OK! So I will admit.... Christmas here in my site wasn't TOO bad. It was different. And although I would have much rather had a more American style Christmas, I am still glad that I was able to be here in my site for this one. Definitely has helped gain a little more confianza. So here in The Savior they don't celebrate Xmas on the 25th like Americans do... they do their big shabang on the 24th. In my site there was no formal exchanging of gifts- to celebrate they just get together and eat a lot and give the kids fireworks to play with... usually without supervision. That sounds like a bad idea doesn't it? When I was concerned for a 7 year old that burned his hand and I was trying to help him, he looked at me and told me I should put a firwork in my chichis (boobs)... EXCUSE ME! Little butthead. I called him mal educado and scolded him for talking to me like that. The womanizing starts young around here.
But anyway- so my 24th- I went to my 12 year old neighbor's birthday party. It was cute. They had a very good mariachi band that was actually from Santa Clara, my first training community. At the party most people just sat their and stared at the band- while this one bolo was the only one dancing... he was so drunk that he knocked over the drumset a few times when dancing a little to close to the band. He was ridiculous- and when I wouldn't talk to him he got mad and made an announcement to all the people at the party about me. I didn't quite understand what he said but it was something like "Listen up everyone, we have someone here today that is NOT from this country..." I wish I could have understood more of what he said. But i dont speak bolo. They also had hired people to film and take pictures at the party. So this one guy was walking around the whole time with the video camera.... and he would come and put it in front of my face and just leave it there while I was eating. A little awkward. Especially when he would move it down to get the sandwhich in the shot... although I'm pretty sure it wasn't just the sandwhich he was trying to get. Bah. I was eating Pan Relleno....it was my first one. Basically a huge chicken sandwhich that is traditional xmas time food. It was good, but I wasn't super impressed. I ate the whole thing though and was pretty full. Forgetting I had made plans to go eat more Pan Relleno at my neighbor Alicia's house later that night. I still went and ate her's too... and WOW! Her's was amazing! She had yummy sauces and repollo, which was a creamy cabbage mix. I went over there and hung out until 10... it was nice. She's a nice lady. Her 10 year old daughter Ena and I are good buddies.
So that was my uneventful Christmas... Then yesterday the 25th I spent the morning cleaning my house up. I don't deep clean it enough. I found some scary looking animales hidden behind stuff in the corners. Spiders scorpions and some very scary worm like thing with tons of legs and pinchy looking things on its head. EEK! This is why women spend all morning every morning haciendo limpieza. Because if they don't you end up with a lot of unwanted visitors.
By the time I was done killing all of my bad roommates, I was ready to take my bucket bath. So I went over to the house... then saw that my bucket I use for bathing was filled with raw meat! Now i don't know if I ever want to use that bucket again. I probably will though, it should clean up ok. And a little raw beef on your body can't harm you. I ate the carne asada for lunch though, it was good and totally worth not taking a bath for.
So by noonish my house and front yard was swarming with people and the Ranchera music was blasting. This rodeo is kinda legit. But a bit much to have in your front yard. Luckily I got in for free :) I should anyway... it's at my house! There was this host guy who kind of leads the show and walks around with the microphone talking about what's happening the whole time, usually with a beer in his hand. I thought it was pretty funny when he was leading the crowd in prayer with a Pilsener in his hand... Especially when about an hour earlier he said to the Muchachos of the rodeo, "Muchachos- here you can dance, you can drink and you can chingar (F***) and your woman can't say anything. You are safe here. Here we are the rulers, muchachos!" That made me want to puke. AGH! That is not ok.... Frikin machismo. I hate it.
And then at one point they tried to get me to go dance with the bolos in the ring- thank god that didn't happen. I love to dance- but I forget how wildly inappropriate people can be in public here sometimes. I'm used to Rodeos being more PG family affairs. I did dance a little at the end of the night though...And even though I kept my distance from the guy- plenty of space between us and I dancing conservatively- I am sure that still got people talking. But whatever... it was just dancing. Thank goodness my girlfriends are coming today!
To take a bath last night I had to go to my neighbor's house, where Milton lives. I cut my arm up on the barbed wire just trying to get through their gate. My hands were kind of full, so that made it harder. When I was over there I met the 24 year old boyfriend of Antonia, Milton's 13 year old 8th grade sister. It makes me sad... because she's such a sweet, smart girl with so much potential... and it's likely she is very close to giving up her future by dating an older man like that.
Sorry, I'm not painting a very pretty picture of this place today am I? But i'm not exaggerating or making thing up. I just tell it like I see it. Do I sound like I am being judgemental? Am I being too hard on these people?
It's just.... these cultural differences are so in my face all time. I doubt that I will ever stop noticing them.
Ok! I'm going to get myself out of the house and be social!
Paz y Amor.
P.S. Milton is slowly getting better. The other night I went to hang out with him and I showed him how to make shadow animals with a flashlight in the dark. He liked that. Oh Milton. Please don't grow up to be a machisto.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Is the Honeymoon over?
This week I have felt a shift in how I feel about living here. I still love that I am in El Salvador and what I am here to do... I guess I just feel like the honeymoon is over. I feel a little more irritated by the bokking of the chickens and the smell of the latrine and the neighbors always being in my business. This is normal. I remember during training they said that around 5 or 6 months in you will probably look around and be like "I gave up my comfy American life for this?"
Haha... I wanted to believe that I would be different... that I would continue to be as love drunk with living abroad in this country now as I did then. But they were right. I think it's just the holiday season. That this is the first year in my life that I have ever spent away from my family on Christmas. I don't get Christmas this year. I get a rodeo with all of my salvo campo peeps (which by the way I woke up at 5:30 am today to the sound of them setting up the stadium for this rodeo 25 feet in front of my house...).
And yes, I am here in this beautiful place that is filled with loving people who I know care for me... But there's something about being here for Christmas that is making me feel very alone. my family didn't really do anything big for Christmas these last few years, but at least I was surrounded by the spirit of it. Being here I don't feel it. It doesn't look like Christmas. Being in this remote Salvadorian village, the only gringa, not always being able to accurately express myself, the only one that does not want to eat tamales on the 24th.... It's just hitting me now. I want to see a Christmas tree on the 25th. I want to eat pancakes for breakfast, and open a present, and spend my day on the couch watching movies with my family and my pups in my lap. I want to be cold and wear a winter coat. I want to be home.
It is hard for me to admit these things. I have been avoiding blogging because I don't want to be on here all the time with negativity and bum anyone out. I would love to always be making everyone proud- to appear strong. As if I am facing this journey head on, unflinching. But I am me, and I can only be real. And I don't have to pretend I am something I am not. Also, it's good for me to get this out... There's nothing so wrong with being a little homesick anyways is there? I do get to come home in February... a week ago I was feeling invincible and unstoppable and saying that I don't want to go home in February, it feels too soon. But what a difference a week makes, and a holiday alone. Now I am very much looking forward to tasting Texas.
Now enough of the pity party- onto some more positive things....
First of all- Milton is home!!!! He has to stay in his bed at his house- but I have been walking over to see him and this morning I brought him some grapes and we watched a movie while I peeled the skins off for him.
I am working and trying to keep busy still. My youth group got together yesterday to clean up the old clinic. We made great progress in just one day. Today we are going back to clean the walls and mop the floors... I was disappointed though when Chepito told me I can't use my bright pink paint for the building. He says because it's an institutional building owned by the government it has to be the same blue and white that all of the government buildings are. Boo! That seems ridiculous to me. It would look so much better painted. And it has just been sitting there for 10 years never being used... and it probably never will be used for it's intended purpose in the future. Just let me paint it with the kids! Grrrr.... I wonder if there is someone else I can talk to about this. The kids and I were going to paint beautiful murals and everything. It will be interesting to see where this youth group is headed.... yesterday they were already super excited about hanging out in the new space... practicing their dancing on the semi-clean floor.
Monday I am getting a girls soccer team started with some youth.... I still know very little about soccer. Everytime I play I sign up to be the goalie! But I am excited to learn more about how to actually play. And then if we have enough girls I'll bring my team up to Jamie's site and we can play against the girls team she has over there.
Allrighty- well let's hope things don't get too wild and crazy out here this weekend with the rodeo in my front yard! But you know what- maybe that's what I need out here in my town- for things to get a little wild and crazy. It's been a little too quiet, tranquilo, and boring out here for me lately. Let's liven it up! Although I had one Salvo tell me that you gotta watch out at these things- sometimes if there aren't enough police, people will come with their guns and start shooting the guns up in the air and around all crazy. Eek! That would be too much for me. From what I am told, we will have many police around.
Like my brother Evan told me:
"Oh, there’s no place like a rodeo for the holidays,
‘Cause no matter how far away you roam,
When you pine for the swine and a friendly gaze,
For the holidays, you can’t beat rodeos, sweet rodeos."
And so, maybe my honeymoon is over, but there are still many good times and great things in store for me here. There will be bad days or even bad weeks.... but I know that in the end I will probably feel like I loved those times too. Because it is all part of the experience.
Paz y Amor.
Haha... I wanted to believe that I would be different... that I would continue to be as love drunk with living abroad in this country now as I did then. But they were right. I think it's just the holiday season. That this is the first year in my life that I have ever spent away from my family on Christmas. I don't get Christmas this year. I get a rodeo with all of my salvo campo peeps (which by the way I woke up at 5:30 am today to the sound of them setting up the stadium for this rodeo 25 feet in front of my house...).
And yes, I am here in this beautiful place that is filled with loving people who I know care for me... But there's something about being here for Christmas that is making me feel very alone. my family didn't really do anything big for Christmas these last few years, but at least I was surrounded by the spirit of it. Being here I don't feel it. It doesn't look like Christmas. Being in this remote Salvadorian village, the only gringa, not always being able to accurately express myself, the only one that does not want to eat tamales on the 24th.... It's just hitting me now. I want to see a Christmas tree on the 25th. I want to eat pancakes for breakfast, and open a present, and spend my day on the couch watching movies with my family and my pups in my lap. I want to be cold and wear a winter coat. I want to be home.
It is hard for me to admit these things. I have been avoiding blogging because I don't want to be on here all the time with negativity and bum anyone out. I would love to always be making everyone proud- to appear strong. As if I am facing this journey head on, unflinching. But I am me, and I can only be real. And I don't have to pretend I am something I am not. Also, it's good for me to get this out... There's nothing so wrong with being a little homesick anyways is there? I do get to come home in February... a week ago I was feeling invincible and unstoppable and saying that I don't want to go home in February, it feels too soon. But what a difference a week makes, and a holiday alone. Now I am very much looking forward to tasting Texas.
Now enough of the pity party- onto some more positive things....
First of all- Milton is home!!!! He has to stay in his bed at his house- but I have been walking over to see him and this morning I brought him some grapes and we watched a movie while I peeled the skins off for him.
I am working and trying to keep busy still. My youth group got together yesterday to clean up the old clinic. We made great progress in just one day. Today we are going back to clean the walls and mop the floors... I was disappointed though when Chepito told me I can't use my bright pink paint for the building. He says because it's an institutional building owned by the government it has to be the same blue and white that all of the government buildings are. Boo! That seems ridiculous to me. It would look so much better painted. And it has just been sitting there for 10 years never being used... and it probably never will be used for it's intended purpose in the future. Just let me paint it with the kids! Grrrr.... I wonder if there is someone else I can talk to about this. The kids and I were going to paint beautiful murals and everything. It will be interesting to see where this youth group is headed.... yesterday they were already super excited about hanging out in the new space... practicing their dancing on the semi-clean floor.
Monday I am getting a girls soccer team started with some youth.... I still know very little about soccer. Everytime I play I sign up to be the goalie! But I am excited to learn more about how to actually play. And then if we have enough girls I'll bring my team up to Jamie's site and we can play against the girls team she has over there.
Allrighty- well let's hope things don't get too wild and crazy out here this weekend with the rodeo in my front yard! But you know what- maybe that's what I need out here in my town- for things to get a little wild and crazy. It's been a little too quiet, tranquilo, and boring out here for me lately. Let's liven it up! Although I had one Salvo tell me that you gotta watch out at these things- sometimes if there aren't enough police, people will come with their guns and start shooting the guns up in the air and around all crazy. Eek! That would be too much for me. From what I am told, we will have many police around.
Like my brother Evan told me:
"Oh, there’s no place like a rodeo for the holidays,
‘Cause no matter how far away you roam,
When you pine for the swine and a friendly gaze,
For the holidays, you can’t beat rodeos, sweet rodeos."
And so, maybe my honeymoon is over, but there are still many good times and great things in store for me here. There will be bad days or even bad weeks.... but I know that in the end I will probably feel like I loved those times too. Because it is all part of the experience.
Paz y Amor.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Some Pics for Y'all!
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| This is the building that I am working on fixing up to have a place for meetings and activities with youth! |
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| As you can see, it's a little messy! 10 years it has been sitting there not being used. |
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| Me and my buddy Milton when I visited him at the Children's Hospital in San Salvador. Love my little man! |
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| From the Peace Corps vs. JICA soccer game at the Cuscatlan Stadium in San Sal. You can see me (a little cut off) on the very bottom right. |
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| A beautiful view of the ocean while I had a great lunch! |
Monday, December 20, 2010
EXITO
My first youth group meeting was an exito (SUCCESS)!!! I have to admit, going into it, I was a little nervous. I just really wanted things to go well with it. And so I got there at 1, SUPER early for the meeting that was to start at 2. I spent time arranging chairs and putting up paper on the wall we would use for our brainstorming. I put out the sign-in sheet and the cookies and Coke I bought for them. And then 2:00 came and no one was there. I shouldn't have been so surprised, after all this is El Salvador where people are always on la hora salvadorena... and I'm not always right on time to everything but the fact that these kids were so late really pissed me off. It made me feel like it wasn't important to them- but to me it's all that I had been working on for days and I didn't want to feel like I was wasting my time.
So I sat there laying down on a concrete ledge by the entrance of the school and FINALLY at 2:30 on the dot up walked a huge group of kids. Half an hour late really isn't too bad for El Salvador. And now I know to schedule my meetings for half an hour before I actually want them to start. I had about 25 salvo teeny boppers, not a bad turnout. I don't want my group to be bigger than I can handle. We played a few games and then talked about what kind of stuff they want to do with the group. A lot of kids want to do art and dance activities. On Wednesday we are meeting to cleanup the old clinic building so that we can have a place to do our activities. It is my hope to make it wonderful and pretty- a place the kids will want to come hang out at. Tomorrow I have to go to San Vicente and buy a bunch of cleaning supplies. I am ready for some physical labor!!!
I went to visit Milton at the hospital in downtown San Salvador on Friday. He is doing all right. He was SO happy to see me walk in with Marinita and Chepito. He was all loopy on drugs the whole time I sat there and talked to him. They don't let him walk around, has to stay in the bed. I brought him a little toy car and showed him my new soccer ball I got at the mall... which he then punched as hard as he could and it went flying across the room, bringing the nurses to give me very dirty looks. The Children's hospital was a very sad place. I have never been in a hospital outside of the U.S.... it was very old and dirty and smelly... not the kind of place that you think anyone would be able to get well in. But Milton is resilient- he's pulling through. We are hoping he can come home around Christmas.
I spent the entire morning with Marinita before we went to the hospital. She invited herself to go to the mall with me- I needed to find some shoes I can run in. Being at the mall with that woman took a lot of paciencia on my part! She was scared to get on the escalator, pointed at everything we walked by and said what it was... por ejemplo "Here they sell clothes... Look there is a TV... Look there is Santa Claus..." and she felt like she had to stop every 50 steps and ask someone for directions. It was interesting. I can go easy on her, I know she doesn't get out much. I just never thought I'd ever even be at the mall with my host mom. And we went to the food court to get food- and of course she went straight to the only place in the entire food court that had pupusas! It was odd to her that I wanted to eat something other than pupusas. I guess because I jump at the opportunity for pupusas when I'm in my site... but that's because there aren't too many options for good food out here... but at the food court, I went for subway :)
Que mas? Thursday night I had Roxana, Milton's 16 year old sister, hanging out with me in my house. I like it when she visits me and I can get to know her better. Well, I was explaining to her what a blog was and pulled mine up to show her how it works, and she saw the Milton & Me entry and his picture and I told her all the good things I wrote about him in there.... and then came the water works. She feels so bad for her little brother, and partly responsible for what happened to him, because she's often put in charge of looking after him, as the oldest child. I handed her some kleenex and sat with her.... people around here don't talk about their feelings much. I don't know if it's because they don't know how to express them, or because they like to just pretend to be happy all the time... But I'm glad that I could be there for her. If she had been bawling and talking about it to anyone else, I'm not sure they would have even acknowledged her feelings. That's something I've learned- I can't communicate with Salvos like I do Americans. Whenever I get sentimental or start sharing feelings most of them just get a little weird.
I played in the Peace Corps soccer game on Saturday against JICA- the Japanese Peace Corps. The girls team kicked ass... and I was the goalie :) I like being goalie! We dominated those Japanese girls, they never even came close to trying to score on us. So I really did just stand there at the goal the whole time cheering my girls on... Worked on my tan... haha!
I was lucky enough to have some time to swing on down to the beach this weekend to get a little more sun! It's SO close! Another beautiful thing about El Salvador, the beach we went to was less than an hour away! And I can go there in December!!! The water wasn't even cold at all.... Wow.... This is where I live?
This coming weekend is my village's annual rodeo, and I am excited that some of my best girl friends will be coming here for it! My town will be very interested in my gringa friends I am sure.
It has been days since I blogged and I may have lost my flow a little... but there's the update for ya! Now it's time to descansar en la hamaca.
Paz y Amor.
P.S. Apparently there was an earthquake here today... I didnt even feel it! I was 45 min from home when it happened and how is it that they felt it here and I didn't feel it there? Esther felt it out in the department over! I'm a little bummed I missed it. I want to know what an earthquake feels like. And I heard that they said on the news it was a 5.5. I don't know if I believe it.
P.P.S. 5 months ago today I arrived in El Salvador... that sounds like quite a big chunk of time doesn't it?? But how it flew. Still alive! Going strong :)
So I sat there laying down on a concrete ledge by the entrance of the school and FINALLY at 2:30 on the dot up walked a huge group of kids. Half an hour late really isn't too bad for El Salvador. And now I know to schedule my meetings for half an hour before I actually want them to start. I had about 25 salvo teeny boppers, not a bad turnout. I don't want my group to be bigger than I can handle. We played a few games and then talked about what kind of stuff they want to do with the group. A lot of kids want to do art and dance activities. On Wednesday we are meeting to cleanup the old clinic building so that we can have a place to do our activities. It is my hope to make it wonderful and pretty- a place the kids will want to come hang out at. Tomorrow I have to go to San Vicente and buy a bunch of cleaning supplies. I am ready for some physical labor!!!
I went to visit Milton at the hospital in downtown San Salvador on Friday. He is doing all right. He was SO happy to see me walk in with Marinita and Chepito. He was all loopy on drugs the whole time I sat there and talked to him. They don't let him walk around, has to stay in the bed. I brought him a little toy car and showed him my new soccer ball I got at the mall... which he then punched as hard as he could and it went flying across the room, bringing the nurses to give me very dirty looks. The Children's hospital was a very sad place. I have never been in a hospital outside of the U.S.... it was very old and dirty and smelly... not the kind of place that you think anyone would be able to get well in. But Milton is resilient- he's pulling through. We are hoping he can come home around Christmas.
I spent the entire morning with Marinita before we went to the hospital. She invited herself to go to the mall with me- I needed to find some shoes I can run in. Being at the mall with that woman took a lot of paciencia on my part! She was scared to get on the escalator, pointed at everything we walked by and said what it was... por ejemplo "Here they sell clothes... Look there is a TV... Look there is Santa Claus..." and she felt like she had to stop every 50 steps and ask someone for directions. It was interesting. I can go easy on her, I know she doesn't get out much. I just never thought I'd ever even be at the mall with my host mom. And we went to the food court to get food- and of course she went straight to the only place in the entire food court that had pupusas! It was odd to her that I wanted to eat something other than pupusas. I guess because I jump at the opportunity for pupusas when I'm in my site... but that's because there aren't too many options for good food out here... but at the food court, I went for subway :)
Que mas? Thursday night I had Roxana, Milton's 16 year old sister, hanging out with me in my house. I like it when she visits me and I can get to know her better. Well, I was explaining to her what a blog was and pulled mine up to show her how it works, and she saw the Milton & Me entry and his picture and I told her all the good things I wrote about him in there.... and then came the water works. She feels so bad for her little brother, and partly responsible for what happened to him, because she's often put in charge of looking after him, as the oldest child. I handed her some kleenex and sat with her.... people around here don't talk about their feelings much. I don't know if it's because they don't know how to express them, or because they like to just pretend to be happy all the time... But I'm glad that I could be there for her. If she had been bawling and talking about it to anyone else, I'm not sure they would have even acknowledged her feelings. That's something I've learned- I can't communicate with Salvos like I do Americans. Whenever I get sentimental or start sharing feelings most of them just get a little weird.
I played in the Peace Corps soccer game on Saturday against JICA- the Japanese Peace Corps. The girls team kicked ass... and I was the goalie :) I like being goalie! We dominated those Japanese girls, they never even came close to trying to score on us. So I really did just stand there at the goal the whole time cheering my girls on... Worked on my tan... haha!
I was lucky enough to have some time to swing on down to the beach this weekend to get a little more sun! It's SO close! Another beautiful thing about El Salvador, the beach we went to was less than an hour away! And I can go there in December!!! The water wasn't even cold at all.... Wow.... This is where I live?
This coming weekend is my village's annual rodeo, and I am excited that some of my best girl friends will be coming here for it! My town will be very interested in my gringa friends I am sure.
It has been days since I blogged and I may have lost my flow a little... but there's the update for ya! Now it's time to descansar en la hamaca.
Paz y Amor.
P.S. Apparently there was an earthquake here today... I didnt even feel it! I was 45 min from home when it happened and how is it that they felt it here and I didn't feel it there? Esther felt it out in the department over! I'm a little bummed I missed it. I want to know what an earthquake feels like. And I heard that they said on the news it was a 5.5. I don't know if I believe it.
P.P.S. 5 months ago today I arrived in El Salvador... that sounds like quite a big chunk of time doesn't it?? But how it flew. Still alive! Going strong :)
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Some Things Suck
Man- Where to start?
Sometimes there are things about life that just suck.
Where is my sudden pessimism coming from you may wonder? Well I went to the capital for medical and a training with the woman from my town that everyone keeps warning me about- and then I came back to find my 3 month old puppy was dying and Milton was in the hospital in San Salvador because he fell into a tamale pot and got severely burned. The two most joyful things about my site weren't there.
Milton's situation is a tough one to swallow. I love that kid. He is my best and most loyal friend. And as much as I hate to say it- I can't say I was particularly surprised. The way he runs all around the place and out into the streets unsupervised, I kind of knew something would happen to him eventually. But pobrecito, that should not have happened to him. Maybe his mom will start trying to look after him better.
With Terry, my chuchito favorito- I sat there and watched him go. It was upsetting because there was nothing I could do for him. If I was with him back home I would have gotten in a car and taken him to the 24 hour clinic. But that's not the way it is out here. People just view animals and life differently. No need to care for your dog, when it dies you can just get a new one. Marinita said that to me, "Primero Dios we will find another good little puppy for you Amy..." I said "But Marinita- No Quiero otro if it's just going to die a slow and painful death like this one!"
Of course, with the next one I could take it to the vet and make sure it got all of it's vaccines it needed and everything.... [the subject of vaccines/shots brings me to another rant- about how Marinita and Chepito just will inject all living things with whatever all the time. A cow seems sick- they gave it 12 huge full injections of some anti-parasitic stuff... it died the next day. They gave my dog an anti-parasitic shot... died the next day. They aren't doctors... you can't just guess what the animal needs and just pump whatever inside of them. Marinita is always getting her neighbor to inject her with stuff for her "gripe" which is supposed to be like the flu or a cold- but with her it's got to be something else- probably from inhaling smoke over the comal while she cooks 3 times a day. It just irritates me to see these people who are clearly uneducated about medicine making the choices that seem to be soooo wrong] But anyway- if I gave my pup vaccinations and vet care then it really would be MY dog and I will be too scared to leave him with Marinita and Chepito that will feed him all kinds of things that will make him sick. Maybe this "you can just get another one" attitude is the same manner of thought Milton's mom has about her kids- "eh, let em run wild and fall into the tamale pot... I have 8 other kids and can always have another..."
Man... sometimes it is so evident how different the people are here.... Of course, not all mothers here are so careless with their children. I know tons of great parents down here that have great kids!
So sorry for the pessimism. It's bound to come out from time to time. And it goes to show how extreme the ups and downs of Peace Corps can really be. Last night I came walking into my house sobbing for Milton and for my dog.... Tonight I came home after a long day of going on an excursion with the 9th graders to find myself feeling extremely happy! All it took was one check of my email to get wonderful news about something that will help me immensely with my work here. Thank you Carol and Jim!
And so it goes... There will always be the sucky things.... But they make you appreciate the good things so much more. At least we can hope...
Paz y Amor.
Sometimes there are things about life that just suck.
Where is my sudden pessimism coming from you may wonder? Well I went to the capital for medical and a training with the woman from my town that everyone keeps warning me about- and then I came back to find my 3 month old puppy was dying and Milton was in the hospital in San Salvador because he fell into a tamale pot and got severely burned. The two most joyful things about my site weren't there.
Milton's situation is a tough one to swallow. I love that kid. He is my best and most loyal friend. And as much as I hate to say it- I can't say I was particularly surprised. The way he runs all around the place and out into the streets unsupervised, I kind of knew something would happen to him eventually. But pobrecito, that should not have happened to him. Maybe his mom will start trying to look after him better.
With Terry, my chuchito favorito- I sat there and watched him go. It was upsetting because there was nothing I could do for him. If I was with him back home I would have gotten in a car and taken him to the 24 hour clinic. But that's not the way it is out here. People just view animals and life differently. No need to care for your dog, when it dies you can just get a new one. Marinita said that to me, "Primero Dios we will find another good little puppy for you Amy..." I said "But Marinita- No Quiero otro if it's just going to die a slow and painful death like this one!"
Of course, with the next one I could take it to the vet and make sure it got all of it's vaccines it needed and everything.... [the subject of vaccines/shots brings me to another rant- about how Marinita and Chepito just will inject all living things with whatever all the time. A cow seems sick- they gave it 12 huge full injections of some anti-parasitic stuff... it died the next day. They gave my dog an anti-parasitic shot... died the next day. They aren't doctors... you can't just guess what the animal needs and just pump whatever inside of them. Marinita is always getting her neighbor to inject her with stuff for her "gripe" which is supposed to be like the flu or a cold- but with her it's got to be something else- probably from inhaling smoke over the comal while she cooks 3 times a day. It just irritates me to see these people who are clearly uneducated about medicine making the choices that seem to be soooo wrong] But anyway- if I gave my pup vaccinations and vet care then it really would be MY dog and I will be too scared to leave him with Marinita and Chepito that will feed him all kinds of things that will make him sick. Maybe this "you can just get another one" attitude is the same manner of thought Milton's mom has about her kids- "eh, let em run wild and fall into the tamale pot... I have 8 other kids and can always have another..."
Man... sometimes it is so evident how different the people are here.... Of course, not all mothers here are so careless with their children. I know tons of great parents down here that have great kids!
So sorry for the pessimism. It's bound to come out from time to time. And it goes to show how extreme the ups and downs of Peace Corps can really be. Last night I came walking into my house sobbing for Milton and for my dog.... Tonight I came home after a long day of going on an excursion with the 9th graders to find myself feeling extremely happy! All it took was one check of my email to get wonderful news about something that will help me immensely with my work here. Thank you Carol and Jim!
And so it goes... There will always be the sucky things.... But they make you appreciate the good things so much more. At least we can hope...
Paz y Amor.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Magic Monday & Cows Don't Play Soccer
It's days like yesterday that make me appreciative to be where I am. Yesterday was a Monday. As any American that holds a steady M-F job knows, having a case of the Mondays blows. I used to have these. Actually as a teacher, my case of the Mondays usually started on Sundays. Stressing out about all the lesson plans to turn, all the papers and notebooks I didn't grade, the parents I needed to call. Sure, it got easier as time went on, as anything does, but the case of the Mondays persisted all the way to final exams.
Being in Peace Corps sure does beat the daily grind of your M-F, 8-5. I am in charge of my job, my schedule, and have to kind of be my own boss. Life tastes different this way. Will I ever be able to go back to a real job? I never want to find myself working in a job that is not meaningful to me ever again. Such as waiting tables or working in an office sitting at a desk all day. When you spend more hours of your week working rather than with those you love- I feel like you better love what you do. And I love the business of helping people. Helping people help themselves.
But what's all this for? I was simply going to say. I had the best Monday ever yesterday. The kind of Monday that would never happen in Houston, not even if I called in sick to work, because I would know I have to go on Tuesday and then Tuesday I'd have the case of the Mondays.
I woke up and spent the morning hours relaxing, reading, writing, listening to Flaming Lips in my hammock. My hammock is my new classroom/office space. All Salvadoran business can be done from a hammock. My hammock comes in second only to my mosquito net as my most prized posession. I drank my instant coffee with pleasure and made scrambled eggs with all the vegetables i bought from the back of a pickup truck the day before. And when the afternoon came I decided I was ready to face the world. I walked around my community and visited all my favorite people. This is work! This is my job... because in doing house visits I get to know my people, get confianza, and know more about what they need. In doing house visits yesterday I was taking care of business. Recruiting for my new youth group, and I found out many people are interested in getting help with an NGO I'm connected with. So really... it was a productive afternoon! My favorite part of the afternoon was singing church songs on a mic with the kids. They think I can sing. LoL.
I visited Delmi, who has invited me to go to this workshop with her on Saturday. I'm happy to go with her, and was really looking forward to working with her.... Then when I came home and talking to Don Chepito about how I talked about starting a woman's group with her, the beef was revealed. He says, "Esa mujer es mala. She's dangerous, she has no friends in the community, no body wants to work with her.." and I sat and listened to him go on.... and on... Then Don Tulio joined in- saying if I hang around her I will be affected in very bad ways. So the drama begins.
Yes Chepito and Marinita are my peeps, but just because they aren't friends with someone doesn't mean I can't be. This woman worked quite well with the last volunteer from what I understand and is active in various other groups outside the community. This sounds to me like one of those things that goes way back- like something happened between her and others decades ago and they still hate each other for it but they may not even be sure why anymore. Chepito could hardly give me any good reason for the malos sentidos. The best he could give me was that she sent him an angry letter once because there was a party for the extremely poor kids in the community and they didn't invite her kids. And believe me, her kids are really poor. So I'm still going to this training. I do what I say I'm gonna do. But I may not be able to create a women's group with her if she doesn't get support from others. It would ideal to be able to help smooth things over and unify these people some. Chepito said, "No one can get any work done in this community... people won't work together." Sounds like he is part of the problem... holding grudges against people so strong he won't be associated with them. Granted I don't know the history between them. But as the town President I feel like he could build bridges rather than let 'em burn. And he he prides himself in his good Catholic Christian qualities...
Speaking of being good Christians- Marinita and her posse are getting up at 4:30 am every morning this month and going to the church and singing on the loudest speakers in the town to Dios. They do it again into the night. I am in the bed all the time hearing her singing... It's a little funny... another example of how there is no such thing as disturbing the peace around here.
I FINALLY got myself up for my 5:30 run this morning. When I got down to the field, I thought Dios Mio there are a ton of cows on the soccer field. What asshole brings there herd of cows to graze and shit all over the soccer field? I'm a little scared running around them somtimes... I've heard about them attacking friends of mine. And what do those Spanish bullfighters do that's so special to piss off a bull? And the cow patties are everywhere on the field, I have to remain conscious of them as I run to dodge them. When the teams come to play every afternoon they shouldn't have to be cleaning up the copious amounts of poo to play.
So I'm on lap 3.... Chepito enters the field. Those are your cows Don Chepito!? En serio? As president of the ADESCO I'm shocked he would do something so inconsiderate. He owns so much land he could take them to. But it's more convenient for him to take them to the nice open field. Ay ay ay. I don't need to let this bother me so much. There are worse things in life than patties on a field. But still... of all people... Chepito?
Today I have real plans, unlike my enchanting Monday of the hammock and house visits. I have youth group stuff all afternoon, and then tonight I'm going to a vela, a wake, because my counterparts uncle that was very close to him died. These velas go on all night long I am told. I would like to just go for a few hours. But it might be one of those things I just have to do like they do. Sitting all night in the living room of Ariel's house with his dead uncle in the open casket. Man... sounds a bit creepy to me.
Paz y amor.
P.S. Today is a mac n cheese kind of day :)
Being in Peace Corps sure does beat the daily grind of your M-F, 8-5. I am in charge of my job, my schedule, and have to kind of be my own boss. Life tastes different this way. Will I ever be able to go back to a real job? I never want to find myself working in a job that is not meaningful to me ever again. Such as waiting tables or working in an office sitting at a desk all day. When you spend more hours of your week working rather than with those you love- I feel like you better love what you do. And I love the business of helping people. Helping people help themselves.
But what's all this for? I was simply going to say. I had the best Monday ever yesterday. The kind of Monday that would never happen in Houston, not even if I called in sick to work, because I would know I have to go on Tuesday and then Tuesday I'd have the case of the Mondays.
I woke up and spent the morning hours relaxing, reading, writing, listening to Flaming Lips in my hammock. My hammock is my new classroom/office space. All Salvadoran business can be done from a hammock. My hammock comes in second only to my mosquito net as my most prized posession. I drank my instant coffee with pleasure and made scrambled eggs with all the vegetables i bought from the back of a pickup truck the day before. And when the afternoon came I decided I was ready to face the world. I walked around my community and visited all my favorite people. This is work! This is my job... because in doing house visits I get to know my people, get confianza, and know more about what they need. In doing house visits yesterday I was taking care of business. Recruiting for my new youth group, and I found out many people are interested in getting help with an NGO I'm connected with. So really... it was a productive afternoon! My favorite part of the afternoon was singing church songs on a mic with the kids. They think I can sing. LoL.
I visited Delmi, who has invited me to go to this workshop with her on Saturday. I'm happy to go with her, and was really looking forward to working with her.... Then when I came home and talking to Don Chepito about how I talked about starting a woman's group with her, the beef was revealed. He says, "Esa mujer es mala. She's dangerous, she has no friends in the community, no body wants to work with her.." and I sat and listened to him go on.... and on... Then Don Tulio joined in- saying if I hang around her I will be affected in very bad ways. So the drama begins.
Yes Chepito and Marinita are my peeps, but just because they aren't friends with someone doesn't mean I can't be. This woman worked quite well with the last volunteer from what I understand and is active in various other groups outside the community. This sounds to me like one of those things that goes way back- like something happened between her and others decades ago and they still hate each other for it but they may not even be sure why anymore. Chepito could hardly give me any good reason for the malos sentidos. The best he could give me was that she sent him an angry letter once because there was a party for the extremely poor kids in the community and they didn't invite her kids. And believe me, her kids are really poor. So I'm still going to this training. I do what I say I'm gonna do. But I may not be able to create a women's group with her if she doesn't get support from others. It would ideal to be able to help smooth things over and unify these people some. Chepito said, "No one can get any work done in this community... people won't work together." Sounds like he is part of the problem... holding grudges against people so strong he won't be associated with them. Granted I don't know the history between them. But as the town President I feel like he could build bridges rather than let 'em burn. And he he prides himself in his good Catholic Christian qualities...
Speaking of being good Christians- Marinita and her posse are getting up at 4:30 am every morning this month and going to the church and singing on the loudest speakers in the town to Dios. They do it again into the night. I am in the bed all the time hearing her singing... It's a little funny... another example of how there is no such thing as disturbing the peace around here.
I FINALLY got myself up for my 5:30 run this morning. When I got down to the field, I thought Dios Mio there are a ton of cows on the soccer field. What asshole brings there herd of cows to graze and shit all over the soccer field? I'm a little scared running around them somtimes... I've heard about them attacking friends of mine. And what do those Spanish bullfighters do that's so special to piss off a bull? And the cow patties are everywhere on the field, I have to remain conscious of them as I run to dodge them. When the teams come to play every afternoon they shouldn't have to be cleaning up the copious amounts of poo to play.
So I'm on lap 3.... Chepito enters the field. Those are your cows Don Chepito!? En serio? As president of the ADESCO I'm shocked he would do something so inconsiderate. He owns so much land he could take them to. But it's more convenient for him to take them to the nice open field. Ay ay ay. I don't need to let this bother me so much. There are worse things in life than patties on a field. But still... of all people... Chepito?
 |
| Can you see the spots all over? No sirve! |
 |
| One of the damage dookiers. That's bull. |
Today I have real plans, unlike my enchanting Monday of the hammock and house visits. I have youth group stuff all afternoon, and then tonight I'm going to a vela, a wake, because my counterparts uncle that was very close to him died. These velas go on all night long I am told. I would like to just go for a few hours. But it might be one of those things I just have to do like they do. Sitting all night in the living room of Ariel's house with his dead uncle in the open casket. Man... sounds a bit creepy to me.
Paz y amor.
P.S. Today is a mac n cheese kind of day :)
Friday, December 3, 2010
Microwaves Microphones and Magnificence
Was sitting in the casa yesterday and this random guy walks up to the house with this brand new MICROWAVE oven!!! Hell yess! I am very excited about this. Flor, Marinita's daughter sent it to them for Christmas via one of those guys that transports stuff for cheap between the states and here. She doesn't even want it. She says she will never use it. Says that eating microwaved food gives you cancer. So it's mine. Muchas Gracias Florcita!! Merry Christmas eh?
We had our last Asamblea General of the year yesterday. Don Chepito had me go around with him in his pick up and a huge loud megaphone with a microphone hooked up to... I was the one announcing the meeting and inviting people. I was a little nervous to have my voice on the loud speakers like that at first. But it was fun... I love microphones. And I asked Chepito... "How's my accent? Do I sound like a gringa?" And he replied, "No now you are already starting to sound like one of us!" And he meant it. So that's cool. Except for that when I moved to this campo town, I couldn't understand a lot of what people were saying to me. So I hope that when I leave people from other places will be able to understand my Spanish ok. But it's a cool feeling.
The meeting was long and kinda boring. At the end though we announced the winner of the baby bull. We had cut up all the pieces of paper with everyone's name on them and put them in a pot to pull out the name of the winner. There were hundreds of names in there. So you would think you would just shake the pot and have someone pull out the one piece of paper with a name on it and that would be the winner of the cow right? Well that's not how they did it. They made it as complicated, anticlimactic and drawn out as possible. Instead they had 5 people, and each person pulled out a paper one by one and read the name of the person who didn't win out loud. So we had to listen to hundreds of names be called before we got down to the very last folded up piece of paper that was the winner. I didn't get it. I guess the only good reason for doing that would be because people could hear their name and know there paper was in there for sure and the whole thing was rigged. But this also backfired a little because some people complained that they bought 5 tickets and only heard their names once. Oops.
So I was sitting at a Subway today eating my Italianisimo sub sandwich and looking around at where I was... and I just felt happy. It's the best feeling in the world to feel like I am exactly where I want to be. There's no where else in the world that I would rather be than right here in this little gem of a beautiful country. I can't remember ever feeling so content, at ease, and whole as I have since I have settled in here. Thank god I made the decision to take that leap to get myself here. It was effin scary making that decision... and now that I'm on the other side of all the fear- I can tell I am stronger. Wonderful.
I have several projects moving forward in my community now. My relationships with my American and Salvo friends only get stronger. I don't think I have ever been so close with non-American people in my whole life. For lack of better words- it's so cool!
I feel like the luckiest person alive.
Living proof. Follow your dreams! no matter how scary it is... Change is scary. But necessary and good... Be free.
LOVE! Paz y amor!
We had our last Asamblea General of the year yesterday. Don Chepito had me go around with him in his pick up and a huge loud megaphone with a microphone hooked up to... I was the one announcing the meeting and inviting people. I was a little nervous to have my voice on the loud speakers like that at first. But it was fun... I love microphones. And I asked Chepito... "How's my accent? Do I sound like a gringa?" And he replied, "No now you are already starting to sound like one of us!" And he meant it. So that's cool. Except for that when I moved to this campo town, I couldn't understand a lot of what people were saying to me. So I hope that when I leave people from other places will be able to understand my Spanish ok. But it's a cool feeling.
The meeting was long and kinda boring. At the end though we announced the winner of the baby bull. We had cut up all the pieces of paper with everyone's name on them and put them in a pot to pull out the name of the winner. There were hundreds of names in there. So you would think you would just shake the pot and have someone pull out the one piece of paper with a name on it and that would be the winner of the cow right? Well that's not how they did it. They made it as complicated, anticlimactic and drawn out as possible. Instead they had 5 people, and each person pulled out a paper one by one and read the name of the person who didn't win out loud. So we had to listen to hundreds of names be called before we got down to the very last folded up piece of paper that was the winner. I didn't get it. I guess the only good reason for doing that would be because people could hear their name and know there paper was in there for sure and the whole thing was rigged. But this also backfired a little because some people complained that they bought 5 tickets and only heard their names once. Oops.
So I was sitting at a Subway today eating my Italianisimo sub sandwich and looking around at where I was... and I just felt happy. It's the best feeling in the world to feel like I am exactly where I want to be. There's no where else in the world that I would rather be than right here in this little gem of a beautiful country. I can't remember ever feeling so content, at ease, and whole as I have since I have settled in here. Thank god I made the decision to take that leap to get myself here. It was effin scary making that decision... and now that I'm on the other side of all the fear- I can tell I am stronger. Wonderful.
I have several projects moving forward in my community now. My relationships with my American and Salvo friends only get stronger. I don't think I have ever been so close with non-American people in my whole life. For lack of better words- it's so cool!
I feel like the luckiest person alive.
Living proof. Follow your dreams! no matter how scary it is... Change is scary. But necessary and good... Be free.
LOVE! Paz y amor!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Milton & Me
Milton and I have been bonding lately on a whole new level. When I first came back from PST2 he tried to pretend like he forgot who I was. He was mad that I left for so long. But since I left for Thanksgiving and came back again I think he is starting to realize that when I leave, I don't leave forever. He is without a doubt my favorite person in my site. When I see him and I can see how genuinely happy he is to see me my heart melts.
We had a good day together today. He likes to chill by my side while I do everything. I think he likes it because I talk to him and pay attention to him, even while I am busy doing something else. And he is an excellent helper too. He follows me everywhere... after I wash my dishes he helps me put my dishes away. When I hang my clothes on the line, he hands my my clothes pins. He loves to help. My favorite is watching him help Chepito herd the cows.
It's safe to say I've fallen for this kid. So you can imagine how it gets to me when I hear him crying outside my house at night. A few nights ago I heard him doing just that… and this wasn’t the first time. What happens is his family goes back to their house without him, which is on the other side of the dark pasture. That must make him feel so terrible and abandoned. They just leave him and forget about him. Why would you do that to your 3 year old? It's not just me right? That's not cool. He often has to find his way across the field without being able to see. He’s only a baby. When you’re a little guy like that I’m sure that big dark field feels even mas grande. And he gets lost out there in the dark and doesn’t know which way to go. And he could step in cow poo, and there are snakes. I hear him cry, walk out my door and find him standing out there. We walk to his house together with my flashlight. I would be scared walking across that field myself without a light.
And thank you for the toothbrushes mom and dad. Milton had a great time learning how to brush his teeth. He doesn’t communicate with words to clearly but I can tell he likes it. He comes to my door regularly now and points to his mouth. “Quiere cepillarse?” I say, and he nods yes. And we brush together and I sing that brush your teeth song that Aunt Jodi always sang to me when I was a kid.
We had a good day together today. He likes to chill by my side while I do everything. I think he likes it because I talk to him and pay attention to him, even while I am busy doing something else. And he is an excellent helper too. He follows me everywhere... after I wash my dishes he helps me put my dishes away. When I hang my clothes on the line, he hands my my clothes pins. He loves to help. My favorite is watching him help Chepito herd the cows.
It's safe to say I've fallen for this kid. So you can imagine how it gets to me when I hear him crying outside my house at night. A few nights ago I heard him doing just that… and this wasn’t the first time. What happens is his family goes back to their house without him, which is on the other side of the dark pasture. That must make him feel so terrible and abandoned. They just leave him and forget about him. Why would you do that to your 3 year old? It's not just me right? That's not cool. He often has to find his way across the field without being able to see. He’s only a baby. When you’re a little guy like that I’m sure that big dark field feels even mas grande. And he gets lost out there in the dark and doesn’t know which way to go. And he could step in cow poo, and there are snakes. I hear him cry, walk out my door and find him standing out there. We walk to his house together with my flashlight. I would be scared walking across that field myself without a light.
And thank you for the toothbrushes mom and dad. Milton had a great time learning how to brush his teeth. He doesn’t communicate with words to clearly but I can tell he likes it. He comes to my door regularly now and points to his mouth. “Quiere cepillarse?” I say, and he nods yes. And we brush together and I sing that brush your teeth song that Aunt Jodi always sang to me when I was a kid.
Oh Milton. I’m glad I can be here for you. For the next couple years at least.
Paz y Amor.
P.S. I know... lately I have been a blogging machine. I am just making up for lost time while I was waiting to replace my mac. And I think I'm going to keep this purple Spanish computer after all. I am learning out to use it just fine... it's really kind of cool. I'm going to be grant writing and doing other work in Spanish one day anyway, so it's perfect that I am well equipped for that.
Last night I woke up at 1 am to some strange noises. There are some chickens that live on my front and back porch that make a lot of noise at night, but I didn't recognize the noise as them. The dogs were barking. I have been a little more nervous when I hear these noises at night ever since a volunteer friend of mine told me about two men trying to break into her house at night not too long ago. She blew her whistle and they ran away. But the story made me not want to sleep with earplugs in anymore. I want to be able to hear what's going on around me. So after laying there with wide eyes for about half an hour I slithered out of my mosquito net to bring my giant orange plastic whistle and my cell phone to bed with me. If I were at home in Texas I would've had the revolver. Maybe that's not very Peace Corps of me... but it's in my blood. Anyway, I finally fell asleep another half hour later. I woke up this morning and talked to Marinita about it. She said that Chepito was out there at 1 am because the baby cows were fighting with the new baby cow we brought in for the raffle. Ganging up on him. So ok, maybe I should chill out and not be so nervous when I hear things go bump in the night?
P.P.S. Quote of the day: "Some folks look at me and see a certain swagger, which in Texas is called "walking" -the W
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Eggcellent!
The internet is too good on my new computer... I can't get myself away from it. Well... I did get myself away from it to wash my clothes all morning. I am going to have to start limiting myself to only using it for a few hours a day. Like a few hours at night to keep me company. It's great company. Ok so after today... I will cut back. Today has been kinda productive with all the lavar-ing of the ropa. It took me 3 hours... 2 big blankets, towels, sheets, and clothes. Oy vey. It's bueno para el cuerpo I will tell you that. I have actually started to kind of enjoy washing my clothes on the rock. I listen to my ipod and sing while I scrub away. Music makes everything better.
And this afternoon I have a meeting with a few community leaders about getting my youth group started. The more I think about starting a dance group the more weary I am of doing it. I feel like I should start first with something I know I will be successful with. Por ejemplo, art. I can do art classes. These kids have never learned any creative expression beyond a paper and pencil really. And I'm kinda artsy fartsy when it comes to painting and coloring and making arts and crafts. The only question is where will the money come from for supplies? Well... as a matter of fact yesterday I wrote up and turned in my very first grant proposal! I asked for close to $500 to help pay for youth group activities. We are also talking about getting a theatre group started. Lo mas importante is that we get these kids doing something productive and meaningful in their free time. They have nothing to do. And therefore little to no self-confidence that they are capable of doing anything. So... here's hopin'. Wish me luck.
I am really settling in quite well to this country. I feel comfortable. No more awkward. I can understand people when they talk to me with little confusion, even with their thick campo accents. And there are endless possibilities for good. Yesterday I posted a quote on my facebook, "The amount of happiness you have depends on the amount of freedom you have in your heart." For me this is so true. I could go in depth explaining exactly why this is so true for me, but I think you all can figure it out. No need to get tooooo cheezy.
Yesterday I was doing some house visits... There's this one house that I like to visit that has 3 crazy sisters. They are just so quirky. And they LOVE me. I exchanged bracelets with 12 year old Yulisa. She is one of the ones begging me to start a dance group. I gave her my bracelet I bought at super selectos last weekend that says "No Hay Imposibles" and she gave me two pretty little beaded bracelets. Her aunt Jilda is nuts, and has this huge big blue eyes and gold rims around all her teeth. She touched my legs and was genuinely shocked to find that I shave my legs. To Campo Salvo women that is unheard of. You should have seen her face. It was pure disgust. But sorry- I'm not going to go that far with my integration to grow things out. That family is too much fun, those women just have a lot more personality than your typical woman around here. They live next to the slaughterhouse though where the bolo (drunk) family lives.
I haven't gone running in the cancha since before PST2. I keep telling myself, tomorrow. I was so into it before training... Can't wait to get it back. Tomorrow will be the day. I just need to let my lady friends know, they are the reason I was getting myself out of bed to get started before.
In other news, Ladies and Gentleman, I have finally- after 24 years- learned how to properly crack and egg! This is wonderful. My whole life i was splitting in on the edges of bowls, usually getting lots of shell in the mix and raw egg everywhere. Well... did you know you only need to tap it on a flat surface? it's a clean break... no more shell pieces. It's the simple things.
Paz y Amor.
And this afternoon I have a meeting with a few community leaders about getting my youth group started. The more I think about starting a dance group the more weary I am of doing it. I feel like I should start first with something I know I will be successful with. Por ejemplo, art. I can do art classes. These kids have never learned any creative expression beyond a paper and pencil really. And I'm kinda artsy fartsy when it comes to painting and coloring and making arts and crafts. The only question is where will the money come from for supplies? Well... as a matter of fact yesterday I wrote up and turned in my very first grant proposal! I asked for close to $500 to help pay for youth group activities. We are also talking about getting a theatre group started. Lo mas importante is that we get these kids doing something productive and meaningful in their free time. They have nothing to do. And therefore little to no self-confidence that they are capable of doing anything. So... here's hopin'. Wish me luck.
I am really settling in quite well to this country. I feel comfortable. No more awkward. I can understand people when they talk to me with little confusion, even with their thick campo accents. And there are endless possibilities for good. Yesterday I posted a quote on my facebook, "The amount of happiness you have depends on the amount of freedom you have in your heart." For me this is so true. I could go in depth explaining exactly why this is so true for me, but I think you all can figure it out. No need to get tooooo cheezy.
Yesterday I was doing some house visits... There's this one house that I like to visit that has 3 crazy sisters. They are just so quirky. And they LOVE me. I exchanged bracelets with 12 year old Yulisa. She is one of the ones begging me to start a dance group. I gave her my bracelet I bought at super selectos last weekend that says "No Hay Imposibles" and she gave me two pretty little beaded bracelets. Her aunt Jilda is nuts, and has this huge big blue eyes and gold rims around all her teeth. She touched my legs and was genuinely shocked to find that I shave my legs. To Campo Salvo women that is unheard of. You should have seen her face. It was pure disgust. But sorry- I'm not going to go that far with my integration to grow things out. That family is too much fun, those women just have a lot more personality than your typical woman around here. They live next to the slaughterhouse though where the bolo (drunk) family lives.
I haven't gone running in the cancha since before PST2. I keep telling myself, tomorrow. I was so into it before training... Can't wait to get it back. Tomorrow will be the day. I just need to let my lady friends know, they are the reason I was getting myself out of bed to get started before.
In other news, Ladies and Gentleman, I have finally- after 24 years- learned how to properly crack and egg! This is wonderful. My whole life i was splitting in on the edges of bowls, usually getting lots of shell in the mix and raw egg everywhere. Well... did you know you only need to tap it on a flat surface? it's a clean break... no more shell pieces. It's the simple things.
Paz y Amor.
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