Ok, so I am fully recovered from illness, knock on wood, and feeling more positive about things. Alot has happened in just a small week. We are getting started on some projects here, namely bird cataloging and sign making for the trail. We are going out into the jungle once or twice a week and observing birds and cataloging what species we have here, what time we saw them, where, and how many. The worst part is getting up at 4:45 a.m. to get out in the woods in time for them to wake up and start singing and flying around. Once I am out there it is nice and I really enjoy it but waking up early is one thing I definitely am taking awhile to get used to in this country. I now consider waking up at 7 a.m. sleeping in. For those who know me, this is VERY un Tara like behavior. I enjoy my sleep. But, back to bird watching some of the birds in this place are just so beautiful. We have a huge variety here and they are all so colorful. The hard part is identifying them since I am unfamiliar with most of the species and all of the migratory ones that I know are now back up North since it is warmer.
Other fun stuff.... we are making signs out of wood and then using a router to carve out the letters to put out on the trail. There are hundreds of miles of trails around here and nothing is marked, so you can imagine how easy it is to get lost especially since you can´t see above the canopy. So, hopefully this will help the tourists that come to visit.
The rainy season has fully begun here, and the waterfall is cranking. But, you also have to be careful as I saw a whole tree go over the falls yesterday and alot of earth is moving with it too. It has been raining here practically day and night, but I actually kind of like it. It is peaceful and pretty relaxing but I miss going up to the soccer field to play in the afternoons.
I think tomorrow I am going over to another finca with our group to do a canopy tour and can´t wait to check that out. We have a group of University students staying with us for a month and I was asked to talk to their philosophy class on Monday so I am excited to do that. I really enjoy that kind of thing.
Other random notes from the field,
1. Last Sunday our bus got stuck in the mud on the way down and buried itself up to it´s hubs in mud. I got out and walked back, who knows how long it took to get it unstuck.
2. You can buy fresh roasted peanuts in the market here for only Q6, so good!
3. A cold shower at 6 a.m. is still something that I am not used to
That is about it! Thanks for all of the notes and well wishes!
Cheers!
Tara
Friday, May 28, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Rough Week
So, I knew I would be having some ups and downs while I was down here and I must admit this has been a rough week. I find if I think in the long term, two years is a really long time and it really isnt healthy to think too far in the future. i need to just take one day at a time. i am in town today and it is nice to get out of the community every now and then. we have a big group in town and i think my problems started when they brought in a virus and i came down with the stomach flu on friday. i thought it was from the street tacos i ate the night before but when 12 of the 20 students including me all starting puking and having to use 1 bathroom, that is when the horror really started to set in. So, let me tell ya it was a rough and rather disgusting 24 hours. i am happy to say that after that everyone is now better but wow, what a deal. Esp. when you are sick all you want are a few modern comforts and when those arent available, like cold water or a cold 7 up things can really seem bleak. i really just wanted my Mom to be there to crush up some ice cubes and tell me that I would be better and a nice private bathroom on which to curl up on a clean cold tile floor. but, when you are working with a fairly nasty bathroom, luke warm water and high temps and humidity and sickness, well, let me tell ya things can get depressing fast. then you think of all the laundry you are doing to have to do by hand and where the water is going to come from to do the laundry and who is going to put on the water (it is usually me) and it involves a bit of a hike, and i wonder what i got myself into. well, that was a few days ago and after a few days of feeling sorry for myself, i am feeling almost back to normal, a few pounds lighter and a little weaker, but im coming back around.
sometimes things are just tough here. there are some days my brain is working really well and other days it is like my brain has had way too much and it just shuts down and even processing simple transactions can be difficult. i am constantly trying to guess what my co workers are thinking and how they are reacting to what i say and do and it is still hard to get in the groove of things because they are basing every action on a cultural perspective about exactly the opposite of what we have in the states. So everything can be complicated as i am trying to take care of my own needs and trying to anticipate what those i am working with are going to do esp. when communication is indirect and i basically have to read minds to get the answer. i can ask a very direct question and not really get a response adn then i ask again and get a different response less than 30 sec. later so then i go into the well, lets see what happens mode. for instance, i am was sitting with my counterpart in his truck in town, he points to an ice cream shop and asks if i want to use internet, tehre is no sign for internet, only an ice cream shop. well, ok, so i think maybe we are getting ice cream first, so i go in and suddenly 2 brand new notebook computers and wireless internet it produced from behind the counter out of no where. then my counterpart is like, what ice cream are you going to buy me? okay, so i guess i am buying ice cream....ok and here some two more people, guess i am buying their ice cream too. and now we are having ice cream and i am trying to do internet and help him with his internet too and he is telling me to watch his truck which he left running across the road, for like half an hour at this point, and now he just left in his truck and i dont know where he went or when he is coming back or where we are going to meet him. luckily my friend kevin is here and i have him to hang out with and to try to figure out what the plan is later, but it is stuff like this, where it is constant not knowing what is going on, not getting clear answers, that can be a little difficult at times. in this job, you have to be very ok with ambiguity and not knowing what the hell is going on about 50% of the time if you are lucky.
so dont worry i am still surviving here and i am feeling better and just thankful for my health which hangs in a precarious balance down here, something ready to bring you down the moment you let your guard down.
that is all for now...miss everyone like crazy and cant wait til you all come down to visit.
love you tons!
Tara
sometimes things are just tough here. there are some days my brain is working really well and other days it is like my brain has had way too much and it just shuts down and even processing simple transactions can be difficult. i am constantly trying to guess what my co workers are thinking and how they are reacting to what i say and do and it is still hard to get in the groove of things because they are basing every action on a cultural perspective about exactly the opposite of what we have in the states. So everything can be complicated as i am trying to take care of my own needs and trying to anticipate what those i am working with are going to do esp. when communication is indirect and i basically have to read minds to get the answer. i can ask a very direct question and not really get a response adn then i ask again and get a different response less than 30 sec. later so then i go into the well, lets see what happens mode. for instance, i am was sitting with my counterpart in his truck in town, he points to an ice cream shop and asks if i want to use internet, tehre is no sign for internet, only an ice cream shop. well, ok, so i think maybe we are getting ice cream first, so i go in and suddenly 2 brand new notebook computers and wireless internet it produced from behind the counter out of no where. then my counterpart is like, what ice cream are you going to buy me? okay, so i guess i am buying ice cream....ok and here some two more people, guess i am buying their ice cream too. and now we are having ice cream and i am trying to do internet and help him with his internet too and he is telling me to watch his truck which he left running across the road, for like half an hour at this point, and now he just left in his truck and i dont know where he went or when he is coming back or where we are going to meet him. luckily my friend kevin is here and i have him to hang out with and to try to figure out what the plan is later, but it is stuff like this, where it is constant not knowing what is going on, not getting clear answers, that can be a little difficult at times. in this job, you have to be very ok with ambiguity and not knowing what the hell is going on about 50% of the time if you are lucky.
so dont worry i am still surviving here and i am feeling better and just thankful for my health which hangs in a precarious balance down here, something ready to bring you down the moment you let your guard down.
that is all for now...miss everyone like crazy and cant wait til you all come down to visit.
love you tons!
Tara
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Whats New
First off, sorry for the intermitant blog posts. It is hard to find time here to post with the sketchy electricty, internet that takes 1 hour to open 4 emails, and all the work and everything in between. But, for the most part life is good here and I am feeling more and more comfortable every day here. They weren´t kidding when they said work is slow going here. I have a list of things to get done and if I get one thing accomplished per day, I am feeling pretty good. Nothing here is in a central location or already organized. If you want to do something, you really have to want to do it and spend a lot of energy and time to get it done.
My bosses from the Peace Corps came out for a site visit yesterday and it was great to talk to them. They gave me some good ideas and helped give me direction on a few projects with some ideas on how to start. Some ideas we currently have here are starting a bird watching program here, collecting bottles to make into eco bricks to build something here, starting an environmental education project with the teachers here, and working with the tourism committee that just was reestablished with our first meeting yesterday to work on quality service and continuous improvement in the hotel. So things are rolling and I am still teaching English as well which is actually very fun.
Here are some interesting random thoughts and experiences since the last post,
1. Went to Xocomil this awesome water park here in Guatemala. It was so fun and for a day I felt I was back to my normal life.
2. Went dancing in Xela and got to meet some of the other PC volunteers here. I realize that every now and then I need a break and it is good to get into the city and eat a good meal and get out for some fun.
3. I love the camionetas, as long as they aren´t too packed. I have been having good luck with the music on them too. Recently they have been playing some great tunes. I have also purchased the PC CD entitled, Now, That´s What I Call Camioneta, Volume 1. I will be happy to burn a copy for anyone´s listening pleasure.
4. The volcano went off again this morning. It is pretty cool to have a live volcano just minutes
OK, electircty is off! Have to publish now!
My bosses from the Peace Corps came out for a site visit yesterday and it was great to talk to them. They gave me some good ideas and helped give me direction on a few projects with some ideas on how to start. Some ideas we currently have here are starting a bird watching program here, collecting bottles to make into eco bricks to build something here, starting an environmental education project with the teachers here, and working with the tourism committee that just was reestablished with our first meeting yesterday to work on quality service and continuous improvement in the hotel. So things are rolling and I am still teaching English as well which is actually very fun.
Here are some interesting random thoughts and experiences since the last post,
1. Went to Xocomil this awesome water park here in Guatemala. It was so fun and for a day I felt I was back to my normal life.
2. Went dancing in Xela and got to meet some of the other PC volunteers here. I realize that every now and then I need a break and it is good to get into the city and eat a good meal and get out for some fun.
3. I love the camionetas, as long as they aren´t too packed. I have been having good luck with the music on them too. Recently they have been playing some great tunes. I have also purchased the PC CD entitled, Now, That´s What I Call Camioneta, Volume 1. I will be happy to burn a copy for anyone´s listening pleasure.
4. The volcano went off again this morning. It is pretty cool to have a live volcano just minutes
OK, electircty is off! Have to publish now!
Friday, May 7, 2010
Life is looking up
Ok, so I have gotten over my bit of site envy. I had a great meeting with the Peace Corps crew a few days ago and meeting with these great people always affirms why I am here. We have such a great set of supportive volunteers and staff, I feel very lucky to be a volunteer.
I had a great night in Xela a few nights ago. I got to go out salsa dancing for the first time in 5 months and I realized just how much I missed it. The only difficult part is they dance on one here and I am used to dancing on two. For all non salseros out there, that is basically an opposite count, but I figured it out and it was really fun. I also visited my friend in her site, the plush site, and had a great time with her. We baked oatmeal bars with mocha frosting and had plantains and beans for breakfast. Plus, they make these really good all fruit frozen popsicles and we got them for free after talking with the store owners so long. They also make these really good tortillas there with queso in the center and the tortilla made of flour. This is unusual for my area, but tipico for their area. So, it was fun to hango out with my friend and compare notes and just chill for a night.
I got back to my site yesterday and have started right in again and am feeling more and more at home here. I told my friend here that I need to start concentrating on what I got accomplished here and not what needs to still be accomplished. So today, my list of accomplishments include,
1. Successfully filling the water tank of the hotel
2. Getting tour operator prices done for the hotel
3. Making stawberry syrup out of a pound of fresh strawberries for my morning pancakes
4. Finished my May calendar to send to Peace Corps
5. Checked all of the email for the community
6. Talked to my counterpart and got permission to attend the national tourism fair here
7. Successfully kicked the dog out of the hotel 3 times
8. Shaved my legs (you don.t realize how big of an accomplishment this is taking a Navy shower, read...douse yourself with water, turn water off, shampoo hair, soap up, shave (I bought a small bucket to fill with water to take into the shower and use this for shaving and washing the razor) then, turn water back on and rinse quickly and get out.
9. Successfully scolded 4 children from stealing fruit from the trees in the hotel grounds - you gotta be on them fast or if they learn you are a softie they will definitely aprovechar, meaning take advantage of the situation
So, 9 things accomplished today. Plus, my friend made these wonderful donut like things tonight for dinner. Yes, I am eating donuts for dinner, hey Im in the jungle, I guess I can do what I want, haha! We made them out of pancake batter and wawter and fried them in oil and put honey on them! ooooohhhh sooo good!
Ok, the electricty just went out and this computer screen is successfully attracting some of the most disgusting bugs in the country and one just flew up my nose! Yuck!! And down my shirt! Ok, Im out! Peace!
I had a great night in Xela a few nights ago. I got to go out salsa dancing for the first time in 5 months and I realized just how much I missed it. The only difficult part is they dance on one here and I am used to dancing on two. For all non salseros out there, that is basically an opposite count, but I figured it out and it was really fun. I also visited my friend in her site, the plush site, and had a great time with her. We baked oatmeal bars with mocha frosting and had plantains and beans for breakfast. Plus, they make these really good all fruit frozen popsicles and we got them for free after talking with the store owners so long. They also make these really good tortillas there with queso in the center and the tortilla made of flour. This is unusual for my area, but tipico for their area. So, it was fun to hango out with my friend and compare notes and just chill for a night.
I got back to my site yesterday and have started right in again and am feeling more and more at home here. I told my friend here that I need to start concentrating on what I got accomplished here and not what needs to still be accomplished. So today, my list of accomplishments include,
1. Successfully filling the water tank of the hotel
2. Getting tour operator prices done for the hotel
3. Making stawberry syrup out of a pound of fresh strawberries for my morning pancakes
4. Finished my May calendar to send to Peace Corps
5. Checked all of the email for the community
6. Talked to my counterpart and got permission to attend the national tourism fair here
7. Successfully kicked the dog out of the hotel 3 times
8. Shaved my legs (you don.t realize how big of an accomplishment this is taking a Navy shower, read...douse yourself with water, turn water off, shampoo hair, soap up, shave (I bought a small bucket to fill with water to take into the shower and use this for shaving and washing the razor) then, turn water back on and rinse quickly and get out.
9. Successfully scolded 4 children from stealing fruit from the trees in the hotel grounds - you gotta be on them fast or if they learn you are a softie they will definitely aprovechar, meaning take advantage of the situation
So, 9 things accomplished today. Plus, my friend made these wonderful donut like things tonight for dinner. Yes, I am eating donuts for dinner, hey Im in the jungle, I guess I can do what I want, haha! We made them out of pancake batter and wawter and fried them in oil and put honey on them! ooooohhhh sooo good!
Ok, the electricty just went out and this computer screen is successfully attracting some of the most disgusting bugs in the country and one just flew up my nose! Yuck!! And down my shirt! Ok, Im out! Peace!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Site Envy
Ok, so I know that you aren´t suppossed to compare things and wish to have things, but I am in the site of another volunteer today since I have a meeting tomorrow and am staying overnight with her. Oh, her site is so nice, she has stores and internet cafes and chocobananos and easy transportation access, not to mention electricity and paved roads and water. What a luxury to be able to walk down the street and buy bread or go to a comedor to have lunch. Or have a refrigerator or an oven...ah...this is kind of hard to see. Don´t get me wrong, I like my site and it is very beautiful and will do some good work there, but darn, the living is tough in my site. Everything is difficult and I have none of the modern luxuries of life.
But, don´t worry I will be fine but right now am just having some site envy. Come to come later!
Cheers,
Tara
But, don´t worry I will be fine but right now am just having some site envy. Come to come later!
Cheers,
Tara
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