El Salvador - Baha'i Year of Service

3/4 Year of Service

2010-06-27T16:10:00.001-06:00

Hello all! Today is my last day in El Salvador. While I don't resume my studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks until September, I've had other commitments which beckon me home. My birthday is in July and I can't wait to spent that special day with my family. It will be a time to remember all they have given me. Then I begin this amazing job as a resident assistant at a science camp in the middle of that same month.

Thank you to all my readers who have been here with me since the beginning, as well as to those who recently found this site. I may blog several more times after this. The past two weeks my mind has been rather occupied. I am happy to announce I've been able to say bye to everyone in Olocuilta, Chalatenango, and tonight is my going away party in Santa Elena (people from Santa Tecla will come too!) A new youth also arrived last Monday from the US. She'll be staying with my current roommate and I'll miss our silly chats about everything, from the lives of historical Baha'is to how much we love pupusas!

I realize I don't understand a lot of what goes on here in the country. My Spanish is ¨muy¨ better, but many things about the culture still confuse me. With confidence, I say the richness of this experience will accompany me through my life. What may seem blurry right now will surely clear out in the future. My gratitude is for this chance to travel to a developing country and give this short moment of my youthful years to the people here :)

Me with 3rd grade (above) and my last 19 day feast night in Santa Tecla (bottom)

A Typical Day

2010-05-31T16:02:00.000-06:00

The sun has begun to rise and my cell phone wakes me up. It's 6am and my cold shower feels amazing - when it's over. I've fallen down the wooden stairs before, so I take them slowly now. I enter our little kitchen area. The new faucet in the kitchen sink looks pretty and is a relief; two weeks ago we had water problems.

It's now about 7am as we walk the 4 blocks to the park where we catch the bus. We pass by two panaderias (pastry shops), a pharmacy and other smalls stores as we walk across the cracked concrete walkway. I try my best to ignore the comments men make when we pass. I prefer my early days here when I couldn't understand what they said. After crossing three streets with fast buses and cars and no traffic lights, we reach parque Daniel Hernandez. Our little bus, like the others, don't run by a set schedule. Somedays we barely have to wait, other times for almost 30 minutes. Riding the buses here also means sometimes you only find standing room and hopes of personal space should be quickly forgotten.

This is my favorite part of the day, as we pass all the beautiful scenery. I'm slowly waking up and mentally preparing for the Colegio. After 20 minutes we arrive in the small residency of Las Moritas. We stop right in front of the school, with its mural painted on the outside walls. We ring the bell and the young woman who works in the kitchen opens the door. The classrooms have open walls facing the hallway, so we wave at the students as we pass by. Our desk is small and in the library. The work is about to begin.

First on the list is kinder. They jump out of their seats and give me a group hug. Since they are so short, I have to be careful they don't push me over, with all them squeezing my legs! They are taught songs, colors and that sort of thing. Next is first grade. They are the ones who always fight and misbehave and perhaps have taught me the greatest lessons in love and patience. Besides grades 1-5, we have preparatoria in the morning as well, the grade between kinder and 1st.

They have recesses during the day and a snack, but they don't have a formal lunch. Grades K-3 get out at varying times around midday and 4th &5th arrive at 12:30pm and study until 4:30pm. One of my favorite memories is when we didn't give classes in the afternoon because the kids were in the library watching a soccer match! Since the World Cup, ¨Mundial¨, is almost beginning I can't go anywhere without seeing a FIFA sign or hearing ¨Waving Flag¨ and ¨Waka Waka¨ on the radio.

Even though our day usually ends at 1:30pm, we started giving English lessons to youth and community members from 1:30pm - 3:00pm several weeks ago. After about 3 months of this, 2 being only me teaching the kids, I burnt out. On top of my teaching concerns, a close friend of mine here died and his illness and tragedy shook me completely and profoundly. This exhaustion was devastating, especially since after my accident I've had to watch my health and pace myself more. Luckily, my roommate had already been here for a month and was able to take over the classes with the children. I've been teaching only the class to the community lately and resting, which has been wonderful.

Through my tears and frustrations here I'm learning the truth of working conditions in developing countries. As pointed out to me by a good friend, most of us in the US aren't used to demanding physical labor. As Baha'u'llah says, mankind is meant to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. In the US we are still progressing and much work is to be done, but I believe we are definitely more developed in terms of matieral possession and civil rights. It's a confusing mess, thinking of how to improve the world, but I know I'll be able to use and make more sense of my experiences here as my life goes on. And I am continually more thankful for my life and this precious time to serve others.

Favorite Quotes

2010-05-06T19:38:00.000-06:00

And here are a collection of quotes from the Baha'i Writings that have helped me a lot this past year. The first set is written by the prophet/founder Baha'u'llah and the second set by His son 'Abdu'l-Baha. Their names are in arabic and mean The Glory of God and The Servant of Baha (glory) respectively.

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¨O Son of Man! Should prosperity befall thee, rejoice not, and should abasement come upon thee, grieve not, for both shall pass away and be no more.¨

¨Be generous in prosperity and thankful in adversity...¨

¨Armed with the power of Thy name nothing can ever hurt me, and with Thy love in my heart all the world's afflictions can in no wise alarm me.¨ http://vimeo.com/2228238

¨One hour's reflection is preferrable to seventy years of pious worship.¨

¨It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but rather for him who loveth the whole world. The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens.¨

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¨Men who suffer not attain no perfection.¨

¨In accordance with the Divine Teachings, the acquisition of sciences and the perfection of arts is considered as acts of worship.¨

¨Beware lest ye harm any soul, or make any heart to sorrow...be he known to you or a stranger...¨

Art Festival

2010-05-05T19:20:00.000-06:00

At the Colegio, the students had a day of plays, singing and dancing! I really don't have many words to describe how adorable the whole show was, so here are a few pictures!

Princesses and Wheels on the Bus

Giraffes, bears, mice and flowers

! Feliz Naw-Ruz !

2010-04-08T17:23:00.000-06:00

How can I begin? This past month was crammed full of extraordinary moments, as well as welcomed days of leisure. Mostly, the reason I haven't blogged in awhile is that I was busy moving...yes, again. But the little apartment I'm now in with my new Canadian roommate will be my last house here. I've adored traveling around the country and staying in many different places, but it'll be nice to settle down, so to speak.

My new roomie and I laugh with great frequency together. Especially about each other's English, mostly mine since it comes out funny often. One cannot notice here, because I can edit my words as I go, but after hearing mostly Spanish for over 6 months, certain connections start to go! Now it feels like I'm not quite proficient in either language, but I can transition between the two well.

Naw-Ruz is both the Persian and Baha'i new year, celebrated on March 21. This year marked the 70th anniversary of the Faith in El Salvador. The story goes that a 17 year-old youth arrived here from the states and he was the only Baha'i here. In this short time later, there are members of my religion spread across the country, from different backgrounds and all strata of society. Therefore, the celebration this year was made a country-wide festivity. Over 900 names were on the guest list, thought I still have to confirm the actual number of community attendees and their guests. It was held at a children's museum, named Tin Marin. I'll post pictures here when I get more time online.

Our apartment is extremely modest, compared to Fairbanks standards. The carved wooden door to our entrance has a metal frame outside, we lock both when leaving the house. The downstairs has a small living room, dining area and kitchen. People still mostly use gas to cook here. Upstairs are the three small rooms and bathroom. We wash our clothes in the pila outside and the water pressure has it's own way of coming and going. But I'm enchanted with ¨la casita mia¨. It's a dose of independence I've never had before! I'm SLOWLY learning how to cook. Still can't get over why I can do chemisty lab experiments but appear to be inept at kitchen creations.

I have so many more precious stories about my time teaching at the school as well. But alas, I must be going. It's getting dark, so I should be heading home from this internet cafe. Hasta luego!

Ayyam-i-Ha and Fast

2010-03-05T20:42:00.002-06:00

One can think of the 4 or 5 day celebration of Ayyam-i-Ha as like an extended Christmas. We give gifts to family and friends, but also host get-togethers, all in good cheer. I spent two nights at a cafe owned by a group of Baha'is, named Guilindujes. On the first night, a Garifuna (ethnic group of Central America) ensemble performed for us, it was amazing! So the second evening I made a point to talk to the same guests. The first man I introduced myself to also spoke English and gifted me a necklace! Later, when the band came over to our tables with drums, a grandma invited me to dance with her and that's how the party really got started!

Now is the 19 day Baha'i month of fasting; no food or drink from sunrise to sunset. (In Alaska this is set to 6am to 6pm for obvious reason.) I haven't been able to observe the fast since my near-fatal accident 3.5 years ago. I hope to have the opportunity again one day. But in the same spirit of renunciation of self, I have personally decided to go the 19 days without eating chocolate or drinking coffee. It's harder for me than it sounds. For exmaple, yesterday I went to the supermarket and absent-mindedly bought myself a nutella and strawberry crepe to-go. Halfway through my walk home I realized I was carrying chocolate-containing food. So I gave it to my host sister.

We certainly do live in a materialistic society and here I'm trying more and more to generate my happiness from other sources, like my service. Speaking of which, today a student at the Colegio put a paper crown on my head, then two little girls bowed to me saying ¨your majesty¨.

On Religion

2010-02-22T12:50:00.000-06:00

Dear Reader,

Up until this point I haven't directly said much about my religion. I did this out of respect as I know we live in a society that allows differences of religion to cause tension. However, my faith is something I'd like to share with the whole world. It has also come to my attention, with the trial of 7 Baha'i leaders in Iran underway, that now is the time to addresses this question: What is the Baha'i Faith?

Of all the independent world religions, the Baha'i Faith is the youngest and second-most widespread. Originating in Iran in 1844, it has brought together people from diverse backgrounds. As Christians follow Christ, Baha'is are followers of Baha'u'llah, a Persian nobleman who lived in the 19th century. We believe His teachings will bring about the promised age of peace on earth, but we all must work towards that. We recognize the fundamental unity of all the great religions and the prophets as reflecting the same light of one God.

That's my little introductory blurb for now! The international website is www.bahai.org, viewable in many languages. The Baha'i Writings are available for anyone to read there as well. And, if you have not seen photos of the Baha'i World Center in Haifa, Israel, I encourage you to google some! I'm looking forward to the day I can make my pilgrimage there and see the gardens on Mount Carmel myself.

Thank you for joining my effort to promote knowledge and peace,
Sigourney

Education and Learning

2010-02-05T12:00:00.001-06:00

One morning recently, a marvelous thing happened. I woke up with a profound sense of belonging. I felt like I was adjusting well to my new home and work. A welcoming peace was about me as I arose out of bed. Not a few minutes later, I go to put on my shoes and discover a dead cockroach in one of them. Yuck. So that's how my existence here is, always something new!

At the school, the kids really like playing ¨duck duck goose¨. We play games sometimes, I like to think of them as a fun orientation to practical applications of English! However, my first grade is on probation, as I like to think of it. They have been misbehaving, throwing paper on the floor, bickering with each other, etc. I've had to shout at them, which puts me really out of my element. In that class this week, I had them take notes a lot, but we still got to sing songs.

For all of their antics, they are so endearing. Once, a group of about 15 greeted me as I entered the school, all swarming around me in a big group hug! I have a small desk in the library/computer room. The computers are old and without internet. The school itself is colorful and lively, made of modest materials and a simple metal roof. There are 5 classrooms. Between kinder and first grade is a level called prepa. In the mornings the other two rooms host 2nd and 3rd, and in the afternoon 4th and 5th grades.

Oh, and I've been meaning to say that Oscar is a common boys name here. At first, with my Sesame Street up-bringing I couldn't get the image of a garbage can out of my mind. And those with that name have all been very charming and nice :) Rene is also a boys name, took me a few weeks to get used to that.
All for now! Ciao!

4 Months...wow

2010-01-25T19:29:00.004-06:00

The short of the story is that yes, I'm finally teaching English classes at Colegio Ridvan. I have 7 classes each day and 131 students My service there is exhausting, but so rewarding. My teaching helps me delve into my creativity more as well. Most everyday I have Itsy Bitsy Spider or a similar song in my head after classes!

I've moved, again. Now living in a very nice community called Santa Elena, near the capital. I've enjoyed my travels, but being back to a daily schedule has its perks as well. The school is about a 40 minute bus ride away and in a poor area. The contrast doesn't shock me as much as before. I'm glad to be able to educate some children there, I believe learning brings its own wealth and prosperity.

Tried a new fruit today called marañon japones. They look like chili pepper-shaped apples. The seed inside looks like a brain and I'm glad it's not customary to eat it! Can't shake my addiction to the pupusas here, at the school I get to eat them as a snack every morning! More about the kids and food later.

La Escuela de Verano and Mourning

2010-01-10T18:37:00.012-06:00

I walked through the gates of the Baha'i Institute to find large groups of people sitting in lawnchairs. The sun was brilliant and welcoming as I reuinted with my roommate and sat with one group of adults. For the children, the ¨summer school¨ was a time of learning about virtues through the arts. Youth and adults participated in what was more of a conference-style series of workshops and discussions.

A highlight of the 3-day summer school, for me, was being able to see the friends I had met from Chalatenango and San Salvador again. In that short time period, 273 people were in attendance. Some who lived close commuted in the morning and night. Others visited for only a day. There was a dormitory for girls, one for guys or the various tents set up about the lawn for those who could stay the whole weekend.

On the closing day, we watched a video about the 41 Baha'i conferences that had taken place around the world last year. Anyone interested can see the video here - http://www.bahai.org/arising/. Some of the locations were familiar, like LA in the US, Sydney in Australia, and Madrid in Spain. Other cities I had never heard of before such as Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, Padua in Italy, and Lusaka in Zambia.

Needless to say, I arrived back in the town of Olocuilta inspired and joyful. However, an emergency had occurred. The father of my host family lost his nephew in what was a tragic situation. I won't go into details, but I do want to share the tremendous spirit of the family and the culture of funerals here.

Some of the young man's family had been visiting for the holidays, but it seemed like all the aunts, uncles, brothers and relatives arrived for the funeral. While the members of the extended family are from different faiths, the process of burial is Catholic. In the house of the grandmother, the furniture was moved and the walls of the livingroom were made bare. The day I learned to make tamales, the casket arrived and mourners came to say prayers. The large gathering sat in the room with the body the entire night, til dawn. The 200 tamales, sweet bread and coffee were served to all.

The following day, I was in the crowd of at least 100 people who walked, en masse, to the cemetary. I can't explain how that felt. Even those who were working in the shops along the way stepped out to show their respect. The cemetary, like the one I saw in Guatemala, was filled with colors. Definitely nothing dark or gloomy.

Now, and until 9 days after the body was laid to rest, people come to the house in the afternoon to say the rosary. Along one wall is set the nephew's photograph encircled by flowers, reaching from the floor to eye level. There are also several tall candles that burn almost continuously. While I've seen many pained faces and tears, the atmosphere consists more of love and a quiet acceptance.

The new news of my service is that I'm moving on Tuesday to live near the capital. I'll travel in the mornings to teach English classes at Colegio Ridvan. The word ¨ridvan¨ means paradise and it is a Baha'i-inspired school with about 100 students from kinder to fifth year. I'm excited and hopeful for this opportunity, but sad to leave this community just when I felt such a part of the life here. The good thing is I can always visit here on weekends. El Salvador is a small country; travel is no 7 hour drive to Anchorage!

Feliz Año Nuevo

2010-01-01T12:10:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year!!! (I have to say, however, that this is only my first new year of 2010. Baha'is have another calendar which begins each year on March 21.) Last night, I was awoken from my dinnertime nap by the noises of fireworks. I don't think I could have slept past 12:00am if I tried! The streets were filled with smoke and the laughter of children. People set off fireworks, sprinklers, etc. on the roads near their houses. There is definitely a different culture of safety here, but I've only seen 2 slightly burnt fingers. Oh, and I've got a slight cold. So I'm resting before I travel to the Baha'i summer school, which started today and will continue to the 3rd.

I've recently moved to another family's house here in Olocuilta. Their last name is Salvador, which is actually a common name here. My roommate is elsewhere preparing for her trip back home to Australia, so I'm more or less by myself now. But it's a great opportunity to learn more Spanish!

Recently, I met two other girls who where visiting the country. They had completed their year of service at the Baha'i school, Colegio Ridvan, some time ago. One was from Canada and the other from the US. Both had been planning their return to El Salvador before they even left! It was a nice glimpse of what it will be like for me in the future; the friendships I make here will last a long time.

Diversity is something very important to me and I know we could all do more to embrace our differences. Here, I've been exposed to situations my life at home hadn't yet educated me about. Frequently, I'm in the company of two children, one is autistic and the other mute. Right now, I'm at a loss of words to describe how harmonious the kids play and interact together. Even during times when the ugliness of the world appears in their lives, they take it with a rare maturity. Yet, I know the children I'm talking about have been blessed with loving families and this is not the case for many children here.

On a lighter note, we were watching the History Channel and it was talking about Fairbanks! In Spanish! That was a nice little treat. Okay, que te vaya bien, hope all goes well for you guys!

Guatemala and Other Service Adventures

2009-12-14T00:27:00.006-06:00

I taught the majority of a childrens´ class this week! Our virtue of the day was service. After a prayer and short discussion of the meaning of the theme, I helped the children memorize a quote and sing a song (in Spanish). I also read a story to them that demonstrated an example of ¨servicio¨. We end each class with something artistic, usually drawing = so cute!

My usual week here consists of a childrens´ class, multi-faith devotional meetings, two English and virtues classes with local youth and study circles. Baha´is all over the world provide these services to whomever is interested.

Plus, as you may see, I´ve recently been spending time traveling to other parts of El Salvador to teach my faith. During my conversations with people, an attidude of sharing is emphasized. I am not here to preach to people, but to share a message I love dearly. I like this simple, easy-going approach and being able to aquaint myself with amazing people, both of my religion and not.

My roomie, a family from Olocuilta, and I traveled to Guatemala last week. After 5 different buses and 15 hours we arrived in the city of Cobán. I met a lady who had moved there from California 30-some years ago. She had white skin, like my mom, and blue eyes as well. The host family we stayed with looked like my cousins from my dad´s side of the family. I like these reminders of my family a lot and it further demonstrates the unity of mankind. Some women of Cobán wear their traditional blouses and skirts. It was neat to see the mix of old culture and modern clothing walking side by side in the streets. When we visited the Baha´i Center, I could see some beautiful houses of many colors on the hillside. In my mind I thought, ¨Wow, I want to live in one of those houses.¨ Turns out, it was a cemetary...oops.

My new camera was delivered to me by a gracious friend from Fairbanks, who visits the country frequently. A part of me is happy, but it´s also difficult to find joy in such things when you walk in poverty. There are so many beautiful things about life here, but much sadness as well. And I know I´ve just begun to learn about the least of it. I am so lucky and my duty is to share what I was so fortunate to have been given. Love is all around me, but there is a large part of me that can´t rest while there is such injustice in the world.

And please post a comment if you´d like to know more about a certain aspect of my service. My hope is to share positive international news, but also portray as realistic as possible the conditions of life in this country. Hasta luego, adios.

San Juan Tepezontes, La Esperanza and more!

2009-12-02T21:40:00.006-06:00

Right now, I'm happy to just be sitting in a chair. That being said, I've been able to visit more of the area around Olocuilta, by bus some of the time, but mostly by foot. My expeditions began this past Sunday. A group of us took a bus to San Juan Tepezontes, which is about 50 minutes up the mountain. After I got off the bus, I was told we'd be taking a walk. Now this meant hiking down a cobblestone and dirt road about three kilometers in the sun while I was wearing flip flops. Truely not complaining, because the scenery was amazing! And when we arrived in the town of La Esperanza, the people I visited made the journey worth it. I'm getting to where I can better understand the Spanish of children. At one home, I sat near a grandma whose grandson was on the other side of her. He kept trying to poke me with a balloon on a stick, until it popped in his face, then I decided to sit next to him and we chatted for a bit.

Earlier today, we took a much longer hike to a place I forget the name of. The journey went someting like this: walking along the highway, up a hillside, through a little residency, down a dirt path to the edge of trees, down through the trees to a river, along the river rocks, and finally arrived at a little house in the middle of paradise, or so I'm going to call it. All of this took 3 hours. I made this journey with two Baha'i families I met here. Some of their kids navigated the trails effortlessly and inspired me to get into better shape! The little house turned out to be a place where water was filtered and stored. I'm getting better at transitioning between places with running water and without. If I haven't mentioned already, you generally can't flush toilet paper in the country. It's deposited in a wastebasket instead.

There's a whole list of little things such as these I've become more or less acclimated to. Up until recently, I always wondered if I had changed. I kept thinking, "Okay, if i go home now, will anyone notice anything different about me?" Today, I stopped trying to look at things that way. Perhaps this is not the time for such a question. Currently, I'm focusing on taking it all in. The ups and downs of adjusting to a new culture and life are just a part of the process. The main point is that I'm dedicating a year of my life to helping other people. Whether things go as planned or not, it is nice to know I have another life in Alaska awaiting my return.

Chalatenango

2009-11-20T23:08:00.006-06:00

Oh wow, November is almost over! In synopsis, there have been additional festivities, lots of rain, and a new adventure north. At the beginning of the month were celebrations of both the Day of the Pupusa and the Day of the Dead. For the first, one can only guess what I ate for breakfast :) And the for the latter, as is common in many other countries, people eat sweetened pumpkin, called ¨ayote¨ here. I didn’t visit any graveyards and it was explained to me that only those with buried relatives do so.

A couple weeks ago was a time of massive rainfall, landslides, and other catastrophic consequences throughout the country. In our area the internet was out until today and the water main still isn’t functioning. This is nothing compared to all those who lost their lives, are homeless or missing. Never before had I seen so much rain or evenings of constant thunder and lightning. Usually, it is supposed to be transitioning into summer during this month. Ironically, right before this all happened we had taught the students of our English and virtues classes the phrase ¨it’s raining cats and dogs¨.

The northern part of the country didn’t have as much rain damage. I traveled there to a province/district named Chalatenango for several days last week and again for the earlier part of this week. It was one of the most amazing times, mostly because of the location of the Baha´i Center. It’s in a neighborhood with bunches of the cutest children, playing soccer in the street, arguing about the number of stars in the sky and making fun of each other. The couple who live at the center are Honduran and have a son, who’s now 1 year old! His birthday party was last Saturday and it was so entertaining watching him improve his art of walking. One of the few words he can say is ¨agua¨ and likes waddling up to people, trying to drink out of their glasses, haha! I also met a few youth who had recently accepted the message of our faith and it was inspiring to speak with them.

When I stop to think about it, I realize I’m not in Alaska. Other times, like today, I spend hours listening to songs that immerse me in memories of home. While I firmly believe people are essentially the same wherever you travel, I’ll take this moment to highlight the different lifestyle here. Firstly, people don’t heat their homes. Okay, that seems like a given, but I was really taken aback during my first few weeks, always looking for base-board heaters. Markets are set up mostly every day on the streets and common beverages you can buy there are coconut juice and ¨horchata¨, made from seeds = amazing! The most common bumper sticker I see, other than ¨Jesucristo vive¨, is ¨Guarde su distancia¨ meaning keep your distance. I’ve now gotten to the point where if I go a whole afternoon without hearing Reggaeton, I go into withdraws. Water is another topic of curiosity. Tap water can’t be ingested and everyone uses blue plastic jugs to dispense water, like the kind commonly found in business offices. Houses also have ¨pilas¨ which are large concrete basins from the floor to about waist-height. My roommate saved me from the mistake of drinking from it, as this water is normally used to wash clothes and such. Oh, and the bus ride from Olocuilta (south) to the city of Chalatenango (north) cost only $1.43 plus a $3.00 cab ride in the capital. And yes, they use U.S. dollars here, lucky me.

Since I’m not sure how the internet situation will be, thought I’d fill you in all at once. My closing thoughts of the evening are of inspiration and the joy of experiencing different cultures. I recognize that I’m fortunate to have a home to return to. My roots and a large part of my identity will always remain with Fairbanks. Nevertheless, living in El Salvador feels completely normal and it’s nice to know that every place in the world is encircled by beauty. My time abroad is filled with many new events, but more so of moments where I’m reconnected with who I am. This place affirms that the entire world can be your home and that there is always more to learn. It’s not always happy or easy, but the value is in the power to grow, adapt, and change.

Cuidate, take care!

Que Vida la Mia

2009-11-03T21:27:00.004-06:00

What life of mine!

Since my last post I´ve come to realize that I find much happiness in music. However, on Halloween night, a bunch of people decided to have a get-together down the street. Yes, that´s right, again I was serenaded til the wee hours of the morning. I would have joined the festivities, but I had returned to Olocuilta that afternoon from another brief trip to San Salvador. So I was tired. It was a whole new experience hearing ¨Girls just wanna have fun¨ on my costume-less October 31st!

As far as new service projects go, we´ve started a Children´s Class. This consists of singing songs, virtues, and art projects. What´s interesting to note is how the kids were invited to the class. I first met these siblings when they were begging outside of our house. Later, our host had the idea to extend some hospitality to them. So it´s a happy ending to one of the grimmer aspects of life here. And only recently did we successfully stop them from showing up at our gate at 7am and yelling ¨BUENAS¨ at the top of their lungs :) They´re precious.

I also got to visit Colegio Ridvan last week. It is the school I was intended to serve at before my plans changed. About 100 children go there and they are all the sweetest people you´ve seen! My roommate used to teach there for several months, so when she stepped through the door, she was greeted by a mass of exuberant kiddos. What a rockstar moment! They were all so happy and school was so colorful. An outside wall even had a mural on it, que bonita la pared!

My time here has been such a wonderful education already. For now, I´m dedicated to seek out what I find truely matters in life. University is great, for sure, but it´s nice to take some time off work and school. Learning doesn´t occur only in the classroom and I whole-heartedly encourage any student to seize an opportunity like this.

Temporary Residency

2009-10-22T22:27:00.004-06:00

After a little quest in the land of paperwork mishaps, I´m now officially a temporary resident of El Salvador! Since I´ve spent the past week on this project, I´ve been staying in Santa Tecla and will return to Olocuilta tomorrow morning.

When I arrived here last Saturday, we had a devotional meeting/fundraiser. The event was held at the Baha´i Center that evening. As it is perpetually summer here, the prayers and songs were recited outside. They were so beautiful! These devotions were said for a group of Baha´is who are imprisoned, soley for their beliefs, in Iran and the date of their trial is soon. The fundraiser side of things was for the community of El Salvador, in general. Wonderful food was served and people made donations. All the while there was more music and I met such lively people.

My religion also has its own calendar, where each month spans 19 days. At the start of the new month we get together for a Feast. The one I attended earlier this week was another opportunity for me to meet more blessed people. During the devotions I read a short passage, in Spanish nonetheless, for a group of no less than 30 people. What an accomplishment in my bilingual studies! I may have not made any grand mistakes at that gathering, but I´ve sure said some funny things in my attempts to communicate. For instance, I once tried to say 'I am going to like the children' and it came out 'All the boys will like me'...! However, I´ve learned to embrace my mistakes and relish the moments when I can laugh at myself. Speaking of which, the day I finally located and bought a new memory card for my camera, I dropped the whole thing and it may be broken, oops.

This is a good time for me to reflect on my life´s learning. The purpose of this blog is to share my experiences, but also to convey the fact that all of this is one big process for me. There is always so much more I could say. However, be assured that while I´m having the time of my life, this is a difficult adjustment. My time here has made me question the foundations I base my happiness on. I see many people who have next to nothing, but are rich in spirit and cheer. For me, life always has its polite way of encouraging me to improve.

Rain y Fiestas

2009-10-09T17:17:00.002-06:00

I left off last time talking about food, so I´ll resume that discussion now. El Salvadorans eat these wonders called ¨pupusas¨ and Olocuilta happens to be the land of pupusas! They are especially good with a green called loroco. Almost every meal here is accompanied by a tortilla. Both my hostess and the maid are fantastic cooks. Oh, and that´s something else I forgot to write about earlier: maids are very common here. However, the culture is so welcoming of their hired help; they are treated like family. I´m enjoying doing plenty of dishwashing here too, so don´t think I´m off the hook :p

The past two days we´ve been welcoming local teens into our home for English and virtue classes. Yesterday and today, all we had to do was visit two local schools and speak to their directors. Our host explained that my roommate and I are doing a year of volunteer service. We are offering the classes for free and on a purely volunteer basis. After introducing ourselves to several classrooms we had lists of interested persons. So far, we´ve had 40 kids attend! They arrive in smaller groups throughout the afternoon. This will be one of my projects for the remainder of the calendar year. I start leading Baha´i service activities like Junior Youth groups soon.

And I would have pictures for you all, but a tragedy occured! My camera stopped being able to read my memory card on Monday. I tried plugging the XD card into an adaptor, that didn´t work either. So now everything may be lost, I´m not sure what happened. However, I took it to mean two things: I´m a bit of an idiot and also perhaps the past 2 weeks had been too special to capture in picture form. haha...

Currently, it is nearing the end of a two week festival here in Olocuilta. I´ve had the hardest time going to bed at night because of the LOUD rain and partying going on in the evening. I was able to wake up at 5:00am the other day and take a walk down to the river. It was a mile steeply downhill, then back up. I hope to make a regular habit of it! But people keep getting a kick out of the fact that I´m from Alaska. I´m walking around sweating and wilting. Today, the director of one of the schools gave me a cold, frigid drink and said it was like my home! Aww! Seriously, it was one of the most touching moments ever. And I love asking people if there´s penguins in AK, all of them say yes!

Olocuilta

2009-10-04T23:49:00.002-06:00

Wow!!! It's hot here! Since it's still raining off and on, the first few days weren't too bad. But now I'm WILTING. My body is so confused, normally it's getting prepared for winter...

And there was a change of plans. My roommate and I will be traveling to Olocuilta soon to help out their community instead of going to the school. We can visit the children in the near future though :)

Even though I'm having bunches of good times here, I'm definitely still getting used to things. Never before had I seen such poverty and wealth living in close proximity. For example, yesterday we assisted with the jr. youth celebration near Lourdes. On the drive there were glimpses of the reality of the Third World. The kids were great though! They performed music, dance and skits. Later in the evening, we went to a birthday party. It was in another guarded/gated neighborhood, like the one I'm staying in now. All the friends and family there were dressed real nice, the living room had a chandelier, etc. And today we passed through a shady area and within a couple miles was a nice shopping center. All this aside, it's the atmosphere of the country and welcoming people that has captured my heart.

Some more new things: a common way of saying "guys" is "bichos". And if the group is several girls, one would address them as "bichas". Haha! The accents around the country are pretty different too. One of the most challenging things is learning the region-specific words. And some days my Spanish doesn't quite work, but it's coming along :) Oh, and the food is AMAZING!

Tropical Times~!

2009-09-29T19:30:00.003-06:00

Oh my goodness! The rain here in El Salvador has been so intense in the evenings. It's nearing the end of their rainy season, which means it's quite hot in the daytime and POURS at night. There was a little bit of hail today. I stepped outdoors and felt cold for the first time since I came to my new home.

It's now been five days since I arrived in the country. It is clear in my memory, the moment my plane flew over the palm trees and cattle. At the airport, I was so surprized to collect my bags, leave customs, and find myself in front of a huge crowd! There were so many people waiting to greet the passengers. Instantly, I felt the humidity, it's like the air gave me a hug! I searched the crowd and eventually met the dentist who was to pick me up.

We drove a ways to San Salvador, the capital. We passed many coconut stands and stopped at one. I tasted fresh coconut juice for the first time!!! People in the capital drive CRAZY as well. We made our way through the city to another, Santa Tecla, where I am now.

The house I'm currently staying in is gorgeous. It will be my home on the weekends, since I begin my service at a rural elementary school soon. In their backyard are orange and coffee trees. I enjoy listening to the cicadas at night. We hang our clothes outside to dry and people here don't flush toilet paper, since the septic system isn't built for that. But other than these small differences, life here is easy to adapt to. Especially with all of the beautiful scenery, flora and fauna.

I've been practicing my Spanish A LOT. Learning is still a slow process, but I've built my confidence in my ability to communicate. I've said some funny things, as you can probably imagine, and my hosts are more than happy to correct me.

I wish I could express how nice it is to be here. I think of home a lot and enjoy telling people about Alaska. Even here, they think we live in igloos, haha. Now is time for dinner and I'm so hungry. So, my best to all of you :)

Texas

2009-09-25T01:09:00.003-06:00

I flew into Houston not sure where I'd be staying. After a few frustrating hours at IAH, I asked for help. The wonderfully helpful airport personnel had me on a bus downtown to a hotel. All in all, things worked out and it was a lesson in taking care of myself.

The following day was spent walking around downtown Houston. I took many pictures of the parks and ginormous buildings. Later that evening, I went to stay with a Baha'i who's a niece of a family friend.

It has felt like home here. I've grown fond of her two dogs and cat. They are the cutest! It is only a few hours before I head back to the airport and leave the country. Reality is still not with me. I'm sure there will be much more to say when I arrive :)

Anchorage

2009-09-21T14:30:00.002-06:00

The drive down from Fairbanks was BEAUTIFUL! I drove a friend's car here, as a favor, and two of my friends joined the trip in another car. We stopped briefly in Denali National Park and had a jolly time. Fall colors are some of the most extraordinary things! I took so many pictures on the way here. It was neat to see the scenery change as the 360+ miles flew by.

My stay in Anchorage was a time surrounded by love and friends. Met some real fantastic Baha'is down here and ate good food :)

Now it is time for me to head to Houston, TX. Never been, so it should be quite the experience! My plane leaves a little after midnight, but I don't arrive in the "second biggest state" until noon tomorrow. ~Adios~

A Sort Of Beginning

2009-09-18T03:46:00.003-06:00

Bienvendios! Welcome!

As I take this opportunity to share with you my experiences, I stop to reflect about what has brought me here. The past few weeks have been filled with so much trip preparation that I haven't aniticipated the future, until now. I'm about to embark on a great journey, but more importantly I will be achieving a life goal: to go on a year of service.

I have been a member of the Baha'i Faith since birth. (Any immediate questions can be answered at http://www.bahai.org/.) Many youth decide and are encouraged to travel to other communities to serve for a year. My time will be spent in El Salvador, teaching at a Baha'i operated school called Colegio Ridvan. More on that to come!

Currently, I'm looking over the things I have packed. I leave Fairbanks (my home) later this morning for Anchorage, where I will spend a few days visiting family and friends. This is only the beginning of my travel and most everything is set. It's nice to finally be able to simply relax and enjoy the moment. Pressing concerns take up so much energy!

That being said, I ought to consider "hitting the hay". Thank you for your time, thoughts and joining me here. Hasta luego, buenas noches,

~Sigourney