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.

My friend Sara needed a casual
bridesmaids dress for her sisters
wedding in 2 weeks. 

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!

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!

My village is beautiful :)

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!

She looks so cute and innocent dosen't she?

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.

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.

Day 3 of trying to get my clothes dry....

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!

Standing inside my town looking at the main entrance.

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.

El Rio

If You Are Planning on Visiting...

Here are some essentials you should bring with you. (And you really should visit. I just know you would love it down here :) )

*Sturdy sandals (Lots of walking down here, and it is too hot for sneakers. Also we are in rainy season right now, so sandals are so much easier to wash off when covered in mud.)

*Sun screen (Now I have buckets of sunscreen, but, hey, that's mine. Bring your own!)

*A hat (Or you could just buy a cool, classic cowboy hat down here.)

*A swim suit (I will probs take you to the beach. I mean when was the last time you saw black, volcanic sand? Yeah that's what I thought.)

*DO for your BO (Translation- deodorant.) (Life can get smelly down here, I sweat more down here than I ever have in my life. Yes Umass rowers, even more than an erg workout in the Boyden cage.)

*Speaking of sweat, you should bring a sweat rag. (Gross right? No idea what I would do with out it. Bandanas work wonderfully.)

*Flip flops (For walking from my house to the bathing/ pila area/ bathroom.)

*Shorts/ short sleeves/ jeans/ maybe one sweater. (It is hot here. But chances are I will take you some place chilly. Yes those places do exist in El Salvador. Be prepared for whatever.)

*Imodium. Pepto Bismol (Not for me mind you, I have a stomach of steel. Not all are as lucky as I. You will probably get sick. Just own up to that fact and be prepared.)

*Willingness to try new things. (We are not in America. You cannot get in your car and get a Big Mac and fries when ever the mood suits you, so be open. You probably will not like everything you try, but hey how often are you in El Salvador?)


Things to NOT bring:
*Your computer (1. I have one you can use. 2. There are internet cafes. 3. It is not worth your risk.)
*Anything super valuable. ( I have not had any issues, but I have heard too many horror stories. Just play it on the safe side please.)
*Anything you will be horrified if it gets ruined. (Because, hey, we are in a developing country. Shit happens.)
*A bad attitude. (You are on vacation. Check that 'tude at the door, and come on in. We are going to have a great time :))


So as far as clothes are concerned, in the capital and at the beach you can wear whatever you want. They are used to seeing tourists and are a little more forward thinking when it comes to clothes. But when in my community or in smaller towns, it is more appropriate to reign it in and be more conservative. What does that mean? Please do not wear booty shorts and a tube top in my community. But at the beach that is totally acceptable. Skirts, t-shirts, tank tops, pants, knee length shorts, capris, ets. are all acceptable.

As soon as you have your ticket, holla atcha girl so I can pencil you in. :)

Enchiladas

Every week my host mom, Melida, makes enchiladas to sell in the community. Now there are these types of enchiladas, but that is not boat we ride down here in El Salv. The enchiladas we have down here are a little different. Here is a step by step tutorial on how to make enchiladas, Salvo style.

Step one: Prep the curtido (or cabbage topping eaten with just about everything down here) (basically its cole slaw haha)

Step two: Prep the veggies

Host sister Evania peeling and dicing potatoes and guisquil (a squash like veggie) 

Cooking said veggies with bullion until tender

Step three: Prep the masa (or dough that makes tortillas and the base layer for our enchiladas)

The pink stuff is the masa. Usually it is more of beige, but for enchiladas color is added. 

Step four: Create balls of masa to be smooshed by the masa smoosher (no idea what it is actually called haha)

Smooshed.

Step five: Deep fry masa circles

Step six: Top with cooked veggies

Step seven: Add curtido

Step eight: Add salsa blanca and salsa rojo (probably ketchup and mayo, but who knows for sure?)

Step nine:Add crumbled queso duro*

Step ten: Eat!

Host mom, Melida, indulging in an enchilada :)

It is an odd mixture of flavors, but surprisingly delicious. Don't knock it till ya try it! A quarter will get you two enchiladas. I usually get two quarters worth, and its perfect for dinner. People in the community gobble (literally) this stuff up. Melida usually runs out of supplies before she runs out of customers. I put an estimated cost of supplies at about five bucks, and tonight she sold about $8 worth. Meaning she gained about $3, not a lot, but hey, every bit counts.

*Queso Duro is a hard, very salty, terribly smelly cheese. This is the *only* way I will eat queso duro. Totally grosses me out any other way.












Also I just got a stove! Only one of the burners works, but hey that is better than the none I had before. And it was free! I had to buy a tank of gas for it which cost me $15.70. Now, that may not seem like a lot, but in January the government tripled the price of gas from $5 to $15. For famlies who are struggling to get by down here, that is a HUGE jump. But here it is... Now I just need a table haha

How to Save The World- Or at Least Teach A Women's Group How to Make Shampoo

Like this picture of a strangely delicious fruit called mamón.
You bite off the outer shell and eat the
gooy center that surrounds the seed in the middle

Well I said I was going to post from San Vicente didn't I? And I did not. That was due the the terrible fact of my computer charger being fried and my intense dislike of El Salvadorian internet cafes. Also now I can add some colorful pictures to brighten the post. :) And if it makes you feel any better I am super out of touch with news. I do not even know who the Republican presidential candidates are... I am a disgrace to Poli Sci majors everywhere. 


So I did just spend 3 weeks back in San Vicente for more training. Literally I now know how to or have the information to complete just about any project a Peace Corps volunteer could ever want to do. I can make shampoo. I can start a women's or youth group. I can teach basic hygiene and first aid. I could start a trash or recycling campaign. I could have a chicken or rabbit project. I could teach English. I can promote HIV/AIDS prevention. I could run a camp on pretty much any theme you can think of.  I could teach life skills or self esteem. I can teach nutrition. I can apply for grants and scholarships.  The list goes on, but I think you get the point. Literally were were going for the entire 3 weeks. I am glad to be back in my site now. It did take a little readjustment once back in site, but I am pretty much back into the swing of things.        

Lil guy hiding in the lid of my water filter.

Since I have been back, it has been a whirl wind. Some interesting things that have happened in the last week. - My host dad brought out the head of a deer and ate it at the lunch table. -At that same lunch he pulled one of my host sister's teeth out with pliers. (Thank you Dad for never being serious about that) -Two of my chickens died. :( -I had to travel to Santa Ana (the city) to pick up a package. It was in a warehouse. At the jail. Sweet. 

This is my pila. It is filled with river water. This is what my river
 water looks like during rainy season. This is what I shower with and
wash my clothes and dishes with.  'Nuf said. 

OK so it is officially rainy season. I was assured by numerous people that it would cool down. It has not, we have just added humidity to the mix. Terrible. Lets get down to the dirty dirty though. What does a little rain and humidity really mean for me?  *whining commence now* Well you can refer to the picture here of my pila water. Gross, just gross. (Yes parents you will have to bathe with that when you come visit.) The rain mixes up the river water, so it is visibly filthy. Usually it is pretty clear, so I can pretend to ignore the copious amounts of bacteria that are in it. But never mind how clean I feel, I feel like my clothes are never truly clean. Speaking of my clothes, it is so humid here that my clothes never fully dry. (Also the fact that it rains every single day could have something to do with that.) The shirt I am wearing right now is dry but smells like mildew. So there's that. Also it is mosquito season. Let's all cross our fingers I make it until October without contracting dengue. *End of whining*

This is where Hoja sleeps now. On my table.
She will not have it any other way. 

Well on to happier things. Like Hoja. Also I realized for all of you non-Spanish speakers out there Hoja might be a little odd sounding if you pronounced it like an American. haha It is actually pronounced Oha. haha Here is a series of pictures. None of them are staged. She is actually this cute all the time. 

When she finishes her chores she has to do her Spanish home work.
This is also very hard. 

I am so mean, I make Hoja do all the chores.
Takes a lot out of a little puppy. Also
please note how ghetto my broom is
with its handle made of a tree branch. 

My backyard is full of corn! 

Also now we are in the middle of corn season. Salvadorians eat a lot of corn. I know Americans eat a lot of corn, but it is usually hidden in the form of HFCS or chips. But here, there is no hiding it. Tortillas, corn on the cob, tortillas, deep fried tortilla dough filled with potato, tortillas, pupusas and tortillas. People here brag about the amount of tortillas a day they eat. And really, it's quite impressive. Some people eat upwards of 10 tortillas EVERYDAY. haha This just blows my mind. My host mom told me I needed to eat better and I could start by eating more tortillas. Most families have huge containers that they store all of their corn in for the entire year. But right now they are growing it, and El Salvador is covered in a blanket of corn fields, and this does not exclude my backyard. 

Punk rock corn? I'll take it.

 Spanish word of the day. Milpa = Corn fields 
I won't pinky promise that I will post more often now that I am back in my site and have my computer up and running, but I will make a better effort. I know how you all await my posts.

Little bumble gathering corn pollen.
Everyone and thing loves corn down here.