Through winding roads on crowded chicken buses and VIP rides in the mayor’s 4WD truck, I have survived my site visit! I have to honestly say that I’m incredibly pumped to live in my new town and despite some minor setbacks; I’ve got a very positive vibe. Last Monday was counterpart day which consisted of a sort of blind date kind of feel to it. We all had name tags and had to walk around trying to find someone who also had my town’s name on it. I was running a little late but found my counterparts ( a guy and a girl) who will be working with me in the Oficina Municipal de la Mujer (the women’s office, OMM). They are both young and informed me that most of the people at the office are also young. My counterpart is awesome, she’s super cute, energetic and incredibly friendly – seems like the perfect type of work setting for me! After enduring lots of PC presentations and tons of delicious coffee and breads the day was over and I prepared to pack all of my stuff into my suitcases to haul to site.
Tuesday morning we were able to mooch a ride off of another volunteer so that we only had to take a camioneta (chicken bus) for a short amount of time. We arrived in Quiche around three which is our big city. It’s got a bunch of stores, a big market, lots of Pacas (woohoo thrift stores!) and a pretty large central park. We were getting a ride from the muni so we had to wait a little bit until the truck got out of the shop and the driver ran some errands. In true Guatemalan fashion, we ended up waiting for four hours! Haha so we just hung out at the bus terminal with all of my luggage until about eight at night. We ended up getting into town around ten thirty. So this brings me to the “adventurous” part of my journey: THE ROAD! So PC warned me that it was a bumpy road and wasn’t paved so I was prepared but whoa! I wish I had pictures but basically it’s two hours of crazy bumps and winding turns. You know this motion simulator rides where the seats move and you’re in a movie theater? Yea that’s my ride. All you can really do is laugh at the fact that you have to endure such bumpiness just to get home (you must have a sense of humor to do PC…pretty much mandatory!) When it’s rainy season…I’m not leaving my town, I don’t see how it’s possible! So if there’s anyone out there that’s reading this who knows someone who would love to donate a paved road to my amazing town…hit me up. I know there’s some engineering firm out there that would love to put that on their resume we would be forever grateful!
When I arrived late I decided to stay with one of my host family options. We got there and come to find out…they don’t have a bed! Thank God for my sitemate!! Susan you are the bestest. I called her up and she had an extra bed for me to sleep on and I just stayed there for the days that I was in site. I was also excited to find out that my sitemate is super busy with work, goes running, and loves to listen to music. Perfect match! I was so worried that my sitemate would be weird, or we wouldn’t get along, but we’re totally gonna rock our town!
After an awesome breakfast, I met some people at the muni including my mayor and then went to the salon to see the Mayan Princess contestants. Our muni is having a Mayan Princess pageant to select who will be the Mayan Princess for our feria (town celebration) which is in December. I thought it was awesome that we’re putting this together because these young girls don’t usually have a chance to do public speaking or anything like that so it teaches them how to present themselves and gain some confidence. After that in the afternoon we went on a house hunt. I’m pretty bummed about my housing situation actually. I love my family in San Antonio, they are amazing; so it was really important for me to have an equally inviting and loving family in my new site. That’s not gonna happen. I’m renting a room from a family (no hot water) and it will basically be a tenant type of situation. The old volunteer who lived their previously did not have a good experience and advised for me to just go ahead and find my own housing asap. So that’s what I’ll do and because my muni is so awesome they’ll be my family to welcome me to town. Which is fine, you can’t have it all! The best part of the trip was that my counterpart organized a welcome dinner for me! The muni bought awesome roasted chicken, beans, salsa, cream, etc at the warm pilas where they are also building a pool (supposedly they will be ready be Christmas…I doubt it will be done by then, but it’s all good).
There’s more to write about but I’m running out of time!! So more to come about the rest of the week! I don’t have my computer so I can’t share my pics but as soon as I can I will share!!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
I know my site!!!
I'm going to go to Quiche!! My pueblicito is pretty small, a little under 2,000 people and it's a mix of indigenous and ladino people. I imagine it will be like San Antonio in that everyone speaks Spanish but that culture and language is still very much a part of the community. I'm incredibly excited! There are a couple of reasons why I suppose, the biggest reason why is because I ran into the muni volunteer that I'm replacing and she said that whoever replaces her is really like and the counterpart is great. So that's the biggest reason why I'm excited because that was my number one priority...working with a team that I can be happy with. Also, I'm super excited because the weather is like here in San Antonio! That means I can still work out and I don't have to worry about being too freezing or too cold!! The site is also super safe which is a huge relief because being a woman that's a huge concern, especially if I plan on living alone. And the final reason that I'm super pumped is supposedly it's within the three hour range to Lake Atitlan! So even though I'm kind of out there, it's exciting to know that I could potential escape to one of the most beautiful places on earth (I'm told, have yet to visit), on a semi regular basis! I'm also really excited that there is a Mayan culture there. I find it absolutely intriguing and even though at first I wanted to be placed in a Ladino site, I feel that I'm going to learn a tremendous amount culturally. When else will I have that kind of opportunity!? Sure it will be a challenge working with the more timid women's groups, but it's a challenge that I'm ready to face. There's also a family living there that's from the US. Pretty sweet! The biggest down fall is the fact that I'll be basically trapped in my site during the winter when it's the rainy season. The road to my town isn't paved so when it rains...it's pretty much impassable by chicken bus. So for all of you planning to visit...don't plan on coming May to August (I think that's the rainy season?)
I'm so relieved to have this information! No more stress, no more what will life be like. The journey is about to begin! I go on site visit next week so I'll have much more first hand details on what life will be like there and where I'll be living. From what I know I have two housing options. One is a room with a couple (or maybe just a woman?) where I will have more privacy the other is a room with a family where next door the daughter lives with her kids. I'm thinking I want the one with the kids because they make life so much better in so many ways. Also that one has a door to the street or to a patio so I won't have to go through a house to get to my room which could be nice as well. Both situations I think I'll be able to cook for myself which will be nice, although I do think I'd have the option of just having dinner with one of the families if I want to pay more. We shall see!!
So, for those of you who are in the training phases or about to ship off to your Peace Corps country, the best piece of advice I have is to keep an open mind. A lot of times you think you know what you want, but really during training you don't have that much time to develop a good sense for what the different possibilities are. I'm glad that I didn't limit myself by saying I want to be in the Oriente only or I want to be in a big town only. There's a reason why they put me where they put me and I'm excited to explore all the various opportunities that there are in my new site/home!
I'm so relieved to have this information! No more stress, no more what will life be like. The journey is about to begin! I go on site visit next week so I'll have much more first hand details on what life will be like there and where I'll be living. From what I know I have two housing options. One is a room with a couple (or maybe just a woman?) where I will have more privacy the other is a room with a family where next door the daughter lives with her kids. I'm thinking I want the one with the kids because they make life so much better in so many ways. Also that one has a door to the street or to a patio so I won't have to go through a house to get to my room which could be nice as well. Both situations I think I'll be able to cook for myself which will be nice, although I do think I'd have the option of just having dinner with one of the families if I want to pay more. We shall see!!
So, for those of you who are in the training phases or about to ship off to your Peace Corps country, the best piece of advice I have is to keep an open mind. A lot of times you think you know what you want, but really during training you don't have that much time to develop a good sense for what the different possibilities are. I'm glad that I didn't limit myself by saying I want to be in the Oriente only or I want to be in a big town only. There's a reason why they put me where they put me and I'm excited to explore all the various opportunities that there are in my new site/home!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Staying in Shape: Physical Edition
As a Peace Corps Trainee or Volunteer it can be incredibly difficult to stay in shape. As a female PCT or PCV, it's even harder to stay in shape. So for all of you soon to be trainees, know that you're going to have to make a conscious effort to stay in shape and sometimes get creative. When I was applying, this was definitely something I thought about so I figured I'd post a quick blog to give my summary of dietary and exercise issues.
Your diet is going to change dramatically. You're going to find yourself loving the most random combinations of foods you'd never thought you'd try. For example, chow mein sandwiches using white bread...for breakfast. It's good, try it! Is it good for you?...Probably not. Either way, it's offensive to not eat something that's served to you, so DO NOT be picky! Just go with it. I've eaten more fried chicken here than I have in my life (and I'm from the south!) and for some reason the idea of American fast food sounds like heaven (I hate fast food chains). But hey, when you're in a new country...your outlook changes sometimes. Many families and volunteers have told me that the women typically tend to gain weight and the men tend to lose weight. I'm happy to report that I haven't gained weight while I'm here and despite the massive amount of carbs that I've consumed I think the biggest reason why is because the food that we eat here is FRESH and the portions are regularly sized! That chicken you're eating...it was probably killed that same day or the day before. Those beans you're eating...they were picked last weak and they've been boiling on the stove for two days. What will get you here are the unhealthy snacks that are so cheap and so yummy in the tiendas such as sweet breads (no not that nasty meat kind of sweet bread, but literally bread that is sweet), chips, french fries, fried plantians, ice cream, etc. So good, So comforting...but try to indulge only once in a while.
But the point of this post is about exercise. I typically have three different types of exercise routines. The easiest for me to do involves a wonderful set of fitness bands called Rubber Banditz (www.rubberbanditz.com) which was developed by someone who needed to stay in shape while serving in the Peace Corps. These bands are a lifesaver as they come with all the needed gadgets and a booklet with exercises, routines, and a dvd with routine explanations. Apparently they also have workout and pilates online but since it takes an hour to load youtube I have yet to explore that route. I also run in my site. I didn't start running until I was able to observe what the community was like, if other people run, and where some good routes would be. When I have the strength to wake up early, I go running in the morning which is nice because not too many people are in the street to stare at my as I run past them. I always carry my cell phone with me and if I were super pilas I would also carry a stick with me to fend off the chuchos (street dogs that lie on every corner of the street). Thus far, the chuchos haven't given me a problem and I haven't ever felt insecure while running. I stick to streets that have people on them in case I get injured and my town fortunately has a large park and central streets so I stay in that main area. You get used to the stares after a while. I ONLY run when it's light outside. I would never run if the sun weren't up.
When it rains, when it's too cold, or when I don't get a chance to work out in the morning, I get creative and figure out ways to bounce around in my room. My thinking is, if your heart is pumping for at least thirty minutes that should count as exercise. I actually draw upon exercises and routines that I learned way back in the day when I took kick boxing classes in high school. I tend to do things for a full song. So jumping jacks, running in place, side kicks, front and back kick combos, punching combos, side kicks without touching the ground for a minute alternating feet, ups and downs and mountain climbers are typically what take up a half an hour. Sometimes, if a song comes up on shuffle that I like to dance to, I'll alternate and do some easy dance combo that's pretty jumpy.It sounds pretty silly and I definitely felt a little self conscious when I first started bouncing around in my room but it definitely helps! The best part is that there are usually people outside of my room who can probably see me randomly jumping and kicking, so Lord knows what people in San Antonio think of the crazy gringa who jumps around in her room!
It's definitely worth staying active and in shape. If I ever find myself in a down mood, even if I don't think it will help, I ALWAYS feel better after I get my heart pumping for a little bit.
If anyone has questions about PCT life (not a PCV yet) and how to stay active, feel free to hit me up, I'd love to share!
Your diet is going to change dramatically. You're going to find yourself loving the most random combinations of foods you'd never thought you'd try. For example, chow mein sandwiches using white bread...for breakfast. It's good, try it! Is it good for you?...Probably not. Either way, it's offensive to not eat something that's served to you, so DO NOT be picky! Just go with it. I've eaten more fried chicken here than I have in my life (and I'm from the south!) and for some reason the idea of American fast food sounds like heaven (I hate fast food chains). But hey, when you're in a new country...your outlook changes sometimes. Many families and volunteers have told me that the women typically tend to gain weight and the men tend to lose weight. I'm happy to report that I haven't gained weight while I'm here and despite the massive amount of carbs that I've consumed I think the biggest reason why is because the food that we eat here is FRESH and the portions are regularly sized! That chicken you're eating...it was probably killed that same day or the day before. Those beans you're eating...they were picked last weak and they've been boiling on the stove for two days. What will get you here are the unhealthy snacks that are so cheap and so yummy in the tiendas such as sweet breads (no not that nasty meat kind of sweet bread, but literally bread that is sweet), chips, french fries, fried plantians, ice cream, etc. So good, So comforting...but try to indulge only once in a while.
But the point of this post is about exercise. I typically have three different types of exercise routines. The easiest for me to do involves a wonderful set of fitness bands called Rubber Banditz (www.rubberbanditz.com) which was developed by someone who needed to stay in shape while serving in the Peace Corps. These bands are a lifesaver as they come with all the needed gadgets and a booklet with exercises, routines, and a dvd with routine explanations. Apparently they also have workout and pilates online but since it takes an hour to load youtube I have yet to explore that route. I also run in my site. I didn't start running until I was able to observe what the community was like, if other people run, and where some good routes would be. When I have the strength to wake up early, I go running in the morning which is nice because not too many people are in the street to stare at my as I run past them. I always carry my cell phone with me and if I were super pilas I would also carry a stick with me to fend off the chuchos (street dogs that lie on every corner of the street). Thus far, the chuchos haven't given me a problem and I haven't ever felt insecure while running. I stick to streets that have people on them in case I get injured and my town fortunately has a large park and central streets so I stay in that main area. You get used to the stares after a while. I ONLY run when it's light outside. I would never run if the sun weren't up.
When it rains, when it's too cold, or when I don't get a chance to work out in the morning, I get creative and figure out ways to bounce around in my room. My thinking is, if your heart is pumping for at least thirty minutes that should count as exercise. I actually draw upon exercises and routines that I learned way back in the day when I took kick boxing classes in high school. I tend to do things for a full song. So jumping jacks, running in place, side kicks, front and back kick combos, punching combos, side kicks without touching the ground for a minute alternating feet, ups and downs and mountain climbers are typically what take up a half an hour. Sometimes, if a song comes up on shuffle that I like to dance to, I'll alternate and do some easy dance combo that's pretty jumpy.It sounds pretty silly and I definitely felt a little self conscious when I first started bouncing around in my room but it definitely helps! The best part is that there are usually people outside of my room who can probably see me randomly jumping and kicking, so Lord knows what people in San Antonio think of the crazy gringa who jumps around in her room!
It's definitely worth staying active and in shape. If I ever find myself in a down mood, even if I don't think it will help, I ALWAYS feel better after I get my heart pumping for a little bit.
If anyone has questions about PCT life (not a PCV yet) and how to stay active, feel free to hit me up, I'd love to share!
Visit to San Marcos
Yesterday I arrived home from the ever so beautiful department of San Marcos. On Wednesday morning we took a long ass camioneta ride (long ass technically means about six hours) over to the Occidente (west). If I weren't squished in between people, I would have noticed the incredible beauty of the mountains and landscape. What I was able to notice though was the incredible amount of road damage caused by the massive amount of rain we've had recently. On several occasions, roads were completely gone thereby forcing cars and trucks to use a two way highway into a two way road. The sad part is that by the time they clean up all the mudslides...it'll be rainy season again!
But I digress.
As expected, the community we visited in San Marcos was quite chilly. For those of you who know me, you know I hate the cold. We gathered for dinner at the volunteer's prior host family's house and all huddled around the stove as it was the only source of heat around. After dinner we headed to bed and I was delighted to find that the room was actually somewhat warm since it had been closed off for the day. A fellow trainee and I were visiting a male volunteer so it was crucial that we stay with a family instead of at his apartment to avoid the ever so common "chisme" phenomenon (chisme means gossip which runs rapids throughout the mountains and valleys of Guatemala). We were fortunate enough to view what it is like to work with a DMP (planning office), economic development office, public relations office, and a woman's office. Unfortunately, the head of the woman's office decided it was best to bail on us last minute to conduct a workshop on self esteem which only highlighted a frustration that I've heard often about the women's office: they don't take themselves seriously. Quite unfortunate if you ask me as there's much work to do in this regard. Another surprising aspect was that the community was Ladino. I saw absolutely no traje (traditional dress) and was informed that someone a long time ago actually declared the municipality as officially "Ladino". Talk about a shame, clearly this area of the country has a strong indigenous cultural history but it was somehow eradicated by a superficial declaration. All in all, it was an interesting aspect of training and one that I'm glad to have experienced. The volunteer we visited admitted to not really ever leaving his site, which is definitely easier to do when your girlfriend lives in town, but either way the important aspect was that he seemed happy and was able to make friends and connections in his town...despite the freezing cold (apparently it can get as cold as 20 degrees). I definitely loved San Marcos, it was gorgeous, but I really would love to be in a slightly warmer climate.
The day we left San Marcos, Peace Corps gave us a ride to a neighboring community that was having a grand opening celebration for a bottle school. More and more volunteers are engaging in projects where you can build walls and eventually schools with recycled plastic bottles stuffed with trash. Pretty awesome if you ask me and it was incredible to look at the pictures of how the bottle school progressed. The PC volunteer partnered with a US non profit called "Hug it Forward" (what an amazing name! don't you love it!?) who found the funding for the school. It was certainly an inspiring morning and reminded me about the importance of integrating physical projects into one's service (it helps motivate and is a tangible success that oftentimes feels more rewarding). It also reminded me of how I'll need to set up dates for events just like how I did in the States to enforce deadlines and help achieve goals.
I'm definitely happy to get back to my beautiful CBT community. Today was an absolutely gorgeous day. One of those days where you feel incredibly grateful to be alive and on this beautiful earth of ours.
Just four more days until I find out where my site is!!! By a process of elimination, Carmen and I have determined that we're probably going to the East (Oriente). For betting purposes, I'm going to say that I'm either going to Quiche or El Progreso (no reason why really, just a shot in the dark). Keep your fingers crossed that it's not the freezing site in San Marcos!!!
But I digress.
As expected, the community we visited in San Marcos was quite chilly. For those of you who know me, you know I hate the cold. We gathered for dinner at the volunteer's prior host family's house and all huddled around the stove as it was the only source of heat around. After dinner we headed to bed and I was delighted to find that the room was actually somewhat warm since it had been closed off for the day. A fellow trainee and I were visiting a male volunteer so it was crucial that we stay with a family instead of at his apartment to avoid the ever so common "chisme" phenomenon (chisme means gossip which runs rapids throughout the mountains and valleys of Guatemala). We were fortunate enough to view what it is like to work with a DMP (planning office), economic development office, public relations office, and a woman's office. Unfortunately, the head of the woman's office decided it was best to bail on us last minute to conduct a workshop on self esteem which only highlighted a frustration that I've heard often about the women's office: they don't take themselves seriously. Quite unfortunate if you ask me as there's much work to do in this regard. Another surprising aspect was that the community was Ladino. I saw absolutely no traje (traditional dress) and was informed that someone a long time ago actually declared the municipality as officially "Ladino". Talk about a shame, clearly this area of the country has a strong indigenous cultural history but it was somehow eradicated by a superficial declaration. All in all, it was an interesting aspect of training and one that I'm glad to have experienced. The volunteer we visited admitted to not really ever leaving his site, which is definitely easier to do when your girlfriend lives in town, but either way the important aspect was that he seemed happy and was able to make friends and connections in his town...despite the freezing cold (apparently it can get as cold as 20 degrees). I definitely loved San Marcos, it was gorgeous, but I really would love to be in a slightly warmer climate.
The day we left San Marcos, Peace Corps gave us a ride to a neighboring community that was having a grand opening celebration for a bottle school. More and more volunteers are engaging in projects where you can build walls and eventually schools with recycled plastic bottles stuffed with trash. Pretty awesome if you ask me and it was incredible to look at the pictures of how the bottle school progressed. The PC volunteer partnered with a US non profit called "Hug it Forward" (what an amazing name! don't you love it!?) who found the funding for the school. It was certainly an inspiring morning and reminded me about the importance of integrating physical projects into one's service (it helps motivate and is a tangible success that oftentimes feels more rewarding). It also reminded me of how I'll need to set up dates for events just like how I did in the States to enforce deadlines and help achieve goals.
I'm definitely happy to get back to my beautiful CBT community. Today was an absolutely gorgeous day. One of those days where you feel incredibly grateful to be alive and on this beautiful earth of ours.
Just four more days until I find out where my site is!!! By a process of elimination, Carmen and I have determined that we're probably going to the East (Oriente). For betting purposes, I'm going to say that I'm either going to Quiche or El Progreso (no reason why really, just a shot in the dark). Keep your fingers crossed that it's not the freezing site in San Marcos!!!
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