It's been a while...

So its been a while since I have added a blog, if a while can constitute about 6 months. So many things have happened in 6 months. Just going to start at this month, and leave the prior months out.

I will start publishing more blogs and more frequently.

interesting morning!

first off just wanted to whats up to everyone. hope everyone is doing great wherever you may be.

what is up with Latin cultures and slaughtering livestock for special occasions? I say latin because at first i thought only us, Mexicans, did that but this morning I was wrong. don't get me wrong theres nothing like chivo, cerdo at a party but there has to be other ways of slaughtering the animal.

for example for my brother's 21st birthday we got a live pig and killed it, but it was nothing like what i heard this morning. With one gunshot the pig was dead. Not here!

The dueños to my apartment are celebrating their daughter's quinceñera, like a sweet 16 but happens when a girl turns 15. I don't know how long they have been raising this pig, but it was huge, and my apartment happens to be pretty close to where it was staying. This morning at about 530 a.m. I woke up to squealing, not just normal squealing but horrific squealing which lasted for about 15 minutes- 20 minutes, which can only mean that the pig is dead. But were those minutes necessary? I have seen a pig being slaughtered here in Guatemala, refer to the pictures on facebook. They first stun the pig by hitting across the head with the butt end of an axe, and just mount it up on a table and slit the throat and let the blood drain. I am assuming thats what was done here due to the minutes of squealing and being awoken at 530 and not being able to go back to sleep for a good half hour. Why not just get it over with, and cut the head off or something... all in all cant wait for the meal tomorrow!! Carnitas!!

Update!

so its been a month living in site. and things have been interesting. as you all may remember i got sick in february, and i got sick again this past week, but not with a bacterial infection, it was.....AND THE WINNER IS....AMOEBAS! dont recommend that at all. not as painful as the bacterial infection but very uncomfortable. now i can say everything is back to normal.

with work: Samra and I are just about done visiting every school in the municipality. Out of the 23 schools, we only have 4 left. after visiting all of them, we are having a meeting with all the directors, and then with all the schools individually to see what the teachers and parents have as a priority with accordance to the schools and what we are able to do. so work will actually be more invigorating and more hands on in the next couple of weeks. Even though our main job as for now is to integrate for the first three months and then when we go back to reconnect we will get the information needed to do projects.

The whole month of May, every weekend, there are welcome parties for all of us new volunteers. The Totonicapan/Solola party is not until the 30th of May, which coincidentally is the same day as Samra's birthday. This next upcoming weekend is the Huehue party!! we'll see how things go!

Can't wait to start projects, and start working, to do activities that inspired us to join the Peace Corps.

settling in.... slowly but surely!! can call a place home!

so slowly but surely this place is becoming home. i caught myself the other day after spending a long hectic day in Xela, Quetzaltenango, I caught myself saying "damn, i cant wait to get back home" where i was shocked because i realized that when i said that home was no longer back in the states, or san diego, or el centro. home is my town here in Guatemala. in a town that i would not have thought ever would be home. but it is!! and im really stoked about it.

so samra and i have started working after having a week off for semana santa. this week we are going to the schools that we visited with our counterpart...the licenciada, the superintendant of the schools. this time we are going alone and doing our diagnostics. these diagnostics is an evaluation of the schools marking down what they have, they do not have and what needs improvement. later we will have a meeting with each school individually and present our findings, and set the agenda in projects of what we can and will do in these next two years. i can already feel the connection between the kids and myself. walking down the streets and the kids coming up saying hi and shaking your hand and inviting to be part of their soccer games.

our biggest accomplishment these next three months is gaining the confianza, the trust, of the village. which is not as easy as someone thinks. people are so weary of strangers but they have all the reason to be. just hope we can show them that we are here to stay and are going to be Xeculenses for the next two years. wow, when i put it that way it seems so far away, but as a fellow volunteer told me... the days may go by very slowly, but the weeks fly by, and the months even quicker! so with all hope with these fast months that will quickly come and go, there will be some improvement in all the schools of the municipio!!

to see more pictures of the town check out this site:

http://www.downtheroad.org/Photo/9Guatamala1/2xecul.htm

Its been a while... can see the light at the end of the tunnel!!!

so it has been a while since i have written a blog... and i know i said i was going to try to be better but the month of march have been pretty hectic. its our last month of training and every week it seems like they are bombarding with us with information and activities before we embark on our assignment. in the first weeks of March, which seems so long ago... we had individual site visits.. and a week later they told us our site, the place where we will be living for the next two years. im very stoked about my site. this week since tuesday and until tomorrow we are visiting our sites so we can get somewhat situated, and bring the maj0rity of our luggage...also to find a place to live, meet the mayors, and all the other auxiliary mayors... so have to behave, at least for this week..hahaha

next week is the day that we have all, 32 of us, been waiting for...our swear in day!! lots of pictures will be taken and of course will post them up. the people here in my site are so warm and welcoming. the population of the town including the "aldeas" is about 17,000 but only in the pueblo is 7,000. 98% indigenous and they all speak the native language of Quiche, a derivative of the native Mayan language. the town is popular is very popular for the church, which comes out in a lot of the guidebooks. so every now and then i catch some tourists coming into this town which is somewhat secluded and taking pictures... have to get used to this...

by the way... i already have a new nickname... el colocho!! the curly haired one!!! pictures will be up soon... all the way from my birthday... its been a while... im behind!! i know!! hope all is well... and hope to hear from everyone!

Field Based Training... and whats to come!!!

Whats happening everyone? Its been a while again.. I know. This past week we had our field based training. That is when we go out and visit different volunteers in certain departments, states, in Guatemala. We met some awesome volunteers who are COS´ing (Close of Service). Throughout the week we went to go visit certain schools and played with the kids... as you can see. That is Josh and me. Those kids were awesome. And it was Carnavál that week...so we all got ambushed with eggs filled with confetti. Thursday was a day of stress for most of us. It was the day that we all had to do a health presentation to a certain grade at this random school. My topic was teeth...since there are several dentists in the family I thought I had sufficient knowledge on that... Nailed it!! On Friday, we went to go to some hot springs, and hung out with other volunteers. Now that was awesome. Gotta love Peace Corps. haha We returned to our perspective towns on Saturday.

This coming week on the 4th we go on our individual visit training. For me it will not be individual since the 4 of us who got the job position will be visiting the other 2 volunteers in that position. Should be an enlightening experience. And the big day is near... not my birthday... the day AFTER, the 12th, they finally tell us our site... where we all will be staying for the two years here in Guate. We´ll see how it goes. Hope to hear from you guys... at least some of you...hope all is well.

picture site for field base training....

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2354283&id=3314158&l=72aea

Kennedy´s Priomise!!

"We will only send abroad Americans who are wanted by the host country- who have a real job to do- and who are qualified to do that job. Programs will be developed with care, and after full negotiation, in order to make sure that the Peace Corps is wanted and will contribute to the welfare of other people. Our Peace Corps is not designed as an instrument of diplomacy or propaganda or ideological conflict. It is designed to permit our people to exercise more fully their responsibilities in the great common cause of world development."

John F. Kennedy Jr.
March 1, 1961

its been a while....

so just to show you the picture to the right is our huge loving family... of course we are still missing some this is only about a quarter of the group.

Its been a while since I have written a blog and so many things have happened.

First of all, I interviewed for this position, Municipal Coordinator, which is a pilot project, to hopefully make things more sustainable. Which is that is the Peace Corps, sustainability!! The responsibilities include:

Training of Teachers and Directors

Monitoring and Evaluating:

healthy habits

healthy attitudes

infrastructure projects

Overall fulfillment of the perfil

rincones de salud

health classes

cleanliness of school and kids

Technical Assistance:

always available for consultation, and provide extra teaching resources, ideas, etc

Extras: coordinating with CTA (principal), participating in district events, and helping the Centro de Salud with workshops

and most important SUSTAINABILITY!!

then there was the Mayan Ceremony. It was very insightful on how the indigenous people have their outlook on life. Some brief beliefs of theirs, which I think everyone should think to make this a better world: The basis of the relationship between man and nature is one of harmonious.

Visualiza que el equilibrio entre los elementos del cosmos hace posible la vida en general.

Existe una sola unidad entre Hombre y Naturaleza. En la naturaleza está presente el Creador y por eso hay un profundo respecto hacia ella.

The ceremony was given by two Mayan priests which the pictures can be found on facebook. I will be putting the website here for those that dont have facebook...

On Sunday, we, the trainees of Health, will be heading to our Field Base Training for a week. This is when we go around to different parts of the country and visit other volunteers and have interviews with our ´boss´so he knows which is the best site to send us. We will be staying in hotels for the whole week...WOOO!! paid for of course.

heres the website for the pictures:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2349862&id=3314158&l=f8192Publicidad

new pics

so there are new pics up... some are on the prior addresses... if anyone has any problems let me know...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2347192&l=1754e&id=3314158

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2341039&l=72703&id=3314158

hope everyone is well... this past wednesday the group here in Santo Domingo Xenacoj finally went to visit our site in San Antonio..a little aldea about an hour hike from our town. There are a total of 33 students ranging from 1st grade to 6th grade, with only one teacher...how he does it, is an awesome thing to see. We are just volunteers and we will be going to our own sites in late March but it is his 4th year teaching these students...and mind you he is only 22... The children are awesome very outgoing although there are some timid ones in the bunch..and who wouldnt be when 4 gringos show up out of nowhere. We will be working with the teacher hand in hand to improve so many things in the school. Although, the school is lacking in so many things, running water is one of them, the kids spirits are very lifted and warm. Makes you appreciate things more back home... hope all is well with everyone...

new pics

here are some new pics of the volcano PACAYA

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2346079&l=25bae&id=3314158

The heart of the people...

To answer most of your questions about wondering how things are going here and how the people of Guatemalan are...

The people here are very warm with big hearts. Which is very surprising once you get to know the history of Guatemala, and its people. The people of the Aldeas, which make up of 95% of Mayan, have been living in an hierarchal society since the arrival of the conquistadors. With about 500 years of suffrage they still continue to be a people of good faith in strangers. The only way I can explain and in order for you all to get an idea of what they have endured and what I see everyday since most of their brutal history finally came to a peace 10-12 years ago. There is a movie that we watched today, more of a documentary you can call it, Precarious War: God and Guatemala. I definitely recommend it for everyone who wants to know what we see and experience on a daily basis. I know most will take this with a grain a salt, but there is a handful of you that will actually look into this movie, and you will understand the culture and people that I am living with, since I am staying with a Mayan family in Santo Domingo Xenacoj which is an aldea, and 10 miles south of Chimaltenango.

update on illness

so thinking that i was cool from being sick... that was just the calm before the storm... haha these passed two nights have been bad... not being able to sleep due to pains in my stomach.. this morning, i got over being stubborn and finally took advantage of the health care i will ever have in my life.. from what we are told, which so far has been awesome. called the peace corps nurses, they had me go to antigua to the lab, and lo and behold... have a bacteria!!! WOO!! first infection of 27 months!! and trust me its painful and not pleasant at all. but hey things can be a lot worst... got some antibiotics, and i should be back to normal by monday... so dont worry, that means you MOM.. haha (just kidding ya sabes que te amo!! i know its normal for you) stay tuned for pictures of the volcano tomorrow!!

later

2 weeks

So yesterday marked our 2 week anniversary of being in country. It feels more like 2 months with all the people that we have met, and all the things that have been happening. So many things, such as, making new friends, becoming part of a new family, and seeing different parts of Guatemala, have happened. It kind of seems surreal. Our project, Healthy Schools, has not started yet since Guatemalan schools dont start until next week and go til the middle of October.

Yesterday, I actually got initiated living in Guatemala. Yup i got sick. It was horrible feeling. The chills, the vomitting... yeah you know it... not a good time. My family actually took very good care of me...and this morning I woke up like a champ.

The transportation here is awesome. There are mini vans that only hold up to 10 people but that doesnt stop them... Tuesday night i counted 24 of us packed in the van... speeding across crazy turns... its nuts. And then the buses... wow... they are old school elementary school buses... cant even imagine how many people can squeeze into one of them.

Next week, schools start so we will finally be doing stuff rather than training..finally some hands on stuff... hope all is well back at home!

address and phone number

PCT Jon Doe
Cuerpo de Paz
Apartado Postal 66
Antigua Guatemala
Sacatepequez 03001
Guatemala
Central America

phone number

011-502-4620-9792

More info..

Whats going on everyone? So things here in Guatemala are becoming less and less hectic day by day. I have started to becoming a little accustomed to things here. At first, of course, there was some culture shock... going from where I was a bit average in height to where I am the tallest one for miles is quite a shock. Towering over everyone is some thing I am not used to. The food is awesome!! Last night, I had for the first time spaghetti with homemade corn tortillas. Talk about cultural exchange. I, also, helped my host grandmother peel cobs of corn, pick kernels out one by one, and putting them in a basket so they can cook them and then later "molarlos" a maiz to make the tortillas.... talk about everything from scratch. Today we had to go to another neighboring village to meet with the rest of the healthy school group to talk about the education system of Guatemala. It is completely different than the US, naturally i know, but still. You would be shocked.

My group and I here in our town had to go visit the bomberos y la policia to introduce ourselves. Los bomberos eran mas amable de las placas.. haha Today we also went to go visit the Mayor to introduce ourselves but he was not in his office... so tomorrow we have an appt. at 8 am. Speaking of the mayor... this morning at 2 am they set off some fireworks... those loud ass ones... thought there was a bomb of some sort...but it was to celebrate his 1 year anniversary as mayor... what the hell...

hope to hear from you guys soon

There are pictures up!!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2340204&l=4232c&id=3314158

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2341039&l=72703&id=3314158

here are the websites for some pìctures that i have taken. connection is not so good like the states so i have to put them up slowly but surely. be patient... i have had to learn patience so i am going to pass it down to all of you...

Livin' it up! slowly...

We are back at our Peace Corps HQ... after spending the weekend with our host families. We arrived there on Saturday, this is where we will be spending the rest of the 3 months. In this small en los cerros de Guatemala, the mountainous terrains of Guatemala, 30 minutes from the HQ, there are 3 other volunteers with me- Sarah, Amanda, and Travis. Coincidentally enough we are all staying at different houses but part of the same family. I am fortunate to be staying with the parents, while the others are staying with their kids.. all over than 30. My host parents are exactly, or less, the same age as my own parents. Yesterday, Amanda's host dad took us up on a hike to the "aldeas" and up there we ran into this older couple, mind you this it was cold... cloudy and raining. The man asked us for a light, thinking he wanted it for a cigarrette, which he didn't. He wanted to build a fire for his and him. Since, like i said it was COLD. We told them we didn't have anything so we continued down the mountain... about 1 km down, do the conversion...haha Travis realized he did have a lighter, so we hiked up the mountain and tried our best to build a fire for him. It was awesome... we all sprung into Peace Corps volunteers haha... Travis and Amanda went to look for wood while Sarah and I starting to build the proper shape so the fire can catch. At first, all the wood was too wet so it seemed we were going to fail. Then we realized we had some paper in our bags, so we tore out some sheets rolled them up and stuck them under the wood. Sure enough we got it going...thanks to Sarah blocking the wind. Then we realized that the older couple was practically standing on the fire because they had no shoes... all in all we hiked down with a small sense of making someone's day a little bit better. As they say one day at a time. I have some pictures which are on my computer and ill put them up later. Today, more classes on health, on sanitation, so we know what to with food once we get sworn in and live alone. oh yeah, started my pre- exposure vaccinations for rabies today...woo!! The country itself is awesome. Forests, volcanos everywhere you look, and the people are so welcoming to foreigners. Stay tuned for pictures and more info....

Finally at Post!

so after a whole week of being in DC, flying to Miami and flying to Guatemala City, and spending 3 days in Santa Lucia Milpa Altas, where the peace corps hq is located i am finally at the site where i will be spending three months. The city is called Santo Domingo Xenacoj. I am here with 3 other volunteers, and believe it or not, our hosts families are related. So in a weird sense, us 4 will be related at the end of the 3 months. they are great people. We are going to be having a lot of fun, and a lot of work also. I will be posting up pictures as soon as i can. Tomorrow our host families are taking us up to the nearby "serros" to have a better view of the valley and the surrounding volcanos. Pictures will be coming. Actually most of the pictures will go on facebook so the rest of the peace corps trainees can check them out. Hope all is well back home... and keep in touch everyone...