A few updates

So I spent the Thanksgiving holiday at the Lake. It has to be one of my favorite places so far. It is quite a change in climate to go from my site to the Lake...a whole lot sunnier and warmer. The place I like to say at is also a culture change too with English speaking owners and the only Guatemalans are the women that work in the kitchen. It's such a relaxing place and eating a more substantial diet is always a welcome change. They had a Thanksgiving dinner last Thursday that was my main reason for going out there. They had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, veggies and pumpkin pie. It was all delicious, not like my mom makes but good nonetheless. I spent the weekend out there and hoped to climb the volcano in San Pedro but one of my fellow PCV's that I went with got sick and was down and out for a day so we shall be back another time to accomplish that hike. I guess it's about a 3 hour hike up....can't wait until I can check that out.

On another note, this Wednesday is World AIDS day so to celebrate, my sitemate and I are giving the HIV/AIDS workshop put together by Peace Corps Guatemala. We are heading out to one of my communities tomorrow to give it to the groups I work with there and also any others that want to join. On the official day, Wednesday, we are giving the workshop twice at the health center to whoever wants to come and I have invited the groups from my other community and my sitemate has invited most if not all of her groups. We are hoping for a good turn out so we can help get the word out about HIV/AIDS. It's very much a taboo subject here and we would like to break through that. We are planning on doing a condom demonstration too so that should be beneficial in terms of family planning and preventing the spread of sexually transmitted infections. Pray that the workshops may go well and that those in attendance may glean a lot of information.

Hope you had a great Monday!

Kelsey

Sitting in the sun

Per request of my mother I am going to try to post more blog entrys.

Right now I am sitting in the sun at the health center. I normally sit inside but it's too cold in the shade and the sun feels amazing. It's been getting cooler here but still not as cold as it is in MI. At night it's around 57 degrees and during the day if the sun is shining it can be in the high 60's or 70's. It feels a lot colder here though because I don't really have an escape from the coldness. There are no heaters here except for the wood burning cookstove. Last night when I went to bed my room was 57 degrees and it was a challenge to get to sleep in the coldness. I can't get to sleep unless I am warm and cozy in my bed, to get to this point sometimes I have to wear layers to bed including two sweatshirts and sleep in my sleeping bag rated for 30 degrees. Maybe a heated blanket will be on the list of things to bring back from the states. I like winter and coldness but my most favorite part of winter is curling up in a warm house possibly near a fire and with hot chocolate. I don't like being out in the cold too long. I am ok with being in the sun for now, bet you wish you could be here too :)

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.*

Where is the snow?

So I have been trying to get over this cold that I have had for about a week now. I feel like I am more susceptible with this more stressful situation that I am in. But anyways, today I took the afternoon off to rest and try to get over this stupid cold. I took some ibuprofen and benedryl and then laid down for what turned out to be about a 3 and half hour nap, quite long but refreshing. After I got up I thought I should go for a walk to get out of my room and make myself tired enough to sleep tonight. While I was out I was able to witness the sun setting and it was gorgeous. It was pretty to see setting behind the mountains with the twilight hanging around. It felt like one of those fall evenings when it's just leaving summer and cooling off, not too cool but kindof refreshing. I really enjoyed it! On my walk I was thinking about how different the weather is here and how it really effects how I perceive the time of year. It doesn't feel like November and I was caught off guard when I was reading facebook and noticed that yesterday was opening day for rifle deer season in MI. It doesn't feel like it should be happening now but it is. Sometimes I feel like everyone else back home is experiencing the same weather as I am here because we have all experienced the same weather together for as long as I have known them. And I know it's not going to feel like Christmas until I get off the plane in MI and see the snow. I liked all the snow as a kid but once I had to start driving in it I didn't like it as much. Not having it cool off and see leaves or snow falling really makes it a challenge to transition into the season here. Even thought MI winters suck, they have been in my life for 23 years and it's just so weird not having them here. I think I might be able to get used to it though :) Hope life is going good for you!

Reconnect

Greetings,
This is for all of you who have been waiting for another post. I felt like it was time to post something for you to read.

I spent this past week at "Reconnect", an even at the Peace Corps office where everyone from our training group comes together for a week of events. Monday and Tuesday were filled with meeting up with our Program Director and the Country Director getting updated on stuff and asking questions that we had about the work that we had started or lackthereof. On Tuesday we had a Q and A with the US ambassador in Guatemala. He is very personable and provided us with some info on the work he is doing and the US's standpoint on issues that are happening in Guatemala. It was very interesting and we got some good information and guidance on how to approach and play our part in some of the issues that take place among the people here, for example, domestic violence. Wednesday to Friday were filled with language classes. I took classes in Quiche which is the Mayan Language spoken at my site. It was a good introduction but has proven itself to be a challenge to learn. I don't plan on becoming fluent but I would like to have some understanding of what people are saying when they speak it.

I got to visit my host family from training and stay with them for a few days. It was good to catch up and see them. I stayed with them unit Thursday night and spent Thursday and Friday in a hostel in Antigua with some fellow PCV's. It was great to see everyone and catch up. It was also a good break from my current host family. They are nice but I am ready to move out. I have a place up the road that I am waiting to move to. The landlord has to put in stairs and a bathroom and then it's all mine. The space is bigger with two bedroom size rooms, a third smaller space that I plan on using as a kitchen area and the whole back balcony (it's on the 2nd level). It is also on the backside of the house so it faces the mountains as opposed to the highway which make for a quieter place and a much nicer view. I will be paying the same to rent this place as I am paying for the place I am currently at. I can't wait for my own space and I plan on buying a kitten when I get there too :) I have been told it should be done by the end of November. I am not sure if it will make that deadline or not but I am hoping to get there before I come home for Christmas.

Weekend away

Hello all,
So I spent this past weekend at a hostel on Lake Atitlan. I have heard it's one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. I'll post the link to pictures at the end of the post and you can see for yourself. I stayed at a place that gives PCV's 25% off the room which is amazing! It was a really chill place with a small bar, kitchen and family style dinners. It was fun hanging out with people from all over, playing cards and watching some satellite television that comes in from LA. I learned the art of doing a whole lot of nothing and being ok with it. It was significantly warmer at the lake and I took some time to soak up some rays. It was at least in the 80's there quite possibly hotter. I spent three nights out there. On Saturday we headed out to Panajachel to check out the touristy things and grab an all American burger at the cookout that happens every Saturday...delish :) I also did a little swimming in the lake but it was rocky and there wasn't much of a beach area so I didn't stay long. It was refreshing while it lasted. Sunday was an attempted hike to San Marcos, another city on the Lake. It's a three hour hike there. We had some trouble finding the correct path and accidentally went on someone's private property. The lady was a little mad but sent us in the right direction. After we came to a fork in the path and not really knowing which way to go we opted not to take the hike. Guess we will just save it for another day. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and hanging out in the hammocks. At night while we were waiting for dinner we played a friendly game of "Bullshit" with others that were staying there. There were less people for the family style dinner on Sunday night so we finally got to sit at the main table. We had some good conversations getting to know some of the people staying there. Monday was a little bit more relaxing, reading and soaking up some rays and after lunch we headed out but not without the good news that this place has a full out Thanksgiving Day spread for around 90Q and adding in the satellite tv from the States bringing in some good old American football should make for a pleasant experience. So long for now, off for a run :)

Photos:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2475076&id=22423429&l=5148860056

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2462664&id=22423429&l=efd840bf76