And so it begins
Its about 2 here as I sit in my host community to finally write a real blog entry. I apologize for the last entry, a few friends and I shared an hours timeon the computer and with my 15 minutes (for which I paid a quarter) I had just enough time to read a few wonderful emails and give a shout out that Im alive. Im able to go into more detail today, training sessions only go until noon on Saturdays.
Life in El Salvador thus far has been a whirlwind of myriad emotions. I should start by saying that my fellow trainees are truly fantastic people, which of course makes this experience that much more enjoyable (and bearable). Its amazing how quickly you can bond with those you have just met over topics such as what type of "churria" (diarrhea) you have and what sorts of animals climb in and out of the latrine you use. Weve lost one person so far, but I think that most of this group is in this experience for the long run. Its encouraging that the dropout rate in El Sal is low, compared to most PC countries. Were not exactly the "Posh" Corps here, but El Sal is a small, fairly modernized country and in that respect, volunteers here have the advantage of being in close proximity to one another and having a few sought after amenities on hand, such as close access to internet, cell phones and flush toilets. There are four of us living with individual families in my host community and were continuously supporting one another and making each other laugh with our daily stories of our experiences adjusting to life here.
For now life is structured to the T. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays we all stay in our respective communities for spanish classes and community contacts, and Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays we travel to the training center in San Vicente to work as an entire group. Our classes in San Vicente consist mostly of learning about the municipal development program in El Sal and what that means to us as volunteers. I finally have some sound answers as to what Ill be doing here for two years. This country is broken up into 14 departments, each with its own governor and a certain number of municipalities. Each municipality is governed by an elected mayor, and its our job to be assigned to one of those mayors (alcalde) and work in the alcaldia. As a volunteer I{ll be able to provide "asistencia tecnica" and help out the city council andcommunity groups to strengthen the projects run out of the alcaldia. Were able to pursue whatever projects we wish, as long as their are a priority in our town. Im not sure yet what types of projects Ill be doing, but that will come in time.
When were not together all of us in San Vicenter were broken up into our community groups in our host sites to practice spanish. Classes can consist of anything from learning grammar to going to the park in town and conversing with someone about the history of the pueblo. On Wed we went into the local primary school and I made friends with 25 4th graders. Our Salvadorena profesora is very patient with us - thank God. We are her "bichos", or young ones, in class, which is quite appropriate given that spanish does not come as easily as I would like. Its difficult to speak all day long in a language when you have to think through each word before you say it. My friends and I constantly comment on volunteers who have gone to countries where they didnt know a word of the language, and how difficult that must be. As stressful as it can be, Im learning and with much practice I hope I can learn enough in the next two months to get by on site in August.
As far as life in El Sal goes, there is much to love and much to get used to. Yes, the dogs bark all night, its always hot and there is always the threat of a bug, type of food or drop of unboiled water to make you ill, but Im surprised already by how trivial these things seem in comparison to the essence of our experience here. I{m even strarting to get used to constantly being stared at and called a gringa. By far what hasmade me the most excited about being here so far has been the Salvadoran people themselves. The only people here who seem to be in a rush are the bus drivers- everyone else has the time to stop, ask how you are and really care about your response. The people in my host community are laid back, friendly and generous, and always willing to engage in conversation about politics, religion, gangs and the economy. Im learning new things each day just by living- for example, if I say "coge el autobus" instead of "escoge el autobus", Ill get laughed at for wanting to "grope" the bus. In particular Im learning to laugh a myself and my mistakes, to roll with the punches and to take everything with a grain of salt.
We have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming weeks - a trip to a current volunteers site on Monday, a trip to the capital San Salvador on Thursday, and in a few weeks, trips to climb the volcano and learn how to surf at the beach. And of course, each night I have my family to get to know and my spanish book to practice with. Im content thus far, although I miss everyone at home and thank you for your continued support and love. There is an internet cafe in town that I can access about once a week, but if youd like to write to me my address is-
PCT Erin Dussault
Cuerpo de Paz - El Salvador
Correo Nacional
Centro de Gobierno
Apartado Postal 1947
San Salvador, El Salvador, Centro America
Please write, Id love to hear from all of you! For now, take care and know that I am wishing you you well.
Life in El Salvador thus far has been a whirlwind of myriad emotions. I should start by saying that my fellow trainees are truly fantastic people, which of course makes this experience that much more enjoyable (and bearable). Its amazing how quickly you can bond with those you have just met over topics such as what type of "churria" (diarrhea) you have and what sorts of animals climb in and out of the latrine you use. Weve lost one person so far, but I think that most of this group is in this experience for the long run. Its encouraging that the dropout rate in El Sal is low, compared to most PC countries. Were not exactly the "Posh" Corps here, but El Sal is a small, fairly modernized country and in that respect, volunteers here have the advantage of being in close proximity to one another and having a few sought after amenities on hand, such as close access to internet, cell phones and flush toilets. There are four of us living with individual families in my host community and were continuously supporting one another and making each other laugh with our daily stories of our experiences adjusting to life here.
For now life is structured to the T. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays we all stay in our respective communities for spanish classes and community contacts, and Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays we travel to the training center in San Vicente to work as an entire group. Our classes in San Vicente consist mostly of learning about the municipal development program in El Sal and what that means to us as volunteers. I finally have some sound answers as to what Ill be doing here for two years. This country is broken up into 14 departments, each with its own governor and a certain number of municipalities. Each municipality is governed by an elected mayor, and its our job to be assigned to one of those mayors (alcalde) and work in the alcaldia. As a volunteer I{ll be able to provide "asistencia tecnica" and help out the city council andcommunity groups to strengthen the projects run out of the alcaldia. Were able to pursue whatever projects we wish, as long as their are a priority in our town. Im not sure yet what types of projects Ill be doing, but that will come in time.
When were not together all of us in San Vicenter were broken up into our community groups in our host sites to practice spanish. Classes can consist of anything from learning grammar to going to the park in town and conversing with someone about the history of the pueblo. On Wed we went into the local primary school and I made friends with 25 4th graders. Our Salvadorena profesora is very patient with us - thank God. We are her "bichos", or young ones, in class, which is quite appropriate given that spanish does not come as easily as I would like. Its difficult to speak all day long in a language when you have to think through each word before you say it. My friends and I constantly comment on volunteers who have gone to countries where they didnt know a word of the language, and how difficult that must be. As stressful as it can be, Im learning and with much practice I hope I can learn enough in the next two months to get by on site in August.
As far as life in El Sal goes, there is much to love and much to get used to. Yes, the dogs bark all night, its always hot and there is always the threat of a bug, type of food or drop of unboiled water to make you ill, but Im surprised already by how trivial these things seem in comparison to the essence of our experience here. I{m even strarting to get used to constantly being stared at and called a gringa. By far what hasmade me the most excited about being here so far has been the Salvadoran people themselves. The only people here who seem to be in a rush are the bus drivers- everyone else has the time to stop, ask how you are and really care about your response. The people in my host community are laid back, friendly and generous, and always willing to engage in conversation about politics, religion, gangs and the economy. Im learning new things each day just by living- for example, if I say "coge el autobus" instead of "escoge el autobus", Ill get laughed at for wanting to "grope" the bus. In particular Im learning to laugh a myself and my mistakes, to roll with the punches and to take everything with a grain of salt.
We have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming weeks - a trip to a current volunteers site on Monday, a trip to the capital San Salvador on Thursday, and in a few weeks, trips to climb the volcano and learn how to surf at the beach. And of course, each night I have my family to get to know and my spanish book to practice with. Im content thus far, although I miss everyone at home and thank you for your continued support and love. There is an internet cafe in town that I can access about once a week, but if youd like to write to me my address is-
PCT Erin Dussault
Cuerpo de Paz - El Salvador
Correo Nacional
Centro de Gobierno
Apartado Postal 1947
San Salvador, El Salvador, Centro America
Please write, Id love to hear from all of you! For now, take care and know that I am wishing you you well.
posted by Erin @ 1:17 PM
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