...I wish my parents would bring me when they come visit IN ONE WEEK.
1. A Chipotle burrito (No explanation needed.)
2. Target (the whole store would be great, thanks. Such a great store. Walk in needing stationary, walk out with $100 worth of stuff you forgot you needed. And most have a pretty decent grocery store now. Legit.)
3. Meat that I can identify. (Bacon, steak, pork loin, ribs etc)
4. CJ (My puppy from home. She does not bite me or purposely knock glasses off your porch just to watch them break and see how mad you get or tear holes in my clothes or eat my books. I miss her.)
5. A case of Dr. Pepper (Can't you just put it in lots of 3 oz containers and carry it on?)
6. Any of my friends (I love my PC friends, but I miss my girls from home. Either high school or college or LR friends, I won't be picky about that. One more plane ticket won't hit the wallet too hard, will it?)
7. Cooler weather/ less rain (Winter my ass. It is hot and rainy here. There are no down coats or snow in site.)
8. Indoor plumbing (What I have now is better than a latrine but worse than indoor plumbing. I just want to not know where the water for my toilet comes from. I want to push the lever and not think about it any more. This is probably one of the reasons America gets such a bad rap.)
9. Enforced traffic laws (Because the ones here are not regularly enforced. My boss was driving myself, my counterpart, some other volunteers and their counterparts from a workshop out east to San Salvador last week, and he passed a cop on a two lane highway. Literally blew my mind. Cops goin' too slow? Pass em.)
10. A pillow (They are actually bringing me this, but apparently my mother thinks it is unreasonable due to bulkiness, so it is on this list.)
This time in one week, I will be sitting in a hotel in San Salvador awaiting my families arrival and utilizing the gym and pool. Also today I purchased cups that Hoja cannot break and a spray bottle to keep her in line. Go me!
Spanish Word of the Day:
Dishes = Trastes
*UPDATE* I dropped the spray bottle and it came apart. Hoja ate one of the pieces, so we are back to square one.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
I have 3 quarters, 3 dimes and 3 nickels
Well readers, lets talk about budgeting. Usually I spend about $50 a week on groceries and dog food and liquados. This is great for me because I do not get paid a lot (contrary to what some people may tell you, the life of a PC volunteer is not one of constant glamour). So after I pay rent, pay for my electricity and my weekly trips to town, I usually have just under 100 bucks to do with as I please. (Which I should clarify, 'as I please' really means buying 100lb bags of chicken feed and vaccines for my dog.)
But this month I threw caution to the wind and went to San Salvador for 3 nights. That was 3 nights in a hostel, 7 meals and, thanks to a Peace Corps crack down, taxies everywhere I went. (Apparently gang related bus crimes are on the rise in San Sal? Although I heard there is a new law that says if you look like you might be in a gang they will forcibly make you join the military. Wither or not this is actually true is unknown, but it makes me feel a little safer. Also makes me feel like I probs should not have gotten those tattoos across my face....) (Mom- might want to look up that tattoo removal place on 98 for me.) So my capital visit along with the fact that I got paid less this month due to training last month (very confusing) means that things are a little tight right now. I had to dip into my home account for the first time, which was kind of scary.
On my weekly trip to town on Friday I took out 50 bucks like I usually do. I bought veggies and beans, fruits and toilet paper, M&Ms (clearly a necessity) and bags of bleach, the last (thank god) vaccine for Hoja and dog food. Now all that seems normal, except this week I started looking at the dog food bags. I usually buy 3.3 lbs of dog food a week for $5. But upon examining the bags, I found out I could buy 8.8lbs for $11 bucks. What a deal! So I bought the bigger bag and walked away feeling like I just robbed the store of 1lb of dog food. I also sent a couple of letters, which is way more expensive (and complicated, but don't get me started on the ridiculous reorganization of the postal system that needs to happen here) than should be allowed and got a package out of hawk (is that how you spell that?). But I guess I did send a letter to France so I will over look the pricing for now. Any ways to make a point out of this very long winded paragraph, I did a very good job of spending $48.80. Shocking.
Also today is the culmination of the Fiesta Patronales here in my town. It really has not been as exciting as I was led to believe it was going to be. When my host mom read me the pamphlet, it sounded like there would be activities every night and people from other towns near by were going to be bussed in and the whole town would be a buzz. Not quite the case. There were pupusas and pasteles sold every night at the church, which was amazing, but the attendance level was a little lacking. For today I heard there were going to be games and a ferris wheel and a dance. Also slightly false. There were games, like the one where you could pay a quarter, pick a slip of paper and win an animal (it was called Noah's Arc, go figure), or your basic ring toss. But sadly no ferris wheel or dance. There was a good crowd today, but they were lacking in enthusiasm. I mean you just won a chicken people, get excited! Also there was a total lack of bolos* at this event. Not that I condone being a bolo, but they do usually liven events. Annnd I spent two of my quarters. So now I only have 1 quarter, 3 dimes and 3 nickels. That is all. It is totally my own fault for not budgeting better (and deciding now was a good time to buy bigger bags of dog food).
I know August will be a better budget month. Firstly I know this because I will be getting paid the normal amount. Secondly my parents are coming to town (!), so hopefully they budgeted correctly to supply me in pupusas and liquados all week. (I have very expensive tastes.) Thirdly I now know that I do not actually like taking money out of my 'vacation fund'.
Also I redesigned the blog again. The other way was too complicated for my slow internet to handle, and lets be real here, it's really all about what is convenient for me. KISS
One last thing. As I have been doing research on grants and other free money opportunities for the water filters I would like to get the members of my town, I have come across the Rotary Club. They apparently give out bundles of money to do gooders all over the world, but in order to apply for this, you need to know someone or be in contact with a Rotary club. I am not, and would like that to change. So I am appealing to my readers to see if any of you have any connections. (I know you do, so do not try to get out of this.) Any help would be greatly appreciated. Or you could just make the donation your self and save me the trouble of filling out all of the paperwork. Just a thought.
Oh! And Happy Birthday Daddy! You are the best! I miss you and cannot wait to see you in 2 weeks!!
* A bolo is a drunk person. Usually they are habitually drunk, but this is not necessary to earn this title. This is also your word of the day.
But this month I threw caution to the wind and went to San Salvador for 3 nights. That was 3 nights in a hostel, 7 meals and, thanks to a Peace Corps crack down, taxies everywhere I went. (Apparently gang related bus crimes are on the rise in San Sal? Although I heard there is a new law that says if you look like you might be in a gang they will forcibly make you join the military. Wither or not this is actually true is unknown, but it makes me feel a little safer. Also makes me feel like I probs should not have gotten those tattoos across my face....) (Mom- might want to look up that tattoo removal place on 98 for me.) So my capital visit along with the fact that I got paid less this month due to training last month (very confusing) means that things are a little tight right now. I had to dip into my home account for the first time, which was kind of scary.
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| All blogs need a good cow picture. This cow belongs to Cowboy Carlos and has nothing to do with anything I wrote about today |
Also today is the culmination of the Fiesta Patronales here in my town. It really has not been as exciting as I was led to believe it was going to be. When my host mom read me the pamphlet, it sounded like there would be activities every night and people from other towns near by were going to be bussed in and the whole town would be a buzz. Not quite the case. There were pupusas and pasteles sold every night at the church, which was amazing, but the attendance level was a little lacking. For today I heard there were going to be games and a ferris wheel and a dance. Also slightly false. There were games, like the one where you could pay a quarter, pick a slip of paper and win an animal (it was called Noah's Arc, go figure), or your basic ring toss. But sadly no ferris wheel or dance. There was a good crowd today, but they were lacking in enthusiasm. I mean you just won a chicken people, get excited! Also there was a total lack of bolos* at this event. Not that I condone being a bolo, but they do usually liven events. Annnd I spent two of my quarters. So now I only have 1 quarter, 3 dimes and 3 nickels. That is all. It is totally my own fault for not budgeting better (and deciding now was a good time to buy bigger bags of dog food).
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| Guarding the house. |
I know August will be a better budget month. Firstly I know this because I will be getting paid the normal amount. Secondly my parents are coming to town (!), so hopefully they budgeted correctly to supply me in pupusas and liquados all week. (I have very expensive tastes.) Thirdly I now know that I do not actually like taking money out of my 'vacation fund'.
Also I redesigned the blog again. The other way was too complicated for my slow internet to handle, and lets be real here, it's really all about what is convenient for me. KISS
One last thing. As I have been doing research on grants and other free money opportunities for the water filters I would like to get the members of my town, I have come across the Rotary Club. They apparently give out bundles of money to do gooders all over the world, but in order to apply for this, you need to know someone or be in contact with a Rotary club. I am not, and would like that to change. So I am appealing to my readers to see if any of you have any connections. (I know you do, so do not try to get out of this.) Any help would be greatly appreciated. Or you could just make the donation your self and save me the trouble of filling out all of the paperwork. Just a thought.
Oh! And Happy Birthday Daddy! You are the best! I miss you and cannot wait to see you in 2 weeks!!
* A bolo is a drunk person. Usually they are habitually drunk, but this is not necessary to earn this title. This is also your word of the day.
Friday, July 15, 2011
When it Rains, it Pours.
Yesterday I discovered that the tupperware container that I keep my sugar in has become infested with ants. But not so seriously contaminated that I did not think it was salvageable. So I carefully sifted through the sugar and picked out each ant and threw it on the floor. Mission accomplished, I got all of the ants out. No harm, no foul. What I did not realize was that when I was so carefully extracting these ants and throwing them on the floor I was also throwing sugar on the floor. Guess what happened... More ants. (Why I decided this was the correct mode of action is beyond me.)
Hoja has destroyed her third book of mine. The first one she knocked off the ledge on my front porch and it sat in the rain all night. Even though this book happened to be my Spanish/English dictionary (my most valuable possession) I decided to let it go. She is a puppy, she does not know any better. Second book she ruined was The Lord of the Flies. I left it on the edge of the ledge on my porch once again and she got to it. But that was ok too because I was almost done, and come on we all know how messed up the ending of that book is anyways. The third book, The Poisonwood Bible, was ruined about 5min ago. Anyone care to guess where I left this book? If you guessed ledge of the wall on my porch, you would be correct. And when I went out to fill my water bottle there it was on the ground. Cover torn off. Complete pages torn out and eaten or destroyed. Too bad I was only on page 46. Will I still try to salvage the book? Of course, what else am I doing with my day tomorrow? I know, I know why don't I just stop leaving books there. Trying to, but it is just so convenient to my hammock!
If I ever become a teacher and a student tells me the dog ate their homework, I will totally believe them.
Right now I am battling a little bit of what Salvadorians call Gripe. Gripe is kind of hard to describe. If you look it up, I am pretty sure it says the translation is the flu. But in reality it can be used to describe so much more. Colds, the flu, sinus infections, headaches, exhaustion, a runny nose. It all falls under gripe. It is simultaneously a great word and totally useless. I have more of the sinus infection class of gripe. Nothing uncommon for me, especially because it is raining every. single. day. here, not too surprising. But for some reason I woke up in the middle of the night last night in a cold sweat and convinced myself that I had contracted dengue and this is what it felt like. I, mildly horrified, pondered this for about 10min and promptly fell back asleep. I do not have dengue. But I do have a slightly irrational fear of getting dengue. Last year, my town had a dengue epidemic. An epidemic people! This does not bode well for me or my gripe.
Also today I went to the post office in town and was told I had a package. I was excited because I was expecting one from my parents. But instead I was shocked and thrilled by getting a package from some former neighbors and family friends in Alexandria. Turns out they have been reading my blog and have a niece serving in PC Eastern Europe, so they know how much a care package can brighten someone's day. And boy did it. Let me tell you, I was in a little bit of a rut this morning (just ask Joelle who had to deal with it) and this totally snapped me out of it. It is amazing what four bags of goldfish can do for someone's mood. I did have to practice a great deal of self restraint today, I only consumed 2/3 of one bag. But seriously FOUR BAGS! Along with some other really great stuff like some kids toys, robot and dump truck band aids (which were a huge hit with the volunteers I was with), a reusable grocery bag (the one I brought just broke, so it was like she read my mind!) and a new book (which I am determined to not let Hoja eat). Thank you Devon for brightening my day!
Oh and it really is raining everyday here. It has rained everyday for the past 2 months. I know I should not be surprised by this as it is the rainy season, but that is a really long time for it to rain everyday! A couple days ago there was a sudden flood of the road in front of my house/ in my yard. Crazy!
I also feel the need to admit something. I have not showered in 3 days. I will amend that slightly, I wash my hair every day. But it is harder to see the water I am washing my hair with when my head is bent over my pila than if I straight up bucket showered. You all have seen my pila water. It's brown. Hard to justify cleaning yourself with brown water. I honestly was going to shower today, but then Hoja fell in my pila when I was bathing her, so I had to drain all the water. And of course the water was not running from the river at that moment to re-fill my pila, making bathing impossible. (I will explain in greater detail later how exactly I get water from the river, it is kind of complicated.) I promise to bathe tomorrow. Pinky promise.
Hoja has destroyed her third book of mine. The first one she knocked off the ledge on my front porch and it sat in the rain all night. Even though this book happened to be my Spanish/English dictionary (my most valuable possession) I decided to let it go. She is a puppy, she does not know any better. Second book she ruined was The Lord of the Flies. I left it on the edge of the ledge on my porch once again and she got to it. But that was ok too because I was almost done, and come on we all know how messed up the ending of that book is anyways. The third book, The Poisonwood Bible, was ruined about 5min ago. Anyone care to guess where I left this book? If you guessed ledge of the wall on my porch, you would be correct. And when I went out to fill my water bottle there it was on the ground. Cover torn off. Complete pages torn out and eaten or destroyed. Too bad I was only on page 46. Will I still try to salvage the book? Of course, what else am I doing with my day tomorrow? I know, I know why don't I just stop leaving books there. Trying to, but it is just so convenient to my hammock!
If I ever become a teacher and a student tells me the dog ate their homework, I will totally believe them.
Right now I am battling a little bit of what Salvadorians call Gripe. Gripe is kind of hard to describe. If you look it up, I am pretty sure it says the translation is the flu. But in reality it can be used to describe so much more. Colds, the flu, sinus infections, headaches, exhaustion, a runny nose. It all falls under gripe. It is simultaneously a great word and totally useless. I have more of the sinus infection class of gripe. Nothing uncommon for me, especially because it is raining every. single. day. here, not too surprising. But for some reason I woke up in the middle of the night last night in a cold sweat and convinced myself that I had contracted dengue and this is what it felt like. I, mildly horrified, pondered this for about 10min and promptly fell back asleep. I do not have dengue. But I do have a slightly irrational fear of getting dengue. Last year, my town had a dengue epidemic. An epidemic people! This does not bode well for me or my gripe.
Also today I went to the post office in town and was told I had a package. I was excited because I was expecting one from my parents. But instead I was shocked and thrilled by getting a package from some former neighbors and family friends in Alexandria. Turns out they have been reading my blog and have a niece serving in PC Eastern Europe, so they know how much a care package can brighten someone's day. And boy did it. Let me tell you, I was in a little bit of a rut this morning (just ask Joelle who had to deal with it) and this totally snapped me out of it. It is amazing what four bags of goldfish can do for someone's mood. I did have to practice a great deal of self restraint today, I only consumed 2/3 of one bag. But seriously FOUR BAGS! Along with some other really great stuff like some kids toys, robot and dump truck band aids (which were a huge hit with the volunteers I was with), a reusable grocery bag (the one I brought just broke, so it was like she read my mind!) and a new book (which I am determined to not let Hoja eat). Thank you Devon for brightening my day!
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| Road in front of my house. Flooded |
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| Host mom in the river that was my front yard. |
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| Gender and Development group after our first show in Santa Ana! |
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Is This Real Life?
Here are a couple of stories that I did not even think worth mentioning, but then I remembered that what I now consider normal, most people think is super strange.
Story #1: I had a beautiful rooster, remember? Did you notice I used past tense? He was feisty and miniature and I loved him. A friend gave him to me because the little guy was causing too much trouble at his house. The rooster had more space here and he was my only rooster, so there was no competing to be the biggest and baddest. All was good. But soon my neighbors noticed that my rooster was inseminating all of their chickens. Why is this bad you ask? Well my miniature rooster knocking up their normal sized hens results in some miniature chickens and some normal sized. And why would anyone want a chicken with less meat and smaller eggs? They would not. My neighbors politely asked me to either get rid of the chicken or kill it. Me, still being slightly horrified with the thought of killing one of my own chickens, decided I would appeal to the family that gave me the rooster. This is how the conversation went down:
Me: The rooster you gave me is not getting along well in my community, if you want I will bring him back and you can have him.
Woman: Oh! No! Just kill him and make a soup.
Me: But really, I will bring him back and you can have him...
Woman: He will be great in a soup.
Me: I can bring him by tomorrow!
Woman: You don't like soup? Just make tamales.
Me: So you don't want him back?
Woman: No! Just kill him.
Me: *defeated*
I e-mailed her son, because he was the one who actually gave me the rooster, to get conformation on this course of action and I go back home. As I get to my house I know something is amiss. My neighbor approaches me. She tells me that while I was away my rooster got into a fight with their prize rooster. My rooster won. Their rooster died. She was not pleased. We (and by we, I mean she) killed my rooster. I may or may not have cried.
Story #2: The other day I was pondering dinner when my counterpart, Salvador, called and asked if I would like to get pupusas in the town below mine. I love pupusas, so of course I said yes. I get to the house and it is a woman making pupusas to sell out front of her house. Pretty typical. She lives right on the highway, many people do, so this is also not abnormal. As Salvador and I are sitting, enjoying our pupusas, it begins raining. It then gets dark. I live close to the border of Guatemala so semis pass by often. Also speed limits are really a slight suggestion here as opposed to a law. Please just imagine me sitting on the side of a highway, in the dark, pouring rain, with an El Salvadorian woman making pupusas and semis passing us, bombing towards the border at like 90mph. And now just think about how it is in the states. People freak out if pulling over on the side of the highway is a necessity, forget eating dinner and relaxing there. Dangerous? Sure. Adrenaline rush? You betcha.
Story #3: This is not really a story as much as an interesting observation. What do you put in sandwich bags? Sandwiches right? Sometimes chips? Soda? Dish soap? Wait what? People in El Salvador put literally anything you can think of in a bag and sell it. You name it, it can be sold in a bag and tied at the top. Dish washing soap, laundry detergent, water, sour cream, mayo, ketchup, mustard, any fruit or vegetable, soda, smoothies, homemade popsicles... the list goes on forever. If you are going to eat or drink whatever it is, just bite a whole in the corner and you are set! How do you set it down if you need to? You don't.
Story #4: People here point with their lips.
Just gonna let you think about that one.
Story #5: My friend Carolyn likes to design clothes. She also found a super cool seamstress in my pueblo who makes clothes for super cheap. What is super cheap? 9 bucks for this dress ---->
Crazy right? I am having a skirt made right now, will let you know how it comes out, but for these prices I will get a whole new wardrobe made while I am down here. Also I like this seamstress because she told me I was in her dream the night before I met her. Pretty sure we are ment to be friends.
Yes, I do think this is real life. Against all odds. And, I know you were think it. Also how many of you tried to point at something with your lips after you read #4? Be honest!
Story #1: I had a beautiful rooster, remember? Did you notice I used past tense? He was feisty and miniature and I loved him. A friend gave him to me because the little guy was causing too much trouble at his house. The rooster had more space here and he was my only rooster, so there was no competing to be the biggest and baddest. All was good. But soon my neighbors noticed that my rooster was inseminating all of their chickens. Why is this bad you ask? Well my miniature rooster knocking up their normal sized hens results in some miniature chickens and some normal sized. And why would anyone want a chicken with less meat and smaller eggs? They would not. My neighbors politely asked me to either get rid of the chicken or kill it. Me, still being slightly horrified with the thought of killing one of my own chickens, decided I would appeal to the family that gave me the rooster. This is how the conversation went down:
Me: The rooster you gave me is not getting along well in my community, if you want I will bring him back and you can have him.
Woman: Oh! No! Just kill him and make a soup.
Me: But really, I will bring him back and you can have him...
Woman: He will be great in a soup.
Me: I can bring him by tomorrow!
Woman: You don't like soup? Just make tamales.
Me: So you don't want him back?
Woman: No! Just kill him.
Me: *defeated*
I e-mailed her son, because he was the one who actually gave me the rooster, to get conformation on this course of action and I go back home. As I get to my house I know something is amiss. My neighbor approaches me. She tells me that while I was away my rooster got into a fight with their prize rooster. My rooster won. Their rooster died. She was not pleased. We (and by we, I mean she) killed my rooster. I may or may not have cried.
Story #2: The other day I was pondering dinner when my counterpart, Salvador, called and asked if I would like to get pupusas in the town below mine. I love pupusas, so of course I said yes. I get to the house and it is a woman making pupusas to sell out front of her house. Pretty typical. She lives right on the highway, many people do, so this is also not abnormal. As Salvador and I are sitting, enjoying our pupusas, it begins raining. It then gets dark. I live close to the border of Guatemala so semis pass by often. Also speed limits are really a slight suggestion here as opposed to a law. Please just imagine me sitting on the side of a highway, in the dark, pouring rain, with an El Salvadorian woman making pupusas and semis passing us, bombing towards the border at like 90mph. And now just think about how it is in the states. People freak out if pulling over on the side of the highway is a necessity, forget eating dinner and relaxing there. Dangerous? Sure. Adrenaline rush? You betcha.
Story #3: This is not really a story as much as an interesting observation. What do you put in sandwich bags? Sandwiches right? Sometimes chips? Soda? Dish soap? Wait what? People in El Salvador put literally anything you can think of in a bag and sell it. You name it, it can be sold in a bag and tied at the top. Dish washing soap, laundry detergent, water, sour cream, mayo, ketchup, mustard, any fruit or vegetable, soda, smoothies, homemade popsicles... the list goes on forever. If you are going to eat or drink whatever it is, just bite a whole in the corner and you are set! How do you set it down if you need to? You don't.
Story #4: People here point with their lips.
Just gonna let you think about that one.
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| My friend Sara needed a casual bridesmaids dress for her sisters wedding in 2 weeks. |
Crazy right? I am having a skirt made right now, will let you know how it comes out, but for these prices I will get a whole new wardrobe made while I am down here. Also I like this seamstress because she told me I was in her dream the night before I met her. Pretty sure we are ment to be friends.
Yes, I do think this is real life. Against all odds. And, I know you were think it. Also how many of you tried to point at something with your lips after you read #4? Be honest!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
What Up America?
Happy 4th of July! Well yesterday. I hope all of you had delicious plans to stuff your faces with hot dogs and burgers and 7 layer dips and maybe a marg or two. I was in the capital this past weekend for a couple of meetings and some 4th of July celebrations. I even got to see some fireworks! Yay America in El Salvador!
I am a part of an organization called Gender and Development or GAD. We work with the social construction of gender and assignment of specific rights, roles responsibilities and expectations to women and men. Many Peace Corps countries have GAD programs that seek to ensure that both men and women participate and benefit equally from development. Right now one of the things we are working on is a musical someone in the group created called "A Mi Manera" or "My Way". It basically deals with machismo in the campo. The main character is about to graduate college, she has a bright future, but she is feeling the social pressures to stay in her town and lead the life of a typical campo woman. To marry, have lots of babies and take care of the home. Anyways, there is a group of about 8 college kids from San Salvador who will be performing this musical all over the country. There will be 7 shows, and the first one is next week! So this weekend was full of dress rehearsals and finishing painting backdrops and last minute prop purchases. I just came into this group, so I am currently playing a little bit of catch up on everything, but it seems like a good group of people and some exciting events that will be going on!
Chucha loca. (Or crazy dog.) This is what I call Hoja more often than calling her Hoja. She is just so full of energy, really nothing I can do will exhaust her. Yesterday she bit several huge holes in my hammock. :( She loves to tear holes in my clothes. I am researching training methods. I know she is still just a puppy, but I hope she grows out of this soon.
I am going to do a cleaning campaign with the school in my community next week. Since there is a severe lack of trash management in this country, as a result most towns are covered in a layer (or two) of trash. This is a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes and dengue. So a lot of volunteers work with the kids in the school to do a trash clean up. Also I am hoping to get a trash truck to come by my town once a week. We need an organization system first, but hopefully this will lead to less people burning trash.
Another project I am thinking about is a water filter project. My community does not have potable water. So they drink the river water, but it is horribly contaminated and no one should drink it straight. Filters are about 30 bucks a pop, pretty expensive. And unfortunately many people (arguably the people who need it the most) cannot afford it. Also there are no grants that will cover paying for this. So I am at a little bit of a loss.
It is still raining. Everyday. I love the rain, I just do not love it when it makes everything smell terribly. But it does make everything green, and that is great!
Next week starts my town's Fiesta Patronales. Basically every village, town and city in El Salvador has a Saint that is "theirs". And for a week to two weeks every year this saint is celebrated. My town's starts next Friday and lasts 9 days. 9 days filled with pupusas and dances, ferris wheels and contests. Pictures to come.
Spanish word of the day- Chuco = Sucio = Dirty
Chuco is the El Salvadorian slang word for dirty. Which is what the river here is.
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| My village is beautiful :) |
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| She looks so cute and innocent dosen't she? |
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| Looks can be deceiving. |
I am going to do a cleaning campaign with the school in my community next week. Since there is a severe lack of trash management in this country, as a result most towns are covered in a layer (or two) of trash. This is a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes and dengue. So a lot of volunteers work with the kids in the school to do a trash clean up. Also I am hoping to get a trash truck to come by my town once a week. We need an organization system first, but hopefully this will lead to less people burning trash.
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| Day 3 of trying to get my clothes dry.... |
It is still raining. Everyday. I love the rain, I just do not love it when it makes everything smell terribly. But it does make everything green, and that is great!
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| Standing inside my town looking at the main entrance. |
Spanish word of the day- Chuco = Sucio = Dirty
Chuco is the El Salvadorian slang word for dirty. Which is what the river here is.
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| El Rio |
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