Well it’s been exactly one year since I left for Togo and this whole Peace Corps adventure began. I thought it would be a two year stay in West Africa. Togo was everything I had hoped it would be and better. Truly the best time of my life. I plan on returning to the motherland someday. That’s the goal. It’s terrible what happened and I miss it dearly (my friends, my family, my village). But shit happens. This past year has been a whirlwind and I could not have imagined I’d be where I am right now.
I’ve been on the move a lot this year and it has been a great test of my adaptability. In the past year I’ve lived with 6 different families, speaking 5 different languages between them, and all of those experiences have been wonderful and unique in their own way. For someone who used to be relatively shy, I’d say I’ve grown a lot. It’s been a testing year with plenty of ups and downs but it’s been made beautifully clear to me how blessed I am to have such wonderful people in my life and for that I thank you.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Dia de la Independencia
Well it's September 15th which is Guatemala's day of independence (it shares this date back in 1821 with El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica). As such an important day the town is alive and brimming with commotion. This morning there was a parade which wove through the streets. It reminded me of those Montreat parades I used to march in, with kids dressed as different things like the Quetzal (Guatemala's national symbol). The most interesting part of the parade was probably a group of children dressed up in black face to depict the Garifuna people (West African descendants who inhabit the eastern part of the country). I don't think that would exactly fly stateside. Everyone was decked out in their blue and white, school bands marched and little kids set off fireworks in the streets. It's such a neat thing to experience another country's day of independence, witness all their patriotism and pride. It's been a while since I've updated. I've been very busy: lots of presentations with little prep time but it's good to practice shooting from the hip. Tomorrow I've got to give a presentation on tire gardening in Spanish which should be interesting.
It was a good weekend. Saturday we took part in a traditional Mayan ceremony. I'm looking forward to learning more about the Mayan culture and since my program is Food Security it's likely I will be in a more rural, Mayan village. It was very interesting. It's been an amazing year experiencing different religious ceremonies. In the past year I've been to a Jehovah's Witness service, a Christian service, participated in a voodoo ceremony, an informal Jewish event, a Pagan/Wiccan solstice party and now a Mayan ceremony. It's been awesome to take part in such a wide array of sacred events. I'm completely fascinated with different cultures, ways of life, beliefs, etc. It's a desire to understand one another through learning and absorbing different cultural aspects.
I spent this past Sunday up at the farm with my family. When we got to the farm we found their guard dog Rex lying lifeless. It turns out a coyote had gotten him. It was a little sad but we dug a grave and buried him under the corn. We hung up plastic bags to scare birds away from the avocado trees and we cut down some corn to sell. It was a great to spend the day with the extended family and not have a tech or Spanish session to attend. I've been playing some soccer which has been good exercise especially up here at 7,000 ft and I'm going to have a nice tush by the end of training thanks to the steep hill that leads to my house.
We're taking a field trip next week which should be quite the outing. Yup that will be me and eight girls. I may commit seppuku before I make it back. I'm enjoying Food Security, I find the information really interesting and I'm looking forward to working with the Guatemaltecos after swear-in. We've got a garden set up right now and we've been tending to it. We're growing some basic crops that will harvest within the couple months we're in training like root crops (radishes, beets, carrots), some tomatoes and then three cousins (broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage). So far so good, we're seeing sprouting although we need to do some thinning (or "purging" as Stalin would call it). The only problem has been that some chuchos (street dogs) did some digging in one of our beds the other day.
Something I would like to address are the landslides that recently caused a national emergency here. Some of you probably heard about it some of you may not have. The major American media programs (CNN, FOX, MSNBC, etc.) spend very little time on international news so you have to look elsewhere to find out what's going on in other parts of the world. I recommend BBC.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Guatemala is ripe for natural disasters and landslides are among the most prevalent. This rainy season has been the most powerful in Guatemala's history. The country has received more than three times the normal amount of rainfall. Last week torrential downpours caused several landslides throughout the country. In Nahuala in the state of Solola (north of where I'm located) along the Pan-American Highway two landslides occurred. The first took out a bus. When help showed up there was a second landslide. The current estimates are 46 people dead. It's awful, thousands have had to evacuate their homes. These disasters come after the devastating Tropical Storm Agatha that hit Guatemala in May. Remember pictures of that sinkhole? According to BBC.com the president estimates that roughly 263 have died so far this year as a result of the rain. The bad news is their predicting it will only get worse. It's tough with such tragedy happening all around.
Here are some photographs from BBC.com: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-11193592
It was a good weekend. Saturday we took part in a traditional Mayan ceremony. I'm looking forward to learning more about the Mayan culture and since my program is Food Security it's likely I will be in a more rural, Mayan village. It was very interesting. It's been an amazing year experiencing different religious ceremonies. In the past year I've been to a Jehovah's Witness service, a Christian service, participated in a voodoo ceremony, an informal Jewish event, a Pagan/Wiccan solstice party and now a Mayan ceremony. It's been awesome to take part in such a wide array of sacred events. I'm completely fascinated with different cultures, ways of life, beliefs, etc. It's a desire to understand one another through learning and absorbing different cultural aspects.
I spent this past Sunday up at the farm with my family. When we got to the farm we found their guard dog Rex lying lifeless. It turns out a coyote had gotten him. It was a little sad but we dug a grave and buried him under the corn. We hung up plastic bags to scare birds away from the avocado trees and we cut down some corn to sell. It was a great to spend the day with the extended family and not have a tech or Spanish session to attend. I've been playing some soccer which has been good exercise especially up here at 7,000 ft and I'm going to have a nice tush by the end of training thanks to the steep hill that leads to my house.
We're taking a field trip next week which should be quite the outing. Yup that will be me and eight girls. I may commit seppuku before I make it back. I'm enjoying Food Security, I find the information really interesting and I'm looking forward to working with the Guatemaltecos after swear-in. We've got a garden set up right now and we've been tending to it. We're growing some basic crops that will harvest within the couple months we're in training like root crops (radishes, beets, carrots), some tomatoes and then three cousins (broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage). So far so good, we're seeing sprouting although we need to do some thinning (or "purging" as Stalin would call it). The only problem has been that some chuchos (street dogs) did some digging in one of our beds the other day.
Something I would like to address are the landslides that recently caused a national emergency here. Some of you probably heard about it some of you may not have. The major American media programs (CNN, FOX, MSNBC, etc.) spend very little time on international news so you have to look elsewhere to find out what's going on in other parts of the world. I recommend BBC.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Guatemala is ripe for natural disasters and landslides are among the most prevalent. This rainy season has been the most powerful in Guatemala's history. The country has received more than three times the normal amount of rainfall. Last week torrential downpours caused several landslides throughout the country. In Nahuala in the state of Solola (north of where I'm located) along the Pan-American Highway two landslides occurred. The first took out a bus. When help showed up there was a second landslide. The current estimates are 46 people dead. It's awful, thousands have had to evacuate their homes. These disasters come after the devastating Tropical Storm Agatha that hit Guatemala in May. Remember pictures of that sinkhole? According to BBC.com the president estimates that roughly 263 have died so far this year as a result of the rain. The bad news is their predicting it will only get worse. It's tough with such tragedy happening all around.
Here are some photographs from BBC.com: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-11193592
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Some pictures
Morning fog settles in the mountains from the view of my house
Cobblestone street in Antigua
With Justin a Municipal Development volunteer
Eerie ferris wheel in town for feria
Working in the garden
Carlita and I
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Hoop Dreams
8/22/10
On Sunday the festival was in full swing. Lots of bombas and fireworks, a bicycle race, the ferris wheel turning and Guatemaltecos eating street tacos. The town was full of excitement by the time I waltzed in. A lot of people were gathered around the basketball court where two teams were about to play. I mentioned to Eric's father that I wanted to shoot around a little and the next thing I know, he's told a coach and I'm being sent home to change clothes. Just like that San Bartolome drafted me.
I thought we were going to just be playing an informal game but it turned out it was a four team tournament. I guess they just picked me because of my height (I was easily the tallest person on team). It was fun playing center. I always wanted to do the tip off. All of the teams had uniforms (some with the players’ names on them). My favorite was the "Blakers" who wore Cavaliers colors. I was the only player on my team who didn’t have a uniform on. We were definitely the worst team in the tournament but I had a lot of fun. I didn't play as well as I'd liked but it's difficult just coming in without knowing plays or anything. There is a bit of a show being the only gringo on the court. Every time I blocked a shot or stole the ball I would receive a loud applause, while a missed shot or bad pass would generate laughter. I had only thought we'd be shooting around. I didn't realize I had been enlisted in a tournament and after a full day of hoops I was completely wiped. It was great fun and hopefully I'll get a chance to play some more. It was good to start to establish a reputation in the town as someone who wants to come out and interact and play with others.
That night I dragged my tired body into bed and escaped to America, drifting off with some tunes (currently it’s been nothing but Prince, I’ve listened to “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man” probably 20 times in the last 3 days). I passed out quickly under the warm ponchos. I can say this for my time here so far: there are no wasted days, and I love it.
On Sunday the festival was in full swing. Lots of bombas and fireworks, a bicycle race, the ferris wheel turning and Guatemaltecos eating street tacos. The town was full of excitement by the time I waltzed in. A lot of people were gathered around the basketball court where two teams were about to play. I mentioned to Eric's father that I wanted to shoot around a little and the next thing I know, he's told a coach and I'm being sent home to change clothes. Just like that San Bartolome drafted me.
I thought we were going to just be playing an informal game but it turned out it was a four team tournament. I guess they just picked me because of my height (I was easily the tallest person on team). It was fun playing center. I always wanted to do the tip off. All of the teams had uniforms (some with the players’ names on them). My favorite was the "Blakers" who wore Cavaliers colors. I was the only player on my team who didn’t have a uniform on. We were definitely the worst team in the tournament but I had a lot of fun. I didn't play as well as I'd liked but it's difficult just coming in without knowing plays or anything. There is a bit of a show being the only gringo on the court. Every time I blocked a shot or stole the ball I would receive a loud applause, while a missed shot or bad pass would generate laughter. I had only thought we'd be shooting around. I didn't realize I had been enlisted in a tournament and after a full day of hoops I was completely wiped. It was great fun and hopefully I'll get a chance to play some more. It was good to start to establish a reputation in the town as someone who wants to come out and interact and play with others.
That night I dragged my tired body into bed and escaped to America, drifting off with some tunes (currently it’s been nothing but Prince, I’ve listened to “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man” probably 20 times in the last 3 days). I passed out quickly under the warm ponchos. I can say this for my time here so far: there are no wasted days, and I love it.
A trip to Antigua
8/21/10
It's time I tell you about the other four Food Security volunteers that live in San Bartolome with me. Cara Allan is from southern Jersey, we’re talking Cape May south. She did crew at Rutgers and she’s very smart when it comes to agriculture which will be a great help. Eric Womack (no relation to Bobby Womack) is from Virginia Beach and went to Old Diminion. He sports a thick handlebar mustache and knows a bunch of crazy biological facts about all sorts of animals. He does bird and insect calls. Yea, it's pretty sweet. The other two girls in our group are both from Washington. Britini (or Margarita) Port is a Huskie and is definitely a hipster regardless of what she says (she wears flannel and listens to Yeasayer, point and case). She's really cool to talk music with and has traveled all over the world. Also she looks like Lindsay Lohan (I'm not saying that to be insulting, she's very pretty. The resemblance is just uncanny). Jaron (or Elizabeth) is also from Washington but went south for school (she's a Sun Devil). She's very athletic and played water polo in college. She's very smart and well read. I've made a list of awesome books she's recommended. We're not exactly the Breakfast Club but we're a pretty diverse group all brought together by a similar passion. It's interesting having two West Coasters around because they always ask me about the East Coast as if it's some foreign land. Luckily we're all on about the same Spanish level so if I completely butcher a word, I don't feel too much shame.
We took a "Spanish field trip" to Antigua this morning. It’s an interesting place. The first sentence about Antigua in my Lonely Planet Central America travel book reads as follows: "In all the long, boring discussions about where the 'real Guatemala' is, you can be sure the word Antigua has never come up." While I'd say that's a bit of a harsh statement, after visiting I can understand what they meant. Antigua is definitely not like anywhere else in the country. It's clean, well regulated, and touristy. And while I don't particularly like being a part of the whole tourist trap scene, Antigua is definitely a place to see. It's the center of colonial Guatemala, cobblestone streets lined with 18th century churches and municipal buildings, the whole deal. With all of this great colonial architecture under the shadow of four huge volcanoes, it's not surprising that Antigua is one of the country’s biggest tourist/expat spots. We saw so many other gringos walking around that it felt kind of awkward. It was a mix of American families on vacation, Europeans and travelers drifting through wearing shirts emblazoned with that famous image of Che Guevara, the great Argentinean doctor who led revolutions all over the world but whose face is sadly now more of a fashion icon than a symbol for revolution. Cliché Guevara if you will. Anyways, Antigua is beautiful and definitely a place to see if you're visiting Guatemala. It reminded me of Grenada, Nicaragua only busier.
It was interesting to see the colonial historical sites. Guatemala has such a rich history. Much of that is the history of the Mayans. I almost feel like I should have seen Apocalypto before I came here (even though it was made by a psycho). Unlike the Incans and the Aztecs, the Mayans weren’t killed off, they were more decentralized. The other day I was listening to Neil Young’s epic “Cortez the Killer,” about the European who did the Aztecs in. Cortez actually had some interaction with the Mayans but not to the same bloody extent. About 60% of Guatemala’s population is indigenous (almost 40% of that Mayan) giving it the highest percentage of indigenous peoples in Central America. The other 40% of Guatemalans are Ladinos (a term specific to Guatemala). I’m looking forward to becoming more familiar with the Mayan culture as most volunteers are placed in the Western highlands which is where the highest concentration of Mayans are found.
It's time I tell you about the other four Food Security volunteers that live in San Bartolome with me. Cara Allan is from southern Jersey, we’re talking Cape May south. She did crew at Rutgers and she’s very smart when it comes to agriculture which will be a great help. Eric Womack (no relation to Bobby Womack) is from Virginia Beach and went to Old Diminion. He sports a thick handlebar mustache and knows a bunch of crazy biological facts about all sorts of animals. He does bird and insect calls. Yea, it's pretty sweet. The other two girls in our group are both from Washington. Britini (or Margarita) Port is a Huskie and is definitely a hipster regardless of what she says (she wears flannel and listens to Yeasayer, point and case). She's really cool to talk music with and has traveled all over the world. Also she looks like Lindsay Lohan (I'm not saying that to be insulting, she's very pretty. The resemblance is just uncanny). Jaron (or Elizabeth) is also from Washington but went south for school (she's a Sun Devil). She's very athletic and played water polo in college. She's very smart and well read. I've made a list of awesome books she's recommended. We're not exactly the Breakfast Club but we're a pretty diverse group all brought together by a similar passion. It's interesting having two West Coasters around because they always ask me about the East Coast as if it's some foreign land. Luckily we're all on about the same Spanish level so if I completely butcher a word, I don't feel too much shame.
We took a "Spanish field trip" to Antigua this morning. It’s an interesting place. The first sentence about Antigua in my Lonely Planet Central America travel book reads as follows: "In all the long, boring discussions about where the 'real Guatemala' is, you can be sure the word Antigua has never come up." While I'd say that's a bit of a harsh statement, after visiting I can understand what they meant. Antigua is definitely not like anywhere else in the country. It's clean, well regulated, and touristy. And while I don't particularly like being a part of the whole tourist trap scene, Antigua is definitely a place to see. It's the center of colonial Guatemala, cobblestone streets lined with 18th century churches and municipal buildings, the whole deal. With all of this great colonial architecture under the shadow of four huge volcanoes, it's not surprising that Antigua is one of the country’s biggest tourist/expat spots. We saw so many other gringos walking around that it felt kind of awkward. It was a mix of American families on vacation, Europeans and travelers drifting through wearing shirts emblazoned with that famous image of Che Guevara, the great Argentinean doctor who led revolutions all over the world but whose face is sadly now more of a fashion icon than a symbol for revolution. Cliché Guevara if you will. Anyways, Antigua is beautiful and definitely a place to see if you're visiting Guatemala. It reminded me of Grenada, Nicaragua only busier.
It was interesting to see the colonial historical sites. Guatemala has such a rich history. Much of that is the history of the Mayans. I almost feel like I should have seen Apocalypto before I came here (even though it was made by a psycho). Unlike the Incans and the Aztecs, the Mayans weren’t killed off, they were more decentralized. The other day I was listening to Neil Young’s epic “Cortez the Killer,” about the European who did the Aztecs in. Cortez actually had some interaction with the Mayans but not to the same bloody extent. About 60% of Guatemala’s population is indigenous (almost 40% of that Mayan) giving it the highest percentage of indigenous peoples in Central America. The other 40% of Guatemalans are Ladinos (a term specific to Guatemala). I’m looking forward to becoming more familiar with the Mayan culture as most volunteers are placed in the Western highlands which is where the highest concentration of Mayans are found.
Trodding along
8/20/10
It's night in San Bartolome and I just got back from Margarita's house where four of us met up to hang out for an hour. My walk was memorable and worth a vivid description. Right now the town is covered in clouds which sprinkle rain upon the slick, shiny, stone streets. Hiking into San Bartolome from the hills in which I live I get a full view of the town, perched upon the mountainside. There is a big festival at the beginning of this week and the town is starting to gear up with food and game stands. It's particularly dark tonight with the clouds blocking out the night sky but the center of town is bright. Standing tall above the church is a rickety ferris wheel which has been brought in for the celebration. The empty ferris wheel sits stationary. Lit up in faded neon colors, it shines eerily in the misty night haze. The whole damp atmosphere felt like something out of a dream. Walking the steep, bleak avenues in silence under the orange glow of an occasional streetlight it felt kind of like I was in the setting of a Dickens novel. Nope, just a dreary night in a small, shady town in the Guatemalan highlands.
I like San Bartolome a lot. The layout, the scenery, the steep winding streets and I'm afforded the luxury of the full experience with my daily hike into and across town. We've been in Saint Barts (as we jokingly call it) for one week now. The next ten will fly by. The days are full as Peace Corps Pre-service training requires technical sessions and language classes all day. It was the exact same in Togo. I feel as though my Spanish comprehension has improved greatly in a week. There was an earthquake in class yesterday. Not a big one but everything trembled for a few seconds. It's my second earthquake of the year after the one in D.C. earlier this summer. Guatemala has the great distinction of resting upon the junction of three different tectonic plates: the North American, the Cocos, and the Caribbean. The confluence of these plates means plenty of earthquakes. It seems the Earth is constantly reminding Guatemaltecos just how small they really are. The country is incredibly prone to all sorts of natural disasters: volcanoes, landslides, earthquakes, tropical storms, monsters(?), and of course sinkholes. They all wreak havoc on poor, beautiful, Guatemala.
It's night in San Bartolome and I just got back from Margarita's house where four of us met up to hang out for an hour. My walk was memorable and worth a vivid description. Right now the town is covered in clouds which sprinkle rain upon the slick, shiny, stone streets. Hiking into San Bartolome from the hills in which I live I get a full view of the town, perched upon the mountainside. There is a big festival at the beginning of this week and the town is starting to gear up with food and game stands. It's particularly dark tonight with the clouds blocking out the night sky but the center of town is bright. Standing tall above the church is a rickety ferris wheel which has been brought in for the celebration. The empty ferris wheel sits stationary. Lit up in faded neon colors, it shines eerily in the misty night haze. The whole damp atmosphere felt like something out of a dream. Walking the steep, bleak avenues in silence under the orange glow of an occasional streetlight it felt kind of like I was in the setting of a Dickens novel. Nope, just a dreary night in a small, shady town in the Guatemalan highlands.
I like San Bartolome a lot. The layout, the scenery, the steep winding streets and I'm afforded the luxury of the full experience with my daily hike into and across town. We've been in Saint Barts (as we jokingly call it) for one week now. The next ten will fly by. The days are full as Peace Corps Pre-service training requires technical sessions and language classes all day. It was the exact same in Togo. I feel as though my Spanish comprehension has improved greatly in a week. There was an earthquake in class yesterday. Not a big one but everything trembled for a few seconds. It's my second earthquake of the year after the one in D.C. earlier this summer. Guatemala has the great distinction of resting upon the junction of three different tectonic plates: the North American, the Cocos, and the Caribbean. The confluence of these plates means plenty of earthquakes. It seems the Earth is constantly reminding Guatemaltecos just how small they really are. The country is incredibly prone to all sorts of natural disasters: volcanoes, landslides, earthquakes, tropical storms, monsters(?), and of course sinkholes. They all wreak havoc on poor, beautiful, Guatemala.
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