Clearly I have been shirking my blog updating regimen, but I promise I have very excellent reasons. The past two months for me down here in the 503 have been jam packed with events, trans-national travel, work and a few too many goodbyes.
I’m going to try something new in this blog post. Instead of writing all the down and dirty details of a few events, I am going to provide abbreviated descriptions of several occasions and accompany these stories with a few photos. Please let me know what you think about the new format; I love comments! (That way I actually feel like people read this silly e-rag.)
El Camino
As most of you know, I took over as PCES’ magazine, El Camino, head editor with the release of our November issue. Since, the ten-year-old publication underwent a complete transformation from cover design to content formatting. For me, El Camino really is a labor of love, and countless Coke Zeros to fuel the editing process, absorbing most of my time and all of my attention come publication time.
Having never served as the editor of anything, let alone editor of a fifty page quarterly publication, lots of time has gone into learning the ins and outs of the trade. Thankfully I have an awesome team of three other volunteers who assist in the whole process and without them the magazine would be impossible to complete. Below are the cover shots of the two most recent issues we have published. Also, if anyone is interested in actually seeing our humble quarterly, let me know and I’ll email you a PDF.
JICA Jamboree
Japan’s version of Peace Corps, JICA, currently has about fifty volunteers working throughout the country. Their volunteers provide support at various institutions in highly specified work areas such as international seaport management, nursing and cultural preservation. All volunteers halfway through their service give a mid-service report on their work with their counterpart institution and their work plan for the remainder of service. These presentations are made in San Salvador at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, a very swanky venue.
This past February I, along with my Country Director and a few other PC representatives, were invited to JICA’s mid-service review. There, I was so glad to run into my JICA friend, Sachi, from Anamoros. She and I had worked on Global Handwashing Day together. Below is a photo of Sachi and me at the Crowne Plaza.
*Thankfully, all of JICA’s volunteers’ family members as well as the families of their Japanese nation staff were remarkably left unharmed after the earthquake. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as Japan continues to battle the aftermath and recover from this devastating tragedy.
¡Corre!
Ever since I ran in my first 5K back at UR in the KD Shamrock Run 2008 (I still have the tshirt, Alix!) I’ve become one of those weird people who actually enjoys running, and now have nearly ten races under my belt.
After the disappointment of being unable to run in this year’s Freezer 5K with my friends Jake and Stefan (though they both kicked butt placing 1st and 2nd in their age group, respectively), thanks appendix, I was dying to find a race to run. Not two weeks after my return to ES did my fellow PCV and fellow running aficionado, Ricky, find just the opportunity. The Salvadoran running group, Yo Amo ES, was holding their second annual 11K and 21K race in San Salvador. We PCVs ran in this race last year, but this year, Ricky and I decided we needed to take our participation to the next level. We needed uniforms.
Seeing as I take care of all of our soccer uniform orders, it fell to me to find a provider for the running uniforms and take the order. Ricky was the mastermind behind the design: short shorts, a singlet and a catchy phrase for our competitors to read as we blazed by.
In the end, we had more than twenty-five PCVs participate along with our PTO and an embassy friend. As for me, the whole run felt great, I dropped ten minutes off my previous year’s time and placed 26th over all. Not too bad for my first race post-op. It must have been my appendix weighing me down last year.
Happy 50th Anniversary, Peace Corps!
On March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order officially creating the Peace Corps. Since, over 200,000 volunteers have served in 139 countries. Currently serving there are roughly 8,500 volunteers who work, live and learn in 77 countries worldwide.
To celebrate this important milestone in our agency’s history, a 50th Anniversary Kick-off Celebration was held at the US Ambassador to El Salvador’s residence. Current volunteers, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who now serve in the Foreign Service, counterparts and staff participated in the event.
We celebrated the evening with a tribute presentation, testimonials, live music, delicious food and an open bar! Thank you, US taxpayers, for allowing this proud PCV to enjoy a genuine All-American Sam Adams!
Teaching
Now, I have always said, and my Mom can attest to this, that I would NEVER in my life become a teacher. Her response consistently was, “You never know, Rosellen,” while making her raised-eyebrow, I-know-you-are-going-to-eat-your-words look. As always, my mother was right, and I have become a teacher. In no way am I an honest-to-goodness, 24-7 kind of teacher. I couldn’t handle it, to be quite frank (and I appreciate those of you who can, especially my former educators and especially my Mom!), but throughout my PC service, I have become a pseudo-teacher. In the beginning it was English, then silly arts and crafts, and now I am teaching what really interests me and I am passionate about: economics and micro-business development.
I am traveling around the country, more now than ever before, to different volunteers’ sites to provide micro-business lessons to counterpart groups for specific projects. Most recently, I have traveled to the most northwestern corner of ES to teach my friend, Molly’s women’s artisan group. Our first lesson, three hours in length, went very well. I am looking forward to the three others I have planned with Molly and three other sessions I have planned with different volunteers across the country.
Graphic Designing
Mind you, I haven’t taken so much as an Art History class is college, let alone a design class since Mr. Adam’s Drawing and Painting course my sophomore year of high school. Not that that should matter. In addition to traipsing around the country giving small business lessons, I am also serving as the de facto graphic designer for the National Agriculture School.
Part of my work here at the ENA is to help in product branding and development including packaging and label design. Seeing as funds are limited, we are unable to hire a graphic designing company to assist in the process. After a few frustrating days, video tutorials and time putzing around, I have become proficient in PhotoShop. With my new skills, I have been working on creating designs to the tastes and specifications of the powers that be at the school. (My aesthetic tends to be a little less tacky.)
Also, we have taken a GIANT step at the school store, abandoning traditional plastic bags for our products to biodegradable plastic! As the nations leading educational institute in agronomy, caring for the environment is essential and we are trying to reflect it in all ways possible. Score for environmental protection!
President Obama
On March 22nd and 23rd, President Obama and his family visited El Salvador as part of his Central and South American Tour. Over the course of his 24 hour stay, the entire nation altered their daily lives. All government institutions, including the ENA, were closed both the 22nd and the 23rd for “Vacaciones Obamas.” It was a very exciting time for this tiny nation, no larger than the state of Massachusetts.
During his visit, the President, along with Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams, met and took their photograph with fourteen very fortunate volunteers. Sadly for me, I wasn’t one of them:(
Instead of hobnobbing with the President and Mr. Williams, I spent my “Vacaciones Obamas” tracking every move and event the President and his family participated in from their arrival at Comalapa Airport, to their state dinner, to the first daughters’ trip to the artisan market near our office. (Yes, Mom. The same one you went to.) I even found what I at first thought was a mere joke, The Obama Pupusa.
Pupusas are El Salvador’s traditional food, a corn tortilla stuffed with cheese, beans and other varieties of goodness and served with special coleslaw. In honor of the US President, the pupuseras of Zaragoza “invented” the Pupusa Obama, or more simply stated, a pupusa made out of black corn. Think of it what you may.
As always, life in El Salvador is never boring, always interesting and never fails to make me laugh at least once a day. Take for example a placard on a public transport bus: Gold, Moneys and Womens.
A special “I’ll see you soon,” goes to my dear friend, Emily, who has just crossed over to the RPCV side, having completed her service officially on April 1st. Safe travels, EmBo, and I’ll be seeing you in DC. We’ll be real people!
An ENORMOUS THANK YOU goes to my dear friend Mitchy for the beautiful surprise I received mid-February. Every time I wear my rose I receive compliments and remember how fortunate I am to have such an amazing friend. Also, your note was ridiculous. Julia.
Get Well Soon, Eric! Work hard at therapy. You’ll need to be in top physical condition for fall kickball league!
Last, but certainly not least, a HUGE HAPPY BIRTHDAY goes out to my Mom! I am sad I won’t be with you to celebrate, but we’ll make up for it when I get home! I love you!
Thanks for reading, please comment, and I hope to hear from you all soon. Also, I have only FOUR, count them, FOUR months left in The Savior. So, book your tickets, pack your bags and fly on down to see me! Or, you can just wait ‘til I’m back in the US of A.
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