The first 6 months in site for almost every Peace Corps volunteer are characterized by inactivity and occasional feelings of boredom or downright guilt for being so lazy and worthless, even though it's usually not the volunteer's fault they can't get much done (they're still not settled in, they haven't yet reached the point where they can solicit funds). That period for me had lasted until this month, when I got really busy and, consequentially, really happy. Projects I had been trying to get done for a while were finally coming through (a 7-9th grade excursion, a nursery for tangerine trees, computer classes, etc.) Then, when I was finally feeling accomplished, school was cancelled for 2 weeks and further extracurricular activities suspended for a month, rendering me pretty useless during that time period. Until the suspension is lifted, I am back to feeling like I just hang out in El Salvador and do nothing.
Why the suspension? Swine flu has reached epic proportions here. New cases are popping up everywhere, including one child who died in a town near my site. So I guess cancelling school is justified, but it's still annoying.
It's even worse that the new group of Environmental Education trainees are here and they're supposed to visit us this weekend to see "all the work we do."
I guess I shouldn't be complaining -- after all, I do get a 2 week vacation, and there are beach plans in the works...
Here are some of my Salvadoran students happily (OK, grudgingly) doing the work I assigned them...
These kids had to put the drawings in order to depict the oxygen/carbon dioxide cycle. They actually understood!
Paz y amor.
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