Todos Santos Photos

Horse Race on November 1st


Horse Racing


Meredith's Horsey Costume


My Superman Costume

I am Alive

Sooooooooooo, long time no blog. I'm sorry it has taken me so long to update but I'm hoping to get you caught up on the exciting things I have been doing for the past few months.

So, October 30,31, and November 1: November 1st is All Saints day which is a huge holiday here in Guatemala. It is a day where many people go to cemeteries with their families to pay their respects to deceased family members. There are two very different traditions that take place on this day in different parts of the country along with this cemetery visit. In a small town in Huehuetenango, they have a town fair, that also includes the event of local men getting very drunk and riding horses back and forth all day for certain "teams." The objective is to not fall off and as the day goes on, it gets scarier and scarier. The neat thing about this town is that there is a very large indigenous population; meaning many of the people wear the typical traditional clothing' including the men which I do not really see in my part of the country. I loved seeing this because all the men from the young to the old wear traje but they all put their own spin on the look. Some young dudes have crazy hair and leave their shirts unbuttoned but it is still holding on to the tradition. So with that being said, this year I went to Todos Santos and enjoyed the "horse race." We also had a very fun PC Halloween party complete with costumes. I found a Superman Jumpsuit (pictures to follow). The tradition I hope to see next year is the flying of kites. In some towns the people build huge kites that they fly on All Saints day to connect our physical world with the spiritual world. The kites are huge and very beautiful and I'm hoping to see them next year.

November 11-17: Sabrina and Madeleine, two of my very good friends from high school came to visit. We spent some time in my house sleeping 3 to my full bed with Little Manchitas. We went to Antigua, hiked a volcano, and spent 2 full days relaxing at the beach. It was a much needed vacation and really nice to show some people from home what life is like here. Also, it was a good relief for me to see how easily we could fall back into touch like nothing had changed since we graduated high school. It was a really nice trip and I loved having them here, hope to see them again soon.

November 21: Thanksgiving dinner at Eduardo's house. Eduardo is a 70+ year old man who owns a farm outside of Tecpan and has been friends with volunteers for years. His house is full of treats like wheat thins and cheese that he buys from the capital and we have had dinner at his house a few times since we arrived in site. He is a genuinely sweet old man who loves our company and we enjoy his. Anyway, we asked if we could use his house to cook a Thanksgiving dinner with some fellow PCVS this year and it was delicious. We had it all, Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, homemade bread, carrot cake, pumpkin cheese cake. IT WAS SO GOOD. We were literally stuffed to the brim. I had to lay down. I hadn't had such good home-cooked US food in a long time. It was nice to spend time together and give thanks and eat a delicious meal so far away from home.

November 23-27 EL SALVADOR! Me, Betty, Carrie, Javi, and Damian made the 5 hour trek from Antigua to El Salvador for a few days and it was wonderful. We stayed in a hostel by the beach and were truly able to relax. It was such a great trip. We became a little family, for better or worse and have so many good memories of our time spent at the beach. On Thanksgiving day we at dinner for $3 each at a little beach restaurant. The owner gave us each a firecracker to shoot off and it was our own unique Thanksgiving tradition. We all got really tan and really relaxed. We were not ready to return to Guatemala but I guess that means we'll just have to plan another trip next year.

December 1-12: Mom and Dad came to visit. This was so much fun. We had our first trip together just the 3 of us, since they took me to see Mt. Rushmore when I was 3 years old. We relaxed in Antigua and ate delicious food. We spent time with Don Pedro and Dona Mercedes exchanging family stories. We went to Semuc Champey. This beautiful natural pool park in Guatemala that was worth the 7 hour bus trip! We relaxed and just caught up. A year is far too long to go without seeing people that you love so much. It was so nice to have the family here but it just made me miss them more and all of you guys too!

December 24- 25: It was very hard to spend Christmas away from home this year even though I really enjoyed partaking in all of the new traditions... some I plan on bringing home. We made tamales (around 150) which are cornmeal masses cooked with red sauce a little piece of meat in a banana leaf. That was a process on Christmas Eve morning. Then I ran out to market to finish my shopping just like everyone else. Wrapped some presents and then 2 other volunteers came to visit Betty and I. So we ate Christmas Eve chicken with salad at 8 pm. Then talked, played cards, set off fireworks, and played with sparklers waiting for midnight. Just before midnight, we all sat down to eat our tamales, and when the clock struck 12 we all hugged everyone to wish them a Merry Christmas and tell each other how much we loved them. Then we ran outside to see 4th of July style fireworks. There was so much smoke you could barely see the street. Then we exchanged gifts and went to bed around 130am. The next morning we made a huge breakfast. Biscuits, Gravy, Bacon, Eggs, Grits, Potatoes, Coffee... It was so Delcious. Then early to bed from staying up so late the night before, but also about 3 more tamales.

That leads us to now. I'm getting ready to head to Antigua to ring in the new year and I really can't believe that it is 2011. This time last year I was freaking out and running around getting ready to come to Guatemala. I can't believe it has been a year. I'm hoping to keep this blog more updated in the new year and hope that you all will keep reading.

Happy New Year!

love love love

New Do, New Digs, New Month

Ok I know it's a little late to say New Month but I thought I would post some pictures for you guys.


Me Cleaning my stove... that's for you dad!


Cooking on the stove :)




Patty and Betty (other volunteers) with our delish breakfast feast



Don Pedro on his birthday with his presents




The Only picture appropriate of my apartment thus far.


Me and Bets



My New Haircut

Rainy days and Mondays always seem to get you down

So these past few weeks have been interesting. Definitely rainy (It's cold at 8000 feet)and Mondays really are the worst day of the week. But I wouldn't necessarily say that I'm down. I've had lots to do and now with October in full swing I can dream that the rainy season is over. It hasn't rained in like 8 days. I don't really know what to do with myself. It is also "fall" like weather which makes me incredibly happy. I forgot how much I loved fall: Pumpkins and all baked goods pumpkin flavored, coffee, scarves, and the crunchy leaves... None of these things are here but the dry crisp weather is. Betty also showed me a neat trick of putting cinnamon in my coffee before it brews. Can you say delicious and fally? So as the time passes and Guatemalans tell us we are entering "verano" aka Summer, I know they just don't know that really this is Fall.

As for work, it is difficult to get to school just to say thanks for all your hard work this year & we look forward to next year because there have been so many events like "dia del nino" you know kid's day? Also, our towns fair was last weekend. Causing lots of cancellations and trips on the Ferris Wheel. I would equate Feria with Apple Blossom but more run down and sketchy. Lots of Guatemalan carnies come to town and set up games, there is food and lots of times to go out on the town for some quality fun. I rode some rides probably against my best interest but I lived to tell the tale. First bumper cars, pretty standard and fun. It was so weird to be "behind the wheel", made me miss driving in the US but not too terribly. Then there was this crazy flying saucer thing... I never rode this things in the US I don't know what encouraged me to do so here. Cultural PRESSURE! Anyway, then the Ferris Wheel, oh how nice?! Unlike Ferris wheels in the US where the riders slowly pass in order to see the heights, Guatemalan Ferris Wheels go at breathtaking speeds encouraging all riders to scream in terror. I was riding with twelve year old Alejandra so I tried to keep my cool and prevent vomiting but I don't think I'll be doing that again. Now it's done and I can say that I did it and all is well.

Alejandra and the sketchy spinny ride that required me to sit down for about fifteen minutes afterward in order to ensure no sickness would transpire.






View of the Ferris Wheel seats










In other news my dear friend from training Brent has gone home. He will be missed muchly here but on to bigger, better, and different things I suppose. I'm sad for his departure but know that we have a friendship that will last, it is only disappointing to not have him here in the same country and time zone any more.

I guess all in all I'm really learning a lot about myself and things I want to do with my life. Also, what is important and necessary to be happy? All this and only 9 months in. I miss you all so much, lots of love.

Friday Night Blog

So it's Friday night and time to blog. Things in Guatemala have been crazy for the month of September. Let's start with the weather. So much rain. Rainy season is terrible. However, it has led to a lot of time in my apartment and site. Lots of dinners with Don Pedro and Dona Mercedes. Lots of Tae Bo. Lots of Cat time. Manchitas is so cute and big. Love her so much... I'm thinking she might be done with her mess making. She better be. Anywho, the rain led to lots of terrible landslides, some fell on actual buses and of course Tecpan was right smack dab in the middle of that. Luckily no one we know was injured and every was safe, dry, and unharmed. Along with the rain cutting into the work schedule everyone was preparing for Independence day celebrations. September 15th is a big deal in Guatemala and I think all of central America. Celebrating 189 years of independence from Spain since 1821.

This means school serves even less of a purpose than normal. Everyone learns to bang a drum or play a portable xylophone. How cute? NOT. Not when they practice every day the same terrible songs and who ever is the instructor has no musical background whatsoever. Ok that sounds mean but really I watched a lot of parades and heard a lot of bad music. The xylophones are just dumb instruments to begin with. It just sounds like a bunch of baby toys going off at once. Then the drums are played by mostly boys and I literally think the "Band Director" instructs them to beat their drum as hard as possible. Evident by students carrying drums that are taped back together. I will give some schools credit. They try and some had some fun songs or tricks. But for the most part it was a little glimpse of torture. Imagine the Macy's Thanksgiving day Parade with really bad marching bands. It was still fun because it's so unbelievably hilarious. Anywho, parades were held Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Sadly it rained Wednesday night preventing the fireworks show. However, we got to hear plenty of fireworks because it doesn't have to be dark for them to be used. In fact they love that popping noise that sounds like machine guns for most holidays... Including birthdays. If someone really wants to wish you a happy birthday, they'll set off fireworks you can't even see in front of your door at 5 am.


It was fun to see schools that we work with and cheer for them in the parade. Same with seeing the Grandchildren. All in all it's been a fun holiday time.

Lauren and Betty take on Guatemalan Parades


The little Drummer Boy


Guatemalan "Float" that plays music for people to dance to

RAIN RAIN RAIN

So the past few days of rainy season have been full of too much rain. I used to like rainy days when you could sit inside, read a book, take a nap, eat soup... I don't like rainy days in Guatemala. I've spent a lot of my time wet, my apartment feels wet, and everything is just damp and not pleasant. Also lots of landslides which are scary but not to worry. I'm safely held up in my apartment with my cheerios, kitty, and host family below. Love

End of the Month

So August is ending and I've almost been in country for 8 months. I can't believe it. I'll be in the teens... as in 19 months left! That's crazy. Time has been going fast but I've hit a little slump. The past week has been crazy. A lot of things have made me super emotional but I've been busy which is good. Lots of school visits and presentations to fill the time. We also met with a local NGO and will be giving a workshop on HIV/AIDS prevention to teenagers in the next two weeks. I'm nervous about it but excited. It is such an important topic and I'm sure after the first one I will feel more confident to keep spreading the word. Also I've been thinking a lot about my parents who still continue to do great things with their lives. I'm looking into my future after PC already. Also, thinking good thoughts for my mom as she spends the next 10 days in Haiti doing medical relief work. I love hearing about everyone from home's adventures. It keeps me motivated and looking for new and exciting things to do.

This past week we had a group of new trainees come and visit Tecpan. It was cool to show them around and to remember how crazy life was during training. They have only been here for about two weeks. I got to show them my apartment which was fun because I remember seeing other people's places during training. It was just exciting to hear their questions and to remember how much of a whirlwind training was and how glad I am to now be in site and working. Also, the next training group to arrive will be HEALTHY SCHOOLS! Not until January but I'm excited at the prospect of meeting new people and helping a lot with the training of the HS program. One trainee is living with my "old" host family. I've done a horrible job of keeping in touch with them but tomorrow I'm heading over to their house for lunch. YUM! Also, I'm really excited to see them. I've missed them a lot and it's hard to remember what life used to be like in Guatemala during training, let alone in the US. Things are changing so much... it doesn't feel weird to not flush my toilet paper! Although right now lots of people have been traveling home and I have been feeling more homesick. I'm just reminding myself to get through everything and soon enough people will be visiting and it will be 1 year in country before I know it.

So buy those plane tickets and know that I'm thinking of you all and missing you dearly. love love love