Food!

Hey all!


Right now it’s 5:55 (1 hour til bedtime, but who’s counting?) and I just ate “dinner”. Dinner is in quotations marks because ever since I’ve moved on my own my eating habits have been…poor. I usually get around to eating three times a day, so that’s not the problem. The problem lies with what I’m eating. I usually go to the grocery store and spend anywhere from $50-70 every two weeks on food, which is a HUGE chunk of my living allowance. Usually I buy comfort foods like peanut butter, Doritos, mashed potatoes, Ragu spaghetti sauce, etc. which cost me an arm and a leg. Ok, so I usually go into the store with a list and I try my best to stick to it. Then I get home and realize that most of what I purchased doesn’t really combine nicely into meals. Yes, I’m usually able to make some kind of soup and then there’s always spaghetti (I’ve already had it 4 times this week), but besides these dishes I’m usually stuck, staring into my fridge wondering what the heck to do with these items.


So dinner tonight was butter and herbs mashed potatoes. This box of potatoes (breakfast and dinner) and a can of sweet kernel corn (lunch) were the only things left in my fridge that I could eat. There’s a bag of pasta that I could’ve boiled, but I woke up this morning and found that the pasta sauce had molded…lol. Back to the potatoes…while reading the instructions I realized that I lacked half of the ingredients needed to make them. I had the water and the pouch of potatoes and seasoning but I didn’t have the milk or the butter (why I needed butter when the box clearly stated that real Land o’ Lakes butter was already mixed in is beyond me). Facing starvation (yup I’m dramatic) I decided that the potatoes would be just as good with only water. Oh my dear friends and family I was SO wrong! These potatoes tasted like warm grass. I ate as much as I could stomach and fed the rest (not much because I WAS really hungry) to the dog that has decided to live with me.


I wish I could tell you guys that this doesn’t happen very often but the sad truth is that my life has become filled with meals that sometimes even the dog won’t eat. This brings me to my latest culinary disaster. During my recent trip to the store I decided to buy soy protein. Why? Because it comes in a bag and I don’t have to worry about putting it in the fridge until after I cook it and because it’s loaded with folic acid and protein…two things I’m sure I could use more of. I was really excited about cooking for the first time, but when I opened the bag and saw the little pebbles I couldn’t help but to think of dog food. It even SMELLED like dog food. Anyways…I decided to give it a chance, after all it did cost me a whopping $0.50 a bag (foolishly I bought 2 bags). I make a soup and put the soy protein in the soup after I had seasoned it and stir fried it. That soup was the worst thing that I’ve ever made IN MY LIFE, mainly because it wasn’t REALLY a soup…more like scalding water with chunks of soy protein, bell peppers and onions. I really did have more veggies but somehow my knife disappeared and I couldn’t cut them up. I ended up ripping up the bell pepper with my hands and I just put the whole onion in the pot. It was so pathetic yet hilarious. I’m not one to waste food so I had to eat every drop of it. The texture of the soy protein made me gag…and I still have another bag waiting to be consumed. After that I made spaghetti and tried to roll the soy protein in to little meatballs, which didn’t work. I gave up and fried it and smothered it with garlic, black pepper and curry. Mixed with the spaghetti and sauce the soy protein was HALF bad…you just had to swallow it down really fast without chewing. I’m relieved to say that it’s all gone and I will never buy it again.


This weekend I’m going shopping again and I will make sure to buy things that I can turn into meals. Also, my friend Lindsey is coming to visit my site. Her best friend is visiting from the States and they’re gonna come hang out with me at my beach. Should be fun….hopefully my water will be running. Three girls, one bathroom, and no water? DIOS GUARDE! Love you all! Pray without ceasing and take good care!

Salu,
Mya

Ok, So I'm an Emotional Wreck

I received this email from Keisha this morning while I was having coffee at the local café. I broke down and the tears wouldn't stop falling. I felt like an idiot because everyone was staring at me, but THEY didn't just get an email like this so they can KICK ROCKS!


encontre que hubo un maratón de Golden Girls [A Golden Girls marathon was on]. Have you ever watched that show? I watched it when I was little, but never understood what it was about. But watching it today made me realize what a good show it is. It made me think that when I get old, if for some reason I had to have some room mates, it would be nice to be roomies with you again. Okay I'm on a rant, I really wanted to just sing you the theme song to the show, because every time I hear it I think of you. Here I go (I know you hate me cause I'm singing to you in an email) :
Thank you for being a friend,
Travel down the road and back again,
You're heart is true
You're a pal and a confidante
And if you threw a party, invited everyone you knew,
You would see, the biggest gift would be from me and the card attached would say,
Thank you for being a friend!


To my dear Keisha, I love you more than you know! You have always been there for me, without passing judgement (but keeping it real), and I am blessed to have you in my life! Count on me to be your pal, your sister and your confidant for as long as I live!!


In other news, I've been crying a lot lately. The smallest things make me cry. I'm not sad or depressed...I'm just overly sensitive right now.

Love you all,
Salu

Update

Heeeeeeeeeey Everybody!

I know it's been awhile since I updated my blog, but seriously you guys aren't even following so it doesn't matter. YES, I SAID IT!!

Anyways...I'm sitting at the mall in Wendy's watching the World Cup. uruguay just elminated Korea. Soon the US will take on Ghana...I'm not sure if I should support my country or the last African team in the Cup...hmmm decisions. Who would've ever thought that I'd be this interested in soccer? I think it interests me so much because it gives my Daddy and I something to talk about...lol.

So what have I been up to you ask? Well I went back to San Vicente for 3 weeks of "technical" training. I don't really feel like I learned a lot of technical things, but oh well. I did learn how to make shampoo and I almost burst into laughter when Gabe, a volunteer and the mastermind behind the whole shampoo thing, told my group that "shampoo is shampoo" and that everyone could wash their hair with what we made! Clearly he doesn't know about Black people's hair...better said...he doesnt know about MY hair! We also killed some rabbits at his house and grilled them up. I dont think I will have a rabbit project simply because I'm not willing to kill them. After training it was time to head back to my site. It was really hard to be back the first nite and after talking to my Mommy, I cried like a baby, fell asleep, woke up the next morning and went to the beach with some other volunteers. I stayed at El Espino for two days, dreading going back to my site. So, I went back moved into my new place and have been trying to decide what my next move should be.

Ok, so maybe I'm going to fast. Why was it so hard to be back in site? After spending almost a month with your friends...speaking English...complaining (not too much) about things in site it's really hard to leave them. You know that when you leave you're gonna be alone, you're gonna have to readjust to being back in the middle of nowhere, etc. So THAT, my friends, is why it was so hard to go back. Thankfully God keeps me from going crazy...and things are going well in site. Monday I plan on going to the school to see what I can do there.

I miss you and love you all! Keep me in your prayers so that I won't go loca!
just 6 more months til Xmas break!!!

Support Me!!!!

I am not coming home until I feel that there’s a real reason to leave El Sal (i.e. natural disaster, sick family member). I know that I scare some people when I update my status on Facebook, but I assure you guys that I am fine. Instead of telling me to come home, SUPPORT ME!!Yes, I have very bad days, but I also have really good days. I’ve been tested both physically and mentally and there were PLENTY of times when I wanted to throw in the towel, but then I have to remember that I prayed for this. I asked to be tested. I asked to be here (well maybe not in this particular country, but you get the point). It would be easy to say, “I can’t live like this. I miss my family. I’m going home”, but I know that there’s a reason that I am here. I’m not a quitter and I won’t give up without a fight. But if I see another rat anywhere near my suitcase…I’ll be on the first flight home! Hahaha…just kidding…I think.

Love you all,
Salu (this is the Salvo way of saying goodbye)

p.s. My Daddy is the best man in this world! I'll be asking him to run a background check on my future boyfriend ;-)

The Truth

I'd rather be hurt by the truth than protected by a lie.


Now that I got that off my chest I guess I'll let you guys know what's been going on in my life. I recently had my heart broken by someone that I thought was incapable of hurting me. I wanted to hate him but I prayed that God would take away those negative feelings and today...I'm learning to work through the pain.

Love you all,
Salu

Updates

these are the things happening in my community:


Bolo shooting his gun- There's this bolo (drunk) that walks around shooting his gun when he fights with his girlfriend. The first night that this happened I thought I was back in Chicago. I heard the shots and as I was about to hit the ground I realized that my hammock pretty much touches the ground so I decided to stay put. What worried me was the fact that a lot of houses here are made out of palm leaves, but no one got shot that night so everything is cool. I saw the bolo this morning and I told my host sister, Reina, that we should beat him up with his prostetic leg....but we didn't.

Running on the beach- So I have to work out here or else I'm gonna gain 25lbs and that's just not an option. So I've been running on the beach at about 6am. The sun isn't strong at this time (yes im translating as i type) so it's not too bad to work out for an hour and a half. It's actually pretty nice bc the ocean looks beautiful during that time and I get some uninterrupted time with my Creator. Now, the town has been seeing the crazy gringa running on the beach for the past two weeks and they probably think it's the craziest thing in the world. This one guy, Toñito asked my counterpart if he could run with me sometime. I didnt see the harm in it so I told my CP to tell the guy yes. Now, when I told my host family that I would start running with him they gave me the most terrified look. According to them I should stay far away from Toñito because his girlfriend will kill me if she sees him with me. Apparently she's a witch and practices dark magic and has killed someone before. Nuff said! Toñito and I will not be friends.


So, that's about all so far. I have some ideas already about the projects that I think would benefit the neighborhood....but we have to see what THEY want.

I love you all,
Salu


p.s. There's this 14 yr old girl in my community and she's about 5months pregnant. I went with the health promoter to visit here and to talk about pregnancy and childcare. This girl has the mind of a 7 year old so it was an extremely sad hour that we spent with her. So that made me think about a lot of things that are going on in my community. Teenage pregnancy is the norm, statutory rape does not exist here in the campo (the baby's daddy is 42 years old), family planning is frowned upon, sexual education does NOT exist....etc. So, thank you DADDY for talking to me about sex. Although I didn't see the importance of those little chats at age 5...i totally get it now!

Is This Real Life

When my friend Sam has had much more than he can stand or when things just seems unreal we always ask "Is this real life?" I've been asking myself that lately now that i have been in my permanent site all of ten days. I'm in the department of San Miguel and it's HOT here! HOT like 100 degrees everyday!

OK inicial thoughs upon arriving:
1. Ooooh the beach is less than a block away
2. This is far from town....how am i gonna go grocery shoping
3. I cant understand anything these ppl are saying
4. I'm gonna lose so much weight in this heat (which has not happened)
5. Ok now i'm ready to go back to Cañas (my training community near the capital)

The first day that I was in my community I started crying hysterically. Maybe it was the house (the 2nd floor where i sleep has no windows nd i've seen atleast 5 rats to date), or the accent of the ppl (my spanish is going to be sooooooooooo different when i leave here), or maybe the fact that I'm far away from my friends. Anyway....it was a bad first day...and the heat didnt make it any better. I was ready to go home by day 2. I couldn't remember why I had signed up for this and I felt like I was making a big mistake. I've been taking it one day at a time and trying not to think about the two years that i have left here (cough ONE cough). I've had great support from Cholo and all my other PC friends. One day at a time is my new motto.

not much time to continue....
love you all,
salu