Hi friends! I suppose it’s time for the monthly blog post. Another whirlwind of a month here in Guatemala started off with an accident involving two of my friends. Both of them are in the States right now getting the medical attention they need, both with hopes of coming back. Keep them in your thoughts! Because of this, Mich and I had a five night hospital slumber party with them, where we were able to witness the differences in the ways hospitals and medical personnel work here in Guatemala. To say the least, it was very interesting.
In more positive news, I am slowly becoming busier. I started Mam classes and have had more than 30 hours thus far. My teacher is a 23 year old woman, married with a 3 year old daughter. She teaches Mam in the afternoons at a nearby school, and she was given a scholarship to study language for three years from the European Union, which she had completed by the age of 20. She is a demanding teacher and Mam is challenging, but we get along well and I learn a lot from her.
I have 3 women’s groups formed that I meet with every other week. I have given presentations on nutrition, mainly which nutrients people in the countryside tend to lack and how to fulfill those nutritional needs, hand washing, and water purification. I also planted blackberries with the groups, as they have two of the three things people lack most (vitamin A and iron). Because of the Mam I know, I am slowly gaining the confidence of these women. They love the fact that I’m attempting to spit out this language and definitely tease me. Yesterday during a presentation I was trying to say I like to eat torillas and I said either “kids eat tortillas” or “I like to eat kids” – I’m not sure what exactly came out. Luckily they have a sense of humor! Slowly I’m getting better though, as this week I went to the market and bought my vegetables in Mam – I was pretty darn proud of myself.
I went to my first Quinsiñera this month; Mich’s doctor’s daughter had a huge party. A Quinsiñera is the coming of age party, celebrated in some Latin American countries, when a girl turns 15. The family rented a huge room in the city, had a live band, a sit down meal, and a dance. It was very strange to be in the countryside in the morning, with people who can barely afford to eat, to then be in a banquet hall surrounded by suits, fancy dresses, and lavish gifts for the birthday girl. Mich’s doctor made a point to tell us we had to dance, and when we didn’t jump up right away she decided to pawn her nephews on us; they were brothers, and I swear it was a scene directly out of Night at the Roxbury! It was a fun time, but we were glad to leave at the end of the night!
I am on two committees that are taking up time, as well as introducing me to volunteers in other programs. It’s nice to be able to meet other people to get ideas of different ways to work with the community.
I’ve finally started making friends in my communities, mainly with the women I work with. They are very sweet and genuine, usually either asking me over for a meal or giving me food to take home. It’s funny – moving to a new place you usually assume that making friends is part of the deal, but in this culture it’s a lot different. The women my age are married with kids, platonic male/female friendships don’t exist for a multitude of reasons, and on top of that, people are suspicious of me.
Not too much else going on, so continue with my reading list, I will tell you the books I’ve read since my last post:

Middlesex
Destined to Witness: Growing up Black in Nazi Germany
Water for Elephants
In Defense of the Religious Right (it was a struggle to get through that one…)
Bait and Switch: The Futile Pursuit of the American Dream (currently reading)

In more exciting news, I finally cancelled my cell phone in the States, I found a brand of toilet paper I like, my sister turned 27 (man she’s old), and I still hate Malaria pill Mondays.

A big thanks for the awesome birthday cards and packages! I got a whopper of a package that was a struggle to get to the house via camioneta, but definitely worth it, even with a thick layer of spilled nutritional yeast flakes ;)
As always, thanks for keeping in touch!