Today a couple of US embassy officials came to give a charla about safety in El Salvador. According to them El Sal is the 10th most dangerous country in the world. Now this might be due to the size of the country and the population...but i DOUBT it. The lady that have the charla was preety bad ass. She had a gun holstered and she reminded me of the detective shows where there's this tough female detective kicking ass. Anyways......I think this blog is important because the PC is a governmental organization which sounds pretty cool and important (and it SO is), but we PCV's (Peace Corps Volunteers) dont live the same life as embassy employees. Here are a few examples:
1. Embassy employees are not allowed to walk/run outside. PCV's MUST walk/run outside.
2. Embassy employees are prohibited from taking public transportation. PCV's have to take public transportation EVERYDAY!
3. PCV's are not allowed to operate vehicles, take pictures next to a runnig vehicle, or sit in the driver's seat of a park, broken down vehicle. BUT WE ARE ALLOWED TO RIDE A HORSE/DONKEY/COW! Embassy employees drive governmental vehicles.
4. Embassy employees must live in the safest areas in the capital. PCV's can NOT live in the capital. As a matter of fact, the closest PCV is atleast an hour from the capital.
5. Some embassy employees can carry guns. PCV's can not! But we can carry knives/machetes...which will more than likely be stolen from us and used against us.
6. Embassy officials can't enter their residences from the attached garage because someone could easily attack them. PCV's might not have electricity necessary to have an automatic door opener so we dont have to worry about that. Is this real life?
These are just a few differences between us. But we all work to uphold the integrity of our beautiful country and we're all diplomats :)
Salu,
Mya
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
A little dancing can go a looooong way...
So I stole this from my friend Lindsey's blog.
"Mya and I went to a dance this weekend, and had a lot of fun.
Lets describe the scene. There is a man wearing a suit in the shape of a bull running around shooting fireworks at people. (Not just shooting fireworks, but shooting them AT PEOPLE). Ages of individuals there range from 12 to 75. Older women are wearing clothes made for 13-year-old girls, and dancing like 20-year-old girls. There is an old man sleeping against the fence. The only good-looking men there are police officers who carry guns as tall as me. There is a fight happening between some transvestites and some clowns just outside the entrance. (Yes, it is exactly what I said).
Mya spots the only black man she has seen in 2 months and yells out loud, “Look a black man!” Good thing it was in English so not everyone around us could understand. She spent a good portion of the night trying to talk to him without being awkward. She finally did, and was disappointed because he wasn’t cute and he was just from Panama.
Even though Mya (a tall black girl) and I (the only blond person in hundreds of miles) are completely inconspicuous, we somehow (hmmm…somehow!) got dragged up on stage. The singer is shouting at me in Spanish. I have no idea what he wants, but apparently we were entered into a dance competetion, and we had to dance in front of all 300, 400? people.
The singer is screaming “Para abajo,” or “Get down.” Mya is shaking her butt all the way down to the ground and the crowd is going wild!
The next day we found out there is some sort of video of the gringas shaking our behinds on stage. Hopefully, this does not end up on the internet. But we had a lot of fun, got a free CD, danced a lot, and got to stay out later than 9 for the first time in 2 months. Totally worth it if it does.
After the dance, as we are waiting to be picked up in a death-trap pickup truck owned by Mya’s “dad,” Mya is attracting drunks, men dressed as clowns, and weird people who speak English like moths to the flame. I am trying to contain my laughter, as she gets more and more irritated.
We finally get home around 2 am.
You know in this little town they are going to be talking about the silly gringas who came to the country dance and got video-taped for the next 10 years….always loving to cause a stir."
In short...that was the best night here in El Sal :)
Salu
"Mya and I went to a dance this weekend, and had a lot of fun.
Lets describe the scene. There is a man wearing a suit in the shape of a bull running around shooting fireworks at people. (Not just shooting fireworks, but shooting them AT PEOPLE). Ages of individuals there range from 12 to 75. Older women are wearing clothes made for 13-year-old girls, and dancing like 20-year-old girls. There is an old man sleeping against the fence. The only good-looking men there are police officers who carry guns as tall as me. There is a fight happening between some transvestites and some clowns just outside the entrance. (Yes, it is exactly what I said).
Mya spots the only black man she has seen in 2 months and yells out loud, “Look a black man!” Good thing it was in English so not everyone around us could understand. She spent a good portion of the night trying to talk to him without being awkward. She finally did, and was disappointed because he wasn’t cute and he was just from Panama.
Even though Mya (a tall black girl) and I (the only blond person in hundreds of miles) are completely inconspicuous, we somehow (hmmm…somehow!) got dragged up on stage. The singer is shouting at me in Spanish. I have no idea what he wants, but apparently we were entered into a dance competetion, and we had to dance in front of all 300, 400? people.
The singer is screaming “Para abajo,” or “Get down.” Mya is shaking her butt all the way down to the ground and the crowd is going wild!
The next day we found out there is some sort of video of the gringas shaking our behinds on stage. Hopefully, this does not end up on the internet. But we had a lot of fun, got a free CD, danced a lot, and got to stay out later than 9 for the first time in 2 months. Totally worth it if it does.
After the dance, as we are waiting to be picked up in a death-trap pickup truck owned by Mya’s “dad,” Mya is attracting drunks, men dressed as clowns, and weird people who speak English like moths to the flame. I am trying to contain my laughter, as she gets more and more irritated.
We finally get home around 2 am.
You know in this little town they are going to be talking about the silly gringas who came to the country dance and got video-taped for the next 10 years….always loving to cause a stir."
In short...that was the best night here in El Sal :)
Salu
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
To my family!
I love you guys more than I love myself. I am so blessed that you guys support my decision to be here (even if you tell me to come home every time we talk). I carry you guys with me all the time. As I read my Daily Word I think about you Sister Marie. When I think about people with hearts the size of Texas I think about my big, little sister Ree Ree. When I see a kid terrorizing someone else I think about Xman, Khala, and Kelz. As I listen to my iPod I think about you Kim because you’re the reason that I have so many songs!
I love you guys,
Mya
I love you guys,
Mya
Friday, March 12, 2010
PC Conversation
My conversations with other volunteers here in El Salvador are pretty interesting. We dont talk about international affairs or the current political situation in country. So... what do we discuss over breakfast? Diarrhea, parasites, the current status of the latrine, cockroaches, rats, and roosters. Here's a typical conversation:
Convo #1
Mya: Hey Cholo what's up?
Cholo: Nothin much just telling Emily about the 1000's of cockroaches that were crawling around my latrine this morning. I've been pissing out of my bedroom window since I got here.
Emily: Well atleast you don't ahve rats chewing through your mosquito net every night!
Convo #2
Cholo: Do u still have parasites.
Mya: hell I don't know but i did spend about 4 hours in my latrine last nite. I thought I was gonna die out there.
Cholo: Have you talked to the nurse yet?
Mya: Well yea, but she keeps asking me how my poop looks. If it's liquidy or not. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE? IT FALLS ABOUT 20 FEET INTO THE GROUND! I HAVEN'T SEEN MY POOP IN WEEKS!
Cholo: *laughs hysterically*
So, if you guys think that I overshare on FB please forgive me, but this is my reality right now!
Luv you all,
Mya
p.s. I move to my permanent site in two weeks. I dont know where it is exactly but I do know that I'll be living on the beach. Not like IN THE SAND. More like.....i'll have a house on the beach!!!!! Hopefully ppl will visit me. YEA RIGHT!
Salu
Convo #1
Mya: Hey Cholo what's up?
Cholo: Nothin much just telling Emily about the 1000's of cockroaches that were crawling around my latrine this morning. I've been pissing out of my bedroom window since I got here.
Emily: Well atleast you don't ahve rats chewing through your mosquito net every night!
Convo #2
Cholo: Do u still have parasites.
Mya: hell I don't know but i did spend about 4 hours in my latrine last nite. I thought I was gonna die out there.
Cholo: Have you talked to the nurse yet?
Mya: Well yea, but she keeps asking me how my poop looks. If it's liquidy or not. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE? IT FALLS ABOUT 20 FEET INTO THE GROUND! I HAVEN'T SEEN MY POOP IN WEEKS!
Cholo: *laughs hysterically*
So, if you guys think that I overshare on FB please forgive me, but this is my reality right now!
Luv you all,
Mya
p.s. I move to my permanent site in two weeks. I dont know where it is exactly but I do know that I'll be living on the beach. Not like IN THE SAND. More like.....i'll have a house on the beach!!!!! Hopefully ppl will visit me. YEA RIGHT!
Salu
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Pork Pork Pork
I'm allergic to Salvadoran pork...and how did I find this out? I ATE IT AND MY LIPS SWELLED WHILE I WAS SLEEPING. Well actually I didn't sleep that night because I felt like there were a million bugs crawling all over my body. I was scratching from 9pm-6am. Around 3am my bottom lips began to swell and it SCARED THE HECK OUT OF ME!! Do you guys remember the movie Nutty Professor? Well, there's this scene when Buddy transforms into the Professor. Remember how his bottom lip was just kinda hanging there....about the size of a polish sausage. THAT WAS ME! By the time I got out of bed my entire mouth was swollen. I didn't want to leave the house because it looked REALLY bad. My host mother, being such a darling, told me that it didn't look that bad (she was lying to make me feel better...it didnt work). Long story short...I went to the hospital, was told not to eat anymore pork, was given medication. Last nite I slept like a baby and my lips are no longer swollen. :)
luv u all
luv u all
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Randomness.....
ketchup: I never thought that I'd miss eating ketchup but I do. I really do. Do they have ketchup here, YES. But only in the super market and that's far from my house. My host family doesnt buy it because they dont eat it!
internet cafe: Young ppl here cant have sex at home because there's always someone there so they use the cafes (cheaters also). These places have doors with locks and sometimes the keyboard and mouse feel sticky (LMAO). But hey...30 minutes of privacy for 60cents is a good deal...those of us that actually use the comps are the ones that suffer.
washing my clothes: Yup, I do it by hand and it's HARD! Jeans are the worst but I'm getting better with time. Also, I hang them out to dry and when my family burns the trash (we dont have a garbage truck in our community) the smoke gets in my clothes and they smell like I havent washed them at all. ¡Púchica!
sleep by 9,up b4 6: My days start really early...usually before 6am when the rooster starts singing (I was secretly happy when we killed one a couple of weeks ago bc I thought there wouldnt be one to wake me up, but he was replaced by another one). By 8pm I'm exhausted and I'm asleep before 9. I've turned into an old lady.
hot chips: Of course they don't ewxist down here and I miss them so much!!
fried chicken n mild sauce: HA! Don't even know where to begin.
parasite: It's official...I have parasites. Constant diarrhea, unbearable stomach cramps....sigh...I´m better now, but my parasites cant be treated with medicine so I have to get rid of them naturally. HAHAHA...sigh
Luv you all,
Mya
internet cafe: Young ppl here cant have sex at home because there's always someone there so they use the cafes (cheaters also). These places have doors with locks and sometimes the keyboard and mouse feel sticky (LMAO). But hey...30 minutes of privacy for 60cents is a good deal...those of us that actually use the comps are the ones that suffer.
washing my clothes: Yup, I do it by hand and it's HARD! Jeans are the worst but I'm getting better with time. Also, I hang them out to dry and when my family burns the trash (we dont have a garbage truck in our community) the smoke gets in my clothes and they smell like I havent washed them at all. ¡Púchica!
sleep by 9,up b4 6: My days start really early...usually before 6am when the rooster starts singing (I was secretly happy when we killed one a couple of weeks ago bc I thought there wouldnt be one to wake me up, but he was replaced by another one). By 8pm I'm exhausted and I'm asleep before 9. I've turned into an old lady.
hot chips: Of course they don't ewxist down here and I miss them so much!!
fried chicken n mild sauce: HA! Don't even know where to begin.
parasite: It's official...I have parasites. Constant diarrhea, unbearable stomach cramps....sigh...I´m better now, but my parasites cant be treated with medicine so I have to get rid of them naturally. HAHAHA...sigh
Luv you all,
Mya
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
What Am I Doing Here.....
Last Thursday all PC trainees had to visit a current PC volunteer in order to get a better understanding of the PC as a volunteer. I was sent to a place called Las Mercedes, Tacuba, Ahuachapán. I was excited to get away from the training environment for a few days, but the volunteer that I was to visit told me to pack VERY light because we’d have to hike 1.5 hrs in order to get to his site. HIKE?!?! LIKE UP A MOUNTAIN!!!! I tried to be open minded and everything….but I really wasn’t looking forward to that part of the trip.
So early Thursday morning I left my host family and about 4 hours later I met Jeff (the volunteer that I had been assigned) in Ahuachapán and we then took a bus to Tacuba. While in Tacuba I saw MS 13 and MS 18 spray painted on a few buildings…needless to say I didn’t wanna spend much time in that city. We took a pickup truck from Tacuba to some place which is located at the bottom of the mountain (most cars can’t go up the mountain). I remember thinking to myself “this guy lives in the jungle”. We started up the mountain and the only thing that I could think about was the fact that I might be living in a site like this in less than two months. THE HIKE WAS TERRIBLE!! The guy lives AT THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN!! The hike lasted for more than two hours, we took so many breaks because I thought my lungs were gonna jump out of my chest. THIS IS WHEN I FIRST ASKED MYSELF “What the hell am I doing in the PC?”
The next day Jeff told me that we were going to take a water filter to some lady’s house and that she lived about 1.5 hrs away (LIE!!). So we headed out after breakfast at 7:30am. The walk was so intense that I seriously thought I was gonna die. On the way we passed many people and they asked Jeff where we were heading. Once people found out where we were going they would look at me (at this point I was sweating profusely) and then tell Jeff that I wouldn’t be able to make it and that I would be in a lot of pain the next day. One man even asked him why he was taking me to a place so far away. At about 9:30 my legs started trembling and I began to feel nauseous. Periodically Jeff would ask me if I were doing ok and if I could continue walking WHAT OTHER CHOICE DID I HAVE? IT WAS EITHER CONTINUE WALKING OR STAND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE JUNGLE WHERE EVERYTHING LOOKS THE SAME AND ONE WRONG STEP I’D BREAK MY ANKLE, FALL INTO A DITCH, AND DIE!
After about three hours of hiking my hands started to swell. My fingertips were the size of grapes and I thought that blood was gonna start gushing out of them. I threw up three times and I just couldn’t understand why I was sent to visit this guy up in the mountains and why he was taking me to my death. As I was walking up (and down and up and down) the mountain I prayed for strength to make it through. To God I said “Father, I am dying here. I don’t think I can make it. Just give me a little more strength.” Even though I was in so much pain I had to remind myself that He was there with me and that He wouldn’t leave me. Long story short, we finally made it to the lady’s house at 1 (do the math!!!), gave her the filter, rested and then went back to his community.
I was in such a bad mood. My experiences that weekend made me question my motivation for wanting to be a PC volunteer and I wanted to return to Chicago. On that mountain I was convinced that I had made the biggest mistake of my life and that I wasn’t cut out for PC life and I was LIVID with Jeff for taking me through all of that. I honestly thought about killing him on several different occasions. The one thing that held me back was the fact that I had no idea how to find my way off that mountain...AND i guess I'm not the murdering type. I had to call my Mommy to let her know about my terrible weekend. When I called she said that I had been on her mind all weekend and that she had been praying for me. She also told me that everything that I had gone through had been a test of my faith. She also reminded me that God has a purpose for me and that it was no mistake that I had been sent to that site.
That test has now become my TESTimony. My God is real and He didn’t leave me! I called on Him when I thought that I couldn’t make it any further and He showed up for me! Yes, my legs still hurt! Yes, I will probably be sore for a few more days! Yes, this was probably the first of many tests that I will have to go through here in El Sal! But one thing that I know for sure is that even during my darkest hour there will always be someone with me…strengthening me when I’m weak, accompanying me when I’m lonely. Ain’t God alright?
It ain’t over til God says it’s over…
BTW…I am no longer mad at Jeff. I had to go through this experience and NOW I’m grateful that he took me up that mountain (hmmm...how crazy!).
I’m so grateful for my Mama and my Daddy...who encouraged me this weekend when I thought I’d be heading home a lot earlier than planned.
Love & miss you all,
Mya
So early Thursday morning I left my host family and about 4 hours later I met Jeff (the volunteer that I had been assigned) in Ahuachapán and we then took a bus to Tacuba. While in Tacuba I saw MS 13 and MS 18 spray painted on a few buildings…needless to say I didn’t wanna spend much time in that city. We took a pickup truck from Tacuba to some place which is located at the bottom of the mountain (most cars can’t go up the mountain). I remember thinking to myself “this guy lives in the jungle”. We started up the mountain and the only thing that I could think about was the fact that I might be living in a site like this in less than two months. THE HIKE WAS TERRIBLE!! The guy lives AT THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN!! The hike lasted for more than two hours, we took so many breaks because I thought my lungs were gonna jump out of my chest. THIS IS WHEN I FIRST ASKED MYSELF “What the hell am I doing in the PC?”
The next day Jeff told me that we were going to take a water filter to some lady’s house and that she lived about 1.5 hrs away (LIE!!). So we headed out after breakfast at 7:30am. The walk was so intense that I seriously thought I was gonna die. On the way we passed many people and they asked Jeff where we were heading. Once people found out where we were going they would look at me (at this point I was sweating profusely) and then tell Jeff that I wouldn’t be able to make it and that I would be in a lot of pain the next day. One man even asked him why he was taking me to a place so far away. At about 9:30 my legs started trembling and I began to feel nauseous. Periodically Jeff would ask me if I were doing ok and if I could continue walking WHAT OTHER CHOICE DID I HAVE? IT WAS EITHER CONTINUE WALKING OR STAND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE JUNGLE WHERE EVERYTHING LOOKS THE SAME AND ONE WRONG STEP I’D BREAK MY ANKLE, FALL INTO A DITCH, AND DIE!
After about three hours of hiking my hands started to swell. My fingertips were the size of grapes and I thought that blood was gonna start gushing out of them. I threw up three times and I just couldn’t understand why I was sent to visit this guy up in the mountains and why he was taking me to my death. As I was walking up (and down and up and down) the mountain I prayed for strength to make it through. To God I said “Father, I am dying here. I don’t think I can make it. Just give me a little more strength.” Even though I was in so much pain I had to remind myself that He was there with me and that He wouldn’t leave me. Long story short, we finally made it to the lady’s house at 1 (do the math!!!), gave her the filter, rested and then went back to his community.
I was in such a bad mood. My experiences that weekend made me question my motivation for wanting to be a PC volunteer and I wanted to return to Chicago. On that mountain I was convinced that I had made the biggest mistake of my life and that I wasn’t cut out for PC life and I was LIVID with Jeff for taking me through all of that. I honestly thought about killing him on several different occasions. The one thing that held me back was the fact that I had no idea how to find my way off that mountain...AND i guess I'm not the murdering type. I had to call my Mommy to let her know about my terrible weekend. When I called she said that I had been on her mind all weekend and that she had been praying for me. She also told me that everything that I had gone through had been a test of my faith. She also reminded me that God has a purpose for me and that it was no mistake that I had been sent to that site.
That test has now become my TESTimony. My God is real and He didn’t leave me! I called on Him when I thought that I couldn’t make it any further and He showed up for me! Yes, my legs still hurt! Yes, I will probably be sore for a few more days! Yes, this was probably the first of many tests that I will have to go through here in El Sal! But one thing that I know for sure is that even during my darkest hour there will always be someone with me…strengthening me when I’m weak, accompanying me when I’m lonely. Ain’t God alright?
It ain’t over til God says it’s over…
BTW…I am no longer mad at Jeff. I had to go through this experience and NOW I’m grateful that he took me up that mountain (hmmm...how crazy!).
I’m so grateful for my Mama and my Daddy...who encouraged me this weekend when I thought I’d be heading home a lot earlier than planned.
Love & miss you all,
Mya
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)