Nonsense

Well folks, my family came and went. I would say that they integrated pretty well and got a real sense of what I am doing, in the week that they were here. My Mom was caught scolding Hoja in Spanish, my Dad did shots with Cowboy Carlos (who has about 80 heads of cattle) and my brother picked up a bunch of words in Spanish (and actually taught me one). All and all it was a great trip.

Hoja loves chairs. 

I am sure you are all wondering what exactly I am spending my time doing down here in The Savior. Well, mostly I am trying to work on my Spanish skills and integrate into the community. This is what we are told to do for the first 6mo to year. It sounds like a lot of time, but if the community does not trust me, then nothing will get done. Here are a couple of ideas I am working on. The volunteer that was here before me had a Women's Group. There were only about 5 members and since the volunteer was a guy, he could not talk about a lot of sensitive subjects (like sex-ed and HIV/AIDS prevention). Since he left the group disintegrated. I would love to restart this group and open it up to more women in the community. Also since I am a women I can talk about issues that might be taboo for men to talk about with women. I have a lot of ideas, and I would like to try to make the group sustainable so that when I leave, they will continue to meet. 

I am also very interested in a water project. Getting my community potable water will be expensive and probably take at least 5 years. But someone has to get it started. I just found out that there is a water committee already formed in my town, which is a huge fist step. I am looking into grants and NGOs that could possibly help. In the mean time I am looking into a water filter project. This is, unfortunately, also expensive. Each filter costs about $30. A lot more than many in my community can afford. So I am looking for a grant or something that will help cover that cost. *Also none of you people who read this know ANYONE in Rotary Club?? Tisk tisk. I find that very hard to believe.*

I just finished reading a few books, and I loved all three of them. I read Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Pride and Prejudice, and Bossypants by Tina Fey. First of all, Pride and Prejudice was awesome. I read slowly because I did not want it to end. Drama, romance, old-fashioned letters and a woman heroin? Where is bad? No where. This is my new favorite 'classic' book. I also just finished the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series. The first two book were way better than the third, in my opinion. The third book was slow start. And actually I did not find myself enjoying it until the last 1/3rd. But I am sad that the series is over, especially since the third book's ending is totally set up for more books to come, but that will never happen. So sad. I also just finished Bossypants. I love Tina Fey. The disk drive on my computer has decided it will only play two of my DVDs. (DVDs are crucial down here, especially since it is not normal for women to be out after dark. Needless to say,  I have a lot of time to read and watch DVDs.) Anyways, one of the two DVDs that I have on rotation is Baby Mama with Tina Fey and Amy Pohler. Classic movie. Tina tells it how it is. And that is great. (I also feel that I can call her Tina because I have watched that movie so many times now, we are practically sisters.) 

My miniature hen had chicks! She laid 6 eggs, and 5 eggs hatched. They are adorable. I am so excited! Unfortunately there was a small incident where Hoja ate one of them, so now there are only 4. We will get to that in a moment though. This brings my current chicken total to 10, plus 1 rooster. Baller. 

Now on to Hoja. Girl is off the walls. I am daily reminded that I have no say over what she does. If she feels like it, or if there is food involved she might listen to me. Maybe. Since the spray bottle did not work out, I have started using some pennies in an empty soda can. She seems more aggravated by this than afraid. I want her to grow up a little so this crazy, teething puppy thing is over. Also she did actually scoop up and kill a 3 day old chick in front of my friend Joelle and her parents who were in town and had stopped by to say hi. I am totally mortified and I am sure Joelle's parents think I am just as much of a spaz as Hoja is.  

This week I am headed back to San Sal for three reasons. Reason one is that I have a dentist appointment. If you know me, you know that I have mad issues with dentists. Once when I was like 15 I was at the dentist getting a cavity filled. My dentist tried to put something in my open mouth without telling me, which I assumed was the novocain shot. So I slugged him. What? Don't tell me that would not have been your first response. (Remember when I wrote about my fear of needles? Yea that makes me do irrational things sometimes.) Needless to say he was pretty mad, and when I walked out of the office my Dad was quite aware that it was time to switch dentists. SO I think we can all assume that I am pretty stoked for my appointment tomorrow. It is just a cleaning. But I do not have the genetics for healthy teeth, so I already know nothing good can come from this. Wish my dentist luck people, and lets hope my anxiety can stay under control.

The second reason for my trip back to the capital is Harry Potter. Yes people, I will be seeing the final installment of HPotts. I am a little more than thrilled. If it were up to me, every HP movie would be 5hrs long and leave no details out. I would totally pay to see that. And it is going to be subtitled, not dubbed. Score! Reason number three, and probably most important, is my yearly In Service Training (IST). What's that you say? I just got done with 3 weeks of training? I know I know. But all PC El Salv programs have yearly training around this time. So I will have it again next August. I have no idea at this point what we will be learning about. Also it is only 3 days long. So I will be back in my site by Saturday. Holler. 

Here is a list of the books sitting on my table, waiting to get read. 

*The Poisonwood Bible- Barbara Kingsolver (This is the one Hoja tried to ruin, I am pushing through.)

*Shogun- James Clavell (Paige- I promise that I will finish this book in the next 19 months...)

*Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte (Started but hard to get into. As opposed to Pride and Prejudice, which was phenomenal and I never wanted it to end.)

*House of Sand and Fog- Andre Dubus III (Anything in Oprah's Book Club has to be gold.)

*The Dogs of Bedlam Farm- Jon Katz (From reading the back I am pretty sure this book will help me train Hoja... Maybe? Hopefully?)

*Say You're One of Them- Uwem Akpan (Again with the Oprah's Book Club comment.)

*Their Eyes Were Watching God- Zora Neale Hurston (Over the years I have learned to mostly trust my Mom's judgement in books, there for I have high hopes for this book.)

*Game of Thrones- George R.R. Martin (Not sure why the author has two initial 'R's in his name, but apparently this series is a phenomenon taking the US right now.)

Also Ali- If you read my blog, please answer this question. On your blog you mention that you miss 'American Cheese'. Can you clarify that. Do you miss slices of American cheese that people put on hamburgers and turkey sandwiches? Or do you miss the types of cheese found in America? Like bricks of cheddar, American cheese and cheese whiz? Because I miss the types of cheese that are found in America (excluding cheese whiz, although I retain my right to eat it without judgement). This includes American cheese. I like some Salvadorian cheeses, but I would kill for a brick of cheddar and a box of Triscuits. Also you are living in Paris, the cheese capital of the world. So you cannot complain about cheese. It is a law. Look it up.

Also who is still reading this blog? I am curious as to my fan base. I mean I know my family read this, but anyone else? Hello? Let me knoooow :)

Hoja gets tied up after she eats baby chicks. 

Family in The Savior.

People- I had a Dr Pepper with my bean soup last night. Think about the magic of that. Dr Pepper does not exist in 99% of this country. (Although my boss magically found it in San Sal once, but that is beside the point.) How did I come across this magical beverage you ask? My family. THEY WERE HERE! Yep the rents and my brother made the trek to The Savior for a whole week. It was glorious. Besides the fact that they brought me a teflon frying pan (I know I am a freak for requesting this), a real pillow, new non-stretched shirts,  and the third Girl With the Dragon Tattoo book (just to name a few things),  we had a stellar time traveling the whole country.

Bro breaking in my new hammock

We took a couple days in San Sal perusing the museums and hitting up a huge fair that was going on. I spent most of the time seriously worried that my family was going to get mugged. They were not nearly as concerned as I thought they should be. I mean we did get patted down before entering the fair grounds, but who knows. We made it out of the capital unscathed, and headed up to my site. We spent some time in my pueblo, buying super cool hammocks and a cowboy hat for my brother (which he maybe had off his head for a total of 20min after it was purchased).  We took a walking tour of my community. My fam tried all of the exotic food I have been talking about on here. They ate enchiladas, pupusas, and atole de elote.

Atole de elote is a corn, milk and sugar soup or drink. It can be had hot or cold. Readers, my family are champs. This stuff is not normal food. Especially when a huge, steaming hot bowl is served at lunch time, and I have threatened them that I will be outcast in my community if they do not eat everything they are given. Solid job family.

Pop-sicle

After my community, we headed to Ataco to celebrate my mom's birthday. Ataco is a small artisan town set in the mountains. They have the best goat cheese. Ever. We stayed in some beautiful cabins, and probably could have stayed a week. We then took the beach road along the south and headed east and eventually north to the department of Morazan. We stayed in a small town called Perquin that was the head quarters for the guerrilla movement of the El Salvadorian civil war back in the '80s and '90s. If you do not know about the war that took place down here, you should go do some reading, it is crazy. Way to go US government for giving $7 billion in support to the wrong side, solid job.

On our way back to San Sal, we hit up San Vicente where I had my first two months of training. We visited my host family, the training center, the terrific taco place and of course the pan dulce shop. No trip to San Vicente is complete with out a trip to the pan dulce shop.

We then headed back to the capital for one more night before my family se fue a Los Estados. We went back to the same restaurant we ate at when we were in San Sal before. I ordered the same dish as it was so good the first time, I cleaned my plate. I was not super hungry this time around so it was not shocking to me that I did not finish my meal. Around 2am that night, I woke up with terrible stomach cramps and spent a significant amount of time in the bathroom.

As my family got up and was ready to depart for the airport, things had not quite worked them selves out in the stomach department. I know they felt huge amounts of guilt leaving me in such a state, but who could have known the road I was headed down. I tried to fall back asleep, but by 10 when there was no sign of improvement and my stomach cramps were leaving me immobile and in tears, I called the PC med office. I was told to go to the lab for some tests and come back to the office to await the results. The lab tests were, of course, inconclusive. So the PC doctor decided to give me some meds for the symptoms I was experiencing and wait it out a little more. As soon as I took the meds, I threw them up and the PC doc decided the correct course of action was to admit me to one of the hospitals in San Sal.

Despite being in a developing country, the hospital I was taken to was very modern and I received great care. They dealt with my hysterics, as well as anyone ever has, as they drew my blood and put in an IV. (For those of you who are unaware, I have a very strong distaste for needles, especially the kind that stay put in my veins for more than .5 seconds.) I was in the hospital for just over 24 hrs. They decided that I had food bourn illness, and it had passed by the next afternoon, so I was released.

I feel totally better now, except that my family has gone and I wish they were still here. Or I wish I was there. Or something. (Not tryin to live in Florida though, sorry.) We had a great trip but, unfortunately, I only took about 3 pictures. My Mom has all of the photos. So if you know her, I am sure she would be glad to show you. If you don't know her, well you are out of luck, and she might be super weirded out if you contacted her. Careful there.

I will post again soon and update you all on the rest of my life. Teaser: new chicks, Hoja is crazy, PC projects? I know you will be waiting on the edge of your seats, so I will try to post it quickly.

Stereotypes and Expectations

Confession: I lost my razor so I have not shaved in a long time. So long that my leg hair is soft. TMI? Probably, but it made me think about the stereotypes people have of PC volunteers.

When I think of PC volunteers I totally think of unshaven legs among other things. But the truth is, that is just not the way it is. Most of my PC friends shave their legs. There are so many ugly stereotypes of volunteers that are just not true. Most of us are young professionals (read: fresh out of college), and not very many of us are, what I would call, 'crunchy'. Lets define that though, crunchy is a hippy/vegan/hemp wearing/non shaving/ sometimes high/ sometimes preachy/ always eating granola and tree hugging type of people. There were a lot of very crunchy people that went to Umass. A lot. This is not a bad label by any means, just a lot of people think this is the only type of people that join the Peace Corps.

I have a little bit of crunch in me. I love granola (Uncle Paul if you are reading this you make the best granola EVER) and organic local milk. I have hugged a tree before. I was a vegan for a month my freshman year of college. But I do not think people would define me as crunchy based on my definition of the word. And I would not define most of the volunteers in El Salvador that I have met as crunchy. Some of them, sure, but the majority no.

Another stereotype (that I am also going to call an expectation for those of you volunteers who are reading this) (that sounded nice, but I do not think any volunteers read my blog) that we deal with is how 'hard' we are going to have it. Don't get me wrong Peace Corps is hard. It is hard to learn a new language and not be able to express yourself. It is hard not having clean water. It is hard leaving everything you know for something new. It is hard battling cultural norms. It is hard starting projects and finding funding. But I do not live in a dirt hut. I have electricity and internet. I live 10 minutes from a hospital and grocery store. Again, this is not the norm for all volunteers, but for many, it is.

I just wrote an article for the Peace Corps El Salvador magazine, El Camino, about expectations. It started out about the changing of what volunteer's lives have morphed into over the past 50 years. But ultimately it changed to an article on what people expect before they get into their country and why PC begs us to lower or get rid of expectations. I argue for a change in expectations. Peace Corps is not what it was 50 years ago, and I think that is the way it should be. Sure there are probably volunteers in Africa who live in mud huts, but that is no longer the norm. What have development organizations been doing for the past 50 years if not moving people out of dirt huts and lifting people into healthier lives?

Believe it or not, a lot of volunteers complain about how 'cushy' we have it. Some even call it 'posh corp'. But don't even get me started on that. Because these people are welcome to come take a bucket bath with my gross river water and I dare them to tell me I am living a posh life style. Sheesh



Also here are some obligatory pictures of Hoja. For all of you who have seen Baby Mama  this is how my covo with Hoja went down.
Me: Hoja, is that just a feather or is it a whole bird? Feather or whole bird? Aw it's just a feather!
(Because she did actually eat one of my chickens last week, so this is now a real worry.) Oy.

So tired of shenanigans. Hers and mine.
She is not amused.

Here is your Word of the Day:
Yard = Patio
I know that one is hard, right?