The water-pressure in our house has magically and mysteriously become strong enough to shower in. Well, I'm sure Hinkle would disagree as he has been taking showers at the house since we moved in, but he also doesn't have gloriously tangled locks of curls to contend with.
So once we arrived back from PST-2 the water-pressure came full force, first only at night and now it seems all day. With this increased pressure comes a very substantial leak from the pipe behind the toilet. Our landlord has been advised of this problem but because that water finds its way into the shower area instead of our living area, we have allowed our landlord to get away with blowing us off for over a week.
I digress.
After a very cold shower which had me whimpering with each limb I slowly put under the ice cold water, I was off to a meeting with the tourism association I work with. First stopping off at the hotel for some fruit and granola for breakfast. :)
The meeting was great but as usual we only covered three out of five points on the agenda before we decided to break for the 12pm Mundial game.
(Arg. V. Mex.)
...or more appropriately (Messi V. Mexico).
Mexico lost 3-1.
That loss combined with one single brew and overcast skies, hinkle says is due to a storm named Alex, has me super tired and ready for a nap.
But before I run off I was asked by my grandma to blog about what the heck it IS exactly that I do here, for work that is. . .
So this is kinda like describing what my schedule is like....it's really hard. But the short version is that I'm part of the COED group here in PC El Salvador. This stands for Community Organization and Economic Development. I am working specifically with Economic Development in the form of Tourism. I am the one Peace Corps volunteer in all of El Salvador that is NOT assigned to a community but rather a ZONE, La Ruta De Paz. And more specifically, an Association of Businesses which work in the areas of tourism, ASETURP
Their Logo:
ASETURP is an organization composed of hostel, hotel and restaurant owners, along with artisans from a women's cooperative, a local carpenter who makes beautiful furniture, a microbus guy, others who have their own small businesses (like my host mom's bomb pupusaria), municipal government representative, a few doctors, a technical advisor and me!
I'm really encouraged by the vision of this group and that I'll have the privilege to work with them for the next 2 years.
This area of Morazan is the heart of the civil war's Guerrilla movement. This place is full of living history because each person you encounter can tell you their story and the story of the earth beneath your feet. Its beautiful to see the resilience and perseverance in the people. 1992 was not that long ago and to sit in a meeting where they are talking about putting together a festival, organizing dues, and planning for next week's SWOT analysis meeting I can't help but be impressed and proud to be invited to join this group. Not only do they want to grow tourism for their own financial gain but major topics in their base document deal with becoming eco-friendly, buying and hiring locally, social responsibility with the communities and preserving, for future generations, the history through the creation of a research library and the continued support of the Revolutionary Museum.
So in the end I would say that I'm working with a grassroots organization who's aim is to further the development of the area through tourism.
What this translates to is first meeting everyone, getting to know them and gaining their trust.
Then seeing what each one is working on and assessing where they need help. Administration, Marketing, Searching out and writing Grant proposals, Business Plan writing this includes Mission and Vision statements, works plans etc...
Hope that helps Grams! :)
Here are some photos from the Food Festival that ASETURP puts on each Sunday.
And a piñata!
current status: the clouds are clearing and so is my urge for slumber
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