A Brave New World
Hola!
And so on June 8th I left for a Brave New World. A combination of fatigue and excitement filled my body I remember. By the time I had reach El Salvador, I had been awake for close to 24 hours, I, along with the rest of us, a total of 27 souls had these haggard looks on our faces which could be mistaken for madness, as ours eyes bulged from our sockets and teeth peered through our maniacal grin as we landed at the capital, San Salvador.
Originally, there were 28 of us, a man by the name of Colin, who decided at the airport that he could not continue the journey with us, abruptly left. It was a decision only he could understand, but the reasons where well inside our own minds. I cannot help but feel the need to include him here early on, since he was part of the original group.
Life here in El Salvador has been non-stop. It is only now, in a small city in El Salvador, Guadalupe, that I finally have time to share some of my exploits. To begin, we arrived in El Salvador on June 8th, about 12pm (11 am your time). We were quickly were round up by Peace Corps staff and taken through customs. PC staff are an amazing ensemble of characters, boisterous, confident, and amiable. They quickly made us feel welcomed and were prompt getting us out of the airport, and piled into an old battered bus, which I think now was rented by Peace Corps, because I have not heard about nor seen it since. The first thing you notice about El Salvador is the humidity. It is very humid right now, and apparently this is the coolest time of year. I have to take two showers a day, which really is pointless because you are literally drenched in sweat right after,
On the first day, because of sheer exhaustion I began to hallucinate and doze in between information sessions, so really, what happened on that first day is scattered. I remember the bus took us outside San Salvador to a city called San Viciente. The view is such a marvel to me, a far cry from what I expected and from what certain people made me believe El Salvador would look like, of which I will not share, but you know who you are. The drive to San Viciente was a serene display of sugar cane, foliage, and mountain ranges far off in the distance. The sheer greenery of this place is amazing; I can’t help but feel like Jurassic Park is such a short bus ride away. The city of San Viciente, at first glance would remind you of Mexico, it is densely packed with awkward sidewalks, busy streets, and of course, short little brown people speaking Spanish. But I am quickly learning it is only because I am referencing something familiar with something unfamiliar…to make familiar. I’ve kept this to myself, but would like to share it with you.
The Peace Corps compound, which is actually quite large, accommodated our luggage and all 27 bodies as comfortable as could be, given the lethargy and humidity of El Salvador. It was here that we were given introductions and safety information, and of course dinner: pupusas. After that we all walked to our hotel and reported back to the compound the next day. The rest are formalities, but as of today I am living with my host family is Guadalupe, where I will be for the next 3 months during my training. I want to dedicate a whole email to this experience, and will save it for next time.
I have pictures to share soon!
Some interesting things I have learned so far:
· chu chu is slang for dogs
· tacos is slang for shoes used to play soccer
· Things are damn cheap over here.
· Cojer apparently is a sexual term…which, by the way, is one of many words that I am using wrong. Apparently I’m a perv in Spanish as well, but I didn’t even know it. But I have been corrected
· Vale is not a term used here, but I still use it, haha
· In fact, no Castillian phrases translate
· This goes for some Mexican as well
· I swear if I here “Gasolina” one more time…
· I’m damn tired
And so on June 8th I left for a Brave New World. A combination of fatigue and excitement filled my body I remember. By the time I had reach El Salvador, I had been awake for close to 24 hours, I, along with the rest of us, a total of 27 souls had these haggard looks on our faces which could be mistaken for madness, as ours eyes bulged from our sockets and teeth peered through our maniacal grin as we landed at the capital, San Salvador.
Originally, there were 28 of us, a man by the name of Colin, who decided at the airport that he could not continue the journey with us, abruptly left. It was a decision only he could understand, but the reasons where well inside our own minds. I cannot help but feel the need to include him here early on, since he was part of the original group.
Life here in El Salvador has been non-stop. It is only now, in a small city in El Salvador, Guadalupe, that I finally have time to share some of my exploits. To begin, we arrived in El Salvador on June 8th, about 12pm (11 am your time). We were quickly were round up by Peace Corps staff and taken through customs. PC staff are an amazing ensemble of characters, boisterous, confident, and amiable. They quickly made us feel welcomed and were prompt getting us out of the airport, and piled into an old battered bus, which I think now was rented by Peace Corps, because I have not heard about nor seen it since. The first thing you notice about El Salvador is the humidity. It is very humid right now, and apparently this is the coolest time of year. I have to take two showers a day, which really is pointless because you are literally drenched in sweat right after,
On the first day, because of sheer exhaustion I began to hallucinate and doze in between information sessions, so really, what happened on that first day is scattered. I remember the bus took us outside San Salvador to a city called San Viciente. The view is such a marvel to me, a far cry from what I expected and from what certain people made me believe El Salvador would look like, of which I will not share, but you know who you are. The drive to San Viciente was a serene display of sugar cane, foliage, and mountain ranges far off in the distance. The sheer greenery of this place is amazing; I can’t help but feel like Jurassic Park is such a short bus ride away. The city of San Viciente, at first glance would remind you of Mexico, it is densely packed with awkward sidewalks, busy streets, and of course, short little brown people speaking Spanish. But I am quickly learning it is only because I am referencing something familiar with something unfamiliar…to make familiar. I’ve kept this to myself, but would like to share it with you.
The Peace Corps compound, which is actually quite large, accommodated our luggage and all 27 bodies as comfortable as could be, given the lethargy and humidity of El Salvador. It was here that we were given introductions and safety information, and of course dinner: pupusas. After that we all walked to our hotel and reported back to the compound the next day. The rest are formalities, but as of today I am living with my host family is Guadalupe, where I will be for the next 3 months during my training. I want to dedicate a whole email to this experience, and will save it for next time.
I have pictures to share soon!
Some interesting things I have learned so far:
· chu chu is slang for dogs
· tacos is slang for shoes used to play soccer
· Things are damn cheap over here.
· Cojer apparently is a sexual term…which, by the way, is one of many words that I am using wrong. Apparently I’m a perv in Spanish as well, but I didn’t even know it. But I have been corrected
· Vale is not a term used here, but I still use it, haha
· In fact, no Castillian phrases translate
· This goes for some Mexican as well
· I swear if I here “Gasolina” one more time…
· I’m damn tired
2 Comments:
Well son, this doesn't look all that hard.
Dinner.....wine. And a disco??
You realise I had to make up some blog thingy. God only knows if I did it right. Otherwise, if you hear a bunch of CH-56's whirling above your location...just wave them off. Whatever you do...DON'T POINT!!
Glad everything is going well. And thanks ever so much for giving us all a place to SEND you stuff.
Sheeesh, thousands of miles away....and still he...
Thanks for the phone call on fathers days, even if you did talk to mom longer. Well I better stop casue my boss might come in anytime. hasta la pasta.
Dad.
Rich, wow this is such a great site. I love the journal style on your site. I was talking to your Dad this weekend and he gave me your email address and your website. Take care I will talk to you soon.
Melissa Crisanto
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