PC: Peace Corps Training Arrival Event

After a 3 am wake-up call in Washington, DC, all 16 new Peace Corps volunteers packed in the van to the airport, made it through bag checks under the weight limit and passed security without incident with our new passports. Noah destroyed me in cribbage waiting in the airport with a twenty-point crib. I was asleep before the plane took off at 7:15 am, and woke upon landing in Miami. We spent our layover getting food and getting to know each other, then boarded our flight to San Salvador. An hour-long delay to locate and remove the bags of missing passengers kept us on the ground, but we arrived intact and ready to pass customs and be on our way. Jaime and Jenny met us in the airport and guided us through customs (fill out the forms and pay the $10 entrance fee, something I've already done three times before, so it's a breeze), then loaded us into the bus in
94 degree heat and off to Centro Loyola, our three-day retreat.

At Centro Loyola we are doing all the prep work before heading off to our three-month host families in Nuevo Cuscatlán. Yesterday we were introduced to the Peace Corps El Salvador staff and Elsa and Cesar, the two current volunteers who volunteered to help with orientation and answer any questions (they have been bombarded since hopping on the bus with us, but they are both good sports and really helpful and positive). Thankfully pictures were this morning because we were all zombies by the time dinner rolled around, but we enjoyed cheese-filled mild chiles, cooked vegetables, casamiento (red beans and rice), and rolls. We turned in early - the sun set around 6:00 and we were in bed by 7:30.

This morning we had our language placement tests - a recorded conversation with one of the language teachers that will determine our language classes during our first three months - and our first medical session. Snack was an empanada (no relation to the South American variety, but still delicious) - a fried plantain with cream inside dusted with sugar. The Peace Corps nurse went through our medical kits (ibuprofen for inflammation and pain, non-aspirin for headaches and fever, benedryl on your person always) and the in-country health resources. After lunch of tortillas, vegetable soup, rice, cabbage slaw and chicken, we were back in the conference room for sessions on Safety, Food and Water Prep, and Diarrhea. We learned protocol for theft, robbery, burglary, and physical and sexual assault. Theft (no violence) and robbery (violence/knowledge of perpetrator) are the biggest issues in El Salvador, especially on buses, which is one of the reasons PCVs can't take public transportation outside of our region.

Coffee and fresh watermelon, papaya and canteloupe carried us through the next session on Food and Water Safety. All water in El Salvador, unfortunately, should be considered contaminated. We went over common food- and water-borne illnesses and all the recommendations for treatment and prevention. In case you're curious, the possibilities are parasites, bacteria, viruses, Hepatitus A, Hepatitus C, cholera, salmonella, and typhoid. Prevention primarily consists of watching what we eat, drinking only boiled or bottled water, making sure fruits and veggies are treated with bleach or iodine water, and covering everything well. The Peace Corps Medical Officer (PCMO) is really into small group activities, so we identified illnesses, water prevention methods, food prevention methods and treatment methods. Diarrhea is the most common ailment volunteers suffer, so we jumped into groups again to identify types of diarrhea, signs & symptoms, prevention and treatment. The result were some of the funniest skits I have ever witnessed. Just think of acting out "loss of sphincter muscle control," and you get the idea.

The session ended with some caliche (slang) to learn our host town placements. I am one of three chanchos (pigs), placed with families in Nuevo Cuscatlán. There are another three trainees in Nuevo Cuscatlán, three in San Antonio, and six in Siete de Marzo. I am the only non-native speaker in my group of three. I asked Cesar about the format of our Spanish classes, and he said at our level it was mostly working on subjunctive (oh yay, more subjunctive) and interviews with community members to learn Salvadoran history and myths. I will be living in my host mom's restaurant in Nuevo Cuscatlán.

My arm was sore from the typhoid shots, but I forgot about it with dinner of spanish tortillas (egg and potato), cooked vegetables, red beans with crema, bread and canteloupe juice. The night ended with a fantastic reggaeton zumba session led by one of the other trainees and a cold shower to clean off all the sweat. My roommate is great and we exchanged some e-books and stories the past two days.

After morning sessions on our filters (figurative, not literal), survival Spanish and host family etiquette we are off to move in with our new host families. Interestingly enough, my host mom has the same first and middle name as my mom, and I have the same first and last name as another volunteer serving here in El Salvador. Also, I went to elementary school with the same first and second grade teachers as one of the other volunteers. With only fifteen of us in training and coincidences like that, the world just keeps getting smaller.