I don’t know if you have heard the news or not, but my training group from Peace Corps has been forced into an early Close of Service (COS). We got notification last week via e-mail that we would now have to be finishing at the end of March instead of the middle of July. The news was bittersweet. Part of me is ready to head back home and be closer to my friends and family but the other part of me would really like to finish what I started here and complete the projects that I was going to give the women that have been working with me. This past week we had an All Volunteer Conference with Peace Corps to discuss changes being made within Peace Corps Guatemala. The Regional director, the man that oversees the PC countries in Central and South America, came to speak about the decision that was made for my training group to finish early. The decision for my group to end early was a means of reducing the total number of volunteers within the country of Guatemala. They want to reduce the number of volunteers because of the increase security risk Guatemala is to us. They want to better be able to control those that are in country and keep them as safe as possible. We heard the lead up to why these decisions have been made and were better able to understand why such drastic measures were being taken.The Regional Director stated that the Northern Triangle of Central America, which includes Guatemala, is the second most dangerous place in the world, second only to an active war zone. I must tell you though that violence in Guatemala is fairly concentrated within the capital city and a few other areas. The majority of the country, where a lot of the volunteers are located, is not dangerous. Some volunteers are being relocated that are in these less safe areas. We are fine if we stay in our sites, but that really isn’t feasible or desirable for us to stay in our sites. We need time away to go visit friends and just relax. That is where the problems come into play, how to keep us safe while traveling and out of our sites. For that reason the decision was made to decrease the number of volunteers in country.We asked the Director if there was any way that our COS date could be pushed back a month or two for us to have time to finish our projects but he informed us that if he was to make an exception for us that he would have to for others and that just wouldn’t work. My program, Healthy Homes, is designed to spend the last year of service working with community members to help them get projects, having an early COS date really puts a damper on this for us. The process for projects is pretty involved and involves the community at every step, teaching and training them the process of diagnosing and solving problems amongst themselves. The process can’t be rushed because then it loses its sustainable aspect.At first, I was really bummed that I couldn’t carry out my projects. Through the process I realized that maybe my communities aren’t really ready for projects. After some reflection, I can see that they were not taking as much ownership of the project as I would have hoped. The goal of the project is not to give stuff to the families but to teach them sustainable ways of living, to educate and empower them to help themselves. When our second year of service comes around, we are not required to do project but must evaluate our communities and see if it is a reasonable action to carry out with them. I think I jumped too soon into the idea of doing projects. I don’t think my community was really ready for the work that would have gone behind it. They were really just looking for the handout of a new project. I think this early COS was God’s way of telling me that it wasn’t time for projects here in my site. I really wanted to do projects because they would be a tangible culmination of my work here. I don’t know if any of you out there have worked in Development, but it can be a challenging because the results don’t always come right away. I have been educating women about how to better their health but the results of my work will take time to develop. I have planted seeds in these people’s lives and pray for them to grow. It’s hard to feel like I am really making the change when I don’t see much fruit for my labor. In Development work, you just have to know you are making a difference and that has to be what keeps you going. It’s a challenge to say the least but I think through this process, God is bringing me back to the basics of my work here. Development work is about investing in people and empowering them to better themselves. I think that I was able to accomplish that, maybe not to the extent that I was hoping for but if I was able to change one person’s life within my time here then I think that makes it all worth it.Please be in prayer for the women I have been working with as I haven’t notified them yet of the change in plans. I am really hoping that they can understand all that is going on and that they know me well enough to know this was never my intention. Please also pray for other volunteers that will be COSing early. Pray that we all may be able to finish well. Also for volunteers that will be relocated. This is the group of volunteers in my program that are a year behind me. Some of their sites were in unsafe areas and they have the choice to relocate or COS. Pray that they may continue on in their work here and they may be able to have smooth transitions. They will be relocated to volunteers sites that are in my group and will be COSing early. There is one that may be coming to my site. She is unsure yet if she wants to relocate or COS.Thank you all for your thoughts and prayersAnother note: If you were planning on sending money to my projects, I will no longer be in need of those funds, so please do not send them. For those of you that have already sent in money towards my projects, I plan on using them for a smaller alternative project in my community TBD.

Surprise! Two blog post in one week!

So today I had the opportunity to attend a Maya ceremony in one of the communitites I am working in. The ceremony was the Blessing of the Seads. It was a way for them to give thanks for the harvest and look ahead to another year of harvest. The ceremony was a experience for all the senses. The women were wearing their brightly colored typical dress and also a special ceremonial headress that was equally as colorful. Insence was being burned along with candles and bread as an offering. There was also traditional music being played including the marimba. In this picture right here---> the participants are carrying around ears of corn as they did a dance to the music that was being played.

Here you can see the incense being burned around the fire and the bread and candles that were later burned up.

In this picture you can see the ceremonial headdress they were wearing, along with their dress. The man seen here was in a line that was marching around the fire along with another man playing a flute and a boy with incense.

In this picture the women are dancing around the fire carrying ears of corn.

I

Today I headed out to the church I have been attending in Chichicastenango. I don’t really like traveling on Sundays as it is market day in Chichi and there are many people going in and out of the city but the church has been such a blessing in my life I suck it up and travel.

If you decide to partake in the public transportation system of Guatemala it should also be made known to you that you are also signing up for a few random "adventures." One of mine came today on the ride home. While in Chichi, I had the option to take a microbus to another destination where I could then catch another microbus to my town, but this time I opted to catch a bus which makes it a direct trip for me. The bus I got on was pretty full and there was standing room only, so I was all the way to the back standing in the only open space left. This is a normal occurrence on the buses especially one that passes through Chichi on a Sunday.

A little while into the trip, other passengers started talking amongst themselves about an accident that had taken place ahead on the road we were traveling and the talk soon proved to be true as the bus driver stopped the bus, heard wind of the blockage, and decided that it would be better to backtrack to an alternative road that would take us around the accident. The bus I was on did a turn around on the curvy mountain road (surprisingly only a 4 point turn!) and we headed back towards where we had just come from. We took a turn off just at the entrance of Chichi and began our trek on this back mountain road. We were driving on a one lane dirt road with small stretches of concrete or block. It was a very dusty trip as we were in a line of four buses taking this alternate route. There were many surprise locals that stood by the road watching these uncommon large beasts plow through their town. At some points in the trip we were traveling too close for comfort to the embankment but the view was amazing! I tried my best to focus on the view and not the fact that we were so close to the edge. As we drove along, I kept looking for a sign of the highway we were making our way back to but nothing was there until we went up a small hill and made it to the highway. After taking a hour to travel the distance, on a trip that normally takes around half an hour on the normal route, we made it back to the main highway.

You’d think the adventure would have ended there but then you must have forgotten that we are talking about Guatemala here and things sometimes go wrong more than they go right. Now back on the main road, I think the drive got a little too excited about the fact that we had returned and maybe forgot how to properly drive over a speed bump (or he could have very well intentionally done it). We did not slow down enough going over one and the bus may have possibly bottomed out (not sure if that is even possible but it sure felt like it!) because my feet completely left the ground for about 1.5 seconds (remember I was standing up!). Crazy!! The bus starts pouring out a cloud of thick white smoke that very quickly enters the back windows and fills the back of the bus. As soon as the smoke enters, people begin to panic (always a great thing) and decide we need to get off the bus. I am not as well versed in what to do in situations involving Guatemalan buses so I tend to follow suit of what others decide to do. It was every man for himself and I made it out quickly and unscathed. After a small crowd of people piled out, I soon realized that all the panic wasn’t necessary and the bus was not about to blow up (a thought that crossed my mind). I heard from other passengers that the bus wasn’t going to be moving again anytime soon so we should start pursuing other options. I waited for the return of my bus fare and caught the next micro that passed.

The whole time this was happening, I was thinking about my blog post. My posts don’t happen often enough so I thought I would take advantage of the experience and write one. So the end of the story is, I made it safely home, just took a little longer. No injuries, just a crazy story to tell my kids someday!

Hello blog readers!As you saw from the last post, I am now starting the process of giving projects to the families I have been working with. I am going to need some help from you folks back home! Now is your time to shine and become part of my projects by making a financial contribution. What ever you feel you can give will be much appreciated by the women and their families. And if you can't give financialy prayers are always appreciated too :)

You can send your cotribution in the form of a check to the following address:

Friends of Guatemala

P.O. Box 33018Washington DC 20033Please add "Kelsey DeMull Cat. II" to the memo line so it makes it to my account. Donations can be made until the end of February.

Let me know if you have any questions. In the mean time check out the pictures of some of the families you will be helping out with your donations. Many of them will be receiving new cook-stoves, cement floors, or latrines. These projects will help reduce the rate of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections.

Thanks so much!

Kelsey

So yeah, checking on my last blog update and seeing that I was at the end of August, I decided that I better make time to update my blog for you readers that have been patiently waiting for me to get my act together and update. I think I have some form of seniorits as I am on the downhill slop of my time of service.

A few months ago we training with Peace Corps staff on the planning and execution of projects and with this all of my focus went to thinking about my projects. I started visiting homes last month, checking in on the needs of the women that have participated with me. I made it a requirement that in order to be considered for a project, they had to attend the majority of my meetings, meaning no more than 4 absences. My reasoning for this, is that I am looking for beneficiaries that I know are dedicated to improving the health of their families and their community and I feel that their attendance and participation is the best way I have to gauge this. I have one last group of home visits to complete this week and then I will be done with the first round. I hope to return to their houses at least one more time before making the final decision, to build relationships and make sure their are dedicated to the process and understand it well

.After the first set of home visits are complete, I will be starting on giving infomational charlas about the process of them getting projects and what their participation needs to look like. These will be mandatory for all those that will receive projects and those that miss 1 or more will no longer be on the list to receive projects. I am looking at about 50 projects but these numbers may come down if women decide not to show up.

Once I complete the informational charlas and determine more accurately the number of beneficiaries, I will work on competing my grant application to receive money that comes from USAID SPA (Small Project Assistance) fund. In order to make the process more sustainable, the community has to contribute at least 30% of the total cost. This is a requirement of the SPA grant and with out the contribution of 30% from the community, I cannot receive the grant for the rest of the cost.

So for now, this is what my job is looking like. I am getting away from the bimonthly charlas, but I hope to get back to some form of health promoter training to better prepare the women I have been working with before I head out of here. I have also been invited to start another women's group in a different community. I was contacted by a family member of a women that has participated in one of my groups and asked if I could start working with a new group of women. I gladly accepted this invitation. I was excited to have them initiate the group. I plan on keeping this group pretty low key, not going for any training but just showing up monthly and giving charlas on preventative health topics. I will also be working with my sitemate Marlaine and tag teaming this group. We had our first meeting at the end of October and will be doing it again at the end of this month. The women seem pretty interested, so I am pretty excited to get going with them.

In other news, I helped out translating with a group of dentists that came down to do a dental mission near my site. It was a two day event and pretty low key and fun. It's always nice to have community with people from the States, sometimes I miss being surrounded by people from the same culture as me. I got hooked up with this through one of the ladies that attends the missionary church I have been attending. They were looking for translators and I was free so it worked out well.

So I guess that's all I've got for now. Here are some prayer request:

-A note of praise that my sitemate Marlaine and I have been growing in our friendship and we are able to work quite well together.

-For a friend, that God would open his heart and that he could experience God's love and salvation.

-For wisdom and patience as I carry out the process of projects.

-Another note of praise, that the recent presidential elections went over with minimal back lashing and prayers for the governemental future of Guatemala, that it may move in a positive direction.

Thanks for reading :)

Hello there,

I hope that all of you that are reading this are well and that is not so with you please let me know that I may pray for you. So here I am at the near end of August, time sure is flying. I still have some moments where I stop and think for just a second to myself and I say "wow, I am really doing this. I am really here." Even though I have been in country for around 17 months, every once in a while I am just amazed at myself, surprised that I have made it this far, makes me feel like I can take on anything! But with the 17 months behind me that means that there are only 10 ahead...that to me is crazy too! I feel like I have so much more I want to do here and I am not sure that 10 months will allow for it all, but on the other side I am ready to get back to what I left back in the States, of living in a culture that I understand and being around a language that I am completely fluent in. At the same time I am thinking of how much I want to get back to the States, I am really trying to take it all in here, knowing that one day I will be among the beautifully simple culture here. I am trying to absorb as many of the moment that I can, storing them away for a day when I will look back in my life and remember this experience.

They say here that for most volunteers, the second year is a whole lot better than the first. I think mine will definitely be going that way. My first year was a challenge to find my bearings and figure out how to best carry out my work here. I still don't feel like I understand it as much as I would like to but I have a pretty good grip of how I can best work here. Between now and the end of my service, I will have the opportunity to carry out health infrastructure projects that will help families improve their health. Projects could be one of the following: Improved Cookstoves (to help decrease exposure to smoke that is plentiful when they cook over open fires), Cement floors (helps decrease cases of diarrhea and respiratory illnesses), and latrines (again helps decrease cases of diarrhea with the proper disposal of human waste). We had a conference 2 weeks back with Peace Corps on how to build these projects and also in the management of the projects. It's going to be a good chunk of work but I am looking forward to taking it on for the sake of learning this new skill. We will have to do some grant writing to obtain funds for our projects. I am anticipating it to be stressful experience but a great learning opportunity. And for those of you who may be wondering about making donations, at this time I don't believe that I will be needing them. Peace Corps has a decent amount of money to help with the projects but I might find a need for funds in other areas and in case I will let you all know.

Happy August everyone. God's blessings to those who are heading back to school soon!

Kelsey

So it’s about that time….I should be getting around to another blog post. Not really sure what to write about, guess I will just give a well rounded update on life here in Guatemala.This past weekend marked the year for my service here in Guatemala. It doesn’t really feel like it’s been that long but then again it does. I remember getting to my site last year and checking out facebook pictures of people enjoying the summer in Michigan and getting jealous of the beautiful weather and all the fun activities that were being had while I was gone. Now I feel a more comfortable about being here, enjoying what Guatemala has to offer instead of missing what Michigan has going on. I am ok not being in the heat and humidity that Michigan has right now. I am slowly coming to appreciate the things that Guatemala has to offer. Right now it’s a bit difficult because we are in rainy season and it rains pretty much every day to varying degrees. Right now as I write this the sun is shining, which doesn’t happen too much right now. I sat in it for a while but then my work beckoned me and I had to leave. It’s hard to stay dry and dry things that get wet but it gets done in due time. I am happy that rainy season has it’s time here and it will soon be over.I am coming to enjoy a simpler way of doing things, of stopping to smell flowers or watch children play. I am coming to find joy in the simple things in life which I think can sometimes be a challenge with all of the distractions that we have in the US. Here there is so much less to distract a person and often times the only things a person has are the simple things. I have learned the art of doing nothing, not sure if it’s an accomplishment that I should be proud of or not. For those of you who are thirsty for details, yes I have started dating a Guatemalan. His name is Carlos. He is 27 years old and it one of 10 kids. He is the third oldest and works for my old host family which is how I met him. He makes t-shirts that get sold in the markets around where I live. He is a Christian too like I am and was very open about his faith when I first met him which is what drew me in. He is very respectful, which cannot be said for many Guatemalan men. We don’t spend much time together as he works a lot but I think its better that way, taking it slow. We plan on taking it nice and slow to make sure we create a good foundation for our relationship because if it’s something that is going to take some work, we want to know that it’s going to work.I told myself when I came here that I wasn’t going to date a local because it would be difficult once my service ended and I head back home. God works in some pretty crazy ways and right now I am just trusting him with my future and hoping for the best. If anything it is an opportunity to grow and learn. We have talked about the future and honestly it’s pretty scary and a lot to think about. I just need to have faith that what God began between us He will finish in a way that benefits us both. I have really enjoyed having Carlos around because he has been a great encouragement in my faith. It isn’t anything that he actively does but just by his actions and how he pursues his faith, it makes me all the more want to pursue mine. On another note of pursuing my faith more here, I have started going to a church that meets about an hour away from where I live. It is a missionary church that consists of missionaries that work in and around the city where we meet. It has been a great blessing in my life. I have made some great connections there and have been encouraged in the work that I am doing here. The service takes place in English which offers a break from the Spanish and Quiche I hear around here. I have also been to a church with Carlos, in the same city. That service is in Spanish and it has a wonderful praise and worship band. I like that it is something we can do together.

Prayer request:· For my relationship with my sitemate, that we can have a good working relationship and support each other.· For a brother of a friend from church who is 55 and is in heart failure. He is a believer.· For my work here as the time to being projects is approaching. Please pray that I may have discretion in my work as it can be a challenge to do sustainable work and also give out projects.

Thanks,Kelsey

So today I decided to hang out at my house and get some cleaning done and just relax. I slept in and started my day with leasuire and so far it has been pretty relaxing. As I was working on my cleaning, I noticed how useful my 5 gallon bucket is so I decided to share that with you.

1. 1. One of the most frequent uses for my 5 gallon bucket is to collect and wash my clothes. I use it as a dirty clothes basket and then when the amount of dirty clothes builds up, I either wash them myself or bring them to the lady that washes my. If I decide to wash them myself, which happens every once in a while, I add some powdered laundry soap and then water. I let my cloths soak for about a half an hour. After the half an hour, I take the bucket down to the pila and pull out pieces one by one and scrub them by hand with a bar of laundry soap. After they have been thoroughly, I rinse them out and then wring them out. After I all of my clothes are washed, I throw them back in the bucket and take them back up to my balcony and hang them up on my line. I have been told by my old host sister that I can’t wash clothes very well. I think I am doing pretty well for only having a year of experience compared to her 10.

Most of my clothes however are not washed by me but I take a load weekly to a lady that lives down the street. She washes them for me in exchange for a small fee. There are women in the community that wash clothes for others to earn money. It is a very traditional society here in terms of gender roles. The women’s place is in the house and the man leaves to work and earn money for the family. The woman that washes my clothes has an alcoholic husband. He doesn’t work very much and when he does the money goes to buying alcohol, leaving little to nothing for the family of 7. She works odd jobs like washing clothes or dishes to earn money for to support her and her children. I don’t really want to wash my clothes all the time and if I can help this woman earn some money to support her family, all the better.

2. 2. The second use I have for the 5 gallon bucket is mopping the floor. I try to mop my floor weekly because I teach the importance of having a clean house and feel that I must practice what I preach. Things here just seem to get dirty a lot faster than when I was in the States.

3. 3. The third and final use for my bucket is for bathing. No, I don’t hop in the thing and wash myself but use it to hold the water that I pull out with a smaller dish to bathe. They don’t have big water heaters here but have a small device the more fortunate use to shower. I had one at my old place but am not as fortunate at my new place. The device is a larger shower head that heats the water that flows through it. I think I may have mentioned it before. Where I am now there are just shower heads but just the simple ones that you would find in an American home. I guess the landlord thinks that I like taking cold showers? So now instead of taking a cold shower, I heat up a big pot of water on the stove, pour it into my bucket and then add cold water to make it a comfortable temperature. I take my soap and bucket to where the shower area is and use a small dish to pour the water over myself to bathe.

So yeah, my bucket comes in pretty handy for life here in Guatemala and for how useful it is, maybe I should have more than one. Happy Saturday everyone! God’s blessings!Kelsey

So for those you who haven't heard, I moved! I was more than ready for it and am happy that it finally happened. I had given my number to the landlord and he said he would call when it was ready for me. Well, that never happened so I decided to call him and he told me that it was ready. That was the middle of May. I stopped over and talked to him and also to get a good look at the place to make sure that it was truly finished. I visited the place on Thursday and was hoping to move in that weekend but I opted to finish up the month with my host family as I had already payed for the month.

I moved my stuff on the 27th with the help of some co-workers from the health center. That's one thing I really like about everyone I work with, they are willing to lend a hand. I have accumulated lots of stuff in my year here. I remember coming into country with my two suitcases, now I think I have 3 times more stuff.

I went out Saturday and bought a new bed. The one I had before was a wood frame and a mattress pretty similar to a futon mattress. I was getting used to it but I am happy I made the purchase of my new bed, a whole lot roomier and much more comfortable.

So I was going to rent the three rooms on the back part of the house on the second level. He originally told me it would be 600Q a month but then upped it to 900Q a month so I opted for two rooms. One is the kitchen area and the other my bedroom. I pay 550Q a month. It is a much nicer price than I was paying before. Another good thing is that I don't have to pay electricity but it's included in the rent. They installed a water tank so that I will have water all the time even when there isn't any in the town. I am supposed to have my own bathroom but it doesn't have a door yet so I don't use it too often. There is another bathroom on the roof that I use more often. They installed a shower but it isn't the one that heats the water so I haven't used that (and don't really plan to). I am hoping to get a shower head that heats water installed but until then I will either be showering at the health center or heating up my water and taking bucket baths.

All in all it's been a great experience living on my own. The family is around during the day so I have some company and then go home at night so it's nice an quiet. I am slowly getting used to being on my own, but I think I am really going to like it and I think I can get used to it.

Pictures to come soon!

Today, I had the opportunity of working with a team of doctors that came in from the States to help with an NGO called Companeros de Salud (Partners of Health). They are an NGO that performs operations free of charge to those in need. They do surgeries to correct hernias, remove benign tumors, remove extra fingers or toes, fix scars (mostly from burns), cleft lips and pallets and others. Doctors come in from the States for 5 days to help do consults on the potential candidates. Once the candidates for surgery are found, logistics are set up and they receive their operation in one of the NGO's surgical centers. The operation is free of charge and patients must just cover transportation and food cost for the week but they are provided with a place to recuperate and space for family to stay with them.

All of the doctors spoke little to no Spanish, so that's were I came in to help translate. I was a little nervous yesterday wondering how I would do but once the day started I quickly gained confidence in my speaking Spanish. It was a challenge to go back and forth with Spanish. A few times throughout my time there I was speaking to the Spanish person in English and the English person in Spanish. There were some points too that the people only spoke Quiche, so I had to pull in my usual translator to have her tell me what was going on in Spanish to be translated to the doctor who spoke English. Oh the wonders of being bilingual!

All in all it was a great experience but mentally very exhausting. The team that came to work at the health center was very easygoing and friendly and really nice to work with.

Now I am going to head to bed, my brain needs some rest.

As most of you know, Sunday is the big market day in my town. Some of the bigger towns have a consistent market throughout the week that has a day or two when it gets engorged with sellers and buyers but in my site we only have one big day. The local people live off of the market and can find almost anything they will ever want or need.

The market has been a constant source of fresh fruits and vegetables here for me. I have been overjoyed with the abundance of fresh picked produce and it has made it quite easy to eat healthy. I am so glad that my mother always made me eat vegetables. She has given me a habit that will benefit me for the rest of my life. Thanks Mom!

Here is a breakdown of my purchase yesterday at the market along with the cost (note: the US dollar is now worth only 7.50 Quetzales):1lb Tomatoes- 1.50Q2lbs Potatoes- 3Q3 Medium sized Mangos- 3Q2lbs Green Beans- 5Q3 Avacados- 3Q2 Peaches- 2QPkg of 4 ears of sweet corn- 6QBunch of 10 small onions- 2.50Q3 Peppers- 3Q2 chocobananos (frozen bananas dipped in chocolate with nuts)- 2Q½lb Campo cheese (cheese made locally, a mild white crumbly cheese) 6Q

Other things that I get from the market (just not this week):Broccoli- 3QCarrots- 1Q/pieceEggs- 10Q/dozenBread- 1Q/2piecesCauliflower-2QBlack beans-7Q/lb Pineapple- 5QCantaloupe- 5QSmall Watermelon-5Q

I hope this gives you a better idea of my life here in terms of eating. I was a bit intimidated of the market when I first got here but now have grown more or less accustomed to it. The market starts in the early am around 5:30 or 6 and goes until about 1:30 or 2. I have found the best time to go is around noon. Going too early means fighting a big crowd of people which I am not a big fan of. You either have to go early early or late, close to ending time. The benefits of going later is that sometimes stuff cost a little less or you can bargain for a less because many of the sellers don't want to haul stuff back so they try to get rid of as much as they can.

Until next time,

Kelsey

Yesterday the new group of trainees came into country. A year ago that was me, excited yet totally freaked out about the endeavor in front of me. I have come a long way since then and I can't say that I would like to repeat the experience. It was quite a challenge, to come away from everything I have ever know, forced to take on a new culture, a whole new way of life. There were so many times in my journey here to where I am now as a Peace Corps Volunteer that I just wanted to give up, turn around and head back home, where things were easier and it didn't take so much just to get through the day. During training, I learned to take it one day at a time because any more would cause too much anxiety. I have since been able to look more into the future without getting too anxious.

Seeing the last group of trainees come in, made me realize how far I have come. While being here, I have taken on the challenges and have grown and learned from them. It has been a gradual growth, not something can easily be noticed but requires a reflection and a looking back and perhaps a comparison to those just arriving in country. I have learned many things about myself, some good and others not so good. I have become more patient and understanding to others differences.

Yesterday my sitemate and I celebrated our year in country by baking brownies and talking about our experience so far. It was a great time of reflection and a good time of looking at where we would like to be when we end our service here. Through talking with her I was able to realize some of my weaknesses in leadership and figure out how I want to improve them. I want to use this experience to the fullest extent to prepare myself for my future job and life.

One thing that I am finding a challenge to learn is not to base my productivity on how busy I am or the changes that I see but more by my investment of time. I have learned the challenge of development work and have see that there are certain things that can only be accomplished through someone investing time in someone else. Development work is a challenge too because a lot of time gets invested in others and one doesn't always see results. The country director here in Guatemala (who served in the PC in the 80's) told us that we just have to know and tell ourselves that we are making a difference because we probably won't see results and it can get defeating putting in long hours teaching people better habits only to find them stuck in their old ways.

All in all I can say it has been a challenging experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. My experience here is working its way to the PC slogan "the toughest job you will ever love."

On Monday, I stopped into the place where I want to move to check in on the status. I didn't expect much because I have learned from time that if I have my expectations high, most likely I will be let down. I have dealt too much here with the occurrence of 'the boy who cried wolf', too many times I have been told a date of when the house would be finished, only to be left disappointed as the date came and went with no visible progress happening on the house. I originally when to ask about the room at the end of September and told the landlord that I had a little time left before I would be wanting to move. I guess maybe I shouldn't have told him that and maybe for this reason he still isn't rushing to get it done. If I were him, I feel as though I would get a rush going on things because the American is going to be living here and paying me rent so the sooner I get it done the sooner the money will be flowing it, guess he doesn't have that mentality. So after them telling me that it would be done at the end of November and having that date come and go, I inquired about moving in after my vacation in the States for Christmas, which they said wouldn't be a problem, but come back only to find the house in the same state as when I left it in December. From there I got the date of the end of February, which also came and went. I was then told the end of March and that came and went followed by the second week of April which as very quickly slipping out of my hands and I fear the same result will happen.

I came to the realization on Monday that I need to move on. My patience has been tested to the max with this experience and I feel that I have grown a lot with it, but there comes a point where I need to be realistic and see it for what it really is and accept that fact that maybe it isn't going to ever happen. And with that realization, I decided to check out other places, something I should've done a long time ago.

I went out yesterday with Marlaine talking to all the store owners to see if they knew about places for rent. I found two places, looked at one of them and it seems promising although it is right next to the cantina so I am not sure what PC will say about it. The other place I will check out depending on what PC says about the first find that I have. I called my APCD (program director) about coming to see it and even he was surprised to hear that the other place wasn't done yet and though maybe it would be a lack of money that is preventing them from finishing. The next time I see my counterpart at the health center I am going to talk to him about the situation and have him call the owner to see what the issue is. If money is the issue, PC can front the money and then I can deduct it from rent I would have to pay. We shall see.

I would appreciate your prayers for continued patience and wisdom in this situation and pray that a new place may come through for me soon.

ok so I guess I need to admit if you haven't discovered it already, blogging is not my strong point. I haven't been to regular with my updates and I have been struggling for topics, but after talking with my mom about ideas and finding out what she would like to see I feel like I have a better idea of how to do it. So here is a toast (lift your drink with me) to better blog posts...wish me luck!

So an update on my other house and my current one: I went to visit my future residence this past Tuesday and was pleasantly surprise.I believe there is only a week or so left. The only thing that needs to be finished is the bathroom which just includes installing a toilet and shower, roof and a door and also a door at the entrance at the back wall. It has been a challenge to gauge the amount of time until completion because I haven't really figured out how they work here, all I know is that it seems painfully slow by American standards. I hope to be there before the end of April but only God knows if that will happen.

As for my current house, they are adding a third level. I feel like it's more of a show than a necessity but that's just my opinion. So now on top of the noise that comes from the guys making shirts above me now comes more noise from the guys working on the third level. I am not a huge fan of the increase in people in and around my house. I enjoy my own space and I feel like it's growing smaller....one of the many reasons I am looking forward to my own place.

Hope you enjoyed the new and improved blog post and please feel free to leave comments about topic suggestions...thanks much :)

Kelsey

Just thought I would give you all an update on my work and life here in Guatemala. I am continuing in giving my health talks to my four different groups in my two communities and trying to figure out how to best educated these groups of individuals, most of which are illiterate. I have been working on a schedule of two health talks a month but now I am taking a step back and realizing that that is a lot of information to cover in a period of a month and expect these women to remember it at a level that they can share it with other community members and give health talks on the topics in a similar manner as I do. I have decided that it would be worth slowing down and arriving at our goal a little latter and have the women better prepared then to stick with the current plan and be left with health promoters that are not ready to work in their communities. I have decided to cover one topic a month and use the second meeting time of the month for a review and potentially a cooking or craft activity. Also, during the review time I will pick out two group members to help give the review of the topic covered in order to build up skills and get them ready to work in their communities.

On another note, when I was heading to one of my groups, I was approached by another women that wasn't apart of my group. After talking with her, I learned that she was a part of a group of women that exist in one of my communities and that they want to work to help get a better drainage system in place in their community. She didn't ask me for money (a huge relief as this seems to happen a lot!) but for the guidance to help secure funds for these projects they wanted to take on. I was excited to be approached and excited to take this on. She also asked about me starting charlas with the group she was a part of. It was a great feeling to have people understand my job and seek me out instead of me trying to find participants. We didn't get many details of how we are going to work together but she was supposed to call this past Friday but didn't. I hope we can get something going with her and her group. Another reason that I really hope this works out is that the community she is from doesn't have a women's committee as part of the leadership in the community and apparently according to the municipality, every community has a right to have one of these. A women's committee will help out when it comes time for me to do projects because they will be more aware of the needs of the women in the community and forming a committee is a step to becoming official and will allow them to ask for funding from the municipality.

Trying to figure out what I want to gain by being here in the Peace Corps. I guess I have the typical vies of what a PCV expereince should be like (gained from a book from PC the includes short stories about past PCVs called "A Life Inspired") but is that what I want and can I be satisfied if that's not what I get out of all of this? I feel like coming into this experience as a Chrisitian I am already set up to have a different experience. I feel like I am still adjusting to everything here, it's a slow go like everything else here. :) I still don't feel like I have it all together and I am not sure that I will ever truly get to that point here. After watching presentations from others in my department over what we have all done with our first 6 months in site, I feel like I can't help but compare my accomplishments to theirs. Why do I feel like I need to? Can't I be happy with what I am accomplishing? That I have women who to come to my twice a month meetings and participate and thank me for teaching them? Why should the volume of what I accomplish be the factor by which I measure my time here?

I have decided to live more intentionally here. I think this will help me in my challenge of comparing myself with others and will help me to be more content in my work here. I feel like I am so ready for the next step that maybe I am missing what the here and now has to offer. Now I have not totally figured out what an intentional life looks like for me but I would dearly like to get there. I think a good start would be setting some reasonable goals here and now that I can work towards.

Just thought I would leave you with a picture of the sun setting as seen from my health center. Enjoy!

Learning contentment is always a challenge, but I feel like things are coming more in to perspective with my time here in Guatemala. There are many things that I have to be thankful for and there are situations that I just don't want to deal with that could be much worse. Life is all how you look at it.

After reading the blog of a fellow PCV friend who is terminating her service early and understanding her struggles, I feel like I can get a better perspective of my time here and how great of an experience it has been. I am truly thankful for all of the great friends that I have made with Guatemalans. I love the health center staff, with the exception of a few who get on my nerves every once in a while, and I love just hanging out with them a sharing life. It is also nice to have the staff that are behind what we are doing as PCVs and seeks to support us in our endeavors. And, though I am not a huge fan of living my my host family, they are nice and give me some space.

Speaking of my living arrangement, I check in today on my other place hoping for some good news. I was thinking the news had to be good because they had been working on it as I passed it this past week, but to my dismay, I was informed that it would still be 20 days. I feel like I am dealing with the boy who cried wolf. They have told me a handful of times before that it would be completed by a certain day and that day would come and go with no significant sign of progress. I just can't help but sit in that mindset that it won't really be done in 20 days but part of my really wants to. All I can do now is wait and trust in God's timing, knowing that I am where I am supposed to be at this point in time. He has me here to teach me and allow me to grow closer to the person he created me to be.

Please pray that I may continue to have patience and trust God with His timing in this situation and others.

Much love to all,

Kelsey

I am finding it pretty easy to focus today, working on a powerpoint presentation to present to the people in charge of the health center for all of my department. There is hardly anybody here working at the health center because they are out protesting in the area of the market. The health workers have not been paid for two months, going on three. The educators that work with Marlaine and I have not been paid at all since they started here in January. I can't imagine working like that. I feel like sometimes getting the paycheck and compensation for my time is the only thing that keeps me going. If I didn't get paid while working in the hospital back home, I am pretty sure I would have left to find a job somewhere else that would have paid me my wages. It would never happen in the States, there would be such an uproar that changes would have to be made or the people just wouldn't work. I guess it's just so different here. We now have a working laboratory here at the health center (very simple by American standards but it gets the job done) and the lab tech has not recieved 8 months pay from his previous job. If we were in the states I feel that there would be some serious action taken against this former employer so that one could recieve their wages due.

I just thought I would share the contrasting culture here in Guatemala. Oh and I also heard from PC security that Peasant Farmers were threatning to protest today, probably an issue of wages as well. Guess I can say that I am glad to be supported by the American Government.

"Godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out of it."

I just finished reading a devotional about how our sub-culture as Christians is focused so much on the future and not in the present. At the end of the reading, there was a question presented:

How can you balance living fully today while still hoping for your future?

I thought about this for a second and contentment came to mind. If we are content in our current place in life and trust that God knows what He is doing, I believe that we can find the balance between our mindset of the present and the future.

My thoughts also traveled to the thought of why contentment is so hard to come by. Why do we live in a culture that constantly tells us that more is better? When we get more we find that we are not satisfied and continue to want, until we bring trouble and hardship upon ourselves from living beyond our means. I believe that these messages make it a challenge for any follower of Christ to find true contentment, not that it isn't possible, just super hard to come by.

I feel as though God has been cultivating contentment in me as I am here serving in the Peace Corps. Making the choice to be here serving was also a choice to leave by things that I have always know, loved ones, familiar surroundings, and familiar habits. Contentment has been a challenge here, but I am learning to see what it is that I really need in life and to be truly thankful for all that I have. It is through this experience that I am able to see how much God has supplied me well beyond my basic needs. I should be more than content in life as I have many blessings from an amazingly awesome God.

I am hoping that as I continue here that I will continue to grow in contentment and be able to return to the States at the end of my time here as a changed person, one changed for the better. That I may be able to live out more than just the length of my life but also the depth, that when I finish my time here on earth, I will be remembered as one who lived life for all that it was worth, who squeezed every drop out of it and that all in all ran the race of faith to the finish line without ever letting up.

Its raining tonight, a reminder of the upcoming rainy season that I wish could come a little less intense than the last one I experienced here.

I thought I would give you all a general update on life here in Guatemala. Today we celebrated the day of San Valentin or Valentines day. It isn't as much of a lovey dovey holiday here but more of a celebration of friendship which I really like. We had a small party at work and exchanged small gifts amongst the group of people I work with. They gave words like Guatemalans always do. They give a mini speech, thanking others for what they do and saying how much they appreciate everyone. This goes on as all of the others reiterate the same points and it can get very time consuming and boring from my American perspective. Marlaine and I went to the closest town and picked up pizza for our lunch. It was a lot of work to get there and back with the pizzas but I think it was worth it for the taste of American food.

On Saturday, I traveled to the capital of my department which is a two hour ride. I met up with another PCV to get some workout DVD's in hopes to get into better shape. I spent the rest of the afternoon with the only two girls left from my training town. We started out as five and are now just three, but the three of us that are left aren't going anywhere. I took my laundry along with me and dropped it off at a place to get washed. I am over the "cultural experience" of washing clothes by hand in the pila and then hanging it on the line and waiting 2-3 days for something to dry (or more during rainy season). My jeans haven't been through a dryer in a while so I figured it was time to get them back close to their original size and jeans can be difficult to wash in the pila. I also got my sheets washed there too. Because of their size they are just awkward to wash in the pila. I am thinking that I would like to make this a more frequent experience in my life here in the Peace Corps, especially when rainy season comes along. There is a spot closer to me that I can get my clothes washed and it's near the lake. I am thinking a Saturday trip there will be much better than to the capital.

I have figured out how easy it has been for me to slip in to the mentality of "do the minimum you need to to get by" way of thinking. Things happen a whole lot slower here in Guatemala and so it's easy not to feel the need to push myself when I am working on my own plans and ideas. I don't want it to be like this. I am hoping to take more inititive instead of just spending my day sitting around the health center conversing with fellow workers. It will be a challenge, but I am starting at the beginning of March with my Mayan Language classes. I also want to start doing monthly charlas at the high school after doing the HIV/AIDS workshops and seeing how receptive the students where, I think this is a good place that I can play my part in the prevention of alcoholism and domestic violence. I hope to cover topics like: making choices, respecting yourself, setting goals and others. These are topics that the Youth Development volunteers work in and I was able to get some materials from D volunteer. I am looking forward to my potential work in the schools.

Hope you all had a great Valentine's Day. Feliz dia del carino!

Kels

I covered my first health topic with one of my promoter groups today, the first group of the week. It didn't go as well as planned and it made me re-think how I am going about my job. My plan is to create health promoters by educating them on various health topics in terms of prevention. After receiving this education, they will begin to work in their communities educating others in preventive health. My original plan was to give six months of health talks, meeting twice a month. After giving this first talk, I am not sure that six months will be enough time to get these women to a level that they can work in their communities on their own. My first group is more of a challenge to work with. My translator didn't speak Quiche but another Mayan Language close to Quiche. I don't think the women understood too well because they were having many side conversations and not really paying attention and when it came time for me to ask questions they just had a lot of blank stares, although a few did speak up and answered. I am trying to find the best way to educate these women because most if not all of them are not accustomed to formal education. They aren't used to learning lot of new information. I try to keep in mind when I give my talks that even if only one or two people understand and gain even the littlest amount of knowledge that it was worth my time to teach them.

I have found that in this job as a PCV, it's a lot of learning as you go and quickly implementing what you've learned, for the best results, it's got to be a quick transition from learning to putting into practice. It keeps me on my toes and challenges me to constantly evaluate and improve what I am doing.

After having a skype date the other day with my family, I realized that I haven't updated on my job lately. It been a work in progress and is slowly growing and I am taking on more. One of the objectives of my program, Health Homes, is to create health promoter groups. These are groups of individuals that have a desire to work in preventative health in their communities. PC volunteers giving training to these groups of individuals in order to help prepare them for their jobs. I am currently working with my five groups from two different communities. I started the training for health promoters at the beginning of January and will be meeting with them twice a month for 6 months. I will be giving talks on different sicknessess and other means of prevention. Here is a list of the topics that I plan to give talks on:

Basic Hygiene and Dental HygieneParasites and Diarrhea

HIV/AIDS and STD'sRespiratory InfectionsUse of Water (Methods of purification and the importance of it)Trash and the EnvironmentDomestic ViolenceFirst Response and Committee of Emergency (importance of having plan and who will be a part of it)VaccinationsMedicinal Plants (Natural Medicines)Family PlanningMy groups consist mostly of women in the community. A few men have showed up but none of them have been very consistent in their attendance. I have about 10-15 people in each one of my groups, we started bigger but people have since left when they don't get a handout right away. It's been a challenge to get past that thought process, that they are just going to get by in life without having to do much but just take the handouts that come from the US or European countries. Those that have stuck with me in my groups really seem to have a desire to learn although I am sure there are some that are still around, waiting for the projects to come (not sure if I am going to do projects yet. I want to make sure the people that receive them will be dedicated the taking on healthy habits and maintaining their project. I don't want to give out projects only to find that they don't want to come to health talks and have no desire to change) but I think that most of them have a genuine desire to learn about preventative health and how they can help better the health status of their community.

Most of the women in my groups don't speak much Spanish, but Quiche (the Mayan language of my area) so this requires me to bring someone along who can translate for me. Almost all of the staff in the health center speak both Quiche and Spanish so I am well equipped there. There are three educators that work in the health center and one of them usually goes out to the communities with me. This helps in making my work sustainable as I have an excuse for someone.

More details to come :)

As most of you know I have been waiting for my new place to get finished up so that I can move. I originally found it at the end of September and was told then that the work would be done and the end of November. The end of November came and went without anything being completed. I was hoping to move in after my return from Christmas vacation in the States and confirmed this before I left but came back to the place still not complete. The latest time of completion that I have is the end of this month. I am really hoping that this gets done because I am not sure how much longer I can take it. After checking in upon my return and finding it still not done I spoke with my counterpart about what I should do. He is a respected man in my community so I thought he would be able to make somethings happen, it worked out well for my sitemate when she had issues and brought him along to figure stuff out, so I am hoping the same for my issue.

I am more than ready to get out of my current living situation, my patience has truly been tested. There is always something going on where I live and there isn't much space I have to myself. My host dad has his business upstairs, directly above my room, where his workers make shirts and school uniforms. Lately they have been working late, one night I woke up around 2am and they were still working and making noise. Most times I can fall asleep ok with my earplugs in but I would really like to not have to use them. It's currently the busy time for them because of the beginning of school, making uniforms for gym classes and other school related necessities.

I haven't really settled down totally where I am currently living because I don't feel like I can. I don't have much room and things are always cluttered. I am craving some organization and I hope to by some shelves to help out with this once I get into my new place. There are many things that I have wanted to buy in order to make my life here a little more comfortable but I am holding off because I don't want to buy stuff that I don't have room for right now and that will only take up extra space and effort when I move. One of my stress relief activities is baking. I have been unable to do this for a while. I was looking at buying a small toaster oven to use to bake things but my host dad told me that it would use to much electricity so I couldn't have one where I live now.

Relations with my current host family have been challenging. There is much inconsistency in how they relate to me. Some days they will talk to me and then there will be other days that I feel like such a burden to them. The lack of direct communication has been a challenge to deal with as well.

In all of this I feel like I have really learned a lot of patience but I am not sure how much further I can take this. Please pray that I can continue to cultivate the needed patience and communication to make everything go well. Also pray that my new housing option may done soon. From what I have seen, the work that needs to be done shouldn't take long if they put themselves to it.

"It's not enough to say that we're ok. I need your hurt, I need your pain. It's not love any other way. Let's not pretend, stop your parade. Trying to convince me that you're alright and everything's ok. Do you even know me? 'Cause I already know who you are, and all the things that kept us apart. So reach in and touch My scars and know the price I paid for your heart."

-Tenth Avenue North "Any Other Way"

I feel like sometimes I base my opinion of myself on what others think of me. It has been a while since I have realized this and I have since been working on not letting other's opinions form me. There are certain situations where I want to be perceived as a strong person, afraid to admit my struggles and weaknesses that others may think less of me, but I know that the Bible calls us to do this in order that we may be able to cling to the power of God in our lives. In the description of my blog I said that I would be writing about my hardships and struggles and I don't think I have been entirely honest about it. Having said all that I have decided to write here in my blog more honestly about my struggles here in the Peace Corps, not trying to tailor my blog entries to an audience telling what I think others want to hear, but just be honest to myself and those that truly want to know who I am and how I feel. I have frustrations and downfalls that I really do not want to talk about but I feel like if I don't then I won't be able to grow and work past them, learning from them and allowing them to help me grow.

One of the struggles that I have been working through is the struggle to maintain my values. I have been challenged so much more than ever before to hold firm to the standards I have for my life and not let the influence of others change how I live my life and what I believe in. Since coming to the Peace Corps I had strayed from these standards I have but quickly came to realize that was not how I wanted to live before and it will not be the path I take now. I am thankful that I was able to realize my downfalls before they went too far. Looking back I know it was the wisdom that the Lord has given me that has allowed me to maintain my way on the narrow path I have chosen. Choosing to hold firm to my decision of this narrow path has left me struggling to find good Christian community here. Peace Corps is not an organization of Christians but of people from all different walks of life. I have really enjoyed meeting so many different people and have been excited to listen and learn about how they 'do life' but I long to have fellowship with other believers.

I have come to realize how much I am really giving up being here. Spending time back home for Christmas was great but it also reminded me of how much I am really letting go. Transitioning back to being in Guatemala has been a challenge but it is for sure easier that when I first got here for which I am thankful. I have however been dealing with some anxiety issues since being back. I pray that with time and patience and a renewed relationship with God I will be able to see through this and overcome and one day be able to look back and see all that I have accomplished.

Prayer request:

-that I may be able to get back into the swing of things and have decreased anxiety

Praise:

-thanks to God for all He as shown me and for how much I have grown.

-for new friendships :)

Hey there,

Made it back to Guatemala yesterday after spending 15 days back home in Michigan. It was a great time seeing friends and family but also very stressful as I tried to reconnect with everyone. I got in late afternoon yesterday and was a little sad of having to leave my friends and family and being super tired didn't really help. Today is much better. I traveled out to the PC office to pick up my new phone and now I will be able to call other volunteers and PC staff for free. This should help save a little money that I previously had to spend on my phone. I still have my old phone but I am going to phase it out with time so if you want my new number just shoot me an e-mail and I can get it to you. When I was at the PC office today I saw the new trainees coming in. Today was their second day in country and it made me feel better to see them, knowing that I have been through that whole transition, just remembering all that I have been through and how it's gotten better since then.

I am excited to get back into my work here. I plan on spending tomorrow doing some planning for the next few months. I am looking forward to be able to plan ahead a little further into the future than before. I am starting training for my health promoter groups this coming week. I will be doing training with them for the next 6 months which will put me into July.

I just found out that we got some new staff at the health center including two new educators, that replaced the old ones we had. I am excited to work with them as the previous ones we had lacked some motivation and were a little challenging to work with. I am hoping that they are more driven in their work and willing to take on what my sitemate and I are doing here.

Update on my new place: So I thought I was going to be able to move in this weekend but it looks like that isn't going to happen. I checked in with them before I left for the states to make sure it would be done and it seemed like a lot of work to do during the two weeks I would be gone to allow me to move in this weekend. The actual landlord wasn't there when I stopped in today (though I was told he would be) but I was told by his wife that it would be another month, so now we are looking at February 10th. I am going to talk with one of my counterparts tomorrow and see what suggestions he has about the situation. I am not a big fan of them continually telling me it will be done and then it not happening, I never really know whether or not to believe them. I am learning patience, that's for sure.

Prayer request:

-That I would have patience and wisdom in dealing with my housing issue.

-For continued guidance as I make plans for my health promoter groups.

-That I may be able to find some good Christian fellowship as that has been lacking in my time here.

Thanks so much!

Kels

So update about last week: Apparently the devils come out with force on Tuesday so we opted not to leave the house after we got back from our day of camp. We ordered Dominoes pizza and had it delivered. I still can't believe we got pizza delivered, I mean I am in the Peace Corps for pete's sake! So I spent the rest of my week at camp and I was amazed at how tired I got for not doing much physical activity but I guess it was just from having to deal with those kids. They started to get to me by the last day. I don't think I could have done any more than 5 days with them. On Friday we finished up with camp and just had everybody in the morning instead of having the older kids in the afternoon and the younger ones in the morning. Santa Clause made an appearance and dance for the kids. I think they enjoyed it. We went out to Xela (pronounced Shela) which is the nearest big town to hit up the bar to celebrate the end of camp. I headed back to site Saturday to accomplish some things like laundry and grocery shopping. I hit up Chimal which is a bigger city near my site, about a 40 min ride away. There is a bigger grocery store there along with a mall and a food court with Taco Bell, Dominos, McDonalds and a few others. The bus ride there and back was a killer. Both times the buses were super full and on the way back the ayudante had the people standing in the isles crouch down as we passed the police. I was thinking that was pretty much pointless because those buses are always packed to the brim and the cops know it. I also helped my sitemate move to her new place just down the road Saturday evening. Sunday was resting up and hitting up the market for a few things...less than normal as I anticipate my trip home a week from today. The time can't move fast enough! I can't wait to see everyone and catch up :)

So this week I am out helping a fellow volunteer with her camp for the kids that are off from school until January. Today was the first day and it will run all week. In the mornings we had kindergarten through 3rd grade and in the afternoon 4-6th. We had them rotating through three activities including art, English and sports. It was fun and it's helping the time moved a little faster as I am waiting to come home for Christmas.

Another interesting experience of this week: This week Tuesday they are celebrating Dia del Diablo or something to that nature. It isn't really celebrated very heavily in many areas but where I happen to be this week, it is a popular event. It involves jovenes (teenagers of the male sort) that dress up in a devil outfit and walk through the streets in mobs. They like to bother people and have been known to get in your face and get paint on you. They also circled a two other female volunteers and apparently grabbed their butts. Tomorrow, which is the official day of this celebration I have been told that they will be dressed in only speedos with paint covering their bodies, being even more obnoxious. We are seriously considering not going out tomorrow, but we have a place up on a roof to go sit. The only problem is getting there and back and avoiding these obnoxious people. I shall update you as my experience with this evolves.

So I spent the Thanksgiving holiday at the Lake. It has to be one of my favorite places so far. It is quite a change in climate to go from my site to the Lake...a whole lot sunnier and warmer. The place I like to say at is also a culture change too with English speaking owners and the only Guatemalans are the women that work in the kitchen. It's such a relaxing place and eating a more substantial diet is always a welcome change. They had a Thanksgiving dinner last Thursday that was my main reason for going out there. They had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, veggies and pumpkin pie. It was all delicious, not like my mom makes but good nonetheless. I spent the weekend out there and hoped to climb the volcano in San Pedro but one of my fellow PCV's that I went with got sick and was down and out for a day so we shall be back another time to accomplish that hike. I guess it's about a 3 hour hike up....can't wait until I can check that out.

On another note, this Wednesday is World AIDS day so to celebrate, my sitemate and I are giving the HIV/AIDS workshop put together by Peace Corps Guatemala. We are heading out to one of my communities tomorrow to give it to the groups I work with there and also any others that want to join. On the official day, Wednesday, we are giving the workshop twice at the health center to whoever wants to come and I have invited the groups from my other community and my sitemate has invited most if not all of her groups. We are hoping for a good turn out so we can help get the word out about HIV/AIDS. It's very much a taboo subject here and we would like to break through that. We are planning on doing a condom demonstration too so that should be beneficial in terms of family planning and preventing the spread of sexually transmitted infections. Pray that the workshops may go well and that those in attendance may glean a lot of information.

Hope you had a great Monday!

Kelsey

Per request of my mother I am going to try to post more blog entrys.

Right now I am sitting in the sun at the health center. I normally sit inside but it's too cold in the shade and the sun feels amazing. It's been getting cooler here but still not as cold as it is in MI. At night it's around 57 degrees and during the day if the sun is shining it can be in the high 60's or 70's. It feels a lot colder here though because I don't really have an escape from the coldness. There are no heaters here except for the wood burning cookstove. Last night when I went to bed my room was 57 degrees and it was a challenge to get to sleep in the coldness. I can't get to sleep unless I am warm and cozy in my bed, to get to this point sometimes I have to wear layers to bed including two sweatshirts and sleep in my sleeping bag rated for 30 degrees. Maybe a heated blanket will be on the list of things to bring back from the states. I like winter and coldness but my most favorite part of winter is curling up in a warm house possibly near a fire and with hot chocolate. I don't like being out in the cold too long. I am ok with being in the sun for now, bet you wish you could be here too :)

So I have been living with my host family at site for about 4 months. At first I was really excited about them and was happy to have the company and someone to talk to. The excitement has since died off as time has ticked on and now the place I once thought I could stay at for the rest of my service is become the place I can't get out of soon enough. I guess this is just one of the experiences that I have to be culturally sensitive to but sometimes it's just hard. The first thing that is a challenge is how much I am paying for my room. I live in a room that is only roughly 7ft by 12ft and I am paying 600Q for this small space plus 50Q to pay for electric which I was told was included in the 600Q. From what I have heard from other volunteers 300-350 would be a better price for my room but I am getting ripped off. Another issue that has since mildly faded is our communication. Guatemalans are not direct and Americans are so that makes for a challenge. My host family also seems to be inconsistent as to how they feel about me/relate to me. A month or so ago they were inviting me to eat with them or giving me tortillas or a drink for no charge. That hasn't happened in a while and I don' t know what has changed. Sometimes I get overcharged for stuff too. It has been frustrating for me. I am not sure how to best relate with them. In my mind if someone comes to your country and gives up two years of their life and seeks to learn the language and understand the culture that maybe you could be a little more accommodating to them. I guess my host families thoughts are not the same as mine. Peace Corps told us during training that we are to be culturally sensitive and I am putting for an honest effort but would it kill my host family to be just a little more accommodating or culturally sensitive? On the side of good news, my new place should be ready for me to move in on Jan 6th after I return from the States. I am waiting on a bathroom and I was originally told that it would be done at the end of November but after checking in this week I was informed that it would still be a little while, so I am hoping that Jan 6th really happens. I plan on checking in a little more often and staying on top of them and hopefully that will help the process along.

*Special Note: I would like to dedicate this blog post to my great friend Nathan who has been getting on me for not posting as frequently as he would like me to. Hope three in a week suffices for you my friend.*

So I have been trying to get over this cold that I have had for about a week now. I feel like I am more susceptible with this more stressful situation that I am in. But anyways, today I took the afternoon off to rest and try to get over this stupid cold. I took some ibuprofen and benedryl and then laid down for what turned out to be about a 3 and half hour nap, quite long but refreshing. After I got up I thought I should go for a walk to get out of my room and make myself tired enough to sleep tonight. While I was out I was able to witness the sun setting and it was gorgeous. It was pretty to see setting behind the mountains with the twilight hanging around. It felt like one of those fall evenings when it's just leaving summer and cooling off, not too cool but kindof refreshing. I really enjoyed it! On my walk I was thinking about how different the weather is here and how it really effects how I perceive the time of year. It doesn't feel like November and I was caught off guard when I was reading facebook and noticed that yesterday was opening day for rifle deer season in MI. It doesn't feel like it should be happening now but it is. Sometimes I feel like everyone else back home is experiencing the same weather as I am here because we have all experienced the same weather together for as long as I have known them. And I know it's not going to feel like Christmas until I get off the plane in MI and see the snow. I liked all the snow as a kid but once I had to start driving in it I didn't like it as much. Not having it cool off and see leaves or snow falling really makes it a challenge to transition into the season here. Even thought MI winters suck, they have been in my life for 23 years and it's just so weird not having them here. I think I might be able to get used to it though :) Hope life is going good for you!

Greetings,

This is for all of you who have been waiting for another post. I felt like it was time to post something for you to read.

I spent this past week at "Reconnect", an even at the Peace Corps office where everyone from our training group comes together for a week of events. Monday and Tuesday were filled with meeting up with our Program Director and the Country Director getting updated on stuff and asking questions that we had about the work that we had started or lackthereof. On Tuesday we had a Q and A with the US ambassador in Guatemala. He is very personable and provided us with some info on the work he is doing and the US's standpoint on issues that are happening in Guatemala. It was very interesting and we got some good information and guidance on how to approach and play our part in some of the issues that take place among the people here, for example, domestic violence. Wednesday to Friday were filled with language classes. I took classes in Quiche which is the Mayan Language spoken at my site. It was a good introduction but has proven itself to be a challenge to learn. I don't plan on becoming fluent but I would like to have some understanding of what people are saying when they speak it.

I got to visit my host family from training and stay with them for a few days. It was good to catch up and see them. I stayed with them unit Thursday night and spent Thursday and Friday in a hostel in Antigua with some fellow PCV's. It was great to see everyone and catch up. It was also a good break from my current host family. They are nice but I am ready to move out. I have a place up the road that I am waiting to move to. The landlord has to put in stairs and a bathroom and then it's all mine. The space is bigger with two bedroom size rooms, a third smaller space that I plan on using as a kitchen area and the whole back balcony (it's on the 2nd level). It is also on the backside of the house so it faces the mountains as opposed to the highway which make for a quieter place and a much nicer view. I will be paying the same to rent this place as I am paying for the place I am currently at. I can't wait for my own space and I plan on buying a kitten when I get there too :) I have been told it should be done by the end of November. I am not sure if it will make that deadline or not but I am hoping to get there before I come home for Christmas.

Hello all,

So I spent this past weekend at a hostel on Lake Atitlan. I have heard it's one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. I'll post the link to pictures at the end of the post and you can see for yourself. I stayed at a place that gives PCV's 25% off the room which is amazing! It was a really chill place with a small bar, kitchen and family style dinners. It was fun hanging out with people from all over, playing cards and watching some satellite television that comes in from LA. I learned the art of doing a whole lot of nothing and being ok with it. It was significantly warmer at the lake and I took some time to soak up some rays. It was at least in the 80's there quite possibly hotter. I spent three nights out there. On Saturday we headed out to Panajachel to check out the touristy things and grab an all American burger at the cookout that happens every Saturday...delish :) I also did a little swimming in the lake but it was rocky and there wasn't much of a beach area so I didn't stay long. It was refreshing while it lasted. Sunday was an attempted hike to San Marcos, another city on the Lake. It's a three hour hike there. We had some trouble finding the correct path and accidentally went on someone's private property. The lady was a little mad but sent us in the right direction. After we came to a fork in the path and not really knowing which way to go we opted not to take the hike. Guess we will just save it for another day. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and hanging out in the hammocks. At night while we were waiting for dinner we played a friendly game of "Bullshit" with others that were staying there. There were less people for the family style dinner on Sunday night so we finally got to sit at the main table. We had some good conversations getting to know some of the people staying there. Monday was a little bit more relaxing, reading and soaking up some rays and after lunch we headed out but not without the good news that this place has a full out Thanksgiving Day spread for around 90Q and adding in the satellite tv from the States bringing in some good old American football should make for a pleasant experience. So long for now, off for a run :)

Photos:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2475076&id=22423429&l=5148860056http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2462664&id=22423429&l=efd840bf76

Please check out the website of this Guatemalan women's co-op selling traditional handbags. Each handbag is hand woven and your money will go directly to support these women and their families. Check out the website to learn more. Each handbag has a picture with the women who made it and a little bit about their family. A fellow PCV is working with these women as part of the co-op. Check it out! It's really a great cause! If you want one I am pretty sure that I can get it to bring it home with me when I come back for Christmas to save on shipping cost. Shoot me an e-mail if you are interested in me bringing one home for you.

www.temuxmayanartisans.com

So this week has been filled with blossoming friendships. First of all I have been getting closer to my host family which is exciting as I found that I really have a passion for connecting with people. As most of you know I live with two sisters one is 17 and the other 23 and the 23 year old has a 5 year old daughter. We have some cultural differences which were a bit of a challenge at first but are now becoming easier. The friendship that is more in the works is with my host brother, or rather one of the four brothers of the sisters I live with. He is 22 and works for his dad, making t-shirts and screen printing them. Once I moved down to the room on the first level they moved the business upstairs where I live. So he is around a whole lot more. At first he didn't talk to me very much and I wasn't sure how to take that. Did he like me? Was he intimidated by me? Or maybe he was just a little shy? I found out the other day that it was a little of him being shy and a little of being intimidated by me but now since we have broken through that things are going nicely. He apparently wasn't sure what to say to me and wasn't sure if I would want to talk to him. I was a bit unsure of the whole situation myself being in the machismo culture of Guatemala. I was told that platonic friendships don't really exist here. I found that to not be completely true. I really miss having guy friends and I am hoping this will help fill the gap.

I am also getting closer with the health center staff I work with. I got some candy in the mail this past week and there was so much of it. I felt like a kid on Halloween. I knew that if I kept it I would just eat it all myself so I opted to share it with my host family and a few other random people and also with the health center staff. My coworkers really enjoyed the candy and I think it helped them open up to me a little more. I have taken up running with some girls I work with. They stay at the health center during the week because they live too far away to travel everyday. I need the motivation of other people because honestly if it's up to me I usually fail. I had been walking before that but I needed to step it up a little bit.

So yeah, I guess I can say life is good right now. I really enjoying building relationships with people and getting to know who they really are and what drives them as a person. It's in the works!

Much love,

Kels

I posted a few more pictures on facebook today. Here is a public link if you don't have an account:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2462664&id=22423429&l=efd840bf76

So, I have been very pensive lately on the problem of alcoholism in Guatemala. I have found that the consumption of alcohol is very different here than I have ever experienced in the States, social drinking does not really seem to exist here. I have noticed that when a lot of people drink (usually males) they drink to the extreme, becoming so inebriated that they can’t walk straight, hold a sensible conversation or even keep their eyes open. I have seen men randomly sleeping out in public, on sidewalks, on the side of the road, or in the ditch, because the have consumed so much alcohol they can’t make it home (or maybe don’t want to go home). I have also had my fair share of conversations with drunk men (for some reason talking with a white girl seems like a good idea), some of them funny and some of them annoying.

I have been getting to know the groups of people I work with and have discovered that three of my five groups have alcoholics in them. My most recent discovery has really challenged my thoughts about the culture. I gave a charla and noticed that one of the men in my group (who’s home we happened to have the charla at) was not there. Afterwards, he met me outside to inform me that he did not come to the charla because he was drinking (this was at around 4 in the afternoon). He did not have shoes on, his hair was messed up and his eyes were bloodshot. He was one of the first people that I met from this community, a respected leader and a man involved in his community. I was just so surprised to find out a respected leader drinking so heavily midday. I don’t want to be too quick to judge, but it’s just so hard when the culture of the US is so different from this (and plus being a nurse it’s hard to turn a blind eye to this issue/sickness). I have heard stories in the US from friends about having an alcoholic parent, it tears families apart. So I guess I have a couple questions in order to get a better understanding of this issue. Does it not have the same effect on families here as it does in the States? It seems like people here just turn a blind eye to it but maybe they just don’t know how to deal with it or feel like they can’t? Do the men that drink feel so stressed out with their lives that they need alcohol as an outlet? Do those that drink remain open about it because they don’t want you to find out someway else but straight from the source? Do those that have the problem feel ashamed? Do the people here consider it to be a problem?

Please keep in mind that by no means do I want to point fingers or assume myself and my culture to be better than the one here, I am just seeking to understand. I really hope that with my time here I can answer some of these questions and can get a better grasp of the view of alcohol and alcoholism in the Guatemalan culture. I also hope that as my understanding increases that I can offer my support and knowledge to those that may seek it. I write this out of love and not judgment, because I care about the people here and I understand the effects that alcohol can have on individuals and families both physically and emotionally. Please pray that I may be able to get a better understanding of this issue and what role (if any) that I may have here in working against it and that every thing I do here may be driven by love.

Any questions or thoughts please feel free to comment.

I am working with my five groups of individuals. I meet with each group every other week, so on the other week I don't have much to do. I am working on ideas of what else I can do. I have gotten in touch with an NGO that is working in one of my communities. They are called ASDECO. Not exactly sure what it stands for but they are based in Chichicastenago and work within the 80 so communities that are covered in its municipality. They have pretty much the same goals as Peace Corps, seeking to create sustainable development in the communities they work in and empower individuals to help themselves. I am going out to meet with them on Thursday and hopefully get a better idea of what exactly their work entails. I have met a few people that work there and they are all super nice. I was excited to find out that there is a group of locals seeking development in their own country.

I have also been able to build relationships with those I work with. There seems to be more down time at the health center during the afternoons. I try to spend most of my work days at the health center, working on charlas, studying Spanish, or sometime just hanging out with those that work here. One of the educators invited me to a party her family was having for her grandpa this past weekend, put Peace Corps prohibited travel because of the rain, so I couldn't go. Most of the people that work here are around my age or younger, so we get along really well and can communicate pretty easily. They are all so nice here, the older women that work here have been motherly to me and I really appreciate it with how difficult it is to be away from my family and friends back home. I there are two educators that work here. Both of them are girls around my age and I really enjoy working with them. They come along with me when I give my charlas and translate for those that don't speak much Spanish. I look forward to continuing my work with them in the future and sharing some new ways of educating the people they work with.

Pictures can be view at the following links:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2440155&id=22423429&l=14792e41eb

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2462664&id=22423429&l=efd840bf76

I made a trip out to Lake Atitlan this weekend. It is about an hour ride to get there and well worth the trip. I visited a friend who has her site out there, working as a Youth Development volunteer. I went out on Friday to visit their market. I was told they sold beads there so I wanted to check it out and sure enough I was able to find some nice ones, not as eccentric as I was thinking but quality nonetheless. My friend’s town is a fifteen minute ride from the lake so we headed out there Friday night after the market. The town I visited is called Panajachel or Pana for short. It is a big tourist town with lots of shops and restaurants and souvenirs to purchase. I wasn’t too crowded on Friday and was a peaceful walk through the town slowly checking out the stuff for sale along the street. I noticed a lot of cool stuff and I think I am going to have to pick up my Christmas presents here. Sitting out by the lake made me think of home and being out by Lake Michigan, feeling the breeze coming off the lake and seeing the reflection of the sun on the water. The mountains in the distance were a beautiful backdrop to the picturesque lake. We went out for a few drinks with some of her friends there and spent the night at a friends apartment. Saturday might have been the highlight of my trip out there when we went to a barbecue. They had amazing burgers along with ribs, smoked chicken, pork and many other tasty options along with the typical cook out sides like potatoe salad, corn on the cob and many other favorites. It was great to have an all American burger with all the fixings and it happens every week and another cool thing is that it's an Australian man with a sweet accent. I think I am going to have to make visiting the lake a regular thing.

I hit up the market today like every other Sunday. Today I felt like I was finally getting into the hang of things and it felt like more of a natural experience going to the market, a large improvement from my first time there. I really enjoy going and seeing familiar faces and people watching and being able to get super fresh produce and know that I am supporting families with my purchases. But of course the experience of Guatemalan culture would not be complete with out being whistled at by local men. On the way to the market, there is a part of the highway that is getting fixed. It has been “getting fixed” for almost the whole time I have been at site (almost 2 months). There are a group of men working and they always like to try to get my attention. While walking today I waved my pointer finger at them as a way to say no. They seemed to think it was pretty funny and on the way back said ‘hoy si” (today yes). I just kept walking, laughing at them in my head. Do they really think they can pick up girls like that? I used to be more offended by this act but now it’s easier to brush it off and it usually makes for a good laugh.

I am looking forward to a decent work week. Tomorrow I will be heading out to one of my communities to help with vaccinations and weighing children. It’s a way to get my face out in the community and get more associated with the health center. The rest of the week I have my second charlas with four of my five groups. I am excited to see them all again and continue in our building of relationships. Some topics that I am going to cover are Diabetes, Family Planning (ie Birth Control methods), Parasites and Hepatitis A. I asked the groups what they were interested in hearing about as I don’t want to just throw my agenda of charlas and these are the topics that they picked so hopefully they will have listening ears and be interested in what I have to say and also participate. My next plan of action is to seek out more groups to work with, ones that already exist in the community. Work is out there, I just need to find it! I am slowly on my way to feeling like a real Peace Corps volunteer.

Me at the lake

Magen and I at the lake

pictures have been posted from the Independence Day celebration and more from my trip to the lake here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2440155&id=22423429&l=14792e41eb and http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2462664&id=22423429&l=efd840bf76

I have been growing so much in my faith, and the Lord has provided some great experiences and materials to do so. I have had more time to read down here as most of you know and this has been a great blessing to me. My latest read is the Irresistable Revolution. This book has put a lot of thoughts into my head and it has been great! The author has been talking a lot about getting back to the fundamentals of Christianity, pretty much loving your neighbor as yourself and what that means in this contemporary world. I tried reading this book a few years back but it just did catch my interest at that point in time. I think God was waiting to give me the message here, where I will received with a much more open heart and mind. The book talks about how we should be considering how the commandment of loving thy neighbor is reflected in our day to day actions, like the things we buy, the causes we support, how we spend our free time and much more. It talks about putting a face to the issues in this world. Realizing that turning a blind eye to the troubles in this world is the same as if we ourselves were inflicting harm to those affected by the bad things of this world. We should be standing up for the rights of others, but this shouldn’t be through yelling, commotion and violence but out of love, be that still small voice that says “hey, maybe this isn‘t right, why should it have to be like this?” It is so much easier to hate and fight wars then it is to see the face behind all of the issues and realize that people on both sides of the issue are lost in this world doomed for destruction unless we cling to the love of God shown forth in the sacrifice of Christ and even though we may be redeemed by love we are still sinners and we still make mistakes. Realizing that none of us are perfect and that forgiveness should be at the root of all our relationships is a great start to living out the Christian faith in this contemporary world.

A quote from the book that I have really come to appreciate in my time here: “ I have come to see that we Christians are not called to safety, but we are promised that God will be with us when we are in danger, and there is no better place to be than in the hands of God.’ Perhaps the most dangerous place for a Christian to be is in safety and comfort.” I am for sure not in a place of comfort but one of change and uncomfortable situations. The cool thing is though is that I feel at peace. I feel like I am right where I am supposed to be at this point in time. Although humanly speaking sometimes I wish I could be back home where it were easier and I could be around things that I know and am comfortable with. I take those feelings as they come and really try to look beyond them, see the deep value of this amazing experience here.

I am so excited about all that God has shown me so far and I look forward to where the next two years here will take me.

Working on the third day of rain, it is the rainy season and apparently it still feels the need to share it’s wrath. Made it to the market and back dry this morning, the rain started about 1:30ish this afternoon and continues steadily as I write this. I used to be more fond of rainy days. I guess when they didn’t come so often and cause so much trouble. The three days of rain is not good for Guatemala. The interamerian highway (the main drag through Guatemala) has been affected significantly. To create the highway, they cut through the mountains so every where you drive on the highway, there are steep embankments on at least one side. These embankments are not reinforced by anything, so when rain comes, down they come, or at least pieces of them. The highway consists of two lanes heading in each direction with a small median. Many times when landslides take a fall into part of the highway, traffic is redirected to the other side forcing the open side to become two way traffic, but with the excessive amount of rain that has fallen, the ground has become more and more unstable causing bigger and bigger blockages and longer delays in traveling. With today being day three of the rain, Peace Corps has notified us (via text message) that travel is prohibited and that we are in what is called a “Standfast“, meaning that we should stay where we are until further notice.

I guess this is now a good of a time as any to get used to the slow pace of life and the little amount of entertainment that exists. I feel like as soon as I get comfortable in this slow pace I am going to be done here, picking up and heading back to the fast paced US and probably back to school, which would mean jam packed days and little free time. I should learn to enjoy it while I am here. I have tried to think of the things that I have always wanted to do but never felt like I had the time in the States. One thing I thought of was knitting. I tried it once but didn’t stick with it long enough to get good at it. I think that might be possible here, so if you are reading this and thinking of sending me a package, maybe you could add some yarn to it or an instruction booklet on how to knit, maybe knitting needles. I can get some stuff here but I have been told that the yarn here isn’t the greatest.

Another thing, I found out today how much I missed cooking. I just recently purchased my own table top gas range and a small gas tank to go with it. I had been eating out of my host sister’s comedor (or a small restaurant) and realized that it was going to be expensive and I wasn’t too excited about the limited options they had for food. I bought some chicken breasts at the store the other day and decided that I would pick up some fresh vegetables at the market today to make some chicken soup. While making it I realized how much I missed creating food and how much joy it brings me. I was so relaxed and at ease after I created the soup and to top it off I shared it with my site mate along with some fresh bread from the market and a nice conversation. I think my heart is really into the baking though and that won’t be possible until I move to my new place sometime at the end of October. My host family says that a toaster oven would pull too much electricity from an already challenged circuit. There is a way to bake over the gas range, placing the pan of whatever it is you want to bake over a pot of water that is boiling and then covering all this with a large pot creating an oven. Maybe this contraption will be in my near future.

Until next time con mucho amor,

Kelsey

Here are some pictures of me giving my second charla about nutrition (forgot to take pictures of the first one). Those that came enjoyed it and I look forward to continuing my work with them.

Women participating in an activity of placing picture of different foods into their corresponding groups.

Going over the different groups.

I am surprise how much I have grown while being here. I mean I expected to grow but not so much in the first 4 months here. Through the time of being here, I have really begun to feel that this is where God wants me to be. I have followed His calling to get here. I was a little freaked out about the whole experience but not following God's calling can be a whole lot more freaky (just think of Jonah!). I haven't had the privilege of joining a church, but I feel like I have really had the opportunity to make my faith my own. I think going to church in the states became such a habit and it lost some of it's significance. I have been keeping up with sermons from my church back home and I feel like I can glean so much more from the message. I really feel in step with God being here and I feel like He is showing me a lot.

On a slightly different note, I have recently started reading Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. This is a second attempt at finishing the book (I am not good at sticking with books long enough to finish them and this time I plan on reading the whole thing in a short amount of time. I also take a long time to read books and then forget some of what I have read earlier on, making it hard to get the idea that the book is trying to get out. I am hoping that both of my bad habits in reading books will be changed while I am in the Peace Corps. I guess it was just that I always felt like I had other things that I should be doing instead of reading, not so much the case here :) ) The book is about living as an "ordinary radical" which pretty much boils down to living how Jesus lived, befriending the not so good people of this world and being in community with them, living out faith in every aspect of life. In the book Shane talks about how we have to go where we are called (everyone is different, called to different things according to their passions and gifts) and where ever we are called we must live out our faith there. So I guess tying this back to the first paragraph, this is my calling here and I shall live out my faith in the situation that I am in, not thinking that there shall be another time for it, but knowing the time is now. Getting on track with this thought and idea, has helped me to be more content in my time here. I have been through a lot of difficult times here and to be honest haven't really had the best attitude but now that I have this information in my head, about how it's really supposed to be, I think it's going to make this experience a whole lot better.

I gave my first charla (or health talk) yesterday. It was with a group from my first community and was with about 20 people, mostly women. I gave my charla on nutrition and talked about the three food groups Guatemala has. Grupo de crecemiento, grupo de proteccion and grupo de energia (growth, protection and energy) Growth is the group that contains proteins, energy is carbohydrates and protection contains fruits and vegetables. I discussed the importance of eating foods from each group and what each group's purpose was. In Guatemala, the diet doesn't contain much fresh fruits and vegetables (which baffles me a little considering how plentiful they are here), so I tried to emphasis this point as much as I could. I think the meeting went well, we had a few laughs and those present seemed interested in my topic and were willing to participate in my activities. I am excited to continue working with them and to build relationships with them. I have a passion for building relationships and I think once that starts to happen more, I will really start loving what I do, not that I don't now, it's just starting to get good :) I have a meeting tomorrow in the same community and will be going over the same topic with the other group I have there.

Today I finished up my home visits in my second community. It was the second day I was covering the 3rd sector because there were too many to get them all in in one day. We hiked uphill a lot on some rather difficult terrain. We got to once ladies house and I almost couldn't make it up to the latrine and all I can say is if I lived there I probably wouldn't be drinking much water so I wouldn't have to make that many trips to the bathroom. But the view was amazing! Should have taken a picture of it but wasn't thinking I guess. This picture is a view from our walk down the mountain. After we finished our day of home visits around 12:30, we were invited to have lunch at one of the ladies house. It was a simple meal of beans and eggs with tortillas, but the hospitality was amazing and I am truly thankful for it. The picture below is a guisquil that was boiled and to eat it you just have to remove the skin. It taste similar to a potato but was a bit smoother.

Here is a picture of where they grow.

On our way out of the community, we saw one of the women who I had worked with before to visit homes weaving a huiple or the tops that the women wear. She said this was for a 10 year old little girl and she also told me that it takes about three weeks from start to finish.

Just thought I would leave you with this view, it's on my walk to the health center. I have been meaning to capture it for a while and just got it today.

Oh! P.S. more pictures posted here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2414575&id=22423429&l=c9baad8481

Yesterday I went out into my second community to do home visits. I covered one section on Thursday and another on Friday. I have one more left to cover that will get spread over two days next week because of the great number of people/houses to visit. This community is a lot more spread out than my other one. It was a test of endurance both days, walking uphill a lot and through corn fields and down steep slippery paths. I have slipped many a times, catching myself many and avoiding any bad spills, and have the constant anxiety that with each step down the steep downhill trails my feet may come out from under me and leave me painfully on the ground. I follow the Guatemalan women accompanying us through these trails, carrying small children on their back, wearing simple plastic shoes that have little purpose other than to cover their feet, and maintaining complete and perfect balance. I wonder how they can do it, jealous of their ease of step. There are some paths we walk up that I have to push myself through and then when we get to a house or a point of flat land I silently cheer in my head and struggle to grab my breath as I don’t want the others with me to hear how out of shape I am. On the positive side, it’s been great exercise and I am happily tired by the end of the day feeling like I have made the day count. I talked with my sitemate yesterday about the fact that this is my work and I totally could have spread out these home visits over more days, oh well, I guess they are done now. Hopefully my visits next week will turn out to be a little bit easier, or not, I guess that’s supposed to be part of the experience here.

On another note, I have been wondering how the people here perceive me as an American and a guest, in particular the ones that I will be working with. The meeting last week with my first community (of interested individuals) left me wondering how the people felt. The majority of the meeting was carried out in the traditional Mayan language and I had little understanding of what the conversations entailed, but trusted my counterpart, who speaks the language and facilitated the meeting, with the matters at hand. I tried to pay attention to the emotion of the conversation and the non-verbal clues and also a few Spanish words that are thrown in as the conversation runs on (many times it is a mix of the Mayan Language and a few Spanish words as the Mayan language is simple and lacks the means for clearly expressing modern day thoughts), in order to best determine the topic of discussion. It is also a challenge to understand because Guatemalans are not very direct in what they say but they like to walk around and around a point and hope the receiver of their words can pick up what they are really trying to say. My counterpart is really good at this. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy working with him but sometimes I have some mild frustration in him not saying exactly what he means and leaving the interpretation up to me (which can be a challenge due to my lack of proficiency in Spanish and lack of cultural competency). I think I will just have to leave it to time and see how it all carries out with them. Then we have my second community. After having the initial meeting there, I had a better feeling and was excited to get starting working with them. I was really touched on the second day of home visits with them (yesterday) and had a moment that really made me feel that I was glad to be here (that has been a challenge for me, trying to find my purpose here when I didn’t feel very productive, but things are picking up) and that they really appreciated it. There were three women from the second sector that went out with my counterpart and I to help us locate the houses. We followed them to 17 different houses that were spread far and wide throughout the country side of this town. It was a lot of work and I am truly thankful for their time and dedication to my work, especially because they don’t even really know me or what exactly my work entails here, though they have a very basic understanding.

The part of the day that got me the most was when we tried to figure out what to do for lunch. It was around 1pm and my counterpart was asking me what I would like to do (we still had houses yet to visit) and I told him that I was ready to eat and would love to get lunch somewhere, and the women that had accompanied us were also lacking in the department of having food with them for lunch. One of the women called a nearby friend and had them start preparing food for us. I was really excited for this as I had worked up a good hunger from hiking to all the different houses and this would give me a chance to spend some more time with the women. We arrived and after a short wait for fresh warm tortillas that were being made on the stove and the preparation of the rest of our food, we were served a fried egg with a simple tomato sauce, tortillas and a glass of Pepsi. Guatemalan hospitality is something that I have been taking for granted, but now I am getting a better grasp of what it means for them and also for me. After we were done eating, which I was the first to do (I really need to work on slowing down, because it can get awkward sitting there waiting for others to finish), we inquired as to how much lunch would cost. There was some conversation in the Mayan Language and then my counterpart gave me the answer translated into Spanish which ended up being that we didn’t have to pay, but that this was a gift to us for the work we would be doing. I was really touched and I got a little teary eyed. I also noticed the women my counterpart was talking to was tearing up a little too. At this moment I felt like I was really getting to know these women and got excited for my opportunity to work with them and help to improve their quality of life and also that of their families.

So I guess I can say things are looking up, slowly but surely this is becoming the “toughest job that I will ever love.” Thank you everyone that has kept me in their thoughts and prayers, it keeps me going :)

Love to all,

Kelsey

Great News! I have a sitemate, she is from the same program as me. We went through training together only she was at a lower level Spanish and had to stay back for some extra help. She is here with me now in the place of my other sitemate who decided to go home. Peace Corps isn’t for everyone. We will be covering four communities that are within the 36 communities that the Health Center covers. I have begun work in my communities, though it has taken a little while to happen. My work starts with a community meeting that gets organized via talking with community leaders, my counterpart was able to help me with this as I have little knowledge as to who these people are. I met with one community during my site visit in mid July and met with the second one this week Monday. The meeting is a means of presenting my work and how I can be of resource to the community. After this meeting, those that were interested in participating in what I am going to do singed up and from that list I can start my meetings. In an effort to get to know how the people live and to meet the interested individuals on a more personal basis, I have conducted home visits in one community and have plans to cover the next in the coming days. Home visits are a bit more challenging to carry out in rural Guatemala as compared to a community in the states. Communities are divided into sectors usually around 2 or 3 depending on the size of the town. Each sector contains houses scattered throughout the countryside. Some are easy to get to just of the main road, but others require taking the path through the cornfield up and down hills shooing away angry dogs that protect many of the house, it’s not an easy job, but more of an adventure :). I was accompanied by a couple women from the community to help us locate the houses of those on the list and also by a staff member from the health center as I don’t speak the Mayan language spoken here (it’s a work in progress, a very slow progress) and many of the women don’t speak very much Spanish (Spanish is taught in the schools and many attend for only a few if any years of school). After finishing home visits, I will starting working with groups of interested community members, giving charlas or talks and working on health promotion activities.

So I guess you can see by reading all this that things are slowly picking up for me. It still continues to be a slow go, but that’s how things work here. It’s been a challenge to feel productive considering the fact that I used to be busy with school and work. It’s been nice to slow down, though it has been a challenge.

Just wanted to let you know that I posted more pictures. They can be found at:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2414575&id=22423429&l=c9baad8481

Hello all,

I had a great weekend meeting up with other volunteers at the Welcome Party in the department of Huehuetenango. Met volunteers from Huehuetenango and Quiche, a joint Welcome party. Not only was the party a memorable experience, but also was my ride out there on Friday and then returning on Sunday. It takes about three hours to get out to where the party was but for me it took a little longer.

As some of you know the main means of transportation for most Guatemalans and myself included are “Chicken Buses” or in Spanish, they are called camionetas. These are old retired US school buses, painted and stooped to Guatemalan standards. These buses travel all throughout Guatemala and can get you pretty close to where you need to go. Each bus has a driver or “chofer” and a helper or “ayudante” that collects the fare for the bus. Buses here carry many more people than you could ever imagine. It is standard that seats are filled with three people. This works for small school children, as I can remember in my bus riding days in elementary school, but it is a bit more difficult for grownups, though Guatemalans are much shorter than Americans. In addition to this, people can fill in the isles. Drivers fill their buses to the max in order to make the most money off of their trips. With so many people on the bus it makes it a little difficult to get off and you may end up getting closer to some people than you really wanted to. I am slowly getting accustomed to this but I feel it will take a little more time for me to be ok with someone that far into my personal space.

My ride out to Huehuetenango began first with catching a camioneta to the capital of my department. This has been a challenge for me because catching one involves me determining if it’s a bus that’s going to the capital and then waving my hand to alert the drive that I desire to get on. All of the buses have their destinations posted above the windshield. So I have to read the location quickly and wave my hand in enough time for the bus, that is usually barreling down the highway, to notice and stop. I have waved a few times without having the driver stop and I know the saw me. This can be a little frustrating because I know it’s probably because I am a gringa but such is the life of a PCV. I finally caught one to my desired destination and was in a bit of rush in order to catch the last bus for the day out to Huehuetenango from the capital of my department. The route to the capital involves some “curvas peligrosos” or dangerous curves but this doesn’t always phase the drivers. These are curves that turn back on themselves and are going uphill or down. Drivers of camionetas like to go fast so when they get stuck behind slower moving vehicles they are very apt to pass which is sometimes done blind. Blind passing is a very common thing and most drivers pay enough attention to avoid accidents of this fashion, but that’s a little more difficult on the curvas peligrosos. On my way out to the capital, when I was in a but of a rush, we come to a line up of cars within the area of dangerous curves. We sat there for a little while and people started getting off the bus to gawk (Guatemalans love to do this) and then the driver killed the engine and we ended up sitting there for about a half an hour. It turns out that a couple of blind passings had happened on the curves causing not one but two separate accidents. From my times traveling through this area on previous trips it seemed that it was only a matter of time before something like this were to happen. It was a relief that we started moving and I was able to catch the last bus out to Huehuetenango.

The ride to get from the capital of my department to the capital of Huehuetenango is on a microbus. These are about the size of a van and seat about 15 people plus the driver. The ride there was pretty uneventful with some beautiful scenery and the sun setting but the ride back was a different story. I was able to experience how full those micros can really get. Just when one would think that there is no more room, the driver stops to pick up more people. I was happy that we had gotten on at the beginning of the route and were able to secure a seat of our choice. Another interesting thing about Guatemalan transportation is what people transport. Anything and everything that people want to carry with them comes in or on top of the buses. A lady getting on the microbus was carrying two geese wrapped in a gunnysack with one head sticking out of one side and one from the other. I have seen many interesting things carried on the bus, mostly animals. I have seen a lady with live chickens in her apron, a lady with a puppy in a basket, and some guy with a woodworker. I am sure this is only the beginning of the crazy things I will see on the bus.

Until next time,

Kelsey

Today is market day in my town. Every town has at least one maybe two days that they have their market. Every one comes out to sell their products, offering everything from live animals to fresh produce, clothing, and DVD's. Anything your Guatemalan heart desires can be found in the market. I myself was excited to check out the wide array of fresh produce as this is something that has been lacking in my diet here (I am not sure why Guatemalans don't eat more fresh fruits and veggies because they are so plentiful here). Even though we headed out early to begin our shopping trip to the market (6:30am), the market was well filled with shoppers. There were men carrying their products to sell into the market, many times it seemed, carrying more then they weighed themselves. The large packs are carried on their back and are attached via a rope that is placed on their forehead and goes down around close to the bottom. I am flabbergasted as to how they carry so much stuff, many of them are well along in years appearing to be around 70 years old. This is how much of the stuff is brought into the market and carried in day to day life, not having the luxury of vehicles, Guatemalans seem used to the hard labor of carrying such heavy things (I will try to get some pictures of all this the next time I head to the market, so you can get a better idea of what it looks like). After I left the produce section of the market, we walked past the section where vendors were selling meat. I believe the set up they have here in Guatemala would utterly fail the USDA standards. Carcasses are hung from a hook in the open air and as buyers come for their purchases the meat is cut off. There is also chicken for sale along with many other parts of the animal that I am not sure should be eaten. I don't like walking through this part of the market, the smell is overwhelming and makes me sick to my stomach. I don't think I will ever purchase meat in this fashion, it just doesn't seem right. I made it out of the market without getting sick and with some pretty good steals, by American standards. The experience was intimidating but I anticipate it to get better with time. Hopefully it will be a little easier to navigate once I learn the ins and outs and improve in my Spanish, and maybe pick up a little of the Mayan language spoken here.