War

The American Civil War ended 142 years ago. Americans read about it in history books because everyone who experienced it is dead. The Salvadoran Civil War ended only 15 years ago. Everyone old enough to have lived through it has war memories. It is like a living history lesson. Not every Peace Corps volunteer gets to serve in a country scarred by war. It's interesting because I see and feel the remnants of the war.

Though people don't always talk about the war, the memories and scars cannot be ignored. Salvadorans raped and tortured each other. Family and friends were killed. Some of the survivors lost limbs. A member of our Peace Corps training staff said that during the war, there were bumper stickers that read (in Spanish): "Be a patriot; kill a priest."

Recent history has been difficult for El Salvador. The civil war lasted over a decade, and two earthquakes in 2001 destroyed some of the country, including the town I currently live in. A young Salvadoran woman told me that she asked her mother, "Why did I have to be born in El Salvador?"

Sadly, history is repeating itself. Current conditions are similar to conditions that led to the civil war, and some Salvadorans believe another civil war might start soon. Perhaps I will have some war memories of my own.

El Salvador

El Salvador... I´m here with the Peace Corps. I realized that I probably never would have travelled to El Salvador if the Peace Corps had not sent me here. I anticipated some of the differences between here and the USA, such as the language (I´m immersed in Spanish) and limited internet access here. But I was hoping for the best, and after living here a month I realized I want more for the people than they want for themselves. It seems like most people here are content to live without air conditioning, home internet access, flush toilets, and many other conveniences common to the USA.

Some Salvadorans journey to the USA in search of opportunities to better provide for their families. Almost everyone in El Salvador has a friend or family in the USA. I believe most other countries in which the Peace Corps operates do not have as many people in the USA as El Salvador does. So that adds an interesting aspect to my Peace Corps experience. I´ve been able to witness the immigration debate from both sides of the border. I´ve spoken with people here who were refused visas to the USA and other people who have unsuccessfully attempted to enter the USA illegally. Salvadorans immigrate to the USA to work because making $8 an hour in the USA is considerably better than making $4 a day here in El Salvador. I might do the same thing if I were Salvadoran.

Peace Corps Packing

This time in my life is a whirlwind of cleaning, packing, moving, and more packing. I moved out of my apartment into my parents' house, and now I'm getting ready for the Peace Corps in El Salvador. I realize this could be more complicated. At least my family is helping me, and my apartment wasn't that far from my parents' house.

Still, packing isn't fun. I'd hate to have to move a house full of stuff. The closest packing came to fun for me was when a friend once called at 10 PM and said,

"Drive up here to Gainesville right now. I start class tomorrow morning at UF, but you'll get here in a couple of hours - around midnight - and we can hang out then."

All I had to do was throw a few things in my backpack, and I was on my way. The Peace Corps takes a little more planning, but I especially appreciate it paying my way. Now it's time for me to get back to packing.

Peace Corps + me = the future

Next Sunday I will join the Peace Corps to become a Municipal Development volunteer in El Salvador. At this point, I believe I'm supposed to make some sort of legal disclaimer: the contents of this blog belong to me and are in no way, shape, or form at all related to the Peace Corps and/or the government of the United States of America.

I look forward to helping Salvadorans as much as possible. Also, my Spanish should improve, which will be especially helpful since people in the USA approach me and start speaking Spanish to me despite the fact that I do NOT speak Spanish and I am NOT Latino. In fact, even a trilingual Chinese person spoke Spanish to me instead of English. But I take it as a compliment, especially since a friend of mine said he thought less of me when he learned I'm not Latino after years of mistakenly assuming I was Latino.

Some sad news is that I may dreadfully confuse Spanish and Portuguese since Portuguese was the most recent language I've studied, and I studied abroad in Brazil last year. The two languages are quite similar. Actually, maybe learning Spanish will help my Portuguese... or maybe not. Regardless, I look forward to my future adventure.