My mind is Everywhere

So this Friday marks one year left. I can't believe it. I really cannot believe I am more than halfway done with my Peace Corps Service. It is exciting but unnerving. With everything that has been going on recently, my mind has been in about 50 places at once. I jump from today, to the weekend, to next year, to grad school, to 3 weeks ago, all in a matter of seconds. I'm trying really hard to stay in this moment and set specific goals for me to accomplish. This way once tasks are completed I can reset my mind to begin again. This week marks the 1 year mark and a bunch of friends are leaving the country and a bunch more are beginning their service and I'm smack dab in the middle. Betty and I are trying to get work done and are making plans for projects, school visits, certifications. It's an exciting time. Manchitas is huge. She's almost a year old as well. Where has the time gone? They grow up so fast. It really has been March Madness this month and somehow I was able to do a bracket. Totally wrong of course but I guess that's alright. Now I'm just gearing up for Friday to celebrate my Midservice, the completion of service of friends,and the beginning of service for new friends. It's quite an exciting landmark in many ways.

Some Photos of Life as of Late:


The cutest kitty ever



Betty hard at work with her Snack



Kids brushing their teeth!




View from one of our Schools



School

Sunday Thoughts

So today is Sunday and I've really been reflecting on life recently. This weekend I was supposed to go to the beach to celebrate my friend's birthday and say goodbye to some volunteers who are finishing their service. Friday morning's bus ride was disturbed by a phone call saying that a tsunami warning was in place due to the earthquake/tsunami that hit Japan. Sadness, disappointment, and anger were the emotions us PCVs felt. How terrible that our beach weekend plans had to be changed for something that probably really wasn't going to affect Guatemala. Unable to travel to the beach, we went to eat breakfast all 20 of us. A little unaware of the devastation that had and was taking place in Japan and for that matter in the rest of the world. As we ate breakfast and made plans as a group to head to Lake Atitlan and just move our weekend plans, we were updating ourselves on the news that was unfolding in the world. Knowing and hoping that the effects wouldn't be too large in Guatemala, the mood was lifting back towards celebration mode. Everything was working out. As more news was seen, I was beginning to realize how much of my life is in a bubble. The world around us is just in turmoil between the United States, Africa, Asia, and even Guatemala but somehow I manage to stay disconnected. It's nice but sometimes disappointing how much one has to try to realize what is going on in the world around them. It is hard to not get upset about how much the world is changing and how little I feel a part of it. I know that one person can't save the world or change the world but the extreme sense of disconnect can be unnerving. I guess now that I am officially reaching my one year left of service mark, I'm seeing friends and mentors preparing to leave and move on with their lives. I'm realizing how much has changed in the past year and how life always goes on. In my little apartment here in Guatemala, I forget that the world is still moving on, even though I feel like I'm staying still. I've had so much time for inner-reflection and can see how much I've grown this past year but I'm anxious to feel that connection again to the real world. I often feel like my life in PC is my life on hold. Everything is changing around me but my biggest complaints can be anything from being overcharged on the bus to having to change my weekend plans with my friends (nothing too life changing). I feel like this weekend brought a much needed life check in that I'm here to learn and grow but I can't forget the big picture and let myself get wrapped up in the bubble that is life in Guatemala and I feel life in PC in general. It is easy to get caught up in everyone else, you forget why you came, what you are doing, and what's important. I'm going to try to really take advantage of this next year to keep growing and changing and not get myself stuck in this bubble of disconnect. As I keep seeing glimpses of what is going on in the world, I get nervous and worried about how little I feel like I'm doing but I know that this time here in Guatemala is going to teach me more about myself than I ever knew. I just need to keep these thoughts in mind as time goes on. On that note I'd just like to say my thoughts and prayers are with those in Japan, Libya, Wisconsin, everywhere, and especially at home. love love love and miss.

Month Long Hiatus

So I wasn't planning on it but I ended up taking a month long hiatus from this blog due to the busy happenings of February. There have been lots of reunions, meetings, school visits and I just haven't found the time to post. Let's start with the beginning of the month and the superbowl. Lots of peace corps volunteers reunited and met up to watch the game in xela. It was very fun. It was a time to see people that I hadn't seen in a while and catch up with new people. I really enjoyed it. There have been other miscellaneous parties and celebrations since then. Including my birthday. For my 24th birthday we went to the waterpark here in Guatemala. It was so much fun. It was like a water park in the USA complete with lazy river and tons of crazy slides. I can't wait to go back. This past weekend was filled with other parties and goodbyes. It is sad to say so long to the "older" volunteers we looked up too and to realize how much I need to do in order to be a good volunteer to look up to for the newbies. So I'm still working on getting my schedule organized and keeping up with school visits and trainee visits here.

This weekend is another "despedida" or goodbye party and then marks the 2 weeks until the new volunteers swear-in and our grandparents leave. It is very bittersweet but the good news is we will be having a big party to welcome in the new and send out the old because this year is also the 50th anniversary of Peace Corps. So all in all lots of exciting, busy things have been going on and are yet to come. I've also forgotten my camera for most events so I don't have any new pictures to share but I'll make sure to include our 50th anniversary celebration photos and anything else exciting to come along. Thanks for reading. love