Home

So, I suppose that time has come for everyone. Recently I have been hearing a lot of news of people (including myself, I suppose) hitting the point of exhaustion, loneliness, frustration, etc that makes home seem like a wonderful option. It´s a very weird feeling. We´ve been here for 3 months, roughly, and I find that the subtle cultural differences weigh more than the obvious, extreme differences. A slight difference in sense of humor makes forced laughing a little more common than I would like, for example. The constant assumption that, as a male, I would take on multiple partners at once is tiring. An underlying assumption that I always have a ton of cash on me is attention I really just dont want. I know the attention is going to stay and it stems from the fact that they honestly just dont know that much about gringos, but I (and many new volunteers, I imagine) am growing very tired of THAT kind of attention. I am ready to carry on a conversation that doesnt somehow slip into money issues or travel opportunites or.... whatever topic along those lines. Also, if any volunteers are reading this, I fully understand the exhaustion and frustration. And I also understand that pull to go home... I just dont think I have given my site a fair chance before that decision should be made. Little by little...

One Month

So I have been in-site for about a month now, and I feel overwhelmed when thinking about what I should write. I guess I will do my best to describe my site and activities I have been involved with.


I live in a town called La Palomilla (or La Palomia, depending on the level of education). It is the last stop on a winding, dusty road and is an incredibly flat, hot, dusty region of the country. (Because of the pool of sweat in which I repeatedly awoke for the first week or so, I bought a box fan. At least the sweat evaporates now.)

So oftentimes in El Salvador, with its many connections to the US, a sizeable chunk of each community with have what they call Remesa money (money sent from family in the US to help the family remaining in El Sal). My community, however, has very little help from the US, so the poverty and malnutrition rates seem to be a bit higher than normal. I often walk around with the local nurse and health promoter to better know the community. One day, we seemed to hit some of the poorest in the community. A little child maybe 5 years old seemed to be suffering from a ton of issues: trisomy 21 (down syndrome...I really dont like that name. The man who named the disease had very little empathy for those with the genetic disorder), malnutrition (so he had a huge pouch belly), amoebas (which i just found out the other day actually means dysentary), a sinus infection, and an abusive mother. Another little boy with trisomy 21 happened to be the child of a mother with trisomy 21, so neglect and malnutrition were serious issues with him as well. Most houses in the community are made of adobe blocks mixed with sticks and hay. A few houses have plastic bags for walls, and a select few are made out of cement or blocks.

However! I am very lucky with the organization that already exists in my community. So in El Sal a lot of organization and projects originate and are handled by what they call la ADESCO (Asociacion de Desarollo Comunal - association of community development). A lot of times, this can be one of the biggest challenges for a volunteer. The committee simply doesnt work, politics are heavily involved, or interest just isnt there. Before I arrived my ADESCO with help from no one petitioned and received the funds for a chloronated water system in the community (still in the process of being built). PC recommends we not begin water projects in our community because they can be soooo time consuming and soooo frustrating, yet my ADESCO has already completed all of the leg work. Very impressive.

Also, the youth group in town, also without my help, organized a trash pickup day and a tren de aseo (garbage truck). So my town is freshly clean, organized, and full of enthusiasm despite the heat, dust, and poverty. It certainly is inspiring.

Aside from that, I have been playing a ton of soccer. The community has 4 full teams, each of which has its own uniform, and I usually play between the A squad and B squad, depending on which positions they need filled. A few weekends ago, we had to finish our day of soccer early because a fight broke out between our teams. I have never experienced hockey mixed with soccer, but it certainly is an interesting combo.

What else....
I live in a cement block house with a corrugated roof (it is literally an oven during the day)
I purchased a bike as it is THE form of transportation within my site
I witnessed a pig eat a turkey..... I didnt know pigs were carnivores...?


Alrighty. For now thats all Ive got. Also breakfast is ready. I hope everyone is doing well! Until next time.