En San Salvador
To recap: I´m participating in a ten-week long program as a volunteer English teacher at a social justice organization here in San Salvador. I´ll be teaching English to adult social justice activists, war wounded, and other deserving folks. In return, I receive some free participation in the organization´s Political/Cultural Program, and get Spanish classes (in a small class, with a focus on classroom discussion of social justice, political, and cultural issues) for half price. I{ll be back in Sparta for Thanksgiving, but then return to El Slavador or some other Spanish'speaking Latin American country to try to find a (preferably social justice-, human rights-, or peacebuilding-related nonprofit) job with my newly-aquired Spanish skills.
The organization my program is with is called CIS (sees), Centro de Intercambio y Solidaridad--the Center for exchange and Solidarity. Their website is here: http://www.cis-elsalvador.org/. Mail to me should be mailed to their address:
Ave. Aguilares y Ave. Bolivar #103
Colonia Libertad
San Salvador, El Salvador
I´m planning to get an El Salvador phone number, which I{ll send out for the benefit of any who wish to purchase an international calling card and give me a ring from time to time.
My plane arrived on time, via a gorgeous landing route that took us out over the city (which is surrounded by green mountains and volcanoes), past the beach, over the Pacific, and back. I´m excited to explore the surrounding countryside.
I´m also excited to explore the city. The guide books tell me San Salvador is very lefty and hip, and I´ve marked down a few places I want to check out (including every vegetarian restaurant in town--more than I though there´d be). For now, though, all I{ve seen is my house and the internet cafe two doors down. Incidentally, for those who asked: the computers have cameras, and skype is already downloaded on them.
My host family consists of an older woman and a middle-aged woman, Elba and Nena, respectively (there might be a preadolescent girl; she was there when I arrived but I haven´t seen her since, so she might just be an acquaintance). They have a nice little house on a street corner very close to CIS, in the typical style with a small courtyard in the middle. My room is across the courtyard, offering me a little more privacy. I´ve got a bed, a wardrobe, a chair, and a fan--the latter of which is more welcome than you might think; it´s very humid.
Training as an English teacher starts tomorrow, and my English (teaching) and Spanish (studying) classes both start on Monday. Wish me luck!