gracias...
yesterday was turkey day. i think the perception is that holidays are a really hard time to be away from home. so to try and avoid feeling sorry for myself i always opt to spend holidays away from home in a very unconventional way. this thanksgiving was no exception. myself along with twenty other recently sworn in volunteers got to share our pumpkin pie at the US ambassador´s house with him and his wife. they were very welcoming and the food was a nice treat. it was for sure a very (very) surreal day.
it started at about 2:00am. i woke up in my new place laying on a mattress on the floor (havent gotten hold of an actual bed yet...). i dragged myself to the busstop bleary eyed with my backpack in tote and a rock in my hand to ward off late night bolos (drunks) and chuchos (street dogs). i boarded the chicken bus (think of the big yellow things you used to ride to elementary school) and i was on my way. bus rides are full fledged sensory overload. despite it being the middle of the night the driver blared ranchero, probably trying to stay awake more than anything else. people are packkkkkkkked in. at one time there was five people in my seat, 3 adults and 2 children. not the most comfortable ride, but who can complain when you can do a 7 hour ride for 30 quetzales (about 4 dollars). i showed up at cuerpo de paz in a bit of a stupor and soon realized that i had forgotten to bring shoes. i had to wear green crocs to the ambassadors house... sorry mom.
we got there and it was beautiful. me and the other agriculture volunteers spent a good portion of our time scoping out the gardens which were amazingly gorgeous. we got to sip some fine wine, eat some traditional turkey and stuffing (at least the nonvegetarians - no they did not serve tofurkey), and swim in a heated pool. the highlight for sure was the pumpkin cheesecake. a nice change to have some comfort food from the states although ive developed a soft spot for pepian here.
paradox...
well the paradox here is pretty obvious. this is why i could never work for the state department. i understand the necessity of having this seperation between foreign service workers and the people (minus the really rich/powerful people typically) in country... i guess. the high walls, big gates and security guards. they´re all business, official, suit and tie, and their purpose in country is to promote the interests of the united states government. someones gotta do it. i´m just glad it´s not me in the tie.
to go from a congested bus in the poorest town in all of guatemala to a plush home in guate was a jolting experience. so much in this country, everything in this world is riddled with these paradoxes. thanksgiving was just a magnified, REALLY magnified, example of this.
it was a beautiful day.
both the bus ride at 2:00 am and the afternoon at the ambassadors house.
poco a poco...
so i started work last week as a full fledged volunteer (wooooohoooo!). let me be straight up... it was awesome, but it was hard as starting any new job is. it just happens that this new job is a little more intense, because of language barriers (havent quite mastered MAM yet), cultural differences ...and basically because i am not a guatemalan.
the organization i´m working for has been really successful from what ive seen at striking a good balance between serving the local community and serving the wants of international donating agencies. this typically means they´ve done a good job at doing studies of progress, and maintaining a certain level of transparency, a pretty spectacular feat in a country inundated with corruption
day 1 - i went to a workshop on gender. the organization has about 500 female members and only about 100 men. i personally see this as a huge plus, but they are trying to examine how to get men more involved. most men here wouldn´t be too enthused about getting involved in weaving projects here to say the least. finding ways to diversify projects so that men too could become involved was the basic focus of the day.
one of the great things about our organization has been its work with women. its a very empowering thing to see the work they are doing. the womens groups allow them to occupy the leadership roles they are typically denied in national and local politics.
day 2 - i built a house for potatoes. its an agriculture project a group of women is doing. the husbands tackled the labor while women did smaller tasks (carrying wood...). i contemplated taking up a hammer, but it was my first day and it was cool just to hang out with the women. they all spoke in MAM and when i first arrived i didnt even know if they spoke spanish. turns out they do! at least the younger women do. i got a lot of questions about the states (will you teach me english? how much does it cost to go to the states? how many dollars did your shoes cost?) which i tried...TRIED to artfully dodge with some degree of success. besides that, we spent a lot of time talking about family and boyfriends/esposos, and the projects they´ve been doing.
i felt shy and intimitated being the new woman, but it was a good day.
day 3 - workshop with coworkers on food security (hey! that´s my job here!). the secretary of "seguridad alimentaria" gave the talk and also some pretty disturbing stats about malnutrition in guatemala and our department. i´ll make sure to post them some time soon...
things are good, but it is for sure a process finding my place here... poco a poco.
i hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving stateside. much love.
p.s. i saw a pretty amazing movie narrated by rigoberta menchu about guatemala called "when the mountains tremble". definetely try and see it if you can get a hold of a copy.
viernes, 23 de noviembre de 2007
sábado, 17 de noviembre de 2007
chin gólben tey
after much anticipation i got to visit my site last week. my counterpart from the orranization i will be working with came to the peace corps training center for a little orientation session and then we were on our way. i am lucky it is beautiful. temperate climate, pine trees, and mountains.
talking to volunteers it typically seems that both their counterparts and the organizations they work for vary greatly in size and organization. some are working for multimillion dollar international NGO´s while others work for small community based organizations. i am relieved that my organization is locally centered and employs people from the community that speak the language (...apart from myself). even though they are relatively small they still appear very well organized and that they have a lot of passion for the work they do in the field of development.
it also seems like anything i´m interested in doing they would be down with. nutrition, appropriate technology, family gardens, education projects, reforestation... as long as it seems like a healthy step in the right direction they seemed enthused.
i also found a new home (my first own place...sorta). i was lucky to find something really easily. i will be moving into the home of a peace vorps volunteer who is finishing her service right now. pictures will be incoming... as long as i have space for a garden, i´m happy.
i swear to...
the big day arrived. yesterday we got dressed up in all our finery, went to the home of the us ambassador and officially became peace corps volunteers. i think ive been anticipating becoming a volunteer since high school or before. its very crazy to be here now. surreal at times.
all of us got to bring members of our host families and that was really great to share the day with them. i think living with them has been the best part of my service so far. i am overwhelmed by their warmth, kindness, and quick wit. the night before the ceremony they surprised me with the traditional apron that the women in their community wear. i was so excited and proud to wear it.
talking to volunteers it typically seems that both their counterparts and the organizations they work for vary greatly in size and organization. some are working for multimillion dollar international NGO´s while others work for small community based organizations. i am relieved that my organization is locally centered and employs people from the community that speak the language (...apart from myself). even though they are relatively small they still appear very well organized and that they have a lot of passion for the work they do in the field of development.
it also seems like anything i´m interested in doing they would be down with. nutrition, appropriate technology, family gardens, education projects, reforestation... as long as it seems like a healthy step in the right direction they seemed enthused.
i also found a new home (my first own place...sorta). i was lucky to find something really easily. i will be moving into the home of a peace vorps volunteer who is finishing her service right now. pictures will be incoming... as long as i have space for a garden, i´m happy.
i swear to...
the big day arrived. yesterday we got dressed up in all our finery, went to the home of the us ambassador and officially became peace corps volunteers. i think ive been anticipating becoming a volunteer since high school or before. its very crazy to be here now. surreal at times.
all of us got to bring members of our host families and that was really great to share the day with them. i think living with them has been the best part of my service so far. i am overwhelmed by their warmth, kindness, and quick wit. the night before the ceremony they surprised me with the traditional apron that the women in their community wear. i was so excited and proud to wear it.
lunes, 5 de noviembre de 2007
ladrones...!
yesterday turned out to be a not so bueno day. me and jose hiked to our little garden with our host brother Frenel. the game plan was to transplant some brocolli and harvest some big juicy rabanos (radishes).
we walked down the small hill approaching our garden and...... devestation. all of our radishes were gone. and it wasn't because some chicken or insect chomped down on them. someone or (somebodies) stole them. i think having something stolen is one of the worst feelings in the world. even if the something stolen has little or no value (i.e. rabanos) it is just the feeling of being in some way violated.
what strikes me more however is how sad it is that somebody would actually steal vegetables either for their own consumption or to sell at market. My host grandmother said that this is actually a fairly common occurence. my little host brother said he would start guarding our garden for us. definetely appreciate the sentiment, but he's nine and his best weapon is a rock he sometimes totes around. it's a really big rock, though:-)
asi es la vida.
the rest of the day went fine. we transplanted, and i helped dona marta shuck some black beans (we've shifted from shucking green beans to black beans).
yesterday turned out to be a not so bueno day. me and jose hiked to our little garden with our host brother Frenel. the game plan was to transplant some brocolli and harvest some big juicy rabanos (radishes).
we walked down the small hill approaching our garden and...... devestation. all of our radishes were gone. and it wasn't because some chicken or insect chomped down on them. someone or (somebodies) stole them. i think having something stolen is one of the worst feelings in the world. even if the something stolen has little or no value (i.e. rabanos) it is just the feeling of being in some way violated.
what strikes me more however is how sad it is that somebody would actually steal vegetables either for their own consumption or to sell at market. My host grandmother said that this is actually a fairly common occurence. my little host brother said he would start guarding our garden for us. definetely appreciate the sentiment, but he's nine and his best weapon is a rock he sometimes totes around. it's a really big rock, though:-)
asi es la vida.
the rest of the day went fine. we transplanted, and i helped dona marta shuck some black beans (we've shifted from shucking green beans to black beans).
viernes, 2 de noviembre de 2007
officially in my mid twenties...
i ate carrot cake so i guess that makes it official. i`m 25 years old. Jose (i.e. joseph), another volunteer living in our house, got me a tasty carrot cake from Doña Luisas, i got a lot of cards written to "tia kelly", and of course me and sara danced goofily and we played mandolin. could not think of any better way to spend a birthday in guatemala, and i think the kids had fun, too.
my mom asked me if there was anything specific that i wanted her to send me for my birthday. green tea and chocolate.... and underwear (the pila - a stone basin used to wash dishes and clothing - does quite a number to a pair of delicate draws). more than anythinig i wanted her to send me things i could share with the kids like crayons and coloring books.
i received packages from my parents and aunt maureen and mac, along with several cards (thank you very much!). i now have a lifetime supply of tea, organic chocolate, and i smell fabulous thanks to some very lovely scented shampoo. unfortunately this isnt doing much to deter my fleas...
pulgas...
pulgas is spanish for fleas. i know that many people would not want to readily admit they have this issue, but i have no shame. just a lot of bites. i never had an issue until i returned home from an excursion we took in the oriente and from there the problem has escalated. i rarely actually see my little friends, but my bites are a clear testament to their existence. i have considered telling my family about the issue, but i have a feeling they may just soak my bed in okko, an insecticide. with two weeks left i choose to itch instead. it honestly is not that bad.
another reason why i may be slightly more inclined to turn down the insecticide dousing is because im reading Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. I have skimmed it many times in the past while doing reports on ecofeminism, the study of the relationship that exists between women and the environment. first published in the year 1962, the book examines our excessive use of chemicals to deter supposed pests, and how these substances in turn affect our environment and ourselves. Although the book was published over 40 years ago the message is very relevant to issues we are facing today... could it be that we are poising ourselves, making ourselves sick? she writes fearlessly and i admire that. her message is clear.
so i choose pulgas instead.
your site is guatemala...
presently i am a trainee. the best i can describe it as is a semester study abroad. you learn a lot, live with a host family, try your best not to speak english with other volunteers, and hope that you leave feeling slightly more competent than when you arrived. so far i have been in training with about 30 other people from across the US (plus one ) bodiqua. all of this has been building up to our actual site placements. this is the moment when we all find out where we will be living for the next two years of our lives.
naturally the build up to this day was a little stressful.
we were told where the sites for our group (food security) were located, and then each given an individual interview where we could express our hopes for our service, and what, if any, preferences we had concerning a site. some peoples requests read like a lengthy shopping list: cool but not cold, in the mountains, indigenous, but spanish speaking, small, rural, with womens groups, not working with schools.... etc. as much as i understand the desire to express wants it started to edge on slightly ridiculous so i tried to keep mine short and sweet.
i want to go somewhere where i can learn, somewhere rural, and somewhere where there is a need.
our associate peace corps director came to our individual towns to tell us our placements. leading up to this there has been near obsession among trainees trying to guess as to where everyone is going. i tried to not think about it and tried to keep an open mind.
salvador, our APCD (associate peace corps director) came by with the envelopes. myself and the other three soon to be volunteers from my site eagerly waited as he handed out a manilla folder with the name of our new home printed on the front.
i`m not suppose to write any specific information about sites (supposed security reasons - george won`t let me). i can give you a general idea about where i am headed.
the population is 99.5% indigenous. they speak a langauge called mam. its in the mountains with a cooler climate (pack a sweater if you come to visit!), isolated, rural, supposedly beautiful, hit hard by poverty and alcoholism, and with its own handshake.
a female volunteer currently serving there had approached all of the females in my group prior to when we learned our sites. she said that it is beautiful, but it is a hard site. a place with a lot of need, and a lot of social issues that make progress an upward climb at times. it is the poorest town in the entire country.
asi, asi...
i have been inundated with many feelings now knowing my site. im excited, apprehensive, sad to be saying goodbye to my current host family... more than anything i feel blessed.
guatemala is an amazing place. everyday it teaches me something new and becomes that much more intricately beautiful. it is multilayered. having been given the opportunity to experience it is something that i feel exceptionally grateful for. i truly have the best job in the world, although at times it proves imensely frustrating and intimidating.
i try as best as i can to avoid romanticizing the history or poverty of this country. i think when one does this it in effect diminishes the profundity of a place, and is dismissive. living simply does not not necessarily equate to happiness. nor does living a life in the states with all of the modern amenities mean one is content either.
i am happy that i am going somewhere where i can hopefully eventually feel to some extent slightly useful...
i am trying to be realistic as well.
barrilettes...
the typcial halloween debautury that takes place in the states doesnt really happen here. instead people celebrate the day of the dead and all souls day. people here go to the graves of their loved ones, paint their tombs, decorate with flowers, say prayers, and often bring the favorite food of the deceased to "share" with them. the traditional food here is fiambre which is a giant very expensive mishmash of pickeled vegetalbes, and meat. people also eat soup of ayote, a big green pumpkin. riquisimo (delicious!)
people here also fly barrilettes, or kites, as a way of communicating with ansestors. it`s a really beautiful sight to see all of the kids running around flying their kites with big smiles spread across the faces. the activity in the afternoon becomes dislodging kites from powerlines where most have become stuck. Sara, my host sister Luced, and myself hiked up a bit of a mountain to the soccer field to fly kites. unfortunately there was men playing soccers so we had to return promptly (my host mama would not have approved of me hanging out at the soccer field where there are men. she likes to look out for me and shes a conservative woman). Nevertheless, i got to see an incredible view of the volcanoes, and got a little excercise in.
The following is a conversation that took place between myself and Millie, my five year old host sister and quite possibly my favorite person in the world.
millie - today is the day of the dead, did you know that?
me - yes i did, millie. do you know what happens today?
millie - i think all of the dead people are gonna come to our town.
me - really! wow, i did not know that. do you know what they`re going to do here.
millie - i think they`re going to walk down the street in front of our house!
me - really? like a parade?
millie - yes like a parade!
we later looked for the parade of dead people, but sadly(?) did not find any. Millie said it may because they are invisible and i agreed. maybe next year she will be able to find some.
i ate carrot cake so i guess that makes it official. i`m 25 years old. Jose (i.e. joseph), another volunteer living in our house, got me a tasty carrot cake from Doña Luisas, i got a lot of cards written to "tia kelly", and of course me and sara danced goofily and we played mandolin. could not think of any better way to spend a birthday in guatemala, and i think the kids had fun, too.
my mom asked me if there was anything specific that i wanted her to send me for my birthday. green tea and chocolate.... and underwear (the pila - a stone basin used to wash dishes and clothing - does quite a number to a pair of delicate draws). more than anythinig i wanted her to send me things i could share with the kids like crayons and coloring books.
i received packages from my parents and aunt maureen and mac, along with several cards (thank you very much!). i now have a lifetime supply of tea, organic chocolate, and i smell fabulous thanks to some very lovely scented shampoo. unfortunately this isnt doing much to deter my fleas...
pulgas...
pulgas is spanish for fleas. i know that many people would not want to readily admit they have this issue, but i have no shame. just a lot of bites. i never had an issue until i returned home from an excursion we took in the oriente and from there the problem has escalated. i rarely actually see my little friends, but my bites are a clear testament to their existence. i have considered telling my family about the issue, but i have a feeling they may just soak my bed in okko, an insecticide. with two weeks left i choose to itch instead. it honestly is not that bad.
another reason why i may be slightly more inclined to turn down the insecticide dousing is because im reading Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. I have skimmed it many times in the past while doing reports on ecofeminism, the study of the relationship that exists between women and the environment. first published in the year 1962, the book examines our excessive use of chemicals to deter supposed pests, and how these substances in turn affect our environment and ourselves. Although the book was published over 40 years ago the message is very relevant to issues we are facing today... could it be that we are poising ourselves, making ourselves sick? she writes fearlessly and i admire that. her message is clear.
so i choose pulgas instead.
your site is guatemala...
presently i am a trainee. the best i can describe it as is a semester study abroad. you learn a lot, live with a host family, try your best not to speak english with other volunteers, and hope that you leave feeling slightly more competent than when you arrived. so far i have been in training with about 30 other people from across the US (plus one ) bodiqua. all of this has been building up to our actual site placements. this is the moment when we all find out where we will be living for the next two years of our lives.
naturally the build up to this day was a little stressful.
we were told where the sites for our group (food security) were located, and then each given an individual interview where we could express our hopes for our service, and what, if any, preferences we had concerning a site. some peoples requests read like a lengthy shopping list: cool but not cold, in the mountains, indigenous, but spanish speaking, small, rural, with womens groups, not working with schools.... etc. as much as i understand the desire to express wants it started to edge on slightly ridiculous so i tried to keep mine short and sweet.
i want to go somewhere where i can learn, somewhere rural, and somewhere where there is a need.
our associate peace corps director came to our individual towns to tell us our placements. leading up to this there has been near obsession among trainees trying to guess as to where everyone is going. i tried to not think about it and tried to keep an open mind.
salvador, our APCD (associate peace corps director) came by with the envelopes. myself and the other three soon to be volunteers from my site eagerly waited as he handed out a manilla folder with the name of our new home printed on the front.
i`m not suppose to write any specific information about sites (supposed security reasons - george won`t let me). i can give you a general idea about where i am headed.
the population is 99.5% indigenous. they speak a langauge called mam. its in the mountains with a cooler climate (pack a sweater if you come to visit!), isolated, rural, supposedly beautiful, hit hard by poverty and alcoholism, and with its own handshake.
a female volunteer currently serving there had approached all of the females in my group prior to when we learned our sites. she said that it is beautiful, but it is a hard site. a place with a lot of need, and a lot of social issues that make progress an upward climb at times. it is the poorest town in the entire country.
asi, asi...
i have been inundated with many feelings now knowing my site. im excited, apprehensive, sad to be saying goodbye to my current host family... more than anything i feel blessed.
guatemala is an amazing place. everyday it teaches me something new and becomes that much more intricately beautiful. it is multilayered. having been given the opportunity to experience it is something that i feel exceptionally grateful for. i truly have the best job in the world, although at times it proves imensely frustrating and intimidating.
i try as best as i can to avoid romanticizing the history or poverty of this country. i think when one does this it in effect diminishes the profundity of a place, and is dismissive. living simply does not not necessarily equate to happiness. nor does living a life in the states with all of the modern amenities mean one is content either.
i am happy that i am going somewhere where i can hopefully eventually feel to some extent slightly useful...
i am trying to be realistic as well.
barrilettes...
the typcial halloween debautury that takes place in the states doesnt really happen here. instead people celebrate the day of the dead and all souls day. people here go to the graves of their loved ones, paint their tombs, decorate with flowers, say prayers, and often bring the favorite food of the deceased to "share" with them. the traditional food here is fiambre which is a giant very expensive mishmash of pickeled vegetalbes, and meat. people also eat soup of ayote, a big green pumpkin. riquisimo (delicious!)
people here also fly barrilettes, or kites, as a way of communicating with ansestors. it`s a really beautiful sight to see all of the kids running around flying their kites with big smiles spread across the faces. the activity in the afternoon becomes dislodging kites from powerlines where most have become stuck. Sara, my host sister Luced, and myself hiked up a bit of a mountain to the soccer field to fly kites. unfortunately there was men playing soccers so we had to return promptly (my host mama would not have approved of me hanging out at the soccer field where there are men. she likes to look out for me and shes a conservative woman). Nevertheless, i got to see an incredible view of the volcanoes, and got a little excercise in.
The following is a conversation that took place between myself and Millie, my five year old host sister and quite possibly my favorite person in the world.
millie - today is the day of the dead, did you know that?
me - yes i did, millie. do you know what happens today?
millie - i think all of the dead people are gonna come to our town.
me - really! wow, i did not know that. do you know what they`re going to do here.
millie - i think they`re going to walk down the street in front of our house!
me - really? like a parade?
millie - yes like a parade!
we later looked for the parade of dead people, but sadly(?) did not find any. Millie said it may because they are invisible and i agreed. maybe next year she will be able to find some.
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