Yada Yada

Teachers here only make about $500 a month. That´s pretty bad. I made that in a week as a teacher in Texas. Well.. the teacher here do only work for half the day... but still. That´s not enough to live on.

When I first came here I really didn´t like the tortillas and all the beans. Now I am surprised how much I like them and how satisfying they are. The tortillas are thick and heavy. At first I couldn´t eat many of them. Now I eat like 2 or 3 with every meal. LoL. I have also been eating the veggies and fruits here knowing that my mom does not wash them properly. If eaten raw they are supposed to soak in chlorinated water for 30 minutes... But of course my host mom doesnt know that. And a lot of times I just take everything she gives me with a smile... If i was constantly asking her how she prepared things she would be offended. So I just eat it... I am gonna get sick eventually no matter what. So i´m not going to be super anal about what I eat. Unless it just looks awful and disgusting. It´s not gonna kill me. One day I wilI probably get amoebas and in face, kind of am looking forward to it. I will get to go stay at the nice hospital in the capital that I hear is really sweet and comfortable. A/C, TV, toilet. Heck yea!

Well, I´m off to hang out with the kiddos in the school. Then in about an hour I have to go to a funeral. I tried to get out of it... but you can´t really get out of things here that easily. If people invite me to something and I have nothing else to do, I´m there. Through the good and the bad and the ugly.

Paz y Amor yall!

Meet Milton

I had a great time hanging out with my 3 year old neighbor yesterday afternoon- Milton. He lives on the other side of the field from my house. When I first got here I thought he was annoying, and even evil because one day he killed 2 baby chicks. But he’s not evil, he probably just didn’t know what he was doing. Milton is the youngest of 5 kids- living with mom. His dad took off for the U.S. and married another lady and started a new family forgetting about his wife and 5 kids here in El Sal. It’s a sad story- but unfortunately not an uncommon one.

Milton’s mom spends all day cleaning and doing chores for other people to earn a few dollars that is her only family’s income, because the deadbeat dad sure isn’t sending money to support them. I don’t know if he owns more than one shirt, because he has either been walking around without a shirt, or wearing the same filthy one since I met him. Milton’s siblings are always out of the house playing with friends in the neighborhood- and so he really has no one looking after him, playing him, or paying him any attention. Most of the attention he gets is negative- people just telling him Dont do this and Dont do that. Chastising him. But still he has a happy disposition and an innocence that is adorable.

I decided to give him my afternoon and offer him some real playtime. I busted out my crayons and paper... he had never seen crayons before I think. He didnt know how to color. It was great fun teaching him how to make lines on the paper... With each crayon he drew a line in then bursted into laughter and smiles and applause. Loved it! I traced his hands and he just couldnt get enough- so the coloring party went on for about to hours. Then I told him I was tired and I was going to go rest. I felt sorry for him, doing that because I knew he really had nothing to do but wander around alone if I didnt stay with him. My host mom was home but she was busy working on the house. But I can’t be his mom. I went to my house to rest. I was in my hammock talking on the phone with people from home for about an hour when I could see the shadow of two little feet at my door. He didn’t knock. Didn’t say anything- just stood there waiting. I couldn’t just ignore him- when I opened the door he melted my heart with his sweet little smile. “Pase” I told him...he came running in like a little penguin- I hung a beach ball on a string from the beam of my ceiling and let him play with it like tether ball. Again- a blast for him.



So yea, he’s cool. We bonded. Now he follows me around everywhere and tries to help me with everything I do. He’s a good little man. Love him.

His artwork:

Tomorrow begins week #2! Bring it!

¡ Ay, Dios Mio!

From 9-25
It would be nice if there were no such thing as cockroaches, rats, spiders, scorpions, mosquitos, or cow poo.
I have a serious problem with all of the above.
The cockroaches are even getting into my dresser. Yesterday I pulled my hairbrush out to brush my hair, and i had a cockroach crawling on my head. Gross! I am fumigating my house this week so it should get better. And I saw another scorpion, even bigger than the first one! Yesterday I also saw a huge frog in my house- the frogs here are bigger than any i’ve ever seen. People here eat them. Haha. They also eat horses sometimes! :( Why would you want to eat a horse? You can ride it to take you to get all kinds of good food!
And last night I could not go to sleep because the rats were making so much noise. I really need to get a cat! I heard them shuffling around plastic bags and running through the metal tube that was up near the roof.... In the past when I heard them I just stayed in bed and kept sleeping- because I there’s really not too much I can do about them if I’m not going to kill it. They are fast and I couldn’t catch and kill it if I wanted to. And if I wake up to chase it out of the house it will just come back in... because the houses here have a gap between the wall and the roof leaving it open to such wildlife. It’s very neccesary for air flow though- since this place is so hot and there is no air conditioning. Well, after trying to drown out their noise with my iPod and that not working, I ended up sitting in my mosquito netted bed shining my flashlight on my unwanted visitors, watching them walk around like they own the place- and I decided I finally had enough. I was done being chicken. Because the more I laid there and put up with it the more concerned I became about what they were capable of. For example, a fellow volunteer has said that she was in her bed at night and had the rats crawling on the outside of her mosquito net. I never want it to get to that point. So I got up and turned on the light- which immediately makes them run away. And I started banging things to scare them off and moved the bags and the metal tube that made a lot of noise. I noticed that had eaten a lot of the poison I left out for them. So, I guess that’s good.
I have a hard time hurting animals. Even if they are gross, mean, scary, etc. For example, the cows that stand in front of my door. I stand and wait for it to move. But when my host mom comes along and sees me standing there waiting on the cows she comes with a giant stick and whacks it really hard in the head. And it moves really fast. I guess it’s a big animal, and it probably doesn’t hurt it at all... But I prefer to just give it a little nudge or politely ask, “Can you please move, cow?” I am slowly learning how to handle this.
It’s been raining all weekend so I haven’t been able to get out into the community much. We were on a standfast this weekend because of the hurricane, so I had to stay in my site. I bought a stove on Friday and a minifridge- YAY! But i haven’t been able to go shopping for food yet. Oooooh I can’t wait to eat some sandwiches, cereal, and the macaroni and cheese I will hopefully be getting in the mail. My house is slowly coming along. No one has ever lived in this building as a house before- it was just a storage space before. I’m going to paint it eventually.
I went to mass at the Catholic church with my family this morning. They had a live band and everything- not too bad. But it’s not something I want to do every Sunday. The priest’s sermon was funny. He was preaching that about how you should be happy with what you have- And he went on for a while about beans. Saying “What’s wrong with eating beans for breakfast lunch and dinner? Eat the beans. Love your beans. They will sustain you.” Oh Salvadorans and their beans.
Then later in the afternoon my host mom asked me to go with her to the neighbors house to pray “just for a little bit,” she said. So I’m like- sure.... and we go to the little metal shack house at the bottom of the hill to pray with the neighbors. We get there and they tell me to sit in the hammock, in the middle of the room, in the middle of all of them. Sitting in the hammock was not the best idea- because what was only supposed to be a short visit turned into well over an hour of prayer. And I was tired, sitting in the comfy hammock, dozing off. I was tired! And it’s not like I can participate. I am not Catholic, and I dont know how to recite all those prayers and chants, and I dont know the songs. The plastic chair would have been a better idea. I hope I can decline the invitation next time.

The Gringa's in Town

From 9-23

I was sad last night- missing home, my peeps... but I woke up this morning and it was a new day. I spent the morning teaching my neighborhood kids how to make frienship bracelets. They loved it! Then I went to the school and made more stuff with the first and second grade kids- now there’s a fun bunch! They make me feel like a rockstar, they are all so fascinated by the gringa. I love them. It’s nice to be around kids like them after working the last few years with middle schoolers who are too worried about being cool and give teachers and adults a hard time. I went home with my hands full of stuff they colored and made, and I decorated the walls of my house with it. It’s nice to look at my walls and know that there are kids in this town that love me.
The internet was finally fixed at the school today. I spent a good two hours emailing and facebooking... it took so long because the connection there is slow. I am going to have to write my blogs from home now and then wait to get to the school to put them up... Because I don’t have mobile internet anymore out here in the campo, countryside. So unfortunately the blogs will not be in real time like they were before... But they will still be there and as insightful and interesting as I can make ‘em. :)
I spent so much time on the internet that when I looked at my watch I was late for the ADESCO (city council) meeting. My host dad is president and he wanted me to be there to introduce me to the council. So I ran home and put on my professional looking Peace Corps polo... and walked into the meeting a bit late but it’s fine there were plenty of others late too. He gave me a very nice introduction... although he only referred to me as the joven, the young one... No one here can remember my name. It is so hard for them to say Amy too. Anyway, he made me give a little schpiel, about who i am what i am here to do... Then he went on with talking about how much they will be able to achieve in the community now that I am here. I’m like- Whoa Buddy! I am a youth development volunteer. Here to work with kids. And he is expecting me to help them repair roads and reconstruct buildings and get them supplies... I said right there in the meeting that is not what I am here to do. Also that I don’t come with money, only with my abilities. Sure it would be great if I could give them all that. And I’m not ruling out the possibilty that I can help them by maybe getting grants or working with them to help them organize their efforts to accomplish these projects... But still, it’s not my focus of work. Anyway, I stood up for myself there, and I think they received it pretty well. At the same time, it is awesome that I am in a community that is so enthusiastic and motivated to work with me. There is plenty of work to keep me busy here. Many volunteers end up in places where the people are not motivated to work and they spend most of their 2 years of service in their hammock reading books. I am lucky... I’ll keep busy here for sure. So we’ll see. I’ll do what I can.
OK! Time to watch some Big Bang Theory on my laptop before I go to bed.
PAZ y AMOR!


P.S. There are tons of tiny cockroaches all over my house.
And- I have had beans and tortillas for every single meal since I got to this town. I can’t take it anymore. Tomorrow I am buying a stove and a fridge so I can make my own food in my house. Guess that won’t help with the cockroach problem.
And- There is a tropical storm heading this way. That means lots of rain this weekend and the country is on alert for mudslides... Which also means I won’t have to go on the waterpark excursion I agreed to this sunday with the 8th graders- which is great because i really didn’t want to get up at 5 am to leave- I just want to get some rest!

It's Official- I'm a Peace Corps Volunteer

From 9-19

Was officially sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer on Thursday. How bout that! We had an interesting swearing in ceremony at a not so swanky hotel in San Vi- and their was a huge thunderstorm exactly at 2 when it was supposed to start. So tons of people were really late and the power was going off and on. It was fine though... They had local press there and I have heard from a few people that they read about us in the paper and saw me on TV. Cool! The next day we went to San Salvador to meet our counterparts, have orientation, and head to our permanent sites.
3rd night in my permanent site. The living conditions are poor but I am doing great. I pretty much have my own house that is right next to my host family’s. They are a very nice older couple and they are already calling me their daughter. I arrived on Friday in the late afternoon along with my community guide that traveled with me from the capital. I had dinner with the family and had all the getting to know you conversations. The neighbor Don Tulio was over and told me he plays guitar and I got so excited because I want to have someone around who can teach me some new things when I get my guitar. He ran to his house and brought his guitar back because he wanted to see what I could do... I played the one and only song that I know how to play in entirety- Pink Floyd’s “wish you were here” and it was fun... they were all like Oh wow. Look what the gringa can do! That night I slept in the only bed room in the house with my parents... Wasn’t too awkward. But the bed- I wouldn’t even call it a bed. It was pretty much a wooden plank that they elevated from the ground and called a bed. I was more bothered by the fact that I had to sleep without a mosquito net. There are all kinds of critters around here that bite and bother. The scariest one is the Chinche. I learned about them during training and I’ve seen one once since I’ve been here. They’re frightening because they come for you at night while you’re sleeping... They find you because they are drawn to your oxygen and they bite your face and then you get this droopy eye and have cardiovascular problems and you die. So I prefer sleeping with my mosquito net.
Saturday I went to the San Vi with my host dad in his truck to get my luggage and buy stuff for my house. I was having the hardest time understanding him yesterday because he has this thick campo (country) accent. So it was a fairly complicated trip. He said he was taking me to buy a colchon. For some reason I thought a colchon was a dresser... and I was like “oh yes, i need something to put my stuff in.” When we got to the store he took me right to the matresses and I was like Oooooohh... Colchon! And since I needed one anyway, I had to ask him to take me back to the ATM to get out more money because when we went to the ATM earlier I only got money for a dresser. Beds cost more.
So I got a pretty decent bed for $150. It’s really comfy :) Then we went and bought my dresser then we went and picked up my luggage and I bought 3 huge jugs of water so I don’t have to drink the nasty funny tasting boiled water from the tap. So we had everything all tied up in the back of his pick up ready to go.... I was thinking Great! I get to go home now and set up my room! Wrong. Don Chepito, my host dad, pulls up in front of a comedor, restaurant, for us to eat lunch. I was like ummm, well ok... but what about all my expensive stuff i just bought and my luggage with all it’s valuables inside of it. We can’t just leave it here on the street can we? And he said, yea it will be fine, we’ll just get these people that work at this store to keep an eye on it. After expressing my discomfort with doing thats several more times, and him reassuring me it was fine... I realized I really wasn’t going to win, and I decided I would just have to go with it. Everything was fine and we came back and it was all still there. But you can’t blame me for not wanting to leave my stuff there, especially in this country.
Another awkward thing- We went in to get lunch and I ordered my food, and he ordered his, and then he had me pay for it. Maybe it’s a cultural thing? I was kind of shocked that he would just stand there and expect me to pay for his food, without saying thank you or anything. People don’t say thank you a lot here. But I just did it anyway, I guessed maybe he was expected I buy him lunch for helping me get into town to buy my stuff. I let it go. The lunch only cost $3.50.
One last funny thing about my trip to the pueblo with Don Chepito- We stopped at a restaurant on our way home so he could introduce me to the owners who are his family. We went in and schmoozed for about 20 minutes, then went back to the car to go, and his car battery died and we were stuck there. I was like, haha... of course... with all my newly bought stuff in the back of the truck. Don Chepito began finding big rocks and hitting the battery with them. Now, I don’t know much about the mechanics of cars... But I’m pretty sure banging rocks on parts usually won’t do anything. He would get a rock, bang bang bang, come back to turn the key and say “Nada.... Nadaaaa.” This went on for about 10 minutes. He finally walked down the highway to somewhere... and came back with a battery looking thing... he fiddled and worked for about 30 minutes... and then holy cow! it was up and running again! Yay! Way to go Don Chepito! After seeing his rock banging method, I thought we were doomed, and I’d have to abandon my belongings again. But I underestimated Don Chepito. We were good to go.
I came home and started getting my house ready to sleep in for the first night. I am surprised at how well I am handling living in this little house. When cleaning and preparing it... I saw a BIG scorpion- Not cool, the biggest ants i’ve ever seen in my life, some white squirmy bugs that looked like termites, spiders, and then tonight i came and found myself face to face with a big gray rat. But you know what, as long as I have my mosquito net and they don’t bite me... I am a-ok.
Today I went around and met people in my community for the first time. They are all very welcoming and excellent. Happy to here! I am super tired right now so I will have to write more later this week. Tomorrow I am going to the school to meet everyone there for the first time!
Buenas Noches. Paz y Amor.

I am still alive

WOW! Here I am, blogging again! Finally! I got to my new site last Friday and discovered that I now live in a place where my mobile internet doesnt work. :( Too bad! I am going to try to see if there is another company I could get that does work around here. There is internet at the school however, but it was not working all week. It´s usually down after a big storm, and well, during this season there is a big storm just about every week.

I wrote a great blog the other night and saved it to my USB but I wrote it on my mac and forgot to save it as a word doc. So i am unable to post it here today. I will hopefully get it up tomorrow.

My new site is great! It´s pretty big and very spread out, so I have to walk alot, on rocky dirt roads (that turn to mud in the rain) and through fields filled with cows and pigs. I have my own little house right next to my host families house. It´s nice being able to have some privacy! You will hear more about my new home when I get my blog I wrote earlier this week up.



The view from the window inside my new host family´s house!



My First Rat

I just saw my first rat! And hey- I say it’s pretty good that I’ve been in this country for a couple of months and I made it this long without seeing one!

So I was lying in my bed getting ready to blog, when I heard a funny rustling noise. I thought, No! Could it be?... I heard more rustling. Grabbed my head lamp and pointed it in the direction of the sound. There was a suitcase in the corner that belongs to my host family. The movement was definitely coming from there. Oh my, I really do have a visitor! I thought as I noticed the whole in the top of the suitcase and saw the flap of it moving. Holy crap... what do I do?! was my next thought. I have never in my life dealt with rats. So i began to contemplate the dilemma- Should I just ignore him and go to bed? I’m pretty sure it can’t hurt me... No I should probably get him out of here. But how do I do that? Do I want to kill him? I can’t kill a rat! That would be gross, rat guts on my floor!

My decision was made. I called on the rat experts. I flicked on the light in the living room then stood outside the curtain of my host parent’s cuarto and whispered “Cristina...” to see if she was awake, to which she immediately replied, “Qué pasó Amy?” -Hay algo en moviendo en mi cuarto... (there is something moving in my room). She comes to check things out. Ok, yes I am a bit of a chicken when it comes to creepy animals, as was witnessed with the Rooster saga. But ya know, really it wasn’t a bad idea to ask a local to show me how to show a rat who’s boss. The natives now how to handle the Salvadoran rats better than anyone.... Plus it’s their house and well- ok, i would have woken them up anyways with my screams when I tried to deal with it on my own.

Cristina took the suitcase toward the door to take it outside and get the rat out of the house. It only made it as far at the chair in the living room when the rat made a run for it out the hole and onto the the floor, which of course brought me to shrieking. And it was a BIG one! Fast too... it quickly fled out the door and Oso, the family dog went on the attack... a little too late, because the Rat made it into hiding under some shelves on the patio right outside my window. So now.... he could just come right back in I guess. Because houses here are not closed off to the outside here, there’s a big gap between the walls of the house and the roof, and that means many creature are able to visit whenever they want.

Anyway, I’m glad I had help with the situation tonight. When I am living in my new place next week- I will be in a little house separate from my host families... So I will have no one around to get the rats out for me. It will be all me! It’s ok though... I will be a stronger woman for it. Orrrrrr.... I will just depend on my cat. Yes! I am adopting a cat! My host family I am with now has the sweetest little kitten named Princesa... we spend much of the day together here, she’s always on my lap or by my side. So the family offered her to me and I could not turn the offer down. She will be great company and a great help with bugs and rats.

Do It Anyway

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered -- Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives-- Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies-- Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you-- Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight-- Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous-- Be happy anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough --

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God-- It was never between you and them anyway.

~ Mother Teresa

Gracias a Dios

Today was the day I found out where I get to work and live for the next 2 years. I could not be happier! I am going to be really close to where I have been in training this whole time, so I already know the area and tons of people here. My town sounds amazing. The population is about 1200. I got to see pictures of it and it looks nice, clean, and beautiful. I saw pictures of the house I am going to live in- and it looks perfect! I don’t even have to live in a host families house at all to start. I will have my own separate little house right next to their’s. Sweet! Because, as much as I have loved my host families... I am so happy I will soon have a space that is all my own!!

What is especially great about my site is that my good buddy Jamie is only going to be about 30 minutes away from me! So we will get to hang out and travel together to go visit our other friends. And because I’m so central it will be easy for me to get around and I won’t have to take long scary bus rides to the capital... just short scary ones! There are tons of other really awesome girls not too far from me in the departments next door. Sooo all in all, sounds like my site is perfect :)

They told us our placements by putting the names of the department we are in on a piece of paper on our back. Jamie already knew where her site was from some info that leaked... SO she already knew she would be in San Vicente. I was the first person to get a paper on my back. Of course, Jamie was sitting right next to me and looked at my back and had this crazy reaction- so I had to have her tell me. She tole me San Vicente... and I freaked out. We never thought that would happen. It was great! Pics of the event are on facebook.

I was exhausted after all the excitement of site assignments. They took us home in the PC microbuses, because we aren’t allowed to take public transportation at the moment due to the strike. Here is some information I received about the situation:

Salvadoran Bus Drivers Remain Fearful Despite Extra Security

SAN SALVADOR – Much of El Salvador remained without bus service for a second day Wednesday amid threats of violence from gangs, even though the government deployed more police and soldiers to bolster security.

Hundreds of commuters rode private and military trucks mobilized to transport people in and around San Salvador, while media outlets reported that only around 15 bus routes were operating normally.

The vast majority of bus owners began keeping their vehicles off the road Tuesday in the face of anonymous telephone calls and leaflets warning transit companies and shopkeepers to shut down.

The threats were assumed to come from gangs, which regularly target bus companies and small businesses for extortion.

Late Tuesday, the two largest gangs, Mara Salvatrucha and Mara 18, issued an unprecedented joint statement demanding that President Mauricio Funes veto a congressional bill making mere membership in a gang a criminal offense punishable by 10 years in prison.

Salvadoran officials flatly rejected the call by MS and M-18 for talks and announced steps to protect the buses.

“The government is doing its part in the sense of the security apparatus, including to provide escorts for the units. However, there are some owners who have decided not to take them (the buses) out,” the minister of justice and public safety, Manuel Melgar, told Channel 33 television.

“The appeal I would like to make is that they take out their units, that there is security on the street and that this will benefit the Salvadoran people,” he said.

“When they dare to act, they are arrested,” Melgar said of the gang members threatening the bus companies.

Some 2,000 additional soldiers have been assigned to public safety tasks, according to Defense Minister David Munguia Payes, and national police commander Carlos Ascencio said roughly 5,000 cops are patrolling the streets and protecting public transportation.

Ascencio told Channel 33 police arrested five suspects in the burning of a minibus in the western town of Chalchuapa and two others in connection with torching a motorcycle taxi.

Officers also detained two people for a grenade attack on a highway checkpoint, he said.

The police district commander in downtown San Salvador, Gersan Perez, said the situation in his jurisdiction was calm, though Efe saw few buses running and a number of shops shuttered. EFE

Source: lath.com

This kind of thing has happened before but apparently only in the capital or sections of the country, never nationwide like this. It is supposed to end after 3 days... Hopefully that is true and things don’t escalate. Don’t worry about me though, where I live is very safe, same for where I will be moving to next week. And when things are crazy like this, the Peace Corps does not permit us to leave our sites.

A few more things-

I called Ceci, my host sis from Santa Clara, to tell her that I will be living super close. She said she was so happy, that she went to church last night and prayed to God that he not send me somewhere far. She said he gave her a miracle. Hmmm... Gracias a Dios. Very sweet. I am happy I will be close to Santa Clara, where I feel so at home.

On another note- lately I have been observed how sensitive and insecure many of the women here are. Ceci was very upset when I talked to her this morning because I didn’t reply to her text last night. She asked me if she did something wrong for me to not respond. It’s like, c’mon- Where I come from, you don’t have to talk to someone every single day or send tons of text messages about nothing to know that you are still friends. But she really feels like she needs to talk to me daily or something must be wrong.

And my new host mom was in tears yesterday when she found out that I invited my Santa Clara family to my swearing in. She was saying that she doesn’t have to go if I don’t want her to... Because I have my other family. Seriously... she is jealous that I am bringing my other family. I didn’t think anything of it or that it would be a big deal at all. I had to reassure her that I want her to go... of course I want her to go. I dunno, sometimes people here are just weird about stuff.

Bedtime! Buenas Noches!

P.S. I bought a cappuchino at a cake store and noticed they put a ton of Bailey's liquor in it. They don't ask if you want it- they just slip it in there! haha! That would never happen at home. Still... tasty! And... my friend Mariel let me cut her hair! Never cut anyone's hair before... it was fun!

Oogy Feeling

Today I am on my first “Standfast.” Peace Corps told us we are not allowed to leave our sites “due to general chaos in the country.” Hmmm. That doesn’t sound too good. But don’t worry I am fine... the Peace Corps staff here is excellent about looking out for us. From what I understand, the maras (gangs) are mad because the government is trying to pass laws to get them under control. There is one law they are trying to pass about tattoos. Tattoos are gang-related says the government, so if you have tattoos, you must be in a gang and therefore they will arrest you or do something to you. What a ridiculous law. Tattoos can’t be illegal! Can’t they come up with something better?

So now the gangsters are retaliating and reasserting their power. Yesterday they burned a couple more buses- one in Santa Ana, and one in the capital. There weren’t any people on them this time, thank god. The bus drivers are on strike.... I think as ordered by the maras. If they try to run as normal, they would be shot. This is mostly in and around the capital... but many buses are not running all over the country. Even here in San Vicente. Because of fear. Last night a taxi driver in San Vicente was shot around 6 or 7 pm. Someone came to get a ride like any other person, and once they were out of the city on a side road, passenger shot and killed the driver. I don’t really get it. What do the maras have against the taxi drivers? Not cool. And apparently the driver was the father of a professional soccer player here in El Sal.

Yuck. Maras give me an oogy feeling. I hope I don’t have to travel through the capital on my way to my site. And if I do, I hope this all settles down in the next couple weeks before I have to go anywhere.

Tomorrow is our site assignment day... Even if the buses aren’t running, they say that they will come pick us up from our village I think. I hope so! I don’t want to have to wait any longer to find out where I’m going!

How much can a girl eat?

Yesterday I visited my Santa Clara family for the first time since I had to leave. It was nice to go back. I called Ceci when I got there to tell her I had arrived in town and I would be at the house in just a minute. Well, I got stopped on the street so much by people who were asking me tons of questions about why we moved, where we moved, how i like it, etc... So it took me much more than 5 minutes to get to the house. It’s pretty awkward how it all went down there.... The people didn’t really get a clear explanation of why we had to go and the fact we left without fulfilling our promises to them really made us and Peace Corps look bad. Anyway, I have no shame going back. I love Santa Clara. I know that I will go back many times over my next two years here. An old lady friend of my Santa Clara family saw me from inside her church as I was walking by... and in the middle of their church service she bursted into smiled and screamed and came running into the street to hug me. It’s things like that that make Santa Clara feel like home. I can’t wait until November when I can go live there for my 2 weeks of training.

Ceci gave me an El Salvador soccer jersey :) She put my name on the back of it followed by Gringa. Haha! If you don’t know Gringo/a is what they call white people in Central and South America. Ceci asked me about putting my name on the back and I came up with the silly idea of adding gringa. It sounded hilarious and awesome at first... But I changed my mind after wearing it on the bus ride home. It made me uncomfortable... Walking around with a word on my back that says “I’m American!” So unfortunately, I won’t be wearing it in public. Maybe I’ll save it for when I’m playing soccer in my community with people who know me well.

While I was at their house, I heard Ceci yell and then little Diego started crying, and I went into the room to see what happened- 2 year old Diego had pulled all of the typing keys off of Ceci’s laptop! She was pissed. I would be too. Especially for her, having a laptop is a big deal. They are even more expensive here than they are in the US. And I’m sure she had saved her money up for that for a long time. Luckily, I was able to get all the keys on and put it back together for her. Phew! Good thing I was there... because she didn’t know how to do it. I was glad I could help her.

Ceci made me hamburgers for lunch... I was so excited about getting a hamburger that when she asked me if I wanted a second one I said yes. OMG... I will never try to eat a second hamburger again. I was so full... I could eat the rest of the day and my host family was concerned about me not eating dinner.. but I could not do it. We went to the baby shower and we all had to go sit at the table to eat. I was told that I had to go, otherwise it would be rude. I didnt have to eat the food, I could just take it to go with me.

This is one thing I miss about the U.S.- You can turn down food at a party and no one is going to care or be deeply offended.

Seriously... I am constantly being given food here. The baby shower was boring, no games, just eating. Then right after the baby shower we went to a birthday party... and guess what. MORE FOOD! Barf. I was there with 2 other gringas and they were really making me look bad. They were eating everything. I didn’t even take a plate at the birthday party. I’m sorry. If I took it, it would’ve just gone to waste. I feel bad because my host mom always appears to be extremely disappointed and concerned when I don’t eat. But ya know- just 2 days ago I spent so much time in the bathroom- it’s not worth it. I know she wants me to eat and like her food- but I think she would prefer that I’m not eating myself sick. My food situation was so much better in Santa Clara. Ceci gave me cereal for breakfast every morning, and food that was more appetizing in general.

My breakfast this morning was, again, fried plantains, fatty refried beans with cream on top, and bread. I hope that I will get my own house so I can cook for myself!

The birthday party was fun. Tons of kids! They were all dancing up a storm in the dark, grey cinderblock cement living room. They love Michael Jackson and the little ones show off their MJ moves- mostly by just grabbing their crotches and wiggling. Haha! There’s this one 7 year old that can dance like a pro... Salsa, Kumbia, Reggaeton... I was learning moves from her. She’s a natural. Then we came home and watched “Bailando por un sueño”- I watched because I heard that a Peace Corps volunteer was going to be on the show- dancing for her town to get a bridge. Very cool. And then I let my host brother and sister play with the PhotoBooth on my mac. They took pictures of themselves for hours, and were amazed by seeing themselves on the screen.

Wow my room is a mess, I need to go clean it up some.

Paz y Amor bichos.

This is Chicken?

Today I discovered what real chicken tastes like.

I woke up this morning and my host mom was no where to be found... which was very unusual. It’s because she was at her mom’s house next door killing the chicken we were going to eat for lunch. Of course! We all (my family and their entire family-- probably about 30 of us) hopped in the back of a huge truck around 11am and headed for the laguna to go swimming. But we didnt actually swim in the laguna, which I am not sure is much different from a lake. We swam in the swimming pools at the “turicentro” that are right next to the lake. It cost us each 80 cents to get in... Immediately upon entering we all went to the tables and this is when I tasted my first real chicken.

It had only been dead a few hours. Maybe it was the way it was cooked... But i really didn’t like it. It didn’t taste at all like the chicken I have been eating my entire life. It’s hard to explain. But it was a lot fattier than i’m used to chicken normally being. And it was nasty fat- when i touched it- my fingers were sticky like glue. I was like- great- do i really want to put this in my body? NO! but i had to force myself to eat as much of it as i could... because, with my new family especially, it’s kind of a big deal if you don’t eat all your food. And I almost never can eat all of the food they give me. It’s a lot! And it’s usually something really fatty or with tons of bread... My food situation was so much better at my first house. I am missing Ceci’s sandwiches and hamburgers like crazy. Tomorrow I’m going to go visit my old Santa Clara family and have lunch with them. YAY! So- I ate the gluey chicken best I could, but it was rough. Especially after yesterday. Yesterday, for the first time since I got here, I had, as they call it in Mexico, “Monctezuma’s Revenge.” I went to the bathroom at least 15 times yesterday. It was awful... and it’s not fun when you are running to a latrine that is not easily accesible because it’s gated and has a flock of chickens in the way- including an evil rooster that has it out for me. I have to go to the bathroom armed with a broom everytime because the rooster is always waiting to attack me. He comes at me pecking at my legs and flapping his wings fast- which makes me start to scream. My family thinks its hilarious, but I don’t! I bet if we would’ve eaten him for lunch I would have enjoyed my meal a lot more. Even when I have no intention of going to the bathroom, he sits there at the edge of the gate looking at me with his evil eyes. That fucker needs to go.

Anyway, I had a great time swimming in the pool with the kiddos. Me and the 2 other gringas had to leave pretty early though because we were going to the funeral for the daughter of a peace corps staff member. Ulises is like the groundskeeper, handyman of the training center. He’s always so happy and nice and I have been saying since I got here that he is my favorite person in the training center. He’s just fun to be around. Well, he had a daughter in her early 20s and on thursday night she went out with a friend in San Vicente and I hear her body was found dead in the street. I was told by some that she was shot, but I dunno- Ulises had told me before that she was ill. Anyway, the other trainees and myself went to the funeral to show our support for the man that is always cheering us on.

In retrospect, I don’t think I should have gone. It was nice to be able to show support for the guy, but really... I don’t know him that well. And it felt awkward being in a group of 20 or so gringos at the funeral when there were only about 20 or so salvadorians from the actually family. I felt like maybe we were intruding. Some of the trainees even went up to look in the casket. I couldn’t do it.... I just felt out of place going up there when the girl’s family members were crying and laying on top of her casket. Seeing all of that made me cry... It’s so sad to loose someone close to you. I don’t think I can think of anything worse. So, it was interesting. Afterwards they carry the casket out of the cathedral and put it into the back of a pickup truck that has a glass house on it- kinda like a ghetto looking popemobile. And everyone who attended the funeral walks behind the car moving very slowly while really sad dramatic music blast from the cars speakers until we get to the cemetery. I have to say- the cemetery was kinda cool to see. It was huge- has been there forever... and they had those big tomb like houses everywhere painted in the colorful latin american way. So i walked to the cemetery but I didnt stay for the entire burial. I just felt like giving the family some space.

So now that I have my first salvadorean funeral checked off my list... Tomorrow I will check off Birthday Party and Baby Shower. So there will be much to write about after tomorrow and later this week especially- because on Thursday I find out what part of this country will be my home for the next two years! YoWzAs!