The Guacamole Chronicles

Final Post

2008-11-28T08:50:00.002-07:00

The time has come. Three years, four months and twelve days after my departure from the US, I have returned... for the immediate future at least.

I returned to El Salvador on Wednesday. The bus from Guatemala City was held up somewhere between Tapachula, Mexico and the capital so we were three hours late in leaving. I got back and went right to bed. I spent the next days trying to get things wrapped up, packed and sold.

Friday night at about 6p, my friends Carlos and Gloria made me a tia to a beautiful baby girl, Camila Rosivel Sanchez Casteneda. I was thrilled to be able to meet her before I left. I spent Sunday hanging out with them in El Espino, and then Monday, began the goodbyes for real.

Monday night, my friends John and Nadia were married. I also feel fortunate to have been able to attend their wedding. I also got the chance to meet the Boltz clan. Things were flying by pretty quick so I am hoping to be able to make it out to San Fran some time and hang with them for reals.

Tuesday morning I had my last Salvadoran pupusa with my friend Hugo who had just arrived back in El Sal from Sweeden. We got to hang out just long enough to hug and catch up before I left for the airport. Armando and Raul (El Mae'tro) drove me to the airport.

So I arrived in Denver late Tuesday night which officially ends this round of Latin American adventures. On to job searches, culture adjustments and, I predict, freezing to death. Thanks to everyone that has kept up on my blog and shenanegans, I hope you have enjoyed the ride, as much as I have.

La Gringa Perdida, signing off....

UnMission Slideshow

2008-11-26T16:32:00.001-07:00

Last stop....

2008-11-18T11:31:00.002-07:00

I'm in Antigua, Guatemala. I grabbed a shuttle her on Sunday. I even got to ride co-pilot.

My friend Aaron from Grand Junction is here volunteering and studying Spanish. We have gotten to hang out the last couple of nights and it has been really great to catch up. Kinda feels like a torch passing. He is just beginning his Latin American adventures and I am wrapping mine up... for now. I head back to CO a week from today. It is hard to believe that I am goign to be leaving without a foreseeable return date. Bittersweet.

I got up early Monday morning and climbed the Pacaya volcano. It is currently active and errupting and you can climb right up to the top of it and get as close to the lava as you dare. Definately a country without liability laws. There was a spectacular view at the top that you could enjoy as long as you braced yourself against the wind. The wind was amazing, it nearly blew me off the hillside a couple of times. There were also a TON of people. I think there were at least 40-50 people there and this is the off season!

So I am here again tonight and then head back to San Salvador tomorrow. My how time does fly....

Copan, Honduras

2008-11-16T08:40:00.002-07:00

I got up early Friday morning and caught the 7am ferry out of Roatan and am finally free of that obnoxious Alicia. She was such a pain, always holding my stuff while I was in the bathroom, keeping me company, splitting costs, laughing with me. Ugh! Good riddance!

I have also, sadly said goodbye to the ocean for the foreseeable future. Que horror. It's hard to believe that this Central American life I've had for over three years is coming to an end. It will take some getting used to.

I arrived in Copan, Honduras just before sundown, found my hotel and settled in. Copan is officially called Copan Ruinas because it is the site of some pretty impressive Mayan Ruins. I toured them yesterday with a group of Salvadorans. They were really pretty cool. I must say that the first half of the tour was more enjoyable than the second half because about halfway through I had to pee like a Russian Racehorse. My torture hit its peak when our guide showed us the Mayan bathroom but refused to let me use it.

I woke up this morning and then got a little bit of a panic. I was watching CNN and the ticker reported a 5.9 earthquake in El Salvador. I jumped up, got ready and headed to the internet cafe. I called Carlos and Gloria to make sure everything was okay. Carlos said they were fine, that it was "soft." He did tell me though that the senatorial candidate he has been working for was killed a couple of weeks ago. I didn't get much of the details because the connection was bad, but it was clear that he was killed violently. What a place.

I am taking a shuttle around noon to Antigua. My friend Aaron, from Grand Juction is there learning Spanish so I am going to hang with him for a bit before heading back to El Sal for the final, final goodbyes.

Wow.

Calm, Cool and Collected

2008-11-11T13:30:00.002-07:00

We spent two nights in and near Tegucigalpa. The first night in the city and then we met up with Rob (PCV from CR) at a Cathedral and then ate lunch with him in the cafeteria before heading to his site just outside of Danli, called Nueva Esperanza. Rob is working at an orphanage for HIV positive kids. It seems like a pretty neat place. We were only there for a few hours in the morning before we had to take the bus back to Tegucigalpa to catch another bus early the next morning. We had a lot of fun and a LOT of laughs. I met a girl that Rob works with that was at CSU the same time I was there. We even stayed in the same dorm! Small world.

We took the bus and then a really bumpy ferry ride (complete with staff members running around providing barf bags) to Roatan, one of Honduras' Bay Islands. It is really a gorgeous place. Most people come here to get diving certified, which is exactly what Alicia is doing, as it is one of the cheapest places in the world to do it. I opted not to as I am not sure that it is something I will do much of in the future. I am sure that will guarantee that at some point in the future I will have wished I had taken advantage while I am here.

We got in pretty late Sunday night and grabbed a hotel room in the middle of a blackout, which meant that there was no power or water. Not a big deal. The second day though we decided to switch hotels and are now staying in a magnificent place that has a hammock and a view of the ocean. So I am happy as a clam. I got a thai yoga massage this morning from a woman that lived in Carbondale for a while. Random! She had also lived in BC Canada, so there was lots of connections being made. Craziness.

So we will be here for a few more days. Then it looks like the UnMission will be split. Alicia is going to head to her beloved Belize and I am going to go to Copan, Honduras before meeting up with a friend in Antigua, Guatemala and then back to El Salvador. It will be a rough parting. We thought it would be easier... we thought after spending so much time together, our fair well would sounds something like "I hope you get bug bites..." but it looks like our friendship has survived and our reconciliation tour will be unnecessary and a reunion tour will suffice.

Still Ridin' the High

2008-11-06T08:28:00.002-07:00

YES WE DID!!!!!

Amazing night. I've been looking at my country from afar for over three years now. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not so good. Tuesday night it was great. There are no words. It's difficult to explain to Americans what America looks like from the outside. It's difficult to explain to Americans why what we do, matters outside of America. There is nothing in the US to compare to the influence and presence that the US has in other countries. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not so good. We talk about justice and equality and freedom and opportunity and then every once in a while, we actually do it. It's just the beginning. Now the real work starts and it is going to require every single one of us standing up and taking responsibility to work toward being something great again. But now it seems, once again, anything is possible.

We hopped on a bus 3 am Wed morning and arrived in Managua at about 11am. We are hanging out with a couple of other VMM volunteers Christine and Laura. They have been working at the Batahola Community Center for the past year. The center seems pretty amazing. It's a quick visit, we head out again this morning at 11. But I am glad we got to stop in and put their work and stories in context.

Tonight we will be in Tegucigalps and hang with Rob Orton, fellow RPCV. We will go to his site tomorrow and then , the new, latest plan is to head on to the Bay Islands and hole up on the beach for a few days.

In Chepe for Obama

2008-11-04T06:34:00.003-07:00

I am back in San Jose at the Hotel Aranjuez, a personal favorite of mine. We spent two nights in Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica. Puerto Viejo is a nice place, the coast is beautiful, lots and lots of tourists though. We went ziplining on Sunday morning. It was a lot of fun. It was the most beautiful one yet. The jungle on the Caribbean coast is amazing. We were at least 100-150 ft above the ground on a couple of the runs. We saw a howler monkey and a toucan. It was my first time to see a toucan so I am glad I got to see it before I say goodbye to Costa Rica again.

Now we are back in San Jose. I have some errands to run today and am going to hook up with the few friends still in San Jose. Actually, I think we are going to go to a skeezy gringo bar tonight to eat good ol' American burgers and watch the election results with a bunch of current volunteers. It'll be interesting to see if I still know any of them.

I picked up Obama's book Dreams From My Father. It was really an amazing book. Honest, insightful, intelegent, compassionate, inspiring. It has actually helped motivate me to write my grad school essays. Made me remember that I used to have hopes for making the world a better place too. If he weren't running for president I would be wishing he was. Course, I'm not sure how I feel about having a literate president. Might take some getting used to. hehehehe....Anyway, get out and vote if you haven't yet. It's a big day for America!

One down, six-ish to go

2008-11-01T10:43:00.002-06:00

We followed up a very bad hotel experience with an amazingly good one. We stayed at the Bocas Inn in Bocas del Toro Panama. We had an INCREDIBLE view of the water right outside our window as well as two hammocks from which to gaze at it. We spent two days there, doing a whole lot of not much. It was wonderful.

We left Bocas on Thursday, took a wet water-taxi ride to the mainland and then two more buses to the border. The border between Panama and Costa Rica is a river which you are able to walk across over a rather dilapidated bridge complete with haphazardly placed wooden planks. So we officially mark one country off our list and have landed safely in Costa Rica. Two more buses and we arrived in Manzanillo, a very small Carri bean town at the end of a rough dirt road. Manzanillo had been on my list of places to see that I didn't get around to while I was living here. It is beautiful. I managed to get myself up and went for a run yesterday morning. We spent another two nights there, enjoying the jungle and beach. This morning we took the bus into Puerto Viejo and are going to spend two nights here. We are going to go zip-lining tomorrow, swinging through the trees like monkeys.

Things are good. AS a side note, while traipsing through Central America, I am also trying to get references and essays together to apply for grad school. This is a not an application tactic I would recommend to anyone else as it is hard to wax poetic about my future when all I am really interested in doing is staring at waves from a hammock. Hopefully though, I will be able to talk someone into letting me into their program.

Panama City

2008-10-28T13:41:00.002-06:00

We arrived in Panama City after a surprisingly painless 7 hour bus ride from Boquete. I was very disapointed that I didn't get a window seat, but survived nontheless. Panama is really a beautiful country. I am wondering how it has taken me so long to get here. Panama City is also a fascinating place. We only spent two days there, but I would definately like to come back and spend some serious time.

We went to the Panama Canal early Sunday morning. It was actually quite impressive. We saw a couple of enormous barges go through, watched a video and checked out there museum. It was all very impressive and well run. But, I think the most impressive part was that on each of the floors of the building, they had these box shaped aparatus' that when you pushed a button, water flowed out of a spigot into an arch from which you could drink without worry of intestinal distress. Fascinating! We snapped some pictures of this modern engineering wonder.

We also visited Casco Viejo which is the oldest part of Panama City. It is part ruins, part ghetto and part gentrified tourist neighborhood on the bay. It was really beautiful.

Unfortunately, our hotel was really, really, REALLY bad. We decided to splurge and then immediately regretted it. We got a room that had no hot water, no cable and looked like it was rented by the hour. When I complained to the front desk clerk he was amazingly rude and insulting. It was an amazing display of disrespect that nearly bordered on verbal assault. I am working on a strongly-worded letter to the owners of the hotel (that outta show'em) and am telling anyone I can get in contact with that they should not, under any circumstances, stay at the Costa Inn Hotel in Panama City. There is my mouse's roar.

We landed in Bocas del Toro yesterday and after dodging and icky gringo that wanted to charge us $60 a night for a concret box with no windows, we found an AMAZING hotel right on the water that is slowly healing the damage done by the Costa Inn. There just may be hope for the world after all.

Travel Route

2008-10-24T13:08:00.002-06:00

For those of you keeping track, here's our travel route so far. You'll need to zoom out to see it. I will keep it updated as internet cafe technology allows:

View Larger Map

Boquete, Panama

2008-10-23T16:11:00.004-06:00

We are officially flying by the seat of our pants. We have essentially tossed our original itinerary and are going which ever way the wind blows us. We caught the 11 am bus South out of San Jose, Costa Rica and made it as far South as Paso Canoas and we decided to call it a night. We found a hotel that is located literally between the Costa Rican and Panamanian borders. We took advantage the next morning to do some duty-free shopping and then crossed the border on foot. We were navigated back and forth between the Latin American beurocratic stamp windows by a 12 year old. At one point, just after we both handed him our passports and five bucks, it dawned on me that we were putting quite a bit of trust into him. I mean, he didn't even have an official looking vest. All turned out well though. We grabbed a bus into David and had an hour and half of the most pleasureable ride so far on the trip. Even included air-con. The highways in Panama are amazingly nice. In David we grabbed a bus North to Boquete.

We arrived here at about 3:30 in the afternoon in a complete downpour. It became immediately apparent that my raincoat, which has been molting liner dandruff on me for the entire trip, is absolutely penetrable by rain. So, it is getting tossed. Which leaves me raincoatless in Central America in hurricane season. Not to fear though, I'm sure I'll be able to find something in Panama City on Saturday. Until then, I bought a crappy umbrella from a local store.

The most striking thing about Boquete, after the lush green mountains poking out from the mist, is that there are a boatload of gringos here. Apparently, the AARP ranked Panama amond the top five countries in the world in which to retire. So there has been a flood. I hate to generalize too much, but my experience with Ex-Pats in Latin America has been that they generally come lurred by lower living costs and then proceed to try to make their new home just like the one they left behind. They end up raising the cost of living for everyone, fine for them and their American pentions, but economic death for the locals. They end up pushing locals off properties they have lived on since the beginning of time, evidenced in Boquete by the fact that there are more real estate offices than there are hotels. Anyone that makes the argument against immigrants that "If we went to their country we would learn their language and respect their culture," has likely never been outside of the U.S.

It is beautiful. We went rafting this morning through some amazing Class IV rapids. It was a ton of fun. I am glad I got it in when I did. At one point we floated past one of the 17 damns they are constructing. Next year, that river won't be floatable. I don't know what we are heading towards, but I am pretty sure it's not progress.

Tomorrow I'm getting a massage.

Plan B: Make Plan B

2008-10-21T08:43:00.002-06:00

Against all logic and odds, I managed to get myself up early enough yesterday to go for one last run in the Puerto. It's really the best time of day, between 5:45 and 6 am. The ocean is gorgeous and the sun is not yet baking your insides, but also rather easy to sleep through. Then I went to dance class with my little old ladies, they are still a kick.

We were set to leave Puntarenas at about 2 pm and go to Monteverde, when a vendor guy came up and told us that the road to Monteverde had washed out with the last rain storm. We just looked at him and thought, "Well, that's not right. We are trying to get there." His story was confirmed when the bus didn't show up. So we sat there looking lost for a good twenty minutes trying to figure out our options, and also commenting that maybe we should start coming up with Backup Plans. We finally decided to head to San Jose and substitue Boquete, Panama for Monteverde, Costa Rica. We stayed last night at my the Hotel Aranjuez, my favorite San Jose spot and ate an amazing dinner at Tin Jo. Still rocking my Peace Corps discount, YAHOO!

So we were going to head to the border this morning, but when we got there, the bus was full. So we are set to leave on the eleven o'clock bus. We'll see how far we get. With a little luck we can get all the way to Boquete tonight and sleep in tomorrow. We are looking forward to holing up in a hotel for a couple of days. Do some rafting and swing through the trees on a zipline.

Gira de Despedida

2008-10-19T13:57:00.002-06:00

Alicia and I arrived in the Puerto last night around 10 pm. It was a pretty easy bus ride. I think it helped immensely that we went out with the mara the night before we left and went straight to the bus without even a nap. So we slept most of the trip. It's a long ride, but buses are a completely different story in Latin America and are much more comfortable than you would imagine. Course, my standards are also pretty low.

So we landed back in the Puerto. We are staying with doña Julia, a family I hung out with a lot when I was living here. This morning we went for a walk through the community and said Hi to lots of people. Lots of surprised faces. Almost everyone remembers me so I guess that is a good sign. Even Fat, Nasty Bar owner got throw out a catcall for old times sake.

Most everything is still pretty much the same. The kids are a little bigger. The bridge crossing over the estuary into Fray Casiano has finally become completely depleted. Only an iron skeleton remains. Even the concrete steps have been taken apart. I was sad to hear that don Luis, my initial host dad has been battling cancer. He looks good, but much thinner. They say that he should be coming out of it. Ojala.

The puerto is still amazingly hot and we have already sought refuge within the air conditioning of the internet cafe. This afternoon we are going to hang out on the Paseo de Turistas, and keep ourselves cool with chilled beverages and maybe come patacones. Tomorrow we are going to go to dance class with my little old ladies and then head out to Monteverde.

Despedida

2008-10-17T08:33:00.002-06:00

Things are coming to a close. I had my last day of work at SHARE on Wednesday. The last couple of weeks have been a flurry of running around, trying to wrap up lose ends. The reality of leaving is slowly starting to dawn on me. But not completely yet....

I was fortunate that I was able to see and personally say goodbye to some of the people I have been working with. It is a tough thing to do and carries with it an aura of abandonment, or so it feels to me. Salvadorans continue to be as I have always known them to be; gracious, resilient. It's been an honor to be here. I know it's time for me to go, but I don't have to look far ahead to foresee a visceral aching for this place. El Rinconcito. This heart-breakingly, beautiful place.

Fortunately, I have a month of beach/bar sitting with Alicia to buffer my angst.

Karmel Juyu and Antigua

2008-10-02T21:20:00.007-06:00

We had our annual VMM retreat at Karmel Juyu which overlooks Lake Atitlan. It is simply a spectacular site. The pictures do not do it justice. It was great to be able to hang out with the other volunteers. Quite a few of us are getting ready to transition back to the US, and there were also a few new faces.

We spent the weekend at Karmel Juyu and then all piled into a mini-bus heading to the Moran's site. Most of us hopped out at Los Encuentros, Alicia, Laura, Christine and I were headed for Antigua and the Salvadoran volunteers were headed back to Salvador. It was raining pretty hard and we were thankful that a chicken bus was going by right as we pulled up. Apparently I dilly-dallied too long getting out my raincoat. Everyone piled onto the bus, and then it left without me. Ooops.

Not to worry. If there is any place in Guatemala that I feel confident I can get myself to, it is Antigua. I ended up catching another chicken bus about 3 minutes later. I was able to get a seat and I wondered if my traveling companions were so fortunate (they were not). As I mentioned, it was raining pretty hard which in Central America means that roads become rivers and often large parts of the mountains slide away. In dry weather, the chicken buses swerve around cars and corners at approximately mach 10. When it is raining, the chicken buses swerve around cars and corners at approximately mach 9.5. I long ago accepted that the act of traveling in Central America is an act in which I surrender any control over my safety or well-being. I think it is best to accept this and enjoy the ride. I was pondering this reality, and morbidly thinking of the role of chance in life. Thinking that missing that bus was really a minor event, but how often things like that can change your life. I was sitting in the front seat so I had a descent view out the front window (only one wiper on driver's side) and out the front door where the attendant stood calling out destinations and collecting fares. At one point, the door was open, and the attendant yelled excitedly to the driver "Dale! Dale!" which means "GO! GO!" I looked outside just in time to see a wall of water shoot off the mountain and clip the mid-section of the bus. It wasn't enough to knock us off course, but it was definately enough to get my heart beating and other anotomical regions puckering. Needless to say, I was content to meet the girls in Chimaltenango with nothing more than a good story.

We arrived in Antigua soon thereafter, found our hotel and then set out for dinner and internet. Kelly and Lisa, two Costa Rica PCVs traveling Northward by bus, were also in Antigua. They had passed through El Salvador, the week before. We had plans to meet up in Antigua for my second cameo on their "MesoAmerican Farewell to Freedom Tour." We didn't find each other than night, but I stumbled upon them the next morning in a cafe. So we spent the day checking out the sites of Antigua, a really cool city, except for the tourist inundation. It was a good time. We tortured the VMs with PCV talk. We split in the afternoon as Kelly and Lisa went to climb the volcano in the rain and Laura and Christine headed back to their site in Managua. Which left Alicia and I to pre-trip preparations for our own upcoming farewell tour. We did some shopping, ate dinner, drank a margarita and listened to an obnoxious, tortured ex-pat kiss wooden ducks in a Frida Khalo bar.

I made it back to El Salvador on Tuesday night and am trying to get things wrapped up here. I finish at work on the 15th and then we hit the road on the 18th.

Yo como Jimmy

2008-09-26T08:50:00.006-06:00

I made it to Guatemala Wednesday. I stayed overnight at a house of nuns. It was very, VERY tranquila so I had time to do some more studying before the GRE on Thur. All I have to say about that is that it is LONG, looooooooooong. I think I did well enough that someone will take me, but don't think anyone is going to start throwing money at me. The best part is that I never have to take it again.

Thursday afternoon, I caught a bus to Alicia's site. I sat at a bus stop in Guatamala City for over an hour inhaling bus fumes. I made friends with a couple of the kids selling candies and other sweets when I asked them for the bus to Paoquil. They got quite a bit of amusement out of my pronunciation. After assuring them that I didn't want to go to Antigua, they made sure that the guys with the clipboards tracking the buses would tell me when the bus for Paoquil came by.

When the bus finally did arrive, it was a two hour ride to Santa Apolonia. It was a beautiful ride through the green, green Guatemalan countryside. I didn't even mind so much that I was squished in a bus seat. I arrived in Santa Apalonia and hung out with Alicia and the orphans. (Will post pics when I get back to Salvador) The kids are very cute and sweet and onery. They seemed to like it best when I would turn them upside down and shake them for change. The first kid I did it to was name Jimmy, so the rest of the kids would ask for a turn by saying "yo como Jimmy" or "me like Jimmy". They thought it was a game; I was looking for busfare.

This afternoon we are headed to Solola for a VMM retreat. The retreat site is suppose to be gorgeous.

Semillas de Esperanza/Seeds of Hope

2008-09-23T10:55:00.006-06:00

The following is a piece I wrote for the SHARE eNewsletter.

“Work won’t kill you, but not eating will.” Maria Cecilia Salinas began working when she was thirteen years old. She says, “I worked in the fields. I went to the capital and worked there.” Now she is a forty-five year old, single mother of three boys. She is taller than most Salvadoran woman, her body stretched, thin and wiry as she pulls her dark hair back and fixes it behind her head. Maria Cecilia, along with others in the San Vicente Region, received a small loan through SHARE’s Semillas de Esperanza, or Seeds of Hope program. Seeds of Hope combines micro-credits with organic growing workshops to offer an alternative means of growing, if not survival, for Salvador’s poorest residents. The credits hover in the area of $200-300 and are used for buying seeds, renting machinery and, in some cases, covers rent on a plot of land. The workshops train the participants in the basics of organic growing.

Sixto Rene Diaz says he stopped using chemical fertilizers and insecticides five years ago when he began having liver problems attributed to his exposure to harmful chemicals. He said he tried growing the first year without anything and lost nearly his entire crop to worms. He started asking around and got some tips from different people on ways to grow naturally. He spent the previous day at a workshop on organic growing techniques. He says he’s excited about what he’s learned, but also feels encouraged that other people are out there doing the same thing. The group says that when they first started, people laughed at them. They didn’t believe you could grow crops without heavy-duty chemical pesticides and fertilizers. They said they knew the chemicals were not good for them, but they had always been told it was the only way. Blanca Estela Ramirez, admits that she wasn’t sure at first either, but that she had had success raising cattle with the ACAMG Cooperative, another SHARE partner, so was willing to give it a try. “I believe it now,” she says. Many in the group say that they joined the program out of desperation. Chemical growing is expensive and the genetically-modified seeds don't reproduce which means you have to buy new seeds every year. They were skeptical, but also out of options. Now, they say that sometimes it seems too good to be true, that they can grow their food without poisoning themselves; not in the growing, nor the eating.

Don Lucio Porfirio Hernandez walks with us through his cornfield in the community of El Arco. He has recently “folded” the tall corn plants over so that water will not collect in the ears mold the corn. He explains to me, that once the plant is mature, it will continue to grow doubled over. He points to bean plants growing between the rows of corn. He says corn and bean plants are good friends and that they will grow well together; the corn stalks providing structure for the climbing bean plants. “You can’t do this if you harvest with a machine,” he says. When the corn and beans are mature he and his son will harvest the crop by hand. They will keep part for their families and sell the rest.

Don Lucio and Esmerelda Villalta, the project coordinator from CRIPDES – San Vicente, discuss the bean and corn market. He calculates the figures in his head and most of them come out pretty low. When CAFTA dropped tariffs on agricultural imports, it put small Salvadoran growers in direct competition with US corporations. With the aid of government subsidies, the industrial growers in the US were able to sell larger, genetically-modified products for less than native products, even after adjusting for transportation costs. Naturally, Salvadoran growers stopped growing and began buying. Recently, the rise in fuel costs has sent food costs soaring. But now, when Salvador most needs local growers and local products, there are few to be found. Don Lucio tells me that a lot of people don’t think it’s worth it in the end; to work so hard for so little.

“But it has its advantages,” he says, “This way, my family eats.”

Upcoming

2008-09-18T11:30:00.002-06:00

I have been studying lately for the GRE so, as you can imagine, not a lot seems blog-worthy. I am headed to Guatemala next week to take the GRE and also to participate in the VMM Retreat. I am looking forward to it. One, to be done with the GRE. Two, to see more of Guatemala.

Next month, October 15th, will make one year in El Salvador and bring to a close this episode of my Central American work. My how time does fly. I am going to do one last bit of traveling around Central America with my friend and fellow VM Alicia, who is also finishing up her service in Guatemala. A “farewell” tour of sorts that promises to be, well, memorable.

I am posting a link to the website of a photographer in El Salvador that has taken some really amazing pictures. Enjoy. www.jesusfloresfotos.blogspot.com

Getting Settled...

2008-09-07T09:09:00.003-06:00

I made the big move last weekend, so today officially, makes one week in the new house. So far so good. The only domestic hang-up being that my washer is on the fritz. I think the pump has gone out. I have a theory on how it went down, but theories don't fix washing machines. I was able to do one load of laundry this morning by filling the tank with buckets. Worked quite well I might add, but I would really prefer a fully functional washer.

Other than that, things are pretty tame. Worked all week. Work is work. I am scheduled to take the GRE on the 25th of this month. Which means that in leiu of studying I have, rearranged my underwear bucket, calculated my student loan interest, and watched both the democratic and republican conventions. Desperation.

Barack Obama 8-28-08

2008-08-28T21:25:00.003-06:00

That's my America.

Geographical Update

2008-08-25T09:29:00.002-06:00

Now that I am delegation free for a while, there are some personal things that need to be taken care of. The big one, is that I will be moving to another house next weekend. As many of you know, I am NOT a fan of moving, in fact, I believe it is punishment for shoplifting in some countries. Also, I LOVE my house. I will miss it terribly, but alas, my budget and rent are no longer compatible. So it is time to move on. I will be moving in to a house with a Salvadoran woman I met through a mutual friend. The move will be short, just a few blocks, and is still near an important bus stop, and closer to work. So it should be good.

All that is left now... is to begin packing, which would imply not procrastinating via blog posting. :)

Ita Maura and EMU

2008-08-24T13:15:00.004-06:00

I spent the last week or so with a delegation from Eastern Michigan University. The group was a little different than what we are generally used to in that they were traveling as part of a university course studying Poverty, Health and Human Rights. The group was also distinct in that it hosted a more general sampling of the U.S. For a 'perfect storm' of logistical reasons, it was easily the most challenging delegation I have been a part of. They were a gritty-honest cross section of the U.S. Diverse, not only demographically, but also in perspective and life experience. They personified our vast capacity for understanding and compassion, as well as solipsistic disregard. They were nothing if not real. Thank you.

The group spent four days in the community of Ita Maura. Ita Maura is an organized community that relocated from a refugee camp in Mesa Grande, Honduras to Chalatenango during the war. The name of their community honors Ita Ford and Maura Clarke, two of the four US Churchwomen that were killed by Salvadoran death squads in the early years of the civil war. More recently, the community is recovering from the deaths of two community youth who were gunned down in April. Although violence is part of the Salvadoran national reality (average 10 murders per day), it is generally concentrated geographically. Lately, however, there has been a rise in violent crimes in previously untouched, rural areas. As these deaths are rarely investigated, there is growing sentiment, as well as evidence, that the violence is politically motivated and effectively the current manifestation of Salvador government's history of repression and indifference to human rights.

I have been blessed in the past four years to have experienced, on multiple occasions, the beauty and generosity of Salvadoran hospitality, but even my overdeveloped cynicism was overwhelmed by the gracious humility with which we were welcomed into their homes and their lives.

Sweet Belize

2008-08-10T09:28:00.006-06:00

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August 1-6 are the Salvadoran fiestas called Agostinas. Basically, it is national vacation week. There are carnivals here, or those that can and want to travel. I took advantage to go to Belize and renew my visa.

I left last Thursday, and took a four hour Ticabus from San Salvador to Guatamala City. I met Alicia in Guatamala City and we stayed the night with nuns, then got an early start Friday morning (6:30 am). We caught a "first class" bus from Guate to Puerto Barrios (5 hours), then a boat to Punta Gorda, Belize, two hours on a public bus to Independence, then finally a ten minute water taxi to Placencia, our final destination (6:30 pm). We then spent the next few days, moving as little as possible from the beach. Recent storms in Mexico had washed trash (both natural and man-made) into the ocean and then the tides carried the trash onto Belizian beaches. However, neither the trash nor the sand fleas dissuaded us from staying an extra day. I really believe that I am a much better person when I am in regular contact with the ocean.

We laid on the beach, we scavenged for food and pantyrippers. We found that straying from the beach or the Purple Space Monkey, caused the Gods to punish us with excruciatingly long waits and discomfort. So we learned quickly and stayed put. We hung out with Keith from Canada, who is traveling by land from Panama back to Ottawa. (Much luck on your journeys both geographical and otherwise) All was not shameless self-indulgence, we also helped local residents recruit American volunteers for beach cleanup and other acts of community service. There were significant bug bites, but the warm fuzzy feeling of altruistic sacrifice more than compensated.

We started our journey back on Wednesday morning. 6:30am found us with tearful (grumpy) goodbyes as we left Placencia in a water taxi just in time to wait two hours for the bus in Independence. Two hours then to Punta Gorda and an hour boat ride to Guatemala. To say the least, this trip was not nearly as smooth as the way in. (Another example of the Gods punishing us for straying from the Purple Space Monkey?) We got absolutely soaked! We could wring out our clothes when we landed.

We caught the koosh bus back to Guatemala City, and passed the five hour journey conversing with a pair Belizian travelers. Riveting conversations that will not soon be forgotten. We arrived in Guatamala City at 9pm, headed back to the nun house and then up again early to catch the 6am bus back to San Salvador. I was ready for a nap and a sweet shower by the time I got back.

Next week, we have a delegation arriving on Wednesday so the real work begins again... you know, figuring out how to keep my tan from fading. jejejejejejejeje.....

Maiz and El Mozote

2008-07-27T13:57:00.005-06:00

I believe I can now boast that I have survived July. July is not quite over, but I am finished with delegations for a while, well at least until August 13th.

The Youth delegation went very well. We welcomed 14 delegates from around the US. We split the delegation in half and each group spent two nights in two communities in Chalatenango, Teocinte and Ellacuria. I went with the group to Ellacuria. I was excited that the bulk of the delegation planning was conducted by the youth committee. I wanted the bulk of the exchange to be by for and about youth. It seemed to go well, and allowed me the chance to take a back seat. Grassroots Development 101: "If you are doing all the work, you're not doing your job." Granted, I'm not doing development work anymore, but I still jump at the chance to dabble in it.

While in Ellacuria, I stayed with an amazing family and was able to hone my tortilla making skills. The dad in the family, works each day in the cornfields on the surrounding hillsides. The corn that is produced is the main staple in the community's diet. The corn is cooked, then ground on a flat stone. The corn is then mixed with water to form a dough and then formed into tortillas and cooked on a flat clay griddle. In this case, the griddle is built into the top of an adobe oven and a fire is built inside it. (See pics) I have been "taught" various times to make tortillas. I am hesitant to use the word "taught" because there is not really a teaching process. Salvadoran women learn to make tortillas much the same way they learn to walk, they just get up and do it. To say the least, I started the process a little later in life. So my learning process has been trying to copy what I see the women doing and repeatedly asking them to slow down so I can figure out what it is that they are doing. I'm getting better though. Generally my tortilla making involves much laughing (with me as well as at me) and thick amoeba shaped disks of corn dough. I'm getting better though. My tortillas were all nearly round and I even think I got the "spinny" part of the process down, although the "clap and turn" technique continues to elude me. It was impossible not to notice and admire the fact that they participate in every part of the food cycle. They plant the corn, grow it, harvest it, grind it, then cook it. How many of us can say that? That we participate fully in our own nourishment? Unfortunately this way of life is being threatened by mining companies that are looking to put and open pit mine on the hillside from which the communities gets its corn as well as it's water. As a well organized and tight-knit community, they've managed to resist so far. Hopefully their luck will hold out. That evening, the daughters of the family sang songs while a neighbor played guitar. It was a moment of simple beauty and I felt honored to have been present.

I had two days off after the delegation went home which I spent staring at the wall and babbling incoherently. I got nothing done. House did not get cleaned, books not read, emails not responded to. When I described this to my coworkers they diagnosed the episode as a "delegation hang-over" makes sense to me.

I spent Thursday and Friday in the department of Morazan. We took a delegation to the war museum in Perquin and then to El Mozote. In early December, 1981 the citizens of El Mozote were gathered in the town square by US trained, government soldiers. The men and women were separated and then locked into separate buildings. The men, locked in the church, were tortured then killed. The women, as well as girls as young as twelve, were raped and then killed. Children and babies as young as two and three days old were also killed, tossed into the air and bayonetted. The justification was that the community, located in Eastern El Salvador, an area rife with insurgent activity, was composed of guerilla combatants and sympathizers. And the children? Well, they would just grow into communists so they too were killed. At the end of the day the entire population had been exterminated. Nearly 800 people were killed, their bodies buried or burned.

The entire population was killed, save for one woman. Rufina Amaya miraculously survived that day. Somehow, in the shuffle of mass executions, when Rufina was lined up alongside her friends and neighbors to be showered with machine-gun fire; somehow, they missed her. She managed to hide herself in the brush and then snuck past the armed soldiers amidst a group of escaping livestock. Her testimony of the events of that day were taken down soon after the event by Salvadoran journalists. The massacre was denied by Salvadoran and US authorities until archeological investigations, ordered by the United Nations Truth Commission, confirmed her account in 1992.

Rufina Amaya died in March 2007. Her daughter Fidelia guided our group through the town of El Mozote. The town's small public plaza holds a memorial to those that were killed. Beside the church, is a memorial garden for the hundreds of children that were systematically killed. Fidelia described her mother's escape to us, as we walked down the same narrow road her mother had followed. I wondered if there was a point; after she passed the last man dressed in green and guns; after crawling through muck and and thistle and thorns working into her hair and embedding themselves in her fleshy knees and arms; past the mounds of burning bodies, there had to have been a line between fleeing and escaped, and I wondered if she realized when she crossed it. And then I wondered if she ever felt safe again.

Star struck

2008-07-07T07:09:00.003-06:00

I have been busy running around with delegations lately. We recently finished with two sister delegations and I am busy preparing for the youth delegation that will arrive on Wednesday. Thursday night, Danny, Danielle and I were lucky enough to have dinner with Tim and Linda Muth. That's right, THE Tim from Tim's El Salvador Blog. When he's not keeping the English Speaking world up-to-date on the happenings in El Salvador, Tim also sits on the VMM Board. It was great meeting them, wonderful conversation and, of course, any and all relationships built on a solid foundation of social justice and Khalua brownies are bound to endure. THANKS!

Dinner was followed immediately by an amazing thunder storm. The heavens opened and dumped a ton of rain. Unfortunately, the rain storm was linked to 37 deaths in the country including a bus wreck that killed 32. It is impossible to talk about El Salvador without talking about the vulnerability of its population. Living in poverty means that even the mildest natural occurrences can destroy you. It means you take nothing for granted.

I also wanted to send a shout out to my friend Andrew Kirshman. He is a Jesuit teacher at the UCA (University of Central America) and fellow sociology junkie. He is headed to Berkeley to teach Theology. I wish him the best of luck and look forward the next opportunity to drink a cup of coffee and talk shop. Happy travels!

Dance

2008-06-23T08:20:00.001-06:00

This is quite possibly the coolest thing I have ever seen. I got goosebumps....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY&feature=user

Village Vibes

2008-06-22T08:15:00.005-06:00

I wanted to post an email I got from Adam Johnson, he was a PCV I served with in Costa Rica that re-upped and is now working on health projects in Guinea, Africa:

Sidiki here in Kankan on a rainy Saturday morning. The streets have turned into streams and the market is full of avocados and mangos.

I am not aware of what the vibe is like in the United States, considering the nomination of Obama, but I wanted to let you know that here in the village of Missamana, and in Guinea in general, the people cannot stop talking about the issue and they are so interested and energetic as they discuss the possibility of him being the next US President. They are not fully aware of his issues, or any of the USs issues for that matter, but his energy and message of hope, in the US and for the rest of the world, has really given them a lot of motivation and positivity. Obamas running is symbolic, and what a great symbol for America, for Africa, and for the rest of the world, which, for the majority, is a mixture of ethnicities and those whom have neighbors from all different backgrounds; there are six major ethnic groups that blend together within the borders of Guinea. I truly want to share with you the magic that is felt here in the village when Obama news comes through the radio via the BBC. He is truly causing a movement here, a movement of positivity and hope in a place that is crippled by corruption, poverty, poor health and lack of resources. I wish I could take you all for a walk through the village, through Kankan, and through Conakry because shouts of Obama are ringing through the streets.

Thanks AJ!

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Fresh Coconut

2008-06-21T15:43:00.005-06:00

Here's some pics of Danielle and I enjoying fresh coconut in Las Pampas. Then a video demonstrating how to go about getting fresh coconut.

CDH Delegation

2008-06-21T07:18:00.007-06:00

I spent the better part of the last week with the Cretin-Derham Hall (High School in St. Paul, MN) Delegation. I would have spent more time with them but Danny forgot me (last time I swear!). They were a really great group of kids and I had a lot of fun with them. We spent the weekend in Las Pampas, San Vicente.

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We all stayed with families in the community. On Sunday we went for a hike on the volcano. The kids got a kick out of the name of the volcano, Chichontepeque, which is a twin peaked and whose name translates as "Big Titty Mountain".

We came back to the city on Monday and were sad to leave our families but relieved to use indoor toilets and showers. Not to mention the chance to begin nursing heat rashes and other chaffing issues. On Tuesday the kids went to an urban parish while I checked in at the office. I met back up with them in the afternoon for soccer and then we met with Rick Jones (Bia*%), the Regional Director of Catholic Relief Services. Rick is amazingly knowledgeable about Salvadoran issues and reality and is always a big hit with delegations and delegation leaders. Tuesday night we wrapped up with a final reflection at the guest house and then wrapped things up with a Merengue dance Par-tay.

All in all it was a lot of fun. It was a joy to see the kids discover El Salvador and what makes this country amazing as well as heart-breaking. Danny was the official delegation coordinator, with Danielle in training. Danielle (new VM to replace Danny) has been in the country for just about two weeks now and is bringing new meaning to the phrase "trial by fire." The first, oh, month and a half of her move to El Salvador will be filled with three back to back delegations. I would not be surprised to see her rocking on a couch blowing spit bubbles by August. I'll keep you posted. So that left me in a support role which means that I took care of the fallen soldiers, held their hair while they yacked, walked em down the mountain, talked about the Tao, gave the smack down when necessary (tough love), but primarily threw in cynical, crass, sassy commentary when applicable. Which was often, and really, I think, my calling.

We have another delegation here this week. Poor Danielle is already hitting it again. I will be minimally involved in this one leaving me time to work out the final details on the Youth Delegation that will be arriving in the first part of July.

Click here for more pics from delegation

Portland Bubble

2008-06-01T15:10:00.015-06:00

I made it back from Portland last night. Great week, went way too quickly. As usual.

I stayed with Maria. She left Vesta in Costa Rica and headed to Portland. Safe, clean, reliable public transportation, yoga, organic vegetarian food, bikes, recycling, thrift stores, indie music…she couldn’t be happier, well, maybe just a tiny bit if the weather were sunnier. I also hung with Ian in his natural environment; dogs, bikes, breweries, gloom and dive bars. Yeah! We hung out just long enough for him to get all emotionally attached and then I cruelly left him at the airport... again, but not before partaking in sushi (Amazingly yummy sushi, I might add.) hehehehehe!

We made pupusas for some of Maria’s friends, Aaron (RPCV from Honduras), Lauren and Brian. Brian is in a band (mejor dicho: IS a band) that is pretty great and going on tour this summer. Check him out: American Nobody.

We reunited with don Clos. (Oh the memories.)

We went on a tour of the Rhodedendrum gardens with Aunt Kathy and Uncle Rod. The flowers were gorgeous and Kathy and Rod are always a blast to hang out with.

I hung out with Ian and Makai (dog) at the Lucky Lab a brewpub that allows the four-legged friends. (Only in Portland.) I checked out Portland State as a possible grad school in the future. It fared quite well. I took a tour of the campus and simultaneously broke in a new tour guide. The poor kid, I felt so bad for him. He was SO nervous. He kept saying things like “We are going to go somewhere else now, but I might not remember how to get there.” Then turned around and ran full on into a closed elevator door. We did our absolute best to not laugh out loud. We were moderately successful.

Katie Questions, Me, Maria, Jon "the Rock" and some street art.

We hung out with some Peace Corps People Thursday night and went to Last Thursday. Last Thursday is when artists and enterprising eclectics line a street (don’t remember which one) selling their wares. This happens on the (ready for it?) last Thursday of every month. We did some hoola-hooping and bought buttons:

I don’t know what it means but I think it is funny.

We rented zip car on Friday and were two big, giddy dorks. Zip cars are pretty friggin’ cool. It is basically a share care for those that do not want to own a car but need to use one every once in a while. The coolest thing about them is that you lock and unlock the doors by holding a card up to the windshield. We drove out to the coast (Goonies territory) and hiked out to this amazingly beautiful overlook in Oswald West State Park. We even saw “barking, sea creatures” which were later identified as sea lions. We also saw snails, slugs and snakes which were less fun for us to see, although probably quite amusing for anyone who happened to see us see them. We dipped our patas in the ocean, and promptly took them out again. Same ocean, big temperature difference.

And then it seemed, as quickly as it had begun, I was back on a plane to El Salvador. I was relieved to be able to land okay as there had been a tropical storm warning. The hurricane that hit Costa Rica and Nicaragua was “only” a tropical storm by the time it got here. So, the rain is officially here, kicking off another moldy-never-dry-clothing season.

Tomorrow... back to work. Ick.

Que Rico

2008-06-01T14:28:00.007-06:00

I am home now and can add some pictures. Here are some from Wisconsin. I took shamefully few, but they make up in quality what they lack in quantity, and may also be quite revealing of my motivations. :)

This one's for Alicia. Spotted Cow Beer and a bath... does it get any better?

Here's one of me in front of the best bar ever. How do I know it's the best bar ever?.....

Cuz it says so!

Nun Camp

2008-05-23T06:12:00.002-06:00

This week I have been at a retreat for VMM held at the Sienna Center in Racine Wisconsin. The Sienna Center is run by and serves as a retirement center Dominican nuns ("Dominican" referring to the order and not the republic). I arrived Saturday and spent hours trying to transfer my airline voucher (from Christmas) to Betsy, one of the VMM ladies. (From now on, I will be willing to pay double to avoid flying United. Their service, or lack there of, has left me emotionally scarred.) Sunday, Heather, a new friend and belly dance goddess, gave me a tour of the sites of Racine and took me to a great place for lunch including the requisite cheese curds, sand dollars, brat and Spotted Cow Beer. She was amazing kind and went way out of her way for someone who is essentially a complete stranger.

The retreat has been very nice. It is technically an orientation, but since I have been in Central America for nearly three year (whoa!) and in the VMM position for about 7, it has been for me more of a retreat, BUT a very nice one. The sessions have been quite good and renewing and it is nice to meet the new VMs that are headed to South. David and Nancy, a couple from Wisconsin, Jennifer from the Carolinas and Danielle from St.Luis/IA are all looking to head to El Salvador for service. Danielle will be working in the SHARE office with me, (apparently she beat orphans in a past life.)

I am here today to close up and then tomorrow I head to Portland to hang out with MARIA!!!!!

On a side note.... as I have, from time to time, used the blog to specifically condemn some company whose lack of customer service merited my ire (United, Victoria's Secret), I thought I would take the opportunity to heap praise upon the Chaco company. Chaco sandals are not only comfortable, practical and the standard uniform for Peace Corps Volunteers and social justice workers but are also an amazing Colorado company. I wear mine pretty much every day through sand, mud, rain and rainforest, scorching asphalt and buses. I have clocked, easily, hundreds of miles. I have had them for 4 years. I have replaced the sole once due to simple wear and had NO problems getting them exchanged even from Costa Rica. Recently, I noticed that the soles were cracking and I figured that they had finally reached the end of their days. Not bad for four years of daily abuse. I mentioned this to Chaco and Joe Kaputa in Paonia, Colorado told me that it was a warranty issue and had a new pair sent to meet up with me in Portland. So, I am as ever, a walking advertisement for Chaco shoes, sandals or whatever else they would decide to sell. :) Thanks Chaco!!!

Tumbler in El Salvador

2008-05-11T07:50:00.008-06:00

Last weekend I received a short visit from my friend Constance (aka Tumbler), a fellow PCV in Costa Rica, but who is now living the power-suit life in New York's financial district. She was only here for a few days but we made the most of it.

On Sunday, we went on a day trip "excursion." We hopped in a bussetta with other Salvadorans, guided by don Mario for a tour of the Ruta de las Flores (Route of Flowers). The Ruta de las Flores is a stretch of highway that runs between Sonsonate and Ahuachapan in the western department of Santa Ana. It is so named because of the flowering trees that line the highway. The trees weren't in bloom when we went, but it was still a beautiful drive. Living in the city, which one can accurately describe as a bubble of concrete and pollution, I miss terribly green and living things. So much so, that I didn't mind the rain at all. In fact, it made everything look greener.

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We had breakfast at a restaurant in Apaneca called Jardin de Celeste (Heaven's Garden) and then went for a short hike at to see the Cascadas de don Juan. We had lunch in a town called Concepcion de Ataco, that hosts a Feria Gastronomico (Food Fair) each weekend. They are also known for weaving tapestries, so we were able to see their looms. El Salvador makes beautiful textiles. It is one of my favorite things here. We had lunch, wondered around, checked out the galleries and artesian shops and took some pictures. We rounded out the afternoon with a quick stop in Salcoatitan, which hosts yet another Feria Gastronomico. Constance particularly liked the quesedillas. If you are from Colorado, or probably anywhere in the Southwestern US and ordered a quesedilla in El Salvador, you would probably do so expecting a flour tortilla folded over melted cheese. When you got your quesedilla you would be confused. In El Salvador, a quesedilla is a slightly sweet bread made with cheese. They are pretty good, but example of the phenomena that occurs when one is traveling in a foreign land and orders something that seems familiar but is in fact not familiar at all.

On Monday we headed to the campo in the Bajo Lempa a region Southeast of San Salvador. The area is literally called the "Lower Lempa" and is appropriately named as it is the area surrounding the lower end of the Lempa River. It is a striking contrast to previous day for many reasons. Geographically, Santa Ana is volcano and coffee country. The climate is cool and the terrain is lush and green. The Bajo Lempa is in a flood plain, and is sweat-from-the-exertion-of-blinking-hot, sugarcane is grown and cattle graze. Politically, Santa Ana is pretty conservative. There was an ill-fated indigenous uprising in 1932 that was met with brutal repression. The results have been that many indigenous identifications, such as dress, language, and religious ceremonies were dropped, and assimilation became, literally, a survival skill. The department is predominantly ARENA territory and is privy to national funding. So it has enjoyed infrastructure development that has not been extended to the Bajo Lempa region which hosts many resettlement communities,* is a stronghold for the FMLN, and is NOT privy to national funding or infrastructure development.

We met with La Coordinadora which is another grassroots community development group that works in the area. We also met with a group of Engineers Without Borders students from Clemson University (Shout out to Clemson!) that were visiting the area and working on water projects. As I have mentioned to the point of tedium, water is a HUGE deal in El Salvador. There are a lot of communities that do not have potable and still get their drinking, washing, etc. water from rivers, which are amazingly, fish-killing, grow-a-third-arm kind of polluted. But that's another entry.....

We stayed in a small community called La Isla Mendez, which is not an island at all but is surrounded on only three sides by water. As usual, the families we stayed with were incredibly hospitable and kind. The EWB students are working with La Coordinadora to bring potable water to La Isla. Tuesday a.m. we went to Nuevea Esperanza and Constance gave a short accounting charla to a women's cooperative that SHARE works with. We met up with Carmelina who is one of my coworkers and hands down, one of the coolest people I know. We headed back to San Salvador, and stopped for lunch at Pollo Campero (viva la resistancia), and then Constance left for Honduras on King Quality Wednesday morning. It was a packed couple of days but lots of fun.

*Resettlement communities are communities that are primarily composed of Salvadorans that fled their native communities in other parts of the country during the civil war and were not permitted to return to their original communities and, instead, were placed in the harsh environment of the Bajo Lempa region.

Milk, Meat and Bicycle Repair: Women's Development in Chalatenango

2008-04-28T15:04:00.006-06:00

This is a piece that I originally wrote as a promotional piece for SHARE but is not going to work out in that capacity, but thought was worth publishing, even if it was only shamelss, self-publishing. :) Enjoy...

As we bump and jostle over under-maintained, over-traveled, rutted roads, it occurs to me that we were literally traveling to one of the far corners of El Salvador. El Rincón, or “the Corner,” is located in Northern El Salvador a stone’s throw from the Honduran Border, and named without a trace of irony. Upon arriving, we meet with a group of women that are being supported by Eva, the CCR’s* Woman’s Secretariat, a position funded by the SHARE Foundation, and Esperanza a local community supporter.

The women introduce themselves. They range in age from grandmothers to teenagers, all dressed in simple straight skirts reaching just past their knees. Rosaura, A timid, yet confident woman with long, graying hair is the president and the boldest of the group, yet she still seems timid. Four visitors is a lot for a town where only the CocaCola truck comes with any regularity. She explains to us that they began only seven months ago. They met twice a month and they would all bring one dollar. They would bring a dollar they had earned selling produce in town or along busier roads, or maybe it was a dollar they had managed to save by foregoing the few treats they’re afforded. They each brought a dollar and put them all together and saved them. That is how, she explains, they created their grupo de ahorros, their savings group.

We ask how much they had saved and the group looked at one another, each in turn meeting a gaze then straightening a skirt, or smoothing a dishtowel across a lap. “We held a raffle too,” someone adds. The savings groups are an Oxfam project and the idea behind them is that the members pool their contributions and then the group can offer small, low-interest loans to its members. Ideally the money is used for micro-business startups, something that will generate income for the borrower, allowing her to re-pay the loan but that will also sustain itself and provide income in a place where income is a rarity. One woman, in another community, borrowed five dollars to buy corn flour for tortillas to sell in the streets. The groups facilitate solutions for the community from the community. They generate women’s development at the most basic level of empowerment and self-sufficiency. “Including the raffle,” we ask, “how much have you saved.” The women look at each other again; hands reach up and stifle giggles before they begin. “Over four hundred dollars,” Rosaura reports. The women nodd their heads solemnly.

Four hundred dollars! Four hundred dollars is nothing to giggle at in a place where the basic food basket** for a rural family of four is estimated at $96 and most families somehow survive on less. Four hundred dollars; after eight months and a raffle! Their eyes widen as what they had reported begins to sink in; as they begin to understand what they are capable of. They haven’t begun to grant loans yet. They talk about starting a tiendita, a small store that would be managed by the group like a cooperative. They talk about raising chickens. As they discuss the pros and cons of each, as they discuss the risks, you can hear doubt hanging upon their words. Four hundred dollars is a lot of money, but it will go fast. Four hundred dollars is a lot of money to have had. When success comes faster than confidence it can paralyze.

In the coming months, Esperanza will continue to meet with them. She will sit with them sipping horchata, a rich rice drink, and discuss their projects. She will coordinate trainings and assistance as they are needed. She will tell them about the women that came before them, about their experiences, their successes as well as the lessons they learned. She will tell them about the women not so far away in Los Ranchos.

As newly repatriated war refugees, the women of Los Ranchos came together and began sewing undergarments. When they didn’t know, they organized trainings. They received help from international groups, like SHARE, and the UN Refugee Program and regional organizations such as the CCR. They learned to embroider and began selling artesian goods to visiting delegations. They built upon their new knowledge and learned that their success came from themselves, from their collective work and their collective will. They learned and they grew. What started with just a few women in a small sewing group is now a Women’s Collective of 18 members. They elect representatives to the community cooperative and manage their community’s needs. Currently, the women use micro-credits to buy more sewing machines, or start new ventures. Three women in the collective used a small loan to start a pupuseria. The words painted on the wall of a donated building holding a small store advertise “Milk, Meat and Bicycle Repair” proving that there are no boundaries to ingenuity. They learned, and continue to address the needs of their communities, together.

The most recent buzz word programs have been micro-loans, micro-lending, or micro-credits; small sums of money making big differences. They allow the worlds poorest citizens an opportunity to develop their own micro-enterprises within their immediate market economy. Poviding a funding source to those who would not otherwise have access to funds at reasonable rates. The exact opposite of paycheck loan programs that exploit the desperate and destitute, micro-credits are intended to foster self-suficiency for the borrower. At their inception, they were truly a revolutionary idea, infusing social consciousness into the market economy, or in the least, attempting to begin to level the playing field. These small enterprises will never compete with transnationals, but they can contribute to the social marketplace and provide for their immediate needs. The credits are absolutely a step in the right direction, but alone, they are not enough. They must be accompanied by the understanding that true sustainable development is accomplished through holistic projects. Micro-credits help women but micro-credits accompanied by community organization, cooperation, education, and mentoring empower women.

Back in El Rincon, we hide from the sun within cool adobe walls. The women discuss plans for the tiendita. They will need a roof, they say. We ask if they think that people will buy from them and they all nod their heads. “Ours would be the only one,” they giggle. And just then it becomes real to them. Just then, they realize that something has changed, that they have created something together. Suddenly potential doesn’t seem as frightening as it had before.

*CCR – Is the Associación de Communidades para el desarollo de Chalatenango (Association of Communities for the development of Chalatenango) is a community development group and counterpart of the SHARE Foundation that functions in Chalatenango, a department in North Central El Salvador.

**The Basic Food Basket is the estimated cost of the food items (bread, tortilla, rice, meat, oils/fats, eggs, milk, fruits/vegetables, and sugar) required for a family of four to meet their basic nutritional needs. The Basic Food Basket does not include other living expenses such as transportation, shelter, electricity, education, clothing, and health.

The earth is moving but the buses are not

2008-04-18T11:44:00.004-06:00

As long as we are talking about buses… The big news in El Salvador this week is that the buses held a 24-hour protest strike Wednesday. Here’s the problem in a nutshell:

Gas is at an average of $4.15 a gallon here. The bus tariffs are regulated by the government and have held steady at $0.25. The bus companies have been paying more and more in gas, but unable to legally raise tariffs. The government is hesitant to allow the raise in tariffs because* if they were to do so it could be held up as another indicator that the cost of living is rising exponentially faster than wages. (To put things into perspective, the cost of the Basic Food Basket** in El Salvador is reported at $139.40/month. The average Maquila (Factory) worker makes $151.20/month.) If that conclusion were to be drawn, there are some that would suggest that the recent minimum wage increase of $5 per month was not sufficient. And if pay increases are brought up, there is sure to be reference made to the $1,800/month pay increase approved by the legislators for the legislators. It seems that the official plan of action was to close eyes, cover ears and sing “LaLaLaLaLa, I can’t hear you, LaLaLaLaLa.” So Wednesday, approximately 95% of the bus did not run in an effort to get some attention. (Here's a great picture for as long as the link works.)

Other events this week, Tuesday we experienced a minor earthquake. Coming from Colorado, I really have very little perspective about what exactly constitutes a “minor” earthquake. I haven’t seen any reports of magnitude so I will classify it like this; it lasted long enough that I thought “whoa, it’s still going” and strong enough that it made my doors rattle, but was not enough to knock things off of walls or for me to seek shelter. In conversing with Salvadorans it was officially classified as “kinda strong.” Just a quick reminder that, apart from all the social disorder that Salvador is privy to, it is also one of the most seismically vulnerable areas in the world.***

* the “because” part is an original Kelley Theory, part political, part psycho-social analysis conducted exclusively by your’s truly. May require grain of salt.

**The Basic Food Basket is the estimated cost of the food items (bread, tortilla, rice, meat, oils/fats, eggs, milk, fruits/vegetables, and sugar) required for a family of four to meet their basic nutritional needs. The Basic Food Basket does not include other living expenses such as transportation, shelter, electricity, education, clothing, and health. These items are included in the Market Basket and areestimated currently at $669.60/month.

***Source: Oscar Sorrenson, Husband of Heather and volcanologist.

Watch your step... Cow Parade coming through

2008-04-07T09:39:00.003-06:00

I had to make a run for the border to renew my visa. I left Savador Thursday morning at 3 am and got into San Jose about midnight. The trip has kinda been a blur of seeing as many people as I can. I definately did not get to see everyone I wanted to, but had a great time with those that I did.

It is kinda strange to be back. There have actually been quite a few changes here in the last 6 months. There have been some major infrastructural developments in the center in that they have closed off more streets for pedestrian sidewalks, they are "cleaning" up the Central Market. It is definately becoming more and more of a tourist attraction. One one hand, it is nice, on the other hand it feels sterile and packaged. It may be that my perspective is changed from having been in Salvador for the past six months, but it is nearly impossible to believe that Costa Rica and El Salvador are lumped together in the same region, they don't seem to come from the same planet.

For example, there was a "Cow Parade" in the center, which basically consisted of lots of life-sized cow sculptures strewn about Avenida Central. They were cool looking. One group took advantage of the crowds and staged a "Don't eat meat" protest in front of McDonalds. It kinda made me chuckle.. in Salvador, when there are protests about food, it is because the people don't have to eat, not because they are not eating the right things. It is a good indicator of the difference in development.

Another HUGE adjustment is that the Bulevard is no more. At least not in the way that we PCVs came to know and love it. It changed ownership a couple of days before I left. It is closed right now for renovations. They are going to turn it into a casino. So, the days of PCV debauchery will be replaced with gringo gamblers and tica prostitutes. Ho hum...

I am back on King Quality tomorrow morning. Back in El Savador after just 20 some hours in a bus. ;)

Public Transport a la Guanaca

2008-03-30T07:23:00.008-06:00

Empty bus (a rare sighting)...

I thought it was about time that I dedicated a posting to the buses in El Salvador. I will dedicate this post to Maxito because I think I drug him onto nearly every bus that Salvador offers. In order to keep things in perspective, I will mention this. Costa Rica, for all it's faults and frustrations, has an AMAZING bus system. Quirky at times, but overall you can get pretty much anywhere in the country in relative (relative) comfort. "Comfort" is not a word that is often used when describing buses in El Salvador.

There are three types of buses here. The bus (pronounced boos), which is generally a modified Bluebird School bus. "Modified" meaning that rails run down each side of the aisle so that passengers standing have something to hold onto. A turnstile was also installed in the front of the bus to count passengers for some sort of accounting purposes. The turnstile is pretty self-explanitory with two exceptions; peddler and panhandlers are allowed to crawl over the top of the turnstyle and are not charged the fare. The general rule for children is that if they can be carried or if they fit into the turnstile with their parent, they are not charged. I have seen many a child's eyes bulge as they are squished between mom and the turnstile. I have also noticed that the cutoff seems to have less to do with the child's age than mom's dimensions.

The normal carrying capacity on the average school bus is posted at 77. A Salvadoran will see your 77 and raise you infinity. I have never, ever seen anyone denied passage on a bus because it was too full. There is always room for three more. Surprisingly, there is always also just enough room for the fare collector to shimmy through the aisle collecting fares. If things get a little squishy, there is always the option of opening up the back door and hanging off the back bumper or luggage ladder to alleviate pressures inside. When Max and I rode to the beach we did not get on early enough to get a seat so we stood. Not wholly awful when the bus was moving, but it was Semana Santa and everyone was headed to the beach, so we ended up sitting, (er... "standing") in traffic for about an hour. Much like sardines in a tin can under a heat lamp. (I feel it is important to add here that school buses are generally designed for, well, school-aged children. This is not a problem for many, many Salvadorans, but for 5'9" gringas... well whether the bus is full or not, I generally look like Adam Sandler on the movie cover of Billy Madison. )

Nearly full bus...

The second type of public transportation is the busseta (boos-etta). Bussetas are the ones with fins. They are decked out to the nines in the personal style of the driver. They are often fitted with a sound system that will pump out reggae-ton at 8 decibels. There are racing stripes, airbrushed murals, even black lights. I thought of proposing to Mtv that they start a Latin American spin-off series called "Pimp My Bus." I think it would be a big hit. The main advantage of the busseta is that they go really really fast. They dart in and out of traffic. This is less fun if you are hanging out of the door (see Dec 10 entry) but I gotta say, I kinda dig it. It's just like a roller coaster, only without the killjoy safety standards.

Last, but not least, is the mini-bus (meeny-boos). This is a clear example of a situation in which if you didn't speak Spanish you would think that you know what is being talked about but still be wrong. Mini-van would be a more appropriate translation. Modified mini-van of course. In this case, there were modified by taking out the standard two rows of seating and putting in three facing forward and one half bench thing facing backward directly behind the driver and front seat leaving nearly 2inches of leg room between the bench and the first back seat. The mini-buses drive much like the bussettas, careening in and out of traffic, passing on double yellow lines on curving mountain roads, slowing to a near stop to let passengers on and off.

For example, I had to catch the bus from Planes de Renderos back to the city center. So, I see the mini-bus coming, I flag it down and as it nears I am asking "Al Centro?/To the Center?" (I can ask before they actually get to me one, because the fair collector is hanging out of the window and can hear me before he gets to me, and two, because they won't stop, they just slow so I gotta ask early.) So the mini-bus slows, I jump in and, too late, I realize that there is no room. Well, that's a lie, technically there was room. I was able to croutch on the floorboard just inside the van. There was no shutting the door, so I found myself clinging to a small girl in her school uniform as I fought centrifugal force* from tossing me onto the roadside. There is always, always room for one more. (I counted, there were 24 of us in that mini-van, not including small children sitting on laps.)

My last commentary on Salvadoran public transport will be to mention the sheer number of buses, bussetas and mini-buses that run these streets. Remember, this is the most densely populated country in the Western Hemisphere, and as most of those people are very, very poor, only a very small percent of the population can afford a private car. Meaning that there are hundreds of buses that run in and out and around San Salvador. They are all numbered. For example, lines that run near my house are: buses 30, 30-B, 44, 9, 26, 46, 22; busettas 44, 9 and mini-bus 30-A. You may have noticed some repeats, that is a little something that keeps you on your toes, just because a bus and a busetta have the same route number, does not mean that they run the same route, they are sometimes/often/always drastically different.

Well, I guess that's enough of a rundown on Salvadoran transport. I will mention that although the system is much less comfortable than Costa Rica, I have heard that it is much better than other places like Guatamala. I will refer to Alicia on this one. From what I understand it is similar, only that the buses are ALWAYS squishy and involve significantly more livestock, you know, the quintessential chicken bus. It's all about perspective.

*Glossary:
Centrifugal Force is a scientific term used to describe the phenomenon that hurls passengers out of buses, bussetas and mini-buses.)

El Chelito del Mar

2008-03-23T08:02:00.009-06:00

Semana Santa is done and it's back to work. Too soon I say, I can really never get enough vacation time in. But, I guess I will just have to suffer through til I go to Costa Rica in April to renew my visa. :)

My buddy Max came up from Costa Rica to hang. He got here about 1 am Tue morning, just in time to commemorate St. Patty's day at the local Irish Pub. No Guinness or green beer, but there was Jameson whiskey. Tuesday we did the market tour. We started out in the center, checking out the venders and street market. It's a great introduction to the contrast that is El Salvador. The center; dirty, gritty, vibrant, loud. The unofficial economy of El Salvador. Tons and tons of people selling pretty much anything imaginable from make-shift kiosks of ply-wood and black plastic tarps. Then we go to La Gran Via, the other extreme. Dozens of people wandering around an air conditioned multi-complex flashing name brands like LaCost, Tommy Hilfiger, Ferrari, Nine West, (Yep.... I said "Ferrari," there is actually a Ferrari dealership.) Who buys these name brands you might ask? Well, the answer is simple, very, very few people. The word on the street is that the interest is not necessarily in selling goods, but in the appearance of selling goods. You know wink, wink, nudge, nudge, get your money "cleaned" here. Anyway, it is a great place to sit and sip a $5 coffee while gazing out of the shiny mall at the tin shacks and naked, hungry children living in the median of the highway. That’s El Salvador.

Max being the most chelito, machito, whitey, white, white kid was, let’s say, “noticed.” I don’t by any means blend. I am what I like to call a “Ten paces Gringa,” meaning that to anyone within ten paces of me, it’s pretty obvious that I am a gringa. Max, well, I think Max can be tagged from space. There was some staring. We were on the bus headed to the beach and the kid sitting next to Max had the following conversation with his dad:

“Dad, what is that?”
“He’s a North American. He’s going to the beach”
“Can it swim.”
“Yes, he can swim.”
“Does it come from the sea?”
“No, he comes from a far away country.”
“But, Dad… what is it?”

On Friday, Good Friday that is, we went to the center to see the alfombras. Alfombras are the Holy Week tradition wherein people make amazing, elaborate drawings in salt in the streets. Then later, a procession comes through and blesses each of the alfombras and the drawings become trampled. They are a very beautiful, but a very temporary art. We walked around, checked stuff out, went into a super cool cathedral. It looks like a run down, abandoned bus station from the outside, but the inside is an amazing stained glass kaleidoscope. Then we grabbed Churros, a cup of coffee, sat on the Metropolitan Cathedral steps and people watched. This experience will from here on out be referred to as “best cafecito ever.” So yes, it was a good Friday.

So Max caught the bus back to Ticolandia this morning at 3 am. Overall, it was a very good, very chill week. I feel rejuvenated and I think I can make it through the next two weeks of work.

Tico Justice

2008-03-17T17:13:00.004-06:00

I just got an update on the guy that mugged me over a year ago in Costa Rica.

Unfortunately, the update is NOT that my case will finally be heard in court. The update is the the same crackhead piece of s*#@ that mugged me, just mugged the volunteer that took my place.

Grrrrrrrrrrrr...............

Yet another event that reminds me that I am a woman of peace by choice and not by nature.

Rutilio Grande

2008-03-14T10:06:00.005-06:00

Wednesday March 12 marked 31 years since the assassination of Father Rutilio Grande by the Salvadoran National Guard. Grande served in the parish of Los Aguilares, a town about 40 minutes Northwest of San Salvador. His interpretation of Liberation Theology inspired him to work toward creating Christian Communities that organize themselves to address their basic needs. His work, as well as his tendency to speak out against the injustices being committed by the government and social elite led to his death. On March 12, 1977, he was traveling with other Salvadorans in his car when they were gunned down by the Salvadoran National Guard. Rutilio, and two of his companions, Manual Solorzano, 72, and Nelson Rutilio Lemus, 16 were killed. Two other children traveling with the group were able to escape. (His assassination is depicted in the movie Romero with Raul Julia)
Rutilio Grande is significant in the story of El Salvador not only for preaching liberation theology and speaking out against the injustices being committed by the Salvadoran Government, but because he was the first (not the last) church official to be assassinated by that same government. His death has also gained the most notoriety as the act which “converted” Archbishop Oscar Romero to the side of the poor and liberation theology. Upon Rutilio’s death, Romero decreed that he would not perform a state function until the deaths were investigated. They never were and he never did. Three years later, Archbishop Romero would also be assassinated.

I went to the festivities with two of my co-workers, Erin and Danny. I found out on the way there that we would be participating in a pilgrimage between Aguilares and El Paisnal (where he is burried). Luckily, I had on decent walking shoes; unluckily, I did not have sunscreen and ended up a little pink. The total distance was only about 4k, I didn’t get to walk all of it because we had the SHARE vehicle and had to get it to El Paisnal so that we could get home later in the day.

The walk was actually quite pleasant. I always get excited at any opportunity to get out of the city and breathe air that is not filtered through exhaust fumes. Although much of the land is looking to be subdivided and developed, it is still primarily farm and ranch country complete with cows and chickens. I would guess that most of the participants were connected to one social organization or another. There was also a significant presence of gringo delegations. As is true with absolutely everything in El Salvador, there were political overtones made most notable by one man who walked through the march in the opposite direction holding an ARENA (far right party) card against his chest and a severe look upon his face. Most people just chuckled at him as he passed.

Anyway, about half way, I switched with Erin so that she could participate in the walk. We went to the mass and then hung out in the afternoon. We were leaving just as they were setting up for the Mario Funes speech. Mario Funes is the presidential candidate for the FMLN (left political party). I have a total political crush on him. He is a journalist. He is intelligent and critical and most importantly a step toward the middle. He is a sign of great hope for this bitterly divided country. He is stirring things up, to say the least. Things need to be stirred up, but the powers that be are not ones to step down without a fight. One of the fun tactics being used is that any time any foreigners attend a campaign speech, they end up with their faces across the far right leaning media outlets as proof that the FMLN is being run by foreign interests. Hence, Mario Funes coming, us leaving. This is about the third time that I have been SO close to getting to hear him speak but having to leave. I hope someone somewhere is appreciating the sacrifice.

No Rest for the Wicked

2008-03-11T14:47:00.003-06:00

Street vendors in Santa Ana.

I survived the delegations.

I sent the Weston Jesuit students back to Boston early Saturday morning. It was actually a really great delegation, but I am utterly, completely, soul tired. I took Monday off (sort of) but it doesn’t seem to be enough.

I have to say, though, that I am more than happy with how the delegation turned out. We were able to facilitate some really interesting conversations between the delegation students and Salvadoran students and seminarians. It was really cool and very interesting how much they had in common. It was also great to watch both sets of students reflect and learn about their own culture as they explained it to one another. The experience was pretty diverse as we attended Catholic, Baptist and Lutheran sites. The Sunday they were here, we attended a Baptist service in the morning and a Catholic mass in the afternoon. To say the least, that is a lot more church time than I have put in since…. well, ever. There was no bursting into flames, so I guess I am doing better than I thought I was. :)

Marta and me

We also visited a community of sisters that are kinda like nuns except that they function outside of the church. They were all ready to take their vows, but at the time the only jobs available for women inside the church were a) nursing, which didn’t spark their interest, and b) teaching (specifically to the children of the aristocracy). They chose c) none of the above and began working with the people in the poorest communities. Rebel nuns… they are SO cool.

We were also able to meet with the Lutheran Bishop, Medardo Gomez. He is absolutely one of my favorite people on the planet. I put him right up there with Thich Nhat Hahn in that merely looking at him feels like a hug. I know him outside of the delegations through attending meetings he has been hosting for social organizations to organize themselves in response to the current political environment and discussion. He is the absolute embodiment of peace and inclusion. He seemed to communicate with his presence what so many others waste thousands of words trying to say.

The group with Medardo Gomez, Lutheran Bishop of El Salvador and pervader of peace and wellbeing

The group was also amazingly gracious in being patient with me as I stumbled through my first delegation and translation. Luckily, I got some help when my church vocab waned. (Primarily due to the fact that there are a lot of churchy words I don’t know in any language.) I met my soul-sister, or as I like to refer to him, “what I would be like if I were a gay man.” I also got to hang out with a ranch kid from Montana who reminded me of home like I haven’t known since I left Carbdondale. Anyway, it was a neat trip and has left me lots of thoughts to ponder.

Woman and her Child in La Joya, Atikizayah

So now, I am looking forward to finishing up this week and heading into Semana Santa (Holy Week) next week and getting a little rest. My buddy Max, a PCV from Costa Rica will be coming up to hang. Carlos, Gloria and la mara are already planning a fishing trip and concert series. It should be fun. I just don’t know when that whole resting thing will happen.

Delegation Delirium

2008-02-28T18:47:00.002-07:00

I have just a few moments before I head out to meet my first official delegation at the airport. This one is all mine, all the glory and all the blame. I think I am actually ready for them. Well, as ready as I can be.

Big news in the household, we finally got our third roommate. Gloria's little brother Mario moved in last week. He is beginning his first year of college at the National University which is within walking distance of the house, so that's pretty convenient for him. He is studying Civil Engineering. As often happens, I think he is a little overwhelmed by big city life, and being "on his own" for the first time. I think he is also bored out of his mind. I haven't been around all that much and don't seem to be very entertaining when I am. But he and Armando get together, watch cartoons and play video games. We're a pretty exciting bunch.

Other than that, besides work, there is not a whole lot to report. I will be crazy busy for the next week and then I am treating myself to an overnight at the beach. Can't wait!

Quick Breather

2008-02-16T10:59:00.007-07:00

We made it through the wedding. It was a lot of fun. I am trying to get some more pictures uploaded through Kodak, but am having technical problems, so hopefully those will get worked out. The ceremony and reception was in La Nueva Concepcion, Gloria's hometown. My friend Kathy and her brother John flew in from San Francisco for the festivities.
Here's some pictures....

Gloria and Carlos

Me and Kathy

Dance Part-ay!

Kathy a la Carnival

Carlos, Raul, Kathy, Me, John, Paola, and Ileana

Afterwards, we, La Mara, continued with the festivities in La Palma. More pics from the after party....

Gloria in traditional post-wedding, pick-up truck ride home

Me and Kathy

La Mara at the Cabins in La Palma

Nadia, Kathy, me, Carlos, John
Armando

Directly after the wedding, a delegation arrived from Oregon of 25 high school kids. I spent the first three days with them, working 12+ hours a day until about 2 am Thursday morning when my body said "ENOUGH!" and began violently expelling fluids. So to say the least, I have not made it to work the last two days but am hoping to be able to join the delegation again this afternoon or first thing tomorrow morning. This delegation leaves on next Friday and then I have about 5 busy days (one of those actually a non-work day) before my delegation arrives on the 28th. Followed shortly, I'm certain, by some sort of collapse.

Catch up

2008-02-05T19:37:00.000-07:00

It has been quite a while since I wrote. I have been on quite a roller coaster lately and have had a hard time motivating myself to post. I will try to do better.

I lost my Grandma Sefcovic. She passed away at age 90 in Grand Junction, CO. She was an amazing and strong woman, much more so than I think she was given credit for in her life. I think I received from her the notion that you don't have to settle for the life you were born into. I will miss her terribly.

On the other end of the coaster, Carlos and Gloria are getting married this weekend so I have been up to my elbows in the pre-wedding festivities and preparations. We went out last week for Gloria's bachelorette party and I must say I blushed more than once. I am finding out that contrary to popular belief, we Gringos come from quite a prudish culture. My friend Kathy arrives Thursday night, so I am excited to hang out with her. It looks to be a very big, very fun party.

Work-wise, I am preparing for the arrival of my first official delegation. They will be coming from Weston Jesuit in Boston and get here the end of February. I am helping out with a youth delegation beginning next Monday, so that will be my trial run. I find myself running quite a bit trying to get prepared for this. It looks to be a great experience for the delegates so I hope I can pull through with the details.

I would also like to take a moment to welcome Rob back to Central America. He was a fellow Costa Rica PCV that is now working in an Orphanage for HIV positive kids in Honduras. We're neighbors! That's all for now.

Hello 2008

2008-01-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

My New Year's was wonderfully mellow. Dara, Byron and I watched some movies and stayed up just into the new year. That's right, we are cold hard rocking machines. :) We went to Rocky Mountain National Park on New Year's Day. The idea was that we would go sledding, but the wind was blowing so hard and it was SO VERY COLD, that we only made about three runs and then scurried back to the car. We didn't end up being able to snowshoe as said wind blew said snow away. We did make it to the aquarium and I was able to take a picture of Jack underwater:

(Yes... I did finally get the camera situation resolved so photos should begin flowing again.)

I flew back to El Salvador this weekend on a red-eye from Denver to LA to Salvador. Not my favorite way to fly, but it got me here. Two interesting stories though....

On the first leg of the flight between Denver and LA, as we were getting ready to close the door on the plane, the steward announced over the loudspeaker that "A woman, possibly by the name of Susan, grabbed the wrong bag as she was leaving the Mile High Club." I am sure that he mis-spoke and meant the Red Carpet Club, or whatever it is called. But, I think he blew whatever chances there were of someone fessing up to the mix-up.

I had about 20 minutes between flight one and flight two. It was so close, in fact, that the airline figured I wouldn't make it and gave away my seat. This was a little disappointing as my original seat was a window seat in the exit row and my new seat was the middle seat in the knee-squisher row. I would have been really bitter except that I was hoping the sacrifice would warrant all my luggage arriving with me in San Salvador. Also, the kid that got my good seat was a trombone player in the Salvadoran High School band that had traveled to LA to march in the Parade of Roses. There were about 20 of them on my flight and they were incredibly sweet. They were so excited.... all perma-grinned and snapping pictures of EVERYTHING. The plane, the stewards, the wings, the upright seats and tray tables. Most of the kids come from Salvador's lowest-resourced communities and were sponsored primarily by Salvadorans living in the LA area. (LA and Washington, DC are the two cities with the highest concentration of Salvadoran in the US.) It was the kids' first time in an airplane as they had to travel in bus on the way there. They ran into all sorts of problems on the bus and finally the "powers that be" on the Salvadoran side pony'ed-up and chipped in on plane tickets. Anyway, I moved so the kid could be with his friends.... in my seat.

So I, and my luggage (yay!) made it back and found that a panel of tile had relocated while I was away. Apparently there was a windy, cold-front while I was gone and the tile over my garage decided to go elsewhere. At least it was the garage. So I spend all day Monday clearing my house of dust and ash. Monday night I had friends over for a traditional meatloaf and mashed potatoes dinner. (Big hit!) Then this morning I was back to work.

Last post of 2007

2007-12-31T13:04:00.000-07:00

I have survived a US Christmas. As many of you may or may not know, I am in the States for the holiday season. The trip was a precursor to a work trip that was to be in Toronto Canada, but that ended up being canceled, and is now, a home for the holidays visit. It is great to see friends and family, but I admit that the US holiday season madness is more than a little over-whelming. That's all I'm gonna say about that besides my traditional Christmas "Bah-Humbug."

I spent the first week and a half doing the shuffle on the Western Slope of Colorado. I gotta say... it is COLD! I have definitely turned into a class A light-weight when it comes to cold. In Salvador, if it dips below 70 I start putting clothes on. Needless to say, it is significantly below 70. That and a distinct lack of (public) transportation feels very confining. Lots of time indoors. I do get to see snow though. That is good. There is really no point in being cold if I am not going to at least see some snow. We are going to go snow-shoeing this week so I am looking forward to that.

I have made pupusas for the fam and they have gone over well. Not too bad for a gringa if I do say so myself, although it helps that there is no previous pupusa experience for comparison. So I can say with confidence, that they were the best pupusas they have ever eaten. :)

I am headed back to Salvador on Saturday. It has been a good trip. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with friends and fam although there are too many that I have missed this time around. For those of you on the "missed list" I apologize and assure you that it is not a reflection of your importance to me, but the fault of the age old adage that there is just never enough time in one lifetime. Hope you all have the Happiest of New Years.

See you in 2008!

Birds of Flight

2007-12-15T12:56:00.000-07:00

Anyone flying out of El Salvador will immediately notice one very Salvadoran tradition. No... it's not the multiple security check points and body cavity search. Each departing flight out of El Salvador smells like chicken. Not just any chicken, Pollo Campero. Campero is a fried chicken chain that is actually Guatamalan but is practically a sacred ritual in El Salvador. Salvadorans swear that the best chicken is Campero chicken and only in El Salvador. Tico Campero does not stack up. It is rumored that even in Guatamala, the chicken is not as good as it is in El Salvador. There are even a couple of restaurants in the US, in LA and DC where there are large populations of Salvadorans, but they still don't compare to authentic Salvadoran Campero chicken. So.... whenever Salvadorans fly, so does Pollo Campero. At least a dozen people on every plane are transporting boxes of chicken to their salivating relations on the US side giving Salvadoran flights a truly unique flavor.

Living on the edge...

2007-12-10T10:35:00.000-07:00

Two big developments in Kelley’s transportation world.

First of all, I got to drive!!!!! I had my first sola excursion on Salvadoran Highways last Thursday when I went to a meeting in the Southeastern part of San Salvador. I went in the SHARE vehicle all by my lonesome. Things went much smoother than expected thanks to Google maps and satellite imagery. I went straight there and realized that I over-compensated for traffic as I was a full hour early for my meeting. So, I did a little more exploring. I had forgotten how much I like to drive. It is even more fun here since the traffic laws are much like the pirate code… more like “suggestions” than “laws.”

On Saturday, I had to go to another meeting which required taking a new bus. Well, it was a mini-bus to be exact. Mini-buses are interesting because, although you can’t tell by looking, they can accommodate just about as many people as is recommended for a regular-sized bus. This is accomplished by implementing a physics-defying mechanism commonly known as “the clown-car technique” in which large numbers of people are magically stuffed into small spaces. The best mini-buses brandish shark-fins and black lighting while pumping loud music and require two operating personnel. One, the driver, whose job it is to drive as fast as possible occasionally slowing just enough for passengers to scamper on and off. The second is an ayudante or “helper” that collects fairs, calls out the stops and whose legs fly out perpendicular to the bus on highway curves.

I arrived at my meeting without problems. On the way back, the mini-bus was a little crowded, which means that I was left standing in the doorway with the ayudante. I've gotta say that as I watched the asphalt blur by just inches from my toes, I was kinda psyched. I felt all the rebelliousness that comes with violating traffic laws and safety bulletins. I was living life on the edge…. of a mini-bus. Then we took the on-ramp at mach-ten and the centrifugal force bent my body backwards into a perfect C-curve with my fingers white-knuckling the handrail on the ceiling and my toe-nails scraping through my shoes desperately trying to maintain contact with the steps. At the next stop, when a man chivalrously offered to trade spaces with me, there was absolutely no feminist indignationn as I squickly moved into the inner sanctuary of the clown car.

In another tale, of what is looking to be a theme, I didn’t have water Sunday morning. As I have previously mentioned, I don’t always have running water, but I generally do in the mornings. Not having water Sunday morning was major inconvenience in that I had been planning to do some laundry. (In a quick aside, my washer had been down with a clogged pump. Apparently the previous owners had been using the tub and agitator to mix cement.) Normally, when you don’t have consistent running water you either install a cistern, which is basically a big tank that stores water and pumps it into your house so that you don’t notice that you don’t have constantly running water, or you fill barrels and pilas (deep cement sinks) with water and dip from them. The house doesn’t have a cistern and they are difficult and expensive to install. We haven’t gotten around to buying barrels yet. I have a pila, but took for granted that I would have water Sunday morning and didn’t fill it. So I was really without water. No cleaning of the house; bummer. No cleaning of myself? Well, after having done a hearty 40+ minute run; intolerable. I eventually ended up locking all the doors and taking a bucket bath in my laundry room with the little water that was left in the pila. Time to buy a barrel.

Hanging with la Mara

2007-11-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

It’s been a bit since I last wrote. I have a good excuse though.. I all of a sudden got a raging social life!!! Yahoo!!! Another big difference between here and Costa Rica.

We inaugurated the house last Saturday night. I invited over a few friends, I had a grad total of four at that point, and made hummus and falafal. Both turned out quite well I might add. One thing led to another and I think there had to have been at least, at least 10 people at my house. Get back! So, the next thing I know, it’s 7:30 am and I am somehow (I’m not completely sure I am awake at this point) getting myself out of bed and heading to the beach. YEA!!!!

We were all going to go to San Blas with Hugo’s family, but it ended up that of the party attendees only Hugo (friend of a friend I met the night before) and I made it up the next morning. I accomplished this huge feat primarily because I didn’t know there was an option to back out and sleep in. So I end up in a mini-van with a group of people, all but one of whom were complete strangers. We went to a rancho, which is a house by the beach, which people generally rent out for the day. The current, pretty much everywhere in El Salvador is “carry you off to sea” strong, so I didn’t swim a whole bunch. The waves however are amazing for watching. They are famed to be great for surfing as well as long as you don’t end up being “carried off to sea.” Not a beginners beach is what I am trying to say. Anyway, had a great day, even if I was a little (ha!) tired. I made ANOTHER new friend, Lupita, who works for the Office of International Labor at the UN. The rest of the group consisted of amazing nice people that welcomed me immediately and acted like my beach party crashing hadn’t imposed on them in the least. In fact, they promised to include me in future excursions. We stopped for pupusas on the way home to round out the day.

The most amazing, and BEST part of the weekend was that Sunday night when I got home, the roomie, Armando, had cleaned up after the party that I threw. AMAZING! He gets the “Best Roommate of the Year Award.” Pretty much blew Necio out of the water on that one. (That cat never cleaned a dish in his life.)

Anyway, the rest of the week has been a rush of work and a little afterwork hanging with la mara. "Mara" in this sense meaning “gang” but not in the “pandilla, lets get tattoos and pillage” sense. Tattoos are completely optional.

In the area of immigration difficulties, my co-worker Erin is being kicked out of the country to renew her visa. Not that unusual, except for the fact that she is married to a Salvadoran for the past 3 years. I only mention this to put to rest any fears that I will be marrying for residency. It really wouldn’t help and I am not all that opposed to getting a vacation every three months.

The Land of Plenty

2007-11-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

So I thought I would point out some of the bigger differences between El Salvador and Costa Rica. Some personal, some general social observations. The social ones needing to be taken with a grain of salt as I am shamelessly going to make sweeping generalizations.

It is pretty safe to say that Costa Rica is more developed. I have jokingly referred to it as Third World “light”. When I say “more developed”, it is not necessarily just because it is less poor or has more conveniences. It is a little more complicated than that. Costa Rica still hosts some breathtakingly poor populations, they are just better hidden. Tourists don’t want to see that. Also, they have had a peaceful, relatively functional democracy for many years. There is effort being made, granted it is made on Tico Time, but they are getting there.

El Salvador is much more raw and the government barely feigns consideration for the poor masses. Luxury wise, they have everything, if not more than, Costa Rica has. Major shopping centers, better highways, amazingly luxurious restaurants and hotels, made more striking by the contrast of abject poverty. Whereas in Costa Rica, there were often venders selling cell phone covers or fruits at intersections, here there are ALWAYS people in the intersections, selling things, but more often washing windows, pan handling, or (my favorite) spitting fire out of their mouths with gasoline and a flaming baton. There are more children also, young boys, barefooted, old filthy clothes, on a Sunday morning sidewalk squatting in a circle like little crows picking at a piece of bread. The only thing more heartbreaking than seeing them, is when you realize that you don’t notice so much anymore and you wonder what kind of person you are to not see it.

There is also the legacy of the war. Everyday amputees. The violence that has been a staple for so long that most people can’t imagine a place where you can be out after 8pm and not worry about being robbed or killed. It is an interesting mix, life here is precious, yet cheap.

The other big difference is that in Costa Rica, so fewer people emigrate. Many ticos hardly ever travel outside of their city or region. When I told people that I was living there for two years, they couldn’t understand why someone would want to leave their homeland. Although there are definitely exceptions, few people understood that someone would seek out more than what they were born to. I even had people tell me that my parents must not love me for having let me leave. I told them that they wanted me to be happy and they said, “I still wouldn’t let my child leave.” In El Salvador, everyone leaves. Literally, everyone has a member of their immediate family living in US, sometimes Spain or other countries. They never ask me how I could leave, they ask why would I come here?

Personally, I am adjusting to living much more bourgeois. The hardest part is that I am forever away from a grocery store that sells cheap things. It is sometimes a blessing and a curse that I can get nearly everything I could get in the states, in the supermarket next door to my house. The produce is much better when you can buy it in the mercados rather than the grocery stores. I do miss my farmer’s markets. There is also a distinct lack of ocean in the city. It’s only about an hour away by car, but that is significantly further than five minutes walking. Living without running water is an adjustment. I should be thankful that I at least have it in the morning, but there is still a moment of shock and disbelief when I turn the faucet and nothing happens.

All in all though, I like it here. I am learning my way around and finding my place. Yesterday, I still felt like there was plenty to be thankful for even if there wasn’t turkey, family, or football. :)

A place to hang my hammock...

2007-11-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

Lots going on lately. I found my house, I think I already mentioned that a few hundred times. :) So the last week has been spent trying to make it habitable. I got the keys officially Thursday night. Generally in Central America, if a house is not furnished, it means that it is really NOT furnished. No stove, no fridge, nothing. So I have been scouring the papers looking for appliances. I am going to have a roommate and he has put himself in charge of providing living furniture and a TV and Playstation. The last two I can really do without... mainly because I will probably become addicted. So I move in for real tonight.

Last week I also attended a retreat for VMM. It is the organization that is sponsoring my volunteership. I gotta say I was a little nervous going into it, truth be told because it is a Christian based organization and it has been a REALLY long time since I have been associated with non-sinners. ;) Granted it is a VERY liberal organization, if it weren't I wouldn't have applied for the position. But there was a moment when I was a little worried that I had misrepresented myself. During the retreat, I met the other volunteers in the area, there are a couple in El Salvador and also in Nicaragua and Guatamala. It turned out that I really enjoyed getting to know them. I also appreciate the diversity that was in the group. I realized also that no matter the language we use what inspires us to do this work comes from the same place.

There are only 12 of us (well 17 if you count the bichos) so the group is much smaller but life story-wise very diverse. There are two families in the group. One has two kids (The Morans) and the other (The Fosters) have three. I have to say, I think that is absolutely gutsy and amazing. I guess the idea of having kids period seems, to me, akin to having my arms ripped off, having kids and trying to navigate Central American buses would then be like being beaten by the freshly removed appendages. There is also a couple serving in Guatamala who are in their 80's. It is amazing how much the age diversity changes the dynamic of the group. In the Peace Corps, most of the volunteers were 22 and fresh out of college. Alicia, is my age and a nurse. We really hit it off which is great and also a bummer because she is serving in Guatamala which is a neighbor, but still a ways away by bus. But, we are already planning to take our visa trips together. (Another BIG change from Peace Corps.... most likely my residency plan will be leaving the country every three months to renew my visa.) I had to chuckle, Alicia said that she became a nurse because her father suggested that she learn a practical skill that she could apply wherever she wanted to go. Good advise. I then thought about it and realized that maybe sociology doesn't fit in that category. I don't know if sitting in a hammock devising abstract social theories can technically be considered a "practical skill." I'll keep working on that.

Anyway, I left the retreat feeling good and appreciative for having a community again. I think I had been mourning the loss of my PC community and didn't realize it til I found another one. So... all is good. All will be great when I get settled in the new house. I will try to send some pics, but my camera has been slowly dying so I will do my best. I have added links on the side to VMM and also to Alicia's website and blog. She is really a much better person than I am so I thought I would include her link in the spirit of diversity. :)

Salvadoran Vocab:

Bicho: insect, pest or child

So... funny thing happened to me on my way home from work the other day.

2007-11-08T15:14:00.000-07:00

The neighborhood I am in is really pretty tranquilo. It's kinda got a distinct feel to it cuz it's close to the University and has all these chill restaurants and bars.. kind of a Che Guevara meets Jack Kerouak ambiance. Anyway, so I was starting to get pretty comfortable and thinking that it's really not all that rough here, at least not where I'm at.

It was about 4p, broad daylight, I turned the corner onto one of the main streets and there were all these cops in front of this barber shop. They had the sidewalk taped off with the yellow crime scene tape. One guy was taking a picture of a shell casing next to one of those little triangular tented number things. They had another little number thing a few yards away near a browning blood stain. I walked past it and followed a blood trail down the street for about 20 feet. I thought someone must have just gotten hurt because I really didn't think that the stain looked big enough for a death, but when I told my friends about it later they said that they don't bother with pictures and crime scene tape if someone just gets injured. But, it wasn't news enough to make the papers. I guess that rates it somewhere between yellow tape and newsprint.

So.... I'm gonna go ahead and keep my guard up a bit.... and go somewhere else if I need a haircut. :)

Con hogar

2007-11-07T16:48:00.000-07:00

YEA! I have a home!

I found a house to rent this afternoon. I was getting a little worried because everything that could be a slight possibility in the paper was already rented and I was afraid of getting a little desperate. But, all my days of hitting the streets and asking everyone I saw have finally paid off. I actually ran across this place on accident, I was wandering around, asking all the guards if there were places for rent and this one told me a couple of weeks ago that there was a girl moving out of a house this month and to stop back by. I did on Tuesday and he said that she had left and gave me the name of the owner. So I called her, went by to see it today and now I have a place to hang my hat. Good thing too because she told me that she has already had about four other calls and she hasn't advertised it at all.

It is really, really cute. It's a little bit out of my price-range, so I am going to have to have a roommate. Looks like I will be living with Maria's boyfriend. jajajaja! Now all I have to get is... everything. Houses here are rented with the bare minimum... there is no fridge or stove so I will need to get that. As well as a bed. It does have closets so that is a big plus. That is not standard. Location is great though, it is right next to a supermarket and only a block away from the coffee-shop. And I can walk to work, so that will save me bus fare. AND it comes with hammock hooks.

What more could I really ask?

oh yea... I mentioned earlier that I was looking for a house with a cistern so that I could have water 24/7.. well, everything that I mentioned above won out over having water in the afternoons and evenings.

Gringa Perdida

2007-11-03T08:49:00.000-06:00

My explorations got me a bit turned around twice this week. But, not a problem, that's how I get to know new places. The first time, I took a "shortcut" from work and hung an "izzy" when I should have gone right and ended up somewhere that wasn't where I was trying to get to. Although it turned out well because the next day I went to look at an apartment that was in the same area so by then I already knew it. The other funny part about that street, is that when I was looking for the apartment, I had a hard time finding it. But generally the security guards are helpful with directions. There are shotgun armed security guards on nearly every corner, at least in this part of town. Anyway, I was walking down this seemingly normal street and I asked this security guard for directions, he was in front of a plain looking white building, and as I talked to him I realized that there were a lot of really nice cars parked in front. A car pulled up with two business suited guys in it and the security guard called on his walkie-talkie and said "Send two more girls." Just then, I happened to notice that above the door in gold letters was the name www.kissyface.com. Week three and I stumble upon my first high-end brothel. I giggled as I walked away.

So then yesterday, I decided to expand my world and see where the bus would take me. I was trying to get to a mall that has a bookstore. There are various commercial centers and two mega-malls here that are monstrous alters to high-end consumerism. (I think they build malls here so that you can more easily avoid eye-contact with the destitute masses.) Anyway, I couldn't remember the name of the mall with the bookstore but I could picture it in my head, from the little crappy map I had I thought it was called "Metropolis" because they showed a Metroplis commercial center and the thing is so big, it could have it's own zipcode. So I hop on the bus and figure, I'll just get off when I see it.

Fine plan. I am on the bus for a while, one minute I am watching two cops with M-16's shake down some teen-age boys and the next I am pulling into the busbarn at the end of the line. OOoops.... I asked the busdriver about the centro comercial and he tells me that we passed it a while back. So I asked him how to get back there and he was nice enough to walk me down to the busses headed back, explained to the other driver that I was a foolish, lost gringa. The next bus driver didn't even charge me to ride, which was lucky because I was scraping pennies to come up with the 25 cent bus fair and didn't want to be the idiot that tried to pay with a $20 bill. So I made it to the centro and realized that it was not at all mall I was looking for. So... (got some change) hopped another bus and went to the MetroCentro which is Mall 1 that is near where I live and that I know how to get back and forth from. I never made it to the bookstore, but I'm sure another day will come along with time to kill learning new bus routes.

Another funny addition to the story: I was walking down the main road that the MetroCenter is on (I stopped at a convenience store to buy a better map) and while I was waiting for the light to change I heard a honk. I look up and the first bus driver was waving at me. I laughed, he probably thinks I was completely lost. jajajaja!

Anyway, I wandered, I saw some stuff, I didn't stumble into gang lands. All is good.

Una Gota de Agua

2007-10-28T07:52:00.001-06:00

I've got week two under my belt already. I sound like a broken record, but time is really flying. It seems like I was just in Costa Rica!

Overall, I have to say that it has been a pretty smooth transition. So smooth in fact, that it seems a little strange, but I am trying not to question a good thing. I'm sure I've mentioned that I am staying with a co-worker and her family. Actually, it is her in-laws that we live with, so we have Erin and her husband, his parents and his grandfather. The husband and parents are in an Andean band (lots of pan flutes) and spend most of the day rehearsing while we are at work. The grandfather is a miserable, crotchety little old man whose wife fled him and went into hiding in Guatamala. He doesn't really speak to anyone except for his grandson. He spends most of his time sitting under a tree across the street, unless it is raining, and then he stands in the carport with a little radio cursing the rain and mumbling about wishing his ex-wife were dead. I kinda feel bad for him, and then I think, "Well, Kharma's a bitch." Anyway, in the two weeks I've been living here, we have worked up exchanging a "buenos dias" (initiated by me) and then he ignores me the same as he does everyone else for the rest of the day.

I guess the really big news this week is that I have found a coffee shop I could die in. So, needless to say, it has become the focus point of my housing search. Which is going very slowly so far. Partly because I don't know the names of the colonias (Salvadoran word for barrio) so that slows things down. Also because it seems that everything so far is either tiny or huge. Tiny I don't mind so much, but another problem is that even here in the capital there is only running water in the mornings. The current administration in El Salvador seems to concern itself primarily with finding new and inventive ways of funneling funds directly to the aristocracy and barely bother to feign concern for citizens in general or the overwhelming masses of the poor in particular. The current strategy seems to be to grossly mismanage water safety and distribution to justify privatization. Water privatization in the third world means that prices will skyrocket and people will simply not be able to afford water. Have you ever stopped to think about how often you use water? To drink? To clean? To cook? To flush? There are an amazing amount of health issues that center around access to clean water.

Anyway, back to me. As I was saying, one challenge I have in finding a place to live is that I would really like to find a place that has a cistern, which means that I would get to have water all day long instead of just in the mornings. Otherwise, I have to find a place that has extra space to store a big barrel, which is in itself would be livable, but so far the places I have seen, simply don't allow for the space. Well, truthfully, I am willing to pay more have water at my whim and I am not yet desperate to find a place; two things that put me in the top 5% of the world's population.

oh... and yesterday I bought a thermos. :)

Tattoos and Tacos

2007-10-19T17:47:00.000-06:00

I have officially been here a week and have also gotten in my first week of work. (Technically the first full week of real work in ... oh... over two years.) The job is good. I am still learning the ropes and figuring out what I am doing, and what I will be doing. As well as have already been given two pretty big projects to work on. The first being a youth delegation consisting of 100 kids/young people. AHHHHHHHhhhhhh! No.. it's fine. It'll work out. The second one being getting a Theology Consortium off the ground. I am pretty excited about this project, there is a lot of potential there and I see it being "my baby" for the next two years.

I am also getting used to being back in the non-profit or in this case NGO world. Meaning that today my computer crashed on my about 6 times and I could cure kimchi in the time it takes for it to up or download anything. But I figure I will wait for Week 2 before I start complaining about being the low man on the totem pole. The office is next door to a tattoo parlor, which offers tattoos (obvio) as well as musical accompaniment and a contact high. Today however, they took a back-seat to the mexican restaurant across the street that was offering a Friday special. Not a bad deal, except that their primary advertising medium was blaring cumbia music and placing a guy in a Whinny the Pooh suit on the sidewalk to wave people in. The music was so loud that we had to shout over it in our office.

I have actually been pretty busy this week. Besides putting in a staggering 40 hours of work, I have also had a pretty active social life which is a big change from my Peace Corps life. I don't think I have stayed in one night this week. Carlos and Gloria have been keeping a close eye on me and are spoiling me to death making sure that I don't want for anything. I met up with other friends, Alejandro and Marielos, last night who have also sworn to be at my beck and call while I am here in El Salvador. All in all things are going pretty well. I am looking forward to having some free time in the daylight hours to wonder around the neighborhood and see what there is to see. I really like the neighborhood I am in now. It is safe (relatively for El Salvador) and close to lots of services, including (are you ready?) coffee shops, bars and even a vegetarian restaurant! I am hoping to stay in the general area when I find my own place.

Anyhoo, I am hoping to stay in tonight for a change, and also because I have to work early tomorrow. But if the call comes in... someone will have to answer it. :)

Anti-Terrorism Law in El Salvador

2007-10-14T21:36:00.000-06:00

Here is an interesting story that NPR did about El Salvador and their Anti-Terrorism law that was modeled after the U.S. law. It also gives a good description of what the political climate is here. Click on the entry title or cut and paste the following into your browser....
www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15185094

Enjoy!

Warm nuts and la Sele

2007-10-14T17:38:00.000-06:00

I am officially in El Salvador! I have actually been here three full days already but this is my first crack at the internet. Not to be the last though because I am actually blogging from my new, although transitionary, home. Anyway, to say the least, this next adventure in Central America is going to have much, much more internet access. Yahoo!

Anyway, I arrived in El Salvador Thursday evening. I have to say that as much as I have enjoyed the regal quality of King Quality bus service, flying first class in an hour beats 20 hours and three sweaty borders any day. Two highlights of the flight were that they served warm nuts and that I traveled with La Sele, the Costa Rican national soccer team. I, of course, did not recognize any of them, but thankfully they were all wearing t-shirts with the Sele logo on them so I didn't have to work too hard to figure out what all the fuss was about. Carlos and Gloria picked me up at the airport, we stopped for supplies and made pupusas at Carlos' house. They are quite yummy.

Friday, we chilled through the morning and then hooked up with the Mission staff (Four Peace Corps volunteers that are returning to the U.S. via bus). We took them to the sights, which includes the tomb of Monseñor Romero, and the museum at the UCA (Jesuit University where in 1989, 7 Jesuit priests, their cook and her daughter were massacred by government forces) Rob said it was definitely more of a downer than Chucky Cheese. We then found a restaurant in town where Rob and Billy would be able to quench their baseball addiction. It was kind of touch and go there for a bit, but we finally found some place. We then drank a lot, A LOT of beers and then went to another bar to drink a few more. I was accused of keeping the Mission staff up past their bedtime. Anyhoo... Saturday was "el día del goma" for Kelley and was spent moving very slowly. The Mission took off Sunday morning and I re-located from El Espino to San Salvador.

While I look for a permanent place to live, I am staying with Erin, a Share co-worker and her husband, and her husband's extended family. The husband and in-laws are all in a band so the house promises to be lively. Also, they have two dogs, a cat, and multiple fish so it is much like living with Dara. I am working on getting a cell phone, which is cake for everyone in the country except for me, it seems, the lines were down today so I will try again tomorrow. It should happen soon though. Things here are much cheaper than they were in Costa Rica so that is nice. For example, I payed nearly $90 to get my cell phone service in Costa Rica, here it is going to cost me about $18. Yea!

Bittersweet

2007-10-11T13:37:00.001-06:00

I'm blogging at the airport. I feel so bourgeios. :) I've said my final goodbyes. The best I can anyway. I realized sitting here that I am in the quintessential transition phase. My American passport reports my Canadian birth; my residency card is Costa Rican and expired 11 days ago and I'm on my way to my new home in El Salvador. But right now I'm at the airport. I am sitting in front of the duty free shop where they are offering whiskey samplers. I keep going into the bathroom, changing shirts and coming back for more. :) Just kidding.

Brandon stayed with me Sunday night. We decided that I have the restaurant preferences of a mid-afternoon gay man. Maybe that's what's kept me single all this time. :) I hung out with Irene and Inti on Monday night. We had meatless sushi. It was pretty good. I wish I had taken advantage of hanging out more with Irene while I was here. Where does the time go? Tuesday Zoey came to town and we ate real sushi. Even better! Wednesday I COS'd and went out with Travis and Laura to Feliz, Feliz for tico chino food. Today Scott got his goodbye's and I am off.
The next time I write, I'll be in El Salvador!

It's official....

2007-10-10T15:09:00.000-06:00

Wednesday, October 10, 2007 3:08p.m.

With the stroke of a pen, I am no longer a Peace Corps Volunteer.

Que Disilusion

2007-10-08T07:31:00.000-06:00

CAFTA passed.

I will never doubt again. From now on it is pure, unadulterated cynicism.

Adios Puerto

2007-10-07T09:29:00.000-06:00

Friday morning I said goodbye to my neighbors and walked out of my site to the bus stop for the last time. It's been a bittersweet process.... on Wednesday my viejitas held a despidida after dance class. They are very sweet, there were tears, me towering among wrinkled huggers, tugging lightly at my clothes, not so patiently waiting their turn to tell me to "go with God" and to never forget them.... Jamas.

Marina, the director of Share-El Salvador is in Costa Rica right now for the Referendum election (more on this in a minute). She was able to come to Puntarenas for the day to meet and visit with me. We had a very pleasant day. I was able to introduce her to some of the families that I have lived and worked and shared with over the last two years. I think (I hope anyway) that I was able to put her mind to rest that I was worth the pressure I threw at them to hire me. It was really good too, to talk to her, it actually made the goodbyes a little, not easier, but maybe put them in perspective. I am going to something really exciting. I am confident that in two years, I will have made friends and found cariño and fulfilment.

Friday, I spent the night in San Ramon with the Barrantes clan. They are, of course, intensely involved in the referendum process. Putting aside for a moment, my cynical nature, I have to say that my hopes are rising that the "No" camp may actually pull it off this weekend. For those very few of you that know that the TLC (or CAFTA), is not a done deal, that Costa Rica still has not signed-on, may also know that today, Sunday, Ticos will head to the polls to vote "Yes" that they will sign the TLC or "No" they will pass. It is a really big deal. The world is watching. One, because Costa Rica is the only country that has put the option to a vote, to ask the citizens what they want. You know... democracy. As opposed to other countries, El Salvador for instance, that signed the accord in the middle of the night in a classic clandestine process. On Thursday, the national paper reported a poll putting No at 55% and Yes at 43%. I am generally one to put my money on the minority with the fiscal resources, but events in the past few days have got my hopes up. While the Yes camp, plays flashy adds and elegant banners, the No's have been busy utilizing manpower, there have been parades and caravans of cars driving around the city honking horns and waving banners, there are hundreds of volunteers canvassing public areas and talking to people. Anyway, it is an exciting time to be in Costa Rica.

I'm in San Jose now. I have some things to close up in the office. Paperwork to get done. I hung out with Scottie, Max and Mateo. We reflected on the in's and out's of living in a foreign land as we watched college football on 8 different screens in a casino full of gringos. They're good guys, they're amazing volunteers, they're about as real as it gets.

Packing up and Moving on

2007-10-01T16:14:00.000-06:00

I am slowly but surely getting things packed up and me ready to move on. It is amazing how much stuff you accumulate in two years and how little of it fits into two suitcases. Anyway, I am getting there. My neighbors are very excited for winning the "Rifa de Kelley," as are a couple of volunteers. Marianne got the bed and the stove today, tomorrow Max gets the fridge. Sarah gets a whole pile of stuff for work and/or whatever she chooses to do with it. Necio left with Marianne. He bolted the minute they got to her house. Not too surprising considering that the last (and only time) he rode in a car he came back without his testicles. I'm sure he'll find his way back around dinner time.

Wednesday my Little Old Ladies are throwing me a Goodbye/Dance party. I am pretty excited. It is crazy to think that soon I won't be seeing all of this anymore. There is a lot I am going to miss. I guess that's all part of it though.

Tico 13 said their final goodbyes this weekend. They are really an amazing group of people. We had a cafecito with the office and then began going our different ways. It is kind of a surreal thing. This goodbye isn't really unlike the ones we always say after a get-together, except that somewhere in the backs of our minds is this nagging thought that "next time" isn't as sure as it was before. As exotic as this life was in the beginning, now it's hard to imagine past it. I think that even with those of us who have "plans" we all leave feeling just a little lost and disoriented.

Tico 13 Tea/Cafecito

2007-09-28T17:41:00.001-06:00

Tico 13 said their goodbye's to the office staff. Tomorrow is our official COS date. WE MADE IT!!!!! We gave the following picture to our latest (and greatest) APCD. We super-imposed
his face over the old guy! :) The caption said... "Feels like you were here all along!" he, he!

Two Years Three Months... A Retrospective in Photos

2007-09-27T14:30:00.000-06:00

It's official.....

2007-09-24T17:28:00.001-06:00

I just bought my plane ticket AND changed my magazine subscription. There's no turning back now! :)

Also... for those of you concerned for Necio.... he will be going to stay with fellow PCV Max in Herradura. I think it will all work out of the best as Necio has been talking recently about picking up surfing.

Los Caminos de la Vida

2007-09-24T11:32:00.000-06:00

I was working on having things set up to move to San Jose.. okay I was procrsatinating but the intention was there when all of a sudden I got a big wopping "Díos no quiere." Actually , the position I applied to in El Salvador came open again and I GOT IT!!!!! YEAH!!!!

The position working is located in the capital, San Salvador ,with an organization called Share ( www.share-elsalvador.org ). I will be the Grassroots Education Coordinator. Basically I will be organizing exchanges between the US and El Salvador in that I will be organizing large delegations of Americans to visit El Salvador and learn about the history and present situation. I will also be collecting testimonies from Salvadorans, documenting them and possibly even seeking publication opportunities. I am really excited!

I will leave Costa Rica somewhere around October 10 and start with Share on Monday the 15th. I still have a lot of logistics to work out, like if I am going to go in bus or plane. Packing everything up to make another international move. And generally getting ready to REALLY say goodbye to this place. AHHHHHHhhhhhhh! It'll all work out. The real bummer is that my camera has decided to take a digger. My good buddy Sarah has been available for being my personal photographer lately, but I am bummed that I won't be able to fully document my final moments in Costa Rica or my arrival in El Salvador. We'll be looking into getting that remedied. Si Díos quiere, of course.

Down to the Wire...

2007-09-17T17:17:00.000-06:00

It seems as though this thing may actually come to an end here sooner than I think. Sarah, the new volunteer that is going to pick up where I left off (she hasn't quite got her hammock yet but it's on the list) arrived in site last night. It is kind of funny to talk to her in the very, very beginning stages and remembering when I was in her shoes. It seems like forever ago but at the same time, I wonder where the two years that once seemed like an eternity have gone. I am really psyched she is here. She has really great energy and I think will do an incredible job. I tried my very best to set her up as best I could so that the challenges were inherent in the work rather than due to neglectful site development. I think things will turn out well. I told her that in many, many ways the prep I have done for her is the most sustainable thing that I have done here. I hope she doesn't mind me taking credit for her work. he, he! :)

I find myself indulging strange waves of nostalgia. I only just resisted running up to a Puntarenas beggar woman, hugging her and saying "I'm gonna miss you Crazy Lady That Hits!" But, as you may have guessed from her name, I thought that might not be a great idea.

Independence Day

2007-09-15T14:20:00.000-06:00

I am back in San Jose for a VAC dinner. We are all getting together tonight for general mayhem and shenanigans. Today is also Costa Rica's Independence Day celebrated with parades and "typical" dances. Lots of little girls in long skirts and little boys with coffee-ground beards. There is also a lot of political activity. Although now it is old news in the US, if it were ever news at all, Costa Rica has not signed the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). There will be an election at the beginning of next month to decide if Costa Rica will sign or not. So, there is a lot of talk and debate flying around. The Sí camp, or those in favor, have blanketed the country and airwaves with flashy banners and television commercials. The opposition, lacking the funds privy to those in favor, has still managed a very impressive grassroots resistance. Mainly consisting of squads of volunteers passing out flyers and educating people about what the agreement says and then what will most likely result from it. As a Peace Corps volunteer I am prohibited from expressing a political opinion so I am not officially allowed to tell people that "les va a joder."

Most likely it will pass. Most likely the people with the money and the power will do what they want and what they generally want is to protect their own interests. But maybe, just maybe, this year the people of Costa Rica will stand up and celebrate their independence by maintaining it.

Soaking up the life

2007-09-07T17:30:00.000-06:00

Well, I am in the last few weeks of my uber-tranquila lifestyle. The end of the month is rapidly approaching which means that at some point I am going to have to start working in the traditional sense of the word. "Que pereza!" as they say.

I am in San Jose again. Kicking it at the Boulevard. I must say that the new addition of plastic sheets at the Boule does not inspire confidence. Neither does the fact that the hotel staff knows me by name. I keep telling everyone that I am just checking out my new site. :)

Anyhoo... I am headed to a Flamenco show at the infamous Jazz Cafe tonight. It is actually my first venture to the cafe, long overdue I would say. I am excited, should be a good time. Tomorrow I am back to my site. It is probably about time that I started getting serious about preparing myself for my next move. At this point where exactly I am going to move to is still up in the air, but I think I at least have a lead on a roommate... besides Necio that is.

Dengue Ultra Lite

2007-08-28T10:21:00.000-06:00

26 months into service, 1 month to go and I get Dengue. It's a pretty easy case, I felt a little down on Saturday, worse on Sunday (I didn't stray far from the hammoch), yesterday was a little better and today got the infamous Dengue rash. Still moving pretty slow but looks like the worst is over. I got off pretty easy. Didn't even have to go to the hospital.

Tsunami time....

2007-08-19T14:54:00.000-06:00

As you may or may not know, Puntarenas was recently given an evacuation order in response to the tsunami warning after the Peruvian earthquake. Don't worry though... it was a false alarm. There was general hysteria, bottlenecked traffic leaving the pennensula and taxi drivers charging $100 American to drive 10km, but no real harm done. Actually, I missed most of it as I was in San Jose for a training session. I left pobrecito Necio to fend for himself and watched a movie. All turned out well though.

I am currently hosting two trainees. Normally we only host one at a time but my compañeros are slackers and I ended up with two. Not a big deal though. They are both cool. Saturday I introduced them to the Puerto tradition of beer and patacones. Today we went to the beach (the waves were very rough due to the approaching tropical storm) and tomorrow will be the grand finalé with the booze cruise. :)

Tuesday I am accompanying them back to San Jose. I have my close of service medical appointments lined up. I will also be using that time to find an appartment to live in for the next year.

Just under two months to go in the Puerto

2007-08-09T15:13:00.000-06:00

Carlos and Gloria made it back to El Salvador. We had a really great time while they were here. The next time I will see them will probably be in February when I go there for their wedding. Looks like it is going to be a great party, and I am not one to miss a great party. :)

Since then, I have been working on developing a site for the next volunteer. I actually drug Carlos and Gloria to a site development meeting. Don Flaco was there and just missed bringing up traigamonedas as a critical social problem. The meeting got a little sidetracked, but ended up pretty good. I have been running around ever since trying to find a place for he/she to live. The new volunteer, whoever he or she is, will be here for their site visit on the 1st of September, so we don't have a whole lot of time.

Other excitement this week... I have been starting to take care of my medical stuff so that I can be cleared to stay another year. So far, all I have been able to do is lab work, which mostly involves taking fecal samples into town via the public bus. It occurred to me that one of these trips would have been the perfect time to be mugged. Surprise! Too bad they missed out on that one. :)

Pupusas hecho de mano gringa

2007-07-30T19:38:00.000-06:00

I am on the road again. This constant vacationing in tropical paradises can really get tedious. At least that is a theory I have come up with. So far it is not tedious at all, but I am determined to find out, so on I go.

Carlos and Gloria got here at about 1 am Thursday morning. Carlos tortured a group of English tourists with his lumberjack snoring and then we headed to Puntarenas. Saturday night Gloria taught me to make pupusas. They turned out pretty dang good if I do say so myself. I shared with my neighbors and ended up receiving a fish that is about three times the size of my head. I had to cut it in half to get it to fit in the freezer! On Sunday we left for Puerto Viejo. Carlos and Gloria really wanted to see the Caribbean Sea, so I sacrificed and brought them here. Today we took a taxi to a beach a little further down the coast called Punta Uva. It is basically a string of white sand beaches dotted with touristy restaurants. It was amazingly beautiful. We ate some Caribbean food that was also incredible. We were set to ride the bus back to Pto. Viejo and Carlos ended up hooking us up with a ride in the back of a pickup truck. It was raining and the roads are horrible, even if you are going 50 mph. It's a great story though. ;)

Anyway, so a little earlier, I faked exhaustion and sent Carlos and Gloria off on their own so that Carlos can give Gloria an engagement ring without an audience. Tomorrow we are headed back to Puntarenas and then they leave to El Salvador again early, early Thursday morning. Then I am back to work until the next paseo.

Round and Round we go

2007-07-21T10:30:00.000-06:00

It was a pretty busy week. Monday half of Tico 17 arrived in my site for the gira or site tour. Five of them stayed with families in my site and we took them around to all the "must sees" in Puntarenas. It was a pretty interesting visit. We went to an activity in the school in Chacarita (next door to my barrio). I was expecting to do a quick and dirty activity with one of the classes, instead, I found myself having to sing the dedo song during an all-school assembly. They went all out to welcome us. Barring one minor sunburn incident involving a large gringo declaring to the world "Soy en fuego! Adios!" it was a very successful visit. On Wednesday we had lunch at the local restaurant/brothel and pobrecita Marianne got her purse lifted.

Then Thursday, I came into San Jose to do some training sessions with the newbies in their training sites. Zoey came in Friday so we got to hang out a little bit. Today I am going to pick up some San Jose supplies, primarily peanut butter and catfood, sit in a coffee shop and write in my journal, and then tonight, a student group from UC Santa Cruise invited Marianne and I to go to the Quinta Estacion concert tonight. I'm not sure who they are, although I have been assured that I will recognize some songs, but the tickets and a ride back to the Puerto are free so I am there.

Next week I am working in the Puerto, on Monday I have a meeting to facilitate scholarships for teen moms and then Thursday I am back in San Jose for meetings and trainings. AND... Thursday night, Carlos, Gloria and two other Salvadoran friends will be here to visit me. It should be an utterly insane, fun and ultimately exhausting visit. I can't wait!

That New Bus Smell

2007-07-11T16:54:00.001-06:00

As you may have guessed, the big news in the barrio is that we have to brand spanking new buses running. They are quite shiny. Makes that 15 minute ride into the center that much more enjoyable. It even has that "new bus smell". Ahhhhh! What else... I feel like i have been running like crazy and I am not sure what i have been doing. I spent the afternoon in the AIDS clinic. I am helping the nurse there design a study to find out the level of AIDS awareness in Puntarenas. As a sociology geek, I am totally psyched about it. It is not going to be completely scientifically infallible, but I think it will at least be useful. I may even sell the results to the WHO. (No that is not a 1970's rock group... it is the World Health Organization) The other big news in the barrio is less praiseworthy. Tuesday morning some people broke into the CEN-CINAI, which is the local daycare and nutrition center. They took all the food and even trotted off with the refrigerator! I know what you are thinking "How do people wonder off with a refigerator without being seen?" The answer is that they don't. As in they were seen. In fact, some neighbors actually bought the fridge from the robbers because they knew that it belonged to the CEN-CINAI. So here is where the social justice breaks down. The OIJ (Tico FBI) came in, "investigated" and left. All the neighbors, and the CEN-CINAI workers, know who it was that did it, but their not talking for fear of retribution and in the long run it really wouldn't matter anyway because if they don't take a HUGE amount of money, nothing will happen to them anyway. The neighbors that bought the fridge from the robbers aren't talking cuz they are drug dealers and they don't tend to mix well with law enforcement. So.. that little annecdote pretty much sums up the crime atmosphere in the barrio. Most likely, the robber's girlfriends/wives/babies momma's will show up on Friday and wonder why there is no food for their kids. It's a vicious cycle.

Transitions...

2007-07-02T10:44:00.000-06:00

Okay.. I have officially spent one consecutive week in my site. Big excitement! I actually got some work done also. It is nice to be in one place for a while.

I am trying to get manuals written for the projects I have done. The main one being adapting the Love and Logic program to PC and Ticos. It is a big program so it is taking a while. It also doesn't help that I have been procrastinating! The same goes for writing out the HIV workshops I did in the High School and with professionals.

As for community work, I am trying to concentrate my efforts in supporting the infant HIV commission here in Puntarenas. So far we have had two meetings that have both gone well. We have a third planned for the end of the month. It works out well that I will be moving just to San José this fall so that I will be able to continue to support the commission. I am looking to get them hooked up with some NGOs in San José to have more long-term contacts.

My other "big" project is helping the office out with site-development. Tico 17 is actually already here and in training in San Jose. So, we need to get them places to live for September. My counterpart wants to replace both Scott (in Miramar) and I, AND put another volunteer about an hour away in Esparza. I am not psyched about putting somebody in my exact barrio because, it really sucks to directly follow a volunteer and I have run into so many obstacles finding projects in my school and neighborhood that I think a volunteer would have more success somewhere else. It looks like we are going to put them in Chacarita. The non-porteño would probably not even recognize it as a seperate barrio, it is so close to where I live now. It is only about four blocks from my house and sits directly betwen me and the highway so I walk through there often to catch the bus. I met with the counselors and principal at the school on Friday and they are very excited about the possiblity of getting a volunteer there. I am already a little jelous of whoever the next volunteer will be. I think they will get a lot of support and be able to do some great things there. We are planning a community meeting for the week of the 23rd.

It is already July. On the 13th I celebrate 2 years of living in Costa Rica. It is also the last stretch of my PCV service. I am excited but also trying to soak up my favorite things about living here. (Like right now I am sitting in an internet cafe listening to the Little Mermaid Soundtrek in Spanish.) I am really going to miss living on the coast. I hope I am able to do it again in my life.

Finally a little time to rest....

2007-06-26T13:34:00.000-06:00

I think I am finally looking at a little time off... from vacationing! :) I spent about four days in my house after my whirl-wind trip to the states before I went to San José for our COS (Close Of Service) conference. We were put up my Peace Corps in a swankity-swank hotel. (Rooms included, coffee-maker, hair-dryer AND bathrobe!) All of Tico 13 was reunited for the conference (both CYF and MED programs) so we were back to all hanging together like we were at the beginning, except for the fact that we have lost 12 of the 31 we started with. During the conference we were able to present the projects we have done and our "accomplishments" both professional and personal. It was actually a very inspiring presentation, my compañeros have done some really incredible things.

I also applied and interviewed for the PCVC (Peace Corps Volunteer Coordinator) position that will be available after I finish service. I just yesterday, heard from the El Salvador position and did not get it as there was another candidate that had more experience working with faith-based groups. So it seems that Díos no quiso as they say. All is well though, I am pretty excited about the PCVC position. I will be able to continue to support the newly formed HIV commission, albeit from afar. I am also excited about being able to work on volunteer support and other projects on a national level. I think it will be a great experience. I am disappointed that I will not yet be able to go to El Salvador, but now I am looking forward to spending some time there in early 2009 to work during the elections.

On Saturday, I was able to have a quick visit with Heather and Oscar before they headed back to the states. It was great to see them and catch up, even if it was a fleeting visit. :) That afternoon we went to Playa Hermosa for one last Tico 13 trip. We rented a house on the beach from a sketchy French-Canadian and had a battle-of-the-sexes Charades marathon wherein the women, once again, proved superiority. My friend Kathy, who I initially met in El Salvador was visiting so she received a massive Peace Corps immersion. She insists she wasn't traumatized but the rocking and babbling incoherently say differently. :) Kathy and I took the bus back to my site yesterday and I showed her around el 20 and the Puerto. It was a lot of fun to have here around. I put her on a bus this morning and sent her off to San Francisco. Hopefully it won't be another three years before we hang out again!

Anyhoo... I am excited to be able to spend a little time in my casita in the next couple of weeks. My cat, Necio is living up to his name. I guess he is now officially mine, as the neighbors to whom he technically belonged moved away and left him to me. My first act as his official owner will be to take away his manhood. I think he's pretty excited about it. :)

Still No Word

2007-06-18T13:16:00.000-06:00

Well, for those of you that have been pacing, wondering what it is I am going to do with myself after Peace Corps, well... join the club. I still have no idea. I am waiting to hear about the job in El Salvador. If that doesn't work out (it is seeming less and less likely by the minute), I will be staying here in Costa Rica (but in San José). That is of course, if they accept me for the extension. If all else fails, I may be wondering around Central America nursing my wounds and picking up the pieces of my self-confidence. Regardless, I'll end up where I am suppose to be. I always do.

Demasiado Poco Tiempo

2007-06-14T16:37:00.000-06:00

I believe I spent the last week in the states. I can't say for sure because it went by so fast and much of it passed in a blur, but I have some tickets stubs that say I was there, so I must have been.

I got in to Denver last Wednesday night at about 9p. I left Costa Rica at 7 am that morning but spent most of the day at the Houston airport. My flight was delayed (thanks to high winds) and then I almost missed it due to having a couple of beers bought for me and being too accustomed to la hora tica (thanks to Darren (?) and Costa Rica respectively). The first indications of reverse culture shock came when I was unable to speak English in the Houston airport (possibly due to said beers) and when later that night at Qdoba, when the burrito boy asked if I wanted salsa I said "si" and then spent the next five minutes trying to convince him that I am accustomed to speaking Spanish and was not one of those dorks that says "si" instead of "yes" in all Mexican and Mexican-esque restaurants.

I spent Thursday morning at the DMV trying to get my driver's license back, a logistical remnant from the mugging. While waiting, I decided to walk over to the Rite Aid and pick up an Economist to read and pass the time. I searched high and low through a plethora of bridal, hotrod, celebrity and porn magazines but couldn't find it. I asked the girl working there if they had any news magazines at all, I would have settled for a Time or Newsweek even. She looked confused and offered a Discovery Magazine. "Never mind," I said. I guess campesino does translate.

Friday I had lunch with the Island Grove group. It was kinda our last she-bang as Nicole is moving to San Diego. Chris will be working on his post-doc. I suggested that where I come from, when someone is unable to finish going to school, it is sometimes referred to as being "held back." :) Lisa told me I was old, I told her "yes WE are." She is desperately avoiding motherhood although I think that any man that will still love you after you set his apartment on fire is one that maybe needs to be duplicated. :) Em looks happy and great and is learning to love a Republican. Donna is still amazing, still my hero and still working with the people everyone else wants to forget about, all the while suffering the British shenanigans of Dr. Hottie. And Mason.... Mason is still Mason, swinging from apron strings and looking for a lap to lay his head in. Headed off to counsel torture victims in Eastern Europe. Wei Wu Wei my friend.

Friday night drove to New Castle and hung out with the fam and 5 rapidly growing nieces and nephews. It's hard to miss that part. Billie and Rod have one more on the way, so soon there will be six. Saturday we headed to Grand Junction and hung out with a few select Sefcovics along with my girl Holly and the little man Ky. We had a very pleasant afternoon. Saturday night I met up with Aaron, Maria and Will (Bill) my buds from the initial El Salvador trip. We swapped some stories, did some shots, I lost Holly, but then I found her again. I am still getting used to American cell phones. Not sure what the big difference is, but I seem to be deaf to their ring tones. :) I learned that speaking Spanish makes me invincible at Shapiro’s although the big gringo standing behind me may have had something to do with that. :) Holly and I went to an after party at J-Dogg's or some other dreaded rapper sounding name. I spent most of the night staring at Grand Junctions alternative crowd thinking "you people are definitely not ticos." Sunday morning was back up to New Castle. I taught Holly about tico time she seemed to catch right on. We had breakfast with the Burns' et al. and then headed back to the Fort.

Monday, I kidnapped Sarah from her infant twins and 4-year-old and took her shopping. It was lots of fun. There was giggling involved. I had just enough time to squeeze in an hour of drinking coffee and writing in my journal at Starry Night before I met Shawn and Cassie for dinner at the Rio. They are expecting their second child or "young mind to corrupt" as I like to call them. Caroleena and Andy joined us and we ended the night with a PBR at the Trailhead. They are also doing well, finishing up school, working for Island Grove and hunting shrooms. Cool.

Tuesday Byron and I were going to go hiking but it was raining. (Did I mention that I froze 97% of the time I was in Colorado?) So we went over my financial stuff. I got a couple of "bad monkey" speeches but other than that, all went well. Byron seems to have inherited all of the "adult responsibility" genes, I predict that this will not be the last time I am found crashing on his couch. Dara still likes animals. I can't seem to talk her out of it. Although there maybe be hope for her after all, she spends her days cutting them up and placing their insides on glass slides, or watching other people to make sure they do said cutting correctly. Jack got onto my computer and learned to play chess. I may try to learn also and play with him next time I am home but that will probably end with tears. Not generally a problem, except that they will probably be my tears and that's not nearly as fun.

Wednesday I spent packing and desperately looking for quasi-formal shoes just in case I ever need to wear something besides my Chacos. Failed miserably. I have been cursed with gargantuan feet and they just don't make shoes for me. I have thought about shopping where drag queens shop, but I think I would be hard pressed to find a sporty-and-outdoorsy-yet-appropriate-for-semi-casual-drag-queen store. If you know of one, please let me know. :)

Wednesday night, I left. We, logically, flew from Denver (left at 1:30am) to Newark then to Costa Rica. I was only quasi-conscious through most of the flight. I got back to San Jose, grabbed a cab to my bus stop just in time to squeeze into the last space on the bus to Puntarenas. My house is in good/excellent order, thank you Marianne. My neighbors are already hooking me up with their husbands’ co-workers and my cat is MIA. Although I'm not worried about the cat, I know he has been around because there was half a mouse on the kitchen floor when I got back. He is probably just pouting because I was gone so long. He is so catty! HA! Anyhoo... like I said, I spent most of my time running frantically from one reunion to another. I learned that one week is not nearly enough time after being gone nearly two years.

I am still waiting to hear about the El Salvador job. So I still don't know, for sure, what I will be doing come October. Well, that's about as good an update as I can give you. I have a work report and a close of service report due soon so I will be spending the next couple of days at my computer.

Peace Out

T minus 4 months

2007-05-31T12:54:00.000-06:00

Today I picked up my COS (Close of Service) packet from the encomiendos office (aka the bus stop.. you can send packages on the passenger busses.. .it's fun AND relatively convenient). I now have to think about wrapping up this whole crazy experience and sumarizing it in 2 pages or less to be filed away in the D.C. office for posterity. That'll give me something to think about for a bit.

Other than that, I am hanging out in the Puerto again. I am recovering nicely from the hernia opperation. It involves a lot of wandering around and watching it rain. It is not, really, much different than what I normally do.

I did have a pretty productive meeting with a group from the Ministerio de Salud (Health Ministry) about forming an HIV commission in Puntarenas. It sounds pretty promising, although I am still a little gun-shy about getting my hopes up. We have another meeting in a couple of weeks, so we'll see what happens.

New PCCR Logo

2007-05-24T20:43:00.000-06:00

Que Pereza!

2007-05-23T20:11:00.000-06:00

I am "recovering" in San Jose. I am BORED! I am actually feeling quite good. I am moving a little slow but the drugs are good so things aren't so bad. Anyhoo... I thought I would share with you all some of my favorite tico-isms (or translations that make me giggle):

The word for 'lesbian' is 'tortillera'

The word for 'vibrator' is 'consolador' (Ha!)

The word for 'handcuffs' is 'esposas' or 'wives' (a tad bit machista, eh?)

Anyhoo... that is my most recent cultural update. Hope it serves you well. :)

El Chunche

2007-05-22T15:36:00.000-06:00

Well, I have four months left in Costa Rica and I figured one thing I havn't done yet is get cut open in third world hospital. So yesterday afternoon I remedied that. Yesterday, I had a hernia operation. I would like to point out though that the "third-world" hospital that I was in, was not really that. It was the private gringo hospital and is arguably better than most of the US public hospitals. Private room, cable, it could definately be worse.

I got a shiny gold star for my surgery. I have been pleasantly surprised that I have had very little pain and discomfort. The Surgery doctors and anestesiologists thought I was a little nuts because when they gave me the spinal, I couldn't stop giggling and saying "Hormigas! Hormigas! Me siento boracha!" Apparently the hernia was in the top of my leg muscle rather than my abdomen and it was BIG. (I try not to do anything half-assed.) But, all is well now. I am on the road to recovery and should be fine within a couple of weeks. Right now I am staying at a hotel in San Jose. Zoey has generously come into town to take care of me and cater to my every whim. I will be here until Saturday so I will have lots and lots of internet access. Yea!

Back to life in the Puerto

2007-05-14T15:02:00.000-06:00

I have been in my site for over a whole week now. (I am not counting a quick day trip into San Jose to run errands). I was pretty excited that I was here on Friday and got to go to the feria de verduras (farmer's market). I havn't been able to go in about two months and I really miss it. It is definately the perk of my exciting weekends.I went to the beach and played in the surf with some kid friends on Saturday and got a pretty heinous burn on my right side. It's fading though so I really can't complain too much.

Miracle of miracles, my PANI office has internet up and working so I am taking advantage of the free internet time. It is definately not something to be taken for granted. I am waiting for my new APCD (boss), the infamous Dan Baker to get here so that we can have a meeting with my counterpart about where they are going to put Tico 17 volunteers. I have a couple of places that I would like to see them place some people so I am hoping that they will be able to happen. Other than that, there is not a whole lot to report. I have some stuff to be wrapping up, but I am mostly procrastinating. I still have an entire season of CSI on DVD to watch, it's tough work, but someone's gotta do it, and since Katheryn left, that leaves it all up to me.

Back in the Puerto

2007-05-09T11:02:00.000-06:00

I am back home again. And I have been here for more than two days in a row. It is a little strange, but I think I can get used to this again. It's not quite back to normal yet though cuz I had out-of-town visitors Monday night. Kevin, a friend from the states that was a PCV in the Republic of Georgia was visiting so I got to hang out with him and his buddy Jairo. We had about as good a time as you can have in a seedy port town. Did some dancing, sang some kareoke, really, really badly and drank a couple of cervezas.

I am focusing most of my efforts now into wrapping things up here and preparing for the next step. I only have a little more than 4 months left til the end of service! I am still planning on going to El Salvador for a while when I finish here. I just don't know what I am going to be doing when I get there. Figuring it out is all part of the fun though right?

That's all for now.

La despedida mas triste

2007-05-04T07:44:00.000-06:00

Me and Maria in Costa del Sol, El Salvador

I am still running. I think I have been home a cumulative total of two weeks in the past two months and a week and a half of that was hosting guests. I am beyond exhausted, but not yet done.

I spent last weekend with Maria. We went to Puerto Viejo, Cahuita and then I finally made it to her site. It was our farewell tour, you might say. Maria is headed back to the states on Saturday. She got accepted into a really great grad school program this fall and is headed out early to spend some time with the fam and go to her brother's graduation before she hits the books in Vermont. I'm really excited for her but I will also miss her terribly. I have spent the last two years figuring out how I am going to fill my time until we can hang out again. I'm not sure what I am going to do with myself. I actually think I am still in denial. So far it just feels like we are hanging out again and then we will go back to our sites. I think it will hit me for reals in a couple of weeks when I get the urge for coffee and Maria time and there is none to be had. Que tristeza!

Anyhoo... we are in San Jose now. Zoey, Maria and I went to our favorite restaurant, Tin Jo last night. Zoey heads back to her site tonight, I'll be here to see Maria off tomorrow. Then back to Puntarenas tomorrow, and hopefully I will get to stick around a bit.

One Small Good Thing

2007-04-25T13:04:00.000-06:00

It's done! The following is what I submitted to the Cadena about my HIV Workshop:

The entirety of my service seems to come down to this. It wasn't an accident. I've been calling it, "my baby," my "legacy project" for months. And it has literally taken months for this one day to come together. The HIV infection rate in my barrio is estimated to be one infected person for every ten residents. One in ten. 10% of the population. So I give some charlas, start talking about what no one wants to talk about. Inevitably, I know that my voice, is just one voice, in one small place in the world that not even Google Maps can focus on. Christian mythology says that hope springs from the tiniest mustard seed, but futility was beginning to lap at my mustard seed. I was sitting in a meeting of my Junta de Proteccion zoning in and out of consciousness as they ranted about the dangers of traigamonedas. I could hardly mask my indignation... Drugs, alcohol, domestic violence, delinquency, HIV/AIDS and the group that is suppose to be protecting kids is worried about glorified pinball machines. "I'm outta here" I thought, and then my do-gooder conscious part said, "Quit whining and do something about it. Teach them."

I had done some work at the local HIV/AIDS clinic and suggested to the nurse there that we host a taller(workshop) for professionals educating them about HIV/AIDS. The hospital was already involved in doing some education in the schools and other organizations although their reach is severely limited in that they spend a great deal of time treating patients and they don't have the time or resources to dedicate to organizing charlas. I have the social connections I told him. I have drank coffee and talked about the weather in pastel colored cement buildings all over this city. The theory is that all service workers that work with the affected populations are working in HIV/AIDS, they just don't realize it. It's up to us to tell them, I said. He agreed. Well, he said, Where would we get the money?

We had no budget. It was made pretty clear that there would be no financial support from the hospital or any other social institution. (Speaks volumes doesn't it?) Our biggest expense would be the food, and there has GOT to be food. Whoever said, "There's no such thing as a free lunch" has never been to a tico taller. Not only is there a free lunch, you also get two cafécitos. "If you feed them, they will come." I decided I would write a PCPP and try to get the funding for the food. That would leave the facilities, all resources etc. up to the community to provide. My hospital counterpart had a contact at the Rotary Club and he thought he would be able to get the building donated, the clinic staff would be giving most of the presentations so that would not be a cost and the rest we would hunt and gather. We had a plan, we were good to go. We were on it. First things first let's pick a date. It is such a simple thing, you look at a calendar, you chose a day, you write it down, then you get to work.

We changed the date 3 billion times between November and April; the space wasn't available that day, he scheduled it during his vacation, then the doctor wasn't available, then the "donated" space became a "discounted" space and we were back at square one. This called from drastic measures. Fortunately, while researching "stress management techniques" and greater "community integration" on the Paseo de Turistas I met the brand, spanking new gringo owner of a bar/restaurant and ended up talking him into donating the upstairs of his building, and he would work within our budget for the food. Rockin'! Now I have a space, AND the irony of giving an HIV taller in a bar was really just too good to pass up. The good news; things are coming together. The bad news; it's becoming increasingly clear that this is my baby and very little help is coming from my "counterpart." I decide I am just going to have to live with that. It's not that they don't care or even that they don't want to do anything, it's that working on big problems with few resources tends to breed what looks like apathy, but is really just hopelessness and resignation.

The "S" word (sustainability) keeps popping up in my head. If I'm the only one invested in this, it's not sustainable. "One good thing," I think. "If I can just do one good thing during my service. I'll be happy." I had it in the back of my mind, but I hardly dared to whisper it. I wanted to create a Red de Prevención. There are a ton of HIV resources out there, but there is not any one organized entity in Puntarenas that is working on getting them there. It's a pipe dream, I know. But, I thought that if we could just get people together; the people that are already out there working in the most affected populations. If we could just get them to be aware of it. If we could get them to start talking about it, even in the smallest way, then that would be something. That would be my seed.

The week before the taller, the date was finalized (for real this time). We cranked out some invitations, I took half and my counterpart took half. I hit the streets. I walked all over Puntarenas with a stack of invitations and a sweat rag. I was running about half and half of those that said they would be able to go, and knew that probably about half of the ones that said they would make it wouldn't actually come. I spent the rest of the week typing up the agenda, pre and post tests, evaluations and surveys that would be the measurements and accountability portion of my project. My counterpart was working on getting us some folders donated.

Monday morning, the day before the taller, I got to the hospital to go over final stuff with my counterpart. He, the doctor and the psychologist are scheduled to present in the morning. I booked an amazing woman from Associacion Americas to come from San Jose to present in the afternoon. I got to the clinic Monday morning, the day before the taller and my counterpart has come through with the folders. Yipee! Then the psychologist walks in and I ask her if she is ready for the big day and she says, "yeah, I don't think I'm gonna make it. I think I am gonna be 'incapacitada"(sick) tomorrow." So I did what any mature professional would do... I told on her. My counterpart told her she had to go or at least had to find someone to stand in for her if she couldn't go. I confirmed the Associacion Americas woman that afternoon. I had all the speakers lined up with one exception, me. But I still had a good ten hours to get that together.

The morning of the taller I show a the restaurant at 8 am. The taller was scheduled to run 8-4, so needless to say, I was early. There were two minor (AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!) catastrophes first thing. The new owners changed the name of the restaurant recently and had bought a new sign. The name I put on the invitations was in little-bitty print on the new sign. I had also mistakenly written "Oeste"(West) on the invitations instead of "Este"(East). I was on the verge of a breakdown. Was it all really going to fall apart due to one little extra 'O'? One little 'O', as in "Oh f*@#, everybody's lost." My ever so generous machito compañero helped me out, signs were made people came. Not a lot of people, but people none-the-less. I ended up with 11 professionals and 6 PCVs.

All in all, things went pretty okay. The presenters presented. The food was good. The service was good. People participated. The Associacion Americas presentation was incredible and impactful. It still had it's idiosyncrasies of course. It was Puntarenas HOT. The doctor sweat through his scrubs during his presentation. Don Flaco; so named because he is amazing emaciated (I think that taller provisions are his sole source of nourishment); still managed to bring up the evils of traigamonedas. The afternoon presenter was an hour late and my counterpart left after lunch. But then people started talking about the future. Shirley, this incredibly powerful and compassionate woman, starts talking about planning another taller for her coworkers and for MEP and IMAS. The women from the schools ask about scheduling the doctor to present at their school. And then it happens, the heavens open, a man from the Minesterio de Salud (Health Ministry) says it; "I am going to work on putting to together a commission to work on HIV prevention in Puntarenas."

I don't dare get my hopes up. There is excitement, there is energy, there are promises and sometimes they don't make it out of the building. When I leave here in September, the HIV infection rate will still be high. The social workers and psychologists will still be over worked and overwhelmed. Vital programs will still be under-funded. Important information will not be distributed because it is uncomfortable to talk about. The impact of the taller will fade. But maybe, just maybe, one small good thing remains.

This thing may actually happen

2007-04-18T15:28:00.000-06:00

I don't want to speak too soon, but it looks like my HIV workshop for professionals may actually happen. The newest and latest date for it is next Tuesday. We are having it in a bar. No, the irony is not lost on me. I am running around today hand delivering invitations (read: begging people to come). I am not sure how this thing is going to turn out. I may be in tears come Wednesday, but at least it will be over and done with.

More irony: Last week I was in San Jose giving a talk to the new group about filling out Incident Reports after having been mugged and/or a victim of theft. When I got back to my house, I found out that the local crackheads had stolen my towels off my clothesline in my back yard. Oh those crackheads! You just never know what sort of shenanegans they'll be up to next!

Back but not completly

2007-04-12T08:55:00.000-06:00

We got back to Costa Rica Sunday night at about 9pm after over twenty sweltering hours on a bus without air conditioning. To say the least it was good to be back. I was home for two whole days before I had to come into San Jose to do some training work. I am giving a training on safety and how to fill out an incident report since I have, unfortunatley, got the process down now. I am looking forward to spending some actual time back in my site.

The date on my HIV/AIDS workshop got changed again. It will be nice to have a little more time to get things together but I would also really, really like for it to get done. It has drug out a really long time. I am a little worried that I am more invested in it than my counterparts, but that is a pretty typical scenario. After so much anticipation, I am just hoping that it gets done without bombing too badly. On a good note, the food is paid for so I don't have to worry about people showing up! :)

Quick Note from El Salvador

2007-04-04T19:33:00.000-06:00

I'm back in El Salvador. Zoey, Maria and I arrived Thursday night. We have been running like crazy. We have already eaten pupusas, been to the kareoke bar (twice), scoured San Salvador for the best jugo de naranja con vanilla, and went to a music festival. The girls are getting a crash course in Salvadoran history and culture. It's a tough one to swallow at times but they are hanging in there. We toured the UCA campus where 6 Jesuit priests and two women were murdered by the government death squads during the civil war and we went to Cinquera and hiked in a nature reserve and then spoke with the town patriarch about the war. Zoey caught the bus back to Costa Rica early this morning. Maria caught some sort of bug that kept here in the hammock all day, but seems to be doing better.

Anyhoo... that's all for now.

Pre-trip check in

2007-03-28T17:50:00.000-06:00

I am still in San Jose. Dan Baker Day was a success. It will be nice to have an immediate supervisor again. Work-wise things are going well. Trying to get some stuff done between vacations. It's a tough, but I have nearly a month worth of days to take before June when I am no longer allowed to take vacation days. So... it must be done. :)

Tonight, or more specifically, tomorrow morning at 3am, Zoey, Maria and I are headed to El Salvador. I am really excited that they are going with me. We are all staying with Carlos. He gave me a quick rundown of our itinerary and it seems that the phrase "we'll sleep when we are dead" translates perfectly.

I went to the art museum today. It is in a building that used to be the airport. It is really pretty. It is not huge, it is not the DAM (Denver Art Museum), but it was nice. Although I was a little disapointed because they had advertised a special Rembrandt exibit which ended up being a special timeline of his life. It did not include any originals nor reproductions of his actual work. But, the other stuff was pretty cool and just the right amount of things to see that I didn't get kindergartner antsy before the end.

Anyhoo, I'll try to get a post in from El Sal!

It's a tough gig....

2007-03-26T12:21:00.000-06:00

I am having a hard time keeping up with the blogs. Been running a lot lately. All this paseando (vacationing) is tough work! Dad, Carol and Dee Dee were here for a week. I saw them off on Friday. It was a lot of fun and quite an adventure navigating the cultural divides. But, we went fishing, ziplining, snorkling and even saw some dolphins. (Oh yea... there were monkeys too.) We even drug Dad and Carol kicking and screaming to a Japanese restaurant so I could get my sushi fix. It was really good, but I gotta say it is tough to switch between English, Spanish and Japanese. It was funky.

I was hostess for volunteers all weekend coupled with trying to get ready to go to El Salvador for a week. It is also Dan Baker Day on Tuesday so I am headed to San Jose. Then to El Sal on Thursday. Dan Baker Day, for those of you who do not yet have it marked on your calendars.... is the welcome party for our new program director.

Anyhoo... I had better get going. I have got some actual work to squeeze in between vacations!

Last Dance of Malcrianza

2007-03-14T11:42:00.000-06:00

Okay... well, my AIDS presentations went very well. Or at least they ended on a very good note so that has rosied my recall of the disorder and chaos that they started out being. Overall, I am quite happy with the results. I was able to train two other volunteers also so that felt sustainable. Although I can't say that they were overwhelmingly effective as one of the girls kept unbuttoning her blouse and making eyes at Jacob, the male volunteer helping me out. And at the end of one of the presentations, a kid came up to me and said (to my breasts), "I know I don't look it, but I am 15 years old and I know what to do with a condom." I said, "well, I feel like my work here is done."

I spent the day Saturday in Jacob's site. He lives across the gulf in a small town called Jicaral. They were having their fiestas civicas or civil festivities whose main attraction was the last ride of a world(Tico)-famous man-killing bull called Malcrianza loosely translated as "Born to be Bad." Supposedly he has killed two men and is very vicious. So we packed into a little arena, and I do mean packed. We were sardines on wooden benches. It was not comfortable. The most exciting part of the evening was marveling at the natural consequences of a country without liability laws. The arena was not all that big to begin with, probably only about 30 yards across in any one spot, and there were about 20 spectators in the ring with the bull that would taunt it and then try to scurry up the fence as it came their way.

I have to say that the riding and roping styles were interesting. I consider myself to be a fair judge as I have been to a rodeo or two in my day. It was announced that the first rider would be riding in the "free hand" style, which means that he would be riding with both hands held in the air. I was pretty excited to see how this would be done as I have seen many a good rider not make eight seconds, even while holding on with at least one hand. He came out of the shoot, flopping around like a rag-doll, both hands in the air and I was amazed, until I saw that his feet were strapped to the bull. The purist in me insists that this is cheating. That was pretty much the end of the excitement. Many of the riders made the full eight seconds. Generally there would be 2-3 seconds of rough bucking followed by and equal amount of half-assed bucking and then the bull trying to get past the harrassment of the spectators to get back into the pen. Each "ride" was seperated by at least 20 minutes of what I assume to beintensive preparations, while the spectators shifted uncomfortably trying to keep their bums from sleeping.

The roping style was also quite distinct from that which I am used to seeing. I have to say that it was right online with the tico cultural trait of indirectness, but much more fun to watch. Although I didn't get to examine one upclose, the larriats looked to me slightly less rigid than american ones. The loop was huge, it looked like it was about 6-8 feet doubled, or nearly big enough to run it around the entire bull without touching it. To throw it, they would spin it on one side of the horse, flop it over and spin it on the other and then sort of lob it over the bull. Their accuracy wasn't 100% but it was really fun to watch. It was like the trick ropers that would spin their larriets around themselves and their horses.

Anyhoo, we left after the third bull and according to the Brittish woman that stuck out the entire thing, we missed very little, although ticos insisted that we missed the ride of the century and assured us that Malcrianza was surely possessed by some sort of evil spirit that would make him so blood-thirsty. I can't speak for the level of demonic possession, but I can imagine I would have been seeking blood if I had waited out the entire show. Of course, a seat cushion may have changed my outlook on the entire event.

Update

2007-02-27T11:29:00.000-07:00

I guess it has been a while since I wrote. Not a lot going on, mostly just killing time inbetween vacations. Just kidding...

Um what's new. On the subject of barrio wildlife, I spent about a half an hour helping my neighbor capture a ferrel bunny rabbit in the dark. I told her next time to get a white one, they're easier to see.

Next week I have a bunch of HIV/AIDS presentations I will be doing at the local high school. 11 in 4 days. I should be certifiable by Friday, just in time to give a presenation on NOT beating your children to a group of moms. I'm also working on getting my HIV/AIDS workshop together. I am pretty excited, I found out that the grant proposal I wrote was accepted and the project was fully funded. You all should be excited too cuz it was originally a "hit up folks from home" grant. So, consider this your "get out of donating" free card.

Anyhoo... I have to give an aerobics class to my little old ladies this afternoon and then I have penciled in a big, fatty nap in the hammock.

7th Street Bookstore and Café Milagro

2007-02-07T16:59:00.000-07:00

Here's a pic of me in one of my favorite San José hangouts. The 7th Street Bookstore where I am able to have a cup of Joe, read a book (or magazine) and write in my journal. It is full of gringos, but the closest thing I have found to stand in for Starry Night.

0 to 12,530 ft

2007-02-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

Maria, Zoey and I spent three days last week climbing Chirripó, the highest point in Costa Rica. (On a clear day, you can see both the Pacific and Carribean Coasts.) Thursday we hiked to the albergue or hostel-like thing located 14.5 km up the mountain. Friday we climbed the last 6 km to the summit and ended up doing so with a group of Ticos that included the former director of the parks who was able to tell us a lot of "insider information" about the park history and geology. We also summitted with the sports reporter from one of the local channels who, although I had never seen before, is apparently quite famous in Costa Rica. They were a really fun group and ended up offering to give us a ride back to San Jose on Saturday, which we jumped on like we do any other opportunity to avoid 6 hours in a hot, dusty bus. On Saturday we climbed down and were absolutely, totally and completely exhausted by the time we reached the bottom. We collapsed in a heap but were ecstatic that we had completed our journey and, even better, that the guys had waited for us and we still had a ride back to San Jose. It was an amazing trip! Day 1 5:30 a.m. Bright-Eyed and Bushy-Tailed

View of Costa Rica's West Coast from top of Chirripo (The coast is just underneath the clouds.)View of Costa Rica's East Coast (Coast again just below clouds)

We collapsed at the bottom... but we still arrived to a round of applause!

Sunday, we watched the Superbowl at the Boulevar. Go Colts! Today, I am so sore, I am moving like a little old lady and actually cried out trying to climb the stairs to board the bus. Well worth it though!

Tomorrow... I am back to work!

Yes... there is some actual work going on

2007-01-24T09:28:00.000-07:00

Okay... beyond all the mugging excitement, I have actually been getting some work done. I gave three charlas to Tico 15ers on Monday. Yesterday I had a meeting with a doctor at the children's hospital that works in the AIDS clinic. It was really interesting, a little depressing, but a good opportunity for project colaborations. The most disturbing thing I found out is that the hospital only places HIV positive kids in PANI foster homes if there is absolutely no other alternatives. The education level for PANI workers regarding AIDS issues is abysmal. The doctor told me that they had actually treated PANI babies for mal-nutrician because the caretakers didn't feed them because they were afraid they would get the disease. So... to say the least there is a need for education campaigns.

Luckily... I am currently working on an education workshop for PANI workers. I will be saying more about this later and asking for your help with it so... be sure to watch for that.

Today, I will finish up in San Jose by giving another charla to 15ers about Love and Logic parenting/discipline techniques. Love and Logic is a parenting curriculum that I used to use when I worked in the treatment centers in the states. They generously donated the curriculum to me to use here.

Anyhoo.... that's what I'm up to lately. Later today I will be headed back to my barrio and tomorrow I'm headed to the OIJ (Tico FBI) to report my mugging. Let the good times roll!

As long as we are keepin' it real...

2007-01-23T09:51:00.001-07:00

I debated about whether or not I should post this blog as it will probably get some hearts started, but to stay true to my honesty policy I guess I had better fess up. I was catching the 4am bus to San Jose Monday morning to do trainings for another Tico group and I was mugged by two guys with a machete crossing the runway between my barrio and the main road where I catch the bus. Not something I am anxious to repeat, but all ended well. They got my wallet but I got to keep my camera and my laptop. Lost my Peace Corps ID and my Colorado Driver's license but nothing irreplaceable just inconvenient. Today I am going to go the the bank and see how many days it will take me to get a new bank card. Anyhoo... life goes on.

A quick rebuttal then back to the fluff....

2007-01-18T14:01:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about the blog format is that I get to write about my experiences and then from a distance of thousands of miles, people can tell me how I didn't actually experience what I think I did. But, I guess I chose this format and I must live with those consequences.

Here's the thing... this is part of MY Peace Corps experience. All of it. The beautiful stuff as well as the devestating. Read the disclaimer. When all of this is said and done, if I end up in frigic climate working out of a cubical somewhere gazing at a tropical screensaver, I may be tempted to romantacize also. Romance isn't real. This experience is. I'm trying to be as true as I can be.

I know it is tough to swallow but working for the biggest bureaucracy on the planet is not a little slice of heaven everyday. But I believe in what I am doing. I believe in the Peace Corps. I believe in the Peace Corps acknowledging that it is imperfect and, at times, can be the poster-child for futility and personality defects. Assume whatever you need to to be able to sleep at night, but at the end of the day the reality is that a great volunteer was sent home.

I would hope that anyone reading this who is thinking about joining the Peace Corps will do so. It has been, the most significant experience of my life. In fact, I am hoping to be able to extend my service to a third year (in El Salvador). I also hope that if you do, that you are able to appreciate it for what it is and what it will be... real.