Good Things

Wow, I cannot believe it is already mid-March and I swear in as a volunteer in about 2 weeks ! Insanity. Time is such a strange thing. So I got my site mate assignment and to my astonishment it is my friend Lohmo, whom I went to college with and even lived in the same house with my junior year...Sooo crazy! It was crazy enough when we found out we were going to the same country together and now the universe has put as site mates for the next two years. Incredible. I'm happy and I think we will have a great time together and work really well together as well. I'm also happy I got a male site mate because as I've mentioned I think it comes with a lot of advantages that will help me throughout my service. 
Last time I wrote I mentioned I was starting my World Map Project at the school called Cambiando Vidas. I can't even believe it but in those 2 weeks we are pretty much done with it and it looks fabulous! It was a fun and frustrating process at times but so worth it. We made it pretty big and halfway through we wished we had been a little less ambitious but we got it done. Now we just have to go back one final day to paint in all the small islands and to paint on the Guatemalan flag and Peace Corps symbol. I'm gonna put some pictures up of the beginning stages and the middle stage. I forgot my camera the day we completed it and so I will have to take a picture the last day I got back and I will post it later on. I am so happy that as a first major project we were able to pitch the project to a school and successfully complete it. I think the school is gonna love it! 
Some not so good news also came from my other school I was giving health lessons at, Cerro Niño. Last week, the Ministry of Education released an accord that stated that all the teachers working on contract with the government had to return to the schools they were assigned and working at in the 2010 school year - for reasons I don't really understand. That means my host aunt Carolina, who was director of the school, would have to leave. The teacher I was working with was going to become the new director but then she was told she had to switch schools too. I feel really bad for the parents and students of this school because it seems so unstable right now with the continuous change of teachers and directors. I was supposed to go give my final lesson yesterday but couldn't because it was my last day of practicum. I was told we could go back on the 24th before leaving but now that the teacher won't even be there that I've been working with I don't even know if I'll do a lesson. I will definitely go and say bye to the kids though and get a picture with them so I can show it here for you all to see. 
So as stated last time I don't get my site assignment until the 24th - the day before swear-in - which means we don't have site week visit next week anymore. Instead, PC has planned for us what they call IDA (Independent Directed, crap I forget what the A stands for). Pretty much it means from Wednesday to Saturday of next week I get paired up with a volunteer already working in site in Guatemala and stay their place for those few days. Should be cool I hope.
So this weekend was pure awesomeness. I went to a beautiful yoga class in Antigua which was exactly what I needed mentally, physically, spiritually. I was on a natural high after the class and all was perfect. I was so happy and still am. Missing the familia from home this weekend though but always in my heart ! 

Map after all the sketching was done...

Map after all the countries were painted !

Finished product to come soon AND a video...get exciteddd !