Saturday, April 17, 2010
Just a story.
Today I had an awesome experience. It was something that you would never think would be cool, but it was. A family in my community has a son and daughter in the United States. They both went there illegally 9 years ago, and since they are illegal they cannot come back to visit. Well today I brought my laptop over to their mud hut and 11 people in their family and I climbed up to the top of a mountain in my village so we could get satellite signal for internet and we skyped the son and daughter in the United States. For us Americans, that may not be so crazy, but for these people… who have never been to the capital and have only left their village a handful of times, this was huge. It was the first time seeing a computer for some of them… For the first time in 9 years they were actually seeing their kids, brother and sister and they did not have to worry about how much it cost. They huddled around the screen in this barren field while chickens, roosters and cows looked on and talked, shared laughs and even shed a few tears. This went on for 4 hours. I guess William Shatner was right… the internet can’t hide anymore.
Village life.
4/17/10
The ice cream truck is passing right now for the third time, which means I have now been in my site for three weeks. It seems like an eternity, but my new life is starting to take shape. Right now the kids are begging my host dad for some change so they can buy a scoop of ice cream, but he already gave them money today for watermelon. Maybe next week… The truck comes every Friday. The last couple of weeks have had their ups and downs, but things are becoming more normal. The only thing that really bothers me right now are the kids in my house. They follow me everywhere. They eat my food. They go into my room and use EVERYTHING, including my facewash, que tips , bug spray, and anything else you could think of. Normally that would not bother me, but considering that those types of things are hard to come by in the middle of nowhere in El Salvador… it bothers me. Or the fact that ANYTIME I am on my computer they have to pull up a chair and watch me the entire time. I’m sure you get the point… It’s annoying. But I will only be in this house for what I hope is just a couple of more weeks.
Earlier this week I started my community census, which consists of visiting every house in my village and introducing myself and asking them a bunch of questions about their lives and their families. At first I was nervous, but right now I have 50 houses down and 50 more to go and I am pretty comfortable with it. I try to spend no more that 20 minutes per house. Some of the questions are: How many people live here? What do you do with your trash? Do you know anything about HIV/AIDS? Do you brush your teeth? Have you had a mammogram in the last year? Do you discuss family planning with your husband? And then I kind of snoop around the house and check out the sink areas and see if there is soap around and how much mosquito larva is their water supply. Yesterday I went to a house that was completely constructed of mud, it had 2 rooms and there were 14 people living there. Of the 50 houses I visited they were the happiest and most friendly family of all… I think I would probably lose my mind if I were in that situation. The one question that I did not ask them, that I really was curious about was… how do you make 12 children when you all share two bedrooms?!? What a mystery. After I am done with my census I have to compile the results and then present them to my entire community in a general assembly meeting on May 11th. It is there where I will formally set an agenda with my community and discuss potential projects. I already know one of the projects will be about latrine construction. So many families in my village do not have latrine or toilet and forced to go wherever they can in their backyards.
The average salary in my village is 6.00 per day or 36.00 per week and they work harder than anyone I know. But about 90 percent of the families receive money from family members in the states. Most of the time it is about 100 dollars per month or at least that is what they tell me.
So here I am 3 weeks in… 101 weeks left. But who’s counting.
The ice cream truck is passing right now for the third time, which means I have now been in my site for three weeks. It seems like an eternity, but my new life is starting to take shape. Right now the kids are begging my host dad for some change so they can buy a scoop of ice cream, but he already gave them money today for watermelon. Maybe next week… The truck comes every Friday. The last couple of weeks have had their ups and downs, but things are becoming more normal. The only thing that really bothers me right now are the kids in my house. They follow me everywhere. They eat my food. They go into my room and use EVERYTHING, including my facewash, que tips , bug spray, and anything else you could think of. Normally that would not bother me, but considering that those types of things are hard to come by in the middle of nowhere in El Salvador… it bothers me. Or the fact that ANYTIME I am on my computer they have to pull up a chair and watch me the entire time. I’m sure you get the point… It’s annoying. But I will only be in this house for what I hope is just a couple of more weeks.
Earlier this week I started my community census, which consists of visiting every house in my village and introducing myself and asking them a bunch of questions about their lives and their families. At first I was nervous, but right now I have 50 houses down and 50 more to go and I am pretty comfortable with it. I try to spend no more that 20 minutes per house. Some of the questions are: How many people live here? What do you do with your trash? Do you know anything about HIV/AIDS? Do you brush your teeth? Have you had a mammogram in the last year? Do you discuss family planning with your husband? And then I kind of snoop around the house and check out the sink areas and see if there is soap around and how much mosquito larva is their water supply. Yesterday I went to a house that was completely constructed of mud, it had 2 rooms and there were 14 people living there. Of the 50 houses I visited they were the happiest and most friendly family of all… I think I would probably lose my mind if I were in that situation. The one question that I did not ask them, that I really was curious about was… how do you make 12 children when you all share two bedrooms?!? What a mystery. After I am done with my census I have to compile the results and then present them to my entire community in a general assembly meeting on May 11th. It is there where I will formally set an agenda with my community and discuss potential projects. I already know one of the projects will be about latrine construction. So many families in my village do not have latrine or toilet and forced to go wherever they can in their backyards.
The average salary in my village is 6.00 per day or 36.00 per week and they work harder than anyone I know. But about 90 percent of the families receive money from family members in the states. Most of the time it is about 100 dollars per month or at least that is what they tell me.
So here I am 3 weeks in… 101 weeks left. But who’s counting.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
New gringo in town
3/28/10
Well I’m here. I took a 3.5 hour miserable, hot bus ride and arrived in Metapan. I threw up on the bus… it sucked. But I made it and I didn’t get robbed. After the bus ride I waited for about 4 hours at a fast food restaurant until the pick-up truck arrived to bring me to my village an hour away on a dirt road. I sat in the back of the truck with a lady who was about 75-80 years old. She stood and leaned on the cab of the truck for the entire hour. I sat and stood and breathed in the dust as I took in the sights of my new home. My assignment is rural health… and when they say rural… they aren’t joking. I’M IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE! My village has 500 people and one road/path that was paved last year… they are still talking about how great it is to have a paved road. It’s very squiggly and about as wide as a back alley. For the first 2 months I’m living with a host family. They are super nice and have 3 kids. Last night I was out playing with the kids in front of the house… and a little crowd started to form across the road at the neighbors. The kids started giggling and I asked what was going on over there… they giggled some more and finally said… they are here for you. They want to know who the new gringo is. I am starting to feel like I just landed from mars on a space ship. But I guess I can understand where they are coming from. They live in a tiny village in the middle of know where and all of a sudden this 6 foot 2 inch white guy shows up. I would be curious also.
We are not supposed to work for the first 2 months. Just do a community census and if you want very small projects are ok. Right now it’s all about gaining trust and building relationships. Last night my host mom came into my room and she told me she doesn’t know how to read or write. I asked her if she was able to write her name for me. She couldn’t. So I wrote her name and had her copy it… she put her hands over her mouth with a big smile. She is 48-years-old and she just wrote her name for the first time. Tomorrow we are going to learn the alphabet. I found my first small project. Angelina is going to learn to read and write.
Well I’m here. I took a 3.5 hour miserable, hot bus ride and arrived in Metapan. I threw up on the bus… it sucked. But I made it and I didn’t get robbed. After the bus ride I waited for about 4 hours at a fast food restaurant until the pick-up truck arrived to bring me to my village an hour away on a dirt road. I sat in the back of the truck with a lady who was about 75-80 years old. She stood and leaned on the cab of the truck for the entire hour. I sat and stood and breathed in the dust as I took in the sights of my new home. My assignment is rural health… and when they say rural… they aren’t joking. I’M IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE! My village has 500 people and one road/path that was paved last year… they are still talking about how great it is to have a paved road. It’s very squiggly and about as wide as a back alley. For the first 2 months I’m living with a host family. They are super nice and have 3 kids. Last night I was out playing with the kids in front of the house… and a little crowd started to form across the road at the neighbors. The kids started giggling and I asked what was going on over there… they giggled some more and finally said… they are here for you. They want to know who the new gringo is. I am starting to feel like I just landed from mars on a space ship. But I guess I can understand where they are coming from. They live in a tiny village in the middle of know where and all of a sudden this 6 foot 2 inch white guy shows up. I would be curious also.
We are not supposed to work for the first 2 months. Just do a community census and if you want very small projects are ok. Right now it’s all about gaining trust and building relationships. Last night my host mom came into my room and she told me she doesn’t know how to read or write. I asked her if she was able to write her name for me. She couldn’t. So I wrote her name and had her copy it… she put her hands over her mouth with a big smile. She is 48-years-old and she just wrote her name for the first time. Tomorrow we are going to learn the alphabet. I found my first small project. Angelina is going to learn to read and write.
Summer camp is ending. 3/27/10
3/27/10
Summer camp is over. On Friday we had our swearing in ceremony at the American Embassy in San Salvador and in the morning we met with our counterparts at a local hotel. Our counterparts are people that live in our communities who will help us get acclimated and will be there in case we have questions or need something over the next 2 years. Some of them had never been to San Salvador. To give you an idea how crazy that is.. El Salvador is the size of Massachusetts.
Swearing in was at the ambassador’s residence at the American Embassy. It was pretty nice to say the least. Our host families were invited and I wish I could explain how they felt about it. I don’t think they have ever seen anything like it. After taking the oath we had dinner and our host families INDULGED. Not only did they eat... but they packed enough food in their purses and bags for the rest of the village. It was hilarious. I think my host mom left with at least 7 hamburgers and 15-20 small deserts in her purse and little bag. It’s not very often that they get to go to a free buffet style dinner and not have to pay.
Later in the night we all went out to party at an open bar. All the volunteers from around the country came in for the party. So there were about 150 of us. It was really fun. At one point as the music was blasting and the drinks were flowing I said to one volunteer…”something tells me Peace Corps Botswana is not having the same party tonight.” Overall it was a solid night. I didn’t get back home until 5 a.m. I had to be up at 7 to get my bus to the town I am going to live in for the next 2 years. I was not in any shape for that bus ride.
Summer camp is over. On Friday we had our swearing in ceremony at the American Embassy in San Salvador and in the morning we met with our counterparts at a local hotel. Our counterparts are people that live in our communities who will help us get acclimated and will be there in case we have questions or need something over the next 2 years. Some of them had never been to San Salvador. To give you an idea how crazy that is.. El Salvador is the size of Massachusetts.
Swearing in was at the ambassador’s residence at the American Embassy. It was pretty nice to say the least. Our host families were invited and I wish I could explain how they felt about it. I don’t think they have ever seen anything like it. After taking the oath we had dinner and our host families INDULGED. Not only did they eat... but they packed enough food in their purses and bags for the rest of the village. It was hilarious. I think my host mom left with at least 7 hamburgers and 15-20 small deserts in her purse and little bag. It’s not very often that they get to go to a free buffet style dinner and not have to pay.
Later in the night we all went out to party at an open bar. All the volunteers from around the country came in for the party. So there were about 150 of us. It was really fun. At one point as the music was blasting and the drinks were flowing I said to one volunteer…”something tells me Peace Corps Botswana is not having the same party tonight.” Overall it was a solid night. I didn’t get back home until 5 a.m. I had to be up at 7 to get my bus to the town I am going to live in for the next 2 years. I was not in any shape for that bus ride.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Just Some Stories
Just Some Stories
Many of the volunteers have been eating fish. I definitely have not. They don’t chop off the heads here. They jus t serve them whole. No thank you. Anyway, a lot of the volunteers have been commenting on the size of the fish. Well we got an explanation as to why the fish are so big here right now… last November there were really bad storms here. Hundreds died inland and near the coast. Well in a developing nation someone apparently thought it was a good idea to put the bodies in the sea. That being said, the fish had more than enough food and they are now VERY big because of it. So more or less the volunteers who are eating fish are also eating human.
During the first week I remember people talking at lunch about their diarrhea and I couldn’t believe they were talking about that over lunch… and I said something to them and a staff member just laughed and said “Sam…get used to it… this will be your dinner conversation in a couple of weeks.” Well she was right. We talk about it; we tell each other were going to the bathroom before we go… we discuss it after. And it’s all normal. Today we were lucky enough to get a ride home back to our village because one of the other volunteers in a nearby village broke her toes and she doesn’t want to take the bus.. so we all get a ride. It’s actually really nice when you don’t have to take the bus. Anyway, our conversation was all over the place, but at one point it started from the rats in Emily’s house last night who ate through the rope that holds her mosquito net up causing her to have to turn on her flash light though out the night to scare them… none of us were phased and neither was she. Then Jordan shared about the tarantulas in her bathroom and her bedroom. Again, none of us were phased. I then said out loud… isn’t this weird that none of us even thinks it’s strange that any of this is happening.
Last night I realized that not one of my family members except for my sister is able to read. I have 3 brothers and a sister and of course the mom and the dad. The two older brothers are 22 and 24. They both left school after 6th grade. Which I have come to find out is not out of the ordinary. I asked my mom about why they did that and she just shrugged her shoulders and said they aren’t students. I was shocked that in this day and age a 22 and 24 year old can’t read. A lot of the neighborhood boys come to my house at night and ask my sister to read magazine articles to them if it is accompanied with an interesting picture.
Many of the volunteers have been eating fish. I definitely have not. They don’t chop off the heads here. They jus t serve them whole. No thank you. Anyway, a lot of the volunteers have been commenting on the size of the fish. Well we got an explanation as to why the fish are so big here right now… last November there were really bad storms here. Hundreds died inland and near the coast. Well in a developing nation someone apparently thought it was a good idea to put the bodies in the sea. That being said, the fish had more than enough food and they are now VERY big because of it. So more or less the volunteers who are eating fish are also eating human.
During the first week I remember people talking at lunch about their diarrhea and I couldn’t believe they were talking about that over lunch… and I said something to them and a staff member just laughed and said “Sam…get used to it… this will be your dinner conversation in a couple of weeks.” Well she was right. We talk about it; we tell each other were going to the bathroom before we go… we discuss it after. And it’s all normal. Today we were lucky enough to get a ride home back to our village because one of the other volunteers in a nearby village broke her toes and she doesn’t want to take the bus.. so we all get a ride. It’s actually really nice when you don’t have to take the bus. Anyway, our conversation was all over the place, but at one point it started from the rats in Emily’s house last night who ate through the rope that holds her mosquito net up causing her to have to turn on her flash light though out the night to scare them… none of us were phased and neither was she. Then Jordan shared about the tarantulas in her bathroom and her bedroom. Again, none of us were phased. I then said out loud… isn’t this weird that none of us even thinks it’s strange that any of this is happening.
Last night I realized that not one of my family members except for my sister is able to read. I have 3 brothers and a sister and of course the mom and the dad. The two older brothers are 22 and 24. They both left school after 6th grade. Which I have come to find out is not out of the ordinary. I asked my mom about why they did that and she just shrugged her shoulders and said they aren’t students. I was shocked that in this day and age a 22 and 24 year old can’t read. A lot of the neighborhood boys come to my house at night and ask my sister to read magazine articles to them if it is accompanied with an interesting picture.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Things are changing
March 9th 2010.
It’s funny how quickly things change. During the first few weeks when I would write in my blog, I think I did it as an escape. I was writing to friends and people who were of the same mindset. Now things are different. I feel normal , at home, comfortable. I feel as if I don’t even have to write here anymore, because this is normal life. Why would I write about my usual, mundane schedule? It has only been 5 weeks and I rarely ask myself why I am here anymore. Hopefully the feelings of being at ease continue after March 26th when we move into our permanent sites. If I have learned anything thus far… it’s that it is all about adapting. We can adapt to anything. I cringed when I first saw the house I am living in now. This past weekend we went away and I said out loud “I’m ready to go home”, and then I thought about what I had just said… home... And I was referring to my home stay family.
Al though our assignment is “Rural Health” we will be doing much more than that. Today in training we were learning about working with and starting local governments. Many of the towns we are moving to will have a local government already set up and some may have nothing. Some also may technically have a government established but it really does not do anything or even exist. That said our job will be to help organize and create substance within these administrations. We will not only be helping launch new governments but also teaching the locals how to correctly and honestly run the operation. More specifically we need to make sure they are following their bylaws and having fair elections and that they have and maintain a relationship with the provincial mayors. It’s interesting how life works. This time last year my biggest concerns were what I was doing for spring break and getting my journalism assignments completed. This year I’m helping institute local governments in Central America and encouraging sustainable change within them so they can better the communities in which they exist. What Will I be doing next year?
It’s funny how quickly things change. During the first few weeks when I would write in my blog, I think I did it as an escape. I was writing to friends and people who were of the same mindset. Now things are different. I feel normal , at home, comfortable. I feel as if I don’t even have to write here anymore, because this is normal life. Why would I write about my usual, mundane schedule? It has only been 5 weeks and I rarely ask myself why I am here anymore. Hopefully the feelings of being at ease continue after March 26th when we move into our permanent sites. If I have learned anything thus far… it’s that it is all about adapting. We can adapt to anything. I cringed when I first saw the house I am living in now. This past weekend we went away and I said out loud “I’m ready to go home”, and then I thought about what I had just said… home... And I was referring to my home stay family.
Al though our assignment is “Rural Health” we will be doing much more than that. Today in training we were learning about working with and starting local governments. Many of the towns we are moving to will have a local government already set up and some may have nothing. Some also may technically have a government established but it really does not do anything or even exist. That said our job will be to help organize and create substance within these administrations. We will not only be helping launch new governments but also teaching the locals how to correctly and honestly run the operation. More specifically we need to make sure they are following their bylaws and having fair elections and that they have and maintain a relationship with the provincial mayors. It’s interesting how life works. This time last year my biggest concerns were what I was doing for spring break and getting my journalism assignments completed. This year I’m helping institute local governments in Central America and encouraging sustainable change within them so they can better the communities in which they exist. What Will I be doing next year?
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
photos
If you want to see photos here is a link...enjoy
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2627132&id=10022432&l=30975d8e75
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2627132&id=10022432&l=30975d8e75
Monday, March 1, 2010
49th Anniversary of Peace Corps
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
March 1, 2010
Since 1961, the men and women of the Peace Corps have carried forward our finest traditions of service and embodied the United States’ commitment to forging partnerships and solving problems around the world. Today more than 7,600 Peace Corps volunteers from all fifty states serve in 76 countries, putting their skills and efforts to work on behalf of others. They follow in the footsteps of generations of dedicated volunteers whose hard work has changed lives, created new opportunities, and deepened understanding between cultures. Their example has inspired millions of other Americans to serve their communities through organizations here at home such as Americorps and Teach for America. And for many, the Peace Corps has been the start of a life-long commitment to service and engagement with the world. The State Department and USAID are filled with returned Peace Corps volunteers who draw on their experiences to serve our country and help build a more peaceful and prosperous world.
On this anniversary, we honor the nearly 200,000 Americans who have answered the challenge first laid down by John F. Kennedy a half-century ago and volunteered in the Peace Corps. Let us recommit ourselves to the vision they championed, the example they set and the work they began.
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
March 1, 2010
Since 1961, the men and women of the Peace Corps have carried forward our finest traditions of service and embodied the United States’ commitment to forging partnerships and solving problems around the world. Today more than 7,600 Peace Corps volunteers from all fifty states serve in 76 countries, putting their skills and efforts to work on behalf of others. They follow in the footsteps of generations of dedicated volunteers whose hard work has changed lives, created new opportunities, and deepened understanding between cultures. Their example has inspired millions of other Americans to serve their communities through organizations here at home such as Americorps and Teach for America. And for many, the Peace Corps has been the start of a life-long commitment to service and engagement with the world. The State Department and USAID are filled with returned Peace Corps volunteers who draw on their experiences to serve our country and help build a more peaceful and prosperous world.
On this anniversary, we honor the nearly 200,000 Americans who have answered the challenge first laid down by John F. Kennedy a half-century ago and volunteered in the Peace Corps. Let us recommit ourselves to the vision they championed, the example they set and the work they began.
Feb 28th
2/28/10
Wow… where do I start? I just got back from spending the weekend in a remote village with a current Peace Corps volunteer named Adam, who has been here for about a year. His site was relatively nice. He had a dirt road (meaning we didn’t have to walk to his village like some other volunteers did). My friend Mya took a 3 hour bus ride to a town near the Guatemalan border and then had to walk up a mountain for 3 hours to get to her village. If that was me… it would have been GAME OVER! Next bus to the airport PLEASE! Anyway, I had a relatively nice weekend. On Thursday we went to the school and taught an English class. After we gave the students, ages 12-18, an assignment and I was walking around the classroom and individually checking their work I thought to myself…. Holy shit if someone were to have told me five years ago that this is what I’d be doing 5 years from now I probably would have laughed in their face. I will never forget when I walked out of my last Spanish exam in high school… I was the last one finished and I yelled in the hallway “YESSSSSS I WILL NEVER EVER TAKE A SPANISH CLASS AGAIN”…. Not only did I take another Spanish class again, I minored in it in college and am now living in El Salvador teaching English, health education, youth development and learning Spanish every day. Funny how things work. On Friday we gave a presentation on HIV/AIDS to about 20 guys from the village. They ranged in age from 14 to 35. It was really interesting to see what they actually knew, thought they knew, and the things they had never even thought about. Nearly 100% of them thought you could look at someone and tell whether or not the person had HIV. They also thought HIV could be spread by mosquito. After presenting some facts to them we hung 8 beautiful models that we cut from a maxim magazine on the chalk board with blank pieces of paper below them. We had each guy put their name under 3 of the girls in which they would like to sleep with. After they were all sitting down we told them that one of the girls had HIV, trying to establish the point that you cannot simply look at someone and see if they have HIV. After telling them which girl it was that had the disease we made the guys stand who were now “infected” while all the others in the room giggled and made fun of them. But because they each signed up for 3 women, the other 2 girls they picked were also now infected with HIV, thus all the other guys who signed up for those women were also now infected. Long story short by the end of it, all the men in the room were standing. We made our point and they understood the dangers and how easy it is to contract HIV if you have multiple sex partners and don’t use a condom. Mission complete. We may have just saved one life. As the men walked out of the hot and sweaty classroom on a Friday afternoon with smiles on their faces I quickly realized how awesome that was and how much happiness it brought me. If this is going to be the next 2 years, I am going to be happy.
After I wrote everything above I spoke with my grandmother on the phone…she recommended that I add the fact that I slept in an empty cinderblock room with only a hammock and 3 50 pound bags of corn. I also had no door. Outside the room there were ducks quacking, roosters crowing, wild dogs barking, and a parrot that continually repeated “hola”. After I described this to my grandmother she simply asked “and why do some many people work so hard to join the Peace Corps? I just can’t imagine begging to live like that.” “Please please can I go somewhere where chickens peck at my suitcase and keep me up all night?”
Wow… where do I start? I just got back from spending the weekend in a remote village with a current Peace Corps volunteer named Adam, who has been here for about a year. His site was relatively nice. He had a dirt road (meaning we didn’t have to walk to his village like some other volunteers did). My friend Mya took a 3 hour bus ride to a town near the Guatemalan border and then had to walk up a mountain for 3 hours to get to her village. If that was me… it would have been GAME OVER! Next bus to the airport PLEASE! Anyway, I had a relatively nice weekend. On Thursday we went to the school and taught an English class. After we gave the students, ages 12-18, an assignment and I was walking around the classroom and individually checking their work I thought to myself…. Holy shit if someone were to have told me five years ago that this is what I’d be doing 5 years from now I probably would have laughed in their face. I will never forget when I walked out of my last Spanish exam in high school… I was the last one finished and I yelled in the hallway “YESSSSSS I WILL NEVER EVER TAKE A SPANISH CLASS AGAIN”…. Not only did I take another Spanish class again, I minored in it in college and am now living in El Salvador teaching English, health education, youth development and learning Spanish every day. Funny how things work. On Friday we gave a presentation on HIV/AIDS to about 20 guys from the village. They ranged in age from 14 to 35. It was really interesting to see what they actually knew, thought they knew, and the things they had never even thought about. Nearly 100% of them thought you could look at someone and tell whether or not the person had HIV. They also thought HIV could be spread by mosquito. After presenting some facts to them we hung 8 beautiful models that we cut from a maxim magazine on the chalk board with blank pieces of paper below them. We had each guy put their name under 3 of the girls in which they would like to sleep with. After they were all sitting down we told them that one of the girls had HIV, trying to establish the point that you cannot simply look at someone and see if they have HIV. After telling them which girl it was that had the disease we made the guys stand who were now “infected” while all the others in the room giggled and made fun of them. But because they each signed up for 3 women, the other 2 girls they picked were also now infected with HIV, thus all the other guys who signed up for those women were also now infected. Long story short by the end of it, all the men in the room were standing. We made our point and they understood the dangers and how easy it is to contract HIV if you have multiple sex partners and don’t use a condom. Mission complete. We may have just saved one life. As the men walked out of the hot and sweaty classroom on a Friday afternoon with smiles on their faces I quickly realized how awesome that was and how much happiness it brought me. If this is going to be the next 2 years, I am going to be happy.
After I wrote everything above I spoke with my grandmother on the phone…she recommended that I add the fact that I slept in an empty cinderblock room with only a hammock and 3 50 pound bags of corn. I also had no door. Outside the room there were ducks quacking, roosters crowing, wild dogs barking, and a parrot that continually repeated “hola”. After I described this to my grandmother she simply asked “and why do some many people work so hard to join the Peace Corps? I just can’t imagine begging to live like that.” “Please please can I go somewhere where chickens peck at my suitcase and keep me up all night?”
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Feb. 24th
Feb. 24th 2010
So here we go… now getting close to week 4. Things are starting to become more normal and the shock is wearing down… but definitely not out. We are all more comfortable now.. we know the bus routes, we know our host families and we are at ease in our communities. But that will all soon change. In about another month we will move to new host families in our permanent sites and we will have to go through the readjustment phase once more. It breaks you down… but you will always come back up stronger.
There are a few things that keeping coming up in daily life here that I never really considered or thought would be issues back in the states. Most of us keep getting the feeling that the Salvadorians feel very inferior or insecure to us gringos. We see it on several different levels. In our homes… our families are constantly checking out our food and what we eat and don’t eat… and then they will hesitantly ask if we like their food. If they see us going into our rooms and not spending time with them they will ask us if we are happy there or if there is something wrong. On a larger scale, today we visited a community where the town health promoter has been trying to change people’s habits for years in order for them to be healthier and they never listened. Last year their first Peace Corps Volunteer arrived and he immediately changed things. Infant mortality rate dropped, cases of diarrhea fell significantly, and the general overall health improved. In these rural towns, Americans are on the same level as god almost. Whatever we say… they do. They will believe anything we tell them, which kind of makes our jobs a lot easier.
Yesterday we went to the next town over where a medicine lady practices. I really did not know much about what they did until she explained it. It was one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard. Her specialty is curing children of sicknesses. For example, mothers will bring their sick children to this lady and she will crush leaves up and add an oil to them and rub it all over the baby. She then rubs an egg around their body. She then follows that by cracking the egg in a glass of water. If the egg is yokey the baby has one thing.. if the egg is “cooked” ‘the baby has another. She also explained that the oil and leaves must remain on the baby for 3 days before it is cured… she said the reason the babies get sick is because a person with bad spirits or a drunk has looked directly into their eyes. I sat there and couldn’t believe what this lady was telling me and that mothers actually believe this garbage. Our teacher said that this is common practice and so many children die each year in El Salvador because of it.
This past weekend my host mother was determined to show me how to wash my own laundry. Let me start off my saying… I will never ever complain about doing laundry once I get back home. Each item has to be done one at a time. You lay the clothes out on a rock and rub them down with a bar of soap. You then proceed to rub the item together and on the rock underneath… you continue to poor buckets of water onto them until it’s clean. Jeans take longer than underwear, but they are equally as painful. It makes you want to wear your clothes several times before you wash them. After about 20 minutes of washing the clothes as I took instructions from my madre… she more or less pushed me out of the way because she could not handle my lack of skill… after she was done cleaning a pair of jeans or a shirt… she was out of breath! It’s not easy work. Something tells me I will be paying a villager to do mine once I move to my permanent site. .. In the future I will most definitely not put clean clothes in the hamper because I don’t want feel like putting them away
Right now I have one more shirt that I have not yet worn since being in El Salvador… I’m going to keep it that way because I want to be able to smell home. Once they are clean…the tide smell is gone!
Tomorrow I am off to spend 4 days in another village with a current Peace Corps Volunteer who has been here for a year. I will take a 3 hour bus ride to another province and meet the other kid there. I have to sleep in a hammock each night and I’m not looking forward to it. I will sleep 2 nights at his house and 1 night with a random family in the community.
So here we go… now getting close to week 4. Things are starting to become more normal and the shock is wearing down… but definitely not out. We are all more comfortable now.. we know the bus routes, we know our host families and we are at ease in our communities. But that will all soon change. In about another month we will move to new host families in our permanent sites and we will have to go through the readjustment phase once more. It breaks you down… but you will always come back up stronger.
There are a few things that keeping coming up in daily life here that I never really considered or thought would be issues back in the states. Most of us keep getting the feeling that the Salvadorians feel very inferior or insecure to us gringos. We see it on several different levels. In our homes… our families are constantly checking out our food and what we eat and don’t eat… and then they will hesitantly ask if we like their food. If they see us going into our rooms and not spending time with them they will ask us if we are happy there or if there is something wrong. On a larger scale, today we visited a community where the town health promoter has been trying to change people’s habits for years in order for them to be healthier and they never listened. Last year their first Peace Corps Volunteer arrived and he immediately changed things. Infant mortality rate dropped, cases of diarrhea fell significantly, and the general overall health improved. In these rural towns, Americans are on the same level as god almost. Whatever we say… they do. They will believe anything we tell them, which kind of makes our jobs a lot easier.
Yesterday we went to the next town over where a medicine lady practices. I really did not know much about what they did until she explained it. It was one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard. Her specialty is curing children of sicknesses. For example, mothers will bring their sick children to this lady and she will crush leaves up and add an oil to them and rub it all over the baby. She then rubs an egg around their body. She then follows that by cracking the egg in a glass of water. If the egg is yokey the baby has one thing.. if the egg is “cooked” ‘the baby has another. She also explained that the oil and leaves must remain on the baby for 3 days before it is cured… she said the reason the babies get sick is because a person with bad spirits or a drunk has looked directly into their eyes. I sat there and couldn’t believe what this lady was telling me and that mothers actually believe this garbage. Our teacher said that this is common practice and so many children die each year in El Salvador because of it.
This past weekend my host mother was determined to show me how to wash my own laundry. Let me start off my saying… I will never ever complain about doing laundry once I get back home. Each item has to be done one at a time. You lay the clothes out on a rock and rub them down with a bar of soap. You then proceed to rub the item together and on the rock underneath… you continue to poor buckets of water onto them until it’s clean. Jeans take longer than underwear, but they are equally as painful. It makes you want to wear your clothes several times before you wash them. After about 20 minutes of washing the clothes as I took instructions from my madre… she more or less pushed me out of the way because she could not handle my lack of skill… after she was done cleaning a pair of jeans or a shirt… she was out of breath! It’s not easy work. Something tells me I will be paying a villager to do mine once I move to my permanent site. .. In the future I will most definitely not put clean clothes in the hamper because I don’t want feel like putting them away
Right now I have one more shirt that I have not yet worn since being in El Salvador… I’m going to keep it that way because I want to be able to smell home. Once they are clean…the tide smell is gone!
Tomorrow I am off to spend 4 days in another village with a current Peace Corps Volunteer who has been here for a year. I will take a 3 hour bus ride to another province and meet the other kid there. I have to sleep in a hammock each night and I’m not looking forward to it. I will sleep 2 nights at his house and 1 night with a random family in the community.
Friday, February 19, 2010
feb. 18th
February 18th 2010.
I don’t have anything super exciting to share today. Life is good. My family is much different now. We have been having a good time together and I have been spending more time with them because of it. My madre told me we now have “confianza”. Which means a mutual trust. Gaining confianza is big in Salvadorian culture. Once I arrive in my site I am not allowed to start working for about two months. Those two months are set aside for gaining confianza with your new community. So I will spend most of my time doing house visits, visiting the school, having meals with different families and becoming familiar with the local people. I am expecting to be placed in a village of about 250 people.
I just found out from another Peace Corps volunteer that a 12-year-old boy was shot and killed about a mile from my house as he walked to school because he wouldn’t join MS13. (the big gang—150,000 members) and then they also killed his mother. The gang violence is really bad here. And you know when you see a gang member. Most of them are covered head to toe in tattoos, including their entire face. They are some scary looking dudes. The murder rate here is astronomical. In 2009 alone there were more than 4000 murders… so far in 2010 there have been close to 500. El Salvador is about the size of Massachusetts.
Now onto my superficial side… I think I am going to buy the wireless internet card tomorrow from the cell phone store. Its 30 dollars for the card and 30 dollars a month for unlimited internet access… that is internet access wherever there is cell phone service. I think it’s worth it. When I first thought about it… I thought it was kind of cheating to get something like that…kind of like having a generator when you go camping… but then I realized I’m going to be living here for the next 2 years… why not be comfortable.
Right now it’s 7:30 at night and I’m laying in my bed… I usually go to bed around 8 or 830 every night. The other night I looked at my clock and it was 9:30 and I couldn’t believe I was up so late.
I have been doing a lot of reading lately. My life went from about 100 M.P.H to about 10 MPH. After training I usually come home and sit in my hammock and read or talk with my family. Right now there is not much else to do. It’s a much different lifestyle then from what I came from but it’s a nice change. It’s simple.
So to end this off I will tell you about my host grandfather who lives with us. Every day he sits in his chair in front of our house and watches the dogs and cars go by. He has 3 teeth and I cannot understand a word that comes from his mouth. On the first day I asked my madre how old he was… I thought she said 73. So I just presumed he looked much older than he was from so many years working in the sugar cane fields. Well yesterday I asked her again. Keep in mind this man not only sits in his chair everyday… but he also sweeps the entire front area.. Organizes the corn into piles and walks laps. He was born in the kitchen of my house in….1907. He is 103
I don’t have anything super exciting to share today. Life is good. My family is much different now. We have been having a good time together and I have been spending more time with them because of it. My madre told me we now have “confianza”. Which means a mutual trust. Gaining confianza is big in Salvadorian culture. Once I arrive in my site I am not allowed to start working for about two months. Those two months are set aside for gaining confianza with your new community. So I will spend most of my time doing house visits, visiting the school, having meals with different families and becoming familiar with the local people. I am expecting to be placed in a village of about 250 people.
I just found out from another Peace Corps volunteer that a 12-year-old boy was shot and killed about a mile from my house as he walked to school because he wouldn’t join MS13. (the big gang—150,000 members) and then they also killed his mother. The gang violence is really bad here. And you know when you see a gang member. Most of them are covered head to toe in tattoos, including their entire face. They are some scary looking dudes. The murder rate here is astronomical. In 2009 alone there were more than 4000 murders… so far in 2010 there have been close to 500. El Salvador is about the size of Massachusetts.
Now onto my superficial side… I think I am going to buy the wireless internet card tomorrow from the cell phone store. Its 30 dollars for the card and 30 dollars a month for unlimited internet access… that is internet access wherever there is cell phone service. I think it’s worth it. When I first thought about it… I thought it was kind of cheating to get something like that…kind of like having a generator when you go camping… but then I realized I’m going to be living here for the next 2 years… why not be comfortable.
Right now it’s 7:30 at night and I’m laying in my bed… I usually go to bed around 8 or 830 every night. The other night I looked at my clock and it was 9:30 and I couldn’t believe I was up so late.
I have been doing a lot of reading lately. My life went from about 100 M.P.H to about 10 MPH. After training I usually come home and sit in my hammock and read or talk with my family. Right now there is not much else to do. It’s a much different lifestyle then from what I came from but it’s a nice change. It’s simple.
So to end this off I will tell you about my host grandfather who lives with us. Every day he sits in his chair in front of our house and watches the dogs and cars go by. He has 3 teeth and I cannot understand a word that comes from his mouth. On the first day I asked my madre how old he was… I thought she said 73. So I just presumed he looked much older than he was from so many years working in the sugar cane fields. Well yesterday I asked her again. Keep in mind this man not only sits in his chair everyday… but he also sweeps the entire front area.. Organizes the corn into piles and walks laps. He was born in the kitchen of my house in….1907. He is 103
Hospital
February 16th 2009.
Since I started posting I have received a lot of positive feedback from people. It really means a lot to me to hear from you guys reading this. It is what keeps me going and focused. One of the 3 goals of the Peace Corps is to educate Americans once you return about your experiences, but with this blog I feel as if I am fulfilling that mission as I live it. Thanks for reading.
It is hard for me to write back to everyone and to make it detailed as I only get about 20 minutes of internet time once or twice a week. I write these blogs each night or every other night on my computer and then post them online once I get internet access.
Anyway on to today’s experience… This afternoon we visited a local hospital here in San Vicente. We were told that it was primitive and that it was definitely not what we’re used to. I am nervous writing this post because I’m afraid I won’t do it justice. The words that come to mind if I had to explain it in just a few sentences are: atrocious, horrific, dreadful, shocking and horrendous. The emergency waiting area was outside underneath a sheet metal roof. In the waiting area were wheel chairs that were plastic lawn chairs with wheels. Inside the hospital patients laid on old rusted steel gurneys. Between 20-50 per room. It was about 90 degrees inside and there were no curtains around any of the beds. The first room we walked into had about a dozen women laying around like they were half dead. Most with IV bags above them…hanging by a jerry rigged clothes hanger. The woman closest to us was in the middle of pooping. In America this situation would be unimaginable. We would use diapers and catheters to take care of the problem…Here that doesn’t exist. No privacy, no curtain, no help, no nurse, and no family. She was by herself, laying on her side, holding a pail under her ass with a piece of shit about to fall into the pail. All while 36 gringo Americans looked on. It was horrible. It was the same story as we walked throughout the facility: sad faces, dirty spaces, and VERY little medical equipment to work with. The Peace Corps doctor pointed out a stethoscope that was so old that it was probably safe to assume that this type had not been used in America during our lifetime. In the maternity ward women gave birth with no anesthesia in extreme heat without any fans while flies circled the room. We later found out the hospital was 138 years old and is the only hospital for the entire region. As for us Peace Corps volunteers we were consistently reassured that if we ever get sick we will be evacuated by medical helicopter or driven, depending on our site location, to the premier hospital in the country which is located in the capital. It is a private hospital that is on par with American standards.
Since I started posting I have received a lot of positive feedback from people. It really means a lot to me to hear from you guys reading this. It is what keeps me going and focused. One of the 3 goals of the Peace Corps is to educate Americans once you return about your experiences, but with this blog I feel as if I am fulfilling that mission as I live it. Thanks for reading.
It is hard for me to write back to everyone and to make it detailed as I only get about 20 minutes of internet time once or twice a week. I write these blogs each night or every other night on my computer and then post them online once I get internet access.
Anyway on to today’s experience… This afternoon we visited a local hospital here in San Vicente. We were told that it was primitive and that it was definitely not what we’re used to. I am nervous writing this post because I’m afraid I won’t do it justice. The words that come to mind if I had to explain it in just a few sentences are: atrocious, horrific, dreadful, shocking and horrendous. The emergency waiting area was outside underneath a sheet metal roof. In the waiting area were wheel chairs that were plastic lawn chairs with wheels. Inside the hospital patients laid on old rusted steel gurneys. Between 20-50 per room. It was about 90 degrees inside and there were no curtains around any of the beds. The first room we walked into had about a dozen women laying around like they were half dead. Most with IV bags above them…hanging by a jerry rigged clothes hanger. The woman closest to us was in the middle of pooping. In America this situation would be unimaginable. We would use diapers and catheters to take care of the problem…Here that doesn’t exist. No privacy, no curtain, no help, no nurse, and no family. She was by herself, laying on her side, holding a pail under her ass with a piece of shit about to fall into the pail. All while 36 gringo Americans looked on. It was horrible. It was the same story as we walked throughout the facility: sad faces, dirty spaces, and VERY little medical equipment to work with. The Peace Corps doctor pointed out a stethoscope that was so old that it was probably safe to assume that this type had not been used in America during our lifetime. In the maternity ward women gave birth with no anesthesia in extreme heat without any fans while flies circled the room. We later found out the hospital was 138 years old and is the only hospital for the entire region. As for us Peace Corps volunteers we were consistently reassured that if we ever get sick we will be evacuated by medical helicopter or driven, depending on our site location, to the premier hospital in the country which is located in the capital. It is a private hospital that is on par with American standards.
My address until april 1st
PCT Sam Sweeney
Cuerpo de Paz ~ El Salvador
Correo Nacional
Centro de Gobierno
Apartado Postal #1947
San Salvador, El Salvador, Centro América
MAIL CAN ONLY BE SENT VIA USPS!
Cuerpo de Paz ~ El Salvador
Correo Nacional
Centro de Gobierno
Apartado Postal #1947
San Salvador, El Salvador, Centro América
MAIL CAN ONLY BE SENT VIA USPS!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Turn Around
February 15th.
"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go"
So on the 12th I wrote an entry about how my day went. Today my entry is going to be more or less the opposite. Since Saturday I have done some thinking. I realized that no matter where they put me I will accept the challenge. Every site is going to be rough…it just takes time to get used to. The people who live there handle it just fine…and I will too… it will just take time (perhaps a lot of time) to get used to it. I didn’t come here to be comfortable and this is after all what I signed up for. If the community has requested a volunteer, then it is because they feel they will benefit, and I will be will accept the challenge.
Today I started my day with the minister of health here in my community of Canas (sugar cane in English). We discussed what his job is, his daily duties, and the health issues facing Salvadorians. We then went house to house to talk with residents about different issues. Our primary concerns were infant health and stagnant water in the water reserves.
I wasn’t aware of this, but until just a few years ago the infant mortality rate in El Salvador was just above 60%. Yes 60%! Meaning more than half the babies that were born here died. Today, with help from USAID (United States Agency for International Development), the Peace Corps, and other NGO’s; that number has dropped to about 20 percent. This is still way too high. When we visited homes, the majority of the infants had never seen a doctor and most had no vaccinations. The minister of health explained the importance of breast feeding, especially during the first 2 months, and the mothers just looked on in awe. They knew nothing about taking care of a baby. Keep in mind that we are also having these info sessions in filthy shanty homes made of sheet metal, tree logs, and dirt. Add in the wild, dirty and sometimes rabid dogs that are casually strolling in and out of the house. I could go into so much more detail, but it would take pages. Overall, it was amazing and mindboggling that these mothers had no knowledge of how to take care of an infant. I, a 23 year-old male, had more of an understanding.
After spending a few hours visiting homes I had my Spanish class until 5. At 5 o’ clock, myself and the other volunteers who are training with me organized a meeting for the local youth at the health center. (Which is about the size of 2 backyard storage sheds.) I live in a community of 372 people. The goal of the meeting was to help them form a group that would initiate some sort of change in their community now and after we leave. About 15 or 20 people showed up, ranging in ages from 15 to 25. We came up with 5 ideas of how they could make their community better and cleaner if they donated just a little bit of their time each month. Next week we will have another meeting and decide which project we are going to do over the next 5 weeks while we are training here. And then we hope they will continue to meet once a month for other projects after we depart for our permanent sites. Like I said before one of the goals of the Peace Corps is to help foster sustainable change, so that when we leave a community they continue the work we helped start for them.
"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go"
So on the 12th I wrote an entry about how my day went. Today my entry is going to be more or less the opposite. Since Saturday I have done some thinking. I realized that no matter where they put me I will accept the challenge. Every site is going to be rough…it just takes time to get used to. The people who live there handle it just fine…and I will too… it will just take time (perhaps a lot of time) to get used to it. I didn’t come here to be comfortable and this is after all what I signed up for. If the community has requested a volunteer, then it is because they feel they will benefit, and I will be will accept the challenge.
Today I started my day with the minister of health here in my community of Canas (sugar cane in English). We discussed what his job is, his daily duties, and the health issues facing Salvadorians. We then went house to house to talk with residents about different issues. Our primary concerns were infant health and stagnant water in the water reserves.
I wasn’t aware of this, but until just a few years ago the infant mortality rate in El Salvador was just above 60%. Yes 60%! Meaning more than half the babies that were born here died. Today, with help from USAID (United States Agency for International Development), the Peace Corps, and other NGO’s; that number has dropped to about 20 percent. This is still way too high. When we visited homes, the majority of the infants had never seen a doctor and most had no vaccinations. The minister of health explained the importance of breast feeding, especially during the first 2 months, and the mothers just looked on in awe. They knew nothing about taking care of a baby. Keep in mind that we are also having these info sessions in filthy shanty homes made of sheet metal, tree logs, and dirt. Add in the wild, dirty and sometimes rabid dogs that are casually strolling in and out of the house. I could go into so much more detail, but it would take pages. Overall, it was amazing and mindboggling that these mothers had no knowledge of how to take care of an infant. I, a 23 year-old male, had more of an understanding.
After spending a few hours visiting homes I had my Spanish class until 5. At 5 o’ clock, myself and the other volunteers who are training with me organized a meeting for the local youth at the health center. (Which is about the size of 2 backyard storage sheds.) I live in a community of 372 people. The goal of the meeting was to help them form a group that would initiate some sort of change in their community now and after we leave. About 15 or 20 people showed up, ranging in ages from 15 to 25. We came up with 5 ideas of how they could make their community better and cleaner if they donated just a little bit of their time each month. Next week we will have another meeting and decide which project we are going to do over the next 5 weeks while we are training here. And then we hope they will continue to meet once a month for other projects after we depart for our permanent sites. Like I said before one of the goals of the Peace Corps is to help foster sustainable change, so that when we leave a community they continue the work we helped start for them.
panic attack
February 13th.
Today was like a roller coaster. I was up at 5 to make it into town by 7:30 for a trip to a volunteer’s site. I had to no idea what to expect. It took about an hour by van to get there. We turned off the Pan-American Highway and drove for about 30 minutes on an unpaved road. And when I say unpaved we were literally bumping up and down and rocking all over. We later find out that the volunteer who is in the site we are going to is required to wear a breathing mask when he rides the bus on this road because the air is so dirty and he has already been hospitalized with 2 respiratory infections. It was horrible. It was then that I started to become anxious. Really anxious. We finally got to the end of this road, passing through multiple villages, all with mud huts. At that point I finally said… no way. Not a fucking chance am I going to live like this. There was nothing around except for mud huts and a school. Pigs in the road. Cows shitting everywhere. Roosters were crowing and a lonely American Peace Corps volunteer trying to help this remote village. I was actually stressed out. I was seriously thinking that I made a mistake and perhaps this Peace Corps idea was not for me after all. I more or less said to myself… if I show up to my site and it’s the same as this… American Airlines should expect a call from me. I’m coming home.
We met the kid whose site it is. His name is Matt. Matt is a laid back art major from UMASS Amherst with a mustache. (use your imagination) He showed us one of his projects, which was raising chickens in a coop. Most Salvadorians don’t believe in caging their chickens. But research shows that if you cage them they will be cleaner, healthier, and produce more eggs. So with 30 chickens in 4 square meter coop you can produce 30 eggs a day which will bring in about 2 dollars a day. Or half the wage you would earn working for 8 hours in the sugar cane field. Something like that was interesting to me and seemed like a good project. But after taking care of your chickens in the morning… what do you do?!?. I need to be busy. I think for the first time in my life I was having a panic attack. The entire day I questioned myself and asked do I really want to do this?? What would I do if I went back to the states? I have no car. No money. No job. Would I be considered a failure? A quitter? Ok I have to stick with it for at least 6 months I tell myself. It’s only 6 months. If I don’t like it then I can go home. These people live like this for 60 years. I can do it for 6 months.
By the time we left I was feeling a little better. Another trainee sort of talked me through it. But I was still uneasy. I guess I’m just hoping and always have assumed that I will get a better site.
When we got back to the training center later in the afternoon another group was also returning. They went and visited a volunteer who is living at a beach community. OOOO did they have a different day then I did. They went swimming. Released new born turtles into the ocean and relaxed in a beautiful beach front home where this volunteer lives. In El Salvador the majority of families have at least one member of their family living in the United States. Because of this, many families get sent money and build big beautiful homes they otherwise would not be able to afford. And some El Salvadorian Americans build vacation homes or homes for when they come back to retire here. In the case of the girl at the beach she lived in the home of an American that plans to come back and retire. But for now… its her very own beach side palace. To make it short and sweet… I need one of these! Otherwise its AA (and not the AA you’re thinking… AA for American Airlines)
Today was like a roller coaster. I was up at 5 to make it into town by 7:30 for a trip to a volunteer’s site. I had to no idea what to expect. It took about an hour by van to get there. We turned off the Pan-American Highway and drove for about 30 minutes on an unpaved road. And when I say unpaved we were literally bumping up and down and rocking all over. We later find out that the volunteer who is in the site we are going to is required to wear a breathing mask when he rides the bus on this road because the air is so dirty and he has already been hospitalized with 2 respiratory infections. It was horrible. It was then that I started to become anxious. Really anxious. We finally got to the end of this road, passing through multiple villages, all with mud huts. At that point I finally said… no way. Not a fucking chance am I going to live like this. There was nothing around except for mud huts and a school. Pigs in the road. Cows shitting everywhere. Roosters were crowing and a lonely American Peace Corps volunteer trying to help this remote village. I was actually stressed out. I was seriously thinking that I made a mistake and perhaps this Peace Corps idea was not for me after all. I more or less said to myself… if I show up to my site and it’s the same as this… American Airlines should expect a call from me. I’m coming home.
We met the kid whose site it is. His name is Matt. Matt is a laid back art major from UMASS Amherst with a mustache. (use your imagination) He showed us one of his projects, which was raising chickens in a coop. Most Salvadorians don’t believe in caging their chickens. But research shows that if you cage them they will be cleaner, healthier, and produce more eggs. So with 30 chickens in 4 square meter coop you can produce 30 eggs a day which will bring in about 2 dollars a day. Or half the wage you would earn working for 8 hours in the sugar cane field. Something like that was interesting to me and seemed like a good project. But after taking care of your chickens in the morning… what do you do?!?. I need to be busy. I think for the first time in my life I was having a panic attack. The entire day I questioned myself and asked do I really want to do this?? What would I do if I went back to the states? I have no car. No money. No job. Would I be considered a failure? A quitter? Ok I have to stick with it for at least 6 months I tell myself. It’s only 6 months. If I don’t like it then I can go home. These people live like this for 60 years. I can do it for 6 months.
By the time we left I was feeling a little better. Another trainee sort of talked me through it. But I was still uneasy. I guess I’m just hoping and always have assumed that I will get a better site.
When we got back to the training center later in the afternoon another group was also returning. They went and visited a volunteer who is living at a beach community. OOOO did they have a different day then I did. They went swimming. Released new born turtles into the ocean and relaxed in a beautiful beach front home where this volunteer lives. In El Salvador the majority of families have at least one member of their family living in the United States. Because of this, many families get sent money and build big beautiful homes they otherwise would not be able to afford. And some El Salvadorian Americans build vacation homes or homes for when they come back to retire here. In the case of the girl at the beach she lived in the home of an American that plans to come back and retire. But for now… its her very own beach side palace. To make it short and sweet… I need one of these! Otherwise its AA (and not the AA you’re thinking… AA for American Airlines)
feeling better
February 12th 2010. “You have not lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you”
Back home now. Lying under my mosquito net. Just took a bucket shower and I feel much better. It was well into the mid 90’s today with lots of humidity.
So apparently my madre is super insecure right now because our entire village and the next two villages after ours know that her voluntario (me) was taken to San Salvador because he was sick. Which is understood by the locals as my madre didn’t cook my food in the correct manner or didn’t boil my water properly. So now all the other women in town are gossiping. I kind of feel bad for her because I’m sure it was not her fault that I got sick.
Although it was not fun being sick, it was good to have a night in a hotel to rest up and refresh. I also got the day off from training. Today I talked with a good friend who is studying for his Ph.D. in England and it was nice to hear that when he moved there he had the same feelings of “did I make the right choice”. We talked for about a half hour and when I hung up I was happy and feeling good about what I was doing.
My host sister made me dinner tonight… fried bananas and bread…for what feels like the 7th night in a row. Im really getting sick of that meal. So tonight I thought I would be slick and sneak it under the table to the dogs… well the dogs apparently don’t like fried bananas either. So then I had to sneak a napkin to the floor and pick them back up! Ooo the joys of El Salvador.
Its 7:30 and the sound of the rats scrambling on the roof are going to put me to sleep. Up at 5 A.M.
Paz Y Amor.
Sam
Back home now. Lying under my mosquito net. Just took a bucket shower and I feel much better. It was well into the mid 90’s today with lots of humidity.
So apparently my madre is super insecure right now because our entire village and the next two villages after ours know that her voluntario (me) was taken to San Salvador because he was sick. Which is understood by the locals as my madre didn’t cook my food in the correct manner or didn’t boil my water properly. So now all the other women in town are gossiping. I kind of feel bad for her because I’m sure it was not her fault that I got sick.
Although it was not fun being sick, it was good to have a night in a hotel to rest up and refresh. I also got the day off from training. Today I talked with a good friend who is studying for his Ph.D. in England and it was nice to hear that when he moved there he had the same feelings of “did I make the right choice”. We talked for about a half hour and when I hung up I was happy and feeling good about what I was doing.
My host sister made me dinner tonight… fried bananas and bread…for what feels like the 7th night in a row. Im really getting sick of that meal. So tonight I thought I would be slick and sneak it under the table to the dogs… well the dogs apparently don’t like fried bananas either. So then I had to sneak a napkin to the floor and pick them back up! Ooo the joys of El Salvador.
Its 7:30 and the sound of the rats scrambling on the roof are going to put me to sleep. Up at 5 A.M.
Paz Y Amor.
Sam
Friday, February 12, 2010
Feb 12th.
Right now its 5 a.m. and im sitting in my hotel room in San Salvador. I’m not here by choice. Yesterday I woke up in the middle of the night and threw up. (out my window) and then it continued throughout the night and into the morning and afternoon. I made it to the training center in San Vicente for class because I thought I would be fine. But I just kept going. In the afternoon they gave me a shot to help me stop throwing up.. it worked for quite a while. But I still felt very sick, so they brought me to a hotel in San Salvador (about an hour away) in case I needed to go to the hospital during the night. Its actually kind of nice to be a in a decent hotel room with a shower after living like crap. I started throwing up again late last night, but it finally ended around 10. Im still really hungry cause I have no food and its to dangerous outside to walk and get some. San Salvador is one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Today I will probably head back to my homestay family and rest there. There is nothing worse then being sick in a foreign country and being by yourself.
feb 8th
Monday February 8th 2010.
The days and nights have been getting better. Today was our first day of Spanish class. There are 5 of us in the class and its held at the house next door. The madre there listens in on our classes and chimes in from time to time and giggles a lot when we talk about culture issues. She is in her 50’s and looks like she is in her late 80’s. she has 4 teeth. Although it was the first day, I think I’m going to enjoy the class. We don’t do much writing we just talk and we learn the Spanish that we are really going to use and need. Today we had to give a 5 minute presentation in Spanish and I was nervous… by the end of the class we will have to give a 1 hour presentation. On Wednesday we go to the local school and I will have to give a presentation by myself on what exactly the peace corps is.
My family seems to be different from other peoples. But I’m just going with the flow. I really only talk to my madre and sister who is 18. She loves rolling her eyes at me when I ask her to slow down. the el Salvadorians have a realllllly tough accent to understand. They all drop the letter “S” from their words and it makes it tough to understand. They also have a large vocabulary of slang. We are learning a lot of that in class.
I am getting more used to the daily life here. The bucket showers are getting easier and waking up at 6 am is not that bad. The cold bucket of water being dumped over your body is still kind of rough, as it puts your body into shock for a second. But I’ll survive.. I really seceretly hope I have a normal shower in my permanent site. Our house does not have a constant flow of running water and right now we are running low. Usually ever couple of days the water flow starts and they store it in a “pila”. It looks like a large cement bath tub. My house has two of them. One for dishes and one for bathing. Both are low right now. My madre is hoping that water will come soon.
We have been learning a lot of about safety here in el Salvador. It is quite a dangerous place. We are not allowed to go out after dark and most busses stop running around 5 or 6. They have a huge gang problem here. What we have been warned numerous times is that its not “if” we are robbed but “when”. What the Mara’s (gang thugs) do is come on a bus and more or less demand money from each person on the bus. Usually if you are a gringo they will also demand your cell phone. Most times they have knives, but sometimes they have guns as well. They typically come up and put it to your neck until you hand over it is they are asking for. So every time you board a bus it is on your mind. Will this be the time?
The days and nights have been getting better. Today was our first day of Spanish class. There are 5 of us in the class and its held at the house next door. The madre there listens in on our classes and chimes in from time to time and giggles a lot when we talk about culture issues. She is in her 50’s and looks like she is in her late 80’s. she has 4 teeth. Although it was the first day, I think I’m going to enjoy the class. We don’t do much writing we just talk and we learn the Spanish that we are really going to use and need. Today we had to give a 5 minute presentation in Spanish and I was nervous… by the end of the class we will have to give a 1 hour presentation. On Wednesday we go to the local school and I will have to give a presentation by myself on what exactly the peace corps is.
My family seems to be different from other peoples. But I’m just going with the flow. I really only talk to my madre and sister who is 18. She loves rolling her eyes at me when I ask her to slow down. the el Salvadorians have a realllllly tough accent to understand. They all drop the letter “S” from their words and it makes it tough to understand. They also have a large vocabulary of slang. We are learning a lot of that in class.
I am getting more used to the daily life here. The bucket showers are getting easier and waking up at 6 am is not that bad. The cold bucket of water being dumped over your body is still kind of rough, as it puts your body into shock for a second. But I’ll survive.. I really seceretly hope I have a normal shower in my permanent site. Our house does not have a constant flow of running water and right now we are running low. Usually ever couple of days the water flow starts and they store it in a “pila”. It looks like a large cement bath tub. My house has two of them. One for dishes and one for bathing. Both are low right now. My madre is hoping that water will come soon.
We have been learning a lot of about safety here in el Salvador. It is quite a dangerous place. We are not allowed to go out after dark and most busses stop running around 5 or 6. They have a huge gang problem here. What we have been warned numerous times is that its not “if” we are robbed but “when”. What the Mara’s (gang thugs) do is come on a bus and more or less demand money from each person on the bus. Usually if you are a gringo they will also demand your cell phone. Most times they have knives, but sometimes they have guns as well. They typically come up and put it to your neck until you hand over it is they are asking for. So every time you board a bus it is on your mind. Will this be the time?
feb 7th
Feb 7th. Nothing is clear but everything is certain.
Today was a good day. No sad moments. I woke up early this morning to go to church at 5am. We were at church by 550. Just my host mom and I. I had a laugh to myself on the way there. We got on the bus… it was still dark. Everyseat was full with families in their church clothes. The driver had 50 cent blasting . Old women and children all listening to 50 cent bumpin as they made their way to church. It was quite funny cause they had no idea what he was singing… and did not flinch as the lyrics blasted fuck this and fuck that. Bitches and hoes.
Today I went to an agriculture meetimg with a volunteer who has been here for about 7 months. She calmed my nerves quite a bit. Her Spanish was shaky when she got here and now she seems very comfortable. She answered a lot of my questions which is just what I needed. Tomorrow is Monday and we have language class next door at lindsays house at 8am. I never thought I would say it but im happy we have school tomorrow. I don’t like having a lot of free time. It allows my mind to wonder on to bad thoughts about where I am and what I am doing.
Today was a good day. No sad moments. I woke up early this morning to go to church at 5am. We were at church by 550. Just my host mom and I. I had a laugh to myself on the way there. We got on the bus… it was still dark. Everyseat was full with families in their church clothes. The driver had 50 cent blasting . Old women and children all listening to 50 cent bumpin as they made their way to church. It was quite funny cause they had no idea what he was singing… and did not flinch as the lyrics blasted fuck this and fuck that. Bitches and hoes.
Today I went to an agriculture meetimg with a volunteer who has been here for about 7 months. She calmed my nerves quite a bit. Her Spanish was shaky when she got here and now she seems very comfortable. She answered a lot of my questions which is just what I needed. Tomorrow is Monday and we have language class next door at lindsays house at 8am. I never thought I would say it but im happy we have school tomorrow. I don’t like having a lot of free time. It allows my mind to wonder on to bad thoughts about where I am and what I am doing.
feb 6th.
Feb 6th. 2010
So the blog continues. Yesterday we arrived at our host stay homes. The places where we will be for the next 7 weeks of training. Before moving in I had a really bad feeling.. kind of hard to explain but you are moving in with a family that you don’t know and you are not comfortable with their language. It kind of sucks. Anyway as soon as we moved in a truck drove by that was selling cell phones. It was 10 dollars for a phone and 250 minutes. 12 cents a minute to call the us.
My house is disgusting in comparison to US standards but for here it’s not bad at all. It has electricity so I can’t really complain. But it is rather dirty. During dinner rats ran across the roof and the family just giggled when I pointed it out. They kind of look at me like I’m crazy.
But here I am…this gringo from America in El Salvador to help. I can’t even count the number of times I have said to myself what the hell am I doing here… earlier today I had nothing to do and I just laid in my bed and asked myself why the hell I was here. I was sad. I was frustrated. And I wanted to give up. But I know all of those feelings are normal in the beginning and I won’t give up.
I woke up from a 2 hour nap and forced myself to go be with my family. I went out back and watched them make bread. Every Saturday they make delicious bread and sell it in their tienda. A tienda is a little local store that sells sodas chips.. Etc and also a place where you can add money to your cell phone. A few minutes after being back there, 2 other aspirantes (Peace Corps volunteers) showed up and hung out at my house for a little. It was just what I needed. Because I was sad and lonely. After that we ended up at Lindsay’s house which is down the street. She has a beautiful house that is clean and homey with one of the most amazing views of the underlying valley and volcano in the distance. We stayed there and the 5 of us ended up talking for about 2 hours. It really changed my mood.
The rest of the night has been good. I helped clean the dishes from dinner in the back yard with the buckets and soap… the same buckets that we use to shower. Apparently showers haven’t been invented yet here. We also have no bathroom. It’s a latrine/outhouse. It is a little hut with a cement cylinder and toilet seat on top. It smells like roses. And also has an infestation of cockroaches. (Yes I signed up for this.) I guess I need to make a confession... It’s hard to make myself use it so I have been peeing on the side of my house. Probably more information then you needed, but I’m just telling you how it is.
Tomorrow we are all getting up at 5 am for church. It starts at 6. So now I’m off to bed.
PAZ y AMOR
Sam
So the blog continues. Yesterday we arrived at our host stay homes. The places where we will be for the next 7 weeks of training. Before moving in I had a really bad feeling.. kind of hard to explain but you are moving in with a family that you don’t know and you are not comfortable with their language. It kind of sucks. Anyway as soon as we moved in a truck drove by that was selling cell phones. It was 10 dollars for a phone and 250 minutes. 12 cents a minute to call the us.
My house is disgusting in comparison to US standards but for here it’s not bad at all. It has electricity so I can’t really complain. But it is rather dirty. During dinner rats ran across the roof and the family just giggled when I pointed it out. They kind of look at me like I’m crazy.
But here I am…this gringo from America in El Salvador to help. I can’t even count the number of times I have said to myself what the hell am I doing here… earlier today I had nothing to do and I just laid in my bed and asked myself why the hell I was here. I was sad. I was frustrated. And I wanted to give up. But I know all of those feelings are normal in the beginning and I won’t give up.
I woke up from a 2 hour nap and forced myself to go be with my family. I went out back and watched them make bread. Every Saturday they make delicious bread and sell it in their tienda. A tienda is a little local store that sells sodas chips.. Etc and also a place where you can add money to your cell phone. A few minutes after being back there, 2 other aspirantes (Peace Corps volunteers) showed up and hung out at my house for a little. It was just what I needed. Because I was sad and lonely. After that we ended up at Lindsay’s house which is down the street. She has a beautiful house that is clean and homey with one of the most amazing views of the underlying valley and volcano in the distance. We stayed there and the 5 of us ended up talking for about 2 hours. It really changed my mood.
The rest of the night has been good. I helped clean the dishes from dinner in the back yard with the buckets and soap… the same buckets that we use to shower. Apparently showers haven’t been invented yet here. We also have no bathroom. It’s a latrine/outhouse. It is a little hut with a cement cylinder and toilet seat on top. It smells like roses. And also has an infestation of cockroaches. (Yes I signed up for this.) I guess I need to make a confession... It’s hard to make myself use it so I have been peeing on the side of my house. Probably more information then you needed, but I’m just telling you how it is.
Tomorrow we are all getting up at 5 am for church. It starts at 6. So now I’m off to bed.
PAZ y AMOR
Sam
Thursday, February 4, 2010
San Vicente Day 2
hey everyone I am really going to try and keep up with this blog. So we arrived in El Salvador late last night. Tonight is our 2nd night staying in a dingy, filthy, absolutely disgusting hotel. We have mud in our shower. This morning when we went to shower there was no running water, yet we all are happy and have smiles on our faces. I have a feeling the next 2 years are going to change my life in ways I can't even imagine right now.
Today we met most of the in country Peace Corps staff-- including the Country Director. They all have pretty amazing resumes and have all been Peace Corps Volunteers(PCV'S) themselves. They are here to help us prepare for what we will be doing once we finish training. They have made it clear they want to see us succeed and that they will do anything to help us get there.
It has only been one day, but from the energy at the training center from the staff and the current PCV'S i think the next 2 years will be magical. I know they will not be easy and they are going to challenge all of us. but this is what we signed up for and we will be successful. Today one our trainers said this... you were selected because you have what it takes. 2/3 of Peace Corps applicants are rejected. "Peace Corps Volunteers know what they want. Know how to get it. And they do it. "
Tomorrow we will moving in with our host families who we will live with for the next 7 weeks. We were told they will definitely have electricity and possibly running water. and that we may think is primitive... but it will be luxorious compared to what our permenent sites will be.
that its for tonight. its hot (about 94 degrees) and I'm tired. Goodnight.
Today we met most of the in country Peace Corps staff-- including the Country Director. They all have pretty amazing resumes and have all been Peace Corps Volunteers(PCV'S) themselves. They are here to help us prepare for what we will be doing once we finish training. They have made it clear they want to see us succeed and that they will do anything to help us get there.
It has only been one day, but from the energy at the training center from the staff and the current PCV'S i think the next 2 years will be magical. I know they will not be easy and they are going to challenge all of us. but this is what we signed up for and we will be successful. Today one our trainers said this... you were selected because you have what it takes. 2/3 of Peace Corps applicants are rejected. "Peace Corps Volunteers know what they want. Know how to get it. And they do it. "
Tomorrow we will moving in with our host families who we will live with for the next 7 weeks. We were told they will definitely have electricity and possibly running water. and that we may think is primitive... but it will be luxorious compared to what our permenent sites will be.
that its for tonight. its hot (about 94 degrees) and I'm tired. Goodnight.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
First post.
I set this blog up for two reasons. 1. So I am forced to keep a journal of what I am doing/experiencing 2. So everyone I care about at home is able to hear about what I'm doing and the stories I have right from the source. So now I just have to hope I have electricity and regular internet connection once I'm in El Salvador.
I leave February 2nd for Washington and February 3rd for El Salvador. Scary!
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