I must preface this story with the following information: This experience
documents my moments of personal growth. This story is meant to share my
feelings at that time, and does not represent how I feel now. Enjoy the
story!


The drive up to Coban was so much fun I almost forgot why I was going. We sang songs, picked on our only guy trainee, and even harassed our tech trainer. It was a blast! But reality quickly set in as I found out we were not going to stop at Hyper-Paiz (Wal-Mart in Guatemala) before going to our host homes.

Now let me just stop right here and say that I was not thrilled about FBT when I found out we were going to be staying in host homes. The other groups are staying in hostels, and it’s just not fair! I’m tired of staying with people, and having to explain what I can and can’t eat. By the way, FBT is a week of training outside of your normal city where they semi-prep you for your new city.

The first night in my host home was crazy! Crazy I tell you! First, I had to walk (in the dark) down this long dirt road, and then we switched to a path in the middle of a corn field. (For those of you who have seen Children of the Corn, you know how scary this was for me!) When we arrived, I found out that the bathroom was really a latrine out in the corn field, there was no shower (just tarp surrounding 2 planks of wood), and there were huge pigs that were not tied up! We enter what I thought was the house, but to my surprise it was one giant room with several beds. This means I do not have any privacy!

So 1st things 1st, I need to set up my bed. Ha ha! I don’t have one; just a wooden frame. I roll out my church-sponsored REI air pad and my sleeping bag. Of course I sprayed the wood and the extremely thick blanket they gave me with Raid. (So if I have a brain tumor, you know where it came from!) Then I asked if I can put my water in the fridge. My host dad opened the door, and I almost threw-up. Giant ants came crawling out of the fridge. I was terrified, and the fridge is right across from my bed! Later, they asked if I was hungry for which I immediately responded with NO. I told them that I don’t eat past 6:30pm, which is actually true since I have been here in Guatemala. They finished eating, and put their food in the fridge (with the ants). There is no way I’m eating anything that was in there!

After dinner, they all piled up in the room and began watching Fox & Hound. I stayed up and watched number 1 & 2. By the time Spiderman 1 was coming on, I was ready for the bed. Now, I have to change clothes somewhere, but where? (The make-shift shower room in the dark with chickens all around it?) Not going to happen! I waited until all the lights went out, and then I proceeded to remove my jeans and changed into my sweatpants. I had to learn very quickly to change fast. As I attempted to sleep, all I could think about was the giant ants. Finally, around 1am I got some rest, but it was short-lived. At 2am in the morning, the 1st rooster began to make his call. I couldn’t believe it; I had finally gotten asleep only to be woken up by the roosters. It was horrible, and it was every hour on the hour. By the way, there are 3 roosters at this house, and they all seem to be right outside the part of the house I sleep at. I felt like I was listening to the animal version of the Phil Harmonica because as soon as the roosters started, you could hear the pigs going. This gives a whole new meaning to Ol’ McDonald Had a Farm.

Just an FYI: This was just day 1! That next morning I decided to pray because I hadn’t in about 2 days. This definitely called for prayer. As I began to pray, I thought that maybe I should pray in both English and in Spanish just in case the LORD only spoke Spanish in this part of the world. I know it sounds crazy, but at this moment I wasn’t thinking straight. Afterwards, I felt much better!

By day 2, I was starting to get a rhythm of how to do things. My host dad offered me some hot water to take a bucket bath. I was kind of sketchy about the whole thing, but I didn’t want to be rude (especially since I wasn’t eating any of the food). I took my bucket of hot water, soap, bath cloth, and baby wipes (just in case) to the make-shift shower room. I placed the bucket in the mud and stood on the 2 planks of wood. As I attempted to wash, I heard the tarp moving. Who could it be, you wonder? One of the pigs was trying to get in. I’m giving a peep show to a pig! I need to at least charge! But that wasn’t all! The chicks (pollitos – po ye toes – here) were trying to get in as well. I decided this was not going to work, and I quickly finished up with my baby wipes. I walked back to the big room, locked the door, and began to change clothes. As I was pulling my pants to the end of my back, my host brother comes walking out of the back of the room. I didn’t even know he was there! Was he watching the whole time I was changing! Here I am mad that the pigs and chicks want to peek and see, and now I have given a full on exotic XXX show for free! I was so red on the inside!

By Thursday I was so comfortable with them, I just changed my pants at night to my sweatpants without hesitating. There was no point being shy; they’ve seen everything! I had a decent routine by then as well: I only ate crackers and Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast; and for lunch, I ate at restaurants with the rest of my training mates. I never went to the bathroom at night, I only washed with baby wipes, I always checked the room before I changed clothes, and I sat and talked with my family til 7:30/8pm every night. The family really grew on me; and by Friday morning, I was okay with walking through the corn field by myself, whether it was day or night.

So it turns out that Terror at 1800 (6pm – the time we first arrived) was no really just a chance to adjust to a new life style and face my fears. It was good, and I am happy I went through it. Would I like to live in a place like that in the future? NO, but I can if I have to. Am I still afraid of the corn fields? A little, but as long as I know my way out, I will be find. Would I recommend this trip to anyone else? Definitely! It’s a great experience, and the tea and coffee coops were extremely beautiful!