Something I’ve been considering lately is how incredibly lucky I’ve been. Oddly, this struck me in the middle of the night while vomiting into a plastic bucket. It was then that it came to me—I haven’t been sick (well, until that moment). I haven’t been miserable. I haven’t been homesick. I haven’t suffered in any horrific, direct and immediate way, as have some of my fellow PCVs. They truly deserve immense amounts credit for what they are doing—it takes a lot to be a Peace Corps Volunteer. My experience has turned out to be a bit different. Don’t get me wrong—there are discomforts, saddening moments, and of course it’s always difficult to be far away from the ones you love. However, seeing some other volunteers struggle with illness, difficult work situations, lack of privacy and freedom, and just plain depression (all completely normal parts of a Peace Corps experience), I feel extra fortunate to be living out a relatively productive, tranquil and (dare I say it) almost problem-free service. Every day I look around me and remember that I have to leave in less than a year. I attempt to prepare myself—I’m not good with permanent goodbyes. Whether or not I return to Guatemala (and I will), when I say goodbye to this home, this place, this time in my life, it will be for good. The changes to come will be amazing (Teaching English in Malta? Landscape Architecture at the University of Michigan? Working as a tour leader somewhere else in the world?), but when I think of leaving I get a little teary-eyed. At the moment I’m attempting to do what everyone says: remember I won’t be a PCV forever and to live it to the fullest. Which, let me tell you, is not always easy on the ground as a Peace Corps Volunteer. However, I’d just like to throw out some words of encouragement to my fellow volunteers—we’ve come SO far, those who are still here have gone through what most volunteers in the proud history of the Peace Corps never had to—and they stuck around, for the betterment of themselves and the great benefit of the people of Guatemala. BE here, grab those little moments but don’t feel pressure to be jumping up and down with joy during every second of it. Every volunteer that is here increases my faith in young people (and older!) to do great good in the world today, even if we feel like nobody’s listening to our charlas and nobody understands what we go through to be here. We were once asked if we thought we were worth the somewhat substantial amount of government money required to keep us here—having seen the impact my fellow volunteers have had in their communities and the beautiful changes that have occurred in themselves, I now know the answer: we are worth every penny.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Looking toward the future (and giving thanks)
Something I’ve been considering lately is how incredibly lucky I’ve been. Oddly, this struck me in the middle of the night while vomiting into a plastic bucket. It was then that it came to me—I haven’t been sick (well, until that moment). I haven’t been miserable. I haven’t been homesick. I haven’t suffered in any horrific, direct and immediate way, as have some of my fellow PCVs. They truly deserve immense amounts credit for what they are doing—it takes a lot to be a Peace Corps Volunteer. My experience has turned out to be a bit different. Don’t get me wrong—there are discomforts, saddening moments, and of course it’s always difficult to be far away from the ones you love. However, seeing some other volunteers struggle with illness, difficult work situations, lack of privacy and freedom, and just plain depression (all completely normal parts of a Peace Corps experience), I feel extra fortunate to be living out a relatively productive, tranquil and (dare I say it) almost problem-free service. Every day I look around me and remember that I have to leave in less than a year. I attempt to prepare myself—I’m not good with permanent goodbyes. Whether or not I return to Guatemala (and I will), when I say goodbye to this home, this place, this time in my life, it will be for good. The changes to come will be amazing (Teaching English in Malta? Landscape Architecture at the University of Michigan? Working as a tour leader somewhere else in the world?), but when I think of leaving I get a little teary-eyed. At the moment I’m attempting to do what everyone says: remember I won’t be a PCV forever and to live it to the fullest. Which, let me tell you, is not always easy on the ground as a Peace Corps Volunteer. However, I’d just like to throw out some words of encouragement to my fellow volunteers—we’ve come SO far, those who are still here have gone through what most volunteers in the proud history of the Peace Corps never had to—and they stuck around, for the betterment of themselves and the great benefit of the people of Guatemala. BE here, grab those little moments but don’t feel pressure to be jumping up and down with joy during every second of it. Every volunteer that is here increases my faith in young people (and older!) to do great good in the world today, even if we feel like nobody’s listening to our charlas and nobody understands what we go through to be here. We were once asked if we thought we were worth the somewhat substantial amount of government money required to keep us here—having seen the impact my fellow volunteers have had in their communities and the beautiful changes that have occurred in themselves, I now know the answer: we are worth every penny.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
One year in site (casi)
Well, I haven’t written a blog post in a year, so here’s a really long one to make up for it. Since coming to PC-Guatemala, I have become rather less analytical and reflective, and therefore have not really made an effort, preferring to talk to loved ones to let them know what’s going on over here. When there are saddening or difficult things around you, sometimes it’s better for your work to focus on the positive and continue on. But after an awesome and rewarding week of work, I do feel the need to reflect and share a little of what this year has been like finally. Since my time here in site is about half over, it’s definitely the right time for it.
To be honest, I entered the Peace Corps based on a very general feeling that it’d be something cool to do. Considering how much we’ve been through here at PC-Guatemala in the past eight months or so, it’s turned out that vague reasons for doing what we’re doing just aren’t enough. Luckily, there has been no trouble coming up with about a million reasons for serving here in Guatemala this past year. I have found an unbelievable amount of beauty here in Guatemala, even along with this country’s challenges. Making lists has always been my favorite way to catalogue experiences, impressions, and memories...so here it goes, some highlights from an improbable year of service in Peace Corps Guatemala.
-The women (and the few men) I work with are fantastic. Every meeting I have with them confirms my reasons for being here (which, if they weren’t clear to begin with, are more than clear enough now). I have about eighty participants spread over five communities, and they range from eight-year-olds to the elderly. The teenage girls take notes during my charlas, the older ladies love an opportunity to get together, and the few men that come are true community leaders. Even if I’m teaching them something as simple as how to make a hair mask out of avocados and aloe (both of which grow abundantly in their communities) or about respiratory infections, they are always excited to learn new things and make it fun. I leave pretty much every meeting feeling like the luckiest PCV to have the chance to work with these women, in their brightly colored, flowered dresses and willingness to smile, learn, and share their lives with me.
-Every day the domestic animals in this country amaze me. Sometimes mistreated, often ignored, they lead difficult lives. The four or five dogs that hang out at my house, laying in the sunshine, are wonderful animals. A little kindness goes a long way in a place where domestic animals aren’t seen in the same way as in the States, and I’ve made some pretty awesome canine friends.
-A memory that will stick with me forever is helping to connect my host mom via Skype with her son who she has not seen in years, and her grandsons, who she has never met in person. They went to the U.S. and aren’t able to come back for visits...the first visual reunion in years via Skype was pretty powerful stuff.
-Plants without rain get pretty ugly. Like really brown and ugly. The silver lining being that I feel like I am stepping into a dream leaving my house now that everything is coming up emerald green, and will stay that way until about January. I’m getting more into growing things than ever would have happened in the States, and I will soon be planting a big vegetable garden next to my house with the help my wonderful sitemate from the Food Security program.
- Having my own space for the first time in my life, one of the highlights of PC-Guatemala has been “nesting” – making my house completely my own. Most volunteers don’t have this luxury, but I somehow lucked into a great home for two years, with the nearby support and protection of my host mother and the whole community. I’ve never felt safer in site now that everyone in town knows me and what I’m doing here.
-I say that the women I work with are fantastic. But you have no idea how hard it was to find these women! Truly participative health promoters are a challenge to find in my communities. Starting the groups was like pulling teeth, and I felt like I should be picking up rocks and looking under them for health promoters. There is nothing worse than being a PCV without work to do. Luckily I found where I was most needed...and wanted. The furthest, most remote communities had never had the opportunity to work with someone like me, particularly not anyone who was interested in coming to them. The three-hour walks over mountains are incredibly worth it, and it’s an honor to be the first person to work with these people in their remote and challenging but beautiful homes.
-I spend a lot of time walking through lesser-trodden paths through the mountains, at times by myself. You would think I would encounter more wildlife, but I’ve only come face-to-face with a fox and some squirrels. Unfortunately for me, I encounter way more wildlife inside my house. From scorpions to tarantulas, giant praying mantises, of course gigantic spiders (and all of their young), there is never a dull moment when my cat is hunting the multitude of bugs inside my house.
-Obviously, living in a “developing” country can be difficult—and as an optimist, I might not portray that well when I share my experiences with those at home in the States. People that I know in my community deal with devastating poverty, complete lack of infrastructure, alcoholism, malnutrition and domestic violence. One of my communities is so remote that during the height of the rainy season the river gets so large that they cannot leave their community! Of course, there’s no bridge or even a store in the town, and a few members of the community have drowned attempting to cross. Five out of nine of my communities have no electricity; a few of those only have river water to drink. Living here, you quickly see that living without these “necessities” is completely possible. It turns out that the bigger issues here in Guatemala might be a little more elusive, but for another year I’ll be here enjoying the beauty this amazing country has to offer while hopefully lending a hand to the extraordinary members of this little community in El Quiche.
To be honest, I entered the Peace Corps based on a very general feeling that it’d be something cool to do. Considering how much we’ve been through here at PC-Guatemala in the past eight months or so, it’s turned out that vague reasons for doing what we’re doing just aren’t enough. Luckily, there has been no trouble coming up with about a million reasons for serving here in Guatemala this past year. I have found an unbelievable amount of beauty here in Guatemala, even along with this country’s challenges. Making lists has always been my favorite way to catalogue experiences, impressions, and memories...so here it goes, some highlights from an improbable year of service in Peace Corps Guatemala.
-The women (and the few men) I work with are fantastic. Every meeting I have with them confirms my reasons for being here (which, if they weren’t clear to begin with, are more than clear enough now). I have about eighty participants spread over five communities, and they range from eight-year-olds to the elderly. The teenage girls take notes during my charlas, the older ladies love an opportunity to get together, and the few men that come are true community leaders. Even if I’m teaching them something as simple as how to make a hair mask out of avocados and aloe (both of which grow abundantly in their communities) or about respiratory infections, they are always excited to learn new things and make it fun. I leave pretty much every meeting feeling like the luckiest PCV to have the chance to work with these women, in their brightly colored, flowered dresses and willingness to smile, learn, and share their lives with me.
-Every day the domestic animals in this country amaze me. Sometimes mistreated, often ignored, they lead difficult lives. The four or five dogs that hang out at my house, laying in the sunshine, are wonderful animals. A little kindness goes a long way in a place where domestic animals aren’t seen in the same way as in the States, and I’ve made some pretty awesome canine friends.
-A memory that will stick with me forever is helping to connect my host mom via Skype with her son who she has not seen in years, and her grandsons, who she has never met in person. They went to the U.S. and aren’t able to come back for visits...the first visual reunion in years via Skype was pretty powerful stuff.
-Plants without rain get pretty ugly. Like really brown and ugly. The silver lining being that I feel like I am stepping into a dream leaving my house now that everything is coming up emerald green, and will stay that way until about January. I’m getting more into growing things than ever would have happened in the States, and I will soon be planting a big vegetable garden next to my house with the help my wonderful sitemate from the Food Security program.
- Having my own space for the first time in my life, one of the highlights of PC-Guatemala has been “nesting” – making my house completely my own. Most volunteers don’t have this luxury, but I somehow lucked into a great home for two years, with the nearby support and protection of my host mother and the whole community. I’ve never felt safer in site now that everyone in town knows me and what I’m doing here.
-I say that the women I work with are fantastic. But you have no idea how hard it was to find these women! Truly participative health promoters are a challenge to find in my communities. Starting the groups was like pulling teeth, and I felt like I should be picking up rocks and looking under them for health promoters. There is nothing worse than being a PCV without work to do. Luckily I found where I was most needed...and wanted. The furthest, most remote communities had never had the opportunity to work with someone like me, particularly not anyone who was interested in coming to them. The three-hour walks over mountains are incredibly worth it, and it’s an honor to be the first person to work with these people in their remote and challenging but beautiful homes.
-I spend a lot of time walking through lesser-trodden paths through the mountains, at times by myself. You would think I would encounter more wildlife, but I’ve only come face-to-face with a fox and some squirrels. Unfortunately for me, I encounter way more wildlife inside my house. From scorpions to tarantulas, giant praying mantises, of course gigantic spiders (and all of their young), there is never a dull moment when my cat is hunting the multitude of bugs inside my house.-Obviously, living in a “developing” country can be difficult—and as an optimist, I might not portray that well when I share my experiences with those at home in the States. People that I know in my community deal with devastating poverty, complete lack of infrastructure, alcoholism, malnutrition and domestic violence. One of my communities is so remote that during the height of the rainy season the river gets so large that they cannot leave their community! Of course, there’s no bridge or even a store in the town, and a few members of the community have drowned attempting to cross. Five out of nine of my communities have no electricity; a few of those only have river water to drink. Living here, you quickly see that living without these “necessities” is completely possible. It turns out that the bigger issues here in Guatemala might be a little more elusive, but for another year I’ll be here enjoying the beauty this amazing country has to offer while hopefully lending a hand to the extraordinary members of this little community in El Quiche.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Arrival to the land of lightning and lightning bugs...
I am now a real Peace Corps Volunteer! The swearing-in was held at the ambassador's lovely residence in Guatemala City, and it was a formal and pleasant ceremony for everyone. I don't have as much to reflect about it, because it was really just pure happiness and gratitude to be here as well as the triumphant feeling of having completed an extensive training/job interview, but I will include a picture of me being sworn in by the ambassador!
Now, on to the less formal aspects of beginning my life as a real Peace Corps volunteer. So here I am, sitting in my new home at site (with internet, hooray!). Since our work is only just beginning and the first order of business is moving in to our brand new homes, I'd love to share a bit about our town and housing situation before writing my next entry about our work.
Our tiny aldea has 900 people, many of whom are spread out among 9 parajes (tiny tiny towns), many of which have no electricity or water. Ours, however, has a pretty reliable source of both power and water. It is a pretty tiny town, with a school, church, three small stores (basically in people's houses), a football field, and some beautiful mountain views. The main road's descent into our town presents a lovely sight of mountains stretching out into the distance, which you can also see from my house. The town is incredibly tranquil - cars don't often enter, as the main (dirt) road only loops through the entrance of town. The only noises are those of lots of animals and the very occasional motorcycle. Animals are such a part of daily life here - dogs, turkeys, bulls, chickens, pigs, horses, and anything else you can imagine. There is a gorgeous and gigantic white bull that wanders freely grazing outside my house during the day - I will be taking care to avoid its horns, though it seems gentle. The people are unusually tall for Guatemalans, a few are light-skinned and light-haired. They are generous and welcoming, although obviously we look completely alien to them. I have been dubbed "canchita" ("blondie") and my partner Cat, who is Filipina, has been called "Chinita" ("from China"). We are strange, but interesting and welcome in this land of cowboys and their animals. It feels like a land of light, especially at night. The sky is so large and the mountains extend so far that if there is a storm or heat lightning anywhere remotely nearby, the lightning lights up our sky. There are so many fireflies at night and they fly so high, that they look like shooting stars.
For those interested in foliage: I live in a strange place of pine trees and coconut trees, bananas and roses, bougainvillea and cactus. Everything is lush and growing, and it is often pretty hot. Considering it is "winter" (the rainy season), I can't imagine how hot it will get during the dry season. I can't wait to start growing a vegetable and flower garden in pots in front of my house.
My house is a haven. I have a lot of privacy, and my host mother lives right next door but not too close. She has a guard dog that mistook me for an intruder and chased me, barking manically, back to the safety of my room. However, it's been tied up and now recognizes me as a resident. I have obtained a tabletop stove (four burners, very fancy), a table, stools, a bed, and many dishes and household items - and this all only in two days! Two trips to Uspantan were needed, but now I can survive the week. The most important task was to be able to boil my water - the water's not safe to drink here so it is necessary to either boil it or add bleach, which is not ideal. I also have a plancha - wood burning stove- right in my kitchen. I was so proud of myself on the first night here, cooking fried plantains with cinnamon and tortillas on my stove! I'm full of dreams for my new home, especially since it's the first in my life that is completely mine alone.
With that, I must be off to bed but I am contented and feeling at home already in this place. It has its discomforts (I have never seen this variety or number of insects in my life) but the people have been wonderful, receptive and generous with us, particularly our new host mothers. I am feeling optimistic to the extreme, ready to begin my work, and grateful to be here.
Some catching up regarding site visit
Many apologies, as I haven't written anything yet about my visit to my new home, as well as my arrival! Here are some reflections on SITE VISIT, about a week ago. We traveled from Antigua for about six hours in two big buses and two microbuses to Uspantan, Quiche (the larger head of our municipality of which our aldea is a part) and then to our tiny aldea. We met our counterparts - an educator and a nurse who work in the health post - and got to see the post where we will be based for the next two years. Of course, we will be spending time in the post but hopefully the majority of our work will be out in the surrounding communities, reaching people that live too far away to get the help they need. Our counterparts are great, and there are only three people who work in the health post at the moment so we will get a chance to get to know them very well. The visit was beautiful, and rapid.
To best illustrate our few days there, I'll tell a short story. The second day was in all senses a classic Peace Corps adventure. We were to accompany the Health Post staff as well as two psychologists and one nurse from the hospital in Uspantan to an event in one of our parajes (smaller communities that are part of our town). The aim was to give two charlas – one by the psychologists about women’s empowerment and another by our counterpart about safe water – as well as provide pap smears for women who needed them. The aldea is located around an hour and a half away on foot. Because it was further, we were supposed to take an ambulance. After just a few minutes in the back of an ambulance (having taken a Dramamine to combat the inevitable carsickness), it stopped. We had reached the site of a landslide that had completely taken out the road the night before. Since our ambulance was barred from passage, we walked the rest of the forty minutes or so to the aldea without event. Upon arrival at the aldea’s school-which has no water or electricity- we set up a makeshift examination room to perform the pap smears/exams. This involved putting sheets over windows, doors, and tables in a tiny, dank room—making do with what we have, since getting these women pap smears is more important than having the perfect clinic in which to work. The interesting thing about the room, however, was the multitude of giant spiders on the walls, as well as a scorpion on the ceiling. In these circumstances, the health post staff did a fantastic job. Providing education to the women as well as basic health needs was the first priority, and they fulfilled what they came to do. As for the way back, our companions decided that they preferred to walk in the shade, as it was approaching 85 degrees outside. However, the shady route happened to require river crossing, rock climbing, and the agility of a mountain goat. It was an adventure, to say the least! After two and a half hours, we arrived back at our new homes, exhausted and contented, as well as ready to come back for good and truly begin our work.
Since I'm writing in retrospect, I may as well skip ahead to another post, to talk about our real arrival at our new homes two days ago!
To best illustrate our few days there, I'll tell a short story. The second day was in all senses a classic Peace Corps adventure. We were to accompany the Health Post staff as well as two psychologists and one nurse from the hospital in Uspantan to an event in one of our parajes (smaller communities that are part of our town). The aim was to give two charlas – one by the psychologists about women’s empowerment and another by our counterpart about safe water – as well as provide pap smears for women who needed them. The aldea is located around an hour and a half away on foot. Because it was further, we were supposed to take an ambulance. After just a few minutes in the back of an ambulance (having taken a Dramamine to combat the inevitable carsickness), it stopped. We had reached the site of a landslide that had completely taken out the road the night before. Since our ambulance was barred from passage, we walked the rest of the forty minutes or so to the aldea without event. Upon arrival at the aldea’s school-which has no water or electricity- we set up a makeshift examination room to perform the pap smears/exams. This involved putting sheets over windows, doors, and tables in a tiny, dank room—making do with what we have, since getting these women pap smears is more important than having the perfect clinic in which to work. The interesting thing about the room, however, was the multitude of giant spiders on the walls, as well as a scorpion on the ceiling. In these circumstances, the health post staff did a fantastic job. Providing education to the women as well as basic health needs was the first priority, and they fulfilled what they came to do. As for the way back, our companions decided that they preferred to walk in the shade, as it was approaching 85 degrees outside. However, the shady route happened to require river crossing, rock climbing, and the agility of a mountain goat. It was an adventure, to say the least! After two and a half hours, we arrived back at our new homes, exhausted and contented, as well as ready to come back for good and truly begin our work.
Since I'm writing in retrospect, I may as well skip ahead to another post, to talk about our real arrival at our new homes two days ago!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
So lucky...
What a crazy day. Arguably one of the most important of my service, and potentially my life.
Today I found out where I will be living and serving for two years. It is a tiny little town near the Municipality of Uspantán, in Quiche, Guatemala. And it is fantastic.
I had the good fortune of visiting this town already! And falling in love with it. It's mountainous, green, warm, gorgeous and absolutely tiny. Oh it also has electricity and water, as well as likely internet connectivity (via a phone modem for my computer). Also there are chickens, a lot of them. Though tiny and quite rural, it's only 40 minutes by bus from the fairly large town of Uspantán, which boasts nice hotels, lots of stores, some awesome clothes shopping options, a pizza place, a large hospital, and tasty Mexican food. It's not exactly Antigua, but it's definitely a good place to have nearby. So in other words, I will be enjoying total immersion with the people of a tiny town with access to amenities and a fair amount of variety in food. In other words, it couldn't be better.
Emotions upon finding out? Absolute happiness - I received the site I asked for. Not everyone is so lucky. I had been there, and I had loved it. I told my APCD (associate Peace Corps director, the "boss" of my program) how much I liked it. I really couldn't have been happier when he told me I was going there. However, I certainly had to wonder who my female partner was going to be - it could have been anyone out of the 20-some women in my program. Then, when it was announced very slyly that my site mate was actually PRESENT (there were 8 of us in the group finding out at that moment) I got really excited - I got along well with everyone there. And then, when he told me that Cat, one of my closest friends from training, was my partner, there was screaming and tears and hugging. It was certainly one of the most shocking moments of my life. We hadn't even considered the option of being put together and that made the moment even more wonderful, and utterly memorable.
We are also fortunate enough to have a family of volunteers welcoming us to our site! We are the first to be placed in our aldea, but there are a few volunteers in the center and others nearby. Two other pairs from my training group have also been placed in Uspantán, although in very rural sites. However, I am so excited to have a group of six of us so close by and to be welcomed by already established volunteers.
Site visit is next week. Impressions will be carefully noted, stored, and brought back to share with everyone soon!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
It's mid-training already!
After more than a month in country, I'm happy to report all is still well. I have done a lot: avoided major stomach illness, gotten to know my new home by wandering around its dusty streets and politely greeting everyone I see, wondered at how cheap and also expensive things are here, bonded with my host family, enjoyed way too much Sarita brand ice cream, climbed a volcano, made friends with my neighborhood stray dog by giving him crackers, fallen out of a tree, laughed day and night to hear the sound of the very vocal"ZETAGAAAS" vendors parading up and down the streets, been taken aback at the amazing and unexpected view of the Volcano Agua from my roof, gotten to appreciate the wisdom and complex life of my host mother, been happy to be surrounded by beautiful colors, realized how much I have to learn from the other volunteers, and been amazed at how at home I feel here. While I recognize I'm still in the "first adjustment" stage and that there is a second, more difficult, adjustment stage to come, I feel good. Guatemala is a complicated place, and I can't say that I feel ready to speak about it yet - not until I know it better. However, I do feel comfortable in describing a couple of experiences I've had so far!
I gave my first charla! For those who don't know, charlas (literally "chats" in Spanish) are basically interactive presentations that we give in health centers (or elsewhere) on various health topics. Once we get to our permanent sites, we will be doing countless charlas for waiting rooms, health centers/posts, health promoters, and wherever else possible. My very first charla in Spanish was at my local health center in my town. I did a pretty simple one on washing your hands. I started out by greeting everyone in the waiting room (maybe 10 people, tops) by shaking their hands. I had red glitter on my hands, so everyone ended up with glittery hands. Then, I used this experience to lead a discussion about what the glitter could represent - germs! - and how we can avoid germs in our daily lives. This was followed by an activity where the audience helped to put in order cards with the steps for washing one's hands. Altogether it was a very simple presentation. I was lucky as the audience was very participatory - their kind smiles at first saying, "Let's humor this random gringa that wants to talk to us about washing our hands", and then later their smiles saying they were truly enjoying the activity. A great experience for my first charla, with many many more to come!
The experience of language class has been really good. My group and I have certainly been improving (I went up two Spanish levels!) while having tons of fun going on educational trips. We went to a giant, very typical Guatemalan market in Chimaltenango, visited a coffee farm and went on a coffee making tour, climbed a mountain near our town, and cooked lots of Guatemalan and American food. Having a fantastic teacher was part of the great experience - Peace Corps does a great job making sure we have lots of language guidance, and the teachers make sure we enjoy lots of cultural experiences.
As for my future site: we found out that the sites for Healthy Homes volunteers will be in the departments of Totonicapán, El Quiché, San Marcos, and Huehuetenango. That means I'll be living in one of these departments, all in the Western Highlands! Can't say a lot more other than I cannot WAIT to find out where my home for two years will be - but that's not for a few more weeks.
My last lovely experience was when I was teaching my little host sister in English how to say "I love" finishing it with foods she likes, when she said "I love...Megan." I was delighted - both at her English skills and also that I finally have a real little sister! This experience shows the cornerstone of my time here - personal relationships with individuals in this country, and how important my host families and friends are - and will be - during my time here.
This week we are off to explore some parts of the departments of Quiché and Totonicapán for field-based training. We'll be visiting two different "real" volunteers in their sites for a few days each. We will be giving charlas and getting to know the communities where these volunteers serve. It will be an adventure, and I'll finally get to see the areas that will become our homes for the next two years!
I gave my first charla! For those who don't know, charlas (literally "chats" in Spanish) are basically interactive presentations that we give in health centers (or elsewhere) on various health topics. Once we get to our permanent sites, we will be doing countless charlas for waiting rooms, health centers/posts, health promoters, and wherever else possible. My very first charla in Spanish was at my local health center in my town. I did a pretty simple one on washing your hands. I started out by greeting everyone in the waiting room (maybe 10 people, tops) by shaking their hands. I had red glitter on my hands, so everyone ended up with glittery hands. Then, I used this experience to lead a discussion about what the glitter could represent - germs! - and how we can avoid germs in our daily lives. This was followed by an activity where the audience helped to put in order cards with the steps for washing one's hands. Altogether it was a very simple presentation. I was lucky as the audience was very participatory - their kind smiles at first saying, "Let's humor this random gringa that wants to talk to us about washing our hands", and then later their smiles saying they were truly enjoying the activity. A great experience for my first charla, with many many more to come!
The experience of language class has been really good. My group and I have certainly been improving (I went up two Spanish levels!) while having tons of fun going on educational trips. We went to a giant, very typical Guatemalan market in Chimaltenango, visited a coffee farm and went on a coffee making tour, climbed a mountain near our town, and cooked lots of Guatemalan and American food. Having a fantastic teacher was part of the great experience - Peace Corps does a great job making sure we have lots of language guidance, and the teachers make sure we enjoy lots of cultural experiences.
As for my future site: we found out that the sites for Healthy Homes volunteers will be in the departments of Totonicapán, El Quiché, San Marcos, and Huehuetenango. That means I'll be living in one of these departments, all in the Western Highlands! Can't say a lot more other than I cannot WAIT to find out where my home for two years will be - but that's not for a few more weeks.
My last lovely experience was when I was teaching my little host sister in English how to say "I love" finishing it with foods she likes, when she said "I love...Megan." I was delighted - both at her English skills and also that I finally have a real little sister! This experience shows the cornerstone of my time here - personal relationships with individuals in this country, and how important my host families and friends are - and will be - during my time here.
This week we are off to explore some parts of the departments of Quiché and Totonicapán for field-based training. We'll be visiting two different "real" volunteers in their sites for a few days each. We will be giving charlas and getting to know the communities where these volunteers serve. It will be an adventure, and I'll finally get to see the areas that will become our homes for the next two years!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Que Rico
Finally some stability!
I can explain my ridiculous luckiness in having wireless internet in my room later, but for now...Guatemala is wonderful!
I won't say a lot about the journey. It was long and kind of awful, but of course we had to get here! A large group of 50+ isn't easy to transport that far. Anyhow, I saw NYC for the first time out of a bus window while half asleep. That was about it. Moving on...
Arriving in Guate (Guatemala City) was overwhelming. The very nice airport greeted us, while the city throbbed with movement (you could feel it even in the semi climate- controlled airport). We immediately went through customs (sin problema) and boarded very bright chicken buses (If you haven't seen one, google it!) that took us through the vibrantly confusing congestion of Guate to the official site of the Peace Corps office in a much smaller town nearby. Upon arrival at the office (a beautiful space with many rooms, a courtyard full of blue hydrangeas, and friendly staff), we were briefly oriented to basic safety and survival techniques to get us through three days with our very first host family. There were three of us assigned to our family, where Dona Argentina made us very comfortable. The photo with this post is in their house. Our host mother had a salon in the front of the house (streetside) and their living quarters were in the back. There were two connected rooms with three beds for us, very simple but comfortable. Everyone in the family was so welcoming. It is kind of a blur in retrospect, but their smiling faces (and delicious Guatemalan food- with some pancakes thrown in one morning) were a perfect introduction to Guatemala.
There are so many colors here. I have never visited a country with such color, though I know many Latin American countries do. It is a little like the island of Burano near Venice that I visited while on abroad. The mountains and volcanoes are beautiful, gorgeous, overwhelming of course. As you can tell, I am still very much in the honeymoon stage with Guatemala and really just want to write about how "pretty" it is.
Moving on, I have been assigned to a family in a small town near Antigua for training. I will be living with them and doing intensive training in Spanish and Healthy Homes techniques for three months. And their home is my oasis - my Guatemalan Madre is amazing. She takes care of me, watches out for me, allows me to make a fool out of myself in Spanish while guiding me toward the correct phrasing, and suffers long walks because I am so interested to see everything in this town. In other words, she's an angel. Our relationship is obviously developing as I've only been here two days, but I already know that my host family relationship is going to work out well. They have a seven-year-old grand-daughter who definitely needs a playmate, and who is hilarious. I think we're going to be good friends - we are already practicing our English/Spanish together. My host Padre is kindly, always grinning and joking, and is a leatherworker who makes shoes. Also in the house is a host brother, much older, who lives in their house and is my savior since his presence is the reason for the the wireless internet that I get to use. In other words, this family will be the people with whom I am going to laugh at my many mistakes, begin to understand the culture and the problems that Guatemala faces, and feel at home in another country. Their house is lovely and elegant, with two small gardens, a few courtyards, a dove, a parakeet, and lots of pink stucco. My room is an oasis - good-sized, with my own "bathroom" (a shower, toilet, and "pila," all very open-air but still very private) right nearby. I actually have wireless internet because my host brother works on computers for a living and has lots of technical devices. Also, I have cable television- including a good number of channels in English like the BBC, and many others in Spanish. I could even watch American Idol! What a strange reflection of Guatemalan culture to present to all of you. This technical situation is not normal, and therefore not a focal point of my stay. It does mean that it will be easier to keep in touch and post to this blog. Feel free to email, I will get it promptly! However, there is a whole different world outside (and also inside) my casa. There are so many reflections on the less cushy parts of Guatemala that I have already experienced in my head, but a rooster is crowing nearby and it is time for bed, but I will look forward to writing more details later!
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