December passed by much like November did – in a whirlwind. Despite the fact that my body continues to rebel against my better senses (bronchitis and an intestinal infection this month) I´m doing alright mentally and was in a festive mood to match the general sentiment of the town in December. Chapeltique´s fiestas patronales began Dec. 16 and continued to the 22nd, when the Alcaldia and most other businesses shut down until January 2nd. You can imagine how much work got done that month. As Dad has continually reminded me, yes I do in fact lead a tough life. Don´t give up on my yet though, everything has reopened for the new year and school starts up again mid-month, so it´s back to work for everyone, myself included.
December really was nothing but a good time though. A few days before the 16th a number of makeshift stores began popping up in the park and along the main road, selling everything from homemade candy to plastic toys to $1 burned Guns N Roses cds. Then beginning on the 16th, the main road was shut down and the first of the town´s four neighbourhoods had their fiesta, which typically includes a BBQ, lots of games and a parade for the neighbourhood queen. Some barrios splurged for big name cumbia and salsa bands, which played well into the early morning, and every evening beginning at 6 the “toreada” was set up in a soccer field. The toreada is a makeshift bullfight where a circle of bleachers is set up and a lucky chosen one runs around with a red cape for a few hours, provoking a bull and entertaining a crowd. It´s a free event so the whole world shows up, and usually at the end they throw four drunk guys into the ring to play 2 on 2 soccer. With the bull. It was probably the most disfunctional and hilarious thing I´ve ever seen. Thursday evening was the general town party and the Alcaldia sponsored a cumbia band from Columbia that put on a great show. All the four barrio queens, plus the Alcaldia, school and police department sponsored queens paraded around town, as did the Virgin Mary in preparation for Christmas. Someone told me a girl fell off the ferris wheel last year so I avoided the rides this time, although I couldn´t get out of dancing. It´s amazing how many people want to see the white girl move. I don´t think I disappointed - they all expected me to suck and I did, but it was all in good fun. Many people´s friends and family from the States showed up for the fiesta week so I had many a conversation about US politics, Salvadoran culture and again, what exactly I´m doing here. What surprised me was how appreciated these Salvo residents of the US were of me volunteering my time here, and how happy they were that I´m learning something of their culture to bring back to the States. What didn´t surprise me was how much they all loathe Bush and particularly the war in Iraq. I must have hear at least three times - "Don´t worry, we don´t blame you personally." Good thing too, because if so I probably would have been run out of town. Maybe they would have used the bull.
A few days after the fiesta mayhem I traveled to Guatemala with my friend Angieto meet up with another friend Maria, who has family in a town there. Maria´s family lives close to Lake Atitlan, supposedly the second most beautiful lake in the world, and the site certainly lives up to that title. The town is nestled between two volcanos and the alke in the highlands, and it´s breathtaking. The longer we stayed there the more we loved it, and Angie and I joked that we may not come back. One of the greatest parts about spending Christmas in Guatemala was being there with Maria - she was able to explain to use cultural and historical information we never would have known, such as the ongoing conflicts between the 60% indigenous population and the wealthier ladinos, how the colors and patterns on the handmade clothing signify which town people are from, and how certain foods are made differently from Salvadoran cuisine. We had the pleasure of meeting Maria´s family and friends and eating each meal at a different house filled with warm, hospitable people. We traveled across the lake to check out beautiful handmade Guatemalan trinkets, tried homemade liquor at Maria´s aunt´s house overlooking the lake, and walked around town taking in the beauty of the market, the cemetary, the activity of the park and even the local bars and resturants. Angie made a new friend, 7 year old Pablo, who came back to Maria´s each night to drink hot chocolate with us, and I spent one evening teaching the neighborhood kids how to juggle. We ate Christmas dinner with one family and arrived at midnight to the house of another family to eat the traditional tamale at midnight and enjoy the fireworks that the whole town sets off in celebration. I can´t express how mcuh I valued the experience of not being merely a tourist, but of enjoying our time in Guatemala among Guatemalans, partaking in the holiday, conversiting and learning from them. Despite the fact that it was very difficult to be away from home on Christmas, I don´t think I´ve ever enjoyed a vacation more than those few days in Guatemala.
Traveling back to El Salvador was a blur. We stopped in Antigua on the way, which turned out to be well worth the extra day, and made it back in country in time for me to get back to Chapeltique for a friend´s wedding. The ceremony was held in the Catholic church and the reception out in the street, as is standard procedure for Salvadoran weddings. Tables and chairs were set up, a discomovil put down it´s gigantic speakers and peopple were ready to party. The DJ announced every little thing that happened, talking over the blaring music of such classics as "Lady in Red" and everything Bon Jovi circa. 1985. I didn´t stay for the dancing - the next day held a five bus, six hour trip to the other end of the country for new year´s at the beach. It was great to celebrate with my fellow PCVs, relaxing by the ocean and ringing in the new year with a party at our hotel including PC companeros, Guatemalans, travelers from Canada, LA and London and surfers from all over. It was nice to spend new year´s day swimming in warm water but I was thinking of that cold walk along the coast in Maine for most of the day. Looking forward to bringing in the new year ´08 - ´09 with the Grant´s again, bundled up against the cold.
I did do ONE productive thing in December - I went back to our training town to complete In-Service Training (IST) with my group for a few days. It was great to see everyone again, the 20 of the original 26 that are still here, and share our experiences thus far. During one session Steph, the Youth Development director, shared with us her self-described Stages of El Salvador. In a nutshell, the first state is "Honeymoon," where everything is new, you´re going to change the world, etc. That quickly turns into the "What did I get myself into" state, where the rose-colored glasses come off and you realize the reality of living in the third world, both for the people who have always been there and for you having to adjust to it. This stage hits you like a ton of bricks. Next comes the "Scared but Hopeful" stage, where you decide to wait ti out and know that SOMETHING has to change to make it better. This is eventually followed by the "Oh Shit" stage, where you come to realize that nothing is changing, you´re still in the same place, feeling isolated and alone and powerless to do anything productive. You keep waiting for the situations around you to change but they never do - the piropos keep coming, communication is indirect to a fault and no one understands why you´re here. Finally, this stage leads into the "I Heart El Salvador" stage. In this phase, the volunteer finally comes to understand that the situation is indeed not going to change. Instead, it is us, our attitudes, perceptions and reactions, that have to adapt so that we can peacefully, happily and productively live in this country. Once we´re able to do that, we settle into life here and find ways to make what we want to happen happen, among the Salvadoran culture and not our norms. I´m not at this point yet, although I´d like to be there someday. It´s interesting to see such phases mapped out by a past volunteer who´s been through it all. I feel my own emotional stages have differed somewhat, but that the realization that it is us, not them, who needs to change so that we can begin to make an impact is dead on. I can´t wait to be at a point where I heart El Salvador - right now I have moments, but "oh shit" is still very much a daily part of my vocabulary.
On that note, let me end this entry by reassuring you that I very much heart my family and friends back home. Though I could not be with you this holiday season I thought of you often and received all your emails, letters, phone calls and packages with love and extreme appreciation. Amanda, thanks so much for the trailmix, hope the holidays in AZ were a blast! Steph, your Halloween package made my day - I think I ate half the chocolate in one sitting. Sarah L., thanks for the Christmas presents! My little Christmas tree still looks great sitting on top of my microwave. Sarah, loved your Christmas presents and the new music! Glad you and Dad had a great first Christmas as a couple, even if he was lazy and made you do everything for him ;) To the Grants, thank you so much for the Tomie dePaola book! It´s a beautiful story and I´ll work on translating it into Spanish for the kids here. Kadee, it was great to talk to you Christmas Day - can´t wait to rehash our 5th year reunion again with you in a few weeks. Happy Holidays to Kathryn and the family! I miss you guys, hope everyone is healthy and well. Ann, happy birthday and congratulations on becoming an RN! I´m so proud of you. Beth, happy 24th birthday! Can´t wait to see you girls in Boston in a few. Joe, hope you had a safe trip back from Africa and are glad to return to Maine. To Aaron - happy holidays and best of luck getting readjusted to your site! It was great to hear your voice on new year´s. I´ll be home to visit January 16-30 and would love to see everyone, so please shoot me an email in the meantime. Can´t wait to see everyone, take care until then!
Erin
December really was nothing but a good time though. A few days before the 16th a number of makeshift stores began popping up in the park and along the main road, selling everything from homemade candy to plastic toys to $1 burned Guns N Roses cds. Then beginning on the 16th, the main road was shut down and the first of the town´s four neighbourhoods had their fiesta, which typically includes a BBQ, lots of games and a parade for the neighbourhood queen. Some barrios splurged for big name cumbia and salsa bands, which played well into the early morning, and every evening beginning at 6 the “toreada” was set up in a soccer field. The toreada is a makeshift bullfight where a circle of bleachers is set up and a lucky chosen one runs around with a red cape for a few hours, provoking a bull and entertaining a crowd. It´s a free event so the whole world shows up, and usually at the end they throw four drunk guys into the ring to play 2 on 2 soccer. With the bull. It was probably the most disfunctional and hilarious thing I´ve ever seen. Thursday evening was the general town party and the Alcaldia sponsored a cumbia band from Columbia that put on a great show. All the four barrio queens, plus the Alcaldia, school and police department sponsored queens paraded around town, as did the Virgin Mary in preparation for Christmas. Someone told me a girl fell off the ferris wheel last year so I avoided the rides this time, although I couldn´t get out of dancing. It´s amazing how many people want to see the white girl move. I don´t think I disappointed - they all expected me to suck and I did, but it was all in good fun. Many people´s friends and family from the States showed up for the fiesta week so I had many a conversation about US politics, Salvadoran culture and again, what exactly I´m doing here. What surprised me was how appreciated these Salvo residents of the US were of me volunteering my time here, and how happy they were that I´m learning something of their culture to bring back to the States. What didn´t surprise me was how much they all loathe Bush and particularly the war in Iraq. I must have hear at least three times - "Don´t worry, we don´t blame you personally." Good thing too, because if so I probably would have been run out of town. Maybe they would have used the bull.
A few days after the fiesta mayhem I traveled to Guatemala with my friend Angieto meet up with another friend Maria, who has family in a town there. Maria´s family lives close to Lake Atitlan, supposedly the second most beautiful lake in the world, and the site certainly lives up to that title. The town is nestled between two volcanos and the alke in the highlands, and it´s breathtaking. The longer we stayed there the more we loved it, and Angie and I joked that we may not come back. One of the greatest parts about spending Christmas in Guatemala was being there with Maria - she was able to explain to use cultural and historical information we never would have known, such as the ongoing conflicts between the 60% indigenous population and the wealthier ladinos, how the colors and patterns on the handmade clothing signify which town people are from, and how certain foods are made differently from Salvadoran cuisine. We had the pleasure of meeting Maria´s family and friends and eating each meal at a different house filled with warm, hospitable people. We traveled across the lake to check out beautiful handmade Guatemalan trinkets, tried homemade liquor at Maria´s aunt´s house overlooking the lake, and walked around town taking in the beauty of the market, the cemetary, the activity of the park and even the local bars and resturants. Angie made a new friend, 7 year old Pablo, who came back to Maria´s each night to drink hot chocolate with us, and I spent one evening teaching the neighborhood kids how to juggle. We ate Christmas dinner with one family and arrived at midnight to the house of another family to eat the traditional tamale at midnight and enjoy the fireworks that the whole town sets off in celebration. I can´t express how mcuh I valued the experience of not being merely a tourist, but of enjoying our time in Guatemala among Guatemalans, partaking in the holiday, conversiting and learning from them. Despite the fact that it was very difficult to be away from home on Christmas, I don´t think I´ve ever enjoyed a vacation more than those few days in Guatemala.
Traveling back to El Salvador was a blur. We stopped in Antigua on the way, which turned out to be well worth the extra day, and made it back in country in time for me to get back to Chapeltique for a friend´s wedding. The ceremony was held in the Catholic church and the reception out in the street, as is standard procedure for Salvadoran weddings. Tables and chairs were set up, a discomovil put down it´s gigantic speakers and peopple were ready to party. The DJ announced every little thing that happened, talking over the blaring music of such classics as "Lady in Red" and everything Bon Jovi circa. 1985. I didn´t stay for the dancing - the next day held a five bus, six hour trip to the other end of the country for new year´s at the beach. It was great to celebrate with my fellow PCVs, relaxing by the ocean and ringing in the new year with a party at our hotel including PC companeros, Guatemalans, travelers from Canada, LA and London and surfers from all over. It was nice to spend new year´s day swimming in warm water but I was thinking of that cold walk along the coast in Maine for most of the day. Looking forward to bringing in the new year ´08 - ´09 with the Grant´s again, bundled up against the cold.
I did do ONE productive thing in December - I went back to our training town to complete In-Service Training (IST) with my group for a few days. It was great to see everyone again, the 20 of the original 26 that are still here, and share our experiences thus far. During one session Steph, the Youth Development director, shared with us her self-described Stages of El Salvador. In a nutshell, the first state is "Honeymoon," where everything is new, you´re going to change the world, etc. That quickly turns into the "What did I get myself into" state, where the rose-colored glasses come off and you realize the reality of living in the third world, both for the people who have always been there and for you having to adjust to it. This stage hits you like a ton of bricks. Next comes the "Scared but Hopeful" stage, where you decide to wait ti out and know that SOMETHING has to change to make it better. This is eventually followed by the "Oh Shit" stage, where you come to realize that nothing is changing, you´re still in the same place, feeling isolated and alone and powerless to do anything productive. You keep waiting for the situations around you to change but they never do - the piropos keep coming, communication is indirect to a fault and no one understands why you´re here. Finally, this stage leads into the "I Heart El Salvador" stage. In this phase, the volunteer finally comes to understand that the situation is indeed not going to change. Instead, it is us, our attitudes, perceptions and reactions, that have to adapt so that we can peacefully, happily and productively live in this country. Once we´re able to do that, we settle into life here and find ways to make what we want to happen happen, among the Salvadoran culture and not our norms. I´m not at this point yet, although I´d like to be there someday. It´s interesting to see such phases mapped out by a past volunteer who´s been through it all. I feel my own emotional stages have differed somewhat, but that the realization that it is us, not them, who needs to change so that we can begin to make an impact is dead on. I can´t wait to be at a point where I heart El Salvador - right now I have moments, but "oh shit" is still very much a daily part of my vocabulary.
On that note, let me end this entry by reassuring you that I very much heart my family and friends back home. Though I could not be with you this holiday season I thought of you often and received all your emails, letters, phone calls and packages with love and extreme appreciation. Amanda, thanks so much for the trailmix, hope the holidays in AZ were a blast! Steph, your Halloween package made my day - I think I ate half the chocolate in one sitting. Sarah L., thanks for the Christmas presents! My little Christmas tree still looks great sitting on top of my microwave. Sarah, loved your Christmas presents and the new music! Glad you and Dad had a great first Christmas as a couple, even if he was lazy and made you do everything for him ;) To the Grants, thank you so much for the Tomie dePaola book! It´s a beautiful story and I´ll work on translating it into Spanish for the kids here. Kadee, it was great to talk to you Christmas Day - can´t wait to rehash our 5th year reunion again with you in a few weeks. Happy Holidays to Kathryn and the family! I miss you guys, hope everyone is healthy and well. Ann, happy birthday and congratulations on becoming an RN! I´m so proud of you. Beth, happy 24th birthday! Can´t wait to see you girls in Boston in a few. Joe, hope you had a safe trip back from Africa and are glad to return to Maine. To Aaron - happy holidays and best of luck getting readjusted to your site! It was great to hear your voice on new year´s. I´ll be home to visit January 16-30 and would love to see everyone, so please shoot me an email in the meantime. Can´t wait to see everyone, take care until then!
Erin
posted by Erin @ 2:01 PM
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