Starting to get really busy

It’s been five weeks since I’ve been at my site, and I had my asamblea general. This is a meeting with the people from the community to explain what information I have gathered about what projects they want from me. The last update has what I think I will be doing, and that is the information I gathered mostly from the school director and teachers and little bit from a few other people in town. It was really hard gathering this information because I think people in El Salvador are not used to being asked for their opinion straight out. From what I’ve observed, they are given options and then they give their opinion. When I asked them directly for ideas, without any previous direction, it was very hard to get answers. The school had had a meeting with my Peace Corps bosses and the school has worked with Peace Corps Volunteers in the past from other sites nearby, so they had ideas about what they want, which was really good. They were the ones that suggested a small business enterprise and class for the older kids in the mornings when they don’t have school. Also, they requested English classes and computer classes, which is one of our main goals as Youth Development Volunteers in El Salvador.
This past week, I was really busy and was hardly at my house. I’m currently looking for another place to live, but its proving to be a bit difficult because either people don’t want to rent to me, there aren’t places, the houses don’t pass Peace Corps guidelines, or they are too expensive. I hope I can find something soon and get my furniture situation figured out before I get really busy with other stuff. Since I’ve been really busy, I’ve had a lot less time to stress and think about everything that sort of made it really difficult. Also, I have a few friends, or at least people I can hang out with so that’s good as well. It’s also been much easier because the sun has been out, and I’ve been able to do things. On Friday, I was walking to the beach and ran into the Kindergarteners. They all screamed my name, came running up to me, and gave be big hugs. For class, they were on a nature walk to the beach, about a 15 minute, so I walked with them and sat on the beach. It was pretty funny to see them chasing after crabs and what not. It was really fun, and it’s great to have unconditional love sometimes.
Also on Friday, I went to another cooperative that is trying to start a bee business and make honey. The project was started by another volunteer who is leaving in December, so we both hope that I can help these women continue on with their work and make it successful. So, I went and learned how the smoke the bees and change around their hives. We found some dead bees next to one of the boxes, and the two men giving the lesson were debating if it was from ants or pesticides being sprayed on the sugar cane from earlier in the week. It was a lot of fun and very interesting. I don’t really understand how the whole process works, but it was still a lot of fun and I’m really excited to work with them a little bit. Earlier in the week, I went to the other cooperative that makes jewelry and things with tin cans. I sanded pop canes for almost three hours. It was fun though, and I really enjoy hanging out with those women.
In a couple of weeks, I’m headed back for more training on technical information, which is good and makes me a little apprehensive because it will be a lot of information, and I will be overwhelmed with all of it. When I come back from training, I am going to paint a mural on the school wall one week and have art camp another two weeks until Christmas comes. I’m thinking these are going to be really fun and I’m excited about these projects. I’m a little nervous as well because they are my first ones, and I don’t know how they will go, but I think they will be good.
Well, I think that’s “all the news that’s fit to print” for today. I hope all is well on the home front!

Conforming to Change

It’s been a while since I last updated – my internet access has been a bit limited, and I’ve been dealing with a lot of changes. First of all, I’ve been in my site now for almost three weeks trying to get to know the community and figure things out. About half way through my first week, it started raining and practically didn’t stop until about a week later. I had a ton of dirty laundry and was unable to do anything because everywhere was covered in A LOT of water. Some days, I literally couldn’t leave the house because everything was flooded. It rained like it does in Colorado – but in Colorado it might rain really hard for an hour, maybe two. Here it rained really hard for hours and then subsided to a regular rain. It turned out that Peace Corps put us on standfast, which means we couldn’t leave where we were, so I couldn’t leave my site. Later that week, the river was so full that the quick road out of my site closed because the bridge washed out. Then, on the other road out, a tree fell, and so the only way out was by sea. I ended up having to go to the medical office for a couple of reasons, so it was an adventure to get there. At first, I had to walk half an hour to an office where I ended up finding a ride. Drove about 15 minutes to the boat launch, got pushed across a bay, walked to find a pick-up stop (which is a form of public transportation here – you stand in the back of a covered pick-up), I was on the pick-up for about 45 minutes, ran to catch the bus to Sonsonate – the closest big city, and finally in Sonsonate, I got picked up by a Peace Corp driver. This was the first time I had ever left site that way, while I was new in site, and sick – so it was quite an adventure. I was fine, and it ended up being quite easy. Also, the nice thing about El Salvador, generally, if you ask someone directions or if a certain bus is the correct one, they will answer you honestly and be more than willing to help you.
Also, since being in site, it has been very difficult. In training, we had plans almost every day and a set schedule. Here, we are just expected to walk around and meet people, maybe have a couple of meetings with some community leaders, and then relax when we can’t do anything (because of the rain, per say). This is very un-American and very hard for me. I start to feel really anxious that I’m not accomplishing anything, and I have a lot to accomplish. Also, it’s hard being a community where everyone knows everyone and you’re the new person that knows no one and you look, speak, and act completely differently. Also, it has made me really appreciated the little comforts we have in America, for example, a bathroom inside the house that flushes and doesn’t have bugs in it constantly. Currently my bathroom is about 50 feet from the house – so if I have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night – I don’t. Also, I miss showers, especially hot ones and non-wood burning stove to cook on. I also miss the general cleanliness of America as well and, believe it or not, the public education system. There are some good things here – the students are given their school supplies and uniforms to wear to school, but their days are half day and the teaching style is way different. Also, I miss news! Weird because I felt completely inundated with news in the US, and now I really would love to read any news, even if it’s the Enquirer or something silly.
It looks like for now, I will be working with the school a fair amount when the school starts in January. This is good because I like being around the kids, and I think it will be more of a set schedule. I think I will be helping teach or teach some English classes to students and teachers. Also, I think we will try to set-up a computer class and the computers as well as a small business for the older kids. I also would like to work with a cooperative here that makes jewelry and ashtrays and things out of used pop cans. I’m not sure what else I’ll be up to, but this is what I’ve figured out so far. Anyway, I think that’s about all the news for now. I’ll try to be better about updating my blog and keeping you all update! Hope all is well back home!