Mi casa es mi casa

So finally after 9 months of living with a host family (I really did enjoyed it) and searching for a place to live I found a house! It is plenty big for just me, I have a kitchen/living room, a bathroom, two bedrooms and a backyard, all this and I only pay $100 a month for rent, not too shabby. I took a trip with my host family to San Pedro to buy a fridge, electric stove, table, bed, fan, and dresser (it took 12 hours because of a car accident (not us though)). I’ve now been in my house for a little over two weeks and it is almost all set up the way I want it. It’s definitely a big switch having to do all my cooking and cleaning of an entire house by myself but it’s been a lot of fun, I’ve already used an entire roll of duct tape doing repairs, building makeshift shelves and whatnot. I have been surprisingly not lonely because whenever I walk by my old host family’s house, which is a lot because I only live ½ block away, they always invite me in for coffee or try to feed me because they don’t believe that a young man could possibly be able to cook for himself, it’s great having them be so welcoming and supportive of me.

Dia de San Valentine

I took a little trip to Tegus to spend Valentine’s Day with Katherine, it was a lot of fun, hanging out in Tegus for the weekend with her and the family, and I even got to go with her to the University where she is studying on Monday. It was a little difficult trying to plan Valentines activities for us in Tegus when I was in San Marcos and because I don’t know much about what to do in Tegus. We ended up having a nice/romantic dinner that I prepared for her, good pasta, chicken, French bread, and tres leche cake for dessert. Although it wasn’t over the top fancy it was really fun and in my opinion a success.

SPA Grant

One of the projects that I have been working on recently is what is called a SPA grant (small Project assistance) a program with the Peace Corps working with USAID (United States Agency for International Development). You are able to ask for funds up to $5,000 USD for a project in your community, the project needs to have a sustainable aspect, educational aspect, and be supported by the community too. We will be helping with the materials and construction as well as giving health talks on hygiene, water sanitation, diarrheic and parasitic diseases, as well as how to properly use and maintain a latrine. In San Marcos we have decided to write a SPA grant for a latrine project in 3 of the poorest villages, our goal, if approved is to build 80 latrines, 45 in Bella Vista, 20 in Panales, and 15 in Pimienta. We are just finishing up the grant and we will hopefully be submitting it today, I’m really excited about this project because it should make a lasting impact on the health of these villages. Keep this project in your thoughts and prayers and I’ll let you know when I know how it is going to progress.