I'm moving. My host family has been planning on moving at the end of August, but that would have no effect on me since I would be leaving for my site mid-August. Well, I went on an overnight Wednesday (I was literally gone for 26 hours) and when I returned half the house was packed up. Apparaently, we are moving on Monday to Entrevista, a small community about 10 minutes away by bus. It's not that big of a deal, but a little stressful and frustrating as I have to pack up all my stuff and I have really started to enjoy Tepetitan (my current community.) Oh well.
This past Tuesday I found out where I will be spending my next 2 years. Starting August 16th, I will be living in Cantón Las Trancas, Ozatlan, Usulutan. Cantón Las Trancas is my community, Ozatlan is the municipality, and Usulutan is the department. It's in the southeast part of the country, and looks to be about a 30 minute bus ride (depending on bus routes and roads) from the ocean. The community has had 3 volunteers in the past (all Rural Health and Sanitation volunteers) but at least they know about Peace Corps. Also, from what I've heard, they are very active and pretty organized. Monday-Thursday I will be visiting my site and meeting my counterparts (the director of the school, and the local health promotor.) I will most definitely write an entry Friday or next weekend with my thoughts on my new home. Adios
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
El Futbolista pt. 2
So I wasn't planning on writing another blog entry until I got back from the beach, but after last nights performance on the canchita (little field), I decided I had to update. After a decent first half, we were only down 5-3--I had a goal and an assist and hit the post twice. The second half began with the other team scoring two quick goals, and I immediately thought 'here we go again.' But we came back with two quick goals of our own cutting the deficit back down to two. By now, I've become a marked man in the tournament, so I was having trouble making things happen, but I did manage a few Maradonna's (non-soccer players won't know what I'm referring to, but it's a pretty basic move that looks flashy) and they were all greeted with 'Ole' from the fans. Finally, I put in a nice volley with my left bringing us within one. On the ensuing kickoff, I stole the ball and quickly fired home a shot from deep. Not even 30 seconds later, the ref blew the whistle marking the end of the game and our first non-loss. I have never seen a tie celebrated so enthusiastically in my life. Once again, I'm a celebrity...and this time I'm letting it go to my head.
On a lesser note, I have a rash. Which reminds me of a line from my favorite movie which goes 'Man, I got a rash.' The first person to tell me who said this, what movie, and what scene in the movie will get a letter from yours truly. (I'm expecting either Zack, Isaac, or Mark to get this one). Just leave a comment on the blog with your answer.
On a lesser note, I have a rash. Which reminds me of a line from my favorite movie which goes 'Man, I got a rash.' The first person to tell me who said this, what movie, and what scene in the movie will get a letter from yours truly. (I'm expecting either Zack, Isaac, or Mark to get this one). Just leave a comment on the blog with your answer.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Que Chivo Estar Aqui (How cool it is to be here)
We had field based training from Wednesday-Saturday. Field Based Training or FBT, is just a visit to a current volunteer's site where he/she has activities planned for the group. The youth development volunteer's were split up into two groups of four. My group was led by Beatriz, who is currently shadowing Kiva to be the next trainer for youth development, and Ever, our Salvadoran motorista and all around badass. Our site was a pueblo called Victoria in the department of Cabañas. This is pretty much the same area I visited for immersion days, and as I have described previously and as the pictures show, it is gorgeous. It is about 5,000 feet (I think) in elevation, and it overlooks the mountains of Honduras.
We arrived around 10:30 Wednesday morning and met Lisa (our host volunteer) at the station for Radio Victoria. This weekend was Radio Victoria's 14th birthday, and it has quite an interesting history. It was originally based out of Santa Marta, was closed down during the civil war, and has always been 'alternative radio' offering a non-centralized form of news and place for opinions to be expressed. The radio offers a very cool program providing workshops on reporting for youth, and then allowing them to present on air. The best part of the radio, though, is definitely the people. Their passion for what they are doing (and it's most definitely a struggle to keep the radio station functioning) showed through brilliantly when they were talking to us.
After meeting with the radio staff, we ate lunch, prepared for charla's that we were going to be giving the next two days, and met our host families. My host mom is the director of 'la casa de cultura' (cultural house) in Victoria. She lives with her mom and her two children--Salvador age 9 and Bryan age 6. The family is all quite nice, but exhausting to say the least. Salva and Bryan were the most hyperactive children I have ever met, and it most definitely does not help that they are constantly given sugary drinks and coffee. Actually, most Salvadoran children are given coffee. It is tough to see, knowing how bad it is for them, but it is cheap and filling, so if food is scarce, coffee helps.
On Thursday, we helped Lisa give a charla on adolescence to the 'Escuela de los padres' (basically like a PTO). The turnout was quite impressive as about 50 parents showed up--almost exclusively women. We were in charge of facilitating small group discussions, and I thought it all went very well. Afterwards, we went to the house of a Salvadoran friend of Lisa where we made pizza from scratch and cooked it in an adobe oven. I'm not sure if it is because I've gotten a little tired of the food here, but the pizza was quite possibly the best thing I've ever tasted. Of course that meant I ate way too much.
Later that night I went with my host family to a nephew's birthday party where I was offerred 'chaparro.' I immediately asked 'what's that' and they just told me to try it. Turns out it is basically moonshine made from fermented plantains, and it is illegal to make in El Salvador. This was most definitely the strongest liquor I have ever tasted, and I'm just thankful I did not go blind. Though I got a bit buzzed, I was safe, because my host mom was drunker than I.
Friday we went back to the school where I gave a charla on teamwork. Essentially, the kids had to build a bridge out of straws high enough so each member of the team could pass under. I think there's a picture of it on the previous entry. The charla went marvoulously, mostly thanks to the kids. We then drove to a site about 30 minutes away where another volunteer, Sarah, lives. There, we went on a hike with a bunch of 4th graders, and picked up plastic to recycle all along the way. After the trash pickup, we hiked to a pretty amazing waterfall where we spent the rest of the day.
Saturday, we woke up at 4:45 to hike up a hill to milk cows. I'm a pretty amazing milker to tell the truth. I have pictures to prove it. The best part, though, was the location. We were above the clouds, so looking down it seemed like it was an ocean and the peaks were all islands. After milking, we ate breakfast and went back to our host communities. It was definitely a great 4 days.
Tomorrow a bunch of us are going to the beach for the weekend. On one hand I wanted some time away from the group, but it's hard to pass up a trip to the beach. We'll see how it goes...if I need to, I'm sure I can find a nice private plot of sand where I can sleep and read. Peace all.
We arrived around 10:30 Wednesday morning and met Lisa (our host volunteer) at the station for Radio Victoria. This weekend was Radio Victoria's 14th birthday, and it has quite an interesting history. It was originally based out of Santa Marta, was closed down during the civil war, and has always been 'alternative radio' offering a non-centralized form of news and place for opinions to be expressed. The radio offers a very cool program providing workshops on reporting for youth, and then allowing them to present on air. The best part of the radio, though, is definitely the people. Their passion for what they are doing (and it's most definitely a struggle to keep the radio station functioning) showed through brilliantly when they were talking to us.
After meeting with the radio staff, we ate lunch, prepared for charla's that we were going to be giving the next two days, and met our host families. My host mom is the director of 'la casa de cultura' (cultural house) in Victoria. She lives with her mom and her two children--Salvador age 9 and Bryan age 6. The family is all quite nice, but exhausting to say the least. Salva and Bryan were the most hyperactive children I have ever met, and it most definitely does not help that they are constantly given sugary drinks and coffee. Actually, most Salvadoran children are given coffee. It is tough to see, knowing how bad it is for them, but it is cheap and filling, so if food is scarce, coffee helps.
On Thursday, we helped Lisa give a charla on adolescence to the 'Escuela de los padres' (basically like a PTO). The turnout was quite impressive as about 50 parents showed up--almost exclusively women. We were in charge of facilitating small group discussions, and I thought it all went very well. Afterwards, we went to the house of a Salvadoran friend of Lisa where we made pizza from scratch and cooked it in an adobe oven. I'm not sure if it is because I've gotten a little tired of the food here, but the pizza was quite possibly the best thing I've ever tasted. Of course that meant I ate way too much.
Later that night I went with my host family to a nephew's birthday party where I was offerred 'chaparro.' I immediately asked 'what's that' and they just told me to try it. Turns out it is basically moonshine made from fermented plantains, and it is illegal to make in El Salvador. This was most definitely the strongest liquor I have ever tasted, and I'm just thankful I did not go blind. Though I got a bit buzzed, I was safe, because my host mom was drunker than I.
Friday we went back to the school where I gave a charla on teamwork. Essentially, the kids had to build a bridge out of straws high enough so each member of the team could pass under. I think there's a picture of it on the previous entry. The charla went marvoulously, mostly thanks to the kids. We then drove to a site about 30 minutes away where another volunteer, Sarah, lives. There, we went on a hike with a bunch of 4th graders, and picked up plastic to recycle all along the way. After the trash pickup, we hiked to a pretty amazing waterfall where we spent the rest of the day.
Saturday, we woke up at 4:45 to hike up a hill to milk cows. I'm a pretty amazing milker to tell the truth. I have pictures to prove it. The best part, though, was the location. We were above the clouds, so looking down it seemed like it was an ocean and the peaks were all islands. After milking, we ate breakfast and went back to our host communities. It was definitely a great 4 days.
Tomorrow a bunch of us are going to the beach for the weekend. On one hand I wanted some time away from the group, but it's hard to pass up a trip to the beach. We'll see how it goes...if I need to, I'm sure I can find a nice private plot of sand where I can sleep and read. Peace all.
A few Pictures
Here are some pictures of El Salvador...I'm still figuring this out, so I'll give descriptions some other time.
Monday, July 9, 2007
El Futbolista
Tepetitan (the town where I live) recently constructed an astro-turf 'canchita' (mini soccer field--about the size of a basketball court) for a two and a half month long tournament. The tourney started about 3 weeks ago and will continue through August. This is probably the biggest thing that has happened in Tepetitan for years, and average attendance is around 150. The host dad of another volunteer put together a team and included me on the roster. The team is composed of local teachers, all of whom are a bit over the hill and not very good at soccer.
So, my Salvadoran soccer career began two weeks ago in my team's first game (and first loss). I did not write about it mainly because it was not fun. I played horribly and we lost. I then caught a chest cold and was not able to play in our 3 subsequent games/losses. However, last night I made a triumphant return to the pitch. We played a team from a neighboring pueblo, and the crowd was abuzz for our 8pm kickoff. I scored the game's first goal about 5 minutes after the opening whistle. We soon went up 2-0 after the other team put in an own goal. The other team scored quickly to make it 2-1, but I answered back with a goal of my own. But, true to our form, we lost our lead and were down 5-3 at halftime (3 of the goals were scored while I was sitting on the bench.
The second half, I decided to put on a clinic for all in attendance. I had 4 second half goals, two of which were completely solo efforts. I think the best part of the night was when I heard an old 'campesino' (rural farmer) say 'juega chele' which basically means 'play gringo' or 'whiteboy'. As much as I am bragging, I am not exaggerating--after last night I am a celebrity in my town. Walking around town today, on three different occasions, someone congratulated me or commented on my performance last night.
The only problem with all of this is we have another game tomorrow evening, and I will most likely be back to my slow, out of shape, mediocre form. Maybe I should hang up the boots and retire on top.
So, my Salvadoran soccer career began two weeks ago in my team's first game (and first loss). I did not write about it mainly because it was not fun. I played horribly and we lost. I then caught a chest cold and was not able to play in our 3 subsequent games/losses. However, last night I made a triumphant return to the pitch. We played a team from a neighboring pueblo, and the crowd was abuzz for our 8pm kickoff. I scored the game's first goal about 5 minutes after the opening whistle. We soon went up 2-0 after the other team put in an own goal. The other team scored quickly to make it 2-1, but I answered back with a goal of my own. But, true to our form, we lost our lead and were down 5-3 at halftime (3 of the goals were scored while I was sitting on the bench.
The second half, I decided to put on a clinic for all in attendance. I had 4 second half goals, two of which were completely solo efforts. I think the best part of the night was when I heard an old 'campesino' (rural farmer) say 'juega chele' which basically means 'play gringo' or 'whiteboy'. As much as I am bragging, I am not exaggerating--after last night I am a celebrity in my town. Walking around town today, on three different occasions, someone congratulated me or commented on my performance last night.
The only problem with all of this is we have another game tomorrow evening, and I will most likely be back to my slow, out of shape, mediocre form. Maybe I should hang up the boots and retire on top.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Teaching English to English Teachers
As part of a new plan, the ministry of education in El Salvador requires english to be taught in every school. It's a good idea, but the majority of the english teachers don't know english. In a lot of schools, the former math teacher or social studies teacher or whoever was simply chosen to be the english teacher. So, as part of training, myself and the 7 other youth development trainees put on a 4 hour english 'taller' (workshop) for local english teachers. We actually got a pretty good turnout (about 40) with levels ranging from very very low to nearly fluent (although most were on the low side.)
The taller was brokent into three sections--pronunciation, grammar (beginning and advanced), and vocabulary. We split the four lessons up and worked in groups of two. Unfortunately, my partner has been sick for the last week, so I had to prepare for and give my entire grammar lesson by myself. I do enjoy working by myself, but I was very nervous about being alone in front of a class. However, after yesterday, I'm not so nervous. My class went quite well. For the most part, the games I played were well-recepted, and my lesson, at least I think, was pretty clear (despite being given first in English and then in Spanish.
I really felt for these teachers, because they are put in a tough place. I'm sure they are all happy to have jobs, but working in schools here in El Salvador is amazingly difficult. Teachers in the states complain about overcrowded classrooms, lack of supplies, and little administrative support (and those complaints are justified), but the obstacles faced by the teachers in El Sal, dwarf those in the states. And on top of all that, the teachers I worked with yesterday are asked to teach a subject that they themselves are currently learning. And the turnout yesterday, for 4 hours on a saturday morning, to a non-required taller shows these teachers' enthusiasm and desire to learn.
The taller was brokent into three sections--pronunciation, grammar (beginning and advanced), and vocabulary. We split the four lessons up and worked in groups of two. Unfortunately, my partner has been sick for the last week, so I had to prepare for and give my entire grammar lesson by myself. I do enjoy working by myself, but I was very nervous about being alone in front of a class. However, after yesterday, I'm not so nervous. My class went quite well. For the most part, the games I played were well-recepted, and my lesson, at least I think, was pretty clear (despite being given first in English and then in Spanish.
I really felt for these teachers, because they are put in a tough place. I'm sure they are all happy to have jobs, but working in schools here in El Salvador is amazingly difficult. Teachers in the states complain about overcrowded classrooms, lack of supplies, and little administrative support (and those complaints are justified), but the obstacles faced by the teachers in El Sal, dwarf those in the states. And on top of all that, the teachers I worked with yesterday are asked to teach a subject that they themselves are currently learning. And the turnout yesterday, for 4 hours on a saturday morning, to a non-required taller shows these teachers' enthusiasm and desire to learn.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Immersion Days
The Peace Corps sends all of the trainees on a brief trip called immersion days. The idea is for the trainee to travel solo to a different part of the country where he or she is greeted by a current volunteer who has arranged for the trainee to stay with a family, generally in rural areas.
So Thursday morning I left San Vicente to meet my volunteer in Sensuntepeque. It was about a two hour trip and it went off without a hitch. From Sensuntepeque, we took another hour and a half bus trip to San Antonio where the volunteer lives. Then from there, we got a ride to the house I stayed at (I can't remember the name of the town right now.) The house was up in the mountains with a view of Honduras only 4km away. It was an absolutely gorgeous location, and the family I stayed with was amazing. There was a husband and wife and their four kids--boys ages 14 and 1 and girls 9 and 6. The husband's dad and brother also live close by, and the three of them grow corn, beans, watermelon, and cucumbers. I ate plenty of beans, watermelon and cucumbers, and corn flower tortillas. I expressed to the family my desire to learn about farming and they invited me to come live with them, teach at the school and work in their fields...and they were 100% serious. It was one of the nicest invitations I've ever had, especially since it was so earnest. These people were so genuinely nice, I was really taken aback.
Going on immersion days, we were given a letter to pass along to the family that basically tells them that we need to have water boiled for us. I of course forgot that letter. I could have told the family myself, but I feel like an asshole saying that the water they drink isn't clean enough for me. So I kept my mouth shut and drank water from the chorro (tap). The whole first day I was fully expecting to start vomiting at any time, but I made it through with absolutely no trouble...and I'm hoping I'm in the clear by now.
On Saturday morning, I met my host volunteer and we bused into San Salvador for the American Society's 4th of July Party, which is basically for all the American's in El Sal. The party was at the Sheraton, which is probably the nicest hotel in El Salvador, and where all the foreign dignataries and business executives stay. After the party, 7 of us split a room in the hotel and stayed the night in San Salvador, and I'm now back in San Vicente for more training.
So Thursday morning I left San Vicente to meet my volunteer in Sensuntepeque. It was about a two hour trip and it went off without a hitch. From Sensuntepeque, we took another hour and a half bus trip to San Antonio where the volunteer lives. Then from there, we got a ride to the house I stayed at (I can't remember the name of the town right now.) The house was up in the mountains with a view of Honduras only 4km away. It was an absolutely gorgeous location, and the family I stayed with was amazing. There was a husband and wife and their four kids--boys ages 14 and 1 and girls 9 and 6. The husband's dad and brother also live close by, and the three of them grow corn, beans, watermelon, and cucumbers. I ate plenty of beans, watermelon and cucumbers, and corn flower tortillas. I expressed to the family my desire to learn about farming and they invited me to come live with them, teach at the school and work in their fields...and they were 100% serious. It was one of the nicest invitations I've ever had, especially since it was so earnest. These people were so genuinely nice, I was really taken aback.
Going on immersion days, we were given a letter to pass along to the family that basically tells them that we need to have water boiled for us. I of course forgot that letter. I could have told the family myself, but I feel like an asshole saying that the water they drink isn't clean enough for me. So I kept my mouth shut and drank water from the chorro (tap). The whole first day I was fully expecting to start vomiting at any time, but I made it through with absolutely no trouble...and I'm hoping I'm in the clear by now.
On Saturday morning, I met my host volunteer and we bused into San Salvador for the American Society's 4th of July Party, which is basically for all the American's in El Sal. The party was at the Sheraton, which is probably the nicest hotel in El Salvador, and where all the foreign dignataries and business executives stay. After the party, 7 of us split a room in the hotel and stayed the night in San Salvador, and I'm now back in San Vicente for more training.
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