Visit home

I am back in El Salvador after spending a lovely week visiting home. It was so great – I saw family and friends, spent a lot of time in the city, made a quick trip to NH, and ate everything in site (literally, everything). I got to celebrate my dad’s birthday with him, which was awesome, and also go to a Red Sox game at Fenway on Marathon Monday (in 90 degree weather…those poor runners). This year is Fenway’s 100^th, so it was pretty cool to be at the stadium. I got to spend endless hours with my pets, and sit on a real couch and sleep in a real bed (sans mosquito net)!!!

Before leaving I was a little nervous that going home would make me want to stay at home, and make coming back here for another 17 months of service as a PCV unbearable. While I’m having a mildly hard time re-adjusting, I think that the trip really helped refresh me and if anything made me happy that I decided not to COS. Of course I was envious seeing my friends nice apartments in the city, and loved using a washing machine and driving a car, but all those things will be waiting for me when I finish my time as a PCV, and I would always regret if I had left early.

with my parents for Dad's bday dinner

In honor of being back in El Salvador, I decided to make a couple of lists – the things I miss most about the US and the things I love best about El Salvador.  This exercise doesn’t really accomplish anything, but it was fun.

Top 5 things I miss about the US:

1.     Friends and family

2.     Washing machines, dishwashers, AC, smartphones…etc

3.     Clean, well-fed and well-behaved, snuggly animals

4.     FOOD – all varieties always available

a.     Adding on to this – being able to drink alcohol without judgment

5.     The ease of everything – being able to drive where I want to go in a car, walk around without getting stared at, not get catcalled by every male in a 1 mile radius.

Top 5 best things about El Salvador:

1.     The people are SO friendly and so generous. Not always the same in New England

2.     Amazing fresh fruit and vegetables all for under $1 in the market

3.     Painfully beautiful weather 360 days of the year

4.     Being able to do 1 thing in and feel like you had a productive day

5.     Hammocks

anyway, now back to El Salvador life - aka washing my clothes by hand and reading in the hammock! 

semana santa & etc.

We are in April! My 9th month in country and 7th month as a PCV! More than 1/4 of the way through! Craziness!!

March closed out very busily...we spent a couple of days in Tunco to say bye to Ashley and Cory, which was very fun although bittersweet. Ashley is already back in the US, Cory is vagabonding in Nicaragua at the moment. I'm a little jealous of both of them, but still happy with my decision to stay. 

The Morazan volunteers put on a camp at the end of March. Camps are a pretty popular "project" amongst PCVs - usually a 2-3 night excursion to a hotel with each PCV bringing a few kids from their community. This camp we did was a combination of creativity and HIV-prevention workshops up in Perquin, a town in northern Morazan. I brought 3 kids from the 9th grade. The camp was crazy busy and hectic, but it was really fun and I think that the kids learned a lot and had a good time. 

This past weekend, Eva and Tricia came up to my site and we hiked El Coroban, which is allegedly the highest "mountain" in Morazan, with some of the kids from my youth group. The hike was really tough (first exercise I've done in 9 months), but it was very beautiful at the top and a lot of fun. 

Now we are in the midst of semana santa (holy week). Semana santa is a BIG deal here. There is no school and all businesses shut down so people can attend all of the religious activities. This leads naturally to me spending a lot of time lying in my hammock and unsuccessfully trying to download the latest seasons of all the TV I miss...but it's all ok because I get to have some serious face-time with my community, win them over with my willingness to attend church, and score a free ride to the beach on Wednesday! Also, I can handle anything right now because in 10 short days I will be home!!!! I'm coming home for 8 nights to spend some time recharging my batteries, eating delicious food, and seeing family, friends, and pets. I can't wait!! I may or may not have already started packing (blush blush). 

the gang at tunco

hiv camp in perquin

morazan volunteers

eva, tricia, and i on top of the coroban

volunteer group on the coroban