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.