Six Months

So, what have I been up to? Let’s see. . . not much. It’s the same old thing in site. A few weeks ago I attended IST (in-service-training) that happens once a year per program. It was pretty uneventful, but it was at the beach. Another new group of volunteers have arrived, making our group the oldest. Six months left to go. I’m counting down, as usual. Basically I have to make it to November. Once I’m there, school ends for the year and I’m going home for Thanksgiving. Then, when I get back in December, I’ll breeze through Christmas and the new year. After that is our close of service conference followed by a few months of med exams, final reports, and interviews. Then, I’m home free. So I have September and October to kill, really.

Anyway, I’m writing this blog to talk about results. The reason Peace Corps has been so difficult for me is because after all the work, or attempts to work, it seems nearly impossible to see any concrete results. I mean, we’re all really trying to make things work out here, but when you’re giving it all you have and there are no rewards, things can become quite frustrating. I may see little tiny things here and there like a student answering a question correctly in class, but it’s just not enough.

For the first time this last week I saw a result, a result from the workshop I was a part of. Although this result did not appear in my site, it did appear while working on my favorite project here in El Salvador. Outside of my community I’m on an HIV/AIDS prevention team made up of volunteers interested and educated in the topic. As part of the PEPFAR initiative, we hold training-of-trainers workshops several times a year, focusing on prevention and discrimination. They’re usually workshops for other volunteers and their counterparts (host country nationals). This time we included high school students and educators from a school called Sup¬érate. These kids are rockstar students. In addition to attending high school, they come to the Sup¬érate campus everyday to be trained in English, computation, and life skills. Most of them speak fluent English and are quite mature for their young age. All are very motivated and extremely fast learners. Anyway, they were an awesome group to work with and much different that the kids I see every day.

The workshop basically works like this: We (the HIV team) spend a day and a half giving the workshop, carrying out short lectures and participatory activities with the attendees. Then, we have a testimonial followed by preparation for a practicum that comes the next day, giving the attendees an opportunity to practice a condensed version of the workshop that we give.

So, results. I’m here to talk about the testimonial, which is typically the most impactful part of our workshop. Ernesto comes to most of our workshops to talk to the attendees about how he contracted HIV. After telling his story he answers any questions that people might have. He’s an awesome guy who really is an educator himself. Anyway, at the end session, on young girl raised her hand to ask a question, which really turned into a commentary. Brenda explained that she used to discriminate against people with HIV and AIDS. She then explained to Ernesto that he and the workshop had changed her life and she was eternally grateful. Afterward she asked him for a hug. I just about died. I’m mean I know is sounds so cheesey, but watching someone’s mind change about something that powerful really makes this whole process worth it. And after spending a few days with Brenda, it was even more meaningful, watching her grow as an individual.

Now, I plan on going to visit the SupŽrate campus closest to me in San Miguel (there are three campuses across the country and we got representatives from them all). One, to see how the students are implementing HIV prevention work and two, to work more with these amazing kids. And did I mention, this is the campus Brenda attends.

Well, successes do exist here. They're far and few between, but when they come they're worth it.