Joy

I'll hit the one year mark as a sworn-in PCV this Friday. It's amazing how quickly time has flown. My little mountain community has been welcoming, loving, and absolutely unforgettable this past year. When I was weathering a bad patch (aka the month of June) I was given the advice to surround myself with people who love and support me, and essentially forget the haters. Making that change has made all the difference. I now have a grant awarded to my youth group and I'm making moves on the housing project with Habitat for Humanity. I'm helping the people who have helped me and that makes these projects feel extra special. 

This month we have Mid-Service Conference, which really is an opportunity to reflect on not only why we're here but why we stay here every day. (Don't think for a minute that I've forgotten hot showers, furniture that doesn't swing, and our privacy bubble culture. I miss those things dearly, but I know I'll get them back some day.) The answer to these questions is different for every PCV. I believe my reasons have shifted. I actually don't clearly remember what I was thinking last October when I arrived here. Was I going to do sustainable development work? Maybe. I might still accomplish that. But honestly I'm more focused on bringing joy to the people of my community. I think joy can be as simple as dancing with the kids or spending the afternoon with a housewife catching up on the latest gossip. It's the saluds I say 1209382 times a day and the misshapen tortillas I make with my best friend. I wish I could describe joy better. After all, it is my middle name. I guess it's something to do with making someone else's day brighter just because you want them to feel happy and loved. 

El Salvador has survived a particularly brutal and sad past. You meet people and you see it in their eyes. They're still grieving and recovering. I could sit people down in a charla and lecture them to check off my project indicators, but I've realized that that is not why I, Ale la Voluntaria de Cuerpo de Paz, am here. And it's sure as hell not why I stay. I stay because I love my community and the people in it. I have more joy to bring during my last year.

Me and Cio making tortillas. It's actually fun when we make them together! 

I asked David to draw me something pretty, so he drew himself. 

And Aysel wanted to show off too!