Where do I begin?

I have been slacking REAL hard lately on updating this blog, so lo siento. I wish I could claim that I’ve just been too busy to keep up with it, but we all know that would be a lie. Although, I have had a decent amount of things to do since I got back from the states.

First and foremost, I have officially been in country for one year!! Still can’t believe it, but I made it and I’m still trucking along. To celebrate, 23 of us from my group spent two nights at a gorgeous beach in Auhuachapan. We rented a beautiful house and spent two days reunited, which was so fun! It’s rare we all see each other like that and it was great to catch up with some of the volunteers I don’t see on a regular basis. We finished off our weekend in the capital with a Peace Corps fiesta for the Superbowl. SO many volunteers showed up and we had a huge gringo fest watching the game. The half time show was a huge hit among us and I was shocked to hear it got bad/mixed reviews by viewers in the states. I guess after a year in country our standards for entertainment have lowered but we enjoyed every minute of singing along to Fergie!!

What’s next? Pregnancy club is still going and attendance is improving! We’ve covered “things to avoid during pregnancy” and breast feeding in the last month. My women didn’t know what caffeine was and I spent about half an hour explaining what it was and that it is in the coffee they drink every day. These women had no idea that drinking coffee during pregnancy could actually be harmful to their child. It’s amazing that what is basic knowledge to us, something as seemingly simple like not drinking caffeine while you’re pregnant or breast feeding, is completely unknown to these women. We also talked about how it is important to talk to your baby while you’re breastfeeding it, rather than just letting the baby feed while the mom’s attention is elsewhere. Pregnancy club is definitely as much a learning experience for me as it is for my ladies.

In other news, I’m working with my school teachers and with the ADESCO that operates in the states on a bathroom project at the school. Right now we’re just in the beginning phases, organizing and planning the time line, as well as getting all the parents on board, but hopefully we’ll have new bathrooms (flushing toilets!) at the school by next year. The latrines that are there now are beyond disgusting and it’s to the point that parents have instructed their kids to not go to the bathroom while they’re at school because they’re so gross.

I’m also starting an environmental youth group with the kids at my school called “Guardianes Ambientales.” It’s sponsored by the Ministry of Education here and I’m going to be giving environmental charlas (lessons) to the school kids twice a month and with the help of my teachers we’re going to start a school vegetable garden, organic composting and also have a team of kids that are in charge of organizing trash campaigns and recycling. Again, we’re just in the beginning phases but I am optimistic about it. Should be fun!

I hosted a new trainee for her immersion day. Immersion day is part of every PCV’s initial training and it happens during your first month of training. Peace Corps sends you out to spend the weekend with a current volunteer in their site and then one night with a campo family in the same site. I hosted a girl named Chelsea who is from Alexandria! She was so nice and it was fun to be on the receiving end of immersion day. I still find it hard to believe that I’m now part of the veteran group of volunteers here, but it does feel SO long ago that I was asking a thousand questions about how to take a bucket bath, or what to do if I see a scorpion! Made me realize how tough I’ve gotten over the last twelve months! I think Chelsea enjoyed herself in my site for the weekend. I took her to Pizza Hut in San Miguel, and we cooked a Mexican feast which I know from experience is a welcome change of pace from training and living with a host family.

Que mas? President Obama is scheduled to make a trip to El Salv in March, so all the PCVs are anxious about hopefully getting to attend an event to meet him. I’ll believe it when I see it, although I’d love an excuse to buy a new dress! I’m keeping myself entertained these days with Mad Men and the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo book series. Completely enthralled by both! Little Jefe got a serious hair cut the other day and he looks bien silly with no hair but I know he’s got to be cooler for it. The heat here is getting out of control. We’re averaging 100+ degree days out here lately, and it’s been brutal. I’ve spent an embarrassing number of days out here in my underwear…sometimes it’s just too damn hot for clothes! Luckily my house is surrounded by trees and I can get away with it!! The one upside to all this sun is that my clothes are drying in record time these days!