Sunday, December 26, 2010
Feliz Navidad!
Merry Christmas everyone. Hope everyone enjoyed Christmas with your families, and have a safe and happy new years as well!
Yes, of course, this time is pretty hard for me, being a thousand miles away from my family and friends, and a "world apart", spending my first christmas in 26 years away from them. But at the same time, I'm glad I got to spend Christmas in a developing country. Waking up to no gifts under the christmas tree, with a family that is just as happy that it is Christmas anyway, was a very humbling experience for me. It really didn't feel like Christmas. No presents, No snow, and noone saying "Merry Christmas". My host cousin actually laughed at me when I said "Feliz Navidad" to someone.
So Christmas in El Salvador consists of many fireworks (the annoying kind that kids throw close to each other and make obnoxiously annoying sounds), and eating lots of food! They actually celebrate Christmas on the 24th here. Christmas is the day where half the roosters and chickens throughout El Salvador are killed. My 5 year old sister is chasing one around the house as I'm writing this. My host family liked to play the game.. "Let's hand the rooster and the knife to the gringa and see what she does" I couldn't kill the thing - and am actually ashamed to admit this, but the thought did cross my mind. I did help in pulling out its feathers, cutting off the feet, pulling out the heart, and getting it ready to cook. That itself was enough of an experience for me. My host mom cried during the killing of the rooster, because she loved the singing of that particular rooster. The people here are shocked when I tell them I wear earplugs because I can't stand the sound of the roosters. "What?! Their singing is so beautiful and calming." So we killed 3 roosters in all, and made a million tamales.
The next day we walked 3 hours to take a bath in the river. It's a tradition that Salvadorians do the day after Christmas, and New Years day as well. Now when I say 'we walked' I really mean we spent half of the walk bushwhacking our way through the forest. And bushwhacking here is a very painful and exhausting experience. Half the plants and trees are full of pines and spiky things. So between everyone in my host family, we had many cuts, some blood, ripped clothing, some laughter, lots of sweat, some tears, and another great bonding experience for all. I'm in some pain today, cause I carried my best friends 2 year old son on my shoulders for half the walk. At the river, we killed 2 more roosters, caught some fish from the river, and had another delicious meal. Today I'm going to my friend Amy's community for a rodeo, which is in her front yard. Yay for cultural experiences :)
Yes, of course, this time is pretty hard for me, being a thousand miles away from my family and friends, and a "world apart", spending my first christmas in 26 years away from them. But at the same time, I'm glad I got to spend Christmas in a developing country. Waking up to no gifts under the christmas tree, with a family that is just as happy that it is Christmas anyway, was a very humbling experience for me. It really didn't feel like Christmas. No presents, No snow, and noone saying "Merry Christmas". My host cousin actually laughed at me when I said "Feliz Navidad" to someone.
So Christmas in El Salvador consists of many fireworks (the annoying kind that kids throw close to each other and make obnoxiously annoying sounds), and eating lots of food! They actually celebrate Christmas on the 24th here. Christmas is the day where half the roosters and chickens throughout El Salvador are killed. My 5 year old sister is chasing one around the house as I'm writing this. My host family liked to play the game.. "Let's hand the rooster and the knife to the gringa and see what she does" I couldn't kill the thing - and am actually ashamed to admit this, but the thought did cross my mind. I did help in pulling out its feathers, cutting off the feet, pulling out the heart, and getting it ready to cook. That itself was enough of an experience for me. My host mom cried during the killing of the rooster, because she loved the singing of that particular rooster. The people here are shocked when I tell them I wear earplugs because I can't stand the sound of the roosters. "What?! Their singing is so beautiful and calming." So we killed 3 roosters in all, and made a million tamales.
The next day we walked 3 hours to take a bath in the river. It's a tradition that Salvadorians do the day after Christmas, and New Years day as well. Now when I say 'we walked' I really mean we spent half of the walk bushwhacking our way through the forest. And bushwhacking here is a very painful and exhausting experience. Half the plants and trees are full of pines and spiky things. So between everyone in my host family, we had many cuts, some blood, ripped clothing, some laughter, lots of sweat, some tears, and another great bonding experience for all. I'm in some pain today, cause I carried my best friends 2 year old son on my shoulders for half the walk. At the river, we killed 2 more roosters, caught some fish from the river, and had another delicious meal. Today I'm going to my friend Amy's community for a rodeo, which is in her front yard. Yay for cultural experiences :)
Thursday, December 16, 2010
I'm broke, but I'm happy.
Some things I love about Salvadorians:
- They accept you and never treat you like the minority ("We are all the same and all one under God"- is what they like to tell me)
- they love that you have no pena (embarassment) (Little do they know that I am just really good at hiding it)
- They have the amazing skill of carrying stuff on their heads & are still able to turn to you to smile and say "buenas dias" as you pass.
- they are so tough; especially the ladies (I guess not having any machines to do the work for you helps a bit in that manner)
- finding the joys in the simplest things.
- they LOVE to listen to 70 and 80s American rock music
- They are extremely touchy & the ladies love holding your hand
- They laugh ALOT
- having PATIENCE
- being so great at doing nothing at all (this is something that I'm slowly getting used to, but was a hard adjustment coming from the american way of life - always having to do something, and always in a hurry)
- Feeding you a ton of food even when I tell them I'm not very hungry
- their hand gestures & pointing with their lips
- -they make some great pan dulce
- the more I am able to speak spanish, the more I'm beginning to realize, they really don't talk about much. They just really like to talk to you. That's okay. Because I like to talk to them...
Even though I have never met anyone as nice as many of the Salvadorians here. There are still things that drive me nuts about them:
- they don't have any idea what it means to recycle, nor do they throw their trash in the designated place
- playing their music extremely loud, especially when they wake up at 6am
- always hearing "deme agua, deme comida, etc..." (give me water, give me food) and never hearing "por favor"
- they say "alla" (over there) for EVERYWHERE. "Where ya going?" "Alla" "Where is the grocery store" "Alla" At the same time it is hilarious... But c'mon now. I need exact directions. "Over there" isn't going to cut it.
- always being late for everything, or saying "its too tarde" when I want to go somewhere at 3
- their "pena" (embarassment/akwardness) They have pena for everything. Don't tell the gringa about pena.
Things I never thought I would say before coming here:
- I love hand washing my clothes
- I am the only white person within an hour of this place, and I love it
- I love living in a third world country
- I can't wait to bathe in the river
- i live in a community of people where everyone smiles and says hello as you pass
- I don't mind the spiders that have a body the size of a half dollar. (its just a simple reminder as to where I live) I have currently one the size of a half dollar, and five the size of a quarter (just the body) crawling around on my wall right now.
-Dancing is my official way of exercise here
So I did celebrate Thanksgiving here, and I had quite the experience celebrating the holiday with the Americans here that work for the US embassy. It's like 2 americans living in the same central american country living 2 completely different lives. I think its safe to say I have by far gotten more of the "El Salvador" experience being here for 4 months, then the embassy worker who lived here for 4 years. So let's begin by saying the lady who I celebrated the holiday with considers herself a "homebody" and I can see why... (Note to self: Never own a huge house with really really really nice stuff, or you will never leave it) The world is much better outside your front door. Anyway, just some thoughts from my night there: "I hope my dirty stained campo feet don't rub off on her brand new white carpet" - Which one of her 5 bathrooms do I use? Oh, not that one, that is the maid's private bathroom. There are no garbage cans in the bathroom, Do I actually throw the toilet paper inside the toilet? Anyway, I loved ALL the food (I was alittle bummed there was no macaroni and cheese), but i got over it as I filled up with 2 plates of food, and 2 deserts. One of my friends even puked because she ate so much. Good for her. Back to rice and beans for us..
I was in San Salvador this past weekend, and hung out with some people from the embassy again. It's just crazy just how different are lives really are. I was hanging out talking with my friend Amy waiting for Noel, our friend from the embassy to arrive home from his day of work. We were of course on our rant and just kept saying "I've never been so happy in my life", "I love this place", "This is the life" haha. This occurs just about everytime Amy and I get together. Feeling so high and great, our friend Noel walks in super stressed out from his day, . This is where the title of my blog comes in.. "I'm broke, but I'm happy"
The longer I'm here, the more I forget I'm an American here to do work or something. I just feel so much part of this community. I just love the salvadorean way of life - handwashing my clothes, working in the milpa (cornfield), making tortillas, carrying stuff on my head, sitting and chatting on peoples front porches, etc. Every night I've been singing christmas songs with a group, going door-to-door. I love this stuff. I love these people.
But let's see... "work" - Well I did apply for this grant, asking for sports equipment. The kids here only play soccer during gym class. As much as I love soccer, I think its also great for kids to know and understand there are more sports out there. So hopefully I can win this grant in which I will buy equipment for baseball, football, basketball, kickballs, jump ropes, etc... I'm still doing my english classes with the kids and I hope to start one here pretty soon for adults. It's vacation from school right now, so It's been pretty relaxing. I hope to start some work with the womens group here (show them how to make shampoo, and different recycled art projects that I learned during my training- help them make a little profit for their group) I want to try to start some environmental projects as well. I want to start working with this lady in my community with organics and composting, and hopefully in turn teach the community and youth about this kind of stuff as well. I feel for right now, learning the needs and meeting everyone in my community will come first before I start anything big.
Que mas?
So my family here had a party the other day (my host grandparents finally got married) It was fun to see how they prepared for this fiesta, and it was fun taking part in the preparation. I got to see my first killing of the chickens. I handled it better than I thought.
So I'm feeling extremely attached to the people and this place already. I'm scared What am I going to feel like when I have to leave in 2 years?
- They accept you and never treat you like the minority ("We are all the same and all one under God"- is what they like to tell me)
- they love that you have no pena (embarassment) (Little do they know that I am just really good at hiding it)
- They have the amazing skill of carrying stuff on their heads & are still able to turn to you to smile and say "buenas dias" as you pass.
- they are so tough; especially the ladies (I guess not having any machines to do the work for you helps a bit in that manner)
- finding the joys in the simplest things.
- they LOVE to listen to 70 and 80s American rock music
- They are extremely touchy & the ladies love holding your hand
- They laugh ALOT
- having PATIENCE
- being so great at doing nothing at all (this is something that I'm slowly getting used to, but was a hard adjustment coming from the american way of life - always having to do something, and always in a hurry)
- Feeding you a ton of food even when I tell them I'm not very hungry
- their hand gestures & pointing with their lips
- -they make some great pan dulce
- the more I am able to speak spanish, the more I'm beginning to realize, they really don't talk about much. They just really like to talk to you. That's okay. Because I like to talk to them...
Even though I have never met anyone as nice as many of the Salvadorians here. There are still things that drive me nuts about them:
- they don't have any idea what it means to recycle, nor do they throw their trash in the designated place
- playing their music extremely loud, especially when they wake up at 6am
- always hearing "deme agua, deme comida, etc..." (give me water, give me food) and never hearing "por favor"
- they say "alla" (over there) for EVERYWHERE. "Where ya going?" "Alla" "Where is the grocery store" "Alla" At the same time it is hilarious... But c'mon now. I need exact directions. "Over there" isn't going to cut it.
- always being late for everything, or saying "its too tarde" when I want to go somewhere at 3
- their "pena" (embarassment/akwardness) They have pena for everything. Don't tell the gringa about pena.
Things I never thought I would say before coming here:
- I love hand washing my clothes
- I am the only white person within an hour of this place, and I love it
- I love living in a third world country
- I can't wait to bathe in the river
- i live in a community of people where everyone smiles and says hello as you pass
- I don't mind the spiders that have a body the size of a half dollar. (its just a simple reminder as to where I live) I have currently one the size of a half dollar, and five the size of a quarter (just the body) crawling around on my wall right now.
-Dancing is my official way of exercise here
So I did celebrate Thanksgiving here, and I had quite the experience celebrating the holiday with the Americans here that work for the US embassy. It's like 2 americans living in the same central american country living 2 completely different lives. I think its safe to say I have by far gotten more of the "El Salvador" experience being here for 4 months, then the embassy worker who lived here for 4 years. So let's begin by saying the lady who I celebrated the holiday with considers herself a "homebody" and I can see why... (Note to self: Never own a huge house with really really really nice stuff, or you will never leave it) The world is much better outside your front door. Anyway, just some thoughts from my night there: "I hope my dirty stained campo feet don't rub off on her brand new white carpet" - Which one of her 5 bathrooms do I use? Oh, not that one, that is the maid's private bathroom. There are no garbage cans in the bathroom, Do I actually throw the toilet paper inside the toilet? Anyway, I loved ALL the food (I was alittle bummed there was no macaroni and cheese), but i got over it as I filled up with 2 plates of food, and 2 deserts. One of my friends even puked because she ate so much. Good for her. Back to rice and beans for us..
I was in San Salvador this past weekend, and hung out with some people from the embassy again. It's just crazy just how different are lives really are. I was hanging out talking with my friend Amy waiting for Noel, our friend from the embassy to arrive home from his day of work. We were of course on our rant and just kept saying "I've never been so happy in my life", "I love this place", "This is the life" haha. This occurs just about everytime Amy and I get together. Feeling so high and great, our friend Noel walks in super stressed out from his day, . This is where the title of my blog comes in.. "I'm broke, but I'm happy"
The longer I'm here, the more I forget I'm an American here to do work or something. I just feel so much part of this community. I just love the salvadorean way of life - handwashing my clothes, working in the milpa (cornfield), making tortillas, carrying stuff on my head, sitting and chatting on peoples front porches, etc. Every night I've been singing christmas songs with a group, going door-to-door. I love this stuff. I love these people.
But let's see... "work" - Well I did apply for this grant, asking for sports equipment. The kids here only play soccer during gym class. As much as I love soccer, I think its also great for kids to know and understand there are more sports out there. So hopefully I can win this grant in which I will buy equipment for baseball, football, basketball, kickballs, jump ropes, etc... I'm still doing my english classes with the kids and I hope to start one here pretty soon for adults. It's vacation from school right now, so It's been pretty relaxing. I hope to start some work with the womens group here (show them how to make shampoo, and different recycled art projects that I learned during my training- help them make a little profit for their group) I want to try to start some environmental projects as well. I want to start working with this lady in my community with organics and composting, and hopefully in turn teach the community and youth about this kind of stuff as well. I feel for right now, learning the needs and meeting everyone in my community will come first before I start anything big.
Que mas?
So my family here had a party the other day (my host grandparents finally got married) It was fun to see how they prepared for this fiesta, and it was fun taking part in the preparation. I got to see my first killing of the chickens. I handled it better than I thought.
So I'm feeling extremely attached to the people and this place already. I'm scared What am I going to feel like when I have to leave in 2 years?
Saturday, November 20, 2010
PCVs are weird. I like that.
So as the end of our pre-service training is coming to an end, my mind is all over the place. This training screwed with my head alittle bit. We've been spoiled these past few weeks. Nice hotels, hot showers (successfully getting the layers of dirt off my skin), air conditioning, people in business suits, saunas, computer access, a real bed- no mosquito net needed, swimming pools, great food, other gringos, grass that was actually cut with a lawn mower & not a machete, dogs on leashes, sushi, talking lots of english, dogs you can actually pet, and many "holy cow, where am i?" moments. I guess it's safe to say, I'm already finding a great appreciation for things. However, as nice as these past 3 weeks were, I am looking forward to going back to my community and the simple life I have there. The place where all you really have is each other. I miss that.
Some other moments from these past few weeks:
- Seeing my first dead person in El Salvador. We aren't really sure what exactly happened, but I think it's safe to say he was probably shot and it was probably gang related. After all, it was in San Salvador
-- Finally seeing more of this beautiful country. We traveled west to Ahuachapan (the department closest to the Guatemalan border) & Sonsonate. This country truely is beautiful. Bottom line is: mountains and funky colors sure make me happy :) Some of the towns that we went to were just so bright, funky, and fun. (street posts painted in flowers, peoples houses painted funky colors with cool illustrations. As we drove through these towns, the song "magical mystery tour" by the Beatles, kept playing over and over in my head.
So it's a bit strange with Thanksgiving approaching, being in a country where they don't celebrate the holiday. Fortunately, the workers of the US embassy opened their homes to host all the volunteers. So I'll be spending the holiday with 2 other volunteer friends & a random family. It'll be nice, maybe a bit weird as well? The holiday of giving thanks and appreciation for your closest friends and family, and spending it with a family I haven't met yet, and with friends that I met 4 months ago. But either way, I hope she can make a mean pumpkin pie, and that her house has carpet that I can walk around barefoot on. If I'm really lucky maybe she'll invite us back, and say "feel free to use my washer and dryer any time you'd like.."
Happy Thanksgiving everyone
Some other moments from these past few weeks:
- Seeing my first dead person in El Salvador. We aren't really sure what exactly happened, but I think it's safe to say he was probably shot and it was probably gang related. After all, it was in San Salvador
-- Finally seeing more of this beautiful country. We traveled west to Ahuachapan (the department closest to the Guatemalan border) & Sonsonate. This country truely is beautiful. Bottom line is: mountains and funky colors sure make me happy :) Some of the towns that we went to were just so bright, funky, and fun. (street posts painted in flowers, peoples houses painted funky colors with cool illustrations. As we drove through these towns, the song "magical mystery tour" by the Beatles, kept playing over and over in my head.
So it's a bit strange with Thanksgiving approaching, being in a country where they don't celebrate the holiday. Fortunately, the workers of the US embassy opened their homes to host all the volunteers. So I'll be spending the holiday with 2 other volunteer friends & a random family. It'll be nice, maybe a bit weird as well? The holiday of giving thanks and appreciation for your closest friends and family, and spending it with a family I haven't met yet, and with friends that I met 4 months ago. But either way, I hope she can make a mean pumpkin pie, and that her house has carpet that I can walk around barefoot on. If I'm really lucky maybe she'll invite us back, and say "feel free to use my washer and dryer any time you'd like.."
Happy Thanksgiving everyone
Friday, November 5, 2010
oh how i missed toilets...
So I'm back in Apastapeque. As much as I didn't want to leave my site, I must say it is nice. It's weird to be back in civilization. I appreciate having my own room with a door, a bathroom that is only 10 feet away from my house (not to mention with an actual toilet), more food then just beans and rice, and someone to speak english with. I missed my Apastapeque group.
It was nice being reunited with my old family (where I lived during my training), we spent the afternoon in the cemetery celebrating dia de el muerto. It was very interesting for me. The graves here are HUGE and some of them are like small houses. It was beautiful to see all the flowers covering every grave and the abudance of people there. Tonight I met up with casi everyone from the group, and we didn't waste anytime drinking "jugo" with the Milanos. They loved that we can all actually understand and somewhat speak spanish now! It was nice to engage in conversation with the families we lived with before, but couldn't have much of a conversation with then. I'll be enjoying all these luxuries for the next 3 weeks. I am alittle nervous about not being able to speak spanish when I return to my site, since I'll be in gringo land for 3 weeks.
So now that I have internet, por fin! I can update everyone on whats been happening in the last month here...
Let's see...
Last week I had my asamblea general where I had to present to my community (What is peace corps? Who is Jamie? My ideas for the future) I was nervous no one was going to show up since there was chuch and another meeting, but around 100 people came. I think it went pretty well. All of my spanish teachers came, and they told me how surprised they were because my pronunciation and grammar was so good.
I had a moment of euphoria last week. Without much planning, I taught about 25 kids (of different ages) an English class. Hearing them all scream the English alphabet as I pointed to each letter. I thought, this is freakin cool. Amy came to visit my class last week, in which about 30 kids showed up. We taught the kids parts of the body, and they had fun playing simon says and learning the song head, shoulders, knees, and toes.
It's funny how you just grow accustom to weird/awkard stuff here. As I'm struggling to find stuff for my blog, I'm realizing my moments are starting to feel "normal" now. ... Let's see..
Well I was given a chicken during one of my house visits, in which I carried around with me to a few other houses I needed to visit (that really gave the town something to talk about) Owell, at least my host parents are happy that they have something to eat for Thanksgiving. Oh, and my sisters digging through my garbage, and finding items in there that kept them entertained for a week. Not to mention, giving my family something to wipe their butts with (by throwing out all my old spanish homework). Some guy here insisted on painting my nails during a house visit, then later proceeded to pretty much ask for my hand in marriage so he could go to the united states.
So as month #5 approaches, I STILL can't believe I am actually here. I feel like I'm in a dream just waiting to wake up any moment now. I mean lets be honest here, some days are TOUGH and I do feel lonely, but I still find myself every single day, thinking to myself; "man, this is so freakin cool"
It was nice being reunited with my old family (where I lived during my training), we spent the afternoon in the cemetery celebrating dia de el muerto. It was very interesting for me. The graves here are HUGE and some of them are like small houses. It was beautiful to see all the flowers covering every grave and the abudance of people there. Tonight I met up with casi everyone from the group, and we didn't waste anytime drinking "jugo" with the Milanos. They loved that we can all actually understand and somewhat speak spanish now! It was nice to engage in conversation with the families we lived with before, but couldn't have much of a conversation with then. I'll be enjoying all these luxuries for the next 3 weeks. I am alittle nervous about not being able to speak spanish when I return to my site, since I'll be in gringo land for 3 weeks.
So now that I have internet, por fin! I can update everyone on whats been happening in the last month here...
Let's see...
Last week I had my asamblea general where I had to present to my community (What is peace corps? Who is Jamie? My ideas for the future) I was nervous no one was going to show up since there was chuch and another meeting, but around 100 people came. I think it went pretty well. All of my spanish teachers came, and they told me how surprised they were because my pronunciation and grammar was so good.
I had a moment of euphoria last week. Without much planning, I taught about 25 kids (of different ages) an English class. Hearing them all scream the English alphabet as I pointed to each letter. I thought, this is freakin cool. Amy came to visit my class last week, in which about 30 kids showed up. We taught the kids parts of the body, and they had fun playing simon says and learning the song head, shoulders, knees, and toes.
It's funny how you just grow accustom to weird/awkard stuff here. As I'm struggling to find stuff for my blog, I'm realizing my moments are starting to feel "normal" now. ... Let's see..
Well I was given a chicken during one of my house visits, in which I carried around with me to a few other houses I needed to visit (that really gave the town something to talk about) Owell, at least my host parents are happy that they have something to eat for Thanksgiving. Oh, and my sisters digging through my garbage, and finding items in there that kept them entertained for a week. Not to mention, giving my family something to wipe their butts with (by throwing out all my old spanish homework). Some guy here insisted on painting my nails during a house visit, then later proceeded to pretty much ask for my hand in marriage so he could go to the united states.
So as month #5 approaches, I STILL can't believe I am actually here. I feel like I'm in a dream just waiting to wake up any moment now. I mean lets be honest here, some days are TOUGH and I do feel lonely, but I still find myself every single day, thinking to myself; "man, this is so freakin cool"
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
mas fotos!
A day in the milpa with the family!
my best friend here, Lorena! (this picture confirmed how much i really adore this girl...she loves jumping pictures too!!)
my family here! (in case you are wondering, yes that is someone's house... a family of 3, in fact.)
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Some days it don't come easy, some days it don't come hard, some days it don't come at all, and these are the days that never end
That pretty much describes my life right now. Some days are incredible - really having an "on" day ,sitting and having conversations with people, feeling loved by many people, laughing, being greeted with hugs by the little kids at school, feeling SO lucky to be in such a beautiful place with the nicest people I have ever met. Thinking to myself, there really is no other place in the world where I want to spend the next 2 years of my life. This is incredible.
then the OTHERS; where I'm the awkward gringa where people are wondering why I'm here, probably wondering what I am saying when I talk to them, being whispered about, stared at, pointed at, having no privacy at all. Being watched ALL the time. These are the days where I just want to speak english with another volunteer, someone who is in this same position. But I can't do that. And i just wait for the next day..
and then some days where it don't come at all, and these are the days that never end. Those days where I get up at 5am, get out of my pajamas around 1130. Think about doing something productive at about 130. Then it starts raining. When it rains here, noone leaves thier house. It stops raining about an hour later, but its too muddy to leave my house. So I watch some music videos from the 80s with my sisters, eat dinner, make some bracelets, and call it a night around 800. Feeling like I did nothing all day.
Well, maybe I did have a somewhat productive day after all? I was able to somewhat translate my sisters favorite song from the 80s for her. I taught the rest of my family how to make bracelets. One of the only times I saw them all in the same room together. I taught my 12 sister more english words. I made the severely depressed mother in this house smile twice today.
how i know i am growing accostume to living here
- I don't think anything of it when I go with my family to visit their family, and we have to hike over 2 hours to get there
- soccer matches in the street are the highlite of my day.
- joining my family in talking about a gringa that we see (oh mi dios! look at the gringa! jamie go find out why she is here)
- I no longer use the latrine either. The side of the house is much closer (and less stinky). I also have given up using utensils.
- Shaving my legs is way out of the question. I still shave my armpits, but I know I'm the minority.
- I officially do the hand gesture for Puchica (a word meaning damn, wow, no way!) (which is a flick of the wrist by the ear) at least 3 times a day.
- I don't have the urge to be around other Americans. El Salvadorians are cool. I love to learn about them. I have so much to learn from them, they have so much to learn about me. It's why I'm here.
- When a dog approaches me when I don't want it to, I do the "chch" noise and say "chucho" angerily.
- I'm becoming okay with doing absolutely nothing. Taking my time with just about everything I do. Spending hours just sipping on some coffee and sitting with people.
So my spanish teacher today, called me "gordita" (fat!). I tried telling myself, jamie you are just misunderstanding spanish again. Nope, there was no escaping that one. I am getting fat! Damn tortillas. El Salvadorians don't find it offensive when they call each other fat. It's "flattering" to them. Feeling alittle upset, I go back to my community, and start telling some of the people here that someone told me i was getting fat!! They respond with a rapid shake of their heads "yes" and start pointing to places where I have gained weight. *sigh. No worries, teaching the women here aerobics and yoga is in the near future. I also joined a womens soccer team here. Theres still no escaping those tortillas.
then the OTHERS; where I'm the awkward gringa where people are wondering why I'm here, probably wondering what I am saying when I talk to them, being whispered about, stared at, pointed at, having no privacy at all. Being watched ALL the time. These are the days where I just want to speak english with another volunteer, someone who is in this same position. But I can't do that. And i just wait for the next day..
and then some days where it don't come at all, and these are the days that never end. Those days where I get up at 5am, get out of my pajamas around 1130. Think about doing something productive at about 130. Then it starts raining. When it rains here, noone leaves thier house. It stops raining about an hour later, but its too muddy to leave my house. So I watch some music videos from the 80s with my sisters, eat dinner, make some bracelets, and call it a night around 800. Feeling like I did nothing all day.
Well, maybe I did have a somewhat productive day after all? I was able to somewhat translate my sisters favorite song from the 80s for her. I taught the rest of my family how to make bracelets. One of the only times I saw them all in the same room together. I taught my 12 sister more english words. I made the severely depressed mother in this house smile twice today.
how i know i am growing accostume to living here
- I don't think anything of it when I go with my family to visit their family, and we have to hike over 2 hours to get there
- soccer matches in the street are the highlite of my day.
- joining my family in talking about a gringa that we see (oh mi dios! look at the gringa! jamie go find out why she is here)
- I no longer use the latrine either. The side of the house is much closer (and less stinky). I also have given up using utensils.
- Shaving my legs is way out of the question. I still shave my armpits, but I know I'm the minority.
- I officially do the hand gesture for Puchica (a word meaning damn, wow, no way!) (which is a flick of the wrist by the ear) at least 3 times a day.
- I don't have the urge to be around other Americans. El Salvadorians are cool. I love to learn about them. I have so much to learn from them, they have so much to learn about me. It's why I'm here.
- When a dog approaches me when I don't want it to, I do the "chch" noise and say "chucho" angerily.
- I'm becoming okay with doing absolutely nothing. Taking my time with just about everything I do. Spending hours just sipping on some coffee and sitting with people.
So my spanish teacher today, called me "gordita" (fat!). I tried telling myself, jamie you are just misunderstanding spanish again. Nope, there was no escaping that one. I am getting fat! Damn tortillas. El Salvadorians don't find it offensive when they call each other fat. It's "flattering" to them. Feeling alittle upset, I go back to my community, and start telling some of the people here that someone told me i was getting fat!! They respond with a rapid shake of their heads "yes" and start pointing to places where I have gained weight. *sigh. No worries, teaching the women here aerobics and yoga is in the near future. I also joined a womens soccer team here. Theres still no escaping those tortillas.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Yemi is at her new site!
Who would have thought moving 20 minutes down the road would bring so many differences? I moved to my new site over a week ago. Last Saturday I met with my counterpart in San Salvador. It was a weird feeling traveling back from San Salvador to San Vicente (where I spent my training) knowing that all of my other friends are traveling to all sides of the country, hours and hours away (some even taking a few days to do the trip) It was more strange taking the same pick up truck as I would with my training group. A strange feeling being on it without them, but with a stranger. An even stranger feeling when I didn’t get off in Apastepeque, but venturing on for another 30 minutes to my new home.
I have been in this country for over 2 months and have not seen a more incredible sight then I have seen from the top of Calderitas. (the views of the volcano, the views of the many communities below, the fields, the animals, the palm trees, the lakes, etc.) gorgeous. I’m excited to call this new, unknown place, my home. I was anxiously greeted by my four sisters (Allison- 2, Maria Fernanda-5, Darlin-11, and Karen,13) who grabbed my bags without hesitation and led me to my new house. I instantly fell in love with them and I think the feelings are mutually. I live with them, and their parents (Arnulfo-35, and Rubia-30) It’s been about 2 weeks now, and they are still fascinated by literally every move I make. From the moment I open my eyes at 530 AM every morning, to the moment I fall asleep, they are curious about all my behaviors and items (What is this Jamie, What are you doing now? lets play cards, etc.) Literally no ALONE time… I have never been so excited to come to the training center here, just to know I would be alone! They are such a loving and caring family, and I know I am very lucky to be in their house. However, alone time is important to every human spirit. The next day we took an hour long hike to a lake. I thought we were going to go fishing, but when we left the house without any poles, bait, etc. I felt failure yet again from my lack of understanding Spanish. Well, duh, silly me, I’m in El Salvador! Who needs poles when you have sticks. Who needs bait, when you have hands to dig through mud with to find earthworms. Between my dad and my one sister, they caught about 10 fish, and me – nada! Agh I have so much to learn. I must have fallen about 8 times throughout the hike – When did I become so clumsy? We left with all the fish swimming in a plastic bottle (thinking to myself, we are probably going to eat them later) – Nope they put them in the pilla water!! Duh, silly me, once again.
Not knowing the language has made me the most “go with the flow” kind of person. Expect the unexpected. Embrace each moment. Enjoy the ride. Even if the trip takes you to someone’s house where the next thing you know you are sitting in a circle with a candle lit in the middle, praying, singing, on your knees, arms outstretched praying to God. If that isn’t awkward then I’m not sure what is. “Just go with it, Jamie” I keep telling myself. These people just love you for being there and for trying. I was glad though when Rubia told me I didn’t have to do that if I felt uncomfortable. Glad she sensed my emotions. Developing confianza, is what it’s all about for me right now. I’m not religious, but as far as everyone in my community is concerned, yes I am catholic.
Some differences between my new site and Apastepeque:
- people eat with their hands
- noone says bye when they leave
- my family showers in the open
- people are more friendly (especially the ladies – I love seeing their face light up when they see me) people always have time to sit and talk to you – even if they don’t actually have time and they can barely understand you
- everyone just throws everything on the ground – they literally mop every 10 minutes.
- latrines! (with the curtain serving no purpose) not to mention, I have yet to see anyone use it. They usually just squat along the side of the house. I’m not even sure I’ve ever seen them use toilet paper.
Some lessons I learned this week:
- You have to learn to laugh at yourself
- Tomorrow is a new day
- It isn't until you have little resources, until you can really discover how big your imagination really is
- Living like this, you find the simplest things to be utterly exciting (like climbing a tree, walking through a cornfield, or watching a TV with color that you can actually see some picture and not all lines)
- If you can’t beat them join them (I say this in regards to my sisters) From day one, they have been so fascinated by all of my things. For awhile I was getting annoyed that they just wouldn’t leave my things alone. Until it hit me. I’m selfish. These kids don’t have “stuff”. So when someone has things, they are going to want to try them. So I became okay with letting them borrow my phone so they can play games on it, it usually keeps them busy for hours. Or by giving them my markers and paper, they can usually sit and draw for hours. (its always pictures they make for me anyways) Or just by allowing them to look at my pictures all the time. They just can’t get enough of the pictures of the dogs from home (my parents dog, my brothers dog, my neighbors dog) – Probably because they actually look like normal dogs. Or all of my clothing and sunglasses, they usually enjoy a good game of lets dress like Jamie. It's funny though, ever since I have become okay with giving them my things to play with, I feel less annoyed. It makes them happy. That makes me happy. It really is the least I could do for them, since they all love to take care of me. I think they all love having the role of big sister to me.
How I know I live with such a great family:
-The dad pulls out a huge white board from God knows where (in this small house) and begins teaching me Spanish
- They are constantly listening to some of the best music from the 80s. (Aha – take on me, Toto- Africa)
- Their random/goofy acts. For example, the other day they bring 2 street dogs home from the nearest pueblo. As if they don’t have enough animals. Owell, I’m not complaining. Another animal to eat my food.
- I have a bigger room in the house, then the one other room all 6 of them sleep in. I feel alittle weird about this, though.
I have been in this country for over 2 months and have not seen a more incredible sight then I have seen from the top of Calderitas. (the views of the volcano, the views of the many communities below, the fields, the animals, the palm trees, the lakes, etc.) gorgeous. I’m excited to call this new, unknown place, my home. I was anxiously greeted by my four sisters (Allison- 2, Maria Fernanda-5, Darlin-11, and Karen,13) who grabbed my bags without hesitation and led me to my new house. I instantly fell in love with them and I think the feelings are mutually. I live with them, and their parents (Arnulfo-35, and Rubia-30) It’s been about 2 weeks now, and they are still fascinated by literally every move I make. From the moment I open my eyes at 530 AM every morning, to the moment I fall asleep, they are curious about all my behaviors and items (What is this Jamie, What are you doing now? lets play cards, etc.) Literally no ALONE time… I have never been so excited to come to the training center here, just to know I would be alone! They are such a loving and caring family, and I know I am very lucky to be in their house. However, alone time is important to every human spirit. The next day we took an hour long hike to a lake. I thought we were going to go fishing, but when we left the house without any poles, bait, etc. I felt failure yet again from my lack of understanding Spanish. Well, duh, silly me, I’m in El Salvador! Who needs poles when you have sticks. Who needs bait, when you have hands to dig through mud with to find earthworms. Between my dad and my one sister, they caught about 10 fish, and me – nada! Agh I have so much to learn. I must have fallen about 8 times throughout the hike – When did I become so clumsy? We left with all the fish swimming in a plastic bottle (thinking to myself, we are probably going to eat them later) – Nope they put them in the pilla water!! Duh, silly me, once again.
Not knowing the language has made me the most “go with the flow” kind of person. Expect the unexpected. Embrace each moment. Enjoy the ride. Even if the trip takes you to someone’s house where the next thing you know you are sitting in a circle with a candle lit in the middle, praying, singing, on your knees, arms outstretched praying to God. If that isn’t awkward then I’m not sure what is. “Just go with it, Jamie” I keep telling myself. These people just love you for being there and for trying. I was glad though when Rubia told me I didn’t have to do that if I felt uncomfortable. Glad she sensed my emotions. Developing confianza, is what it’s all about for me right now. I’m not religious, but as far as everyone in my community is concerned, yes I am catholic.
Some differences between my new site and Apastepeque:
- people eat with their hands
- noone says bye when they leave
- my family showers in the open
- people are more friendly (especially the ladies – I love seeing their face light up when they see me) people always have time to sit and talk to you – even if they don’t actually have time and they can barely understand you
- everyone just throws everything on the ground – they literally mop every 10 minutes.
- latrines! (with the curtain serving no purpose) not to mention, I have yet to see anyone use it. They usually just squat along the side of the house. I’m not even sure I’ve ever seen them use toilet paper.
Some lessons I learned this week:
- You have to learn to laugh at yourself
- Tomorrow is a new day
- It isn't until you have little resources, until you can really discover how big your imagination really is
- Living like this, you find the simplest things to be utterly exciting (like climbing a tree, walking through a cornfield, or watching a TV with color that you can actually see some picture and not all lines)
- If you can’t beat them join them (I say this in regards to my sisters) From day one, they have been so fascinated by all of my things. For awhile I was getting annoyed that they just wouldn’t leave my things alone. Until it hit me. I’m selfish. These kids don’t have “stuff”. So when someone has things, they are going to want to try them. So I became okay with letting them borrow my phone so they can play games on it, it usually keeps them busy for hours. Or by giving them my markers and paper, they can usually sit and draw for hours. (its always pictures they make for me anyways) Or just by allowing them to look at my pictures all the time. They just can’t get enough of the pictures of the dogs from home (my parents dog, my brothers dog, my neighbors dog) – Probably because they actually look like normal dogs. Or all of my clothing and sunglasses, they usually enjoy a good game of lets dress like Jamie. It's funny though, ever since I have become okay with giving them my things to play with, I feel less annoyed. It makes them happy. That makes me happy. It really is the least I could do for them, since they all love to take care of me. I think they all love having the role of big sister to me.
How I know I live with such a great family:
-The dad pulls out a huge white board from God knows where (in this small house) and begins teaching me Spanish
- They are constantly listening to some of the best music from the 80s. (Aha – take on me, Toto- Africa)
- Their random/goofy acts. For example, the other day they bring 2 street dogs home from the nearest pueblo. As if they don’t have enough animals. Owell, I’m not complaining. Another animal to eat my food.
- I have a bigger room in the house, then the one other room all 6 of them sleep in. I feel alittle weird about this, though.
Friday, September 10, 2010
¡Por fin!
Finally, Site assignment day has arrived!!! This is the biggest day of our training, claro,that we have long been waiting for. Well, for me, I actually found out my placement 3 days ago (because my new family knows a volunteers family in my group) He told me he knew where I was going, and as much as I wanted to wait, and be part of the excitement everyone feels on this day, I also knew I couldn't go 3 more days knowing that someone knew the next 2 years of my life. Today was still much anticipated because I would find out who the one other person would be in my department, and exactly how far I would be from my closest friends here.
So anyways, here it is, my site (which means nothing to you):
Calderitas, San Idelfonso San Esteban Caterina, San Vicente
(which is a whooping 15 minutes away from where I live now!) It is a little bit of a bummer to be in a place where you spent the last 2 months training, and everyone loves a new and exciting place. But you know, my new community will be new and exciting! I keep hearing how beautiful it is - how it overlooks a beautiful lake, and sits on top of a mountain/or hill (not exactly sure) Nonetheless, the more I think about it, the more excited and fortunate I am to live here. I know the surrounding area already and love it. I will still be close to all the great people I have met here; our families, the volunteers in this area that I met, and my spanish teacher! I'll always have someone close by. The best part of it all is, the ONE person that ended up in my department is my best friend here, Amy. Wohoo!
Also, a few other of my best friends here are literally on opposite ends of the country (with me being in the middle) so i will get to see the country eventually!
So the information I do know thus far about my site:
Population: 748 people, now 749 with the gringa coming to town!
Houses: 186
One school: 280 students
The school principal is interested in having me work with life skills and after school activities. I will be living with the health promoter, his wife, and their 4 daughters (ranging from 4-17 years) It will be fun to have 4 sisters! Looks like i won't be having a problem after all to find someone to paint my nails funky colors and designs. It will also be great to live with the health promoter since I'm sure he knows just about everyone.
One last thing, Just in case you are wondering why I am not in El Salvador in a week: (I hope this is not the case!!)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11253408
So anyways, here it is, my site (which means nothing to you):
Calderitas, San Idelfonso San Esteban Caterina, San Vicente
(which is a whooping 15 minutes away from where I live now!) It is a little bit of a bummer to be in a place where you spent the last 2 months training, and everyone loves a new and exciting place. But you know, my new community will be new and exciting! I keep hearing how beautiful it is - how it overlooks a beautiful lake, and sits on top of a mountain/or hill (not exactly sure) Nonetheless, the more I think about it, the more excited and fortunate I am to live here. I know the surrounding area already and love it. I will still be close to all the great people I have met here; our families, the volunteers in this area that I met, and my spanish teacher! I'll always have someone close by. The best part of it all is, the ONE person that ended up in my department is my best friend here, Amy. Wohoo!
Also, a few other of my best friends here are literally on opposite ends of the country (with me being in the middle) so i will get to see the country eventually!
So the information I do know thus far about my site:
Population: 748 people, now 749 with the gringa coming to town!
Houses: 186
One school: 280 students
The school principal is interested in having me work with life skills and after school activities. I will be living with the health promoter, his wife, and their 4 daughters (ranging from 4-17 years) It will be fun to have 4 sisters! Looks like i won't be having a problem after all to find someone to paint my nails funky colors and designs. It will also be great to live with the health promoter since I'm sure he knows just about everyone.
One last thing, Just in case you are wondering why I am not in El Salvador in a week: (I hope this is not the case!!)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11253408
Random Photos..
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Puchica
As the days (just over a week left here..) are coming to an end in my vacation home here in Apastepeque, I've been doing alot of thinking about my new community, and where I will spending the next 2 years of my life:
will they understand me?
will they accept me?
will i make friends?
will i like my family?
will i have a bed?
Will I have water?
Will I have to pee in a latrine?
Will there be a million roosters?
How far away will I actually be from other volunteers? (It could be minutes, it could be hours)
What work will I be doing?
Will I have a sister who can paint my nails?
How nuts will I actually go? (They say your first 3 months in site are your hardest as a volunteer)
Will I have someone to play endless amounts of UNO with?
I had a dream I gained 35 lbs. I'm beginning to think that may not be far from the truth, or at least something that is possible for the future. Everyone says how much weight they gain when they first get to site. Doing house visits are a very big thing for our first few months in the community. House visits are more then just a "Hola, Mi nombre es Jamie, mucho gusto" I can anticipate about 8 cups of coffee in a day and 5 or 6 dinners. Whatever it takes to build that "confianza" (trust)
I have been kind of sad these last few days. I will miss Apastepeque deeply. And so here it is, my reflections on that:
-I could not have asked for a better group (Anna, David, Esther, and Katherine- I love you all). Our motto is "We get there when we get there" I never thought I would meet people as tranquillo and slow moving as myself. You guys are incredible; Endless games of rummy and bullshit. Being consistently late to training every Tuesday, family fiestas, drinking with grandma, going to sarita (the ice cream shop) every day. I wish you all luck as you go to your new sites. Stay strong. Break out of your comfort zone. And don't forget about our Apastepeque reunions!
- My spanish teacher Vicky, what an incredible person. I didn't understand one damn word from that ladies mouth the first time we talked (or when she talked, and I "listened"). But we were able to develop a great relationship with each other despite the language barrier. I owe most of my success I had here thus far to her. I can now officially say I understand 65 percent of what she says.
- My family. I'm fortunate to not have any problems with my family, like some people here. They know how to treat me well, and they always seem to know what I'm concerned about (which is great for the language barrier) I never had to worry about finding the polite way to say "wash my clothes", "make me food", "change my bedsheets", and so on. They always just know what I need, which is great, because the last thing I want, is to come across as disrespectful to such wonderful people.
- The 7 month old baby, Jose, in my house. I'm pretty sure his first word was "hi" - It may have been learned from me, or Dora the Explorer. That I'm not sure, but I sure know I'm gonna miss that kid and the huge smiles he would give every time he saw me. I wish I had that effect on more guys.
- The 80 year old grandmother who lives next door to me. She could drink anyone I ever met and ever will meet under the table. This lady can drink any vodka straight up, no big deal, and will let you know how much of a wimp you are for splitting the juice/vodka 50/50. She solves that issue by pouring more vodka into my drink when I'm not looking.
How I know my spanish is getting alittle bit better:
- when i listen to people speak its more then just sounds, its actually words.
- people actually have the correct response to my answer. Not, "I don't speak english" (Even though I was speaking in spanish...)
- I don't go to bed at night with a headache
- I can sit in a room full of El Salvadorians and not feel really, really awkward (now I just feel awkward)
- People are actually laughing at a joke I told, not because of how ridiculous I sound (well I like to believe this one)
- I'm beginning to realize more that we really are the same, just people of different languages.
So we had a big community project this morning with the youth. We ended up hiking up this mountain in the mud and pouring rain. At the top we did some charlas to the group (regarding leadership, life plans, self esteem) and did many dynamicas (the word they use for icebreakers) It turned out to be a lovely day. The sun came out and we were able to enjoy some lovely views overlooking the volcano and the city of San Vicente.
Just some other thoughts:
- So does anyone know when Phish is gonna come tour in El Salvador?
- Getting attacked by a rooster sucks
- I feel as my spanish is getting better, my english is getting worse (So let me apologize in advance if my blogs are becoming less intriguing, and are beginning to show more grammatical errors)
-It's crazy that here, the poorer you are, the more generous you are
- Why are there ALWAYS fireworks going off? (Are there really people up at 5:00 am watching those things?)
- Is it possible to meet anyone nicer then some of the El Salvadorians I have met here?
- How on earth do you roll your R's?
will they understand me?
will they accept me?
will i make friends?
will i like my family?
will i have a bed?
Will I have water?
Will I have to pee in a latrine?
Will there be a million roosters?
How far away will I actually be from other volunteers? (It could be minutes, it could be hours)
What work will I be doing?
Will I have a sister who can paint my nails?
How nuts will I actually go? (They say your first 3 months in site are your hardest as a volunteer)
Will I have someone to play endless amounts of UNO with?
I had a dream I gained 35 lbs. I'm beginning to think that may not be far from the truth, or at least something that is possible for the future. Everyone says how much weight they gain when they first get to site. Doing house visits are a very big thing for our first few months in the community. House visits are more then just a "Hola, Mi nombre es Jamie, mucho gusto" I can anticipate about 8 cups of coffee in a day and 5 or 6 dinners. Whatever it takes to build that "confianza" (trust)
I have been kind of sad these last few days. I will miss Apastepeque deeply. And so here it is, my reflections on that:
-I could not have asked for a better group (Anna, David, Esther, and Katherine- I love you all). Our motto is "We get there when we get there" I never thought I would meet people as tranquillo and slow moving as myself. You guys are incredible; Endless games of rummy and bullshit. Being consistently late to training every Tuesday, family fiestas, drinking with grandma, going to sarita (the ice cream shop) every day. I wish you all luck as you go to your new sites. Stay strong. Break out of your comfort zone. And don't forget about our Apastepeque reunions!
- My spanish teacher Vicky, what an incredible person. I didn't understand one damn word from that ladies mouth the first time we talked (or when she talked, and I "listened"). But we were able to develop a great relationship with each other despite the language barrier. I owe most of my success I had here thus far to her. I can now officially say I understand 65 percent of what she says.
- My family. I'm fortunate to not have any problems with my family, like some people here. They know how to treat me well, and they always seem to know what I'm concerned about (which is great for the language barrier) I never had to worry about finding the polite way to say "wash my clothes", "make me food", "change my bedsheets", and so on. They always just know what I need, which is great, because the last thing I want, is to come across as disrespectful to such wonderful people.
- The 7 month old baby, Jose, in my house. I'm pretty sure his first word was "hi" - It may have been learned from me, or Dora the Explorer. That I'm not sure, but I sure know I'm gonna miss that kid and the huge smiles he would give every time he saw me. I wish I had that effect on more guys.
- The 80 year old grandmother who lives next door to me. She could drink anyone I ever met and ever will meet under the table. This lady can drink any vodka straight up, no big deal, and will let you know how much of a wimp you are for splitting the juice/vodka 50/50. She solves that issue by pouring more vodka into my drink when I'm not looking.
How I know my spanish is getting alittle bit better:
- when i listen to people speak its more then just sounds, its actually words.
- people actually have the correct response to my answer. Not, "I don't speak english" (Even though I was speaking in spanish...)
- I don't go to bed at night with a headache
- I can sit in a room full of El Salvadorians and not feel really, really awkward (now I just feel awkward)
- People are actually laughing at a joke I told, not because of how ridiculous I sound (well I like to believe this one)
- I'm beginning to realize more that we really are the same, just people of different languages.
So we had a big community project this morning with the youth. We ended up hiking up this mountain in the mud and pouring rain. At the top we did some charlas to the group (regarding leadership, life plans, self esteem) and did many dynamicas (the word they use for icebreakers) It turned out to be a lovely day. The sun came out and we were able to enjoy some lovely views overlooking the volcano and the city of San Vicente.
Just some other thoughts:
- So does anyone know when Phish is gonna come tour in El Salvador?
- Getting attacked by a rooster sucks
- I feel as my spanish is getting better, my english is getting worse (So let me apologize in advance if my blogs are becoming less intriguing, and are beginning to show more grammatical errors)
-It's crazy that here, the poorer you are, the more generous you are
- Why are there ALWAYS fireworks going off? (Are there really people up at 5:00 am watching those things?)
- Is it possible to meet anyone nicer then some of the El Salvadorians I have met here?
- How on earth do you roll your R's?
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
You can't find moments in a box
Some new and exciting moments of the week:
- not getting dengue yet (eating a clove of garlic a day really helps fight off those darn zancudos)
- teaching an english class to 7th grade students (and it actually being a great success)
- our first beach trip as a group! (Grilled cheese sandwiches, sunshine, swimming, cervezas, pancakes, king size bed, shower, beauty, grass, sand, the nicest beach house everrrr, etc..) Being at the beach reminded me alot of home (can't really explain it- I guess you kind of get used to the simple way of living down here, and forget about luxuries) but I made a list (because I love lists!) of what I miss most about being home (after family and friends of course!) : thai iced tea, seeing a sky full of stars, washing machines, being big spoon with my dog maggie, AC when i sleep, waking up on my own (not by the sounds of dogs fighting in the street or the cockadoodledo of the roosters), climbing/hiking/biking, not being stared and pointed at while I do my morning jog, a GOOD slice of pizza, american music and going to concerts, "blending in" (however, i feel like a rock star some days down here)
This has pretty much been a week of a LOT of spanish learning, and "community contacts" aka playing bull shit and rummy with my group (Apastepeque isn't the most productive group of trainees) 3 more weeks of training and then off to my new community, where I will be far away from the other gringos! Crazy feeling, but I'm ready and excited!!
Just a few things I've learned so far from being down here:
- Mainly, not knowing a language, has really taught me a heck of alot. Relationships with people go way beyond communication. It really is interesting to see how much love you have for other people and the love they have for you, even with very very limited conversation. -A good attitude really does go a long way. I'm just glad there is honestly no such thing as "akward" here. There isn't even a word in spanish for "akward". So me sitting in a room with a group of El Salvadorians not saying much due to my lack of vocabulary, doesn't even phase them as being "akward". They love you for just being there with them.
"There is one language in the world that everyone understands. It’s the language of enthusiasm, of things accomplished with love and purpose…” - Challenges are our biggest teachers.
- Don't be afraid to make mistakes.
- The more you put into something, the more you get out of it.
- It doesn't matter where you are (or how poorly the living conditions are), its the people.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
random pictures
with our youth group (playing dynamicas/ice breakers and conversing about potential projects we are going to do within our community)
@ the rodeo!
immersion days
Immersion Days were this past weekend, and I got to go to the far away land of Apastapeque (that's right - just a small canton 10 minutes outside of where I live now) Many of the other volunteers are traveling up to 6 hours away, but not I. I was kind of bummed at first when I got my placement. I was looking forward to my first big day of traveling on my own, tackling public transportation in a dangerous country.Thats a self esteem, confidence booster right there. But I guess I wasn't meant to venture out by myself quite yet. My spanish level is one of the lowest, so I guess PC just played it smart, and looked out for my safety on this one. Whatever the reason, It doesn't matter, because it still was an incredible weekend. I spent half the time with another volunteer and the other half with a family. I stayed with the most incredible family. I have never talked as much spanish here as I did with them this weekend. That was my confidence booster for the weekend. I'm able to have a conversation longer than 5 minutes, wow maybe they do understand me after all. They really wanted to learn about me, and they weren't giving up until they did so. They changed words in sentences so that I understood. There were 4 daughters ranging from 7-16, and were all just so wonderful! Its just crazy how comfortable and "at home" i felt at their house. A house where 4 daughters shared a bedroom not much larger then my bathroom in the United States. A house, where I slept pretty much on a piece of wood, where I felt bugs crawling on me as I slept, and a bathroom full of spiders about 20 feet from their house (dodging at least 12 roosters, 3 pigs, and 4 cats to get there). But I felt more safe and "at home" there than I have anywhere else since I've been here. Just another example to show it really doesn't matter where you are, or how much you have. IT'S THE PEOPLE. So I spent half my time with them, and half my time with a volunteer (who has been here for a year). It was great to go around and shadow her, and it got me completely stoked to get to my new site. Some of her projects included teaching english to younger kids, organizing a softball team, yoga class with women, making shampoo with women, etc. I enjoyed my weekend with her and came away with some really good advice. She mentioned how none of her projects have been "visible", like other volunteers bragging, "I built this", or "I painted this.." But to her, success was the confianza (happiness, trust) she had with her community. Bringing together the community and promoting health and friendships, teaching little children a valuable language, etc. I see how well liked and respected she is from members of her community, and from my perspective, I think she has accomplished what she is down here for. Putting a good name to the American people, showing people we are more then just "gringos", developing lasting friendships, inspiring others and at the same time being inspired, and implenting new ideas to their culture. I'm ready to do the same...
Friday, August 13, 2010
a few more thoughts about the savior...
So today was a really great week. We spent most of the week with each other (all 33 of the trainees) doing stuff as a group. It made me appreciate even more the dynamics of our training group. Everyone gets along great for the most part. The more I learn about people, the more I find the quirkyness & weirdness in everyone, which i LOVE.
It was just nice to get out of the community and not have spanish class allllll day. We spent a few days this week in the capital, San Salvador. San Salvador is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with over 2 million people living there. No wonder its one of the most dangerous places ever. We had bus orientation today... Our spanish teacher told us to bring alittle extra money so we have something to barter with when we are held at knife point. I don't think she was kidding. Good thing Peace Corps doesn't put any of their volunteers anywhere close to that city. Anyways, in San Salvador we checked out many museums. Some of them very interesting, some of them not too much, but overall it was great to learn all about my new country. We also went to the US embassy. It was nice to have someone open my drinks for me while I sit on a comfortable couch in air conditioning (hey, when you live like we have lived for the past 3 weeks, you certainly appreciate alot) We had a question/answer session to some guy who looked really important for about hour. I had about 5 cups of coffee (because I can... and it wasn't instant coffee) and about 4 chocalate cupcakes.
So earlier this week we saw other "gringos". I now understand how it feels when I hear other PCV's when they see gringos. Its really weird, like what do we do? Make eye contact? Say hello? Smile and Nod? Or just act like no big deal... But it really is strange, like all I really want to do is ask, "What are you doing here", but I just continue staring at them (as if we don't get enough stares)
Once again I wanted to emphasize how it really is all about the little things here: I was playing baseball with a bunch of girls and women in my community, and I was never involved in such an exciting game of BASEBALL (mind you, with only females as well) they were just screaming, laughing, jumping up and down, congratulating each other, having the time of their lives. Also, I went to a rodeo the other day and during an intermission they had activities. One of the activities consisted of having kids jump over each other (yep, exactly how it sounds) but I mean the whole audience was laughing, clapping, cheering, etc. The other trainees and I just have the look on our face of "Wow, it doesn't take much to please these people" Really cool though. Maybe I'll understand it one day. Maybe not.
Why i have grown to love my family here:
-they skype with their family from virginia every night and sing to their one year old grandson the same song every time. (I sung head, shoulders, knees, and toes to him in spanish the other night!)
-they encourage me to speak in spanish every chance I get
-they don't laugh at me when I do
- they give me coffee like there's no tomorrow
- they seem to know every time when I'm ready to eat, so that I don't have to akwardly ask them for food - they also seem to know just the right quantity of food to give me
- they love to have fiestas
- they love their family
- my 80 year old grandmother pours liquor into my soda when I'm not looking (as she is on her 5th cup of straight liqour)
- i feel safe & at home (well as much as I can in a foreign land)
Just a few things I was wondering about:
- I've gotten at least 200 mosquito bites since I have been here. What if one had Dengue?
- Why do the mosquitos love me and only eat me (the one with the bug spray on) out of everyone in my house?
- How will it be working with youth who have NO idea what a dream or aspiration for the future really is?
- How could it possibly rain THAT much EVERY night?
-What will happen if a tire does fall off of one of those trucks that holds over 40 people?
- How could it possibly get any hotter once summer hits?
- Where will I be today when I urgently have to run to the bathroom? (sorry probably a bit much, but its the truth)
- How much weight will I actually gain? (Living next to an ice cream shop is probably the worst thing that has happened to me since I've moved here)
- How is it that my spanish teacher is one of my favorite people here, even though we hardly know anything about each other because of the language barrier?
One more thing, as a side note: Just as things are beginning to get tough and finding it hard to imagine I'll be here for 2 years, I hear from my parents just how proud they are of me. Thanks guys :) Means alot to have supportive parents, who understand why I am here..
Paz y amor.
It was just nice to get out of the community and not have spanish class allllll day. We spent a few days this week in the capital, San Salvador. San Salvador is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with over 2 million people living there. No wonder its one of the most dangerous places ever. We had bus orientation today... Our spanish teacher told us to bring alittle extra money so we have something to barter with when we are held at knife point. I don't think she was kidding. Good thing Peace Corps doesn't put any of their volunteers anywhere close to that city. Anyways, in San Salvador we checked out many museums. Some of them very interesting, some of them not too much, but overall it was great to learn all about my new country. We also went to the US embassy. It was nice to have someone open my drinks for me while I sit on a comfortable couch in air conditioning (hey, when you live like we have lived for the past 3 weeks, you certainly appreciate alot) We had a question/answer session to some guy who looked really important for about hour. I had about 5 cups of coffee (because I can... and it wasn't instant coffee) and about 4 chocalate cupcakes.
So earlier this week we saw other "gringos". I now understand how it feels when I hear other PCV's when they see gringos. Its really weird, like what do we do? Make eye contact? Say hello? Smile and Nod? Or just act like no big deal... But it really is strange, like all I really want to do is ask, "What are you doing here", but I just continue staring at them (as if we don't get enough stares)
Once again I wanted to emphasize how it really is all about the little things here: I was playing baseball with a bunch of girls and women in my community, and I was never involved in such an exciting game of BASEBALL (mind you, with only females as well) they were just screaming, laughing, jumping up and down, congratulating each other, having the time of their lives. Also, I went to a rodeo the other day and during an intermission they had activities. One of the activities consisted of having kids jump over each other (yep, exactly how it sounds) but I mean the whole audience was laughing, clapping, cheering, etc. The other trainees and I just have the look on our face of "Wow, it doesn't take much to please these people" Really cool though. Maybe I'll understand it one day. Maybe not.
Why i have grown to love my family here:
-they skype with their family from virginia every night and sing to their one year old grandson the same song every time. (I sung head, shoulders, knees, and toes to him in spanish the other night!)
-they encourage me to speak in spanish every chance I get
-they don't laugh at me when I do
- they give me coffee like there's no tomorrow
- they seem to know every time when I'm ready to eat, so that I don't have to akwardly ask them for food - they also seem to know just the right quantity of food to give me
- they love to have fiestas
- they love their family
- my 80 year old grandmother pours liquor into my soda when I'm not looking (as she is on her 5th cup of straight liqour)
- i feel safe & at home (well as much as I can in a foreign land)
Just a few things I was wondering about:
- I've gotten at least 200 mosquito bites since I have been here. What if one had Dengue?
- Why do the mosquitos love me and only eat me (the one with the bug spray on) out of everyone in my house?
- How will it be working with youth who have NO idea what a dream or aspiration for the future really is?
- How could it possibly rain THAT much EVERY night?
-What will happen if a tire does fall off of one of those trucks that holds over 40 people?
- How could it possibly get any hotter once summer hits?
- Where will I be today when I urgently have to run to the bathroom? (sorry probably a bit much, but its the truth)
- How much weight will I actually gain? (Living next to an ice cream shop is probably the worst thing that has happened to me since I've moved here)
- How is it that my spanish teacher is one of my favorite people here, even though we hardly know anything about each other because of the language barrier?
One more thing, as a side note: Just as things are beginning to get tough and finding it hard to imagine I'll be here for 2 years, I hear from my parents just how proud they are of me. Thanks guys :) Means alot to have supportive parents, who understand why I am here..
Paz y amor.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
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