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