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| I started off the month running a half marathon in Totonicipan with a group of Peace Corps volunteers. The course was pretty hard...and hot! But we all had a great time. |
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| Me carrying Christina on my back to cross the finish line together! It was her BIRTHDAY!! So afterwards, we had a fun birthday celebration. |
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| Anacleto and family came over for lunch...then we played Phase 10 for five hours! I just had to include this picture because it was so much fun and I don't want to forget the special afternoon/evening. |
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As a precautionary measure I was “evacuated” from Patzún due to potential violence during the Political Elections. Fortunately nothing happened, as most of my Patzún friends/family/co-workers suggested, but there were some threats. However, I took full advantage of this opportunity to go visit my friend, Callie, in Aguacatán, Huehuetenango (about eight hours away). It was so wonderful seeing another part of the country, experiencing a different culture, and spending time with a good friend. This photo is us hiking to the birth of the river. It was breath taking! |
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One afternoon we went to the pools! Yes, she has pools at her site. She could swim every day (if she wanted to). We didn't just swim and hike, we actually got quite a bit of work done for the Curriculum Committee. We are working on revising our Youth Development Curriculum and developing the Teacher Training manual and Parent Training manual. |
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Best trip ever! Raquel and Hector invited me to their nephew’s first communion. We took a day trip to Mixco. It was my first time traveling on the chicken buses with them. They are super sweet. I had a wonderful time at the service and lunch. Their family is very welcoming. When I am with them I don’t feel like some freak of nature or some wildly different person. They accept me for who I am and don’t question everything I do or stare. I feel very comfortable around them. |
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The infamous 15K in Patzún! This year we decided to each be our own superhero. I was going to print a photo of Dad on my shirt, but didn’t have the funds or the time. So I decided to be “La Mujer Maravilla” or Wonder Woman. By the end of the race I really just looked like a pathetic attempt to dress up as an American flag. But it was all in good fun. Can you guess what super heroes everyone else is? We had lots of group training runs; a costume decorating/healthy snack party; and pre-race pasta dinner. It was a fun group! |
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This was right after the HUGE climb! Ah! It was super hard, but very motivating because there were hundreds of people cheering me on, handing me bags of water and other colored liquids (possibly Gatorade). I was really happy with my time (1:26)! The best part of the race was the finish. I found Raquel and Hector. I could feel their proud-ness as we hugged at the finish line. It meant a lot to me that they were there. |
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We were invited to march in the parade with the Mayor and lots of other important people. I felt unworthy of this honor, mostly because I knew all of the hard work my best friend, Mary, had put into it. She was on the committee that planned everything, yet I marched in front of her…I think just because I’m an American female. Not to mention all of the students behind us who spent hours upon hours rehearsing. In the photo I am wearing the typical dress from Huehuetenango. Laura is supporting green. Do you recognize what Lydia is wearing?! Patzún traje! She got her wepeil (blouse) custom made. Mary is rocking formal traje. |
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A few months back I mentioned a most-at-risk HIV/AIDS training. Well, I’ve been collaborating with the social worker at the health center and the students at the night school, doing follow up activities from the training. The students invited me to a tamalera. This is a special Patzún tradition where you go and pick the corn early in the morning, then cook the corn in giant pots for a couple of hours, and EAT it! It is the best corn ever! I will never forget this tradition. I will probably plan my return visits around this particular activity. |
