The Census

-So... how many times have you all had diarrhea in the last two months?

Just one of the many delightful questions I get to ask.
I've been in sight for a little over 3 weeks now. And in about 3 more weeks I'm holding an Asamblea General (general assembly) to present the census findings.
What's nice about it...
It's a really great way to get to know the community, one house at a time. Not only am I getting to meet almost everyone, I'm also getting a much better layout of the place. I really am amazed at the difference in welcoming this culture shows. I'm so used to NO SOLICITORS signs in the States, while here, the door's always open, and it's Buenos Dias! Sientase por la hamaca! (Good morning, come and rest in the hammock). And slowly but surely I'm learning where all these houses are.
Which, my god, some of them- you see them and wonder why and how on earth did you build this house here? Most of the pathways leading up to homes are treacherous, my calfs get quite a workout here- many are a 30-40 minute hike from the main road. It's quite impressive actually, what these people do everyday. Exploring through the hills and trails has been nice and adventurous, it gives the phrase house-hunting a whole new meaning.
A sideways example of one of the pathways leading down to a house.

What's not so nice about it...
It can be exhausting and- I'll say it- BORING. It's 108 questions- and I've got them all down by heart. Sometimes I try to change up how I ask the questions, but my command of Spanish doesn't give me too many options. I'm starting to feel a bit like a parrot, and I have about 60 more houses to go.
Also... it can get awkward. Most of the people are comfortable with the more personal questions, but are more ambiguous toward others. Oftentimes I don't think they understand the questions, which is when they stare at me blankly (especially the section on STD knowledge). I inevitably feel bad, I get the feeling that they think I'm testing them and they're failing, which in a way, I am, but I don't want to come across as some judgementeal gringa know-it-all. This also makes me nervous about the Asamblea... because I'm going to be this new foreigner presenting all this sensitive information displaying their shortcomings to the whole community.... at any rate, it's delicate.
When I was interviewed during training, I was asked what aspects would I most want at my future site, and I said NEED. Well... I got my wish. It's both motiviating and intimidating. It's nice to already see that projects are wanted and are palpable. But... often I feel daunted and clueless, and find myself wodering, How the hell am I going to get something like that started? We have more specific technical treaining in June, which I'm banking will shed some light... but I still feel a little lost at times.
One affect I've noticed already from being on my own is that my emotions are heightened. I'll go from being overwhelmingly happy from the kindness here, to completely frustrated with the language barrier, to feeling absolutely nonplussed with what I'm doing, to determined and gung-ho... all in one day. It's like plot of one of the many telenovelas down here. But I think as I settle I'll reach my more comfortable place of even-keeldom.
All of this and I've been here less than a month. Sometimes, it's hard to gauge time here. Thinking about 2 years is a bit more than I can chew. I just take it one day at a time.
But... in a very early diagnosis from what I've seen so far, there's a lot I have to do.
First off, LATRINES (I've been asked by a certain someone who reads these blogs to refrain from the more colorful swear words... we'll see what you guys think, especially when I write about latrine use). There's a huge lack of them here, it's not a pretty picture. And the latrine hygiene could use a refresher course. At one house, they have a composting latrine (that's right folks, we take your poop and turn it into perfectly sanitary, touchable, wonderful, usable farm compost). It's really a terrific invention, your poop works for you. But they weren't using thiers. When I asked why, thinking the latrine wasn't working or something, they told me they thought it's just easier to GO out in the field.
A second prospect, SEX ED, for both kids and parents. A lot of kids can't name the reproductive organs- yet teen pregnancy here is bigger than sliced bread (actually, that's a bad analogy because no one here uses bread) okay, it's bigger than tortillas (quite an interesting correlation, don't you think?). And once again... the parents could use a refresher course. No one here plans to have kids- and frankly- a little birth control could give a lot of help.
And yet another, WOMEN'S HEALTH. Most of the women here are pretty good about keeping up with pap smears... but just as many don't know how to do a breast exam.
And some women here amaze me. They're afraid of the doctor (scared of what they might find, I guess) and don't go. One woman, who has had 15 kids, has never stepped foot in a hospital. Ouch!... and Holy (well... you know)!
And day by day I go on. We'll see how it unfolds.
I'll end with this: I feel very welcome here. A lot of times for volunteers the first months are the hardest as they try to slowly assimilate and be accepted. Well... I'm not exactly like a Cheers cast-member quite yet here, but I feel wanted. I think the need here in this sense is good. But I also think it's just that the people here are so wonderful.

This is our dog, Chiripa. She's cuter when her eyes aren't ablaze. She's very sweet, and comes with me to census everyday. I actually think she looks a bit like Josh might have when he was a puppy.

Cuerbo (which means crow in Spanish), Mike's (the old PVC here) dog. He's a bit crazier and free spirited, but still very friendly. When he feels like it, he'll come censusing with me too. And... hey, I think he looks a bit like Chalice.
This is me showing Sulma, my sis, a yoga pose. They warned us about doing yoga publicy, saying that sometimes Salvadorans think it's weird, even satanic. Whatever. My family loves it, and they want to learn more.

Visualize....

So... I though I´d add some visuals for my last entry.
This was after the luncheon with our counterparts... as you can see, we all needed a break and took a cat nap in the lobby. From left to right is Malissa the feminist, Hagan the nice guy, Me the indescribable, Evin the the solid charmer, Michelle the siren, Matteo the jokester, Elena the spitfire, and Adriana the pout.

Here we all are, the newly made volunteers. We were the first group ever to have all of us stay through training without ETing (Early Termination)... let´s see if we all make it through service.
Our proof that we´re volunteers. The girl to my left is Emily, she´s pretty effing funny... she actually grabbed another girl Lauren´s certificate in case you saw the name and were confused.
My Mom Maribel... we went to the sugar cane molienda (factory)... there´s a lot of it here. Essentially, she´s making taffy from the fresh caña miel (cane honey).
Sulma, my sister... always a curious and affectionate delight, and Niña Maria, my aunt, is as cute and as kinda as can be.
Just a glimpse at some of the gorgeous scenery I get to see everyday.

Buckle Up...

Because this is going to be a big one. Where to begin... Oh! I´m a volunteer now, no longer a trainee. Yes... I´ve progressed in the world of Peace Corps Titledom. Allow me to share...
Last... oh wait, no... two Wednesdays ago we all left San Vicente for San Sal to prepare for Swearing In. Saying good-bye to my host family was actually harder than I thought. My 10 year old sister made me a bouquet of flowers out of paper and popsicle sticks along with a card. Damn... if it was this hard to say good-bye after 2 months, I´m going to be a wreck after 2 years.
The next day- in the morning we had a luncheon to meet our counterparts (officials from our site who help us along the way). Mine are awesome, Marvin- the school principal- has a lot of energy and gumption, and Dina- the health promotor is hardworking and kind (a combo I love). It was funny though... we all wanted to make good first impressions, but many of us were tired and maybe just the slightest bit hung-over from the night before (I think I did okay, however).
Then... it was over to the Embassy for the official ceremony.
After some short and sweet speeches- we all stood up and repeated an oath about how we´ll defend the Constitution and what not, then sat down as new volunteers. I got a cute little certificate naming me as such- and shook some official hands to confirm it.
And after.... was a grand celebration. We all went out to dinner where a bunch of current volunteers came from all over the country (which isn´t too hard to do here) and we partied it up. We went out to a club afterward that we practically had all to ourselves (any Salvadorans who were there were probably baffled by the breadth of whiteness) and bonded over drinks and dancing (just let your inner beast out!). It was fantastic fun... I stayed out till 2 am (unheard of in this country)... berfore needing to wake up at 5am to leave for my site ( I was a sloppy oaf on the bus ride).
So... something funny. My site is a 2 hour pick-up ride (and by this.. I mean piling a mosh pit of people into the back of a pick-up truck who then grab on to anything, includuing, qutie commonly, your personals, to stay on) from the nearest city (Gotera). It´s actually not that far distance-wise, but it´s high.. and the roads aren´t really roads. Imagine a 2-hour, Spanish-speaking Mr. Toad´s Wild Ride without seatbelts :-)
Anywho... along the way there was another pick-up stopped from overheating. Like the good sumaritans that Salvadorans are, the driver stopped and people got out to help push it aside. I decided to join in- thinking I was making a good impression... when now I´m sure I´ll go down in the Legendary Idiot Gringa book. I put far too much force on my left knee while pushing.. and it popped out of it´s socket. I fell to the ground in anquish screaming my pain. You know... sometimes it´s a real plus to speak English in a non English-speaking country... because I let out the hugest F-bomb... and no one seemed to mind. My knee popped back into place, and the sharp pain left- but I was still hurting and could barely walk.
What luck I thought. My first day of service... before I get to my site... and this shit happens. But... as I am a firm believer in... there´s always good with the bad. Immediately- these perfect strangers were at my beck and call... lifting me up... helping me walk.... giving me shot-gun... one woman offered her nearby house to stay the night in and rest. Right away I started laughing at the ridiculousness of the whole situation.
From where the ride ended- I still had an hour walk- and these 2 ladies, an old woman and her daughter heading my way carried my stuff and helped me. It was so kind. The 70ish mom who weighs about 90 pounds threw my giant back-pack on her back while balancing her own bag on her head. (All my super heavy gear had already been dropped off by my counter-parts thank goodness). They (my new friends, Carmen and Donata) walked me all the way home (about 30 minutes out pf their way). And when I did arrive- the reception- my oh my. Immediately the kids ran over for hugs- jumping with excitement. When they showed me my room... they had drawn a huge mural of mountains and flowers and butterflies with the words ¨Bienvenida Laura!¨written on top. For a moment... my knee didn´t hurt at all.
So... I´m pretty damn good. The worst is my knee... I had to make a quick trip to San Miguel to get X-rays- no break- just a bad sprain. It was hard to walk and the inflammation prevented me from bending it much (for a while, it looked like my kneww had a brain). But I´m getting better everyday.. I still can´t bend it all the way, but it doesn´t hurt to walk anymore.
And the good completely outweighs the bad. My family is wonderful. Sulma (my best friend and sister) is a11 years old and fabulous. She has a beautiful curious spirit about her.. and always in a good mood. And Yesica, my 13 year old sister, is great too- not quite as affectionate, but more mature, and sporty (score!). My Mom, Maribel, is so kind- she´s been pouring hot water with special herbs and wrapping my knee everyday. She´s very sweet and patient, immediately she said I can stay as long as I want (althogh eventually I may be looking for a place of my own). The dad´s away in the states. I feel very welcome and comfortable to be there... and lucky too.
What now...? My first project is to do a health census of the entire community- which isn´t that large by number- but the vastness is huge. Houses are super spread out and hidden by winding paths and hills and trees. I can already tell exercise will be easy here. Thus far.. it´s going well. I can´t stress how inviting the people are here... none of them mind the census, they´re hapy to do it, and they usually offer pan-dulce, coffee, and a hammock while I´m there. I´ve met some really great people, including a 20 year old named Deysi who I´m forming a friendship with... during her family´s census, I stayed talking for 2 hours. But I can tell that there´s a lot of need here (which actually, is good news)- a lot of people are latrineless, think you transmit aids through kissing, and have never used a condom in their life (My god are there a lot of babies here).
But first things first... getting to know you... which here... is really something wonderful. There´s a saying here: ¨Que lo vaya bien¨more or less ¨That everything goes well.¨ Well, my vayaing is going very well.
Paz y amor a todos! I´ll try to post pictures next time. And remember... you don´t have to wait for me to call you to talk... Mom, and Dad and Chelsea and Paloma all have my number, so if you don´t you can probablty get it from them!