What I Know For Sure...

It's difficult to explain why it has taken me so long to write this blog... but I will give it my best shot.

So.... I am no longer a Peace Corps Volunteer. And I'm ok with that now. I was putting off writing this blog because it felt like it would be such a challenge. Most of my blogs from my service were about day to day life and bugs and things. This one felt much harder to tackle... like it's the one in which I'm supposed to share a poetic goodbye and sum up what I have learned from my Peace Corps service. I didn't know how. And I was going through the shock of leaving my 3rd world life while settling into my new one. I needed some time to process my thoughts and feelings on the whole thing before I came out and shared them with the world, ya know?

I'm still not sure how to do this. I want this blog to give justice to my service, to the experience, to my friends, and to El Salvador. How can I put into words how life-changing and gratifying this experience has been? How can I bring readers to understand? I think maybe the only people that will really get it are others who have been through it. It has just been that huge... But this is what I know for sure...

I came to El Salvador in July 2010 looking for something. I wanted to improve my Spanish. I wanted to really know what it's like to live a different lifestyle, to live in another country, another culture. To live poor. To focus on what really matters. And to help the people in my community in some way. To teach them something. To help improve their quality of life in some small way. I got all of this and more.

It's too bad I couldn't stay through to September like I had planned... but in Peace Corps they always say, "Expect the Unexpected." It just wasn't meant to be. And I feel good about what I have done in my service. I can honestly say that I left it feeling like I made a difference in my community and I have learned so much. It was a gift. I found exactly what I was looking for. Peace Corps was something I had dreamed of doing since my early years of college. And I'm proud that I had the courage to go for it... So that I never will have to live with regret or say "I should've..."

And it was scary at first. I will never forget how hard it was to say bye to my parents. How I asked my mom, "How long do you think I should give it before I quit and come home?" because I was scared. How I hugged my dad, crying at the airport before I left to go off to my new, very different home. Once I got on the plane I was fine. Like many things, just going was harder than anything... I was so happy to be in El Salvador in my first months. So grateful for the opportunity. My friend Jamie and I were always saying to each other, "We're livin' the dream! Livin the dream..." The honey moon phase did eventually wear off though and my "Livin' the dream" motto was replaced by, "How many more months?" It was often tough and challenging. Sometimes uncomfortable. At times I faced heart-crushing depression. But I worked through it. It got better. I became more a part of my community... it began to feel more like home. More like I belonged there. I felt good about what I was doing there. I could have happily finished my service... But it just wasn't meant to be.

PC is downsizing and reorganizing their program in El Salvador greatly because of safety and security issues with gangs and drug trafficking. Even if I could have stayed until the of my 2 year time commitment, they probably would have moved me to a new site. They are trying to move volunteers to keep them in clusters in only in the safest parts of the country. No way would I have wanted a site-change.

So just a few weeks ago it became final. January 21st was my last day as a Peace Corps Volunteer. It was weird at first, a bit of an emotional roller coaster- because I was dealing with my close of service and saying goodbye to San Jacinto so much sooner than planned. I didn't even say goodbye to many of the other volunteers. I missed out on some of that closure. But I feel good about where I am now. It has really sunk in now, that chapter of my life has ended. I will carry its lessons and memories with me for the rest of my life.

San Jacinto will always be like home to me. My youth group threw me an awesome goodbye party before I left. Marinita and Chepito gave me such a heartfelt goodbye, making it clear that I am like family to them now. My goodbyes were full of tears, but they were good tears... because my relationships with those people were so unique and special. And I knew that when I left there in the Peace Corps car with my bosses, it would not be the last time I see San Jacinto and my wonderful friends there.

In summary, joining Peace Corps was the best decision I ever made. So glad I did it... I learned so much, grew so much, yada yada... and best of all... I met and fell in love with the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, Noel. Now we get to spend our lives traveling the world together! Would I do Peace Corps again? No way. Once was enough. Now I am free to go where I want, when I want and drive a car and see other Americans all the time. And sometimes I think to myself, if I could do Peace Corps... I can do anything!

So I will be going back to San Jacinto soon. Definitely will be going to visit since I will be spending time with Noel in San Salvador. He doesn't finish his service in El Salvador until September. In the meantime, we're planning a trip to Roatan, Honduras and Antigua, Guatemala. I'll just be traveling, hanging out, and planning our wedding which will be October 6, 2012! In Houston. Yowzas! Thats only like 8 months away :) Then we will be in D.C. until we move to Manila, Philippines in June 2013. Which by the way is only a mere 20 hour flight from DC. LoL... Definitely the farthest I've ever lived from home. But it will be another exciting adventure! My first time to Asia. There are beautiful tropical islands there... and I will always be happy to live in a place where it is warm year round! I will have to start a different blog to keep y'all up to date on my adventures over there like I have in "Hola El Salvador." Maybe it will be called, "Mabuhay Manila!" I think that's how you say hello in Tagalog.


OK! I did it! I have successfully finished writing the entry that I thought would be the hardest one to write ever. That's a wrap my friends. Thanks for following me along on my journey throughout Peace Corps. It hasn't always been the easiest to write about. But what I know for sure is... It's been real!

Paz y Amor,

Amy

My last picture of Milton, carrying all the stuff I gifted his family. 

At the Despedida my Youth Group did for me! Every single balloon had a small piece of paper on it that said, "We will miss Amy." So sweet!


Don Tulio came to sing me a goodbye song on my last day in San Jacinto. This man was always so sweet to me. Took my trash out for me everyday. Called me his "Jaimita Linda."

P.S. I just want to add... A million thanks to my close loved ones who supported me on this journey. You know who you are... You all were there for me whenever I needed anything, encouraging me and assuring me that I could do it. Mom- always tellin' me to keep my head up and stuff... I just love you, and want you to know how much I appreciate your love and support. I couldn't have done it without you all!

Sometimes the End Sneaks Up on You

[ Note: This is the blog I wrote before it all went down, when I still wasn't sure about my future in Peace Corps. It may be a bit after the fact. Sorry about that. I was feeling shy about sharing details and feelings about everything that was happening...but I am re-sharing it now because I want my blog, my story, to be complete. ]

Dear friends and loyal blog leaders,


It looks like this may be the beginning of the end of my Peace Corps experience. It all started with an email from PC/Washington (PCW) on Dec. 11 notifying us that they were pulling out of Honduras and that Guatemala and El Salvador would not be receiving new training groups and to expect our program to undergo changes and reorganization. They are doing this because the region, they call it the "Northern Triangle," has been experiencing a rise in crime and has become more dangerous for volunteers to be out riding around on public transportation. While almost everyone feels safe in their communities, as do I, when we leave our sites we are at risk of being victims of crime.

Lately things have been getting worse in the San Vicente area and more has been happening closer to my site and along my bus route.

1) Months ago a vendor was shot in broad daylight in an area that PCVs shop in in the market. Friends of mine witnessed it. What if I had been there to witness it? I am not ok with seeing someone shot and killed. I have tried avoiding that part of the market since then.

2) Some months back there was a robbery and shooting not on my bus line, but on the same route. The bus stopped and picked up some people not knowing they were robbers. They robbed everyone on the bus, but when a few men resisted them they were shot and killed. Another example of risk for me to happen to be there to witness a violent tragedy.

3) Recently at the end of December some people were shot and killed, this time on transportation that I do frequently use. Supposedly the assailant had bad blood with these people that he was going after specifically, and what makes me uncomfortable is that these are people that live in my neighboring community, within walking distance of mine. That I have to go through everytime I come and go. Since he was unsuccessful in murdering them, they didn't die, will they try again? And will I be unlucky enough to be there next time? Rumor was that he accidentally shot innocent people while aiming for her. That's scary. But I also don't know if its true, because some people have said they were just trying to kill her and her family members. Regardless. It makes me uncomfortable.

4) My neighboring communities have had a number of armed robberies in the late evening. Masked men sneaking up on a house, threatening the family, and taking everything they own- one time they even took their car. My community its harder to get away with stuff like that because its more remote with bad roads its harder for people to take off really fast. Also, the police for the area are stationed here. They live right in my front yard. I feel safe and confident things like that wont happen here.

5) And then yesterday afternoon I got word that a few men were shot near the exit from the highway that is taken to get into my site. Things are getting serious around here. It used to just feel like the capital is where these things mostly happened, rarely out in the rural areas. But now crime out here have become more frequent and closer to home, getting pretty bad in the area I pass through everytime I come and go. No me gusta. It has made me more uncomfortable going on the bus too and from San Vi. But that is exactly why PC is making changes, because of stuff like this, and restricting our travel.



They are working on coming up with the solutions for travel. As of yesterday we are on a travel restriction, we can't leave our sites without informing Peace Corps of where we're going, what we're going for, how we're getting there. And no overnights. And this is the thing that may be my deal-breaker: San Salvador is off limits completely and indefinitely. AH! My fiance lives there. That will be hard. Sure he can come out to San Vi and see me here in my site or the pueblo. But it's not the same. Not to mention expensive gas to be doing that all the time. And San Sal is where we meet up with other PCVs and decompress and have some brief comforts like a nice bed and a/c and good food. Everything will be so different without being able to go there anymore, and frankly, hard. Sometimes we just need to get away and have a break from the campo, have some time with our expat friends... Going to visit a friends site is not the same, it's not always the refresher that you need.



Anyway, I'm still thinking about everything and considering the possibilities here. PC is letting people go early with all the benefits. They are trying to reduce the number of volunteers, I guess they need many of us to leave to be able to afford making these changes they want to make. I want to be able to continue seeing Noel. Even just seeing him once a month is difficult. I remember when he went to Rio for work for a month... that felt like the longest month ever in all of my service. And apart from that, living the next 8 months with little independence and freedom will be hard. It's a whole new ballgame here. And with the recent events in the San Vicente area... I can see that me leaving early is a possibility. I never want to have to witness someone be shot and I dont want to be at risk for being caught in the crossfire of a shooting.

So if I can leave early with all the benefits, maybe that won't be all that bad- to move on to the easier life I have often day dreamed about returning to. There is a significant part of me that wants to stick it out until the end. I'm so close. I've invested so much time into this. It would be nice to finish it. And it will be so hard to explain to my community and say goodbye to this place that has become a second home to me. My host parents who have looked after me since the day I arrived here, saying goodbye to them early will be the hardest thing. And then all of my friends here who have always had their doors open to me. This community is full of warm loving people. I haven't told them anything yet... because I'm still not sure about what will happen with the situation. I know Washington is coming at the end of this month to do an assessment and explain changes.

The funny thing is, after we got that first email about changes in mid December, my friends and I predicted something like this would happen. It's not like I didn't see it coming... but now that it's actually happening, I feel like it came as a shock still. Like it really snuck up on me. I always knew this experience would come to an end at some point, but I guess I just wasn't prepared for it to be the end already. And this is definitely not what I imagined it would be like.

Mi Casa

Take a look at the place I have called home for the last year and some months! This was before I painted it... I wanted y'all to see it just as it has been all this time... before I made it nicer.

Not too long ago, I posted on Facebook asking my Houston friends if anyone had an old electric guitar to donate to the kids at a church in my community. An old friend of a friend quickly responded wanting to help. He went out and bought a beautiful brand new electric guitar that I was able to bring back with me on the plane. The kids have been taking lessons for a long time out of our community, and now they finally have one to practice on! Here I am with the church leaders the day I gave them this beautiful gift. Music video to come!

I taught kids from my youth group how to tie-dye! Here are just some of the kids with the shirts they made.

My house after it's makeover. It's not quite as baby blue as I thought it would be.... I LOVE IT! I should have done this a long time ago. At least I have months ahead of me to enjoy it.

Other After picture

Serena and her baby, Rey at the door of my house

She always wants to come inside, crazy vaca.

Rey

The 75 cases of beer they are storing in my house for the rodeo!

Tis the Season! & the Times Are Changin'

Over a year ago, I bought 2 huge barrels of paint for my house. I spent quite a bit of money on doing so... but after buying them I decided I didn't like my colors that I bought. I don't know how, but I left there with 2 colors that absolutely did not go together. A bright pink for the outside. And a baby blue for the inside. What on earth was I thinking? I was hoping to get colors that were soothing and pretty... like a soft green, or a maroon. All of my good taste has gone out the window in El Salvador I suppose. But I think I was just going for something different and more exciting than boring.


So what did I do? I wasn't bold or brave enough to put the bright pink on the outside of my house. I don't know why... El Salvador, unlike the US, is the kind of place where it is perfectly acceptable to have a bright pink house. And the baby blue? Not the tranquil color I ever wanted for the inside. It didnt matter that I had the receipt, returns are not something widely accepted in The Savior, along with customer service. So I was stuck with two big 5-gallon barrels of paint that I never had the intention of using. I ended up giving the pink to my neighbor in exchange for her washing my clothes for free for a few months. That was worth it. But I still have this baby blue.

And my host mom is always saying to me "It's going to go bad, Emi, It's going to go bad." I've never opened it so I'm assuming it's still good, just been sitting there collecting dust. So I was looking at my walls and seeing how dirty they are... these gross dirty vine things grow on them that I scrape off but they leave marks. And they are also covered in the marks of spirders I've squashed over the last year. I don't really have any work to do this week and the thought of not keeping busy is unbearable for me sometimes at this point in my service. So I'm doing it! By the end of today, with the help of Lupita, I will have a baby blue house. Well on the inside at least. It should be a nice way to spend the day.

Things have been a bit weird lately, at this point in my service. I've come so far.... and it still feels like there's a ways to go. 9 months. And with school being out, I am not so busy with projects at the moment. I am working on my project plans for my remaining time. I plan on working on more grants in the coming weeks to be able to get these new projects started. But also, there are the coming changes that are looming over us volunteers in this country. They, Peace Corps, have told us there are going to be changes, like they are no longer sending the new group of volunteers that were supposed to come in January, and actually won't be sending any more volunteers for the whole next year because of increasing security concerns. So PC El Sal has to come up with proposals for Washington on how they will restructure our program for it to be safer for us. Now we just have to wait and see what the changes mean for us. They are supposedly going to completely reorganize our program here, and like our country director said, "It will be a whole new ballgame." Such changes might include greater restrictions on in country travel, keeping us in our regions by having regional offices set up, etc. So, it will be interesting to see what things are in store for us. All of us volunteers have our heads spinning over it. Hopefully they will tell us the outcome soon!

I have a rat problem again. Ugh! They have built nests in the gap between my walls and my roof... they are squeaking a lot at night, and their poo is falling all around my bed that I sweep up everyday. I am not sure how to get up there and kill them. I'm just kind of waiting for them to eat my poison i put out or crawl onto a sticky pad and get stuck. At least I have a mosquito net and the poo isnt falling into my bed!

This is the season for a dirty house. The dry season has arrived. There are millions of tiny leaves that get blown into my house everyday. It's amazing how much they can trash up my house even when my house is closed. So I am spending every day out here sweeping out heaps of dirt dusts and the little leaves.

On a brighter note, my host family installed a shower head in my bathing area! Ok, it may be so low that I have to crouch under it, and it doesnt point in the right direction.... but it's really nice! 1- I can wash everything better and more easily being able to have both hands free, no longer having one occupied by a bucket. 2- I am bathing with cleaner water! Before the water would sit in the pila for days, collecting dirt and the chickens and ducks would sometimes poo in it. Don't have to worry about that anymore!

So Noel's daughter arrived yesterday! I was bummed that I couldn't go with him to pick her up from the airport, but i'll see her next week. I'm taking a few vacation days so that I can hang out with them. He told me that she came off the plane with her face all covered in blush and makeup! LoL, she said she put it on herself during the flight. That reminds me of when I was her age and I would go hang out at my neighbor Nikki's house and I'd come home looking like Frankenstein covered in her play makeup. Little girls are too cute.

I tie dyed shirts with my youth group last week. It was the easiest and most fun activity! They were looking at me like I was crazy when I told them we were going to twist and tie up our shirts, then pour dye on them. But I did mine as an example and when I took off the rubber bands and opened it, then they were "oooh-ing and ahhhhhh-ing" like crazy over the designs. It's always fun to teach them new things like that. They want to make pinatas with me next month. Last time I made pinatas was with the 4th gradres at school, and it didnt turn out so well. They destroyed them all after the first day. I imagine it will go much better this time though, working with older kids. What I really want to do is paint a mural somewhere... I guess it would have to be at the school.

............................................................................................

Ok now it's the next day. Didn't finish my blog yesterday because of all the painting. My house looks awesome! I love it.... it's so much fresher and cleaner looking. Not hardly the dumpy looking little casa I've spent the last year in. I will put up pictures sometime next week. I can't now because my internet's too slow. But what's sad is, my muscles are actually sore from just painting my house yesterday. Ok, there was a lot of heavy lifting involved, moving things around. And getting myself up and down and up and down from a stack of plastic chairs so I could reach up high.

But one thing's for sure... I need to get myself active again! New Year's Resolution? I guess!

I was also pleasantly suprised with the amount of living creatures I found in my home as we moved and cleaned under all the furniture. I only found a handful of quarter sized spiders, two really huge spiders that look like they are crossed with a scorpion, 2 worms, and one big dead scorpion. I thought I was gonna find the rats that have been pooping all over my things... but no, I guess they just live on top of my walls.
Happy Holidays everyone! I love that I am escaping the cold and getting to spend my holidays wearing tanks and flip flops again. I better enjoy, next year when I'm in DC, I won't be as comfortable I imagine.

Paz y Amor to all.
 
P.S. Something Gross: I was sitting on the latrine in the outhouse last week when I felt something tickling me from underneath. It was very subtle at first... then it was clear there was something there crawling on me... It was a big poopy cockroach. GROSSSSSSS! My friend Hollie tells me that is why she never ever sits down... but I don't get how she does. Sometimes you just have to. TMI? Sorry bout that!

Where am I?

I went home for about a week an a half for Thanksgiving. It was so nice. I'm very grateful that I was able to go. I got to spend lots of quality time with my parents and brother and future sister-in-law. I ate and ate and ate and ate. Too much. It was great. Dad's cookin. Shipley's. NY Bagel Shop- Everything Bagel Lox & Cream Cheese. PF Changs appetizers. Hobbit. El Tiempo's Ritas. Kenny & Ziggy's Reuben. Garlic pickles. Diet dr. pepper. Chili Cheese Fritos. Starbucks. Definitely over-indulged.

This time home was different than the last times I went home while in Peace Corps. Why? Because this time I could tell things have changed. I could feel a difference.

It really freaked me out how everyone has these new iPhones that they talk to like it's a personal assistant. You just push a button and you can ask Siri anything. My family and I sat on the couch for nearly half an hour the other day just asking the phone questions. It's a bit creepy. It's like the phone is almost a person. I'm not saying I don't like it... I just never imagined anything like it. And people are walking around talking to their phone saying things like "Text Amy: You are the bomb girl period I love you exclamation point smiley face" CRAZY! I also thought it was kind of sad how attached people are to their phones. It's like they don't really talk anymore. It's not like I didn't see this before I left for Peace Corps... I just didn't notice how bad it is. You go out to a restaurant and you often see people are all sitting around a table together, but nobody's talking. They're all just staring at an iPhone or some other fancy mobile device. These are the times I guess. I'm not judging really... because I know that as soon as I get out of Peace Corps I will most likely be buying myself an iPhone too... and I can't wait. LoL

But it wasn't just things like this that made my trip home feel different. I could feel the change in myself. That after spending nearly a year and a half in El Salvador, I am not the same girl that left there in July 2010. It's neat when you can feel the differences in yourself.... well maybe not always. Like if you get real fat, or become really unhappy. But I'm really happy.

Do you notice and feel things changing as much when you just stay in the same place? Sure I guess you do...But I don't know, my family has been evolving too. Evan and I are both engaged now. We're like real grown ups now. And my parents are heading in a different direction.. with jobs and perhaps with where they live. There are lots of exciting things to come. Big things.

I found the place for our wedding while I was there... it's perfect! A nice private little club off I-10. The perfect space for our medium sized wedding. 150 people doesnt sound like a small wedding to me. But it's def not a big one. So October 6, 2012 it is. Some people have said things to me about it being hard to plan a wedding while I'm still in Peace Corps... but I'm not worried about it. That's what mothers and event coordinators and the internet are for. I can't wait! I went with my mom and Jenny, my bro's fiance, to try on wedding dresses while in Houston. Whoa! I had no idea how much fun that would be.... but trying on wedding dresses, I was turned inside out with excitement. I don't know if I found "my" dress but I definitely have more of an idea of what I want. But everything that I put on that I liked, I was like, "i'll take it!" but there's no rush. I'll hopefully go back once more to use up the rest of my vacation days in the spring, and i'll probably find something then.

So here I am back at post. No more wedding dress shopping. I don't see people staring at iPhones everywhere, talking to Siri. I can't drive. No more hot cheetos and XX beer. No more mom and dad. No more puppies. Hot showers. Good television. Sigh. Back in the Savior. On the bright side, I have a date with my buddy Jamie tomorrow morning for breakfast pupusas! I miss my pupusas! They are good breakfast lunch & dinner, all day. Lookin forward to that and my Jamie time.

December is going to be kinda slow.... or well, different at least. Won't have my old routine going like I usually do. The school is closed. My best PC buds aren't gonna be around to chat with me on the phone because they're going on vacation. But there will be Christmas and lots of fun times hanging out with Noel and Lina towards the end of the month! I'm looking forward to that! I'm gonna plan to do a few workshops with the kids during the month too. Time passes by so much quicker when your busy working. Prob gonna make a batch of shampoo with the old ladies too.

So here's to finishing up 2011 strong! Looking forward to 2012 :) I like even numbered years. My parents got married in '82. Brother was born in '84. I was born in '86. Graduated high school in '04, college in '08, started peace corps in 2010. Seems like there is a pattern of my important years being even numbered. I feel like keeping with that. I actually said that I didn't want to get married in 2013... it sounds like a bad luck number.

Paz y amor buddies! <3

It's Officially Official!

Ok I know... It's been too long since I've blogged. Sorry 'bout that! I've been too busy just living my life I suppose. But there is way too much to catch y'all up on, I don't even know where to start!


Well how about with the biggest most important and wonderful thing of all... I'm ENGAGED! Oh that's so fun to say! lol... I'm ENGAGED!!! Yes ladies and gentlemen, on 11-11-11, he put a ring on it :) We couldn't be happier or more excited. So now you're probably wondering about the details- like maybe- Who is the lucky guy? How'd you meet? How'd he do it? What about the ring? Well... You may have noticed his name pop up here and there in my blog over the last year, Noel. I never formally introduced him into my blog by explaining who he was or how we met... because I've never been one to so publicly talk about my relationship status really. But now that things are official, I'm ready to spill more of my beans.

We met last year at Thanksgiving. Every year Peace Corps Volunteers are invited to sign up to have Thanksgiving dinner with embassy workers and their families. I signed up and by luck of the draw Rosellen, the pcv organizing the assigments, put me at Noel's house along with my friends Hollie and Kathrine. We owe many thanks to Rosellen, because she could have just as easily put me with anyone else. So I got this email from her saying I was set to have Thanksgiving with this guy, and that he specifically asked for fun lovers so we should show him a good time. He soon sent an email to my friends and I, giving us the details of where his house is, asking if we had any special requests for food, etc. So I emailed him back to let him know what my arrival plans were and to tell him I wanted him to make me some baked macaroni n' cheese and told him to call me back about answering my questions because I didnt have internet in my site. Soon after I sent that email, as I was running to catch my bus back to my site at the last minute he called. I answered very out of breath because I was carrying a huge backpack since I was on my way home from my second pre-service training. I told him I couldnt talk, because I was on the bus- I don't like to talk on the phone on the bus- so he said he could call me later in a few hours.

So later on around 7 pm he called just as I had expected- we cleared up our Thanksgiving plans- but then we ended up talking for hours more, laughing and sharing stories about what we've been up to. He was interesting and had such a nice voice and by the end of the phone call I could not wait to meet him days later when we were to go in. I admit, I tried to look him up on facebook to see what he looked like and check him out. I wasn't sure which one he was though. He was able to see my picture though, and read up on stuff I've been doing because I told him about my blog. He told me later he went and read it before I came. And then a few days later he called me mid-day to ask me if I'd be interested in going to a happy hour in the Marine House at the embassy the day I planned to arrive. I accepted and convinced my friends to come along...

So the day of we arrived at the embassy and couldn't get through security without him coming down to help us. We were waiting out front and the door kept opening, people leaving from work... and I was waiting for him to walk out and see if he was as cute as he sounded on the phone. So FINALLY after many Salvadorans walked out the front door, the big heavy door opened again... And this very handsome man in a suit walks out and says very professionally, "Let's get this taken care of." And he walked over to talk to the guards while I stayed talking to Jamie and Esther, who knew I was excited about meeting him... and Esther said, "Get it girrrrlll." Haha... Oh, Esther. Anyways, it was a great night... we went from the happy hour to dinner at a Mexican restaurant, that wasn't really a karaoke bar but would have people do random karaoke from their tables. I had several margaritas and sang a song with a big tacky sombrero on my head. Then we went out dancing after and the rest is history.

Been together ever since... And it's been the best year ever. We've talked practically every day since we met... I've gone to the capital to see him when I can. He's been to my site a few times and came to Houston for a short while to hang out with me during one of my visits home. We always have fun together... it's been great! We've had great times traveling together to Copan, Honduras and Roatan, Honduras, and making short trips to the beach here in El Salvador. And we have just as much fun when we're just hanging out together doing nothing- playing scrabble, ordering Chinese. And he cooks! I always wanted a man who would cook for me 

So, last Friday, after he got home from spending a month working in Brazil, he said he wanted to take me to the beach for lunch- to this place that we went to for our first real date -since the first time we went out was because of thanksgiving and not really a date. This place has the best ceviche in El Salvador. We hadn't been back since we had that first date almost a year ago... but we never forgot how good the food was. He was set on going there, making it sound like he just was really really craving some ceviche. So I was like, OK- let's go get some ceviche. And after eating, while enjoying a great bottle of chilled white wine- we're just sitting there talking and I had moved to his side of the table so I could sit next to him and enjoy the beautiful view of the ocean better- watching the surfers. He was holding my hand and rubbing it and I was like, "this is nice" and then he said, "Do you want a hand massage?" And I said sure- although that is kind of an odd thing to say or do at a restaurant... but the restaurant was practically empty anyway. Then he said, "Maybe this will help..." and he reaches in his pocket and pulls out a black box and my eyes got huge and he opens it and there before me was the MOST beautiful ring I had ever seen in my life! And I was so busy getting excited and overwhelmed and freaking out... literally took my breath away, surprising me like that. I guess I must have nodded yes, or my reaction was saying yes... and we were just smiling and then he put it on my finger and I started crying... and he was like, "Well?" And I finally was able to get the words out of my mouth to say yes... It was beautiful and unforgettable... a very special moment. I wasn't able to stop staring at my finger all weekend. I got to show it off when we went to the Marine Ball the following night... with my hair and makeup done and him in a tux. It was the best weekend ever!

I'm back in my site now... and I had to leave my beautiful ring with him at his house... No way am I walking around El Salvador with that on! A ring like that doesn't really belong in the campo. I sure am the luckiest PCV in the world though! I might have to get something that is cheap and of no value to wear while I am in my site. A lot of people asked me- "So are you still going to finish Peace Corps?" Yes, of course I am. I have to finish what I started. I owe it to my community, and to myself, to finish my projects and do what I came here to do. I have many good friends in my site that I am definitely not ready to say goodbye to yet and still have a number of things I want to accomplish. And I only have about 9 months left to do it all! That's crazy! And I know it will go by so fast too!

So I will finish up here next August... Noel will be moving to D.C. next Sept.1st where he will get training in Tagalog for 8 months before we move to Manila in the Philippines. We are still talking about specific dates for the wedding but it will most likely be next fall, and definitely in Houston.

So there ya have it- it's officially official!

In other news- Peace Corps Washingtos has chosen 4 countries in the world to come do an "Impact Evaluation" on and El Salvador is one of the countries. They have chosen specific sites to visit next month and they're planning to visit my community. I'm interested to see how they're planning to do this evaluation- because I was told that I'm not allowed to be in my site at all the day of. It's very important I don't run into them they say. But who's gonna show them around? Are they just gonna show up at people's houses? I am sure I will hear all about it from my community friends afterward.

Jamie came to my site recently and taught some of my youth group kids yoga! It was super fun. She's a yoga master, that one! My kids liked it a lot, which kind of surprised me! When we were wrapping up the class they were asking for more moves to try. I guess they've just never ever moved their bodies in that way before. Next month's youth activity includes self-defense for women. Me and my lovely regional leader Anna are gonna teach ladies how to defend themselves (aka- how to shout and kick men in the balls).

I went to a very nice wedding yesterday in San Vicente, one of my neighbor's sons got hitched. It was the nicest one I've been to in El Salvador. In the cathedral in the park, big long mass... the bride in her HUGE poofy dress. I thought it was interesting how relaxed things were during the ceremony. They let the bride and groom sit during the mass, since it was the super long, stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down kind of church things. But also, people were walking around and talking throughout it. At one point the lady in the pew in front of me (we were sitting kind of far back) walked all the way down the aisle straight to the bride and groom to tell him he forgot to pull the bride's veil back and kiss her... because after it was official, they just kept going on with mass stuff. Of course there were some street dogs walking up and down the aisle during the ceremony as well. We threw rice on them as they walked out the door and then the entire wedding party and guests walked together several blocks from the church where the party was, where we ate a nice chicken dinner on styrofoam plates. It was nice. I wore an ugly ruffly black dress I bought at a thrift store for 10 bucks. It was so hot in the church and the reception hall... the poor bride in her huge poofy cupcake gown was fanning herself all night. Thank God my wedding will be in the land of climate controlled buildings!

Happy Birthday to my Mom today! Mom, you are the best, coolest mom in the world... I love you! Can't wait to see you and everyone at Thanksgiving! Yes, I am leaving Noel to have Thanksgiving with my family on our 1 year anniversary. I'm sad we won't be together for it, but after next year, once we're in the Philippines, having Thanksgiving with them most likely won't be possible... So I am taking advantage of my close proximity while I can! Wish he could come!

Allright folks... it's time for me to get out into the campo and walk around and see some people. I need to sell raffle tickets. I am raffling off a hammock to benefit the 9th grade graduation next week. Lot's of walking and talking to do! I will try to blog again really soon... Because there's always more to catch up on! Things like how my neighbor and I got sweaty and out of breath chasing a huge cat this morning that was trying to eat some of our chickens. This cat was not a regular house cat... it was more like a wild bobcat! I had never seen one of those around here before. And did I tell y'all about the bats in my house? I dont think so... so yes, more blogging to come. LOVE!

Paz y Amor.

p.s. I really wanted to include pictures in this post but my connection won’t allow it. Sorry!

Here Come the HOLIDAYS!

Hello world! It sure has been a long time since I blogged. I just wasn't in the mood to blog, with the recent tropical storms and having to be on standfast- meaning Peace Corps would not let me leave my site for over a week and a half due to risks of mudslides and flooding.


During those days, I mostly just stayed in my house, because it was non-stop raining, and colder than I've ever been in El Salvador, I didn't want to move. Sure I could have gone and done house visits to see my friends I have around town- but it was not appealing to walk in the rain and mud. I didnt want to get my clothes wet because I knew they would never dry. Plus, I knew that if I did go out and talk with people- all we would talk about is the stormy weather and how people were flooded in La Libertad, many in shelters, etc. I knew all of this from the news. So that also was not appealing. So I spent most of those days in my house in my hammock, reading and rewatching every season of Sex and The City for the 5th time. I might be finally sick of that show. And I was also thinking too much, felt like I was going crazy... and I wrote a blog during those days, but I decided it wasn't good for posting. You all really would have thought I was going nuts. And I was. But the details of my craziness were not worth sharing publicy. So it was a long few weeks, but that first day that the sun came out... it was amazing how seeing the sun alone could make me so happy. And the next day we were allowed to leave and I felt back to normal again. And the weather has been gorgeous ever since... it seems to be that Summer is arriving in El Salvador. There might be a few more rains, but the beginning of the dry season is so nice here. Clear skies, cool... Sure is nice to be down here when I know I could be up north having winter.

Sunday my youth group and I put on an excursion. We all got on the bus at 5:30 am... stopped at Pollo Campero, because it would not be an excursion without fried chicken, and made it to the pools by 8:30. I actually had a nice time. They were amazed with how I could swim. Most of them can't really swim at all. But some of them can... and they wanted to race me. Even though I swam competetively for 3 years in highschool, I was always one of the slowest on the team. So we raced... and when I got to the other side of the pool, I looked back and they hadnt even made it half way. They were very impressed. It felt good swimming laps. I would love to get back into that when I'm done here. We also had a mini soccer tournament. I was shocked that I enjoyed soccer... probably because it was on a basketball court instead of a big huge field and I didnt have to run as much. And we went on a walk in the wooded area by the pools. The "forest" this place had advertised turned out to be really lame. We were walking through a muddy path for about 20 minutes getting eaten up by huge mosquitos. I really would not be surprised if I had dengue all of a sudden in a few days. Besides, walking through wooded areas is something these campo kids see every day. Still it was a fun day. And we made a lot money for our activities by charging people for the bus ride and selling food on the bus. We didnt make enough to do anything huge but it was a good start. In a few weeks I have Jamie coming to my site to teach the kids Yoga. It's something new for them to learn. I'm planning on having some movie nights in town to raise more money. I'm gonna play movies on a projector at the school and sell popcorn and other foods. And then I want to plan a field day and make it a color war- teams of kids, big and small- Relay races, tug of war, sack races, etc. Just like we used to have at Camp Young Judaea. That's going to take ALOT of planning... so I'm working on it poco a poco.

So yesterday I slept until 8:30. Almost never do that. My host family must think I am the laziest person ever. Especially because I'll tell them goodnight at 6pm because I'm tired... they don't know that sometimes I stay up really late. They just think I'm sleeping that whole time. Because people here never spend time alone like Americans do. It doesn't make sense to them. When I spend a lot of time alone, they sometimes take it personally like I don't want to hang out with them. That, or they think I am sad or sick. It's neither. It's that I enjoy doing things alone. Like writing, reading, watching movies. They always do everything with their families, so I understand it seems odd to them how anyone could be so content spending so much time alone. I love it. And there's nothing like being able to speak to people on the phone in English at the end of the day.

Yesterday I spent all day walking around giving people reading glasses that I got donated from an organization from the states. I got over 300 pairs sent to me and it's great to see how they are helping people. There are lots of people who were not able to read before who now can. And there is this one lady, the cook at the school, who for years hasn't been able to thread her needles because she cant see well enough. It was such a wonderful moment when she put on those glasses and threaded a needle all by herself. She was all smiles and totally ecstatic.

I was going to invite the entire community to come on one specific day to give out all the glasses... but after selling them to people individually I know that would just be chaos. Everyone takes at least 10-15 minutes to figure out which ones they need and then they pick the style they want. Also, there are some people that just do not understand that these glasses are for reading and not for wearing all the time around town or for looking far away. They will put them on and just look around with this dumbfounded look on their face like, "Oh no, these are not right." And then I tell them again, look at the paper. Which line can you read. LoL... I have to tell some of them 5 times before they get it. And there are still all these people that want to buy them just because they're cute. And I see them walking around with them on, and I'm like... Oh boy... LoL... but what can I do? I've explained it the best I can. And I am seeing tons of people that are really helped out by them. So I can feel good about that.

I found out yesterday they moved the school's 9th grade graduation date from Nov. 17th to Nov. 22nd. The day after I leave for Houston. I am so bummed that I am going to miss it now. I really want to be there, it's the biggest school event of the year. And frankly, if I'm not there it will make me look really bad to the community. Everyone will know that I am in the states instead of being there. It looks like they are not important to me. They moved it because they say they need more time to plan it, that the rains set them back a lot. Like 5 days is really going to make a huge difference. Man, where I am from, graduation is set on a day and it doesnt change. You especially don't change the date 3 weeks ahead of time. Bummer. And it's hard to explain to people what Thanksgiving is and how it is my favorite holiday. How it's a time to be with your family. They don't get that. I was considering changing my ticket dates, but I don't think it's worth spending hundreds of dollars to change my flight dates. Everyone will have to get over it. I can't always be here for everything, I just want them to appreciate what I am here for and what I have done for the community.

I'm not going to be here for Christmas either, I'm going to go spend it in San Sal with Noel and Lina. Last year I was here for Christmas, and there was nothing special going on and I was sad that I wasn't having some kind of celebration. I just ate a sandwich at my neighbors house and was home going to bed at 8 o clock last year. I am not doing that again. The unfortunate thing is that my community's rodeo is on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Another thing that I will look bad for not being at. But man... they keep planning special events on American Holidays. What's up with that? It doesn't help that the Rodeo is in my FRONT YARD. Haha.... Oh man....

Anyway, Noel is still in Rio De Janeiro, Brasil for work. It feels like he's been gone forever, but still a few more weeks til he gets back. We can't even talk on the phone because his hotel's internet is outrageously expensive. Miss him! He'll be home soon though and luckily he gets back the day I have to go in for my mid service medical appointments so I'll get to be there that Wednesday! Hopefully my doctor will tell me I'm as healthy as a horse.

Why do they say that? Are all horses real healthy or something? The horses around here don't look too healthy to me.

Oh joy, Milton is outside screaming "pendejo" at someone. We've talked about saying bad words before... time for me to go!

Happy Halloween everyone!
I am so ready for a vacation :)
 
Paz y Amor.