Big news out of Central America, apparently they have found a cure for cancer. I know this because there is a short, round man with a moldy leather satchel on the 302 Directo from San Sal to Usulutan who just happens to be selling it. It comes in a small spray bottle with no label and red cap. Normally it is sold for one dollar per bottle but because the round man liked the people on our bus so much, on this day he was only going to charge us 50 cents. How generous of him I thought, but I don’t have cancer. As if he could hear my thoughts, the gentlemen then proclaimed that if cancer was not your ailment, you need not worry. His six ounce miracle bottle would also cure any head, neck, tooth, back or knee pain.

In the last five months there have been several occasions that I have witnessed something and said to myself, that would be a good topic for a blog post. The previous paragraph being a perfect example. Then shortly after I begin writing the post, I realize I have nothing more than a couple lines or maybe a short paragraph. But does that mean these stories are not meant to be told? I think not. So here they are, a group of paragraphs with no relation to one another crammed into one blog post. Sometimes humorous, sometimes eye opening and sometimes both, these events are undoubtedly memories that will stick with me for the rest of my life.

A few weeks ago, while Melissa and I were waiting for a meeting to begin, we watched a chicken pecking a snake. The chicken then swallowed the snake, regurgitated it and begin pecking at it again. After the final blow was dealt, the chicken then once again swallowed the snake and then ran across the road. The whole process took about 3 minutes. ( FYI: Due to the frequency of the event here in El Salvador… the humor, of a seemingly ironic event such as “a chicken crossing the road,” wears off after about two days of being in country.)

Not to long after we moved to our site I witnessed one of the aforementioned “humorous yet eye opening events.” I saw a family of four, with circus-act like precision, riding a small 125cc motorcycle. The dad was driving, while the baby sat in front of him on the gas tank. This being the most logical place to put a baby on a motorcycle no doubt. The mother was hanging on tightly to her husband because she could barely fit behind him on this motorcycle that was originally designed with only one rider in mind. Last but not least, the young boy, probably ten years old, was riding piggy back on his mother suspended out behind the motorcycle with nothing beneath him but a dirt road passing at 30 mph.

One day while I was waiting at my bus stop in a large city that is only several miles from our site. I saw a group of young teenagers, the oldest was maybe 15, board the closest bus, with out saying a word, they were handed what looked like an envelope from the bus driver. They then quickly left the bus walked down the street and rounded the nearest corner. The store owner that I was standing with confirmed my suspicions and told me that they were gang members who were collecting their weekly extortion payments from the buses. Which by the way, this is how gangs here in this country make the majority of their money.

In our site, we have a small micro bus that runs 8 times a day back and forth between the nearest city. The bus has seats for 18 people. Last week… on our trip into town, I counted 53 people on the bus, and those were just the ones I could see.

-Ross

Many people have asked me why I joined the Peace Corps and my answers are always similar…I want to help people…but it’s more than that and it isn’t as altruistic as it may seem. My time here has allowed me to search deeper to find the true complex answer. The day I left for El Salvador was the most liberating day of my life. (The second was the day I chopped off all of my hair but that’s another story) I had everything I owned on my back as I headed for D.C. to begin the staging process. I didn’t have a car or any investments to return to, only college debt. So was I running? Yes and No. I wasn’t running from the debt because I know that it will be waiting with open arms upon my return but in a way, it was the money. I needed to see that there was more to life than the hustle and bustle of American life. I was seeking to find a place where family came before money and even the poorest people in the world were happy.

People always tell me they could never give up everything they have to join the Peace Corps and that got me thinking. Maybe it was easier for me to give up everything because honestly, I didn’t have anything to give up. After all, the most expensive thing I owned was a CD player. I admit that I didn’t have to sacrifice material things and in that sense it made my decision easier than most people. Just because I didn’t have to give up material possessions doesn’t mean I haven’t made personal sacrifices. The things that have hurt me the most are the things I can never get back like missing my brother move off to college, my big sister plan her wedding, and my niece take her first steps. I lose two years of playing skip Bo and watching Christmas Story marathons with my Dad. This is my sacrifice as it is theirs.

So here is my honest complex answer: I joined Peace Corps to ESCAPE the monotony of American life, to CHALLENGE myself, to SHARE my skills, to LEARN from the people in my village, to learn Spanish and how to make purposes, to EMPOWER women, to OVERCOME stereotypes, to APPRECIATE life. I am here because the people in my life and my life experiences have made me believe that the self-sacrifice and determination of a few people can make the world a better place. I know that by teaching English and building stoves I am not creating world peace but I am making life a little better for the 1200 people in my village, and for me that will suffice.

I know I complain about the holes in my aluminum roof and that I may or may not have mold growing on me but the truth is that I am happier here. I don’t have to worry about whether or not I can make my car payment this month or endure Monday morning traffic in a mad dash to get to the office. I am poor, I am smelly, I am baking like a lasagna in a 400 degree oven but I love it, I am happy!

-Melissa

Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

- Philippians 2.3-4

Melissa and I have been tossing around the idea of getting a dog for some time now. However, every time we discussed it there was always conflict with timing and we decided it would be best if we wait. After a few months of waiting we came to the conclusion that there is never a perfect time for adding something as needy as a puppy to our lives. So naturally, we made the mature and responsible decision and bought a puppy this past weekend. She is a brown cock-a-poo and at the moment is still lacking a name. (feel free to post your suggestions)

I had originally wanted to get a boxer or a husky but Melissa wanted something smaller and more girly. So of course we “compromised”… with a cock-a-poo. Last year at this time that wouldn’t have seemed like much of a compromise to me. But now that I have been married for a year I have come to realize the true meaning of the word.

I wasn’t exactly crazy about the idea of buying a cock-a-poo. I would compare the experience to when your 7^th grade son tells you he wants to quit the football team to be in the school musical. At first you are a little shocked, probably even a little confused, but eventually you come to grips with it.

Anyway, we have only had her for three days now and she is quickly becoming spoiled. She has her own hammock, which as you can see in the photo is attached to Melissa’s. She receives first priority with the fan and she sleeps in our bed. I had wanted to start crate training the first night, but Melissa thought sleeping with us would be less scary for her. So of course… we “comprised” and the dog and I shared a pillow.

She will undoubtedly be an inside dog, a foreign concept to the people in our community, and to most of the people in the country. The majority of the dogs here are kicked more often then fed and are quite the sight for sore eyes. Most dogs are forced to rummage through garbage and fight for scraps in the streets, leaving them rail thin, full of parasites and covered in scars. It’s a tough life for dogs in this country and the streets are no place for a cock-a-poo.

I have done my research and getting her in the states shouldn’t prove to be difficult. With a doggy plain ticket and a clean bill of health there should be no problems. Worse comes to worse I can hire a “coyote” to sneak her across the boarder. I hear they only charge about six grand for their services.

-Ross

Not long ago Melissa and I moved into a new house in our community. It consists of three rooms, a kitchen/living room, a bedroom/office and a bathroom. It is quite small but it fits our needs perfectly and we are quite happy here. Living on our own means we now have a lot more freedoms than before. For example, we can now control our own diet, which previously never left the realm of beans, rice and tortillas. The best part about the house is the giant brick wall surrounding the property. The wall is great; it keeps out nosy people, street dogs, wandering cattle, overbearing children and the occasional drunk.

Unfortunately, the wall can’t keep everything out. Our house is full of unwanted visitors who like to grace us with their presence during the night. We have the occasional visits from rats and tarantulas but they are few and far between. Usually when you see something moving in the shadows it is safe to assume it is one of the “Usual Suspects.”

First we have the cockroach. These guys like to hang out around the base of the toilet and in the shower. I kill an average of about one a day. I have a knife that I keep in the bathroom solely for this purpose. By accompanying that knife with a flip-flop, I have the ultimate one-two punch for killing cockroaches.

Next up we have the scorpion. These guys like to hide in any dark and confined space available. However I usually only see them on the move out in the open. This is probably because I tend to avoid looking in the dark and confined spaces, although sometimes that can’t be avoided. For example, a few weeks ago we took a trip to San Vicente for our second and final stint of training. We packed our bags and hit the road, I was careful not to forget my basketball shoes, being that training is the only time I get to play. Once we arrived in our training community I was in hurry to get to the court. I put on my shorts and shoes and was ready to play, but something didn’t feel right in my shoe. So I took it off reached my hand in to remove what ever it was that was in my shoe. Almost instantly my finger was burning with pain. I took my hand out, shook my shoe and out fell a three inch scorpion. I think he was pretty upset with me because my foot had tore off one of his claws . However I didn’t give him much time to think about it. That same shoe that had provided him with a safe haven quickly put an end to his life.

Last but not least we have whatever the heck that thing is on the right. Personally, I thinks it’s a hybrid spider/cricket/praying mantis. But whatever it is….I hate it. It’s the fastest insect I have ever come across and trying to kill one is almost impossible. Like the cockroach, they also like to hang out in the bathroom. Which is terrible because when you’re pants are down around your ankles the last thing you want to see is a hybrid spider/cricket/praying mantis.

-Ross

I just wanted to let everyone know that I live in the desert. It’s true. Actually its nothing like the desert, there are trees and volcanoes, but you know what I mean. It’s HOT and it’s the end of the dry season. On our walk to town on the dirt road I have to cover my mouth with a towel so I can breathe due to the dust and I can easily go through a liter of water. From the time a take one shower until the next my hair is soaking wet with sweat. Gross, I know, but there’s nothing glamorous about this job. I am proud of myself for how well I have handled all the crawling critters. My fear of spiders and insects has now switched to a fear of rats, turkeys, and deported gang members.

I am currently working on organizing my life so that I can begin administrating the ever so dreaded census. I announced to the community during my last meeting that I would be coming house to house to ask all 110 uncomfortable questions. I don’t know if they dread answering my questions as much as I dread asking them but regardless it is no fun. I am excited to get to know the community and I know walking to every house is the best way to integrate. I am already prepared for the next 2 months of constant sickness due to the hospitality of the women of these households. It is rude not to eat what is offered to you even if you are certain it is going to poison you. I think it’s worth it to spend a few extra hours in my latrine for the sake of winning over my new neighbors.

I am excited to start working with this community. I have so many ideas but my biggest worry is that I won’t get to check them all off at the end of my two years. Their expectations of me are high but my expectations are much higher. I worry that I will let them down or not live up to their expectations. All they know of Peace Corps is that some other volunteer in some other community was able to bring in money. I worry that they won’t value the educational aspects I can offer and are only seeking material things. They are a motivated group of people and I am eager to start making things happen. The hardest part is gong to be not allowing myself to start projects during the next two months. I have to complete my census and return for two weeks of technical training before I can really dive in. Until then I will just try to be patient and get to know the needs of the community.

One last thing, please do not encourage Ross to continue practicing the art of the sling shot. He may be good with his bow back in Indiana but there is something very different about a sling shot. I’m not sure if it requires a special technique or if Ross is just a little special, but the sling shot is not for him.

-Melissa

As of May 8^th we are officially Peace Corp Volunteers. After two short months of safety, language, technical and cultural classes, training has come to end. We are now living in the site that we will be working in for the next two years.

Currently we live with a family of four women, one of whom is named Conception (no joke) and is a well respected community leader. Although we already have two official counterparts, the local Health Promoter and the Adesco President, I am pretty sure she will become our unofficial third counterpart.

Melissa and I have a bedroom that is roughly 10’x15’ and feels petty much like a jail cell. This morning we had to chase a rat out of our bedroom and every night we are constantly under siege from kamikaze beetles, which often fly directly into our food or the back of our heads. Needless to say…We are currently seeking other housing options. But as for now we are staying put. We think the safest and most effective way to integrate into the community is to be associated with a family. So we will probably be cellmates for probably another month.

While I cannot post the name of our town on my blog (Peace Corps Policy) I can tell you about the area. We live in a rather large casseria of roughly a 1,000 people and 3,000 chickens, give or take. For the most part houses are spread out and sit on plots of land or anywhere from 1-3 acres. It is an agricultural community and the scenery is quite beautiful. We are a 50 minute walk down a dirt road from the closest pueblo. There is no bus that runs between the two. I assume it is because of the road conditions, which are, for the lack of a better word….sucky. Fortunately, there is a short bus (the best kind) that runs from my casseria to the largest city. Although it is much farther than the pueblo it takes less time to get there because of the bus. The city is like any other here in El Salvador and the experience can be summarized with the following words …heat, trash, crowds, fumes and odors. However the city does boast a brand new Pizza Hut and Wendy’s. We visited both on our last trip.

We have lived in our site for a little over a week and have kept rather busy by meeting people an attending community meetings where I usually only know what’s going on about 11% of the time. But even with all those exciting happenings I still get bored. I watch a pirated DVD almost every night but I’m running out of movies. I tried to add to my collection while in the city the other day, but I think the pirates have formed some kind of a labor union in this part of the country. They all want a buck fifty for a movie and won’t settle for anything less. Supply and demand I guess….or maybe just more gringo price gauging…I don’t know, I really didn’t pay attention in econ. class. All I really know is I refuse to pay anything more than a dollar and someone is going to have to give soon and its probably going to be the guy that doesn’t speak Spanish.

In lew of watching a movie the other night I went fishing for tarantulas. I tied the fattest beetle I could find to a piece of dental floss and suspended near the opening of a whole where I had last seen the freakishly large arachnid. It only took about three seconds for him to take the bait. Once he latched on a quickly hoisted him in the air high enough he didn’t dare let go of the beetle. Then I lassoed his leg with another piece of dental floss giving me a tarantula on a leash. I was psyched for the countless hours of entertainment I thought this hairy monster would provide. But I was quite disappointed when he wouldn’t eat any of bugs I offered up. I think he was too traumatized by the whole experience to have an appetite. So I let him go, took a cold bucket bath and went to bed.

Yesterday, in my spare time, I tried to learn how to shoot a sling shot with my 12 year-old neighbor Oscar. Eventually, I hope to be good enough to shoot one of the three- foot iguanas that live in my front yard. I have been told they are delicious.

Before my first shot I watched Oscar smoke a bird perched in a tree at thirty yards and thought….wow….this is going to be really easy. So I lined up for my first attempt and let-er-rip. The rock flung backwards, deflected off the bars of my window into my room and connected with the side Melissa’s head while she was sleeping in a hammock. She wasn’t all that happy with me and I don’t really think she believed my when I told her what had happened. Unfortunately, Melissa’s head would be the only thing I hit all day. After about an hour of countless attempts to hit even the largest of targets, I gave up. I walked away with only the ability to smack my thumb and shoot directly into the ground. O well…. I’ll try again tomorrow.

- Ross

*Please note that we have added direct links to our photo albums on the side bar titled “links.”

*Also, anyone that is planning on sending any sort of package to us in the near future, I would ask for you to please hold off until further notice.  We will be leaving our current location in approximately a week and will provide a new address as soon as possible. If you have recently sent a package, don’t worry, we will get it. The current problem is that we will no longer be trainees in a week, and our mail will not be delivered to us, as it was in training. Once we have become familiar with the workings of the post office in this country, and our location, we will provide you with and address, best method of shipment, etc….

We appreciate your patience and thank you for thinking of us!

-Ross

This is probably my last post for a while. We will find out our permanent site on Wednesday and then just one more week until we move. We don’t know yet what amenities we will have but internet will not be an option. We will most likely have to travel to find an internet café. We will be sure to make a post monthly or more if possible. I love reading letters (I keep them in a scrapbook here) so start writing! They help me when I’m homesick.

I hiked to the top of a volcano! It took five hours to make it to the top and about three to come down. It was harder than I thought and is the most physical work I have ever done in one day. The best part of hiking the volcano is to see the view at the top, no? When we finally made to the top out of breath and drenched in sweat we found clouds instead. We waited for an hour and a half to get a picture but the clouds never let up. Although I was disappointed that there was no view, I was proud of myself for making it to the top. I had exhausted my calves and I had heat rash, but I made it. Going down wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, I was on my butt most of the time anyway. Overall it was a satisfying day and I had the best night of sleep yet.

Chocolate- I love chocolate but the people here don’t eat it and the stores don’t have a good selection. I was ecstatic when I found Hershey kisses at the super selectos but by the time I left the store they were a mush. I decided to freeze them and enjoy them later that evening. I took them out of the freezer at 5pm and by the time I had unwrapped one, they were all liquid. It took me about 20 minutes to scrape the chocolate liquid out of 8 kisses and it was well worth it. Here is a picture of the process.

The cockroach I thought was a rat- Late one evening I returned from my shower to find a monster cockroach in my room. I would have never guessed it was a cockroach from the size of it but my host mom assured me it was. I am getting used to the gigantic spiders and the lizards but this was unbearable. I screamed and danced around until the entire family was at my door. Ross unwillingly smashed it and put me at ease. I found out they get much bigger in the rainy season along with all the other bugs, which begins in less than a month. Here is a picture.

My biggest problem in the last few weeks has been with mosquitoes. Ross can go outside with no repellent and get maybe two or three bites but I can wear two types of repellent and end up with more than fifty. I decided to count them the other day, out of boredom, and I found 89 on both of my ankles and I’m sure I acquired at least 5 in the counting process. So, don’t worry, I am keeping the mosquitoes healthy and satisfied here in El Salvador.

Many people have been asking if they can send us monthly money to help us - but we want to try to do this, for the most part, on our own. You know, get the full experience of living in poverty because college life wasn’t satisfying enough. But we aren’t above accepting packages! This is a list of the things that we can’t find here or that don’t make it on our budget.

-Nalgene bottles

-insect repellent

-wet wipes

- vitamins

-contact solution

-snacks (we miss eating for fun)

-letters (these are my favorite things to receive)

We will update this list when we have a decent supply of one thing or when we are out of something else. Please try to send everything in a padded manila envelope; otherwise it’s hit or miss at customs. Hold off on sending things for the next month because we are in the process of moving and are unsure of our future address. We really appreciate all of your support!

Happy birthday to Ross on Thursday! He will be playing a legit Peace Corps soccer game, which is probably the best present he could ask for, at least in a third world country.

-Mel

There are thousands of street vendors in this country. All claiming their products are of the most essential necessities and one would have to be crazy to not capitalize on the opportunity they are providing. At least thats what I think they are saying.I dont really speak Spanish yet. Anyway, a walk through the market here can be quite an interesting experience. You are surrounded by quality goods such as, counterfeit Lacoste polos, fake Nike shoes, home-made mix tape CDs comprised of illegally downloaded music (because everybody in El Salvador wants to be a DJ) and a million other things that Im pretty sure most gringos would never consider purchasing, sober.

So imagine my surprise while wondering from vendor to vendor when I ran across this once in a lifetime purchase. I immediately asked “cuantos cuesta” for this cultural gem that I just had to have. I was more than excited to pay the ridiculous price of five dollars for something that probably had 35 cents of materials and labor invested in it. Then, I immediately raced home to strip my old wallet of all its possession and meticulously and ceremonially place each item into its new home.

Seriously….look at this thing. With fine craftsmanship and a color scheme fit for a king, this wallet demands respect with every purchase. I have never been more proud to pay that one dollar for a pirated DVD, which by the way are sold on about every street corner in El Salvador

FYI… my collection now bosts seven flicks and features titles such as “I am Legend,” “300” and “27 dresses.” All of which are of DVD quality and were purchased legally (on my part) for only a dollar. “27 Dresses” was of course purchased for the viewing pleasure of my wife. Would a guy with a wallet like this watch a movie like 27 Dresses? Nope. (It was actually a fairly entertaining movie) 

Alright, back to the wallet. With out a doubt in my mind, I can make this claim. Nothing I have done to this point, not the Spanish classes or even my attendance at cultural events, has allowed me to better understand, or adapt to, the culture here in El Salvador than the purchase of this wallet. I owe many thanks to the artisan that hand-crafted this Amazing Technicolor Dreamwallet. Wherever you are…Thank you!

About two weeks ago I decided to switch work programs from Municipal Development to Rural Health. Unfortunately this decision pretty much seals the deal that we will have no running water, air conditioning, internet or cable television for the next two years. All of which were possibilities, had I stayed in the Municipal Development program.

The major difference in the two programs is location. Municipal Development volunteers are usually located in pueblos that have electricity, running water and many times cable television and internet access. As Rural Health volunteers, we will more than likely be living in “el campo” (the country side) and only have electricity. However, there are always exceptions.

As far as the Rural Health project situation goes, it is completely up in the air, as it was for Municipal Development. From what I can tell there are two major factors that shape volunteer work here in El Salvador, community need and personal preference. Both programs use grass roots development techniques to implement sustainable community projects.

For those of you wondering why I made this switch, here is my reasoning. Peace Corps was having trouble finding a location that met the needs of a Rural Health volunteer and a Municipal Development volunteer. It was looking as though either Melissa or I was going to have to live in one community and work in another. This option is feasible however it is not all that appealing. We both feel that to be a successful volunteer you should live in the community in which you work. So with that mindset, I made the decision to switch to the Rural Health program. A decision I may regret the first time I find a scorpion in my latrine.

-Ross