Well, I am sitting here in a hostel tonight in Xela and I am a little more than half way to my site. I will get there tomorrow around noon hopefully. Today was a very busy day. It was a long travel day from Antigua, the site of our Swearing In Ceremony, out to Xela. We spent a fun couple of days with the group in Antigua before we all went our separate ways for the next 2 years. We do have reconnect in 3 months and the occasional get together but life will now be very different from training. I am excited and ready for the challenge though. Thank you to everyone for all of your great messages and emails. These really brighten my day and I love hearing from you all.
Antigua was great! These purple trees in the park are in bloom now and Semana Santa is just around the corner. They are having these giant processions with the men and boys all dressed in purple robes, carrying these huge floats down the cobblestone road. It is pretty incredible to watch. Tons of people are in town and last Sunday I waited in a 3 hour cola, line, to get on one of the camionetas out to Guate, for my last week with my host family. Anyway, Antigua is busy now and I got in my one and only night of dancing and now I am off!
I have to give a huge shout out to the ayudantes today. These are my favorite guys in Guatemala. They are the helpers on the buses and they were a huge help to me today as I tried to find my way out to Xela. I had a backpack and two other big bags and they were always there to help every step of the way. As I was waiting, an ayudante was looking for me bus to arrive and then he is like, corrate! corrate! meaning run run your bus is here. They then helped to secure my bags so that they didn't go flying while we rallied around mountain corners at like 50 mph in these pimped out buses, which is another impressive feat in themselves. These buses get totally overhauled, new engine, back 1/3 of the American school bus cut off, inside totally redone and pimped, luggage racks and ladders put on, plus a really sweet paint job, and extra loud horn installed. I really like the transportation system here. It really makes traveling fun and exciting.
Anyway, back to more ayudante props, so they helped me figure out where to change buses, and at these stops buses are going in every direction with ayudantes calling out the names of the places. You basically listen for your town, then starting heading that direction with your stuff. The ayudante will see you coming and will step out into traffic and block traffic for your to cross the street since they are always in a hurry to get the bus back on the road. They will help you across the street at the same time as grabbing your bags and scrambling onto the roof of the bus as it takes off down the road. All of this happens in like 15 sec. - it is an amazing operation. Thank you ayudantes!!!
Anyway, after a long day of traveling I am happy at the hostel tonight. I had my first hot shower in 3 months and it was heaven. I stood under it for like 5 minutes. I felt bad because water is short here, but it just felt sooo good! Plus, we found his Indian restaurant that was awesome too. Needless to say, I am ready for bed and am feeling pretty fat and sassy right now with my wonderful meal and hot shower!
Good night!!
Tara
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Welcome to the Jungle!
Yes, this is all I could think as I was packed 4 deep in the backseat of a pickup, crawling our way slowly up the mountain to my new site. I got my wish to be in a hot and humid climate. I love it up there! I am living about 15K deep in the tropical jungle of Guatemala. My community is a very tiny agricultural community but they already get quite a few volunteers and tourists to this site so my main job will be to get the word out about the site. I am going to learn a lot in 2 years here. Here are some observations on my site visit:
1. There is one bus a day to my site, leaving the site at 6 a.m. and returning a little after noon each day
2. Electricity is run by hydroelectric power, 4 hours of electricity a day during the dry season, all the time during the wet season.
3. No access to refrigeration - going to be eating a lot of fruits and vegetables for the next 2 years!
4. I live about 10K from an active volcano! This is really cool! Lots of minor earthquake activity. Don´t worry though, minor activity
5. There is a beautiful waterfall in my site.
6. My community knows a lot about medicinal herbs, so this will be interesting to learn more about
7. The soccer field is on a slope, thus the importance of changing sides at the half. There is a women´s team and I will be learning to play soccer!
8. I can see the ocean from my place! It is really a tropical paradise - tons of birdwatching and huge tropical trees and plants.
9. One of my projects is going to be to start a community garden and possibly a garden for the hotel. It seems like everyone buys fruits and vegetables from outside the town so maybe I will work on trying to grow stuff in town. I use the word ¨town¨very loosely here. It is a very small community of about 40 families. Everyone I have met has been very friendly so I think this will be a great site. It is gorgeous too.
I am so happy that I will have a chance to cook now. However, I will have to change my cooking and eating style due to no refrigeration and one day access to a market to buy food. Luckily the Peace Corps has a cookbook, survival style, called Que Rico! and I just purchased that today.
That is all for now - I am excited - only 2 more days til swearing in. We are at the office today trying to cram in 2 days worth of material since yesterday the Guatemalan transportation system fell apart due to protests and road blocks. Entonces, we spent the day getting manicures and hair cuts from Jesse's host sister. Not a bad way to spend the day during civil unrest. Also, I treated myself to one last chocobanano - maybe it will be a good thing that they won't be so accessable after this week!
Can't wait to show you all my site! Come visit me and be ready for an adventure!!!
1. There is one bus a day to my site, leaving the site at 6 a.m. and returning a little after noon each day
2. Electricity is run by hydroelectric power, 4 hours of electricity a day during the dry season, all the time during the wet season.
3. No access to refrigeration - going to be eating a lot of fruits and vegetables for the next 2 years!
4. I live about 10K from an active volcano! This is really cool! Lots of minor earthquake activity. Don´t worry though, minor activity
5. There is a beautiful waterfall in my site.
6. My community knows a lot about medicinal herbs, so this will be interesting to learn more about
7. The soccer field is on a slope, thus the importance of changing sides at the half. There is a women´s team and I will be learning to play soccer!
8. I can see the ocean from my place! It is really a tropical paradise - tons of birdwatching and huge tropical trees and plants.
9. One of my projects is going to be to start a community garden and possibly a garden for the hotel. It seems like everyone buys fruits and vegetables from outside the town so maybe I will work on trying to grow stuff in town. I use the word ¨town¨very loosely here. It is a very small community of about 40 families. Everyone I have met has been very friendly so I think this will be a great site. It is gorgeous too.
I am so happy that I will have a chance to cook now. However, I will have to change my cooking and eating style due to no refrigeration and one day access to a market to buy food. Luckily the Peace Corps has a cookbook, survival style, called Que Rico! and I just purchased that today.
That is all for now - I am excited - only 2 more days til swearing in. We are at the office today trying to cram in 2 days worth of material since yesterday the Guatemalan transportation system fell apart due to protests and road blocks. Entonces, we spent the day getting manicures and hair cuts from Jesse's host sister. Not a bad way to spend the day during civil unrest. Also, I treated myself to one last chocobanano - maybe it will be a good thing that they won't be so accessable after this week!
Can't wait to show you all my site! Come visit me and be ready for an adventure!!!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Salsa Music in the Internet Cafe
Well, I am loving life right now. It is nice outside and I´m sitting here in the Internet Cafe listening to salsa music while I type. Not too bad for a Friday in Guate. We learned how to make jam this morning in Spanish class. We went up to a lady in the community´s house to learn the process. She is known for her delicious jams. She comes to the headquarters to sell her jam when we all meet for common session. We makes a wonderful mango jam and also makes jam out of some of the exotic fruit of the area. We learned how to make jam as a possible side project to teach to the women in the community. It is a good way for them to have as a small business to bring in some extra money for the household. Plus it is soo good too!
Also, adding to my good day is the fact that I had pepian for lunch. It is my most favorite food in Guate. When you come down to visit, I will make sure you get to try it. This is a good thing as I have been sampling a lot of the cuisine that could make it on Andrew Zimmern´s show, including various parts of the digestive system of various animals. I´m all for trying anything once, but I was beginning to crave something that I was more familiar with and knew how to eat.
More fun side notes:
1. We are almost done with our project. FINALLY! We have the signs up and have only a couple more to make due to some unexpected issues with permission of placement. The key to surviving work down here in flexability, good communication, and repitition, repitition, and more repitition.
2. I find out my site in 7 days, not like I´m counting or anything...
3. I have made it one whole week without a ´"digestive incident" but now that I say that who knows what will happen...Attention digestive system: I am knocking on wood right now...
4. I am continued to be amazed at the volume of everything down here. The houses in our area seem to have a daily battle with the music, and it´s all bad. Nothing like Alvin and the Chipmunks in Spanish blasted at full volume in competition with religious power ballads with some occasional live trumpets and electric guitars, roosters, and camioneta horns mixed in for good measure.
5. Funny story - you can use the volume thing for your advantage. One of the volunteers was raising a pig at his site and he forgot to tie it up. Well, it escaped and it was lost. So, he talked to the guy that drives around in a truck with several loundspeakers, to put out a public service announcement for him. Easy, only 2Q. So the loudspeaker guy basically started to drive around blasting, "Be on the lookout, the gringo lost his pig." Sure enough, the next morning, a sweet grandma came by his house at 5 a.m. with the lost pig. This my friends is the power of the loudspeaker system in Guatemala.
That´s all for now! Cheers!
Tenga un buen fin de semana!
Tara
Also, adding to my good day is the fact that I had pepian for lunch. It is my most favorite food in Guate. When you come down to visit, I will make sure you get to try it. This is a good thing as I have been sampling a lot of the cuisine that could make it on Andrew Zimmern´s show, including various parts of the digestive system of various animals. I´m all for trying anything once, but I was beginning to crave something that I was more familiar with and knew how to eat.
More fun side notes:
1. We are almost done with our project. FINALLY! We have the signs up and have only a couple more to make due to some unexpected issues with permission of placement. The key to surviving work down here in flexability, good communication, and repitition, repitition, and more repitition.
2. I find out my site in 7 days, not like I´m counting or anything...
3. I have made it one whole week without a ´"digestive incident" but now that I say that who knows what will happen...Attention digestive system: I am knocking on wood right now...
4. I am continued to be amazed at the volume of everything down here. The houses in our area seem to have a daily battle with the music, and it´s all bad. Nothing like Alvin and the Chipmunks in Spanish blasted at full volume in competition with religious power ballads with some occasional live trumpets and electric guitars, roosters, and camioneta horns mixed in for good measure.
5. Funny story - you can use the volume thing for your advantage. One of the volunteers was raising a pig at his site and he forgot to tie it up. Well, it escaped and it was lost. So, he talked to the guy that drives around in a truck with several loundspeakers, to put out a public service announcement for him. Easy, only 2Q. So the loudspeaker guy basically started to drive around blasting, "Be on the lookout, the gringo lost his pig." Sure enough, the next morning, a sweet grandma came by his house at 5 a.m. with the lost pig. This my friends is the power of the loudspeaker system in Guatemala.
That´s all for now! Cheers!
Tenga un buen fin de semana!
Tara
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