Lexi In Guatemala =): 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.