MEETING A LIFE

STILL ALIVE

2011-11-10T19:26:00.000-08:00

November 10th, 2011.

Hello All.
Since I haven´t writting anything in my blog, I can tell you that I have been doing many things. I am still working in my country El Salvador.
I work for an NGO that develops projects for many communities in the Lower Lempa. We try to conserve and protect the environment by doing different activities such as environmental education, wildlife conservation projects, agricultural programs, and others.

I have learned that anything you do in the present will have an effect in the future. So I do something nicely, I will have a great future. I am older and I am learning from different problems and struggles. If you don´t have a chance to make a mistake in your life, it means you are not a human.

For all who know me, I am always happy with my life.

Continue soon...

Working in different Activities

2010-05-10T07:46:00.000-07:00

I have been doing many activities since I came to my country. The first months I dedicated my time working with the ADESCO (Communal Development Association) of my community.
We have some sea turtle conservation projects to help the environment and maintain the sustainability of the community. People from the community go to the beach to get turtle eggs to incubate them later in turtle hatchery nursery. After 45 days we release the neonates to the sea.
Before going to the USA, I had some communication with friends from Mangrove Association. I was looking for a job related to my field, so my friends contacted me with the Environmental Program in Mangrove Association. I started working with them in November y December and doing some brochures to promote the Beauty of Jiquilisco Reserve of Biosphere. I did a lot of mapping of the areas where Mangrove Association have some work for conservation. I also, had the opportunity to work as volunteer with the Natural Resources Guards.
Right now I work with Mangrove Association with the EcoViva Program. What I do is being an interpreter for those American who don´t speak Spanish or for those Salvadorians who don´t speak English.
I am still working with the Environmental program because that is something I like to do. My goals are to have a better environmental awareness in my country and to help my community with sustainable development.

Some Pictures and video:

Doing something

2009-09-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

I have been away of this blog more more than too months, but here is a little update:
As a member of my community, I am trying to help the community to write environmental and social projects.
Sometimes I feel sad because I don't see the friends I met in Oregon, but the good thing is that I am having fun when working in different tasks.
I visited many places in my country because I didn´t have that opportunity before. Now I know more my country and I can tell you many of the beautiful areas we have.

Someday, I will post beautiful pictures of me and the place I live.

Back in El Salvador

2009-06-24T10:13:00.000-07:00

I came to El Salvador and I am feeling a little bit different because I see many differences in my community, people, and different things.

I didn’t think about the weather, something that was a really surprise for me. I was thinking to have a little weather, but when I got outside the airport I started feeling a really hot weather.

Of course, there are more important things in my country. For example there was my family waiting for this little person and after finished my journey at the airport, we went to eat pupusas to a pupusas’ restaurant. This activity was so good because I had the opportunity to eat my favorite food from my country.

I am sharing my country with people from here. So I don’t know the future surprises for my life. The only thing I want to say is that I am not really happy because I really missed Oregon and the people there; I cry some times when I remember everything I did with my friends and Host families.

Something very sad was that my community is polluted with a lot of garbage, something that was different before I went to USA. Also, my grandfather was in the hospital and my sister in law was really sick because of appendicitis.

I will be doing my best to be happy and have good experiences in my country.

Some pictures:

Almost Home!

2009-06-17T15:10:00.000-07:00

I am moving back to my country tomorrow. I feel excited, but at the same time I feel a little sad because I will miss a lot of friend I met here.

During this last days after my graduation I have been doing crazy things with my friends. I had dinners, little parties, visited some places, and more. My time is really short and every single minute means less time with my friend here in USA.

Today I have a going away party, So I will post pictures about it.

Also, I want to let you know that the title of this blog will change because I won't have adventures here. Expect some changes.

Pictures.

Lewis Family, wonderful people	Celina, my Salvadorian friend
Jose and Rebeca. People who were a family for me	Dani and Nikki, my best friends at the College

My Graduation

2009-06-13T22:20:00.000-07:00

June 13, 2009

Yesterday was one of mt wonderful days in USA because I was graduating after almost two years of studying here. I was happy because yesterday was the day where I showed other people what I got after my work in Mt. Hood community College.

What a great experience living and studying in a different country and learning different cultures.

I had a lot of fun during this time because most of my supporters were there to say "Good job Jose", something that made feel really good. Also, first year students weere there to support us and show how proud of us they are.

Now I feel different because I passed all my classes and showed people from this country that even though English is not my first language, I did my best effort and gained all the necessary knowledge to work in my native country.

I am going back to may country on June 18 and I would like to say thanks to all of those people who worked to make my life successful here in USA. Those people are David Sussman and Nikki Gillis(CASS Coordinators), Sincic Family (My Host Family), Lewis Family (My other Host Family), Mauricio and Adelina (My Salvadorian Friends, Jose Molina and Rebequita (My Salvadorian and Mexican friends), Smith family (My first host family), My classmates, the new students, and some other friends who believed in my skills and personality.

Some pictures

My last days

2009-06-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

June 12, 2009
I haven't written a lot in my blog because I had many things to do before I go home. But here is a little update:

During Spring term:

I had classes about technical writing, field projects, ecotourism, education, and programming. I think the most challenging class was writing because I was learning more English and trying to put more technical staff in my essays or reports. The good think is that I had Field Projects Class, which is the class where I show all of my knowledge I learned during the past two years.

During spring term I had the opportunity to meet wonderful people who supported me in many ways. Also, I can say I had the support of Lewis Family who always were there to ask me if I need something.

My classmates and I have may activities such as having going away parties, visiting Multnomah Falls, doing crazy things in the college, and others that characterize us.

Today is my graduation, so I will posting pictures about it in a couple of days.

Some pictures of me and friends,

This was Spring Dinner

Picture taken when a soccer tournament in the college...(We lost)

With my Friend in Multnomah Falls

San Francisco

2009-04-05T07:07:00.000-07:00

April 5, 2009.

So guys, I haven't written too much in my blog. This was because all the activities in last term made busy.

The good thing about this time, is that we had vacations for about a week and a half. We decided to go to San Francisco, CA in order to let the stress go away. It was pretty good to visit many places in a different city with different people and culture.

I had the opportunity to visit places such as Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Pierces, Downtown, and others. Also the most enjoyable thing in this trip was to travel by myself and with some classmates in downtown.

The Golden Gate Bridge

Chinatown

A building in Alcatraz

Doing my Best

2009-02-08T22:13:00.000-08:00

02-08-2008

I am always trying to be the same because that is what makes my life. I fault sometimes, but I want to repair my mistakes in order to build my life.
No one can manage my life, but all the people around me, make all the memories I will remember in my future.
I am studying, and that's what I can do here in United States. So, I will be doing my real work in my country where are many people wishing me the best. I want to be a good example for those who know me, and believe I can do it.
My best wishes for me and my friends!!!!!

Winter Classes

2009-01-24T11:15:00.000-08:00

Right now I am enjoying the last months here in United States. I have a lot of friends who I will miss because some of them are really kind.
The classes I am taking are about Geographic Information Systems, Silviculture, Watershed, Writing Proposals, and Wildlife Conservation.
All of my classes are related to Natural Resources, so I am happy because I am going to gain new knowledge for my life.
Last term was a little bit difficult for me because I had to do many activities all the time, but right now I am fine; everything is going good.
I have some projects to finish for winter term, and most of my projects are related to natural resources. So, I need to be focus in what I want to do for my success.

Away

2008-11-12T22:33:00.000-08:00

November 12, 2008
I have been away since August, but during the passed months I have been doing many activities such as helping the new mentees with orientations about the correct way of using computers int he college. We had activities with the new group of students such as going to the Rose Garden in Portland, Visiting the beach, trips in the main campus of the college, and others. Everything reminds me the time when I came here. I was surprised with a new country and a new culture, and I can see the faces of the new students who are going to gain good experiences.
Speaking of classes, I can say that I am trying to survive because I am really busy, and many of my classes are very hard. I am taking ecology, aerial photo, mammals, and web deign. Much of my free time I am doing homework or trying to study a little bit because I have scientific classes to learn.
I hope to do my best as I can, but If I have some problems I will say that it is not my fault. It is because of the time and many sources that I cannot control.

New Students

2008-08-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

August 13, 2008
There 39 new students coming to MHCC. This day I will meet my three mentees, and my new friends. I hope these students will be ready to learn many things in USA because that was my goal last year, and I am still learning all the time with different people at the college. It is very important to work with people from different cultures because you can learn from them, and you can tech them.

I have more than one year here, and I think I enjoyed with my friends, coordinators, classmates, teachers, and many supporters. Next year I will be in El Salvador, and I hope to work with my people from my community and country.

Summer Class Continue

2008-08-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

I am taking computer and writing class. It is very exciting to take writing class because I am improving my writing skills. Every time I go to class I think about what will be my new challenge because every day I am learning something new. Talking about computer class. I think it is the easiest class because when I came here I already had experience with computers; the only thing very new in this class is the technical English because there some aspects very different.
I hope to get very good!

Internship with Metro Organization

2008-07-31T10:58:00.000-07:00

July 31, 2008
Every Friday I am working with Kate Holleran, a reprensentive from Metro Organization. Our activities are based on Natural Areas, and we work making boundaries and checking how the natural areas are. I think these activities help me to learn how Natural Resources Technicians work because working in the field is the best way to understand what we can do for the nature and how to make a good decision when there is something wrong in the environment you are working in. All of this volunteer work will be all the summer. So I am enjoying my work in the nature. This is a Mountain Beaver found in the street, he was trying to stand up, but we had to help him to get into the forest.

A little video of the small Beaver

Oregon Trip

2008-07-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

This was a wonderful experience because I went to California to see The Redwood Forest National Park where are the biggest trees in the world. It was beautiful to see how big those trees are because some of them are 360 feet tall.
I went to Lake of the Woods where is a good place to swim, and there I had a good experience with my classmates, coordinators, and my botany teacher.
I went to see the Crater Lake, a beautiful place where I swam a lot in the cold water.
Also this was my first time I saw the desert. So I went to Smith Rock National Park, the other side of Oregon.
I had never experience like this because I share all my time with my friends, and I enjoyed every place we went.
Normally we have classes in the college are, but in this occasion we have botany class in the Redwood Forest, and many places where are different ecosystems and interactions between different organisms.

Crater Lake

Smith Rocks

Redwood Forest

Sun Program

2008-07-09T13:44:00.000-07:00

I had sun program in a little school. Again this activity was successful because I was teaching soccer and I had fun with the kids. At the beginning I was a little worried because it was my first time teaching children with different language.
Everything was great because the kids participated in all activities. Also I received a certificate for my good job in Hall Elementary School.

I was trying to get the ball, but the kids are very good players

Taking a break with the kids

Summer Term

2008-07-09T13:42:00.001-07:00

It is a little bit exciting to start this term because I hope to have fun all this summer. The weather is very nice, the classes will be good, and everything is going to be successful for me because I am ready to do my best.

Bye bye to mentors

2008-06-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

I feel happy and sad because the mentors are going to their countries. I am happy because they are going to meet their family, and sad because I will not have friends such Matia, Jose, Arlenys, Nicaury, Reyna, Rose, Dalia, Felicia, Hector, Jairo, Odirus, Magnus, Lucia, Lucy, Reina, Albarelys, Hector, Martin, and Lennis. All of these mentors were good friends, and I miss them.
I wish them the best success in their countries.
“Find your oasis” This was the slogan in the “Go away party” which was the last party with these successful people.

Hector from Nicaragua saying good bye

Flor, Matia, and I in our last day together

Going away party

2008-06-22T16:11:00.000-07:00

06/18/08
We celebrated this party at the College, and nobody was sad because my mentor were very happy for their success in their classes.
My coordinators explained to us many of their experiences with our mentors. Most of mentors were happy to listen how our coordinators were happy to tell everything to host families, friends and students from my cycle.
I feel happy because they are going to their countries tomorrow.

Mentors Graduation

2008-06-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

06/14/08
I feel happy because mentors (Students from cycle 2006-2008) graduated yesterday. I hope they are happy because it is the last process they did at Mt. Hood Community College. Now they are Natural Resources Technicians because they got their Natural Resources Certificate.
Every body did its best and I think my friends will be happier next week when they meet their families and friends in their countries.
The most important thing for this people is the knowledge because they are going to use it to improve the environmental conditions in their communities.

Mentors from Guatemala, Nicaragua, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Dominican republic, and El Salvador

End of Spring Term

2008-06-22T16:01:00.000-07:00

This term was good because I learned a lot from my teachers.
At the bigining I was a little frustrated because I didn't learn new words, but right now I can see insects in the forests, and I can identify what problem they do in trees. Also I learned how to make some measurements in the forest, and how identify some birds using many techniques.
I think a very important class is my English class because in this class I learned a lot of grammar, and my teacher is very nice because he always tries to give us good resources for English learning.
I hope to be good next term!

Host family apreciation

2008-06-22T15:49:00.000-07:00

May 17, 2007

We sad thanks to all host families of the CASS Program at Mt. Hood Communitye College.
I had the opportunity to say thanks to Sincic Family because they were my support during last nine months.
Everybody did the same like me, and we did dancing presentations. I was happy because I danced again.
I will miss my host family because they were very helpful for me, and I wish for them the best happiness.
My next step is to live in apartments. I hope to be happy coking food for my friends.

From left: Ariel, Matia, me, and Sam

Volunteer Work (May 2008)

2008-06-22T15:44:00.000-07:00

We did volunteer work this month with Kate Holleran from Metro. It was good because we cleaned blackberries. I think this is a good thing, and we enjoyed working to protect some trees which other people planted before.

I look as a good worker!

Presentations

2008-06-22T15:36:00.000-07:00

May 10, 2008
During this week my classmates and I gave cultural presentations.
The first presentation was at the San Johns Elementary School. It was great because we participated in different dances from Guatemala, Haiti, and Honduras.
The second presentation was at the College because there was a celebration of Cinco de Mayo (Mexican Tradition) I participated in a dance from Mexico. This was my first time learning different style of dance because we danced a rachera dance.
The third presentation was at the Gresham Hall Elementary School. I was dancing a Nicaraguan dance, and Salvadorian dance called “El Carnaval de San Miguel”
I enjoyed dancing different styles of dancing and of course my own style.

Ariel, Nancy and I before our presentation in San Johns Elementary School

Spring Term Classes

2008-04-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

I have a different experience in this term because I am taking tree different classes. Those clases are relative with Forest Measurements, Forest Insects and Deseases, and Birds Biology and Techniques.
Some times I feel like I don't understand some classes because there is a new vocabulary in any class. That is great because it is a part of my learning.
Everyday I am trying to make my life easy. So any challenge is new learning for me.
I hope to survive in all of my classes...

My classmates and my teacher of Forest Measurements after our lab at Kane Park