... we're home.
Those are the first words that I said when we landed in El Salvador June 8th, 2009 to Jennifer Turner. I really meant it too. But until yesterday I have not really felt it. That isn't to say that the people here are not incredibly warm, they are, or that I feel more and more at home everyday, I do, it is just that I now know where I am going to live and the transition from trainee to volunteer is more real.
I am going to live in:
Departmento Las Cabanas
Municipio Jutiapa
Canton Carolina
Caserio El Empalme
So where exactly are you living, in a city, how big is it, and what does Caserio mean? Take it easy mom. I am going to live in El Empalme. It has about 400 homes with a school of 360 kids and 7 teachers. El Empalme is in a Canton which is a little bigger than a Caserio, and then it is within the municipal of Jutiapa which is in the department of Las Cabanas. I am just north of San Vicente, where we have been doing our training, and only 3 hours away from San Salvador, the capital.
The best part, to me, is that I am the first volunteer and I am going to work with a very enthusiastic school director who is very excited and ready to work and begin projects with the youth. The plan is for us to leave our host families this thursday for San Salvador and then Friday we will swear in and Saturday afternoon I will arrive in my site where I will live for 2 years.
After we all found out our sites and put a star with our name on it on the this big map in the training center we went out for just a little bit to celebrate. We were all discussing our sites, sharing the teaser amount of information with one another when a trainee in my group said "I feel like we are really in Peace Corps now. Like we are seriously in Peace Corps." It's true. The honeymoon phase will soon be gone and while we are still mentally preparing we will be walking into our sites, meeting our new neighbors, and for some us integrating into a community that has never ever had a Peace Corps volunteer.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Pre Dance and Paint
Untouchable.
San Antonio Caminos,
is untouchable.
We just found this out today. I don't know if our spanish teacher told us because it is true, or the more likely reason, because she knew with our big egos it would fulfill all of our hopes to be super volunteers.
But I just got a text that it looks like it is going to rain really hard.
Scroll down to see what I did this weekend.
Friday was the dance to raise funds to paint the basketball court.
Saturday we painted the basketball court.
And not pictured is our celebration in San Salvador.
San Antonio Caminos,
is untouchable.
We just found this out today. I don't know if our spanish teacher told us because it is true, or the more likely reason, because she knew with our big egos it would fulfill all of our hopes to be super volunteers.
But I just got a text that it looks like it is going to rain really hard.
Scroll down to see what I did this weekend.
Friday was the dance to raise funds to paint the basketball court.
Saturday we painted the basketball court.
And not pictured is our celebration in San Salvador.
Dance and Paint
Los Intocables de San Antonio Caminos
cool kids.
my hand is the one in red, right above the d.
After
Before
The kids and los intocables after the dance.
After about an hour of begging kids to dance they finally came out to the floor.
Saul, DJ Alberto on the mic, and Manuel
The bichas serving drinks.
Pepe Peligro
Thursday, August 6, 2009
You Don't Want To Poke The Fire
Spanish class. Diego. Diego Fuego is what Benjamin calls him.
Diego is sort of a boyfriend to another trainee. Sort of. And
Benjamin makes this into conversation somehow every day.
Usually it involves this trainee discovering a new boyfriend,
From El Salvador, and it is amazing how timing can work.
Benjamin said something how you do not want to make
Diego mad, and I said, "No quiere poquear el fuego."
Diego is sort of a boyfriend to another trainee. Sort of. And
Benjamin makes this into conversation somehow every day.
Usually it involves this trainee discovering a new boyfriend,
From El Salvador, and it is amazing how timing can work.
Benjamin said something how you do not want to make
Diego mad, and I said, "No quiere poquear el fuego."
Monday, August 3, 2009
Tres Niveles
This past weekend was the time during training where all the trainees visit current volunteers, and so the 33 of us set off to meet 33 other volunteers out of the 150. Before I left I was told by my spanish teacher that there are three types of volunteers: a volunteer, a really good volunteer, and a super volunteer.
I got Jed "Benjamin" Byers, super volunteer.
He lives in the department of Sonsonate in a Caserio named El Tular. He replaced another volunteer named Martin who was also a super volunteer and is still infamously known in El Tular. He had lots of English classes, created scholarships, and literally built a bridge in his site. Needless to say, Benjamin had big shoes to fill, and I believe he already has done so and has more than a year to do even more projects and development.
The first day I met Jesus, which was not as emotional as my first encounter with him when I was a child at an Easter service in Church, but just as exciting to stay with him in his house in a Canton called San Lucas. Bejamin and I went to this pueblo nearby for his second English class that had around 45 students. It was a beginner level class, but it was very exciting and it was a great example of what a typical English class looks like.
The next day we walked around a lot to collect money for a stove project that Martin, the previous volunteer, started and that Benjamin has continued to promote. It basically allows the people who buy these stoves to save money on buying wood and it also decreases the amount of smoke so it makes it healthier for the environment and the people living in the house.
The best part about this whole trip is that Martin, who left El Salvador in November of 2008, was here on vacation and I got to meet him. It was amazing, and I got to be a part of an English class with Martin the ex volunteer, Benjamin the volunteer, and myself the trainee. We were a part of an advanced class with 9 guys and they were super hilarious, brilliant, and a few them will probably get scholarships to study in the USA.
An amazing weekend.
Beautiful people.
Lots of love.
and sweat.
Sweet sweat.
I got Jed "Benjamin" Byers, super volunteer.
He lives in the department of Sonsonate in a Caserio named El Tular. He replaced another volunteer named Martin who was also a super volunteer and is still infamously known in El Tular. He had lots of English classes, created scholarships, and literally built a bridge in his site. Needless to say, Benjamin had big shoes to fill, and I believe he already has done so and has more than a year to do even more projects and development.
The first day I met Jesus, which was not as emotional as my first encounter with him when I was a child at an Easter service in Church, but just as exciting to stay with him in his house in a Canton called San Lucas. Bejamin and I went to this pueblo nearby for his second English class that had around 45 students. It was a beginner level class, but it was very exciting and it was a great example of what a typical English class looks like.
The next day we walked around a lot to collect money for a stove project that Martin, the previous volunteer, started and that Benjamin has continued to promote. It basically allows the people who buy these stoves to save money on buying wood and it also decreases the amount of smoke so it makes it healthier for the environment and the people living in the house.
The best part about this whole trip is that Martin, who left El Salvador in November of 2008, was here on vacation and I got to meet him. It was amazing, and I got to be a part of an English class with Martin the ex volunteer, Benjamin the volunteer, and myself the trainee. We were a part of an advanced class with 9 guys and they were super hilarious, brilliant, and a few them will probably get scholarships to study in the USA.
An amazing weekend.
Beautiful people.
Lots of love.
and sweat.
Sweet sweat.
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