I love so many things about this country, but at the same time I am constantly aware of the amount of problems the people of this country suffer on a day to day basis.
-50% of Guatemala is iliterate.
That sort of a figure is so hard for us to comprehend. At first it seems so archaic, but at the same time, in a 3rd world country literacy isn't always necessary. Generation after generation of Guatemaltecos grow up in families in extremely rural areas. Education isn't necessary. In general people in the mountains are born, married, and die all within the same town. However, as time passes jobs are harder and harder to find, the land is farmed down to useless dirt, and people are forced to look elsewhere for their way of life. One of the so-called reforms the Guatemalan government has made lately is to require a literacy test for many jobs but they haven't set up any kind of programs to aid the iliterate. Thus, thousands of people are without jobs and are unable to get them because they aren't literate, but they are unable to attend school because they don't have a job to get money to pay for books.
People here also remain largely uneducated in health matters as well. Sex, health, and education for mother's is nonexistant. For the most part these things are taboo subjects. However by the time a rural girl here reaches the age of 18 it is likly that she has been pregnant 3-4 times and probably has at least 2 children. Here, in a country where malnutrition and starvation runs rampant, breastfeeding is seen as more of a snack. A baby's first food is often tortilla soaked in instant coffee. Even if people know about good nutrition, vegetables are hard to grow and expensive to buy.
Vegetables are another thing. When a farmer gathers his crops he divides it into 3 parts. The first is the best of the best; these are shipped north to the United States. The second part goes to the markets. The last, the so-called "bad" vegetables stay within the family or are given to the poor through charitable organizations. The trickle down is slim for the majority of Guatemalans.
I was so hurt when I saw on CNN that a woman had been trampled on Black Friday at a Wal-Mart. Was that really worth it for cheap Hannah Montana t-shirts? In Guatemala people work themselves to death in order to keep their families alive. What does it say about our society that someone died shopping?
I don't want to start ripping down America as a whole. We are an incredibly blessed nation and there is nothing wrong with that. Personally I have learned so much here. God gives us blessings and he wants us to use and enjoy them, but at the same time it is so worth it to stop and realize the enormity of our blessings.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
East meets West
The other night, Pablo and I walked down the street to the night market for a late night snack. The staple food in El Salvador is called a papoosa. It is basically a tortilla omelette. It's a tortilla with cheese and meat on the inside. They are amazing! They also put avocado, chile, and spiced cabbage on top. Anyhow we were sitting at the stall eating and all of the sudden the power goes out in the entire city. The power goes out a lot but usually not for so long and not the entire city. At first no one could figure out what to do. The woman cooking our food has this huge open grill where she makes everything and all you could see were shadows. She couldn't figure out how to continue cooking. However, east met west, as it so often tends to do and about a dozen people pulled out their cell phones and used them as lights over a cooking set up that dates back hundreds of years.
It is amazing how the east and the west, the old and the new, and probably most importantly, America and Guatemala meet here everyday. Antigua is a colonial city and is preserved by the government as such but regulations can't stop change. In Antigua and the cities surrounding it, gas stations provide both gasoline and are often the site of the municipal well. On any given day, an ordinary ladino(of Euro descent) Guatemalteco and a Maya might be at the gas station at the same time. The Ladino puts gas in his motorcycle, picks up a jug of pure water, and grabs bread (yes very often at the gas station) for his family's dinner. The Mayan fills his family's water jar from the well, buys the family's bread, and maybe grabs himself a soda. They never look at eachother, never acknowledge the other's presence, but all the same they are doing the same thing. Same age, same religion, same country, they are so different yet so alike. Bringing home the bread, taking care of their families, they are just living.
Things for the most part have settled down here. I just graduated out of Grado D. Grado E is huge! My goal is to get through E by the end of my classes in a couple weeks.
Socially things are changing here. There is quite a crew of friends going home this week because of Thanksgiving. It is definately a really sad thing. I don't think anybody really realized coming down as individuals that we would all find such incredible friends. However, just as quickly as we came, we go home. Thank God for Facebook!
I am coming into my last few weeks here in Guatemala. There have definately been a lot of adventures. I'm sure there are more to come.
It is amazing how the east and the west, the old and the new, and probably most importantly, America and Guatemala meet here everyday. Antigua is a colonial city and is preserved by the government as such but regulations can't stop change. In Antigua and the cities surrounding it, gas stations provide both gasoline and are often the site of the municipal well. On any given day, an ordinary ladino(of Euro descent) Guatemalteco and a Maya might be at the gas station at the same time. The Ladino puts gas in his motorcycle, picks up a jug of pure water, and grabs bread (yes very often at the gas station) for his family's dinner. The Mayan fills his family's water jar from the well, buys the family's bread, and maybe grabs himself a soda. They never look at eachother, never acknowledge the other's presence, but all the same they are doing the same thing. Same age, same religion, same country, they are so different yet so alike. Bringing home the bread, taking care of their families, they are just living.
Things for the most part have settled down here. I just graduated out of Grado D. Grado E is huge! My goal is to get through E by the end of my classes in a couple weeks.
Socially things are changing here. There is quite a crew of friends going home this week because of Thanksgiving. It is definately a really sad thing. I don't think anybody really realized coming down as individuals that we would all find such incredible friends. However, just as quickly as we came, we go home. Thank God for Facebook!
I am coming into my last few weeks here in Guatemala. There have definately been a lot of adventures. I'm sure there are more to come.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Safe and Loved
In all of my life I have always had this trust in people. It isn't as if I would share my entire life story with them, but on the whole, I believe strongly in the goodness of the world. In the last two days that trust has been challenged beyond any measure I could have imagined.
The long and short of it is that I was attacked. I have always been so careful here about where and when I walk, especially when I am by myself. I was on my way to work about 5 minutes outside of Antigua just before 2:00 in the afternoon. There were two men walking in front of me for quite some time. I was aware of them and was keeping my distance. About a minute from work, not even there is a row of stores and repair shops. In the afternoon they don't get much business so there were probably around 20 people standing around and talking. At this spot the two men in front of me turned around and immediately attacked me. This is highly unusual because normally thieves ask for your things before they attack you. Had they done this I would have handed it over. However, this was not the case. One of them held my arms back while the other took my bag. My bag crosses over my arms so because the other guy was holding my arms the one couldn't get the bag off of me. So, he started to hit me. It probably wasn't smart but my self-defense kicked in at this point, literally, and I kicked the man who was taking my bag where the sun doesn't shine (sorry for a lack of a better term). He definately let up a little at this point long enough for me to get my bag off my arm and give it to him. The bad part was that he also kicked me in the gut and sidearm punched me in the left eye. The really hard part for me is that even though they had my things they continued to grab at my clothes and sexually harass me. At this point one of the people watching this all happen finallly stepped in and said "Aye no mas", basically, "hey, that's enough". The two men finally took my things, got into a parked car, and drove off.
It is amazing how an altrication that didn't last more than a minute and a half can seem to stretch on for hours. I distinctly remember watching the man's hand come across towards my face in slow motion. However, after they ran away I immediately lost my sense of calm. I walked the minute or so to Nuestro Ajilados. Thinking back on it two days later I am amazed at the reaction I got at work. Immediately I was sent to the clinic, police were called, the embassy was contacted with a full report, and a number of crucial phone calls were made. I had some really serious post traumatic stress syndrome. My blood pressure spiked, I couldn't think or breath, and I was light headed. However, the doctors and nurses at the clinic took care of everything and a counselor was brought in immediately. I am so blessed to have had her there. If not for the things she said and the amount of quick processing she was able to work me through in the first 30 minutes after the attack, my reaction now would have been very different.
Brandon was there from the beginning. After the clinic I was sent to the National Hospital for monitoring, X-rays of my head, and a surgeon looked at my stomach. Brandon stayed the entire day as well as Hector, one of the directors at Nuestro Ajiados who translated for me when I couldn't. So many friends and family were there so that I was never alone. I am just so overwhelmed by the outpouring of kindness and support. So many Guatemaltecos apologized to me saying how there are good people in Guatemala and how they were so ashamed of their countrymen. This doesn't really change anything. I love this country and I have from the first day I got here. Where two people hurt me, hundreds made sure I was okay. I may have lost possessions, my camera being the hardest one to deal with, I have my life and my integrity.
Now for the serious ironies in this whole situation. First of all, I was robbed on my way to my job at an organization that is working to end poverty. Secondly, those poor thieves, only got a camera that hadn't been working, Q3 (less than 50 cents), and a credit card with $15 on it (which is now cancelled). So little for all of that work and risk.
I am okay. I have a black eye, broken finger, sore stomach, headache, and a definate sense of violation and fear, but all of these things pass. I am supported, loved, and already on my way to healing. It would be such a blesing if you all could pray, not only for me but for the men who felt that this was their only option. Lastly, thank God for all of the amazing people who have helped me through these last couple of days. Brandon who stayed in the hospital for hours, Sarah who was the first to call my parents and who let me sleep in her room the last couple of nights, Hector who somehow got me into the emergency room at Antigua Nacional in less than 10 minutes, Pablo and Carlos brought my meds, my coat, talked to doctors, arranged transportation for all of these people, talked with me, and a lot of other stuff, and also for doctors, nurses, Charlie, Luke, Angel, Neto, and Ana Lucia at Nuestro Ajijados. God gave me an army of angels to get me through one of the hardest days of my life.
I am here to stay. While it is going to be a struggle to work through these things and to regain my sense of safety, going home wouldn't change anything that has happened.
I am safe. I am loved.
The long and short of it is that I was attacked. I have always been so careful here about where and when I walk, especially when I am by myself. I was on my way to work about 5 minutes outside of Antigua just before 2:00 in the afternoon. There were two men walking in front of me for quite some time. I was aware of them and was keeping my distance. About a minute from work, not even there is a row of stores and repair shops. In the afternoon they don't get much business so there were probably around 20 people standing around and talking. At this spot the two men in front of me turned around and immediately attacked me. This is highly unusual because normally thieves ask for your things before they attack you. Had they done this I would have handed it over. However, this was not the case. One of them held my arms back while the other took my bag. My bag crosses over my arms so because the other guy was holding my arms the one couldn't get the bag off of me. So, he started to hit me. It probably wasn't smart but my self-defense kicked in at this point, literally, and I kicked the man who was taking my bag where the sun doesn't shine (sorry for a lack of a better term). He definately let up a little at this point long enough for me to get my bag off my arm and give it to him. The bad part was that he also kicked me in the gut and sidearm punched me in the left eye. The really hard part for me is that even though they had my things they continued to grab at my clothes and sexually harass me. At this point one of the people watching this all happen finallly stepped in and said "Aye no mas", basically, "hey, that's enough". The two men finally took my things, got into a parked car, and drove off.
It is amazing how an altrication that didn't last more than a minute and a half can seem to stretch on for hours. I distinctly remember watching the man's hand come across towards my face in slow motion. However, after they ran away I immediately lost my sense of calm. I walked the minute or so to Nuestro Ajilados. Thinking back on it two days later I am amazed at the reaction I got at work. Immediately I was sent to the clinic, police were called, the embassy was contacted with a full report, and a number of crucial phone calls were made. I had some really serious post traumatic stress syndrome. My blood pressure spiked, I couldn't think or breath, and I was light headed. However, the doctors and nurses at the clinic took care of everything and a counselor was brought in immediately. I am so blessed to have had her there. If not for the things she said and the amount of quick processing she was able to work me through in the first 30 minutes after the attack, my reaction now would have been very different.
Brandon was there from the beginning. After the clinic I was sent to the National Hospital for monitoring, X-rays of my head, and a surgeon looked at my stomach. Brandon stayed the entire day as well as Hector, one of the directors at Nuestro Ajiados who translated for me when I couldn't. So many friends and family were there so that I was never alone. I am just so overwhelmed by the outpouring of kindness and support. So many Guatemaltecos apologized to me saying how there are good people in Guatemala and how they were so ashamed of their countrymen. This doesn't really change anything. I love this country and I have from the first day I got here. Where two people hurt me, hundreds made sure I was okay. I may have lost possessions, my camera being the hardest one to deal with, I have my life and my integrity.
Now for the serious ironies in this whole situation. First of all, I was robbed on my way to my job at an organization that is working to end poverty. Secondly, those poor thieves, only got a camera that hadn't been working, Q3 (less than 50 cents), and a credit card with $15 on it (which is now cancelled). So little for all of that work and risk.
I am okay. I have a black eye, broken finger, sore stomach, headache, and a definate sense of violation and fear, but all of these things pass. I am supported, loved, and already on my way to healing. It would be such a blesing if you all could pray, not only for me but for the men who felt that this was their only option. Lastly, thank God for all of the amazing people who have helped me through these last couple of days. Brandon who stayed in the hospital for hours, Sarah who was the first to call my parents and who let me sleep in her room the last couple of nights, Hector who somehow got me into the emergency room at Antigua Nacional in less than 10 minutes, Pablo and Carlos brought my meds, my coat, talked to doctors, arranged transportation for all of these people, talked with me, and a lot of other stuff, and also for doctors, nurses, Charlie, Luke, Angel, Neto, and Ana Lucia at Nuestro Ajijados. God gave me an army of angels to get me through one of the hardest days of my life.
I am here to stay. While it is going to be a struggle to work through these things and to regain my sense of safety, going home wouldn't change anything that has happened.
I am safe. I am loved.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Just to much to tell
Wow, ya´ll, I am here to say that I have been hopelessly remiss in keeping up on my blogging. It has gotten to the point where if I tell everything that has happened this will turn into the worlds biggest blog post. Therefore, I will just give the highlights, and put up all kinds of pictures to fill in the rest.
The weekend of Halloween was an absolute blast. Things are celebrated a lot differently here. The whole thing is a three day festival starting Friday and going into Sunday. Friday night was the Halloween party at Kasbah, a club here. My two brothers, Carlos and Pablo, dressed up as smirfs. It is really hard to dance with a blue man. There costumes were great and I got to spend a lot of time with Andréa, who I had not seen in quite some time. Saturday is a day with more celebration. People from all the towns in Guatemala gather in large fields in their various cities and fly bariletes, kites. I went in the afternoon with Pablo and Brayan to buy my own kite, a mariposa, and we all went out and flew them. This whole thing made me miss my mom, because she would have loved to see them all out there. This is yet another thing you can do in Guatemala and not in the US. There were probably around 50 kites caught in the power lines by the end of the day, complete with people trying to climb up and pull them off. Dinner that night was a special food here called fiambre. It is made with all different kinds of meat, beans, vegetables, and all kinds of things. It costs a lot to make so they only eat it one day a year here, but it was absolutely fantastic. Sunday there is a religious parade in the street with this huge altar carried through the streets of the city by women. There is also a band (there were baritones!), priests, and incense carriers. It was a very different kind of thing to see.
A few nights later we went to a birthday party for our friend Joel at a hookah bar called, Gaya. It is a very Persian kind of feeling place, pillows, canopies, the whole nine yards.
Every day I am surprised by what I wake up to. I eat refried beans and tortillas for breakfast (amazing). Then I hop in the shower and hope it is going to be a hot water day and then I rush off to four hard hours of Spanish class. Class is so important to me. It gets really hard sometimes as my teacher tries to make the things the things I am learning on paper become part of my every day conversation. I have no idea how she comes up with the patience she has every day. I can get really frustrated but she always figures out how to keep me going. I probably have not talked about her much. Her name is Olga Perez. She is 27 and has been a spanish language teacher for five years. She really loves what she does and it definately shows. At the same time, it is not easy being a language teacher. The work is inconsistent. If you dont have a student during a certain week, you dont get paid. Also, I may have said this before, but CSA has a continuing education program for their teachers that rivals most schools in the US. Thus, at the end of our class, Olga goes to her class. After school I am home for lunch and a quick nap. Most days I then go to Nuestro Ahijados. Brandon and I have made some huge leaps in our last couple of days of work. Today we finally got together all of the department heads at Nuestro Ahijados. We talked with all of them for two and a half hours about how we can make their jobs easier, implement an effective database, and make sure everyone can keep up with it. We finally have some really concrete plans about what to do next. It is so exciting to see exactly how all the work we do will help people. I definately do a lot of on the job training. It is really rewarding work. It is an awesome thing to be a part of.
This past weekend I went on a tour through a bunch of different places in Guatemala. The idea of the tour was to expose the participants to the reality of Guatemalan life as it is today. This includes both the bad and the good. I will be updating you all on the details of that trip in my next post, but just to keep you on the edge of your seat, here are a few of the topics... live chicken sacrifice, strawberries, puppies, and a cozy night. Oh, did I mention live chicken sacrifice.
The weekend of Halloween was an absolute blast. Things are celebrated a lot differently here. The whole thing is a three day festival starting Friday and going into Sunday. Friday night was the Halloween party at Kasbah, a club here. My two brothers, Carlos and Pablo, dressed up as smirfs. It is really hard to dance with a blue man. There costumes were great and I got to spend a lot of time with Andréa, who I had not seen in quite some time. Saturday is a day with more celebration. People from all the towns in Guatemala gather in large fields in their various cities and fly bariletes, kites. I went in the afternoon with Pablo and Brayan to buy my own kite, a mariposa, and we all went out and flew them. This whole thing made me miss my mom, because she would have loved to see them all out there. This is yet another thing you can do in Guatemala and not in the US. There were probably around 50 kites caught in the power lines by the end of the day, complete with people trying to climb up and pull them off. Dinner that night was a special food here called fiambre. It is made with all different kinds of meat, beans, vegetables, and all kinds of things. It costs a lot to make so they only eat it one day a year here, but it was absolutely fantastic. Sunday there is a religious parade in the street with this huge altar carried through the streets of the city by women. There is also a band (there were baritones!), priests, and incense carriers. It was a very different kind of thing to see.
A few nights later we went to a birthday party for our friend Joel at a hookah bar called, Gaya. It is a very Persian kind of feeling place, pillows, canopies, the whole nine yards.
Every day I am surprised by what I wake up to. I eat refried beans and tortillas for breakfast (amazing). Then I hop in the shower and hope it is going to be a hot water day and then I rush off to four hard hours of Spanish class. Class is so important to me. It gets really hard sometimes as my teacher tries to make the things the things I am learning on paper become part of my every day conversation. I have no idea how she comes up with the patience she has every day. I can get really frustrated but she always figures out how to keep me going. I probably have not talked about her much. Her name is Olga Perez. She is 27 and has been a spanish language teacher for five years. She really loves what she does and it definately shows. At the same time, it is not easy being a language teacher. The work is inconsistent. If you dont have a student during a certain week, you dont get paid. Also, I may have said this before, but CSA has a continuing education program for their teachers that rivals most schools in the US. Thus, at the end of our class, Olga goes to her class. After school I am home for lunch and a quick nap. Most days I then go to Nuestro Ahijados. Brandon and I have made some huge leaps in our last couple of days of work. Today we finally got together all of the department heads at Nuestro Ahijados. We talked with all of them for two and a half hours about how we can make their jobs easier, implement an effective database, and make sure everyone can keep up with it. We finally have some really concrete plans about what to do next. It is so exciting to see exactly how all the work we do will help people. I definately do a lot of on the job training. It is really rewarding work. It is an awesome thing to be a part of.
This past weekend I went on a tour through a bunch of different places in Guatemala. The idea of the tour was to expose the participants to the reality of Guatemalan life as it is today. This includes both the bad and the good. I will be updating you all on the details of that trip in my next post, but just to keep you on the edge of your seat, here are a few of the topics... live chicken sacrifice, strawberries, puppies, and a cozy night. Oh, did I mention live chicken sacrifice.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Nada mas.
I have been doing a lot of thinking in the last few days and I will admit, quite a lot of worrying. However, whenever I get to worrying all I need to do is take a walk just outside of town and go into one of the barios. These are the poor towns on the outskirts of town. Out there, children play in the dirt in the streets next to the garbage they took out that morning. Garbage, dirt, it does not matter, they are happy. It does not mean that they are healthy or that they will have by US standards, "a good life." It just means that in that moment, they have found the ray of light that God in his astounding grace has sent from heaven.
If I do not want to walk as far, all I have to do is go to the house for teenaged girls at the end of town. Nuestro Aliados, the organization I will be working for, just discovered that at night police have been conducting so called "interviews" with the girls for several years. In my narrow-minded view, all I can think about is how hard it is that I do not have very much money. In reality, I am so blessed to have enough of a concept of money that I can worry about it. Those girls, who are my age, do not worry about money or what they are going to go to college next semester. They just hope that someone will give them the respect that they as simple children of God deserve.
The world is not about money or school or any of the things that the world gets caught up in. It is about simple, pure, inexplainable, undescribable grace.
If I do not want to walk as far, all I have to do is go to the house for teenaged girls at the end of town. Nuestro Aliados, the organization I will be working for, just discovered that at night police have been conducting so called "interviews" with the girls for several years. In my narrow-minded view, all I can think about is how hard it is that I do not have very much money. In reality, I am so blessed to have enough of a concept of money that I can worry about it. Those girls, who are my age, do not worry about money or what they are going to go to college next semester. They just hope that someone will give them the respect that they as simple children of God deserve.
The world is not about money or school or any of the things that the world gets caught up in. It is about simple, pure, inexplainable, undescribable grace.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
...because you are youung.
I had such a full weekend I have no idea where to start. There were so many people leaving and birthdays and just a ton of good stuff happened.
To start out Thurday night was my birthday party with my friends from school. We had dinner for those who wanted it at 7:00 and the gathering at 8:00. For the dinner I think about 6 people came and for the gathering I think there were probably 20 people total but lots of people could only make it for parts of it. Kafka, the restaurant where we at has this really cool area over the bar that you have to go over this little bridge thing to get to. They have a big long table that you eat Roman style around. It was really great for talking. My friends bought me a card and a really delicious birthday brownie, complete with ice cream and a candle.
Friday night was 80s night at Hotel Antigua. We were invited back last time we went by the hotel manager so we got in free and we had to pay for almost nothing and they kept sending us free food. It is so fun because everywhere I go with my group of friends people love having us. We love dancing and karaoke and we are always as polite and friendly as we can be. 80s night this week was really fun becaus Carlos, my big brother, came along. I was surprised about how mamy songs he knew.
Saturday I stayed at home most of the day. It was a much needed rest and I got a lot of studying done.
Sunday we ate breakfast at the cafe down the street and went to mass. It was really cool because the service was all about the Lord´s Prayer which I am really familiar with from going to Spanish service in Watertown back home. In the afternoon we had a party for Kelley, who has been such an amazing friends during the time I have been here. She left yesterday morning and it was tough to say goodbye. We ate cake in the park and we celebrated in the McDonald´s courtyard with a piñata. At first the McDonald´s employees did not look so excited about having us there so Doug went in and bought like 15 cheeseburgers, or quesoburguesas, as they are called here. We invited all of the kids in the courtyard to come and play as well. It didn´t take much for the McDonald´s people to get excited about what we were doing. They brought us out an actually piñata stick instead of the tennis racket we had been using. Unfortunately, Jenny accidentally broke the stick by wacking it into a tree. I was delegated to go and apologize to the staff. They pretty much thought that this was the funniest thing that had ever happened. I mean really, some of them laughed so hard they cried. We must have looked pretty funny, 4 adults coming up to the counter with this sad broken piñata stick, asking if we can pay for it. It was a very fun afternoon and I definately got some beautiful pictures.
After Jenny, Sarah, Kelley, and I spent some time in the sun on Jenny´s roof. Mostly I studied, but I did tan up a little bit. The sun did a lot to boost my mood. Sunday night we went out to eat. It was also Kelley´s birthday, so in the Guatemalan tradition, we set off a lot of Black Cats in the street. The staff at the restaurant loved us so they set off even more Black Cats. It was really, really loud, but equally fun.
Yesterday I took my exam and passed it. Thus I am now in Grado D. I feel pretty good about the score I got and I am excited for the new material.
In spite of all of these fun events, the highlight of my weekend was definately visiting the organization that I am going to be working for. They have a gorgeous campus and it was so amazing to start meeting the kids that I am going to be helping. The staff is young, but passionate. The director of the new infant malnutrition center is 19, my age. At first I was really shocked by this and even a little skeptical, but I had the opportunity to talk to him and it is obvious that his passion for what he is doing has led him to build up an amazing center that is going to save the lives of hundreds of children. He also told me that the most important part of everything he does is God. He credited God with all of his abilities. He used the example of Timothy and quoted some of the things Paul says to encourages him.
"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."
To start out Thurday night was my birthday party with my friends from school. We had dinner for those who wanted it at 7:00 and the gathering at 8:00. For the dinner I think about 6 people came and for the gathering I think there were probably 20 people total but lots of people could only make it for parts of it. Kafka, the restaurant where we at has this really cool area over the bar that you have to go over this little bridge thing to get to. They have a big long table that you eat Roman style around. It was really great for talking. My friends bought me a card and a really delicious birthday brownie, complete with ice cream and a candle.
Friday night was 80s night at Hotel Antigua. We were invited back last time we went by the hotel manager so we got in free and we had to pay for almost nothing and they kept sending us free food. It is so fun because everywhere I go with my group of friends people love having us. We love dancing and karaoke and we are always as polite and friendly as we can be. 80s night this week was really fun becaus Carlos, my big brother, came along. I was surprised about how mamy songs he knew.
Saturday I stayed at home most of the day. It was a much needed rest and I got a lot of studying done.
Sunday we ate breakfast at the cafe down the street and went to mass. It was really cool because the service was all about the Lord´s Prayer which I am really familiar with from going to Spanish service in Watertown back home. In the afternoon we had a party for Kelley, who has been such an amazing friends during the time I have been here. She left yesterday morning and it was tough to say goodbye. We ate cake in the park and we celebrated in the McDonald´s courtyard with a piñata. At first the McDonald´s employees did not look so excited about having us there so Doug went in and bought like 15 cheeseburgers, or quesoburguesas, as they are called here. We invited all of the kids in the courtyard to come and play as well. It didn´t take much for the McDonald´s people to get excited about what we were doing. They brought us out an actually piñata stick instead of the tennis racket we had been using. Unfortunately, Jenny accidentally broke the stick by wacking it into a tree. I was delegated to go and apologize to the staff. They pretty much thought that this was the funniest thing that had ever happened. I mean really, some of them laughed so hard they cried. We must have looked pretty funny, 4 adults coming up to the counter with this sad broken piñata stick, asking if we can pay for it. It was a very fun afternoon and I definately got some beautiful pictures.
After Jenny, Sarah, Kelley, and I spent some time in the sun on Jenny´s roof. Mostly I studied, but I did tan up a little bit. The sun did a lot to boost my mood. Sunday night we went out to eat. It was also Kelley´s birthday, so in the Guatemalan tradition, we set off a lot of Black Cats in the street. The staff at the restaurant loved us so they set off even more Black Cats. It was really, really loud, but equally fun.
Yesterday I took my exam and passed it. Thus I am now in Grado D. I feel pretty good about the score I got and I am excited for the new material.
In spite of all of these fun events, the highlight of my weekend was definately visiting the organization that I am going to be working for. They have a gorgeous campus and it was so amazing to start meeting the kids that I am going to be helping. The staff is young, but passionate. The director of the new infant malnutrition center is 19, my age. At first I was really shocked by this and even a little skeptical, but I had the opportunity to talk to him and it is obvious that his passion for what he is doing has led him to build up an amazing center that is going to save the lives of hundreds of children. He also told me that the most important part of everything he does is God. He credited God with all of his abilities. He used the example of Timothy and quoted some of the things Paul says to encourages him.
"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."
Thursday, October 23, 2008
When opportunity knocks...
Hey everyone, this is just a quick update to tell you what is going on here. I am super busy with school. My exam to pass into the next grade will be on Monday. I am confident that I will pass, but I really want to get a good score so that I know that I really have learned all of these new things. I am thinking about going 5 hours instead of 4 hours every other week. That will probably all depend on cost and whether or not that will really help me more.
Tonight friends from school are taking me out to one of my favorite restuarants for my birthday. A lot of people are coming so I am really excited and I feel really honored that they have set this all up for me. This weekend brings 80s night and Pablo and Carlos are also taking me out for my birthday.
My other big news is that I have been offered a temporary position at a non-profit organization down here. They are working to help prevent human trafficing here in Guatemala. They are based out of Antigua so I would be able to work after school. The organization cracks down on child trafficing in stone quarries and the trafficing of women mostly in the sex and slave trades. When they find them they pull the women and children out and get them into homes where they are taken care of and can learn trades. The organization is basically a stepping stone into their new lives. My job would be to help set up the database that keeps track of the women and children and links them to their parents, their former locations, their new locations, etc. My friends Brandon and Doug from school work there and they mentioned that they need another hand with this. I have been looking for a place to volunteer and I think this could be a really good fit for me. I would work with Brandon to create the system and then I would be able to make lists and input data, which I love doing! and also work with the children. It just feels like I am being directed towards this opportunity. I do not think it is just chance.
Other than that, life goes on down here.
Tonight friends from school are taking me out to one of my favorite restuarants for my birthday. A lot of people are coming so I am really excited and I feel really honored that they have set this all up for me. This weekend brings 80s night and Pablo and Carlos are also taking me out for my birthday.
My other big news is that I have been offered a temporary position at a non-profit organization down here. They are working to help prevent human trafficing here in Guatemala. They are based out of Antigua so I would be able to work after school. The organization cracks down on child trafficing in stone quarries and the trafficing of women mostly in the sex and slave trades. When they find them they pull the women and children out and get them into homes where they are taken care of and can learn trades. The organization is basically a stepping stone into their new lives. My job would be to help set up the database that keeps track of the women and children and links them to their parents, their former locations, their new locations, etc. My friends Brandon and Doug from school work there and they mentioned that they need another hand with this. I have been looking for a place to volunteer and I think this could be a really good fit for me. I would work with Brandon to create the system and then I would be able to make lists and input data, which I love doing! and also work with the children. It just feels like I am being directed towards this opportunity. I do not think it is just chance.
Other than that, life goes on down here.
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