Thursday, November 20, 2008

More Pictures and an Update

Hey hey. I'm a blogging machine these days. So. . .went to Chuisac, the village outside of San Martin. We finished a stove, the one in the school. It was a lot of work but really fun. It felt good to see some final results. We also had a fire outside of Katie's house that night which was AMAZING. I love campfires. . . We ate some good food thanks to Dana's cooking, played a lot of Boggle, and just hung out. I'm attaching pictures at the bottom of this update. There will be some pictures of the first phase and the second.

Also, some random stuff. 1: Music that I heard on the chicken bus on ONE trip: Backstreet Boys, Celine Dion, and Bryan Adams. I laughed out loud. 2. I went to the market and got a bag of jalapenos, a pound of potatoes, a pound of tomatoes, a pound of blackberries, 6 zucchini-like things, a head of broccoli, and a cucumber for under 3$. Amazing. 3. It's freezing here. I go to bed with sweats, shirt, sweatshirt, socks, a scarf, and my hood up. Also my sleeping bag is on top of my bed for extra warmth. It's cold out, lots of wind, no insulation or heating in the houses. Brrr. ..

Here are the pictures I promised. . . there are some of my house and the others are of the various parts of the stove project.


my kitchen



My front room


pila, dish keeper, outside that's inside. . . generally where i do most work like dishes, laundry, etc. The stairs lead to my roof. .



Entryway, bookshelf. Looks almost like the states :)



Shower. Pepto Pink Bathroom. .



Bathroom again. . .



Girls from my Girls Group making earrings. . .



Mixing lye or lyme. . . burns the eyes and nose!



Mixing cement . .



You have to level EVERYTHING.



Making rebar cage to reinforce cement in base. . . With Debbie and some Guatemalan kids. . .



Leveling everything. .



Campfire. . . Love it. .



Girls hard ar work!



Finished product!!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Mas Fotos



More Pics from the Ruins. . .



I realize it's not the best pic of me but look at those ruins :)

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Some Pictures


Seno Cony's Wedding, and SueEllen and I in Indigenous Dress

A view from my roof. . .

Another view from my roof. . .

So as you can see, I live above a park. The other view I have is above the Municipal Building, which they just tore down and are rebuilding. On clear days I have views of 3 volcanoes. I just took pictures of the interior of my house, so I should post them soon.

Noviembre


That picture above is of the ruins in Copan, Honduras. We went for Halloween. . .and to see some new sites. . . It was gorgeous. We met some cool people, ate some good food, and I spent way too much money (haha). Those ruins were great, but can't compare to the ruins of Tikal, which i went to in June with all the teachers from my school district. I hope to post pictures of that later.

Sooo. .. November begins. I've actually been fairly busy considering there's no school right now. Last weekend I went to a friend's site to help with a stove project. The stoves in the homes and schools here are generally open fires that use a LOT of wood, create a lot of smoke, and really have effects on the lungs of the women and children that are around the cooking fires. There is not much ventilation, so the rooms fill with smoke to the extent that your eyes water and you cough when entering a room. Peace Corps has a design for a stove built with cement, cement blocks, bricks, a metal plate, and chimney that conserves the heat using less wood and allows smoke to escape the home, reducing respiratory sicknesses and diseases. For a school to be certified, they must have one of these stoves, so I went to Katie's site to learn how to build them. Also, it was about time to get my hands dirty and see some immediate results. It was a great experience. It was fun to work with the Guatemalans who were recieving the stoves. The kids were running around gophering, spreading out cement, wiring the cages we use to reinforce the cement, etc. Also, we got to work with a great group from the states who donated the money and came down to help with the actual construction. We had a great time with them, eating together, joking, talking about out lives in the Peace Corps. I'm going back this weekend to help finish with the tops of the stoves, you can only do one part at a time so the cement has time to dry.

In site I've been pretty busy as well. I have a graduation to go to today for the son of my host family here in Santa Apolonia. I have my girl's group that meets every week to bake, make crafts, and talk about career stuff, life stuff, etc. I'm mostly working right now to gain their trust, then will talk about real issues later. Also I have an English student Odely. She studied to be a bilingual secretary in school but they don't really practice English so I'm helping her out. Also, I'm dying to plant a garden on my roof. I have the pots and the soil, I just need to get the seeds and plants. We're beginning Kachiquel classes soon, which is the Native Mayan language around here. So, although there is no school, I've been keeping pretty busy.

I always think of things I want to remember to post on my blog, then ALWAYS forget! So frustrating. . . hope to think of more soon!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Que Frio

Hello All. So I'm really sorry I haven't updated since August 4th. . So in almost 3 months. . I have a lot to catch you up on! I'm going to go in order of events. . . .

SueEllen came back and we have been having some really interesting cultural experiences to say the least. We went to a funeral in one of our villages. Unfortunately a teacher from one of our schools passed away in a motorcycle accident. We went to his funeral along with all of the teachers in our school district as well as the members of his community. It was really sad, but an interesting experience. We were fed a beef soup with no utensils so we were drinking from the bowls and picking up the chunks of beef with our hands and gnawing at them as well as the veggies. Also, there were tons of fire crackers that were set off during the funeral, a must in every activity here.

That same week we went to an inauguration of a school that they rebuilt. That was also interesting. I don't know if I've told you how much respect and clout we get here but it's crazy. We sit in the front row, walk around with the mayor's entourage (which is interesting, he has like 6 or 7 guys that are always with him to get whatever he wants from wherever we are like more food, etc.), get thanked in the speeches, etc. There was also a congressman or councilman or something from the national government there. There was a marimba band (which is the music from Guatemala) and we ate beef soup again. This time we got spoons but still had to gnaw on the beef with our hands. It was actually a really nice ceremony despite the rain. I don't think it stopped raining the entire day and it was COLD. The school got 4 new classrooms, really great bathrooms (WITH SINKS!). .. this was a huge change from the house that they were holding classes in before. The event started with a little procession from the new school to the old school, anout an hour and a half of speeches (each one thanking the mayor profusely), ribbon cutting on each classroom and bathroom, then a lunch with music by the band. It was a really great day.

We just finished up the school year so we're looking forward to our secondary projects. SueEllen and I are planning of learing Kachiquel, the Mayan language from our area, working on scholarships for a couple of kids from the villages, and working on infrastructure projects in some schools that need them. Individualy I have a girl's group that I'm starting to work on life planning and self esteem as well as tutoring a neighbor Odeley in English. She's a bilingual secretary and wants to work on speaking English. Also I plan to make a herb garden on my roof eventually as well as finish organizing my house. . . like building shelves and stuff. . This school year was great because we had the chance to get a feel for what we're gonna do throughout our service. We're starting next year with a huge training for all of our teachers. . . Should be difficult but helpful to them. .

Let me think. . . I went on a trip last month and this month. Last month I went to El Quiche, where a few volunteers from my training group live. It was really fun. . . we had a great dinner, did a little dancing, and then the next day went and swam in this really cool in the mountains. As most of you know I LOVE to swim so it was really amazing to have that opportunity. About 2 weeks ago I went to Coban, which is like 6.5 hours from my site. That was really great too. We ate cuban food, saw some new places, etc. I do about one trip a month, and the last 2 have been great because I went and got to know 2 very distinct places so different from where I live. Coban is jungly and kind of tropical and Quiche is really mountanous and foresty. . .

I love my house now. I painted my kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. I'm trying out new recipes and stuff, I feel like Sally Homemaker or something. I'm pretty good about keeping my house clean because I never know who's going to drop by.

I miss everybody at home so much! I've been pretty homesick lately so any emails from you guys would be great! Also if you have any questions. . .

PS: It's getting COLD here. You would think it would be sunny and warm in Guatemala but let me tell you. . . it's misting everyday and getting pretty chilly. . . Luckily my family and I are going to Belize in December. . . I'm going to need to defrost. . .

Hope to hear from you soon!

Monday, August 4, 2008

Finally

So, I haven't written in an eternity. For those of you who don't know, my site mate/partner got sent home by Peace Corps for medical reasons. .. . but she's BACK! So I'm pretty happy.

I'm in my own place, which thanks to my mom, is SO COMFORTABLE. It's nice to be in my own home, cook my own food, and just be able to kick back. I hope to put up pictures of the casa soon. It has one bedroom, one spare room, and a kitchen. Also, I have this random concrete room where my pila is. The downsides? Lots of white fuzzy mold. Also, I have water for between 1-2 hours each day. It comes from 6-7 am and then somewhere around 3ish to 4ish. . . it depends. So, I wake up about 6 or 6:30 every day to shower and fill my pila. Then I use the water from my pila for the rest of my chores (dishes, mopping, flushing toilet) for the rest of the day. Other than those 2 things, my house is awesome. Aunt Shelly, thanks so much. . . she gave me a portable dvd player so I can watch dvd's in the comfort of my own home. . . THANK YOU! It really helps when it's lonely or a little scary at night. . . I know, I sound like a wimp.

What else is new? We're giving our first solo workshop at the end of this month. . we're thinking about how to insert Healthy Schools principles into their yearly lesson plans. . . it's all up in the air right now.

I went to the states to see Lolo and JM get married. . . It was amazing seeing everyone. The wedding was beautiful. . .and then another bf (Brittany Belluomini) got engaged! So you can expect me next summer for that wedding as I am in it and all. .. and I wouldn't miss it for the world. It was great seeing my family, especially my mom. The strange thing is that it didn't feel like I had ever left. Hope it feels like that in a year!

We just got done with Reconnect, a refresher training where we reunited with the whole training class to go over cultural stuff, work stuff, etc.

My health is pretty good, I may have amoebas again, we shall see.

Some people have been asking what I like in care packages. . . Here's a little list of things I REALLY appreciate:
-Chocolate Chips
-Anything from Trader Joe's or Whole Foods
-Pictures of you guys!
-Dried fruit
-Jiffy Muffin Mix (I just got a huge toaster oven)
-Burned Cd's of new music (It doesn't quite make it down here)
-Dvd's

I appreciate ANYTHING! Thanks to those of you who have sent letters, packages, etc.
My address is:
Jessica Momberg
Voluntaria de Cuerpo de Paz
Tecpan Guatemala, Chimaltenango
Guatemala, Centroamerica
04006

So feel free to email me with updates, questions, etc!
Miss you guys!

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

It's been a while.. .

Hi everyone! I know it's been a while.. . nothing really interesting has been going on, same 'ole...

Work: Finally finished introducing ourselves to all of our 21 schools.. . it went really well with most of the schools, some were definitely more enthusiastic than others. We had to write a report about all of the schools and give it to our superintendant. . if that's how you spell it. He's been really supportive, but he's a busy guy! Our counterpart Seño Cony is adorable. She's really a typical Guatemalan, takes her time, etc. She's so sweet. She had purses made for me and SueEllen, my site mate, out of one of her old huipiles, which is like one of the indigenous shirts. ..It was really sweet. She also took us out to an amazing lunch. . . We have a great friendship.

Lets see. . . me and Sue went to Antigua for lunch this Sunday and unfornutately Sue has an acute peanut allergy.. . long story short she had a reaction and had to go to the hospital. .which was crazy. The people at the hospital were pretty inefficient. . . Sue was like purple and they took 20 minutes to give her anything.. . although they did ask me her age like 3 times. It was ridiculous. And they didn't have epinephrine so long story short we're going to the hospital in the capital next time.

What else? There's a crazy tropical storm right now and it's raining all the time. . Lovely. You know us Californians, at least me. I don't like more than a couple days of rain. Peace Corps has been sending texts about how there's supposed to be rain for the whole week.. .lovely. The house that I don't live in yet but I will be living in a couple of weeks from now has 2 walls that are completely wet. Plus this other room that is kind of outside has water all over the floor. Think I should call my landlord? One of the water spots started out as an E.T. like figure, then transformed more into Jaba the Hutt or whatever. In my bedroom it started as a guitar then transferred to E.T. on skis. . . now both are huge blobs.. . Lucky me.

Hmm... My boss is coming to our town to see how we're doing on Friday. I'm pretty excited. We'll find out what we're doing well and where we need to improve. . It should be interesting. We haven't done much except get acclimated. We've started to do baseline surveys on all of the schools so we can get an idea of where we need to go from here. So far the teachers really need to get teaching the health classes. They aren't doing a lot of that yet, and it's a big part of the program. Some schools will be able to get certified quickly, some have bad attitudes and never will certify. We need to really try and certify all of them, but there are some where their hearts aren't in it.

Want to know what we did last friday night? Ate popcorn and made hot chocolate while reading the People mags that my mom sent me. It was amazing. Then we split a pizza and drank some vino. It's all about the simple pleasures in life. . .

Miss everyone at home. . .I'll be home in 35 days! Just for like 6 days but still. . . so exciting.

xoxo

Friday, May 9, 2008

Pics

Here are a few pics of the activities from this week. More to come later when the internet is not so sloooow.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2246630&l=21f0b&id=3300351

Mothers Day Mister!

Ok, starting with Monday. Because there's a lot of stuff.

Monday May 5 we gave a workshop for 2 hours about personal hygeine. It went incredibly well. We did this activity called ''La Mano Gigante'' aka ''The Giant Hand.'' We had everyone make their own materials so they could perform it in their schools on their own (so we hope). This took a lot longer than we had thought it would, but it all wend well. This particular activity also involved me calling the kids like Señor Diarrea and Señorita Amebas. It's a good activity about washing your hands. Anyways the kids loved it. We also did a story about this dirty little girl and some songs about brushing your teeth. There were 85 people at this workshop, about 20 teachers and the rest kids. . And we got carne asada for snack which was delish.

So Tuesday we went to a school called Panatzán which was FAR. We got a ride in a pickup with the principal which was 1 hour and 15 mins. WOW. We got to know the school and what not and then before we were leaving this group of girls that were at the workshop the day before performed our activities and songs for the wholer school. It was amazing and really emotional because we felt like we really got through to them. This girl had the mannerisms and phrases down! She was like the miniature guatemalan version of me, only better at Spanish haha. It was amazing.

We went to some other schools this week that were also FAR but the kids were adorable. We went to an aldea called Xesacap where there are 2 schools with 2 teachers and 50 kids each. . . and they are like 5 mins apart. Apparently there were problems in the community years ago and the schools split. . . odd.

Today we went to a Mother's Day Celebration today. . . They made us speak, as usual. It was SO fun. The moms did games like a spoon race and musical chairs and this egg whipping thing. There were performances and lunch (of chow mein, really randomly a Guatemalan staple). It was great. And we made a friend who is about our age. . .

Ok, so for the funny stuff. Yesterday on a walk we saw these guys walking on the tops of these really dense trees. It was surreal. And strange.

One guy who drives a camioneta always calls me mister. I think he thinks it means miss but it gets me laughing every time.

Some kids today told me they thought I was 50 years old. I freaked out and then a mom told me she thinks it's because of my white hair.

Plans for tonight you ask? It is a Friday night after all. . . Well we just got pizza. Then we're having a dance party in our friend's kitchen. Wild, I know. Then we're going home and making popcorn and hot chocolate. If that's not a wild Friday night, I don' t know what is.

Miss you guys!
xoxo

Monday, May 5, 2008

Love the music. . .

So today I was on the camioneta like I am everyday and the driver was playing the following amazing songs in some sort of remix: Ghostbusters, some Ace of Base song, Girls Just Want to Have Fun, the one coke commercial one that goes like ''I want to break free''. . . what a mix right? It's crazy the music you hear in these parts. . . Also yesterday a woman's bag was meowing which I took to mean that she didn't let the cat out of the bag.

I updated my pictures! You can see them at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2223400&l=00351&id=3300351 . . I need to take some more pics of my town asap so you can see exactly what it's like where I'm living.

So the internet cafe is closing . . . I'll update soon because we did a cool thing at work today. . .

here's my new address. .

Jessica Momberg
Voluntaria de Cuerpo de Paz
a/c Cuerpo de Paz
Tecpán Chimaltenango
Guatemala Centroamérica
04006

There is a flat rate envelope if you wanted to send anything by chance ;) that is 11$ and gets here really fast. I love dried fruit and chocolate. . . and pictures of you guys!

I'll update mañana or Wednesday. . .

xoxo

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Amoebas are not fun. . .

So, I know it's been quite a while since I've written on the ole blog. . . busy busy. I'm now in site. I live with another family that is a little different from the fam in Pastores.. . I cook for myself and all that. . . which I like but I don't really feel like part of the fam like I did before. I love my little town, although there is not much to do. We go for LOTS of walks and stuff. . . And read a lot. . . But it's really beautiful. . .I would compare the landscape to the mountains of California. . .lots of trees, really green. Lots of small farms.. . every day when we walk to the schools that are FAR we see people working in the fields. . .a lot of carrots around our schools. . .

How do we get to our schools and back you ask? We take camionetas (chicken buses), walk, or a pickup, or all of the above. The camionetas are hilarious to see because we are 2 gringas in a bus full of people in typical indigenous outfits.. . we stick out a little. I LOVE the pickups because we ride in the back and it's absolutely beautiful countryside.. especially on warm days. . . which are getting to be more and more limited now that winter is coming.

Some interesting notes:

We have this routine to introduce ourselves to each school. Well, last week a principal said that they shouldn't be scared when they see us, if anyone is going to rob them it's going to be a Guatemalan. . .it was hilarious. Every time we introduce ourselves at our schools our counterpart Seño Cony (Who is AMAZING) says that next time they see us they shouldn't be scared or run away, which actually happens quite frequently.

Also, I've had about a week of interesting happenings as well as bad luck. . .
1) A drunk harassed me and a friend on a bus. He tried to fight the helper and then the bus stopped, everyone was staring at us (which happens daily but I'm still not used to. . . the staring that is), and the guys got up to kick this guy off the bus. It was really scary because we thought these guys were gonna pummel the drunk, they take everything really seriously here. Eventually everything calmed down and the bus started moving again. .. I'm really not doing the story justice I realize.
2) I got amoebas and a bacterial infection. I felt like death. I had a fever and lets just say nothing was staying in my body... at all. I had to take a bus for 1 1/2 hours to get to the training center, give a sample, and wait for the results. Well, they didn't find anything so I had to stay in Antigua overnight. I had the equivalent of 12$, no clothes, toothbrush, phone charger. . .nothing. . .had to stay in a hotel for 6$, get around which costs about 5, so i had like no money to eat. . .which was fine because I couldn't. The next day after a night of misery I had to walk to the clinic to give another sample. .. walking in that condition was not easy. Then I went to the training center and I found out I had a bacteria and some amoebas. . . lovely. But, now I'm better. . . after the bus ride from hell to get home. Imagine a fever, dehydration, no food, and the d word for 2 1/2 hours on a crowded hot bus. Yay. But I am grateful to live so close to the training center, that's for sure.
3) A turkey escaped on the chicken bus! It was hilarious, climbing around our feet and such. Eew.
4) We went to the election of the queen of the school district. SO FUN. These women (teachers) dressed up in indigenous clothing, sportswear (like cheerleaders, boxers, etc), fantasy clothing (costumes like corn and mermaids), and gala clothing. It was quality, let me tell you.
5) To continue my string of luck I took a chunk off of my toe on a rock. . . yay.

So that was my week last week. I'm hoping I have a change of luck this week. Maybe I'll find 100q on the ground or something. I'm looking forward to a little r and r to recooperate.. .

In the internet cafe today I have heard Gangsters Paradise, various songs by Ace of Base, etc. Amazing.

I miss everybody! Feel free to email me! jesslmomberg@yahoo.com

also here's the link to my pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2223400&l=a3fc4&id=3300351

xoxo
Jess

Friday, April 4, 2008

And So It Ends. . .And Begins

Training is officially over. We swore in last Thursday at the Ambassador's house. It was absolutely beautiful. The yard is huge, I saw carpet for the first time in like literally 3 months, Laura and Andrew gave amazing speeches. It was great. . . And there were sandwiches and brownies after. . . Then we had a weekend of celebration and goodbyes in Antigua before we separated to our respective sites. I already miss my friends and fellow volunteers and host fam!

So, my new life in Guatemala has begun. I'm now in my site. . . It's a smaaaalll town next to a bigger town about 1.5 hours away from Antigua. It's adorable and my new host fam is great. I've taken up weight watchers again. . . I've put on 5 lbs since I've been here thanks to my old host mom Lupita and all that bread. I'm surprised it hasn't been more! So, there's a gym in the next town over that I plan to frequent frequently. . . I'm finally cooking for myself which is great because I don't have to eat carbs carbs carbs at every meal. . . they are delicious but unfortunatley my thighs think so too.

We've basically been assimilating this week, getting comfortable, getting to know the town. My new house is great, my room small but roomy enough. I life with a woman who I think as about 40 with her 17 year old son and 6 year old daughter. The husband I have yet to meet as he only comes home on the weekends. There are 4 other houses in the same patio where Seño Dora's (The lady of my house) sisters and mom live, so it's a pretty happenin' place, if you must know.

We officially begin working on Monday, which is pretty exciting. It's the reason we are here, after all. Training was a great experience, but let's get to work :)

As always, I just want to tell you all that I miss you much. . .

XOXO
Jess

PS: You can look at pics at:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2223400&l=a3fc4&id=3300351

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Pictures. . .

I have a website where I´m gonna put pics. . . It´s on flickr.com and my username is jesslmomberg. let me know if you can see them!

Hiii

I´m in my site. . . just for a visit but it´s going really well. .. Today we went to a school certification which was great to see what I´ll hopefully be doing tons of times in my future. . .that is, certifying schools as healthy schools. . . there were lots of speeches and a pretty good lunch. I think I´ll really like living in this community. Everyone is so warm and open and friendly. . . I miss my friends and family at home though! Í´m at the internet while the others are working out. I know, lazy lazy. But, I wanted to REST since last week was SO LONG. To add to it I woke up at 4:45 to go to the exit of the procession with my host brother on Sunday after celebrating my host cousin´s bday on sat and then having to celebrate my host dad´s bday on sunday. No rest for the weary! It was really amazing to see the salida of the procesison though. . so beautiful! But so many people.. there was hardly room to move. I´m going to upload photos on a website I just haven´t figured out which one. Any suggestions? Okay well I miss you guys tons. . . I can´t think of what else I should write! XOXO.

Ps for those of you who don´t know my email is jesslmomberg@yahoo.com

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Por Fin

Hey family and friends. . . I know I've been completely lagging on my blog updates and emails. It seems like I have NO time but here I am :) First, I miss all of you TONS. I love it here. . . but it's always hard leaving behind the fam and amigos. So, I'm just going to do a quick overview of where I left off. . . I'm still in training, 25 days till we swear in and I'm an actual volunteer! Finally. . . It's a lot of work, exhausting, and it seems like my time is not really my own time... but I love it... and I'm almost done.

My Cell Phone (Call anytime:)) Country code is 502. . . then my # is 4081-5554

Address (Write Anytime:))
Jessica Momberg
a/c Cuerpo de Paz Guatemala
Apartada Postal 66
Antigua, Sacatepequez
Guatemala
America Central

Ok, here's a little play by play so far:

About 3 Weeks ago (around V day):
Field Based Training. We went to Huehuetenango, Quetzaltenango (aka Xela), and Tecpan to see how volunteers live, look at schools, etc. It was AMAZING. The whole Healthy Schools crew got extremely close. . . We saw some great schools, ate at some good restaurants, saw some totally different parts of the country, slept in god awful hotels with like 30 people sharing 2 bathrooms, participated in a Valentine's Day activity with a Guatemalan school and its teachers, and spent some quality time in the Peace Corps microbuses. I brought my Itrip for the ole Ipod so it was a good time rockin out in the van. I was extremely tired after the trip but we learned how to deal with different situations, about different infrastructure projects, and how actual volunteers live. They have cute little houses, cook good food, and really go easier on the carbs than they do in say.. host families? We spent a week on this trip so I'm not really sure what I'm leaving out. . .

After that:
Back to the training center. Me and another girl Becca in my Spanish group were awarded an advanced level of Spanish so we get to stop classes! So... we look for activities to fill our time. But, we still are working in a local school and go to the training center about once a week. What are we doing with our free time you ask? Planning a lot for our school. We have done lots of observing and what not, as well as gave a health lesson. This week we're planning a workshop on how to use different materials for the teachers (that will be wednesday)... What else are we doing you ask? We have actually started working at this pre-school called changing lives (Cambiando Vidas). We go and help cook and clean and are going to give a couple nutrition workshops to the mothers of the students. That will also be a TON of work. I can't really think of anything else in this section. Oh, yes I can. I got this other cool job within my program . .. I'm now (along with one girl who will be living in my same town) a Heally Schools Coordinator. . I'll be working supposedly more on the municipal level and we'll have 20 schools instead of 2-4. It's a LOT of work getting to some of the schools as well as a lot more responsibility and work, but I'm up to it. . .and the challenge. We'll seeee.

Also, I planned a trip to Monterrico, a black sand beach here about 2 hrs from Antigua. It was absolutely amazing. 11 of us went and it was worth every quetzal (or $ if you're still using $'s).

Last Week:

I got to visit my future site and stay with the girl I'll be replacing. I saw my (hopefully) future house. My town is teeny tiny but I'm like 5 minutes in a chicken bus or a 45 min walk from a larger town with really great amenities like a gym (which is NOT like you would think of a gym. It's more like a home gym), a PIZZA place, and a couple grocery stores. . . The people we're replacing love it. . . so I think I will too. . . they've done a great job there. I can only hope to keep up that good work! We had fun with them cooking bbqing, etc. We also went to a couple of the schools, met with the town doctor, dentist, mayor, school superintendent, etc. A busy couple of days but really amazing and encouraging.

This Week:

This week we had training Monday, cooked for a preschool this morning, planned a workshop for tomorrow, have a workshop at a school tomorrow, have to plan a workshop for a group of mothers from the school (like 25) about nutrition tomorrow, have to do it on Thursday. . . AAAH. Busy busy. Right now I'm in Antigua because I have to type my resumee in Spanish. And we have to type some things and copy them. .. also more work than you would think. This week is crazy. So Friday we get some leeway for Spanish class and we're going to a museum in the capitol which I am looking forward to. . . a break from PLANNING AND PRESENTING. Which is what I'm going to be doing for 2 years straight so I really shouldn't whine about it.

Also, something interesting that's going on in Guat right now is that it's Cuaresma, which is like Lent. So every Friday there is a Velacion. But anyways there are these beautiful scenes and flower/colored sawdust arrangements covering the floors in the churches (a different church each weekend) and there are tons of food booths outside like a fair. Then on Sunday there are these beautiful processions with Jesus and Mary on floats that people carry for hours and hours. Tons of families in the communities make these carpets of colored sawdust or in our case pine needles, flowers, fruit, etc, and the procession passes and walks all over them. It's gorgeous, really fun. Last we went to Jocotenango's and went with all of my host mom's (Lupita's) family. So amazing. Her fam is fabulous. They are so welcoming and so warm. This weekend it was the procession in my town so her fam came over to our neck of the woods. I made cookies and we made chicken sandwiches and she made batido which is a tradicional dirnk for this time of year. Her family obsessed over the cookies which made me feel absolutely amazing since they took me hours to bake because I could only bake 6 at a time. And they were expensive to make (only like 15$ but thats a LOT on a Peac Corps budget)... That was a GREAT day. Oh and that morning I made eggs and french toast for my family and my friend Ashleigh came over to help/eat. I love sharing with my family and learning from them as well . . cheesy I know.

Ok I'm not sure if this blog completely made sense but here it is. Next Tues. I go to my site again which will be exciting. . . More to come after. . . hopefully. . .

With all my love,

Jess

PS: Feel free to call me and/or write me whenever!

Friday, January 25, 2008

A Quick Update

I´m still alive. I wrote a massive email this morning and now have no time for the blogster. I miss all of you much. Everything is going well. My home is great, Guatemala is great, my training class is great. . . Lots going on all the time. Being a trainee is a busy job! More later, I have a minute left!

xoxo

Monday, January 14, 2008

2 Weddings and a Baptism

Ok. I have like no time to write because we have class in a couple minutes but I wanted to say a quick hello. I'm loving it here. My new host family is amazing. I live in a beautiful little town outside of Antigua called Pastores. Love the new fam, miss my own. Had a busy weekend. . . 2 weddings and a baptism in one weekend! I miss all of you and will write much more very soon!

xoxo