What have I been doing now that I'm home?
- throwing my toilet paper into the toilet - not the garbage
- driving my car
- singing along to English music
- missing Spanish music
- eating everything in the fridge! Had a sandwich for breakfast, because I can!
- talking a lot (English is so much easier than Spanish)
That's the fun stuff. Otherwise I've been making lots of appointments and have been shocked twice now by the cost of 1) a haircut, and 2) toiletries at Walmart. sigh. I'm going to have to start working at this rate.
OH! And I have not put any bug spray on since I have been home!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
I'm Home
My flight out of El Salvador would be leaving at 7:45 am. I woke up at 4, we (2 Sister's, Gina, and I) left the school at 5. Arrived at the airport at 5:50. Airport doesn't open until 6. Became flustered at my missing guitar, but relieved when Don Francesco (the driver) brought it to me after forgetting to unload it with my other luggage. Said my goodbye's to Gina, Sor Guillen and Sor Olinda who gave me a souvenir plate with the national bird painted on it and some coconut candies which they both know I love!
As I passed through security, the Immigration station told me I had to pay a fine for being illegal. The officer was trying to break it to my easy so I just told her that I knew about the fine and explained why I didn't have a Visa. She only charged me $60 instead of $114.29 saying that since I had volunteered without pay she wouldn't make me pay the whole amount. :) Needless to say, I like her.
A series of 3 flights, customs, checking and rechecking my baggage, and running around airports followed, until 10 hours later I found my mom and gave her a bear hug!
I woke up this morning in my own bed. It felt normal and decidedly weird as well. I ate breakfast with my pajamas on - a luxury I had forgotten about. I also did what I have been avoiding for the past 6 months - I weighed myself. 15 lbs heavier! Well, that gives me something to work on now that I'm home. :)
Deep thoughts to follow.
As I passed through security, the Immigration station told me I had to pay a fine for being illegal. The officer was trying to break it to my easy so I just told her that I knew about the fine and explained why I didn't have a Visa. She only charged me $60 instead of $114.29 saying that since I had volunteered without pay she wouldn't make me pay the whole amount. :) Needless to say, I like her.
A series of 3 flights, customs, checking and rechecking my baggage, and running around airports followed, until 10 hours later I found my mom and gave her a bear hug!
I woke up this morning in my own bed. It felt normal and decidedly weird as well. I ate breakfast with my pajamas on - a luxury I had forgotten about. I also did what I have been avoiding for the past 6 months - I weighed myself. 15 lbs heavier! Well, that gives me something to work on now that I'm home. :)
Deep thoughts to follow.
Monday, November 16, 2009
La Ultima Vez
My last blog from El Salvador. I leave in the morning!!
It hasn´t hit me that I´m leaving for good. I´m sure it will come pretty soon. Maybe when I´m on the plane.
Gonna miss the community of volunteers here. I have had a great time getting to know Gina and Jodi and traveling around with Gina has been great. We spent the night camping on a mountain we hiked with a couple other volunteers in Santa Ana last weekend. How I miss campfires and campfire stories!
Today the Sister´s took Gina and I to view ruins (Joya de Cerén) in Sonsonante. Which would have been great, if they were open. Mondays are their day off. Instead, not wanting to give up so early in the game, we hopped on Ruta de los Naranjos and basically toured the western half of the country. (El Occidente) Luckily, I packed and organized everything in my room this morning, because we didn´t get back until 9pm tonight. Those crazy ladies, once you get them outside the school, they don´t want to go back! :) I´m gonna miss them.
I´m leaving El Salvador much lighter than when I came - luggage wise. Most of my clothing and toiletries will be remaining in the country. I´m leaving them for the local Vides group to give on Saturday when they go out to help those most affected by Hurricane Ida.
Speaking of which, to date I have received $232.00 in donations!!!
Thank you to everyone who has donated! The Sister´s really appreciate the money and I told them I would be sure to send more later, so your help is still needed!
See you soon!
It hasn´t hit me that I´m leaving for good. I´m sure it will come pretty soon. Maybe when I´m on the plane.
Gonna miss the community of volunteers here. I have had a great time getting to know Gina and Jodi and traveling around with Gina has been great. We spent the night camping on a mountain we hiked with a couple other volunteers in Santa Ana last weekend. How I miss campfires and campfire stories!
Today the Sister´s took Gina and I to view ruins (Joya de Cerén) in Sonsonante. Which would have been great, if they were open. Mondays are their day off. Instead, not wanting to give up so early in the game, we hopped on Ruta de los Naranjos and basically toured the western half of the country. (El Occidente) Luckily, I packed and organized everything in my room this morning, because we didn´t get back until 9pm tonight. Those crazy ladies, once you get them outside the school, they don´t want to go back! :) I´m gonna miss them.
I´m leaving El Salvador much lighter than when I came - luggage wise. Most of my clothing and toiletries will be remaining in the country. I´m leaving them for the local Vides group to give on Saturday when they go out to help those most affected by Hurricane Ida.
Speaking of which, to date I have received $232.00 in donations!!!
Thank you to everyone who has donated! The Sister´s really appreciate the money and I told them I would be sure to send more later, so your help is still needed!
See you soon!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Hurricane Ida
Wow. I´ve never been in a hurricane before, or seen a landslide, or cement walls knocked down by a river - but now I have. I spent this weekend at the beach - El Tunco - with Gina, and Saturday night Hurrican Ida passed over Honduras and a Tropical Depression on the Pacific side sat right over El Salvador.
This resulted in a lot of rain. The usually tepid and stinky river converted into rapids and shot into the ocean with cannonball force. Trees, rocks, and cemented walls fell under the constant and intense beating of the river. El Tunco faired pretty well in the end with only a few shaky patios due to the river sweeping away their foundations.
Across the country, some areas were effected worse than others. Bridges were knocked down, towns flooded, landslides across roads, in Illopongo a piece of the mountain slid across a town killing many people. The death count is around 200 right now and there are still hundreds of people missing. I can´t imagine what it´s like in Honduras.
Relief and government agencies are out in force right now rebuilding and giving aid to those left without homes and/or loved ones. The Sisters are going to head out to help when the initial rush of aid has calmed down. According to Sor Olinda, once all the initial aid peeters out, the people still need help to re-establish their lives, but the help has all gone home. So that is when they will go.
Now, more than ever, your donations will have a huge impact on not only helping others but saving lives as well. Please take a moment to donate $5, $10, $15, or more. Heck, that´s just one visit to the movie theatre, and here it could buy food for a family for a week. 100% of all donations go directly to the Sister´s.
Thank you again!!
This resulted in a lot of rain. The usually tepid and stinky river converted into rapids and shot into the ocean with cannonball force. Trees, rocks, and cemented walls fell under the constant and intense beating of the river. El Tunco faired pretty well in the end with only a few shaky patios due to the river sweeping away their foundations.
Across the country, some areas were effected worse than others. Bridges were knocked down, towns flooded, landslides across roads, in Illopongo a piece of the mountain slid across a town killing many people. The death count is around 200 right now and there are still hundreds of people missing. I can´t imagine what it´s like in Honduras.
Relief and government agencies are out in force right now rebuilding and giving aid to those left without homes and/or loved ones. The Sisters are going to head out to help when the initial rush of aid has calmed down. According to Sor Olinda, once all the initial aid peeters out, the people still need help to re-establish their lives, but the help has all gone home. So that is when they will go.
Now, more than ever, your donations will have a huge impact on not only helping others but saving lives as well. Please take a moment to donate $5, $10, $15, or more. Heck, that´s just one visit to the movie theatre, and here it could buy food for a family for a week. 100% of all donations go directly to the Sister´s.
Thank you again!!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Ladrones
3rd time this year. Ladrones. (robbers) They have stolen 3 computers from the school this year. One belonged to me. The other two came from the computer lab of the school. Those two were desktop computers - a bit more difficult to move. The Sister´s were discussing this at breakfast this morning, trying to narrow down who could have stolen them. The computers, while about $300 in the States, cost about $500 here. Everything electronic is more expensive here. And the people have so much less. Ridiculous.
It all boils down to keys: who had access, who could have copied them, who do the dogs know and so wouldn´t attack if they came in the night, etc. The Sister´s are talking about putting a surveillance camera in the computer lab. Good idea, though it will be pricey.
I asked why they don´t call the police. Corrupt police. They did call the police last year when a computer was stolen, and it resulted in nothing. Apparently they are corrupt and inefficient.
It´s frustrating to think that anyone would steal from Religious Sister´s or a school for poor children. However, the workers at the school, and the community around the school, have much less than the Sister´s, and suddenly the stealing isn´t so difficult to imagine. Still frustrating.
Just another reason why your donations are so important and needed. Don´t worry that your money will ever be spent frivolously here. Too many urgent needs to be met first.
A big Thank You to everyone who has already donated!
It all boils down to keys: who had access, who could have copied them, who do the dogs know and so wouldn´t attack if they came in the night, etc. The Sister´s are talking about putting a surveillance camera in the computer lab. Good idea, though it will be pricey.
I asked why they don´t call the police. Corrupt police. They did call the police last year when a computer was stolen, and it resulted in nothing. Apparently they are corrupt and inefficient.
It´s frustrating to think that anyone would steal from Religious Sister´s or a school for poor children. However, the workers at the school, and the community around the school, have much less than the Sister´s, and suddenly the stealing isn´t so difficult to imagine. Still frustrating.
Just another reason why your donations are so important and needed. Don´t worry that your money will ever be spent frivolously here. Too many urgent needs to be met first.
A big Thank You to everyone who has already donated!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Low Key
So, the Hot Springs were not, in fact, hot springs. They were pools. It was a water park. It had 4 pools, one had a big loopy slide, one was a kiddie pool that never got deeper than my knees, one a normal lap pool - minus the lanes for swimming - and then there was the pool built so the natural running river fed into and then out of it. That was a fun pool because the river flowed down a natural waterfall that we could climb and then sit under the falling water. Nothing heated though. Very casual water. It was interesting to note that the shallow sections of the pools were packed with people, while the deep sections rarely had people in them. Very few people know how to swim in El Salvador. According to the girls, no money or time to spend on swimming classes.
Today was Day of the Dead. Like Mexico, it is celebrated here; but unlike Mexico, it is not celebrated to the same extent. Everyone goes to the cemeteries en masse, with purchased flowers to decorate the graves of loved ones. No sugared candy skulls, or coffins, or parades, or fancy pants stuff like that.
Today was Day of the Dead. Like Mexico, it is celebrated here; but unlike Mexico, it is not celebrated to the same extent. Everyone goes to the cemeteries en masse, with purchased flowers to decorate the graves of loved ones. No sugared candy skulls, or coffins, or parades, or fancy pants stuff like that.
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