Due to persistent torrential downpours, I´ve been forbidden
to leave my site since last Tuesday. I am on “standfast” which in Peace Corps
lingo signifies, “stay put until we say otherwise.” I am not allowed to travel because several
roads have been washed out and many areas are at risk for landslides. I have yet to run out of books to read on my
Kindle, thanks to Nitisha, but I’m about to run out of programs to watch on my
computer.
Although most days I curse the scorching Salvadoran sun, I
do miss it right now. Without it, I
haven’t been able to wash my clothes because there is no sun to dry them. I have run out of clothes to wear and to make
matters worse, I think I have bedbugs.
Bedbugs are hard to get rid of in the first place and it is impossible
to eradicate them without being able to do my laundry. I can’t walk around my site too much because
it is really muddy here and since it is the rainy season, the roads are covered
in algae, thus extremely slippery. Plus,
the path to my house has turned into a stream.
I also can’t visit many people in my community for the same
reasons. Yet another problem is
bathing. My bathing area is outdoors
with only a screen surrounding it.
Although it’s not really cold here, the rain makes it quite unpleasant
to bathe. Thankfully, my host mom has
been heating up my bathwater, which makes it bearable.
I guess I am fortunate that nothing detrimental has happened
in my area. Some homes by the Lempa
River have flooded, but that is the worst I have heard. The president of El Salvador has declared a
National Emergency because of this
“tropical depression.” Many communities
have been flooded or have experienced landslides, leaving thousands homeless
and in shelters throughout the country, and some dead. Unfortunately, since I am at the early stages
of my time in site, it is difficult for me to organize some sort of community
action to help support those in need. I
hope to work with the health clinic nearby, who has been caring for those whose
homes have flooded.
In other news, my Asamblea General is next Friday. This is my official meeting to introduce
myself to the community. I’m a little
nervous about making a speech in Spanish but I am excited to introduce myself
to everyone in the community whom I haven’t met yet and explain to them what I
hope to accomplish and learn through while living and working with them during
the next two years.
 |
| mi casita |
 |
| I´m a natural |
 |
| Papa scorpion (thankfully not the one that stung me) |
 |
| my swollen thumb |
Another interesting tidbit: I got stung by a scorpion last
week. That was fun. I had just returned home from the All Volunteer
Conference in La Palma, Chalatenango. I
set down my luggage and as I reached to close the door to my room, I felt this
sharp pain on my thumb. At first I
thought it was a giant splinter but I saw the culprit when I looked at the
frame for the missing chunk of wood that was likely embedded in my finger. Thank goodness I was at home so I yelled, “me
picó un alacrán!” and my host mom came running.
She put lime on it and smeared its poop all over the sting. Apparently that’s supposed to help; it did
make me laugh. I also called my PCMO who
instructed me to take an antihistamine and painkillers. My thumb hurt like hell and swelled to twice
its size in first few hours but after that, it just felt numb. After telling several Salvadorans my story, I
was surprised to find out that many of them have never been stung by a
scorpion. Thus, I am proud to say I survived my first (and hopefully only!)
scorpion sting. It feels kind of like a
rite of passage.
