To my friends and family, As you know, yours truly has been passing time in a small rural village in El Salvador. What an adventure I'm having!! Hard to believe, I've been here for 9 months. My first 7 months here I lived with a wonderful host family, but didn't have the most ideal living situation (sharing a tiny house with 7 people, a room with no door/no privacy, practically living out of my suitcase, eating beans and rice 3 times a day, a host mom in and out of the mental institution, going to the bathroom in an outhouse full of cockroaches, spiders, and flies,etc.) As much as I didn't mind living "rough", I knew having space and privacy would help my mind, and put me in a better mental space to interact and work more positively with the people here.
Oh, how alone time, privacy, cooking healthy food, exercising, and organizing your belongings can do wonders for the mind & spirit. These people have given me so much, even though they have so little. They have allowed for me to grow positively, and to be taught some great life lessons. I'm ready to give back. I am trying to help the school here raise enough money to get 15 computers. I've been helping with some fund-raising, such as making and selling
champu de sabila (aloe) with students in 7th, 8th, and 9th grade. I hope to also plan some more activities for the future. "Partnership Program" through Peace Corps allows anyone to donate to volunteers projects too.
If anyone is interesting in donating money for this project, here is the link:
https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=519-158 Or from
http://www.peacecorps.gov/ --- Go to Donate to Volunteers Projects. Two dollars, twenty dollars, or
dos cordas. Any amount helps!! I appreciate it... as well as the 300 students here in this small rural village!!
I included some pictures: The community; the school, my new house, and of the future computer lab. The gringa: carrying firewood on my head - no that is not sweat, i was swimming in the lake earlier!, getting the chicken ready for dinner, and milking a cow Photos of some of my projects: my english class, making shampoo, and the 5th grade students writing to their penpals in the states
Enjoy! Hope everyone is well. Miss you all!! Gracias again for your generosity.
Paz y amor. Jamie
To my friends and family, As you know, yours truly has been passing time in a small rural village in El Salvador. What an adventure I'm having!! Hard to believe, I've been here for 9 months. My first 7 months here I lived with a wonderful host family, but didn't have the most ideal living situation (sharing a tiny house with 7 people, a room with no door/no privacy, practically living out of my suitcase, eating beans and rice 3 times a day, a host mom in and out of the mental institution, going to the bathroom in an outhouse full of cockroaches, spiders, and flies,etc.) As much as I didn't mind living "rough", I knew having space and privacy would help my mind, and put me in a better mental space to interact and work more positively with the people here. 
Oh, how alone time, privacy, cooking healthy food, exercising, and organizing your belongings can do wonders for the mind & spirit. These people have given me so much, even though they have so little. They have allowed for me to grow positively, and to be taught some great life lessons. I'm ready to give back. I am trying to help the school here raise enough money to get 15 computers. I've been helping with some fund-raising, such as making and selling champu de sabila (aloe) with students in 7th, 8th, and 9th grade. I hope to also plan some more activities for the future. "Partnership Program" through Peace Corps allows anyone to donate to volunteers projects too. 
If anyone is interesting in donating money for this project, here is the link: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=519-158 Or from http://www.peacecorps.gov/ --- Go to Donate to Volunteers Projects. Two dollars, twenty dollars, or dos cordas. Any amount helps!! I appreciate it... as well as the 300 students here in this small rural village!!
I included some pictures: The community; the school, my new house, and of the future computer lab. The gringa: carrying firewood on my head - no that is not sweat, i was swimming in the lake earlier!, getting the chicken ready for dinner, and milking a cow Photos of some of my projects: my english class, making shampoo, and the 5th grade students writing to their penpals in the states 
Enjoy! Hope everyone is well. Miss you all!! Gracias again for your generosity. Paz y amor. Jamie 
