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Saturday, May 01, 2010
Cultural day in El Salvador - 7 Aril 2010
Today we took James and Kate to visit a village where a Peace Corps volunteer has been living for just over a year now. Although our family has lived in El Salvador for nearly 2 years, we have never seen how many Salvadorans live in the villages. This was a day to remember!
We started out using a GPS borrowed from a friend because we had no idea how to get to the city closest to this village. That in itself was an experience never to be forgotten! We had to drive through the center of San Salvador to get to the road going out of town. This is not a place where we usually drive because it can be dangerous, but we were told to be sure not to stop, just keep on driving, and we would be fine. So, with lots of prayers and in 2 vehicles, we were off! Kate, Joanna and Micah were in the van with me, and we followed Curt, Rhiannon, and James in the Xterra with the GPS. Because we had never used a GPS before, that was a challenge, but Curt was glad to have James along to navigate, not only because he is a good navigator, but also because he uses a GPS in LA.
It took us nearly 2 hours to get to our Peace Corps volunteer in San Vicente. He was waiting at the foot of the mountain where we would be driving up in our 2 vehicles. We chose to drive in 2 vehicles because of the condition of the mountain road. That was a wise decision because even with a very light load in the van, we ended up leaving it and all piling into the Xterra near the top. I wish I could describe that trip to you! Let's just say very slow, bumpy, long, and at times, treacherous. By the time we got to the village, we had been on the road for over 3 hours, but we had only gone 50 miles!
As we were piling out of the Xterra, Joanna said, "I hope they have a clean bathroom!" We were all in need of a potty break by that time, so Matt, the Peace Corps volunteer, took us to his neighbor's latrine. Suffice it to say that 'clean' is not a word to describe this particular place! (Check out the village photo album for pictures.) However, according to Matt, this was one of the better places in the village to use the toilet, so we used what was available to us at the time and made due. It was not what one would call a pleasant experience, but rather a necessity. Matt also told us that the children just go wherever they are with no thought of privacy or cleanliness. Can you say GROSS??? Micah, however, thought this was awesome!
After that experience we were invited to go inside the neighbor’s home for a visit. These homes are made of concrete blocks, if the person is 'wealthy'. Everyone has 1 or 2 silos inside of their homes to store their corn and beans. The majority of their diet is red beans, corn, and eggs. So it is important to have plenty of corn and beans on hand! These silos are in the main living area of their homes. Again, check out the pictures. They grind their own corn to make tortillas and fry them in their 'kitchen'. One of the projects that Matt has been heading up is to get better stoves in some of the village homes. These new stoves let off 90% less smoke and use 50% less wood, so they are much more efficient and keep the homes nearly smoke-free. One of the main causes of death in these villages is respiratory infection, so it is very important to cut down on the smoke in the homes. Forty homes in this village now have the new and improved cook-stoves.
The homes are also very dark because they are built without windows. Electricity is quite expensive here and although they do have it in this village now, they use it sparingly. But we were still able to get some nice pictures of the interior of 3 homes we visited, including Matt’s. It is very common to have hammocks hanging inside the homes, right in the living rooms. Joanna and Micah thought this was a great idea and took advantage of the hammocks.
I mentioned that the homes are made of concrete blocks, but that is for the ‘wealthier’ folks who have family living in the US and sending money back to them here in El Salvador. The next rung down on ladder are homes made from brick and adobe. Then come the homes made of sticks and adobe. I believe I have pictures of all three of these types of homes. Also, there are houses made from corrugated tin. Not sure where those come in the line-up. I’ll have to ask Matt about that.
In this village there were 40 latrines and they belonged to the 40 families who also have the newer cook-stoves and nicer block houses, so these are the wealthiest families in this particular village. If you don’t have much money, you don’t get the ‘good’ stuff, I suppose.
Earlier I mentioned the very rough road that we had to drive up to get to this village. Matt informed us that when he arrived here last year the road was in even worse shape than it is now, so they have made some major improvements to it. A bus even comes all the way up to the top of the mountain and stops in the middle of this village to take people down to San Vicente. What a trip that must be! They have put lots of rocks on the dirt road to keep it from washing away during the rainy season, so even though it is rough driving on the rocks, it would be worse without them because there would be major pothole, more than there already are!
Matt arranged for us to eat lunch at one of the local homes and it was delicious! I’m not sure of the names of all of the dishes that we ate, but we had white rice, corn tortillas, potato wrapped in scrambled eggs, red beans, avocados, and a deep fried tortilla wrapped in ?. Not sure what, but it was all very yummy and we ate our fill!
Both homes we visited had large TV’s and in nice big entertainment centers. Interesting to see this when you see how sparsely the rest of the homes were furnished. All of the people have chickens so that they can have fresh eggs daily. Chickens were everywhere!
However, when we visited Matt’s house, he had chosen to build a coop for his 30 chickens, to keep them safe and to watch their diet. This country does not seem to believe in using trash cans, so there was garbage all over the town and in all of the yards and ditches. It was pretty nasty, but normal for these people. Matt feeds his chickens an actual chicken feed, so he has some big, healthy chickens that are just getting ready to start laying eggs. The chickens running all around the village were rather emaciated, so I am pretty sure Matt is on to something with his chicken coop!
I’ve posted some pics of the inside of Matt’s house. He is able to rent this place for $30 a month and feels quite fortunate to have a home of his own where he can have space and peace and quiet. Because he lives out in a very rural area, there are rats and bats, spiders, snakes, cockroaches, mosquitoes, flies…you get the picture! So, he has come up with some ingenious ways to keep his things from being raided by these many pests. Again, check out the pictures.
Another very common sight around the village was the emaciated farm animals. In addition to the chickens, there were cows, pigs, dogs, and horses running all over the streets, so we had to be very careful to watch where we were stepping. Not an easy task for a busy 4-year-old, but we somehow managed to take the village tour without stepping in any cow pies. The cows were in the middle of the road on the way up the mountain as well as on the highways heading to the village. I nearly hit a cow that decided to cross the road just as we were zooming past at 50 miles an hour. Thank the Lord for guardian angels all around us!
All in all, this was a very interesting day and we were exhausted by the time we returned home. But what an adventure it was! I am so thankful that my life is not even close to being as difficult as these people have it. Thank you, Lord! However, it was very humbling to see how friendly and generous they all were with the little that they had. We are grateful that Matt shared some of his life with us. Thanks, Matt!
posted by Debbie at 10:31 AM
Monday, December 14, 2009
MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Here’s hoping and praying that you and yours have had a wonderful year and are basking in the Lord’s love and care. It has been a year of ups and downs for us, but we are so thankful to know the Creator of the universe and to know that he knows the plans he has for us! God is awesome and we are blessed!
Our 5 children have had some amazing changes in their lives this year. Let’s start with James! We now have a married son!!! James married Kate Klos on July 18th in Los Angeles, California. We were blessed to be able to travel to the wedding, taking James’s best man, Amrish (and his wife Karen and baby Richelle) on a long drive across the States, from MO to CA. Amrish and family are from Fiji, so this was quite a trip for them to come be in James’s wedding. But they made it and we are so glad that did. We stopped and toured the Grand Canyon, which is such an incredible reminder of what an amazing God we have! He is such an artist.
James is a graduate student at Talbot School of Theology in LA where he and Kate have made their home. Lord willing, they will be traveling to El Salvador for a visit during Spring Break! We sure do miss them! Kate works in radio and is broadcasting Chattanooga news from LA. Oh the wonders of technology!
Rhiannon is living with us after a year of being a nanny in VA. She has been here in El Salvador with us for over a year now and works on her handmade cards, walks dogs, dog sits, and babysits. She is such a blessing to our family and we enjoy having her with us.
Anna has had a very full year of learning Spanish, teaching Sunday School, babysitting, dog walking, and just having loads of friends. She is definitely the social butterfly of our family. She recently flew to the US to spend time with grandparents until time to head to the Triple Crown Academy in Feb. She is going to become a dog trainer and just got a dog from an animal shelter in Indiana last month. We’ll see what happens when she completes the academy. Only time will tell where the Lord will lead her next!
After 14 years of home schooling, we decided to put Joanna and Micah in a small, Christian School here in El Salvador in August. They love it and Mom needed the break! J They were in a Christmas program Friday evening and did a wonderful job! Joanna was part of a choir and Micah was a huge Christmas gift. It was a very sweet show and they had a great time. Micah is a real charmer and everyone at school seems to know him. Joanna is much shyer, but has also made an impact on the lives of her teachers and classmates.
Micah is 4 ½ and has just started having some major dental work done. His little teeth are dissolving from the inside out and are very weak, so he just had his 1st 2 metal caps put on last week. He was a real trooper and the dentist was amazed at how well he sat for the 1 ½ hour procedure! He is scheduled to have 6 more caps applied in the next couple of months.
Joanna is 7 ½ is and such a lovely little girl. She is learning to read and is so excited because she can also read in Spanish! She told me that when they are on Christmas break we will need to do some school work too. She loves to learn and I am so thankful for that!
Curt is working hard as usual and is ready for a good Christmas break! He manages 34 people in his position as Information Management Officer and does an excellent job. We are thankful that he learned some basic Spanish before we moved to El Salvador because I have not learned much at all yet. But, since we just extended to the summer of 2012, I should get busy and learn the language!
Debbie, hmmm, what have I been up to? Well, living in a foreign country is always a challenge, so shopping and running a household keeps me busy! I try to stay involved in a Bible study and we are all active at our local church. Turning 50 this year and having our 1st son get married has made me stop and reflect on what I am doing with my life. I keep asking myself, “Is what I am doing going to affect eternity? If not, why am I doing it?” I feel the Lord challenging me more and more each year as I make choices about how I spend my time. I pray that what I do with my time will bless others and teach our children to have servant’s hearts as they watch me. However, I know that I fail miserably at times and I am thankful for the Lord’s grace and mercies that are new every morning!
Some of you have asked what it is like to live in El Salvador. Well, let me think…where do I begin? It is amazing to see so many volcanoes in one country! Thankfully they don’t seem to be active, but they are lovely! The beaches are rough and rocky and not so great for swimming, or at least the ones we have been to so far! The weather is wonderful…6 months of rain, and 6 months of dry season. The temperature doesn’t dip below 62 where we live and the humidity is not bad either because we are not on the coast. During the hottest times of the year we might hit the 90’s, but it is still bearable. Security is high here because of the gangs, but we don’t feel threatened. If we lived in St. Louis, we wouldn’t go walking downtown at night or alone, and the same applies here. We must be smart about what we do, but it’s not hard to be wise. I’ll try to be better about posting updates and hopefully add some more insights into living in El Salvador, as well as post more pictures.
As we get closer to this time of the year when we remember the birth of Jesus so many years ago, let’s stop and ask God what we could/should be doing with our lives, rather than just scurrying around and trying to keep up with the world and its craziness. I know that I must work hard to slow down and learn to listen to God’s voice telling me what he wants me to do. It is my prayer that you will do the same
Love and prayers to you and your family,
Debbie for the Rhea family
posted by Debbie at 9:31 PM
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