Estoy avergonzada….
Buenas diaz mis amigos! I am going to let all of you in on ‘Carin’s most embarrassing moment’ so far in Guatemala. Here I thought my Spanish was improving - but this week, I made a HUGE mistake. The story starts off with my daily ritual – a nice cold shower in our lovely outhouse. However, I began to hear uncontrollable laughter from outside and discovered that I had some ‘peeping Tom’s’ – namely, my host brother and some of his friends just ‘being boys’. I guess you could say that the wooden slats in our outhouse are haphazardly nailed together with no real concern for privacy. (My host-mother told me later that I should shower with the light off.) ANYWAYS, I attempted to try and explain to my family that I was embarrassed by the situation – which I assumed was, “Estoy embarrasada”. Big mistake…Evidently, this translates to “I am pregnant”. I received several strange looks from around the dinner table – but no one really tried to correct me. I didn’t think anything of it until two days later – when I learned in my Spanish class that “I’m embarrassed” actually translates to “Estoy avergonzada”. So I automatically raised my hand to find out what “Estoy embarrasada” actually means. Let’s just say that I had some explaining to do once I got home that afternoon – I found out that for two whole days my host family thought I was bearing a child! Hahahah…
Another teeny obstacle this week has been the influx of cockroaches – particularly, in my bedroom…they are everywhere! Unfortunately, I have become quite accustomed to stamping out as many as I can before I go to bed and immediately when I get up in the morning. I had a rude awakening last Tuesday around 3:00 am when I discovered that one was crawling up my face. I freaked out, flicked it on the floor, and then didn’t even bother to turn the light on to look at it – I think I probably would have been sick! However, the nights have become pretty cold here, so I started sleeping in my mummy sleeping bag – hopefully, this will help…
On Saturday, my friends and I decided that we needed a little break from our rural environment – so we headed to Guatemala City for the day. We found a giant shopping mall called Tikal Futuro – right on the outskirts of the city. It had about six levels with all name-brand stores – nicer than most malls in the U.S. We also treated ourselves to a movie at the theater – The Da Vinci Code – in English with Spanish subtitles. We were in heaven! (BTW – It was a really good movie, but I definitely recommend reading it before going to see it.) Afterwards, we headed to the food court and had – YES, I KNOW – McDonald’s for lunch. We couldn’t help it – it was sooooo good! You would understand if you too had been eating frijoles, tortillas, and rice everyday for the past three weeks. My host-brother and I have nightly contests to see who can eat the most tortillas…. which typically amounts to about 8 at dinner and around 4 at lunch. I must say though – the fruit here is amazing! Half of the time, I don’t even know what it is I am eating– but everything is so fresh…mangos, pineapples, watermelon, bananas, cantaloupe, etc. Not sure if I mentioned this in one of my last posts, but each host family was given strict rules on how to prepare our food – to try and prevent us from getting sick (which is inevitably gonna happen regardless). For example, they have to use bottled water for everything – no tap water. And they are required to boil the water beforehand – for cooking and washing fruits and vegetables. So…that translates to having cereal with HOT milk, HOT lemonade, etc. Of course, I’ll take that any day to having an amoeba inside of me…
Ok, back to my weekend…
On Sunday, a big group of volunteers hiked up Volcano Pacaya – near the city of Antigua. This is one of the two active volcanoes in Guatemala. The hike was only about two hours up and two hours down – but pretty strenuous. Well worth it though! As soon as we approached the caldera, we were able to see two rivers of flowing lava. The amazing part was how close we were able to get to it! (You definitely wouldn’t have been able to do this in the U.S. due to safety regulations, but in Guatemala, you have free reign.) We were able to walk right out over the lava – I could feel the heat through my tennis shoes. You could even see the magna right below you in the cracks. And the smell of sulfur was overwhelming. Hopefully, I will have uploaded some pictures to this site so you can check it out for yourself! Also, this was a really inexpensive tourist activity for us…. evidently, volunteers get major discounts here in Guatemala - so we only paid about 2 U.S. bucks for transportation and a guided hike. (Which is a good thing, since we only get paid an average of 3 U.S. dollars a day for living expenses, etc). The good thing is that transportation (i.e. chicken buses) is so cheap that weekend trips don’t really put a dent in our budget. The bus from my town to Guatemala City (which is about an hour and a half bus ride) cost only 70 cents.
Our training group is traveling to Guatemala City tomorrow, in order to visit the main office, the U.S. Embassy, and the hospital (in case we have any emergencies or sickness while in-country). I also have my very first presentation todo en Espanol on Thursday afternoon. Wish me luck! I have to give a lesson to the rest of the training group on elementary accounting principles and basic administration concepts. This wouldn’t be too hard in English – but Espanol is a different story!
I will also try and upload some pictures of my bedroom to this site. I helped my host-dad on Sunday build a dresser for my room in order to store some of my things. (This was a relatively easy task since he works in construction). It was pretty funny because as soon as we finished, we moved it into my room and then the family helped me rearrange and clean everything out. I just kind of sat there and watched while they took control. They definitely go the extra mile in making sure that I am at home!
Alright, this post is long enough and it’s time for bed…but I will write more later in the week since I have a few more stories to tell. Unfortunately, I am in bed around 9 pm every night – 1) because we are asked to be back at our host family’s house by dark for safety reasons – which means I have a curfew at 26 years old and 2) because electricity is so expensive, my family likes to have the lights out by 10 pm to save money.
Que tenga una bien semana!
Mi Semana Pasada
Hola Amigos(as) and Mi FamiliaJ
What a crazy week this has been! If you couldn’t tell from my last couple of posts, I am absolutely loving Guatemala!! In the past couple of years, I have traveled to many places in both Europe and Central America, but Guatemala is by far the most unique and cultural experience that I have encountered to date. I was dreading writing this post, because it’s almost too hard to explain through words. But I will definitely try!
This week was a pretty tough week – mostly because I have been swamped with Spanish. The goal in the next three months is for me to become as fluent as possible in order for me to be comfortable alone at my project site (which basically means being comfortable with only speaking Spanish – no ENGLISH). It’s coming along really well though – my host family continues to tell me each day how much I am improving. We also started technical training this week, which should help us gain the skills we need out in the field (i.e. nuances of Guatemalan businesses, situations/problems we might encounter). It’s almost like I am back in business school – but it’s very relevant to the way businesses are run here in Guatemala.
Every Wednesday we have what’s called “Community Integration Day”. This basically means that I stay in my town (La Libertad) and get to know the people that live here and ways to help out in the community. This past Wednesday was Mother’s Day in Guatemala, so I volunteered at the local school and helped with a Mother’s Day play/skit. My town is SO SMALL – probably only about 100 people – and only consists of two short streets. The school is located in the center, and is just a one-room schoolhouse for all ages. The students have no desks and sit on the floor. However, on Wednesday, the schoolhouse was packed with all the moms and kids in town – and a local Mariachi band came to play, and most moms baked something to sell outside of the schoolhouse. It was quite a production! Afterwards, the other volunteers that live in my town (there’s six of us) decided to hike up our hill/mountain (La Libertad is situated on the bottom of the hill/mountain). It’s a rough hike (literally straight up) but once we got to the top it was definitely worth it! Our view is amazing – you can see all the other volunteer towns, Santa Lucia (which is the town where our training center is), and the Volcano Agua. Agua is no longer active but is definitely overwhelming – it’s called Agua because 30-40 years ago the volcano was filled with water and ended up spilling into the town below and killing most of the residents. We also found an interesting fortress at the top of our hill – which we later found out was used during the civil war for tormenting prisoners.
Later that day, my friends and I made the trek to San Lucas (which is about a thirty minute walk). San Lucas is about the size of Antigua and has an awesome market where you can buy just about anything – CDs, DVDs, crafts, beaded jewelry, clothes, etc. Lots of food vendors too – which is very enticing – but volunteers are supposed to stay away (which basically translates to major stomach problems due to lack of hygiene on the streets!). I got my first ride in the back of a pick-up truck too – we ran into one of the teachers at the training center and he gave us a ride back to La Libertad!
On Thursday, all Small Business Development volunteers got to go on a field trip. We visited one of the volunteers located near Antigua (a town called San Antonio). We were able to visit both the house she lives in and also the office that she works at. She lives in a family compound – but has her own room, bathroom, and kitchen (much nicer than the norm). She is currently working with a local women’s association putting together basic business lessons for developing women entrepreneurs in the area. She has also helped the association create several proposals and marketing plans in order to expand to nearby towns. It was very encouraging to hear about her experience and the type of work she is doing. We will be visiting several volunteers in the next couple of months to see what they are doing and what kinds of companies or cooperatives they are working with.
Yesterday following Spanish class (it’s only a half-day on Saturdays), my whole volunteer group ended up going to Antigua for the afternoon. For those of you that have never ridden a ‘chicken bus’ – it is quite the experience. Chicken buses are the only mode of public transport in Guatemala – and are basically old school buses painted crazy colors and given ‘chica’ names. Guatemala doesn’t have anything like the U.S. as far as safety regulations – each bus tries to pack on as many people as possible. There are legs and arms sticking out, people on top of each other, people constantly trying to get on and off – all the while, the bus driver thinks he is in Nascar. No such thing as personal space, but it’s still pretty fun. Just have to watch out for pic-pocs!
Anyways, I ended up getting a cell phone in Antigua so here are my new digits if you call from the U.S.:
+011 502 5756 8272
After about half our group bought cell phones, we headed to a notorious American hang-out in Antigua called Mono Loco (Crazy Monkey) and had a couple of cervezas. We then met my friend Mary Liz (current volunteer in Acatenango) at a rooftop bar for a couple more cervezas. Antigua is surrounded by three volcanoes (only Fuego is active) so the view from the rooftop was amazing! Again – Antigua is absolutely beautiful – the streets are cobble-stone and clean, all the buildings are painted in bright and different colors, the central park is vibrant green and always busy. I have a feeling that I will spend a lot of time there since it’s the main volunteer hang-out. I actually went back there today for church with my family, and we hung out at the local market – which is a lot bigger than the market in San Lucas.
So here comes the fun part…On the way back from Antigua, it started to rain. I’m not talking a little sprinkle – this was a complete downpour. So my friends and I got off the bus and started heading home – but since my town is on the side of a hill/mountain, the rainwater was causing all the mud and dirt to slide down. It was like an obstacle course just to get back to mi casa. So I can say now that the rainy season has started! It continued to rain like this all night long – a continuous downpour. Our power went out, because the electricity here is absolutely horrible. They say that the rainy season lasts about three months – which will not be fun during my long walk home from class.
As for the rest of today – I will be washing my clothes in the ‘pila’ – which is basically an outdoor sink used for washing dishes and clothes – and setting them out on the line to dry. Also, I am helping my host mom make tortillas. I have helped her make them about three times now – and am still not good at it. You basically have to mush up the dried corn, flatten the dough out with an iron stone, use your hands to slap the dough into a round shape, and then throw them on the open fire. Hopefully I will get better at it and be able to make awesome tortillas when I return to the States…of course, by then, I won’t want to eat another tortilla for the rest of my life.
On a couple of separate notes, the poverty here in Guatemala is incredible – especially in the town where I am living. There is no middle-class here in Guatemala…it’s either the extremely rich or the poorest of poor. Even with the constant reminder of their economic situation, the families here are incredibly ‘happy go-lucky’ and make family their focus. My host family lives right next to their grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers. Probably half the town is made up of my host family’s relatives! Which could be the reason for so much ‘chisme’ or gossip amongst the townJ Last week, I helped my family put in a shower in our ‘outhouse’. All host families get paid for volunteers to live with them – so we used some of that money for a running shower. I wish each of you could have witnessed my family’s excitement over something so simple as a shower with running water (still cold water unfortunately!). I think the first time my host brother showered with it – he stayed in there for over thirty minutes! However, since the electricity and running water here is always a problem – we had a couple of days this week with no water at all.
I mentioned in my last post that if anyone wanted to send me stuff in the mail, it would be great to include some things for my host family. Some possibilities down below, but anything to play with outside would be great!! They really have limited toys – so anything for a 4-year-old girl and 11-year-old boy:
-Frisbee
-Jump Rope
-Beach Ball
-Candy/Gum
-Checkers
-Electronic hand-held games (for my host brother)
-Yo-Yos
-Crayons
-Coloring Books
Tomorrow I get to have the remainder of my vaccines in-country. I think in total, I had to have about 7 different shots. I am also taking my malaria pills – so I have had some interesting dreams the past week. Most of them have to do with roosters and chickens – because we have them running all over the place outside my house and you hear them all night long.
Okay, this is way too long of a blog – but I haven’t really been on email for the past week. I have uploaded some photos of my host family – but I promise more pictures to follow soon!
P.S. I love the comments from everyone – it’s good to hear from all of you!
My Address
Hope everyone had a nice weekend! Just wanted to give my address in case anyone wants to send me stuff (preferably stuff for my host family, toys to play with, candies, etc):
Carin Robinson, PCT
Cuerpo de Paz
8a. Calle 6-55 Zona 9
Ciudad de Guatemala
Guatemala, C.A.
Rachel - you won't believe this - but I joined an all girls' soccer team and have our game in about 15 minutes. Craziness!! Went to church today with the family - which was quite an experience. Lots of singing and clapping - and very very HOT!! Whoever said Guatemala was cold, was lying. Went for ice cream with the family afterwards and walked around Antigua. Antigua reminds me of San Miguel in Mexico - a Gringo paradise but a little more quaint. I think me and some of my friends will probably go to the city again next weekend for a night out on the town and to get away from our host families for a day or so. It can be quite overwhelming having to speak spanish all day, everyday - major headache:)
I took a lot of pictures today of my host family and where we live and will try to post as soon as possible!!
Ciao for now,
Carin
El Fin de Semana
Hola!
This will be pretty short - but just wanted to say hello:) Computer time is pretty scarce since there is only four computers and 30 volunteers.
Three nights at my host family now - and everything is great. Each day I get more comfortable with my spanish. I help mi mama cook dinner every night (yes, I am actually attempting to cook!) and watch tv with my host siblings (only about 10 cable channels - all in espanol). Getting used to the bucket baths now - and I actually have been heating the water on the stove so no cold showers anymore:)
As for this weekend, I have class until noon today - and then will return to my town for a big lunch with my family. Afterwards, a friend and I will come back to Santa Lucia to walk around town and visit one of the parks for a little hiking. Tomorrow I will go with my family to Antigua for church. Evidently this is an all day occasion - my family is catholic and muy religioso. Will be nice to see Antigua and some of the sights there.
No pictures yet - haven't even got my camera out. Feel a little strange bringing out a 'expensive' camera in front of my family. Will do so eventually!
Also, my Sprint phone works here....how crazy is that. But I cut my service off right before i came, so will need to see about cutting the service back on here in guatemala.
Okay, Feliz fin de semana!
My First Day
Well, I made it! Yesterday was a VERY long day to say the least. Myself along with 28 other volunteers woke up at 3:00 am to leave for Reagan airport, but didn't fly out until 7:00 am. Had a slight layover in Atlanta before heading to Guatemala City. We were greeted by a large Guatemalan band as soon as we went through customs. Then hopped on a chicken bus and skipped Guatemala City completely. We headed to our training center in Santa Lucia - which is a very small municipality west of Guatemala City. Didn't stay long - only for a little health and safety training.....and then went to meet our host families around 3 pm. My host family is AWESOME!! I have a brother who is 11 years old, a sister who is 4, and another sister who is 16. Mario (mi hermano) is very shy and just stares at me most of the time and laughs. My younger sister is the most adorable little girl I think I have ever seen - and she is constantly hugging on me and giving me kisses. My mother is extremely nice - always wanting to know if I am okay, whether I need anything, etc. She told me over and over yesterday how happy they were to have me. I spent my afternoon getting a tour of the town (La Libertad is the town where my host family is) from my brother Mario - and then playing soccer with him and his friends for about two hours -also included freeze tag, lots of cartwheels, and throwing them in the air, etc. Then headed back to the house for dinner (scrambled eggs, beans, and tortillas). My spanish is better than I thought it was - but I still had a lot of trouble comprehending what each family member was saying. There was a lot of laughter!! I taught my father and brother a card game and we played for about two hours....it was a combination of Go Fish and Gin Rummy....because it was too hard to explain in Spanish. I will try and send pictures of the house when I can. It's definitely a humbling experience....My room is actually located off of the house - dirt floor, queen bed, little dresser for my clothes, and a little lamp. The bathroom is an outhouse where I have to put water in the toilet to flush things down. I also had my first bucket bath today - with cold water.....very interesting. It got the job done though:) I have four other volunteers in my town - and we have to walk about 45 minutes to get to the training center in Santa Lucia. So classes start at 7:30 - we had to leave the house at 6:30. My mother packs a lunch for me each day - which I felt like I was back at home because it consisted of fried chicken and potatoes. Okay, this is a horrible post -but lots of people are waiting on a computer!! Hope everyone is doing well....more to follow soon:)
