Security, college, robots 'n' more

Hi everyone --

Life in El Salvador continues at the usual pace, though the security situation in the country has worsened from an already deplorable starting point. May was the bloodiest month here since the end of the civil war 23 years ago, registering 622 homicides. Previously, March of this year had held this title, with 482 killings. Analysts attribute the rise in the homicide rate to the gangs' response to the government's increasingly heavy-handed anti-gang tactics. The more aggressive the government, the more brutal the gangs.

My site remains as of yet untouched by the violence epidemic, and it's unclear why. There are numerous small, rural towns with similar characteristics (economic, social, geographic, etc.) that have been infiltrated by the gangs and are subject to their practices of extortion, aggressive recruitment of teenagers, and intimidation of the local population. No one can be sure if it's simply a matter of time until one or more gangs establishes a presence here, or if my community possesses some unique safeguard against this scenario. This uncertainty contributes to the widespread fear and distrust that partially characterize the national mood here.

Info session at the ITCA

As far as work goes, my proudest undertaking of the last month was a trip to the capital that I led for my high schoolers to tour a university campus. In a survey I distributed to them earlier this year, almost all indicated a desire to pursue tertiary education after graduating from secondary school. When I informally polled them on whether they had ever set foot on a university campus, I discovered that none had, so I resolved to give them this experience. My thinking was that an in-person visit to a university would enable the students to conceptualize the possibility of tertiary education in a more concrete way.

The university that received us–the Instituto Tecnológico Centroamericano (ITCA)–was wonderfully gracious, professional and informative. The ITCA employee who coordinated our visit pulled together the directors of various degree programs within the institution, including gastronomy and restaurant management, auto repair, and electric engineering, each of whom gave a presentation describing their specific area of study. The information session was followed by a tour of the institution's neatly-manicured campus and lunch in the campus cafeteria, which is run by pupils in the gastronomy and restaurant management program. Overall, the campus visit was eye-opening for most of the students, and I hope it will help some of them define their medium-term priorities and navigate the decision that awaits them as they near their high school graduations.

Students after our campus tour

Remaining on the topic of university education, an observation I make is that nearly every university student I meet in this country is studying something practical and immediately applicable to the labor market; engineering, marketing, business administration, medicine, education and English seem to be the most common choices. This contrasts heavily with my personal experience, coming from a liberal arts background where intellectual exploration and the cultivation of critical thinking skills are emphasized more than learning a specific body of information within an area that translates directly into particular jobs.

The contrast between my experience and what I perceive to be the Salvadoran experience makes perfect sense when taking into consideration the state of the Salvadoran economy and the incentive ecosystem that it creates around a prospective university student. In a country where formal-sector jobs are incredibly scarce, one would be foolish to study political science and human rights as I did, if those degree programs even existed (which they don't). This is not to say that the small number of Salvadorans with degrees in such disciplines as anthropology and literature are necessarily doomed to a life of unemployment, but it is to say that to obtain a degree in a liberal arts field represents a significantly higher risk in El Salvador than it does in the United States. The freedom I had to pursue a liberal arts education with the confidence that it wouldn't prove financially ruinous was a luxury of having been born into middle class circumstances in a rich country with an incredibly complex and dynamic economy.

Who needs PCVs when kids can
learn from robots?

To shift gears and briefly summarize a couple of my other activities, I'll say that another recent highlight was Skyping into two high school Spanish classes in suburban Los Angeles to tell the students about Peace Corps and El Salvador (part of being a Peace Corps Volunteer is sharing about Peace Corps and your country of service with other Americans). This was a wonderful experience and I was impressed by the complexity and thoughtfulness of the students' questions. Also, the gourmet café project has really gotten off the ground and my counterparts and I are hoping to open up shop before I finish Peace Corps in September. Furthermore, with a USAID grant I acquired some robotics equipment to support a technology education program at the school in my site. This is a fun, interactive program that I was happy to support. Lastly, I have begun advising a woman who just opened a small food store on sales and marketing strategy, as well as internal management. I'll elaborate on this project in my next post once I have a better sense of where it is headed; we're currently facing some roadblocks involving her health that could stop the store project in its tracks. Lastly, a week ago my site received two new Peace Corps Volunteers who belong to the Youth Development project within Peace Corps El Salvador. Back in September, I initially recommended to Peace Corps that it send a Youth Development Volunteer to my community and later got my community to execute the process of applying for a volunteer, and it is great to have not one but two finally here and eager to serve the community.

In my spare time, I am continuing to lay the groundwork for my post-Peace Corps relocation to the Twin Cities by networking via phone and internet, and I'm looking forward to the next chapter.

I'll conclude with this picture of cows crossing the river in my site. Interpret it as you please.

It's hot but I try not to talk about the weather, or updates from the past two months

I write this post from a delightful cafe in La Palma, fittingly called Café d'Café, where I have come to escape the heat in my site (March and April are suffocating here, and my house has an uncanny talent for trapping and storing heat, resulting in an overheated, minimally-clad, and agitated gringo).

Here are some arbitrarily-ordered and iced-coffee-fueled updates from my world.

General El Salvador Updates

A 6am hoop session in my site

Since my last post, the March 1 national elections for mayors and legislators happened. The outcome was a mixed bag. On the one hand, the left-wing FMLN party picked up city halls in the capital and largest city San Salvador, as well as San Miguel, the main city on the eastern side of the country. On the other, the right-wing ARENA party and its allies gained ground in the national assembly and are now the dominant force in the body that is El Salvador's unicameral equivalent of the U.S. congress. In my tiny municipality, voters overwhelmingly re-elected the incumbent mayor, who has been in office for nine years with little to show for it but some comically bright stadium lighting in the central plaza and a fence around the soccer field that does an acceptable job of keeping cows and horses off the grass. The opposition to the mayor garnered enough votes to secure one out of eight seats on the city council under a new law promoting pluralistic municipal councils.

Yesterday, regrettably, El Salvador's national assembly advanced a series of anti-gay bills, designed to constitutionally ban marriage and adoption for same-sex couples (these things are already illegal here, but not constitutionally). On the bright side, the vote was far from unanimous, with 47 of 84 legislators supporting the legislation, and to be ratified, the legislation will have to cross a higher vote threshold in the next legislative session.

Furthermore, March was the bloodiest month in El Salvador in a decade, with 482 murders, or an average of over fifteen a day in a country of just over six million. A vast majority of the violence is gang-related, but there is also a disturbingly high rate of femicide in this country. As volunteers, we are oddly isolated from the epidemic of violence in El Salvador, as the U.S. embassy and Peace Corps do not allow volunteers to be placed in crime hotspots. Furthermore, El Salvador is a quite safe country for foreigners. There is a culture of respect here for foreigners, and the government does a pretty good job of boosting the police presence in tourist sites. There is even a dedicated tourism police force that has a strong presence at popular destinations like Playa Tunco. I would say, if you're interested in visiting in El Salvador, don't be discouraged by the negative news articles you read about the country. Do practice common sense and follow the State Department's and the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office's advice for travelers, but don't write the country off as a travel destination. There is a lot of good here, in spite of the bad.

Easter street art made by young people from my community

Possible new PCV(s) in Citalá

It is looking likely that next month another Peace Corps Volunteer (possibly even two, a married couple) will be installed in Citalá, which will make for an interesting arrangement during my final months as a Volunteer. The new volunteer(s) will belong to the Youth Development program (I'm a Community Organization and Economic Development Volunteer), meaning they will focus during their two years on activities with students and people in their early 20s, in such areas as career readiness, healthy lifestyles, computer and English skills, and extra-curricular activities. If volunteers are indeed assigned to here (nothing is certain in Peace Corps until it's certain, and sometimes not even then), I look forward to helping to orient them and prepare them for a successful service in Citalá.

I'm laughing a little bit at my use of the verb "install" in the context of a Peace Corps Volunteer site assignment, as if we're sweaty, backpack-wielding software updates.

Twin Cities Networking

In my free time, I have been networking over the internet and phone with people in the Twin Cities, my next destination after Peace Corps (I say this with 99% certainty, acknowledging that life is unpredictable). The experience has been fantastic. The Twin Cities is (I don't actually know if it's proper to use the verb 'is' or 'are' when speaking of the Twin Cities, but I'm committing to the third-person singular for now) home to iconic companies (think General Mills, 3M and Target) and a plethora of creative and consulting firms, making for a world-class business community. In the last three months I have done calls with about fifty individuals who have been incredibly generous in sharing their advice, connections, and time with me. Minnesota nice is a real thing. Also, I have been very pleased by how positively people respond to my Peace Corps service. People seem to understand that Peace Corps is a commitment that challenges an individual in ways a more conventional job can't, and cultivates qualities like flexibility, intercultural fluency, and resilience. Overall, the experience of networking with Twin Cities folks has taught me a great deal about different businesses and career paths and gotten me very excited about spending the next chapter of my life in the capital of America's North, as some would have it.

New community group formation

A planning session with the regional tourism
organization I work with

One new development in my site is that a group of residents of one of the five barrios (neighborhoods) of Citalá is trying to organize itself into an ADESCO (essentially a neighborhood improvement council). I have managed to elbow my way into their startup process to see where I can add value, and I have been pleased to see a high level of motivation among group members. What's more, the group president is a young woman, a fairly rare and improbable occurrence in provincial El Salvador. So for now, four meetings in, I feel optimistic that this group will be able to get established and fight to achieve its goals, which include improving street lighting at night, securing vocational trainings for women and youth, and upgrading sanitation infrastructure in the community.

Now, based on my experience in El Salvador, I should have extraordinarily low expectations for this nascent group, despite the positive initial indications. My first site was a bust in terms of motivation and commitment to see projects through, my current site is slightly better but still significantly lacking in aspiration, and I continue to be jarred by the apathy that prevails here (not that I blame the Salvadoran people, as the apathy is a symptom of systemic problems beyond any individual's control). That being said, digging oneself into a malaise of low expectations to protect oneself against eventual disappointment is no way to live.

My first taste of frog

Ataco/Juayúa trip

Last month I spent a weekend between the two charming mountain towns of Ataco and Juayúa. If you ever travel to El Salvador, I would highly recommend visiting these places, which are about a ninety-minute drive from the capital. Ataco is famous for beautiful handicrafts and delicious locally-produced coffee, and has some nice restaurants and hotels and a particularly lively restaurant-bar called Portland, which features live music. Juayua hosts a food festival every weekend that fills up with professionals from the capital and offers delicious grilled meats (including frog, which I tried for the first time, and rabbit), fried shrimp and fish, and decadent desserts. There is also an impressive waterfall just outside the town limits. El Salvador has numerous touristic gems like these; unfortunately, the country's gang violence keeps foreign travelers away.

Juayúa waterfall

That's all for now. Don't hesitate to follow up with questions (frank.j.alarcon@gmail.com or Twitter). I'm also accepting emails of the "Hey, my aunt lives in Minneapolis, let me put you in touch" sort.

Cheers,

Frank

Some apolitical ramblings and quick updates

El Salvador is in the thick of a political campaign, and I’m going to comment on it, albeit with a caveat. Peace Corps is an apolitical organization, and as such PCVs are prohibited from engaging in political activities or publicizing their preferences with respect to host-country politics. I wholeheartedly agree with this rule. If Peace Corps staff or volunteers were found (or even perceived) to be meddling in local political campaigns, the challenge of establishing trust in the communities where we operate would be all the more difficult. Maintaining trust with the national governments of host countries is also essential, as Peace Corps serves at their invitations and political activity on the part of Peace Corps could result in a withdrawal of host country government support for Peace Corps. In the spirit of this apolitical obligation, I’m not going to betray my leanings on matters related to these upcoming elections, nor levy the criticisms of local politicians that I keep tightly bottled up inside.

Campaigning is currently underway for El Salvador's 84-seat Legislative Assembly and the mayors of the each of the country’s 262 municipalities. Delegates to the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) will also be chosen, though the Parlacen is not a widely understood or influential institution. Voting will be held on March 1.

Perhaps the defining quality of a Salvadoran political campaign (at least in provincial El Salvador, which leads me to a second caveat: my analysis is limited to how things are outside the capital region, which hosts over 30% of El Salvador’s population and boasts higher education and income levels than the rest of the country) is the noise, as my fellow PCV Daniel discusses in his blog. Ageing pickups with massive concert speakers strapped to their beds and adorned with party flags do laps around town blasting political anthems with little regard for anyone’s post-lunch siesta. Campaigns also commonly host dances, a tactic that consists of transforming a block of road in the middle of town into a temporary nightclub that winds down only around two or three in the morning. Between each bass-heavy Swedish house music track, the DJ puts in a plug for the sponsoring candidate. Inevitably, most residents within a five block radius hear this DJ’s appeal, as few possess the wherewithal to sleep during what is essentially a night-long, highly-localized earthquake.

To be fair, there is a reasonable amount of good old-fashioned knocking on doors, as well.

In campaigns here, ideas are discussed only sometimes. Mayoral candidate debates don’t happen outside El Salvador’s few sizable cities, and some candidates opt not to release a platform or even announce so much as a handful of policy proposals. I attribute the non-programmatic nature of these municipal elections in part to the rigidity of party allegiances here. People old enough to have lived through the traumatizing civil war of the 1980s tend to vote for the party that corresponds to the belligerents they supported in the war. Those who supported the military vote for the right-wing ARENA party, and those who supported the guerrillas support the leftist FMLN party. Parents and grandparents tend impress their political affiliations upon their younger family members, so the trend won’t necessarily disappear as today’s adults are replaced by tomorrow’s.

Often one’s leanings were defined by a highly personal and traumatic event. An example would be that the guerrillas killed Pedro’s brother, so Pedro resents the FMLN and will only vote for ARENA (or one of the smaller right-wing parties that have splintered from ARENA in recent years). Pedro’s story and ones like it are all too common; over 70,000 people were killed in the war.

Another event that can solidify one’s political leanings here is bestowal of goods. Seeking re-election votes in a particular cantón (a village forming a small part of a larger municipality), the mayor may print his name on 500 water jugs and distribute them to residents, or hand out toys to the village’s children. An infrastructure project (usually road repair or running water), even if poorly executed, can serve a similar purpose.

In short, local campaigns here are often not issue-based because voters don’t demand that candidates tell them where they stand on the issues.

What’s more, there are virtually no local news outlets in El Salvador, so provincial political campaigns and their protagonists receive practically no scrutiny from anyone trained to analyze them in an objective and disinterested manner. I believe very strongly that if El Salvador is to continue its trajectory toward democratic maturation, the development of a local press (and a corresponding reading culture) is essential. Small-town mayors in rural El Salvador are allowed to go about their work in a manner that is essentially unchecked by the media and civil society, and while the extent of the resulting misuse of resources is unknown, it is certainly substantial.

I have been awfully negative up to this point, and it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t give credit where credit is due. Since the conclusion of the civil war in the early 1990s, El Salvador has administered mostly free and fair elections, which is an accomplishment to be applauded. The nonpartisan governmental body charged with planning and running elections has a comprehensive communication strategy whereby it explains how, when and where to vote. It seems to reach even the most isolated households. Furthermore, many young people participate in campaign activities, which is heartening to see. There is a serious dearth of extra-curricular activities for youth in provincial El Salvador (a problem compounded by a brief 4.5 hour school day), and participation in campaigns provides opportunities for teenagers to develop skills and self-confidence.

I could carry on about Salvadoran politics, but instead I’ll conclude with one interesting observation. In the United States, we’re used to a reasonably pronounced urban-rural split when it comes to voting patterns. Urban dwellers are more liberal and trend Democratic, while rural dwellers are usually more conservative and tend to favor Republicans. Suburbs, meanwhile, run the gamut from very liberal to very conservative, depending largely on the region of the country in which they’re located. Here, because voting is in large part non-ideological and often based on personal experiences, political divisions do not occur specifically along urban-rural lines.

The quick updates I’ve promised:

• Tourism: I’ve recently started participating in a regional tourism coordinating body that convenes hotel and restaurant owners. The organization is engaged in developing and implementing a regional tourism strategy. It has been very interesting so far, and I love being surrounded by aspirational and ambitious professionals who are committed to improving their lot.
• Entrepreneurship: As soon as the campaign is over (which is very soon; voting is on March 1), hopefully my counterpart who is planning to open a gourmet café in town will put the pedal to the metal on that project. I have secured a $500 grant for her to acquire startup equipment and she has managed to pull in some consulting resources from an NGO. I’m excited about it and my expectations are high, which is never good in Peace Corps.

Three highlights in three weeks

The past three weeks have each featured a distinct highlight of my Peace Corps service. 

America

The first was my trip home to the United States, where I spent December 22-30 in my hometown of Mill Valley, California, and December 31-January 5 in Jackson Heights, New York, where my grandparents reside. Being back in my country and seeing family and friends was enjoyable in and of itself, and amplified by the fact that I've lived without those things for so long. As if I wasn't sufficiently aware of this fact prior to my vacation, my trip home reminded me how lucky I am to have been born an American and to have had the opportunities and resources available to me about which residents of most countries can only fantasize. One's circumstances and place of birth are totally arbitrary and accidental, and people like me who hit the proverbial uterus jackpot (well, there probably isn't actually a proverb about a uterus jackpot, but you understand more or less what I mean) need to be aware of and humble about our fortune. After two years in the Peace Corps, I'll be at no risk of losing sight of how lucky I am to have happened upon such favorable circumstances.

While back in the U.S., I didn't experience the "reverse culture shock" of which PCVs are warned; I'm not far enough away–physically or psychologically–from the United States to be especially susceptible to that. I did, however, renew my appreciation for 1) being within my own culture and 2) anonymity. When one is within their own culture, he or she can speak, be understood, and understand others in their own language, both literally and, more importantly, figuratively. The figurative component involves the fluidity of communication between people with shared or at least similar values, identities, daily rituals, personal experiences, and education levels. As valuable as it is to interact with people from walks of life foreign to your own, there is comfort and ease in enjoying the company of those to whom you are similar. Regarding anonymity, the freedom to conduct your life without inspiring curiosity and receiving scrutiny from strangers is a blessing. In the U.S., my presence in public turns no heads and elicits no gawking or shouts of "Gringo!" or any other utterance that makes me feel exposed or unwelcome. I am just another person blending in. Living in El Salvador has given me great sympathy for anyone who has to deal with unwanted attention on a consistent basis. I've learned to live with it, but I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't looking forward to one day blending in once again.

Camp GLOW

An activity from Camp GLOW

Shortly upon returning to El Salvador after my visit to the U.S., I helped execute a camp for young women in collaboration with eight other PCVs from my cohort. It was a GLOW, or Girls Leading Our World, Camp, an activity that PCVs in many countries organize to teach girls about gender equality and leadership. Each participating volunteer could bring two teenaged girls from their communities to the camp, which we held at an ecological park in a charming mountain town called Alegría, which means 'happiness' in Spanish. The camp involved leading the girls in interactive games and activities to facilitate analysis of gender issues in their lives, teach them about different types of leadership and leadership skills, and propose solutions to problems such as the prevailing "machista" culture in El Salvador. We also did activities that were purely for fun and group bonding, like a hike to a nearby volcanic lake. 

Overall, the experience was heartening, as promoting gender equality among young women tends to be in this country. Girls get it. They know that machismo is a repressive force that holds back their country's economic potential, leads to problems like domestic and gender-based violence and teenaged pregnancy, and is a basic affront to human dignity and freedom. Getting men and boys to understand this is a greater challenge.

Dental Campaign in Citalá

Independently of any effort of mine, a group of Americans came to my site last week to carry out a dental campaign as part of a small nonprofit organization called Volunteers in Dental Service. They were twenty-two people in total, a mixture of dentists, dental hygienists, nurses and other people who performed various logistical and administrative tasks. On the first of their five days of offering free dental care to local people, I introduced myself to Karen, the bilingual American who appeared to be running the show, and, in need of an additional translator, she invited me to interpret for them for their remaining four days of work. I jumped at the opportunity, excited to have a chance to spend time with a group of friendly and humanitarian-minded Americans and help them perform valuable work that would improve the quality of many people's lives. 

Stuart and Adam at work on a patient

The experience was absolutely wonderful. The group of people, mostly from Maryland and the Atlanta area, was kind, fun and eclectic. They accepted me without hesitation and made sure I felt included (a huge thank you to Adam on that front!), and that I never paid for a meal (or a beer during our after-work revelry at their hotel, for which I specifically have Dave to thank). I also learned more about dentistry than I had ever thought I would. When I wasn't needed to translate, I often sat by the chair manned by Stuart, a brilliant orthodontist residing outside Atlanta and originally from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). He made a point to make the experience educational for me and Adam, who is a nurse and was assisting him, explaining in detail the dental issues we were encountering. 

Those issues were many. A high-sugar diet paired with poor brushing and flossing habits and a un-fluorinated water supply leads to cavities and other oral health issues. The team pulled many adult teeth that were beyond repair, from people as young as eleven. It was difficult to watch teens and pre-teens losing teeth that are supposed to serve them throughout their adult lives, but the extractions were necessary and will protect those young people from discomfort and more serious issues in the future. Previous to this campaign, I had been ignorant of the deficit of dental health in rural El Salvador. The public health clinic in my site has a full-time dentist on staff, so I assumed the situation wasn't dire. Unfortunately, it is. In light of this, the same group of volunteers will be coming back to Citalá next year to offer more care. There was some talk toward the end of the campaign of incorporating a formal educational component to next year's campaign to try to improve people's oral hygiene habits, as the people of Volunteers in Dental Service understand that sustainability depends on people adopting healthy brushing and flossing habits. Behavior change is hard, but potentially with the proper programming mix, people can be influenced to make lifestyle changes that favor their dental health.

Overall, I'm very proud to have been a small part of an undertaking that will have an immediate impact on people's wellbeing. In total, 335 local people received dental care, mainly fillings, extractions and root canals.

That's all for now. Feel free to contact me with questions and don't forget to floss!