Que onda?

Today I haven't done much. It doesn't feel like I did anything actually. I was going to go to soccer practice, but it started raining. Ever since a few weeks ago when a teenager was stuck by lightning and killed in San Vicente, I've been more cautious about being out in the rain. The thunder here is strong enough to keep a person in all day. What I did do this morning was work on writing a grant. Ever since the change in the ADESCO's(they change positions every few years)I've been working with them more. Both ADESCO's, from El Jardin Arriba and El Jardin Abajo, have new presidents. The mayors also changed throughout the country. I'm understanding more how the different aspects and people of local government intertwine. I'm enjoying working on the grant, which is in Spanish(eek!). But I've been working together with the ADESCO's and the health promoter, I really want the grant to go well. I also just got back from a week of Spanish class back at the training center. I enjoyed being there again, having one on one time with different teachers, and reminiscing about training...for probably the last time. As a result of all the changes Peace Corps El Salvador has gone through the past 6 months, the training center in San Vicente will get shut down. (For safety and security reasons) It will most likely move to a place like Suchitoto. With this move we will lose staff. For example, there is place for 4 full time Spanish teachers and 1 part time, right now we have 6 full time teachers. Those teachers all have families and kids and live in or around San Vicente. Would they be able to make the trek everyday to Suchitoto?? Do they have options? Are there other host country Spanish teachers up to their level?? No one knows and we'll have to wait it out until the end of the fiscal year in Sept. Many of these emotions could be felt strongly at the training center. This also extends to the PC office in San Salvador. We just recently lost 2 staff members to better options and another is retiring. We have one Peace Corps nurse(we <3 IRMA!) to 29 volunteers. We used to have 2 nurses and more than 3 times a many volunteers. Many people either decided to take the early COS (Close of Service) or we forced to leave. In the COED program we have 8 volunteers where we used to have 16. By Sep there will be 24 volunteers in the entire country. There are upsides to this equation...more attention, more opportunities, no one gets lost or left behind...but what about the times when we want to be left behind? I am glad to have the Peace Corps shuttle picking me up, it's safe, I can nap on it...but yes sometimes I do miss being able to hop on the bus and travel across the country. There's a sense a freedom we don't have anymore. We aren't allowed to travel to Guatemala or Honduras-what a shame for me when I'm practically on the border! Time out of site and 'vacations' have to be planned time in advance and approved by so many people it's hard to keep track. YES, this is for our safety and I'm OK with it. I'm glad I traveled so much in my first year, not everyone did. And now I'm glad to be in my community more. For me that is two sides to the Peace Corps coin, to get to know the country through travel and to be a part of the community. I'm loving being El Jardin, all though some days are still spent like today (watching 30 Rock all day). The women are still going strong. I've been siting in on ADESCO meetings, I'm hoping to finish the grant for the dispensario medical this weekend, the female soccer team started playing again...in July I'm taking 2 women from the women's group to a business training and 3 people from the ADESCO's to a 'projects' training. Things are happening. I feel a part of the community. And it just stopped raining...time for more 30 Rock :) My program manager Clelia did a site visit a few weeks ago...here we are with the women's group :)