Would you like to make a tax deductible donation to my future projects?

Hello Fellow Blog Readers:

To those of you who are interested, I will be setting up an account that will allow you to make tax deductible donations to the projects I will be working on my second year. I will be spending my first year working on education. Then in my second year, I will determine families that are in need of a project in order for them to better their health. Projects could include, an improved cook stove, latrine, cement floor, water storage system, or drainage system. Criteria for recipients of projects will also be based on families dedication to the educational health talks that I will be giving and how great their desire is to better their health. More details to come concerning cost break down as it becomes available.

I am giving you a heads up so that you can start putting money away for this now if you so desire, maybe you have something you can give up and instead of spending the money you can send it towards a good cause. I will be setting up a fund when the time gets closer to begin my projects.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Ready to Move On/Out

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.*
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