The First Weeks

¡Hola from San Vicente, El Salvador¡

It´s hard to believe that I have already been in El Salvador for three weeks, and believe me the time has been flying! Training keep us PCTs (Peace Corps Trainees) busy at least eight hours a day, six days a week. A typical day includes roughly four hours of language training and four hours of other various activities including community contacts (gettting to know people in the towns where we live), technical training (for me, that´s agriculture), medical, and safety sessions, etc.

I am living in a canton (a small community) named Molineros about thirty minutes by bus outside of the city of San Vicente. Most of the buses used for public transportation are retired school buses from the States that have been painted bright colors, usually florescent green, and usually have some Latin American music playing. I living in Molineros with five other PCTs. We are all living in individual host family homes. I am living with a very nice host family that consists of my madre, Dolores, sister, Monica who is 15, and brother Kevin who is 17. I also have many aunts, uncles and cousins living nearby. I am getting used to using a latrine, but definitely miss the luxury of a flush toilet; it´s amazing how you miss the simplest things.

Our canton really loves to play softball, so I have had some fun times getting to know the people of the community through the sport. Having a common interest really helps to build relationships and learn more about the people and their community. I just wish I hadn´t taken my glove off my packing list at the last moment! Once I get situatated in my sight in September, I will have my parents send it to me!

I am making some wonderful friends within my group of 32 other PCTs, especially those I am living with in Molineros. To begin with we all have so many shared interests having chosen to be part of the Peace Corps, and these shared experiences just bring us closer together. I am lucky, knock on wood, to be one of the few who haven´t yet fallen ill to either bacteria and/or amoebas, but we are all there to take care of an support one another.

As training continues, I am learning more and more about what exactly I will be doing during my time as a PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer). Brock, another PCT, and I are the two Agriculutural Business volunteers of our training class. Ag Business is a new program here in El Salvador so he and I will essentially be helping create and formulate the program. We are bound to be faced with lots of challenges, many periods of trial and error, but we are definitely in for quite the adventure. I am very excited to be charged with such an awesome task and can´t wait to get started!

Well, naturally I have so much more to share, but I am running short on time here at the internet cafe before I need to grab the bus back to Molineros. In the future I will be able to update my blog more frequently, but in the mean time please check back from time to time for updates. Just know I miss you all very much and think of you all the time. Please send updates of life back in the States, too, I love messages from home. If interested, I can email my temporary mailing address where I can receive letters and will certainly pass along my permenant mailing address here in El Salvador once settled in September.

Also, a special thanks to the Edmonds and Haackers for the birthday cards and well wished! They truly made my day and will continue to make me smile whenever I look at them! Lastly, I just want to wish my parents Dan and Rose a very Happy 30th Wedding Anniversary!

Again, I miss you all and be sure to keep me posted on life back in the States!