Since no picture I take looks like anything, here's a video instead:
Monday, July 25, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
I Thank God For My Life, And The Stars And Stripes
Along came a spider (A Haiku)
Walk into the room...
Holy crap- tarantula!
Shit. Ohshitohshit.
I am not a sissy girl. Bugs don't freak me out. In college I was the one my friends called into their rooms to kill the spiders. But, tarantulas are where I draw the line. Tarantulas are not bugs. They're not spiders. They're MONSTERS.
Now, when I think about it, it's probably a funny story. I had just cleaned my pila (literally climbed inside my pila and scrubbed it) and I was disgustingly sweaty. Trying to take advantage of the running water, which usually only lasts for an hour or so in the afternoon, I quickly jumped into the shower straight out of the pila. Thus, when I got out I had no towel and no clothes to put on (yet another beautiful thing about living alone...). So, i dripped dripped dripped nakedly through my house into my room, went to reach for my towel, and came face to face (almost touched) a huge, furry, fanged MONSTER.
After a good, long string of curse words in both english and spanish, I promptly did the only thing I could think of... I called my mommy. She was the exact appropriate combination of appalled and amused, and (after concurring that I probably didn't want to try to kill it- think of the smushing sound and the guts! gross.) she very patiently waited on the phone as I put on rubber gloves and shoes (and, still, nothing else- I was not about to put on clothes and lose track of that thing in the process), gathered a box and yogurt container, squealed a bit more, and then somehow, not so gracefully, scooped the monster into my trap. After more squealing (and probably more cursing) I managed to get myself clothed and carry the whole contraption (tarantula enclosed) out of my house and far, FAR away, where I then chucked the whole thing with as much force as possible and RAN back to the house. Phew.
Really, it's not THAT exciting- most Peace Corps volunteers will run into a tarantula at least once in their service. But I figured I would share so at least there could be some entertainment from the whole event. Also, I would just like to say, Thank God for mosquito nets, otherwise I would never sleep again.
Okay, moving on. Until yesterday's traumatic tarantula extravaganza, this post was going to be about the Fourth of July. I guess Guatemala is changing me a lot more than I think, because not only have I become the girl freaking out about the spider in her room, I've also apparently become the proud, patriotic American. I've never been a fan of Independence Day, and I've never really considered myself proud to be an American. I'm still not particularly proud. It's not like I did anything to be proud of- I just happened to be born in the United States. But living in a third world country has certainly made me appreciate my country more, and spend more time being grateful for its blessings than critical of its shortcomings.
I don't know if it was due to this newfound patriotism, or simply the combination of good company, cheap drinks, and fun costumes, but this was by far my favorite Fourth of July. There was a big celebration for all the volunteers, including a bake-off, raffle (I won a smoothie AND some shampoo- score!), talent show, barbeque (with veggie burgers), and plenty of red, white, and blue. I spent way too much money, and ate WAY too much food, but what better way to celebrate America than to be a little self-indulgent, right?
Happy Fourth of July from Guatemala!
Walk into the room...
Holy crap- tarantula!
Shit. Ohshitohshit.
I am not a sissy girl. Bugs don't freak me out. In college I was the one my friends called into their rooms to kill the spiders. But, tarantulas are where I draw the line. Tarantulas are not bugs. They're not spiders. They're MONSTERS.
Now, when I think about it, it's probably a funny story. I had just cleaned my pila (literally climbed inside my pila and scrubbed it) and I was disgustingly sweaty. Trying to take advantage of the running water, which usually only lasts for an hour or so in the afternoon, I quickly jumped into the shower straight out of the pila. Thus, when I got out I had no towel and no clothes to put on (yet another beautiful thing about living alone...). So, i dripped dripped dripped nakedly through my house into my room, went to reach for my towel, and came face to face (almost touched) a huge, furry, fanged MONSTER.
After a good, long string of curse words in both english and spanish, I promptly did the only thing I could think of... I called my mommy. She was the exact appropriate combination of appalled and amused, and (after concurring that I probably didn't want to try to kill it- think of the smushing sound and the guts! gross.) she very patiently waited on the phone as I put on rubber gloves and shoes (and, still, nothing else- I was not about to put on clothes and lose track of that thing in the process), gathered a box and yogurt container, squealed a bit more, and then somehow, not so gracefully, scooped the monster into my trap. After more squealing (and probably more cursing) I managed to get myself clothed and carry the whole contraption (tarantula enclosed) out of my house and far, FAR away, where I then chucked the whole thing with as much force as possible and RAN back to the house. Phew.Really, it's not THAT exciting- most Peace Corps volunteers will run into a tarantula at least once in their service. But I figured I would share so at least there could be some entertainment from the whole event. Also, I would just like to say, Thank God for mosquito nets, otherwise I would never sleep again.
Okay, moving on. Until yesterday's traumatic tarantula extravaganza, this post was going to be about the Fourth of July. I guess Guatemala is changing me a lot more than I think, because not only have I become the girl freaking out about the spider in her room, I've also apparently become the proud, patriotic American. I've never been a fan of Independence Day, and I've never really considered myself proud to be an American. I'm still not particularly proud. It's not like I did anything to be proud of- I just happened to be born in the United States. But living in a third world country has certainly made me appreciate my country more, and spend more time being grateful for its blessings than critical of its shortcomings.
I don't know if it was due to this newfound patriotism, or simply the combination of good company, cheap drinks, and fun costumes, but this was by far my favorite Fourth of July. There was a big celebration for all the volunteers, including a bake-off, raffle (I won a smoothie AND some shampoo- score!), talent show, barbeque (with veggie burgers), and plenty of red, white, and blue. I spent way too much money, and ate WAY too much food, but what better way to celebrate America than to be a little self-indulgent, right?
Happy Fourth of July from Guatemala!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
A box of rain will ease the pain, and love will see you through
June (A Haiku)
Pounding on the roof,
Drowning out all other noise.
Rainy season’s here.
Every once in a while Guatemala just totally takes my breath away. Sometimes it’s in a good way, like when the bus rounds the curve in the road on my way home, and all of a sudden you can see my beautiful little town among the green hills. Sometimes it’s in the frustrating way, like when the little kids in front of me on that same bus throw trash out the window onto those gorgeous green hills without a second thought. Sometimes it’s just in the out-of-shape, out-of-breath way (you try hauling a huge thing of water up a steep hill to your house in the pouring rain with sweaty, slipping hands and tell me it didn’t take your breath away).
The point is, life here is a life of extremes. For whatever reason, and I really still haven’t figured out why, here in Guatemala the tiniest victory feels like a world series ring, and even the smallest set back can seem like a fatal blow. It doesn’t take much more than a load of laundry for me to feel accomplished for the day. But it also doesn’t take much more than a burned out light bulb to send me into fits of despair.
The weird part is, I’m not usually that person. Not at all. Back home I am slow to celebrate my successes and rarely sweat the small stuff. It’s a funny juxtaposition, being overwhelmed by little things like washing dishes and grocery shopping while living among (and attempting to address) huge problems like domestic violence, poverty, corruption, discrimination, women’s rights. But, on the bright side, I think that Guatemala has taught me how to be a little more proud of myself, even (maybe especially) for the little things.
Moving on from the goopy, self-reflectiony stuff, the house is coming along pretty nicely. It is still pretty much heaven for me to have my own totally private space. The rainy season has definitely hit full-on and most evenings it rains so hard on my tin roof you can’t even hear yourself think, but I just put my “rain playlist” on full blast (although at times the rain drowns out even that) and enjoy the rhythm. It’s not the cliché “pitter patter” rhythm- actually it sounds more like a band of battling snare drums, but it’s soothing in its own way. My roof in the main room leaks, but since I have no furniture it doesn’t really matter (Aha! An upside to living on the salary of a volunteer). Next mission is a hammock and some mirrors.
Other than that, life is boring (I mean, as boring as a “life of extremes” can be, I guess) and I am counting the days until the big Fourth of July party (8) and Su-b comes to visit (1 month from today!). July has always been one of my favorite months, since it’s got the best day of the year in it- my birthday. The only month that might be better is October for baseball playoffs. And I think this year I’ll have even more reasons to love it so much. I’ll keep you all posted-
the view from my house =) (it's the only picture of the place that looks like anything...)
Pounding on the roof,
Drowning out all other noise.
Rainy season’s here.
Every once in a while Guatemala just totally takes my breath away. Sometimes it’s in a good way, like when the bus rounds the curve in the road on my way home, and all of a sudden you can see my beautiful little town among the green hills. Sometimes it’s in the frustrating way, like when the little kids in front of me on that same bus throw trash out the window onto those gorgeous green hills without a second thought. Sometimes it’s just in the out-of-shape, out-of-breath way (you try hauling a huge thing of water up a steep hill to your house in the pouring rain with sweaty, slipping hands and tell me it didn’t take your breath away).
The point is, life here is a life of extremes. For whatever reason, and I really still haven’t figured out why, here in Guatemala the tiniest victory feels like a world series ring, and even the smallest set back can seem like a fatal blow. It doesn’t take much more than a load of laundry for me to feel accomplished for the day. But it also doesn’t take much more than a burned out light bulb to send me into fits of despair.
The weird part is, I’m not usually that person. Not at all. Back home I am slow to celebrate my successes and rarely sweat the small stuff. It’s a funny juxtaposition, being overwhelmed by little things like washing dishes and grocery shopping while living among (and attempting to address) huge problems like domestic violence, poverty, corruption, discrimination, women’s rights. But, on the bright side, I think that Guatemala has taught me how to be a little more proud of myself, even (maybe especially) for the little things.
Moving on from the goopy, self-reflectiony stuff, the house is coming along pretty nicely. It is still pretty much heaven for me to have my own totally private space. The rainy season has definitely hit full-on and most evenings it rains so hard on my tin roof you can’t even hear yourself think, but I just put my “rain playlist” on full blast (although at times the rain drowns out even that) and enjoy the rhythm. It’s not the cliché “pitter patter” rhythm- actually it sounds more like a band of battling snare drums, but it’s soothing in its own way. My roof in the main room leaks, but since I have no furniture it doesn’t really matter (Aha! An upside to living on the salary of a volunteer). Next mission is a hammock and some mirrors.
Other than that, life is boring (I mean, as boring as a “life of extremes” can be, I guess) and I am counting the days until the big Fourth of July party (8) and Su-b comes to visit (1 month from today!). July has always been one of my favorite months, since it’s got the best day of the year in it- my birthday. The only month that might be better is October for baseball playoffs. And I think this year I’ll have even more reasons to love it so much. I’ll keep you all posted-
the view from my house =) (it's the only picture of the place that looks like anything...)
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
And I’ve got myself a new mantra, it says: don’t forget to have a good time.
MINE. (A Haiku)
It needs a paint job,
and it's completely empty.
But this house is mine! =)
I know, I know, I’m way overdue for a blog post. Things have been so busy here, though, and not even with anything interesting enough to post about. But, here are the most exciting things that have happened since the last post:
1) I got to go home! Well, not home home, but to New York. Jenna managed to convince me to come home for Memorial Day and surprise Catie and Cash (thus the lack of excited countdowns pre-trip) to stock up on my best friend love for the year... It was such a great trip, and exactly what I needed.
Before my trip I stayed with my training family for a couple nights, since they live closer to the airport and I hadn’t seen them in a while. It was so nice to hang out with them again, and Wilson is so big! I gave him a baseball glove a friend from the states sent, and he was thrilled, although all he really wanted to do with it was put it on his head. 
2) I got a house! FINALLY. It’s not the fanciest place (honestly, it’s kind of a dump), but it’s mine and that makes it awesome. It’s about a block from my host family’s house, so I’m still in the center of town, but it’s not on the noisy main road. And, the best part is, there are outlets everywhere!!! In my old room there were no outlets, which meant no fan, and nowhere to plug in my computer. But now I have a whole house of outlets that are all mine =) I’m slowly but surely starting to clean it up. My bedroom is coming along quite nicely, but the kitchen is pretty sparse. And a big thanks to my dear mom who has undoubtedly passed on to me her fear of gas stoves. I have the stove, but have yet to get up the nerve to connect the gas. It's too darn hot to cook, anyway.
3) I got a nasty bug bite! I went to the medical office, and I’m not going to die or anything, but it’s still gross:
I don’t even want to think about what the bug looked like that made that mark, especially since I’m pretty sure I got it in my house.
In other news, when I got back from my trip I was informed by my counterpart that one of our communities had held their elections for the board of their women’s group. The goal for the year is to get our women’s groups organized and self sufficient, since CODEFEM’s project is supposed to end this year and we would like for them to keep working even if we’re not around. So, electing a board was a big step for the group. Unfortunately, my counterpart reported that at these elections the women had selected a man for the president of their women’s group. I guess we still have work to do.
I have a feeling the next couple months are going to fly by, since we’re already half way through June (how’d that happen??). The end of the month is the big Fourth of July party with all the volunteers in the country, and then in July Su-B is coming for my birthday! I still can’t believe she’s actually coming. AND, I’m officially coming home for Christmas! A HUGE thanks to the Beasty family for their miles! You guys are the best and I can’t wait to see you in six months.
It needs a paint job,
and it's completely empty.
But this house is mine! =)
I know, I know, I’m way overdue for a blog post. Things have been so busy here, though, and not even with anything interesting enough to post about. But, here are the most exciting things that have happened since the last post:
1) I got to go home! Well, not home home, but to New York. Jenna managed to convince me to come home for Memorial Day and surprise Catie and Cash (thus the lack of excited countdowns pre-trip) to stock up on my best friend love for the year... It was such a great trip, and exactly what I needed.
Before my trip I stayed with my training family for a couple nights, since they live closer to the airport and I hadn’t seen them in a while. It was so nice to hang out with them again, and Wilson is so big! I gave him a baseball glove a friend from the states sent, and he was thrilled, although all he really wanted to do with it was put it on his head. 
2) I got a house! FINALLY. It’s not the fanciest place (honestly, it’s kind of a dump), but it’s mine and that makes it awesome. It’s about a block from my host family’s house, so I’m still in the center of town, but it’s not on the noisy main road. And, the best part is, there are outlets everywhere!!! In my old room there were no outlets, which meant no fan, and nowhere to plug in my computer. But now I have a whole house of outlets that are all mine =) I’m slowly but surely starting to clean it up. My bedroom is coming along quite nicely, but the kitchen is pretty sparse. And a big thanks to my dear mom who has undoubtedly passed on to me her fear of gas stoves. I have the stove, but have yet to get up the nerve to connect the gas. It's too darn hot to cook, anyway.
3) I got a nasty bug bite! I went to the medical office, and I’m not going to die or anything, but it’s still gross:
I don’t even want to think about what the bug looked like that made that mark, especially since I’m pretty sure I got it in my house.In other news, when I got back from my trip I was informed by my counterpart that one of our communities had held their elections for the board of their women’s group. The goal for the year is to get our women’s groups organized and self sufficient, since CODEFEM’s project is supposed to end this year and we would like for them to keep working even if we’re not around. So, electing a board was a big step for the group. Unfortunately, my counterpart reported that at these elections the women had selected a man for the president of their women’s group. I guess we still have work to do.
I have a feeling the next couple months are going to fly by, since we’re already half way through June (how’d that happen??). The end of the month is the big Fourth of July party with all the volunteers in the country, and then in July Su-B is coming for my birthday! I still can’t believe she’s actually coming. AND, I’m officially coming home for Christmas! A HUGE thanks to the Beasty family for their miles! You guys are the best and I can’t wait to see you in six months.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Say I'm like the desert, just way hotter.
Long Day (A Haiku)
Sun burned and Burned out.
In just about every sense
of the word, I'm fried.
Random something I really like about Guatemala: An appropriate response to the question “How are you?” is “I am here.” While it is not always true that I am the typical American response of “fine”, I am, in fact, always “here”.
Random something I’m not so fond of: Guatemalans do NOT know how to wait in line. It is something they just don’t do here. If you are in a public restroom, you literally have to stake out a stall. Seriously, it takes strategy. First you pick the stall you think might free up first (and, just like grocery store lines, without fail you will choose wrong). You then have to basically paste yourself to the door of said stall until you hear the lock start to slide from the other side. This is the tricky part. As the stall occupier exits, you must simultaneously squeeze into the stall, leaving absolutely no spaces between you, stall leaver, and door for any particularly swift stall stealer to sneak through. If you try to take the “high road” and politely stand in line in a public restroom in Guatemala, you WILL pee your pants.
Restroom related rants aside, it has been a pretty quiet month in the East…probably mostly due to the fact that it is just way too hot to even move, much less do anything. April was filled with a lot of normal daily life in my little town. Besides the complete lack of oxygen, air conditioning, or an outlet to plug in a fan, it was kind of nice to have some down time.
The most exciting event has been Semana Santa. Holy Week/Easter here is probably one of the biggest celebrations- I got a whole week off of work for it and everything. Some of the other PCVs and I decided to take a little trip to Semuc Champey, which are natural limestone pools near Cobán. The area is full of outdoorsy and water activities, and we took full advantage. First we did a cave tour by candlelight, which, as the girl in front of me said as we followed Elvis (our tour guide) into the damp, pitch-black cave, was “the perfect opening scene for a bad horror film”. It turned out to be very cool, but probably something I will never need to do again. We also tubed, swam, and explored the pools, which were absolutely beautiful. It was quite the nice little vacation, and the best part was coming home to pouringggg rain for the first time in a month! The true Seattle girl that I am, it was a very welcome sight.
Now it’s back to quiet small town life… at least until the next adventure =)
Semuc Champey:
Sun burned and Burned out.
In just about every sense
of the word, I'm fried.
Random something I really like about Guatemala: An appropriate response to the question “How are you?” is “I am here.” While it is not always true that I am the typical American response of “fine”, I am, in fact, always “here”.
Random something I’m not so fond of: Guatemalans do NOT know how to wait in line. It is something they just don’t do here. If you are in a public restroom, you literally have to stake out a stall. Seriously, it takes strategy. First you pick the stall you think might free up first (and, just like grocery store lines, without fail you will choose wrong). You then have to basically paste yourself to the door of said stall until you hear the lock start to slide from the other side. This is the tricky part. As the stall occupier exits, you must simultaneously squeeze into the stall, leaving absolutely no spaces between you, stall leaver, and door for any particularly swift stall stealer to sneak through. If you try to take the “high road” and politely stand in line in a public restroom in Guatemala, you WILL pee your pants.
Restroom related rants aside, it has been a pretty quiet month in the East…probably mostly due to the fact that it is just way too hot to even move, much less do anything. April was filled with a lot of normal daily life in my little town. Besides the complete lack of oxygen, air conditioning, or an outlet to plug in a fan, it was kind of nice to have some down time.
The most exciting event has been Semana Santa. Holy Week/Easter here is probably one of the biggest celebrations- I got a whole week off of work for it and everything. Some of the other PCVs and I decided to take a little trip to Semuc Champey, which are natural limestone pools near Cobán. The area is full of outdoorsy and water activities, and we took full advantage. First we did a cave tour by candlelight, which, as the girl in front of me said as we followed Elvis (our tour guide) into the damp, pitch-black cave, was “the perfect opening scene for a bad horror film”. It turned out to be very cool, but probably something I will never need to do again. We also tubed, swam, and explored the pools, which were absolutely beautiful. It was quite the nice little vacation, and the best part was coming home to pouringggg rain for the first time in a month! The true Seattle girl that I am, it was a very welcome sight.
Now it’s back to quiet small town life… at least until the next adventure =)
Semuc Champey:
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Out of here, we're out of here, out of heartache along with fear
Lazy (A Haiku)
Sleeping in, movies,
Needlepoint, reading, reading,
More reading, and bed.
Things that I miss more than I expected to:
1) Washing machines.
It still amazes me just how exhausting washing clothes in the pila really is. And I swear, I’m not just being a baby. Volunteers who give nutrition charlas often include doing laundry as a form of exercise. Not only is it hard work, the clothes never seem as clean as at home. Every time I’m scrubbing away (half cleaning, half destroying my clothes…) I find myself giving thanks that I have only my own clothes to wash, and not a husband, five children, and probably a couple of grandchildren’s worth of dirty laundry, like most women here. I’m reading an extremely cheesy light read about a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador, and she describes her revelation that “life in America was the aberration”, and that “barefoot and soily, among animals, in a forced intimacy with the earth- this was how most of the people on this planet lived”. As silly as I feel taking life lessons from a semi-trashy story of “How a Peace Corps Poster By Won my Heart” (you can’t make this stuff up), it does hit me every once in a while how luxurious our life in the states really is compared to most of the world. Especially when you consider that my pila using, cold water showering, giant spiders and ants in the kitchen life here is, in comparison to most of the country, pretty darn high class.
2) TARGET.
Okay, not such a shocker for anyone who knows how much I truly love this heaven in the form of a store (the cashiers at the one by my house probably wonder where I’ve gone…), but seriously. If they can get satellite TV and Walmart owned supermarkets here, shouldn’t they be able to get one little Target? Granted, I have found that the “Super Paca” is a pretty good substitution (especially since Target seems to ship most of its unsold clothing to Guatemala…who would’ve thunk?) and it’s not like my volunteer salary would allow for many Target trips, but it is still a comfort from home that I have definitely found myself craving on more than one occasion.
3) Walking around the house without shoes.
I have never been a shoe person. Really, I’ve never been much an any type of clothing thing; I’m pretty sure I would make a superb nudist, except then I would have no reason to go shopping, and if #2 on this list gives you any indication, I’m sure you can guess how well that would go over. But shoes, especially, are something I never, ever wore at home. Here, if you don’t wear shoes you not only wind up dragging all sorts of dirt and god knows what else into your bed at the end of the day (requiring yet MORE pila-washing, and sheets are the WORST to do), but you also risk stepping in or on anything from chicken poop to a scorpion. Needless to say, no matter how integrated or comfortable I get here, I will not be walking barefoot at any point.
4) Cheese.
I think that probably had I known that I would more or less be going completely without cheese for the next two years, I would have expected to miss it. But it really never occurred to me that I might encounter such a tragedy. For whatever reason (I still haven’t found anyone that can explain it to me), cheese is pretty much the most expensive food in the grocery store- with the exception of peanut butter and slightly obscure foods like canned artichoke hearts. Granted, they do have cheap and readily available “Campo Cheese” here, which is delicious but usually does a number on the stomach and is also more like a dip than the kind of cheese you can put on a sandwich or in mac and cheese. I have literally sat with other volunteers talking about what we wouldn’t give for a nice block of cheddar cheese.
I’m sure the list could go on and on, as there are probably one or two things every day I find myself wishing they had in Guatemala (non-stick frying pans, carpets, baseball fields…), but when all is said and done, there’s nothing I’ve had to go without that has really, truly affected my life. I mean, sure, wouldn’t it be convenient if I did have a washing machine I could throw a load into on Sundays like I did at home? But (and maybe it’s just the 7 months of living here I have under my belt taking), it certainly hasn’t been a major, life changing adjustment to have to do my laundry by hand. I’m sure I’ll go home in two years and be completely overwhelmed by the realization of exactly how completely different my life really is here, but the point is, for now I’m pretty darn happy in my cheese-and Target-less, perpetually shoed life here =)
Sleeping in, movies,
Needlepoint, reading, reading,
More reading, and bed.
Things that I miss more than I expected to:
1) Washing machines.
It still amazes me just how exhausting washing clothes in the pila really is. And I swear, I’m not just being a baby. Volunteers who give nutrition charlas often include doing laundry as a form of exercise. Not only is it hard work, the clothes never seem as clean as at home. Every time I’m scrubbing away (half cleaning, half destroying my clothes…) I find myself giving thanks that I have only my own clothes to wash, and not a husband, five children, and probably a couple of grandchildren’s worth of dirty laundry, like most women here. I’m reading an extremely cheesy light read about a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador, and she describes her revelation that “life in America was the aberration”, and that “barefoot and soily, among animals, in a forced intimacy with the earth- this was how most of the people on this planet lived”. As silly as I feel taking life lessons from a semi-trashy story of “How a Peace Corps Poster By Won my Heart” (you can’t make this stuff up), it does hit me every once in a while how luxurious our life in the states really is compared to most of the world. Especially when you consider that my pila using, cold water showering, giant spiders and ants in the kitchen life here is, in comparison to most of the country, pretty darn high class.
2) TARGET.
Okay, not such a shocker for anyone who knows how much I truly love this heaven in the form of a store (the cashiers at the one by my house probably wonder where I’ve gone…), but seriously. If they can get satellite TV and Walmart owned supermarkets here, shouldn’t they be able to get one little Target? Granted, I have found that the “Super Paca” is a pretty good substitution (especially since Target seems to ship most of its unsold clothing to Guatemala…who would’ve thunk?) and it’s not like my volunteer salary would allow for many Target trips, but it is still a comfort from home that I have definitely found myself craving on more than one occasion.
3) Walking around the house without shoes.
I have never been a shoe person. Really, I’ve never been much an any type of clothing thing; I’m pretty sure I would make a superb nudist, except then I would have no reason to go shopping, and if #2 on this list gives you any indication, I’m sure you can guess how well that would go over. But shoes, especially, are something I never, ever wore at home. Here, if you don’t wear shoes you not only wind up dragging all sorts of dirt and god knows what else into your bed at the end of the day (requiring yet MORE pila-washing, and sheets are the WORST to do), but you also risk stepping in or on anything from chicken poop to a scorpion. Needless to say, no matter how integrated or comfortable I get here, I will not be walking barefoot at any point.
4) Cheese.
I think that probably had I known that I would more or less be going completely without cheese for the next two years, I would have expected to miss it. But it really never occurred to me that I might encounter such a tragedy. For whatever reason (I still haven’t found anyone that can explain it to me), cheese is pretty much the most expensive food in the grocery store- with the exception of peanut butter and slightly obscure foods like canned artichoke hearts. Granted, they do have cheap and readily available “Campo Cheese” here, which is delicious but usually does a number on the stomach and is also more like a dip than the kind of cheese you can put on a sandwich or in mac and cheese. I have literally sat with other volunteers talking about what we wouldn’t give for a nice block of cheddar cheese.
I’m sure the list could go on and on, as there are probably one or two things every day I find myself wishing they had in Guatemala (non-stick frying pans, carpets, baseball fields…), but when all is said and done, there’s nothing I’ve had to go without that has really, truly affected my life. I mean, sure, wouldn’t it be convenient if I did have a washing machine I could throw a load into on Sundays like I did at home? But (and maybe it’s just the 7 months of living here I have under my belt taking), it certainly hasn’t been a major, life changing adjustment to have to do my laundry by hand. I’m sure I’ll go home in two years and be completely overwhelmed by the realization of exactly how completely different my life really is here, but the point is, for now I’m pretty darn happy in my cheese-and Target-less, perpetually shoed life here =)
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Always know that i would find a way to get to where you are
February (A Haiku)
Spring Training started
Reconnect and Mom Visit
The best month ever!
Well, February was quite the month and to be completely honest I'm having a hard time remembering what went on the beginning of the month. The first two weeks were full of work and anticipation- I'm sure everyone here was sick of me talking about my mom coming. Right before she got here we had reconnect, celebrating my group's six month anniversary of being in Guatemala (yes, I have officially been here HALF A YEAR already...weird) and giving us a time to "reflect and share" about our first three months in site (BARF- but it was also a good excuse to see my group and have lots of grand adventures in Antigua (inculding Secret Valentines and an "Ugly Paca Party", rules being you could only wear things bought at the Guatemalan second hand stores, called Pacas).
Then, finally, FINALLY, FINALLY Mom got here and we spent a grand (but far too short) two weeks travelling around Guatemala and (of course) entertaining each other. In case any of you forgot, we are SO FUNNY. The trip started in Antigua, where we visited my training host family and Mom got to meet Wilson and all the others. I think my family was truly pleased I brought her to meet them, and we wound up staying the whole afternoon playing with all the presents Mom brought from the states. We also did some of the tourist things in the area, including the Cerro de la Cruz and the artisan market. Then we headed to Lake Atitlan, boated all around and bought about 25 scarfs (it might be an addiction). From there we spent a very long, long day traveling to the East and my site, where we spent three days crowded into my little mosquito-netted bed, traveling to the Mayan ruins in Copán, Honduras and El Cristo Negro in Esquipulas and doing a pain in the ass jigsaw puzzle by night. From there we bussed to Rio Dulce, Livingston, and Puerto Barrios which all felt like a combination of the old fashioned deep south and some kind of exotic Amazonian adventure. Then we trekked it allllll the way back to Guatemala City for the night, where we camped out in front of the big screen TV at the oh-so-fancy Howard Johnson (that's serious luxury here in Guatemala) and, early the next morning, Mom went off to the airport (BOO) and I headed home. It was a great trip, and so SO good to see her finallyyyyy.
Wilson showing off the cars Su-B sent him
At the Cerro de la Cruz
Lake Atitlan
The ruins at Copán
Our hotel at Rio Dulce
Spring Training started
Reconnect and Mom Visit
The best month ever!
Well, February was quite the month and to be completely honest I'm having a hard time remembering what went on the beginning of the month. The first two weeks were full of work and anticipation- I'm sure everyone here was sick of me talking about my mom coming. Right before she got here we had reconnect, celebrating my group's six month anniversary of being in Guatemala (yes, I have officially been here HALF A YEAR already...weird) and giving us a time to "reflect and share" about our first three months in site (BARF- but it was also a good excuse to see my group and have lots of grand adventures in Antigua (inculding Secret Valentines and an "Ugly Paca Party", rules being you could only wear things bought at the Guatemalan second hand stores, called Pacas).
Then, finally, FINALLY, FINALLY Mom got here and we spent a grand (but far too short) two weeks travelling around Guatemala and (of course) entertaining each other. In case any of you forgot, we are SO FUNNY. The trip started in Antigua, where we visited my training host family and Mom got to meet Wilson and all the others. I think my family was truly pleased I brought her to meet them, and we wound up staying the whole afternoon playing with all the presents Mom brought from the states. We also did some of the tourist things in the area, including the Cerro de la Cruz and the artisan market. Then we headed to Lake Atitlan, boated all around and bought about 25 scarfs (it might be an addiction). From there we spent a very long, long day traveling to the East and my site, where we spent three days crowded into my little mosquito-netted bed, traveling to the Mayan ruins in Copán, Honduras and El Cristo Negro in Esquipulas and doing a pain in the ass jigsaw puzzle by night. From there we bussed to Rio Dulce, Livingston, and Puerto Barrios which all felt like a combination of the old fashioned deep south and some kind of exotic Amazonian adventure. Then we trekked it allllll the way back to Guatemala City for the night, where we camped out in front of the big screen TV at the oh-so-fancy Howard Johnson (that's serious luxury here in Guatemala) and, early the next morning, Mom went off to the airport (BOO) and I headed home. It was a great trip, and so SO good to see her finallyyyyy.
Wilson showing off the cars Su-B sent him
At the Cerro de la Cruz
Lake Atitlan
The ruins at Copán
Our hotel at Rio Dulce
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