Training, Turkey, Soccer, My New House and my First Christmas Away from Home… also Work

Ok so its been FOREVER since I blogged… I think I’ve got to go all the way back to November, when the landslides happened….

TRAINING: So Training 2 was rescheduled and moved from San Vicente to Santa Ana, at the National School of Agriculture. The 16 of us in the Sustainable Agriculture/Environmental Education Program stayed together in a big house. Real World El Salvador! …without the plushness or the amenities. We learned about worm composting, organic farming practices, local trees and plants, forming environmental groups, community garbage management projects, etc.

TURKEY: After training several of us went to Lago de Coatepeque to celebrate Thanksgiving. Its a beautiful lake right in the crater of a volcano. The house we rented (for cheap!) was SO lovely; I hope we go back to the exact same place next Thanksgiving. We cooked turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans. It was delicious.

SOCCER: After Lago de Coatepeque, I went to a Peace Corps soccer game in Chinameca, in the east. There are monthly games between PC volunteers and Salvadorans in the community that hosts the game. It’s a nice reason to hang out and see another part of the country.

MY NEW HOUSE: When I got back to my site, I was told there was a house I could move into! Previously there weren’t any available houses, and I was very ready to have my own space. Its a common cinderblock house built by Habitat for Humanity after the war. It was empty, except for a bed and a table. Using my moving-in allowance, I bought a small refrigerator, a two-burner gas stove, a hammock, dishes, a pot and a pan, etc. People from the community have lent me a gas tank, blankets, and chairs, and also helped me build a closet and a bench. The family that owns the house has been so helpful. Don Rigo comes over and fixes things… he built a roof over my outdoor washing area so I have some shade and cover from the rain. I didn’t have a private place to bathe, so I was bucket bathing outside in my clothes (shorts and a tank) like many Salvadorans do. Don Rigo built me a place to bathe with sheet metal and shower curtains. I pay $20 rent, plus electricity and water ($5-10), but I only make $300 a month, and it disappears like magic (trips and phone cards).
So now I live in my own house and I cook for myself, which is awesome. Kids come over and play cards on my porch, and friends come visit and bring oranges, bananas, star fruit, etc. People like to give you the little that they have.

CHRISTMAS: So in December people are in holiday mode. My community had a couple dances to raise money, but one of them turned into a giant drunken brawl.
I went to the beach for two days with my friend and her parents who were visiting. It was a sandy beach, so I felt just like I was in Charleston or Alabama!
I’m not going to lie and say it wasn’t hard to spend the holidays away from home. I tried to fight the homesickness by making myself a little Christmas tree and decorating it. It was pretty pitiful… like Charlie Brown Christmas. Here (and in most Latin America) they celebrate Christmas on the 24th. My old host family had killed one of their cows, like many people do so they can have meat on Christmas. At a church service, the sermon warned that sometimes we forget the “true meaning of Christmas” and think that it’s “all about the meat.” So like we get excited about gifts, they get excited about meat…. And I was excited too! We had carne asada! Then I went and traded Secret Santa gifts with friends. Later we went to a dance party. I was invited to a friend’s house and we had panes rellenos (bread stuffed with chicken and veggies). At midnight everyone hugs and says “Feliz Navidad” and shoots off fireworks. I was lucky to have a community that celebrated, because many people don’t celebrate because they don’t have the money.
The next day, the 25th, I went into the capital and met up with friends for a movie, dinner, and dancing.
In December I started running with my neighbor! She is a police officer so it is safe for us to go, and its mostly just lucky that she runs because that’s VERY rare here.

NEW YEARS: I went to my training community, Molineros. We ate more panes rellenos, and shot off more fireworks and hugged at midnight. The next day was the Fiestas Patronales of Molineros, so there were rides, and more fireworks. They did this thing called Torito Pinto, in which basically these guys run around with a bull shaped thing on their backs that shoot off fireworks. They are these crazy fireworks that shoot off in all kinds of unpredictable directions. Its really dangerous, but it really was fun. Everyone goes running and hiding behind houses. I’m sure every year people get burned. I rode on a really sketchy Ferris Wheel and got a great view of the valley and the volcano. Later that night we went to a huge dance party.

WORK IN MY SITE: I came back to my site, had some meetings in my community, and planned my dance classes! I’m teaching two weekly ballet/creative movement classes, ages 7-11, and 12-14. They love it, and I hope to find a way to get them some ballet shoes and maybe some little ballet skirts or leotards. At some point I’ll be looking for donations! I tried to get an adult yoga class going but it’s taking a little more effort.
I’m working with a woman in my community to start a World Map Mural project. We’re going to raise money to buy the supplies, and using a grid system, have a group of kids paint a huge world map mural on one of the school walls. We’re also talking about getting a project going teaching kids how to make hammocks. The point is to teach the kids a traditional trade, to give them a possible source of income in their future, and keeping them out of gangs, etc. I really want to get these kids involved in a recycled art project as well. We planned the first meeting of an environmental group, and elected a president, secretary, and treasurer. I’m also bringing a group of volunteers to my site in February to perform the play version of the Dr. Seuss book The Lorax. It’s in Spanish, rhymes, has an environmental lesson, and involves some rapping, haha.

MORE SOCCER: So last weekend I went to another Peace Corps Soccer game in Juayua, a really cool town. Lots of my friends came and we had a good time. It was CRAZY windy though.

This week my mom is here visiting me!