What Up...

Alright, so here’s the next update in the saga of The Adventures of Natalie Foxworthy, which has turned out to be a much different “adventure” than I could have ever imagined, but that’s how it goes I guess.

So we pulled off the “Gran Campaña de Limpieza” (Grand Trash Campaign) pretty successfully. A few days before the actual campaign a group of youth and I went around announcing the details, handing out flyers, hanging posters and perifoning. The Campaign was Wednesday, July 25th and we were able to get a group of students from the high school to come help, and I invited 6-9th grades at the school, bribing them with extra credit points in science and a free lunch. href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kC5Pb0NvOJg/RrHtZSrFt6I/AAAAAAAAAPA/MMSGqSnlPaU/s1600-h/IMG_1618.JPG">
Well it worked…I’d say about 30 or more students showed up, a lot of them guys, which really shocked me. I guess they really needed those extra credit points. The health clinic, the ADESCO, Ayuda en Accion and CESTA (both organizations that work in the community), and the trash trucks from the mayor’s office in Jiquilisco all collaborated as well.
We split up into groups to go around cleaning up different public areas of the community while the trash trucks went around collecting trash from the houses. I helped clean up the shore of the bay with a group of about 15 kids. We had a great time. Although it’s kind of gross cleaning the bay because there is just so much trash and shit (literally, like pig and cow shit and some spots just flat out stank hasta ganas de vomitar – until it makes you want to throw up) it can be fun because you find the randomest stuff like hats, shirts, underwear, fans, etc. So it makes for good laughs and good photos – it’s kinda like a scavenger hunt.


We cleaned all morning and filled two huge trucks filled with trash. I thought two pick-up trucks were going to come but no, huge massive trucks came and we filled both. Goes to show how much trash the community generates and how badly a trash system is needed here.
After the campaign, when I was out taking census, several people mentioned how great it was to have the trash campaign but that we need to have the trucks regularly because burning trash just isn’t good. Overall I think everything went over really well, overlooking all the miscommunication and things that could have gone better. But of course, a week later the community is dirty again.


What else…so my host family asked when I was going to move out of their house. Not really sure what the real reason is but a mix of: they just don’t want me there anymore, my host sister wants her room back (she moved out of her room so I could have it), the mosquito season is coming and things are going to get uncomfortable, and a miscommunication in how long I thought I could stay here, which was longer than the family was thinking. So I’ve been pretty stressed about that because first, it’s awkward to continue living with a family that’s already asked me when I’m gonna move out and second because I have almost zero housing options because there just aren’t vacant houses and my counterparts kinda screwed up by not securing a place for me before I even got here, like my boss told me they were going to do. So I know it doesn’t sound like it’s a big problem, but for me it is and the way things are looking I have no freaking clue what’s going to happen.

Me and my volunteer friend Teresa.

But on the bright side, we took a little adventure last Saturday. Two of my volunteer friends from near by communities, one of which went to the camp with me, came in to visit with a few other people from their communities. With them and my friends from here we took a boat trip to an island where all these birds lived, we cooked dinner (fish, rice, salsa, cheese and tortillas), and then we went to the beach to spend the night and freeze to death. It was a great time.
Me and my friends from here planned it all out, we all shared the costs, we cooked and prepared the food Saturday afternoon and then had a great time. Everything went really well and it was good to just spend a whole day and night with my close friends from here, forgetting about my problems with the housing situation.
I was surprised how happy it made me to spend time cooking and preparing food with my friends; something I haven’t really done in 7 months and something that I did almost everyday in the states. This is in reference to you Miss Laura and all the cooking we’ve done together and the Bitches too.
Me and my friend Marlon.

But there is this island where all these birds lived so we went to check that out and went swimming. And then we went to this rancho on the beach, hung hammocks, made coffee and bunkered in for the night, but man was it cold and none of us brought thick enough sheets, but it was great fun.
Me and my darling friend Isamar


Right now is a national holiday in El Salvador until Monday so things have kind of slowed down here and I wanted to take a trip but I have to get this census finished, so looks like I’ll be hanging in Mendez, maybe spend an afternoon at the beach.

Sorry if I’ve been complaining a lot in these last few blogs, but in all honestly it’s been kind hard. But I’m sticking it out…I mean everyone has good days and bad days, just gotta work through it all. I hope everyone is doing well. I miss you all.