True Guatemalan Experience

A great start to a wonderful day with a perfect rainbow!  Patzun is gorgeous.  Mari and Anacleto invited me to their land for the day.  I was not exactly sure what we would be doing.  They told me to wear my working clothes, that we'd be gone most of the day, to bring fruit, and there aren't any bathrooms. 

We left Anacleto's house at 7:20 am with Mari, Estella, the three kids, and myself in the car.  It's about a 10 minute drive to their land.  At their land we meet two of Mari's nephews (13 & 14), Anacleto's brother-in-law, his son (13), and his father.  Before I go any further, although I am from Kansas, I have NO experience whatsoever in the farming business.  I will do my best and hope it all translates well.

They have 1.5 cuadros of corn.  I am really not sure what that translates to in English.  They don't measure in acres.  It's enough corn to feed a family of five for one year!!

The Process: (from the eyes of a Youth Development PCV from Kansas, with NO previous experience with farming)



The first step is chucking the corn.  There are a few different methods.  You can grab one hand on top, pull down, rip off the corn, and then begin to peel the leaves.  Or you can peel the leaves, and then twist the ear of corn off.  If the leaves are good and healthy, you leave them on the corn because they can be used to wrap chuchitos.  Chuchitos are super thick tortillas with a tomato sauce and meat inside, wrapped in the leaves.  Every single part of the corn is useful.  Whatever you think might not be useful can most likely be food for the chickens and roosters.

 

We each had a little tool, which I have in my right hand.  It is a large nail with like a thin leather belt wrapped around two fingers.  You poke the sharp end of the nail into the top of the corn to help you peel the leaves.



This is some delicious looking corn!  A lot of the corn was ruined this year due to heavy rains.  My students mentioned how bad the crops were this year, because of the weather, but it wasn't until this experience that I realized what a huge impact this has on their entire lives.

FOOD!  We had juice and bread with jelly for a morning snack.  After the snack break, I stayed with Mari, Estella and the kids.  We prepared caldo for lunch.  Caldo is a vegetable soup with meat.  Very yummy.  Of course, we had tortillas too.  Oh! And I brought watermelon.  And we ate oranges, as well.  We ate under their giant avocado tree.  Every time the wind blew strong, we covered our heads in fear of falling avocadoes.  For an end of the day snack we ate papaya.  We had worked up quite the appetite.

This part was super fun! Immediately after we chucked the corn we would throw it into a pile.  There was corn flying everywhere.  I was pretty nervous about my aim- shocked I did not hit anyone.  So after lunch, we went back to the piles, walked around to look for ones (mostly the ones I tossed) that did not make it directly into the pile, and then started putting the corn into bags. 

This next part was the most impressive- all of the males, including the 13 year-olds, carried these GIANT bags of corn (approximately 120 lbs) about a quarter of a mile to the road.  Ok, this is hard to explain, and I didn't take photos.  They used this headband type thing with a big string to carry the corn on their backs.  This part looked super exhausting.

The tower of corn!!  Here's most of the crew (minus three men and myself).  We loaded the corn into the bed of a pickup.  Drove to Anacleto's house, then unloaded the corn. 

It was an exhausting, yet culturally enriching day!  This eight hour process was just one part in the big picture.  I am not exactly sure what more they have to do, at least clean it and sort it. 

I have a much greater appreciation for anything related to corn. I am so thankful being able to participate in such an important Patzun experience. I am looking forward to next year!!

October Photo Update...in Mid November

Oh goodness...I am so behind on my blog. Please forgive me. I wish I had all of the time in the world to share my experiences with you. I will just share some photos...they do most of the "talking".  Whatever is not clear in the photo is up to your beautiful imagination.

Daddio's visit to New Zealand...supporting the Kelly's gear.  I love her big eyes!  What color do you think her hair is?!  She's growing healthily, talking on the phone, smiling, picking things up,doing laundry, etc.  I cannot wait to hold her! I  don't think I will let her go.

  

Melissa is my friend from my training group that lives the closest to me.  She lives in Zaragosa, which is about 30-45 minutes away.  I went to visit her for her fair/rodeo.  It  is amazing how different two towns can be.  First off, her town is not indigenous, like Patzun; therefore, no one was wearing traje (typical Mayan wear), women were drinking, men were smoking, etc.  Zaragosa is known for being cowboys!  Nearly everyone was wearing tight jeans, boots, big belts, flannel shirts, and cowboy hats.  Two of Melissa's friends are in the photo with us.  We had a wonderful time!

October is the month of graduations!  These are the graduating students from the private school that I work with.  Don't they look so sharp?!  They are a great bunch.  I have a the opportunity to work with a few of them throughout "vacation" time.   I am working with a local NGO, which funds their school, to do a life skills camp.  So I get to see a few of them at least once or twice a week for presentations about life skills.   December 10-11 we are doing a "Life Plan" overnight camp!

 

I am playing in a basketball leauge. Our team name is "Teachers" (in English) beacuse we are all teachers.  It is such a fun group of women.  Definitely the highlight of my social life in Patzun (plus Glee nights with my site mates). Basketball is a really big deal here.  A lot of people come to watch; people are constantly talking and asking about it.  It is more "street ball" than basketball.  I have a few sausage fingers, damaged head bands and a broken toe nail to prove it. Playing basketball definitely helps my Spanish. They are always yelling stuff at me. One thing I learned early was, "aprovechen la altitud de Maggie"= "Take advantage of Maggie's height". I really did not realize how much taller I was until I saw this photo.  We've only lost one game, so hopefully we will make it to the championship!


One of my site mates, Colin, completed his PC service.  We had a lot going away celebrations for him- lunches, dinners, and brunches with his host family. We also celebrated Colin's birthday. And welcomed in our new site mate, Elliot Thomas. Never a dull moment in Patzun!

Halloween in Honduras!



It doesn’t get any better than that.  Long story short, Peace Corps Honduras organizes a big Halloween celebration ever year. They contacted us here in Guatemala.  One of my good friends from my training group coordinated everything and I went to El Copan, Honduras! El Copan is located close to the border of Guatemala. 

 


This photo is of me on top of the famous Copan Ruins!  They were beautiful. I was not prepared for the warm weather in Honduras…better to be warm than cold.  Aside from visiting the ruins in el Copan, I also enjoyed reading a book in a hammack, playing volleyball on the beach for six hours, eating lots of delicious burritos, dancing as Minnie Mouse, and shopping in the market.  It was a very fun vacation. I am fortunate for the opportunity to have these experiences (and on a PCV budget).



I made it back to Patzún just in time to see the beautifully decorated cemetery for Dia de los Muertos.



Mi Casita: Before and After

I will let the pictures do the explaining.  It's definitely a "Maggie" house. I love it so much I don't know if I will be able to leave it.

Ok, so maybe I will elaborate a little on the photos.  The black door is mine.  The grey door is Raquel and Hector's.  We live on the second street, one street away from the main road.  A lot of people stop by my house frequently.  It's obvious when I am home, which makes it nearly impossible to ignore people knocking on my door.



This is the view standing at my front door. The plaid curtain leads to my kitchen and the other one to my bedroom.



My Addy Wall!

My super cozy, comfortable bed!

 

My wall of letters...majority from Daddio. Thanks Daddio!

My tiled kitchen, which I love! Thanks Mum!

 

I am pretty excited about my four burner stove that I am borrowing from a friend's family for the next two years.

 

Here's the bathroom. The shower is to the left.

 

The first pila is where I wash dishes. The second one is my own. 

Hope you enjoyed the tour of my little house.  I am super happy and absolutely love it!!

September Photos

                        Addison "Midget" Kelly Stone loves sucking her binki or "dummy" as they call it in New Zealand.  Super cute...reminds me of a special little girl (wink wink)!  Molly and Arran are perfect parents. I can't wait to hold her in December.

We celebrated Josefina's 36th birthday and Sergio's 4th birthday! Josefina's sister, brother-in-law, and six cousins came over for a surprise visit to the house with a birthday hat made out of newspaper for Sergio, a cake, and juice. Guatemalan's have a tradition to smash the birthday celebrant's face into the cake!

This is a group of sixth grade female students from one of my schools in a village in Patzun doing a traditional dance from Coban.  During the month of September the schools have all sorts of activities, such as electing Miss Independence, singing and dancing, and eating, to celebrate their Independence.  I was a judge for the dance competition.

While celebrating Guatemalan's Independence Day the biggest event is the parade on September 15. The students march in the parade with their school. Their costumes are all coordinated. Most of them play instruments. Some of them twirl flags, march with signs, or carry food representing their birth place. Everyone in the town goes to see this. I did not do the best job capturing this experience- this was when I was sick.  Hopefully you can see the students marching with flags and all of the spectators sitting on the arch.

Alright, I will do my best to put this all into words. I wish everyone was here to experience it with me. Lydia, Laura and I created our own little "female running club", which we named PATZUNERAS. Aside from Lydia, Laura and I the only person that would really train with us was Karina (number 004). So the first day we could register for the 15K race, Lydia, Laura and I arrived about five minutes before registration start time. They kept telling us that everything would be ready for us to register in 10 minutes. Long story short, we were the first to register two hours and twenty minutes after the official "registration start time". At least we have the first twelve numbers- eight Peace Corps Volunteers and four Patzuneras.

We had a ty-dye party at Lydia's house- attempting to make sunflowers with brown in the center, yellow, then green (side note- it's so meant to be that I am here in Patzun- Kansas and Patzun have the same flower)! Before the race we wrote "Patzuneras" on the front of our shirts and our names on the back. We planned a big pasta dinner for everyone the night before the race; however plans changed- our Guatemalan friends were not able to make it and I moved houses. But Lydia, Laura, Colin (site mates), Pedro and I enjoyed the pasta dinner! The next morning was race day. I hardly slept the night before- nothing to do with the race- I was super excited to get things set up in my new home.

So RACE DAY! Christina, from my training group, traveled about four hours to join us for the big competetion! Our team of nine females missed the buses that took us the 15K to the start of the race. Race started in Paticiza and ended in Patzun. The nine of us ended up piling into a five seater car for the 25 minute ride to Paticiza. Laura got car sick and I had been getting sick (# 3) most of the morning. Laura and I somehow managed to find some sort of place to use the restroom before the race. I was hoping to stay plugged during the race because they did not have any sort of porter-potty's. Laura and I ran to the start line, passing an insane amount of men peeing on the side of the street, just in time to hear the countdown. The females were supposed to start 10 minutes before the males; however, within thirty seconds there were males running on top of my female friend who tripped at the beginning of the race. After this incident I kind of chilled back and let the insanity pass. Eventually we got on a long stretch of rolling highway. This was my favorite part! You could see thousands of colorful people running in the distance. Another one of my favorite parts was everyone on the side of the highway cheering, "animo! animo! Moooggie!", and offering water and gatorade in plastic sacks. There were so many spectators. I will spare all of the details and just say that I did more walking than running this particular day (which is a little sad because I was able to run it during training). Karina and I successfully crossed the finish line together! I ran straight to the bathroom. Everyone from the "female running club" did a great job! One of our friends was the last person to finish the race- just to finish the race is quite the accomplishment! It's not an easy course.

My host aunt from my first host family got married!  It was quite the celebration.  I arrived at Elizabeth's house at 7am ate some soup, drank some coffee and responded to everyone asking me where my friends were (aka a date- really uncommon to go anywhere solo, let alone a wedding).  From Elizabeth's house we took two bus loads to the church where we had a Catholic wedding ceremony.  After the ceremony we went to the reception a block away (in the same facility where I work at the resource center).  At the reception people gave speeches, we presented gifts, I served food, then we danced! 

MUM'S VISIT!!  Due to the tropical storm, Mum's flight was diverted to Honduras.  Fortunately I had two super nice friends from Patzun who waited outdoors with me at the airport for four hours.  Seeing Mum for the first time was so exciting!  We took a shuttle to the hotel in Antigua, then we ate a light dinner.  It was a wonderful evening.  The next day we did some shopping, eating and relaxing in Antigua.  When we got to Patzun we had a Merry Birthday celebration/dinner with Raquel, Hector, and my site mates.  The next day we did a little walking tour around Patzun.  We stayed the night in Guatemala City because Mum's flight left early the next morning.  I can't wait for more visitors in the future!

Catching Up

I am sorry I have "disappeared"...I have not time nor access to Internet. I have been busy with Independence Day activities, then got a little throat infection. And THEN the most exciting news ever- I MOVED!! I am living with Raquel and Hector, two very well known retired teachers. I have my own "casita" or little house with a bedroom, kitchen, living area, THREE windows, bathroom with a toilet that flushes, hot shower, sink, my own pila (giant sink to wash clothes, dishes, etc), own entrance to my house AND it's the most perfect location- super close to the center of town! Our neighbors are really sweet, as well. 

Last weekend my friend from my training group, Pedro, two site mates, Lydia and Laura, helped me move everything and then we started painting! It's all concrete block, so we livened it up with some yellow paint. I am extremely appreciative to have such wonderful friends to help with the big move. To be completely honest, I am really spoiled here. Raquel has her own laundry business (with a washing machine)...Hector takes out my trash...they invite me to eat delicious food with them...they are just like my parents, "Don't forget your umbrella!", "Are you sure you know how to get there?!"...not to mention, they've helped a lot with telling me where to buy things...oh! and they help a lot with my Spanish (obviously, the whole teacher background). I am super fortunate to be here. Just having a comfortable place to come home to has such a positive effect on the rest of my life- work, health, stress, Spanish, etc. Once everything is finished I will post photos.


It gets even better- Mum is coming on Sunday!! She gets in Sunday night, her birthday is Tuesday, and she has to leave Wednesday morning. I am really looking forward to hugging her, having conversations face to face, getting a back scratch (I bet people reading my blog don't care to hear about this, oh well, it's important to me). And Mum is super creative and can help me design and organize my room!

Addison is over one month old! She is super healthy and more active every day. Molly and Arran asked me to be her Godmother! I am very excited. I need to take a class, then get a letter from the priest saying that I completed the course...all in Spanish. Hector goes to church five days a week, so he is going to help me out.
Things are super great,

Godmother Mags

Websites

I just found this awesome website that my site mate, Colin, created!  It is fabulous, with lots of good information.  In English too!!  http://www.patzunagricultureproject.com/patzun.php

Here is the website from the municipality of Patzun:  http://www.patzun.gob.gt/portal/.  This one is in Spanish or Kakchiquel...but you can probably translate it. At least click on it to hear Patzun's song.

"Work Schudule"

Here's my schedule. Mind you- flexibility is key...things are constantly changing.

Monday mornings I go to the Amigos de Patzun office, afternoons I go to my public school. I've been having some difficulties working with them. Last Monday they were short one teacher, so I got stuck teaching an impromptu class to 46 six grade students.
Tuesday mornings I just started working with a social service agency- Renacamiento. I will be working with Leonardo, using the PC life skills information, to establish a youth development program for 20 teenagers that are seen as leaders in the community. Eventually we will begin planning activities to do for vacation, which starts in October. Tuesday afternoons I go to my private school. I gave my first presentation on respect and rules of the classroom.
Wednesday mornings I go to the Amigos de Patzun office and the Resource Center in the evenings. At Amigos de Patzun I spend most of my time getting to know the program and the scholarship students.  We have a big phone conference coming up to discuss the future plans.  Right now, at the Resource Center I catch up on e-mails and help people with English.
Thursday mornings I go to the village. I am meeting with the director this week to complete the baseline survey, so I can start teaching classes the following week. This school has had all sorts of activities- sports, chior, dance, which has been a great way to integrate into this community.  Thursday afternoons I go to the Resource Center.
Friday evenings I work with eleven female teenage orphans. We are doing one week of life skills classes, one week of an activity- cooking, basketball, yoga, dance, crafts, etc.

There is a glimpse of my weekly "work" activities. 

I volunteer with Escuelas Abierta's every other weekend, doing activities and planning camps for vacation break. I am pretty excited to have the opportunity to work with Renacimiento, the orphanage, and of course, ADP and Recourse Center. These are experiences outside of the PC Youth Development program that I am taking advantage of. This month my weekends are filled with a 15K running competition, my host aunt is getting married, Guatemalan Independence Day activities, and host mom's birthday.  I usually spend my free time cleaning my room, washing my clothes, helping the family fold newspapers or sack sugar and salt, running, yoga, going to church, watching Glee, studying Spanish, etc.  I do not think I will ever be bored in Patzun...there is so much to do!

Tour of My House

This is the view from the front door.  The kitchen is to the left, as well as my family's bedroom.  My room is straight back.  Can you see the chicken coop to the right?  Super close to my room! And that red bucket collects rain water, so when we do not have water I can use that. Here is the kitchen!  Obviously...or not obviously?!  We use either the stools or the straw mats to sit and eat.  Everything is cooked over a wood stove...that's where I can heat my water to bucket bathe.  Eating utensils are hard to come by.  I have learned how to eat soup and meat with my hands.

   This photo is taken from the entrance to my room.  Purple curtains to help block the bugs.  I always keep my windows open to help circulate the air so that mold does not grow (as much).  To the left are my cinder blocks and wood planks where I store my food and cleaning supplies.  The other piece of furniture is my favorite.  I bought it in the market for super cheap.  The man who sold it to me carried it on his back about five blocks to my house.  Then I painted it pink!  I try to keep everything a safe distance from the wall or propped up on a stool in attempt to avoid mold from growing on it. 

  My bed, make-shift dresser, emergency water bucket, dirty laundry "basket" hanging, and awesome shoe/holder thing that I bought in Antigua.

Another view of my bedroom.  I keep my bed in the center of my room in hopes to prevent mold from growing on it.  Make-shift night stand...Family photos...Spanish vocabulary...Sumpango neighbors wall- they drew me tons of pictures...Welcome sign from my host mother!

The small blue bucket next to the toilet is used to flush the toilet.  When we have water I get it from the big red bucket.  When we do not have water, I get it from the red bucket outside of the door to my room that collects rain water.  The medium sized blue bucket is used for bathing- same thing applies for the water supply.  I set the blue bucket on top of the toilet to bathe, then use one of the tiny buckets to pour the water over my head.  Clear? 

Photo Update!

Goodness! I am sorry it has been so long!

BEST NEWS EVER!  I am an Auntie!! Molly gave birth to Addison Kelly Stone in New Zealand on August 14 at 1:03 am, 9 healthy pounds.  She's perfect!  i love her sleep marks and how she is sticking her tounge between her lips.  When I show Guatemalan's photos that I have of Addison they comment on how fat she is. hehe.  I want to hold her.

I was so excited to share all of the exciting news about Patzun, I totally forgot an important event.  On July 16 I swore in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer...no longer a trainee.  This photo is of me shaking the US Ambassador's hand.  It was quite an honor to be wearing the typical Mayan dress.  My host mother wore the top (wepiel) at her wedding- very expensive and all sewn by hand.  You can't see them, but I am wearing my host aunt's shoes that she also wore at her wedding (they were a size and half too small)!  I am even wearing the angel earrings to complete the outfit.

The Youth Development Group!! There are currently 20 Youth Development PCV from my training group serving in different parts of Guatemala.

Patzun host family!  Again, in traje (typical Mayan wear).  My host mother, Josefina, invited me to walk around town- to the market, church, park area, wearing her clothes.

Celebrating Dina's 21st Birthday!  Dina really helps me out a lot!  We enjoy playing cards together, talking, and joking around.  Ignacio, my grandmother, not to be confused with 21 year-old Dina.  Another extremely caring and helpful person. I think that she knows nearly every single person in Patzun. Please note the tall stack of delicious tortillas!

Market! Not the best photo, but pretty cool with all of the colors and the rain.

More updates to come soon!  Promise it won't be long.

Where to Start?

There are so many things that I would love to share. I don't know what you want to hear about. I feel like I could write a novel for every day that I have been here.


I am getting settled in Patzún..."poca a poca" or little by little. I am not going to lie- when I arrived here it was extremely overwhelming. I had two completely empty rooms. I just sat on the floor for about thirty minutes listening to my thoughts echo off the walls. My host family let me borrow a bed, sheets and blanket for the first few nights. Then my host mother helped me purchase a bed. It was pretty exciting. Everything is pretty exciting. Minus the bathroom...the pipe is broken, so it usually smells. I've tried a number of things to help, but haven yet to be successful. And I have a serious problem with mold. We have water from 6 am to 2 pm every other day. I have a collection of buckets (of water) to flush the toliet, bathe, wash my face, soak my laundry, etc. I've made friends with the carpenter who is cutting my wood for me to construct my furniture. I want to explain everything because it has so much meaning behind it, but you probably just want to see photos. So I will share photos as soon as everything is "complete".

I am currently living with a host family- single mother, who is a teacher, 76 year-old grandmother, who is extremely caring, 4 year-old boy, 1 1/2 year-old girl, 21 year-old "helper", who is super sweet. And I can't forget the chicken coop about two feet away from my door. Fortunately Molly and I have shared some laughs over the "cock-a-doodle-doo's" to help mask my frustrations. I am eating with my host family for the first month in hopes to improve my Spanish, learn Kaciquel, integrate into my family, and get my own "kitchen" set up. My family is very traditional- cook everything over the wood stove or "plancha", make their own tortillas daily (I think after two years, I am going to be really good at tortillaring), do not use eating utensils, or napkins, or a table. Multiple times throughout the meal (in Kaciquel) they say, "Eat!" while waving their fingers, palm facing up, in front of their mouth. My response (in Kaciquel) is, "Thanks!". We most usually have visitors, or family members, passing by for dinner. I have met so many people! I think I am related to at least fifty people in Patzún.
"Work"...(it's weird calling it that, but I don't know what else to call it) has been great!! Very busy. My first week here I had the opportunity to go to this amazing two-day training with International Youth Foundation, Central American Institute of Studies for Democratic Social, and U.S. Agency for International Development analyzing at-youth risk dynamics throughout Latin America. Not only did I learn a lot, but I also got to make a lot of contacts that I hope to work with in the future. It was a very formal/professional event that I was honored to be a part of. I met with the former Peace Corps Volunteer who started Los Amigos de Patzún (ADP) ten years ago. This was also a wonderful opportunity to learn more about ADP, how it started, what is expected of me, her experience in Patzún, etc. Last weekend I interviewed each one of the students who has a scholarship with ADP, so I can update their biographies. The schools have been good. It has been nice getting into the schools and getting to know the students and teachers. My director, Dr. Ball, came to visit. He actually lives five doors away from me; however, he is only here on the weekends. When he came we went to the schools to further expalin my role. We also talked about secondary projects! He has some wonderful ideas! One: sing, dance, band three week camp in November/Decemeber in English, Spanish and Kaquicel. Two: an academic competetion between schools. Right now they seem like huge projects, so we will see what happens. Anacleto showed me around the villages. I am hoping to be able to work in one more school in a village; however there are obstacles concerning transportation. The views from the villages are incredible! I hope I can get some photos to share with everyone.
Molly is due very soon!! I am pretty close to becoming an Auntie! This is extremely exciting. And sad that I will not be there for the birth. I have been able to talk to Molly a lot lately- she is absolutely happy, healthy, and ready to have a perfect babe!
Auntie Mags

Patzun!!

As of July 18, Patzún is my new home where I will be living for the next two years!! Patzún is the name of a town in the state of Chimaltenango, which is about 32K away. I will be 85K from Guatemala City, close to Lake Atitlan, Antigua, Xela, and other major cities. I am very fortunate to be in such a central location with accessible transportation. The population in Patzún is 42,326- 42% urban and 58% in rural. 96% of the population speaks their indigenous language, Kaqchiquel, as well as Spanish. So I will have the opportunity to learn Kaqchiquel! This is crazy to think about because I still have a long ways to go with my Spanish. Patzún is 7,300 feet above sea level with cold weather. AH! Patzún has a big market, electricity, water, private hospital, a giant Catholic church, restaurants, internet cafes, a nice park and a grocery store!


My visit last week was fabulous. I have three site mates- Lydia and Laura are Healthy Schools volunteers, they´ve been in Patzún for three months, and Colin is an Agriculture volunteer, leaving in three months. My counterpart, Anacleto, is fabulous! He is hard working, motivated, patient, spent more than two years in the US on a scholarship, has connections all around the world, very well known in Patzún, has a lovely family, organized, and has a good sense of humor. I am very fortunate to have a counterpart with these qualities!

My favorite aspect of the Latin American culture is their greetings. Patzúneras really go above and beyond when it comes to this- very sincere and patient. Everyone is extremely friendly, greeting you on the streets, ¨Good morning! Have a nice day¨. I was walking to one of my schools and a farmer just stopped to ask if I knew where I was going. You can spark up a conversation with anyone- it is almost expected. When you buy bananas at the market you end up learning about someone´s life history or simply talking about the weather (for a good ten minutes). In a professional setting you can easily spend five minutes introducing yourself. Let´s say there are five professionals; you spend about 30 minutes introducing yourself before the meeting even begins. I felt extremely welcomed. Many families invited me into their homes, offered me food and drink, and said that their doors are always open. It is wonderful! A perfect fit for me.

What will I be doing? My primary job involves two schools and two agencies. I will be teaching life skills- decision making, self-esteem, HIV/AIDS, leadership, etc. to students aged 14-18. One of my schools is private; the other is ¨telesecundaria¨- 170 students and three teachers. I will be working with ¨Los Amigos de Patzún¨. ADP is an organization founded by three PC volunteers that offers scholarships to students. Anacleto and I will be working on legalizing this program in Guatemala, developing a committee and making the program more sustainable. The other organization that I will be working with is the ¨Centro de Recursos¨. This is a resource center for teachers. I will have the opportunity to do teacher trainings on topics such as sexual education, self-esteem, and communication.

As for secondary projects the options are endless. I plan on volunteering at ¨Escuelas Abiertas¨, which is a government funded program for children to participate on the weekends. They have a range of programs from language classes, break dance lessons, painting, computers, etc. I had the opportunity to work with this program in Sumpango, as well. Through ¨Escuelas Abiertas¨ I met a wonderful Guatemalan woman, Maggie, who I am going to keep in touch with when I leave Sumpango. Patzún has a 15K race after their independence day on September 19. Right now, Patzún only has a running club for men. I am either going to try and join their running club and/or start one for women. Patzún also has an orphanage that I might look into volunteering at. I have already met a few women who play on basketball teams. I have learned that basketball is actually more popular than soccer here. Patzún also has an Alcoholics Anonymous organization. Nearly everyone wants to learn English; however, I do not want my role as a PCV to be confused with that of an English teacher.

The possibilities are endless! I am so excited about my placement in Patzún. It seems like such a perfect fit for me, especially the friendly community and social work related options. I feel very fortunate and blessed to be placed in Patzún!

My NEW ADDRESS IS:
Maggie Kelly
Apartado 33
Chimaltenango, Chimaltenango
Guatemala, Centroamerica

Please don't send packages larger than a shoebox OR claim any thing of great value.  Thanks! Much love!

Transportation

The most popular form of transportation is walking. Sumpango is mainly cobblestone roads with some dirt roads and few paved roads that lead to small villages. It is wonderful how so many necessities are within walking distance. Sumpango also has microbuses (minivans with a more open seating arrangment), which operate a lot like taxis- they can travel outside of Sumpango and you are charged per distance. Another form of transportation is "tuc-tucs". "Tuc-tucs" are small vechiles, sent from Japan, with three wheels. These most ususally have a flat rate and stay within the city limits.
For those who need to travel outside of their towns the most popular form of transportation is "camionetas" or chicken buses. I am going to do my very best to describe the "camioneta" experience because it is quite intense. I would love to take a photo to show you, but that would be like putting a target on my back for someone to come steal my camera. They are school buses from the US usually decked out with colorful paint, peoples names, Jesus Cristo, radios, and/or flashing lights. I really think that the seats are expanded too. This makes the isles extra narrow. There is not really a consistant schedule. My first week at the school in the village near Sumpango, Pedro and I "missed" the bus and walked an hour and half to our school. We got about four different responses for when and where to get the bus in the future. Bascially, you look at the front of the bus and it says where it came from and where it is going; however, I usually ask to confirm if I am going somewhere I have never been. You also have an auydante, or helper. This job is facinating. The auydante is hanging out of the bus yelling where they are headed next. My favorite is, "Guate! Guate! GUATEEE!!" The auydante is responsible for collecting the money, which may sound easy, but sometimes the buses are so crowded- I do not know how he keeps track of it. When I say crowded I mean really, really crowded- like three people per seat, so the two people are usually touching in the isle AND people squeezed in the isle, standing. Try to imagine the auydante walking through the isles to get everyones money. Not to mention people getting on and off the bus. Sometimes when we stop, I am like, "no way more people are fitting on this bus", but they do. You can enter and/or exit from the back, as well. Often times people will need to put their larger items on top of the camioneta. If we happen to take a turn too fast and the belongings on the roof fall off, the auydante is repsonsible for running to get them while the camioneta reverses on the highway. They also love their horns. I wish I could translate what each "toot" meant.

Peace Corps Safety and Secruity has provided us with training, tips and safety. They recommend starting every day saying, "I am going to get robbed today". This may sound crazy, but it helps keep you safe. For instance, most women secure their money in their bra, not loose in their purse. Peace Corps also suggests having exact change for each travel because the auydantes like to charge Americans more or not provide change. Unfortunately, my second week here, I was robbed on the "camioneta" from San Lucas to Santa Lucia. I was the very last one on the bus, so it was three other Peace Corps Volunteers, myself, and the door. I was super nervous to be so close to the door, so I was holding for my dear life, which, unfortuantely, left my purse dangling in front of me. As a huge group of us were getting off of the bus, in less than ten seconds, someone slit my large purse (probably with a knife), reached into my purse, and grabbed my small purse. My small purse had gum, lip gloss, tissue, wet wipes, etc. The item with the greatest value in my small purse was my flash drive. It turns out that one other PC Volunteer was also robbed on this same bus and antoher PC Volunteer prevented a potiental robbery by grabbing someone's hand as they were trying to reach into her backpack. Fortunately, my money and phone were secured in my bra, and they just got away with small items. What did I learn from this experience?! Use my purse with a shorter strap, so I can keep it closer to me. Always keep one hand on my purse. People who steal are very talented- they can do it within seconds.

Happy 4th!

Hi! I hope everyone is having a very happy and safe Fourth of July! I just have a quick minute...I got my official site assignment! I will be moving to Patzún, Chimaltenango on July 16.  I am super excited! It is going to be the best site ever. I have so much to look forward to.  I am going to meet my counterparts at the Peace Corps office tomorrow.  On Tuesday, I am going with my counterparts to stay in Patzún for the week.  I will have a lot more information to share after this visit.  Here is a website for the non-governmental organization I will be working with:  www.amigosdepatzun.org.  And, yes, Molly, it is in English!  I will also be working in two other schools.  Lots more information to come in the near future. Ah! I am super excited.  Happy Independence Day (to all of my non-New Zealand blog followers)!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

 I am so sorry I have neglected you all for so long. I figured photos would be an efficent way to try and express what I have been doing. I hope you enjoy!

The first host family that I stayed with for three days in Santa Lucía

My bed in Sumpango!  It is HUGE!! And comfortable and no fleas. Sometimes cold at nights, but I have lots of layers.

My host father and brothers on the roof of our house.Probably my favorite place.  It is has wonderful view.  I am waiting for a clear day to take a photo of the volcanoes.

    

Audra and I with our host mothers at a wedding.               At a beautiful church in Antigua!

My language group at a coffee and music museum in Jocotenagno.









Family dinner with my host mothers side of the family.
















One Saturday afternoon my family- brothers, parents, cousins, aunt, uncle, neighbors, auydante, and I went to  Los Aposentos in Chimaltenango!

JALON= ride in the back of a pick up truck.  One common form of transportation in Guatemala.  I am planning on doing a blog entry about transportation in Guatemala. It is quite the experience. 

Los Aposentos is a giant park with four different pools, a giant lake with canoes and paddle boats, street vendors, play grounds, and carnival rides (that I would be scared to death to ride on).

Great family photos!!

This is Christina, me, Audra, and Jenya before Field Based Training on the overpass by the bus stop.  I actually had this photo taken to show the stairs in the background.  Look closely. When I do have the opportunity to work out I do it Rocky Balboa style- high altitudes, tons of clothing (because it is culuturally unacceptable for women to show skin), and repeat climbs on a 200 stair climb.  My current PR is 10 times.  My goal is 12!



On Field Based Training we had the opportunity to help one of the current Peace Corps Volunteers with her secondary project- building a latrine out of recycled bottles.  Pretty amazing. Our main job was to fill small spaces with trash so that they could pour the concrete over it. This is a terrible description of this project. There is so much more to it. I am not even doing it justice. I will let the photos speak for themselves. Grandma- I hope you like them.

During Field Based Training our language group also had the opportunity to record a radio announcement!! It was super fun.  We did a short blurb on reaching goals.

Our amazing mentor took the Sumpango group to a Macadamia nut farm in San Miguel de las Dueñas.

Language group (plus Audra, minus Pedro) at my house for a nice seafood lunch.  Kyle really enjoyed it! 






Another wonderful language group experience (plus Lizzie, minus Pedro) at the Rose farm in Xenacoj. Mum I think you would really like this. We learned all about the process, business, nutrients, etc.  

Seven days until I find out my site where I will be living and working for the next two years!  AH!  Positive thoughts and prayers.