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 the atmosphere is different here and it’s taken some time to figure out what it is that’s different. The threat of violence seems much prevalent here but maybe that just because we can understand more now, or that there is less tourism here (which unfortunately does lead to more police protection), or something else entirely that we haven’t figured out yet. Some buses are more dangerous than others and none of them have maps explaining how to get from one place to another. Being out after dark isn´t advised (and that we should take a taxi if we are) and just like Guatemala it gets dark here everyday all year round by 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.

After the cushy two weeks….life was about to change….

Life in the ¨campo¨ (countryside) has definitely been an adjustment for the two of us. Melissa is a little more used to the ¨creatures of the night¨ that lurk outside and in our house, but Tom is holding up well considering he is more of a city boy. When Javier (our supervisor) explained to us that there were minimum living options in the Ciudadela de Guillermo Ungo and one of the best options for us to have our own room would be to live with Gloria although her house would have no electricity. Tom and I pondered over this for about a day, but decided that we could do it for a little while. So we set out, with Tedde and Javier in the company truck (an old Datsun (88´ or 90´), short-bed, stick shift pickup with no power-steering) early on the morning of the 26^th of March to our new home; stopping on the way only to make necessary stops for a used bed, water and candles.

When we arrived at our new home Gloria was out of town on business (she does a lot of traveling with her work) so we needed to wait with her oldest daughter (who lived 15 feet next door) and all of the kids (who will be mentioned in the next post) until Gloria returned. We were able to set up our bedroom around 6:00pm so it was a good thing we bought candles on the way, and thank you Ernie for the flashlight that does not need batteries!!

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