I have been telling some of you about the Union South American and a few other places...(CUBA) are trying to form... here is some more info incase you were curious... South America: towards union or disintegration? Justin Vogler 20 - 7 - 2006 The Mercosur summit in Cordoba, Argentina, on 20-21 July comes at a key moment in South America's integration process. To understand its significance,

I realized today: I am a year and a month into my service here and people still don't have a clue what I am saying. I know I am speaking perfectly clear, using the right words (ok maybe not the correct verb tenses) and all that, and still they just look at me and say...what is it that you want? I don't know what to do about it. I needed some things done by today and nobody had a clue what I

El Salvador’s long walk to democracy Victor Valle 26 - 5 - 2006 El Salvador's political stalemate reflects a social divide rooted in a bitter history, reflects Victor Valle. The armed conflict in El Salvador in the 1980s made this small central American country the focus of international political and media attention. Today, Salvadorans are grappling with new social and political problems, but

So there is a lot going on right now. Work is crazy and leaves me no freetime. I don't even know what I am doing. You mention a word like Microcredit and everyone thinks you are an expert and can help them start small businesses! I don't have a clue! The rainy season is starting so I am trying to prepare them (or make them start thinking in preparing) for the worst. but of course they don't do

Just thought I would give you guys and idea of the work I do... here is my to do list Computer Stuff 1) Get to Canton El Congo to get the Presdident of the ADESCO to sign the check we need for the five computers I have arranged for the School to get 2) bring all three checks to the bank and deposit them TODAY! 3) find a ride to the bank (since the alcaldia's truck broke down this is hard than

So my dad and my brother are in Ireland this week for my cousin's wedding. Mom is home alone. (someone had to feed the cows!) I asked her if she was lonely she said no. She liked not having to think of anyone but herself for a week. She could come and go as she pleased and she has been. This past weekend she went out and came back at 11:30 at night! I told her she was a party animal just like her

I am suppose to have an answer to that question... But I don't. Well at least not anymore. I joined Peace Corps with the plan to join the UN or Foreign Service. You know the type of job where you pick up and move every two years to find a new adventure in another country. Learn a new language every time. Meet interesting people. That plan quickly changed when I got here and realized I

So the elections are over. Thank God!!! My mayor (ARENA) is continuing into his 5th term. The new concejo in town is now 5 women and 5 men. (almost unheard of in El Salvador) Out of 262 municiplaities 147 of them are now ARENA ruled (far right, the President is also ARENA) the capital however was (after many recounts) declared FMLN (far left). Things are tranquilo in town. Out of a

If anything has ever frustrated me before in my life it is NOTHING like what I feeling right now. The elections for Mayor are March 12th so the campaigning has really picked up. Though we are suppose to stay A-Political I can't help but feel totally helpless that i can't do anything. There have been so many lies spread... I have heard about things that some candidates will do when they get

Ok so our Fiestas Patronales were the 1st till the 8th of December. During this time there were two dances. The first dance was in the Casa Comunal with a big band therefore lots of latin dancing and it was really fun. I danced with lots of people. Everyone obviously saw that I liked to dance. So lots of people asked me to dance. The following night was another dance. This time with a DJ

I had trouble getting on the plane at Logan…sorry I wasn’t three to four hours early! I was told by the guy “he would see what he could do to get me on the flight but I wouldn’t be able to take any of my bags” Gee thanks sir!!!…since I did pay for the seat and all how kind it is that you would allow me to sit in it! I understood about the bags though with the security screening. He told me I

So that was a false ameoba alarm last time. But leave it to me to still find a way to get them! I should be off the medication by Sunday. I feel like a horrible person however because Richard and Sara came to visit me I took them out for dinner and drinks and boom all three of us get ameobas (actually richard's is just bacterial but it is still the same awful symptoms) I am such a wonderful

Now that I got all my bitching out of the way in that last entry I am doing much better. (Besides the fact I think I have ameobas again... I am just to lazy at the moment to go to the lab to actually find out.) But anyway everything is going well. I feel like I have so much going on between now and Christmas. There is a halloween party next monday (I am trying to figure out a costume. any

not having to sleep with a mosquito net having hot water to shower with and wash clothes and dishes being able to throw the toliet paper in the toliet not in the wastebasket next to the toliet being able to use water from the sink to brush my teeth carpeting not having to kill bugs in my room before bed having screens on the windows being able to drive on paved roads not having to slow down for

If you buy a soda at any store that sells glass bottles, they will put your soda in a plastic baggie and stick a straw in it. Who would have ever thought I would drink soda out of a sandwich baggie?? If you want water again it doesn{t just come in bottles...often times the stores only carry bagged water. You rip off the side of the bag with your mouth and suck it down! They don{t peel oranges

So the sun is finally shining today after a week (or maybe its been two) of rain. I spent all of this week evacuating people from their houses because the river was overflowing and there were places where the water was neck high on some people. Of course the big joke became that since I was so talk I should be the one to go save people har har. 422 people were evacuated. We used the schools

So they finally hooked up the internet again in my office. Soooo happy about that. Now I will be able to email you all every day! (not that i am going to have the time to do that but still) So my site... Well, my house fell through. So I am still living with the Alcade's mother. She is very sweet. His sister and her daughter live there too. It is actually pretty sweet. I get a real

So for those of you who would like to know my new address is... Let´´s see what else.... oh my address... Attn: Tara Acton Alcaldia Municipal Concepción Batres, Departamento de Usulután. El Salvador. I also don´t have access to internet as of yet so I am not going to be able to get on line much. But they are building a cybernet cafe in my Mayors office so I will eventually have access to email

I am uploading some more pictures and it is taking a while so I decided to write to you all. The pictures are of a trip to the ancient ruins, when I went on immersion days and painted a world map, my family from Immersion weekend and the soccer game we played. I don´t know if I mentioned that during the soccer game the announcer kept calling me the ¨really white girl with the golden braids¨

I will be living in..... the Department of Usulutan....http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/nytmaps.pl?el_salvador (look in south east corner) in a pueblo called Conception Batres. This is what i know... Reasons for requesting a volunteer. The municipality has entered a stage to technify itself, to establish and to define or to redefine its organizacion, to implement new acceptable techniques in order

I am so sorry I haven´t written in a few weeks. It is hard to get motivated to come to the internet cafe after a long day. They certainly have been working us hard but it is almost over. Let´s see if I can briefly recap the last two weeks. We spent a few days in another area of the country with another family. I LOVED it! The family was great, we went on a hike, I painted a world map, I

It is blue and white! I am so excited. EVERYONE has a hamaca here, it´s the thing to have! Now I just have to wait to get my own house so i can put it up! Ok I am so tired and exhuasted and I want to go to bed but i figured I haven´t updated in a while and you deserved somekind of update. Let´s see here... Friday I prepared my Charla (presentation). I have to go into a 5th grade classroom

We finally got to spend some time together having fun this weekend!! Let´s start with Friday. We were picked up and all crammed into two mini vans and were taken to the All Volunteer Conference in San Salvador. I felt as though we were being thrown to the dogs, as soon as we walked in everyone turned and stared...obviously checking us out (not like we weren´t checking out the prospects too, I

First things first though... I need to tell you to please not share this site with anyone unless you ask me first. People have been kicked out of the Peace Corps for things that have been written in blogs that were shared with the wrong people. We just had a big long talk about it the other day and they kinda freaked me out about having a blog so I just wanted to bring that up. Secondly, nobody

I thought that on Sunday i was going to be dead to the world because of the medication they put me on (which just reminded me i need to go take my malaria pills) but I felt fine. I even straigtened my hair...which didn´t last very long in this heat and humidity. I swear when it gets to be like 70 the slavadorans freeze and think they are going to get the flu and i think it is perfect weather!