a week in site

So today marks a week since I got to my new site! The experience of being a new volunteer is so strange, especially since we haven't received any technical training yet (that comes in July) and we were specifically informed that we were not supposed to do anything the first couple months besides "get to know people." So I have been just kind of wandering around, stopping by the major institutions in the town (the mayor's office, the schools, the health clinic) trying to be friendly to everyone I pass and find out where I can fit in and help.
One of the highlights of the week was going with my mayor to a meeting of the Millenium Challenge Corporation project here in El Salvador. My mayor is part of the board of 21 mayors who are the liason between MCC and the municipalities. It was interesting to be in the meeting and hear the process that is going on with the funding of the development projects. My mayor is pretty respected and popular among the other mayors there, which is nice. Also, I got to meet the American head of MCC in the country, who is surprisingly young, but friendly and is of course marrying a Salvadoran (it just seems to be what everyone does here). Hopefully, I will learn more about how to apply for funding from MCC to help my community.
Also, I went to the weekly cattle sale on Wednesday. The economy of this area is largely based on cattle ranching (especially for the cheese production), so there are a lot of cowboy hats and such things. I got to watch a bull get castrated after it had been sold (apparently makes them fatten up, all the better for slaughter), which was slightly traumatizing.
I also went with the team from the health clinic out to the countryside. They are currently in the middle of a year-long process of surveying the communities out here so help design future projects. I almost fainted because we were basically outside for 4 hours in the boiling sun, but it was so interesting and I'll hopefully get trained in giving the survey too so that I can help them. The countryside around here is incredibly poor, which draws a sharp contrast to the city, which is more well off. I am hoping to spend more time in the countryside and get involved with projects that are going on their too.
I am slowly meeting people and getting to know the different options for work here, but it's a strange feeling to really have no direction at all and having to figure everything out entirely on your own. It's a new, and very Peace Corps experience.
One thing that is keeping me motivated is that I had a long talk over the phone with the previous volunteer here. Like I mentioned before, Jack was extremely beloved by the community here and everyone comes up to me to tell me about him and how much they miss him all the time. He was talking about some of the projects we was involved with while he was here and they sound amazing. He was truly one of the "super volunteers" who was involved with everything, from health classes, to building greenhouses, to making murals, and even cooking classes with the women. He is much remembered for his pizza making skills (got to learn how to do that...). After talking to him I felt extremely overwhelmed, I am not sure I can live up to him and I have no idea where to even start! But I need to remember that I still have two years here and these things take time. Apparently he hardly spoke Spanish when he got here, so I'm sure he didn't start these things for a while. On a more positive note, it's nice to know that that type of work is possible here. If I am up to it, I can really accomplish a lot in this community over the next to year.
Right now, I'm trying to strike the right balance between taking things easy and not rushing into anything, and still staying engaged and motivated to participate with the community. I am greatly looking forward to the day when I have a more set schedule and know enough people to do projects, and feel secure with my place in the community. One step at a time I suppose!