Site Assignement - Hot Damn!!

I finally know where I will be living for the next two years….in the Parque Nacional El Imposible. Here is what my information packet says about my site and what I will be doing: “You’re so lucky! You’ll have the chance to work in the Parque Nacional El Imposible. Your counterpart agency is trying to help the 27 families that live in the park. They have formed several groups to work on ecotourism (viveros, honey production, trail riding, crafts, food, and tourist guides). You’ll be working with these groups teaching environmental education to take care of the protected area.”

My site assignment almost seems too good to be true. I have actually already been to the park and have seen the community in which I will be living….I went there on my immersion days about a month ago. It’s a beautiful place, and I am really excited about the type of work I will be doing with the community. I have been told that I can choose to live within the park (without electricity), or I can live in the pueblo which is located just outside the park (with electricity). I will know more next week after my 3 day site visit.

El Imposible is located in the country’s western-most department, Ahuachapán, and I will be living less than an hour away from the frontera (border) with Guatemala. The park is one of two national parks in El Salvador, and I have been told that it is home to more biodiversity than anywhere else in El Salvador. I really wanted to be able to work with an NGO during my service, so I was really excited to learn that my counterpart agency is an environmental NGO called SalvaNatura.

I’m going to be sworn in as a volunteer on November 30th, and then I move to my new site on December 1st. This means I will soon have a new mailing address…yet again. I should probably know my new address after my site visit. For all of you wonderful people who have been sending me mail, please keep it coming. Just keep in mind that my address will be changing, so you may want to hold off on mailing anything after next week….it’s been taking close to three weeks for me to receive my mail.

Hope all is well wherever you may be. I’ll post another update, hopefully accompanied by pictures, after I check-out my new home for the next two years!!