I’m so bad at this blogging stuff. Sorry guys! Anyhow, May was kind of a bad month in general. I had alot of first hand experiences with lies and corruption within the health clinic I’ve been working with, the school in my community, and the president of the ADESCO. It was an all around low point and I lost all desire to attempt to do anything. Thank GOD for In-Service-Training!!!
In service training is an opportunity to reconnect with friends, rest, take hot showers, and refine the knowledge and skills gained during the 10 weeks of training in San Vicente. It couldn’t have come at a better time for me personally and I now have a much better attitude about my work and my community. I learned how to make mango marmalade, how to graft mango trees, how to start an ecological club at my school, etc, etc. The week that I got back from IST, I gave a charla over “Plan de Partos” with our health promoter and organized a community excursion to witness the ordination of a priest in the neighboring paroquia. 40 people went and had such a good time that when we got back home they asked when I would be planning the next excursion!!!! Also within the same week, the kids in my school received their first letters from their penpals in the States (remember that penpal program I wrote about way back when?). The penpals also sent two teddy bears so we had a little raffle among the program participants to see who would be the lucky owners of the new toys. The kids were soooo excited they started writing letters back right away and decided to start a small fund to buy gifts for their friends in the States. And, finally, as I was digging up a marigold from my window-box to give to a friend, I discovered that there were healthy, active worms beneath the soil! And I thought that all my lombricultura worms had died off! Now, not only do I have fantastic soil but also incredibly healthy plants as proof for the farmers that worm composting is a reasonable and cheap alternative to chemical fertilizers. YES!!!! Success is so sweet!
This was all followed by a bought of bad luck in the health department. I was bit by a dog, stung by a bee, and bed-ridden for two days with an allergic reaction to the mold that is running rampant in my house. (It’s the wet season. There is no ridding of the mold). But, I’m back on my feet today and still in high spirits for continued success.
The next project is to propose the ecological club idea to the teachers at the school and to organize the cow owners in my community to solicit a 3-day training over the care and feeding of cows and milk product production.
Keeping my fingers crossed for continued success…
…You can’t tell but I think this is the 5th time I’ve edited this post. I forgot to say that the trees in the vivero are growing, slowly. We are still waiting for our trash cans although I’ve been assured they are on their way. And, with the assistance of the Mayor’s Office, I’ve arranged to have one of our high school students teach Basic Adult Education classes once a week. She’d going to teach 1st and 2nd grade to 25 people in my town who cannot read and write. How cool is that??!!??
