Perhaps we have replaced vacations with stay-cations recently, or maybe posh get-aways to top-end sites have been traded in for a family trip to a more “rustic” location. More sites than ever are advertizing eco, green and sustainable tourism. The reliability of those claims aside, we often overlook the impact that our trips have on out hosts (bo [...]

January 7th, 2010 marked exactly one year since I set foot on Guatemalan soil for the first time and started my adventure as a Peace Corps Volunteer. This past year has been the most challenging and rewarding year of my life. I have grown tremendously and in ways that I never expected, and I thought that I would share a few of the lessons I have learned in the past 365 days.1. Learning a language is a long and di [...]

"I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas (or holiday of choice) from the bottom of my heart." Now that I have left you with that tidbit of musical insanity looping in your head from the rest of the day...This holiday season has been full of adventure and learning, although that isn't limited to the holiday season here. However, there were some special treats for me this holiday season. My aunt Jeanette came down for a v [...]

While neither Tom Selleck nor Ted Danson have made an appearance this week (nope, no Steve Guttenberg either), it has been a fun and action-filled time. For those of you who are purely English-speakers, a despedida is a going-away party. As you can imagine, then, there have been a few ups and downs. Last week, a friend of mine from the capital headed off to Europe for two months. I was able to get special permission [...]

I find it hard to believe that I haven’t written a post since the fair. The time has certainly flown by, but in a way it seems like that happened ages ago. Part of the problem is that I have, as usual, been very busy. However, it is also because I h [...]

For the first time in quite a while, I have a chunk of time where I am able to curl up in bed and write a blog post. This is partially due to hours upon hours of dancing yesterday, getting to bed at two [...]

As some of you have seen in my album, I found a new house. I thoroughly enjoy where I am living now, but with all of the differences and challenges that I encounter as a part of my work, I find myself wanting sufficient space to [...]

Phew, my meeting meter is ramping up. On Saturday, as usual, I had my INTECAP class in the capital. Sunday I went to check out one of the only animal rescues in Guatemala. Monday I headed back to the capital for a meeting with I [...]

Phew, my meeting meter is ramping up. On Saturday, as usual, I had my INTECAP class in the capital. Sunday I went to check out one of the only animal rescues in Guatemala. Monday I headed back to the capital for a meeting with I [...]

While I haven't seen huge changes in Guatemala in the four-and-a-half months that I have been here, I have noticed big changes in myself. I could have told you when I was packing my bags that I wasn't going to save the world by [...]

I discovered, quite accidentally, that in Microsoft Word 2007 when you create a new document you can choose between a document and a blog post. With the blog posts, I can connect word to my blog site and automatically publish th [...]

So, despite the continuing frustration of being unable to get my computer to connect to the internet (although I now think is a problem with the internet and not my computer), the last several days have been very rewarding. On F [...]

First of all, I have to send out a big "Hooray!" to Dad for the fact that I am sitting in my comfy bed (thanks to Doña Juanita), eating a peanut butter and honey sandwich (for which I owe a big thanks to Chase), and typin [...]

After two and a half long months of training I have recieved my site assignment from the Peace Corps. Idealy, this is where I will be for the next two years. I am working on cultural tourism in a city in the department of Chimal [...]