Surviving the Storm

So, its been about 10 days since the rains have stopped and everything is almost back to normal. We were told by Peace Corps to stay in our sites and not leave for 9 days (standfast). This is the first step of our Emergence Action Plan. They decided because of the huge amounts of rain that it was unsafe to travel because bridges were being washed out, and many times, the trasnportation stopped due to too much water in the roads. So, for nine days, I didnt do much. I read, I watched TV shows, and slept. It was quite relaxing, but I started to run out of food and clothing, so I was grateful when it stopped. Also, it is difficult to not be able to leave your house. I did leave some, but I couldnt do a lot of work becuase it was raining too hard and school was cancelled for 7 days, so my abilities were limited.

Now the weather is beautiful. It is cool and even cold sometimes at night and the days are sunny and warm, even hot. Things are drying out and I can wash my clothes again! I must say that I am really glad I was living with a family during this time because I could talk to people without leaving my house, and they have a TV, so I could see what was going on in other parts of the country. Now that it is almost the dry season, the crops are ready to harvest and there will be more soccer games!

New Site!

So, I'm in my new site and loving it! I've been in my new site in Santa Ana for a little over two weeks, and I'm so much happier, relaxed, and enjoying my time so much more. People are so friendly and wanting to show me how to do things. They want to work with me, not me for them, and they want to show me around the area. They offer to show me around the city of Santa Ana, but also to the river; they offer to do house visits with me, and how to dance; they show me how to make tamales, and ask if I can teach them to make pizza. Its such a wonderful change - I almost can't believe it. I also realize that it wasn't me that was failing, which is wonderful.

So, I have a few projects I'm working on and a few I'm finishing up from another volunteer. I am working on a trash campaign and helping part of the community get water. I am finishing up a solar electric project, continuing working on a road/bridge project with Engineers without Borders, continuing fuel efficient stoves, and supporting the kindergarten teacher. I am hoping to do some work with health in regards to dental and eye campaigns and a little with HIV/AIDS. Lastly, I think I might restart the women's soccer team and have a youth group that does service activities in the community. But, since I"m still new and trying to get to know some people, I'm still not sure when any of this will materialize, but I'm very hopeful that I will be more successful!

Corn, Corn, Corn!

The rains have come and it's harvest time! Everyone is gathering all the corn they planted, so there is corn overload! This means that people are making everything from corn. Besides the usually corn tortillas and semi-regular corn tamales, or chicken tamales with corn on the outside, I have now eaten about 20 corn on the cob in a week, a bowl of atol, which this time was a thick corn drink that is okay, but in small quantities, fried corn pancakes, grilled corn pancakes wrapped in banana leaves, more corn tamales (which I helped make!), corn in soup, and any other way they think of using corn - very inventive! I mush say though, that sometimes my system can't digest that much corn, and I have no idea how they do!

For now, life is good and rich, but come February it will be a little harder without the harvest and extra corn. Prices will go up and people might stop eating some meals because their staple can't grow and they can't afford to buy it. A change we don't usually see in America.

Modes of Transport ...

So, a few months ago, I moved houses. My new house didn't have a pila (a cement tub that has two plat surfaces on either side to wash dishes, clothes, whatever you can think of), so I went to a neighboring town and ordered one from the pila man. He gave me the cost and then I asked does this include transportation or do I need to find transportation - what's the deal exactly? Anyway he said it would be ready in about 5 days and transportation would be $10. I thought that was maybe a little high, but its a huge cement object that four strong men have a hard time lifting a 1/4 of a cm. off the ground.

So, five days later, I'm on my way home from the school with a couple friends, and someone says my name. I turn around, and I see the man who makes pilas with my pila ... pulling it by OXEN! Well, needless to say, I was a little surprised that this costs $10 - but at least I got my pila!

Side note: Oxen is not an unusual transport option here, so that isn't what surprised me - it was the fact that my pila cost an extra $10 because of oxen.

Parental Visit!

So, my sister and parents left yesterday morning after an 18 day trip in El Salvador. It was great! It was wonderful to see them and spend time with them as well as to be able to get to see more of El Salvador. Our favorite places where Parque El Impossible, Suchitoto, and Playa El Cuco - and in my opinion, my site!
Parque El Impossible was amazing. Its a protected rain forest and a guide takes you on one of four hikes around it. We choose to go to a waterfall that was beautiful and pretty warm, so great for swimming. The guide was very knowledgeable and more than patient to answer our MANY questions.
On the way to Suchitoto, we went to Joya de Ceren, which is like Pompeii of Central America. We were all expecting to be sort of disappointed because of what the guide book said (much of it hasn't been uncovered in order to figure out a way to preserve it), but it was really interesting and our guide spoke great English. We landed in Suchitoto, and stayed at Las Puertas on the town square - great location - and a very nice hotel with pretty good food. We found a little jewerly store there with jewerly from 4 different jewelers - so there was some working with recycled materials, another with silver, another with different stones and found objects, and the last one I don't quite remember, but it was a great store and I found some great earrings! We also went on a boat tour to Isla de los Pajaros, which was pretty cool to see all the different birds, but especially to hear them.
Playa El Cuco is a surfers hang-out, especially this time of year, but luckily when we were there, there weren't many waves, so we had a great time playing in the waves and taking a walk on the beach. The beach is a beautiful one as well. Very nice and sandy, but also there are cliffs about 100 feet behind the beach at low tide. Very beautiful, and we found wild bee hives!
I enjoyed taking my parents to my site to show them where and how I live. We stayed in my house, which I think was a little taxing on them, but we visited women who make jewerly, the women who harvest honey (and they gave us coconuts - YUM!), and went to a friend's house and they learned (sort of) how to make pupusas (the national dish)! We also went to the beach at my site, and they decided it is the nicest beach in El Salvador!
But - unfortunately they are gone, so now it's back to the grindstone ...

Attack of the Mosquitos!

So, I forgot how back the mosquitoes are in the rainy season. Since the rains have just recently come to my site, there has been an extreme hatching! It's especially worse near my pila (where I have my water, so I wash my clothes, dishes, and everything but go to the bathroom and shower). They especially like my ankles, so I have started poisoning myself - don't worry totally legal - with OFF! But, I do have a headache from it, so I try to use it little as possible. Also, there is a something they put in the water here (in standing water) called abate, but the clinic doesn't have it, so people have to wash their pilas every other day. However, this is hard work, so most don't do this. So, there are TONS! It's like Rand at the forth of July, but hotter and wetter, so I can't wear long sleeves and pants. Also, they attack me when I'm bathing! They're relentless! I just am hoping I don't get dengue...

Aromatherapy of the Campo

As we all know, living in the campo can waft some interesting and wretched smells to our nose. Frequently, I find myself face to face with a poorly maintained latrine, the awful odor of a dead animal, mildew or mold during the raining season, an older person’s decaying teeth, and a host of awful aromas.

However, recently, I have abruptly smelled deliciousness (at least in my opinion). These new scents have become my new aromatherapy (as compared to my old American aromatherapy – candles and the like).

The first smell, I was riding my bike to the neighboring canton and as I was passing a second home, or more like a second palace, I smelled something sweet and delicious. I screeched to a halt to find the scrumptious fragrance.

I couldn’t see anything since the palace was surrounded by a 10’ wall, but it brought back such strong memories of childhood, I knew I could figure out what it was. It reminded me of being in Arizona, specifically near a museum about traveling west in Phoenix.

Aha! Orange blossom. It was the most wonderful smell I had experienced in months. It was wonderful, and every time I pass, I slow down and breathe deeply to soak it all in.

The second smell is not a favorite of everyone’s, but I love it. Down the calle principal of my community, a remasa house was having a bloc wall being built around it. (I saw the house was having a wall being built around it because the owners are in the State so, hired help was building the wall.)

Since everything is build by hand in my community (even though they have the cement mixer sitting right next to them, they choose to mix by hand) they were cutting the blocs to make the wall curved.

The mix of the stone and the metal instantaneously smelled like someone was trying to start a fire with no matches. It immediately transported me to my days working on trail crew.

As some of you know, trail crew is one of my favorite experiences, and I have many stories. But, we frequently had to smash rock with a sledge hammer to make smaller rock for fill or try to break a bigger rock in half to create a stair.

Anyway, it makes the exact same smell, and I was directly transported to the mountains of Colorado. I could see the majestic mountains and big blue skies. I could even smell the fresh mountain air.

Much to my displeasure (only because of the smell), they have since finished the wall, but whenever I passed the house, I once again, slowed way down to be transported from sea level to 10,000’.

The last smell, one I thought I would never miss, I smell only very occasionally. As mentioned above, there are some second homes/palaces in my community. They are like American homes, or embassy homes, which is a stark contrast to every other house here. Usually, they are fenced in and no one can really see, but they all have an abundance of grass.

As I was passing one of these walled palaces, I first heard a noise I thought I had mistaken – a lawn mower! Seconds later, I smelled fresh cut grass.

Now, as a teen, one of my chores was cutting the grass, which I hated. I despised it not because it was a chore, but because my father would inspect every inch of yard to make sure I had followed his directions and every blade was cut evenly.

Also, we have a pretty big hard, so with a hand mower, it took two hours or more to mow the lawn depending upon the length of the grass.

Well, I remember getting in numerous arguments with my father about how I had cut the grass I couldn’t get it more even because part or it was wet or under bushes or something. I remember telling him numerous times that if he was going to be that particular, he can cut it. (Although I did get paid, so I did want the money).

Well, here it was a terrific reminder of home and people starting yard work in the spring to ready their yards for their summer barbeques. It smelled so delectable I wanted to go jump in the cuttings – but I refrained, I thought maybe people would think that a little odd.

So, while my current aromatherapy maybe a little unconventional, I love it. It brings something of America here and if I’m feeling a little stressed this new aromatherapy brings the stress level a bit and reminds me of a few more enjoyable things about being in El Salvador.