Grant's Journal

7 Roses

2011-11-07T09:34:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I proposed to my girlfriend! I started to make plans to propose months ago. More than 7 months ago my fiance and I went to Los Planes de Renderos for our first night out together. We weren't even dating, we just went out to get to know one another, but since that day I have felt a very great and deep love for her.

Since the 4th was our 7 month anniversary, I wrote a poem for her called 7 Roses. On the 4th I gave her the 1st rose and with every rose I also gave a little slip of paper that had a promise about what I want to be for her. The real fun started the morning of the 5th. We went to the botanical gardens in Antigua Cuscatlan and hungout and walked around the whole morning. After we had a nice lunch near the town center and then we went to this place called World Games. We went to this place for her birthday and we both just loved it. They have arcade games, air hockey, and there was even a mechanical bull that I did!

After playing we went back to the house and took a breather. We had spent pretty much all morning and most of the afternoon walking around and playing so we were pretty tired. After resting for a little bit we headed to Los Planes de Renderos to have dinner. Before we left I had given her the 6th rose and the corresponding paper.

We got to Los Planes and I had her wait outside the restaurant where we first ate out together. I went in and made sure everything was ready. A month prior to this weekend I went and let them know that I wanted to reserve a table and have some flowers and candles and have the mariachis sing songs for us. When I walked in to check everything the flowers looked amazing and they had even been hand picked by the owner of the restaurant from her very own house! Before eating though we both walked to the lookout point where you can see this really amazing view of San Salvador.

We talked about the first time we came here, what we both thought about that first night, what are hopes were at that time and what they are now, and we remembered other really amazing times that we had had together. I asked her if she remembered what the pieces of paper said and after she told me I pulled out the last piece of paper that said, "I will love you for all of our days." I then got on one knee and proposed. She said yes and we both hugged and cried.

Afterwards we walked back to the restaurant and while we walked I told her there was one more rose that I had to give her. We walked in and she saw the table and could not believe it. There was a white table cover symbolizing purity and another one on top of it that was red symbolizing love. We had our own waiter, were sung to by marachis, had the best table in the place, and after eating we were told that the owner wanted to meet us and we thanked her for the beautiful flower arrangement.

I would not have been able to do any of this though without the help of my fiance's amazing sister and our greatest supporter. She was the one who helped find me a ring, drive me to Los Planes a few times to plan with the restaurant, and she did everything with lots of love.

I will never forget this weekend. I am so thankful to have found someone so incredible and look forward to sharing myself with this woman.

Pray and Help

2011-10-24T14:53:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been hard for many Salvadorans. I remember the day the rain started I was walking to the bus stop and arrived completely soaked. I remember thinking that it really was not too bad considering I would be in my house within a few minutes and would have no worry about flooding or water dripping from the ceiling. And the rain did not stop. For almost 2 straight weeks.

I had a hard time sleeping some nights. I never got cabin fever, rather I could not help but think of Salvadorans and even volunteers who were simply stuck. I would get texts about evacuations and even deaths, like the one of a little girl because of a tree that fell onto her house and a wall that crashed on top of her. Or the thousands of people who were evacuating their communities, leaving their families, and in their hands they carried the remains of everything they have. I even had a scare one night in my house. One of the trees behind my home started hanging lower and lower exhausted by the rains and it made a loud sound on my roof. It woke me up around 4 in the morning. I was wide awake. I started planning. Alright, if the tree falls down and comes crashing in then what am I going to take? Easy, my cell phone and the envelope of the letters and pictures from my girlfriend and family. I went outside just to see the tree was and knew that it was impossible for it to fall and crash through the house.

I cried a lot at night. I prayed a lot. And finally the rain stopped, we started to help. The program I work for is funded by CASSA or Compania Azuceria Salvadoreña (Salvadoran Sugar Company) and they had hundreds of people helping fill bags with cooking oil, tortilla mix, sugar, salt, water, beans, and other foods. We went for just half a day and sent more than 1,500 bags out within a few hours. In one day more 5,000 bags were sent to families that are in shelters throughout the country. There were more than 200 students volunteering during the weekend and hundreds of men and women who came to volunteer as well. You can pray all you want but at some point you have to get off your knees and help. It was amazing to see men who had just gotten off of work and were dirty and sweaty, volunteering for 5 hours when they could have been at home.

Peace Corps had us stay in our homes due to the fact that the streets were very unsafe to be on. I had not seen my girlfriend for almost 2 weeks and there was nothing else I wanted after the rain but to see her. On saturday I told her I was at the school and that I would be busy so I would just give her some texts every chance I got. The truth is that I took a bus in the morning to surprise her at her job. I finally got to her store and just walked in, my heart pounding. We both hugged and cried and laughed. She couldn't believe it. She stared at me for a few minutes because she was so surprised. I spent the rest of the day reading a book while she worked and then we talked the whole night.

The next day I came back to my site and now we are back to work at the program and also splitting our time with volunteering for everyone who was evacuated. I am so thankful for what I have. I can't believe I get to have so much. I just hope you and me are doing a good job with what we have and take advantage of our ability to help others.

Just so you have an idea of how bad it was here I have inlcuded some of the data from the past few weeks. Also I am not asking you to send money or do anything with any particular project. I am just asking you to think about helping your neighbor, your Boys and Girls Club, your community, the after school program.

Don't wait for something like this...

FACT SHEET ON RAINS IN EL SALVADOR

DUE TO TROPICAL DEPRESSION 12E

· Since the entrance of Tropical Depression 12E, which occurred on October 10^th of this year to date, the country has registered a historical maximum amount of rainfall of 1,500 mm in some areas. This amount of rain almost doubled the amount of rainfall reported during hurricane Mitch (1998).

· Average precipitation in El Salvador is approximately 1.800 mm per year. So far, in ten days some areas of the nation have registered more than 80% of the amount of rain that falls in one whole year.

· Hurricane Mitch, in 1998, caused 861 mm of rain, meanwhile Tropical Storm Stan in 2005 produced 766 mm of rain.

· So far, the death toll due to the tropical depression 12E has reached 34.

· Preventive evacuations maintained low the death toll in comparison with other natural disasters. Hurricane Mitch caused 240 human loses, Ida left 198 dead, and Stan registered 69 casualties.

· To date, a million people have been directly affected by the rain.

· There are 55,976 evacuees (15,195 families) and there are 683 shelters and refuges.

· In comparison, during Mitch the country had 10,000 affected and during Ida (2009) the amount reached 7,428 in 75 shelters.

· 10% of the national territory is flooded. The rainfall has affected directly 181 municipalities, which represent 70% of the total of municipalities nationwide.

· Authorities have distributed more than 470 metric tons of food to the victims.

· There are 18,445 flooded homes, 2,222 affected wells and 879 landslides on highways have been accounted for. There are more than 2,000 houses at high risk of flooding or to be affected by landslides.

· On October 17 the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador declared state of public calamity and disaster throughout the country for the next 60 days, as a result of the situation of vulnerability.

· There are 2,935 manzanas of damaged crops (around 5,000 acres).

· The heavy rains have caused the mudslides and flooding, swollen rivers, destroyed 4 bridges and damaged 14 other in the main routes.

Un Pequeño Deseo

2011-09-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

I feel pretty settled in now. I have most of my routines figured out. I work from 7am to 530pm. At first I was coming home completely exhausted and now I usually go for a run whenever I get back to the house. My favorite part of the day is my walk after work. I have to take 2 buses to get back to my house, but I figured out that I could omit the 1st bus and walk to the bus stop for my 2nd bus in pretty much the same amount of time.

The work has been really amazing lately. I hosted a photo exhibition for a week at my program's campus. These photos had been on display throughout all of the American Embassy and so I had some Peace Corps Volunteers come and speak (in english) to the students at Superate. We talked about the Peace Corps' three goals, the reason each of us became volunteers, why it is good to volunteer, and then we took questions. There were about 3 or 4 students from each grade that asked us questions (again in english).

Later that same weekend I gave a speech at the Sonsonate City Hall on the 11th of September about the National Day of Service and Remembrance. I spoke of my personal memories, the violence, the images. I congratulated the 100s of students that came to volunteer and asked them to remember that we truly honor victims of violence through service to our community, and not with more violence.

The 15th of September is Independence Day and so Carmen and I woke up early and were the first ones at the stadium Magico Gonzalez. We saw over 130 bands, the Armed Forces band, and also a military demonstration. And also we got to see and hear President Funes speak. It was really amazing. And free!

A few days later we went to this really cool waterpark called Termal Del Rio. They had this huge slide that had a 4 story drop which felt like it was straight down. We charged right for it, but Carmen was a little worried. I just said, don't think about it, just come up with me and then we will go down and you will have done it and it will be fun. So we got up, and she said, no, I can't do it. I said, you cannot go down through the stairs, you have to go down the slide, and if you keep thinking about it you are not going to do it. She took about 30 seconds, sat down, and DID IT! When I got down, I said, how was it, and she said, I feel like my heart is in my throat!

Later that day we checked out this thermal pool in the park, one side heated and the other side cool. It was so nice. At night we talked about her big accomplishment and we both realized that we never saw any other girls doing the big slide. She was the only girl who did it!

Finally, I just finished a week of HIV/AIDS and Sex education talks. I feel like there were a lot of myths that we got to discuss and clarify and it was really cool to see the students go from "not really knowing anything" to "very knowledgeable". Right now we are working on an English camp, a leadership workshop, and enjoying the nightly rains.

From the Campo to the Ciudad

2011-02-28T06:29:00.000-08:00

My two years of Peace Corps service have concluded and I am leaving my humble home in the campo for an equally humble home in the city. I am fortunate enough to have lived in such a wonderful and safe community. I will never forget my time in Cabañas. I will always carry with me the memories of: the stores of my two neighbors, the amazing sounds of the night, dogs barking and roosters crowing, the evangelicals screaming and crying, the early mornings when my neighbors blasted their music, time moving slowly, the sunsetting on giant hills, eating at my Padrinos, talking for hours in the street every night with Chele and Padre and Pacheca, Rio Lempa, and what my girlfriend likes to call "la buena". The good life.

What I won't miss is the machismo. That is pretty much it. And I still live here and it is still the only thing that I cannot accept about this country. The trash burning is not that bad to me, I actually don't mind how it smells, and there is no other option so that is just how it has to be.

Now I live in Sonsonate, the valley of the Holy Trinity. I love it here. The weather is hot and perfect, I am 20 minutes from the beach, and I have a really great job. I am working with this program called Superate (better yourself) where they specialize in teaching English, Computers, and Life Skills to high school students. I work with the Life Skills teachers providing resources for HIV/AIDS/Sex education, leadership classes, and I also have a poetry club. It is a really incredible group of people that work here, and the students here are so hungry to change and be successful.

It is very different being here. I have the internet everyday, I get to speak in English if I want because all the teachers can speak it, and I live in one of the largest cities besides San Salvador. Sometimes I still can't believe that I am still here and I still get to do this.

You Gonna Eat That!? - Mike Watkins /No Cavities And A Negative Stool Sample

2010-09-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

Hey, hellooooo.
it is has been a few months, clearly, and now I am proud to say that I have completed my first year of service, had my medical evaluation and am very healthy, and I have no cavities. I am very fortunate to only have gotten amoebas, on more than one occasion, and to have been sick only once this whole time here.

Things are much different, they have been for quite some time. I feel different in my community. Not different as in set apart, but rather I feel just like another member of my community. Whenever I don't eat pupusas for more than 2 days I crave them, I eat 3 tortillas for lunch everyday instead of a half of one like my first months, and I have a dog that is serious about take caring of me. Little kids in the street will now speak to me in English after having taught them how to hear"How are you" and respond with "I'm good thank you." My boys are much more protective with me, they look out for me, make sure I am safe when I am not in site. My community has also met my brothers so they ask questions, want to be updated about them. There are so many more things that have changed that have made it hard, some days, to really envision that in less than a year I will be leaving.

Sometimes I feel like I am not actually going to go back, that is that I am not going home, I am home. Every single house in my community has someone that is right now, or has been recently, in the United States working. I heard a friend the other day tell me something that I could really relate to. He said he felt like his home was in the States, but his country is El Salvador. Sometimes I feel the same way, but reversed.

Now with a year left I am writing lots of letters to South Africa, finishing my reading list, seeing my projects come together, and planning some big changes in the next year and a half.

Your Brother is Better Looking Than You And Your Older Brother

2010-07-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

The past 3 weeks have flown by.
My two brothers and sister in law came in,
And I am finally coming down from strep.
I remember when we hungout last time in June of 09. They both told me that they would come and visit me, and a year later they both came to this country where I serve. I had already had almost a month to practice before they came. I got to see the reactions of someone who had never been out of the USA, and the reaction of a seasoned traveler. We also wrestled a few times.

While they were here we celebrated my first full year in this country. And even though I can clearly remember certain poignant parts of this first year, I tend to think of that first year for another volunteer. I never expected anything before coming here, except that I expected it to be hard. And it is. I also knew that I would probably become closer to people as my spanish got better. You can ask my brothers, Tonio and his family are one of the best reasons to come and visit me and El Salvador.

I Missed The Bus: And It Was Something I Would Never Ever Do Again

2010-05-25T09:15:00.000-07:00

Jutiapa, Cabanas, El Salvador April 27, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope that this letter finds you well. As all of you know, I am serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador. I have started a project for which I need your help. Two other volunteers that live and work in my community and I are trying to improve the transportation situation for high school students in our municipality.

The municipality in which we live is the 8th poorest in the country and it has a population of 6,584 people, of which, only 627 persons live in the village of Jutiapa itself. Thus, 94.8 % of the population live in isolated rural areas, without easy access to amenities and public services, like the high school. Recently, Non Government Organizations in collaboration with the government of El Salvador offered more scholarships to students who wish to study past 9th grade. Despite this new emphasis on education and the monetary support, 82 students still lack reliable transportation to and from the high school.

The only high school in the municipality is located in the pueblo of Jutiapa, more than 12 miles from some parts of our community. Because there are no school buses, the students’ only option is to walk 3 hours ONE WAY! Additionally, the road they walk is not only dangerous for young girls, but in the rainy season, the students have difficulty keeping their books and themselves dry.

With all of these obstacles, the drop out rate is high. The 3 of us, along with local leaders and the high school director, believe that transportation will increase the number of students who will decide to attend and to finish high school. Our goal is to raise $6,000 to purchase a 4x4 vehicle that will be used exclusively for school transportation. The funds are being raised through Peace Corps Partnership, which relies on donations from family, friends and returned Peace Corps volunteers in the United States. I am asking you to make a tax deductible donation to help improve the lives of the kids in Jutiapa. To donate please go to www.peacecorps.gov/contribute and select our project (Project Number 519-133) and follow the instructions. I will not know who donates or how much. If you cannot donate, please tell other people who might be interested in helping.

Thank you in advance for your support and for all the emails while I've been here.

Lite Bite and Big Ass Skies

2010-05-19T09:18:00.000-07:00

I have a bike in my site, it is red and just the right size for me, and it's name is Suzi. Or Sucia.
I can get from my house to Ito's house in 8 minutes. I can get from my house to Cerrón Grande in 25, and I can get from my house to Jutiapa in one hour on my bike. Before coming here I used to ride my bike all the time. I had this one classic Schwinn cruiser that my friend Katie gave me and I rode it everywhere. It was so easy to ride too because there were no hills. Anywhere. Here there are lots of hills and trees and mountains or rolling hills. I never realized how big the sky is in Lubbock. I mean I always heard people talk about it and there was even a campaign that capitalized on how in some way Lubbock has many other giants besides it's breathtaking sky.

I knew I would miss certain things, showers for example, is now a treat whenever I stay in the capital or in a hotel or hostel. The shower doesn't even have to be hot or warm. And I am not even going to complain about taking bucket baths, I like them, but maybe it is more because I never get to have showers that make them so great. I knew food was going to be different and even though I did not exactly enjoy tortillas like I do today, I truly miss having a huge thing of peanut butter always at the ready. Something I truly miss are cell phone plans. Here you have to buy a card or "recharge" at a store and at times there will be these great promotions where you can talk back in the USA or send texts to friends for only one quarter.
What do I miss the most? Lite Bite. Yeah I think it would have to be Lite Bite. Amazing food, the smell, the music, the owner, the tables and hookahs and pita bread. The bahklava and hummus and lemonade and lentil soup. I miss riding my bike there with a book and a journal. I miss the different reactions people would give me when I had Lite Bite to go and ate it at their house. I think Lite Bite represents something about Lubbock that I really love, local cuisine. That's truly what I miss. It is a city that will continue to perplex and make me wonder about so many things that would only happen in that city, on the giant side of Texas.

A More Perfect Union

2010-03-19T15:23:00.000-07:00

I have been here since tuesday. I got amoebas. Maldita amoebas!
I just have diarrhea. And I have lost about 10 pounds since tuesday.
On friday the newest group of trainees were sworn in, bound by the
constitution and the truths therein to uphold the ideals from which
John F Kennedy created the Peace Corps Act. To volunteer and help.

Friday night we welcomed the newly trained volunteers to a night of drinking and dancing and all around rump shaking. It was a great night, and also something of an initiation. Imagine if you will, a group of mainly 23 to 30 year olds who for two months were "not allowed" to drink during training, being served at the embassy with some of the best food in one of the most beautiful/elegant places I have been to (seriously there is a Marine that opens up the bathroom doors), and then being finally allowed to drink on the eve of your first day in site. It is not a joke. It's swearing in day.

Fortunately me and the other veteran volunteers stayed an extra night to make sure we could walk properly back into our sites. We spent most of the day recovering, watching shows in english on TV, and catching up with people back in America. There was something I knew about Peace Corps before coming here that I had yet to experience. Peace Corps Volunteers. I knew a few before coming here, the brother of a friend who I had a spanish class with, and also the friend of a friend that I got to know before coming. Both guys were so incredible.

Every group that comes in brings in their own personality.
What I have noticed is that in this country with every volunteer that I have met I am at awe at how weird I do not feel. I was in shock for the first few months at how well we all felt around each other. Like we knew each other before, like we went to school together, or swam at the Sea horse together, or were made to play with each other because our parents were friends and yet we grew up and still liked each other even though our parents weren't friends anymore.
I hardly feel normal. What is normal? If I hardly feel normal
then maybe what I feel is what is normal and what I hardly feel
is not normal. What I feel around volunteers, and around the
people in my group is something that I am trying to learn to
explain.
Community is the closest thing to describe it. Its much more than that.
It is like being with a lot of people who are so much like you, and sharing a
sense of service, and passion, and love for the people, and this country, and
your own country, and any other country, and unity in moving forward. Forward.
Moving forward.
I am trying to learn how to bring that back. One of the goals of the Peace Corps.
And something America really needs today. Not for progression of this party or
that party, not for the gain of more capital, and most certainly not because we are
the best maldito country in the world. Because everyone is watching. Because we
got off to a bad start and we move forward and it gets better. We see in each
other something that feels normal. We know that there is some way for us to
volunteer. And help.

Bicicleta, Bicicleta

2010-02-19T12:18:00.000-08:00

I am at the mayor's office trying to, wait a second, the mayor just walked in!
(Super fast spanish, on his part, me trying to get to the point, he is a busy man) And success!
I am here to solicit transportation for a break dance camp that I am taking my kids to this next week. It is going to be at the Lago de Coatepeque and I was invited by two other volunteers that have put it on. I am taking 4 high school aged guys from my site and there is going to be workshops on different break dance moves. The coolest part about the camp is that most kids that are into break dancing feel like it is a bad thing because of the stigma that only delincuents are break dancers. Through the camp they get to meet other kids who are into it just as much as they are, they learn it is fine to enjoy break dancing, and in fact it is a healthy and artistic outlet for them. We also ask that when the students return back home they volunteer 15 hours of their time to community service.

I have been waiting all day for Don Adrian (the mayor). I am in Jutiapa where there is another volunteer who is in the Municipal Development program. There is only one bus that leaves for Jutiapa in the morning and it is at 630am. The problem is is that if I would have gotten there at 7 or 730am and then talked to Adrian for 5 minutes and gotten the OK for transportation I would to have had to wait for the bus to leave at 12pm. And if he wouldn't have been here this morning (like he wasn't) I would have totally missed him and wasted a whole morning. So this morning I left on my bycicle from my site all the way to Jutiapa. Close to 20 kilometers or 13 miles. It was super hilly, really hard at a few points, and overwhelmingly beautiful with the most fantastic views of El Salvador I have seen. Jutiapa is at a higher elevation than my site so it was cool to get to a few spots and just stop and look down at my site, all of the green and brown and dried up corn fields.

Things are getting busier every week. Last week me and about 15 kids had our first meeting to discuss forming a dance team. I tried forming a dance team about a month ago to no avail. I have learned that things do not have to be so hard here, and when you give more responsibility to the people they will at least try to do their part. Instead of creating a meeting and time for the dance team this time I asked Mirian, a 16 year old 8th grader, to be in charge and find out what day and time we could have a meeting. An hour later she had the day and time and I made a little poster to remind everyone. At the meeting we went through all the questions, why we want a group, where we will practice, and who will teach. We made a plan for all the questions except one, the teacher. I said I would search for a teacher, having no clue where to go, who to ask, or how it would work. It is exciting. It is the same feeling I had in July when I was in Washington DC. Clueless about the country I would soon be living in, what I would be doing, how I would be helping. I decided to talk to the director of the Instituto Nacional de Ilobasco. A really nice high school in my nearest pueblo. I explained the situation and he told me to come back the next day to meet a kid that could possibly help. I came back, talked to the kid and the guidance counselor, and tomorrow we will have our first dance team practice with our teach Eric. Success!

Time goes by slower
Acabamos de llegar
Learning bout success.

Money it is not
Nap at least once everyday
We need to slow down.

Be Part of The Solution

2010-02-04T09:22:00.000-08:00

I just got my bookshelf!

I had Javier build me a bookshelf in October. He told me it would be a few months and I would have it. Javier is the local carpenter, he lived in Las Vegas for a few years working in a restaraunt, and he also learned carpentry.

Javier makes me laugh so much. I am late all the time, I lose track of it, and in a country like this one, that way of living makes most things a little easier and or less stressful. I did not think it would take Javier until February to get me the bookshelf. He makes me laugh because even after he had made it it took him weeks until he actually brought it over to my house. But asi es the life where I live. I would literally go to his house with the hopes of takign my bookshelf home, staring at it, hugging it, smelling it, and hoping he realized that I needed it. And every time he would just say "Yeah I'll bring it over later no worries." I knew that did not mean today, so I would sit down, talk about Las Vegas, carpentry, futbol, and girls.

Now that I have a bookshelf I feel like my house is a complete.
That is not to say that I have any of the conventional services of a complete house.

My house is a room.
I do not have:
a bathroom, toilet, water, or a fridge.

School has started back up and that means a few of my projects are going to start happening soon. One of my projects that I have had since I have been in my site has been with Stove Team International. It was created by a Peace Corps Volunteer and it is this really great company that provides ecological and economical stoves for salvadorans. They are really cheap, great quality, and good for the environment.

Also I am starting youth groups, art groups, and in general organizing people to just work together. I am really excited about a project that I will be starting really soon that will be a pen pal type of correspondence to my junior high alma mater. I am going to work with the spanish teacher their and have her kids write to my kids in spanish and then my kids will write back and talk about themselves, their family, and it is going to be a great way to share each others cultures.

This sunday is the super bowl.
I am going to root for the New Orleans Saints.
I am not from Louisiana, I have no family from there,
nor do I have any money riding on them winning this sunday.

I am going to be able to see the game too. I am going to come to the capital and watch it at a TGI Fridays. I am going to have a burger and beer and wear an american flag.

Que Le Vaya Bien 2009 part 2

2010-01-02T09:46:00.000-08:00

first dance.

me, jocelynn, memo, li, pepe

novia.

me and li.

at tonios wedding.

michael!

padre.

floating on rio lempa.

chele.

the boys that i hungout with on christmas.

at rio lempa on christmas day.

wearing sonias hoodie.

jimmy on christmas eve.

the boys in my site dress up as old men for christmas.

Que Le Vaya Bien 2009 part 1

2009-12-30T13:01:00.000-08:00

girls from my site.

christmas eve.

my boys from fourth grade. the kid on the left is jefferson and i call him senor presidente.

Ito and his family singing songs on christmas eve.

christmas eve/what these guys do everyday, play cards and whistle at the girlies.

campo!

carmela's house.

where i live now. with light, and in the house above there is a super nice bathroom.

where i was going to live, but there is no bathroom nor water nor light.

La Cancha

Don Tonio and me on graduation day. his nephew Ito graduated from high school.

this is the picture of Los Lideres. Alcalde (Mayor) Adrian, Diablo, Volunteer Miguel, Director Don Chem

gerson

super cute little girl and carlos after graduation.

carlos on graduation day.

below the kids you can see names. those are all the names of the kids who were killed in el mozote.

the memorial in el mozote where many people were killed.

johnny and willy. this is the first day i ever hungout with them.

Bonding in Boys Room

2009-12-06T13:56:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks have been very busy here in El Salvador.
The country is still dealing with the loss of over 250 people in San Vicente due to mudslides which were due to a tropical storm and of course deforestation. The people here are used to this sort of way of life, dealing with some sort of disaster and mainly trying to "sobrevivir" or survive everyday. It makes you wonder how or what you can do to empower these people, to improve the quality of life, and to hope that maybe others around the world who are more fortunate see this and decide to help.

For the past week I have been in San Salvador with the other youth development volunteers for more training, but this time to learn about how we can make differences in the lives of the people in our communities. We have learned how to put on youth camps, environmental camps, sports tournaments, english classes, and also how to start small businesses, and prepare students for college or the workforce.

We have one week left of training and this next week should be even better. On tuesday we are going to visit a volunteer that I am really interested in seeing. He is going to show us his theatre group, but what I am more interested in is his break dance team that he started. Of course I cannot break dance nor have I ever break danced, but I do have a lot of kids in my community that can and it would be a really great project for them to be involved in.

Lastly there are 16 youth development volunteers and we are staying in a hotel and have been having a really great time getting to hangout for the past week. But because there are more girls than guys there are a few rooms that have guys and girls in them, except for ours, which includes 4 guys and myself and was named "the boys room". The boys room is a magical place where you can smell however you want to smell, not worry about hygiene or lack of bathing, and of course use the bathroom with the door open. Honestly, it has been a lot of fun and as bad as it smells (all the girls say its like a combination of shoes, pizza, and farts) everyone seems to want to hangout there more than anywhere.

I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving and is getting ready for the holiday season. I know it has been snowing back home, but here it is warm, sunny, and all around beautiful.

Chucho

2009-11-03T11:38:00.000-08:00

I have been in San Salvador since October 29.
I am not on vacation. And I am not sick.

I got bit by a dog.

In the United States the dog is known as "man's best friend."
In El Salvador the dog is known as "man's animal that he doesnt have for the sole purpose of raising to one day kill and eat".

The dog in the United States is a pet, a friend, and a part of the family.
The dog in El Salvador is an alarm, a defense mechanism, and a biter.

The other day I was hanging out with some kids, playing with them in front of their house, and because I am brilliant I saw a dog that was watching us and reached out to pet its head. The dog then bit me and then I screamed a few choice words in english and ran to the house next door which is luckily where I hangout everyday to clean my hand and cry.

At first I was scared. The bite felt like it he went through the palm of my hand and I began to worry that it might have punctured a nerve and would begin to destroy the rest of my hand. After a few minutes I started to move my fingers and the pain began to go down and I knew I would be fine.

I boarded a bus to the closest town, Ilobasco, and went to a clinic where there is free healthcare. For everyone. Everyone. I didn't have to wait long and then I called the Peace Corps office and they told me to come in to San Salvador. It was 7pm and there was no way I could get to San Salvador and I was not in any sort of an emergency, so the next morning I headed here and have been here since then.

They have just been monitoring my hand, making sure it did not get infected, and making sure it stays super clean. The two areas that they were worried about weren't even that big, but one is in my palm and they had to make sure it wasn't serious.

Tomorrow I get to go back home and then the next day I will meet back up with my fellow volunteers in my group for 2 weeks of training in San Vicente.

It has been really tough this past week, not because my hand hurts, but because I really want to be in my site and I miss my community. But I think about that night that it happened and laugh, because when we were cleaning my hand in my friend Jimmys house, his aunt, who is usually really quiet, said with all sincerity "Ese chucho, lo voy a matar. Lo voy a matar (That dog, I'm gonna kill it. I'm gonna kill it)."

That is love.

Say dude!

2009-10-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

Teaching english,
Dancing bachata,
Bathing in the river,
Playing FIFA Soccer 09 on playstation 2,
Napping everyday in a hammock,
Playing guitar and singing songs,
Drinking café de El Salvador,
Making up magic tricks,
And community organizing.

I had my Asamblea General yesterday. It is a big meeting for the community where I explained to them what Peace Corps, who I am, what I have done so far, what I am going to do soon, and what I hope to do. It was a lot of fun. I have some pictures of my community, although I want to have more pictures but the batteries do not really last here.

Me and Jesús at the river
Jesús and Chele
Jesús in my favorite picture.
Me

Golden Boy

2009-10-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

Oooooh Golden Boy.

Everyday I hear this. David (15 years old), usually referred to as Diablo, is the one who created this name. We still cannot figure out where it came from. He claims that his brother Jimmy (18 years old) said Golden for some reason and then David said Golden Boy and then I said, "That's right! I am Golden Boy!"

And it is sticking.
People call me Golden Boy, Miguel, Miguelito, Miggy, Miguelon, or Grant Weldon.
It is amazing how close I am getting to everyone just after one month.
I am beginning to really start some serious projects, and I am constantly overwhelmed by the love I receive from my community.

What am I doing?
House visits,
English classes,
And futbol and softball.

House visits.
It is exactly what it sounds like. I walk around, I invite myself in, they tell me to come in, they make me sit down, they always ask if I want something to drink or eat, I never say no (ever), and then I ask what they think the youth in the community and the community in general need. Sometimes they get really detailed, sometimes they do not really know what they are supposed to say, and most times they just want any help that I can give. The other day I went to this house and this old man started talking to me about how important friendship between countries are and he said something so simple yet profoundly important for what I am doing. He said "La amistad es mas vale que dinero" which means friendship is worth more than money. Brilliant.

English classes.
On saturday I give two English classes, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I have only taught the classes for 2 saturdays, but I usually have anywhere from 20 to 40 students a class and they are really interested and learning quickly. I am also going to start up classes again in january and whenever I start those they will actually go for 5 months, every saturday, and if the students attend 75 percent of the class and pass a final exam they will receive a diploma with the Peace Corps logo and signatures from me and the mayor. Also we are going to take trips, do mini projects in the community, and of course learn english.

Futbol and Softball.
Every wednesday and sometimes on saturday I play futbol with this one group of guys. It is a great way to integrate and get to know them and hangout, but also I am trying to get a little better so maybe I can play on their team. This sunday I am actually starting up a softball team with girls, and guys if they show up, and I am going to buy some bases and I am very excited. I am going to be their coach and hopefully we will be able to play other teams, have tournaments, and dominate Central America!

Most importantly I am just constantly learning, talking, and listening.
I eat lots of pupusas, drink lots of coffee, and dearly miss Lite Bite, starbursts, and jolly ranchers.
If you want to send me a letter, photo, package, candy, or peanut butter then check your email and if I do not send you emails and you want me to then send me an email at grantweldon7@yahoo.com.

They Want to Rent a Bus, And Use Our Parking Lot As a Meeting Place

2009-09-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

http://www.esmitv.com/vernoticia.aspx?id=1197

There are a few times you can see my face, the short Salvadoran man speaking is the Vice President, and the girl sitting in the front in the black dress is super pretty.

The first two months of Peace Corps are really about one thing, food. I eat food all the time. I will be walking and start talking to someone and then they will buy me food, or they invite me into their house to make me food, because Salvadorans love with you their food. Yesterday was Independence Day here and they showed the movie The Patriot in spanish on tv here. So I told this guy that I hangout with that I really wanted to watch it but couldn't because my host family goes to sleep at 8 and the movie is at 9. He invited me over and when I went to his house he had bought a thing of grape soda, water, and lots of chips. I ate almost all the chips.

Food is really just a way of integrating and it is a great way to show that you are in love with this country and these people. Whenever I eat the food I will say, "Oh my gosh! This is amazing! There is no way you could have made this! Are you an angel, because this is heavenly!" And they love it. It means a lot to them. And it makes them feel awesome.

I also got invited to go to the beach with a lot of people from my community a few days ago. I did not even hesitate to say yes. They rented a bus and we all jammed ourselves in it and drove 2 hours to the beautiful and sandy beach called Costa Del Sol. We rented a hammock and played soccer and chased each other and got to know each other.

Right now I am living with the Niña Cruz and her four boys who are 18, 13, 10, and 6. The 13 year old and I get along really well. He is only 13, but he seems a lot older. Most of these kids seem older where I live because they have to work in the farms and are asked to be responsible for a lot. I really like the kids in my house and I have a HUGE room with a couch and hammock and a nice bed and even a fridge. I will only live in this house for the next 2 months and then I will go back to San Vicente for 2 more weeks of training and then I will come back to my site forever and hopefully live in this one house I have my eyes on.

I really love my site too.
I really liked it the first day,
But now I think I love it.

It is really hot where I live. They told me it was really cool, but it is not, it is super hot. There are a few rivers where I live, and one of them is mainly used to catch fish to sell in the nearby communities. The river I usually go to is not too deep, but it is just right. I usually start walking with one of the kids in my house in the morning and then other kids see me and follow us. I bring a few balls that my mom sent that are just perfect for the water, and I also bring some shampoo. We get there and strip to our undies, jump in, splash around, bathe, and walk back home for lunch.

What I really like is that there is a one hour bus ride from the closest town to my community. We wind down a dirt road that is being paved right now and is going to look incredible. The views on the way there are incredible. Green hills, soft clouds, and fields of corn seemed to be rolled out for the entrance. There are only 2 real streets in my community. Once I get there there are a few stores that sell soda and chips and candy that have really cool people to chat with, there is a beautiful huge new catholic church, and the soccer field.

The people are really amazing here. I get to know them so much more every day and I am excited to see what we are going to do.

Peace Corps Volunteer

2009-09-05T07:56:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I was sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer in El Salvador.
The ceremony was held at the Ambassadors Residence which had one of the most elegant bathrooms I have ever seen in my life.

We had 5 speakers, the Acting Country Director, the Ambassador, some other man whose title I forget, a trainee from our group named Eric, and the Vice President of the Republic of El Salvador, Salvador Sanchez. It was a very special and inspiring and ceremony. The Vice President was one of the commanders of the FMLN guerrilla group during the civil war, before they were a political party. Now he is Vice President and also the head of the Ministry of Education. His words were great. The importance of education, and even more so, the importance of educating the children. Truly incredible to see this man who 20 or 30 years ago did not really have the best opinion about the 33 of us, and stand and encourage us to really live in the pueblo, to help, and to educate.

And now I head to my site. For 2 years. Saying goodbye to the people I got to know for 2 months. The same people that feel like my brothers and sisters. And now to share the hope and peace and love that I honestly feel for these people, and help.

Hey Jennifer...

2009-08-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

... 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.

Pre Dance and Paint

2009-08-17T16:42:00.000-07:00

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.

Dance and Paint

2009-08-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

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

You Don't Want To Poke The Fire

2009-08-06T15:52:00.000-07:00

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."

Tres Niveles

2009-08-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

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.

Ingenio Ingenio, Amapulapa Amapulapa

2009-07-28T14:02:00.000-07:00

Road outside of the school.

Lest we forget.

Feeding the cows mangos.

Just part of the scenery on a walk right outside of the school.

Not as good as Kim Cypert, but close.

Laughing about getting my hair cut from my host sister. And sort of crying.

Cati and her little brother Miguel.

The volcano on my way back home.

Another pool with a cool slide.

Luis.

One of the pools in Amapulapa. There are tiny fish in there that nibble on your feet.

And an awesome waterfall.

Brad and his host family, and Benjy.

How You Doin Bubba

2009-07-27T15:26:00.000-07:00

It is almost always the first thing I hear from ole Brad "Pepe" Kaiser.
And it makes me glad that there is another Texan in my community
With another Texan just down the road, ole Jenny in Tecoluca.

The day starts off just like any other day, even though everyday is never going to be anything like today, it always starts off the same. The roosters are singing and it is 3am which is affirmed by my watch. It is time to use that one sheet I have and wrap myself up for the remaining time I have to sleep. One of the best feelings is that 3am reminder that the air is fresh, the dogs will soon be joining in for the chorus with the roosters, and I have 3 more hours of sleep.

6am, people are talking outside of my room, the radio is blasting my favorite channel, AH BAY SAY, Pitbull seems to be on every song, and if not it is usally the best 80s song you could ever imagine. A quick stretch and smile on my face and I open the door, "Buenos dias", "Buenos dias Miguel!" Everyone has been up since 5 and they have already eaten and ironed their clothes. I head for the latrine and then grab my towel and get ready to bathe.

Concentrate, it is cold, but it is going to get pretty hot today. Enjoy this. Dumping the water on my head I talk to my host mom Ana who is just outside of the shower cleaning dishes. I tell her the plans for my day. After it is breakfast which is usually pancakes, or chicken and rice, or ramen noodles. And after I eat I try to catch some of this Mexican show called "Casa De La Risa".

The rest of the day is filled with (on a normal day) Spanish class and then culture class. From 8am to 12pm we talk Spanish vocabulary which includes vocabulary about the body, the mayor's office, and adjectives and descriptions. 12pm to 1pm is lunch time and usually have a nice nap in the hammock. After that we go back to class to learn more about the community and the country. Classes are over at 3pm and we are free.

Usually after I will go back home and hangout with the kids next door, play frisbee, or walk around and feed the cows mangos. I finally got to see the new Harry Potter. I bought it from a man for 1 dollar, and it is in Spanish, and it is in black and white. Lumos!

Sometimes it can get frustrating, not only because I want to be able to speak more fluently or because I miss Lite Bite so much, but rather because there are so many things to be done and sometimes it feels like we are not actually doing anything. Of course we are indeed doing many things, and most importantly we are adapting and learning how to live in the Valley of Hammocks for the next 2 years.

Hair Comes The Sun

2009-07-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

My names here in El Salvador.

Miguel
Don Miguel
Pelito Amarillo
Miguelito
El Leon

This will be quite short, and hopefully soon I will have some time to write about a "normal" day.

Yesterday I was told to cut my hair, and I did (barely) with my host sister Bea. I have some great pictures of me crying.

The meeting they had with me about cutting my hair was so uncomfortable. It was probably one of the worst things I had to sit through, besides those few days of diarrhea.

Don and Niña

2009-07-19T10:23:00.000-07:00

It is a beautiful day in El Salvador!

Today I would like to describe my home and living quarters here in the valley of hammocks.

First off I have to say that one of the things I adore, among the ridiculous amounts of things that I adore, is that Salvadorans do not say Señor or Señora, but instead they say Don or Niña. I of course am assimilating to their culture so I use it as well. For example I call my host brother, and the only other man in the house, Don Carlos El guapo, and my host sisters Las Niñas famosas.

My home has three rooms, one large living room, an area for cooking, and an area for washing dish and clothes and taking bucket baths. The patio is probably my favorite area, it is the best place to sit in the hammock, chat while someone is cooking or cleaning, and it is also where the main table is for eating.

The living room is really nice, really big with another hammock that stretches across the room. There is no AC nor are there any fans in the living room so at night it can get really hot in there. My family does not watch that much tv, and if they do watch something it is either a movie, music videos, or telenovelas.

My room is pretty small so I have no need to really hangout in there and besides, all the action is taking place on the patio which is everyones favorite place to be. I do have a small table that I use for a desk, a pretty nice bed, and a place to hang my hat. My room can get pretty warm at night, so I usually end up going to bed without my one sheet that I use, and around 2 or 3 in the morning I will wake up and grab the one sheet that I need and cover myself up for the night. It is freaking wonderful.

There is no indoor plumbing, so if you need to use the bathroom there is a latrine and if you need to bathe there is an area for bucket baths. At our house we have what is called a "pila". There is an area for all of the water and then then on top of that there is a place to wash the clothes and dishes. Also the pila goes into a small box where you can go in with a small bucket and take a very nice and relaxing bucket bath. I take at least one everyday, usually two. The best though is taking a bath in the morning, it is perfect and cold and exactly what you need to wake up.

As far as drinking water goes we get all of our water for the Peace Corps training center in these huge jugs whenever necessary.

Now if you would like you can scroll even further down and see what my house looks like for yourself along with a few of the beautiful people that I see every day.

Your Veins Are Quite Prominent

2009-07-19T09:52:00.000-07:00

Haha this is one a few chickens in the house and I found it in my room this morning. We also have one rooster.
The latrine.

Bucket bath.
My desk and water.
Clothes and hats.
My room.
Patio.
Living room.
Kitchen. And a chicken.
The next door neighbors Claudia and Cati in front of the garden.
That first picture is of my sister Lee, laughing, in front of the house.
The next one is of Scooby, one of two dogs, in the front yard.

The volcano that we will climb the second to last week. This is taken from the hammock in the patio.
Tranquilo.
That apple and the card below were gifts from my friend Terri. The first things I see when I wake up.

Ana Mi Amor

2009-07-11T13:25:00.001-07:00

It is winter here in El Salvador.

The hills and mountains are green and the sun shines during the day creating incredible heat and at night the rain comes in to cool us down as we sit outside and chat about how many books I brought and how incredible it would be for my host mom Ana to able to read.

Coffee and sitting with good people are probably two of my favorite things in the world. Unfortunately I am relapsing to my first few days in Spain and I have to get accustomed to the new foods and different coffee. The other day we had a talk about diarrhea which lasted, and I am not trying to exaggerate, at least 3 maybe 4 hours. I fell asleep a few times, along with a few other trainees, and of course I have had diarrhea for the past few days.

No worries though.
Our instructor Chavo told us that most of the time it happens is because of the new food and there are many ways to take care of yourself.

My host family is wonderful. My host mom has five children and two of them live in the USA in Virginia. There are three kids at home, two girls who are older teenagers and one boy who is 18. They are so incredibly nice and friendly and I am overwhelmed with how great my host family and house are. My host mom is very sweet. Her name is Ana and everytime I come home I say "hola Ana mi amor". She thinks I am hilarious and that the pictures of my family are beautiful and precious. She kept asking me which brother I was because she said we all looked alike. She has never left El Salvador, but she is utterly brilliant and wise and if we continue to have 2 hour long chats like last night I am going to be in good shape.

She told me that Salvadorans are known for being "habladores" or "speakers". They love to talk. The spanish is so much more beautiful than I thought it was going to be. Outside of San Salvador the people tend to use the formal subject usted instead of the informal tu. Meaningless as this may seem to you it is interesting because I have always thought that in rural and poverty stricken areas of countries the people usually tend to be more sloppy with their language and it is just the opposite here. Instead everything seems very formal and when people see each other they always say hello and are extremely polite.

Whenever you see people here it is very important to smile and say hello.
I love the fact that one of the most important things is simply being polite.

The plan is that for the next 8 weeks me and 4 other trainees will live in San Antonio Caminos. It is just 5 minutes outside of the beautiful city of San Vicente and hopefully before the 8 weeks are over we will climb the volcano that stands as a sort of Peace Corps rite of passage. Our spanish teacher told us that most volunteers have said that after climbing to the volcano they come back and feel like they are fully prepared. I asked my neighbor about it and he said it is incredible when you reach the top. You can see the river, the sea, and all of El Salvador.

After the 8 weeks we will be assigned to our site where we will live for the next 2 years. I do not even want to look that far ahead because right now I just want to take in everything from my family and learn as much as I can about living here.

Yesterday was our first day to stay at our new homes and we rode in a pickup truck from San Vicente.

As I looked out into the mountains and the hills and green that seems to never end I closed my eyes for just a few seconds and felt everything. The wind in my hair, the rare silence of Salvadoran air, and then I opened my eyes to an enormous volcano that is literally the first thing I see when I walk outside of my room.

I can't believe I live here.

I started to think about how I know that I am going to miss the US, my family, and friends, but I also believe that it is very important to make sure that you are wherever you are. The mountains, hills, and land scream passion, love, and life but you do not have to come to El Salvador to hear it and I hope that wherever you are you will take this day to step outside and see that surrounding you is all of this God created beauty and if you do not realize that you have an amazing life you are going to miss so many things that are filled with an infinite amount of joy and beauty.

As much as I love it here, I would never want to be anywhere other than where I am.
And if everyday one's desire is to be somewhere else they are going to find themselves in a sea of despair, and misery, and discontent for everything they see and everyone they know.

My sister Lindsay says it best, love and life.

We are now off to the shoe man or zapatero because one of the trainees, who I am pretty sure is my new best friend, broke one of his boots and is going to get it fixed.

I love you very much and send a mountain of love and peace to you all.

Futuro

2009-06-23T20:25:00.000-07:00

This has not been the first time that I have prepared to alter my daily routines and way of living for a trip. This has been the first time that I have decided to prepare for more change in alterations in my life philosophy and also see change in another culture.

This will sound cheesy: as long as two people change, someone from El Salvador and myself, then I will be satisfied with my service.

I enter with so much joy and desire to help, learn Spanish, and have great moments of conversation over tea and coffee. I also know the hardships, the burden, the motivation or lack of motivation I will receive from others. So much will change from now until 2011, but I hope to help one person, maybe two. If I could help two salvadoran people I would be so happy. Help two and ask them to help me help two others, and so on. How much different could it be after I leave? How much of a difference can I make after I am gone for 2 years? I want to help someone, but not for the short term. I want to change things for the better, for the long term.

I am changing the world.
And so are you.

Your Hand In Mine

2009-06-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

Sold my car!
Now I can enjoy the rest of the month riding my beautiful Schwinn that I got from Katie Mac, or borrow my mom's van.

The other day I was running and I got to thinking about my expectations for the Peace Corps and what exactly it is that I want to learn and leave with after my 2 years of service. I came up with...
- Patience
- Creativity
- Work
- Honor
- Spanish

I consider myself a patient person. I honk and yell whenever I drive, but I make it a point to never do it whenever I am angry. And I think honking is just fun. Although it is hot in Lubbock, TX I am already aware of how hot it will be in El Salvador; add in the work of learning a language, a new culture, and of course new food and it can get a little frustrating. I want to learn how to deal with all things new with the patience that I believe that I have and leave with a greater understanding of living it out.

Writing papers, making up skits in classes, and the projects that I am used to from school will be nothing like the type of creativity I will need to have every single day. Not only do I want to learn how to work with others and create projects to help people, but I cannot wait to see ,through volunteers that I meet and the people I live with, what sort of ideas they have and what they desire to see.

I have never been so ambitious to truly understand what work means until now. It is sort of funny because here it seems like work is making money which would mean vacation is relaxing from work, or from making money, and not doing anything. I am very optimistic to know that work is much more than making money, and much harder there in El Salvador than anything I could ever imagine here in the USA.

Along with work I want to know more about honor. I am very excited to see what that particular word means in another country and culture.

Lastly I am very excited about learning Spanish in El Salvador. Although I majored in Spanish and have gotten to learn it in Spain and have had many semesters with great professors chatting over tea or coffee, I cannot wait to learn Spanish in El Salvador. Just the idea of learning their accent, the way they use or don't use their hands to speak, and all the things that make it theirs is fantastic to me. I hope to actually use it in some form or fashion after my service.

Most importantly I want to help people. I want to find out what they need help with, and help them. I want to help the people of El Salvador.

Less than a month away. I will give you an address so you can send letters.

El Salvador

2009-05-21T14:21:00.000-07:00

I finally received my inviation and will be moving to El Salvador to become a Peace Corps volunteer in the Youth Development program. I am so thankful and excited to go to the country and I am very ready to begin to learn about their culture, language, and assimilate into their society.

I have had many talks with returned Peace Corps volunteers (RPCV) about what sort of expectations one should bring with them to their country.

And I would love to give you my expectations, but I am in Boston and I have to go look at revolutionary author's houses.

Just Waiting To Be Invited

2009-05-08T12:52:00.000-07:00

I have heard through friends that are now back from volunteering that the hardest part of the process is being cleared medically. I heard that it was the hardest part about a month ago, and I was cleared in February. Since then I have been waiting to be invited and from the person I talked to yesterday in the legal department I will be receiving my invitation in a week or so.

The main thing I need to do now is take care of some things here and sort of wrap my mind around the reality of this really happening.

I really do not have much more to say except that the next time I write it will probably be about where I will be living and some expectations that I have. For right now I will enjoy what I have here and wait.

Estoy Cerca

2009-02-18T16:41:00.001-08:00

Well it seems like it has been a long time since anything has really happened with Peace Corps and myself, but actually a lot has progressed and I am still hoping to leave sometime in the summer.

My main priorities for the past few months have been getting my physical and dental exams turned in and other than that waiting for them to clear me and move me on into the office of placement in DC. I just got a letter saying that I have been cleared and now all I need to do is continue to wait. I have talked to other volunteers and returned volunteers who have told me that this is the "hardest" part about the application process. I have not really experienced that for myself because I still need to pay off a few things before I can leave, and I am also trying to soak up the incredible things that we take for granted here before I see myself in front of a very real and different world.

I hope that the next time I write it will be about the country and city that I am going to be living in for 2 years. All I know right now is that I will be teaching English as a second language in Latin America, but I cannot wait to share all the adventures with you.

Nomination

2008-10-14T12:24:00.001-07:00

Welcome, I am glad that you have decided to join me on this, the beginning of an incredible journey. I will be brief.

Yesterday I was nominated by Charlie Lucking to be a teacher for English as a second language in Latin America with Peace Corps. From here I will begin medical and dental checkups and other than that, wait until July. That is the month that I am set to leave, but then again, all of these things are really just set for the time being, and I need to be flexible for any possible changes they may have for me.

I am very excited, nervous, anxious, scared, and ready. More to come as it develops.

Right now I am taking recommendations for books. Peace Corps volunteers serve for 27 months, therefore there is a lot of time for reading, and I want to start gathering books and recommendations. You can email me at grantweldon7@yahoo.com or send me a comment on here.

Thanks, and God bless.