Carlos Saves el Mundo

Belize

2008-07-20T07:52:00.002-06:00

It finally happened, I am no longer a Peace Corps Volunteer. And to commemorate the event I left El Salvador with a few friends and hit the road for a short vacation in Belize.

Things started off with a real bang. We hopped a bus that we heard about through the grapevine that leaves from the Belize embassy and drops you off in the Belmopan, the capital of Belize. Well when we got there it was tiny and painted like a circus van covered in tourist signs. Things immediately got interesting when the tarp didn't cover the luggage and it rained. After solving that problem, we got going and one of the bags fell off the roof rack. Luckily it wasn't my bag, but we had to stop and re-organize all the luggage on the roof right there on the side of the highway. In the best decision of the day Matt and I decided to have a quick beer in Guatemala before crossing into Belize. It turned out to be the best decision all day because the two people we were supposed to leave at the border weren't being let through, and although we were supposed to leave them, our drivers wouldn't leave. So two hours later we finally loaded up our van and to our surprise, instead of leaving two people, we picked up an extra. Meanwhile through all of this the others in the van talked about us "Gringos" to the drivers, fully aware that all spoke spanish and understood everything. But everything was redeemed upon getting to Bryan's house and finding two large pizzas and cold beers waiting for us. Nothing says welcome like beer, pizza and a friendly face.

The second day was just as adventurous. The plan was to get to Placencia, a beach peninsula in the southern part of Belize, by taking the local buses. Well we got on the 12pm bus and it was like bizarro world. The bus was colorful, but not as colorful as we had been used to. The seats had not been adjusted to try to squeeze in three and two passengers and people weren't elbowing you to rush to the seats. The bizarro kicker was that the vendors started getting on and selling all the old favorites IN ENGLISH. I had never even thought of what to call plantain chips in english until the other day. Two buses and a water taxi later we got to our hotel. We immediately changed and jumped in the ocean where Erin and I were promptly stung by a jellyfish. All was made well by finding a restaurant that served more mexican style food and the Guatemalan waitress was relieved to speak to us in spanish.

The third day had little special to speak of except that it was a pleasant day spent by the beach and exploring Placencia. We had dinner at a tasty restaurant that we picked because there was an englishman playing guitar. Although the qualifications where lax for our restaurant choice, it was very good and I had an awesome piece of fish.

The fourth day was the big one. We had reserved a "Rasta Sail" the previous evening and were desperately hoping for the rain to pass so we could have a good day on our boat. On our way we wanted to stop by the office and see if we were going out or if there was a refund available, however it was closed. So we just went to find the boat and our Rasta Captain. We wound up sailing out into choppy water and driving rain. Angie did her thing and complained most of the way, but we made it to a private caye, appropriately named Sipro Caye (spelled differently than Cipro, but pronounced the same). Once there we swam to shore and Jasp, our Rasta captain, cooked us up a Barracuda and a vegetable dish on an open fire. Then he took us for a snorkel all the way around the island before we got back in the boat and steeled ourselves for a a sail back to shore and more rain.

The fifth day was spent relaxing on the beach again and trying to make proper time to the bus back to Belmopan and Bryan. Again he was our saviour with a pasta and salad and beer as always.

The Most Selfish Thing I Have Ever Done

2008-07-08T08:57:00.002-06:00

Think hard about that. What is the most selfish thing you have ever done? I know I've done my share of selfish things. None of us are free from our childhood fits when we NEEDED that new G.I. Joe or Barbie. Not just childhood flights of fancy, how many of us bought that awesome new album instead of a text book. But I'm not talking small selfish actions, I mean something huge that affected everyone around you. I did something like that. That something was joining the Peace Corps.
I know what everyone is thinking, Peace Corps is a selfless thing to do, not a selfish thing. That is true, I have been working in another country, for the welfare of another people, in another language for changes that I will never be able to enjoy. I am sure everyone who has benefitted from that work is sufficiently thankful. The truth is that I joined the Peace Corps in a large part for selfless reasons, the desire to do something for my fellow man, to live up to the values I have been taught, to give a bit of the bounty that I was born with. But at the same time I would be lying if I was to say that there wasn't substantial selfish motivation as well. On a whole I think I am getting the better part of the benefits of my Peace Corps service.
Peace Corps is and always will be an intensely personal and selfish thing. You are separated from friends and family, cut off from familiar places and things and generally isolated from what you knew. You must develop the courage to confront your new situation, the motivation to get up and do something, the fortitude to withstand failure and the confidence that what you are doing actually matters. When all is said and done here, the only constant of my service is me and what I have learned. I can only hope that the people I worked with picked up even a fraction of the personal knowledge or life experience that I did. However, these people can't help me in my life outside of Peace Corps.
It seems odd that the most selfish thing I have ever done is also the most selfless thing I have ever done, but the two are not mutually exclusive. Nothing seems so contradictory about the fact that helping others also helps yourself. I also don't see a problem in allowing myself to reap some benefits from serving others.

Only What I Want To Do

2008-07-01T11:54:00.000-06:00

Over the past two years I have met with what is both a unique challenge and a unique opportunity. The truth about Peace Corps work is that we have to make it happen ourselves. Although we are supposed to work directly on what our community needs and wants, that doesn't mean that we are obligated to do anything that our community asks. We have the option of picking and choosing our work and projects. Which, when weighed against the fact that we pretty much have to pick our projects then do all the legwork to make them happen, means that we have complete oversight over our work.
So I have been doing only those things that I have wanted to do over the last two years. And if I did anything I didn't want to do, it was completely my fault and nobody else's. I can't think of a time in my life that I can say the same thing about. Before Peace Corps my life consisted almost entirely of school, and although I have a lot to say on that subject, the truth is that I was forever obligated to work on someone else's schedule and turn in projects, papers, and assignments at the whim of somebody else. And I am staring point blank into returning to the US and jumping into work. That means that I will be part of the "normal" working world where I am responsible for deadlines, goals and productivity. And while ideally the goals and efforts of my employer will line up with my own, that isn't always the case and everyone feels some pressure over their work.
So it is with a great appreciation, and a great deal of sorrow that I look back on this mythical experience I have had, in which I am free to do whatever I want, whenever I want with whomever I want and for the most part it is work. For example, one of the Peace Corps' three main goals is to promote cultural understanding on the part of host country nationals, so anytime I stop and talk to people in my town about how life is different here, then I am contributing to that goal. Or choosing not get involved with environment committees in the local schools and not to get involved in other activities like soliciting money to renovate a community center. I have had complete oversight over my time management, my community involvement, my project work, my image and almost every aspect of my life. And while it wasn't a complete change, nor exactly as I would want to lead my life in an ideal situation, it taught me a lot about myself and how I conduct my life.

Dates

2008-06-29T12:49:00.002-06:00

So everyone knows I finally have all my dates relevant to returning to life in the US sorted and plane tickets purchased. On July 15th I cease to be a Peace Corps Volunteer and become a normal American again. That same day I leave for Belize with several of my buddies here to have a good time and drop one friend off to work for Peace Corps in Belize. I get back to El Salvador July 22nd only to rush off to my house, pick up my stuff and my dog and fly to LA on July 26th.

That is where the planning stops. I don't know what I will do in LA or how long I will stay there before leaving for Utah and a more permanent part of my new life. I need to stick around long enough to get my life back in order and get my car packed but I don't really know what that means.

Seeing the Sites

2008-06-10T14:08:00.002-06:00

A while back it began to dawn on me that I have been here over two years at this point and still haven't done many of the things that everyone says are "must sees" in El Salvador. It always sort of happens like that I think. You spend so much time just living and trying to fit in that you forget that you can be a tourist in your own back yard. I mean it wasn't until I was ready to run off to college that I got out and really started to see lots of LA that people from anywhere else think of. Well I decided that with so little time left, it was now or never.

So I called up one of my friends and planned a day out in Juayua. For a brief background, Juayua is a pueblo in the middle of the tallest mountain range in El Salvador and located on what has been deemed the Route of Flowers because of the beautiful scenic nature of the road and the flowers that bloom there year round. Every weekend there is a huge food festival and market in the town square in Juayua, which although I have been to Juayua, I have never managed to get to before. Nearby there are natural waterfalls that flow not from any river, but directly out of the volcanic soil that makes up the mountains. I got up early, met Kelsey in Sonsonate and headed out to hike the waterfalls and then eat to our hearts content.

Along the way we ran into some friends who told us about an archeological site in the middle of a coffee plantation just up the road and decided we had the time and energy to go there as well. It is the site of former Mayan sacrifice and worship. It dates back to the pre-classical period here in El Salvador, and although the vast majority of artifacts have either been removed to the national museum or the owners personal museum, there are still three rock idols remaining and the footprint of the worship area. The idols are round and not of local rock, which indicates that they were moved from a great distance and intentionally set in their positions.

When all was said and done it and done it started to rain while I was headed home. I also missed the last bus into my site, which meant that I had to walk it. I had never attempted that road on foot, only on bus or bike. So I threw on my headlamp and trekked back home with 10 pounds of dog food on my back, rain on my clothes and a smile on my face. I actually managed it in around 35 minutes and beat the bus home.

I would do it all again too.

The End Is Nigh

2008-06-04T21:19:00.002-06:00

In the interim since my last post my life here has been changing considerably. I already shared a bit of the unusual circumstance of sharing a town, a house, work and friends with another volunteer. I am trying not to be in his way and let him start his life. But at the same time, I can't help but be both a little jealous and a little annoyed everywhere I go. People have taken to asking me his whereabouts and why he isn't with me as the first item of conversation everywhere I go. At the same time I know he gets called Carlos all the time and people wonder why he can't really speak spanish, but I can. I imagine it has to be a little more trying for him than it is for me since I am already so comfortable and well known there. But for the most part his presence isn't so much a nuisance as a portent that things are coming to an end.

A few weeks back we had our official Close Of Service (COS) conference which detailed the administrative, personal and work related processes of finalizing our time in Peace Corps and saying goodbye. It was weird to sit there and listen to people telling me what I would feel and how I should go about conducting my last days. As if it was all a little unreal and part of some crazy dream that I knew would happen but never really believed I would participate in. The conference also outlined all sorts of administrative minutiae and reports that are necessary to convert ourselves from PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers) into RPCVs (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers).

So for the past few weeks I have been lazing around my town, and allowing myself to settle into what I call Peace Corps senioritis. I know that I need to start phasing myself out of my work and phasing my replacement in, so I basically send him to the vast majority of scheduled meetings and either don't go, or just sit in the crowd. I don't want to step on his toes you know. Plus I have been writing all manner of reports; formal reports in the third person, informal reports about all my projects, spanish reports with recommendations for my community, quarterly reports and whatnot. In all the slovenliness and report writing I have basically given up reading books and parked myself in front of my computer either writing or watching digital versions of TV shows that my friends have given me (both english and spanish).

For the last 3 days I have been camped in San Salvador for my final Spanish interview and my COS medical evaluations. The Spanish interview went well, I was rated as Advanced Mid, which is only two spots below the highest possible on Peace Corps propietary language scale, the highest spot basically reserved for only native speakers. As far as COS med, it is a lot of pooping in cups, running around to appointments and waiting around to see doctors or get results. I make use of some of the down time to hang out with some friends that I don't see very often and to take care of some of the other administrative stuff like final evaluations, closing talks with staff members and other things like that. Fortunately it still leaves my evenings free to hang with Sam and Angie who I scheduled my COS med with.

We are staying at our friend Amir's place and living in style for at least a short time. Tonight we crashed a catering open house that another friend had a table at. It was meant for people who were planning to host events like weddings to come and see what was available, but we used it for a free dinner and better food than we could ever hope to afford on our salary. I have to say it was one of the best nights of my Peace Corps experience.

Tomorrow I have more of the same medical stuff, but I am buying a plastic kennel to fly Kaya home in. The thought is that since the Country Director and my Program director are coming to my sight for my final Sight Assessment, I can buy a kennel and hitch a ride in the Peace Corps vehicle to get myself and the kennel back home in.

Considering the general pace of my life over the past two years I never really realized that PC could be this much of a rat race at the end. I mean I am rushing all over for appointments and meetings and struggling to fit in time for friends and my site. I mean I haven't been home since Sunday night, but after I get home on Friday I am heading out on Saturday to get some quality time with another friend before my time and hers are both too hectic to see each other. Luckily I don't feel much guilt about work or my site (besides my close friends there) because I have my replacement there to pick up my slack.

Welcome Matt

2008-05-14T08:55:00.002-06:00

I have a new house and a new volunteer. I knew there was a possibility that a new volunteer would be assigned to my site in the new group and that I would have to share my town for a while. Well the possibility is now a reality and he is a pretty cool guy, so I lucked out. Since he is a guy I offered to live with him, and immediately afterwards Lipe (old neighbor) offered me one of his houses which is twice as large as my old one for the same price. So now Matt and I moved into what is either my 4th or 5th house depending on how you want to count. So I am averaging a different house every 6 months of my Peace Corps service. The new house is huge and what I am most excited about actually has sinks, two of them. Those are indoor sinks. Plus, the bathroom and shower are indoors. I don't really care for indoor bathroom and showers anymore since it means water and smells IN the house, but the sinks and a counter in the kitchen are godsends.

Otherwise life is good. I made it back to El Salvador in one piece after my vacation in the US with no other problems than a small fear of populated elevators. The swearing in and party were fun and I enjoyed hosting some friends at the Sheraton again. I will have to invent a reason to come in a get a room in the future. I am still not terribly into large parties of the sort that we had, but I go for the sake of seeing other volunteers. It gives me a chance to see people in a different situation. Namely with their hair down, ready to have a good time, and actually cleaned up and looking like people. Unfortunately it comes with the inevitable party problems. A few people get a little too drunk, there is always the noise in the club and the general chaos of getting around San Sal at night.

Slowly the reality of the last swearing in, having a new volunteer in my site and going to my COS (close of service) conference is making the reality sink in that I have more than just one foot out the door. Already I am jealous of Matt because people in my town have so readily started trying to get him to come to things and not me. I will have to deal with that and just allow myself to slowly get phased out. My PSP is helping. Plus having a new house to get organized helps too.

Urban Safari

2008-04-07T12:05:00.003-06:00

Yup those are baby lions we are holding. I don't really know why they were at the mall or why they were letting people hold them, but the travelling circus had baby lions. Of course when presented with the opportunity to take this photo we jumped on it. I mean who wouldn't?

I Spoiled My Appetite

2008-04-05T14:48:00.002-06:00

Yes that is right, I went to my friend's house last night to have dinner as I usually do and I wound up ruing my appetite before they could make my dinner. First I should describe my usual dinner: a small piece of fresh cheese, some beans (usually similar to refried) and an egg cooked in salsa. That gets the job done, but yesterday I couldn't even eat that. Why, you ask? Mangos.
Yes, I spoiled my appetite by eating about 5 mangos before I called it quits and told Javi (my friend's son) that if I ate anymore I wouldn't eat dinner and I would probably get the runs. But its mango season and I have to hurry to eat the mangos the way I like them before they are all too ripe, or worse gone. I like them when they are green on the outside and just turning orange inside. That is when they are still a tad crispy, not acid anymore, but not sweet-sweet yet and dan't leave strings in your teeth. Plus, if you put a little salt on there they are just awesome. Of course there is always the line of too much of a good thing and I think I nearly crossed it last night. Luckily I didn't.
I look forward to a few more mangos today.

Internet Links

2008-03-22T13:44:00.003-06:00

Ok, since I am currently stuck in San Salvador due to yesterday's lack of transport and my opinion that going home would be a waste of time just to leave again early tomorrow I am enjoying a degree of free time in the office and looking at the internet.

First a link to a YouTube page for Municipal Development for Peace Corps, El Salvador full of videos I edited:
http://www.youtube.com/user/munielsal

Second, a fun link with an essay outlining the theory that Calvin and Hobbes (my favorite comic strip)grew up to be the characters of Fight Club:
Calvin and Hobbes in Fight Club

Third, a comical indictment of religion posing as science which came up last night in a discussion regarding Scientology and Intelligent Design:
Pastafarian

I want to talk a little more about the first link. I don't know how often I mentioned it, but I did a huge amount of work on a Municipal Development documentary for Peace Corps, El Salvador for use as an informational video and training tool. This YouTube page represents our solution to distributing it to friends and family to help better explain what it is we actually do. Until now I had sort of forgotten it because instead of going to my In Service Training I was on vacation in Belize and missed my boss's official announcement of the page eventhough I helped him put it together. I really hope that everyone that reads this blog takes the time to watch some of the clips and tell their friends about it. I also plan to make it a permanent link on the right side.

Have I Changed?

2008-03-07T13:04:00.001-07:00

Everyone talks so much about how Peace Corps changes your world view and how you see your every day life. I believe them and then at the same time I find myself questioning that nearly every day. Lately I have been meditating on whether I can discern a change in my behavior.

On at least one point, how I deal with beggars, I find I am completely unchanged. I don't know whether to blame my college years in Berkeley, my American upbringing, my personal attitude or what, but I know that I don't see a change. I am, if anything, asked for handouts more regularly here than anywhere else I have ever lived in my life. Yet I still coldly turn everyone down. It breaks my heart a little every time I sit back and think about it because I want to be different, and at least on face value I am here to help relieve the effects of poverty on Salvadorans.

I don't do it with a cold heart. In fact I really do want to do something to help, but handouts just aren't the way I can see to help. First things first, I am one of the most recognizable people in my town and if I give even one cent to anyone, then everyone will know and come running to me. I can't really have that happening. But that still isn't the whole story. I encounter the same problem of drunks begging that people regularly encounter in the US. It is fairly pronounced, and while they run off to get their liquor, they are actually destitute in every sense of the word. Still I can't bring myself to support that way of life.

I understand there is a cause and effect question here. Perhaps their poverty and nearly non-existent chance at improving that life leads to the alcoholism, perhaps not. There is always the classic "they are drinking their little bit of money away and can't work because they are drunk" argument. Honestly I see both sides, but it doesn't change how I act.

So in the face of all this, what does it really say about me? Am I changed?

Better Late Than Never

2008-03-01T10:43:00.002-07:00

So I meant to update my blog a week ago when I finished translating with my friend Dan and his Medical Campaign. Basically what I have to say about it is WOW! Dan works for a Lutheran organization here in El Salvador and he helps organize trips of various Lutheran church groups to do public service trips here and then he acts as their translator. Occasionally, like last week he needs help translating because one person is just not enough.

The first thing I need to say is that the group in general was an interesting mix and, being mid-westerners, were amused by almost everything. The kind of amusement that can get old in a matter of minutes, especially when they are constantly pointing out what have become common, everyday sights to me. I have gotten a little used to being the entertainment while people let their Peace Corps curiosity run wild, but this took the cake.

After finally getting used to their personalities I started to translate for one of them that was testing for reading glasses. That is a thankless and boring job because its basically endlessly asking the same question and guessing at which glasses they need. Plus its not exactly medical, I mean they were just reading glasses. I got fed up after about 30 people came back telling me their vision was blurred and I had to repeat for the millionth time to take off the glasses, they are only for reading. Then I discovered that the guy I was translating for was an electrician. I gave up and moved over to an actual medical area.

That is where all the madness started. I moved to help a nurse take triage type info before sending the patients to one of the doctors. Well I basically helped figure out what was going on with some of the people that were a bit more embarrassed or less forthcoming. I heard more about lots of body parts than I ever really cared to, but I credit a medical family for not even batting an eye when I was being told all that stuff. I esencially diagnosed what we believe to be a case of chlymidia when the guy was telling me he had UTI like symptoms. I knew something was up then and just took over for the nurse. The doctor had to do a private exam and then we had to convince him to bring in his girlfriend. It turns out she had a nursing child and didn´t want to take the drug coctail. We finally convinced them both to take it by explaining that she probably had it and was giving it back to him after every treatment and that was why it wasn´t going away, additionally it could cause her to be infertile. That did it.

Later on the second day right as we were cleaning up a girl came in with a huge absess on her leg and the doctors decided to immediately cut it open, drain it and bandate it. All sounds routine, but we had no sterile water, no drainage kits and only dental syringes and lidocaine. So they numbed it with the dental lidocaine and flushed it with the same and then used a sterile glove finger as a McGyver drain. Meanwhile Dan and I are translating what is going on to the poor girl and her Aunt who was with her. The amount of crying, consoling and medical jargon flying around was nuts and I was sort of running around helping out. I felt a little like a scrub-tech. All went well though and the girl is better for it.

Afterwards I spent a few days relaxing and getting some personal time in. I promised Alana, who is leaving, that we would hang out and I would get a salon haircut before she left. So I did that and now I am sporting a bit of a feauxhawk. I also hung out with Mirna and her family, who Samuel met, for their daughter´s second birthday. That was all so necessary between the hectic translating and this last week because work is seriously picking up in my site. I am riding all over the place on bikes with my counterpart setting up school environmental committees and planning activities with the kids. It will be a packed last few months.

2008-02-20T16:18:00.002-07:00

Just thought that since I am at the office and have internet access I would post some of the photos on my camera from the Belize trip including this gorgeous panorama. There are lots of good shots of fishing and some off road Golf Cart action though.

I am off to do a bit of translating. Then when I get back I will be working on a map for a safety and security presentation. Interesting stuff for me, but unfortunately very boring to talk about.

Back from Vacation

2008-02-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

Yeah, that means I am back in El Salvador, and I think I need a day or two more to re-adjust after the amazing vacation I just took.

It started with renting a car and picking my brother up at the airport. Renting a car was something a little crazy for me, not that I haven't driven since I entered Peace Corps, but I hadn't driven in El Salvador yet and it was a trip. I hope he enjoyed briefly seeing my town, because it was nice to finally have someone come and see how I live and actually understand a bit of what I have been saying. As much as I try to explain it, I don't think people often really understand without actually seeing and doing.

The actual trip was fantastic and I don't think I want to describe it too much because that would take forever. Needless to say the food was one of the highlights for me because I just don't get anything that I would qualify as "cuisine" ever. Even the random down time was fantastic since I was constantly laughing at something that one of the three of us said. We played a lot of cards and just chatted quite a bit, which suited me fine because I don't get to relax with friends or family all that often. Plus relaxing is sort of the pace of life I am used to by now.

For sites, Actun Tunichil Muknar (I hope I spelled it correctly) took the cake and I want to upload photos as soon as I can. Basically it was a cave that we had to hike, swim, wade and climb to get into and once inside we saw the remains of Mayan sacrifices including human remains. That was totally my speed because not only did we see Mayan remains, but all the other outdoors stuff was an added bonus. Not that anything else we did was shabby, I mean we went snorkeling, diving, saw Tikal (the largest Mayan Pyramids in Central America) and golf carted around. I hope to have pictures up at some point.

The icing on the cake however was that my SIM card got stolen on my return trip to El Salvador. This after Samuel's phone and SIM got stolen when we were leaving. So I couldn't call home or the Peace Corps when I got in. Today I managed to talk a phone company person into getting me a SIM with the same phone number though and I am connected and ready to face the world again.

2008-01-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

First things first I have been slowly working on that piece of art for a while now for multiple reasons. First, my computer doesn't like huge photoshop files and likes to choke on them, so I can't work on it very much at one sitting. Second it is a completely new style for me and it took some time to figure out and decide how I wanted to work with it. But after stewing over it for so long I thought I would upload it and let it see the light of day. I don't really consider it finished so there will likely be a future version fixed up and with a mild background.

About my life I have been feeling both bored on a relational level and hectic rushing around. Two more of my closest Peace Corps buddies left about 10 days ago and slowly but surely the reality that Peace Corps volunteers in a country are in a constant state of flux is getting to me. I mean of all the people I used to hang out with this time last year, one remains and because of my move she is really far away. So I have been dealing with a form of the loneliness that comes and goes here. Mostly it takes the form that when I am bored and need to talk to someone, I don't know who to call or text so I just sit around and keep my thoughts to myself. To top all of that off, my boss Bryan, who is amazing, is leaving to take a better position with Peace Corps in Belize at the end of the month. Sad for us, but amazing for the volunteers in Belize. Unfortunately I will miss his last days because of the vacation that I am going on at the end of the month.

However I have been running back and forth all over the place quite a bit lately. I have started to install and train people in other sites to use my database that I was working on so heavily and so far it has taken me to two different volunteer's sites. Both were decently near by and fun to see. I have also been putting lots of touch up work into the documentary and now another internet short that I was working on for the Municipal Development program here. These sort of became a rush issue to get them done while Bryan is still around and so that I can see Bryan before he is gone. I feel like I haven't really done any work in my town for a long time, mostly because the City Hall was closed until recently and also because I have been running around so much. I'm trying to settle down until Samuel comes so I can feel like I got lots of good community time in before I run off again. But at the same time it vacation time. It has been since last May since I really took anything that resembled a real vacation, so I am very ready for this.

New Years

2008-01-04T14:43:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of keeping people up to date with my life and because I have been around lots of internet connected computers, I will let you know what I did for New Years.

I hopped on a bus with Kaya and went to a beach in La Libertad called El Tunco. That roughly translates to The Pig. I have heard two different stories about why it is called that, one is that a large rock in the water looks like a pig, the other is that when pigs were being created, they came to the beach to bathe and party and someone saw it. I am inclined to think both are false because I don't think pigs were "created" or that they came in from the ocean, also I think that the rock looks nothing like a pig. Anyway, a bunch of volunteers were there and we had a whole hostal reserved for ourselves. It was a bit of a mad house between my dog, the Crowe's dog and the various dogs that lived there and the multitude of volunteers. I tried letting Kaya have some freedom off the leash, but she quickly demonstrated just how much of a puppy she was, so she spent the rest of the time on the leash.

The actual party was a mixed bag of volunteers in various states of drunkeness and a few of their parents or embassy friends. I mostly abstained because I wasn't in the best shape for drinking and I had my dog with me. But I did enjoy the hijinks and the company. Plus I got a wicked sunburn, which may be worse than a hangover since it lasts a bit longer.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

For Christmas this year I accepted my boss's invite to an open house type party on the 25th not because I really wanted to celebrate Christmas, but because I wanted to see all my Peace Corps buddies and so that I didn't have to be lame and lonely. The side effect of that decision was that there was no transport to/from my site on the 25th, so I had to leave and go somewhere for the 24th, which can be a little crazy here.
The decision I made was to ride my bike to my friend Sam's house in Candelaria which is about 15Km or about 10 miles. It wasn't too rough a ride, but it was windy, and with my luck the wind was blowing right in my face and slowing me down to a crawl. But I made it after a little work and got to Candelaria. I was a bit on the hungry side after that long ride and the small lunch I had to avoid a stomach ache. I had completely forgotten that dinner on the 24th is often eaten very late at night. What I was also pleasantly unaware of until getting to Sam's is that his family intended to take me to mass with them. We went a bit early, which directly contradicts everything that I have come to expect of timeliness in El Salvador. So Sam and I went over to hang out with Sarah, the former volunteer there who was visiting her old host family, and to kill the time. To my utter surprise Sarah immediately introduced me as jewish, which flung her host father into a tirade about why my "race" insists on inculcating hate in their children and murdering arabs. I just sort of smiled and waited it out. Then I went to church and played the nice catholic boy attending mass. Then they got communion all ready and my stomach decided to remind me just how hungry I was. It was screeming at me "you go get that wafer, you suck it up and get me that wafer!" Never in my life have I wanted to receive communion more than I did on Christmas Eve.
Then the morning of the 25th we hopped a ride with Sarah back to San Sal and got ready for the party at Bryan's.

Always Surprising

2007-12-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

After five years living in a fraternity house and more than a year and a half in The Saviour I thought I had seen just about every random thing that I could see. On the 22nd I saw something that brought the two together like never before. I was invited along with some of the young people in my community to go to a pool/restaurant (think tiny water park). The first surprise, which in all honesty shouldn't have surprised me, was that a church group showed up and set up a portable mass in the middle of water park. Only here would anyone think to combine pools and mass. I felt a little guilty because I was there with my buddies and we were drinking a bit, though trying to be a bit inconspicuous. Nothing says El Salvador to me like a nice jewish boy having a beer in the middle of mass.
Then in the middle of all the madness I spied someone in a shirt that looked a little familiar. On closer inspection it said "Semper Pi". I realized rather quickly that it was an Alpha Epsilon Pi shirt that was a knock off of a US Marines shirt. I had seen that shirt before at a convention so the rest of it I could recite from memory, "The Few, The Proud, The Circumcised". I decided then and there that he had no idea what he was wearing and it was my duty to inform him. Luckily I knew the word in spanish for circumcision and was capable of fully explaining it to him. He seemed incredulous at best upon being informed that he was wearing a shirt advertising someone had sliced him up a bit. Then he one upped my by changing into an AEPi Stands With Israel shirt. Yes that is correct, the very same shirt that was sold at convention and given to all the brothers that went on birthright. I had to explain that shirt too. I had to explain that almost all my friends from college had that exact same shirt. Then the incredulous Salvadoran started asking me all about what Alpha Epsilon Pi was, which led to me explaining fraternities a bit, and realizing that the relatively simple act of explaining a circumcision led to a full scale discussion about fraternities to a Salvadoran who had never heard of either before in his life. I was in a bit over my head and I gracefully bowed out when one of my friends called to me.
The rest of the day was spent in the pool or on the water slides with my buddies and their kids. I never thought playing in a kiddy pool with a 2 year old could be so much fun, but I learn new things every day here in El Salvador.

Fiestas!

2007-12-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

Ok so I have mentioned to a few people that my town has been in the midst of Fiestas Patronales, or the yearly patron saint festivals. The time of year depends on who the patron saint of the town is, but by some happy coincidence my new town and my old town have the same saint and therefore the same dates for fiestas.

My current town, El Porvenir, has a larger and more full schedule for the fiestas than my old town though. It all started a little while back with the election of the queen for the fiestas. I was invited to sit at the table of honor, not really knowing what to expect, but not really wanting to turn down an invite either. So I showed up on time, which was foolish because lets be honest, its El Salvador. Well to my surprise it turned out to be a full scale beauty pageant. I was a little shocked to see how young the girls looked, and really shocked when they started announcing their ages, chest sizes, waist sizes and weights. I mean I didn't need to know that the sort of cute one was 14 and only weighed 98 pounds. That was what got me, there was no second thought of parading a bunch of underage girls in front of 100s of ogling men. Needless to say things weren't all of that calibre.

Most of the activities are small parades for the various queens and such. Some are parades with kids in masks like above. Others are just people doing dances and enjoying hearing themselves on microphones.

My favorite event was a BMX bike show where people were doing flips and such. I mean these were amateur Salvadorans that they brought in. Not all of them did flips, lots just did basic jumps or took their hands off the handles. They guy pictured got major air and did a flip over another guy. I almost lost it when I noticed he was close to hitting the flags and then almost clipped the guy below him as he came down. You can see he is coming in a bit low. After that there was a skateboarding event, all part of extreme sports day. I didn't really enjoy the skateboarding as much, but I did get out of the sun for it, which was nice. Plus there was good music for the skateboarding.

One of the days was Tropical Invasion, which just meant lots of live bands, none of which were even slightly tropical. I enjoyed the first one which was a ska band of sorts. Last night there was a rock band in the park which I listened to for a while until I could hear my ears ringing from the volume and then left. They were good, but I don't understand the Salvo obsession with volume.

I bought a bike and today I am off on my bike to have a meeting about improved stoves then hand out permission slips to kids who I am taking to the camp later this month. Fun stuff.

Thanksgiving and Beyond

2007-11-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

Last year I hung out with Stephen and Barbara and we cooked chili at Stephen's house. This year I did manage to have a traditional Thanksgiving meal. It is sort of a Peace Corps norm here to organize groups of Volunteers to stay with Embassy families and eat and drink and be merry. However this year there were more Volunteers than the Embassy could provide families, so Barbara and I went and stayed with another American couple who work for a Christian NGO called Samaritan's Purse. We had a good time and most importantly lots of good food. Unfortunately they had work early the following morning, so we got dropped off at the Peace Corps office a little before 7.

Since there was a game yesterday in San Miguel, I decided to relax on the 23rd in the capital and spend the evening with Kelsey to celebrate her birthday. During the day, with lots of time on my hands and most volunteers still crashing from turkey overload and the shock of staying in a nice house, I decided to go to the Anthropology Museum. I liked it. It was a little on the small side from an American or European stand point. I know that archeology was a relatively recent movement here and isn't so well followed right now, so I was prepared for a relative dearth of artifacts. Still the museum had some good stuff and information that the residents here just don't know. I was aware of a sign that said there was an archaeological site in Cara Sucia while I was living there, but the people brushed it off telling me it was nothing and that nothing ever came from it. Not true apparently, Cara Sucia was one of the earliest known cultural centers here and pre-dates the classical period with the Pipil Indians, keeping active until shortly before the colonial period. So there were some pleasant shocks, but I think they need to spend more time and energy on the cultural and historical background in the museum and cut back on the religion display (which is mostly modern christian) and the artisan display (also mostly modern) because they don't really give anything that you can't find everywhere here.

Kelsey's birthday was relaxed. We hit up Tony Roma's in typical American style and had burgers, desserts and some drinks. Mostly she wanted to just relax and hang out, so that is what we did.

Then yesterday I went to San Miguel for the monthly soccer game. Man oh man was it a scorcher. I think I very nearly got heat stroke and Ryan, another volunteer, I think did. I say I think I nearly got heat stroke because luckily we had substitutes and I could get off the field, drink some water and hang in the shade for 5 minutes or more. There was a pretty intense play where I (playing midfield) ran from a deep defensive position to push an offensive drive, but our lack of footwork caused a turnover and I had to turn an sprint back down the field. I chased my man down, got a defensive stop and cleared the ball. As soon as I could I called for a sub and got off. I managed to get all the way off the field, heave a little and then vomited a bit in the trash can. It was epic according to one of the Volunteers. So I relaxed a bit and had some water and cooled off before jumping back in to finish up the game.

After the game we hurried off to San Miguel for Carnaval, a once yearly festival that takes over the city and has music at nearly every street corner, a parade, dancing in the streets and just an all over the city good time. Erin, who organized the game, also organized a hotel in San Miguel so we were safe to go out and have a good time. I didn't stay out too late or drink too much since I didn't want to wind up severely dehydrated or worse. It was a good time, but I don't think I would do it again even if I were going to be here. Several Volunteers had attempted pickpockets. We were all prepared and didn't carry any phones, cameras, wallets or such like that so no harm no foul. Big huge festivals just aren't my scene. But I chalk it all up to getting a cultural experience and seeing more of the country.

Right now I am passing through San Salvador on my way back home to Santa Ana. I've been away from home for a few days and I want to get back to my dog and my new bike. Plus I need to get working on my part of the youth camp we are putting on in December. I am excited about that since it will be at Lago Coatepeque, a beautiful crater lake not too far from where we all live.

Getting Along

2007-11-01T16:01:00.000-06:00

Since Juayua not much has been happening. Life has slowed down a bit in my new site and things are starting to run like they always do. Missed meetings, no transport, people not showing up on time... all the things that drive Peace Corps volunteers nuts about working in El Salvador.

I've been driving myself nuts checking on my dog constantly and worrying about leaving her for more than a few hours. Basically I'm afraid she'll chew off her little splint. Its just coban and its tough to keep a dog from chewing it off. I tried hot sauce and aloe, which worked a bit. Now I just have to deal with the funky smell of her splint every time she comes limping around.

I got away for a day to get up to a soccer at another volunteer's site in Metapan, Santa Ana. It was gorgeous, one of the most gorgeous places I have seen in this whole country. We had the privilege of playing in the shadow of a waterfall. How often do you get to play on a field on a mountain with a waterfall in the background and goats on the field? Seriously, and not only was it gorgeous, but we won for once. They didn't put in a whole new team in the second half like usual. All in all a great game and a great night spent hanging out afterwards. We stayed in two cabins overlooking the valley below. We cooked an improvised dinner of chicken fajitas, chorizo and burgers which were all amazing.

I have almost finished my municipal promotion database which I planned to have implemented by January 1st. This should give me plenty of time to troubleshoot and fix it up so other volunteers can get it installed in their municipalities too. Then I will have a great reason to go around visiting volunteers and installing databases in various places around the country. I'm actually rather excited about it.

In January I think a few of us are going to put together a thinking outside the box camp. That basically means we will take a few kids from each of out communities to a site out on a lake and give some presentations about creative thinking and problem solving. Thrown in will be some fun ice breakers and soccer games and whatnot. Should be fun.

Unexpected

2007-10-16T22:20:00.000-06:00

Life is moving at a rapid pace for me now. Last week was a good week in general. I got a lot accomplished comparatively and there were some pleasant surprises along the way.
I'll start by talking about work. I met 3 girls, two that have previously received scholarships and are trying to renew them and one whose family is so poor that she sought me out to try to get a scholarship so she could go to tenth grade. I helped all three of them fill out their forms and made a mad dash to San Sal to turn in the two that were due yesterday, October 15th. Since I hadn't really been working on anything of that type until now it is both fulfilling and depressing to see that school is so affordable and yet families still can't rummage enough to send their kids. I'm desperately hoping that all three of these girls get their scholarships. Two are just trying to get through high school and the third is looking to get to a university, which is dreaming bigger than 90% of everyone I have met in this country. I'm crossing my fingers.
For pleasant surprises, I got a few amazing phone calls almost back to back on friday. First, to my surprise, Rebecca called me from France. It knocked me for a loop. I had talked to her not that long ago while she spent her brief stint in the US between France and Japan, but I didn't expect a call from so far. Needless to say it was like a breath of fresh air speaking to a friend from home that isn't part of my family. Then just afterwards Fabio, my host dad from training, called who I haven't seen in months. It was just nice to hear from him and it lifted my spirits even more. So by mid-day Friday I was on a bit of a high. I had a great meeting with an NGO who works on environmental concerns in my Municipio, I spoke to Rebecca, and then Fabio called.
Then the weekend came and life continued to be good. Mirna, the woman that runs the comedor that I eat in, offered me one of her tanks of propane so I don't have to cough up the extra $32 to replace the tank I left behind in my hasty move. Plus she made me the best pan relleno I have had since I was living near San Vicente. So you know, a pan relleno is like french bread stuffed with vegetables, chicken, cheese and other goodness cooked in chicken broth. That doesn't really do it justice, but it was amazing. I also purchased two artisan made tables that I should take possession of next week.
Right now I am in Juayua, a beautiful mountain community that is cool and just generally nice to be in. I am here for a regional meeting of volunteers and taking advantage of some free WiFi. Unfortunately blessings come with curses, and I decided to bring Kaya, who proceeded to either break a toe, or almost break a toe upon meeting so many cool new people. So tomorrow I will take her for a second opinion to a Vet I trust in Santa Ana. Quite frankly I think its broken, but the vet said no and gave her a cortisone shot. She is limping pretty bad though and it isn't looking any better. So much for trying to take care of her, it just isn't possible with a puppy in this country. Cross your fingers for her.

Ok, So I'm Settled I guess

2007-10-09T14:09:00.000-06:00

Well after a little time I am what should be called settled in and getting work under way. I say should be called settled in, because as usual I am a bit slow about getting things purchased and getting my house completely set up. I still don't have a table, a place to put my cooking range or a propane tank since the move. I am experiencing the same laziness of a year ago, where it takes a bus ride to a city to purchase anything, and arguing about delivery or paying a pickup in order to get said things back to my house. So for now, no stuff, and that means I either do my work on the floor, or laying in my hammock. It also means an almost dead stop to my creative impulses a la photoshop since that for sure requires some work surface and free time at home. For now the plan is to contract someone local to hand make me a table and a little cooking stand.

However work has already taken an upswing and gone for a bit of the same. Yesterday I went and met the two girls in my town who receive scholarship money and made plans to fill out their forms for next year. Today I was supposed to go with my counterpart to a canton to help a school group form and environmental committee, but somehow when I got there, they left without saying a word to me, even after I confirmed that I would go yesterday. So ups and downs as I expected, but overall positive. I have done some work on the database I was working on before and plan to get it up and running on my counterpart's computer by the start of the year. Sometime this week the NGO that helped with a tree project and a stove project with the last volunteer is returning for a meeting, so I hope to crash it and get in on the ground floor of any work that can be done in my municipality.

I have also reaffirmed my love for hammocks in the past two weeks. In fact Kaya has sort of adapted to pushing me in her own annoying way. When I lay in my hammock for extended periods of time and start ignore her, she runs into me from below, sometimes causing me to resume swinging, other times stopping my swinging altogether. But she wants human contact and I suppose ramming speed is the best way to get it when I'm nose deep in a book and swinging away.

In other news I am thinking of getting a bike which would ease my transport problems around my area and get in a little exercise at the same time. Some time soon I will go check out bike and used bike prices. Just hope I am not my usual lazy self and wind up putting it off until it is no longer worth it.

Fresh Year, Fresh Start

2007-09-27T13:37:00.000-06:00

In what I feel is a somewhat appropriate turn of events in my life, immediately following Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, two holidays that stress making a fresh start, I have picked up and moved to a new town in El Salvador. Most everything in my life is all upside down right now. My house is similar in size to my last one, but not as nice. I finally have water 24 hours a day, but there is no light in the bathroom and I don't think I can drink it this time around. I'm paying more for my house, but the backyard is shared and I don't really have a place to let my dog run around except on my poorly fenced in porch. In addition I don't have a backyard where she can do her stuff, so that means at least a short walk every time I come home and her constantly hanging out at the door for one reason or another. The people are friendly enough, but I am dealing with a bit of the opportunistic trying to take advantage of the new "gringo" in town.

So far though I am happy I pulled the trigger and got myself to a new town. I have been given a chance to start over that most volunteers never get and I am hoping to take full advantage of it. I am hoping to identify all those things that I did which contributed to the failures in my previous site and do whatever I can to prevent them. Already I am happy to be living so close to my counterparts. Last night I had a pleasant talk with the new mayor while walking home, something that never would have happened before because the mayor didn't live in town and furthermore, he seemed rather indifferent to me from the first day. The school has a good amount of computers, so I had a meeting to check them out this morning and see what sort of state they are in and what programs are on them. I hope to get a few more good learning programs on them and possibly shake up how they are teaching computer use a bit. In addition I would love to get internet in there.

Meanwhile I am exploring Santa Ana, the closest city, for the first time today accompanied by a few of my Volunteer friends.

I would love to write everything on my mind with regards to the time of the year and the move, but I don't know that people want to read a post loaded down with theology or that I have the cash to pay for the time that would require at the internet cafe. Suffice to say it feels good and I wanted to share.

2007-09-21T16:03:00.000-06:00

I missed it before, but L'Shana Tova. And for today, I hope everyone has an easy fast. I'll be staying with my Peace Corps country director for Yom Kippur and attending the Temple in San Salvador.

Check out the photos I just uploaded of Engineers without Borders that came to my area and stayed at my house. Just click the Webshots gallery link on the right. -->