Victory is ours!!!!! We won the JICA vs. Peace Corps soccer game. I think I will say it was the first time in Peace Corps history. It was an amazing day at Estadio Cuscatlan. The stadium was packed (see picture). We beat the Japanese volunteers 3-2. It was quite the physical game; the Japanese volunteers were a little pushy on the field. After the game the JICA volunteers and Peace Corps volunteers had a little get together at the Peace Corps office where we enjoyed nachos, chex mix, soda and fun name games. I was really impressed with the JICA volunteers´ Spanish. I think the Peace Corps volunteers have it easier because of all the cognates between English and Spanish. The JICA volunteers have to learn a brand new alphabet and pronunciation. It was really fun talking with them and comparing the differences between their assignments here and ours. The JICA volunteers are assigned to a specific place or institution where the carry out their projects. Unlike the Peace Corps volunteers that are given a community and a very broad program title. I met a JICA that worked at the Agricultural University called ENA, another that works with the fishermen in Sonsonate to help them make more profit from their catch, and one that is a Tae Kwon Do teacher at the University. I am thinking of getting my Japanese citizenship and becoming a JICA volunteer that coaches water polo or maybe a surf team. Anyways, great experience and can´t wait to beat them next year.
Couldn´t even hear my teammates it was so loud....
Going back in time here, two days before the JICA game I took off on foot with Javier (my counterpart and housemate), his friend from the University, and 5 bichas. We hiked about two hours into the mountains to a cantone called Ajute (I think that’s how its spelled). Javier has a bunch of extended family up there with a ton of land. So we took off at 5am and started the treacherous hike up the mountains. We arrived at Ajute about the time I would normally be rolling out of bed and were welcomed with a nice breakfast of refried beans and tortillas. After a long nap in the hammock I was woken up by a little girl trying to swing me to the moon in my hammock.
Devil child that woke me up...
The hike on the way up...
We spent the rest of the day wrestling around and playing dominoes. It was really fun being a child with a giant group of girls. They made sure that I felt like one of them, which was quite easy. They loved to do the same things I do; climb trees, play dominoes, ride horses (not anymore, more info to follow), eat pupusas, star gaze, pull hair, play tag, take pictures, touching my face, and sleeping. I was exhausted from the early morning hike, but these girls carried me through the day.
Barefootin´ it up the tree...
So more about why I don’t like riding horses anymore. First of all, I have never ridden a horse before this experience. I just liked the idea of riding a horse. The whole cowboy image, I thought it kind of fit me. So the family had a mule, which is great for the mountains and a lot easier to get on. I mentioned that I wanted to ride their mule so they brought it out to the field where there was some open space. I tried to listen carefully to the kids while they sped through the instructions of how to ride. After a trial run with the mule I thought I had the generally idea of how to steer the beast. The kids told me to kick it with my legs and give it a nice kissing sound so I repeated instructions and was immediately reminded who is in control. The mule took off running like a bat out of hell. It B-lined it for the nearest barb wired fence and right when I thought I was gonna get tossed in a mound of cow shit, the mule halted and stood there like an innocent puppy. So this is where I almost shat myself. I casually talked to the beast and told him I wanted to turn around slowly and head back to the kids. This is where I think things went terribly wrong, I TALKED TO HIM IN ENGLISH! The beast got super pissed off and headed for the dirt road nearby. He put it into overdrive and we took off in a beautiful gallop bruising my butt and inner thighs. The beast must have misinterpreted my English for ¨Hey, why don´t we see how fast you can gallop on the way home¨ because he let it all out on the open road. My life flashed before my eyes multiple times before we swiftly arrived back at the house. Meanwhile, where were the kids to whisper sweet nothings into the beast´s ears to slow it down? They were too busy laughing. I promise you this was not a laughing matter. I was screaming like a niña. When we arrived at the house I decided to talk to it in Spanish and tell him I was gonna get my ass off of its back now. It didn’t like my gringo accent either because it continued to hammer the gate to the house with its head or would not relax a second to let me down. Finally the children came to my rescue and fork lifted me off the beast. That was a thrilling experience and now it is clear that I don´t like riding anything that looks like a horse, only the idea of being a cowboy. The day ended with some star gazing in the campo. The next morning I had to make my way back down the mountain to catch a bus at 7am in order to make it to the capital. What a trip.
Things are moving rapidly here in La Reina, the navidad is right around the corner. It is going to be a little different not having Christmas with the family, but everyone know that I am thinking of you.
Love you all,
Cory
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