Miss J9 Peace Corps Adventures: Guatemala: March 2010

War on Mold

Posted by Author On October 21, 2010

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......

Trainee to Trainer

Posted by Author On September 30, 2010

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…

The Visitor

Posted by Author On September 13, 2010

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.

New Editor

Posted by Author On September 7, 2010

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?.....

One Year in Country

Posted by Author On August 10, 2010

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.....

Lost in Translation

Posted by Author On July 15, 2010

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?.....

Fabulous 4th

Posted by Author On July 5, 2010

¨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!!!.....

Juneteenth

Posted by Author On June 21, 2010

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!......

After the Storm

Posted by Author On May 31, 2010

Have you ever been to a “Stomp” performance? You know the one with the tin trash cans, brooms, etc? Now imagine those sounds directly above your head in a 1200ft3 room. That’s the sound of the rain pouring down on top of my tin roof during tropical storm Agatha. It rained non-stop and so hard that water leaked in through the cracks underneath my window. And I can’t stand the rain against my window. I unplugged all of my electronics just-in-case lightening decided to be not-so-nice and destroy our power lines.....

IST

Posted by Author On May 10, 2010

Last week, I attended my IST. Now for those of you who are not up on your acronyms of Peace Corps, IST stands for In-Service Training. As a Sustainable Agriculture volunteer, we all gathered together for a few days to go over some things we may still be fuzzy about, but need, to do our jobs. Therefore, we received training on some great things. We learned how to make organic pesticides and fertilizer, how to compost with and without worms, how to form tire gardens, and how to make jellies. We had a blast! It was only 5 of us, but we like it that way. Everyone was able to participate in the learning process.....

Change of Pace

Posted by S. Janine 0 comments

Different pace

5am the alarm rings and my day begins. I make breakfast, iron clothes, take a shower, brush my teeth, feed the dog, take the dog out to the restroom, and then off to work. Work ends around 5-ish if I’m lucky. Then it’s off to errands until I make it home, cook dinner, detox from the day and go to bed. It’s a very busy day, but a normal day. There really isn’t much time for friends, and barely enough time for me. That’s my life in the States. A life I left behind for my new life, here, in Guatemala. My days vary from day to day. Some mornings I wake up at 5 and others at 8am. Some days I go to the office, and other days I go to the field and work the coffee crops. Some days are completely filled, and others filled with pure relaxation. There’s no rush on time; and if we need more, there’s always tomorrow. What a complete change of pace?

At first, it was difficult for me to relax. I was so use to having almost every minute of my day mapped out. Now, I’m winging it. Some days I show up to work, and the meeting has been cancelled. Now what? Do I just go back home and sit idly or do I find something else to do? Do I stay with one of my coworkers, or do I do my own thing? Amazingly, I have spent most of those days working on my Spanish either alone or with one of my coworkers, or I catch up on things I had been meaning to do before.

I must say, I found it very strange to have so much free time on my hands, but now I put that time to good use. I work on small projects like painting my wooden furniture, or reading up some more on coffee, or finding ways to make my classes more fun. I’m finding new strengths within myself, and I am taking more time out for me….a luxury I did not have in the States.

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Project Development Training

Posted by S. Janine 0 comments

This past week, PC offered a training class in Project Development for those of us in sustainable agriculture. A coworker and I both attended, and I must say, it was well worth it. It showed the steps in planning a project, and how important it is to be sustainable.

SUSTAINABLE……What does this mean? According to Encarta Dictionary, it

means “to be able to be maintained, or to exploit natural resources without

destroying the ecological balance of an area”.

Everything we do as PC volunteers should fall into the category of sustainable.

Otherwise, what’s the point in helping if the people we are here to help can’t

continue when we are no longer here?

I take my job very seriously. Instead of just doing things on the computer, I show

them how to do it. It takes some time, and it can be very frustrating, but it’s worth

it in the end. Despite the language barrier, especially in teaching technical things,

my counterparts have seemed to enjoy our lessons. The funny thing, it’s not just

them learning to be sustainable. I’m learning as well. I knew nothing of coffee before

I arrived here. I don’t even like to drink it. But in the past few months, I’ve learned

so much about how coffee is grown, cut, picked, pulled apart, toasted and shipped

for export; all without expensive machinery. I’m not sure I could have had this

experience anywhere else. It’s very labor intensive, but with the help of others, we

get through it. It’s very interesting to me that in our country, we rely on so much

technology. Here, where I work, they don’t have that luxury. Here, a sustainable

relationship is worth more than technology. We work together towards a common

goal, and there is no time for “I” in the equation.

After the workshop, my coworker thanked me for going with him. I explained to him that we are a team, and it would do neither of us any good for only one of us to go. It was important that we went through it together. We have ideas for secondary projects in the future. I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.

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La Primera Asamblea

Posted by S. Janine 0 comments

Yesterday, we had our general assembly at my cooperative, and I couldn't have been more proud of such a job well done. We decorated the night before, spending all day cutting out giant letters to spell (Bienvenidos. 2 Asamblea General. Cooperativa Flor de Café, San Martineca R.L.). We spent all day the day before, decorating with balloons, cutting out letters, putting up crepe paper, covering the floor with pine needles, cleaning the bathrooms, and prepping the food. A lot for one day before, huh? I even had to bake 10 cakes for the event. Needless to say, I didn't sleep much, but it was all worth it. The event was better than expected, and my APCD even showed up for support. I look forward to next year's!