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
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
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
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. . .
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
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!
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
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
xoxo
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