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.