Anyone who knows me at all knows that cleanliness and tidiness are not my strong suits. I’m not lazy; I simply have other priorities that seem to always trump these tasks (volunteering, working out, reading, spending time with friends, church activities, etc). It helps that I’ve been blessed with the ability to overlook clutter, dirt and disorder! Before now, I’d never considered actually getting a maid because my mess never really bothered me and therefore my monetary priorities were elsewhere!
Now, everything has changed! Here in El Salvador, having a maid is pretty standard once you hit a certain income level. Despite the pay cut I took from an Iowa teaching salary, I “qualify” for a maid. In fact, it’s highly encouraged within the complejo, where I live, to get a maid for one day a week seeing as most of these maids have been employed at the complejo for many years and this is how they support their families. The cost is $12 for the day, and I would be made to feel guilty NOT to do it! Tough choice, right?!
At first, I didn’t really know what to expect or request. After a month, here is what I’ve learned:
*She does my laundry once a week (my standard everywhere else had been every 3 weeks).
*She folds it and puts it away…and FOLDS my underwear!!! (NEVER happened in my lifetime).
*She changes the sheets on my bed once a week (you don’t even want to know my life before).
*She tidies my bedroom.
*She cleans my bathroom once a week (yeah…)
*She does any dishes that are in the sink or on the counter (here, I’m pretty good because otherwise ants rule the house)
*She cooks and chops anything I leave out and request.
It’s a magical experience AND I get to feel good that I am helping support a Salvadoran family. Wow. My maid’s name is Mila, and she is fabulous! I already love her because she speaks Spanish to me in a way I can understand and seems to understand my eager but often muddled Spanish. She is very sweet, and I’m excited to get to know her more over time!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
PDA's
Personal digital assistant: When I arrived, I got a phone as soon as possible as communication is highly important. However, I definitely purchased the most basic phone possible for $25. It can call and text. Purposed served. All of my students own BB’s. Maybe BlackBerry’s (definitely googled the proper plural form!) are called that in the US and it simply wasn’t the lingo in Clinton or maybe it’s a Salvadoran thing. Either way, they’re connected, though thankfully, I haven’t seen any out during the school day…yet!
Public displays of affection: I’d never considered myself much of a fan while living in the US. I certainly don’t want to be walking around in public and made to feel uncomfortable by other people’s disregard for discretion. However, while I was in Nigeria (Jalingo), I took notice that couples NEVER showed any affection whatsoever. If two people were dating, talking in public was seen as pretty darn scandalous. In fact, even once they were married, couples were rarely seen interacting in public together. I thought holding hands seemed pretty benign but was told differently. This felt oddly cold to me.
San Salvador is a WHOLE different story! I’ve been running regularly at a park about 4 blocks from my house and sometimes feel myself blushing as I make laps around the thickly-forested 800m loop. Salvadoran culture wholly approves, from what I can tell, of public displays of significant affection. People are making out on benches, rolling around in the grass, and intertwined like pretzels and no one but me seems a bit bothered by it. It’s pretty crazy!
It’s interesting how different places can have such radically different social norms. While I can respect others’, mine still seem best to me! :)
Public displays of affection: I’d never considered myself much of a fan while living in the US. I certainly don’t want to be walking around in public and made to feel uncomfortable by other people’s disregard for discretion. However, while I was in Nigeria (Jalingo), I took notice that couples NEVER showed any affection whatsoever. If two people were dating, talking in public was seen as pretty darn scandalous. In fact, even once they were married, couples were rarely seen interacting in public together. I thought holding hands seemed pretty benign but was told differently. This felt oddly cold to me.
San Salvador is a WHOLE different story! I’ve been running regularly at a park about 4 blocks from my house and sometimes feel myself blushing as I make laps around the thickly-forested 800m loop. Salvadoran culture wholly approves, from what I can tell, of public displays of significant affection. People are making out on benches, rolling around in the grass, and intertwined like pretzels and no one but me seems a bit bothered by it. It’s pretty crazy!
It’s interesting how different places can have such radically different social norms. While I can respect others’, mine still seem best to me! :)
Friday, August 12, 2011
Pure Bliss!
I finally had the opportunity to go downtown San Salvador to El Centro. My new friend/fellow science teacher offered to take me on the city bus for a downtown excursion to celebrate the starting of the new school year. Different people love different things. To me, riding the city bus with everyday Salvadorans, through normal streets into the downtown market area was pure bliss! I absolutely LOVED every second of it!!!
I gave the driver $.20, and I boarded and moving toward the middle where I stretched to reach the top bar. After 3 people had squeezed passed me moving toward the back, I realized that Salvadoran bus etiquette was to move as far to the back as possible so that as others boarded, they could enter more easily. Noted, I shifted down along the bar a few rows. Knowing that the buses are touted as “dangerous”, I made sure I was aware of my surroundings by taking an inventory of the people surrounding me: directly to my right a 40-year old woman in a maid’s uniform, sitting directly in the seat in front of me is a sleeping 50-year old woman and a woman with her greying hair in a braided ponytail with a maid’s uniform to match the one beside me. Two middle school-aged girls in uniforms that have an International School emblem are to my back and a man in a business suit is to my left. Hmmm…not to say that any of these people couldn’t have robbed me blind (of the $10 I had in my pocket), but I wasn’t feeling my safety overly threatened. In fact, as I did a once-over of the bus clientele, it was composed primarily of working class people coming home after an honest day’s work.
After having deemed my immediate surroundings safe, I proceeded to face out the side windows, and watch as I left my pristine, gated bubble of San Salvador and entered the less polished parts of the city. We passed a man washing the windshields of stopped cars, apron -clad women selling fruit to backed up traffic, and roundabouts being renovated into little concrete parks. There are crowded 4-story apartment buildings where I can see people standing outside on the porches sharing the days’ happenings across the railings and women making pupusas on every corner.
When we arrived at our destination, which happened to be essentially the end of the route, we disembarked and wandered into the beauty that is the center of the city. I finally felt like I was truly in El Salvador and I LOVED it! There were people selling fruits and vegetables from stands that were crowded in along the side of the road. People were selling random plastic piggy banks (probably made in China) along the side of the road. We stopped at my friend’s regular place to have a drink and were greeted with blaring music the great 90’s song “I Swear” (its only redeeming quality was that it was the Spanish version). We continued our stroll by the National Cathedral, National Theater, by the fruit market and the vegetable market, and along a few more various streets and through a random park where many people were hanging out appreciating Friday evening before we stopped at a small pupuseria. We took the open table and were quickly given our desired pupusas. While waiting for them to cool, we realized why the table directly next to the griddle was open, it was HOT! (Thankfully, I can withstand temperatures way beyond normal human comfort, so I wasn’t bothered.) After the pupusas arrived at a consumable temperature, they ended up being the best I’ve eaten in El Salvador, and we only paid $1 for all 4.
By the time we finished, it had become dark, so we boarded the much emptier bus back into our sheltered world of the complejo. Thankful that I had gotten a glimpse of the more middle-class Salvadoran existence, I began to reflect. While I respect and consider the numerous warnings that have been given me from Americans and Salvadorans alike, I also wonder how many people who share these cautions have actually ridden a city bus before? The second thought that crosses my mind is how many handily use the word “unsafe” in place of “uncomfortable, inconvenient, and distasteful”. While I don’t doubt that senseless acts of violence have occurred on the busses and downtown, I truly believe that senseless acts of violence can and do occur everywhere. I’m not about to go hang out in gang-ridden neighborhoods, but I’m also not ready to stay in areas where I only see guards and maids on the streets. Tonight gave me a taste of what is available in the city. It was delightful, and I can’t wait to discover more! :)
I gave the driver $.20, and I boarded and moving toward the middle where I stretched to reach the top bar. After 3 people had squeezed passed me moving toward the back, I realized that Salvadoran bus etiquette was to move as far to the back as possible so that as others boarded, they could enter more easily. Noted, I shifted down along the bar a few rows. Knowing that the buses are touted as “dangerous”, I made sure I was aware of my surroundings by taking an inventory of the people surrounding me: directly to my right a 40-year old woman in a maid’s uniform, sitting directly in the seat in front of me is a sleeping 50-year old woman and a woman with her greying hair in a braided ponytail with a maid’s uniform to match the one beside me. Two middle school-aged girls in uniforms that have an International School emblem are to my back and a man in a business suit is to my left. Hmmm…not to say that any of these people couldn’t have robbed me blind (of the $10 I had in my pocket), but I wasn’t feeling my safety overly threatened. In fact, as I did a once-over of the bus clientele, it was composed primarily of working class people coming home after an honest day’s work.
After having deemed my immediate surroundings safe, I proceeded to face out the side windows, and watch as I left my pristine, gated bubble of San Salvador and entered the less polished parts of the city. We passed a man washing the windshields of stopped cars, apron -clad women selling fruit to backed up traffic, and roundabouts being renovated into little concrete parks. There are crowded 4-story apartment buildings where I can see people standing outside on the porches sharing the days’ happenings across the railings and women making pupusas on every corner.
When we arrived at our destination, which happened to be essentially the end of the route, we disembarked and wandered into the beauty that is the center of the city. I finally felt like I was truly in El Salvador and I LOVED it! There were people selling fruits and vegetables from stands that were crowded in along the side of the road. People were selling random plastic piggy banks (probably made in China) along the side of the road. We stopped at my friend’s regular place to have a drink and were greeted with blaring music the great 90’s song “I Swear” (its only redeeming quality was that it was the Spanish version). We continued our stroll by the National Cathedral, National Theater, by the fruit market and the vegetable market, and along a few more various streets and through a random park where many people were hanging out appreciating Friday evening before we stopped at a small pupuseria. We took the open table and were quickly given our desired pupusas. While waiting for them to cool, we realized why the table directly next to the griddle was open, it was HOT! (Thankfully, I can withstand temperatures way beyond normal human comfort, so I wasn’t bothered.) After the pupusas arrived at a consumable temperature, they ended up being the best I’ve eaten in El Salvador, and we only paid $1 for all 4.
By the time we finished, it had become dark, so we boarded the much emptier bus back into our sheltered world of the complejo. Thankful that I had gotten a glimpse of the more middle-class Salvadoran existence, I began to reflect. While I respect and consider the numerous warnings that have been given me from Americans and Salvadorans alike, I also wonder how many people who share these cautions have actually ridden a city bus before? The second thought that crosses my mind is how many handily use the word “unsafe” in place of “uncomfortable, inconvenient, and distasteful”. While I don’t doubt that senseless acts of violence have occurred on the busses and downtown, I truly believe that senseless acts of violence can and do occur everywhere. I’m not about to go hang out in gang-ridden neighborhoods, but I’m also not ready to stay in areas where I only see guards and maids on the streets. Tonight gave me a taste of what is available in the city. It was delightful, and I can’t wait to discover more! :)
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Where does El Salvador fit?
Within the field of education, we are taught to incorporate new concepts into the students’ existing schema. I feel like my first two weeks in El Salvador has been a constant process of trying to fit sights, sounds and experiences into what I know from living in a predominantly Hispanic culture in San Antonio, teaching at a relatively affluent school in Boerne, and living in the developing country of Nigeria. My current assessment of the small slice of El Salvador that I’ve experienced is that it definitely contains characteristics of all of those places.
Across the street from the complejo, there is a little strip mall that could fit into the La Cantera (upscale) area of San Antonio without any adjustments. However, still contained within my super-nice neighborhood, there is a woman with a small shop, located between a bridge and an upscale deli, selling various general store items under a piece of zinc that is held up with to bamboo shoots. Whoa…in which world am I living…one of apparent disparity.
In trying to conceptualize a continuum of development, there are many things to examine, but I feel the example that best illustrates this is to analyze the household tool of the broom. People in the US sweep with long-handled, manufactured brooms. People in Jalingo, Nigeria sweep with short, whisk brooms made from palm branches. People I’ve witnessed in San Salvador, El Salvador sweep with long-handled brooms made from palm branches.
By traveling to some of the villages outside of the city, I’ve seen a lot more buildings and infrastructure that I would associate with the developing world, which is honestly a lot more what I was anticipating. A small part of me is disappointed that the neighborhood where I'm living could be mistaken for a US city. However, upon further reflection, I’m going to embrace the reality that I can get amazing sushi with a Salvadoran twist, delicious Thai food and travel with Americans who are as excited about exploring as I am in addition to finding opportunities to immerse myself in Salvadoran culture, Spanish language and new native friends!
Across the street from the complejo, there is a little strip mall that could fit into the La Cantera (upscale) area of San Antonio without any adjustments. However, still contained within my super-nice neighborhood, there is a woman with a small shop, located between a bridge and an upscale deli, selling various general store items under a piece of zinc that is held up with to bamboo shoots. Whoa…in which world am I living…one of apparent disparity.
In trying to conceptualize a continuum of development, there are many things to examine, but I feel the example that best illustrates this is to analyze the household tool of the broom. People in the US sweep with long-handled, manufactured brooms. People in Jalingo, Nigeria sweep with short, whisk brooms made from palm branches. People I’ve witnessed in San Salvador, El Salvador sweep with long-handled brooms made from palm branches.
By traveling to some of the villages outside of the city, I’ve seen a lot more buildings and infrastructure that I would associate with the developing world, which is honestly a lot more what I was anticipating. A small part of me is disappointed that the neighborhood where I'm living could be mistaken for a US city. However, upon further reflection, I’m going to embrace the reality that I can get amazing sushi with a Salvadoran twist, delicious Thai food and travel with Americans who are as excited about exploring as I am in addition to finding opportunities to immerse myself in Salvadoran culture, Spanish language and new native friends!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Great Day!
Great days can come in many shapes and sizes. Saturday was full of simple, yet delightful moments!
-Running around the city with 2 new friends…awesome downhill course for 2.25 miles, then about .75 miles of running practically straight up…great, fast workout!
-Best breakfast sandwich EVER: scrambled eggs w/ cayenne pepper, toast, avocado, colby jack cheese, and salsa (made even better in conjunction with Salvadoran iced coffee!)
-Finding this quote in a book I was reading and knowing my life is more complete having had it articulated in this way: “The place God chose for you is the intersection where your greatest joy and the world’s greatest need meet.”
-First venture out of the city to some artisan villages including Ataco…yay for villages!
-Driving through rolling, green hills and volcanoes filled with lush vegetation interspersed with clouds and sun
-Delicious shrimp shish kabob at a gastronomic festival (it was seriously called that!)
-Drinking a local beer for $1 (which to beer aficionados is lacking, but to me is less “beery” and therefore yummy!)
-Finding a bright, colorful and locally-made bracelet for $1.
-Speaking Spanish to all the locals that I could find (including sign language when necessary!)
-Finding a shop that was tailored to play on every one of my weaknesses: items were made by Salvadoran women to improve their economic situation using only natural materials for the fibers and dyes and everything was in greens and browns…I had to tear myself away and will be back!
-Seeing a rainbow during our drive home
-Chatting with a great roommate over dinner
-Sitting in my room, on the internet, listening to rain fall outside knowing I don’t have to wake up early!
Salvadoran Situation Specifics
I officially moved down to San Salvador, El Salvador on Saturday, July 23rd and have been settling in, acclimating, and adjusting throughout the past week. Many thoughts and reflections have been stirring in my mind, but in this first Salvadoran post, I’m just going to describe my living and working situation to provide some context for the impending ruminations.
I will be teaching predominantly 10th grade chemistry with one section of 11th grade physics at the Escuela Americana in San Salvador, El Salvador (www.amschool.edu.sv/easite). The students are going to be nearly all upper-class Salvadoran. The campus is HUGE, manicured with tropical plants and flowers everywhere. It’s maintained by the highest concentration of groundskeepers that I’ve ever seen.
I live in a compound, henceforth referred to as the complejo, which consists of 15, two-story structures: single apartments, townhouses, and family homes packed into a relatively small area, located within the security walls of the school’s campus. These house most of the American teachers. While the ages of the teachers span the gamut, I’m likening the complejo environment to dorm life for adults (little privacy, but lots of opportunity for socializing, which I love!) My townhouse that I share with a roommate has a kitchen, dining room, living room, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, back porch and enclosed back yard teeming with foliage all within a 7 minute walk from my classroom. It’s wonderful!
Overall, I’m really excited about these next two years! The future promises new challenges, rewarding experiences and ventures different from anything I’ve seen thus far. :)
Time
Time is the great equalizer. We all get the same number minutes in an hour and the same number of hours each day and the same number of days in a week. Race, religion, socioeconomic status doesn’t matter. We are all given the same amount of time in a week! However, it’s kind of incredible how the perception of that time changes depending upon what is occupying that time. To say that my last two weeks have been a whirlwind would be somewhat of an understatement.
Two weeks ago today (Friday), I was in a public transportation van traveling from Jos back to Jalingo so that I could attend graduation at JSS. Time crept along as I stared alternatively at my phone and at huts as they whizzed by waiting enter a village to get cell phone service and could text. (I’d already finished the last book I’d brought along and everyone around me was sleeping!)
Time seemed to miraculously shift into warp speed as I tried to maximize the last 36 hours spent with one of my best friends in the whole world before being oceans a part for an indefinite period time. There’s an axiom that states the length of a minute depends on what side of the bathroom door you’re on. I can attest that this holds true based on a 36-hour scale as well since I spent the following 36 hours between airports!
Today, I am sitting in a hammock in my backyard in El Salvador watching bright-yellow birds flit about landing on various tropical, flowering plants, listening to the new mixture of birds and bugs that will soon feel like home. Time has returned to a more relaxed pace from the frenzied speed that it traveled during my 3-day layover in the US. I’m hoping that my perception of time over the next two weeks settles into a new normal. To continue on in the manner of the previous two weeks would inevitably result in metaphorical whip lash!
Two weeks ago today (Friday), I was in a public transportation van traveling from Jos back to Jalingo so that I could attend graduation at JSS. Time crept along as I stared alternatively at my phone and at huts as they whizzed by waiting enter a village to get cell phone service and could text. (I’d already finished the last book I’d brought along and everyone around me was sleeping!)
Time seemed to miraculously shift into warp speed as I tried to maximize the last 36 hours spent with one of my best friends in the whole world before being oceans a part for an indefinite period time. There’s an axiom that states the length of a minute depends on what side of the bathroom door you’re on. I can attest that this holds true based on a 36-hour scale as well since I spent the following 36 hours between airports!
Today, I am sitting in a hammock in my backyard in El Salvador watching bright-yellow birds flit about landing on various tropical, flowering plants, listening to the new mixture of birds and bugs that will soon feel like home. Time has returned to a more relaxed pace from the frenzied speed that it traveled during my 3-day layover in the US. I’m hoping that my perception of time over the next two weeks settles into a new normal. To continue on in the manner of the previous two weeks would inevitably result in metaphorical whip lash!
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