Saturday, December 25, 2010

Through the years we all will be together, if the fates allow

Dear Rooster (A Haiku)
Cockadoodledoo!
It’s not morning, it’s MIDNIGHT.
Shut it, por favor.

So, my first Christmas away from home. Like all other things here in Guatemala, Christmas was full of new experiences. I got to my host family’s house on Thursday, and spent the entire day playing with Wilson. Just after being gone two months he already talks so much more (like saying “Ale, Esperame” (wait for me) and holding up his hand for me to wait while he goes to get toys, or “No miedo” (I’m not scared) when a firework goes off). That night he, Brenda and I went to the Posada, which is a nine-night tradition before Christmas, reenacting Joseph and Mary looking for a place to stay. Each night, Mary and Joseph statues are carted to a new house, followed by a procession of townspeople. When the procession gets to the house, the people inside the house and the people in the procession sing to each other (something along the lines of “let us in” – “no, there’s no room” – “Please let us in” – “Oh, okay”) and the figures are taken into the house and placed in a big manger scene. Then the hosts give everyone tamales or chuchitos and ponche, and sometimes there’s a piñata and/or the Guatemalan equivalent of door prizes.

Here, Christmas day is not such a big holiday, but instead Christmas Eve (Noche Buena) is the big celebration. We spent a good part of the day making 80 or so tamales and just hanging around. There was a “baile”- sort of like a parade, where kids dress up and dance in the street, and, of course, plenty of fireworks. At night we went to the barrio, where my host dad’s parents live. We had hot chocolate and pan dulce and sat around the fire sharing stories about the US and Guatemala. Eventually we headed back down to the house (packing all 10 of us in a pickup for the ride) and started a huge bonfire in the house, which we sat around waiting for midnight, when EVERYONE in the neighborhood sets off firecrackers for Jesus’ birthday. Then, after prayers, at about 1 in the morning, we had a Christmas dinner of champagne, tamales, and rice and enjoyed all of the fireworks. I went to bed shortly after (I’m an old woman here in Guatemala; I can’t remember the last time I saw midnight!) but the fireworks continued throughout the night, and my host brothers were apparently out celebrating until all hours.

Christmas morning I woke up bright and early with my second bout of violent illness since coming to Guatemala (Merry Christmas to you, too, bathroom floor!), which thankfully passed quickly and I cuddled back into bed almost until lunch. I spent the rest of the day being lazy and opening presents mailed from home. I missed my family like crazy, of course, but couldn’t think of a better place to be if I couldn’t be at home. My host brother Tono asked me this morning if all was well, and I told him yes. He then asked me “But, are you okay? I mean, are you happy?” to which I replied yes, I was, and he said “Well, that’s all that’s important. Thank you for spending Christmas with us.”- as if I had done them some sort of favor by being here. So, while the traditions and practices were completely different from my usual Christmases, I did not lack the holiday love and care that you get from being with family, and (besides the presents, of course) that’s really the best part of Christmas anyway, isn’t it?

ps- merry christmas and happy new year to all of my friends and family- and thank you for all of the love and support this year and always <3

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

and you ask why i do it that way, it's just the fear of wasted time

Road Trip (A Haiku)
Bumpy old dirt roads
Eleven laughing women
Green and green and green.

To give you all an incredibly accurate portrayal of life in Guatemala:
This week we took our last women's group on their interchange trip to Totonicapán. This was our longest trip yet, and the group that lives the farthest out in the middle of nowhere- no water, no electricity. They are also my favorite group- they really enjoy each other and the traveling and joking. We started out at 8 am on Sunday- the bus picked me up last on the way out of town. We were missing about half the group because Mi Familia Progresa, a government program, was coming on Tuesday to give out money and the women couldn't miss that. We weren't planning on coming back until late Tuesday. So Rosanely decided last minute that we would come back Monday night and stay in Jocotán, where Mi Familia Progresa would be, so that everyone could go. That also meant, though, that we had to wait about an extra half hour for them to take a bus down from their community. So, we started off late but made decent time across the country (yes- more or less literally ACROSS the country) and by about 6 o'clock we were in the municipio of Totonicapán.

Right around that time it was discovered that no one in the van knew exactly how to get to the co-op we were supposed to be staying in. We therefore spent another 45 or so minutes driving around completely lost, and every person we asked for directions told us something different. The co-op, of course, was not answering their phone. After a lotttt of trial and error, we finally found the place, and Rosanely and I had to walk all over the property looking for whoever was in charge. When we finally found the little rain-booted señor, he showed us to his office, sat us down, took a deep breath, and said “Disculpe. Fijese que…”

Oh shit. Nothing good ever- EVER- comes after “fijese que”. Especially not when accompanied by a “disculpe”. I started picturing our 11 women, my counterpart, the chauffer and I trying to sleep in the squished van that already smelled like 10 hour road trip. Luckily, the problem was just that the rooms weren’t ready yet, as the people that had stayed in them the night before had only just left and “hadn’t felt like taking their bags out of the rooms”. So, could we please eat dinner while they cleaned the rooms up? Fine- I was just happy there was still (hypothetically) a bed for me somewhere.

During dinner my counterpart told me we had to go buy diapers for the women with babies because she had run out. Why she had not thought of this either: (1) at home in the past week or (2) An hour ago, before we had driven all the way out of town to the hotel, I’ll never know. But, she took the coffee out of my hands (apparently I was done…) and back into the van with the chauffer we went, telling Mr. Rainboots we were just going to the corner tienda and not to lock the gate- we would be back in five minutes.

A half-hour, ten tiendas, two chocolate bars, one pharmacy, and a panaderia later we returned, diapers (finally) in tow. We then spent the rest of the night filling out “listas” for the women to sign; one for each meal, bus trip, and hotel room. This is a particularly fun task with a group of women who neither read nor write.

The next morning we had to get an early start since we were leaving that day instead of the next. 6:30 breakfast and out the door (hopefully) by 7. Ha. Ha. Turns out, the only person that could provide a receipt (which my counterpart MUST have to get reimbursed) was not coming in until 8, so we would have to wait. Finally at 8:30 we piled back into the van and trucked it down the hill towards the community we were visiting. We picked up Doña Olga, the woman in charge, and she directed us to the community where the women were waiting.

At 9:00 we hit a road block- construction until 10. Of course. Doña Olga told us that we would have to rush through RIGHT at 10, as there were two more road blocks after this one that also opened at 10, and if we didn’t make it through them all at once who knows how long we would have to wait. Luckily we made it through the first two blocks- but ran into the third, where they told us it would be another hour. Considering the goal was to leave for home by 2:00, that didn’t sound so good. So, U-Turn on the one way, cliff side dirt road and up the back road by Doña Olga’s directions. (Please note- I don’t believe that Guatemala has anything BUT what qualifies in the states as a “back road”, so you can only imagine what a Guatemalan back road is like…)

We finally made it to the community around noon, interchanged, and began the journey home around 3. Yes, all that traveling for approximately three hours of activities. Even better, around 8 that night when we stopped for dinner, Rosanely called to have them get our rooms ready in Jocotán- and had forgotten it was the town feria in the neighboring town (that has no hotels) and so there were no vacancies. Luckily, she hunted around a bit and found a place, whch we arrived at around midnight, and slept soundly until 6 am when the women had to go get their money. Phew.

But, the thing that really makes this so classic Guatemala is that, despite all the ridiculous hassle, the interchange was absolutely the best one yet. Doña Olga is this kick-ass woman who has been working with her group for twelve years- they grow any kind of vegetable/fruit/herb you could imagine, and build houses, gutter systems, and green houses. When they were demonstrating how to turn a tire inside out to make a planter, the man who was doing it couldn’t cut the tire. Doña Olga hiked up her skirt, picked up the knife, pushed the man out of the way, and within two minutes had a planter.

The place we visited was a compound where four women- all without husbands for one reason or another- live and work together; them and their children. Highlight of my day was watching a little girl- probably nine years old- in her indigenous traje jump over the wall of a pig sty with a machete and, with one slice, chop a squash in half for the hungry, snorting pig that was probably 3 times her size. Like it was nothing.

Moral of the story is, I’m slowly learning that, while they may take way, WAY longer to do things in Guatemala, and planning/schedules are not their strong suit, if I can hold on to my patience and flexibility for the next two years (God help me!), I’m going to have a lot of absolutely incredible experiences. And, maybe, implement a few plans and some organization along the way…

Sunday, November 28, 2010

I said the audience was heavenly, but the traveling was hell

I’m Thankful For… (A Haiku)
Friends and Family,
Baseball, Music, Traveling,
Luck and Fate, and Jokes.

So, the past couple weeks have been filled with lots and lots of traveling, and very little sleep. Lots of death-trap roads (and holding of breath while tumbling down hills on them in a shaky little bus), lots of 4 am wake ups and cold showers outdoors. Lots of roommates and lotsss of cold and rain. But only in the best way.

We started off our travels by taking one of our women’s groups to Cobán to meet with some women’s groups there that have done some really cool projects. We stayed at the women’s co-op in a couple ranch houses with leaky roofs and bunk beds. It was a pretty rustic couple of days, and it literally POURED the entire time we were there, but Cobán is absolutely beautiful and the women were really into seeing the projects. Even though I have never been so soaking wet in my entire life (this coming from a Seattle girl who’s spent most of her summers camping in the PNW), it was awesome to see the women get really excited when they saw that it actually was possible to put together a project that would benefit them.

We then did the six hour trip home, dropped off group #1, and left with group #2 for Uspantán. This group was the women’s commission of the Muni, so they’re a bit more urban and, for the most part, educated. We visited the Women’s Office in Uspantán and learned about their commissions and associations. The trip there was about eight hours, but the road was terrible and the women were so freaked out that the refused to go home the same way, and instead we took the long way home, which took almost 12 hours. It’s such a great depiction of the Guatemalan culture, because I cannot imagine any American seeing the sense in adding four hours to a trip just because a few miles of road are less than pleasant. I certainly couldn’t, but the gringa doesn’t get much say in those things, so the long way we went.

We dropped the ladies off at home and left the next day with Group #3 to the capital for Día de La No Violencia Contra Las Mujeres, which also happened to be Thanksgiving. I find this completely appropriate because living in Guatemala and working with women’s groups has definitely made me thankful for growing up in the States where violence against women is not acceptable or allowed. There is certainly an attitude here that these issues should not be talked about, and that “it’s just part of the culture”. We got into Guate on Wednesday night for a vigil held for all of the women in Guatemala (more than 5,800 in the past ten years) who have been killed. The next morning was a march for the big day, in which all of the women’s organizations in Guatemala participated.

The women we brought with us are from a very small, poor aldea and almost none of them can read or write. Also, not one of them owns a sweater. Not only that, when CODEFEM gave them each a sweater for the chilly capital, my counterpart and I had to teach them how to zip them up.

Straight from there I hopped a bus to Matequescuintla, Jalapa to meet up with the other volunteers in the Oriente for Thanksgiving. Most of them are from my training group, and it was nice to spend the holiday with familiar faces and catch up a bit. We had dinner at one of the volunteer’s houses, and then her host dad drove us all down to the lodge down the street where we had a campfire and somehow crammed all 14 of us into one cabin. The next day, some of us decided to stay another night and we spent the day zip-lining on the lodge property and exploring the nearby town of Colis for lunch.

Now, finally home, I am just relaxing a resting up, as we are taking our third group on their interchange trip next weekend. It’s so strange to think I have been in site for a month already- and that pretty soon it will be December- and Christmas!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Remember you got to reach high to be risen

The Christmas Games (A Haiku)
Volleyball star I
aint, but tall gringa I am.
So, I made the team.

In my town they have a volleyball tournament called the Christmas Games, that go from now until (duh) Christmas. Everyoneeee plays, and they have about five games every night. So, one night I of course got roped into playing with a friend of my counterpart’s. Good news is, I didn’t suck (but my team did lose…)

Spent the weekend visiting volunteers in San Diego, Zacapa, where the town was having their "Feria" for the patron saint. There was a rodeo- which consisted of about 5 cowboys being quickly bucked off of bulls, and then a scantily clad cowgirl singing in the middle of the arena for the rest of the time. There was also a dance, and we discovered that dancing in the oriente consists of spinning in circles as fast as you can the entire night. By the end of the night I really was a dizzy blond.

The past week has been quite the whirlwind- we are getting ready to go on some “Giras” with our women’s groups. I am finally starting to grasp exactly what CODEFEM is all about, if not necessarily what my role will be there. Basically, they are currently finishing up year two of a three year plan. Year One was diagnostics, evaluations, etc. Year Two has been capacitating the women on their rights, violence, etc. Now, Year Three is aimed at organizing the women legally so they can participate in decision-making in their towns and hopefully solicit projects that will benefit them and their communities.

So, we are taking each of our three women’s groups to visit another women’s group in Guatemala that has done projects similar to what they might want to do. Two of our groups are from little aldeas, and the women have hardly ever left their town, so to take them on a three day road trip (without their husbands) is kind of a big deal. In fact, it’s such a big deal we had to have meetings in each aldea with the women and their husbands so that they could get permission from the men to go on the trip. Some of them said they wanted to go, but they get sick in cars and were afraid to go. Some had husbands who wouldn’t let them go (one husband looked at me and said “there’s SEVEN of us in the house” as if that was some explanation as to why he couldn’t do without his wife for two nights). Most were excited, but slightly scared to go so far away. Then one woman told them to get over it- the gringa came all the way from the United States, so they would probably survive a 10 hour bus ride.

We leave for the first trip tomorrow, going to Coban. We’ll come home with that group on Saturday, and leave Sunday for El Quiché with our Muni group. Home from that trip on Tuesday, and into the capital Wednesday for Día de la No Violencia Contra las Mujeres activities. Then I’ll go straight from there to Thanksgiving with the Oriente Volunteers, and from there straight back to the capital for a week long end of the year evaluation of CODEFEM. THEN, the next week we’ll take our last group to Totonicapan. Phew. Assuming I’m not completelyyy exhausted after all of that, I’m sure I’ll have some great stories to share. Until then-

Sunday, November 7, 2010

I'm a big girl now, see my big girl shoes, it'll take more than just a breeze to make me fall overboard

My Favorite! (A Haiku)
I finally live
in a place where palm trees grow.
How cool is that, right?

Throughout training volunteers, nurses, trainers, admins all told us that Peace Corps, especially the first three months of service, would be like a roller coaster. There are highs that are reeeeally high, and there are lows that are juuuust as low. I totally underestimated how right they were. Also, it should be noted, that I HATE ROLLERCOASTERS. I always have. Even the little kid ones that are basically a fast train scare the crap out of me. But, that being said, I have now survived my first week of service, and while there have certainly been some moments where my roller coaster plummeted for a bit, there have also been some really great times (that need some metaphor better than the high point of a roller coaster, since that is usually the point that I am cussing to myself and trying not to cry in anticipation of the upcoming drop to death).

For instance: One afternoon I spent a sweaty hour or two trying to put up my mosquito net in my room. I knew it was going to be a pain in the ass, since I can’t put holes in the walls, the ceilings are real tall, and I had no ladder. However, the bat that makes kissing noises at me from the rafters every night and the increasing number of mosquito bites on every part of my body were enough motivation to come up with some sort of rigging for the net (because, although Mr. Murcielago has not come out of the rafters at all and kissing noises are kind of cute and all, I am just waiting for him to fly at my neck in the middle of the night and start sucking. No thank you). After some serious creative thinking and a lot of improvising, I somehow managed to get the thing in place. And guess what? I lovee sleeping under a mosquito net! It’s kind of like a cozy little fort!
mosquito net!

Also spent a day with fellow volunteers in Chiquimula, sharing horror/success stories and running errands. It is nice to be getting to the point where I’m starting to get the hang of the transportation around here, and the layout of “big city” Chiquimula. It was also quite nice to spend the day speaking English with others who were going through the same things.

Last but not least, I…Cooked! Yes, not a huge achievement in the lives of many but, when you: (1) come from a non-cooking household like mine and have no cooking practice, even in a familiar kitchen and country, (2) are in a foreign country where the ingredients are all different and in another language, and (3) are using a kitchen that you don’t know anything about with no counters (and no can opener…that was an adventure) trust me, I consider the corn chowder I somehow managed to scrape together a masterpiece. It was quite tasty, too, especially with some delicious fresh bread bought from the bakery down the street from my house (bad news). And, even better, I have enough leftovers for a couple more meals. Maybe I’ll turn into a chef just yet…
my beautiful creation! (yes, i was so proud of it i took a picture)

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Then Slowly Grows a Little Faith

Day One (A Haiku)
Laughing/Hating Life
Stranded in Chiquimula
Welcome to Peace Corps!

Well, official Day One as a Peace Corps Volunteer started off with a bang… Actually, it was more of a deafening hissssssss. Yes, that is the lovely sound that our bus began to make right around hour 3 of the journey East (after already sitting in almost Seattle-esque traffic for the first leg of the trip). It probably shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise, as the door of the bus was tied shut with rope and the driver had been fiddling with every button on the dashboard like he didn’t know what any of them were for. Nevertheless, there was a moment of slight panic when the hisssssss caused the bus to pull over on the side of the road and then all the lights went out. The workers seemed to think that the solution was to let everything rest for a bit and then start up again, so that’s what we did…about four times, until finally they decided that there really was something wrong with the bus and that we needed to flag down a different bus.

By the time my fellow PCV, Kristen, and I had finally gotten to Chiquimula our connecting busses had long since stopped running. As much of a disaster as it was, it was not so bad loafing in a hotel room, watching My Best Friend’s Wedding, eating pizza for a night before the real work started.

Holy Hot (A Haiku)
My deodorant
Has turned to liquid and my
Envelopes melted.

Nowww it’s three days later and I’m slowly (SLOWLY) settling into my site. It’s going to be a huge adjustment but each day I make a baby step (Yesterday it was sharing cake with my host family, who until then hadn’t really said two words to me. Today, it was buying heart shaped baskets to organize my belongings) and I’m finally starting to have faith that things are going to be okay-even though, yes, my deodorant literally squirted at me this morning, and all of my envelopes have melted shut.

me an wilson- i miss him already!
we're volunteers! some of us at swearing in (at the ambassador's house!)
Walking into my town from the main road
my office
my new room =]

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

But one breath at a time is an acceptable plan, she tells herself

Stress Makes Me Clever (A Haiku)
Each day it's clearer;
My theme for the next two years:
f-LEXI-bilidad.

Site Visits! Whoa. That pretty much sums that up. Things are going to be good- but not yet. My site is really pretty, with a (suprisingly clean) river running through it and palm trees all over (my favorite =]). The people are nice enough, although still fairly intimidating in their sheer unfamiliarity and...differentness. My counterpart is super nice, and I think she'll be a great resource in terms of support and hospitality.

As for work...I have really no idea. It's just me and my counterpart in teh (phoneless, internetless, printerless) office and in the three days I was there I spent one in a community watching a taller for men on women's rights, on ein the office listening to my counterpart argue with the man who gave the taller about everything under the sun, and the third briefly meeting members of the muni...and getting my nails done. I'm still not completely sure what it is I'll be doing hut I think once I get going it'll start to get clearer (let's hope).

As for the new living situation... I had two options to choose from, so my counterpart took me to look at them both when we got to my site on tuesday night. The first option was an apartmnet above a family's house, which would have been nice but expensive. No matter, because when we got there the family pulled out the old "Fijese Que..." (loose translation: we're about to tell you had news but Guatemalan etiquette doesn't allow us to just come out and tell you so we're going to hmm and haw a little bit but get ready because you're not gonna like it)- their son had decided to move into the apartment but they had a room I could use if I wanted (BUT, they made sure to tell me fifteen times, if I wanted to choose the other place, that would really be okay). The room was literally a cube with a broken bed crammed into it and no light. They also pointed out that there was no room for a stove (an obvious observation seeing as there wasn't even enough room for ME in the room), to which my counterpart replied that they would have to share their kitchen. Their response: "Oh, I don't think she would like that..." So, I got the message pretty clear that the other option was, really, my only option.

So, to Dona Silvia's I went. Dona Silvia is a seventy-something year old woman who lives with her husband (apparently irrelevant, as everyone calls the house Dona Silvia's) and had volunteers stay with her in the 80's. SHe remembers every thing about every one of them, including where they live now and teh names of all their children and probably, if I asked her, their favorite colors. My room is fine, but the closet is full of their belongings so it looks like I'll be living out of my suitcases for a while. It's certainly not home- and a far cry away from my Guatemalan home which I am more or less heartbroken to be leaving, but it will do.

Volunteers all say that the first 3 months of service are the hardest, and I can see that that's going to be true, but in the mean time I'm comforting myself with the knowledge that everyone else is freaking out about as much, if not more, than I am (thank God for text messaging and the simple correspondence of mutal "WTF?!" sentiments), getting excited to spend the next two years fighting for women's rights, and enjoying my last week here in San Luis with my family.

Monday, October 18, 2010

You were born to be alive~

Eastward Bound (A Haiku)
Site placement results:
I’m moving to Honduras…
Close enough, at least.

So, apparently we are not supposed to post city names on blogs, but my site is a town in the department of Chiquimula, about 20 kilometers (12 ½ miles for us irrational non-metric system users) from the capital, 14,000 people, and basically the farthest east you can get before you hit Honduras. Certainly the farthest East Peace Corps site. So, it’s quite a bit out of the way from everything. BUT, I’ll be working with a women’s organization called CODEFEM instead of directly with a Muni. This is the first time Peace Corps has worked with them, and I’m super excited to be working with an NGO.

As exciting as that all is, though, at the same time I’m getting really sad to be leaving my training family. They’ve been such a huge support system for me, not to mention huge entertainment. Doña Susanna told Wilson today that I was getting ready to leave, and he just kept saying “No”. I can’t imagine not waking up every day to him saying “Ale- Hola!” Not to mention my host brothers and I have been seriously bonding over baseball.

Today we meet our counterparts and spend the day with them at headquarters...tomorrow we heat to our sites for the week to check everything out! eek! wish me luck...

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

You don’t look different, but you have changed

Forget Comfort Food
Baseball playoffs on TV
That’s my therapy.

I’m in heaven. Really, things could not be better. My host family recently discovered my love of baseball and has since more or less constantly left the playoffs on the TV for me. I have a little guilt about this, since they are clearly completely uninterested in the sport, but not enough to tell them to turn it off. Last night I tried to explain to my host mom the phenomenon that is Mariano Rivera, and her response was “oh…sí”. So, baseball clearly won’t be any sort of avenue for cultural exchange, but it sure is nice to have for my own personal sanity.

The only one who seems to show any interest at all in baseball is Wilson, who replied enthusiastically “sí!” when I asked him if he was going to play baseball when he was older (although I got the same response when I asked him if he drove a car today and if he was a penguin). We also played a makeshift game, using his hat as the ball, a matchbox as the glove, and a pen as the bat. Every time he hit, threw, or caught the ‘ball’ he yelled “goalllllllll”. So it’s a work in progress.

I once again made it back from the East. My trip to visit a volunteer who’s already had her two years in country was pretty relaxed. We met some of the families she’s close to in the community, made pizza with her youth group, traveled to one of her communities to give a training (three people showed up, so the training was cancelled, but it was fun to see one of the smaller aldeas), and basically just hung out. Everyone wanted to know if I was the volunteer that’s going to replace her, and when we responded that we still didn’t know, their next question was always “well can you request to be placed here? Can we request you?” We find out this week (Thursday!) where our actual sites are, and I’m peeing-my-pants excited.

Wilson was, once again, ecstatic when I came home. He’s talking so much more just since I left for this trip, and it makes me sad to think about leaving in less than a month. My Guatemalan family has been such a huge support system for me so far; I can’t imagine life here without them.

Nothing else very exciting going on here- I will try to keep everyone updated on my site assignment ASAP. Until then, keep your fingers crossed =)

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

And It Takes Some Work To Make It Work

Spanglish (A Haiku)
English is muddled,
Spanish has good days and bad.
Sometimes they both fail.

Highlight of the week has definitely been our surprise party for sitemate Frank, although I’m still not sure how we managed to keep it a surprise… once again, all the families got together to celebrate. The moms (with the help of Allie and Noor; I had to “babysit” Frank) made paches, a typical Guatemalan dish made with potatoes and cooked in banana leaves. It was also Dia de los Niños, so Brenda got a piñata for the kids and Frank (the big kid). It was a great night, ending with me introducing Wilson and the twins to the magic of photobooth and all the laughs that come with it.

Other than that the week has been quiet. We visited a macadamia nut farm and had delicious macadamia pancakes. We also had a Spanish assignment to make something out of recycled materials, so I made a coin holder out of my razor blade container and decorated it with magazine cutouts. It’s pretty much my favorite possession now.

Tomorrow I head back to the east for volunteer visits. I’m visiting Reianna, the volunteer who took us up on the church roof during FBT. They say that where we are going for these visits is completely random and has nothing to do with where our sites will be; I’m not sure I believe that. Either way, we find out a week from Thursday where our sites are- I can’t wait!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Still Sorting Out Life, But I'm Doing Alright

Baseball Withdrawals (A Haiku)
I love the East just
Because I got to watch the
Yankees! Finally!

Officially survived Field Based Training! Although “survived” is probably not the best word, since that implies some sort of suffering or hardship in the process, which there really was none of (with the exception of EXTREME sweat and occasional oxygen-less salons). The East was really beautiful. Well, the city of Chiquimula was a loud, dusty dump, but the aldeas we visited were all gorgeous. We saw four volunteers’ sites and learned about all of their projects, etc.

Three favorite experiences of the week:
1) Seeing a second year volunteer’s Library project- she literally redid the entire thing. She said that when she got to site customers weren’t even allowed to touch the books; they had to ask the librarian to go find them a book they needed. Now there’s a kids corner, a Dewey decimal system, and new computers. I’m pretty sure most of you know my obsession with libraries, so that’s absolutely a dream project for me. Is it bad that I really hope wherever I wind up has a really crappy library?

2) Going with the same volunteer to work with her youth group at the town’s orphanage. We were supposed to help them paint their playground, which we were in the process of doing until a HUGE storm interrupted. We wound up just hanging out in the carport playing games and learning Spanish hand jives- including the best new game ever. It’s called Pikachu, and it’s kind of a version of rock paper scissors, only you get to hit people. Awesome.

3) Our last visit was to another second year volunteer, who started the day by taking us up on the roof of the town’s church for a gorgeous view. See pictures below!

We wound up having to come home a day early due to an impending storm (who apparently is named Mateo). It was a bummer because we had to cancel our pool party, but when I got home Wilson was soo excited to see me, and we played together the whole afternoon, which was probably more fun than a pool party and inevitable sunburn anyway.

Backtracking a bit, the Friday before FBT was my site mate Noor’s birthday. We had presentations in the morning and class allllll day, but after that the other site mates and the host moms and I had planned a little surprise party- Frank and I had to go pick up the cake in Antigua immediately after class while the moms made Chuchitos. We wound up coming home at rush hour on the camionetas, and let me tell you this bus made 1-90 on a Friday afternoon look pleasant. It was certainly an experience trying to protect the poor cake from the mounds of people smushing into every single spare molecule of air- so much so that the ayudante (the man who takes the money) was hanging off the outside of the bus by the window. We got home about a half hour late, hot and exhausted but with an intact cake. The party was really nice; it was great to have all of our families together and I think they were pleased that we included them. Frank’s birthday is this weekend and they are all very excited to do something for it, as well.

I’m hoping that the next two weeks go by just as fast as the last month has. I am at the point where I really just want to know where I’m going. I don’t really have a preference- the East was really gorgeous, and the people are a bit more laid back and liberal, which I like. But, it’s grossly hot (and it wasn’t even the hot season while we were there) and there are a lot less volunteers out there. As for the West, I don’t even know what it’s like, so I can’t really compare. I’m just running on the theory that I’ll wind up wherever I’m supposed to.
noor's birthday party
Jocotan
me on top of the church =)
again
view from the church

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Find Where You Belong, Start to Take Control, Show a Little Soul

The Little Things (A Haiku)
Here in Guatemala
The milk goes in the bowl first,
Then the cereal.

Many of you have been inquiring about what exactly I will be doing for work here. My answer has been, for the most part, I haven’t the slightest idea. Training is pretty darn vague (surprise, surprise, the US Government being vague), and it’s hard to know what I’ll be doing without knowing my site. So far my work has consisted of “sewing” (aka stabbing a needle into my hand and sometimes some fabric while trying not to throw the whole mess across the table) and eating tostadas with a bunch of women. But, this weekend we had to read our “Project Plan” which explained exactly what the point of my being here is:
1. To improve the management ability and strengthen the organizational capacity of municipalities, through their Municipal Planning Offices and Municipal Women’s Offices, to deliver quality services to the population.
2. To empower and motivate community groups to actively participate in the identification, design, implementation and evaluation of sustainable-integrated community development projects/activities.
So there you have it. And I have almost exactly 26 months to achieve these things- piece of cake. As daunting as this is, our meetings with the women’s groups have been enjoyable thus far. The group we had yesterday was fun- about six women who were all very friendly and welcoming. I entertained myself by watching the children, a four year old girl and three year old boy, “play”, which consisted of him bugging the crap out of her, her mother telling her to be nice, and her behaving like an angel until she thought no one was looking and then pinching the little boy’s arms as hard as she could. I think I found another kindred spirit.

I’ve been reading like a madwoman- 8 books in the past month. God, I can’t believe I’ve been here for a month! I have to say I’m loving having the time to read something that isn’t related to a class and I’m going to have a test on eventually, but I haven’t read anything worth recommending. Trash, mostly- novel versions of People Magazine, and the like. I’m working on making a “To Read” list, so any suggestions are welcome.

Since it hasn’t been very long since my last post, I’m pretty much out of things to say. This week is filled with charlas, talks, presentations, blah blah blah. Saturday is Free Day #2 in Antigua (weeee) and then Sunday it’s off to Chiquimula, so I’m not completely sure when the next time I’ll be posting is. I’m sure I’ll have tons to share by then!

Saturday, September 11, 2010

I Don’t Care, Try and Steal This…You Can’t Steal Happiness

Relámpago (A Haiku)
“Photos in the sky”,
My host sister calls it when
The lightning flashes.

This has been a very good week, for no particular reason. Wednesday we had Spanish class in the morning. We had some things get changed around and so we met Miguel in Jocotenango at the coffee plantation. It was absolutely gorgeous (see pictures below). We went back home for lunch and then had to walk to the Muni in the afternoon to meet with Clemencia, the head of the Women’s Office for the second time. We had scheduled the meeting for 3 o’clock because she had a meeting in Guate in the morning. However, when we got to the office, she was not there- still in Guate. So we had to reschedule for the next day. And so starts “La Hora Chapina”. I’m working on resigning myself to being the first to arrive at everything (by a good ½ hour) for the next two years.

Since we didn’t have a meeting, Frank and I went to watch the Carretas teams play soccer. My host brother plays on one team and Frank’s dad (who wears number 100 on his jersey) plays on the other. The game ended in a tie. As popular as soccer is here, I really don’t think I will ever be able to love a sport that can end in a tie. To me, that’s pretty much like baking all day and not having any cookies at the end of it.

Thursday we had a Muni activity in San Antonio Aguas Calientes. It was gorgeous, and the Muni was really nice. The San Antonio crew also took us to a really great bakery, which is always a plus. After lunch we had an activity with our parents at my house. Jorge, the housing coordinator, came and we did some group things like identify stereotypes that Americans have about Guatemalans and vice versa. Very mushy, PC stuff but it was also fun to have all of our madres and us together. They are so cute I can’t even handle it. My host mom is still going on about how fun the afternoon was, three days later.

We had to rush from there to our rescheduled Muni meeting, where we were told by Clemencia that she didn’t have the information we needed. We are going to work with a women’s group in our town, but the women’s groups are not managed by the women’s office anymore. Instead Doña Marta runs them and she only comes in for the mornings. But, Clemencia thought they were meeting in our town as we spoke so we went with the Spanish teachers to the house where they meet. As it turns out, they were not meeting but will meet Friday in the afternoon instead.

So, around came Friday and, after a morning filled with learning about gestures in Guatemala (I now know how to say “yo mama” in Guate sign language), we went to Doña Miriam’s house to meet with the women and…duh duh duh…sew. As most of you probably know, I am NOT a sewer- and the few times I have actually tried to be one have resulted in frustration, tears, and violence. But, I kept my composure as Allie and I tag-teamed a purse and have yet to throw anything in the process. Next week we are going to give a talk about calculating costs and making profit because eventually they want to sell the bags they make (although, I am sad to report that they will most likely never be able to sell anything I make. Composure I can maybe manage, a quality product, not so much).

Today we got up brightttt and early and headed to PC Headquarters for a Mayan Ceremony. It was really quite nice- we prayed to the earth and the 20 Mayan spirit guides for safety, protection, health, and inspiration during our service. We also prayed for our family and friends (I thought of you all) and our loved ones that had passed (I threw in a candle for my grandma). Basically we spent the morning being thankful for what we have and praying for it to stay that way, which, to me, is not a bad way to pass the day.

In other news, we found out yesterday that we’re going to the East for Field Based Training! To Chiquimula the whole group goes. Half of us were supposed to go San Marcos in the West, but because of the weather lately they decided to send us all to the East instead. I’m pretty pumped- we’ve been in the West, and the East seems like it might be a whole different world.

San Antonio Aguas Calientes (View from the parque)
Me at the Coffee Plantation
Coffee Tree
At the coffee plantation
Mayan Ceremony

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Time Makes You Bolder

Business first: I’ve made two new decisions for the blog, to make it a little more fun for moi. First, Blog Titles will now be lyrics from a song I’m currently loving. This is partly for fun and partly so I don’t have to work so hard to name these stupid things. I will try to make it relevant, but I make no promises. (On that note- no pun intended- any good music you would like to send me is much appreciated, gracias!). Second, every post will have a haiku. Because what isn’t made better by a haiku? Here’s this week’s:

It’s Not the Stupidity, It’s the Humidity (A Haiku)
Didn’t realize how
Humid it is until my
Altoids melted. Boo.

Moving on. As those of you not in the “Ignorance is Bliss” camp that actually watch the news might know, Guate is having some serious weather crises. This basically translates to rain, rain, rain, rain, rain. In the words of the oh-so-wise Enrique Iglesias, Lluvia Cae. That, and a lot of landslides and road closures. Don’t worry, though, I am safe and sound in my little aldea (though our river is flowing considerably freer and deeper these days) and Peace Corps has safety precautions coming out of their ears, so we’re in good hands.

Therefore, other than some seriously drenched dress pants and a couple cancelled activities due to road closures, there has been little excitement for us trainees in terms of the weather. We did have big excitement, though, with our first free day in Antigua on Sunday! Thanks to the blunders of trainees passed, there is now a policy that we are not allowed to travel anywhere out of site during training except on three designated days, the first of which was Sunday. Many of us met up in Antigua to spend the day. We walked the town, had some coffee, hiked el Cerro de la Cruz (see picture below), had some really great sandwiches for lunch at La Café Condessa, and basically just enjoyed our freedom. Probably my favorite point of the day was my fellow UW student’s comment when asked if she ever wanted to get married: “I would never subject anyone to having to spend the rest of their lives with me”. I think we’re kindred spirits.

Speaking of reactions to the thought of marriage, I had my first bout of violent illness. Woo! I’m fully recovered now, but I think I threw up (yes- I THREW UP.) everything I had eaten since I got to Guatemala. Insta-diet, I guess. Just thought I’d share that with the world, because I’m sure you’re all sitting at home in the states wondering how my digestion’s going.

Wilson is still pretty much the light of my Guatemalan life. He cracks me up! Really all of my host family is wonderful- they love to laugh, which makes everything easier. One thing I most definitely appreciate about the Guatemalans is their ability to laugh at themselves. I think it’s something we should all do more of. I’m also getting much better at communicating so we’re all getting to know each other a bit more.

Two more weeks until Field Based Training, which means a whole week in an actual site with volunteers and hands on stuff! I’m super pumped for that because it’ll give us such a better idea of what exactly the next two years of our life will be. Honestly, though, I’m really enjoying the whole flying by the seat of your pants, living day-to-day thing for now. It’s certainly a nice change from the utterly depressing schedule of a grad student. So, off to do more of that living thing!
Un Volcan from the PC Office
My sitemates and me on Cerro Nino (View of our pueblo behind)
Cerro de la Cruz! With Antigua below =)

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Some Pics

Too lazy to write, but here are some pics =)
PC Headquarters
Our Patron Saint, San Luis
My sitemates at our Feria for San Luis
Standing in the doorway of my room looking at my courtyard/house
my bed =)

Saturday, August 28, 2010

D Day, and other amusing Guatemalan moments

There has been way, way too much going on this week to try to write about it all, so it's going to have to be a Best Of list instead:

-First off, tuesday at common session it was D Day- meaning medical session on Diarrhea. This included singing the diarrhea song (when your sliding in to first, and your stomach's gonna burst, diarrhea, diarrhea...) and a "Fart Chart" which included fun facts such as that farts come out of you at a speed of 7 mph. Let's just say there was a lot of bathroom humor...

-Wednesday was the big fair day in our town- starting at 2 am with fireworks and a discoteque bus driving through the town blasting music. Later that day, San Luis was returned to our house after being paraded throughout the town, welcomed with more fireworks and a shrine in the dining room. My family made chuchitos- dumpling type things cooked in corn leaves- and ponche, which consisted of basically every fruit you could imagine simmered over the stove into a juice with cloves and cinnamon. It was probably drink I've ever had, and would have been even better with some whiskey ;) That night there was a concert on the soccer field and the band played "listen to the rhythm of the falling rain", only in spanish, mariachi style.

-Thursday we travelled to Pachalum to visit a muni volunteer, and we got to be on her radio show. Celebrity status in guatemalaaa.

-The other day we were walking our usual route, up Cerro Nino (which means "child hill", but let me tell you this hill is no baby!) and we passed a school with the global visionaries logo on it, which is the group i came to Guatemala with the first time I was here! I asked my host mom about it and she said indeed some gringos had come to help build the school. It was so weird to see that familiar logo in this tiny little town that seems so far away from my life then!

Other than that, we have been doing tons of spanish classes (I can also now identify all 22 departments of guatemala and their captials, thank youuu) and hanging out with the fam. Wilson and I are pretty much hooked at the hip, and apparently he says my name in his sleep even. The family calls him "El Nene Feo" (Ugly baby) and if you ask him who El Nene Feo is he responds enthusiastically "Yo!". It reminds me so much of my grandma (although her favored term of affection was "stupid little baby"). This week is filled with a lot of school type stuff- group paper on our community due tuesday, a group presentation on organizational development on thursday... So, here we are in Antigua doing "work" (obviously) on it. I also finally found good coffee at, of all places, the Bagel Barn.

Anddd, that's about it. So... The end. (more pictures soon!)

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

This week....

me in my first house in santa lucia (not the one I'm living in now)
The cemetery in Pastores- so pretty!
Antigua McDonalds- no joke.
The view standing in the doorway of my room now!

Where to start?? Well, tomorrow officially marks two weeks in Guatemala- it feels like about 20 times that, but in a good way. It seems like ages since I was living the life of wireless internet and Cheesecake Factory’s. But, I figure that just means I’m settling into my new reality of camionetas, avocado trees, and the rainy season.

The past week has been filled with mostly Spanish classes- using the term “class” in the loosest sense, as it usually consists of having at length conversations about things like Jack Johnson or macaroni and cheese, or taking field trips into Antigua or Pastores to see the sights.

Saturday we went to the Mercado in Antigua for class, and also went to the parque and the Jade factory. We had our “lesson” in the McDonalds which was legit like a palace- fountains, gardens, free internet, and all. We also went to a little coffee shop our teacher likes that had amazing cookies- it will most definitely be a frequent stop on Antigua trips from now on.

We had our first technical training last week, which was just a lot of information that left me just as clueless about exactly what I’ll be doing with my life for the next two years as I was before- I think. But, I do know that for training we will be working with the Municipality of Pastores with the Municipal Women’s Office and some community women’s groups. We’re also going to get a mentor that is currently serving who will help us with projects and probably be a lot more informative, who we meet tomorrow. Thursday we also take a trip to visit a current volunteer in Tecpan for the day.

Most days after class my group of 4 go for a walk around town (a whopping one dirt street with a church, community center, soccer field…and that’s about it) for a little exercise and for something to do. Yesterday when we walked out of my house (where we have classes) there were three teenagers, one of which replied with a “good afternoon” when we said the usual “buenas tardes” to them. That got us started having a double language lesson- English for them, Spanish for us- that they were completely tickled by. We also started sharing tongue twisters (or trabalenguas) and the Guatemaltecos have some pretty good ones (something about “mirame sin mira, Miryam”…).

Being a part of a big family has been quite the adjustment- there’s always noise, someone leaving, someone coming, something going on. But it’s only in the best way, and Sundays we all have breakfast and lunch together and there’s just a big mosh of conversation and laughing the whole day. (Side note: here, mosh means oatmeal, which I think is a much more appropriate name for the food). I always thought big families were completely overwhelming but the Guatemaltecos make it seem effortless and natural. My Spanish teacher was telling me yesterday about a family he knows that has 25 children! I pointed out to him that the family could play a soccer game just between themselves- with subs to spare. While that’s a bit excessive for my tastes, my 10 person household has so far been much more comforting than I ever would have expected.

Now, it’s back to common session and then the camioneta ride home, which is usually so crowded it’s a great workout just trying to get home. Wish me luck!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Me Llamo "No"

Almost one week survived! My Las Carretas family is super nice- and BIG. There's my Madre y Padre, and 5 kids- Brenda (26), Toni(21), Roni(19), Luis and Mauricio (both 14). Also Brenda's bebe Wilson who is about 3, and a Tia but she is out of town. Wilson is super shy, but he is warming up to me. Everyone in the family has been trying to get him to say my name, and all he says is "No". Last night at dinner, though, he just looked at me out of the blue and said "Ale" (that's what the call me here- I told them in the states I go by Lexi, and my madre just said "for us, that's very hard. You can be Ale). Wilson and I are gonna be buddies I think- we have that whole only child thing going.

Also, I think my casa is basically the center of the tiny (one street) pueblo- the police eat lunch here and they keep the patron saint of the town (San Luis) in the dining room. Speaking of, this week is the Festival for San Luis, so el santo was taken to the church yesterday (after Dona Susanna changed his clothes- they had to dress him up!). Then, next wednesday, they'll carry him throughout the town back to our house where there will be a big party. We started spanish "class" yesterday, which consisted of chatting/conversation, meeting everyone's host families (who all told us that their house is our house and to come visit whenever we want), and a field trip into Antigua to buy our celulares! Today is training at the center, and tomorrow we will start technical training and more with the Municipal Development program. From now on, every Tuesday will be common session at the center, and other than that it is spanish class in our pueblo and technical training. Plus, quality time with the family and, apparently, Santo Luis =)

Friday, August 13, 2010

La Gringa!

So, here I am! We arrived on wednesday, and have been staying with a host famiy near Peace Corps Headquarters. My family has been amazing- hay Mimi y Orlando, and their 4 children; Benjamin, Kimberly, Esteban, y Gabriel. Mimi could not believe that I was an only child ("are your parents sad?")or how tall I am ("it's because you are an only child- you got all the food!"). The family lives on a compound with all of Mimi's siblings and their families, and relatives often pass by each others' houses to say hello. Some of the other trainees are living in one of the other houses, and they stopped by one night with their host mother, who introduced herself as "Tia Nora" porque "Just like Mimi is your mother for now, I am your aunt". The Guatemalan people are friendly, patient, and generous. They also have a quick and happy sense of humor that I adore already.

Today I found out my site assignment for training- San Luis Las Carretas, which is about an hour from Peace Corps Headquarters. I will go there tomorrow and meet my host family for the next three months! I will live with them alone, but three other trainees will be in the same pueblo. From tomorrow on, we will only come to headquarters on tuesdays, and all of our other training will happen in San Luis. I am excited to be able to get settled for a while- it's funny to think that three months is about how long I spent abroad in Brussels, and this will only be training!

When we went home for lunch today, Esteban (my four year old host brother, who has been so very shy until now) was waiting outside, and upon seeing us yelled "Las Gringas estan aqui!" And ran to say hello. It was adorable, and the first time I could understand him in his toddler-espanol!

I am already learning a lot about everything possible- but for the most part have simply learned how easy the Guatemaltecos are going to make this for me. They are so understanding, and so very patient, and (although there has been the requisite awkwardness of living with complete strangers who speak a different language) they and the Peace Corps Staff have left little doubt in my mind that I am cared for. And really, what more could I need?

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Staging

PEACE CORPS EXPECTATIONS (A Haiku)
Corps Volunteers Are
Idealistic/Pragmatic
Confused Already.

You know you're in for a wild two years when the mission statement of the 50 year old program you're about to join includes (in the same sentence) the expectation of volunteers to be both idealistic and pragmatic. Yes, I get where they're going with it. Still, that's like a win-win situation; lovely to wish for but... maybe a little more on the idealistic side? True to the family genes, I have always been much more of a pragmatist than an idealist (which is maybe why I take such issue with the combination of those words), but I don't think that has ever stopped me from having big ideas or goals...just from having stupid ones. (Just kidding- sort of.)

Idealist or pragmatist, we are all on our way to our new homes bright and early tomorrow (yes, Mr. Hotel Front Desk Man, I DID say 3 a.m. for our wake up call, thank youu) and I'm actually starting to get super excited. This morning before orientation the nerves kicked in major (my hands were shaking! I've never had that happen!) but I'm just ready to get this show on the road (or in the air, as the case may be) and start this thing already.

DC was a nice little middle step- I got to see two wonderful friends and a sister, which is always nice =) quite the lovely way to wrap up my time in the states. It was nice to have some familiar, loving faces here to calm the nerves a bit. Nothing beats a hug from a dear one when you aren't feeling completely sure of yourself. Well, except maybe pulling out a random crossword puzzle your aunt packed you to find it is all about your lucky number 8 (which also happened- I'm taking it as a good sign!). Sooooo, I've packed up all my junk, secured my new Government Official Passport (impressed? I know.), and hugged the last loved ones to head off to Guatemala (via Miami) at the crack of dawn tomorrow! Hasta Luego~

Monday, August 9, 2010

Eeek!

So, here I am in Arlington getting ready for bed the night before staging. Still can't believe it's here. I don't think I've quite processed just how soon I will be in another country... more later =)

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Getting Ready!

I can't believe it's less than three weeks until I leave for staging!!! Even more, I can't believe I'm not very nervous at all. People keep asking if I am nervous or scared, and I keep waiting for those feelings to set in as I get closer to departing. But, so far, none of that. Of course there is a nagging sort of nervousness about leaving my family and friends for so long; but that is much more about being sad to leave them behind than what I'm headed towards. Also, inevitably, there is the crazed nervousness about everything I have to get done before I leave! But, all things considered, I'm in pretty good shape.

For now, I am trying to get everything moved out of the apartment (so long, gorgeous view! so sad to leave it) and getting ready to visit my bests in New York- SO excited. Then home for a few days for qulaity family time, before an early departure on 8-9-10. I've always been into numbers, superstitions, etc, so I'm taking it as a very good sign that I'm leaving on such a date.

So, until then, I guess! <3