Some site intel, Independence Day, and more

Hi everyone, and a happy Central American Independence Day to all!

This weekend has been filled with parades and traditional music and dance, all in celebration of the day in 1821 when El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, and Guatemala became independent from the Spanish Empire. Local students have spent hours upon hours practicing their marching, dancing, and band music, and it was great to see all their efforts come together this morning in a rather elaborate patriotic display that the whole town—regardless of party allegiances—came out to enjoy. Here in the Garcia household we have a guest this weekend: Jackie, the PCV who lived with my host family early this year when her group was in training. My host family has enjoyed having both of their gringos in the house at the same time, and it's been interesting hearing about some of the unexpected challenges Jackie has faced in her first few months in site.

As far as Peace Corps goes, I'm now seven weeks through the ten week training program, and last week I finally received some information about the site I'll be working in for the next two years. Without learning the name or exact location of my site (that's for Tuesday), I was informed by Peace Corps staff that it would be very rural and isolated and at a high elevation, meaning cold temperatures at night (forties and fifties) and pleasant daytime weather. I was also told I'll need to buy a Honduran SIM card, as Honduran cell towers reach the community better than Salvadoran ones (meaning, logically, that my site is very close to the northern border). The community has about 230 residents and is sparsely populated, meaning lots and lots of walking up and down the community's steep hills. Getting to the nearest town that has modern amenities like a grocery store takes about an hour and a half, a combination of walking and a bus ride. The site has previously had two PCVs, both of whom were very successful. I'm happy about this, as it means the community will have high expectations for me.

The only priority I expressed when voicing my site preferences was that I'd like to have internet access, as reading news is a hugely important part of my daily routine (and my identity) and the thought of being without it on a consistent basis caused me concern. To my delight, I learned that in my site, I'll be able to access the internet at the home of the local school director, with whom I'll be working regularly.

As far as potential work projects go, based on the information I received, it sounds like I'll be working to strengthen the local ADESCO, as well as working with a group of women looking to start a tilapia-farming business (so if you have any background in aquaculture, let me know!). I may also collaborate with Engineers Without Borders on latrine and water projects and the agriculture ministry on a small-scale farming project. I'll likely also work with youth in some capacity, perhaps by giving computer or English classes. Of course, I could arrive at my site and discover needs unrelated to what I just listed, so take anything I say at this point with a grain of salt. I won't know what I'll be doing for months, after I've conducted my census and community assessment.

Overall, I'm feeling very excited to wrap up training (as much as I will miss my host family in Nuevo Cuscatlan) and start getting to know my new community and figuring out ways I can add value there.

Stepping out of El Salvador, I've of course been following the developments on Syria. Like many, I love the idea of Syria surrendering its chemical arsenal to international authorities, as doing so would avoid a Western military strike while eliminating Assad's capability to use chemical weapons against civilians. But also like many, I have serious doubts about the plan, given the ruthlessness of Assad's regime and the dubious role the Russians are looking to play in the process. On the domestic front, I'm following with great interest the Tennessee Volkswagen plant whose management is supporting unionization of its employees and the creation of a German-style “works council”. Strong labor unions played a huge role in creating a largely middle-class society in the fifties, and the decline of union influence in recent decades is one of the factors that has allowed income inequality to grow to record levels in the U.S. Any news suggesting a possible resurgence of unions in any sector of the economy should be welcomed with enthusiasm. Disappointingly, numerous Tennessee Republicans have scathingly criticized Volkswagen for its support of its employees' unionization effort, and have called for the company to reverse course. I'd urge those politicians to let Volkswagen executives run their companies as they see fit, provided all applicable laws are followed.