Kristina (now) in the U.S.A.

Note to readers...

2011-05-17T19:44:00.002-05:00

Somehow, in the process of switching this blog between google accounts, I lost all of the photos. I plan on re-posting them all eventually. Thanks for reading!

Peace out,
KC

Peace out

2010-09-12T20:28:00.000-05:00

How do you end a blog? On purpose, that is. I know plenty of people who just stopped posting, usually because they got bored, or too busy, or ran out of ideas. But that's not the case here. I suppose I could do some kind of list of my favorite entries, but that seems a little self-indulgent, and being that this blog has been almost exclusively about my life for the last two-plus years, I think I've about run the gamut on self-indulgence.

So I guess I just end it by saying I'm ending it. I have started a new blog called The Peach at peachingtothechoir.blogspot.com. If you're interested in following, please do. I just figured now that I have a job and have moved out of my parents' house, it's pretty safe to say my life in the U.S. has officially re-started, so it doesn't really make sense to keep posting on a site whose address is www.kristinainguate.blogspot.com.

I haven't decided on a totally cohesive theme yet for the new blog. I suppose it will take shape as I post. I'm trying to stay away from the T.V./movie review format (although I am in the midst of compiling a favorite albums list), and now that I'm back living in the United States like the majority of my readers, I feel like regular, first-person reports from my daily life will get pretty boring pretty quick. For the time being I see it being a compilation of random musings, but I promise to do my best to make it timely, relevant and at least occasionally entertaining.

In any case, thanks for following me on my Peace Corps journey, transition and all. It was one hell of a ride that I imagine will shape the rest of my life. I hope it gave you an informative and heart-felt glimpse into a different world. I'll miss being that girl you know who lives in Guatemala, but you know what they say about good things. Now it's time to become that girl you know who does something else.

Peace out,
Kristina

Maxin' and relaxin' and actin' all cool (the conclusion)

2010-09-08T22:07:00.001-05:00

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Sing-a-long

These next two videos are from one of my last days in Guatemala. The teachers from my school in Taj Buxup took me on a day trip out to a small nearby lake called La Laguna Candelaria for some hiking, a picnic and, as you’ll see, a private concert (see Projects and more despedidas, April 17, 2010). The teacher singing is Profe Amilcar and is a member of a group called Los Viajeros. He even has a popular duet that plays on the local radio station. In the first clip he is singing in the local Mayan language of Popti’. The second one is in Spanish.

Dance, dance!

And finally, here we have my friends and me being ridiculous, trying to entertain ourselves, probably on another exciting Friday night. We were inspired by the “Forever” wedding procession. And yes, these are sober antics (well, mostly).

So there you have it: my life in Guatemala in 26 clips of two minutes or less. It’s certainly not the whole picture, but my hope is that it gave those who are interested, a taste of what life was like for me during the more than two years I spent there. I know I’ve spent quite a few posts on this, but I figured this was the more humane alternative to inviting you all over and making you sit through a two-hour slideshow. Questions, comments, observations? Let me know what you think.

Peace out,
Kristina

Maxin' and relaxin' and actin' all cool (continued)

2010-09-03T21:28:00.000-05:00

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Angelito sings a song
Profe Juan was one of the teachers who worked at my small school in Taj Buxup and also one of my good friends in town. He's a huge promoter of Healthy Schools and supporter/befriender of Peace Corps Volunteers. This next clip is of his youngest son, Juan Angel, singing the theme song from his favorite T.V. show, Discovery Kids.

Cute kids
Maybe my closest Jakalteca friend was Maria Ros. She and her family were extremely welcoming to me from almost the very start of my service. I celebrated birthdays and holidays with them and ate at their house at least once a week. This next video is of her nephew, Mario José, who loves to dance. (I use freeware. There's a watermark. Ignore it.)

And here's one of Mario and his cousin Nicol Valesca playing and just generally being cute in the house Maria is in the process of building.

Friday night festivities

In case you've ever wondered what I did for fun on a Friday night in Jacal, the answer is: ping pong, of course. At the end of this clip, Juan Jo gloats about beating me for the first (and only ... :) time. (It was before I was able to sit him down for his first English grammar lesson.)

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Maxin' and relaxin' and actin' all cool

2010-08-23T21:45:00.000-05:00

We've now arrived at the "fun" category of clips. The next three posts will be filled with videos of me hanging out with friends and colleagues throughout the course of my service. It's a random sampling, but I hope it gives some idea of what we did to relax and have fun.

Rodrigo shows off his toys

What follows was shot on my very first day living with my host family in Pastores. I had been in Guatemala less than 72 hours, if I'm not mistaken, so my Spanish was still a bit shaky. I'm trying to ask my little host brother, Rodrigo, to show me his toys. He eventually gets the idea, but is more interested in using the camera himself.

Feliz cumple!

This next one's pretty easy to follow, even if you don't speak Spanish. Turns out birthday clowns are equally hilarious and/or terrifying -- depending on your own personal feelings on the subject -- in any language. This was a party for my host mother's neice toward the end of my training. As before, just ignore the "MyVideoConverter" watermark. (Although, I will give them a plug here since I've had so much success using the free version of their software. It's very user friendly for novice media editors such as myself. So if you're into that kind of thing, check it out.)

Nobody rocks a party...

like Pan Dulce rocks a party! The last video in this post is of Pan Dulce's debut performance at the Peace Corps Guatemala 2008 Fourth of July party. Pan Dulce was a rap group formed by several members of my training group that wrote songs based on our unique Peace Corps experiences. The song is in English but you may find that many of the jokes don't translate if you're not a Guatemalan Peace Corps Volunteer (or at least a Latin American PCV). Still, it's a jammin' song (called "Chicharron") and I think you'll enjoy it anyway. It's a bit difficult to hear, but see if you can pick out my two favorite lines: "Call me Pan Dulce, I'm that sweet//But I still get dirty like food on the street" and "Just one look and the chavas go nuts//Ayudantes pay me when I ride the bus." Parental advisory: one explicit lyric.

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La cultura chapina (continued)

2010-08-15T14:45:00.002-05:00

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"... And world peace"

In Guatemala, beauty pageants -- for lack of a better phrase (as far as I know, they are not scholarship programs) -- are a common form of entertainment. They are organized for almost every town fair and in each town for the Guatemalan Independence Day. In my town, they always made an effort to incorporate both the indigenous and ladino cultures into the pageants. For example, the girls would be judged on a speech given in the native Mayan language, as well as on a speech given in Spanish. They would model traditional indigenous wear, as well as modern sports wear (e.g. a tennis or gymnastics uniform). The clip below is of a girl in one of the villages where I worked, wearing Jacal’s customary traje, while the emcee explains her outfit, that of her escort and talks about local traditions.

Pushing the arts
I have many, many complaints about the Guatemalan primary education system, but there is one area in which I believe they excel, and that is in the promotion of the arts. Every year, there are district-wide competitions for singing and dancing, arts and crafts, drawing, poetic recitation and more. And while it made for more days of cancelled classes, I was always blown away by the importance placed on cultivating the arts. This next video shows another one of my favorites (shhh!) competing in the first round of the first competition I attended. It’s a little tough to hear him over the all the students talking, but it gets better toward the middle.

Feliz Navidad

Finally, we have a video of a posada in which I walked during my first Christmas season in Guatemala. Large groups of mostly women and children walk the streets singing Christmas carols and carrying small floats of the Holy Family during the nine days before Christmas to re-enact Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem. The float ends up at a different house each night, where the whole group is treated to ponche (a delicious fruit cider) and something to eat.

Up next: just some random videos of me hanging out with friends.

Peace out,

Kristina

La cultura chapina

2010-08-11T19:53:00.005-05:00

Part three of this series will feature videos that all have something to do with the culture in Guatemala or specifically in my town of Jacaltenango.

Mayan meditation

The following clips depict a Mayan ceremony that we attended toward the end of training. It was to celebrate the sacred Mayan calendar and Mother Nature. The clips are somewhat uneventful, as I didn't capture much of the priest's explanation of the ceremony, but it was very cool to be a part of it. To top it off, it took place in the middle of ruins that at one point served as the seat of Mayan power in Guatemala. Again, you can ignore the watermarks on all of these videos. It's just there because I used the trial version of some video converter software to shorten the clips.

Día del Cariño

Some have you may have picked up from reading previous posts that Guatemalans are a fun-loving people always looking for a reason to celebrate. There are easily five ferriados (holidays) a month. Some of the big ones are Día del Maestro (Day of the Teacher), Día de la Madre (Mother's Day), each town's feast day, and September 15, the Guatemalan Independence. These celebrations often end up lasting a week or longer and include lots of food, family parties, marimba bands and parades. The next video shows footage of my training host family's Valentine's Day party (see Figuring it out, Feb. 21, 2008). It was really interesting for me to see what a huge deal was made out of a day that in the United States is generally reserved for quiet, romantic celebrations between couples.

Eating ants

Here's where I prove that I wasn't lying when I wrote about eating roasted ants in Travels and more misadventures, July 23, 2008. Jokox are a traditional seasonal snack in Jacal gathered and eaten every year around May when the rains start and force the ants out from underground. Depending on how plentiful they are, a pound can go for up to Q100 ($12).

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Down and on the road (continued ... finally)

2010-08-07T19:29:00.000-05:00

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Howler Monkeys from the crypt

Yet another popular video, the one below is from the same trip as the clip before it (see Vacay!! ... Peace Corps style and Pictures, as promised, Nov. 2008). After volunteering at the animal rescue center, we took a day and went up to the ruins of Tikal, a Guatemalan national treasure. Here we were exposed to some of the very animals for which we had cared. I swear upon all that is sacred, what you hear in this clip comes from a monkey that is on average no more than three feet tall and weighs no more than 22 lbs. Here's a picture of one and a graphic depicting its relative size to humans. Just ignore the watermark on the video. I downloaded a trial version of a media converter to cut the clip from another video that was too large to post.

Vacation in paradise

The next clip is of the beach where my friend Ashleigh and I stayed in Tulum, Mexico the week before Thanksgiving, 2008 (see Peace Corps life is tough and Photos of Palenque and Tulum, Nov. 2008). Our little cabin was less than fifty yards from the spot where I'm taking the video.

A big effing hole

That's pretty much what the final video of my travels captures. I did a day trip with some friends and we hiked out to a huge sink hole near Jacal (see Diversión, September 6, 2009). We went. We threw rocks. We ate and we left. It was a pretty awesome day.

Peace out,

Kristina

Down and on the road

2010-07-15T22:43:00.002-05:00

In the second installment of our four-part video collage of Kristina’s experience in Peace Corps Guatemala, I'll be posting videos that highlight my travels and the natural beauty of Guatemala.

Rio Azul

The video below is of the famed Rio Azul, located a short 10-minute walk from the house where I lived in Jacal. It has received numerous mentions on this blog, but was covered most in-depth in This and that..., June 16, 2008.

La-la-la-lava

This next video is narrated by my former site mate Erica. In July of the first year I was in Guatemala, we hiked and camped out on Volcano Pacaya outside of Guatemala City and she brought her camera, while I had forgotten mine. (Thank goodness for site mates.) Pacaya is an active volcano and was particularly energetic the night we were there. It was definitely a unique experience, which included roasting marshmallows on the lava (see Travels and more misadventures, July 23, 2008).

Monkey business

This one is a crowd favorite. My friends Katie and Dave and I volunteered for a week at a wild animal rescue center (see Vacay!! ... Peace Corps style and Pictures, as promised, Nov. 2008). While walking through the education center one day, I got a little too close to the monkey cage.

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Whistle (or scream) while you work

2010-07-15T17:31:00.001-05:00

My latest endeavor (besides looking for gainful employment) is to post on this blog all the videos I didn't have the right combination of bandwidth and patience to upload during my service. I've divided what I consider to be the best videos -- and those most representative of my experience in Guatemala -- into four categories. They are work, culture, travel and fun. I'll create a new entry for each category, and possibly several for each category, depending on how many clips Blogger can accomodate on each post. I realize no one is going to watch every second of every clip (although, if you've got the time and inclination, be my guest), but I figured you could watch all or parts of the ones that interest you.

You may notice that this entry, the work post, has the fewest number of videos. (Insert joke about Cuerpo de Paseo here.) While, it is true that I only worked in the schools approximately three to five hours, three to four days a week, the following clips are certainly not fully representative of my experience in the schools. The truth is, I don't even have a clip of a normal day at school. Part of the reason is because a normal day in the Guatemalan public school system doesn't exist. The schedules are extremely unregulated. Another reason is that on the rare occasion we were having a fully productive, uninterrupted day of classes, I wasn't inclined to take out my camera, which always proved to be a major distraction with the students.

Plus, we were constantly reminded by the Peace Corps administration that being a volunteer was a 24-hr/seven day-a-week job, so technically all these posts could fall into the work category. Disclaimer aside, below are clips of some of the highlights from my work in the schools.

Health parade: ¡Estamos sanos!
The following video is that of a health parade we held to kick off the 2009 school year with my big school in Buxup. We came up with cheers and the kids and teachers made signs and costumes. Yes, that's me screaming from behind the camera. Sorry. I don't know why I never realize how close I am to the microphone when I'm taking video.

Tree Huggers: The Next Generation
Clip No. 2 is of a skit about protecting the environment put on by my fifth graders last year. I showed Fern Gully in Spanish to all of the classes and each teacher then came up with an assignment related to the film. The girl playing the fairy was one of my favorites. (But don't tell anyone I said that.)

¡Adiós, Kristina!
And this final video is of my good friend Maria's fouth grade class bidding me adieu during one of my last days of class (see Projects and more despedidas, April 17, 2010). I don't know if they made up the song or if it's a standard, but either way, it was pretty darn cute.

Peace out,

Kristina

The post that never was

2010-06-20T00:31:00.003-05:00

Former Jacal PCV Dan, Doña Gloria and me

I believe that in at least one previous post -- and possibly several -- I mentioned the name of Doña Gloria, a wonderfully interesting woman who lives in Jacal. I promised to dedicate a post to her, but never got around to it, so now I am.

The picture above is the only one I managed to get with her during the two years I lived there, but I would see her around town at least twice a week. I would usually have my Gloria sightings in the town park/church square, where she spends much of her time standing guard, having made it her life's mission to keep those areas free of litter and debris. Woe to the children who attempt to strike up a friendly game of fútbol in the courtyard. They will suffer the wrath of Gloria; for where there are children, there is mud. And God save the man who tosses his empty Styrofoam atol cup onto the ground. Hell hath no fury.

And she does not restrict her domain to just those areas. I recall walking down a side street one day and passing a group of young girls riding their bikes around in a circle, presumably in front of their house. Gloria was coming from the other direction. As she passed in front of the house she commented that the sidewalk and street in front of it were too dusty and littered and instructed the girls to grab a broom and some water and clean it up.

Gloria is a strong, opinionated and blunt woman, who has no problem saying exactly what's on her mind to whomever she pleases. On several occasions she has driven around town with a loud speaker, doing public service announcements focused on protecting the environment.

Many of you will recall the post I made about Pascual a few months ago (Don't Stop Believin', Jan. 24, 2010). He was the young boy struggling to make it on his own in Jacal who was thrown a surprise birthday party by the group of doctors, Habitat for Humanity volunteers and water purifier installers for which I translated on a few occasions. Gloria was the one who found Pascual crying in the church when he had run out of money and all of his oranges had gone bad before he could sell even one. She wasted no time in bringing Pascual to home of the Rojas family, which owns one of the most popular cafeterias in town. According to a member of the family, Gloria went right up to Don Chus Rojas, said, "You have lots of money and extra food. Give this boy a job," and left.

That may seem presumptuous or even rude, but that's who Doña Gloria is: a straight shooter who has no time for finesse. She's got a bone to pick with the people of her town who don't seem to give a rat's ass about the cleanliness of their streets and public areas. She's focused on getting the job done and looking good while doing it.

That brings us to another of Gloria's fascinating character traits: her highly developed sense of fashion. You won't catch her any footwear other than heels. And I might add heels at least four inches high and of the exact hue of her outfit (which is why it's a shame I only have the one picture, because it didn't capture the matching lavender pumps she was wearing).

My favorite ensemble of hers were the red pumps, accented by dark red lipstick, with a red shawl over a flowing red dress that looked like something that would have been worn by a plump, well-to-do lady of distinction in the early 1900s. What I wouldn't give for a photograph of that. I really should have tried harder, but taking pictures of people you don't know that well is a tricky situation to begin with, let alone the cultural issues that would have been involved in this one.

While Doña Gloria and I were not particularly close, we did chat occasionally. She knew who I was and that I was involved in some kind of health/environment service project in the area. Because of this, she considered me an ally.

Or should I say cohort? She called me "Mi amor!" and was always pitching a different half-baked plan for how we could join forces. I had my hands pretty full with the Peace Corps projects and wasn't sure she'd be the most reliable counterpart so I would politely beg off or change the subject. She also liked to conspiratorially whisper to me about how dirty her fellow townspeople were, and while I agreed that cleanliness and preserving the environment were not high priorities, her somewhat demeaning tone made me uncomfortable, so I thought it best to keep my distance.

As with any high profile person in a small town, there were plenty of rumors in constant circulation about Doña Gloria. The most popular was that she was shacked up for some time with a much younger man, who split after stringing her along for years while she paid for his education. Many said it was after this incident that she went a little off the deep end and anointed herself the town's litter monitor.

You can never tell how much truth there is to tales like that and I tend to err on the side of skepticism, but it does make for a tragic story and lifts her to almost legendary status -- or at least gives her the potential to reach it within 50 years.

As for me, I really do admire Doña Gloria, albeit from afar. She is a loud and powerful woman who isn't afraid to speak up in a society that on the whole expects women to sit down, shut their mouths and shell some corn. The fact that she is speaking up for a cause that rates just barely above women's issues among her peers is even more incredible. People can say what they want about her flaws. She has plenty of them. But I say that Doña Gloria serves as an example to the whole community and especially the young women, and I hope to find her still harassing people in the streets the next time I'm in Jacal, when I'll definitely have to take some more photos.

Peace out,
Kristina

Readjusting Part II

2010-05-13T15:50:00.000-05:00

People keep asking me how I feel about being back. The truth is I feel divided in half. It's great to be back with my family and friends here, and I miss my family and friends in Guatemala like mad. I didn't write "but I miss my family and friends in Guatemala" because the two feelings are equally strong and I feel split exactly in two. I don't know that that's a bad thing, but it's certainly disorienting at the moment.

Because I can't seem to quite capture the emotion in the abstract, the best the reporter in me can do is list some things that have caught my attention in my second week of adjusting to life in the land of the free:

Being able to offer people access to wireless Internet in my home is not as impressive in the United States as it was in Guatemala.
It hurts to not be able to speak/text Spanglish. "Hoy" is so much easier to write than "today." How do you capture the true essence of "saber" and "confianza"?
Coca-cola served in glass bottles is a rare and apparently very excited thing here. It took me a minute to figure out why everyone was so impressed when I was served it that way last weekend.
My new favorite thing about the United States is the cash back option on debit purchases. It might very well be the absolute best part about living here.
I should have waited longer before going through all my photos and videos. I've already made my mom and best friend sit through a 15-minute slideshow mostly of people they'll never meet.
People in the U.S. have absolutely NO EXCUSE for littering. There are trash cans like every 15 feet in public, regular trash pick-up provided by the government and more often than not, municipal recycling programs. Seeing all the litter in Guatemala made me sad and frustrated. Seeing it here makes me angry.
I love that I can run three times the distance without getting tired after going from living at 4,875 feet to 270 feet.
I still expect people to stare and be curious about me when I go out in public, but no one ever does/is. They are also never surprised that I speak the local language.

That's all for now -- just a peak into what's going through my head on a daily basis. The job/grad school hunt is still on. I'm trying to decide between public health and non-profit management. Please weigh in if you have any insight.

Peace out,
Kristina

Readjusting Part I

2010-05-05T17:48:00.000-05:00

Today marks the end of my first week at home. It feels like it's been longer. The last seven days have been packed with tons of homecoming activities.

I filled in on my parents' bowling team on my first night. I had a pretty terrible first game (sub-70 if I remember correctly) but picked it up for 100-plus scores in the last two games. On Sunday, we did a bike ride down to the beach and had lunch at the end of the pier and on Monday I met up with two good friends from high school for some delicious food, beer and reminiscing. I've also been taking advantage of my 24 Hour Fitness membership and am loving being able to work out at the gym whenever I want.

In fact, I am loving being able to go anywhere I want whenever I want. (More or less. I still don't have my own car, but my family members have been very accomodating.)

Weird readjustment issues/observations so far:

I still have to fight a strong urge to throw my toilet paper in the trash can.
I drive really slowly and somewhat timidly because I'm always on the lookout for speed bumps randomly in the middle of the road/highway.
I don't function well without my daily nap.
Having central air in your home gives you so much more energy throughout the day.
I can sleep in so much longer without a mechanic's shop directly outside my window.
My parents have 600 cable channels and there's almost nothing ever on that's really worth watching (except Glee, of course).
You can do so many more errands in one day with a car and access to good roads, but it's exhausting. I don't know what to do without hours upon hours of unscheduled time.
I am suspicious of any and all animals in public, whether they be leashed and obviously domesticated or not.
I point at things with my lips but people don't know what item I'm indicating

I've been in compare/contrast overload mode since I landed, so I'll stop there for now.

For the moment, I'm taking my time on the job front. I'm hoping for a temporary placement or two before doing some traveling in late June. After that I plan to take on the job hunt full force and hopefully land something in the non-profit sector. If that doesn't happen, I'll still be looking to get experience in that field in the form of volunteer work or an internship, so if anyone knows of anything, let me know. Beyond that, I am studying for the GRE and investigating graduate school programs. I think that about covers all the standard questions about my plans for the future.

No more notes for now. Hope everyone is doing well. If you're in the SoCal area and want to catch up, send me an email or drop me a note on Facebook.

Peace out,
Kristina

Acknowledgements

2010-04-21T10:04:00.001-05:00

Here it is: my farewell post. I finish my tour with the Peace Corps on April 27th and fly back home the next day. I still have a week left and may very well make a few more posts after this, but I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported me through this experience, because I really would not have been able to do it without you.

I realize the problem with the way I’ve written this post is that I have inevitably forgotten to mention someone. But that’s only because so many people have helped me through this experience that it’s virtually impossible to name them all. So whether your name appears below or not, if you’re reading this and you know me, then thank you. Even if all you’ve ever done is read this blog now and then, thank you for thinking of me and taking interest. It truly does mean a lot to me.

Mom, Dad, Michael and Trish: Thanks for all the packages (seriously the best part of my month), mixed CDs, love and support. You guys always found a way to let me know you had my back and were thinking of me. Knowing that always made it easier to get through whatever challenges I was facing. Not to mention the fact that I always felt cool for knowing what the hot new song was back in the States. I love you guys so much more than you can ever know.

Aunt Christine, Uncle Bob, Rachel and M&M: You guys have been so supportive throughout this whole experience. Being this far away from everyone has made me realize how lucky I really am to be part of such an amazing family. Thanks for all the packages and letters. I can’t wait to hang out again.

Beppe and Opa: Thank you as well for caring and showing me your support with the packages and phone calls. I think I get my sense of adventure and love of travel from the both of you. Having heard your stories from all the places you’ve been was a big part of what inspired me to take on this experience. I love you both.

Juan Jo: You are one of the best friends I’ve ever had and just thinking about the fact that I’m not going to be able to hang out with you every day is making me really, really sad. It was so nice to have someone right by my side going through basically the same experience as me. Thanks for always being there to listen. You are an amazing, big-hearted guy and I’m going to miss you like crazy. Yo sé que no es adiós para siempre, sólo hasta que nos volvamos a ver.

Sara: First of all, thanks to you and your whole family for taking me in during las fiestas. You truly made me feel welcome and made it much easier to be away from my family at that time of year. And even more than that, thanks for being such a great friend and such a happy, smiling person. You always make me laugh. Cuidate mucho. Hasta pronto.

JuanCo: (Even though I know everyone else calls you JuanCa) I wish we had been able to hang out more while I was here, but I’m glad we got to know each other. You’re a great friend and I hope we’ll keep in touch.

My Huehue family: We are one. We are Huehue. I think it was fate that sent me way-way far away to become a part of this group of hair-band-loving, off-beat misfits. I’ve never felt so accepted and supported by a group of people in my life. Wait, what does that say about me? Eh, who cares? One love. That was f@#%ing sweet!

Parramos Crew: Way too many memories, laughs and shenanigans. Thanks for adopting me. I’ll always remember all the … pet hair. To be honest, the rest will be a bit fuzzy thanks to combining Benadryl and Kristina pours. We’ll always have Aca.

Cat: My PC mentor. You may not have wanted that title, but I’m giving it to you anyway, because that’s what you were. Thanks for all the words of wisdom and keeping me grounded when I was freaking out. And thanks for keeping the lights on and the door always open at Posada Chiantla II (Cynthia’s place was Posada Chiantla I because she was there first). You rock my socks off (including all the ones you left me). Huista 4-eva.

Miller Time (Mata Huevos): Seems like swear-in was yesterday. Thanks for being my verbal sparring partner (most people aren’t up to the challenge) and making me laugh with your random pet peeves and idiosyncrasies. Just jump off the back of the bus, woman! Also, mark my words: You will be a Bananagrams convert by the time I get through with you.

Ash: There aren’t enough words in the English – or Spanish – language. I would have ET’d so freaking long ago had you not been here. Thanks for all the hours-long vent sessions (What the hell did we even talk about!?) and the plethora of emails with funny anecdotes, interesting links, history lessons and no subject lines. It all kept me going whenever the crap was hitting the fan – that, and the fact that you hate sentences that end in prepositional phrases as much as I do. From now on, when the clock strikes 9, I will always have this strong urge to call you. I’m going to miss you. Thanks for being a friend.

Kristin and Damian (and Rico): Thanks for putting up with my crazy this last month. It was great getting to know you guys. Good luck with the next two years. Make the most of it. The Jacal legacy is now in your hands.

Katie E.: You are truly an awesome friend. Thanks for the packages and staying in touch. It may not have seemed like much to you, but it was nice to know that someone back home was thinking of me (who wasn’t more or less required to do so due to the laws of nature), and knew I needed pens!

Brookster: Ditto goes for you, roomie. Thanks for letting me call and rant, even though most of the time you probably had no idea what the hell I was going on about. I can’t wait to hit the town with you again Spokane-style.

My Funky Table Brothers: Thank goodness for Facebook and the ability to keep up with all the crazy goings-on in your lives. No matter how hard things sometimes got here, I could count on you all for a laugh. I had so much fun hanging out with you guys (minus a notable few) on my visit home and can’t wait to get right back to it. So, what do we think? Is everyone ready for FTB: The Seattle Years?

Training Class of Winter 2008: Seniors rule! We did it, and I don’t think it’s stretching to say we were the coolest training class yet. I mean, does anyone else have a PC rap group? “Environmental Ed: recyclin cans. Healthy Schools: we be washin hands. But man, you know we bad up in Eco-Turismo. Walkin in the room sin pedir permiso. Xerlies be tryin to robar mi estilo but, they got nothin on my bod ‘o steel, yo! I count the days, but I done lost track. Goin’ native, want my foreskin back. A new life in a brand new ‘hood. When you been here a year, traje looks damn good!” Just sayin. Thanks for being friends.

To the people of Jacaltenango: Even though there’s a good chance that no one from Jacal will ever read this, I would be remiss if I did not mention the people of the town that has been my home for the last two years. It is the people here who have made my Peace Corps service the rich, life-changing experience that it was. So many of them welcomed me into their homes and families. They looked out for me and made sure I was safe. Above all, they befriended me, shared themselves and their culture with me, and allowed me to share a bit of myself with them. I am forever changed for it. Jacal will always feel like a second home to me and I leave it with a heavy heart. I would especially like to thank the Ros, Rojas and Mendoza families and my good friend Seño María Asunción.

To everyone who supported our projects: I realize I am behind in providing you with an official update. One is on the way. But for now, let me just say, unofficially, thank you so much. Your contributions have made and will continue to make a huge difference in the lives of the people of Buxup and Taj Buxup and we could not have completed the kitchens without your support.

Everyone who sent a package wrote a letter or an e-mail, left a comment, prayed for me or kept me in their thoughts: Thank you times a million. Your support really has been a blessing and if I didn’t know so many people were behind me, I never would have made it through this. Gracias por todo!

Peace out,
Kristina

Projects and more despedidas

2010-04-17T11:11:00.000-05:00

Here are some updated pictures from the bottle kitchen project. The stove tops were poorly constructed and one completely distorted during the first use, but supposedly that is being fixed as a type this. If that is actually happening, then I'll be able to write a reccomendation that the school be certified before I leave.

Before

During

After

It's so hard to say goodbye
I've been attending goodbye parties every few days for the last three or four weeks. They start to take an emotional toll after a while, but still, it's really great to be able to mark the end of my time here with so many people in a celebratory way. More pictures:

Classroom despedida

One of my students gave me this stuffed duck as a goodbye present ... aww

Despedida with the teachers from Taj Buxup

Prof. Amilcar pretending to fix the car while we waited for the mechanic on the way to Laguna Candelaria

Profe serenading us

Lunch: A typical Guatemalan caldo

So, this is it: the last week. It still doesn't feel real.

Peace out,
Kristina

La Laguna Brava (The Brave Lagoon)

2010-04-12T15:28:00.000-05:00

I went on a trip with 15 teachers from my big school last weekend to a place called La Laguna Brava. I've been trying to organize a trip to this lagoon for nearly two years, so it was great that it finally happened. And it was totally worth the wait.

There is no vehicular access to the water. The hike down was really muddy and took us more than three hours. A lot of that had to do with poorly packed supplies. Carrying costales (durable plastic bags with thin plastic over-the-shoulder straps) filled with hot dogs and cooking utensils doesn't make for easy hiking. Nor does carrying a bucket filled with 12 pounds of meat, marinade and veggies to split between six people over a period of less than 24 hours. Still, I have to admit it was worth the hassle once we got down there and had tons of delicious barbecued food at our disposal.

The lagoon is the definition of bliss, but I'll let the pictures do the talking. The guide lashed together some logs to make a couple rafts so that we were able to paddle around and explore. I spent a good four straight hours in the water. It was amazing.

Lots o' lodo

River that feeds into the lagoon

The Gringas and the bucket of meat

First glance of the lagoon

Underwater camera fun

Marisha, me and Kristin with Director Ramón

Mornin'!

Me hidden behind all my teachers

I was also pretty happy with the time we made on the hike out, which was pretty much uphill the whole way. I was hiking with Kristin (one of the new Jacal volunteers), and although she was holding back so that I could keep up, I thought our time of two hours and 15 minutes was rather impressive, considering we shaved an hour off the time it took us to get down. The fact that most of the mud had dried was helpful, but the uphill was still killer.

More than anything, I'm glad I had this opportunity to convivir (hang out) with so many of the teachers from that school. As I've mentioned before, our professional relationship hasn't been without its challenges, but I've formed some great friendships with many of them and so I was really happy to have a chance to say goodbye this way. In the evening, they all gathered around to say some parting words to me and another teacher who will probably be leaving the school soon to work closer to where she lives. I truly could not have asked for a more perfect despedida. I can't think of a better way for us to mark the end of our time together.

I'm really in the homestretch now. This is my last week at my schools and we're cramming in all the paperwork that needs to be done regarding projects and figuring out if I can recommend them for certification as healthy schools. Spoiler alert: I will not be able to recommend my big school before I leave, but if they take care of the requirements that still need to be filled, maybe they can do it with Damian and Kristin. Provided my small school fixes and starts using the new stoves in the kitchen that were improperly built, I will be able to write them a recommendation. But they'll be finding this all out tomorrow and Wednesday.

I can't believe this is all coming to an end.

Peace out,
Kristina

Phasing out

2010-03-29T16:48:00.002-06:00

Rooftop sunsets

The new Jacal volunteers, Kristin and Damian arrived yesterday and moved into their new homes today. They are two awesome people and it's going to be fun to hang out with them for the next month, but this is getting weird. It's really starting to hit me how very little time I have left here, especially now that most of my training group has finished their service and left the country.

Damian and Kristin

(The photo didn't turn out great, but I'm sure better ones are soon to follow)

A few weeks ago I attended a goodbye dinner and night on the town in Xela with several members of my group. It was a bittersweet evening. I stayed the night at Ashleigh's and had to say goodbye to her the next morning, which was really not fun. Nonetheless, I'm so happy I made so many new friendships with other volunteers during my time here, and I know there's no way I would have survived this experience without them.

Select members Peace Corps Guatemala Winter '08 training group

Miller and me

Karaoke Kyle...

Saying goodbye to Ashleigh = Lame

Last Friday the teachers at my big school took me out for an afternoon and a few cold ones on the river. My professional relationship with these teachers has been strained at times, so it was nice to just hang out and enjoy each others' company for a change. All of these final goodbye activities are starting to make me a little sad, though.

I brought the football along and it was surprisingly somewhat of a hit

Looking ahead
As for Damian and Kristin, they are going to be beginning a new phase of the Peace Corps Guatemala Healthy Schools program in Jacaltenango -- phase II. Instead of working with just two or three schools at a time, they are going to be overseeing the 24 schools of an entire district. Schools will have six years (working with three pairs of volunteers) to certify. The work will be a bit more hands off, focusing more on training school principals, so that in turn the principals take on the responsibility of training the rest of their staff. The hope is that this way the project will become more sustainable. I've posted a link to Kristin's blog in the right hand sidebar under "Blogs I follow." Check it out to stay in touch with all the latest news from Jacal ... after I'm gone. (Sniff)

As for me, I'm running around like mad trying to get things finished up with the two kitchen projects in my schools. We were supposed to start painting the bottle kitchen at my small school today, but inclimate weather forced us to postpone. The weather has been insane lately. We've been going back and forth from blazing hot to damp, foggy and rainy in less than 24 hours for the last month. Climate change in action.

I'm hoping to have all the construction done before I leave. I may not be around for the all-important inaguration ceremonies, but that doesn't concern me so much as long as I have fulfilled my commitment to the two schools. I'm pretty sure my small school will be approved for certification as a Healthy School before I leave. And even though the teachers at my big school got off to a much better start this year, involvement-wise, we just found out that the large rain water catchment tank they built with the previous volunteer is leaking from the bottom. This means the school is again without water for the year and so I don't see how they'll be able to certify until they get the tank fixed and filled with rain water. I'm hoping they'll be able to acheive that this year and then the new volunteers can go in do the certification survey.

Progress

Below, I've posted some photos of the Rincones de Salud (health corners, where they store all their hygiene supplies) that my teachers and students have created this year. I'm really proud of how creative some of them are and of how quickly everyone got them done, especially considering the distraction of the teacher strike.

Toothbrush holders made of recycled juice containers

Hygiene Roulette

Separation of trash

Consider yourself updated.

Peace out,

Kristina

The beginning of the end: nostalgia

2010-03-24T13:16:00.003-06:00

Lately, I find myself thinking a lot about all the things I'm going to miss about Guatemala after I leave. It's a natural reaction, I suppose, considering I have less than five weeks left. I keep trying to imagine not living here anymore, but I can't get my head around it. Anyway, I just thought I'd share the list.

What I'll miss about GuateChula:

Being constantly surrounded by natural beauty
Chuchitos in the park
Showing up at someone's house for a quick errand and getting served a feast for no particular reason
Daring the vuelta
Cheap, quality, plentiful mangos
Cheap, quality, pentiful avocados
Walking down the street and knowing just about everyone I pass
Waking up to the camarones guy walking up and down the street selling shrimp: "Haaaay CamarOnes!"
Making an old lady smile when I greet her in Popti'
Speaking Spanish
Speaking Spanglish
Things never going as planned
Beans
Tortillas with every meal
Pepita. on. EVERYTHING.
Huehue
Rio Azul
Juan Jo and Sara
All my friends
Jacal dinner parties
Chiantla dinner parties
Walking into school and having all the kids shout out my name and run up to hug me
Ferias
Rosa de Jamaica
Ponche
The late-night taco lady
Having so much free time
The view of Mexico on the way out to the aldeas
The PC Fourth of July BBQ
Traveling in Guatemala and Mexico
Jacal

There's also plenty I'm not going to miss. Although, I will probably miss being able to complain about these things.

What I won't miss:

Things never, EVER going as planned
Going to the Internet café and having a group of patojos stand directly behind you and stare at your computer screen, while the muchachas in the corner stare at you and giggle for some unknown reason
Waaaaaay too much free time
Going through all the trouble to wash my clothes by hand, only to have them end up smelling like burning garbage after they dry on the line
Very little work ever getting done because of all the ferias
Sitting in the hoyito next to the only window that doesn't open in a micro stuffed with 20 other sweaty, unwashed people and a crying baby
Machismo
Not having a car and it taking at least four hours to get anywhere by bus
Electric water heaters on the shower head that shock you if you get too close while bathing (I know, I should definitely not be complaining about having hot water in Peace Corps, but still. It's annoying)
Not having a grocery store nearby that sells every ingredient/food item known to man
Sticking out no matter where I am (unless I'm in Antigua)
Announcements and advertisements on loud speakers in cars at all hours (i.e. Zero noise control)

I'm sure there's plenty that I've left off of both lists, but you get the idea. It's going to be tough to leave behind the food, people and natural beauty. The lack of reliable transportation, lack of amenities and sexism, not so much.

I know this has been kind of a sappy post, but it's where I'm at right now. I hope everyone is doing well and I'm so excited to see everyone when I get back. Take care and see you soon!

Peace out,
Kristina

Speeding up and counting down

2010-03-09T19:55:00.002-06:00

Things have picked up quite a bit in the last few weeks, especially now that the teacher strike has officially come to an end.

The road to Nebaj
I am recovering from a two-day hike this past weekend that started near the village of San Nicolás, Chiantla, Huehuetenango and ended approximately 35 kilometers away in the village of Acul, Nebaj, El Quiché.

I went with three other Peace Corps volunteers and the friend of a PCV, plus our awesome guide, Román. Román is a native of Switzerland who has been living in Guatemala for 15 years. He was a great guide and gave us an amazing deal, so if you ever plan on coming to Guatemala and doing this hike, let me know, because he’s the guy you want. He’s knowledgeable about the area and its history and respectful of the people who live in the villages along the way.

We were up at 4:30 a.m. on Friday to catch a bus out to the trail head, and were underway about two hours later. The first couple hours of the hike were flat until we came to a descent into a river valley. We rested for a bit at a beautiful spot on the water before tackling one of the hardest parts of the hike, a killer climb that took about two hours.

Part way up the climb, looking back longingly on the river

It was basically child’s play for the four other girls, who have much more backpacking experience than I do (I’ve only been on one other overnight hiking trip, when we went out to the Mirador in Petén last year. See May 12, 2009 post). Even Kelly, who is recovering from a severe knee injury, kicked my butt, but the whole group was patient, supportive and un-patronizing, which made all the difference. And it was all worth it once I made it to the top.

At the top!

We continued on for another few hours before coming to the isolated village of Chortiz (altitude: 3,000+ mts./9,850 ft.), where we stopped for the night. As we were approaching, children playing outside of the settlement noticed us and started shouting Román’s name. It was quite the welcoming. We stayed in a room near the schoolhouse that the village has set up for backpackers, equipped with beds with comfortable mattresses, tons of clean bedding, board games and indoor plumbing. Suffice it to say it was much more luxurious than any of us were expecting.

We ate dinner with a family that Román knew. They served us tasty tamales and mutton soup with cabbage. The mutton was a little difficult to get down, but knowing how precious meat is to people in rural villages like Chortiz we managed to eat what we were given. Having spent most of my time here working in relatively developed villages, this was one of the most humble homes I’d visited in Guatemala and it had a real impact on me.

After a chilly night, we were up for a frosty dawn on Saturday to start day two. We stopped for breakfast on a rocky plateau above the clouds with an unbelievable view.

Sunrise

Rise and shine!

Volcanos Fuego, Agua and Acatenagno, which surround Antigua, in the background

Breakfast time

It was still another four or five hours from there to our final destination. I didn’t think anything could have been tougher than the two-hour climb from the day before, but the big descent was just as – if not more so – challenging. I twisted my ankle and took a tumble that banged up my knee just before we started heading down, which made things a little more difficult. But we all finally made it with just a few small spills here and there, including one that left me with quite the bruise on my left thigh.

The sheep seemed to have less trouble with the terrain.

Román blazing the trail

Once at the bottom, my legs and feet were pretty much shot, but we still had two hours to go before reaching the end of the hike in Acul, famous for its delicious cheese. So on we pressed. Along the way, we met Don José who was coming in from working in the fields with his horse and mule, which were loaded up with chopped wood. As we walked through his village, he invited us to his home so we could rest and meet his children. He was very proud to show us his corn that has already begun sprouting and the beans he had recently harvested.

A bit further down the road (though it felt like 100 miles) we finally reached Acul. I ripped my pant leg climbing over a barbed wire fence to get to the renowned cheese factory, but figured it would all be worth it once I was enjoying a cold beer and the reputed queso Chancol.

The people who run the factory and haciendas are a third-generation Italian family who named the cheese after the village in Guatemala where they originally settled. I had heard nothing but good things about this cheese and their beautiful restaurant for the last two days, so you can imagine my distress when we walked up to the outdoor patio, ordered cheese sandwiches and beer, only to be told that the restaurant was no longer in service.

I wanted to cry. The cheese had been the one thing keeping me going for the last few hours. Lucky for us, the man at the restaurant told us we could still be served at the other hacienda owned by the same family, if we were willing to wait a half hour or so, which we definitely were. We paid a steep price for a quesadilla and lemonade, but it certainly was flavorful cheese. Of course, I’ll never know how much my impression was informed by the two days of walking I’d just completed.

Battle scars

From Acul, it’s possible to continue hiking for about another three hours (including another long climb and subsequent drop) to reach Nebaj, but we had arrived a little behind schedule and were all ready to call it a day, so we decided to hitch a ride in a pickup the rest of the way. (Granted, I had decided pretty much from the moment I woke up that Acul would be my finish line, but who’s counting?)

Once in town, we parted ways with Román, who wanted to get to Huehue that night in order to get back to Todos Santos early Monday morning. Judy, another PCV on the trip, and I stayed with my friend Ricardo while the other girls grabbed beds in a nearby hostel. Ricardo, whom I met through Cat and my work with Soluciones Comunitarias, took us out to a great restaurant, fittingly called El Descanso (Descansar means “to rest.”), where I wolfed down a massive and delectable barbecue chicken burrito. It hit the spot after two days of mostly beans, tortillas and orange Gatorade.

While I know it was probably a relatively easy hike for anyone with any kind of backpacking experience, it was one of the more daunting physical challenges I’ve ever attempted and I’m so glad I did, no matter how much my body disagrees with me. I got to experience a myriad of breathtaking landscapes and magnificent views and was able to see parts of the country I never would have otherwise. In short, if you’re ever in Guatemala and enjoy the outdoors, I would most certainly recommend this hike.

Habitat for Humanity and Living Waters
The group from Bay Presbyterian in Ohio was back in Jacal last week, and this time they brought along some people from a church in Chicago, as well as a fellow Californian. The medical team didn’t come on this trip, so it was a smaller group, but they got a lot of good work done just the same, and it was nice to be able to get to know everyone.

The Living Waters team signed contracts with two villages to support the building of water purification systems those communities. Meanwhile, the Habitat for Humanity squad helped with the building of a home for a very motivated and energetic young mother who is raising her son alone, while her husband works in a different part of the country and is only able to come home every two months.

While I was free to hang out with the group in the evenings, I was sad to be able to spend only one day working with the Habitat team and none with Living Waters. But because my schools were finally back in session, I had to focus most of my efforts on them. Still, the day at the Habitat site was quite an experience. We spent all day bending iron wire into hooks for the rebar and crushing big rocks into smaller rocks with a sledge hammer. I was nice and sore at the end of the day, but it was good conditioning for the hike.

Little José helping to bend wire for the building of his own house

Back to school … again

Yes, thankfully, the teacher strike has finally ended. I am super relieved, because, as many of you know from my feisty Facebook status updates, this has been weighing on me for a while and preventing me from finishing the final stages of my projects. I’ve even had to extend my service for a month because of it.

The teachers at both of my schools went back to work last Wednesday. I had relatively productive days at both schools that mostly consisted of communicating to the directors what’s left to be done in order for them to be certified as Healthy Schools. I made it very clear to both that it would be up to them and the other teachers to see that these things were accomplished and both seemed to understand, so here’s hoping.

It’s possible I’ll have some exciting news about the bottle kitchen soon, but I won’t know until tomorrow, so keep your fingers crossed.

I suppose that’s all there is to report for now. Six weeks left. Scary.

Peace out,

Kristina

Just your garden-variety update

2010-02-16T14:59:00.001-06:00

I'm now in the last six weeks of my service with the Peace Corps. My official Close of Service date may still be pushed back depending on when our two kitchen projects get finished, but for all intents and purposes, we're in the final countdown. I can hardly believe it.

A lot of people talk about how long two years in the Peace Corps can feel, but for me they really have flown. Sure, there were times that things were tough, but for the most part, I feel like the last day has been speeding toward me since the first. Looking back on it, two years isn't nearly enough time in this environment to make any kind of serious changes, but it was enough to inspire me to continue learning about and working in the development field. And I'm hoping it was enough to make a difference in the lives of a few kids and couple teachers.

People keep asking me about my post-Peace Corps plans. To be honest, I don't have anything specific lined up at the moment. I've been studying for the GRE here and plan on taking it a few months after I get back and applying to some Peace Corps fellowships in development programs. But I probably wouldn't be going back to school for another year or 18 months after I get back. In the meantime, I'll be trying to get work freelancing and doing anything else that will make use of my Spanish skills and/or further my experience in the development field. And here's the shameless plug to let me know if you hear about anything (preferably on the West Coast) along those lines.

Teacher strike

So there's been a semi-nationwide teacher strike going on for the last two weeks. I say semi-nationwide because not every municipality is participating in the strike. Nor is every school taking part in the municipalities who have decided to support the teachers union. Nor is every teacher striking in the schools who voted to do so. Of my 25 teachers, 24 have been striking, while one is going to school every day to work. The school year was supposed to have started at the end of January, but the majority of my kids have yet to attend a class.

The teachers union is asking for a tax increase to create more revenue for resources in addition to a pay raise because the Ministry of Education received a budget increase this year. I'm not too well-versed in the politics of it all. We all know teachers worldwide are underpaid. And I certainly know there is a serious lack of resources in Guatemalan schools. I'm not saying they don't have a right to ask for what they're asking. But I can't condone the way they're going about asking for it.

When teachers strike, the only ones who lose are the students. And these kids already have enough strikes against them. The politicians certainly don't care if rural Guatemalan children are getting an education, and so trying to pressure them by striking seems silly to me. I admit, I can't think of an alternative, more effective way to instigate change, but just because you can't think of a better idea, doesn't mean you should stick with on that isn't working.

Kitchens
The strike is also making it hard to make progress on my kitchen projects. The bottle kitchen at my small school in Taj Buxup is nearly finished save a few minor details, but it's hard to attend to even the smallest task when the teachers aren't arriving at school and are "morally opposed" to working until the strike is resolved.

It's the same story with the add-on at my big school. Everything is on hold right now and that's beyond frustrating and a little bit scary with an end-date in six weeks breathing down my neck.

Pizza party
I made pizza for the birthdays of my friend Maria's two neices last week. The birthday girl Fanny, who turned 8 years old, and her sister Ana Maria helped me make them and we had a lot of fun. It was also their cousin Nicol Valesca's third birthday, but she was more interested in the play cooking set I gave her than the actual baking.

Fanny kneading the dough

Ana Maria rolling it out

Fanny and Nicol

Birthday song fun

Camping
I went for a día del campo with some friends last weekend and had an amazing time.

En camino

Net fishing

Checking out some nearby pyramids

Caracoles for caldo

Making lunch

Mangoes with pepita -- I was so worried I wouldn't get a chance to eat another fresh mango before leaving

That's all the news there is to report for now. Hope to hear from you all soon and can't wait to see everybody when I get back.

Peace out,

Kristina

Post Peace Corps résumé

2010-02-04T19:09:00.004-06:00

Inspired by our recent Close of Service conference (where we learned that life after Peace Corps is impossibly going to be stranger than life during Peace Corps), the following is my post-PC résumé. Enjoy.

Kristina Crawley

Jacaltenango, Huehuetenango

Guatemala, Central America

Employment History: PC Guatemala Healthy Schools volunteer
                                 TLN community sports reporter
                                 Bird Talk associate editor
                                 Bed, Bath and Beyond sales associate
                                 (Logical progression, wouldn’t you say?)

Education: Graduated from Gonzaga University
                  B.A. Journalism

Objective: To earn a living employing the skills developed during my two years of service as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala.

Skills:

Able to turn trash into walls
Fluent in campo Spanish
Conversational in market Popti’
Able to save the world with nothing but 10 poster-size pages of butcher paper and a Sharpie
Able to ride a bus in moderate comfort for several hundred kilometers with just one buttock on the seat
Able to generally tolerate blunt comments about any fluctuation in my weight without taking offense, provided it’s not three days or less before the start of my regla
Proficient in human lie detection
Able to convincingly lie to anyone about the price of anything I own in two languages
Able to entertain myself with only my thoughts for ~~hours~~…days
Able to spot whether a child has washed his/her hands from 50 yards away
Able to make a fool of myself singing and dancing in front of elementary school children with little or no shame
Able to watch an entire season of Grey’s Anatomy in less than 48 hours

Anyone got a job like that?

Peace out,
Kristina

Don't stop believin'

2010-01-24T22:22:00.004-06:00

All photos by PCV Marisha Peña

Guatemala is full of sad stories. There was the fourth grader at one of my schools who died of hepatitis last year because he didn't get medical attention in time, for instance. In many rural areas, there are still girls who get married off at 12 years old and spend the rest of their lives pregnant and giving birth every one-to-two years. And the tragedy of millions of children who suffer from malnutrition in a country that exports such a myriad of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables to the rest of the world can be enough to make even the most positive and energetic volunteer want to throw in the towel. That's why I've come to treasure stories like the one of Pascual, the 14- (or 15-) year-old young man who works at a local restaurant that I frequent.

The Rojas family, which owns the Hotel and Restaurant Buen Samaritano (Good Samaritan), are some of my closest friends in Jacal. They were the first people I met when I moved to town and they’ve always made me feel welcome and supported me in my work here. I eat at their restaurant once or twice a week and they always have me sit at the table generally reserved only for family and their closest friends.

It was a little less than a year ago that I was eating lunch there and noticed a new boy hustling back and forth between the hotel lobby and the kitchen, sweeping, bussing tables and constantly looking for anything that needed to be done – and doing it. I asked about him and they said he had arrived a few days prior from a village in Aguacatán (a six- or seven-hour bus ride from Jacal) looking for work. For the time being they were only offering him room and board for doing odd jobs around the place.

It wasn’t until a few weeks later when I was talking with Johanna, the Rojas’s grown daughter, that I got his full story.

A leg up
While the details of his home life are somewhat fuzzy, one thing is certain: Pascual comes from an extremely poor family. He had only completed second or third grade (we’re not sure which) when he had to leave school and start looking for work to help with money. The search for employment near his home did not go well. At one point he tried working as a mason’s assistant but the lime in the cement he was mixing by hand was leaving blisters and burns on his skin. The mason fired him and told his parents he was too sensitive for the work.

After a few more unsuccessful attempts at finding a job, his family sent him to Jacal, because, they said, it was a major commercial center where he’d easily be able to make money. Now, don’t get me wrong. Jacal is a comparatively developed town with plenty of businesses and most people in the town proper get by alright. But I think “commercial center” might be stretching it a bit.

Notwithstanding, Pascual showed up with Q50 in his pocket, the clothes on his back and a crate of oranges, ready to set up a fruit stand and make his fortune in the big city. Only problem was, there are already dozens of fruit stands in Jacal and his oranges were going bad. He was paying Q15 a night to sleep on the floor at a hostel and surviving on one piece of sweet bread (Q1) and a Q2-cup of atol a day. He was out of money in less than three days and hadn’t sold a single of his oranges, which were by now inedible.

That was when Gloria found Pascual desperate and crying in the church. Gloria is the local crazy (and awesome) bachelorette lady who has taken it on as her personal mission to see to the cleanliness of the central park, located just outside the church (a post dedicated to her will be coming up in the near future). After Pascual told her his story, she took him directly Don Jesús “Chus” Rojas, owner of the Buen Samaritano, and in true Gloria fashion, said, “You make a lot of money and you always have extra food. You can help this boy.” Then she left.

The family took him in, bought his rotten oranges and since then, Pascual has been working under the close supervision of Don Chus. The two have become quite the pair. Now that they’ve started paying him a modest wage, Pascual has been able to buy some new clothes. But he only buys collared, long-sleeved, button-down shirts like the ones Chus – a man in his late 50s or 60s – has. And you won’t often see Pascual wearing jeans, mostly slacks, because that’s what Chus wears.

It takes a village
That could have been the end of Pascual’s story: Just a poor boy who managed to climb one rung higher on the economic ladder. Lucky for him – and for own personal level of faith in humanity – recently a new twist was added to his narrative.

If you’ve read previous posts you may already know that twice a year, I work translating for a group of doctors from Bay Village, Ohio that comes to give free medical clinics in and around Jacal. In fact, I met members of this group on my first night in Jacal at the Buen Samaritano, where they always stay. They are a wonderful collection of big-hearted, generous people and I always look forward to spending time with them.

I was working with the group last week, when they had the opportunity to meet Pascual for the first time, and discovered his musical talents, previously unknown to me. One of the first nights they were here, Jim (who was with another team within the group installing a water purification system in a village of Jacal), was on the top floor of the hotel playing guitar. Johanna said she sent Pascual up to cover the bird cages for the night and he never came back downstairs. Turns out the two had an impromptu jam session and Jim was thoroughly impressed with Pascual’s voice and ability to play the guitar by ear.

A night or two after that, we were all upstairs for the end-of-the-day prayer service when Linda and Cathy, also water team members, told Pascual’s story to the rest of the group, mentioning that he didn’t know exactly how old he was and that he’d never even celebrated a birthday. They suggested the group pool some money together and throw him a birthday party the following evening.

While everyone was out working the next day, Johanna took the group’s money and bought a load of gifts for Pascual. That night, Cathy invited Pascual upstairs saying they wanted him to sing during their prayer service. Upon receiving the invitation, Johanna said Pascual couldn’t wait to get out of the kitchen and get ready for his debut.

He showed up in full-on Durenguense garb, complete with cowboy hat and shined up boots and a moving accordion fashioned out of cardboard and twine. To his surprise, when he got to the top of the stairs we all broke into a rousing chorus of “Feliz Cumpleaños.” We explained to him that the group had decided he deserved a birthday party, and so this night was in honor of him, but he didn’t look as if he understood at first. He sang us the songs he had prepared, and for the first time I got to hear how really beautiful his voice is, but it wasn’t until he was presented with his gifts, that it seemed to sink in that this was HIS birthday party.

The group gave him a massive, seemingly bottomless bag filled with clothes, toys and school supplies. Every time he pulled out something new, the look of shock on his face got more intense. At the end of it all, Jim played a song he had written especially for Pascual and then handed over the guitar as the final gift with the condition that Pascual play for us all.

My friend Juan José (the dentist) did a good job of explaining to Pascual that they were doing this to honor the good choices he had made in his life, the fact that he had never given up and had chosen the right path, even though it may have been the more difficult one.

It was really an amazing night and so uplifting to see this boy, who had struggled so much in his young life, light up at all the love, attention and support he was receiving from this group of people that had only just met him. Juan José and his finaceé (and also my friend) Sara are now planning to become more involved with Pascual, supporting him and encouraging him to go back to school. I hope and believe that his connection with this wonderful group of people will continue to grow and be a positive force in his life.

So thank you Rojas family, the Bay Presbyterian group, Juan Jo, Sara and Pascual for giving me a few more things in which to believe.

Peace out,
Kristina

Feliz Navidad y Año Nuevo

2010-01-21T21:45:00.001-06:00

I realize this is coming a bit late, but thought I'd write up a quick post about my first Christmas and New Year's away from my family. Being away from the Crawley and Houben-Fumo clans was especially difficult this year. While this was my second Christmas and New Year's in Guatemala, last year I had Mom, Dad Trish and Michael experiencing it for the first time right alongside me, which made being away from home a lot easier to take. Although I had a lot of fun this year and was welcomed with open arms by both Juan Jo and Sara's families, it was a tough few days.

As I said, I spent the holidays with Juan Jo and Sara in the capital. I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas day mostly with Sara's family. They really are a great group of people and the family meals were a lot like they are at home: lots of music, lots of food and lots of laughing. The only difference was the addition of lots of fireworks. After all, this is Guatemala. Juan Jo's family was also, as always, very hospitable and both mothers stuffed me to the gills with food.

The days between Christmas and New Year's I spent in Antigua and relaxing with my friends Dana and SueEllen in their town. A bunch of us volunteers congregated in Antigua for New Year's Eve and had a blast. I ended up meeting up with Sara and her family later in the evening and we celebrated right under the arc (Guatemala's answer to Times Square) with thousands of other people. The fireworks display was incredible, even to me, a person suffering from major firework overload. When Sara's brother turned around for a New Year's embrace, we suddenly realized we had captured an unwitting stranger in our group hug. She looked startled at first, but then started laughing, yelled "Feliz Año!" and joined in.

[Sorry there are no pictures. I have been cursed by technology in the last few months and the camera that Ashleigh's dad brought for me from the states broke down on me. If you see this, Mr. Shiffler, don't worry. I have the warranty and will get it fixed when I get home. But until I can find a cheapy one to buy here in Guatemala, my posts are destined to be a bit less visual.]

So while it was really rough to be so far from family and friends back home, I was fortunate to be surrounded by a ton of fun and caring people. I hope you all had a great holiday season and are off to a good start in the new year. Some people were asking about the earthquake we had here in Guatemala a few days ago, but we didn't feel it here in Jacal and I'm fine. Please keep all those affected by the earthquake in Haiti in your thoughts and prayers.

Peace out,
Kristina

*Up next: Heart-warming story about a young boy here in Jacal to be posted soon. You won't want to miss this one. I'll post on Facebook and send out an email when it's done.

Catching up: Bottle kitchen

2009-12-15T18:40:00.000-06:00

At the risk of jinxing the entire project, I thought I'd post an update on the bottle kitchen we're building at my smaller school in Taj Buxup. Things are progressing and until it's done, that's all I'm going to say about it. Here are some photos:

We started with this

Construction begins...

Bottles placed by students and mothers

Close-up

Erin and Dan, two volunteers who came down to check out the project and lend a hand

Don Pedro, our mason

Mariano and I spent a day installing bottle windows (bottles not covered with cement).

The windows from the outside

We left this triangle uncovered so we can show visitors and hopefully continue to build interest in these kind of constructions.

That's all for now. Hope everyone is doing well.

Peace out,

Kristina

Catching up: Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-12-11T15:40:00.001-06:00

It was the fastest ten days of my life. With the help of my dad and sister, I made a surprise trip home for Thanksgiving. I think it's safe to say my mom was sufficiently surprised, considering how many times I had sworn up and down that I would never, under any circumstances, be coming home during my service. Here's the link to the video (It's on my Facebook page, so I think you need to have an account and be in my network to see it. Sorry. I left the orignial on the computer at home, so I can't load it here.):
http://www.facebook.com/#/video/video.php?v=559327152023

Here are the highlights of the trip in no particular order:
*Rock Band! (Okay, that really was the best.) I know it's been around for more than two years, but my family didn't get a set until after I left and I'm now hooked. For life. (No, I didn't play it by myself when I was home alone ... that much.)
*Thanksgiving dinner with the famous Houben Party Potatoes. First time I've had them since I left. A-MAZ-ING!
*Sushi with the Funky Table Brothas
*Frozen yogurt! (Yes, I have had it before, but never like this.)
*The Twisted Vine in Fullerton (so many beers, so little time)
*Rock Band tournament with the Crawley cousins. Shlappin' the bass!
*Clubbin' with my sis and the Disney in drag show upon which we stumbled. It. Was. Faaaaaabulous!
*Playing tennis with Michael and Trish. So nice to be on the court again.
*Re-connecting with old friends

There were some things on the list that I didn't get to do (e.g. In-'N'-Out if you can believe it), but it just makes me look forward that much more to coming home in March.

Pictures (Sorry, Mom and Dad and Trish. I left the pictures of you guys on the computer at home too. Lame, I know. Email them to me and I'll update the post.):

Nols gettin' crazy on the bass

Cate, the next Karen Carpenter (Or Meg White for a more modern and less bleak reference.)

Mike and Tim in the zone

Aunt Jill laughing at me trying to sing a Boston song

Cousins!

More cousins!

That's my brother. Yep, he got into college...

Beppe and Opa at my farewell dinner at Lettuce Wok 'n' Roll

Selected members of the Funky Table Brothas (They force fed me sake.)

The rest of the pictures are up on Facebook. So if you just can't get enough, that's where you can find more.

Even though time flew by, I was actually looking forward to coming back and getting back to work. The trip home was the perfect refresher and I've never felt more energized about our projects. Coming up next: update on the bottle kitchen.

Peace out,
Kristina

Catching up: Sports camp

2009-12-07T12:17:00.001-06:00

The idea was born way back in June when a bunch of us volunteers headed out to the department of Retaluheu for a day at the water park. Afterward we headed back to our friend Kyle’s house, and that afternoon we went out to the soccer field near his house to toss around the football and take some batting practice.

We were soon holding an impromptu baseball and American football tutorial with all the neighborhood kids, who were fascinated by the gringos playing these strange sports to which they’d had little or no exposure. It was a really fun day and at the end of it, we were all saying we should do it again, but for real next time – host an actual sports camp.

That’s pretty much where we left it: everyone committing to participate, but pretty much leaving it in Kyle’s hands. From there, all the credit goes to him and my friend Ashleigh, who did all the work to actually get this thing organized. Kyle raised funds from his church back home and the two of them set about getting equipment, ordering t-shirts for all the counselors and kids, and setting a schedule for the camp. I wasn’t even able to be there in the days before camp started because of other commitments, so I really got off the hook, getting to do all the fun stuff while getting out of most of the prep work.

Each day, the kids participated in basketball, soccer and stick ball sessions as well as a talk given by one of the counselors on topics related to mental and physical health. We used broomsticks and tennis balls for baseball, to make it more likely that they might actually continue playing. Bats and baseballs are not cheap or easy to come by in rural Guatemala.

At the end of the week, we split the group into two teams and played real games in each sport. The camp was a huge success. We got a ton of photos, so I’ll let those tell the rest of the story. I have more posted on my Facebook page under the Guatelinda2 album, if you want to take a look.

Registration

This tiny 10-year-old kicked butt on the soccer field.

This was a first-grader we let into the camp, even though we were really only working with fourth- through sixth-graders. He ended up being one of our best athletes.

My talk was on self-esteem and how we affect others' self-esteem.

Can't put the toothpaste back in the tube.

Baseball took some practice...

But toward the end they were getting the hang of it.

The t-shirts say, "Soy Pilas!" on them. It's a Guatemalan expression that more or less means I'm smart, intelligent, quick, etc. Basically, the t-shirts say, "I'm Awesome!"

So, that was sports camp. Up next: a Thanksgiving suprise!

Peace out,
Kristina

Reflections

2009-12-01T11:26:00.001-06:00

*This is an interruption to the "Catching up" series, because I have returned to the land of slow Internet and can't upload photos at the moment. Still to come: updates on sports camp and the bottle kitchen.

Due to the wonders of Facebook, many of you already know I went home for a surprise Thanksgiving visit to California. More on that later when I'm able to upload photos and possibly a video. But for now, some observations:

Top 5 clues the population of the United States has gone completely CRAZY over the last two years (Although, let's be honest. We've been there for a while):

Bluetooths. Everyone, everywhere walks around talking to themselves.
The Twilight series. Seeing that many 11 year-olds all gothed out and entertaining vampire fantasies makes me worry.
Sarah Palin still has supporters.
Miley Cyrus is really and truly a pop star...and I liked her new song.
Snuggies. It's a blanket, people. A blanket.

Top 5 things I LOVED about my visit to the U.S.:

Driving.
Rock Band! I'm officially addicted.
Discovering all my mom's old records and the fact that we now have a record player on which to listen to them.
Carpet. It's everywhere!
The frozen yogurt craze. I'm definitely on board.

Top 5 things I DID NOT miss about Guatemala

Worrying about having exact change everywhere you go. When the cashier at the grocery store asked if I wanted cash back after paying with my debit card, I almost kissed him.
The burning smell. Although, that never really did get out of my clothes.
Cat calls.
Cold showers.
Doing my laundry by hand. I would truly be honored to meet whomever invented clothes dryers.

Top 5 things I did miss about Guatemala

Tortillas.
Beans.
Being able to make inappropriate comments in public in English with relative certainty that no one understands me. Had to readjust to that one.
Ranchera music.
Tiendas every fifty feet.

It was a great trip. Stay tuned for more details.

Peace out,
Kristina

Catching up: Acapulco

2009-11-27T15:19:00.002-06:00

Acapulco. What can I say? We had an a-MAZ-ing time. I had been looking forward to the trip for almost a year and it definitely lived up to my expectations. And that’s saying something.

That said, what would traveling in Latin America be without some transportation woes? We started off with a small hiccup at the Guatemalan-Mexican border. My three friends and I had traveled there on chicken buses and as we were about to cross I was told my visa had expired and that I had been issued a ticket for more than Q2,500 for illegal residence in Guatemala. Come again?

Then I realized the border officer was looking at the wrong page in my passport. I flipped the pages to show him my renewed visa; he made a note in the computer and then sent us on our way as soon as I was able to get my blood pressure to drop and my stomach to stop doing flip flops.

The journey begins...

Once in Mexico, we rented a car and drove the 16 hours to Acapulco (splitting it up into two days). We didn’t get quite as far as I had planned on the first day, but ended up staying in a cute town called Salina Cruz on the first night.

Driving for the first time in almost two years!

We made it to Acapulco the next night, again a little later than planned, but upon seeing where we’d be staying, none of that seemed to matter anymore. As a birthday present, my parents had got us a week in a beachfront condo through their timeshare membership. The place was unbelievable. And so…clean! We had a full kitchen (with fridge, toaster, stove, oven and microwave), dining area, living area, balcony and a master suite. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

The view

While there, we also got a nice surprise when SueEllen’s parents had a massive fruit basket and bottle of champagne delivered to the room.

The weather wasn’t fantastic because of a hurricane that was passing by a ways off the coast, but we got in a lot of pool and hot tub time and had some great food. We also managed to catch the famous cliff divers, go to a real live Coco Cabana-type show at a club on the strip, and sing karaoke (Note to self: You may think you can keep up with a Puerto Rican rap song, but your Spanish is not that good). Even though we weren’t able to work on our tans, we had a great time.

Do you think his mentor was Sigfried or Roy?

Back to reality

The trip back went well until we dropped off the car (one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in my life, after nearly two years of not driving). That’s when the reality of our living situation decided to tap us on the shoulder to remind us what life is really like in a developing country.

We were waiting by the side of the road with all our stuff, trying to catch a bus back to the border when it starts pouring rain. “No problem,” we figure. “A bus will be by soon.” Or not. After at least half an hour of getting soaked, we decide to take a taxi. The driver isn’t exactly familiar with the town where we’re headed, but we ended up finding our way to the crossing, and then had to huff it the approximately 1 km across the bridge, still in the rain.

Once we made it through immigration on the Guatemalan side, I’d had my fill of being wet. And because I didn’t know exactly where we needed to go to catch the next bus, I decided to spring for some bicycle taxis to get us there. I knew we would get ripped off because that’s just how things are for gringo backpackers in border towns, so I actually wasn’t that thrown when the guy told me it would be 40 for the four of us and all our stuff. Plus, he said, he would take us to a bus that was headed directly to Xela so that we wouldn’t have to change again.

Because we were at the border, I asked him whether he meant 40 pesos or 40 quetzales to make sure I had enough. He didn’t answer me, but I just chalked that up to the confusion of getting everything loaded into his rickshaw. Once I realized I had enough either way, I let it go. Big mistake.

After an approximately five- or six-block ride we were dropped off at a bus terminal, where we were told, in fact, we had missed the direct bus, or there was no direct bus on Saturdays, or one of a dozen other excuses he kept throwing at us. Not a big deal, I thought. It just means one more transfer, but this guy was definitely not getting a tip. I go to pay him and he looks at my Q40 like I’m trying to hand him a fistful of dirt.

Here’s the gist of our conversation:

“Oh, no, no, no,” he says. “It’s 40 dollars.”

I literally laughed in his face, truly thinking he was joking because Guatemalans love to make the joke that all gringos get charged in American dollars. Then I realized from the look on his face that he was serious.

“What?!? You’ve got to be kidding me! You never said dollars before we left.”

“Yes. Dollars.”

“No. I specifically asked you whether you wanted pesos or quetzals and you ignored me.”

“Okay, give me quetzales.”

“Okay.”

“320 quetzales,” he says, asking for the converted amount.

I laugh again. “No! I’m not paying that much. This is Guatemala. I live here. I don’t have dollars.”

“But have a heart. Help me out.”

Then he starts bargaining with me, cutting his price in half, which was still an absolutely absurd amount to charge. This went on for about five minutes before I just shoved the Q40 into his hand and we walked away. Score one more for the angry white girls who refuse to get hosed.

[Aside: I know it must seem a little antagonistic, but it can be very empowering to win one of these arguments. He would never have dreamed of charging that much to a Guatemalan and sometimes you just get sick of people taking one look at you, assuming you’re loaded and trying to take advantage. Then there are the times where I tell myself, “Well, of course he’s charging you more. The only foreigners he ever sees are tourists who are able to throw around their money like it’s nothing and he’s trying to survive just like everyone else.” Guess he caught me on the wrong day.]

The buses from the border to Xela (where we spent the night once we got back) were packed, slow-moving and it was freezing cold, especially considering we’d been soaking wet for six hours. But we did finally make it back and no matter how much grief it cost (really the only problems we had were while getting to and from the border in Guatemala) it was totally worth it for those four days of luxury. In any case, all these travel mishaps make my blog much more entertaining (I hope), so I’m willing to make some sacrifices in the interest of a good read.

Thanks again, Mom and Pops!

Peace out,
Kristina

Por fin!

2009-11-19T19:32:00.000-06:00

I promised a very, very long time ago to figure out how to post these on my blog. And now that my friend Juan Carlos has been kind enough to teach me how, I can make good on that promise. So here they are: the long awaited back issues of La Hora Chapina, the Healthy Schools newsletter I have been compiling roughly every two months for my fellow volunteers. Try to contain your excitement.

LHC2008 - 0908

LHC2009 - 0109

LHC2009 - 0409

These are just a sampling. I don't have all the issues on my person at the moment. I will update this post when I do. I know I've also promised posts on my more recent Peace Corps Guatemala/Mexico adventures, but I got real excited when I learned how to upload these .pdfs, so this is what you're getting first. More photos and stories to follow in short order.

Peace out,
Kristina

Connected again

2009-11-15T17:13:00.001-06:00

I am behind. Generally, in life. But more specifically with regard to this blog. I apologize. I have been without my computer or my wireless Internet (Being in the Peace Corps is so hard!) for roughly three weeks, but all is right with the world again. Updates on the bottle kitchen, the Mexico trip and sports camp coming soon.

Esto, eso y el otro

2009-10-18T22:56:00.000-05:00

Not much news of note to report since my last update, but thought I'd check in all the same.

Bottle kitchen
We continue making slow progress with the bottle kitchen. We have purchased the majority of the materials with funds from USAID and are ready to begin construction, but are waiting for the municipality to come through on its end of the deal. The mayor promised us (in writing) about Q7,000 in materials and hadn't delivered anything but the cement until last Thursday.

On Thursday they brought more materials, but by that time the cement had gone bad, so they had to take that back and who knows when we'll get the new load and the rest of the materials that the mayor is now trying to wriggle out of giving us. But we're going to keep at him every day until he fulfills his commitment. Another problem at the moment is that the director of the school where we're building the kitchen got in a motorcylce accident last week and seriously hurt his ankle. He waited a few days before going to the hospital and now there's conflicting information as to whether it's broken. He's a great guy and has been a huge advocate for this project, so having him off his feet has created another challenge.

Travels
Last weekend I went to some hot springs in Xela with a bunch of volunteers. It is a beautiful spot tucked away in the mountains and the water is so naturally hot it stings a bit when you first get in. We rented out the whole place, spent the night there and had a great time. The view was absolutely stunning, but unfortunately when I got there, I discovered my camera was broken and so don't have any pictures right now. I'm working on getting a hold of some from the other volunteers who were there.

Next week, I'm taking vacation and heading off for a trip through Mexico with three other volunteers. I'll have a camera by then, as my friend Ashleigh's dad is in Guatemala visiting and was kind enough to pick one up for me before he left. Thanks, Mr. Shiffler!

More goodbyes
Less than a month ago I had to say goodbye to Cat, a good volunteer friend of mine, who headed back to her home in Tennessee after three years of dedicated service in the Peace Corps. In the next few weeks, eight other volunteers -- including some more great friends -- who live in the department of Huehue (where I live) will also be finishing their service.

Friday night, we held a goodbye party for my site mate, Erica. Using the Hibachi I nabbed off of Cat when she left, we had a BBQ on my friend Juan Jose's roof. There was carne asada, chilli con carne (a personal favorite of Erica's and the one thing I've become adept at cooking while living here), apple pie and an assortment of other goodies. Again, no pictures at the moment, but our friend Dan took some, so I'll try to get some posted at some point.

It was a really fun, chill night. I'll be sad to see my friend Erica go. (She won't be leaving until early November, but because of scheduling conflicts we held her party this weekend.) She was invaluable in getting me oriented when I first came to site and I will miss her. At the same time, I have to admit I'm a little excited at the thought of being the only Peace Corps Volunteer in my town. I don't really think that too much will change, but it will be interesting to really be out here on my own, in a manner of speaking. Although, I have so many friends in town now, that I can't truthfully ever describe myself as being alone.

The homestretch
That said, I have been missing home more than ever. I have less than six months left in my service, but sometimes it seems like an eternity. I know it will be extremely difficult to leave once the time comes, but lately I find myself thinking constantly about everything I want to do when I get home and how great it will be to see everyone again.

I miss everyone terribly. Thanks to all those who read these posts and leave comments. You have no idea how much it helps to know people are out there thinking of me. Can't wait to see you all!

Peace out,
Kristina

Buggin' out

2009-10-02T15:36:00.000-05:00

The quality/kick-ass ability of my Guatemalan bugs was challenged a while back by a certain other foreign-dwelling cousin who shall remain nameless. It took me a while to compile the evidence to support my counter argument. Consider this my response:

Granted, some are pretty

Others, not so much

I think he just wanted in for a cool drink

Never before seen grasshoppers that look like this

No idea what this guy is

Routinely find these in my house

Was hanging laundry on my roof with my head about two feet away from this one before I looked up and noticed it

Here's another angle to emphasize the scariness

Fact: When my students find spiders of the type pictured directly above, they pick them up with their bare hands, take off their back two legs and begin pulling out their silk, which is yellow and looks like fishing wire. Fact: I usually find spiders like the one in the third photo from the bottom on the wall at the head of my bed in the middle of the night. They also like to hang out by light switches and are the fastest M-effers you've ever seen.

In addition, there is also Mickey, although I guess technically he's a rodent. He's like a really bad roommate; he eats my food, makes a mess, poops in the kitchen (which is just lazy because the bathroom is like six feet away) and doesn't pay rent. Despite all that, he's really shy and I haven't been able to get a photo of him yet.

Peace out,

Kristina

T.I.G.

2009-09-19T21:21:00.004-05:00

Anyone who has seen the movie Blood Diamond, may recall a scene toward the beginning of the film in which the money-hungry, good-guy-hardened-by-a-painful-past Danny Archer (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) expalins the non-sensical situation in Africa with the simple acronym, T.I.A.: This Is Africa.

Being the movie-quote buff that I am, I once, toward the beginning of service, plagerized the phrase in a text, cleverly converting the "A" to a "G" to make it relevant to our current circumstances. A fellow volunteer had been planning on moving into a house on a certain date, but wasn't told until the proposed moving day that she wouldn't be able to move in for another two weeks. She texted me justifiably pissed off about the situation, and I responded with, "T.I.G." I got the expected "???" reply. I explained myself and got the courtesy, "Hehe," but soon after the saying started gaining popularity among Peace Corps Guatemala Volunteers.

It works in just about any situation in which we find ourselves frustrated, perplexed or amazed about the way things work in the Land of Eternal Spring. A few examples:

PCV1: "Ugh! Why do they always load the micros (passenger vans used all over the country for mass transit purposes) from the front, so that the first two rows fill up first and then everyone else has to climb over them to get to the seats in the back?!?
PCV2: "Saber. T.I.G."

PCV1: "I am so pissed! I showed up to (X place) today for our meeting -- which I confirmed three times in the last week, including less than 24 hours before -- and no one was there!"
PCV2: "I'm sorry, dude. T.I.G."

PCV1: "Why does the whole school get the day off because one kid is playing in a soccer tournament?"
PCV2: "I don't know, man. T.I.G."

PCV1: "I sat through a four-hour meeting today in which only the last 20 minutes had anything to do with the reason we called the meeting."
PCV2: "Yeah, I hear ya. What can you do? T.I.G."

PCV1: "Wow. That woman is like 80 years old and has probably only eaten beans and chiplin in the last three days, but she just hauled 50 pounds of onions up that hill that I can barely walk carrying nothing."
PCV2: "I know! T.I.G..."

You get the picture. And there is a point to why I am writing about this. Aside from the fact that I'm stoked I started a catch-phrase (sort-of).

Yesterday, I was sitting with my friend Cat near the Huehue terminal waiting to catch a bus back to her town. Well, I was sitting. She was standing. That's why I kept getting a mouthful of exhaust every time a bus passed. Two Guatemalans came to sit down next to me, but quickly stood up once they realized the respiratory hazards of being down on my level. I was too lazy to do the same so I simply lifted my T-shirt up to cover my nose and mouth every 30 seconds or so. The guy closest to me looked down just as a particularly thick cloud of contaminants engulfed my head. Noticing my weak defensive technique he chuckled, and then said in English, "This is Guatemala."

This is going to be bigger than "What happens in Vegas..."

Peace out,
Kristina

Missions: Accomplished (at least partly)

2009-09-13T18:33:00.000-05:00

Kitchen update
We got all our funding approved! With (very little) help from the municipality, support from the community and a nice contribution from the USAID Small Projects Assistance fund, we finally have commitments for all the funds that we'll need to build the bottle kitchen.

My teachers were super excited when they got the call. I was at school reading my book and waiting for our meeting to start so I could give them the news myself when the president of the PTA and the vice-principal scared the living crap out of me by running up behind me and squealing while talking on the phone to my project specialist who had called to get the PTA's bank account number.

We should have the money before the end of the month. I'm crossing my fingers that maybe a miracle will happen and we'll get it this week so that we can start as soon as possible, but that's probably a pipe dream.

These boots were made for walkin...

...and we'll see if that's what they'll do, because they need to be broken in a bit, but I LOVE them. I got them in the town of Pastores, where I lived during training. The town is famous for manufacturing the best boots in Guatemala, but I never had enough money to buy a pair during training and have been putting it off ever since. When I made the trip to the area with my teacher two weeks ago to drop off our SPA grant application, I took advantage and finally bought some. Here they are:

Peace out,

Kristina

Diversión

2009-09-06T11:46:00.001-05:00

Yesterday rocked. Seriously. We went to the Cimarrón which is basically a huge hole in the earth about two hours from where I live. There are all sorts of theories as to how it got there (meteor, aliens, prankster with a lot of expensive earth-moving equipment, etc.). At the bottom there are all these trees and supposedly a unique ecosystem, although how any one knows that, I'm not sure, because supposedly nobody's ever been to the bottom.

And what do mature people do when they see a big hole in the ground? Throw stuff down it, of course. So we threw rocks and counted how long it took for them to hit bottom (nine seconds). And listened for the sound they made. Legend has it that people who do this will then be hungry for the rest of their lives and never be able to satisfy said hunger. I was so tired I went to bed without dinner when we got back, but ate two breakfasts and had a coke float before noon today, so take that as you will.

Swimmin' in the rain
Despite a large snack at the hole, we were famished on the way back (hmmm...), and so stopped off for some caldo de pollo criollo (free range chicken soup) and a couple of frías. We then headed down to the nearby river for a swim. This is the same river that passes through Jacal (Río Azul), only a little further to the west where it's much warmer and swimmer-friendly.

No sooner had we entered the water than it started to rain. "No problem," we said. "It's been hot all day and hasn't been raining at all lately, so it will probably just sprinkle and then stop." Wrong. It wasn't the strongest Guatemalan downpour I've ever witnessed, but it was up there. But we just decided to go with it.

Erica took some shots from under the safety of a nearby bridge

About half of us, myself included, forgot to bring a change of clothes (or in my case, even a bathing suit), so when we realized it was getting late and that the last bus was about to come by, we ran up to the road sopping wet to wait for it in the on-going torrent. We got some interesting looks from the other passengers as we walked down the aisle to the very last row of seats, dripping on everyone as we passed.

We organized the trip as a farewell activity for my friend Cat who used to live nearby and wanted to come up for one final hurrah in the Huista Region. And while I'm very sad that she's finishing her service and will be leaving us, I'm glad it gave us an excuse to have this outing, which turned out to be my favorite day in Guatemala so far.

Peace out,
Kristina

Hitting the proverbial stride

2009-08-20T21:21:00.000-05:00

I've fallen behind a bit on my posting responsibilities. I apologize. I've been distracted by lots of little occurences in the last month or so, so let's get our update on.

Kitchen Conundrums

I mentioned nearly two months ago that the municipality had finally given us a verbal commitment to financially support the kitchen were are building out of recycled material in Taj Buxup. From there, it only took four more visits and countless hours of waiting to get them to put it in writing. That was a huge obstacle overcome.

Cue: Headache Number 397 produced by this project. Our mason quit the project. He was working on a separate construction project for the school, and to make a long, mind-numbing story short, the community was unhappy with his work. The auxiliary mayor came and fired the mason (without having the authority to do so). The director of the school smoothed things over and asked the mason back on to the project. The mason agreed. Then never showed.

The small problem with this was that this mason had come with us back in February to get training on bottle constructions. It's not a very complicated process, but still it was nice that he'd had an up-close look at how to do it. After he's off the project several of my teachers start telling me how they were never sure he was the right guy for the job because he doesn't have a great reputation as a mason. I guess it never occurred to them to mention this earlier.

Anyway (guess I didn't shorten it up that much), after two absurd meetings, the parent-teacher association finally settled on a new mason. We finally got all the paperwork done for SPA (Small Projects Assistance fund run by USAID) and turned it on Wednesday. I made the trip down to the Peace Corps offices (six to seven hours away in car) with Profe Juan who graciously offered to drive me in his truck.

In Buxup, we recently built an additional stove for the kitchen using nothing but adobe bricks, river sand, barro, manure and smashed banana. The mason was a man from the community, whose children do not attend this school, but who agreed to help us for free anyway. He had learned how to build these stoves when his family hosted a Peace Corps Volunteer thirty years ago.

Fourth-graders helping to sift sand

Who knew banana was a cementing agent?

There was a miscommunication with the teachers about their level of involvement in this project (to put it diplomatically) and I ended up working alone with the mason on the first day, but we had a lot of help from everyone on day two and it turned out to be a nice bonding experience.

It now looks like we'll also be adding on to the existing kitchen in Buxup. The school is being provided funds by an NGO to purchase snack every day for all the students, which means they can use the money they had budgeted for this purpose to provide lunch at the end of the school day as well. The problem is they don't have enough stoves or space to prepare all the food in sanitary conditions. This is the temporary solution:

Because of the little amount of time we now have, we decided to go with the traditional construction process. I'm hoping this kitchen project will go a bit more smoothly. A girl can dream.

Xela Shenanigans
Following the Internet Modem Debacle related two posts ago, I successfully made it a consecutive four weeks in site without leaving. Not a record, but a respectable showing, nonetheless, and so I rewarded myself with a girls weekend in Huehue/Xela. Some good friends and I did a one-day turnaround to Xela and had a great time. We enjoyed a tasty meal of international cuisine (including sushi) and then hit the dance floor to practice our salsa moves.

Cat y yo

A few days later, my good friend Cat (who sadly recently found out she did not receive her fourth-year extension and will be leaving us at the end of September) came up and stayed with me in Jacal for four days. Cat used to live in the next town over before moving when she became a Volunteer Leader last September, so she came back to the area to reconnect with some old friends and check on the projects she had done during her first two years. This may not seem particularly blog-worthy, but visitors are a big deal for me. While our site is certainly not the most remote in Peace Corps Guatemala, we're pretty high up on the list, so it's always exciting when people make the trek out here to us.

We also threw a surprise party for Juan Jo's birthday that week. It was a very simple, intimate rooftop celebration. The electricity went out sometime before the sun went down, which always makes things a little more exciting. I got a couple cool candelight shots.

Spreading the green
Two weeks ago I made the four-hour trip out to a jr. high in a village of the neighboring municipality to give a talk on trash management and contamination prevention. The principal at school in Taj Buxup has a sister who works there and she had heard about the work we were doing and invited me to participate in their enviornmental workshop. The school, which is supported by organizations from Sweden and Spain, is quite impressive. The grounds are beautiful. They have a fully equipped library with audio-visual technology and a really nice assembly room, and all the students are on scholarship. It's a very cool project. They spent that whole week in interactive sessions having to do with the environment and gender equality.

Making place mats with recycled magazines

Wild, wild Huehue
This weekend we had another fun girls night out in Huehue. Katie introduced us to an amazing Chinese food restaurant (yes, really) and later that night we hit the town for some fun and dancing. Good times were had by all.

Wine and chocolate
My site mate Erica currently holds the number one spot for best gifts from the states, having brought me Dove carmel-filled chocolates and two bottles of wine after returning from her trip home. It helped to quench my seething jealousy. Seven more months to go! I think I might actually make it.

Peace out,
Kristina

Hikes and hijinx

2009-07-25T19:29:00.000-05:00

Photos from the past fortnight:

Hike to Cuevas de Limón with two of my teachers from the school in Buxup

Seño Maria

Profe Yovani rockin' out with his panza out in the maroon jeans

A big crack...I know a lot about geology

Happy to be alive

Go toward the light!

Farewell party for our French friends Sarah and Fanny

Awww, so sweet!

Fanny and Sarah

Finally finished organic trash pit project at big school in Buxup

More Rio Azul photos

Finally bought a full-length mirror (best purchase since arriving in Guatemala)

Cell phones and other modern inconveniences

2009-07-16T16:27:00.001-05:00

I truly can’t believe it. I lost ANOTHER cell phone. I’m now on my sixth since arriving in Guatemala a year and a half ago. That’s ridiculous, even for me.

Those of you who have even a passing acquaintance with me, may not be so surprised. I’m Kristina. I lose everything. I freely admit that. But I would like to point out that in seven years of cell phone usage in the States I owned a total of three phones (four including the one they gave me at my last job), and I never lost any of them. The only reason I ever got a new phone was because it came free with a new plan. So something is seriously wrong here.

Juan Jo and I have decided it’s because I don’t have a car. I think it’s a good theory. Non-private transportation (e.g. buses and micros) has accounted for the loss of four of the five phones. I’d like to say they were all stolen, but the more likely story is that they fell out of my pocket or I left them sitting on the seat next to me or dropped them on the floor when I fell asleep waiting for someone to return a text.

Another was lost when I decided to test the phone’s water resistance by jumping into a pool while it was tucked into my bathing suit top. Conclusion: the Motorola Frijolito model is not water proof.

For those of you who are wondering, my number remains the same and my telecommunications systems are operational once again.

Customer Harrasment Representative
The following is a story about the dangers of mixing cross-cultural miscommunication with poor customer service. Before starting, I want to preface it by saying I realize I have high standards when it comes to customer service. As much as I sometimes hated working retail, my college job at Bed, Bath and Beyond did teach me the value of providing friendly and professional service, no matter what the industry.

Let me also say that I have encountered plenty of establishments with high-quality customer service in both the States and Guatemala. I’ve also had some unbelievably horrible service experiences in both countries, but this latest one nearly takes the cake. I promise to thinly veil the identity of the company in order to protect myself from a libel suit. Here’s the story:

I’d been having issues with my broadband Internet toward the end of last week. I was able to sign on, but was getting kicked off every few minutes, which made checking my Facebook account a very annoying experience. I was as sure as not that the problem was with my computer and not with the modem, but because I had to go into town for a separate-but-related purchase anyway, I decided to go to Guatemala’s leading cell phone and internet service provider’s store and get the modem checked out.

I was a little leery about the experience, having heard horror stories from several people who had tried to do troubleshooting with this company, but as I said, I just wanted to ask a few questions, so I figured it couldn’t be that bad.

I walk into the store, am treated cordially at the door and attended to immediately. So far, so good. The saleswoman (heretofore known as Exasperatingly Defensive Salesgirl) greets me politely and asks me to explain the situation. She tells me we’ll start by using the modem on one of their computers at the store, in order to figure out what is going on.

We walk over to the computer, she plugs in the modem and signs online. She does this before I have the chance to inform her that I haven’t yet purchased a package for the day, and therefore being connected to the Internet is draining my account at a much higher rate. I am calm when I give her this information. It’s an easy fix. We just have to disconnect from the Internet and send a message requesting the hourly package at the reduced rate before signing on again.

When I do this, I receive a message that I don’t have enough money in the account for the Q5 package I requested. That’s weird because I had Q45 in the account when I walked into the store, and while the dial-up rate is expensive, it should not have emptied my account during the 10 seconds we were connected.

[Note to reader: I was not at this point, nor at any point during this interaction, concerned with getting my money back. Even though something had obviously gone wrong and I probably could have made a case for reimbursement, I’ve lived here long enough to know that refunding is not part of the Guatemalan business culture. In fact, I’m not even sure there’s a word for it. Defensive Salesgirl, however, must have dealt with enough Gringos to make the assumption that I would expect one, a likelihood that didn’t occur to me until it was much too late.]

I am still calm, but puzzled because we are still able to connect to the Internet, even though I’ve been told there is no money in the account. This is where Exasperatingly Defensive Salesgirl starts getting defensive. You didn’t tell me you hadn’t bought a package, she tells me in a slightly panicked, high-pitched voice. I explain to her that I know, but even so, I should still have money in my account. She scurries off to check my account registry to see what happened and tells me I can use the Internet until she gets back and to make note of how long it lets me stay on before kicking me off.

Five or ten minutes pass and Salesgirl comes back with a piece of scrap paper looking satisfied. The conversation went something like this (translated from Spanish):

Exasperatingly Defensive Salesgirl: Okay, I figured it out. You scared me. Here’s what happened: (She shows me the paper with the registry log handwritten on it) You put money into the account this morning at 11:30.
Me: uh-huh…
EDS: Then you bought two hours of Internet.
Me: yeah...
EDS: Then you made some international phone calls…
Me (eyebrows raised): Wait, what? No.
EDS (face sets): Yes.
Me: No, I didn’t.
EDS: Yes, you did. It’s on the registry.
Me: Okay, but I didn’t make any international phone calls.
EDS: Well, it’s on the registry, and the computer can’t make up phone calls.
Me: Right, but I didn’t make any international phone calls. I don’t even know how to do that with the modem.
EDS: Well, then someone else made them.
Me: That’s not possible either because I’ve had the modem with me all day.
EDS (getting more defensive): Well, someone made some international phone calls with it.
Me: Look, I’m not upset. I just want to figure out what’s going on, because I don’t want to keep putting money into my account if someone is going to be able to steal it electronically. Is it possible something like that happened?
EDS: No, they can’t do that. Someone made the calls with your SIM card. (The SIM card is located inside the modem and is the same as a cell phone SIM card. So what she is suggesting is that someone on the bus or somewhere, got a hold of my modem, took out the SIM card, put it in their cell phone, made three international phone calls, put the SIM card back in the modem, and slipped the modem back into my wallet, which was inside my shoulder bag which was sitting in my lap. I know there are some pretty amazing pick-pockets in the world, but come on.)
Me: You’re not hearing me. That’s not possible. Let me tell you what I did today. I got up. I ate breakfast. I did some chores around the house. I went to the store, and had the modem with me. I put money in my account. I went home and used the Internet for two hours. Then I came into town and came to this store. The modem has been with me the whole time.
(At this point, two friends who were with me walk into the store.)
EDS: Well, these calls are on the registry.
Me: I understand that, but there must be some kind of mistake.
EDS: No, there was no mistake.
Me: I don’t know why you’re not listening to me. I didn’t make any international phone calls.
(Friends walk back out of the store.)
EDS: Well, someone did.
Me: I swear to you, that is not possible. I’m not lying to you. I don’t have any reason to lie to you.
EDS: I know you’re not lying, but these calls are on the registry.

This pattern goes on for another five minutes or so, before I figure out a way to put a stop to the insanity:

Me: Listen, I just don’t want to keep losing money. Can’t we call someone and…
EDS: I already called.
Me: Okay…is there no one else we can call? Because something is wrong here.
EDS: Okay, I guess I can call again.
Me: Thank you.

She walks away and leaves me to surf the web. I am still connected to the Internet even though I apparently have no money in my account, but this doesn’t seem to strike her as odd.

Defensive Salesgirl comes back ten or 15 minutes later looking less confident but still combative and gives me some story about how if I put money into my account and don’t use all of it up right away, then hackers can get into my account and steal my money and they’re probably the ones who made the phone calls.

First of all, I’m pretty sure I suggested something like that about 20 minutes ago. Secondly, that makes their system seem kind of faulty, no? But at this point I’m done arguing and don’t feel like pointing those things out to Salesgirl because this isn’t even the problem I came to get fixed in the first place, so I just smile and nod along.

Then she goes on to give me some other B.S. excuse that there are certain web pages (and they can’t tell me which ones) that will charge me the dial-up rate when I view them. I’m no tech expert, but this seems like crap to me. Plus, I hadn’t visited any web pages that morning that I hadn’t been to a hundred times before, and this is the first time this has ever happened to me. But, again, I am past caring and a little confused as to why she is still arguing the point when I had accepted her first justification with no objection.

After giving me these explanations, she quickly adds, “So that’s why we can’t give you credit.” That’s when the light bulb went off.

Me: Ohhh!! No, no, no, no. I’m not asking for a credit. (I am so ready to eat the Q45 it’s not even funny.) I just wanted to figure out what was going on. By the way, it finally kicked me off.
EDS: Okay, I'll have to give the modem to one of our technical associates to find out what the problem is.
Me: How much time will that take?
EDS: 48 hours.
Me: Yeah, I can’t leave it here that long because I don’t live nearby and have to go home today. Maybe next time.
EDS: Okay.
Me: Thanks.
EDS: Bye.

You’ll notice that at no point in the exchange did I ever ask for a refund. But because I was being assertive in my quest to solve a problem, I must have mistakenly said “Give me back my money” through indirect communication. And just when I thought I was getting fluent in Guatemalan.

Peace out,
Kristina

When Gringos attack

2009-07-08T23:31:00.000-05:00

We celebrated the Fourth of July in true Peace Corps Guatemala fashion last week. We had a two-day volunteer conference from which I gleaned just enough information to freak me out about going back to real life after this, but also had a good time hanging out in Antigua, at the basketball tourney and at the BBQ on Saturday. The week’s festivities:

We were kind of a rag-tag bunch

Wouldn't YOU be intimidated?? (Yeah, we took last)

Uncle Dave

We LOVE 4th of July!!

This dude was awesome

Our resident PCG rap group, Pan Dulce

As a belated birthday treat, I went out for sushi with some friends on Friday night. It was AMAZING! I thought it would help satisfy the cravings but now they’re only worse. I may be going back to Antigua sooner than I thought.

Ye of little faith
For the first time ever, I actually was not chomping at the bit to get back home and back to work. After spending nearly a week with other volunteers and people with whom I have virtually no cross-cultural communication problems, I was not looking forward to coming back here and diving back into the whole mess again. Especially since I was certain everything would be totally off track after the two-week break from school.

Well, I stand corrected because both of my schools are actually doing relatively well. And at my big school in Buxup they finally excavated the organic trash pits, even though I wasn’t able to be there on the day we had planned to do it. That was a nice little pick-me-up.

As for the kitchen, we’re still waiting on word from the municipality on exactly how much they’re going to give us, but we plan on bothering them every, single day until they give us something just to shut us up. Being a reporter certainly taught me well the art of being a needle in someone’s side, so here’s hopin’.

Peace out,
Kristina

¡Feliz Cumpleaños a mi!

2009-06-27T19:33:00.000-05:00

Thursday was my 26th birthday. I hadn't planned on doing anything on the actual day really, because both my site mate and Juan José were supposed to be going out of town. And because we're so close to the annual volunteer conference and 4th of July BBQ it didn't really make sense to try and organize a get-together because we can all celebrate together in Antigua in just a few days.

I hadn't told many of my Guatemalan friends because I didn't want them to feel obligated to put something together for me. Well, that plan failed. I was at Maria's house sharing photos with the family that we had taken together at Christmas time, when Juan Jo stopped by to drop off some DVDs before he headed out. He came up, gave me a hug, said happy birthday and then asked the family if they had wished me happy birthday yet. That's when I got mauled by about 15 Guatemalans who then proceeded to chastise me about not telling them it was my birthday.

I think someone must have called a Code Red because suddenly everyone was manning battle stations, cooking, calling relatives, going out and buying supplies and before I knew it, my Guatemalan birthday party was in full swing. We had a really great time and I feel so blessed to have this family in my life.

Sounding off
As I mentioned before, I am the editor of a newsletter called La Hora Chapina for Healthy Schools volunteers. I still haven't figured out how to upload issues here. But I wrote a Letter from the Editor in the latest edition that I wanted to share with you all. Let me know what you think:

It's a swine line

I woke up one morning in April and the world had gone crazy — and it almost took me with it. The swine flu has arrived! We’re doomed! We’ll all be wiped out! I’ll admit I had fleeting thoughts of dressing myself up in one of those man-on-the-moon looking clean suits.

But that was only until I decided to dig a little deeper and not allow myself to fall prey to melodramatic headlines and the panic-inducing images being run on all the news stations. That’s when I found out, as we now all know, that contracting influenza A H1N1 did not mean certain death. That, in fact, this strand of the flu is really no different than any other strand of the flu. It’s spread and treated in basically the same way and manifests itself through basically the same symptoms.

Yes, it is a pandemic (another one of those panic button words), but the World Health Organization has been very clear that this classification “is a reflection of the spread of the virus, not the severity of illness caused by the virus.”

A little perspective: The Spanish Flu of 1918-1919 killed nearly 50 million people, equivalent to roughly one-third of the population of Europe at the time. Approximately one-third of the world's population (500 million people) became infected. The Hong Kong Flu caused 700,000 deaths in 1968, while the Asian Flu outbreak was blamed for about 100,000 deaths worldwide in 1957. Conversely, the WHO reports that as of June 26, 263 deaths are linked to the current flu pandemic.

And yet these facts seemed to have widely escaped notice by the general public, due in large part to a sensationalist media of which I am a little more than embarrassed to admit I was a member in my pre-Peace Corps life.

That is why I believe it is our role as Healthy Schools Volunteers to be the voice of reason for our teachers and our students and their parents, especially because their access to quality news and information is fairly limited. Certainly we do not want to diminish the importance of taking preventative measures. By all means, invoke the name of the evil pig flu to get your kids to wash their hands and eat well, but give them all the facts.

Well-informed people (of any age) feel empowered and in control. They are far more capable of making smart decisions than people who feel cornered and under attack.

Peace out,
Kristina

Poco a poco

2009-06-24T13:03:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update: The municipality finally approved our kitchen project and said they are willing to provide some funds (yay!). That said, we won't know how much they're giving us until they get their next deposit from the federal government and are able to write out a budget. That deposit is supposed to be made in the next two or three weeks, but after a year and a half here, I now know enough not to hold my breath.

The hard part is, we can't solicit any other institutions until we know exactly how much we're getting from the muni, so that we can write out an exact budget stipulating which funds will be used for what. So, it's back to waiting. This whole experience is giving my patience a workout.

School is still out and I'm going a little nuts with all the free time, but am getting excited for the Fourth of July. It's the biggest event of the year for Volunteers. We have a two-day conference on the 2nd and 3rd and then a huge BBQ on the 4th with a D.J., talent show, all the works. Almost every volunteer in the country comes in for it. Last year was a blast, and I'm hearing good things about the agenda for this year's shindig.

I've been researching grad school programs for when I get back. Most of the ones that interest me require the G.R.E., which scares the crap out of me. Guess I better start studying.

Hope all the Daddios out there had a great Father's Day. Here's a shout-out to my Pops: Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!! I <3 u 2.

Peace out,
Kristina

I'm lovin' it ... mostly

2009-06-18T16:52:00.000-05:00

Stole this idea from my cousin’s blog (KT does Japan.. again, see link to the right).

Things I love about Guatemala:
*Beans (there are so many ways to prepare them)
*Mangos
*Papusas (kind of like hot pockets but handmade and sooo much better, bigger and cheesier)
*Tostadas
*Guacamole
*Living a slower-paced life
*4-hour work days
*Seeing people’s faces light up just because you showed up when you said you would
*Hearing old ladies giggle when I greet them in the local Mayan language
*My students
*Watching one of my students wash his hands after going to the bathroom without having to be told
*Traveling
*Being surrounded by natural beauty all the time
*Saying things like Saaaaber! and Hiiiijola!
*Ayudantes who recognize me and don’t try to put me on a bus to Mexico or the lake because they know I actually live here
*Chuchitos
*Crazily decorated camionetas
*Ranchera and banda music
*Tortillas (but only Huista-style)
*Xela

Things I don’t love about Guatemala:
-Roosters in urban settings
-Trash EVERYWHERE
-The mechanic’s workshop located behind my room
-The guy who works in the mechanic’s shop and thinks he’s a really good whistler (he isn’t)
-People never showing up when or where they say they will
-Ayudantes who automatically assume I’m a tourist who speaks no Spanish
-Bombas (fireworks without the cool light display, basically just loud noise)
-People staring at me ALL THE TIME
-Not having access to good sushi
-Having way more free time than I can handle
-Having to share my seat on the bus with two grown men, and a woman and her three children
-Cocky backpackers who think they know it all because they’ve been on the road for two months
-… which reminds me … Antigua

Help support Peace Corps!

2009-06-16T13:20:00.002-05:00

If you get a chance, tune in to Hardball with Chris Matthews on MSNBC tonight. According to the information I have, the show will air at 5:30 p.m. EST. He's going to be interviewing a returned Peace Corps Volunteer and a Congresswoman who are pushing for legislation to strengthen the Peace Corps. The show is supposed to re-air at 7:30 p.m. EST.

We are the champions!

2009-06-14T12:29:00.001-05:00

aMost of this past week was spent attending sporting events and recovering from food poisoning, that I'm embarrassed to say I think I got from food I cooked myself.

The Jacal Olympics
So I've reached a level of acceptance when it comes to how much school the kids here miss for various extra-curricular activities that always take place during school hours. For example: approximately 25-30 kids from my school in Taj Buxup participated in Jacal Olympiads on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, yet school was cancelled for everyone because all the teachers decided they needed to be at the games to support the athletes. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all about supporting students in their extra-curricular interests and hobbies, but in this case it is such a see-through attempt to get out of working and spend a day at the stadium (maybe I'm not as over it as I thought).

As I was saying, with my newfound tolerance for these kinds of events, I was able to enjoy the games much more than I did last year. Our Division A boys soccer team from Taj Buxup took the championship on penalties. We also had a few boys from Taj Buxup helping out a team from a neighboring village that didn't have enough players. That team took first place on penalties, overcoming a 2-0 second-half deficit. Taj Buxup also took first place in the Division A boys high jump and Division B girls triple jump.

Sorry that most of these photos are post-game/celebration shots. I was too into the game to take action shots. Plus, my sports photography skills are seriously lacking, so they probably wouldn't have come out that great anyway.

The winning penalty kick in Division A

Celebrating the win

Division B celebrations

Juanita, Division A triple jump winner

Buxup (the bigger school) didn't place anyone and that was a subject of much debate at an excruciatingly long teacher's meeting the next day (It must be the sports committee's fault because they don't practice with the kids. No, it's the teacher's fault because they don't give their P.E. classes and the kids don't know how to play any sport but soccer. No, it's the director's fault, because....aaaahhhhhhh!!!!)

A H1N1 status in Guatemala
School has now been cancelled for the next two weeks because flu cases have been on the rise in the country. We still haven't had any cases here in Huehue and only one death in the country (a nine-year-old boy). Closing every school in the country when only a few departments have been affected seems a little drastic, but that's just one of the issues that go along with having a federalized school system.

I still think people are going slightly out of their minds over this thing. Yes, okay, it's now been classified as a global pandemic, (not to sound cold) but we are talking about 141 deaths (as of June 11th) versus tens of millions of deaths from other, serious, flu pandemics in the past. And from reading the news, it seems the majority of deaths have been people with other health problems or otherwise compromised immune systems.

The World Health Organization itself stresses that the "pandemic" classification has nothing to do with the disease's severity, rather its global spread. This is a manageable virus, treatable by the same or similar methods as any other common strand of the flu, but because of early, irresponsible and alarmist media reports people here still think you'll be dead within minutes of contracting it. Anyhow, that's my rant on that.

Nos vemos, Sarita
We all had to say goodbye to our good friend Sara (Juan Jo's fiancée) who finished up her dental internship at the hospital and went back home to the capital yesterday. We had a goodbye dinner for her on Thursday, but I was unfortunately unable to attend her final sendoff as I was still needing to run to the bathroom every few minutes, having to guess whether it'd be coming out the top or bottom (I just started bringing a bucket with me and holding it on my lap.).

We were all very sad to see her go, especially Juan Jo, of course. He'll be staying here running his clinic at least until November or December. Business is going very well for him, because the people in Jacal all know and trust him from when he did his internship at the Health Center last year.

Sarita!

I guess that about wraps up the week. Hopefully with the unexpected time off from school I'll be able to make some more headway on getting financing for the projects in my schools. Keep your fingers crossed, send up a prayer and/or send some good karma my way.

As always, loving and missing everyone like crazy.

Peace out,
Kristina

Working out, rocking out and water slides

2009-06-08T17:13:00.000-05:00

Weekend highlights
After a rather difficult week dealing with the death of Tia Rosalia and several work-related obstacles, I decided to take Ashleigh up on her offer to join her and some other volunteers at our friend Kyle’s site for the weekend to celebrate his birthday. Here are the top 10 moments from the trip:

10. Going to the movie theater in Xela. We saw Terminator, which was kind of lame (probably worse for me because I’ve never seen any of the others), but it was cool just to be in the movie theater atmosphere again. That was only my third time since coming to Guatemala.

9. Fruit-By-The-Foot! I found it at Hiper Paiz (read Wal-Mart), and the six pack was TOTALLY worth the Q32 I spent on it.

8. Finding my sunglasses after leaving them hanging overnight on a plant near the soccer field. Stuff like that never works out for me, especially when it comes to sunglasses. This is the sixth or seventh pair I’ve owned in a year.

7. Downloading sweet music from Kyle, including the Doobie Brothers. Listen to the music, baby! Brings me back to elementary school and those morning rides with Dad.

6. Power outage in Chiantla. Why do the best conversations always take place at times like these?

5. Rockin’ out to CCR (mixed in with a little Tupac and a little Journey) on Kyle’s front porch.

4. Working out in Huehue. My God, I miss having a gym nearby. I’ve been to the one in Huehue twice now, but it’s too far away for me to go with any regularity. The entrance fee is a little steep at Q25, but the hot, high-pressure showers alone are worth it. It felt so good to run and lift and leave with that exhausted, endorphin-high feeling.

3. Funnel cake and soft serve at the water park in Reu. Hey, I worked out first, so I’m allowed, okay? The funnel cake was nice and crispy, just the way I like it, and the soft serve was maybe the best I’ve ever had in my life.

2. The water park! It was like being transported back in time to being 13 years old. The park was as nice as any I’ve been to in the states and the rides were crazy. I’ve definitely lost some of that fearlessness that I used to have when it came to daredevil stuff, but I took on most of them. Even the tallest one that you race down on mats with a drop that made me think I was going to die every time we went down it. And there was one other difference: I don’t remember the stair-climbing being so difficult the last time.

1. Impromptu Peace Corps sports camp. When we got back from the water park, we decided to take a bunch of Kyle’s sports equipment out to the soccer field just to mess around. Upon arrival we noticed there was already a soccer game going on, but no matter. It’s not uncommon to see three or four games happening on the same field at once, so we just took up a corner and started playing.

Soon, the boys joined in on the soccer game, while we girls started up a softball camp for all the little kids that kept coming out of the woodwork to see what the crazy gringos were doing with that long stick and a ball the size of a human head (it was an extra-large softball). At one point, Ame even started up an American football tutorial.

We had such a blast. I can’t believe how good it felt to swing a bat again. We were out there until well after dark, and even had the little girls clamoring for their turn at the plate or a chance to hike the football.

It was a great weekend and just what I needed.

Other happenings
The mayor finally sent a commission down to my school in Taj Buxup two weeks ago to take a look at our situation with the kitchen. He had rejected our initial solicitation for funds on somewhat bogus grounds that I won’t rehash, but we kept pestering him and now it looks as though we might get some help from the municipality. We’ve also turned in project proposals to two local organizations and are waiting to hear back from them. It would be really awesome if we could get the whole thing funded with local money.

At my other school, we’re trying to get some pits dug out so that they’ll have a place to put their organic trash. What was originally supposed to be a two-day project, has stretched out into three weeks as the ground where we are digging is basically pure rock and makes for slow progress, especially when the majority of your diggers are between the ages of 10 and 14 years old. So what we’re going to do is take a day or two off of classes (they’ve certainly canceled them for much less pressing matters) and I’m getting the teachers out there…no excuses!

The weekend before last I hosted a pizza night at my house for some volunteers who had come to visit and some friends of mine from Jacal. Eight people showed up and we had a really good time. The next day my friends Dana and Jessica and I took a hike down to Rio Azul. I never get tired of that place.

Me and Juan Jo

Now I suppose it’s time to get back to work, begging people for money. As always, hope all is well with everyone back home. Let me know if you’re interested in making a trip to Guatemala!

Peace out,
Kristina

Tia Rosalia

2009-06-01T21:12:00.000-05:00

Tia Rosalia, the aunt of my good friend Maria, died last night and was buried today. Maria and her family have really taken me in and made me feel like one of the family over the past year, so it’s been a difficult two days.

Rosalia was 75 years old and a very sweet woman. She didn’t speak much Spanish (mostly Popti’ , the indigenous language in my region), and when I met her, she was already having trouble getting around, suffering the effects of a stroke she had a while back. But she always made me feel welcome in her home, was always smiling when I walked through the door. That's her on the left in the above photo. I will miss her.

Like many families in Guatemala, Maria’s is very big and very close. Almost all live in the same town within walking distance. 18 of them, spanning four generations still live in the same house. Maria and her siblings lost their mother a little over a year ago, and Maria told me today, “First I lost my mom, now I’ve lost my other mom.”

Rosalia suffered another stroke about three weeks ago and was admitted to the hospital here in town. After a few days the hospital was finally able to get a hold of the medication she needed and it seemed to stabilize her. She was eating a bit, drinking and able to talk some. But then her condition started slipping again and the medication seemed to lose its affect.

It got to the point that she couldn’t speak, swallow or move anything but her left arm. She was being sustained through an IV and still in the hospital where only one or two members of the family were able to visit at a time, so they decided to take her home.

She lasted a few more days, surrounded by all her family and friends and passed away last night at 11:30. I was able to go over and say goodbye yesterday afternoon. It was a difficult experience. I haven’t spent much time around the seriously ill, and seeing this woman who was once so full of life barely able to breathe or open her eyes came as a shock. But I’m glad I was able to see her once more and be with the family for a while as they were coming to terms with what was about to happen.

I spent most of today with the family at the viewing and the funeral. It was very different from the few funerals I’ve experienced back home. Everyone was very public about their grief. I think, for the most part, as North Americans, we work very hard at keeping it together and maintaining that stiff upper lip. Today, every so often, members of the family would break down screaming and moaning, draping themselves over her casket. It seemed an accepted part of the grieving process. Whoever else happened to be in the room, would just continue with what they were doing, seemingly unworried about this person who was falling apart.

And yet, at the same time, that person who had been inconsolable two minutes before, would then be walking around joking with the others or playing with the kids, almost as if they had purged themselves of that wave of pain that had come upon them and were now able to get back to whatever needed to be done.
They held her funeral in the afternoon and then we processed from the church down to the cemetery to bury her. Again, there was no trying to hide their hurt. Watching the family’s reaction when she was finally lowered was heart-wrenching.

But despite all the sadness, everyone is grateful Tia Rosa was able to spend her final days surrounded by people she knew and loved and who loved her in return. Please keep the Ros-Domingo/Ros-Camposeco family in your thoughts and prayers.

Peace,
Kristina

Recently...

2009-05-28T19:17:00.000-05:00

Now that I have Internet at my house, I feel like I should be keeping up with the blog more. I'm hoping that doesn't mean my posts will become mind-numbingly boring (see previous post).

Speaking of the previous post, this week we've been experiencing the hottest heat wave since I arrived in country. And mercifully, there's been a break in the rain, but I don't kid myself that it will last for long. Okay, that's enough about the weather.

In other news, I am very proud of myself for correctly installing my new electric water heater in the shower (I may have gotten a tip or two from Juan José, but I did almost all of it myself). My old one went on the fritz and after realizing I was supremely unqualified to fix it, I decided to drop the Q150 to buy a new one. I increased my Peace Corps cred by taking bucket baths for a week before I found the time to install the heater, but am now back to my original status as a pampered Club Med PCV.

We turned in another application for funds for the kitchen last week. The representative of the organization is very enthusiastic, but it sounds like his higher-ups need some convincing about the durability of these kind of constructions, so I may be making a trip to the capital with a university professor who is doing studies on buildings made with "eco-bricks" to plead our case. I'm planning to get another two applications turned in next week to increase our chances.

I held another workshop for my teachers today. I did it with both schools at once, which I thought might be overwhelming but I really think it was the best workshop yet. First, my teachers from the big school in Buxup came to Taj Buxup to observe all the classrooms and see how the teachers there are managing the Healthy Schools program. Then we all went to Buxup to see their classrooms and afterward I facilitated a discussion about all the new ideas they took away from the experience. It was also a chance for them to discuss problems and/or challenges they have within the program and then talk about solutions to said difficulties.

Also, I developed a bacterial infection in my throat this week. When I came back from school Tuesday, the sore throat I'd been dealing with for the previous two days became seriously painful, accompanied by a headache and lowgrade fever. Juan José came over to check on me and made me go to urgent care at the hospital, where his finaceé Sara is finishing her dental internship. Sara got me in almost right away and the doctor looked at my throat for all of about 1.5 seconds before telling me, "Oh, sí! Tienes amigdalitis!" I'm on the antibiotics now though and feeling much better. All thanks to my contacts in the dental industry. Mom, try not to bombard them with overly emotional thank you calls and emails. Maybe just include something for them in the next package?

Dana, Katie and our friend Jessica are coming up tomorrow and a bunch of my Jacal friends are coming over for dinner. If everyone shows it'll be about 12 people, which is the most people I've ever had over at once. I'll probably borrow the front room of the house and we'll have dinner there. I'm planning on making pizzas.

And that means I have to go clean now. Hope everyone is well. Love and miss you all!

Peace out,
Kristina

The rains have arrived

2009-05-16T13:56:00.000-05:00

Yes, the Guatemalan winter season has begun (collective groan emitted from PCVs). In Jacaltenango this means eight things:

1. Rain (every day at 2 o'clock)
2. Mud
3. Fog
4. Mist
5. Humidity
6. MOLD!!
7. Inability to dry clothes after washing
8. Jocotx! (See last year's entry about these tasty insects)

One redeeming factor out of eight...ugh! And the ants are only around for the month of May. We'll be dealing with the rest of the list until at least October. I better get working on putting some sealant on my wooden armoire. Maybe that way this year I can avoid coming home one weekend to find all my clothes covered in fuzzy green mold.

Hope you all are enjoying the summer sun back home (tear).

Peace out,
Kristina

One year down

2009-05-12T21:09:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I finally got my act together and re-wrote this entry, which I accidentally deleted a few weeks back. The month of April marked the completion of my first year of service. It was an absolutely crazy month with me traveling every day for nearly three weeks.

Welcome to the Jungle!
I started off with another trip to the Petén during Semana Santa (Holy Week). As I mentioned last year, Semana Santa is huge in Latin America, and especially Guatemala. The whole country pretty much takes the week off. Some other volunteers (and Hugo, a Guatemalan friend from the capital) and I decided to take advantage of the break to do a five-day hike and go check out some relatively recently discovered ruins. The name of the site is El Mirador and is inaccessible to vehicles, so you have to hike to it.

The trip up there was an adventure in and of itself. Jessica and I were arriving later than the rest of the group, which was going a day early to check out Tikal. Our bus ride up there was less than luxurious, to say the least. To summarize, it was a 10-hour trip on one of the hottest days of the year in a packed bus with poor ventilation and a cockroach infestation. How a bus gets infested with cockroaches, I’ll never understand. We made it in one piece, though just barely.

The mules that carried our stuff

Hittin' the trail

The hike was amazing and mostly flat, although that didn’t stop me from sucking wind for the first two days. It took me a while to get up to speed with the rest of the group. Our scrawny guide, Miguelito fooled us all with his five-foot-nothing stature and skin-and-bones frame. He hauled butt the whole way, all the while puffing on cigarettes when the rest of us stopped for water breaks.

Miguelito!

We think the distance from the trail head to the ruins was about 50 km (we kept getting differing reports so no one knows for sure). We walked for about four hours the first day and made it to the camp at Tintal, a smaller ruins site on the way to Mirador. The next day took about eight hours with some longer stops for water and checking out some other sights along the way.

Inside a Mayan King's tomb

Something Mayan...I was really tired at this point

We made it to the Mirador by about 3 p.m. on the second day, with enough time to explore some of the ruins near to our camp and watch the sunset from the top of a pyramid. Ashleigh, Jess and Kelsey decided to be adventurous and stayed on top of the pyramid where the plan was to spend the night. I was too much of a pansy and too sore to sleep on the uncomfortable ground and elected for the comfort of my hammock. It turned out to be an inspired choice as the girls got rained off the pyramid at about 2 a.m. and had to navigate a rather precarious descent in the dark to get back to camp.

Original Mayan paintings

This is how I felt at the end of each day

The next day was spent seeing more of the ruins, many of which are still undergoing the excavation process. We also got to see where the archeologists live and work when they’re there.

Taking in the view

On day four, we set out back the way we had come, cutting nearly three hours off our trail time for that leg of the trip. By that time I had hit my groove and wasn’t having much trouble staying with the group. We cut off another hour on the last day and made it back to Flores in time to enjoy a nice lunch together and a cerveza or two. I made it out with just one tick. Jess and Grant were a little less lucky and Jess even underwent minor surgery on top of a pyramid to remove one of them.

Having had to take bucket baths with swamp water, we were pretty stinky by the end

The next two weeks were a blur of hours upon hours spent traveling by bus and sleeping in a different place nearly every night due to various meetings and medical appointments. When I finally got back to Jacal it felt more like coming home than ever before (Don’t worry Mom, I won’t stay forever :o). I was elated to be back in my apartment and sleep in my own bed.

Passing the torch
The week I got back I was swamped with getting back into the groove at school, preparing for a visit from my program director and organizing a major sales campaign with Soluciones Comunitarias, my secondary project.

On Tuesday, Doñas Manuela, Candelaria, Emilia and Emilia’s son Chus and I went out to Todos Santos to put up flyers and do publicity for a sales campaign they were planning for the weekend. The trip was a bit of a fiasco because they hadn’t exactly planned much ahead of time, but everything turned out okay and they had a great turnout on Saturday.

That same weekend, Mary Claire, who works with the Sol Com on a regional level, came up for the group’s tri-monthly meeting. After observing how the group was functioning, we decided that my services were really no longer needed. Chus and the ladies are now capable of taking full responsibility for their businesses, and it was at the point where my involvement was more of an unnecessary crutch than anything else.

It’s a little sad because working with them usually turned out to be fun, even if it was somewhat maddening at times. But it’s great to know that the project has reached a level of sustainability and to see them take control.

Another Smack down
Dr. Sergio Mack (known as Smack to us volunteers because of his email address) is the director of Healthy Schools for Peace Corps Guatemala and came up to Jacal for his second visit since I started my service. My teachers always get a boost in motivation after seeing him, and it couldn’t have come at a better time as I’ve been having a bit of trouble in that area.

My teachers at Buxup were lagging behind putting together their Health Corners (a clean, organized and hopefully decorated place in their classrooms where the kids can keep their hygiene supplies: toothbrush, towel, soap, etc.). After a somewhat disciplinary visit from the superintendent, five still hadn’t finished, but by the time Sergio came, you better believe they were all done.

This is a good health corner

This is not

Working with this school can sometimes be frustrating because they’re really not lacking anything in the way of infrastructure. The only thing really standing in the way of them getting certified by the end of my time here is that only about half of the staff actually implements the program with any degree of dedication. But I have seen some marked improvements since Sergio’s visit and that’s encouraging.

In Taj Buxup, we’ve been having trouble getting funding approved for the kitchen project. In a stroke of luck, a representative from one of the organizations we are soliciting showed up in the middle of our meeting with Sergio. Being the dynamic salesman he is, Sergio made a convincing pitch to the rep and I think it’s going to help our cause. We should be getting more information on that this week.

What's cookin'?
We did an official count of our bottles today and we've collected more than 3,000! We only needed 2,500 for the kitchen, but the teachers decided to continue collecting for use in future construction projects at the school.

A child knows...
So after we counted up the bottles I was sitting around waiting for my teachers to show up to our weekly meeting that I had confirmed yesterday. No one was around because there were a million other things going on and no one had bothered to mention that bit of information beforehand. All-in-all it was actually a very productive day, but in that moment my frustration level was rising, and as I sat on the curb groaning while I watched some second graders messing around with a pile of burning trash, one of the pre-schoolers came up behind me without saying a word and started giving me a shoulder rub. No joke, I almost cried.

Oink! Oink!
Guatemala finally got its first two confirmed cases of swine flu in the capital and while the hysteria hasn’t quite reached the manic level that it seemed to in other parts of the world, there’s still quite a bit of confusion as to how we should be handling the situation in the schools. I gave a short presentation to the mothers in Buxup last week at the beginning of a nutrition talk I had already planned. I just tried to impress upon them the importance of taking preventative measures, while trying to calm any unnecessary panic that may have been brewing.

Drawing pictures of healthy foods

I was scheduled to give the same talk on Monday in Taj Buxup, but suddenly the superintendent is enforcing a mandate that was issued a week and a half ago, which everyone was ignoring until now. The directive issued by the Ministry of Education states that schools should suspend all extra-curricular meetings and activities that call for large gatherings of people until further notice. The thing is, classes are still in session. That’s a large gathering of people. So why can’t we have meetings? Working within the confines of such an unorganized educational system, these are the kinds of questions that plague me on a day-to-day basis.

¡Feliz Día de la Madre!
I hope all the mothers out there had a wonderful day on Sunday. Here’s a special shout-out to mi mamá. Thanks for all the care packages filled with greatly-missed Trader Joe’s products and People magazines (it’s important to stay informed). I love you and miss you!

Connected
Also, I broke down and signed up for wireless Internet. I’ve been spending a small fortune in the internet cafés and this way if the signal is slow, at least I can be doing other things around the house while it’s working. I can’t really believe I’m in the Peace Corps and have wireless Internet, but almost nothing about this experience has been what I expected, so I guess it’s just another chapter in the story.

That’s all from me for now.

Peace out,
Kristina

Still here...

2009-05-08T16:52:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,

I'm sorry I'm so behind on posting. I had a big one all ready to go and accidentally erased it from my USB and haven't had time to reconstruct it yet. But I promise it's coming soon. I was traveling the entire month of April including a five day hike through the jungle to see some ruins in Petèn. It was unbelievable. I posted some pictures on Facebook and more will be included in my next post.

I've been absolutely swamped trying to find funding for the kitchen project in Taj Buxup so that's been taking up most my time of late. More on all of this as soon as I get a chance. Love and miss everyone terribly. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! Hope all is well.

Peace out,
Kristina

Peace Corps hustlin'

2009-03-14T17:34:00.001-06:00

On the run

I think I might be suffering from shell-shock. Last year, I used to make appointments to do my laundry just so I could have something to write down in my planner. This year, I’ve already filled up all of March and half of April.

The speed with which the time passed in 2008 seemed to have more to do with feeling like it was slipping away than with the fact that I had too much to do. Now I find myself wishing for an extra day in the week so that I can get everything done.

The last month has been absolutely crazy. Following six consecutive weeks in site, I found myself traveling every weekend for four weeks straight.

A group of us headed out to the beach on Valentine’s Day weekend for a little “relax,” as they say here in Guatemala. I ended up doing four days of traveling round trip for what was about a day and a half at the beach, but it was a good time and definitely worth it.

The next weekend, I did a one-day turnaround to Huehue to welcome in the “new volunteers.” They actually got started in November, but with the holidays we hadn’t had a chance to give them a proper Bienvenido.

I was back in the Huehue-area again five days later for a belated celebration of Katie’s birthday, and came back to Jacal that Sunday to help out with the March group of Habitat for Humanity/medical volunteers. As always, it was a great experience and I’m starting to feel a lot more comfortable with my medical translating skills. I spent two days working in the clinics and on Wednesday helped out the team that is coordinating the installation of a Living Waters water purification system in two schools in a nearby village.

Pura Vida

At 2 o’clock that Thursday morning I left Jacal again, this time with the six teachers from my small school and the mason who will be working on our kitchen project. After a month of delays, we were finally heading out to San Marcos, La Laguna on Lake Atitlán to receive training from Pura Vida on how to do the bottle constructions. We arrived in San Marcos at about 9:30 a.m. and got right to work helping out on the construction of a house that was underway. We learned how to stack the bottles, ensuring that they stay in place and how to make the cement mixture.

Profe Juan

Seño Sandra

Our awesome mason Secundino putting on the first layer of cement

A finished Pura Vida wall

Celebrating a job well begun

Suzanna, Pura Vida’s one-woman show, is a German ex-patriot who has lived in Guatemala for nearly 20 years. Working without an office, personal computer, a cell phone or any kind of compensation, she is tirelessly trying to promote environmentally-friendly practices in Guatemala and especially in the towns around Atitlán, one of the world’s great natural treasures. She gave us a tour of her town of San Marcos, including a recycling center that she helped get up and running and a hotel that now employs the bottle method for any new construction and has figured out a way to recycle virtually every piece of garbage it creates.

Recycled glass artistic table top at the hotel

Little by little, she is changing the mentality of an entire town, and maybe even a region by maximizing the small amount of funds she sporadically receives from international aid organizations. I included a link to the Pura Vida web site in my last post, but here it is again: http://www.puravidaatitlan.org/. If you’re interested in helping them out, send them an email (Suzanna and Lenny, Pura Vida's other promoter, both speak English) or let me know.

In Taj Buxup, we’re moving along, having collected about 1,000 of the 2,500 bottles we’ll need to complete the project. We recently found out that Banrural (a Guatemalan bank) closed the grant fund that had been created specifically for schools participating in the Peace Corps Healthy Schools program. But because ours is a bottle construction, the cost will be significantly lower than normal and I don’t think we should have a problem finding the funds with other local organizations (Ojalá).

Still on the runOn Friday, I got on a bus at 5:30 a.m. in order to make my 9:30 medical check-up appointment at the Peace Corps offices. After a day of oh-so-fun medical and dental exams, I got back on a bus for the hour-trip to my friend Dana’s house in Tecpán. All I really wanted to do was crash and go to bed. But when I got there I found there was a bit of a gathering underway and I somehow managed to stay awake (mostly) until everyone left around 10 or 11 (I was pretty delirious at that point).

On Saturday, Dana and I headed up to Xela to catch a performance of the Vagina Monologues … in Spanish. It was truly incredible to see all these Guatemalan women (including an indigenous woman and several women I would say ranged in age from 50 to 70 years old) putting on a performance dedicated to the empowerment of women. We all know the kind of controversy these monologues have stirred up in the states. Just imagine how brave these women have to be to do something like that in a country like Guatemala, which is so saturated with the Machista culture. It definitely rates as one of my most amazing experiences here.

No rest for the weary
I returned home Sunday evening and headed down to Buxup on Monday to give a talk to the parents (actually only one dad showed up, the rest were moms) at my big school. My goal this year is to get the parents educated on the Healthy Schools program so they can reinforce in the home everything we’re doing with the kids at school.

The meeting was scheduled to start at 2 and the first mom didn’t show ‘til 2:30. We didn’t really get underway until after 3 and I actually had a couple moms arrive as I was closing up the school at 4:30. That’s Guatemalan time for you. But other than the tardiness, the parents in Buxup seem to be on board with the plan.
I gave the same talk at my small school in Taj Buxup on Thursday, and while the parents there don’t seem quite as enthusiastic, at least they were a littler timelier. Most people had shown up by 2:45.

Tuesday I gave a teamwork-focused training to my teachers in Buxup, who are still having major difficulties working effectively together. My limits are definitely being tested at this school and I’m not sure we made any real progress, but I’ll just have to keep chipping away as long as I can.

An opportunity missed
The best part of the day was during the break while we were all sitting around eating and chatting. The talk turned to “kids these days” and how they listen to devil music and have poor attitudes and no good role models to imitate. This led one of my teachers (whom I had considered to be fairly progressive for someone who grew up in a rural Guatemalan village) to comment at length on how he didn’t think women should wear pants, because pants were made for men. And women wearing pants only puts ideas into a man’s head, and he doesn’t know why women don’t stick to skirts and dresses because they’re so much more lady-like (I’ll let you figure out the logic there, ‘cause I’m still lost).

He made this little speech to a group which included me and three other female teachers who were all wearing jeans, but we weren’t supposed to take offense, he said. It took all of my strength to bite my tongue and not get into it with this guy, although I’m pretty sure he could tell that I didn’t agree. I just swept it under the rug as yet another cultural difference for which I’d have to dig down and find some tolerance.

But the more I think about it, I wish I had said something. The more I think about it, it doesn’t really have anything to do with cultural differences. The more I think about it, it’s about ignorance and a lack of education, and I think I may have missed an opportunity to be an example of a strong woman who stands up for herself and isn’t defined by what she wears, but by how she acts and what she accomplishes. Not that I should have jumped down his throat, but I could have voiced my opinion instead of letting his stand unchallenged. Although, as steamed as I was at the time, maybe it’s best I didn’t say anything because it may not have been very constructive.

Soluciones ComunitariasLast Friday I went with Doña Manuela to do publicity for Soluciones Comunitarias in the village of Peb’il Pam. Manuela is the hardest worker of the Soluciones Comunitarias group, but her selling partner, Doña Candelaria, has been laid up the last couple months recovering from an appendectomy, so I’ve been accompanying Manuela twice a month on her selling campaigns. She made a killing on her two campaigns in February, and we’re hoping for some decent returns on Sunday in Peb’il Pam.

I wanna be a ‘ballah, shot-callah!Don’t laugh. It seems I’ve been recruited as the assistant coach for the girls basketball team in Taj Buxup. This happened after I reluctantly agreed to “referee” (basically just make possession calls and blow the whistle for the most blatant double dribbles and personal fouls) their game on Wednesday. We’ve definitely got our work cut out for us. They got pummeled by a team on which half of the girls played barefoot.

The head coach, Seño Antonia

So far, I’ve only helped out at one practice and the girls are already annoyed with me for making them run and do drills instead of letting them scamper around the court playing something that loosely resembles a basketball game. It’s all very “Coach Carter.”

Jou speak-a dee Engleesh?So I’ve been resisting requests/demands/pleas to give English classes for almost a year now, and I’ve finally given in. I don’t necessarily think it’s the most sustainable work I can do here, but it’s what my teachers are asking for and part of being a Peace Corps volunteer is responding to the wants of the community, so we’re going to give it a try. I’m teaching one class for my teachers who live in the villages and one for those who live here in Jacal.

Nearly 15 teachers told me they wanted to be in the class. Only four showed up for class in the village, and four here in Jacal. Not the most encouraging start. We’ll see how it goes.

I’m sure I’m leaving plenty out, but those are the major updates. I’m looking forward to being home for the next few weeks, as I have nothing planned that should take me away. I’m hoping to make more progress on the kitchen project and get back down to the nitty-gritty in the schools, though I’m sure there’ll be distraction upon distraction as the sports season gets underway.

As always, best wishes to everyone back home. Even as I start feeling more and more at home here in Jacal, I’ve been missing you all as much as ever. Your support means everything and keeps me going on those tough days when nothing seems to be going the way it should. And you’re the first ones I think of on those days I feel like maybe I am making a small difference, because I know none of it would be possible if you weren’t behind me.

Peace out,
Kristina

Guat year is it?

2009-02-19T14:32:00.000-06:00

Living in Guatemala is tantamount to living in the middle of a case study on anachronism. There's a constant clash of the old and new. Kids living in rural aldeas whose families can barely afford shoes, walk around with Mp3 players and have cable television in their homes. Two men riding on a bus speak in a mayan language so old that it doesn't even have a word for motorized transportation. And ancient Mayan ceremonies play out in the streets of towns where you can find Internet cafes and electronics stores.

I think the most impactful example for me was last weekend when I was at the mall in Xela, which houses stores like Payless and Colors of Bennington. I noticed a crowd was forming at the bottom of the escalator I was about to use and wondered what had everyone so enthralled. As I got closer, I noticed it was a group of indigenous women, all dressed in traje, each riding up the escalator one at a time. One would get on and they'd all start giggling and clapping, and once she got to the top the next one would take her turn.

The best part of it all: they were taking pictures of the whole experience with their camera phones. Apparently the escalator impressed them more than the phones. I love this country.

Back in the flow

2009-02-02T17:25:00.000-06:00

After a three-month break from school, lots of traveling and a jam-packed trip around the country with my parents, things are finally falling back into a “normal” schedule here in Jacal. I’ve been home for the last five weeks straight (save a 24-hour trip to Huehue for a meeting) and between my Popti’ classes, secondary projects and preparing for school to start again, I’ve managed to keep myself pretty busy.

Is there a doctor in the house?
A group of doctors and Habitat for Humanity volunteers from Ohio made their biannual visit to Jacal recently and several other PC volunteers and I helped with translating for the medical team. I worked with them last year when I was first visiting my site and looking for a place to live, so it definitely gave me a feeling of having come full circle. We spent one day doing a clinic in Buxup, where one of my schools is located. I saw a bunch of my students and got really excited for classes to start again.

It was a busy week with PC volunteers from other towns coming and going, helping out for as long as they could. I was hosting a different person every two nights in my box of an apartment, but it was fun to have the company. Here are some photos of the week’s events:

Me and some translators on the last day

Summer’s over

Actually, weather-wise, it’s just getting started down here, but school started last Monday. I gave a teacher-training in my small school the Thursday before and another on Tuesday at my big school (which is supposed to receive three new teachers bringing my grand total to 26). The first one went really well and has me motivated for what we can get done in the upcoming year. My big school is going to be a challenge, but I’m going to work with what I’ve got.

Don't they look engrossed?

On the bright side, at my big school, they constructed two new classrooms (and four new bathrooms that really weren’t needed) so that, at least for the time being, classes will no longer have to be held in the kitchen or in medium-sized storage closets. That’s good because the school has to have a functioning kitchen in order to be certified as a “Healthy School.”

On the other hand, they are expecting to receive 2-3 new teachers, and I don’t know where they’re going to work when or if they get here. The education “system” in Guatemala is a mess, and that mess has been compounded this year by the new administration making sweeping changes without preparing personnel at any level to deal with them.

We didn’t know until about four days before that classes were going to start on Monday. None of my teachers knew what grade they were teaching or what classrooms they’d be in until Monday. Some of my teachers still don’t know because they are contract teachers, meaning they don’t have tenure in any particular school and work based on one-year contracts.

For a number of reasons, these teachers have yet to receive their placements for the year. One of those reasons is that the government banned all PRONADE schools in Guatemala. PRONADE schools were run by the parents in the community, who were responsible for the hiring and firing of teachers. Now they have to figure out which of these teachers is eligible for tenure and where to put all of them, which is displacing many of the contract teachers, who could very well be more qualified and have more experience than their PRONADE counterparts.

On top of all this, neither of my schools had received the promised funding for their school supplies and there’s a new policy this year called “Not even a cent” which states that schools cannot ask for any kind of financial contribution from parents, even if the parents vote and decide they’d like to, say, pay 1Q a week to buy purified water for the kids. Seeing as how Healthy Schools requires that the kids bring supplies like a toothbrush, toothpaste, towel and soap, this could be a problem. It’s going to be an interesting year.

This kitchen is a dump
We have a huge project underway at the small school in Taj Buxup. We’re planning to build a kitchen out of plastic bottles. I’m pretty sure they’ve done projects like this in the states and here in Guatemala there is an organization that promotes these kind of eco-friendly constructions.

Basically the bottles (as in plastic Coke, Pepsi, 7-up, etc., bottles) take the place of using cinder block. You collect as many bottles as you need, depending on the size of bottle you’re going to use. We’re using the 600 ml-size because they’re the easiest to find. Littering is an ENORMOUS problem in Guatemala and you can find these bottles just about anywhere you look.

The bottles get filled with inorganic trash (plastic bags, chip bags, Styrofoam, etc.). You then construct the columns of your walls and wrap them in chicken wire, then stack the bottles in the space that’s left between the columns, where the cinder block would normally go. After that, you cover it with three layers of cement, seal it and paint it, and you’ve got your wall. Check out http://www.puravidaatitlan.org/ for some pictures. You can also search pura vida atitlan on YouTube for a video.

We’re just in the beginning stages now – collecting bottles and soliciting funds – but we’ve already seen plenty of progress. At the end of last school year, we started a competition between the grades to see who could collect and stuff the most bottles, and after one week you couldn’t find one bottle in the streets of the that community. The kids are already going into other villages to look for more.

And best of all I’m getting a lot of requests from people in the community for copies of the instructions on how to do it. Many of them say they’d like to build or add-on to their own houses using this technique.

Secondary project
In addition to their main projects (in my case, Healthy Schools) many volunteers also get involved in other, smaller, projects to work on in their free time. For the last few months, I’ve been working with a group called Soluciones Comunitarias. It’s an organization that sells products, which promote family health and well-being at reasonable prices.

The organization, which has backing from an NGO in the states, works with small groups of women in rural communities. They give the women products like reading glasses, water purifiers, energy-saving light bulbs and seeds without asking for an investment. If the women sell the products, then they pay a part of their earnings to Soluciones Comunitarias. If not, they don’t have to pay. The idea is, the women are bringing in their own income instead of being completely dependent on the men in their families, and at the same time promoting healthy and environmentally sound practices in their communities.

I’ve been working with the group of women here in Jacal. I serve mostly as a mediator. They’ve all been involved with the organization for a while, but have always had the guidance of whatever Peace Corps volunteer happens to be in town and willing to help out. I try to help them plan events to promote their products and increase sales. Our goal is to get them auto-sufficient before I leave because it’s likely there won’t be a new Peace Corps volunteer coming to Jacal after I finish my service. Therefore, I try to be as hands-off as possible so that we can begin the process of handing over the reigns. It’s slow-going because they have a hard time with the concept of teamwork, but I think we’re going to get there.

Theeeeeey’re baaaack
My friends Juan José and Sara, dentists both, are back in Jacal! Juan Jo was my first friend in town and left to go back home to the capital at the end of October when he finished his internship. He graduated from dental school in November and was back here last week looking for a place to live and open up his own clinic.

He found a great spot just around the corner from where I live and he and his girlfriend Sara will be coming back in January. Sara’s finishing up her own dental internship at the local hospital. I was really sad when they left so it’s going to be great to have them back.

Fería Mania
The main street of Jacal was barely recognizable last week as the town celebrated its annual town fair from Jan. 31 – Feb. 2. It’s basically a three-day rager with tons of food, carnival games, fireworks (of course), parades and a Rueda de Chi-cago (ferris wheel).

On Thursday my Popti’ teacher took me on an excursion to go cut down one of the official flowers of the fair called Cola de León (Lion’s tail) or ek’ in Popti’. We got up at 4 a.m. and drove about an hour up the mountain to a site where these flowers grow at the tops of trees. We got up there and everyone spread out looking for the flowers and then climbing up the trees to cut them down. The only thing is my Popti’ teacher failed to mention that this is traditionally a men’s outing. So I showed up to find myself the only woman among about 150 Guatemalan men.

Still it was a good time. At the end of it all we went back down to Jacal and processed into town, each carrying a flower. The next day they brought the flowers to the church where they hung them and used them to decorate a statue of the Virgin Mary.

Special Shout-out
This is a special thank you going out to one of my best buds, Katie E., who sent me my first non-family care package. I was so excited when I picked it up I may have let escape a little squeal of delight. Now my postman really thinks I’m crazy.

Then, a few days later, I got a surprise package from the Scarsones. I think other volunteers are starting to get jealous.

Thanks to everyone who has sent mail, e-mailed, texted and posted on the blog. It’s really great to have everyone’s support. I seriously wouldn’t be able to do this without you. Hope everyone’s having a great start to 2009.

Peace out,

Kristina

Bummed city

2009-01-02T08:52:00.000-06:00

The fam left today. It blows. Ashleigh (whose family flies out today as well) and I are going to distract ourselves with a movie at the theatre in the capital and then maybe go drown our sorrows with margaritas at Chili's before heading back to real life in real Guatemala.

All in all it was a very interesting, even if tiring trip. We did A LOT of driving, trying to fit in as much as possible, and because the rental car was a stick, Dad had to do it all. My family got to see my town and meet a lot of the local people who have become like a second family to me. We celebrated Christmas there and the next day I took them down to see my schools.

Charlie Brown Christmas

Christmas hike to Rio Azul

We also spent a day at Lake Atitlán and then spent a few days on the Pacific Coast at a REALLY nice resort (quite a different world from the Guatemala I'm used to).

At the lake

At the beach

Yesterday we climbed Pacaya, a volcano near the capital. We were hoping to make it to the top so they could actually see the lava and roast marshmallows on it, like I got to do back in July (see earlier post). However, the travel company we went through was an hour late in leaving Antigua for the volcano and the sun was already setting by the time we got to the starting point of the hike. We hauled arse, but couldn't get up to the lava before dark hit and it got too dangerous to keep going. Coming back down was a bit precarious, but we all made it in one piece with Michael serving as our trailblazing guide.

View of Volcán Fuego from Pacaya

It was surreal to see my family go through all those first impressions I had when I first came here. Things that now seem so normal to me (like washing my dishes in a pila) were completely foreign to them.

Saying goodbye sucked, but I'm definitely getting excited about the new school year coming up and all the plans I have for my teachers, students and parents. I'm sure they'll be plenty of disappointments, but I think I've got a few tricks up my sleeve to keep 'em on their toes. I'll keep you ... posted ...

Hope everyone had a Happy Chrishawanza and very Happy New Year!

Peace out,
Kristina

Christmas in Guatemala

2008-12-21T11:01:00.001-06:00

I know it’s been a while but my excuse is the same as always…slow Internet. I never thought frustration over Internet speed would be such a big part of my life in Peace Corps. In fact, I never thought Internet would really be part of my life in Peace Corps, so I guess I shouldn’t complain, right?

Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving was grand, although I definitely missed being at home with family and friends. We celebrated Vegan-style with a bunch of volunteers at the house of my friend Dana, Vegan chef extraordinaire. There was a TON of food and it was so good. I did miss Beppe’s party potatoes, though. Too bad all that butter, cream cheese and sour cream doesn’t fit into the Vegan diet. Oh well. Dana’s Guatemalan neighbors also came over and ate with us, so we got to have a nice little cultural exchange with them as we all went around the table and talked about all the things in our lives for which we were thankful. Here are some pictures:

Before

After

The Aftermath

Going Mayan
So as I may have alluded to in earlier posts, here in Guatemala, there exist two fairly distinct cultures. By way of an extremely simplified description, there is that of the Mayans or indigenous Guatemalans, and that of the minority Ladinos or those of Spanish descent. And while poverty largely affects members of both groups, it’s definitely more widespread among the Mayan population, which also deals with a heavy amount of discrimination.

There are upwards of 20 different Mayan languages in Guatemala. Each group also has its own traditional colors and dress (called “traje tipico” in Spanish). The women usually wear a long piece of fabric wrapped around their waste like a skirt, called corte, and a blouse, called a guipil (we-peel). They wear their hair wrapped up in a kind of head band and generally some kind of shall.

The men have largely lost the tradition of wearing traje with the exception of special holidays/events. In many communities, they wear simple white linen shirts and pants with a sash around the waist and a wide-brimmed hat.
All authentic traditional traje is hand-woven and very deeply tied to the culture of the community.

All of this is a round-about way of explaining why it was such a big deal when my site mate, Erica, and I got dressed up in traje a few weeks ago to take pictures to show to the folks at home. I’ve become pretty close with the family of the woman who works at the mini grocery store I frequent, so when we asked her if they’d let us dress up for a night, she was more than willing. All the women in the family (I can’t even count up how many there are. They have 18 people living in a three-story house and I still can’t figure out who’s who) were quite excited to dress up the two Gringa dolls. I’ll tell you, if I had to go through all that to get dressed every morning, I’d never want to get out of bed…which I guess pretty much holds true anyway, so…

Going bananas
Following in my mother’s footsteps, I made 16 loaves of banana bread to give out as Christmas gifts to all my neighbors. That was quite a feat considering my toaster oven only fits two loaves at a time. They came out pretty well if I do say so myself and had my apartment smelling like Christmas-time at home.

You better watch out, you better not cry…
… you better not shout, I’m telling you why: The Crawleys are coming to Guatemala!! I don’t know if Guatemala is ready for this. I’ve been doing quite a bit of home improvement (i.e. deep cleaning in anticipation of mom’s white-glove test) in preparation of “The Invasion.”

It’s going to be a very busy 11 days. We’ll be spending Christmas in my town and then trying to jam pack as much of the country into the next seven days as possible. I can’t wait! Hope everyone has the happiest of holiday seasons! Best wishes and God bless!

Peace out, Kristina

Photos of Palenque and Tulum

2008-11-22T14:20:00.000-06:00

Tulum

Less than 50 yards from our cabaña

Palenque ruins