Well the rain isn't that bad honestly, but the saying is true, when it rains it pours! We've been having a blast as usual. On Thursday I went to Fudem Dental which is a dental cleaning campaign that goes to schools. It was awesome! And it just so happened that we were doing the cleanings for the third grade! The teacher in me totally came out, I quizzed them on multiplication facts, taught them English words, and kept 'em in line while waiting for the cleaning. It was fun getting to know Cecilia and Mayra who were the dentists, they were way fun and cute :).
English class is still going great. They had their second test on Thursday so on Wednesday we did review centers which was a little more chaotic than I expected. But, by the end of it they all seemed to enjoy it a lot! I think they did pretty great on the tests too :)
Friday we did English club which is a group of college students who basically talk to us for two hours. I was with the basic group so it was a little awkward sometimes, but we got free pupusas afterwards which was totally worth it :)
Saturday was such a blast! We went to Lago de Coatepeque which is a beautiful clear water crystal lake in the mountains. We were at this awesome restaurant on the dock which felt like a tropical cruise island thing and we played around jumping off the dock into the lake for a few hours. I even had an adventure playing under the dock, but unfortunately no great discoveries were made. It actually rained for most of the time but the water was warm and it was great! I love being here!
I really don't know if anyone is reading this, but if anyone is and would like more specific type stories or details, just let me know! Life is awesome! I have decided it's a lot like the mission but way more chill, as in if you have a little time in between projects you can go get an ice cream! I couldn't be happier :)
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Two weeks already!
AAAAAAAHHHH! Time is going by so fast! But we are doing crazy stuff every day and making the most out of it. This past weekend I went to two cities called Apaneca and Ataco (yes we made many taco jokes). In Apaneca we did a fourteen leg zipline, it was so fun! The first six legs were a little short, then the seventh one was over this huge ravine and super long, I was a little scared first but then it was a blast! We ate some really good pupusas there, and then at Ataco we got a lot of different artisan souvenirs and stuff. It was a really cute town with murals all over the place and some really good food too. Our driver Oscar, was super cool. Usually they just keep to themselves but he went around with us and taught me a lot of stuff about El Salvador. He introduced me to chilate con nuegados, which I don´t really know how to explain but they are really good!
On Monday I did Habitat for Humanity for the first time, it was a blast! The bus ride took about three hours so it was fun talking to people. We´re working in a little town in San Vicente that had their houses destroyed last November during a mudslide. They´re building the houses pretty fast too! We had an interesting job, we had to shovel out about six inches of mud and water from a house and it´s back porch. I´d never been in mud so much, it was totally insane! But a blast of course, my arms even got a little sore from the shoveling.
Yesterday was really fun, we went with CIPI, which is a children´s home for teenage girls that have either been abandoned, abused, or many other things. We all went to a park and had a fun day. It rained a lot too, which was crazy but fun. I had my four friends and we were all huddled under this little roof eating some of my peanuts and playing the "Would you rather" game. They were so much fun. Their stories of how they got to this home are all so hard to swallow, it amazes me how positive they can still be and loving to each other. I also love being able to practice my Spanish!
Yesterday was Teacher´s Day! I felt very special being a teacher. School was out and for our English classes we watched Up in English and talked about it. While we were waiting for class to start I was talking to some of my students and I tried telling them some jokes in Spanish. I was a little worried they wouldn´t get it but when I got to the punch line they were hysterical! It definitely boosted my self esteem :)
Today we went to the University of Central America to talk about how to help with literacy classes. It was a good meeting, we have a few more contacts and hopefully we´ll be able to get them rolling soon.
I´m sorry I haven´t posted any pictures yet, hopefully I will learn soon and be able show you how things are here, because it´s awesome!
On Monday I did Habitat for Humanity for the first time, it was a blast! The bus ride took about three hours so it was fun talking to people. We´re working in a little town in San Vicente that had their houses destroyed last November during a mudslide. They´re building the houses pretty fast too! We had an interesting job, we had to shovel out about six inches of mud and water from a house and it´s back porch. I´d never been in mud so much, it was totally insane! But a blast of course, my arms even got a little sore from the shoveling.
Yesterday was really fun, we went with CIPI, which is a children´s home for teenage girls that have either been abandoned, abused, or many other things. We all went to a park and had a fun day. It rained a lot too, which was crazy but fun. I had my four friends and we were all huddled under this little roof eating some of my peanuts and playing the "Would you rather" game. They were so much fun. Their stories of how they got to this home are all so hard to swallow, it amazes me how positive they can still be and loving to each other. I also love being able to practice my Spanish!
Yesterday was Teacher´s Day! I felt very special being a teacher. School was out and for our English classes we watched Up in English and talked about it. While we were waiting for class to start I was talking to some of my students and I tried telling them some jokes in Spanish. I was a little worried they wouldn´t get it but when I got to the punch line they were hysterical! It definitely boosted my self esteem :)
Today we went to the University of Central America to talk about how to help with literacy classes. It was a good meeting, we have a few more contacts and hopefully we´ll be able to get them rolling soon.
I´m sorry I haven´t posted any pictures yet, hopefully I will learn soon and be able show you how things are here, because it´s awesome!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Maravillosos Ejemplos
So I don't really know if anyone is reading this, but right now I'm at lunch without my journal so I figured writing in my blog would make up for my lack of journal writing. This has been an...interesting week. I haven't been able to do too much because I've had English classes in the afternoon and planning for that, but it's been good still. I love teaching English class! We have four classes that we teach three days a week and I'm doing the most basic class, it's such a blast. The teacher in me comes out during that time, sometimes I act really silly and I'm hoping that my students think I'm funny rather than insane.
On Tuesday I went with a team member of mine to a small casarillo that Help International worked with last year and had a lot of square foot gardens built. Unfortunately, we didn't see many that were still in use, but overall it was an amazing experience. I was a little bit in shock how they lived, basically up in the forest with hardly anything at all. We went with a group that works with them and I admired them so much with how they treated these people and have such a passion to help. We also took a long bus ride home which was fun :)
On Wednesday we went to a microfinance training with a group here called ASEI which was also very interesting. Microfinance is so awesome! The average loan with ASEI is only $150, it's so amazing to see how little can help a family and small business so much. Most of the loans are given to single moms too which I love :).
Right now I am at an orphanage for children and adults with disabilities. It was the first time finding our way on the bus without any help! We were quite successful, and it was a blast taking the bus like always. I love it here! I wish I could stay here forever because everyone is so loving and friendly. We had a party this morning and it was a blast dancing with them and playing. Life is great!
I also am working on making contact with different literacy classes with adults. We've gone to a university close by and we're going to contact the education ministry which is a government department. I hope it works out because I would love teaching literacy so much!
Everything else is so great :), I love learning about this country and getting to know so many amazing people here. There are a lot of fun people in English class, and the partner organizations that we work with have so many compassionate leaders that do so much. There are a lot of things that I'm learning about the culture and country that I didn't know or expect, but it's great. And Spanish is coming along too :).
Oh and by the way, tonight I'm going to see Toy Story 3! That's right family, I'm seeing it before you :)
On Tuesday I went with a team member of mine to a small casarillo that Help International worked with last year and had a lot of square foot gardens built. Unfortunately, we didn't see many that were still in use, but overall it was an amazing experience. I was a little bit in shock how they lived, basically up in the forest with hardly anything at all. We went with a group that works with them and I admired them so much with how they treated these people and have such a passion to help. We also took a long bus ride home which was fun :)
On Wednesday we went to a microfinance training with a group here called ASEI which was also very interesting. Microfinance is so awesome! The average loan with ASEI is only $150, it's so amazing to see how little can help a family and small business so much. Most of the loans are given to single moms too which I love :).
Right now I am at an orphanage for children and adults with disabilities. It was the first time finding our way on the bus without any help! We were quite successful, and it was a blast taking the bus like always. I love it here! I wish I could stay here forever because everyone is so loving and friendly. We had a party this morning and it was a blast dancing with them and playing. Life is great!
I also am working on making contact with different literacy classes with adults. We've gone to a university close by and we're going to contact the education ministry which is a government department. I hope it works out because I would love teaching literacy so much!
Everything else is so great :), I love learning about this country and getting to know so many amazing people here. There are a lot of fun people in English class, and the partner organizations that we work with have so many compassionate leaders that do so much. There are a lot of things that I'm learning about the culture and country that I didn't know or expect, but it's great. And Spanish is coming along too :).
Oh and by the way, tonight I'm going to see Toy Story 3! That's right family, I'm seeing it before you :)
Sunday, June 13, 2010
This is the life
It has been four days in San Salvador and so much has happened! I feel like I still don’t know anything and that I’ve been here forever at the same time. Sometimes I wish I could be here forever and other times I really wonder how you couldn’t be insane living here. Here are some few things about El Salvador that I have found interesting, fun, or just pain bizarre:
• Transportation: first of all, the roads are CRAZY here! Basically no traffic laws are reinforced and so they are basically nonexistent. We ride in the back of a truck and/or squeeze six or seven into a tiny car on a daily basis. And it’s pretty fun zipping around super fast! But the funnest part of transportation is the bus, we take the bus just about everywhere. Fare costs only twenty cents and you get CRAMMED in! It’s fun to talk to the driver or people you’re sitting next to, we get catcalls constantly, and I’ve actually seen a drunk man basically fall flat on his face in the curb getting out of the bus. Probably the funniest experience was us trying to squeeze out of the bus that was completely full. I don’t know how I managed, but all of us got out except one of us. Peter, another volunteer, realized Lisa was still stuck in there somewhere and decided to go in. It reminded me a lot of giving birth, we first saw her arm, then shoulder, then her body getting pulled out, and all of the Salvadoreans were there yelling “Poosh! Poosh!” It was quite the accomplishment getting out!
• Food: The food is so good here! Unfortunately we can’t try everything for sanitation purposes and so we go to some American fast food places every once and a while. However we do get an authentic experience every weeknight when we have dinner at Estela’s house who cooks for us. The first night she made chiles rellenos, arroz, agua de piña y arroz con leche! I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. As I continue to have different food experiences I will share more. And yes, the pupusas are amazing, but tragically we can’t have the cortido because cabbage is a little shady to try here.
• Projects: So far I have worked with three projects, an orphanage for abused or abandoned boys and teenage girls, an eye screening center, and English classes. It’s been really fun! My favorite part is getting to talk to people. I don’t know if I’m still learning the specific Salvadorean language, but my Spanish needs a lot of improvement. Everyone is very kind and patient and willing to help. It’s hysterical to see people watch us, sometimes a whole bus is staring at us as they drive by, I even had a little girl tell me that her little sister was scared of me! But then we became friends ☺
• Fun: We have had a BLAST so far! On Friday we had our new volunteer “initiation” in which we went to the market on a mission to find three things: the most random toy, piece of underclothing, and piece of jewelry. I got some pretty crazy stuff, and all for less than 6 dollars! That night we went to a YSA dance for the world cup and had so much fun! My dancing is getting a lot better! We danced until our feet hurt, but it was so worth it. It makes me excited to come home and practice my Latin dancing more! Yesterday was the best so far, we went to basically the most amazing beach house you could imagine. Secluded area, beautiful waves, swimming pool, private cook, and a hammock hut. I felt like I had died and gone to heaven once again. It was so fun to relax and enjoy the sun, honestly I couldn’t have expected anything better. Today we went to the Spanish ward and we are at a member’s house right now. Actually the power and wifi is out right now so we’re playing mafia and I’m typing up a word document. Life couldn’t be better!
• The few things that I don’t quite like here: peanut butter is way expensive, gross men are hitting on us and giving us catcalls, you get a sweaty film all over you because of the heat and it never seems to go away, and the showers are freezing cold! Other than that this is basically the best ever ☺. If you have any questions about life or the country or anything at all, just comment and I’ll try to accommodate you as best as I can. Hope the summer is going great for you! ¡Que les vayan bien!
• Transportation: first of all, the roads are CRAZY here! Basically no traffic laws are reinforced and so they are basically nonexistent. We ride in the back of a truck and/or squeeze six or seven into a tiny car on a daily basis. And it’s pretty fun zipping around super fast! But the funnest part of transportation is the bus, we take the bus just about everywhere. Fare costs only twenty cents and you get CRAMMED in! It’s fun to talk to the driver or people you’re sitting next to, we get catcalls constantly, and I’ve actually seen a drunk man basically fall flat on his face in the curb getting out of the bus. Probably the funniest experience was us trying to squeeze out of the bus that was completely full. I don’t know how I managed, but all of us got out except one of us. Peter, another volunteer, realized Lisa was still stuck in there somewhere and decided to go in. It reminded me a lot of giving birth, we first saw her arm, then shoulder, then her body getting pulled out, and all of the Salvadoreans were there yelling “Poosh! Poosh!” It was quite the accomplishment getting out!
• Food: The food is so good here! Unfortunately we can’t try everything for sanitation purposes and so we go to some American fast food places every once and a while. However we do get an authentic experience every weeknight when we have dinner at Estela’s house who cooks for us. The first night she made chiles rellenos, arroz, agua de piña y arroz con leche! I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. As I continue to have different food experiences I will share more. And yes, the pupusas are amazing, but tragically we can’t have the cortido because cabbage is a little shady to try here.
• Projects: So far I have worked with three projects, an orphanage for abused or abandoned boys and teenage girls, an eye screening center, and English classes. It’s been really fun! My favorite part is getting to talk to people. I don’t know if I’m still learning the specific Salvadorean language, but my Spanish needs a lot of improvement. Everyone is very kind and patient and willing to help. It’s hysterical to see people watch us, sometimes a whole bus is staring at us as they drive by, I even had a little girl tell me that her little sister was scared of me! But then we became friends ☺
• Fun: We have had a BLAST so far! On Friday we had our new volunteer “initiation” in which we went to the market on a mission to find three things: the most random toy, piece of underclothing, and piece of jewelry. I got some pretty crazy stuff, and all for less than 6 dollars! That night we went to a YSA dance for the world cup and had so much fun! My dancing is getting a lot better! We danced until our feet hurt, but it was so worth it. It makes me excited to come home and practice my Latin dancing more! Yesterday was the best so far, we went to basically the most amazing beach house you could imagine. Secluded area, beautiful waves, swimming pool, private cook, and a hammock hut. I felt like I had died and gone to heaven once again. It was so fun to relax and enjoy the sun, honestly I couldn’t have expected anything better. Today we went to the Spanish ward and we are at a member’s house right now. Actually the power and wifi is out right now so we’re playing mafia and I’m typing up a word document. Life couldn’t be better!
• The few things that I don’t quite like here: peanut butter is way expensive, gross men are hitting on us and giving us catcalls, you get a sweaty film all over you because of the heat and it never seems to go away, and the showers are freezing cold! Other than that this is basically the best ever ☺. If you have any questions about life or the country or anything at all, just comment and I’ll try to accommodate you as best as I can. Hope the summer is going great for you! ¡Que les vayan bien!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
My first blog...
So after much inner debating and consideration I have decided to make a blog! I have come to this decision because of a few reasons...I like sharing ideas and such but mostly to share my future adventures this summer in El Salvador and Belize. I hope that it turns out amusing and enjoyable! I'm hoping to update this weekly and post fun pictures, too.
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