Hardcore in the Peace Corps

Finishing Up

2012-03-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

I felt like it was time to give an update on how I am finishing up here. After receiving news of my early Close of Service (COS) date, I was pretty down hearted on not being able to come through on my word and carry out the projects for my women’s groups. Things have changed and developed since I broke the news to my groups.

I have learned to keep my expectations low here and that way if something better happens I am pleasantly surprise instead of being continually let down from having high expectations. I was expecting the worst with my groups, that they would be angry and frustrated that I was no longer able to come through on my said projects. I held on to the hope that after spending almost two years with these women that they had a good idea of who I was as a person and would understand that this was something that was out of my control. Luckily that was how it worked out in each group and instead of just taking the news and stopping there, they decided they wanted to take action and search for another way for their projects to get done.

All along the planning process of my projects, I was never completely sure that they women were ready for it. You see, the goal of the projects that I was going to do was that the women would be involved in every step of the process and that I would no longer be something that was in my hands. I would function only as a facilitator and offer whatever support they needed. The way the process was going for me, I was doing pretty much everything and wasn’t really sure if the women were willing to work for their projects. The sudden change in my plans allowed me to step back and take another look and through that, I realized that I was right, that the women were not really ready to take it all on themselves.

After getting news of my early COS date, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I could do to fill my time. I would no longer have to plan projects so I wasn’t sure what to do. I made myself available to my groups to support them if they decided to continue. They all took me up as an available resource in helping them find alternative funding for projects.

I have been spending my last 2ish months doing my best to help my groups seek out other sources of funding. I have found it to be quite challenging as most of the them are looking for an easy way out. Hopefully the time I spend with them now will inspire them to keep working in the future.

Friends and Family back home, see you soon! I will be flying home March 31st!

Wishing it lasted forever

2012-02-09T17:18:00.001-08:00

We live our time here pretending we’ll be here forever. We long for this time and feeling to continue on and never end, but it was never meant to be like that. Our lives are full of experiences and moments that we had wished would have lasted forever. If only we could have held on to the feeling a little longer.

That is how I feel about my experience here in Guatemala and it doesn’t help that it is getting cut short. For those of you who haven’t heard, my new end date is now the end of March. I found out Tuesday that we will officially not be getting a replacement volunteer after we leave site. I was hoping and planning for our work to be continued. I mean we have put so much into our work here that it should be continue, but it just wasn’t meant to be that way. I just have to accept the reality. It makes me feel like a person who had a crush on someone and then one day finally got up the nerve to ask and the other person said ‘sorry, I just don’t feel that way about you.’ You see, up to that point, when the reality set in, the one with the crush was able to imagine that the other person felt the same way about them and dream of what life would be like if they were together. These dreams and hopes could have gone on and on if not for the sting of reality. Reality gets us back to where we need to be, kind of like a gentle shake or a slap on the face, with it we wake up from our dreams and are forced to stand with reality. It’s hard but it’s for the best.

Sometimes reality is better than our dream world but sometimes it isn’t. My current reality isn’t. Getting my time cut short means that I will no longer be able to carry out my projects. It has really shaken up what my plans are between now and when I finish. Before this change, I had my time planned out to finish the end of June but after the wrench was thrown in, I have become a little apathetic in trying to revamp my plans. Last week was a bit difficult and went really slow. It was also really cold and cloudy the whole week which didn’t help at all. This week is going a little better and things seem to be coming together a little for me. I had a meeting with one of my communities on Wednesday informing them of my early termination date and what that meant for their projects. I expected the worse but I got a pleasant surprise. I was hoping that the women would have gotten to know me well enough that they would understand this drastic change wasn’t coming from me. When I gave them the news, it took all that was in me not to cry. I felt horrible not being able to come through on my word. They seemed to understand, with the help of a translator, that this was not coming from me but from the higher ups of Peace Corps. I gave the women the option of trying to do the projects on their own (with support from me until I head out) and they seemed to be willing to run with it. I wasn’t really sure what their reaction was going to be once they found out they were no longer getting this sort of hand out. I had the feeling that a lot of them might not really be willing to work for their projects but really just wanted the hand out. I guess my feeling was a little off (in a good way!) and they seem willing to take on the process of the projects themselves. They wanted to get started right away in order to make the most of the rest of my time here. It looks like those seeds of empowerment that I planted are starting to come to life in some of the women. Now that just puts a smile on my face!

Prayer request:

-That I would be able to make the best use of my time left here (I will be leaving March 24^th!)

-That the women would stay motivated and be able to find some financial resources for their projects.

-For Peace Corps Guatemala as they try to make improvements in terms of safety and security of volunteers.

Peace out,

Kels

Early COS

2012-01-29T18:28:00.001-08:00

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 prayers

Another 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.

Mayan Ceremony

2012-01-11T15:29:00.000-08:00

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 Seeds. 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.

Surprise! A random adventure!

2012-01-08T19:14:00.000-08:00

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!

Now is the time to add your part!

2011-12-02T10:40:00.000-08:00

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 33018

Washington DC 20033

Please 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

It's Project Time!

2011-11-13T19:01:00.000-08:00

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 :)

Month of August Update

2011-08-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

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

How's it going?

2011-07-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

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

5 gallon bucket

2011-06-18T11:25:00.000-07:00

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

Link to pictures of my new place

2011-06-17T16:45:00.000-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100105362834055.2528725.22423429&l=a635537032

Finally!

2011-06-09T20:21:00.000-07:00

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!

Medical Missions

2011-05-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

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.

A Day in the Market

2011-05-02T16:03:00.000-07:00

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- 1.50Q

2lbs Potatoes- 3Q

3 Medium sized Mangos- 3Q

2lbs Green Beans- 5Q

3 Avacados- 3Q

2 Peaches- 2Q

Pkg of 4 ears of sweet corn- 6Q

Bunch of 10 small onions- 2.50Q

3 Peppers- 3Q

2 chocobananos (frozen bananas dipped in chocolate with nuts)- 2Q

½lb Campo cheese (cheese made locally, a mild white crumbly cheese) 6Q

Other things that I get from the market (just not this week):

Broccoli- 3Q

Carrots- 1Q/piece

Eggs- 10Q/dozen

Bread- 1Q/2pieces

Cauliflower-2Q

Black beans-7Q/lb

Pineapple- 5Q

Cantaloupe- 5Q

Small 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

A year in country

2011-04-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

   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."

Will it ever get done? Coming to the realization

2011-04-13T16:09:00.000-07:00

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.

...To better blog posts!

2011-04-02T11:30:00.000-07:00

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

What's happenin?

2011-03-30T19:19:00.000-07:00

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 who 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 woman'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 woman'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.

Living Intentionally

2011-03-13T13:05:00.000-07:00

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!

Perspective is everything

2011-02-27T12:10:00.000-08:00

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

A quite day at the health center

2011-02-24T08:23:00.000-08:00

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.

The great gain of contentment

2011-02-17T11:31:00.000-08:00

"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.

Life Update

2011-02-14T18:45:00.000-08:00

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 a YD 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

Working with Promotor groups

2011-02-08T12:10:00.000-08:00

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.

Work Report

2011-01-28T09:43:00.000-08:00

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 Hygiene
Parasites and Diarrhea
HIV/AIDS and STD's
Respiratory Infections
Use of Water (Methods of purification and the importance of it)
Trash and the Environment
Domestic Violence
First Response and Committee of Emergency (importance of having plan and who will be a part of it)
Vaccinations
Medicinal Plants (Natural Medicines)
Family Planning

My 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 :)