Thursday, January 27, 2011

20/20 Response

As some of you have heard or maybe seen, there was a report on ABC’s 20/20 a few weeks ago (I’m actually not sure when it aired) about women in Peace Corps who were raped and one who was murdered. As a Peace Corps volunteer, I received an e-mail from Peace Corps responding to this show, so I decided to watch this show. However, before I continue, I want to say, that this update is purely my opinion and in no way expressing opinions for the Peace Corps.
So, the show was very critical of Peace Corps and how it treats volunteers and their safety. However, there were a few things not mentioned by 20/20 that I would like to share. Security is a HUGE part of training. We receive numerous talks about security and medical. During training, many of us thought that the talks were repetitive and unnecessary. However, now I’m glad I received all the training I did. We are in countries that are not as safe as America, and we need to be aware of what happens. We get e-mails frequently of incidents in other countries with volunteers and reminders of how to keep ourselves safe. There is a person on staff to deal with security issues all the time and help volunteers with security incidents.
I do not feel as though Peace Corps has neglected our safety at all. We are told constantly that our safely is their number one priority, which I think is genuinely true. The embassy checks all the sites to see how safe they are, and if they aren’t safe, we aren’t placed there. We are told places to avoid, things not to carry, how to carry our belongings, and when it is safe to travel on public transportation. We are taught different hand signals and what they mean as well as how to deal with different security incidents. This all happens within the first 2 months of being here, and some of it happens in the first two days.
So, volunteers are very well informed about the security hazards of the countries in which they serve. Peace Corps does inform volunteers about this, but there is always some risk in life. There is more risk in developing countries, and I knew this coming here. I am better informed since being here, and I do not feel as though my safely is being neglected at all. I know that bad things do happen, and this is awful, there is no denying that; however, Peace Corps does not neglect my safety and security.

Another Year Older, but Not Feeling Much Wiser

So, Monday was my birthday. I must say it was probably the most disappointing birthday I’ve had. I knew it wouldn’t be something special, but I thought it would be a little better than it was. I had two rather big meetings in my site; one was frustrating because people were being selfish and the other started two hours late. Since the meeting started so late, I got home late. I was planning to make something delicious for dinner, but I didn’t have time, so I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Also, I hadn’t heard from anyone in my family by about 9:30, so I thought they had forgotten. However, the phone or something was messed up, and they weren’t able to get through. So, it was just a bummer to have supposedly a special day be nothing more than ordinary. However, I’m told this only happens more often as you get older.
On a more positive note, I went to a Peace Corps soccer game in Santa Ana. These are games once a month in different people’s sites. Peace Corps volunteers play against the local team. They are quite fun I think, and I had a great time there. Also, a few friends made me an early birthday dinner with flan! That was very nice and wonderful. When I was there, I talked to another volunteer about my bee project, and she is going to help me (I think and hope) get some training for the women working with the bees, which is great! Also, she asked me if I wanted to take over organizing the soccer team since she is leaving in August – so there’s another side project to add to the list!
One more thing I’m very excited about is that it is Peace Corps 50th anniversary this year, so PC El Salvador is going to do a few things to celebrate! We are having a lunch, a 4th of July celebration and a photo exhibit. I am going to help some of these celebrations, which I’m very excited about! Also, I’m so thrilled that I get to be a part of Peace Corps on its 50th anniversary – quite a momentous time!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Work is Starting to Pour in!

Recently, I had a meeting with the school director, which was great! We talked about possible projects for the school. It looks like I will be doing a fair amount of English teaching, getting some school gardens going, and trying to set-up a computer lab and trying to find computers for the school. This will keep me rather busy, which is great, but I also have other projects! There is a group of women working with bees and another group of women making jewerly. The group of women making jewelry I don't have to do much with because they have been going for several years and they know what they are doing. However, the bee women will take a lot of my time - I just hope it succeeds! I really love the bees, they make me very happy, and this has inspired me to have bees in the States! Also, there is a group of kids who learned how to sew that I am going to try to work with as well, so I should be rather busy!

In regards to other things, life is going well. It is starting to get hotter, which means it's about (I think) 95 degrees in my site, which doesn't include humidity. It's really hot, but at least the nights still get cool for the most part. Also, I am hoping to move in with a family in a few months. I really like this family, and its so nice to be around people when I'm feeling bored. This family is honest and wonderful, so I really hope it works out!

Also, I hope my parents are going to be able to come for a couple of days as well in early summer! That would be great, but if now I will see them at Christmas! Also, on the bus the other day, I saw two really funny things. The first: a man was sitting in the seat on the other side of the isle and in front of me. It was a warm day, and the bus was stationary. So, next thing I know, he is pouring a bottle of water over his head and scrubbing his head and face! He essentially took a shower on the bus! Then, later on during the ride, this woman behind and across from me lifted up her shirt and took her bra off. It isn't uncommon to see a woman's breast here when they breast feed, but this was bizarre because she had no child. I was with a friend, and we were both like - what's going on?! It was pretty entertaining though and gave me some good stories!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

A New Holiday Experience

I spent Christmas and New Year’s in my site with a few families. First, I will start with Christmas. Christmas is celebrated here on the 24th of December, and people have a special dinner that usually consists on Chicken, rice, salad, and pop. Some dance and others out with family and friends. There is no gift exchange and on the 25th, most people go to the beach either in the morning or the afternoon. So, I went to the Health Promoter’s house. She lives with her mom, dad, sister, brother, and son. The invited me and a group of kids I’m working with and are learning how to sew. Actually, they have completed the course and have their graduation on Friday! I’m hoping one of them is going to teach me how to embroider, or we can figure it out together. However, back to Christmas … we had dinner and a few people danced. We headed back to our respective houses at about 9:30 because she lives in the town next to mine and this is pretty late for most people, especially the kids who are all about in middle school, to be out. I had a good time, but I certainly missed the cold weather and my family. On the 25th, I went to the beach with my new adopted family. We went to this place where it’s more protected and there aren’t any waves, which was nice and fun. I ate lunch with them and then returned home. This part was really difficult because the 25th is when I’m used to having a celebration or getting sort of ready to go to Rand or going on a hike or something, but I had nothing to do. I made it through though, and I’m so glad I did.
For New Year’s, I went to my adopted family’s house. They invited me and another volunteer who is leaving soon to their house for dinner and a scary movie. We had dinner, which was the same as Christmas dinner and were going to watch a scary movie, but the DVD player didn’t work, so we played games instead. I had a lot of fun and it reminded me of the games we play in Rand! Also, that same day, my land lord came, which is normal here. So, on the first, many people go to the beach and the people I was going to go with, ended up not going. I did a TON of laundry, and then about 15 people showed up and unloaded a bunch of food and started cooking for everyone. I was totally overwhelmed, so I headed to the family’s house again. We ended up going to the beach that afternoon, and I stayed the night there because there were so many people at my house. They were the family of the landlords, but it was still overwhelming and they thought I was either his daughter or his care-taker, which was REALLY weird. I had a great time with them, and I’m so glad that they are here and take such good care of me. I spent the whole next day there, except for a brief moment to get my cat, who was almost stolen, and it was so nice to be with people. I go over there fairly frequently and they are so great. There is a mom, dad, a 16-year-old boy, 14-year-old girl, and a 4-year-old boy that live in the house. They have another sister and a brother, but they live elsewhere. They are great people and a life saver!
Since the New Year, I have worked with the bee women , and we took out honey for the second time. I was stung twice. The first sting hurt for a bit and then went away. The second however, I think hit a nerve or something because it hurts two days later, is swollen, and itches like crazy. I’m a little concerned I’ve developed an allergy, but I’m not sure. However, I love working with bees, and it has inspired me to work with bees in that States! However, I’m not convinced that will happen immediately upon my return. Also, I’ve worked with the women that make jewelry because they have a bunch of supplies and so a bunch of work. However, I haven’t been able to do anything new with them because it was the holiday season. I’ve also had art classes for the 4th and 5th graders who have wanted to continue, which have gotten much better. Lastly, I’m helping with the graduation of the kids who are sewing and trying to plan a dance as a fundraiser so that they can go on an excursion as a reward for finishing their course work. However, this dance is proving more and more difficult because they keep changing the rules, so I don’t think I’ll do this in the future. However, I’m pretty busy, so that’s good! School starts soon, so I’ll being starting some new things! Anyway, that’s all for now! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and was able to spend it with their friends and family!