Miss J9 Peace Corps Adventures: Guatemala: 2010

War on Mold

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From around Mayish to Octoberish is classified here as the rainy season. It is signified with rain showers almost every day and usually around the same times. In some towns, like mine, there are several power outages, and sometimes water can be dirty from the soil movement. Funny enough, none of these things really bothered me. Granted, I really didn’t like wearing rain boots everyday because, here, they have no inner soles in the bottom of the boots, but I could still deal with them. The one thing I could not deal with was the MOLD.

That’s right…. Fuzzy white mold was growing on my floor, on my walls, and began to move to my shoes and clothes. The rain was forcing a damp environment for the mold to continue to grow. I had to sweep my floor almost every day just to keep the mold from building. Since there wasn’t too much sun, I had to get my clothes washed at a laundry mat, which is kind of expensive here. I could have opted for trying to dry my clothes under my porch area, but there wasn’t much room, and the mold was growing faster than I could get my clothes to dry in the near 5 days it took to dry under the roof.

Did I mention I have asthma? After almost 10 years of being attack-free, my asthma has returned thanks to the mold. It was almost so difficult to breathe, I was wheezing almost every day. I had to see a lung specialist to make sure I was going to be okay.

I must say, though, after a couple of months of fighting the mold tooth and nail, I have become victorious! I purchased some special concrete sealant and painted my floors and walls. Take that MOLD! You are no longer going to control my life! I took the financial hit of purchasing the paint, but it was well worth it for a piece of sanity and good health.

Now my breathing is much better! Although this is now the dry season, I am confident that the sealant will hold up through the next rainy season. Only time will tell, but for now, MOLD 1… Xani 1. We’ll see who comes out on top in 2011.

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Trainee to Trainer

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Remember a year ago when I was in the middle of my training? Remember when I wrote about FBT (field base training), and how dramatic it was for me? Well, thank God all of that is behind me!

Now the tables have turned. I’m on the opposite side of the training… the trainee has become the trainer. The past two weeks, I have hosted the “New Class” at my site. First, there were the Ag Marketing trainees. They came to visit my coffee cooperative. They got to meet Rudy, a wonderful guy I work with, who gave them a history of the cooperative and where we are planning to be in the near future. They got taste our delicious coffee we make, and a special surprise… I made cake! But I didn’t make just any cake; I made one chocolate and one peanut butter fudge cake with rainbow frosting. Needless to say, they were very pleased with their “refracción” snack. After our little get together at the office, we made our way to one of the coffee fincas I worked in earlier this year during our “cosecha” harvest. They got to ask questions, and Don Ricardo was more than happy to answer them. Some of the trainees will be working with coffee farms when they get to their new site. I must say, I really enjoyed passing on the knowledge that I have learned in the past year.

When I first started working with my cooperative, I knew nothing about coffee. I sat back and watched and learned from the men I work alongside. I also took an organic coffee farming class from ANACAFE during the past 8 months. I feel it has made me a more productive member of my team, and a better volunteer.

The following week, I welcomed the Food Security trainees to my town, and guided them to my counterpart’s house. Nazario and his father have a completely integrated organic farm. Everything is used and reused as much as possible. The trainees got to see how everything was connected and worked together, and then the family provided lunch for everyone. It was a real treat! Of course, I passed on information that I was privy to, and wished them well on the remainder of their training.

You know, it’s funny. I remember when I was in their shoes, and I asked the volunteers we met questions about their life in site and how things were different from training. Now, I’m the one providing those answers. I’m the one trying to ease their uncertainties. This truly was an honor. Not everyone is allowed to provide guidance to trainees. I took my responsibilities very seriously. I hope they were able to gain some knowledge from their experiences, and I look forward to working with them during my last year in service.

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A Visitor

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As I waited at the airport like a kid waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve, I thought to myself, “I wonder if she makes it through customs ok?” She can’t speak any Spanish, and I don’t know the customs process well because it was over a year ago when I arrived. “Oh well! She should be fine. My sister made it through with no problems. She will too!” I continued to wait, and wait……and wait. Finally, she walked out! My face lit up like a Christmas tree, and all I could do was wave.

I ushered her to the side where she could leave the terminal and we greeted with a great big hug! “Bienvenida a Guatemala!” Finally, my godmom was here! After waiting for an extra month, she arrives! We talk for a few and then I call a cab to get us out of there. As we are riding through the capital, she says, “Are we in NYC?” I laugh because I thought the same thing. The capital really resembles the Big Apple; but trust me, it is still no comparison. Nothing beats the lights and sounds of the Big City!

After about 3 hours later, we arrived in my site. She looked around my house and said, “Wow! You have a nice place; better than I thought you would have.” She saw my ducks, Tom & Jerry that I talk about so much, and then chills in the hammock. For the follow few days, we hung out in my site. She came with me to work, with walked around town, and visited my favorite ice cream place in town.

For her last few days, we were planning on going to Antigua and hanging out, but we were hit with unexpected trouble. Due to so much rain and storms, all the volunteers were put on STANDFAST, where no volunteer can leave their site. There were a lot of mudslides on the roads, so we had to stay. I was a little upset, but she was fine with hanging out at my house. Of course, I cooked the entire time, and we had a blast just hanging out. Unfortunately, the day she was leaving, I was still on STANDFAST, therefore, I could not take her to the airport. Fortunately, my host dad, said he would take her for Q300 (≈$40).

Even though, I had to send her back with no one who speaks English, she was able to navigate her way safely back to The States. Can’t wait for her next visit!

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New Editor

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Despite the fact that I have several projects with my cooperative, I still felt like something was missing. I wasn’t quite sure what it was, but I knew I had to figure it out. So I sat for a few days trying to decide what was wrong. I wasn’t depressed because I rather enjoy my life in SMJ. I wasn’t lonely because I spend a lot of time with the guys from my cooperative. Hmmmm? What could it be? Then, just as I thought I wouldn’t figure it out, it came to me. I don’t really talk to the volunteers in my project. Other than catching a glimpse through the blog-o-sphere, I really don’t know what they are doing in their sites. How could I remedy this problem?

I thought about visiting them, but with our new 3-hour rule restrictions on travel, I would have to use vacation time. I thought about just chatting them up via Facebook or Tigo (the Verizon Wireless of Guatemala), but I don’t spend enough time at home and I don’t have minutes to burn. Then it came to me, “we should start a newsletter.” This way we can keep a record of the projects we’re working on and pass information on to one another. But would this be receptive among the PC community and would the volunteers be willing to participate? There was only one way to find out.

I talked to a few volunteers about starting a newsletter and everyone thought it would be a good idea. The problem was who was going to put it together. No one really wanted to add this to their list of projects they were currently working on, so I decided (since it was my idea) to be responsible for putting it together. I drafted up some ideas, put a template together for sections in the paper, and sent it out to the volunteers to get their opinions. Some people gave suggestions and offered up their support for articles. Now we’re in business, or so I thought. I had forgotten one key element, approval from PC-Guatemala staff.

I packaged my proposal for the newsletter and I headed to the PC office to talk to my project specialist, Zairha. We sat in her office, and I began to show her what we had in mind. I made it a point to explain that because we are not going to print it (waste trees), volunteers can enjoy the newsletter in color. Zairha was excited about the idea. She gave her blessing and the told me we had one more approval to get, the assistant country director (Wendy), before we have the official green light.

A few days later, I received the “go-ahead”, and we could now officially start. So here comes the hard part: putting it all together! I asked some volunteers to write some articles, I asked others to write a few words about themselves, and I asked my APCD, our program director (SAL), to give a few words to our program volunteers. I hunted for photos and worked on formatting. It was finally coming together!

Then one day as I was working on the newsletter, I asked myself, “why call it a newsletter if it has a magazine format?” This idea sparked a new wave of ideas and graphics for me to play with. Adding photo pages enhanced the layout like advertisement pages in a magazine. I was on a roll, until it came time for the name. Oh my goodness!!!! I had prepped for what was inside, but I had totally ignored the title that would grace the front page. How could this be? What will we call it? I played around with a few names I thought might work; but after I slept on it, they weren’t as good as I thought. It was three weeks before its publication date, and the magazine had no name. I was so frustrated! And at the moment I thought I would have to give up, a name popped into my head “Cornfed”. It was perfect! One of Guatemala’s largest crops is corn, and, after all, we are a sustainable agricultural program. We’ve all eaten corn whether it be corn-on-the-cob or tortillas, and some of us even help harvest corn in our secondary projects. So, now all I had to do was come up with a nice graphic design for the name, and the magazine would be almost complete.

As time was winding down, I made a few run-throughs to make sure everything was in order. There was just one last thing I had to do, write the “letter from the editor” section. But what I do say? How do I convey the feelings I have about the paper? I think I rewrote that section three or four times before I finally found the words:

First, I would like to say “bienvenida a todos” to the first edition of Cornfed Sustainable Agriculture’s quarterly magazine. Thank you to all the contributors of this edition. I look forward to working with all of you hereafter.

As the magazine’s first editor, I take pride in knowing that we have embarked on a very special form of communication between the Ag volunteers. As we grow and our program grows, this magazine will journal our service in an exciting and colorful way!

As Peace Corps volunteers, we embody the 3 goals of Peace Corps and the goals of our program. Guatemala may not be as big as some other countries, but hours and sometimes days separate most of us. This newsletter gives us a chance to communicate with each other, to learn what others are doing in their site, and to forge a stronger PC relationship with each other.

So here’s to our future,

a better world for all

one Aggie step at a time.

A sigh of relief is all I could do when I pressed “send” on the email with the magazine attached. It was finally over. The first edition of sustainable agriculture’s quarterly magazine, “Cornfed”, was finally completed, published and sent out among the sustainable ag volunteers.

I was very happy with the work we put out, and now I’m gearing up for the next edition in December. There’s a lot to be done, so here I go again .....

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One Year In-Country

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This week marks my first year in country!!!!!!

I can't describe this feeling I feel right now. It's amazing!

Just yesterday, I was thinking about my first day here; how scared I was, but not in a bad way. I remember thinking, "How did I get here? Am I really going to do this? I can do this!! Just breathe!" Those moments of chaotic emotions brings me to a sense of peace now. I love that I had such an awkward time during my training months. I definitely came out stronger on the other side.

I still have some flaws, though. I don't eat a lot of the food here, but I try most times because I don't want to be rude. I cook majority of my meals, and I love my ham sandwiches with the Miracle Whip my sister brought to me when she came in March. I do, however, eat lunch most days with the guys from my cooperative. They take such good care of me. They even order my food for me sometimes, which is always chicken and rice minus the tomato sauce.  That's right, still alergic to tomatoes, despite my outrageous love for Dominoes cheese pizza here (Thursday Glee night). I still don't care much for veggies.  Man, how I miss collard greens and sweet potatoes! I have started drinking way more water the last month or so.  I've never really been a water fan, but with all these meds I'm taking now, it seems like the best option. Besides, Pepsi's were costing me too much money per week. N-E-Ways -- I'm happy to be here!

I love my job...ALL OF THEM. For the most part, I work with the coffee cooperative in all the aspects of coffee before toasting. Yes sir, I have planted, picked, fermented, washed, etc coffee. I love it! Still not a big fan of drinking it, but my cooperatie's coffee is really good. I give technical classes on basic computer skills and teach English. Still trying to figure out how I accomplish so much with such a limited Spanish vocabulary. In the words of one of my Spanish teachers, "For someone who can't speak very well in Spanish or even comprehend it for that matter, you do a grat job of communicating with people." Needless to say, I've never had a problem communicating with others. ;-)

I'm helping my guys give presentations ("charlas" here) on what to do before, during and after a natural disaster in their communities. It's a rewarding experience; I must tell you. Knowing that despite the fact I can't give them money to solve their problems just myself and my knowledge, they really love what I offer them. They inspire me to be better at the things I am good at to help others in the future. I am honored to work with them. That's a very important concept here. Many people come to aid and tell them what to do.  Not me! My first few months I just watched and learned from them. Now is my time to shine. I present ideas to the group and explain why I think they would work, and then I ask them their opinions about it, and we try to find a middle ground. It's a really good system!

With my last 15 months, I want to make sure that when I'm gone, they will continue on in all aspects of our work together. Nothing, would make me more proud!

So three cheers to me and all of my training group PC-Guatemala Aug 09 for making it one year in-country!!!!!! To those of you who thought I wouldn't make it: Jokes on You!

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Lost in Translation

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SO, I have been learning Spanish and a Mayan language, Kaq Chikel, at the same time for almost 6 months. I must say, my Spanish has improved but my Kaq Chikel….NOT. I’m still on salutations. I guess because I spend way more time speaking Spanish with my counterparts, everything else goes by the waste side.

Now my real struggle begins, I teach English classes to my counterparts!! That’s right; they let the girl with the lowest Spanish level possible teach them English. I guess they figure: this is the one place I should really excel. Ha! Ha! Jokes on them, or should I say on me?

Teaching English is harder than teaching Spanish, especially teaching pronunciation. In English, vowel sounds change with different words. In Spanish, it’s the same sound. It’s very difficult to explain why. Most of the time in class, I just focus on how they should say it and try not to explain the rules so much. We seem to be doing well. Despite the fact that we have been on salutations for the last 3 classes, I think they are finally getting the hang of it. I think the class would be easier if they were to recieve it on a daily basis. We just don't have the time. Between regular coffee farming work, office work, computer basics classes, natural disasters programs, meetings, Microsoft Office classes, and the English classes......well you get the point. My goal is for them to at least have the salutations down by the end of the year. Wish me luck!

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Fabulous 4th

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¨Oh say can you see….¨started my first 4th of July celebration outside the U.S. It was also the first time I heard those words sang so proudly since I began living here almost 1 year ago. Tears filled my eyes and slid down my face as I sang along with a great joy in my heart. I couldn’t explain it. I was so emotional. Since I’ve been in this country, it’s the first time almost all of the Peace Corps volunteers currently serving in Guatemala have been gathered together. What a beautiful experience!!!

In the good old American fashion, we had a cookout! Volunteers grilled burgers and hotdogs, made fruit and pasta salad, sold drinks (soda & beer), and provided entertainment. I got to see and talk to friends I hadn’t seen since our training. I also met with the soon to be new volunteers. I hula-hooped, danced, and sang with friends! We even had a basketball tournament by Guatemalan departments. It was great time!!! Too bad it had to end just as soon as it started. Oh well. Can’t wait for next year!

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Juneteenth

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This past weekend I participated in the 1st ever Juneteenth celebration here in Guatemala. Forthose of you who are unaware of the significance of Juneteenth, let me give you a brief history lesson. On June 19, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln sent the U.S. Army to Galveston, TX to enforce the decree set out 2 years prior that abolished slavery. On that day, Uniion General Gordon Granger, read aloud the that emancipated all slaves in the U.S. Therefore, Juneteenth is our Independence Day!

I left early morning Friday around 6:30am to begin my 7+ hour journey into the Verapaces. I made it to the capital, Guate, and navigated my way through the city with the help of a few friends. We made it to Moja Blanca, Guatemala's version of Greyhound, and began our journey up through the heart of Guatemala. On the way we ran into traffic. Correction, road block!!!!!! We waited for 2 hours at a standstill while workers tried to remove a big rig from the road. It seemed that the big rig somehow ran off the side of the road. It was halfway on and halway off. Making the bus hot and sweaty!!!

We finally started moving along, and realized we were cutting it close to our next destination. We might not make the other bus!!! We race off our bus as it pulls into Coban and run for the jam-packed coaster heading to Carcha. We barely made it! Wheeewwww! We get to Carcha and make our 10 min walk to the Coaster heading to Campur. We searched the parking lot looking for the right micro, and we finally find it. It was sooo jammed-pack, we weren't sure if we would all be able to fit. But this is Guatemala, land of "one more". All 25 of us in a 15-passenger van made our way on our 2hr journey. Needless to say, by the end of our trip, I was extremely tired and my knee was throbbing with pain.

We arrived around 8:30pm, tired and worn out from such a long day of travel. We detoxed for a few, and then began enjoying the party. We danced and talked. For some of us, we hadn't seen each other in months!

Dinner was beyond excellent! Our host made this mango beef, chicken, etc meal, and everyone was extremely happy. We all crashed and burned before 3am; piled-up next to each other like little cousins at a family reunion.

Bright and early the next morning, all 11 of us got up and handled "morning business" before we sat and ate cinnamon pancakes and eggs. I played Scrabble with some friends, and of course I won!! We played Spades and began prepping for our big feast of the day. Our host prepared several sauces to marinate the shish-kabobs and we had an open taco bar. Everyone helped prep and some grilled while others cleaned.

After such a great feast, we had a Great Debaters - style debate on several pressing issues: (1) Has President Obama done enough for Black-Americans? (2) Do Black-Americans need to be afraid of the increasing population of Latin-American immigrants (legal/illegal) in their communities? (3) What does it mean to be Black enough? and (4) Feelings on interacial dating, marriage, and kids. Even though these are hot topics, we openly discussed our views in a very civil matter. Some of us brought in some very important facts. It was very interesting to watch as some people had to defend a side that they did not believe in. I think we may do it again sometime in the future.

Again, after a long day, we crashed. All 11 of us in one room, and we made it work. Of course, I got the bed because of my knee. (Sweet!)

We awoke the next morning on a misson to head back to our perspective sites. Some of us had longer travel than others, but we were all focused to get home in one piece. I made it home around 8, put my bags down and layed in the bed. I didn't cut any lights on, I didn't take off my clothes. I didn't even get under the covers. I just slept!! Extremly tired, but extremly pleased of a job well done!