1) Where do I bathe and how often?
I bathe outside in our pila. It’s an outdoor cement sink where we do all of our washing (dishes, clothes, bodies, etc.). The water comes pretty consistently from that hose which is a lot nicer than what most people have (2 times a week sometimes for only 15 minutes). The hose is connected directly from a natural spring, so this is where I get my drinking water too.
I shower everyday here, in the afternoon when it’s hottest. It’s not very private, so I usually bathe with spandex and a tank top on. It hasn’t been too huge a sacrifice yet… I don’t beg for hot showers, but I probably will after a few more months.
This is the Pila, let your imagination run wild.1) What am I eating?
Breakfast usually consists of some combination of eggs, beans, cheese, rice, potatoes, sometimes some pasta, ALWAYS served with a tortilla. Fruits and veggies are few and far between but usually consist of onion, green beans, carrots, mangoes, and bananas.
Lunch, almost always a cup of noodles and a tortilla.
Dinner, some other combination of the same foods from breakfast… oh, and a tortilla.
2) What do I miss?
I miss so much… it’s really hard to pinpoint. It varies.
Of course I miss my friends and family. Especially when something silly or fun or exciting happens and I want to tell them immediately. I miss the food… not so much any kind of food in particular, but more the option for an array of food and the ability to make my own.
I miss a lot of things American… movies, cities, parks, running outdoors, museums TODO.
3) What do I love most?
Again… it’s hard to only choose one. If pressed, I’d broadly say the people. But more specifically, the implicit acceptance and hospitality these people offer. I’ve had some of the greatest conversations with complete strangers, and I couldn’t do that in the same way in the states. Maybe my relationships here don’t have the same depth my relationships at home have… but the kindness these people show right off the bat is heartwarming.
4) What does it smell like?
I guess thicker and warmer. If you’re near the sugarcane fields, then incredibly sweet. After it rains however, some funky smells can arise since we have no sewage system and the streets are cluttered with litter.
5) When do I go to bed and wake up?
Mari, Sulma and Jesica usually mosey into bed pre 9ish. I usually am in bed around that time, and read or watch a movie for a while, but I don´t make it too late.
I usually wake up around 6ish. On days that I go to Gotera, such as today... it´s a 4amer. But many times even though I wake up early, I don´t get out of bed for quite a while.
6) What do I hate?
Difficult to say, it depends on my mood. I guess I´d say culturally, the Machismo. It´s pretty painful to see sometimes how subordinate the women are. And I have very little patience when a man tries to undermine me. That and the piropos (catcalls) drive me nuts. The stuff they whisper sometimes when I walk by can be pretty disgusting. It´s so stupid.
7) What is my favorite Spanish curse word?
I´d have to say ¨Pu chica¨which isn´t really a swear word. It´s literally like saying ¨Oooooh, guuuuuuurl!¨ But it can have the connotation of ¨Holy shit!¨
8) Are there any boys/hombres/guapos?
Not really my type. But they´re getting more and more guapo the longer I´m alone. They´re short and skiiiiiiny... but damn, some of them are super ripped from working out on the field all day. Their arms are yoked and veiny.
9) Is their any night life/local music scene.
Absolutely not. Not in the canton (countryside) at least. There´s nothing outside after sundown. And as for music, some guys get together sometimes and play religious music... not much of a dance party though.
10) Are there any unsual animals?
A lot of funky bugs. I´ve found a few scorpions in my room too. Some of the weirdest looking dogs you´ve ever seeen roam around here as well. I guess that´s what happens when you scrape the bottom of the doggy gene pool. They all seem to have a little bit of dachschund in them, and most are really ugly.
11) Do I siesta?
No. It doesn´t get too hot where I´m at, but they don´t usually siesta in other parts either. I guess it´s a European thing.
And now for something completely different...
To celebrate the 4th of July almost every white person (all of the volunteers) in El Salvador went to the capital to unleash the beasts. There are 4 different types of volunteers here, Municipal Development, Youth Development, AgroForestry/Environmental Education, and Rural Health and Sanitation (yours truly). We had a soccer tournament between the different programs, and guess who won? It was quite fun… I got to meet a ton of new volunteers and get to know others better. We’re all over the place, in every corner of this tiny country.
Here we are, the campeones. Not sure I can remember all their names, but they´re all Rural Healthers.
Afterward we… ahem… celebrated. No there were no fireworks, but I don’t think we really minded. I was bummed to be missing one of my favorite days of the years at home, but maybe I can visit for the next one.
And what am I doing in site you ask? As of now… I’m helping the English teacher Nuria with her classes. The poor thing, she works very hard, but doesn’t know the language herself, and no one can pronounce anything. I’m creating some of my own lesson plans that pertain to hers and teaching them to 7th, 8th and 9th grade.
I’ve also begun a program called Como Planear Mi Vida, once a week lessons I give to 7th grade all about the future and communication and self esteem and sexual reproduction and everything nice. I’m not gonna lie, I’m pretty excited for the Sex-Ed. Who wouldn’t have fun teaching a bunch of Spanish speaking teenagers how to correctly use a condom?
It’s been a good start… but I can tell right away I’m going to have to try a million different methods for teaching and maintain an endless patience. There’s a funny double edged sword Salvos have. They’re practical and unsentimental in many ways where we’d be lost in our neurosis. Ask them who is your ideal mate and they’d probably say, ‘someone who loves me’. But they can also be very unimaginative and painfully shy where we’d foam at the mouth. Ask them where would you travel if you could travel anywhere in the world and they’d probably say ‘El Salvador.’ They’re not rewarded for creativity or spontaneity, and I’m hoping with these classes, I can extract a little of both.
And what am I doing in site you ask? As of now… I’m helping the English teacher Nuria with her classes. The poor thing, she works very hard, but doesn’t know the language herself, and no one can pronounce anything. I’m creating some of my own lesson plans that pertain to hers and teaching them to 7th, 8th and 9th grade.
I’ve also begun a program called Como Planear Mi Vida, once a week lessons I give to 7th grade all about the future and communication and self esteem and sexual reproduction and everything nice. I’m not gonna lie, I’m pretty excited for the Sex-Ed. Who wouldn’t have fun teaching a bunch of Spanish speaking teenagers how to correctly use a condom?
It’s been a good start… but I can tell right away I’m going to have to try a million different methods for teaching and maintain an endless patience. There’s a funny double edged sword Salvos have. They’re practical and unsentimental in many ways where we’d be lost in our neurosis. Ask them who is your ideal mate and they’d probably say, ‘someone who loves me’. But they can also be very unimaginative and painfully shy where we’d foam at the mouth. Ask them where would you travel if you could travel anywhere in the world and they’d probably say ‘El Salvador.’ They’re not rewarded for creativity or spontaneity, and I’m hoping with these classes, I can extract a little of both.
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