Help stop the violence

When I hear "violence prevention" I tend to think about the annoying, nasally man who passed out graphic anti-meat pamphlets on the quad saying "Help stop the violence."I will never forget this man's voice as he was a permanent fixture on my numerous campus tours. I don't remember what I ate for lunch yesterday, but I certainly remember this man's voice. Sheesh.

I never thought I'd actively work to prevent violence, but here I am in one of the most violent countries in the world (if you believe the US State Department). Isn't this a good place to start?

Sure it is!

My ADESCO is currently working on three projects that aim to prevent violence in the community, all of which I'm proud to be helping out. We're starting up a painting club for youth, a women's group to learn a trade, and building two lighted bus stop shelters in the busiest desvios. The idea is to keep the kids off the street, put the mothers in a better economic position, and chase the bolos away with light like the blood-sucking vampires they are.

Of course, no one said "Hey! Let's do some projects that prevent violence!"That would be too simple and organized. What really got my ADESO moving was a huge kick in the butt from the microfinance institution currently dangling a lump sum of money in front of their faces. I swear, I saw dollar signs in their tiny black pupils.

Now unfortunately, writing about my work activities on this blog has proved to be a sure fire kiss-of-death. Remember that women's savings group? I was asked to stop coming to the meetings. Or the #feria2014 we had in my site way back? The ADESCO absolutely fell to pieces after the reina was crowned. So I won't say anything too positive, too reassuring, or too concrete about these projects. Such is the work of a PCV.

But if these might work out? And they might prevent some of the violence in my community? Then I guess it would be alright with me.

Whatchu know 'bout campo life, fool?

"Campo life" has a whole new meaning for me after I visited my friend and fellow PCV's site. I went for a Friday to Monday stint and yeah, that was enough for me. I actually had a great time. It was like being a city girl going to summer camp for the first time! We played sports, did arts and crafts, baked, watched movies, jumped off cliffs, did an English class and a ton more.

I thought I was living campo life before visiting Rachel. I am, if you consider access to water, education levels, community resources, etc. But I don't have to forge a river as part of my daily commute. Needless to say my eyes are open and I have seen the light! I'll never take the nicer parts of my community for granted again. Thanks Rach for a great time! 

We are too cute. Now where's the nearest wifi?

Rio Torola. 

The other side is Honduras. 

Apparently, this is a cool place to jump off from. 

Jump off?! Are you kidding me?

#YOLO

I lived!!!! Can't wait to go back when the water isn't so dirty. Thanks a lot, Rachel. 

The pulley chair men use to get to work in Honduras every day. Talk about commuting! 

Rachel showed me how to make a self watering planter. Hopefully I'll have some basil in a few weeks!

Pasteles. The insides are stuffed with mashed potatoes. 

I brought some lemons from my tree and we made lemon bars. 

Actually, Rachel and her siblings made the lemon bars. I just ate them.  Great job!

Back in Action!

When you're living and working in a developing nation, sometimes things work really well and other times they don't work at all. Ex: my internet modem. Luckily I just needed to take it in to the big city to get reset to factory settings, and now I'm back in blogy business! Good thing, too- I think my mother is going to have a conniption if I don't get some updates posted soon.

It's been a little over a month since I posted, and yes, a whole lot has happened. The most important thing that's happened is that I went home.

Let me rephrase that- I went HOME! My short visit to Texas was great, but it wasn't home. I was in the USA a grand total of 6 days, 2 days of traveling and 2 days back in BloNo to walk in my master's graduation. Me and my cousin Christi graduated together for undergrad at ISU, and it was too good an opportunity to celebrate again (even though I have a ways to go on the thesis part). So, thanks to my plane ticket patron, I headed home to experience all my favorite things and spend time with family and friends.

First meal back in the Houston airport. It's like I was transported back to my freshmen 15 days... 

How I know I'm home. 

Obviously, I need to get my Louie's breadsticks fix!

So goooood. 

We had a girls lunch with my cousin and grandma too. I loved it!

I talked to my sister's high school Spanish class about Salvadoran culture and learning Spanish via immersion. They were great and I had a lot of fun! Hey Mr. Corzo's class! 

Why are all my pictures of food? Portillo's hotdog because Chicago. 

My dad's pizza. I craved this all. the. time.

I got my mom a hammock from the hammock guy in my municipality. I think she likes it!

Pizza heaven. 

Me and my dad, the two mastas!

Miss you girls!

Graduation round 2!

My favorite pic of us. 

Our proudest accomplishment? Brewe-has. 

I tried to cram as much family time in as possible when I was home. I got to see my grandma every day to my delight. My goal was to not be too too busy and just enjoy being home. I think I accomplished that!

I also saw my sister play in two lacrosse games. She did great! The first one was on the way home from the airport and I nearly froze to death in 50 degrees. The second one was a balmy 80s. Chicago weather- some things never change! 

On that note, not a whole lot was different. I was really happy about that, too. One of my biggest fears about being in PC is that I'll come home and everyone I know will be different and I won't recognize anything. I feel better after being home, like my batteries are recharged. I'm nearing the 1-year in country mark and getting closer to being home permanently every day. 

Mundo Aquatico

There's a little gem in my municipality called Mundo Aquatico. It's essentially a water park situated on top of a plateau in the mountains. The water has chip bags, grass, and other questionable things floating in it but it's also fairly chlorinated. Prices vary based on how nice a day it is, but adults are $3 and kids are $1.

As someone who grew up swimming for hours a day, teaching swim lessons and being a kick-ass lifeguard (I was awarded the title of Golden Guard, if any of you care to know), pools are pretty sacred places to me. I'm sad I didn't come to Mundo Aquatico more often during the dry season, but there's always next year. That is, if I can overcome the pool safety rules still ingrained in my memory.

I could list all the safety violations here, but that would be boring. Just know that I was in a constant state of panic. The pool I worked at in my hometown might have been strict- no running, flipping or eating in the pool there!- but we were consistently praised for our commitment to safety. I might be out of practice, but I have no doubt in my mind that I could make a save if I saw someone drowning. That's how good our training was!

My little sister is going to start working at the pool this summer. Her first job! I'm a little jealous, really. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and be a teenager working at the pool again... But that sentiment doesn't usually last long and I thank god I've grown up!

I realized that I won't be home during summertime until 2016, and that's a bummer. Even though I'm sick of hot weather here, I really miss summer back at home, in Chicago and in Door County. Who knows how long the job search will take when I get back. Maybe I'll be blissfully unemployed and I can go sit by the pool in my hometown, watch the new guards enforce the rules, and try to embarrass my little sister ;)

My host sister chillin in the hammock.

There's also a restaurant that's pretty good. Here's the kids eating tortas. 

Yeah, they really don't care about this photo. 

Before the barrel tips... 

Wooooo!

Passover

On Thursday I experienced my first Passover with my fellow PCVs. I loved it! What's better than spending an afternoon drinking wine, eating great matza ball soup, and singing "Let my people go!"

I want to congratulate Hilary and Noah for pulling off the most legit Passover the likes of rural El Salvador has ever seen. Hilary was sick too, but lead the seder like a champ. They also get bonus points for including their host family and a JICA volunteer who lives in the area. The seder was in Spanish, English and Hebrew. I thoroughly enjoyed everything from Kadesh to Nirtza. Thank you!

Has campo life turned me into a lightweight, or is Manischewitz really strong wine?

They had to get all the matza sent from the USA. That's dedication!

Maror, zroa, karpaz, beitza, jaroset

Urjatz! Mario washing his hands at the pila. 

Karpas. I'm really feeling the wine at this point. 

Hilary hiding the matza. Mario and Noah looking like statues. 

It wouldn't be a N&H production if it wasn't absolutely perfect! Hebrew and Spanish booklet so we can follow along. The book has all the seder steps with the prayers, when to drink, and what it all means. 

Before we started singing, Hilary referenced this part in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I quickly realized that I knew how to sing "Let my people go!" but I had nooo idea how the rest of the song goes. We tried our best.

The JICA volunteer and their host mom. She LOVES Manischewitz!

The traditional food. 

Delicious matza ball soup!

Everything else I ate. Amazing. 

I didn't have time to toast the cocos for organic macaroons, so I made "local" kosher for Passover meringues. Have you ever tried to whip egg whites with a fork? Lemme tell ya, it takes about an hour.  And when I was baking them the gas went out. Oi ve!

I found the matza! I win! I'm so happy we did this!

An open letter to the new PCVs

A fundamental part of the Peace Corps experience is integrating into your host culture. Ya know, really get in there and talk, dress, eat, sleep, interact, and celebrate just like the people in your community. Integrating into la cultura Salvadoreña may require you to wear long pants in 100 degree weather, drink coffee and eat pan dulce because you were offered it, and wake up with your siblings at 5 a.m. because that's when the house is the loudest. Everyone has some growing pains in the beginning, but you learn how to adapt. Eventually you will refer to your site as "home" and drop the "host" when talking about your familia anfitriona.

The quest for total integration is never ending, but it's the little victories that make the journey worthwhile. Some might take a "trial and error" approach to integration while others fall back on monkey-see-monkey-do. Most of us end up doing both. It's how we learn to love atol chuco and to look every passing human in the eye and say "¡Salud, que le vaya bien!"

Total integration for a PCV is comparable to a practicing Buddhist reaching nirvana. Just look at this definition from the well-trusted academic source, Wikipedia:

Nirvana... refers to the event or process of the extinction of the fires of attachment (raga), aversion (dvesha) and ignorance (moha or avidya). In the Buddhist view, when these fires are extinguished, suffering (dukkha) comes to an end, and one is released from the cycle of rebirth (samsara). [Emphasis added.] 

If you want to integrate, you gotta put out the fires of your attachment to deep dish pizza, aversion or anger you feel when carefully planned meetings go awry, and ignorance you experience regarding culto or velas. Only then will you stop suffering from awkward sideways glances and the crushing sense of being completely alone. You'll be released from the cycle of integration and will simply be integrated. Om, nirvana!

Yeah... total integration sounds nice.

In the meantime, keep making mistakes. Try the enchiladas, go to a wedding. Pass the rainy season by drinking coffee with your neighbors and remember to keep an open mind. Call your fellow PCVs when you have a funny story or when you feel like crying. Help each other get through the first few months. They are the hardest and most rewarding of your service. When the going gets tough, sit yourself down and repeat this mantra, proven to help you reach total integration: "I got this. I'm a Peace Corps Volunteer. I can do anything."

Because you really, truly can.

Welcome to PCES!

Bleh

I'm sick again for the second time in four weeks. This time it's a stomach infection. Very gross. I won't get into it.

I managed to pull off my first community-wide English class on Saturday. It went well. I hope to get a core group of very dedicated students. Maybe there will be more students next week, maybe not. I'm kinda sick of teaching English, so I honestly wouldn't mind if the whole thing just falls apart.

We're starting Semana Santa and the place is shutting down. No one wants to work during Semana Santa. They think it's crazy that most Americans have work and school this week. I have a meeting tomorrow with some women interested in starting a women's group, but other than that I'm wide open. Luckily, my community has a tendency to throw meetings at me, so I'm not that worried.

And if not, that's ok too. I have clothes to wash and seder with PCVs on Thursday. I'm actually super excited for seder. I feel too integrated into the Salvadoran culture now- nothings new or exciting. Spanish and tamales and hora salvadorena are pretty typical now. I find myself feeling "bleh" and I think a good seder will shake up this funk.

I'm going all in, full kosher on this seder. I'm even making these organic, homemade toasted coconut macaroons. (I add organic in there just because technically everything's organic that grows in my yard.) The internet tells me that macaroons are a good Passover desert because they don't use flour. They sound yummy to me.

I hate being sick. Sickness has a very poignant way of reminding me that I live in a developing nation. Oi ve.