chalate and la playa

So I just got back last night from a nice little adventurous weekend. I got to visit a current Peace Corps volunteer in Chalatenango, a mountainous province in the north of the country and then we went to the beach in La Libertad, another department. It was nice to see other parts of El Salvador and was great because I got to go with my friend Betsy (whose parents may be reading this blog b/c she's too lazy to start her own, in which case hello Betsy's parents!). Traveling on long bus rides is always more fun when someone else can watch your stuff while you sleep :).
Seeing the other volunteer was interesting, but also was a little intimidating. We had to stay with families one night, which I was at first a little bummed about because I was looking forward to speaking English and not having to socialize for a weekend, but the good news is that I ended up really loving the family I stayed with and it reminded me that anywhere I go in this country there will be good people and we probably wont have trouble re-adjusting to a new community. The part that was a little less positive (I am trying to learn from Betsy on how not to be negative, she always sees things/people in the best light!), was that it seemed like the volunteer was having problems with her work (something that I have heard from the other trainees that their volunteers said this weekend too). Though I know all our experiences will be different and that there is more to the Peace Corps than just building tangible projects, I would still really like to actually do something while I am here for the next two years. Municipal Development is a funny program because the work it encompasses is so broad, even for a Peace Corps program. I feel like something like health and sanitation would give some more direction. Though on the other hand, I do feel really lucky that we have the opportunity to work through and with the mayor's office, which I think presents a huge advantage in accomplishing projects here (as long as you get along with the mayor, which seems to be the deal breaker in how succesful a muni's work is here). In any case, I am really looking forward to getting to my community and seeing what the possibility for projects there are and will hopefully be able to facilitate some sort of work over the next two years!
The other thing that was a little intimidating was seeing how the volunteer lived alone. It's strange because I hadn't previously considered the fact that I've never lived alone, ever and that this will be the first time for me. I'm worried that it will be lonely/dangerous to do so here, but at the same time I'm not sure if I want to live with a family the whole time (we get the choice), especially as I am planning on having visitors (hint, hint). I think what I will do is live with a family for the first two months or so, to have time to settle in and get to know the community, and then afterwards get my own place. The volunteer we visited also had a dog, which I think would be very helpful in terms of safety stuff, so we'll see.

After the visit, instead of coming straight back to our host communities, Betsy and I went to the beach and met up with another PC trainee Monika. It was absolute heaven. I was so happy to be able to swim in the ocean and go body boarding, not to mention my general love for small little surf towns. Our training communities are so small and we are constantly reminded of how many eyes are watching us and judging our every move, which can be fun sometimes as I really do feel like we are learning what it feels like to be celebrities, everyone is so interested in everything we do, but it's also exhausting (I feel like I am back in high school again). It was so nice to have a night away from all the curious eyes and just be able to enjoy the beach with friends. I have a feeling I will be back there many times, probably in two weeks already for our free weekend.
OK that is all for now!