Pictures!

Here are a few pictures of my experiences here. I hope you enjoy!

Skinny Cows

So, when I first arrived, I was surprised at how fat the cows were. I’m mean, they’re no American cows, but they’re not the cows I typically think of when I think of developing nations. I was surprised, they looked healthy and happy. I couldn’t see their hips or ribs – which I thought was amazing. Now, I realized it was because it was winter – which means it was raining and there was plenty of grass. Now, it’s summer and DRY. Its brown everywhere there isn’t artificial watering. Another volunteer had told me stories of this – but I hadn’t believed it – I thought it was just stories. Anyway, so now the cows are stereotypically skinny and not appealing to eat. I can see their rib and hips very distinctly. They move more slowly, and generally look miserable. Maybe because its unbearably hot, but I also think it has something to do with the fact that they are eating brown (dead) grass and dirt. It is amazing to see the difference between these two seasons and how I can’t wait for the rainy season! (I thought I’d never say that).

My First Big Success (well at least in my mind)

I have been in El Salvador now for about eight months, six of which I’ve been in my site. The work I’m doing or have done is far is this – started an English club for 7th-9th graders, taught art classes to 3rd -5th graders, continued work with a women’s group harvesting honey, learned how to make jewelry from another women’s group, assisted Engineers without Borders with starting a project to build latrines, attempted (but failed) to write a grant to fix the computer lab, attempted (but failed, but still in progress) a world map, made some friends, and most recently completed a camp to train people to teach about HIV/AIDS prevention – which I consider “My First Big Success.” But, regarding the previous stuff, in the United States – that would be a pathetically small amount of things to accomplish, or not accomplish as the case may be with some of the things. However, here, I’m one busy volunteer, which is hard for me to believe sometimes.
But, on to my great success – I was really nervous about this camp. I was scared that people wouldn’t learn, that I couldn’t be able to teach the lessons I was supposed to teach, my counterpart my not show up, my kids wouldn’t be able to do the practicum at the end, and everyone would be too overwhelmed by all the information. However – it was GREAT!!! Before, I was dreading it – not feeling prepared – but the time I returned I was possibly the happiest I’ve been here! It was a great feeling. I feel like I started something and finished it – which is amazing and that people learned a lot from it. Also, my counterpart showed up and did a fantastic job with her presentations, my kids (although I wasn’t sure of this until the middle of it) did a great job with the practicum, and are excited about teaching it to the other students! It was excellent and has inspired to do more regarding HIV/AIDS prevention, STD prevention and lessons on how the reproduction system works in the body (I learned that most kids don’t get that education here, so sometimes the HIV stuff doesn’t make sense until you explain the organs). Anyway, I’ve talked with the health promoter and we are going to work together to do this in the school and I’m so excited!

A Day in the Life Part 3

Usually, the man is the earliest riser. Depending on his job, usually he has a little farm and some cows, or is a mason. Either way, they are up earlier to start work earlier and have a longer lunch. If you have cows, you have to milk them before the milk truck comes to pick up the milk. In the morning, generally the men tend to their fields – watering them, scaring away the birds, harvesting whatever they are growing, and replanting. If it is a mason, they are constructing usually a house from about 7 until 11:30 and then in the afternoon again at about 2 until 5. In regards to their responsibility to the house – they don’t have many. If something needs fixing, that’s about it, but usually the wife helps. When they come home, they generally relax in the hammock, eat, or watch TV. They don’t interact with their kids usually or help with homework (actually no one really does this). It’s very much segregated into what the men can do and what they can’t do. Same goes for the women – they don’t work in the fields nor do they do construction, but they are expected to serve their husbands literally and have a much more subservient attitude. Maybe this is no surprise …

Day the in Life - Part 2

This blog is about my daily (or weekly routine)...

So, I generally wake-up between 5:30 and 6. That's when the roosters start to crow, the bus passes along with other traffic. I feed my cat and excersize - usually in my house to some music and it varies daily. Next - I bucket bathe and make my breakfast of tea and crackers. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I go to the school to teach English in the morning. In the afternoon, I usually have a meeting with some one or I am preparing for English class or something else. On Wednesday morning, I try to go to the jewerly women's cooperative and visit with them. On Wednesday afternoon I sometimes have meetings or am trying to catch up from Tuesday. On Fridays I do laundry in the morning, eat lunch at a friend's house, and have a meeting in the afternoon, with the women working with the bees. When I get back, I have to do laundry again (its a three step process of 2 days). On Saturday, I finish doing my laundry and it hangs to dry. Depending on the week, I have meetings this day as well or I go visit friends, or I have Peace Corps meetings. On Sunday, I try to clean really well and get organized. Mondays are my shopping days or med days, so I'm usually getting ready for that. Anyway, as you can see, I'm not in my hosue much, which is a bummer because I want so more hammock time!

Also, though, this is very atypical for a Salvadoran women my age and I get the statement, you're not here very much are you? And, while I may not be in my house, I am in the community try to accomplish things, which sometimes they don't understand or get because almost no women they know do this. This used to bother me, but now, they see I'm doing things and so they've backed off a little bit, but also, I've become more comfortable in being different. But also, my schedule changes quite a bit, which is also unusual for people in my site. But I'm glad I have a little bit of a schedule!

A Day in the Life part one

This post is a description of what a typical Salvadoran woman does on a daily basis. Some of what she does depends upon how kids she has, how old they are, and what gender they are. I am going to call here Ana.

Ana wakes up between 5:30 and 6 am. She begins the day by washing the dishes from dinner the night before and then starting to make coffee for her kids and husband for breakfast. She either buys bread from the bread delivery man or sends one of her kids to buy sweet bread from a store. At about 7:30 she serves her male children, all younger kids, and husband breakfast and then eats about half an hour later. The teenage daughter are responsible for making their own breakfast. Between the female daughter and the mother, the inside of the house is dusted and swept (or raked if its a dirt floor) and then the outside yard it raked and the trash is put into a pile to burn. At about 10 she sends her daughter to the molino to grind the corn to make tortillas. While her daughter is there, she is usually washing clothes or doing some other kind of cleaning. Her daughter returns with the maza and she makes lunch and tortillas for the family.

The family eats between noon and 1 depending on the schedule. The wife cleans up lunch, closes up the kitchen, and then usually relaxes and watches some TV for an hour or two. Depending on the family, she either cleans more, visits friends, has visitors, or goes to church. She returns and makes dinner (a small meal) usually of beans, cheese, and tortillas for the family. The family usually watches TV until about 9 or 9:30 and then goes to bed.

My schedule varies greatly from this, as well as the male's life, which will the part 2 and part 3 of these blogs!