I can´t believe I have been here almost 2 full months at this point. Time is flying here. We are working hard finishing our training projects for our municipality and then I get my site assignment on March 12. We are making signs right now for our ecological park. It has been hard physical labor. We are using a router to carve the letters out of wood and then painting them in the basement of the muni. This is a little tough as the fumes from the paint are strong and people seem to like to idle their cars indoors for long periods of time. I think a good side project would be promoting the risk of carbon monoxide inhalation. We have been logging a lot of hours. We have this week to finish them and then put them up starting on the carretera, hwy, all the way into town. We have one week to do this. Yikes! So much to do!
I just got back from Antigua today. It is so fun to go there. It is a nice little breather. It is getting close to Semana Santa here and everyone is getting ready. They make these giant colorful fombras on the street to celebrate. A fombra is like a giant mural on the street made with very bright and colorful sawdust. They are very intricate and must take hours to make, only to have them walked on later. They are gorgeous though. Also, the Catholic processions are starting and a lot of people are in Antigua for that. It is fun to learn about a new culture down here. They have a lot of wonderful long standing traditions that are fun to be a part of.
Other than that, I have some fun side notes.
1. Frozen choco bananos are my new favorite food. It is so hard to resist esp. when the store is right up the street and they are only 3Q
2. The ham ketchup mayo sandwiches continue. I can´t come up with a culturally sensitive way to avoid them.
3. Ayudantes are my heros. These are the bus helpers. They go up and down the aisle of the bus collecting money and are there for any other situation. They are agilie as cats. Just today I saw one run and jump on the back on a moving camioneta as it sped away, he spiderman´d up the rear ladder, managed to open the rear emergency exit door of the bus, which they use as another door, and scramble inside as the bus approached 40 mph around a dangerous curve. These guys are unbelievable. Ninja warriors watch out!
4. Mango season has hit! I have perfected eating a mango without a knife. Actually I have perfected eating in general here with a spoon as the only utensil. Tortillas serve as a nice holder for large chunks of meat. Poco y poco! Now, I am no longer stared at as I eat!
That is about it for now! Thanks for all the mail and emails! They are day brighteners for sure. Only a few weeks left and soon I know where I will spend the next 2 years! Yeah!!!!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Highlights of FBT
Hello everyone,
I´m back from Field Based Training and what an experience it was. Our days were packed! We started it each at 6 a.m. or earlier and didn´t make it to bed until after 10 p.m each night. I learned a ton and am really excited to get my site assignment. We were up in the cloud forests all week and really saw some beautiful terrain. We did a couple of awesome hikes through the forest. We visited a waterfall and also did another bird watching expedition. We did all of this to learn how to build trails, what works and what doesn´t in a muddy and rainy area, and also how to possibly bring bird watching as a tourist activity to our sites. I didn´t see many birds, actually one on the hike, but we were also in a big group. I heard alot and their calls are fun to hear. We were in a very indigenous area and it was very eye opening to see their way of life and hear their Mayan language. The volunteer there did an excellent job of learning the local language. I was very impressed. It was integral to his work in this community. The people were very warm and generous and they work very hard day in and day out. They are really excited to have another volunteer in their community.
Here are some highlights of the week,
1. I spent 20 minutes locked in the bathroom during the charlas. I didn´t want to interrupt the speech by banging on the door, so I just waited it out. Finally I was successful in alerting someone to my situation and when I came out I was greeted to laughter by room of 100.
2. Took my first trip in the back of a pick up up these steep backroads to access the forest. Who needs pilates as a core builder when you can ride in the back of a pick up standing up. I was so sore the next day. But I loved every minute of it!!!
3. Tried real cacao. It is like hot chocolate, but with chunky bits of cacao seeds and in the very traditional form. Note, add lots of sugar. It is good though and I think I could eventually wean off the sugar.
4. Drinking coffee, the real stuff now, all day and night does not make for a restful night sleep. Esp. when breakfast is at 545 a.m. the next day.
5. Taking a cold shower outside when it is 50 degrees out is an invigorating experience. The phrase, what doesn´t kill you... comes to mind.
6. My group of trainees are hilarious. I have never met such a group of great individuals. We all were put through long days, trying situations, rustic accommodations and no one complained. Cheers to everyone, I am very impressed. Thanks for all of the laughs and the ability to get through anything.
7. I found mango sorbet in Guatemala and it is a day brightener!!!
8. My definitions of clean and dirty have drastically shifted.
9. As I type now there are 5 children standing directly behind me, breathing on me, watching my every move. My idea of personal space and privacy has also drastically shifted.
10. I´m still alive and well and loving every minute of it down here! I can´t wait to show all of my visitors all of the fun stuff to do here.
Also, can´t wait to drive a car here one day. It is directly out of the movie Fast and Furious!
Cheers all!!!
I´m back from Field Based Training and what an experience it was. Our days were packed! We started it each at 6 a.m. or earlier and didn´t make it to bed until after 10 p.m each night. I learned a ton and am really excited to get my site assignment. We were up in the cloud forests all week and really saw some beautiful terrain. We did a couple of awesome hikes through the forest. We visited a waterfall and also did another bird watching expedition. We did all of this to learn how to build trails, what works and what doesn´t in a muddy and rainy area, and also how to possibly bring bird watching as a tourist activity to our sites. I didn´t see many birds, actually one on the hike, but we were also in a big group. I heard alot and their calls are fun to hear. We were in a very indigenous area and it was very eye opening to see their way of life and hear their Mayan language. The volunteer there did an excellent job of learning the local language. I was very impressed. It was integral to his work in this community. The people were very warm and generous and they work very hard day in and day out. They are really excited to have another volunteer in their community.
Here are some highlights of the week,
1. I spent 20 minutes locked in the bathroom during the charlas. I didn´t want to interrupt the speech by banging on the door, so I just waited it out. Finally I was successful in alerting someone to my situation and when I came out I was greeted to laughter by room of 100.
2. Took my first trip in the back of a pick up up these steep backroads to access the forest. Who needs pilates as a core builder when you can ride in the back of a pick up standing up. I was so sore the next day. But I loved every minute of it!!!
3. Tried real cacao. It is like hot chocolate, but with chunky bits of cacao seeds and in the very traditional form. Note, add lots of sugar. It is good though and I think I could eventually wean off the sugar.
4. Drinking coffee, the real stuff now, all day and night does not make for a restful night sleep. Esp. when breakfast is at 545 a.m. the next day.
5. Taking a cold shower outside when it is 50 degrees out is an invigorating experience. The phrase, what doesn´t kill you... comes to mind.
6. My group of trainees are hilarious. I have never met such a group of great individuals. We all were put through long days, trying situations, rustic accommodations and no one complained. Cheers to everyone, I am very impressed. Thanks for all of the laughs and the ability to get through anything.
7. I found mango sorbet in Guatemala and it is a day brightener!!!
8. My definitions of clean and dirty have drastically shifted.
9. As I type now there are 5 children standing directly behind me, breathing on me, watching my every move. My idea of personal space and privacy has also drastically shifted.
10. I´m still alive and well and loving every minute of it down here! I can´t wait to show all of my visitors all of the fun stuff to do here.
Also, can´t wait to drive a car here one day. It is directly out of the movie Fast and Furious!
Cheers all!!!
Friday, February 12, 2010
Macademia Nut Farm
Buenos tardes a todos y todas, Good afternoon everyone,
This Friday finds me in an internet cafe after a very full day. We are leaving Sunday morning at 7 a.m. to go to Field Based Training. We have a very packed week planned. We are going to a coffee finca and doing another presentation and also helping some volunteers with their projects. We will be going straight from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. My trainer likes to really pack the days full. But the good thing is I am learning tons of information that will be very useful at site. I cant believe that when we get back we only have 3 weeks until we leave for individual site inspection. Time is really flying here.
Here are some highlights from the last time I wrote,
1. Went to a macademia nut farm today. It is all organic and the operation is going very well. I bought some chocolates and enjoyed a facial with macademia nut oil. Oh yeah, forgot to tell you this experience was for class too. We have a great new teacher. Plus, they had the nicest batheroom I have seen here yet. It was kind of al fresco, with tons of birds of paradise plants and running water and real soap. Yes ! Plus, they have a fabulous breakfast, macademia nut pancakes! Plus, the camioneta ride to get there was the most fun so far. We had a crazy driver who cranked the reggaeton and got us there in record time. These guys drive these camionetas like race cars. It is kind of funny to imagine a school bus rallying around all of these curves here.
2. Learned how to make pupusas. They are kind of like tortillas, except with queso oxaca inside. You cut the cheese up and toss it into the masa and mix it all up. They you make tortillas by hand and fry them up in oil. They are excellent with some homemade guac on top! I will make them for you when you come visit me!
3. Another baby shower tomorrow. More games, games, games, packing 40 to 50 people into one room. They really like to make fun of the gringos at these events. I am sure I will have to stand up and sing at some point. We are in charge of leading one of the games.
4. We are going to learn how to make mango jam. One of the ladies in town sells the best and she is going to teach us how to make it. It makes a great secondary project for lady groups in our site. I can teach them how to make jams and cakes and they can sell them to make extra money.
5. Fresh fruit! It is the best here! Right now I have an obsession with pineapple. Mango season starts in March
6. Guatemalans will drive an hour to get to Pollo Campero. This is sometimes the sole purpose for a car trip.
7. My neck may never be the same after rallying over tumulos,speed bumps, in the camionetas. Also, riding in camionetas is a good core workout. No need for pilates here, a one hour bus ride for 3Q will suffice.
8. My family installed a new electric water shower head. I will try it out tonight. Im keeping my fingers crossed for warm water. Up until now, I have learned showers are simply a means to an end here,not something to be enjoyed. Get in, get it done, get out. Use as little water as possible.
9. My vocabulary has expanded just sitting in here listening to the little kids play video games. Wow, I never thought I would hear, MUERATE, DIE, used in a command form. Only video games... Gracias, EEUU
Thats all for now!
I appreciate all of the mail! Thanks for all of the updates from everyone!
Cheers,
Tara
This Friday finds me in an internet cafe after a very full day. We are leaving Sunday morning at 7 a.m. to go to Field Based Training. We have a very packed week planned. We are going to a coffee finca and doing another presentation and also helping some volunteers with their projects. We will be going straight from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. My trainer likes to really pack the days full. But the good thing is I am learning tons of information that will be very useful at site. I cant believe that when we get back we only have 3 weeks until we leave for individual site inspection. Time is really flying here.
Here are some highlights from the last time I wrote,
1. Went to a macademia nut farm today. It is all organic and the operation is going very well. I bought some chocolates and enjoyed a facial with macademia nut oil. Oh yeah, forgot to tell you this experience was for class too. We have a great new teacher. Plus, they had the nicest batheroom I have seen here yet. It was kind of al fresco, with tons of birds of paradise plants and running water and real soap. Yes ! Plus, they have a fabulous breakfast, macademia nut pancakes! Plus, the camioneta ride to get there was the most fun so far. We had a crazy driver who cranked the reggaeton and got us there in record time. These guys drive these camionetas like race cars. It is kind of funny to imagine a school bus rallying around all of these curves here.
2. Learned how to make pupusas. They are kind of like tortillas, except with queso oxaca inside. You cut the cheese up and toss it into the masa and mix it all up. They you make tortillas by hand and fry them up in oil. They are excellent with some homemade guac on top! I will make them for you when you come visit me!
3. Another baby shower tomorrow. More games, games, games, packing 40 to 50 people into one room. They really like to make fun of the gringos at these events. I am sure I will have to stand up and sing at some point. We are in charge of leading one of the games.
4. We are going to learn how to make mango jam. One of the ladies in town sells the best and she is going to teach us how to make it. It makes a great secondary project for lady groups in our site. I can teach them how to make jams and cakes and they can sell them to make extra money.
5. Fresh fruit! It is the best here! Right now I have an obsession with pineapple. Mango season starts in March
6. Guatemalans will drive an hour to get to Pollo Campero. This is sometimes the sole purpose for a car trip.
7. My neck may never be the same after rallying over tumulos,speed bumps, in the camionetas. Also, riding in camionetas is a good core workout. No need for pilates here, a one hour bus ride for 3Q will suffice.
8. My family installed a new electric water shower head. I will try it out tonight. Im keeping my fingers crossed for warm water. Up until now, I have learned showers are simply a means to an end here,not something to be enjoyed. Get in, get it done, get out. Use as little water as possible.
9. My vocabulary has expanded just sitting in here listening to the little kids play video games. Wow, I never thought I would hear, MUERATE, DIE, used in a command form. Only video games... Gracias, EEUU
Thats all for now!
I appreciate all of the mail! Thanks for all of the updates from everyone!
Cheers,
Tara
Monday, February 8, 2010
Tostados con Aguacate
Well, it´s Monday again and I just finished up my Spanish class for the day. I have some time here in the computer cafe to write a bit. Right now it is packed with little kids. They just got out of school and the computer video game craze has officially hit my town. I can tell they really want to get on my computer, but they are just going to have to wait. haha!
Yesterday I had a very good day. It started a little weird but quickly got better once the afternoon hit. I was woken up at 6 a.m. to the sound of trumpets, drums, electric guitars, and the loudspeakers of the church across the street. All at MAXIMUM volume. I was like, come on, really, you´re starting at 6 a.m... ahhhhhhh! It is my ONLY day to sleep in and it was definitely a rough way to start the day, especially since I was pretty ill for most of the day Saturday. Anyway, ear plugs are a God send, so if you come to visit me, I highly recommend you bring a few pairs. Anyway, after I woke up a bit later I proceeded to do a little power yoga session in my room to some reggaeton music while the rest of the family was at church. It was a good outlet to get out some frusteration.
I went up to the nature park later in the afternoon with the rest of my group and we spent some time in the forest. It is so nice and peaceful up there, no car horns, buses, exhaust fumes, roosters, nothing but the sound of the birds and water. It was so nice. We even ran down the trail on the way back. It felt so good to run as running isn´t really appropriate here, especially for females. It is a huge security risk for a female gringa to go anywhere alone, so I always bring a male volunteer or a trusted local with me anywhere I go. It is a little weird to not be able to walk the streets alone or go out for a jog or a hike. The danger is just too high.
Anyway on the way home, we ran into the gentleman who operates the nature park. We stopped and chatted with him. Guess how old he is, yep, 71. He hikes this huge mountain every day and works outside. He is the happiest guy and he credits the aire pura, pure air, for his great health. We continued down into town and outside of Jesse´s house, some of the girls from the Catholic Church had a tostada stand set up. We enjoyed fresh guacamole right from the avocado on the tostada and a little cheese, kind of like feta on top. It was soooo good I had two. We sat outside in the street on little stools, called bancos, and we just enjoyed watching who passed by.
This week we have a cooking class lined up for Thursday and possibly a field trip on Friday. I am getting anxious to find out my site soon and find out what I will be doing for 2 years. Training is intense and tiring, I sleep for about 10 hours every night. I just can´t seem to get enough sleep at this point. I think it is my body´s way of trying to adapt.
That´s it for now! Thanks for all of the emails!
Miss you all very much!
Tara
Yesterday I had a very good day. It started a little weird but quickly got better once the afternoon hit. I was woken up at 6 a.m. to the sound of trumpets, drums, electric guitars, and the loudspeakers of the church across the street. All at MAXIMUM volume. I was like, come on, really, you´re starting at 6 a.m... ahhhhhhh! It is my ONLY day to sleep in and it was definitely a rough way to start the day, especially since I was pretty ill for most of the day Saturday. Anyway, ear plugs are a God send, so if you come to visit me, I highly recommend you bring a few pairs. Anyway, after I woke up a bit later I proceeded to do a little power yoga session in my room to some reggaeton music while the rest of the family was at church. It was a good outlet to get out some frusteration.
I went up to the nature park later in the afternoon with the rest of my group and we spent some time in the forest. It is so nice and peaceful up there, no car horns, buses, exhaust fumes, roosters, nothing but the sound of the birds and water. It was so nice. We even ran down the trail on the way back. It felt so good to run as running isn´t really appropriate here, especially for females. It is a huge security risk for a female gringa to go anywhere alone, so I always bring a male volunteer or a trusted local with me anywhere I go. It is a little weird to not be able to walk the streets alone or go out for a jog or a hike. The danger is just too high.
Anyway on the way home, we ran into the gentleman who operates the nature park. We stopped and chatted with him. Guess how old he is, yep, 71. He hikes this huge mountain every day and works outside. He is the happiest guy and he credits the aire pura, pure air, for his great health. We continued down into town and outside of Jesse´s house, some of the girls from the Catholic Church had a tostada stand set up. We enjoyed fresh guacamole right from the avocado on the tostada and a little cheese, kind of like feta on top. It was soooo good I had two. We sat outside in the street on little stools, called bancos, and we just enjoyed watching who passed by.
This week we have a cooking class lined up for Thursday and possibly a field trip on Friday. I am getting anxious to find out my site soon and find out what I will be doing for 2 years. Training is intense and tiring, I sleep for about 10 hours every night. I just can´t seem to get enough sleep at this point. I think it is my body´s way of trying to adapt.
That´s it for now! Thanks for all of the emails!
Miss you all very much!
Tara
Friday, February 5, 2010
Cosmovision Maya
Greetings everyone!
I am excited that tomorrow we are participating in a Mayan Ceremony. Tomorrow is New Year for the Comovision Mayan calendar of 260 days. There is a very special ceremony planned for us and I am excited to see what it holds. I won´t be posting any pictures of it as it is disrespectful to take photos, but I will tell you all about it later.
Things are going well here. I am soooo glad it is the weekend. I reached a major milestone in my training yesterday as I gave my first 25 minute presentation all in Spanish to the municipal staff and all of my Peace Corps trainers. I feel really good about how it went. There is always room for improvement but I feel my Spanish was good and I feel like I was able to get some key points across.
We will be leaving in a few weeks for Field Based Training and I will be out at another site for a week. It will be pretty rustic, no running water. However, I might be taking my first bucket bath so that is something to look forward to.
Also tomorrow I was invited to one of the other trainee´s host sister´s birthday party. We have gotten to know the family and they have a great and very friendly family. They are always welcoming to us. We study in each other´s houses for a week at a time and we were just there studying. I am trying to think of a good gift for her. I can´t wait to see what my first Guatemalan birthday party will be like.
My first Guatemalan baby shower was interesting and fun. I went to two of those a couple of weeks ago. There are lots of games and laughing. They have fun activities for a mom to be. They blindfold her and make her try to dress a baby and then they make the dad to be do it too. Everyone laughs when they mess up. These baby showers are huge. There are easily 40 to 50 people there. Every household has a stack of bancos, which are basically small plastic stools, that are perfect to bring out for these ocassions. Huge parties here are common and I never quite know when I´ll be walking in to one. I came home the other night to find a fire going in the open area of my house and they were preparing for 100 people like it was no big deal. My host mom was making pollo asada and chocolate caliente. It ended up being for a huge church service in my house. They brought in tons of loudspeakers, enough for a rock band, and we proceeded with the service. My hearing definitely might suffer after living here for awhile. Everything is done here with the maximum volume possible. It is a loud country, but fun!
That is all for now! I´m off to go birthday gift shopping!
Cheers,
Tara
I am excited that tomorrow we are participating in a Mayan Ceremony. Tomorrow is New Year for the Comovision Mayan calendar of 260 days. There is a very special ceremony planned for us and I am excited to see what it holds. I won´t be posting any pictures of it as it is disrespectful to take photos, but I will tell you all about it later.
Things are going well here. I am soooo glad it is the weekend. I reached a major milestone in my training yesterday as I gave my first 25 minute presentation all in Spanish to the municipal staff and all of my Peace Corps trainers. I feel really good about how it went. There is always room for improvement but I feel my Spanish was good and I feel like I was able to get some key points across.
We will be leaving in a few weeks for Field Based Training and I will be out at another site for a week. It will be pretty rustic, no running water. However, I might be taking my first bucket bath so that is something to look forward to.
Also tomorrow I was invited to one of the other trainee´s host sister´s birthday party. We have gotten to know the family and they have a great and very friendly family. They are always welcoming to us. We study in each other´s houses for a week at a time and we were just there studying. I am trying to think of a good gift for her. I can´t wait to see what my first Guatemalan birthday party will be like.
My first Guatemalan baby shower was interesting and fun. I went to two of those a couple of weeks ago. There are lots of games and laughing. They have fun activities for a mom to be. They blindfold her and make her try to dress a baby and then they make the dad to be do it too. Everyone laughs when they mess up. These baby showers are huge. There are easily 40 to 50 people there. Every household has a stack of bancos, which are basically small plastic stools, that are perfect to bring out for these ocassions. Huge parties here are common and I never quite know when I´ll be walking in to one. I came home the other night to find a fire going in the open area of my house and they were preparing for 100 people like it was no big deal. My host mom was making pollo asada and chocolate caliente. It ended up being for a huge church service in my house. They brought in tons of loudspeakers, enough for a rock band, and we proceeded with the service. My hearing definitely might suffer after living here for awhile. Everything is done here with the maximum volume possible. It is a loud country, but fun!
That is all for now! I´m off to go birthday gift shopping!
Cheers,
Tara
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