The Campo and the Capital

I went hiking up the volcano in my backyard the day after I got here with 5 kids from my village One of them told me how his uncle was killed at the bus stop just down the road last month. My favorite of the group, Luis, is 10 but is small enough to pass for a 6 year old. A lot of kids here are malnourished. With a quick boost from standing on my shoulders, he can hop up into a mango tree and shake down about a half dozen of them quicker than I can spot them all. I´m not nearly as agile as he is, so my preferred method is tossing rocks to knock them down. Target practice, with rich rewards for good aim. A lot of my clothes have orange stains on them now. Besides kicking it with the kids, I´ve spent most of my time meeting people. It doesn´t really sound like hard work, but speaking Spanish alone can be tough depending on who I´m talking with and how many teeth they have left, and trying to make a good impression, remember names, explain who I am and what Peace Corps is, and try to find my way around the cobblestone maze of paths in the village takes a lot of energy. So far I´ve met with the school director and some of the teachers, the local health promoters, a few members from the rural community board, and stopped by about 50 of the 500 houses in the village to talk with people. I´ve still got to make it to the police station and the mayor´s office in the pueblo down the road and I´d like to meet at least another 50 families in the next month. Despite my borderline celebrity status as the new gringo in town, most people just stare at me with their mouths open when they see me. Stopping by their houses, asking about their families and listening to what they have to say for a bit goes a long way. It helps them feel more comfortable with me, and vice versa.

...........

I used to despise pop music from the States. Last night I was at a club in the capital and I got so excited I almost started jumping up and down when I heard Alicia Keys belting out "Neewwwww York." Well, not really, but I thorougly enjoyed it.

Making it the capital once every few weeks is a way to stay sane. I like my village so far, but it wears on me sometimes. There are a lot of expectations, hopes and requests and as much as I want to be able to do everything, it´s exhausting trying to keep up. I´m also still getting used to the quirks of life in a village here in El Salvador. I know some of you will think "uhh... aren´t from Kansas?" but I feel more comfortable in the city where I can blend in a bit more and have a break from being the resident gringo. It´s a vastly different life for a lot of people in the capital. I´ve made some Salvadoran friends from the capital who´ve gone to college, have cars, go out to clubs, like drinking a beer with dinner.... things you don´t really see much in the campo. Every time I´ve gone out, I´ve ran into people from a country other than the US who speak English. So far I´ve met people there from Denmark, Japan, Canada and Algeria. I can´t really afford it on the Peace Corps budget but I´m already looking forward to the next time I can make it back to relax for a night.