Our apologies to our friends and family that we have not written in quite some time, but we are writting today, yey! In summery November was full of celebrations and activities for us including baptism/confirmation, birthdays, the aniversary of our comunity, buying a refrigerator, end of the year volunteer retreats, and many other visits within our community. Perhaps the biggest news of this past month was that we became god-parents to not one but two girls within Gloria's family, her youngest daughter Ana and Carolina her grandchild. This was a great experence and although neither daughter really knew what they were experiencing with baptism (Carolina) and confirmation (Ana) it opens the door for their own spiritual journey (where-ever the road will lead). The aniversary of the community was a big and great event that we were glad to be a part of. From a soccer tournament, ferris wheel (with a much faster speed limit than any I've ever ridden, but Melissa was brave enough to ride), games and rides for kids, and a big dance that night in which we were too cheap to pay the 2 dollar cover... the place was rockin and a large part of the community was there.
There were strange events as well such as rain during a month in which it normally doesn't and hot, hot weather when it was supposed to be cold. These thoughts can only allow oneself to wonder about the effects of global warming and how it may be changing climates all over the world. Hopefully not adding to that problem was our exciting news of purchasing a used refrigerator. The cost of electric appliances here is more expensive than in the states and way out of our comfort range but we really had no choice. We were not able to continue traveling 3 or 4 times a week to purchase vegetables or other food and having no place for leftovers. Hopefully we will not have any problems with it, as it is used, and can enjoy a little cold milk with cereal, YUM!
A more personal note we have continued connecting with our community and the lack of school has really slowed down the pace of life. Many of the boys have been working the fields (or ¨milpas¨) since school ended and the next school year isn't far away (mid- January). We were glad to use this time to connect more to the people in our community and trying to be patient in finding our place. The language has been a roller-coaster ride and the patience we find within our community has been great. We also took this month to keep track of our expenses in part for goal that we have of cutting ourselves down to what people in our community can afford. Our goal in Feburary will be to cut ourselves down to the minimum salary here in El Salvador which we will tell you more about in the months to come. Since we spent some time here in December seeing Honduras and seeing my brother in Guatemala, my mother and aunt as well as Melissa's father and brother will be coming to see us in January; we may have to wait until Feburary or March to begin our change in lifestyles of living on little.
We would like to close with wishing you all a Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year. We thank you all for your continued support.
-posted by Tom
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Hit n run
Several weeks ago Tom, myself, and 8 other people from our organization were out eating dinner at a restaurant. It was a dark and misty evening and as we were finishing with our meal we heard the sound of tires squealing, a large thud and saw a truck driving away. I immediately thought that the truck that drove away hit one of the parked cars on the street. Then some of our team members realized that there was a man laying in the street, all of us then realizing that it indeed was a hit and run. We all sat stoic for a few moments, at this one of the other person’s from our organization (Tedde) asked if we should go over there, to which I replied yes. So, we proceeded towards the body, at the time we were thinking he was dead, however he soon started moving his limbs. Tedde started talking to him while I was directing traffic. She was encouraging the man not to move, however one of the other bystanders insisted that he be moved from the street, at which time he picked him up, not graciously, almost dropped him and proceeded to bring him to the sidewalk. As many of you are probably familiar that you are NOT supposed to move a person/body after a serious injury, obviously that is not the case here in this country. During this time Tom and one of the other members of our group had run down the street looking for the police station. After asking several people and getting responses of just down the street they arrived at the police station almost a mile away. Upon entering they found that the call had been received and the police were ¨on their way¨. When they began walking back they saw the police truck driving down the road towards the accident. When the police arrived their first and only question to people around was "Is he drunk?". The man who carried him before again carried him to the police vehicle (a short-bed pickup truck), he was put in the back along with the man who carried him to the truck, and proceeded to what we all assumed would be the hospital. We were all (the northamericans) amazed at the lack of professionalism, with no questions asked in regards to the other vehicle, etc. It really felt like it was clean it up, get em out and maybe we will ask questions later. Unfortunately, the Salvadorans had stated that this is a normal occurrence here in this country.
Thirty minutes later as we were heading back to the office in our company vehicle, Tedde (who was driving) suddenly slammed on the brakes. We then saw the same man who had been hit and taken away by the police was walking up the hill towards where he was hit. Obviously, he had not been taking to the hospital and was just dropped off away from the scene of the crime. We were completely in shock (again) of how this situation was handled, yet sadly enough the Salvadorans with us told us that events such as these can happen quite often.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Independence Day (yes, over a month late...)
Although these last couple of posts are a little late they are nonetheless very important at least when talking about our community celebrations. Independence Day (Sept. 15th) was before AMUDESCO's celebration but Melissa was on the ball and wrote hers before mine. On Independence day a HUGE celebration was put on in Suchitoto with over 8 of the nearby schools walking in the parade and I believe 4 bands (including one from our community) that played with judging done on that day as well. That said this post will be more pictures that writing as we were very proud of our community that day (including many other parents as well) so we took a bunch of pictures.
The whole school was involved and the pictures above show the many many youth (many of whom know me from class) who marched in the event. At first I had thought that the youth were separated by gender based on some of the conservative nature of the school, however all of the schools followed so the tradition seems to be rooted much deeper than that.
Ana and Fatima were also in the parade. Ana danced with the girls up front but I hadn't seen her
practice during the weeks before so many times she was often lost but good for her for trying! Fatima played in the band and was a steel woman of concentration throughout the event. She really did well and kept great form throughout a rather long parade.
At several points in the parade the band split and did marching formations, from 2 rows to 4, weaving a letter S on the street, and of course different rhythms which changed how they played their instruments in sync with each other.
Overall it was a great day that the kids worked really hard for and hopefully take back a lot of pride in the process.
- Posted by Tom
Community Celebration
On Sept 30 AMUDESCO, an organization that works on women’s community development and whom I work with, celebrated their 8 year anniversary. To celebrate it was decided to serve lunch and have a day of activities to all of the associates of AMUDESCO (approximately 50 people). The day before Gloria, Alba, Ariceli and myself went off to San Martin in order to buy what was necessary for the following day. We left with about 200.00 (which was funded by a supporting organization) and a list of A LOT of stuff to buy. We divided the money between the four of us, so one person wouldn’t have to be responsible for that much money. We arrived at San Martin bright and early, deciding to go buy the meat first since the best pick of meat was usually in the am. I don’t especially like meat markets, they way they smell, the fleshy meat just hanging there with swarms of flies buzzing on them, this time I even saw some meat on the tin roof, I imagine it was drying. Aside from the regular beef, pork and chicken, they also had cow’s hearts, chicken feet, cow hooves and a pieces of skin that reminded me of furry carpet. We bought our 39 pounds of beef and continued from there.
Throughout the market we continued to buy carrots, onions, rice, green peppers, tomatoes, 50 plates, 50 cups and many other various items. At some point after buying the beef and starting to buy everything else the other women decided to give me the rest of the money they had and pursued to call me their treasurer. When we walked through the market the others would flock in different directions and then call me over to give them money, it was a little confusing at first but rather comical. After all I was probably the most likely target to get robbed (being a foreigner), I took it as a comfort that they didn’t even think about that. We finished our shopping in about 2.5 hours, then had some lunch, bought a ride back to our community for $8 (we had arrived by bus) with our
The following day we all started off early, 8am, some a little earlier, decorated, cooked, and cleaned in order to get ready for the party. People started arriving around 9:30am, Gloria later put up the schedule (which she made me write out), of the activities which were supposed to start at 9, didn’t start until 11:30. Well once again, welcome to
About 50 adults and 55 children showed up for the festivities so we all chowed down on the food in celebration of AMUDESCO. And who can really turn down a free meal??
Saturday, October 13, 2007
One of the best parts about being here is having an abundant supply of fruits. There are fruits here that I had no clue existed and ohhh they are delicious. One of my new favorites is a called the lecha fruit. It looks kindof disgusting but it is so sweet inside...yummy!! I haven't found any I can pick off of a tree so I usually buy them in the market. They are somewhat expensive, 7 for .25 or 25 for 1.00. But, to me they are worth it!! However, I am waiting patiently for the mango season to start again.
Saturdays have turned out to be our traditional pupusa night at Arily´s. Every Saturday she sets up to make and sell pupusas to whoever wants to buy them for .25 a piece. This pupusa making night, which she started 2 years ago, starts at 3pm and ends sometime around 7pm. I asked Ari how much money she makes each Saturday, she replied ¨$50 total, but I spend $-posted by Melissa
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
more privacy and less scorpions.....life couldn't get any better
We have really come to like that fact that we have privacy in our house. And having lights!! What a treat! Above is a photo of our bedroom after we had finished painting. We have only found 3 scorpions in total, to this I am extrememly happy about. We do have a random assortment of other insects, but have become more and more accostomed to them. Our neighborhood is plump full of children, so we usually end up having at least 1 or 2 visit on a daily basis and sometimes up to 5. However, at times we feel a little awkward because they don't do too much to start up conversation, they are perfectly fine with sitting and watching us doing whatever we are doing.
The doctor that works in the clinic is back, for those of you who didn't know, funds ran out at the clinic so they we not able to have a doctor for about 2 weeks. The community and the doctor were thinking, due to the funds, she wouldn't return until January so needless to say everyone is pretty happy that she is back. Last week was her first week back, last Wednesday 3 people told her she got fat. I don't care what people say about this being a complement in Central America, it sure didn't seem like one. Especially when the dentist (who visits about twice a year) asked her if she was on a diet!!
Tom and I were invited to have lunch at Gloria last Sunday (Saturday was Ana's birthday). We were able to hang-out with the family, which is something we definately miss. While Tom was helping make tortilla's and I was watching (I didn't feel like practicing this day), Gloria asked us if we would be Ana's godparents! We were both a little shocked at the question, but gladly accepted. Later while we were eating lunch (rice and beans) Gloria told me ¨at least you know what kind of a torment she can be, so it won't be a shock¨ We all laughed at this....including Ana (pictured on the left).
The doctor that works in the clinic is back, for those of you who didn't know, funds ran out at the clinic so they we not able to have a doctor for about 2 weeks. The community and the doctor were thinking, due to the funds, she wouldn't return until January so needless to say everyone is pretty happy that she is back. Last week was her first week back, last Wednesday 3 people told her she got fat. I don't care what people say about this being a complement in Central America, it sure didn't seem like one. Especially when the dentist (who visits about twice a year) asked her if she was on a diet!!
Tom and I were invited to have lunch at Gloria last Sunday (Saturday was Ana's birthday). We were able to hang-out with the family, which is something we definately miss. While Tom was helping make tortilla's and I was watching (I didn't feel like practicing this day), Gloria asked us if we would be Ana's godparents! We were both a little shocked at the question, but gladly accepted. Later while we were eating lunch (rice and beans) Gloria told me ¨at least you know what kind of a torment she can be, so it won't be a shock¨ We all laughed at this....including Ana (pictured on the left).
Here is another photo taken this past Sunday. We were all playing UNO, Gloria had a very hard time with this game!!
-posted by Melissa
*the next entry is a new one by Thomas....so read on
Learning new things
While I reciently found out that I still have some eggs of amboeas left inside me and will be taking more medication for the next 9 days it's nice to be back in ¨el campo¨. Below is a story I would like to share:
A few days after my birthday I decided to take on the responsiblity to put up plastic walls (basically) to create a more private showering area. Our pila is located right in front of our house and we have a good amount of neighbors that come by thus necessating privacy for bathing. (See pictures)
I spent a good amount of the morning looking through our yard for long branches and with a machete cut and trimmed them to use for wrapping the plastic around. I also trimmed the grass around the pila as it was quite long. All of this took me about an hour as I needed to barrow a machete from our neighbor. After lunch I told Mauricio that I was going to put up the plastic and asked if I could barrow a shovel. Although he had just finished showering and had a meeting to go to he told me let´s go do it together.
When he arrived at the house he asked if I had a post-hole digger, since I didn't know what that word was in spanish I had not so he asked the neighbor (which at this point I suspected had quite a lot of tools) if we could barrow theirs. When he looked at my branches/poles he quickly decided that they were too small and told me to start with the holes and he would come back. After I had finished two of the holes he returned with three 8-10 foot trunks that were each individually quite heavy. (Now something equally as noteworthy is that Mauricio only has one arm as his right was amputated during the war.) Quickly, as Mauricio had a meeting to get to however nonetheless insisted he could stay and help until the end, we finished with the holes, put in the new branches, cut the long plastic to stretch around the poles, cut cardboard to use with nails to attatch the plastic to the poles (I was just going to use Duct Tape), and nailed the plastic on (which turned out to be much better as we could stretch the plastic tighter) in probably the next 10 minutes.
I still had questions as we had two open spaces left, a smaller one by the house and the second leading into the pila. I was able to figure out that we could use a plastic shower type curtain in front but the spot by the house still troubled me. Without really speaking Mauricio understood what I was thinking and we both looked at a piece of aluminum roofing that was removed a week earier from our house. The piece was much too long to fit but in a blink of an eye he found a stick, put on top of the aluminum, bent the aluminum over it and placed it perfectly into the open space.
This quick action that might have taken me 20 minutes to process/figure out and I couldn't help but marvel at this rapid action for various reasons. One, this isn't the first time he found things lying around to use for building purposes; when we were working on the pila before we left for the states he grabbed old sandel to smooth out the cement finish on the washing top of the pila. Two, how quickly we finished a project that I had taken an embarassing hour to do simple steps. I've found myself having to set my pride aside in our house projects as I have more to learn from the people like Mauricio here. The third was the humbling nature that he has continued to help us out with our house. The branches/trunks were probably from his house which he gave away, he had just taken a shower and was drenched in sweat from the work, and he was in the end late for his meeting. These interactions continuously occur with our friends and neighbors often leaving us with insuficiente vocabulary to voice our thanks. We only hope that one day we can return the good will that we have recieved.
-Posted by Tom
A few days after my birthday I decided to take on the responsiblity to put up plastic walls (basically) to create a more private showering area. Our pila is located right in front of our house and we have a good amount of neighbors that come by thus necessating privacy for bathing. (See pictures)
I spent a good amount of the morning looking through our yard for long branches and with a machete cut and trimmed them to use for wrapping the plastic around. I also trimmed the grass around the pila as it was quite long. All of this took me about an hour as I needed to barrow a machete from our neighbor. After lunch I told Mauricio that I was going to put up the plastic and asked if I could barrow a shovel. Although he had just finished showering and had a meeting to go to he told me let´s go do it together.When he arrived at the house he asked if I had a post-hole digger, since I didn't know what that word was in spanish I had not so he asked the neighbor (which at this point I suspected had quite a lot of tools) if we could barrow theirs. When he looked at my branches/poles he quickly decided that they were too small and told me to start with the holes and he would come back. After I had finished two of the holes he returned with three 8-10 foot trunks that were each individually quite heavy. (Now something equally as noteworthy is that Mauricio only has one arm as his right was amputated during the war.) Quickly, as Mauricio had a meeting to get to however nonetheless insisted he could stay and help until the end, we finished with the holes, put in the new branches, cut the long plastic to stretch around the poles, cut cardboard to use with nails to attatch the plastic to the poles (I was just going to use Duct Tape), and nailed the plastic on (which turned out to be much better as we could stretch the plastic tighter) in probably the next 10 minutes.
I still had questions as we had two open spaces left, a smaller one by the house and the second leading into the pila. I was able to figure out that we could use a plastic shower type curtain in front but the spot by the house still troubled me. Without really speaking Mauricio understood what I was thinking and we both looked at a piece of aluminum roofing that was removed a week earier from our house. The piece was much too long to fit but in a blink of an eye he found a stick, put on top of the aluminum, bent the aluminum over it and placed it perfectly into the open space.
This quick action that might have taken me 20 minutes to process/figure out and I couldn't help but marvel at this rapid action for various reasons. One, this isn't the first time he found things lying around to use for building purposes; when we were working on the pila before we left for the states he grabbed old sandel to smooth out the cement finish on the washing top of the pila. Two, how quickly we finished a project that I had taken an embarassing hour to do simple steps. I've found myself having to set my pride aside in our house projects as I have more to learn from the people like Mauricio here. The third was the humbling nature that he has continued to help us out with our house. The branches/trunks were probably from his house which he gave away, he had just taken a shower and was drenched in sweat from the work, and he was in the end late for his meeting. These interactions continuously occur with our friends and neighbors often leaving us with insuficiente vocabulary to voice our thanks. We only hope that one day we can return the good will that we have recieved.
-Posted by Tom
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Getting re-acquainted
Although the amoebas knocked me out a little over a week ago we finially decided to leave back for our community this last Monday. During our week long stay in the city Melissa was running around continuosly for me making sure I was eating and drinking since the medicine had left me feeling nauseated. The days of school I missed last week due to sickness we found actually were cancelled due to extreme rainy weather caused by Hurricane Felix. So all the work Melissa and I did to get messages to school (since we didn't know the phone number) turned out to be for naught. Once we got to our community I was pretty exhausted and spent most of my birthday (the 11th) in bed resting but by the afternoon I started to regain my strength. It has been good to be back in the community this past week and I feel that just by being there I am regaining some energy and peace of mind.
We just recently brought a few more house items that we are both borrowing and a couple of larger items purchased yesterday to help organize our house. Up until now we have been living out of a couple of suitcases that we need to consistantly keep closed due to spiders, huge crickets, giant moths, cockroaches, mosquitos, tailless whip scorpions, mice, snakes, the occasional chicken, and of course the ever present scorpions themselves. I told Melissa recently that I may develop Shirley's (my sister-in-law) habit of constantly cleaning as it seems to be necessary to keep a house at least temporarily free of insects and rodents. The concerns of cleaning our house stem from not only a health perspective but from a ¨these bugs freak me out¨point of view as well. For Melissa it's scorpions and spiders and I find myself really bothered by the large moths and mice. So far we haven't seen any mice but then we haven't had left any food out of containers yet either, and hopefully neither will change any time soon.
We are slowly getting more involved with our responsibilities in the community. I will be putting together a planning meeting with the youth of our community and hopefully be supporting more of the youth groups of the community than I have been. Contacts are being made and the future looks excitingly different for me with the end of the school year in sight (the school year here runs from around January to Novemeber). Melissa continues to have a busy schedule with the women's group, AMUDESCO, and the meetings were aplenty once she returned. She also is going to utilize her connection with the Casa de Mujeres to start teaching English to a group of women in nearby in Suchitoto.
Stay tunned, stories soon to come!
-posted by Tom
We just recently brought a few more house items that we are both borrowing and a couple of larger items purchased yesterday to help organize our house. Up until now we have been living out of a couple of suitcases that we need to consistantly keep closed due to spiders, huge crickets, giant moths, cockroaches, mosquitos, tailless whip scorpions, mice, snakes, the occasional chicken, and of course the ever present scorpions themselves. I told Melissa recently that I may develop Shirley's (my sister-in-law) habit of constantly cleaning as it seems to be necessary to keep a house at least temporarily free of insects and rodents. The concerns of cleaning our house stem from not only a health perspective but from a ¨these bugs freak me out¨point of view as well. For Melissa it's scorpions and spiders and I find myself really bothered by the large moths and mice. So far we haven't seen any mice but then we haven't had left any food out of containers yet either, and hopefully neither will change any time soon.
We are slowly getting more involved with our responsibilities in the community. I will be putting together a planning meeting with the youth of our community and hopefully be supporting more of the youth groups of the community than I have been. Contacts are being made and the future looks excitingly different for me with the end of the school year in sight (the school year here runs from around January to Novemeber). Melissa continues to have a busy schedule with the women's group, AMUDESCO, and the meetings were aplenty once she returned. She also is going to utilize her connection with the Casa de Mujeres to start teaching English to a group of women in nearby in Suchitoto.
Stay tunned, stories soon to come!
-posted by Tom
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Lazy Dayz
Well, this past week was spent in
Yesterday was somewhat constructive for me, I met some of the women in our community for a meeting that was taking place here in the city. I was told to be at IMU (an organization we work with) at 7:30 am, so I went to IMU at 7:30 am for this meeting that was to take place. Time slowly drifted by, the women from our community showed up around 8:30, we ate breakfast and waiting for our ride to come to take us to a larger location (there were 25 women in total, including women from other departments in
-posted by Melissa
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Finally
Here it is our next post...
Since the last time we wrote a lot has happened but for those of you who have a shorter attention spam (like I do) we will sum up. The first part of July was filled with a protest about water privatization near our small community that ended up with 13 people arrested. I (Tom) nearly accidentally ran into this ugly scene but to cover more on this issue is at least a blog entry or two. The incident is a continuing story and for those interested there is information aplenty including on our organization's website.
Additionally we packed away our things in July, came back to Minnesota (and a side trip to Wisconsin for me) and had a wonderful 5 weeks visiting friends and family, returned to E.S. at the end of August, moved to a different room here in the office, moved to a new house in the country and presently I have amoebas once again. Oh yeah, and most importantly we got engaged! While back in the states Melissa proposed to me and we will probably be planning for a wedding sometime near September of 2009, once we return from Central America.
Many exciting things happened however I believe the break from the blogsite was needed so that we could focus on getting things organized before we left for the states, being present and capitalizing on the little time we had with loved one's in MN, and then returning and moving to our new home.
For those of you who didn't know we had found an abandoned house in the country that had running water, tiled floor, electricity, and a good roof (or at least the capacity for all of that). Since we found the house we have done a lot of fix up work which would include: cleaning the entire house inside and out, cleaning our outhouse, painting the inside with 2 coats of paint, fixing the electricity and lights, putting up a clothesline, and many more miscellaneous things (and most of that was in the last week). Now honestly we got a LOT of help from Mauricio (who helped us find the house and talked to the owner for us) and neighbors. It's really great to see how welcoming they are to us and we are excited to be closer to work (we are now both less than two city blocks away from the clinic and the school).
Although it was sad to move away from Gloria and her family we of course will continue to visit and some of the kids will take turns staying with us (including Ana this weekend). We gave out some gifts to Gloria, Nena, Fatima, Walter, Juan Carlos, Gabby, Ana, and Carolina this past Sunday when we had lunch with all of them. They were so greatful and excited about their presents and we felt so welcomed to be back not only with them but to the community as well.
As for me, my amoebas are getting better but to be sure we are taking one extra day in the city before returning to toilets that are a little farther away. Thanks to all who continue to take the time to read about us.
-posted by Tom
Since the last time we wrote a lot has happened but for those of you who have a shorter attention spam (like I do) we will sum up. The first part of July was filled with a protest about water privatization near our small community that ended up with 13 people arrested. I (Tom) nearly accidentally ran into this ugly scene but to cover more on this issue is at least a blog entry or two. The incident is a continuing story and for those interested there is information aplenty including on our organization's website.
Additionally we packed away our things in July, came back to Minnesota (and a side trip to Wisconsin for me) and had a wonderful 5 weeks visiting friends and family, returned to E.S. at the end of August, moved to a different room here in the office, moved to a new house in the country and presently I have amoebas once again. Oh yeah, and most importantly we got engaged! While back in the states Melissa proposed to me and we will probably be planning for a wedding sometime near September of 2009, once we return from Central America.
Many exciting things happened however I believe the break from the blogsite was needed so that we could focus on getting things organized before we left for the states, being present and capitalizing on the little time we had with loved one's in MN, and then returning and moving to our new home.
For those of you who didn't know we had found an abandoned house in the country that had running water, tiled floor, electricity, and a good roof (or at least the capacity for all of that). Since we found the house we have done a lot of fix up work which would include: cleaning the entire house inside and out, cleaning our outhouse, painting the inside with 2 coats of paint, fixing the electricity and lights, putting up a clothesline, and many more miscellaneous things (and most of that was in the last week). Now honestly we got a LOT of help from Mauricio (who helped us find the house and talked to the owner for us) and neighbors. It's really great to see how welcoming they are to us and we are excited to be closer to work (we are now both less than two city blocks away from the clinic and the school).
Although it was sad to move away from Gloria and her family we of course will continue to visit and some of the kids will take turns staying with us (including Ana this weekend). We gave out some gifts to Gloria, Nena, Fatima, Walter, Juan Carlos, Gabby, Ana, and Carolina this past Sunday when we had lunch with all of them. They were so greatful and excited about their presents and we felt so welcomed to be back not only with them but to the community as well.
As for me, my amoebas are getting better but to be sure we are taking one extra day in the city before returning to toilets that are a little farther away. Thanks to all who continue to take the time to read about us.
-posted by Tom
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Some hard things
Daily we continue to learn about the struggles of the people here in El Salvador and recently for me some of the stories we hear about have become reality. While the majority of our experience here has been wonderful and inspirational for us as well there are things we learn that just plain makes us sad, since we are in a poor position to change the reality of life here.
We have heard that between 600 and 700 Salvadorians leave for the U.S. per day (that's right per day). Recently two intelligent individuals that I have come to know have done just that, leave for the U.S. A mountain of feelings overwelhem me with this news as it is sad to know that so few jobs exist here to keep young men and women here in the country (as many who leave are young). Having read about so many leaving is obviously different than knowing them, and from my perspective I will probably see many more follow in the footsteps of those who have left before them.
I'd rather not get into the politics of this situation as the feelings of sadness are much more present at this time. I have now visited communities on both ends of the situation with poverty and wealth yet the situation remains the same, no opportunities for consistant work for a majority of the community. People sit in their houses and the differiences is how much ¨stuff¨ the have around them. The wealthy communities that I have visited are recieving hundreds of thousands of dollars from family they have in the US. Houses resembling those from US suburbs can be found in several cities throughout the country here but not far from them are other tin roof, dirt floor, one room homes that don't have the same fortune.
We have found ourselves living around poverty and seeing great poverty in a country that refuses to acknowledge it's existence. It presense is very loud and very clear with a deafening saddness that makes me uncertain of my role in it's existance.
On a happier note we are coming home soon to visit family and friends for the first time in over 7 months! We are looking foreword to our return but definately have grown attactched to our comunities here as well as the food (yey Frijoles y Tortillas!). Additionally we are excited about new opportunities for us here in El Salvador as our spanish and connects grow as well.
-posted by Tom
We have heard that between 600 and 700 Salvadorians leave for the U.S. per day (that's right per day). Recently two intelligent individuals that I have come to know have done just that, leave for the U.S. A mountain of feelings overwelhem me with this news as it is sad to know that so few jobs exist here to keep young men and women here in the country (as many who leave are young). Having read about so many leaving is obviously different than knowing them, and from my perspective I will probably see many more follow in the footsteps of those who have left before them.
I'd rather not get into the politics of this situation as the feelings of sadness are much more present at this time. I have now visited communities on both ends of the situation with poverty and wealth yet the situation remains the same, no opportunities for consistant work for a majority of the community. People sit in their houses and the differiences is how much ¨stuff¨ the have around them. The wealthy communities that I have visited are recieving hundreds of thousands of dollars from family they have in the US. Houses resembling those from US suburbs can be found in several cities throughout the country here but not far from them are other tin roof, dirt floor, one room homes that don't have the same fortune.
We have found ourselves living around poverty and seeing great poverty in a country that refuses to acknowledge it's existence. It presense is very loud and very clear with a deafening saddness that makes me uncertain of my role in it's existance.
On a happier note we are coming home soon to visit family and friends for the first time in over 7 months! We are looking foreword to our return but definately have grown attactched to our comunities here as well as the food (yey Frijoles y Tortillas!). Additionally we are excited about new opportunities for us here in El Salvador as our spanish and connects grow as well.
-posted by Tom
Monday, June 25, 2007
Pupusas and photos
Without a computer near us it is easy to neglect our blogsite. So, for those of you who continue to read, thank you!
Don't know what a pupusa is??
Well, as it usually happens we have a lot to write about but not alot of time, right now at least. So, we will leave you with a few photos and highlights…..
Tom has been quick to learn how to make a beautiful, round tortilla, not to mention a pupusa that can hold it’s own.
On the otherhand I have struggled in the tortilla /pupusa making area. Yes, they are edible, but frequently are not round and someitmes far from it!
As you can see in the photos Tom's pupusas are round, where mine are square. I think I will start a new fad here....square pupusas....it will be a hit!! Oh, by the way this was our first time making pupusas.Don't know what a pupusa is??
El Salvador is famous for their pupusas. 
A pupusa is a thick, hand-made corn tortilla that is stuffed with one or more of the following: cheese, beans, pork, loroco (the nacional flower), spinach, etc…. These tasty treats can be bought for around .35 cents per pupusa (or as low as .20 in the campo). Don’t worry Marge, Jude or whoever else comes to visit this meal will be on us!!
More to come soon....Salvadoran soon
-posted by Melissa
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
It's a whole different world
At the beginning of May we traveled back to
Last weekend we went with Gloria to visit her son (Julio), his wife and two kids, who live in the Department of
While we stayed with the family in their 3 room house, Julio and his wife gave us their bed to sleep in, while they slept on the floor (we thought in hammocks with their kids but found out later it was the floor). The hospitality of Salvadorans is amazing and really feels overwhelming at times. Gloria woke up in the morning with something crawling over her and we awoke some moments later to find the dogs in the room and having killed one of the mice. Another mouse (although these could have been classified as rats due to there size, about 6 or more inches each) we saw the run up along a basket near our bed before Gloria grabbed it in a shirt and took it outside (perhaps for the dogs). This all happened at about 4:30am yet Tom and I were so exhausted (and perhaps a little used to events like these) that we went back to sleep. Even though we were able to sleep in a bed, it was hard to sleep in a place that was strange to us. After we woke up, the morning consisted of hanging out with the family and getting to know them. Tom helped/watched Julio build a couple benches, with very minimal tools (a saw, hammer, few nails, and a type of hatchet). After getting everyone packed up we left their house by 11am in order to arrive back home at a descent time.
Finally we are in awe of how fast time has gone here. We have begun to be comfortable with our routines, life in the campo and have grown accustomed to the culture here. Soon we will be on a plane (in 9 weeks) to visit family and friends in
-posted by Melissa
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
A little bit of livin' from Guillermo Ungo
Upon returning to Guillermo Ungo from
As for Tom he continues to teach English in the school, and also is starting to become more involved within the community development, but similar to my work, it is a slow process. I do want to add that when we are walking to school, the clinic or wherever, there is usually children who say ¨Salud Thomas¨, which is a form of saying hello. This is definitely something that brings a smile to our faces. Tom is also continuing to take guitar lessons from the neighbor Luis, and Luis has told him that he has plans for Tom to join his group rather soon! So Tom has been practicing a lot, and would actually look foreword to being a part of a music group once again. Hopefully he will be able to play something when we come back to the states for a visit in August!!
We haven’t given much history on our family structure with whom we are staying, so here it goes… Gloria, our host mom, lives in a three room house with two of her daughters (she has 8 kids total), Fatima (14) and Ana (8). Gabriel (11, her granddaughter) was also staying there, but has since moved next door. Next door (which is
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Music man
Along with all the tough stuff comes some really fun stuff too... yesterday was one of those days.
When I arrived at CRISPAZ I knew that I´d have some time on my hands, especially during the winter season when it rains daily, so when I saw CRISPAZ had some old guitars at the office collecting dust I asked if I could borrow one. When I arrived many who saw me with the guitar, including Gloria's 14 year old grandson Walter, asked me if I could play... to which I responded ¨no, but I´d like to learn¨. Putting our heads together they suggested a nearby neighbor that could teach me, and last week it finally came together. His name is Luis in country terms he really is nearby (hop the barbwire fence, and walk through two neighbors yards, a right then a left and you're there). When I first met him I wasn't sure how this would all work out but since he admitted that he doesn´t own a guitar however, I quickly found out that the slightly older man really knows music. He´s got quite a history and most of which I still don't even know, but he has played in several bands and was one of the originals (founders) of a band called ¨La Cruz¨ which was pretty popular during the late part of the war (late 80s).
Anyway, he really has taught me a few things and I´m coming along well, but he invited me out with him to a ¨Concertina¨yesterday where he would be playing for a friend in Salitre. I was excited and after checking in with Melissa to make sure it was ok (she had some meetings planned with Gloria so couldn´t come along) I was off Monday morning. He told me it would be over an hour walk, we left at 7am and after a couple of stops along the way true to his word it took about 80 minutes. We left his place with 5 and met another 3 later on down the road, but what a road/path it was! After leaving the main road near where we live we walked through pastures with a variety of animals, through trees and brush, and places where there was barely a path. (I soon lost any hope of finding my way back with the help of Luis.) But the senery was breathtaking, it was something out of fairy tale; blue sky, mountains in the distance, and no sign of cars or really much of anything (including houses) for as far as the eye could see. What a sight we must have been to the cows and horses, walking through forests with guitars, an accordion, a large but light bass, a five stringed guitar, type of home-made rainmaker that served as a type of muraca... playing as we walked.
Finally our path widened out again and we found ourselves on a road passing houses hear and there. One of the members of the group asked me if I would join them in a tradition. From what I could understand upon ¨leaving¨ a place the play in they each share a drink of Tequila. He then asked if I drink Tequila to which I replied ¨not in the morning¨ which got a good laugh out of them. I quickly found out when we stopped to ask a neighbor for water that they not only drink shots after but before and pretty much until it´s gone. I joined in with them but was careful not to have to much as I figured these men had a upper hand in there tolerance levels. No one really drank too much as there was only two small bottles (12oz.) and there was eight of us to share it.
We soon found ourselves in the company of a wonderful cook who made us all breakfast after the group sang to them. At first I thought they were singing for our meal but later found out it was the same man who asked them out to the area when we came back for lunch. The place we went to sing was an open area that what resembled a dirt parking lot, but with less then half a dozen cars it soon become more of a place for the kids to play soccer. The group had incredible talents and I found that many of them (who didn't look older than me) would pass around the instruments as if they could play anything that their hands touched. I was caught up in listening to them so much that when a boy and later a man asked me to dance with a young woman there I was taken off guard. Since there was no one else dancing but plenty of people around I graciously turned down the offer. The group later found out about it and gave me a good ribbing for it.
Also one the guys in the group was strumming to the song ¨Dust in the wind¨ by Kansas and I told them I knew that song. Later while they were waiting to play he started playing it again and I took the opportunity to sing most of the song which I think caught them off guard. We also played in the church later that day, for a few dollars to a driver of a parked bus, and of course later for some drunks on the street for a drink of their Tequila. All in all I have more stories and impressions from that day than I can share but I will leave you all with this...
Ricardo, (a brillant musician with great enthusisum that he needs to move while he plays, sings, and smiles through all the songs) began a reacurring response to things that got too long or too boring that that day ¨Yo entiendo nada¨. Which means ¨I understand nothing¨, and was actually quite comidic the entire day. Just before the drunks offered us a drink for a song (which is a story in itself), one of them came up to me and was mutter something that I couldn't quite get and I could sense the eyes of everyone in the group on me. Not wanting to miss out on ideal moment I turned to him and strugged and said ¨Yo entiendo nada¨. The group (of singers) burst out laughing and I heard them repeating the story most of the way home.
All in all fabulous day!
-posted by Tom
When I arrived at CRISPAZ I knew that I´d have some time on my hands, especially during the winter season when it rains daily, so when I saw CRISPAZ had some old guitars at the office collecting dust I asked if I could borrow one. When I arrived many who saw me with the guitar, including Gloria's 14 year old grandson Walter, asked me if I could play... to which I responded ¨no, but I´d like to learn¨. Putting our heads together they suggested a nearby neighbor that could teach me, and last week it finally came together. His name is Luis in country terms he really is nearby (hop the barbwire fence, and walk through two neighbors yards, a right then a left and you're there). When I first met him I wasn't sure how this would all work out but since he admitted that he doesn´t own a guitar however, I quickly found out that the slightly older man really knows music. He´s got quite a history and most of which I still don't even know, but he has played in several bands and was one of the originals (founders) of a band called ¨La Cruz¨ which was pretty popular during the late part of the war (late 80s).
Anyway, he really has taught me a few things and I´m coming along well, but he invited me out with him to a ¨Concertina¨yesterday where he would be playing for a friend in Salitre. I was excited and after checking in with Melissa to make sure it was ok (she had some meetings planned with Gloria so couldn´t come along) I was off Monday morning. He told me it would be over an hour walk, we left at 7am and after a couple of stops along the way true to his word it took about 80 minutes. We left his place with 5 and met another 3 later on down the road, but what a road/path it was! After leaving the main road near where we live we walked through pastures with a variety of animals, through trees and brush, and places where there was barely a path. (I soon lost any hope of finding my way back with the help of Luis.) But the senery was breathtaking, it was something out of fairy tale; blue sky, mountains in the distance, and no sign of cars or really much of anything (including houses) for as far as the eye could see. What a sight we must have been to the cows and horses, walking through forests with guitars, an accordion, a large but light bass, a five stringed guitar, type of home-made rainmaker that served as a type of muraca... playing as we walked.
Finally our path widened out again and we found ourselves on a road passing houses hear and there. One of the members of the group asked me if I would join them in a tradition. From what I could understand upon ¨leaving¨ a place the play in they each share a drink of Tequila. He then asked if I drink Tequila to which I replied ¨not in the morning¨ which got a good laugh out of them. I quickly found out when we stopped to ask a neighbor for water that they not only drink shots after but before and pretty much until it´s gone. I joined in with them but was careful not to have to much as I figured these men had a upper hand in there tolerance levels. No one really drank too much as there was only two small bottles (12oz.) and there was eight of us to share it.
We soon found ourselves in the company of a wonderful cook who made us all breakfast after the group sang to them. At first I thought they were singing for our meal but later found out it was the same man who asked them out to the area when we came back for lunch. The place we went to sing was an open area that what resembled a dirt parking lot, but with less then half a dozen cars it soon become more of a place for the kids to play soccer. The group had incredible talents and I found that many of them (who didn't look older than me) would pass around the instruments as if they could play anything that their hands touched. I was caught up in listening to them so much that when a boy and later a man asked me to dance with a young woman there I was taken off guard. Since there was no one else dancing but plenty of people around I graciously turned down the offer. The group later found out about it and gave me a good ribbing for it.
Also one the guys in the group was strumming to the song ¨Dust in the wind¨ by Kansas and I told them I knew that song. Later while they were waiting to play he started playing it again and I took the opportunity to sing most of the song which I think caught them off guard. We also played in the church later that day, for a few dollars to a driver of a parked bus, and of course later for some drunks on the street for a drink of their Tequila. All in all I have more stories and impressions from that day than I can share but I will leave you all with this...
Ricardo, (a brillant musician with great enthusisum that he needs to move while he plays, sings, and smiles through all the songs) began a reacurring response to things that got too long or too boring that that day ¨Yo entiendo nada¨. Which means ¨I understand nothing¨, and was actually quite comidic the entire day. Just before the drunks offered us a drink for a song (which is a story in itself), one of them came up to me and was mutter something that I couldn't quite get and I could sense the eyes of everyone in the group on me. Not wanting to miss out on ideal moment I turned to him and strugged and said ¨Yo entiendo nada¨. The group (of singers) burst out laughing and I heard them repeating the story most of the way home.
All in all fabulous day!
-posted by Tom
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
We are here and adjusting…
We haven’t posted in a long time due to several reasons but most of it can be summed up by that word, adjusting. Upon our arrival we spent two weeks in orientation but after we learned the basics about the organization and spending a majority of time applying for our temporary residency. Melissa received her provisional card which means that her paperwork has been accepted and she will wait as it gets reviewed. Tom on the other hand had some detail problems but received an extension in order to wait for corrections to be made. We were also able to explore the city a little, visited the remembrance wall, the Cathedral where Monseñor Romero is buried, also a few other historical sites here in El Salvador 
Nonetheless, it soon became apparent the big piece would be adjusting to the El Salvadorian culture (which doesn’t come with a guide book). Although we spent time in Guatemala Guatemala 6:30pm . We also got to enjoy some of the positives, such as: pupusas, beautiful weather, laying in hammocks, meeting new people, and a little rabbit named Vigilante (meaning Security Guard in Spanish, see picture) who loved to greet us in our room every morning.
Nonetheless, it soon became apparent the big piece would be adjusting to the El Salvadorian culture (which doesn’t come with a guide book). Although we spent time in The first night Tom woke due to an unfamiliar sound in the room, we quickly turned on our flashlight to notice that there was an object rustling around in Tom’s hiking pack. We sat in fright for a few minutes, as we were not sure what creature would jump out if we were to poke the pack. Tom eventually worked up the courage to poke the pack, nothing happened at first, but shortly after a little mouse scurried out of the pack and ran down the wall. We both jumped a little. Melissa was able to go back to sleep somewhat shortly after that, however Tom was up most of the night ¨on alert¨ for the mouse. When we woke the next morning we discovered that the mouse found some of our snacks and also ate some of our toothpaste which we smartly hid out in the open. When we told this to Gloria (our host mom) she thought it was hilarious and made a joke that the mouse must have really wanted to brush his teeth!
The next night we were able to sleep somewhat better, there were no visitors in the night (or none that we could hear). Melissa woke at 7am to take a shower before heading off to work, as she was grabbing the necessary items to shower (remember no lights) she tripped, but caught herself on the bed. Melissa then yelled out, ¨Ouch, what the hell was that!¨ and then proceeded to yell at Tom to find the flashlight. When the lights were found a small scorpion was sitting on the bed. Without drawing out the story, Melissa freaked out for a while; we called some fellow volunteers and Jeanne from CRISPAZ to get reassurance that she would be ok, then went to the clinic to get some meds to take for the sting. However, the following evenings were difficult in get to sleep in part to the scorpion but even more difficult from the heat.
We have many more stories to tell but want to keep this first post at a readable length so we will leave you all with some positives. Often we find ourselves looking up at the stars at night sharing stories and laughs with Gloria’s family. On several nights she has been willing to teach us some yoga exercises, or just talk with us which goes a long way towards calming our nerves and feeling welcome. We are settling in better than before (although still have a long way to go) and have realized that we have much work to do in adjusting to a lifestyle that is very foreign to us. Many of the simplicities and luxuries that we take for granted in the United States, indoor toilets, lack of insects and unwanted animals within a home, having chairs, and not having to walk 30 minutes to get to transportation are realities that the people we live with deal with everyday comfortably and without concern. Our instinct has told us that we ¨can’t¨ handle some of these things but it is our need to adjust to a different way of living, however difficult it might be for us in order to help us be more present to the people we are living and working with.
- Posted by Tom and Melissa
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Final thoughts on Xela/Guatemala
As we sit here in an internet cafe rewriting our last post in frustration due to somehow loosing it moments before... (deep breath...). We can't help but think that our last week has flown by faster than you can say "tiempo vuela".
We decided that it would be a great idea to take a couple extra Spanish classes during our final week. It did not seem to effect Tom as much but by Friday Melissa was definitely burnt (actually I think I was burnt by Tuesday morning). Tuesday was spent completing a 10 hour day of class and surprisingly we had enough energy after to play cards for a couple hours with Gene and Dorothy (our housemates) a fantastic couple from Kentucky.
On Wednesday we decided to cut our study days a little shorter so we could go to a futbol game. Melissa studied for 7.5 and Tom for 5 since his teacher jumped at the chance to join us for the game. We arrived at 5:30 for the game as we were advised that we should get there early since Xelaju was playing Municipalidad, a really good team from Guatemala City. However, probably due to the team playing poorly as of late, there was no line and the stadium didn't begin to fill until 15 minutes before the game kicked off (8:00). We learned that several of the players play for professional soccer teams as well in the U.S. , thus for those of you baseball fans it had the make up of a Twins vs Yankees game (when the Twins haven't been playing well). Before the game began we were told that we would learn words and phrases that we won't repeat here, however we will tell you that many of them we have also heard and seen written about our president due to his recent arrival. The atmosphere around the game was exhilarating and somewhat excentric with impressive fireworks, fans also shooting them towards the inflatable Pepsi sign in effort to lite it on fire, and a band that sounded more like a car alarm with brass. When Xela won 2-0 we couldn't help but think we had seen a game that would be remembered for a long time.
Thursday was another long day for Melissa as she started off her day with participating in a march with about 1,000 other women from Xela, celebrating International Women’s Day. She was able to be in the front of the march holding a banner with 2 other Guatemaltecan women. ¨It was a really great experice that excites me to start working with the women in El Salvador.¨ After the march Melissa went off to class while Tom finished up class and then did some errands we had before leaving on Saturday. After dinner we went over to Edna and Braulio’s (our previous family) to say goodbye. As we didn’t have much time to spend, we sat around talking about us leaving, our improvement in Spanish and Tom’s amoeba’s (which always make their way into conversation). As we were ready to leave, Braulio, Edna and Sintia offered to have a prayer, so we gathered in a circle in their living room while they chanted individually about prayers for us, our families and a variety of other prayers that we couldn’t understand (for several minutes). We left there that night with tears in our eyes and a gift in our hand.
Friday we finished with classes and were surprised and delighted that Teresa’s mom and dad (Teresa and Pablo) were going to join us (Tom, Melissa, Dorothy and Gene) for lunch. Pablo brought along some wine to share a few cheers. A lot of positive words were exchanged as both sides had a great experience with each other. After lunch Pablo offered to drive us (Melissa, Tom, Dorothy and Gene) up to Bauhl. We had previously been up to Bauhl, however could not turn down the offer to ride in Pablo’s car. We all piled in the car and took off for the short 20 minute drive up to Bauhl. Once there were able to smell the trees and pine, just enough to leave us yearning to go camping!! Friday evening we invited the family, Dorothy and Gene and Oscar to supper at Giuseppe’s dining on pizza and saying our goodbyes.
As we are excited to meet Jeanne, Tedde, Javier and Barb (who is travelling down from the office in Boston), we can’t help but to be sad to leave this place we had just begun to call home.
-posted by Melissa and Tom (twice)
We decided that it would be a great idea to take a couple extra Spanish classes during our final week. It did not seem to effect Tom as much but by Friday Melissa was definitely burnt (actually I think I was burnt by Tuesday morning). Tuesday was spent completing a 10 hour day of class and surprisingly we had enough energy after to play cards for a couple hours with Gene and Dorothy (our housemates) a fantastic couple from Kentucky.
On Wednesday we decided to cut our study days a little shorter so we could go to a futbol game. Melissa studied for 7.5 and Tom for 5 since his teacher jumped at the chance to join us for the game. We arrived at 5:30 for the game as we were advised that we should get there early since Xelaju was playing Municipalidad, a really good team from Guatemala City. However, probably due to the team playing poorly as of late, there was no line and the stadium didn't begin to fill until 15 minutes before the game kicked off (8:00). We learned that several of the players play for professional soccer teams as well in the U.S. , thus for those of you baseball fans it had the make up of a Twins vs Yankees game (when the Twins haven't been playing well). Before the game began we were told that we would learn words and phrases that we won't repeat here, however we will tell you that many of them we have also heard and seen written about our president due to his recent arrival. The atmosphere around the game was exhilarating and somewhat excentric with impressive fireworks, fans also shooting them towards the inflatable Pepsi sign in effort to lite it on fire, and a band that sounded more like a car alarm with brass. When Xela won 2-0 we couldn't help but think we had seen a game that would be remembered for a long time.
Thursday was another long day for Melissa as she started off her day with participating in a march with about 1,000 other women from Xela, celebrating International Women’s Day. She was able to be in the front of the march holding a banner with 2 other Guatemaltecan women. ¨It was a really great experice that excites me to start working with the women in El Salvador.¨ After the march Melissa went off to class while Tom finished up class and then did some errands we had before leaving on Saturday. After dinner we went over to Edna and Braulio’s (our previous family) to say goodbye. As we didn’t have much time to spend, we sat around talking about us leaving, our improvement in Spanish and Tom’s amoeba’s (which always make their way into conversation). As we were ready to leave, Braulio, Edna and Sintia offered to have a prayer, so we gathered in a circle in their living room while they chanted individually about prayers for us, our families and a variety of other prayers that we couldn’t understand (for several minutes). We left there that night with tears in our eyes and a gift in our hand.
Friday we finished with classes and were surprised and delighted that Teresa’s mom and dad (Teresa and Pablo) were going to join us (Tom, Melissa, Dorothy and Gene) for lunch. Pablo brought along some wine to share a few cheers. A lot of positive words were exchanged as both sides had a great experience with each other. After lunch Pablo offered to drive us (Melissa, Tom, Dorothy and Gene) up to Bauhl. We had previously been up to Bauhl, however could not turn down the offer to ride in Pablo’s car. We all piled in the car and took off for the short 20 minute drive up to Bauhl. Once there were able to smell the trees and pine, just enough to leave us yearning to go camping!! Friday evening we invited the family, Dorothy and Gene and Oscar to supper at Giuseppe’s dining on pizza and saying our goodbyes.As we are excited to meet Jeanne, Tedde, Javier and Barb (who is travelling down from the office in Boston), we can’t help but to be sad to leave this place we had just begun to call home.
-posted by Melissa and Tom (twice)
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Everything Changes... (soon)
It's funny that feeling you get about being comfortable somewhere just before you leave. When I was in the city today I couldn´t help thinking as ¨I have often walked down this street before¨ (for all you fans of My Fair Lady) and that so much has become familiar to me. From the parks and cafes that we have read and studied in, the small tienda that we have invested a good amount of Quetzals in for snacks between classes, to the families and friends that we will soon be leaving; I couldn´t help but feel a sense of sadness as well as nervousness for the unknown.Being extremely busy as of late I would like to use the words of the great Inigo Montoya (the spanerd from famed movie ¨Princess Bride¨): ¨let me explain, ah there is too much let me sum up¨. Our vacation was a blast with highlights being viewing the towering magesty of Tikal (left), climbing the active volcano Pacaya (below), and chocolate brownies (perhaps better than any we've eaten in the states). Resting was great and the break from our studies was just what we needed. At the point that we left Xela we were fried from our intensive studies and definately need some down time. Although we did and saw some amazing things during our vacation some of the best moments involved not doing much at all. We did get to watch a little TV (including the superbowl), went canoeing a couple of times, enjoyed some great foods, listened to live music that I know my dad would have been dancing too, and viewed sights that will hopefully soon be available in our albums for all interested to see.
Upon arriving back in Xela we had just spoken with CRISPAZ and finalized our dates of arrival to El Salvador, the 12th of March. Since that time we have been in contact with CRISPAZ much more frequently through email, even writing to them in Spanish which has come with much more ease than I could ever have claimed before. With today already being the first of March we've only got a little more than a week left in Xela and have decided to double up with some studies next week. That is to say we will study both in the morning and afternoon 10 hours a day to get the most out of our remaing time. By the weekend of the 10-11 we will travel down towards Guatemala city (as with construction that route now takes close to 8 hours by bus), and then will leave Guatemala behind (at least for now) and finially meet Jeanne, Teddie, Javier, Barb, and others working with CRISPAZ. So much change will happen soon but as for now we are trying to take one moment at a time and indeed cherish all that we have learned and gained from our time here in this wonderful country.-posted by Tom
Monday, February 19, 2007
Our new family
Well, I would like to start out by saying, I hope Tom didn´t scare to many of you with his previous blog. Unfortunately, it is one of the precautions we have to take here as ¨gringos¨and need to be wary of who to trust or believe.
On a positive note we want to share information about our new family. Tom and I moved the week before vacation, so have not had a lot of time to get to know them, but thus far they are fabulous. Upon arrival Tom and I were thrilled with our new habitation, we had no idea life could be this good.
We have a large room, almost twice the size of the other room, a full size bed, a linoleum floor, and lots of shelf space. We were so excited about this room that we immediately jumped up and down and took some pictures. Teresa (our mom) is a fantastic cook!!! She firmly believes in eating healthy, therefore no strange pieces of fat have showed up on either of our plates. Teresa has two kids, Roberto; 4, and Andrea; 7, they are similar to other kids these ages, as they have a lot of energy.....and it seems either one or both cry at least a couple times a day. The first day Tom and I were at our new house, Tom and I finished lunch and went to our room, after we opened the door Andrea wandered in and started bouncing on the bed, and then proceeded to rummage through some of our items on the desk (this all happened within 10 seconds). Since Tom and I did not have the correct grammer to stay ¨You need to ask before touching our things and before coming in¨, I could only say ¨no, no, no¨which only worked for so long. Thankfully, Marge gave us tons of stickers which became the perfect distraction, I brought out the sticker book and lured Andrea outside of our room to oogle over the many stickers we have. We continue to get questioned about the stickers, daily... which has developed into fun and cute situations such as when they knocked on door wearing the stickers over one eye saying ¨¡Somos piratas!¨ (we are pirates) leaving Tom and I laughing allong with them. Although we happily give them each one, sometimes two stickers most days, we also try to interact with them in other ways. Needless to say Tom and I are very happy with our new family.
On a positive note we want to share information about our new family. Tom and I moved the week before vacation, so have not had a lot of time to get to know them, but thus far they are fabulous. Upon arrival Tom and I were thrilled with our new habitation, we had no idea life could be this good.
We have a large room, almost twice the size of the other room, a full size bed, a linoleum floor, and lots of shelf space. We were so excited about this room that we immediately jumped up and down and took some pictures. Teresa (our mom) is a fantastic cook!!! She firmly believes in eating healthy, therefore no strange pieces of fat have showed up on either of our plates. Teresa has two kids, Roberto; 4, and Andrea; 7, they are similar to other kids these ages, as they have a lot of energy.....and it seems either one or both cry at least a couple times a day. The first day Tom and I were at our new house, Tom and I finished lunch and went to our room, after we opened the door Andrea wandered in and started bouncing on the bed, and then proceeded to rummage through some of our items on the desk (this all happened within 10 seconds). Since Tom and I did not have the correct grammer to stay ¨You need to ask before touching our things and before coming in¨, I could only say ¨no, no, no¨which only worked for so long. Thankfully, Marge gave us tons of stickers which became the perfect distraction, I brought out the sticker book and lured Andrea outside of our room to oogle over the many stickers we have. We continue to get questioned about the stickers, daily... which has developed into fun and cute situations such as when they knocked on door wearing the stickers over one eye saying ¨¡Somos piratas!¨ (we are pirates) leaving Tom and I laughing allong with them. Although we happily give them each one, sometimes two stickers most days, we also try to interact with them in other ways. Needless to say Tom and I are very happy with our new family.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Don't Worry about it... We're on vacation
Although my stomach isn't at 100%, I still have periodic waves of sickness or shall I say stomach pain as they usually don't amount to anything more than that, I thank the heavens that I no longer am taking that medicine. Additionally, the head cold and cronic runny nose that I had in Xela has dissapated into nothing most likely due to warmer whether and lack of volcanic dust from the active volcano behind Santa Maria. Here's a warm thought for all you that really worry about Melissa and I, I was talking with one of my Maestros named Julio and he told me that currently all of the active volcanos in Guatemala are more active as of late. In reguards to this there was a conference in Guatemala city with a team of scientists asking if Guatemala is ready for another big earthquake. If all of the volcanos become active at once (with this there is a small chance but nevertheless a chance) there would be an earthquake much like the one in 2002 (I believe that was the year) which would cause tremoudous damage. Julio told me that although the chances are small we should live each day like it could be your last, hense we are on vacation.
Now that I've probably worried our parents, I'll pause to tell you that living on a fault line within Guatemala these chances always exist but really only 2 tremendously damaging earthquakes have happened in that last 30 years or so. And perhaps the most positive part of all this was that my spanish has become so much better that I could understand and respond to the details of conversations like this rather than nodding and replying ¨Si¨or ¨No entiendo¨.
We have a TON of pictures that will keep us busy downloading upon the return from our vacation (a view from our hotel balcony of Lake Atitlan) but while we are now here relaxing in Antigua let me say that we've had a great time, thus far. We've probably spoken more english than we could have during our trip with each other but the break was most likely needed as well. Initially we went to Lake Atitlan and then briefly to Guatemala City where flew to Tikal. I'll write more on the places themselve later but first something more to worry you all...
Returning from Panajachel by ¨chicken bus¨(dubbed the name by the great possiblity that other animals who didn´t have to pay may enter or be walking around the bus) we sat on a near empty bus with some other travelers (one of which looked Guatemalatecan) who spoke English as well. After striking up a conversation with them we heard the consistant warning about watch out for robbers as they frequently enter these buses and being gringos we would always be targets. Later in the small town of Solola (only 20 minutes or so from Pana) those same two individuals came up to the front of the bus to talk to the driver and conductor. The then turned to us to whisper that two men in the back of the bus where acting strangely and they did not feel comfortable and wanted to switch buses. They invited us to switch with them and where going to ask for some of the money back. We decided to switch as well however the bus wasn't stopping any time soon and we had Melissa's big pack on the top of the bus. The other two individuals got off the bus leaving us to try and haggle with the bus driver about getting our lugage off the bus. He paid us little attention seemingly intent on leaving the crowded streets of Solola behind him.
The conductor was out on the streets and later climbed onto the bus so Melissa and I were left standing near the enterance of bus sidestepping new comers to the bus. If we would have left the bus there was a 100% chance that our pack with all of our supplies would have sped off with the bus to Guatemala City and we would have needed to add a lot of shopping to our plans. Not knowing what else to do Melissa and I sat back down exchanging nervous and confused looks occasionaly at each other (but trying to look like nothing was wrong even though we had thousands of questions swirling through our heads). Not more than 10 Kilos outside of Solola (although with all of nerves of confusion it felt like hours) the bus came to a stop on the roadside and the bus driver and conductor left the bus, and a police officer stepped on and greeted us and slowly walked down the row. He asked the man Melissa was sitting next to to get up and patted him down and looked through his bags. The man looked very nervous but was allowed to sit back down. The two other men that the orginal English speaking travelers (who left the bus in Solola) had decribed were led off the back of the bus and there belongings were looked through on the side of the road. Now those two men distinctly looked different as they had some ¨bling, bling¨jewelery on, a couple golden teeth and some darker clothes. One of the officers re-entered the bus and asked us all if we knew any other information and a couple of the passengers spoke to say they didn´t. He also asked if any of us lived in Pana, (as I believe the other two said they did) but no one spoke up to that. He described several other things that I couldn't make out and then the driver and conductor later entered the bus and we were on our way without the other two men.
I don't know if they found anthing with those two men or just singled them out due to stereo-typing which is quite commun here. Nonetheless it seemed very strange that our bus trip started with the two travelors who seemed weary of thieves (in fact the man stated that 50 out of 100 buses get held up by theives, a fact that seemed LARGELY exagerated as we had heard from other travelers that risks were small), and later they had either saved us all on the bus or created a stir for nothing. Missy and I still aren't really sure what to make of all that but honestly I felt myself feeling a little bit safer that the police had come onto the bus (and later checked the bus in Los Encuentros again) . Knowing the police and government system is largely corrupt as well I can't help but have mixed feelings about those two men that were pulled off the bus... were they discriminated against or was it justified? What about those origanal two travelors... were they to be trusted...or were they nuttier than squirrel shit? So many questions and I´m sure that will not be the last of our encounters with these events...
With all this said, when the taxi driver that was taking us to the bus stop Friday night in Guatemala City (after returning from Tikal) offered to take us to Antigua we bartered with him for a little bit but in the end were very greatful that we could avoid the most crowded and dangerous bus terminal on a very very busy last Friday night.
-posted by Tom
Now that I've probably worried our parents, I'll pause to tell you that living on a fault line within Guatemala these chances always exist but really only 2 tremendously damaging earthquakes have happened in that last 30 years or so. And perhaps the most positive part of all this was that my spanish has become so much better that I could understand and respond to the details of conversations like this rather than nodding and replying ¨Si¨or ¨No entiendo¨.
We have a TON of pictures that will keep us busy downloading upon the return from our vacation (a view from our hotel balcony of Lake Atitlan) but while we are now here relaxing in Antigua let me say that we've had a great time, thus far. We've probably spoken more english than we could have during our trip with each other but the break was most likely needed as well. Initially we went to Lake Atitlan and then briefly to Guatemala City where flew to Tikal. I'll write more on the places themselve later but first something more to worry you all...Returning from Panajachel by ¨chicken bus¨(dubbed the name by the great possiblity that other animals who didn´t have to pay may enter or be walking around the bus) we sat on a near empty bus with some other travelers (one of which looked Guatemalatecan) who spoke English as well. After striking up a conversation with them we heard the consistant warning about watch out for robbers as they frequently enter these buses and being gringos we would always be targets. Later in the small town of Solola (only 20 minutes or so from Pana) those same two individuals came up to the front of the bus to talk to the driver and conductor. The then turned to us to whisper that two men in the back of the bus where acting strangely and they did not feel comfortable and wanted to switch buses. They invited us to switch with them and where going to ask for some of the money back. We decided to switch as well however the bus wasn't stopping any time soon and we had Melissa's big pack on the top of the bus. The other two individuals got off the bus leaving us to try and haggle with the bus driver about getting our lugage off the bus. He paid us little attention seemingly intent on leaving the crowded streets of Solola behind him.
The conductor was out on the streets and later climbed onto the bus so Melissa and I were left standing near the enterance of bus sidestepping new comers to the bus. If we would have left the bus there was a 100% chance that our pack with all of our supplies would have sped off with the bus to Guatemala City and we would have needed to add a lot of shopping to our plans. Not knowing what else to do Melissa and I sat back down exchanging nervous and confused looks occasionaly at each other (but trying to look like nothing was wrong even though we had thousands of questions swirling through our heads). Not more than 10 Kilos outside of Solola (although with all of nerves of confusion it felt like hours) the bus came to a stop on the roadside and the bus driver and conductor left the bus, and a police officer stepped on and greeted us and slowly walked down the row. He asked the man Melissa was sitting next to to get up and patted him down and looked through his bags. The man looked very nervous but was allowed to sit back down. The two other men that the orginal English speaking travelers (who left the bus in Solola) had decribed were led off the back of the bus and there belongings were looked through on the side of the road. Now those two men distinctly looked different as they had some ¨bling, bling¨jewelery on, a couple golden teeth and some darker clothes. One of the officers re-entered the bus and asked us all if we knew any other information and a couple of the passengers spoke to say they didn´t. He also asked if any of us lived in Pana, (as I believe the other two said they did) but no one spoke up to that. He described several other things that I couldn't make out and then the driver and conductor later entered the bus and we were on our way without the other two men.
I don't know if they found anthing with those two men or just singled them out due to stereo-typing which is quite commun here. Nonetheless it seemed very strange that our bus trip started with the two travelors who seemed weary of thieves (in fact the man stated that 50 out of 100 buses get held up by theives, a fact that seemed LARGELY exagerated as we had heard from other travelers that risks were small), and later they had either saved us all on the bus or created a stir for nothing. Missy and I still aren't really sure what to make of all that but honestly I felt myself feeling a little bit safer that the police had come onto the bus (and later checked the bus in Los Encuentros again) . Knowing the police and government system is largely corrupt as well I can't help but have mixed feelings about those two men that were pulled off the bus... were they discriminated against or was it justified? What about those origanal two travelors... were they to be trusted...or were they nuttier than squirrel shit? So many questions and I´m sure that will not be the last of our encounters with these events...
With all this said, when the taxi driver that was taking us to the bus stop Friday night in Guatemala City (after returning from Tikal) offered to take us to Antigua we bartered with him for a little bit but in the end were very greatful that we could avoid the most crowded and dangerous bus terminal on a very very busy last Friday night.
-posted by Tom
Friday, January 26, 2007
Sickness
After watching the New England/Indinapolis game in a bar and having a Limonada that seemed more baking soda than Limon, I began to feel a little sick but will be damned if I was going to miss the end of it. So I stayed and was unable to get either excited or really to have much emotion at all without fear that my lunch at Pollo Campero would exit via a direction it was not meant to leave by. After Indi had sealed the deal I walked home and felt more and more like I should never have had that Limonada, but glad that I had seen the game. Upon reaching home it hit me less than 30 minutes later.... HARD. I wasn´t able to sleep most of the night for no more than an hour and found that anything that I had eaten recently was finding a way to the bottom of the toilet bowl through any means necessary. The morning found me unable to function really and Melissa after confirming with our teachers and CRISPAZ returned from school to spend the day with me at a clinic. By this time I didn´t have much left in my body but still felt more comfortable laying on a bench close to the bathroom in the back of the clinic. I couldn´t help but wonder if some Mayan mothers were purposely taking their children back to the bathroom to tell them they would have to stay with the sick gringo if they didn´t behave, for it was more quiet there. The doctor listened to my broken spanish patiently and after a lab sample confirmed that I had amoebas and prescribed some antibiotics that I would have to take for 10 days.
Upon returning I found that my appetite was regestering a big ¨0¨ and wasn´t able to consume much more than a bowl of soup and a few crackers during the next two days. Monday and Tuesday night weren´t much better for me either as I found myself waking up in the middle of the night with the inability to get back to sleep which Melissa must have appreciated greatly but only asked continuely what she could do for me (Bless her and her patience!). These past few days have been a little better for me as my stomach doesn´t hurt but often feels tight. I still have a small appetite which doesn´t help these meds which were made strong enough for a small army. Whoo, what great day it will be when I no longer have to take them!
Needless to say Melissa and I have decided to stay another week to study and let my sickness run its coarse (or the meds, I´m not sure which I find the greater struggle...). Nonetheless I find myself greatful for little things (like the times I am sleeping or not taking my meds), no seriously the times that Melissa and I find ourselves laughing with our family about my inability to congengate a verb or when she runs to the supermarket during our 30 minute break (about a 1/2 mile away) for yogut for me I am greatful. And also a little hesitant to get well as I know well these things come full circle. Also I find myself really wondering if these really are amoebas or if perhaps deep down I´m really a New England fan?
Upon returning I found that my appetite was regestering a big ¨0¨ and wasn´t able to consume much more than a bowl of soup and a few crackers during the next two days. Monday and Tuesday night weren´t much better for me either as I found myself waking up in the middle of the night with the inability to get back to sleep which Melissa must have appreciated greatly but only asked continuely what she could do for me (Bless her and her patience!). These past few days have been a little better for me as my stomach doesn´t hurt but often feels tight. I still have a small appetite which doesn´t help these meds which were made strong enough for a small army. Whoo, what great day it will be when I no longer have to take them!Needless to say Melissa and I have decided to stay another week to study and let my sickness run its coarse (or the meds, I´m not sure which I find the greater struggle...). Nonetheless I find myself greatful for little things (like the times I am sleeping or not taking my meds), no seriously the times that Melissa and I find ourselves laughing with our family about my inability to congengate a verb or when she runs to the supermarket during our 30 minute break (about a 1/2 mile away) for yogut for me I am greatful. And also a little hesitant to get well as I know well these things come full circle. Also I find myself really wondering if these really are amoebas or if perhaps deep down I´m really a New England fan?
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Our weekend in Chichi
This past weekend Tom and I ventured out of the city of Xela to the nearby town of Chichicastenango. Chichi is approximately 3 hours away from Xela and is well-known for their market on Sundays. Also, Tom´s aunt MaryAnn was going to be in Chichi for the week, so we thought we would venture out and go visit. On Friday we left for the ¨bus terminal¨ around 1:30pm, this was our first adventure to the ¨bus terminal¨ and it was definately not what we expected. We took a smaller bus to the terminal (I forget what this is called, but it´s basically a minivan). We arrived at the terminal which was basically the side of the street where many people gathered to catch a bus to their own destination. We stood for around 15 minutes waiting for buses...to our dismay there were none heading towards Chichi. We started aimlessly wandering towards other areas of the street in search for our bus....there continued to be none. Tom was able to ask a couple people where the buses were for Chichi and we were told they were in another area. We then walked towards where we thought the busses were, but once again none to Chichi. Tom once again asked one of the bus drivers and was told there is another area for buses....on the other side of the market. So, once again Tom and I took off in search of our bus....wandering through the market (which we never new was as big as it was) after walking through the market for a good 15 minutes we stumbled upon an open, noisy area with many, many busses and lots of people. We didn´t really need to look for a bus as there were people coming up to us and asking where we needed to go. So, after spending an hour searching we finally found our bus to Chichi and were ready for the 3 hour ride. Although I slept most of the way I also gained a friend (a teenage boy who was so tired he fell asleep on my shoudler), and Tom got a good chuckle out of that.
Once in Chichi we got a place to stay at a hotel for around 70 quetzales a night, which is around $10 in american. The room was not fancy by any means and the bathroom smelled pretty bad, but it had a gorgeous view of the city. Friday night was fairly uneventful, we explored the city a little, but it was dark so we were not terribly comfortable wandering around, so we more or less ate and went back to the hotel. Saturday we were wandering around the city by 9am, strolling down the main street where the market takes place. Tom and I had our sites on a restaurant that was recommend through a book...however, on our way to the restaurant we heard a familiar american voice ¨Tom, Melissa¨ Tom stopped immediately, however I was dead set on that breakfast and payed no attention. I eventually turned around to see that MaryAnn had found us. We spent some time hanging out with MaryAnn and made plans to go to Pascal Abaj, which is a ritualistic Mayan place of worship. MaryAnn went her seperate way as Tom and I went to Pascal Abaj. Once at Pascal Abaj Tom and I felt as though we were intruding, as there were ceremonies taking place, therefore we didn´t stay very long. (Although during the ceremony the leader (or bujo I believe) stepped away from the ceremony to take a call on his cell phone.)
Upon the walk back we stumbled upon a small artisian shop called Project Guggenheim, they actually have a website if you want to check it out. www.projectguggenheim.org This is a place where young children and teenagers are able to learn how to paint, sculpt and various other forms of art. There are several of them throughout the world. They had a lot of beautiful artwork!! Tom and I bought two smaller piece of art, we also brought MaryAnn back later in the day and she bought something as well. The rest of the weekend we spent doing some shopping and hanging out. Oh yeah and it´s hard to forget all of the people who would follow MaryAnn around and want her to buy whatever they were selling. One lady even followed us to MaryAnn´s hotel and then found us again later in the evening....no, MaryAnn did not buy anything from her, but she could´ve gotten the items at a really good price!! Sunday we took a little side trip to a nearby city, but to our dismay it was not what we expected...we left after spending a short amount of time there. Once we got back to Chichi it was time for Tom and I to head back to the city. Back on the bus and back to Xela.
Once in Chichi we got a place to stay at a hotel for around 70 quetzales a night, which is around $10 in american. The room was not fancy by any means and the bathroom smelled pretty bad, but it had a gorgeous view of the city. Friday night was fairly uneventful, we explored the city a little, but it was dark so we were not terribly comfortable wandering around, so we more or less ate and went back to the hotel. Saturday we were wandering around the city by 9am, strolling down the main street where the market takes place. Tom and I had our sites on a restaurant that was recommend through a book...however, on our way to the restaurant we heard a familiar american voice ¨Tom, Melissa¨ Tom stopped immediately, however I was dead set on that breakfast and payed no attention. I eventually turned around to see that MaryAnn had found us. We spent some time hanging out with MaryAnn and made plans to go to Pascal Abaj, which is a ritualistic Mayan place of worship. MaryAnn went her seperate way as Tom and I went to Pascal Abaj. Once at Pascal Abaj Tom and I felt as though we were intruding, as there were ceremonies taking place, therefore we didn´t stay very long. (Although during the ceremony the leader (or bujo I believe) stepped away from the ceremony to take a call on his cell phone.)Upon the walk back we stumbled upon a small artisian shop called Project Guggenheim, they actually have a website if you want to check it out. www.projectguggenheim.org This is a place where young children and teenagers are able to learn how to paint, sculpt and various other forms of art. There are several of them throughout the world. They had a lot of beautiful artwork!! Tom and I bought two smaller piece of art, we also brought MaryAnn back later in the day and she bought something as well. The rest of the weekend we spent doing some shopping and hanging out. Oh yeah and it´s hard to forget all of the people who would follow MaryAnn around and want her to buy whatever they were selling. One lady even followed us to MaryAnn´s hotel and then found us again later in the evening....no, MaryAnn did not buy anything from her, but she could´ve gotten the items at a really good price!! Sunday we took a little side trip to a nearby city, but to our dismay it was not what we expected...we left after spending a short amount of time there. Once we got back to Chichi it was time for Tom and I to head back to the city. Back on the bus and back to Xela.
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