Still Loving It!

A lot has happened since my last blog.  Sorry for being such a slacker and not updating more often.

I just had the most awesome time tie-dying t-shirts with our group of jovenes!  I was really nervous how it was going to go because I'm definitely not an expert on tie-dying but it went really well and I think everyone had a great time.

Things are still going great in my training site.  As you can see, the group of kids we are working with are great.  Not all of them are in the photo above, there are about three times this many in total.  We're also working on a garden with them and we went with some of them yesterday to plant various seeds.

I still love my training site and host family. Jamie, another PCT in my training, and I even have an exercise group that goes running with us every morning!  It started out just being a couple girls but more and more people keep showing up.  I've even spotted a few guys running around the park, too.  Exercise isn't very common around here and usually if someone is running, everyone thinks they're running from something, not doing it for exercise.  It's really hard some mornings to get up at 5 am but I try to remember that people are expecting me to show and I´m supposed to be setting an example for them.  I also have a little group of neighborhood kids that does Zumba (Hottest Latin Dance Workout!) with me in the evenings.  It is a blast and anyone would crack up if they saw how ridiculous all of us look trying to get the moves right.  I think it's wonderful that I can being a positive and healthy influence just by getting my jog on to keep myself from getting what I call the "tortilla belly." This is pretty much the equivalent of a beer belly practically every Salvadoran woman has from eating un montón de tortillas with each meal.

A little over a week ago I went to San Salvador, the capital.  We visited the Peace Corps Headquarters and an archaeology museum and we ate at Pizza Hut for lunch which really made me miss my American food.  We didn't have much time to explore the city but I'm sure I'll be spending my fair share of time there during the next two years so I'll have time to see everything.

This past weekend was Immersion Weekend so all of us trainees went to various sites all over the country where volunteers have been living and working for at least a year.  I was a little disappointed with my placement because I only got to go an hour away from where I am right now but I had a great time.  I went to San Jacinto, which is a semi-rural canton in San Vicente.  The volunteer I visited was really nice and laid-back like me so we got along well.  The family I stayed with was great too.  I think they enjoyed messing with me a little because the lady I stayed with owns a tienda and one morning she comes up to me with several bottles of medicine with English labels and asks me if I can translate it to Spanish for her.  Two of them were prostate vitamins, so that was interesting trying to explain.  Then she says, "Ok, so my husband can use them, right?"  TMI for only having been there one night.  I also got to be a madrina in a carrera de cintas while I was there. That was so much fun!  A carrera de cintas is a competition where there are several rings with all the madrina's names lined up on a pole and the men try to stick a pencil through one of the rings while riding a horse.  If they succeed, that madrina gives them their sash and a little gift.  They can also give a kiss.  In my case, this 12 year old got my ring so I went in to gave him a hug and he kissed my neck (I think he was peer pressured because everyone was yelling, "give the gringa a kiss!")  It was cute though.

I taught an English class this morning.  My subject was "teaching English through music" so I played a bunch of Beatles songs because they're easy to understand but the kids' favorite was "Always" by Bon Jovi.  I have no idea but EVERYONE in El Salvador is in love with Bon Jovi's music, it's really funny.

This weekend is our "free weekend" although we only get one night off.  Almost everyone in my training group is going to the beach together.  I'm super excited to see the beach and relax a little.  We're also stopping at SuperSelectos (kind of like wal-mart) on the way there to stock up on American grub.

As you can see, I have A LOT going on.  And I'm loving every minute of it (minus the scary medical charlas about bugs that suck your face and carry diseases that can kill you.)

P.S. Don't forget there are way more pictures on my picasa website (the link is on the right.)

Who needs a hair dryer when you have a pica?

It has been one week since I moved in with my host family in San Esteban Catarina.  I absolutely love them!  My family consists of my abuelita, Graciela, her three daughters: Veronica, Lillian, and Daniella, and two grandsons, Joaquin and Ricardo.  I've learned so much and I feel like I'm really close to my family already.  Joaquin took a liking to me instantly and the other day Veronica taught me how to make papas rellenas.  I think by the end of my eight weeks here I won't want to leave.  It's also interesting because my family has wifi and television, but an outside shower and toilet that doesn't flush, and a latrine.  Apparently I'm being spoiled here and my permanent site won't be anywhere near this nice (definitely no wifi!)  It will also probably be in a much more rural area.

(Lillian, Veronica, and Graciela)

Right now I'm only a 15 minute pica ride to San Vicente, where the Peace Corps training site is located.  A pica is just a pick-up (hence the name pica, which I just put together today) with a tarp where everyone stands and holds on to get to town.  It's 30 cents to get to San Vicente from here and it's usually super crowded and I have to hold on for dear life.  The view is amazing though.  I live in the mountains and there's also a volcano close by called "Chicontepec."  Since it's the rainy season, everything is lusciously green.  I wish I could take a photo but I'm afraid my camera would get snatched so you'll just have to take my word for it.  Every single time I travel back and forth I am in awe and I think how lucky I am to be in such a beautiful place.

Today I tried pan dulce, or sweetbreads.  Cuerpo de Paz treated us since several of us had/have birthdays coming up.  I had the pineapple flavored and it was absolutely delicious.  Supposedly, the place where the make it is one of the best panaderias in all of El Salvador.

Spanish classes are pretty intense and sometimes last all day long but my Spanish is rapidly improving.  My family tells me my Spanish skills are great, but I think that's only because they've never had an "aspirante" that spoke the language upon arrival before.  I really enjoy learning and being able to practice with all of the kids in the neighborhood.  They're all so nice and curious, always asking me what certain things mean in English and telling me how to say things in Spanish.  One of my neighbors, a little girl named Nicole, even brought me elote (corn on the cob) that her family had prepared this evening.  This weekend we are traveling to another volunteer's site to do activities with a group of kids.  I'm excited to get to play outside with kids all day but I'm going to have to make sure I bring my sunblock!

My busted arm from traveling and vaccinations.  Everyone keeps asking me how I got such a big bruise and Veronica even asked me if it was from domestic violence!

Made it!

I finally made it to El Salvador!  We had a long trip here, starting with an afternoon of staging in DC.  We did a bunch of group activities to get to know each other and also got to meet the Regional Director and some other Peace Corps folks that work at headquarters.  Afterwards, we all went out for the "last supper" in America.  I had a cheeseburger, fries, and a Blue Moon.  We had to wake up at 2:30 am to head to the airport and finally arrived at the airport in La Paz, a city outside of San Salvador, around 4 pm El Salvador time.

Upon our arrival, a lime green school bus was here to take us to San Vicente where the Peace Corps training center is.  Walking into the open air was like hitting a wall.  the humidity was overwhelming; even worse than North Carolina!  There we were introduced to the Peace Corps training staff and signed some forms before heading to dinner.  After that, we were all so worn out from travel and not sleeping the night before that we crashed around 9pm.

This morning my roommates and I all woke up 2 hours early because I forgot to set my alarm to Salvadoran time.  I got up, started brushing my teeth, then looked at my watch and realized it was only 4 am.  Thankfully, my roommates weren't mad at me and thought it was funny and we all went back to sleep.  Breakfast consisted of a fried egg, salsa, beans, and plaintains with coffee.  During training we had more introductions and an overview of what we will be doing for the next 8 weeks, language interviews, and a "survival Spanish" lesson.  My interview was pretty rough but the survival Spanish was a breeze.  At least I know enough to get by for now and hopefully in the next 8 weeks it will get a lot better. The Safety & Security and Medical sessions were also little intimidating.  Everyone tells us, " It's not a matter of if you get sick, but when."   I'm not looking forward to that but it's good to know the Peace Corps is preparing us for everything.

Tonight for dinner we had pupusas, the national dish of El Salvador.  They are corn tortillas with beans, cheese, and other fillings topped with slaw, marinated vegetables, and salsa.  We learned all about the origin of their name, how they are prepared, and one of the host families came and prepared them in front of us.  I hope she's my madre because her pupusas were delicious!

I have been in El Salvador for a little over 24 hours and I love it so far.  The staff seems amazing and I like all of the other volunteers.  Tomorrow we move to the site where we will spend the rest of training, which probably won't have running water and other amenities I'm spoiled to, but I am eager to meet my host family and see what my pueblo is like.

Peace Corps Anticipation

To start out, I will fill you in on the basics. I am a 22 (almost 23!) year old from North Carolina.  I graduated from Wake Forest University in 2010 with a major in political science and minors in Spanish and Latin American studies. Since graduating, I have worked as the Field Director/Co-Campaign Manager of a state House race and then with a Local Management Entity in Durham, NC.

I applied for the Peace Corps over a year ago and was nominated in June 2010 to teach English. It wasn't until January 2011 that I received any further information about my invitation and I was told I was being considered for positions in the Eastern Europe region. Although I said I'd go anywhere, I asked my placement specialist to reconsider my region because of my educational background in Spanish and Latin American studies and my experience studying abroad in Spain.

My persistent attitude was rewarded and in February, I was notified that I had been invited to serve in El Salvador! I know I will encounter some dangers while being abroad but I have heard from several friends and acquaintances who have traveled or lived there that Salvadoran people are the most kind and welcoming people they have ever met. I am eager to start my service and share two years of my life with these wonderful people while growing and learning more about myself in the process.