the land, the beauty, the pain

So here I am, blogging in less than a week but this has been my first week of work and so much has happened that I feel the need to share. Now that the teachers' strike is over we finally got to start visiting our schools. Our plan that we made a month ago was to visit two schools a day, which we have been doing. Sometimes it makes sense to visit only two schools because they may be far away (I mean farrr away) and there are no other schools nearby. Other times there are more schools nearby, which we realized on Tuesday on our visits, and it could be possible to visit more than two schools. We didn't do that on Tuesday, though, because the schools didn't know we were coming and we didn't want to show up unannounced. We want to try to see if we can do at least 3 schools a day when it is possible though because it would be a lot more efficient. We have 27 schools between the two of us (me and Lohmo that is) and, so far, we have visited 6. At this rate it will take a month, which is fine, but starting in a month late to begin with makes it feel like we are behind. 


So let me tell you about how these school visits have been going. Our first day of visits we had to take a microbus at 6 am that drove an hour through the mountains and forest on a gravel road to the town the school was in. Not bad. The school was right on the side of the road and so it was easy access. Since we didn't know how to get to the second school the director assigned two sixth grade boys to be our "guides" if you will. We were told this school was close. We start walking for 15 minutes on the same gravel/dirt road. All of a sudden the boys stop and say, "Okay we have to go this way," and point up a tiny mud/dirt path going straight up a mountain through the forest. Lohmo and I laughed, obviously thinking it was a joke. No joke. Mind you, I had on a dress with leggings and flats - hiking attire? I think not. We ended up hiking straight up this "path" for an hour in the blazing sun. The muddy patches did not help either as I had on shoes with very little traction and almost slid right down that path several times. We were so hot and bewildered that this was the way to the school - how could it be?! We finally get to the school and are greeted to a tiny school made of sticks that is just one room. There is one teacher, who is also the director, and about 30 kids that span grades one through six. Incredible. We probably stayed a whole ten minutes since it doesn't take long to talk to one teacher and present yourself to essentially one classroom. Probably best since we most likely frightened them with the copious amounts of sweat we were dispelling anyways. Luckily, we didn't have to return by the way we came up. There was a road after all that led to that school but it was just a longer route. Fine by me. I probably woulda slid down that mountain if we tried to go down the way we came up with the shoes I was wearing. Later we found out that that second school was one of our inaccessible schools due to the fact that it is so far away, so completely isolated (there's literally nothing around except mountains, trees, and lots and lots of coffee plants), and so hard to get to. Honestly, though, I would trek it out there because it was so beautiful. The land in Guatemala does not seize to amaze me and bedazzle me. We were literally at the top of a mountain looking out at vast greeness with not even a soul nearby. Just us and Mother Nature. Mmmm.


Two days later we set out for another set of school visits that had a similar unexpected surprise. We were told we had to walk to this school with the teachers because there was no transportation available to the area. There was no warning of about the length of the journey or degree of difficultly. Regardless, I decided not to wear my flats this time. Good thing because it turned out we had a two hour hike straight up a mountain this time. I don't know if you understand when I say straight up a mountain. It is very literally incline 100% of the time. Let's put it this way: I didn't know if I was going to make it at some points. My legs hurt so bad at times that I thought they were going to give out. We were all struggling. It felt like the never ending ascent. We made it though and once again were bewildered by the amount of pain and time taken into getting to those two schools. These teachers walk that everyday, five days a week. Man, if I did that every day I'd be in the best shape of my life. Anyways, it is amazing that they trek that every day. Maybe they do it because they have to or maybe they do it because they want to - either way, it is admirable. These schools were even more isolated than the last one I mentioned. I don't think transportation could get up there if they tried - way too rocky. The children all spoke Q'eqchí, an indigenous Mayan language. Only the older kids could understand Spanish and so we needed a translator for the rest of the kids when we were presenting ourselves. 


Now, I realized something when we were at these schools. It is one thing to tell someone what the Healthy Schools program is and what it is that we are doing and set out to accomplish. It is a whole other thing actually doing it successfully. As a volunteer in a new site that has never heard of the Peace Corps, or Cuerpo de Paz, before and has no idea what Healthy Schools is, it is a very difficult job to come into a community and say, "Alright, we are going to teach you personal hygiene habits and we expect you to do them." Obviously we don't say that exactly but essentially that is what we are doing. Looking at those kids today I saw how dirty they were. I understand that they are extremely isolated with limited resources and barely any money. I felt a moment of despair almost and helplessness. How were we, two young Americans, going to get these kids to come to school clean? It seemed like such a ludicrous and unattainable goal in that minute.  Later, though, when visiting the second school down the street, we were talking with the director. He was so motivated for the program and talking about all the work we could accomplish together and how we could really change these children's lives, whether we see the impact or not. He inspired me and made me realize that all it takes is a leader in the community to work with you and support you and things CAN get done. I'm not saying it is going to be easy and I know there are many struggles and frustrations ahead, but that doesn't mean I am not excited because, if anything, it makes me want to do this even more. 


On our 2 hour hike back down we had some stunning views again of the green mountains that surround our town. It might be a bitch to climb up them but they sure are beautiful. When you're walking down them and pause and look around, you have one of those moments where you can't believe where you are and what you are seeing. It's the intimate feeling of it just being you and Earth; feeling her essence. It's one of those moments you know you just can never explain to people unless they experience it too. That feeling is worth the pain of getting up there, that's for sure.

Guatemalan mishaps

So I ended my last blog hoping I would have some good news to share and out of the things I listed two of those happened! First of all, I found spinach in the market, which is great and brings me happiness. Secondly, the strike has ended - hooray! We found out about a week ago that the government and teachers had finally reached an accord. However, since this past week was Semana Santa (Holy Week), which is so heavily celebrated here I feel like it is bigger than Christmas, there was supposed to be no school anyways for this past week. That meant strike over but classes resume tomorrow (April 25). So needless to say I am way excited about about finally being able to begin work and visiting my schools.

Since Semana Santa is such a huge holiday here a lot of Guatemalans go on vacation. As a new volunteer still in my first 3 months of service I could only travel within my 3-hour rule. Luckily for us Baja folk, there are so many beautiful places to visit that our within 3 hours of us! So we took a couple personal days and went out to Lanquin and Semuc Champey. For those of you who do not know what Semuc Champey is, it is the 8th wonder of the world - it has to be! I mean, that's been stated before, but really after seeing it I believe it. It is an area of the Cahabon River where a natural bridge of limestone forms where most of the river flows underneath but forms turquoise pools above the "bridge" formation. People go swimming from pool to pool and you can jump off big rocks into the deep parts or just sit in the shallow part and soak it all in. There is a hike you can do up to the Mirador where you are way high up and can see all of Semuc Champey and it is breathtaking. Let me say one thing though...man am I out of shape! It's embarrassing almost how fast one can get out of shape - it sucks. So in hot and humid conditions and with a still healing sprained ankle we were struggling up this hike. Warning: it is really steep and people with longer legs have an advantage here. Every step is worth it though so I'm happy I did it.  

Semuc Champey

So some other highlights of my trip. We paid to do this rope swing a guy we met had told us about. We paid before we saw it and I had assumed it was like a small tarzan type swing that you held onto and jumped in the river. Oh nooo...I was quite mistaken. It was a giant swing made of rope that you had to sit on and would throw you high up in the air, about 15-20 feet, into the middle of the river. It was so scary looking! Not to mention that there were huge rocks at the edge of the river so you had to jump when you were at the highest point because you needed to make sure to be far in enough. So, naturally, I freaked out at first and didn't know if I could muster the courage to do it. But after watching everyone else do it, it made me really want to do it because it did look fun. So I did it and screamed and it was awesome! So exhilarating. So everyone was repeating it and I wanted to do it again. So here I go, feeling brave and comfortable, didn't even scream this time. But, oh wait, here comes my moment to jump off the swing and I don't know what or how it happened because it all happened too fast but somehow when I pushed off the swing I kinda went more to one side causing me to flail towards my left side. Well, I landed in the water all on my left side rather than straight up. Falling from that height felt like a steel train ran into my entire left side. Think like belly flop extreme all on one side of your body. The hit was so hard that it knocked the wind out of me. So here I am surfacing to the top trying to swim to the edge of the river but I couldn't breathe from the impact. At that moment I was like, "Oh my God, ow, I can't breathe, I'm gonna drown!" I was trying to so hard to breathe but I just couldn't and obviously this led me to swallow water. So, yes, I was essentially drowning. Thankfully the Guatemalan instructor guy ran down and grabbed my hand to pull me out which saved me. I coughed up the water and was fine and alive but MAN my entire left leg and left side of me torso was killing me! It turned really red and swelled up. I now have a giant bruise up my entire leg on one side and it still hurts to walk. Haha It is laughable, I admit it. I'm still glad I did it because it was really fun aside from almost dying. 

My treacherous fall

My other highlight of the trip: the caves of Lanquin. So there are these large set of caves that are close to Semuc Champey that the same river flows through. There's a tour you can do through the caves by candlelight that you can pay to do. So I went and did it with two other volunteers, Kata and Maggie. No one really explained the tour to us except that you used a candle and that the river ran through it. Well, let's just say that I don't think any safety regulations were really used here, I mean I understand it is Guatemala but I was still shocked. The caves are pitch black, I'm talking total darkness. And the only light you have is the candle you are holding plus a crappy head lamp the guide wears that hardly lights up. The caves were cool and really amazing to check out, but it was hard to see much of them because of the darkness. We had assumed there would be maybe some candles along the way to illuminate a bit more in order to see what we paid to see. Nope. And then came the parts where you reached the river. It was deep and we had to actually swim holding a candle in one hand. Obviously mine went out after the first swim. I had my Keen sandals on and man are they heavy when they get wet! I didn't think we would actually have to swim since we had candles but I was wrong once again. So swimming in the dark with sporadic rocks surprising you in the middle of the river while holding a candle is no easy task. So there was a lot of climbing of sketchy Duct taped wire and ropes. It was all good until we reached the end and you could jump off a big cliff into a deep small pool. After that we were like, "Okay where is the exit?" And the guide goes, "Oh there is no exit here. We have to turn around and go through the whole thing again." This would have been fine if it weren't for the fact that our candles were about an inch big and would go out soon - very soon. And did I mention, our lovely guide forgot to bring more candles. Awesome. So I hadn't mentioned this before but we were doing the tour with this big Guatemalan family. They weren't the best people to do the tour with but we were dealing with it. At this point in the tour, they INSISTED that we continue and see more of the caves and then turn around. Clearly, they were not putting two and two together and realizing that our candles were about to go out and we still had to return the way we came. So this quickly turned into a long and unnecessary argument between me (along with Kata and Maggie) andthe Guatemalan family. I was telling them we should just go it made no sense to continue and risk being stuck in these huge dark caves with no candles. They just did not seem to get it. So we argued back and forth for probably twenty minutes, all the while losing precious candle time. Meanwhile, the tour guide is just standing in the middle saying nothing. I was utterly confused as to why he was not taking initiative in this situation. I kept asking him why he wouldn't do something and he kinda just stood there saying he didn't know what to do...are you kidding?! We were freaking out and this was quickly turning into a nightmare. Finally, after all of us being fed up with the situation, we all asked the guide to make up his mind and just tell us what to do. After brief hesitation, he said, "I think we should go back." Wow, at last. So even after he said that the Guatemalan family still wouldn't budge. Talk about stubborn. At this point we were just so frustrated and tired of it all we just started walking and they eventually started, SLOWLY, moving. We ran into the next tour group halfway through and thank God and our angels they had an extra candle they gave us (by that time we had already lost some candles). So we made it out. We spent 2 hours and 15 minutes in that cave and it was only supposed to last 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. That's why we ran into the next tour group. I was just happy to get out and see sunlight. 

So I know it kinda sounds like the trip was a bit disastrous but it was actually really great and I had so much fun. That place is truly beautiful and it just makes you feel so thankful for the beautiful planet we have been blessed with. Such a natural wonder. So after my mini-vacay I was happy to be home and to relax because I was exhausted. Instead, however, I was greeted by a continual series of D-storms. Yup. I've had diarrhea since getting home yesterday morning and still do. But that's just what life in Guatemala is like. I can't be mad or upset because it wouldn't be Guatemala if it weren't for all these little mishaps that occur throughout my days. So Happy Easter to me as I spend my day in bed and/or on the toilet. At least I'm home and have my own bathroom. Hopefully next time I write I will be unbruised, with normal bowel movements, and working happily ! Happy thoughts...

Strike: no kale

I've made it about 2 weeks in site - halfway through the first month, woo! It's crazy because it doesn't feel like I've been here for 2 weeks because I have done nothing, or at least it feels that way. Not my fault though. Starting this past Monday the teachers in Guatemala started a nationwide strike against the government. Apparently, the main reasons for the strike are because 1. Some teachers haven't been paid for months 2. The government promised them a raise last year for this year and it hasn't happened 3. The government hasn't been giving enough money for the school snack or doesn't give it at all - keeping in mind that in some rural schools in poor communities the school snack is the major caloric intake they get for the day. So the strike seems pretty legit but what sucks is that the government hasn't responded and it's been a week. While the teachers are striking there is obviously no school - think about that for a minute...nationwide most schools are out. That's nuts. So, since my program is Healthy SCHOOLS it means we haven't been able to start work since being here since the strike coincidently started upon our arrival essentially. It's weird because I have so much free time which can be nice but then there comes a time where you get bored. I wanna start working already and establish a relationship with our schools and communities. I want to feel settled and with routine. Oh well, though, what can ya do. Meanwhile, I will cook long meals, continue to look for housing, lay in Lohmo's hammock, take "community walks" and watch movies until the strike decides to end. The tough life. Speaking of housing, my room I'm renting isn't terrible. It's quite cute and cozy but I can't wait to find my own place with my own kitchen and my own privacy. As much as I love being with people I also love having my own space. Also, my bathroom smells so FUNKY. No, I did not D-storm in it. It smelled before I even moved in. I don't know what it is, maybe the drainage? Who knows but it's foul and I hate going in there because of the smell. Tomorrow's mission: light some incense in there. Maybe the incense will also make all the spiders living in there go away because there are way too many for my liking. 


Other exciting news? Ah yes, I experienced my first earthquake ever yesterday. Well the earthquake was actually in Mexico but it was felt in Guatemala. It was early in the morning and I was lying in bed trying to go back to sleep but the noise from everyone in the house was preventing that from happening. I then realized my bed was rocking from side to side and of course me not coming from an earthquake prone area that is the last thing I thought of. I thought I caused it from turning on my side and then I thought they were doing something upstairs causing the walls to shake. Well, wrong and wrong. Later that morning I was checking the news online and saw news on that earthquake and then it all made sense. I need to start remembering I am in an earthquake prone country. Other than that, the only other really exciting news is food related. 1. I found chard today (haven't found spinach or kale yet in this area :( ) and ate a fresh salad - it's unbelievable what a big deal that is! 2. I bought powdered soy milk. Who even knew that existed! Now I can eat cereal so great news all around. Hopefully next time I write I have more exciting news to relay, such as the strike ending (!) or finding a home or finding spinach (I think kale is a lost hope). Life must go on...

Welcome to the Jungle

So this will be a quick recap on what's gone on. I officially swore in as volunteer this past weekend and it was phenomenal. It was a great big event that made us all feel important and excited for service. Had an awesome weekend in Antigua and then we were off to our sites for the next two years. My site assignment is...Purulhá, in the department of Baja Verapaz...aka the jungle. It is breathtakingly beautiful and green. It is exactly what I had wanted - an environmentally beautiful site. It is pretty hot here though which can be a little much at times but it's still nice. My town is right next to a large nature reserve called the Biotopo of the Quetzal, which means it is a protected area of so much wildlife, including the quetzal which I really would love to see. There is bountiful tropical rainforest around and is just so green - i love it ! On a bit of the downside though, I am having a harder than anticipated settling in process. My housing has not followed through. The house I am supposed to be living in does not have a door on my room yet so I am currently living at my counterpart's house in town which is fine but I want my own space. I want my own place to begin to buy things and feel settled and home. I have a few options lining up for me though as potential move ins so I really hope one of them pulls through and by the end of the week. I think once I am settled and start working I will really love it here. There are so many natural, amazing sites close to my town that are a must see to go visit. I am really excited about that too. Also, a lot of my schools are in aldeas, which are smaller villages on the outskirts of the center of town, and they are deep in tropical beauty and mountains and am so excited to get to visit and know those communities. I feel like I know what is coming but at the same time I feel like I have no idea. It's crazy because so many volunteers from my training group got placed out west where there are so many volunteers and it seems like their lives are so much more social and flowing along so smooth. Meanwhile, it feels like we just got dropped off in the middle of no where, jungle Guatemala and were wished luck until next time. We are pretty isolated out here when it comes to volunteers which can be a bit of a bummer sometimes but I think it will turn out to make our Peace Corps experience really exceptional and unique - kinda what I thought Peace Corps would be like before getting to Guatemala. The people so far I have met in my town have been so friendly and receptive that I think by the end of the two years we will really feel part of the community here. That seems so far away right now though and just getting through this first month feels like  major obstacle. Patience and positivity are all I need though. Patience and positivity. That's it for now because I'm tired and it's late but I felt the urge to update. Also, exciting news. Here is a picture of the mostly finished world map! (Not totally finished because we are missing a few handprints and the Guatemalan flag that was later painted in but I sprained my ankle that week so I never got the final picture.)

I still can't believe we did that ! Also, I promised videos. And they are finally up too. Here are the links. There are two links because they had to be uploaded in two parts. Enjoy :) Part 1 and Part 2

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 !

fijese que...

Last time I wrote I couldn't believe it was Febraury, now I can't believe February is almost over! Incredible. So I got back from my FBT week last Saturday. Huehuetenango, which is called Huehue for short (pronounced way-way by gringos/Spanish spoken with an American accent), was AMAZING. It was in the western highlands of Guatemala, therefore it was surrounded by gorgeous mountains everywhere. The views were breath-taking and it was difficult to not get captured in the moment where ever you were there. I really enjoyed myself that week because I felt like we really got to see and understand better what life is like after swearing in as a volunteer and being in site and working. We met a lot of different volunteers that live in the department of Huehue and each place was so different but so beautiful. I loved every place and it really instilled hope and excitement in me about my future site - hopefully it's as great as one those! It was really inspirational to see the work that these volunteers had done and are presently doing. Seeing the actual results of the program and the change taking place made it feel more real and that what we are doing here really can make a difference, even if it is just in a couple of communities. Some of the schools we went to were high in the mountains and absolutely isolated, a couple hours away from any large center or other towns. Yet, the kids in these schools were so motivated by the program and were happy to have us there. Seeing the schools, all the kids' and teachers' involvement, and the relationships the volunteers cultivated in their communities really got me excited for my volunteer service to start. During FBT, we also got to do charlas, or presentations, for a group of mothers of students at one school, another one for a class at a school (I had fourth grade), and a training workshop for a large group of teachers of a municipality. It was fun but challenging at times because the students in rural areas can be really timid, especially the girls. Girls in indigenous communities are not accustomed to speaking out their opinions or really just having a voice when it comes to issues. It was so obvious in the schools because when I gave the lesson to my class and I would call on a girl to answer a question or read something it was really common for the girl to cover her mouth or face and not talk. It is hard to deal with, not so much because they won't talk but more so because it saddens me to see that their culture raises them this way. One of the hardest things to deal with here is the lack of rights and freedom of women. I know it is far worse in other countries, such as some in the Middle East for instance, but it still is significant. Every PCV I've met, whether during FBT week or just at any time during training, they have all highlighted how being a woman volunteer in Guatemala is hard - and this was said by both female and male volunteers. I mean, I knew that already, it is obvious just from the short time being here. Us female volunteers do not have the same liberties here as we did prior to coming here in the US. It will take getting used to and it will take patience and understanding with a foreign culture. But that is part of the experience and of working here. Regardless, I am still excited, determined, and optimistic about my service here. 

So a saying that is really popular in Guate is "Fijese que..." It is usually used at the beginning of a sentence and followed by some bad news.  It's kind like saying "Well listen to this, so and so happened..." Guatemalans are big on being late, not showing up for things, or jsut making excuses in general; just a consequence of the laid back nature that exists here. So a big fijese que that we received during FBT from our program director was that we are no longer finding out our site locations on March 10, which was the expected date. There is a department of Guate called Alta Verapaz and it has been in a state of siege for over a month now due to violence caused from the big drug gang called the Zetas. All PCVs that were there had to be evacuated. A lot of our future site were supposed to be in Alta Verapaz and so the siege prevented PC from putting us there. This has left them with 5 site that they still need. Finding a site is a long process because they have to go several times to do site visits in order to determine security, safety, and basic ammenties and more. So essentially PC needs more time to find these other sites and so they had to push back when we get our sites. Now we do not find out until March 24, which is the day BEFORE we swear in as volunteers! That kinda blows, a lot. Because now we can't go on site visit week - during that week were supposed to go to our site to meet our counterpart we work with and meet all our schools and get our places to live and essentially do everything important. PC is still trying to figure how this is all gonna work especially since now we have to figure out how we're gonna get all of our luggage over there and what not. I'm not worried though because I know it will all work out regardless it just stinks we have to wait so long to know our site now. But this coming Tuesday, March 1st, we find out our site mate! Man, I am excited and a little anxious to find out who I'm gonna be working with for the next two years and living in the same town with. I have faith though and know that who ever I get is meant to be that way. 

So that's pretty much all the major stuff going on right now. I'm giving another lesson tomorrow to my second and third grade class at Cerro Niño tomorrow on dental hygiene. And on Monday we are starting the World Map project at Cambiando Vidas so I am really psyched about that too! All is good so far and I am happy. Also, I haven't killed anymore spiders in my room and there is currently one living in my room with me. I am working on co-existing with it and hope that if I send out positive energy that I accept and don't want to kill it that it will not bite me. Until next time amigos, besos... 

chairs equal danger

Time is going by so fast here. The weeks are starting to fly by, unlike in the beginning when time was dragginggggg. Everyday I have something to do whether it be something planned for training or something I'm doing on my independent project stuff. I can't believe it's February. The crazy thing is that this Sunday we all leave for a week for what's called FBT (field based training) where we will be going to sites of volunteers in our program and checking out how they live and seeing all different aspects of the program. While there we also have to give workshops and lessons to some teachers and students, which I think will be fun. I'm gonna be in a town called Huehuetenango, which is about 8 hours away by car, at least that's what they told us. I'm going with 7 other trainees. It will be nice to see something new, be in a new town, do different things, and see how these volunteers are getting by. There are also some Mayan ruins up there in a town called Zacaleu and we're gonna be checking those out so I'm stoked for that! 

Today I gave my very first charla, or lesson, to a class as part of my independent project. I am working with a class at the school in Cerro Niño (I spelled it wrong in my last post, oops). It is one class but it has both second and third grade in the class. It's really difficult having two grades together. The first time I went to observe, the teacher ended up asking for my help because when she's working with one grade, she leaves the other grade to do an activity, which means they just fool around the whole time. I can tell the teacher gets easily frustrated but who wouldn't? These kids have NO CLASS MANAGEMENT set in place for them. This may not seem like a very big deal but oh how it is! The kids get up, talk whenever they want, don't know to raise their hand, all talk at the same time, just get up and talk to the teacher whenever they want something, it is purely chaotic. So today I gave an hour lesson with another PCT named Allison. The topic was the five senses. It went well all in all but it took a lot of discipline and reminding them to raise their hands, to not shout out answers, to listen, to pay attention. It was tough. Another big problem was that the second graders don't know how to read yet and so when we would write stuff on the board only the third graders could participate. It's hard getting across to both grades when only one can read. It was still fun though and the kids are really cute and love to give hugs! I'm still working on the stove project for them. I want to talk to one other organization and find out how much they charge for the stove that way I can propose two options for the school. Once they decide we can go ahead and ask the municipality, or mayor essentially, if they will fund it. Also, good news! The other school I had mentioned earlier on called Cambiando Vidas, the NGO one, has verified that they are interested in the World Map project we proposed to them. I don't even remember if I mentioned this last time but Peace Corps does a project in which we can go to schools that don't have any maps and we offer to paint them a large world map on a wall in the school. We also give them lesson plans for the teachers to use with the students utilizing the map. So I thought this project would be good for Cambiando Vidas because I did not see a map when I was there. They loved the idea and I'm gonna get to do it with a few other PCTs. We're planning on starting right away once we get back from FBT in a week. I'm eral excited about that!

Another update I have is that I almost seriously hurt myself last Saturday. I was standing on a chair in my room at about 8:45 pm trying to kill a mosquito that was on my ceiling. It's bad enough that I hate killing bugs and feel terrible when I do it but this time I was standing to close to the edge of the chair and my chair tipped over. I fell off the chair obviously, which may sound funny, but my floor is hard concrete and tiles. I came crashing onto the left side of my lower back and then my head proceeded to fly back and hit the ground. It hurt so bad. I thought I broke either my neck or back. Luckily, I was fine. I got up and was in a lot of pain but nothing serious happened to me thank God. I think I gave myself a mild concussion and some pretty large bumps and bruises. I'm feeling better now, my back and neck are still a bit sore but nothing I can't deal with. I think I gave myself bad karma from all the bugs and spiders I've killed in my room. I'm terrified of spiders and bugs though so I don't know what to do. I've stopped killing bugs for the time being and simultaneously they have also seemed to frequent my room less. Note to self: don't stand on chairs without supervision. I am clearly not capable of doing so without injuring myself. Until next time, much love...