Hello all - well it is back to work officially today after a fun few weeks of celebrating - filled with lots of dancing, music, futbol games, eating, and relaxing!
I know a lot of you are interested in learning about Christmas and New Years traditions, so I will tell you how I spent the time here.
Christmas Eve began with a big futbol tournament. Everyone headed up for a Classic Tournament - turned out the 2 teams vying for first place were 2 of the teams from the community - crazy - we only have 300 people here - but 5 futbol teams - EVERYONE plays :) The team filled with mostly members from my Guatemalan family won - but not without a fight - literally. Unfortunately, there was a discrepancy on a call and the other team literally punched the ref and they all started fighting. It was unfortunate, especially since the 2 teams were of the same community but luckily no one was seriously injured. During the awards ceremony I was asked to go up and say a few words and I just went up and took the mic and told everyone how happy I was to be in the community and to feel accepted like one of the family. And I wished them all a Merry Christmas. Impromtu speeches like that are very common here in Guate and one always has to be ready to step up and take the mic and say a few words. I really like doing it - good thing I'm not shy :)
After a bit of a rest, I went over to my family's house for the first of many tamales. Tamales are made either of rice or potatoes, usually with a piece of meat inside, topped with a type of mole, and steamed in banana leaves. They are usually eaten with white bread - a special treat. Also, we are served ponche - a delicious pinepple punch, with bits of papaya, coconut, apple, and plantains in it. Also, if you're lucky you may get a bit of rum added to it :) After some tamales, we went to the house that the Posada left off at and got ready for the final procession to the church. The kids were lighting off TONS of fireworks and we lit the torches to accompany the procession. I got to carry a torch and we walked down the cobblestone path, carrying the figures of Joseph and Mary, and entered the church. The church was decorated beautifully with the nativity scene and we held the service until midnight. At midnight, everyone started hugging each other and wishing everyone a Feliz Navidad! Then, it was time to eat more tamales! After carefully walking back to the house, in the dark and trying not to get hit by any stray fireworks, we ate more tamales, drank some more ponche with rum, and ate some cookies. What a night - finally at 2:30 a.m. or so I headed home to sleep.
And now on to New Year's! New Year's Eve was spent at another futbol tournament - 6 hours - a triangular tourney. My team won again (undefeated now for almost a year) and then it was time for more tamales! This time they were the paches - made with potatoes with chicken and chile inside. These are my favorites!! Then the sugar cane liquor was brought out - imported from Veracruz, Mexico and the celebration began! My friend Oscar took out the big speakers and we started a dance party on the patios where we dry the coffee. We danced for at least 4 hours - nonstop! All kinds of music from reggaeton to cumbia to merengue to duranguense was played. It was pretty much all family out there dancing and that made it so much fun. We rang in the New Year at midnight with more hugs and fireworks and then it was off to eat more tamales!
The next morning we woke up early to head to the beach for New Year's! I love my family - boy do they know how to have a good time! The beach was packed - but still tons of fun anyway! I spent hours playing in the big waves and even spotted some surfers out in the water. The Guatemalans are pretty conservative at the beach and they don't wear swim suits like we do in the States. They all wear shorts or pants and t-shirts or tank tops. I was a little bummed about this but went with the flow to not stick out more than I already do - and was rewarded. As I was out in the water I felt this weird thing bump into me - turns out a jellyfish had hit me and if it wasn't for my tank top - it would have stung me - so there was karma I guess. Good thing I had on my tank top.
Anyway, I had a wonderful grilled fish lunch at one of the little restaurants on the beach. I ordered the "medium fish" here - was tasty! My dad asked me what kind of fish I had and I didn't know - we order by size of fish, not by type of fish. But it sure was good!
So after a fun day at the beach, we finally made it back to the community by dark and were treated to a beautiful red sunset across the big sugarcane fields - what a perfect way to end the day!
So - now it is back to work - lots to do and lots of fun stuff coming up!
Cheers and Happy New Year! I'm off to finish up my final year now in the Peace Corps!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Lots going on
Wow - it has been awhile since I have written but I am going to try to cover a bunch in this blog to get you all caught up.
First off, before I left for the US for a vacation and early Christmas celebration with my family, we had In Service Training. This is a chance to hear from other volunteers about some of their projects and to really get motivated for the second year. This is the year they say most things get done and I would say this will be the case with me here. A lot of the first year is just spent trying to figure out what is going on, who is in charge, and how about to accomplish the goals of the community and your own. Well, during IST, we went to visit a volunteer who successfully completed a stove project. Through a Peace Corps SPA grant and contribution by the beneficiaries, they completed more than 50 new stoves in the community. This is important in that the new stoves are much more efficient (saving the cutting of the forests) and also that the home environment is so much more healthy. The stoves are outfitted with chimneys and all of the smoke that was previously breathed in the house now can piped outside where the health damage isn't nearly as serious as it would be in the house. And since respiratory illnesses are one of the leading causes of death here in Guatemala, something like this can make a huge difference, adding on 14-16 years of life on average from what I've read.
Well, after all of this, an idea started brewing in my mind. This is going to be a HUGE project but I think my community would benefit greatly from it. I have been invited in many houses here and the cooking situation is not a very safe or healthy one. All of the houses here cook over an open fire, set up using a couple of cement blocks and a few pieces of rebar. There is no chimney and the smoke fills the room. Often this room is the main gathering room of the family. Also, it poses a huge risk - both of fire and also the probability of a child accidently falling into the fire as there is no barrier around the fire. So, I am starting by putting the feelers out in my community and already there is some interest. The families will have to contribute a bit financially and will have to agree to attend building training sessions and to help build their stoves. I would also like to set up some talks about nutrition here. So, I am thinking this is going to be my big 2nd year project - it is pretty daunting - but I am getting the ball rolling and we'll see how it turns out.
Wish me luck!
Cheers!
First off, before I left for the US for a vacation and early Christmas celebration with my family, we had In Service Training. This is a chance to hear from other volunteers about some of their projects and to really get motivated for the second year. This is the year they say most things get done and I would say this will be the case with me here. A lot of the first year is just spent trying to figure out what is going on, who is in charge, and how about to accomplish the goals of the community and your own. Well, during IST, we went to visit a volunteer who successfully completed a stove project. Through a Peace Corps SPA grant and contribution by the beneficiaries, they completed more than 50 new stoves in the community. This is important in that the new stoves are much more efficient (saving the cutting of the forests) and also that the home environment is so much more healthy. The stoves are outfitted with chimneys and all of the smoke that was previously breathed in the house now can piped outside where the health damage isn't nearly as serious as it would be in the house. And since respiratory illnesses are one of the leading causes of death here in Guatemala, something like this can make a huge difference, adding on 14-16 years of life on average from what I've read.
Well, after all of this, an idea started brewing in my mind. This is going to be a HUGE project but I think my community would benefit greatly from it. I have been invited in many houses here and the cooking situation is not a very safe or healthy one. All of the houses here cook over an open fire, set up using a couple of cement blocks and a few pieces of rebar. There is no chimney and the smoke fills the room. Often this room is the main gathering room of the family. Also, it poses a huge risk - both of fire and also the probability of a child accidently falling into the fire as there is no barrier around the fire. So, I am starting by putting the feelers out in my community and already there is some interest. The families will have to contribute a bit financially and will have to agree to attend building training sessions and to help build their stoves. I would also like to set up some talks about nutrition here. So, I am thinking this is going to be my big 2nd year project - it is pretty daunting - but I am getting the ball rolling and we'll see how it turns out.
Wish me luck!
Cheers!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Ready for a trip home and Recommendations for Other Volunteers Coming to Guate
Ok - today finished up our last cooking class and I have to say it was a success. The only rough part was that there was no water (AGAIN, sigh....) at the hotel, so that presents a program when trying to wash dishes, clean up, flush toilets, etc. However, for our last meal - we made a chicken with onions and garlic - and Pepsi in the sauce. It turned out really good. We also ended up making tortas out of the long green stems of the onions - those turned out awesome too. Oh yeah, and I made the rice. The tortas are amazing things that you make by hand whipping egg whites to a foam and then covering whatever vegetable you have (in a grated or chopped form) with the egg white foam stuff and then frying them in a pan. They are really good! We also made a lime flan - all on a plancha (wood fire stove) with our new tin foil oven. I am happy to say that everything turned out great! However, I am pretty exhausted. We started in at 7:30 a.m. and we just finished. It was a long day as it is fairly exhausting working, especially with the kids constantly asking me questions and also the no agua thing - they kept turning on the chorro (faucet) saying "no hay agua" - and I'm like - I know - there wasn't agua last time and there still isn't now...geez. Only I really understand how the complicated tubing system to the hotel works and I kept explaining to them that the water tank up top isn't working because the filter is bad and for some reason there was no water pressure. Only later did I learn that someone recently hooked up a hose to the hotel water system and was directing all the water to their house....ahhhhhh! Of course they don't tell you...I spent an hour last night checking every connection, every detail of the water system, in the dark (kind of like Clark W Griswall now that I think of it) and it should have been working...I couldn't figure it out...but then via a small side switch that I didn't think about - someone was piping water way from it. The biggest issue I have it that he I am running around, asking everyone if they knew if anything happened with the water or the spring and they are just like - no hay agua - no urgency to fix it - just "no hay..." So, I was frusterated beyond belief, finally discovered the problem, and FINALLY we have some water.
The other frusteration right now are the chuchos (stray dogs) - man do I hate them. I know it is a strong word - but these dogs are the bane of my existence here. They make a terrible mess with the garbage here - one got into the kitchen today (I don't know how) knocked over a bunch of clean dishes, and stole some chicken. Ewwww...how I hate these chuchos - the fleas, the skin problems, the smell, the mess...
Ok, but enough of that stuff - those are my frusterations and I'm about ready for a bit of a break...
But, now a little about a packing list for those trainees who are going to come in this Jan...
Most Impt Things I Have...
1. My computer (with DVD)
2. IPOD with charger
3. Surge protector (get a good one)
4. 2 prong electrical adaptor
5. Makeup - the good stuff from home
6. Tennis shoes
7.Headlamp
8. Leatherman
9. My own sheets (size full)
10. Quick dry towel
11. Photos of friends and family
12. Good lotion and essential oils
13. Comfortable pair of heels
A few notes... Most toiletry stuff you can get here in Guate, so don't bring a lot of it - just enough to get you through the first week or so. Also, in regards to clothes - don't spend a lot on expensive stuff - washing stuff in a pila ruins most stuff quickly and plus there are lots of PACAS here (like Goodwill) where you can buy American clothes for cheap. Do bring some dress up clothes - I wear my button up shirts and nice pants a lot here. Even though I am living in the country - people still dress really nice for meetings and stuff -so I am glad that I have nice blouses and dress pants. Also, a comfortable pair of heels is great - the footwear here is generally more formal than the US. I wear my flip flops around the finca, but whenever I go to town or am in meetings - it's always heels (even on cobblestones).
So, that's about it from here - yes it is def. getting to be my time for a break. However, the big party is tomorrow, and I might need to kick it all off with a nice Pepsi/rum just to relax a bit after the chucho and water fiasco today.
The other frusteration right now are the chuchos (stray dogs) - man do I hate them. I know it is a strong word - but these dogs are the bane of my existence here. They make a terrible mess with the garbage here - one got into the kitchen today (I don't know how) knocked over a bunch of clean dishes, and stole some chicken. Ewwww...how I hate these chuchos - the fleas, the skin problems, the smell, the mess...
Ok, but enough of that stuff - those are my frusterations and I'm about ready for a bit of a break...
But, now a little about a packing list for those trainees who are going to come in this Jan...
Most Impt Things I Have...
1. My computer (with DVD)
2. IPOD with charger
3. Surge protector (get a good one)
4. 2 prong electrical adaptor
5. Makeup - the good stuff from home
6. Tennis shoes
7.Headlamp
8. Leatherman
9. My own sheets (size full)
10. Quick dry towel
11. Photos of friends and family
12. Good lotion and essential oils
13. Comfortable pair of heels
A few notes... Most toiletry stuff you can get here in Guate, so don't bring a lot of it - just enough to get you through the first week or so. Also, in regards to clothes - don't spend a lot on expensive stuff - washing stuff in a pila ruins most stuff quickly and plus there are lots of PACAS here (like Goodwill) where you can buy American clothes for cheap. Do bring some dress up clothes - I wear my button up shirts and nice pants a lot here. Even though I am living in the country - people still dress really nice for meetings and stuff -so I am glad that I have nice blouses and dress pants. Also, a comfortable pair of heels is great - the footwear here is generally more formal than the US. I wear my flip flops around the finca, but whenever I go to town or am in meetings - it's always heels (even on cobblestones).
So, that's about it from here - yes it is def. getting to be my time for a break. However, the big party is tomorrow, and I might need to kick it all off with a nice Pepsi/rum just to relax a bit after the chucho and water fiasco today.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Keeping Busy til Vacation!
Luckily a lot is going on here in site as I am getting so excited to leave for a vacation home to the US that I can barely concentrate! I can't believe by the time I get home I will have been in country for almost a year! Time has flown by and it has been a complete rollercoaster of a ride - but it feels really good to have this much time under my belt. In January the new group of Eco Tourism volunteers will be coming in and hopefully maybe I can help train them. Even now, I like to read the blogs of the other trainees - as they are experiencing their first few weeks in country, then field based training, then swearing in, reconnect...it feels good to be that much further along and to be making time.
Right now, I am working with a good friend of mine, Pasquala, and we are organizing a baking class this week for the women in the community. We went around on Saturday night, going door to door telling them what we are offering (making cakes, donuts, carrot cake etc. in artesenal ovens) and trying to get people to sign up (offering the promise of diplomas in the end - a big motivation factor here...). So, we started this afternoon with a meeting discussing what the costs will be to each woman and discussed which recipes they have an interest in). It is important for the women to take on some of this cost as I am learning more and more - if people invest in their learning or training - even a little bit - it will mean so much more to then than if they get it all for free. We only had 5 women show up out of the 15 who said yes - but this is pretty typical here - and 5 is better than nothing. We're hoping to make economical treats so that maybe the women can replicate it in their house and sell their goods for a little extra income. Tomorrow we are making pineapple cake - YUM!
The other huge deal that is going on at the end of the week is the big QUINCE of one of the daughters of one of the most important families here in the village. It is going to be the biggest party in the history of the community - over 500 people are invited - 300 lbs. of chicken have been bought - a marimba is coming in - and we start with the serenade at 3 a.m. (again - early mornings...sigh...) Anyway, I went dress shopping with the family last Friday and am pleased to say I have found my dress - an awesome black number with a little sparkle (I'll show you pics in December). Everyone is getting so excited - it is all anyone can talk about. I am in charge of the decorations with 2 other people from the community and we are starting in on Thursday - so with the decorations and two more days of the cake classes - my days are going to be jam packed. This is good though - time is flying!
Other than that - walked over to another finca yesterday for a soccer game - got to see some more terrain which is always nice and I walked over with my favorite family - so it is always nice to spend Sundays with them. Plus they invited me over for tamales de elote - which are sweet corn tamalitos - really good! They take such good care of me and tonight when I brought them over a papaya from one of the trees here at the hotel, when I entered - I always say "permiso" as it is the polite thing to do here when you enter another person's house but they told me tonight that I don't have to say that because it is my second house - so it is the small things like that that really mean a lot to me here.
Other than that - life as normal here - we're getting a lot more group business right now, there is not so much rain so my clothes dry, my skin has gotten used to the bug bites and now they don't even itch anymore, am psyched because Dona Pancha in the community bought a gas refrig and now I can buy a cold Pepsi every now and then and man is it good.
That's about it - counting down the days to my trip home! Can't wait to see you all and place for order for a Starbucks soy latte when I step off the plane in America.
Right now, I am working with a good friend of mine, Pasquala, and we are organizing a baking class this week for the women in the community. We went around on Saturday night, going door to door telling them what we are offering (making cakes, donuts, carrot cake etc. in artesenal ovens) and trying to get people to sign up (offering the promise of diplomas in the end - a big motivation factor here...). So, we started this afternoon with a meeting discussing what the costs will be to each woman and discussed which recipes they have an interest in). It is important for the women to take on some of this cost as I am learning more and more - if people invest in their learning or training - even a little bit - it will mean so much more to then than if they get it all for free. We only had 5 women show up out of the 15 who said yes - but this is pretty typical here - and 5 is better than nothing. We're hoping to make economical treats so that maybe the women can replicate it in their house and sell their goods for a little extra income. Tomorrow we are making pineapple cake - YUM!
The other huge deal that is going on at the end of the week is the big QUINCE of one of the daughters of one of the most important families here in the village. It is going to be the biggest party in the history of the community - over 500 people are invited - 300 lbs. of chicken have been bought - a marimba is coming in - and we start with the serenade at 3 a.m. (again - early mornings...sigh...) Anyway, I went dress shopping with the family last Friday and am pleased to say I have found my dress - an awesome black number with a little sparkle (I'll show you pics in December). Everyone is getting so excited - it is all anyone can talk about. I am in charge of the decorations with 2 other people from the community and we are starting in on Thursday - so with the decorations and two more days of the cake classes - my days are going to be jam packed. This is good though - time is flying!
Other than that - walked over to another finca yesterday for a soccer game - got to see some more terrain which is always nice and I walked over with my favorite family - so it is always nice to spend Sundays with them. Plus they invited me over for tamales de elote - which are sweet corn tamalitos - really good! They take such good care of me and tonight when I brought them over a papaya from one of the trees here at the hotel, when I entered - I always say "permiso" as it is the polite thing to do here when you enter another person's house but they told me tonight that I don't have to say that because it is my second house - so it is the small things like that that really mean a lot to me here.
Other than that - life as normal here - we're getting a lot more group business right now, there is not so much rain so my clothes dry, my skin has gotten used to the bug bites and now they don't even itch anymore, am psyched because Dona Pancha in the community bought a gas refrig and now I can buy a cold Pepsi every now and then and man is it good.
That's about it - counting down the days to my trip home! Can't wait to see you all and place for order for a Starbucks soy latte when I step off the plane in America.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Good thing I am Good at Public Speaking
Well, you just never know here when you will be faced with making a speech in front of a bunch of people you don't know without prior notice. This has happened countless times here and just happened again yesterday. Here I am trying to wake up, sitting in the hotel kitchen drinking some coffee - it's a Sunday after all - normally a day to relax. I knew a group was coming - suppossedly at 8 a.m. - but that normally means 10 .m. here - so I thought I had some time and anyway I wasn't worried since no one told me anything that I was suppossed to do...well, here they come at 8:15 a.m. - actually on time for Guatemala - very impressive - a group of university students. The thing I wasn't ready for was when my counterpart walks in and asks if I'm busy - I'm like - well, not really - so he is like - well come with me. I still have no idea what is going on - I am still in my glasses and haven't really "gotten ready" yet since no one told me anything...well, I go out and meet the professors - very nice people - and there are about 20 business administration students there. Then my counterpart is like - why don't you give them a presentation about your organization and the projects you are working on and tourism. Wow - okay then - luckily at this point I know the in's and out's pretty well and can speak intelligently about tourism so it turned out to be no problem and I really enjoyed hanging out with the students after. However, this is just an example of one of many times when stuff happens totally out of the blue here - complete randomness - nothing planned - or if it is planned - then lack of communication to the people who are involved in said plan....oh well. The good thing is that at this point of my life here - almost nothing surprises me and I can just roll with it. Here is an example of random things that don't even make me flinch anymore...
1. gun shots/firecrackers and being able to tell them apart
2. people walking around carrying an array of knives and machetes - whether they are working or not and feeling safer when police with guns board the bus
3. Impromtu speeches
4. Random shout outs - whistles, chancita (blonde), que guapa (how beautiful), I love you... - I probably get about 20 of these a day - and significantly more when I am in a city
5. Being on a bus that is passing 4 trucks on blind corners with a cliff on 1 or 2 slides - I don't even flinch anymore
6. Eating meat that has not been refrigerated for 48 hours
7. Spiders in the shower
8. People taking my picture while I am shopping at the grocery store
8. People rolling up to talk to me with a boa constrictor around their neck
9. Impromtu 10 km or more hikes through the jungle or on the side of the road when the bus breaks down unexpectantly
10. Warm weak beer
11. 12 year olds driving trucks
12. People lifting up the windows on the buses to sell you whatever you might need through the window (I actually really like this - you can just ask them (within reason) for about anything you want and they will get it for you before the bus takes off - need a newspaper, gum, water, lollipop - just ask these guys and they will find it for you. Talk about service - love it!
Other good news - there is a new store that opened above the soccer field and it has electricity and a fridge/freezer and sells......chocobananos!!!! Yeeeaaaahhhhh!!! And only .50 too! Plus they sell hot dogs, bread, fruit, veggies - this is a great store! And it just opened!
So - I have a lot to do before my trip home - there are decorations to plan for a quincinera (15th b'day party), our first group of bird watchers are coming, more planning for our tourism group, plus in service training - these days are going to fly.
Cheers,
Tara
1. gun shots/firecrackers and being able to tell them apart
2. people walking around carrying an array of knives and machetes - whether they are working or not and feeling safer when police with guns board the bus
3. Impromtu speeches
4. Random shout outs - whistles, chancita (blonde), que guapa (how beautiful), I love you... - I probably get about 20 of these a day - and significantly more when I am in a city
5. Being on a bus that is passing 4 trucks on blind corners with a cliff on 1 or 2 slides - I don't even flinch anymore
6. Eating meat that has not been refrigerated for 48 hours
7. Spiders in the shower
8. People taking my picture while I am shopping at the grocery store
8. People rolling up to talk to me with a boa constrictor around their neck
9. Impromtu 10 km or more hikes through the jungle or on the side of the road when the bus breaks down unexpectantly
10. Warm weak beer
11. 12 year olds driving trucks
12. People lifting up the windows on the buses to sell you whatever you might need through the window (I actually really like this - you can just ask them (within reason) for about anything you want and they will get it for you before the bus takes off - need a newspaper, gum, water, lollipop - just ask these guys and they will find it for you. Talk about service - love it!
Other good news - there is a new store that opened above the soccer field and it has electricity and a fridge/freezer and sells......chocobananos!!!! Yeeeaaaahhhhh!!! And only .50 too! Plus they sell hot dogs, bread, fruit, veggies - this is a great store! And it just opened!
So - I have a lot to do before my trip home - there are decorations to plan for a quincinera (15th b'day party), our first group of bird watchers are coming, more planning for our tourism group, plus in service training - these days are going to fly.
Cheers,
Tara
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
November!
Well time is really starting to fly now! I can't believe it is November already - just 2 more months and it will already be a year in country. The days really do go by quickly here - it is already 8 p.m. and I am wondering where the day went!
I have been keeping very busy lately and that really helps. I am still working on my big tourism project - bringing a mix of hotels, plantations, communities, restaurants, and an archeological site together to promote as a group effort. We are working as a great team and it will be fun to watch this take off. I was just up in Coban last week for the Primer Encuentro de Turismo Comunitario here in Guatemala. That means it was the first meeting of community based tourism projects here in Guatemala. The meeting was organized by INGUAT, the national tourism organization here in Guatemala. It is pretty cool to be able to continue working in tourism at a high level even though my project is fairly small scale. I never thought all of my experience in tourism would be put to work down here - the great thing is that I can speak intelligently on the issues and even give them some ideas on how we have made things work in the US and how the US clientele think. I made some great contacts at the meeting and also it was a great opportunity to see my Peace Corps friends. It is soooo nice getting together with them and comparing stories and see how everyone is doing. I am so amazed at some of them - speaking almost fluent Queqchi! We had great weather - didn't get hit by the "chipi chipi" - meaning never ending mist/drizzle - we actually had great weather. Also, got to stay at a nice hotel - which was amazing - hot water, water pressure, and I got to eat meat everyday! And there were monkeys there too!
Coming back I spent a day in Antigua doing some Christmas shopping and just enjoying Antigua - doing laundry in a washing machine and there was a DRYER too - oh I pulled my nice warm clean clothes out of the dryer and just held them up against my face - what a wonderful feeling - warm dry clothes that smell soooo good - oh it truly is the little things. And I got to watch TV and they had cable too at the hotel in Antigua. I watched Jersey Shore for the first time ever - wow - I kind of wish they wouldn't show that here - I hope people don't get the impression that all Americans act like that - it is kind of embarassing and now I know where some of our stereotypes come from. It is really different watching these programs now with a very different point of view. Antigua was great - got to enjoy eating bagels in the morning, enjoyed some sorbet in the afternoons, and generally loved wandering around Antigua. Oh yeah - I got to find a new taco place where they make great tacos al pastor!
Got back to site on Sunday and it was a crazy travel day - the first camioneta (bus) was packed - tons of people traveling for Todos Santos - with flowers and adornments. Then got on another bus, a Pullman, like an old US Greyhound which usually are really nice and you get your own seat - but this time there were no seats and I stood for 3 hours - but a really nice guy offered to hold my backpack on his lap the WHOLE time. The kindness of strangers in this country is really amazing - people are soooo helpful! At first I was very wary of this kind of helpfulness - thinking it was a scam or they wanted something - but no - truly people are that nice here. Then we got to the bridge just outside of my stop and there was a HUGE line - like 5-6 lines wide and on both sides. They picked probably one of THE busiest travel days of the year to try to fix the bridge - What the....??? So - I got off the bus and decided to walk across the bridge and hike to my bus stop to get up to the community. It was hot and I had a heavy load - but I didn't mind too much - except for the constant whistles and horn honks the entire way! Now I know what it is like being a celebrity - must be the blonde hair - but it is crazy here - constant whistles, horn honks, chching, yells of "canchita" (little blonde), que linda (how pretty), que hermosa (how beautiful), I love you...., ohhhhhh that is background music of my life here - at least in cities of on the side of the road- but don't worry - they don't mean anything by it and I just ignore it or sometimes they do get really creative and they get a smile out of me. Wow - when I get back to the States and I don't get this kind of attention I am going to wonder what happened to me!
Then yesterday was Todos Santos and I walked up to the cemetary in the forest with Sara's family. We adorned the grave sites and lit candles and enjoyed walking around and visiting with everyone.
On another note I was asked to be the godmother for the child of Vitalino and Pasquala. She is due in December and I hope I am here for it. It is a big honor and I am happy that they asked me. So that is exciting news too.
Other random things that I am thinking about/miss from the US...
*Ice cubes (namely I'm thinking about iced coffee)
*US sense of humor (The Office) - and cable TV
*Traveling in cars (as oppossed to public transport)
*Getting my own seat in a car - put it this way - the seats in coach on the plane are going to feel spacious compared to what I am used to
*Lettuce - I haven't eaten a salad in 10 months
*Sandwiches - the book I am reading constantly refers to sandwiches and it is driving me nuts!
*Getting to eat exactly what you want when you want it
*Dancing - oh I am missing my time at the dance studio
Stuff I Love about Guate
*Not having to get up out of your seat (or half or quarter of a seat) to get anything - they bring the paper, snacks, bananas, cold soda - anything right to you - LOVE this!!
*People being so helpful and helping me travel with my heavy bags
*GREAT music in the camionetas
*The cleanliness at McDonalds - they keep it sooo clean and there are free newspapers to read and they carry your tray for you and open the door for you - what service!
*My Guatemalan family - The Recinos that have taken me in here in Guate - they are so kind and generous - this has really helped my integration here in the community.
So that is about it for now! We have some volunteers here and they brought The Office with them - oh one of my favorite shows from the US - yes!!
Cheers!
Tara
I have been keeping very busy lately and that really helps. I am still working on my big tourism project - bringing a mix of hotels, plantations, communities, restaurants, and an archeological site together to promote as a group effort. We are working as a great team and it will be fun to watch this take off. I was just up in Coban last week for the Primer Encuentro de Turismo Comunitario here in Guatemala. That means it was the first meeting of community based tourism projects here in Guatemala. The meeting was organized by INGUAT, the national tourism organization here in Guatemala. It is pretty cool to be able to continue working in tourism at a high level even though my project is fairly small scale. I never thought all of my experience in tourism would be put to work down here - the great thing is that I can speak intelligently on the issues and even give them some ideas on how we have made things work in the US and how the US clientele think. I made some great contacts at the meeting and also it was a great opportunity to see my Peace Corps friends. It is soooo nice getting together with them and comparing stories and see how everyone is doing. I am so amazed at some of them - speaking almost fluent Queqchi! We had great weather - didn't get hit by the "chipi chipi" - meaning never ending mist/drizzle - we actually had great weather. Also, got to stay at a nice hotel - which was amazing - hot water, water pressure, and I got to eat meat everyday! And there were monkeys there too!
Coming back I spent a day in Antigua doing some Christmas shopping and just enjoying Antigua - doing laundry in a washing machine and there was a DRYER too - oh I pulled my nice warm clean clothes out of the dryer and just held them up against my face - what a wonderful feeling - warm dry clothes that smell soooo good - oh it truly is the little things. And I got to watch TV and they had cable too at the hotel in Antigua. I watched Jersey Shore for the first time ever - wow - I kind of wish they wouldn't show that here - I hope people don't get the impression that all Americans act like that - it is kind of embarassing and now I know where some of our stereotypes come from. It is really different watching these programs now with a very different point of view. Antigua was great - got to enjoy eating bagels in the morning, enjoyed some sorbet in the afternoons, and generally loved wandering around Antigua. Oh yeah - I got to find a new taco place where they make great tacos al pastor!
Got back to site on Sunday and it was a crazy travel day - the first camioneta (bus) was packed - tons of people traveling for Todos Santos - with flowers and adornments. Then got on another bus, a Pullman, like an old US Greyhound which usually are really nice and you get your own seat - but this time there were no seats and I stood for 3 hours - but a really nice guy offered to hold my backpack on his lap the WHOLE time. The kindness of strangers in this country is really amazing - people are soooo helpful! At first I was very wary of this kind of helpfulness - thinking it was a scam or they wanted something - but no - truly people are that nice here. Then we got to the bridge just outside of my stop and there was a HUGE line - like 5-6 lines wide and on both sides. They picked probably one of THE busiest travel days of the year to try to fix the bridge - What the....??? So - I got off the bus and decided to walk across the bridge and hike to my bus stop to get up to the community. It was hot and I had a heavy load - but I didn't mind too much - except for the constant whistles and horn honks the entire way! Now I know what it is like being a celebrity - must be the blonde hair - but it is crazy here - constant whistles, horn honks, chching, yells of "canchita" (little blonde), que linda (how pretty), que hermosa (how beautiful), I love you...., ohhhhhh that is background music of my life here - at least in cities of on the side of the road- but don't worry - they don't mean anything by it and I just ignore it or sometimes they do get really creative and they get a smile out of me. Wow - when I get back to the States and I don't get this kind of attention I am going to wonder what happened to me!
Then yesterday was Todos Santos and I walked up to the cemetary in the forest with Sara's family. We adorned the grave sites and lit candles and enjoyed walking around and visiting with everyone.
On another note I was asked to be the godmother for the child of Vitalino and Pasquala. She is due in December and I hope I am here for it. It is a big honor and I am happy that they asked me. So that is exciting news too.
Other random things that I am thinking about/miss from the US...
*Ice cubes (namely I'm thinking about iced coffee)
*US sense of humor (The Office) - and cable TV
*Traveling in cars (as oppossed to public transport)
*Getting my own seat in a car - put it this way - the seats in coach on the plane are going to feel spacious compared to what I am used to
*Lettuce - I haven't eaten a salad in 10 months
*Sandwiches - the book I am reading constantly refers to sandwiches and it is driving me nuts!
*Getting to eat exactly what you want when you want it
*Dancing - oh I am missing my time at the dance studio
Stuff I Love about Guate
*Not having to get up out of your seat (or half or quarter of a seat) to get anything - they bring the paper, snacks, bananas, cold soda - anything right to you - LOVE this!!
*People being so helpful and helping me travel with my heavy bags
*GREAT music in the camionetas
*The cleanliness at McDonalds - they keep it sooo clean and there are free newspapers to read and they carry your tray for you and open the door for you - what service!
*My Guatemalan family - The Recinos that have taken me in here in Guate - they are so kind and generous - this has really helped my integration here in the community.
So that is about it for now! We have some volunteers here and they brought The Office with them - oh one of my favorite shows from the US - yes!!
Cheers!
Tara
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