winter to kill off the little guys. I’m also waiting for the papayas to ripen in my backyard. Yup, I have a papaya tree. My friends can’t wait to steal them…and I’m ok with that. I can’t say I’m a huge papaya person.
Then there is softball, Iris has come back to the team! I think it is because Nina Chella (mother-in-law of Iris and owner of the pharmacy Iris is running) is telling Iris that she will not be coming back from the United States. Yes, she is there with a visa…not illegally. And I don’t think Iris likes the idea of spending the rest of her life in a little store...so…she’s coming back out to join the rest of the world.
Then there’s the environment. Olivia has decided to start work on the environment, since it is her job, and I’m going to help. We’re starting off with a survey of the urban area. Asking people what they do with their trash, how they cook, and things such at that.
My little computer thing is slowly moving along. Actually, while typing some of this, I am waiting for some of the teachers to come to fill out the application. I hope they decide to participate. Otherwise, it was just nice to get some face-to-face time with them and let them know whom I was and that I am here.
Alright..that’s all for now. Oh wait…5 DAYS TILL MY B-DAY!! Go me!
My plan is to…when no one is watching…to load itunes on to her computer and then all my music…bwa ha ha ha ha!!! This insanity must end!
In other news…I’m starting work on my garden. So far… I’ve cleaned it out. No small task when one is scared of big bugs…but I did it! I also had the help of Myra. My next step is to get tomato crates and soil. The dirt in my back yard isn’t good for growing stuff…so I’m gonna go steal dirt from Don Justo (the mayor). Then it’s off to the agroservicio to buy some seeds. (Just went to the agroservicio and they gave them to me for free cause they found out I was a PCV! YEY) Maybe I’ll even go pick up some worms from the PC office. I figure I’ll grow the stuff in the boxes and lay down stuff between the boxes to help prevent bug infestations. Apparently, down here they are a lot more common…they don’t have the winter to kill off the little guys. I’m also waiting for the papayas to ripen in my backyard. Yup, I have a papaya tree. My friends can’t wait to steal them…and I’m ok with that. I can’t say I’m a huge papaya person.
Then there is softball, Iris has come back to the team! I think it is because Nina Chella (mother-in-law of Iris and owner of the pharmacy Iris is running) is telling Iris that she will not be coming back from the United States. Yes, she is there with a visa…not illegally. And I don’t think Iris likes the idea of spending the rest of her life in a little store...so…she’s coming back out to join the rest of the world.
Then there’s the environment. Olivia has decided to start work on the environment, since it is her job, and I’m going to help. We’re starting off with a survey of the urban area. Asking people what they do with their trash, how they cook, and things such at that.
My little computer thing is slowly moving along. Actually, while typing some of this, I am waiting for some of the teachers to come to fill out the application. I hope they decide to participate. Otherwise, it was just nice to get some face-to-face time with them and let them know whom I was and that I am here.
Alright..that’s all for now. Oh wait…5 DAYS TILL MY B-DAY!! Go me!
Saturday, January 13, 2007
a little busy?!
Monday = crepe party… and man was it a huge success. I was a little bad and only invited people I actually talk to and not everyone in the alcaldia. What can I say, I just didn’t have enough for everyone and my house isn’t that big. Pretty much everyone who was invited, showed up. I had the crepes and chocolate from Belgium and I brought ice cream, whip cream, sugar, and strawberry jam (couldn’t find real strawberries in the store). I served coffee and everything. Surprisingly, they all loved the crepes. I say this because they usually don’t like any of the food I bring/make. In fact, Melina told me she was surprised she like the food, I told her I was too. The chocolate was an amazing success…I had to fight to keep some for myself. It was nice to have everyone over and having a good time, even if I couldn’t understand everything they were saying. They seemed to laugh a lot. I laughed every once and a while.
Tuesday wasn’t so bad, softball was fun. They all loved the new softball (thanks mom and dad) and it is now promptly filthy. When you play in a pasture, washing your hands afterward is a much…a big must. When we were done warming up, we played a small game against a bunch of boys that were nearby.
Wednesday, I had a wonderful opportunity….even though I had to wake up at 3:40 am to take advantage of it, it was well worth it. I went and visited Sam up at his site. In case you are wondering, he’s located up in a larger pueblo near Santa Anna. He has some engineers visiting from Engineers without Borders. I think the name is self-explanatory, but if not, they are like Doctors without Borders, but they design plans and sometime help construct. So, if your town needs a well, for instance, they come down, survey the land, determine the best spot to find water, to put a water tower and test the water once it is pumped. This group helped pay for the digging of the well, but not the system to pump or deliver the water…they will just design that. Anyway, they needed translators…so off I went. For most of the day, we went door to door doing a survey of the town. We asked things such as; how many people live there, the amount of water you use, what water you are drinking, where do you get your water, and how much would you be willing to pay for water to your house every month…those types of things. Sometimes it took me a few tries to get the message across, but overall, I don’t think I did half bad for my first attempt. Later that night, three of us took turns translating for the engineers during a town meeting. They were, basically, explaining what they were doing, why and what more to expect. I think the most humorous part came at the end. The engineers wanted to express their gratitude for all the community had done for them…such as providing housing and food for them. So, the engineer said, “I want to thank you for everything. It had been a life changing experiencing and your kindness had been overwhelming.” Now, Danielle (who was translating) could say all of that except none of us know the translation of overwhelming….so she when she got to that part she said, “no hay palabras para describirlo” = there aren’t words to describe it. Get it…funny right. Maybe you just had to be there. Anyway, anyone who could speak the two languages started laughing…those who knew only one were silent. Anyhow, after we all grabbed dinner and chilled for a little while. It was nice to talk to the engineers and get their opinions on El Salvador. I crashed hard that night.
Finally, that brings us to Friday (I know I skipped a day, nothing much happened). I had a meeting with the directors of schools about a computer project. It was a little confusing in the beginning because people were also coming from FISDEL for a meeting…so somehow, some of them wound up in my meeting and then people came late…but it all worked out in the end. In fact, it was a great meeting. I ran it by myself and was able to explain everything. Some even seem genuinely interested in participating.
Tuesday wasn’t so bad, softball was fun. They all loved the new softball (thanks mom and dad) and it is now promptly filthy. When you play in a pasture, washing your hands afterward is a much…a big must. When we were done warming up, we played a small game against a bunch of boys that were nearby.
Wednesday, I had a wonderful opportunity….even though I had to wake up at 3:40 am to take advantage of it, it was well worth it. I went and visited Sam up at his site. In case you are wondering, he’s located up in a larger pueblo near Santa Anna. He has some engineers visiting from Engineers without Borders. I think the name is self-explanatory, but if not, they are like Doctors without Borders, but they design plans and sometime help construct. So, if your town needs a well, for instance, they come down, survey the land, determine the best spot to find water, to put a water tower and test the water once it is pumped. This group helped pay for the digging of the well, but not the system to pump or deliver the water…they will just design that. Anyway, they needed translators…so off I went. For most of the day, we went door to door doing a survey of the town. We asked things such as; how many people live there, the amount of water you use, what water you are drinking, where do you get your water, and how much would you be willing to pay for water to your house every month…those types of things. Sometimes it took me a few tries to get the message across, but overall, I don’t think I did half bad for my first attempt. Later that night, three of us took turns translating for the engineers during a town meeting. They were, basically, explaining what they were doing, why and what more to expect. I think the most humorous part came at the end. The engineers wanted to express their gratitude for all the community had done for them…such as providing housing and food for them. So, the engineer said, “I want to thank you for everything. It had been a life changing experiencing and your kindness had been overwhelming.” Now, Danielle (who was translating) could say all of that except none of us know the translation of overwhelming….so she when she got to that part she said, “no hay palabras para describirlo” = there aren’t words to describe it. Get it…funny right. Maybe you just had to be there. Anyway, anyone who could speak the two languages started laughing…those who knew only one were silent. Anyhow, after we all grabbed dinner and chilled for a little while. It was nice to talk to the engineers and get their opinions on El Salvador. I crashed hard that night.
Finally, that brings us to Friday (I know I skipped a day, nothing much happened). I had a meeting with the directors of schools about a computer project. It was a little confusing in the beginning because people were also coming from FISDEL for a meeting…so somehow, some of them wound up in my meeting and then people came late…but it all worked out in the end. In fact, it was a great meeting. I ran it by myself and was able to explain everything. Some even seem genuinely interested in participating.
Epiphany
or Dia de los reye magi
They actually celebrate it! But not it a way that you would think. ..is it ever?
I met up with Racheal on Saturday to buy stuff for my crepe party (more on that later) and then we headed back to my site.
In the afternoon, the culture house put on a little show. They had games, like musical chairs, and dances by local children. It was cute and a lot of peole came out to see and participate.
After, Racheal went back to my place and I cooked up some chicken cutlets! (thanks mom, for the breadcrumbs). Heidy even came over. It was a nice dinner, a dinner I had over and over again. Gotta love left overs.
The most interesting part of the celebration was at night. It´s when the guys of the town dress up as women or monsters and dance. Actually, there is a pick-up that plays music. If you pay them a $1, you can see the guys dance for two songs. They danced from like 7:30ish till 1 or 2am. I went to bed before that. At the end of the night, all the guys split up the money. It was a fun evening.
They actually celebrate it! But not it a way that you would think. ..is it ever?
I met up with Racheal on Saturday to buy stuff for my crepe party (more on that later) and then we headed back to my site.
In the afternoon, the culture house put on a little show. They had games, like musical chairs, and dances by local children. It was cute and a lot of peole came out to see and participate.
After, Racheal went back to my place and I cooked up some chicken cutlets! (thanks mom, for the breadcrumbs). Heidy even came over. It was a nice dinner, a dinner I had over and over again. Gotta love left overs.
The most interesting part of the celebration was at night. It´s when the guys of the town dress up as women or monsters and dance. Actually, there is a pick-up that plays music. If you pay them a $1, you can see the guys dance for two songs. They danced from like 7:30ish till 1 or 2am. I went to bed before that. At the end of the night, all the guys split up the money. It was a fun evening.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
And I´m back
Thursday afternoon my Alcaldia sent a ride for me. How awesome is that! No bus with all that heavy luggage.
So, when I got back everyone was glad to see me. It was really quite nice. They all wanted to see photos and give hugs. Which I welcomed. Iris even made me dinner that night.
She also helped me set out poison for the rats.....I´ve had enough of them. I didn´t hear them last night and I´m hoping they went behind the house to die. Though Sonia said she would come over and dispose of any carcasses I found.
Friday was spent cleaning my house mostly. You know your house is dirty when it takes you about 5 hours to clean a one room place. I had brought everything inside while I was away and it all got covered in dust and spider webs. But, now I´m settled back in.
I also went and picked up a package on Friday. It was from my old place of work...Beacon Planning. It was a great surprise. Love the tea!
That brings me to today. Just chillin at the market, buying pirated music and vegetables. I also managed to get love tapped by a police pick-up. I´m fine. They were trying to get past a bus, slowly...but nipped me. Well, mostly my backpack that I wear on the side, but a little of me. I think I´ll take some aspirin.
Alright, time to head off. The next entry will be about the Epiphany...they celebrate it and I hear in a interesting fashion......
So, when I got back everyone was glad to see me. It was really quite nice. They all wanted to see photos and give hugs. Which I welcomed. Iris even made me dinner that night.
She also helped me set out poison for the rats.....I´ve had enough of them. I didn´t hear them last night and I´m hoping they went behind the house to die. Though Sonia said she would come over and dispose of any carcasses I found.
Friday was spent cleaning my house mostly. You know your house is dirty when it takes you about 5 hours to clean a one room place. I had brought everything inside while I was away and it all got covered in dust and spider webs. But, now I´m settled back in.
I also went and picked up a package on Friday. It was from my old place of work...Beacon Planning. It was a great surprise. Love the tea!
That brings me to today. Just chillin at the market, buying pirated music and vegetables. I also managed to get love tapped by a police pick-up. I´m fine. They were trying to get past a bus, slowly...but nipped me. Well, mostly my backpack that I wear on the side, but a little of me. I think I´ll take some aspirin.
Alright, time to head off. The next entry will be about the Epiphany...they celebrate it and I hear in a interesting fashion......
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Belgium
So, my travels started at about 4am on the 26th of December. That is when the pastor came and gave me a ride to the airport. From El Salvador I went to Miami, where I bought lunch and nearly went into shock at the price. From Miami, I went to Frankfurt in Germany and then to Belgium. In total it was about 20 or more hours traveling...ouch. But it was well worth it because everyone was waiting for me at the airport. It was sweet!
We spent that afternoon exploring Brussels and trying not to fall asleep. It was just such a change. Seeing a country developed and striving. To see a place with such a history. It was so beautiful and so overwhelming. It was just so great to see everyone.
That evening we all just stayed together and ate Chinese. I unpacked a little and unfortunately found out that the majority of the pottery I brought with me had broken. But, thankfully, not the wedding present. That night I took a long, long hot shower and snuggled into a comfortable bed with a comfortable comforter.
The next morning I woke up and had no idea where I was. I didn't mind, but still had no idea where I was. Then Maryann said something, and I thought, 'Maryann's here! how sweet!'. It was weird and quite humorous. My sister was good and brought plenty of clothes. I robbed her of some, heck...right now I'm sitting in her jeans and t-shirt. How great is that! We just spent the day getting ready for the wedding. The four ladies (Tory, Jessie, Maryann and I) were a little overdressed for the occasion...apparently this was a little more informal of a wedding. We didn't care, it was an occasion to dress up. The wedding took place at the town hall? I'm not sure if that was what is was called or not. It was a quick ceremony...I think Aunt Ann spent more time signing papers then the actually ceremony took.
Then it was time for the castle. Who has a reception in a castle...they do and it was awesome! The food was to die for and the dancing lasted till the am hours. Ann and Greta have great friends and coworkers. They didn't give us to much info or dirt on them, but they did have some great stories. During the middle of the night, Greta's family put on a little skit..a song if you will. It was YMCA with new words. I wish I could sing in multiple languages. Overall, it was just great to see Aunt Ann so happy. After, I got to drive her car back to the house. I haven't driven in 7 months so to say it was fun is an understatement. I managed not to crash into anything.
The next day we all packed up and went the the Belgian shore. The adults in one house, kids in another and friends in a third. We all congregated in the parents house for food and fun. It was just three days spent exploring local towns (like Brugge and the beach) and even a display of ice carvings...which was quite spectacular. I also got the rest of my Christmas gifts....i am a spoiled rotten child. It's wonderful.
Before I knew it, it was time to go. It was about 24 hours to get back. We (Mom, Dad, Maryann and I) got up a little earlier then the rest cause my flight was earlier. Getting on that plane was incredibly difficult. Mostly cause I'm not sure of the next time I'll see them... especially Aunt Ann and Greta. The flights were long and security a little tedious at time. The security in Germany isn't messing around. They hand wand and pat down everyone. And it wasn't a cursory pat down...they were checking. I also had my ipod speakers tested for explosives. The guys at customs in the US thought it was bad ass that El Salvador was my country of residence...they also guessed I was Peace Corps. Go figure. I got in a little late, but managed to grab a taxi and get to the hostel. Thankfully, other volunteers were there to hang out with. So, now I'm chilling in San Salvador. My town hall is gonna send a car for me tomorrow...free ride! I bought some chocolate to bring back as gifts along with crepes...we'll see if they like them!
We spent that afternoon exploring Brussels and trying not to fall asleep. It was just such a change. Seeing a country developed and striving. To see a place with such a history. It was so beautiful and so overwhelming. It was just so great to see everyone.
That evening we all just stayed together and ate Chinese. I unpacked a little and unfortunately found out that the majority of the pottery I brought with me had broken. But, thankfully, not the wedding present. That night I took a long, long hot shower and snuggled into a comfortable bed with a comfortable comforter.
The next morning I woke up and had no idea where I was. I didn't mind, but still had no idea where I was. Then Maryann said something, and I thought, 'Maryann's here! how sweet!'. It was weird and quite humorous. My sister was good and brought plenty of clothes. I robbed her of some, heck...right now I'm sitting in her jeans and t-shirt. How great is that! We just spent the day getting ready for the wedding. The four ladies (Tory, Jessie, Maryann and I) were a little overdressed for the occasion...apparently this was a little more informal of a wedding. We didn't care, it was an occasion to dress up. The wedding took place at the town hall? I'm not sure if that was what is was called or not. It was a quick ceremony...I think Aunt Ann spent more time signing papers then the actually ceremony took.
Then it was time for the castle. Who has a reception in a castle...they do and it was awesome! The food was to die for and the dancing lasted till the am hours. Ann and Greta have great friends and coworkers. They didn't give us to much info or dirt on them, but they did have some great stories. During the middle of the night, Greta's family put on a little skit..a song if you will. It was YMCA with new words. I wish I could sing in multiple languages. Overall, it was just great to see Aunt Ann so happy. After, I got to drive her car back to the house. I haven't driven in 7 months so to say it was fun is an understatement. I managed not to crash into anything.
The next day we all packed up and went the the Belgian shore. The adults in one house, kids in another and friends in a third. We all congregated in the parents house for food and fun. It was just three days spent exploring local towns (like Brugge and the beach) and even a display of ice carvings...which was quite spectacular. I also got the rest of my Christmas gifts....i am a spoiled rotten child. It's wonderful.
Before I knew it, it was time to go. It was about 24 hours to get back. We (Mom, Dad, Maryann and I) got up a little earlier then the rest cause my flight was earlier. Getting on that plane was incredibly difficult. Mostly cause I'm not sure of the next time I'll see them... especially Aunt Ann and Greta. The flights were long and security a little tedious at time. The security in Germany isn't messing around. They hand wand and pat down everyone. And it wasn't a cursory pat down...they were checking. I also had my ipod speakers tested for explosives. The guys at customs in the US thought it was bad ass that El Salvador was my country of residence...they also guessed I was Peace Corps. Go figure. I got in a little late, but managed to grab a taxi and get to the hostel. Thankfully, other volunteers were there to hang out with. So, now I'm chilling in San Salvador. My town hall is gonna send a car for me tomorrow...free ride! I bought some chocolate to bring back as gifts along with crepes...we'll see if they like them!
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