A Final Adios

The first attempt at writing this blog, I was sitting in my kitchen, hunched over the computer with a full belly of refried beans. I could hear the Evangelical church down the block playing ridiculously loud music, and was hoping they didn’t let the people speaking in tongues get on the mic that night. The song I had playing on my computer was “Fuiste Tu” by two Guatemalan artists. I was thinking about packing, leaving my family and women’s groups. I was thinking about the groups and having panic attacks about them using their new projects correctly. I was thinking about having drinking water come from the faucet; having hot showers; speaking to my family daily, no matter where they are in the world; having a washer and dryer. I was thinking about the fact that I just put my fingers through my hair, and even though I swear I had showered that day, I pulled out a live bug.

      My second attempt to write this blog, I was sitting on the plane home, next to an older couple who had visited for a church trip. I had butterflies in my stomach. It felt like I was 7 and it was Christmas morning; as my family can tell you, on Christmas morning when I was little I always threw up I was so excited, so you can imagine how I felt! This is my final attempt at writing the blog as I’m forcing myself to finish it. I’ve been home for almost 3 months, and I need to end this chapter and start a new one.
   
       How does one begin to wrap up two years of his or her life? Writing this final blog has been on my mind for a while now, and I really don’t know what to say for closure, not only on my service, but on my life in Guatemala. I’ve been getting the question “how was it” – and really, how would you wrap up the last two years of your life in a one sentence answer?

       I titled my blog “Megan’s Adventures” because that is what I assumed it would be for two years: an adventure. But what it was was a life; I have a new family, a new set of friends. I am used to, and now enjoy, living alone. In Guatemala I had my daily routines, chores, and phone calls to Peace Corps friends. I certainly have had some adventures, no doubt, but when I reflect on my Peace Corps service, I think about sitting in my kitchen with Junior, coloring. I think of sitting on a camionetta, sweating, with a little kid touching my hair and calling me Xnula. I think of giving charlas to my women’s groups and stumbling over my Mam and Spanish, hoping that they are understanding half of what I’m saying, while getting a little less annoyed each month when women show up an hour and a half late.

      So with this, what to I say? I keep thinking about my readjustment, my constant anxiety about finding a job, the people I’m be happy to see, and the people I miss. I’m thinking, what am I going to do – what’s really next. How great is it for me that I don’t have to ride chicken busses, that I don’t stick out like a sore thumb because of the color of my skin every day, that I can eat my favorite foods, that I can drink water from the kitchen sink.

     And then I remember: this experience wasn’t supposed to be about me. Before I left for the Peace Corps, I had read that the experience changes the volunteer more than anything, and I’m sure that’s true, but it scares me. While working in development, all you want to do is make a difference, yet this whole experience I’ve been worried about me; about my depression, my life, my family and friends. I have been pensive about how Peace Corps would change me; how it’d help me be more competitive on applications, and how maybe I’d get some international development experience.

       Really, I do agree that I’ve changed way more than I’ve helped to ‘develop’ Cajolá; but I will also say that of all the things I’ve worried about, it took stubbornness and the desire to do something, anything, that made me stay and do the little I could. I can be away from my family and know that they love me and are thinking about me, I can medicate my depression. So what did I do for Cajolá? Like I said in my post “Women in Cajolá,”I don’t know. I hope I helped my women want to make their families healthier. The "what did I do" feeling is a feeling all RPCVs have, and I’ll deal with it in one way or another.

        I know life will go on in Guatemala. My replacement, Kathy, will hopefully continue to work with my women’s groups. Junior had his 7th birthday in March, and I know the next time I see him he won’t be interested in coloring or doing sidewalk chalk with me. Kaylee probably won’t even remember me at all. My amazing boss, Basilio, will retire and move to Italy. Peace Corps will hopefully continue to be still be thriving in Guatemala for years to come. I could go on forever thinking about what I've 'maybe' accomplished and definitely not accomplished, my feelings about my experience, and my feelings upon my arrival back in the US. But I won't (you're welcome). I'll just state that I'm glad I did it, and I'm glad I'm moving on.

     So, what’s next? I’m very lucky to have this time right now to really be able to go anywhere I want. I was in Wisconsin for a month and a half, then spent a fun-filled week with my aunts in New Mexico and Arizona. From there, I moved to Alaska to visit Casey and apply to jobs. I’ve had a couple phone and Skype interviews, and as of this blog I’ve applied officially to 45 jobs (I spelled the words “language” and “professional” wrong in probably 12-15 of the first ones I applied to though, so I doubt those count! Oops.).

 I’d like to take this opportunity to say my thank you’s:

1.) Dear Peace Corps: Thank you for existing. Our relationship has had it’s ups and downs, but without you, I wouldn’t be as patient as I am today, nor would I be nearly the person I am. Working with you, it was re-affirmed that I carry the “Gokey Rabble Rouser” gene.

 2.) Dear Peace Corps friends: Thank you for your support and listening to my crying phone calls. Dirk, I never told you this, but when Mr. Jones died and I called you at 5:30am and you told me you were awake, I always knew you were lying. You stinker.

 3.) Dear Street Dogs: I still hate you, but thanks for reminding me how much I love US dogs.

 4.) Dear Food Poisoning: Middle-finger.

 5.) Dear Women’s Groups: You are awesome. Thank you for being patient, for not trying to machete me when I accidentally said “I like to eat kids” in Mam (when I meant “I like to eat food”). I love you and you will always, always, always be in my heart.

 6.) Dear Host Family: You have changed my life. We will be in touch.

 7.) Dear Friends at Home: THANK YOU for keeping in touch. Thanks for the packages, the emails, the Skype conversations, and thanks to those lucky enough to visit.

 8.) Dear Gram Gokey: You are the best. Thank you so much for all the support you always have given me. You say that you weren’t much of a rabble-rouser in your past, but all of my life you have always taught me to speak up. You’ve always supported me and given me your two-cents. You are an amazing and strong woman, who has always devoted her life to helping others without asking for anything, even recognition, in return. I really hope I am as awesome as you when I’m 86.

 9.) Dear Mom and Dad: Thank you so much. You two are why I am who I am. I would never have succeeded in high school, gone to college, or joined the Peace Corps without your support. You have always taught me I can do whatever I want not only because I put my mind to it, but because when I have a break down (or run out of money), you’re there for me. You both taught me to be compassionate towards others, and that you really never know what someone else’s situation is. As I’m growing older, I realize how great you are. Not everyone is lucky enough to have parents like you. You’ve taught me to stand up for myself and for others, and that changes don’t happen by sitting back and watching; changes happen by working hard and doing everything you can do. I won the parent lottery, and there is no way you’ll ever know how much I love you both and how much you mean to me. Sorry to everyone else who is reading this – your parents might be awesome, but I’ve got the best ones.

      This is a final farewell to all who read my blog. I won’t post again, as this blog will be a nice way to look back on my experience. As always, you can keep in touch with me over email (megangokey@gmail.com).

 I’ll leave you with two quotes that I read daily in the Peace Corps:

 “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

 “I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it. For I shall not pass this way again.” Stephen Grellet (Thanks Mr. Nelson for passing this along - I thought of you every time I read it)

 My life is forever changed and bettered because of the last two years. Thank you.

My Peace Corps Experience By The Numbers

I have less than three weeks left in Guatemala, and it’s about time to start wrapping up my service on my blog. This post is not for the faint of heart: I swear and talk about poop, but that’s my service! I hope my math isn’t too off on these…


*Books read: 64 (I think)
*Times bitten by dogs: 3
*Times mased dogs: 2
*Tortillas eaten: shit… over 1,000 for sure
*Visitors: 11
*Haircuts: 2 in country, one at home
*Times called fat per month (more specifically, gordita): at LEAST 10 times a month
*Hours spent on chicken busses: a realistic estimate… at least once a month to the office (5 hours each way) 10 X 23 = 230 hours, plus hours going in and out of Xela… hmm… I’ll say an even 300.
*Hours spent listening to Adele: Minimun of 50 since her new CD came out
*Times squirted by breast milk: 2 – when you weigh babies, women just pull the kid off of their nipple and hand them to you while the milk is still flowing
*Babies that have peed or vomited on me: I can only think of 3 pees and one vomit – not too shabby!
*Number of boobs seen: countless…. But to put a number on it, I have to estimate that I see 4 boobs minimum per womens group, which meants 16 a month from those groups. I’ll have to say I see at least two more boobs a day, which makes the total around…. (23 months X 2 boobs a day= 1380 + women’s group boobs (368) = 1,748 boobs
*Longest stretch of days without showering: 8 (don’t judge, we didn’t have water at my house for like 4 months last year during dry season)
*Longest stretch of days without leaving my house when I wasn’t sick: 3 – sometimes you don’t want to be stared at, you don’t want to speak another language, or you just don’t want to walk out of the house and have to be a happy go lucky PCV
*Times I wished I was invisible so that everyone wouldn’t stare at me while outside of my house: umm 30% of the times I left my house I felt this way
*Number of days I’ve gone without speaking to anyone but myself: before my sitemate got here, I’d say at least once a week. So 36 days
*Times I thought I was going to die of food poisening (read: eating weird body parts of animals, getting a fever, puking, diarrhea): 3. This was only two when I started writing this blog, and I kid you not I knocked on wood at how lucky I’d been. And then I ate a papusa from a lady on the street, and spent this past Sunday puking my guts out. The first time I bought pizza from the street with two friends; I got horribly sick and they did not. The second time, I was eating a pache - a typical food: rice with chicken and sauce in it, wrapped and boiled in a banana leaf – that was gifted to me around Christmas. I was just kind of going at it, not paying attention, when I realized the meat part I was eating was a chicken claw. I definitely woke up puking with a fever that night. I still love paches, I just look at little harder now.
*Times I have diarrhea per month: 4 days of each month are typically diarrhea filled
*Animal body parts I’ve eaten while actually having no idea what they are: probably 10
*Panicked phone calls made to fellow PCVs: ooh probably around the 30 mark
*Panicked phone calls I’ve made to people back home: 4 that I can think of, but my mom might raise that number (sorry Mom, Jordan, Brooke and Casey…!)
*Panicked phone calls made to my PC bosses: 2… good think their jobs are 24/7 too!
*Times I cried for a really good reason or no apparent reason: too many to count, but I’d say it’s an equal number of each
*Number of conversations had about the weather: 500+ … boring, but on the plus side I can now talk about the weather pretty well in Mam!
*Percentage of times I blow my nose and my boogers are be black: 65% - lots of smog from the busses here, as well as visiting houses and inhaling smoke like crazy
*Babies I’ve made cry just by looking at them: I feel like this is thousands, but realistically it’s probably only around 50.
*Items I’ve had fall on me from a bus shelf: 4 that I can think of, including a particularily heavy suitcase and a piece of wet meat
*Times I’ve been asked for money: millions
*Times I’ve been asked for a visa: billions
*Hours I’ve spent waiting for people (la hora Chapina): I would guess I’ve spent at very least 48 hours sitting and waiting… puncuality is something I am VERY excited about when I get back to the US!
*Times I’ve had to hang on for dear life on the outside of a bus: 2 that I can think of
*Times I’ve had fleas: ugh. Once a month (including right now)
*Percentage of PC conversations that revolve around work or poop: 85%
*Number of near death experiences: It depends how you define near death, but for the sake of my parents I’ll say half a dozen (bus rides, dogs, heavy puking, etc)
*Times I´ve been sexually harrassed: twice a day - this meaning people always cat-call me, ask me about my sex life, ask me for advice on their sex life, etc. it’s typically gross old men
*Times I´ve shat/sharted myself: twice – you’re not a real PCV unless you’ve pooped your pants

I only have 2 weeks left in Guatemala, so I’ll probably do one more blog post. I have no idea what I’m going to write or how I’ll wrap up my thoughts on two years here.

I wrote down a couple quotes from books that I’ve read and that I’d been meaning to post a while ago, but here they are now.

“You think we’re victims, because we cover our hair and wear modest clothing. But we think that it’s Western women who are repressed, because they have to show their bodies – even go through surgery to change their bodies – to please men.” A female Saudi doctor interviewed in Half the Sky

“I wish I was a woman who cared deeply about shoes and concealer. I wish I was not the sort of woman who ended up sitting at her kitchen table listening to a refugee girl talking about her awful fear of the dawn.” Little Bee

“On the girl’s brown legs there were small white scars. I was thinking, do those scars cover the whole of you? … I thought that would be pretty too, and I ask you right here please to agree with me that a scar is never ugly. That is what the scar makers want us to think. But you and I, we must be in agreement to defy them. We must see all scars as beauty, okay? This will be our secret. Because take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, ‘I survived.’” Little Bee

Books read since my last post:

Silence on the Mountain
The Lace Reader
Go Ask Alice
Never Let Me Go
Night
Consider the Lobster
The Ugly American
On the Road
100 Years of Solitude
The Search
The Sinday Philosophy Club
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
The Hunger Games

Hasta luego,
Megan

Women in Cajolá, Guatemala.... and me

After putting it off as long as I could, I finally read Sheryl WuDunn and Nick Kristof’s book, Half the Sky. It had been on my list since it came out, and I’ve had my hands on it for more than a few months. This book chronicles the lives of women in developing nations, and explains how and why educating a woman can educate families, villages, and countries. The book helps one to understand the necessity of putting our resources into the development of women. While living in a developing country and working directly with the women they are referring to in the book, it was hard to swallow. There are so many times that, for my own selfish reasons, I have had to put myself in the cave that is my house and try to forget what the women down the street are living with on a daily basis. This blog is a result of the feelings I’ve been trying to push away for so long; but, as we know, with knowledge comes responsibility. I am trying my hardest to ‘help’ these people the few ways I know how, and after reading this blog I hope you understand a little more the life of a woman in Cajolá.

I firstly want to point out that these observations come from talking to people, from being in their houses, and from asking questions. These are not statistics I found on the internet, and I’m positive that not every person working with the development of Guatemala would agree with all of my opinions. Also, this is not the situation of every single woman in Cajolá. I kid you not, I’ve entered into an adobe hut that had a giant flat screen TV. Once a family has someone in the states, their life can change drastically, and I’ve seen that happen first hand. What I want to focus on is that for women here, life is completely different. Even being here for two years, I know that I’ll never be able to understand or portray completely the life of a woman in Cajolá, but for those who will never be in Cajolá or a place like it, I’d like to try.

I’ve met girls here who are 13 and pregnant, 14 and married, and 28 years old with ten kids. It’s not rare that a girl is married by the age of 15, and it’s very rare if she is not married with a child by the age of 20. When a girl is married, she is in charge of the cooking, cleaning, and children. She’ll wake up, wearing the traje (traditional Mayan outfit) that she most likely wore the previous day and slept in, around 5am and start with her daily chores: grinding the corn for the rest of the day, washing clothes by hand (in a pila if they have one, in the river if they don’t), cleaning the house – even if it is adobe with dirt floors, she’ll sweep and clean as much as she can. The rest of her day will consist of taking care of the kids, going to the market to buy food (if she has permission), cooking, and cleaning.

Most women have to ask permission to leave the house, even if it is for things like buying food for the family or going to church. Many of my visitors met Juana, a 37 year old woman who helps me with my women’s groups. She keeps a clean house and is seemingly independent, but even she has to call and ask her husband, Torivio, for permission to take the kids to school, to go to the market, or to help me go on house visits.

If a woman from Cajolá is lucky, her husband is not an alcoholic, and maybe even has a job (yup, the job market is bad here, too). If he has a job, he’ll bring home at most 100 Quetzales a day, around $12. If she has no husband or if he is not around, the work she can get is limited to collecting firewood. This job consists of heading into the mountains around 4am, picking up as many sticks as she can find, carrying them back in a bundle on her head, and selling them to people who can afford to buy firewood from her. She probably earns 30 Quetzales a day, around $4.

If a woman’s spouse goes to the United States, it does not mean immediate wealth. Firstly, he has to get there, which is extremely dangerous and usually costs the family all of the money and land they have to their name. Once he gets there, he needs to find a job that will hire illegally, as well as a place to live. I’ve heard horror stories of men getting to the states and then immediately latching on to the drug culture and the party scene. Romeo, my 28 year old ‘host dad,’ is open about how he went to the states and part of the time would work the morning shift at McDonalds, the afternoon shift at Burger King, and then do any type of drug under the sun on his 8 hours off. Luckily that phase didn’t last the whole nine years he was in the US, and he was able to send money back to his family. Not all men get over this; I have friends in Cajolá whose husbands left and never came back. They found another woman in the states and don’t have the desire to return to the Cajoleñan culture. These women, usually with children, are then left to find money to feed their kids, as I stated probably by collecting sticks.

If a woman’s husband doesn’t go to the states, it is not uncommon for him to still have other women. There are countless examples of this and I’ve even seen it with fellow Peace Corps volunteers. The man tells her he doesn’t have anyone else, no kids, no other family, and she starts seeing him, until she finds out otherwise and ends the realtionship. As for women from Cajolá, they don’t typically stop seeing him. There are so many people I know whose husbands have other women, and so many men I know who have children with multiple women. These men most likely will not make the money it takes to support all of his partners and children, and then women again are left to fend for themselves.

Domestic violence is an epidemic here. I see a woman with a black eye every few weeks, and I hear stories of women being raped by their husbands or other family members, stories of emotional abuse, and of murder. In my first few months in site, I attempted to work at the Women's office, which all municipalities are supposed to have. Cajolá has one, but it isn't staffed. I wanted to work on opening it and deal with such issues as domestic violence. Everywhere I turned, people would say things like, "It's none of your business, it's between the man and woman." So if a woman wants to seek help for domestic violence, the only option she has is to take her kids and try to escape. This means leaving everything she knows behind, only to hide for the rest of her life. One of my health promoters, Angélica, was a 19 year old with an 8 month old baby. Her and I would go on house visits together in the village of Cajolá Chiquito, and on our last walk together I asked her about her son’s father. “We’re not together,” she said, “but I’m happy about it. I have my baby and I’m happy with him.” A month later, while Angélica was on a walk with her estranged boyfriend trying to get money to take care of their child, he strangled them both to death in the cornfield next to my house.

I do no think men have an easy life here; compared to where I’m from, I could write the day in the life of a man and it would equally shock the reader. I do need to stress, however, that women definitely live in a different world from even their brothers. From childhood on, one can see a difference. A girl from Cajolá is raised, from basically the time she can walk, to be working; whether it be cooking, cleaning, or taking care of younger siblings (I’ve see the 7 year old taking care of the newborn), she is always doing something.

The education of girls is definitely viewed as less important than that of boys. If a girl goes to school, she will most likely end it around the 6th grade. A boy probably won’t go much further, but if the question is that of money, the boy will be allowed to study and the girl will have to stop. This results in several things, but it affects the girl who wants to leave the community the most. The girl will stop her Spanish education whenever her formal eduaction is done. She will probably continue to only speak Mam, which will give her no access to outside resources since Spanish is spoken in all of the cities, and the kind of Mam spoken in Cajolá is different than Mam spoken in other parts of the country.

Any help that comes into Cajolá comes from a Spanish speaking person. The only voice these women seem to have is in the women’s community, which seems basically nonexistent. The men don’t take women seriously, and if they can’t communicate outside of their community, they have no one listening to their struggle. I call it a struggle, they call it life. I recently asked my groups what their goals were for the rest of their lives; what did they see in the future for themselves? Out of 80 women, I didn’t have one answer. They don’t think like that. I tried to give examples (I want my kids to go to school, I want to learn to read, etc), but they really just kind of shrugged, seemingly knowing that it doesn’t really matter what their goals are. I know help doesn’t come from outside, but from within, and I sometimes feel at a loss. How do I empower these women?

It’s also seemingly impossible to think they’re going to get something out of me being here, while simultaneously I am dealing with the patriarchical struggles of Guatemala. Because I’m white, I can usually get a shred more respect than the average woman (this being because a lot of people believe they need outside help to improve their lives). However, I’ve had many ridiculous things happen to me here. My experiences have pissed me off, humbled me, made me laugh, and made me want to immediately step on a plane out of here as soon as possible. One experience I can remember happened last year while I was translating for a Ugandan man, visiting to work on reforestation from the NGO CARE International. We had been visiting municipalities in the Western Highlands, using the CARE truck. At one point a woman from CARE was driving and accidently drove into a small ditch. The truck was teetering, and the Guatemalan men in the car, as well as the surrounding men who had seen the incident, came together and started talking about the trucks, chains, and ropes they were going to need to get it out. After listening and letting them talk it out for a few minutes, I suggested that there was a really simple way to get the truck out: pile up a few big rocks under the front tire and back out. They raised their eyebrows, looked at each other, then back at me. After a few moments of silence, one of them then said, “You go ahead and try that, little girl, we’ll watch and see how it goes.” They all them burst into laughter and then went ahead with the more difficult process of removing the truck with chains and a neighbors big truck. I, being the snot that I am, crossed my arms, and went and sat across the street with the Ugandan who was visiting. He then said to me “Why don’t they just put stones under the front tire and back out?” I started laughing, then explained what had just happened. He was surprised, to say the least, but just had to sit there and watch. I also knew in my head that if I had said that he, the man I was translating for, had suggested it before I said it, they would have done it.

I have also had issues at my health center. I have a male doctor ‘overseeing’ my work. I’m happy that he actually takes no interest in what I do, but when he does, he always seems to make me feel like a giant idiot; whether it’s how I should be taking Spanish classes instead of Mam (since my Spanish is SO horrible), or that I’m conducting my women’s groups all wrong, I take everything with a grain of salt and try to remind myself that I only have so many months left to deal with him. I’m not sure how to successfully relay the message of equality between men and women to my groups if a majority of the time I feel that in this culture, it really doesn’t exist.

This all being said, I do see strong women in the culture. I see illiterate women, such as Estela, my 26 year old ‘host mom,’ who know how important it is for both of her children to get an education and will do anything in her power to make it happen. I see Mikaela, one of my best friends here, whose husband left her with a 3 month old baby, went to the states, found another woman and therefore didn’t send money back. Mikaela collected wood and raised her son on her own. She helped the previous volunteer and I organize the women in her village (Xetalbiljoj), so that they could receive projects and get health education. I also see men who are not like the others; maybe it’s because I live with Romeo that I see it in him and not in others, but I know that he carries the baby on his back, loves his son and daughter equally, and helps to cook and clean. I have hope in Romeo and Estela, through their clout with the church, that they are helping others to live a more equal partnership.

Then come the questions that every Peace Corps volunteer asks themselves: what am I doing here? Did these last two years have any impact whatsoever? When I leave, will they stop washing their hands? Will they think I was just a Xnula (woman who wears pants) passing through and giving handouts? I’ve tried my best to be strict with the groups: if I don’t see changes in healthy habits, you don’t get a project. I believe that education is most important and I understand that a project doesn’t change a life; I’ve even had to cut a few women out of the project. But then part of me thinks “god I wouldn’t have time, either, to go to a meeting with some foreigner, if I had to make sure my kids were clean all the time, if I had ten of them, if I had to collect firewood for money, and if I spent 5 hours a day washing clothes.”

I tell myself that by being here, by being an independent and educated woman, I am empowering them. Do I really believe that? I don’t know. But that’s what I tell myself on the low days, and I hope that with my presence they do realize that there is a different way, that they can empower themselves and change their situation. I obviously don’t expect them to get up, leave their culture, and try to head to America; what I do hope is that some little girl that has been to all my meetings with her mom might remember me. Maybe she’ll remember the charla I gave on family planning, or maybe she’ll remember that going to the bathroom in a cornfield can make her sick. I don’t know.

I had been thinking about writing this blog for a long time. Due to my lack of English skills, the break from school, and the many thoughts on the topic I have in my head, I know this blog probably doesn’t flow. It’s long, and there are a lot of things going on. I could elaborate on everything said much more, but it would have turned out to be way longer of a read than necessary (high five if you made it this far!). Something I want you to understand, though, is how great we have it. I want you to acknowledge how privileged we are simply to be born in the United States of America, and use that privilege to educate yourself and to educate and help others. I don’t expect you to abandon your life and join the Peace Corps. I don’t know what I expect you to do. All I can think of is that I’m glad you now know a sliver of what life is for a woman here, and to do with this knowledge what you can.

Catching up!!!!!

I have purposely not written in a while, not to lose contact, but so that my fundraising blogs would stay on top! So I’m back, with a lot of updates. You better be reading this with a full glass of coffee (I’ll also allow a good microbrew) because it’s going to be long! The last real post was June 12, and I’ve been a busy girl since then. First, and most importantly, because of you all (pending one more big check) I reached my fundraising goal of $8,000!!!!!!! WOOOHOOO! I’ve been working on fundraising since I went home in April, and I’m happy to say that construction will be starting at the beginning of January. I have a lot of logistical things to figure out, and I’m really excited to get moving. I’m hoping my counterpart will be into helping me with at least this stage of planning, since she has already done it with the previous volunteer. If not, I’ve got some great Peace Corps coworkers that I’m sure will pitch in.
SO! June flew by. After I posted, my good friend Anna visited. She’s a Spanish teacher, so it was really cool to have her here, and for her to correct me on my Spanish = ) After that, I had packed week finishing up planning for the 4th of July party and All Volunteer Conference. I was able to give a workshop on washable/reusable sanitary napkins that went very well. Immediately after that, I went to the beach for a couple days, then had a few more very packed days of dental work. I had to get 6 replacement fillings, a root canal, and a crown. I won’t go into detail, but they don’t have funny gas here, so I was VERY happy when it was over! The rest of July was spent in site working and doing women’s groups. I taught them how to make an oral rehydration drink from limes, salt, sugar, and water.
In August, we had a 5 day conference on designing our projects as well as how to construct. I can proudly say I can mix and lay cement, as well as make stoves. I might not trust myself to do a whole job, but I get the jist of it! I had planned for my women’s group to give ME talks and presentations, but the week I had it planned for I was puking like crazy, so obviously I cancelled!
Moving on, in September, I focused on doing house visits for my women. This might not seem like a big job, but I had over 80 families to visit, spread out all over the place, with no mode of transportation other than my feet. It is necessary to continually do house visits to make sure the women are putting into practice what we’ve talked about in the group meetings. Things I check while I’m at their houses include: making sure their kitchens are clean, there isn’t food laying around, they try to keep the flies out, they are practicing drinking pure water, they and their kids are wearing shoes and have clean hands, etc. On these visits I usually am gifted either a beverage or some kind of food at every house, and the eating is just about as tiring as the walking! Since I couldn’t do it in August, in September I had the women give me charlas on any topic we had covered. It was really cool to see them take charge and explain to me how to purify water, make the oral rehydration drink, etc. I felt very proud during those meetings, and hoped that they were teaching their friends and families everything that they have learned so far.
In October, I did some translating for two US women’s soccer players (Shannon MacMillan and Tracy Noonan) in Xela. The first thing we did for them was a press conference, and it was pretty intimidating. The few days we spent with them were super fun, and since I really didn’t know anything about soccer, they were able to teach me! Also this month, my friend Blake came to visit, and since he’s been here already we pretty much stayed in my site so I could get work done. I continued house visits, and did women’s group. This month, I taught them how to make toothpaste with salt and baking soda. I am not sure how successful that was, since the toothpaste doesn’t taste like Crest, but I’m hoping to save money they might start making their own instead of buying the expensive stuff from the stores. Blake and I also visited Fuentes Georginas, which are these natural hot springs outside of the city. It was nice and relaxing, and I hope I can get there again before I end my service.
All of the visits from friends in the US I’ve had have been great, and I’m happy to say that Mom and Dad’s visit went very smoothly – they are both troopers. They arrived at about 10pm on October 31, and we hit the ground running from the moment they they got here. We were in Antigua, we went to a kite festival on November 1 in Sumpango (google it – so cool), they stayed at my site for 2 nights, we were at Lake Atitlán for 4 nights, then back to Antigua the night before we flew out. It’s nice for all of us that they were finally able to meet my host family, friends, and coworkers, and to see how I live my day-to-day life.
November will be spent with women’s groups this week, followed by Thanksgiving at the beach. I’ll be contacting some NGOs in Guatemala to see if they are interested in doing construction of some of the water tanks for free. I’ll be finished with my women’s groups, since I learned the hard way last year that thinking that I will get any work done in December is wishful thinking. Jordan will arrive on December 8 and stay for a week, and I think we’ll be staying at my site, and then heading to the lake for a couple days, maybe doing some zip-lining = )
I should mention a couple things: first, since June, three of my friends have headed home and I miss them dearly. However, Kyle and Lizzy are expecting, so although I was sad to see them go, I think their kid will be pretty darn cool, so I’m looking forward to meeting him or her in May! I also should mention that I am very lucky to be using my computer right now, since I spilled half a bottle of water on it yesterday. Due to my quick thinking, as well as putting it in 20lbs of rice for 24 hours, it is good as new. I didn’t have it backed up, but the instant it turned on today, I backed up all my documents and music. Disaster avoided!
The last thing I’ll mention is sad, but I think it is worth telling people about. In August, one of my health promoters, Angélica was murdered by her son’s dad. He took her to a cornfield and strangled her and their 8 month old son to death. I have a lot of things to say about domestic violence and women’s rights in general in Guatemala, but I’ll save it for another blog post. I will say though, that Angelica’s funeral was one of the saddest things I’ve ever experienced. She was 19. While I was giving her mom my condolences, she lost it, yelling “Megan, they took my Angelica and my grandson.” It made me reflect on how precious life is, and how much we take it for granted.
To keep everyone updated, it’s not official yet, but I should be ending my service around the end of March. My projects will be done, and I’ll have enough time to do follow up, so I think the amount of time spent here is/was perfect. It’s weird to think that I’m very close to being done, but then I panic thinking of everything that needs to get done in the next 4 months!
Now, for the most important part of my blog, the book list. These are books that I've read since my lost post:

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest
The Art of Racing in the Rain
The Final Testament of the Holy Bible – *this is probably my favorite book that I’ve read so far in Guatemala - READ IT!*
Nectar in a Sieve
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
Lucky
The Tender Bar
Sophie’s World
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
Escape
Little Bee

I hope all is well with you all in the US – as always, feel free to email me!

PBS

Cajolá was featured in a PBS article, as well as a woman in my Cajolá Chiquito women's group:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/latin_america/july-dec11/guat_08-29.html

To DIRECTLY help Isabella, who is set to receive a water tank when all funds are collected, as well as 67 other families, read the previous post and donate = )

Donate!!

This is the following letter I've emailed to friends and family, but if I somehow missed you, here it is!


Hello friends and family!
As many of you know, I am a Peace Corps Volunteer living in
Guatemala, more specifically in Cajolá, Quetzaltenango. I have been in
Guatemala since April of 2010, working on a project with the Peace
Corps called “Healthy Homes.” This program focuses on educating
families on preventative health, helping them to be more responsible
for their own welfare as well as the welfare of the community.
Since August of 2010 I have been working on educating four groups
of women, totaling 70 women. We meet monthly, and I give presentations
on basic health and hygiene. I have been able to do mini-projects as
well, including washable/reusable sanitary napkins, portable
hand-washing stations, and liquid soap. The projects I do with them
use only ingredients they can get for free or at a very low cost where
they live. As a reward for completing the contract they signed,
stating that they would come to each group, participate, and change
habits in their household, I am building one project per household.
Many living conditions in these communities are unsafe. How can we
teach about the dangers of smoke inhalation when these woman cook over
an open fire 10 to 15 hours a day, or the importance of a bacteria
free home, when they live and cook on dirt floors which are almost
impossible to clean.
In addition to education, I am trying to raise funds to help
better the homes of 70 families who live in the communities of Cajolá
Chiquito, Xecol, and Xetalbiljoj in the municipality of Cajolá. Your
contribution could save a woman or a child from getting lung cancer by
helping us build an improved 'smoke free' stove in their house, or
prevent a child from severe diarrhea and resulting malnutrition by
helping them get a cement floor or water tank, allowing the family to
live in a clean and safe environment.
The original idea for the project was to give all of the
women water tanks. After talking to other Peace Corps Volunteers who
have completed projects, we discussed how empowering it is to have a
choice, and I decided to let the women choose which of the sanitary
infrastructure projects we offer they think would benefit each of them
individually in their households. Not only did this give them more of
a say, it also made the original estimated cost of the project
decrease.
The women had a choice between a cement floor (many of them have
dirt floors), a rain-catching water tank (many have no access to water
other than the contaminated river), or a bettered stove (one with a
chimney so the smoke goes out of the house instead of in the lungs of
the women and children).

To see a short and awesome video on the project, click this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-0cNphnoGY

The rough costs of the projects are as follows:
Cement Stoves: Q330 = $47 each, 26 stoves total Q8,580 = $1,225
Cement Floors: Depends on the size of the room, but roughly Q280 = $40
each, 16 cement floors Q4,200 = $600
Water Tanks = Q1,200 = $171 each, 30 water tanks total Q34,800 = $4,971
Total funds needed:
Q47,580 = $6,797
My current balance is $1,580, with another $2000 promised but not yet received.


If by some miracle donations received exceed the amount requested, I
will be donating the excess funds to Maddie Syzek, my site mate
working as a Healthy Schools volunteer. She will be fundraising to
build hand-washing stations and latrines in schools where none
currently exist. If you have any questions about Maddie’s project,
email her at msyzek@gmail.com, or as always, feel free to contact me
(megangokey@gmail.com).

My current timeline is to have all fundraising and paperwork done
by December, and begin construction in January. If you have any
questions about the project, or my experience in general, please
contact me.
If you would like to donate, please send checks to:
Friends of Guatemala
P.O. Box 33018
Washington, D.C. 20033

Make the checks out to “Friends of Guatemala” and in the memo line
write “Megan Gokey – Cat II”

Please let me know that you donated so I can verify the correct amount
was deposited into my fundraising account, and so I can send you the
proper thank you!

Thanks for taking the time to read this – remember even small
donations go a long way!
Megan E. Gokey

P.S. Feel free to pass this along to anyone you feel would be interested.

Wisconsin, Guatemala, Projects

It’s been so long since the last blog post, I’m not even sure where to start. My trip home was amazing, everything I’d hoped it would be. I was able to meet up with a lot of friends and family, be in a beautiful wedding (congrats Jordan and Ty!), do several fundraising presentations, and even go to a Brewer’s game. I was also able to get a haircut, take a hot bath, and eat way too much cheese. There are pictures posted on my Flickr page of some of these events, so check ‘em out! The time flew by, and I’m back in my current ‘real world’ of taking long chicken bus rides, drinking wet corn in a cup, and the cold nights of rainy season. The weekend after I got back to Cajolá we had a welcome party for the new volunteers, complete with salsa lessons, so I really am getting into the swing of things again.
I have mentioned previously that I’d had a hard time with my counterpart at the health center; I was hoping this break would help things out, and it most definitely did. I think we have a whole new relationship and I am so much happier. I’m sure part of it was me, coming back and feeling refreshed and motivated to start again, but also she has been treating me like a coworker rather than this annoying gringa in the office that she oversees. She’s interested in the women’s groups that I’ve been working with since August, and she’s even attended a meeting with us since I’ve been back. She’s also finally happy about the projects I’ve been talking about, instead of trying to force me to do three separate projects – wanting me to have done one last February, this July, and next February – obviously not plausible.
So projects: working with these women’s groups, the most important thing is education. We’ve been working since last August, and I just designed a 6 month program, complete with charlas and mini-projects (such as making toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, and shampoo from items that are easily attainable). It helps that my sitemate, Maddie, is a Healthy Schools volunteer and is trained in these cool projects, and that she wants to help with my groups! My first goal was to build a water tank for each family; the women were all on board with this before I left, but when I came back from the states, half of them changed their mind to either cement floors or bettered stoves. This is a little kink in the fundraising I’ve already done, but rest assured all the money already raised will go to water tanks, and the other projects are cheaper so it’s a little less pressure (my original goal was $17,000, and now it’s about $11.000). I think it’s also very important to give these people what they think is best for them and their families, and what they want to make their home a healthier place to live, so I can’t be upset about a family wanting a stove instead of a water tank. Right now I’m doing house visits with my women’s groups, as well as beginning to search for various grants for the rest of funding. I haven’t officially reached out to too many friends and family members yet, so that’ll be the next step. I don’t have exact numbers yet and I’d like to be a little more prepared in that sense before I officially solicit money. However, even without the numbers, I was able to raise over $3,000 from giving talks in Wisconsin while I was home. It’s a great start, and I’m excited to really get the ball rolling.
This summer is going to fly by. My next visitor (Anna!!! WOO!!) comes on Wednesday, June 15, and is here until June 28. We’ll be mainly working for the duration of her trip since I don’t have that many days I can take off any more. She’s a middle school Spanish teacher so the trip will be good practice for her. We’ll be heading to Lake Atitlán one weekend, and heading to some natural springs the other weekend. Anna and I studied abroad in Spain together so this will be an awesome reunion for us!
The day Anna leaves, I have to report to the Peace Corps office for my Mid-Service Meds. It’s hard to believe that I’m already at my mid-service, but at the same time it isn’t. I can see how much things have changed since I moved to Cajolá last July: I call it home, and I’d like to think I’m much more integrated in most aspects of life: I am used to go to the market and bargaining for my food in Mam; I am recognized in the community by adults and kids; people know that I know what ‘xnula’ means and that I know they’re talking about me; I’m used to not showering; my host brother, Junior, and I act like brother and sister, and he comes to my ‘house’ to play daily; I’m used to little babies bursting out in tears when they see me; I’m used to traveling an hour and a half to see if I have any mail at the post office. I think I’m so much more integrated that it’s hard for me to think of any more examples of how my life has changed! = )
With this said, I have to say a huge thank you to my family and friends that have helped me get this far. I would not still be here working with these people and living like I do without the support from home. I’m sure it’s not easy getting panicked emails, phone calls, or text messages from me, but you all have been awesome in helping me through whatever situation I had at the present moment (from troubles at work, to getting frustrated that I had to take 9 busses to my house rather than the usual 4). I can’t guarantee that the next year won’t bring similar frustrations or that I won’t be sending panicked emails and text messages, so I hope you’ll all be as awesome as you have been!

Now for my favorite part of the blog, the book list:

Half Broke Horses
Running With Scissors
Tina Fey’s “Bossypants”
Methland
World Bank’s Report of Violence and Crime in Latin America (okay, not a book, but a good read)
A Million Little Pieces
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
The God Delusion (currently reading)

Not too much else to share that I can think of. My friends in site (yeah! I have real Guatemalan friends that live in Cajolá! Woo!!!) keep calling me ‘Mega.’ The wife gets my name, but the husband can’t get it right. His name is ‘Hector’ so I’ve decided that I’m just going to call him ‘Hecto’ and see where that goes.

As always, send me an email if you like (megangokey@gmail.com). Shout out to Patrick who is moving to San Diego this week!!

Love and miss you all!

Happy April!
Things are finally picking up for me in Cajolá – work is getting busier and time is flying. It only took about 9 months in site to get somewhat of a routine down, but here I am! I had a very ‘interesting’ integration period with my counterpart and doctor in Cajolá, but I’m finally starting to feel not as much as the odd ball out. After several meetings with my doctor, counterpart, and Peace Corps boss, I am being supported more by my health center, and I think I am finally on some kind of consistent schedule. Granted there are still weekly all-staff meetings and activities that people ‘forget’ to tell me about, but all in all, things are a lot better.
I think I reached my lowest of lows at the end of January/ beginning of February, and it’s really been looking up since then. For starters, Laura visited me in February, and Brooke, Lynn, and Kris came in March! When Laura visited, we stayed at the lake for two nights, and then headed to my site for 4 nights. She came to work with me for the week, and it was really nice to show her my real life, day to day. While she was here I had a couple women’s groups, and she helped us make washable/reusable sanitary napkins (super cool project!). She helped cut out at least 50 patterns, so to Mark and Katie Forsythe: she was definitely put to work! Laura was also able to witness an impromptu presentation for a group of teenagers on sex and what it is. We both had a good time, and I think the trip was what both of us needed for a little relaxation!
Brooke, Lynn, and Kris came in March over Brooke’s spring break, and their trip was a little more fast paced. They flew in on a Sunday, and we stayed in Antigua at the Earth Lodge for two nights. Sunday afternoon, we built a fire and did the Mayan sauna at the hostel. Monday, we hiked Volcano Pacaya (yes, this is the volcano that erupted last year, and no, we didn’t tell Kris that until afterwards). Tuesday, we got up early and drove to my site where the girls got to see the health center in one of my villages, as well as go to a women’s group in the afternoon. I gave a presentation to the women on the fecal/oral contamination cycle, and then we made hand-washing stations using recycled bottles. It was again really nice to show then how I live and what I do at work. The next night we spent at Lake Atitlán. We did some souvenir shopping, as well as relaxing on the lake. We had a nice private room with THE best shower I’ve had in Guatemala. The next day, St. Patrick’s Day, we headed back to Antigua and finished our shopping, as well as grabbed a nice dinner, followed by a Guinness at the Irish bar. The trip flew by, but a great time was had by all.
In between the weekend that Laura left and that Brooke, Lynn, and Kris got here, I was able to meet up with the Casey family’s foreign exchange student from 40 years ago. It just so happened that Marc had to be in Guatemala for five days and was up for grabbing breakfast with me. We had interesting conversation, and it was neat to talk to someone who knew my mom, aunts, and uncles from this time in their lives.
It probably seems like all I’m doing down here is hosting visitors, but rest assured, I am working as well! I am continuing to work with my three women’s groups, and they are my favorite part of work. I am creating relationships with these women, while trying my best to get them interested in preventative health with my presentations and mini-projects. I am currently starting to raise money to build water tanks for these women, so that they can put into practice a lot of what we talk about.
Other than these groups, I am working more in the health center. I give presentations every Monday morning. The theme changes monthly, and it’s a good way to continually introduce myself to more people in the surrounding communities, as well as to assist the health center staff. I have been giving a lot of impromptu presentations at the health center as well on any health related theme you can think of: rabies, nutrition, pregnancy, etc.
In other news, I got a site mate! Well, not exactly – she lives 10 minutes away in the village I take Mam classes in, but close nonetheless. Her name is Maddie, and she’s in the Healthy Schools program. We hopefully will get to collaborate on projects together that will target parents (my women’s groups) and kids (her schools).
Since this year is the 50th Anniversary of Peace Corps (it’s Guatemala’s 48th year), we were invited to a celebration at the ambassador’s house in Guatemala City. It was a beautiful get together, with a swear in ceremony of new volunteers, a close of service ceremony of volunteers who have completed their service, and a talk from Peace Corps Chief of Staff Stacey Rhodes who visited for this event. This weekend also coincided with the return of my good friend, Dirk, after his bus accident in September, so it was a great weekend to celebrate with friends.
For those of you who don’t know, Jordan is getting married in May, and I’ll be traveling home for the wedding!! My trip is planned for April 21 – May 12. This will be the only time I head home during my service so I’m making it count. Other than the wedding, I plan to give presentations on my service to a few groups. I hopefully will be able to do some fundraising, so if anyone is interested in a presentation let me know and I’ll be more than happy to do it.
Not too much else, so of course I’ll keep you updated on my book list. Since the last post, these are the books I’ve read:

The Invisible Wall
A Fine Balance – Don’t let the thickness of this book turn you away – it’s a quick and good read!
The Poisonwood Bible
Cat’s Cradle
The Secret Life of Bees
White Man’s Burden
Hocus Pocus (currently reading)
What the Dog Saw (currently reading)

I’m also going to add to the last post on things that are now normal to me:
- Riding in the back of a truck with 10 other people, because that’s the only transportation a person can get on Sundays, on holidays, on days people are protesting, or just because you haven’t seen a bus in a while.
- Having an animal, baby, produce, bags, or other items that are not yours on your lap, shoulder, head, etc, during crowded bus rides.
- Having people call you baby, queen, princess, beautiful, little girl, etc (in Spanish it’s easier to explain: conchita, nena, novia, esposa, xnula - that means woman who wears pants, niñita chula, bebecita linda, niña bonita; I could go on for a while).
- Having people ask you for money. This actually happens all the time, and it’s not just drunk people in the streets. Last week one of my coworkers asked me for 500 quetzales to buy some turkeys.
- People talking about you in front of you because they assume you have no idea what’s going on. Sometimes mothers tell their kids to behave or else I’ll vaccinate them - this is why all the kids are scared of me.
- Hearing people speak in tongues and/or sobbing over a microphone at the Evangelical church, and sometimes in my host family’s house.
- People asking you to bring them to the states, or to bring their kids to the states.
- Not showering for long periods of time. My longest has been a Friday to a Friday, but since I can now go to the city to shower at the new Peace Corps office, I can usually shower about every three days. I haven’t had water from the shower since January, so here’s hoping that April is different!
- Everything is blamed on the “temperature change” – if you’re sick, if the pigs won’t get into their pens, if there are a lot of people at the market today, if you have the hiccups, if you aren’t hungry, etc.
- Everyone is late. If you plan a presentation for 2pm, no one will show up until 2:30 at the earliest, and you probably won’t get started until at least 3pm. I’m learning patience, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get out of the habit of being punctual.
- Sitting and staring at one another is a favorite pastime of Guatemalans. I’ve gotten pretty good at surviving the awkward silences while drinking a glass of wet corn and sugar.
- Since you bargain for EVERYTHING down here, I am now used speaking very strongly when I shop, as well as going over the top with my facial expressions,
- It isn’t rude or gross to fart, burp, or ‘farmer-blow’ in public. For those who don’t know, farmer blowing is a way of blowing your nose without tissues. In fact, about 20 minutes ago, my counterpart let a huge fart out in the office. I almost busted out laughing, so obviously I’m not accustomed to this yet (so no, I will not be publically farting, burping, or farmer blowing while I’m home… well, I hope).

Can’t wait to see everyone while I’m home, next post won’t be until after the trip.
There are pictures on my flickr page of my visitors!

My New Normal

I wake up to see The Hunchback of Cajolá, or Franken-pig for short. Franken-pig is always hanging around the house. We've become very good friends.

I have had pieces of luggage fall on my head in the busses.

I was recently attacked by dogs and had to fight them off with the cooler of vaccines I was holding.

I was sitting on a bus a couple weeks ago (for 3 hours) with a bag of raw meat on the shelf above my head - dripping on me.

It is normal to be on a microbus that isn't 'full' until at least 5 people are hanging out the door holding on for their lives.

It is normal to be okay with being one of the people hanging on the outside of the bus and not thinking twice about it.

I always have black boogers.

Because of the culture differences of the Mayans, Ladinos, and Americans, several times a day I have the challenge of figuring out if I should do the awkward handshake (limp fish), the cheek kiss, or the weird shoulder touch.

I always have people pray over me on the busses. Recently, A priest got on my bus with a megaphone. After saying what he needed to in Spanish, he made sure to point out the only foreigner on the bus to say the Our Father in English. I wasn't sure what to do with everyone looking at me, so I made the sign of the cross - it was weird.

Yesterday a bird pooped on my head right before a big presentation to the equivalent of the state health department.

On house visits, EVERY child bursts out in tears when they see me since they think I'm giving vaccines (I'm not). They all scream bloody murder.

People tell me daily how fat I am, and ask how much I weigh. It never gets old. Wait, yes... yes it does!

I stepped on a scale for a group of very persistent nurses, who were very surprised. They said that I only weighed that much because I am so tall - what?!

I was recently weighing kids and this lady gave me her son while he was still sucking on her breast, and BOOM.... breast milk squirted all over me. Thankfully none went in my mouth.

I'll write a real blog post soon - happy early St. Pat's day!

Happy New Year

Hi all! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season, and are enjoying the beginning of 2011! I suppose that I'll start with Thanksgiving, as that's where I left off! A group of close friends and I went to Tilapita, which is a beach on the Pacific Coast, close to Mexico. You have to take a boat to get there, and it is a beautiful little island with no roads or cars, just the occasional four-wheeler. Cellphones don't get reception there, and I doubt there are any computers on the island. We stayed at the only hotel on the Island where, for 50 Quetzales (about $6), we had fresh fish and shrimp cooked for us for dinner. We spent three nights there, lounging around in hammocks, swimming in the ocean, and eating good food. We also cooked our very own thrown together Thanksgiving meal, and it was lovely. December really slowed down for me work wise, as Blake came and visited from November 28-December 21, followed by Joni, December 27-January 8. When Blake arrived, we stayed at a place outside of Antigua, the Earth Lodge, with an absolutely gorgeous view of three volcanoes, and overlooking the city. Following that, we went to Jacaltenango, in the department of Huehuetenango, to visit a coffee cooperative that Kickapoo Coffee in Wisconsin buys from, and where the Root Note in La Crosse, WI, buys some of their coffee. It is mighty delicious, so try some Guatemalan Blend next time you're in La Crosse = ) Next on our agenda was Lake Atitlán. We stayed in a cute little bungalow right on the water's edge, and took boats to a few of the tourist towns on the lake. It was picturesque, and very relaxing. How relaxing, you ask? We watched every single Harry Potter movie while we were there!! Blake and I then traveled to Cajolá, where I was able to show him how I actually live. I had two presentations with my women's groups, where Blake, who doesn't speak Spanish, helped me put on a puppet show. A great time was had by all! I also had a lunch set up with a group. They cooked for us and we had a great time with the women. We met up with Peace Corps friends and had a Paca White Elephant Christmas Celebration. Pacas are stores that sell donated clothes from the states, and there are some awesome clothes, and a lot of ridiculous clothes. We dressed up, made dinner, and played a lot of ping pong - it was a very nice way to celebrate the holidays with all of my friends that flew home for the holidays. Blake flew back to snowy Wisconsin on the 21st. I went home for a couple days to clean/relax, and spent Christmas in bed watching movies and wearing my Christmas socks. Junior and I made faces at each other for about an hour, so although it wasn't the same as being at home, I wouldn't have wanted to spend it any other way down here. Joni flew in on the 27th. We spent that day in Antigua, then went to Tilapita, the same beach I went to for Thanksgiving, for three nights. We spent New Year's Eve there, but had so much sun that we were sleeping before midnight. After our relaxing trip to the beach, Joni and I went to Cajolá and saw the sights (well, there are none, but she saw my house!). Next, we were off to the lake to stay at a hostel, sit in the sun, and go for boat rides. I think both Joni and Blake had a nice time in Guatemala, and there will be pictures on facebook and flickr to prove it!

I was able to do a lot of traveling with them, and hopefully January will pick up right where I left off with work. This week will be full of cleaning (hand washing all of my clothes from these great adventures will not be fun!), and I think I'll get a couple Mam classes in as well. I'm part of the Volunteer Advisory Council (yes, this is the student council of Peace Corps), and I represent the Xela and San Marcos volunteers. I am in charge of putting on the welcome orientations when new groups swear in (every 3 months) so this saturday we're doing a meeting and a chocolate factory tour in Xela. It will be great to get to know the people that live near me better.

Nothing too much else to share, except the fun bus rides I've recently had. My first one is on the way back to Xela after Blake left. I wasn't feeling the best I could have been, and there were no seats on the bus. This is not abnormal, but usually seats open up. This time, however, they did not. I stood on the bus, sweaty and tired, feeling a bit sick, when the driver kept cramming people in. I couldn't move a limb, and suddenly the little boy standing next to me starts vomiting. Luckily it was in a bag, but a clear plastic one. It was not a pleasant experience for either of us. On this same bus ride a lady (who was SITTING mind you) kept elbowing me in the back, like she wanted me to climb on top of the bus so that she could be comfortable. Finally 2 hours into my 4 hour standing bus ride, I said "I can't move!" With one more big elbow to the back, she finally quit. After a couple more standing-for-multiple-hour-bus-rides, I was finally sitting on one minding my own business, when someone's huge bag falls on my head. I didn't know what to do, so I stayed still and silent for a minute, hoping the owner would grab it. I was wrong, the owner did not, but the guy behind me who kept calling me 'baby' did. ahhh the life of a chicken bus rider.

I wasn't able to read as many books as normal with visitors here, but I did manage to get through these ones:
The Glass Castle
An Ethical Slut
A Round Heeled Woman
Invisible Man (currently reading)

All for now, happy early birthday Dad = )

oh yes, new phone number: 011-502-4013-3400

Hello friends! It’s been longer than I had planned to get another post up, but here goes. To begin, I want to inform you all that life in the Peace Corps has a lot of ups and downs! Between culturally integrating, learning new languages, and having not so supportive people assigned to work with you, it’s an emotional rollercoaster. I would prefer to keep my blog on the lighter side, though, so if you have any questions about the other stuff feel free to send an e-mail!
October flew by – had meetings with my committees that I’m on in Peace Corps, had a couple women’s groups presentations, more Mam class, more hanging out with my awesome host brother (4 year old Junior), lots of time to read, and not so much rain. At the end of the month, a group of friends and I went to Copán, Honduras, to celebrate Halloween. Peace Corps Honduras has a get together this time every year, and we were invited to partake. We went zip-lining (where you’re harnessed up and strapped to a cable to fly down a mountain), played beach volleyball, and went to the Copán Ruins. It was beautiful and HOT there! As I’ve stated, I live in the highlands of Guatemala and it is cold, so sweating and getting sun burnt were nice for a weekend! I dressed as Chunk from the Goonies, by far my best costume yet.
As we’re nearing the end of November it looks like I’ve been in Cajolá for about half the month and other places for the other half. After 3 months of being a volunteer, my training group and I had to attend a ‘reconnect’ conference where we share what we’ve done and receive more training. It was really great to see everyone I hadn’t seen in 3 months, and catch up about our lives. It was also an opportunity for us to load up on everything we needed from the medical office! This is also the week I learned I’m integrating more than I thought: my friend Audra and I went to a vendor for some food and ordered burritos. They were honestly the best we’ve had since being in Guatemala, and we were so excited to have found this place. Well, I looked down and saw a cooked bug in my meal, which turned out to be a cockroach. We looked at each other and weighed our options: ask for our money back- that would never happened, ask for a new meal, which most likely would also have cockroaches, or look harder because food is expensive. So, we shrugged our shoulders, looked harder, finished our burritos, and walked home fat and happy.
My women’s groups are moving along, not going in exactly the direction I was hoping, but moving along nonetheless. I started working with teens last week and I have to say that the presentation I had with them on Friday was by far the best I’ve had in Guatemala. This teen group is going to be focused on sex, family planning, abstinence, STI’s, HIV/AIDS, and everything that goes along in that category. I have two more teen groups Monday afternoon, so hopefully they go as well as the first one.
Thanksgiving is coming up, and I’ll be spending it with my good friends at the beach! It’s about 5 hours away from Cajolá and not nearly as cold, so I’ll bring my swimsuit and see what I can get away with. I have my first visitor arriving on the 28th of November, so I’m excited to get a little taste of home. Not quite sure what my plans are for Christmas – I’m hoping to spend it with Aura, my Mam teacher, and her family.
Not too much else that I can think of right now. As always thanks so much for those of you who keep in touch – I really appreciate it! To the Gokeys out there reading this, you will be jealous when I tell you that Gram just sent me the 1980’s version of the Snuggie. It’s called “Warm Wrap” and the tag line is “The blanket you wear like a robe!” It is awesome, looks like Mexico, and of course she sent the original wrapping. Ahh it’s hard being the favorite grandchild = ) Thanks Gram – I’m wearing it as I type (I actually decided what to have for dinner based on what I could cook and eat while still wearing it!)!!!!

A HUGE shout out to Ms. Smith’s 8th grade Geography class in Napoleon, ND! I received your awesome package and letters, and I’ll be sending my reply soon = )

Happy Turkey Day to all, and a very happy birthday to my sweet Mom!!!

Oh yes, and to update you on books recently read:

Enrique’s Journey
Sand County Almanac (okay I skimmed it… It was way too boring to read the whole thing)
The Garden of Eating
The Virgin Suicides
The Autobiography of Santa Claus (currently reading)
Let the Great World Spin (currently reading)

Things I've learned in Mam class...

...other than Mam.

If you burn a caterpillar your baby will be born and stay bald.

If you put a peach in a child's belly button, the child will not be able to climb trees.

It's not good if a person goes outside with a lit fire when there is a full moon because his or her baby will get a skin infection.

If there are little hairs around a baby's penis when he is born, the mother will not birth any girls.

If a person eats a chicken heart, they'll be afraid of the dark. (This confirmed by Aura, my Mam teacher, who loves to eat chicken hearts and is afraid of the dark)

Heading to Copán, Honduras, for Halloween - Blog post + pictures to follow.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PATRICIO!

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!

As most Peace Corps Volunteers will probably tell you, the first few months in site is another transition, but a completely opposite one than training. I’ve been in site for over a month now, and it’s very slow. I started out making plans for every day in August with my counterpart, Julissa, but somehow I’d show up every day at 8am and the plans would get cancelled. I realized after 4 full weeks that she really isn’t going to help me get started right away, so I should do my own thing. I started weighing babies for a few days, which was an adventure: the kids would either be scared out of their minds of me or be in awe of this Ix’nula. It was fun, but it definitely does not have anything to do with my goals with the Peace Corps. Julissa introduced me to three promoters, and we exchanged numbers. A promoter is basically a woman who is able to organize other women and find a place to meet; she is generally well-liked and motivated, with a supportive husband. I was able to separately meet with these women, who then introduced me to several women that I will be working with. Some of the women worked with the previous volunteer, some not. I met with 6 women on Monday who I set up a meeting with next week to give a talk on water purification and cleanliness. I am really excited to meet with these women and get the ball rolling!
I was able to do some house visits by myself this week; they went well. They included 40 minute walks alone in the early morning, then meeting up with promoters to weave through cornfields to several adobe houses. Yesterday after doing these visits, Mikaela, the promoter, invited me over for lunch. I felt very welcomed while I ate with her, her brother, sister in law, and nephew. Mam is all of their first languages, so we had some fun with that while they taught me a few things! As I’ve been getting started with my own site, I’ve also assisted a couple friends in giving HIV/AIDS workshops. These are always super fun and interesting, and you never know the kinds of questions you’re going to get.
In other news, my birthday was by far the best birthday I have ever had (lacking, of course, my family and friends!). A group of 25 of us went to Lake Atitilán and spent 70Q a night each ($9) I posted a couple of pictures on the Flickr page, but there will be more when I steal Dirk and Michele’s pictures! We rented bungalows right on the lake, and sat out on the deck on Friday. Saturday we played Bananagrams, Uno, and Catchphrase, and Mich, Dirk and I took a canoe out for a while. It was picturesque.
A couple weeks ago I went on the longest and hardest hike of my life, to Laguna Chikobal. Laguna Chikobal is more than 2 hours straight up a mountain to an inactive volcano. Inside the crater is a beautiful lake, where we ate lunch and rested. The hike was well worth it, so if any of my visitors are brave enough I will be happy to do it again! There are also places to camp, so you could sleep in the crater of a volcano! COOL!
This month’s round of near death experiences include a bus and a dog. The first one, the bus, I was heading into the city and stood up in the front to get off at my spot. I dropped my umbrella and when I bent over to pick it up, the driver slammed on his breaks. All of the sudden I had my back to the front windshield and the stick shift in my lower back. I kind of looked like a fly smashed against the windshield, except I was on the inside. The bus driver yelled at me, as well as a few passengers, and they ayudante (the guy that collects money) smiled at me and in his Guatemalan accent said “Sorry lady.” I also was bit by a dog, but it was minor and I’m fine. Brookey keeps telling me that everything that can happen to me down here will, so I need to start proving her wrong = )
I recently had and got rid of fleas, which is a really fun experience. To be honest, I don’t know if I got rid of them, but I’m hoping so. It is so cold at night in my site that I am covered head to toe: socks, leggings, shorts, shirts, and fleece, and I haven’t seen any new bites in a while, so here’s hoping!
My host mom had a baby girl on Monday! I haven’t met her yet, but hopefully today’s the day. Romeo asked me to make a list of American girls’ names, because they don’t want to give her a typical Guatemalan name. I’m not sure the reason behind this, but I made a list for him and I’ll keep you all updated as to her name. Her brother, Junior, is pretty excited. He’s doing well, and we now have our own handshake- it’s really cool!

Since I’ve been reading a lot, and since I’m sure you’re all very curious, I thought I’d tell you all a few of the books I’ve read since I’ve been here:
Five Moral pieces
Omnivore’s Dilemma
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Scar Tissue
Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix
Rigoberta Menchu
Animal Farm (currently reading)

There are more, but I’m not sitting next to my bookshelf right now and can’t tell you what they are! I am trying to get into Dr. Raul’s book club, but I don’t know how enthusiastic he is about it. He’s at least willing to lend me some books in Spanish so that I can work on my reading comprehension, so that’s a plus. I will continue, however, to try to get invited to the book club… persistence always pays off!
Not too much else that I can think of. Thanks for everyone who remembered me on my birthday, and who continue to keep in touch.
Love and miss!!!!
P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLAKE!!

July wrap up

A great deal has happened since my last post over a month ago. I’ve had site assignment, site visit, swear in, and finally I’ve moved into my site. Site assignment day was pretty exciting; our APCD Basilio drove to each of our training towns and handed us each a colored folder based on what department we’re in. Mine ( which was kelly green) told me I’ll be living in Cajolá, Quetzaltenengo, for the next two years. Cajolá is about an hour away from the second biggest city in Guatemala, Xela, and within an hour of good friends. During my site visit, I learned I would be taking over for the first volunteer in this site, Ashley, and saw where I would be living. Ashley was an amazing volunteer and the more I’m here I realize that I’ve got a lot to live up to. She showed me the ropes and introduced me to a lot of people in town, including the mayor, all of the city workers, and of course all of the health workers. I had already met my counterpart, Julissa, and my doctor, Raul, on ‘counterpart day’ earlier that week. Julissa seems sweet, really busy though, so I will just have to wait and see how much we actually work together once I get settled. Dr. Raul and I get along great; I’ve heard countless stories of male doctors not wanting to work with female volunteers, or giving them a hard time. Luckily Dr. Raul was a medical professor in Guatemala City for the past 30 years and has experience working with and respecting women. He’s only been working in public health for the last 5 years so he’s still very passionate about what we do.

After site visit I had to return to a bittersweet week back in San Antonio Aguas Calientes. I hung out with Duly, Carlos, and Sandra as well as my fellow trainees. Friday, July 16, was my official swear in date. We had a ceremony at the Peace Corps headquarters with our host families, the U.S. ambassador, and all of the Peace Corps workers. Afterwards, the five of us from San Antonio took our families out for lunch in Antigua and the said our goodbyes. We spent Friday and Saturday letting loose with the group of 45, and on Sunday we went our separate ways.
I’ve been in site sine July 18 and in this short time I can say so far so good. Cajolá has approximately 2,000 inhabitants, but including the aldeas (villages) the health center serves about 14,000 people. The elevation level is about 8,000 feet, so I am usually in several layers, a fleece, and long pants; who would’ve thought I should have packed more sweaters when moving to Guatemala?? I’m definitely the only gringa in Cajolá, or “ix’nula” I should say, since I will be learning an indigenous language called Mam. Believe it or not, I am super excited about this! It will be super useful to know and I will be able to educate more people with the more Mam I know. It’s a little difficult as initially it sounds like clicking and many of the sounds come from deep in the throat, but as I’ll continue to say, poco a poco.

I live in a house with a 28 year old couple, Estella and Romeo, and their 4 year old son, Junior. Estella is pregnant and will have the baby in the next couple weeks in our house with a midwife. They did not pick the right Gokey girl to live with them, as I will definitely not be attending the birth. I instead offered to hang out with Junior. Junior speaks Mam and is just learning Spanish, so he hangs out in my room a lot and we practice together. I’ve been teaching him colors and names of common items, and I think he’s catching on.

I’ve lucked out again in my living situation; Romeo lived in the States for 9 years and understands Americans’ crazy need for privacy. They help me when I ask, and I spend a lot of time in their kitchen practicing Spanish with Romeo and learning Mam from Estella. I plan on calling a Mam teacher next week, but Estella is helpful thus far. I’m completely moved into my part of their place, which consists of a make-shift kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom. I almost feel guilty for how great it is, as most of my friends have latrines and bucket baths. I do recognize the fact that Romeo worked very hard in the US for several years to send back money to build this nice home. A lot of people in Cajolá have family in the States. It’s really interesting to be able to view this side of the immigration argument; it just reinforces my already strong opinions.

The past week and a half have been pretty slow. I go into the health center every day and for the most part just hang out; people need to get used to seeing me and associating me with the health center. Along with this, I’ve assisted in a couple 5 hour health charlas to different groups of teachers, sat in on a few medical consultations, and walked around to different aldeas (villiages). I was done with my work (read ‘poster making’) by 3:30pm today so I decided to go exploring (don’t worry Dad, I took a big stick and had rocks in my pockets in case dogs started attacking ). I walked in a 2 hour giant circle and met a few old women who walked part way with me. Two of them could barely speak Spanish, and since my Mam is pretty limited we had very broken conversations, but I think we understood each other enough. I also met a lady who wanted to know when she was going to get a project at her house, so as we walked I had to explain to her that I won’t be working on projects for a year and that to have a project done in one’s house, a person has to come to multiple educational charlas within the next year as well as be able to put forth a percentage of the cost and labor. She wasn’t too impressed, but since Peace Corps is pretty new here, I have to reinforce the fact that Peace Corps works with the people and local resources to mainly educate, rather than coming in and giving material goods away.

I have a lot to look forward to in the next month (lots of breastfeeding and family planning charlas AND big birthday plans!), and I will keep updating as time goes on. Pictures will hopefully be updated Saturday when I'm in the city with fast internet (I'll also hopefully be on Skype if anyone is free and wants to check in). Thanks to everyone who has been keeping in touch, it means a lot!

Congrats Jordan and Ty on your engagement!

Little by Little

The remnants of Tropical Storm Agatha and the Pacaya Volcano eruption are constant reminders of the hold that mother nature has on us all. This past week I was able to take some time off with my San Antonio group and help dig out houses that are still filled with mud. Our Spanish professor, Edwardo, has between 2-4 feet of mud in his house, depending on the room. The house was 8 feet under at one point, and it’s taken over 3 weeks to get to where he’s at now. We put on our work gloves and dumped out bucket after bucket of mud, rocks, and common household items. I don’t think the amount of damage that I saw with my own two eyes had yet sunk in until I really just stood and looked around after working for a few hours. I saw each individual cup and plate, coated in dried mud; the muddy and damp chairs, now rotting, filling our nostrils with a smell you can only imagine. I was exhausted after my two short days of work; I can’t imagine working like that day in and day out, throwing out all of your possessions, finding heirlooms, sometimes bodies.
While Guatemala is, as a whole, still recovering, as Peace Corps trainees we are still working hard giving presentations and learning about our future role as volunteers. I went on FBT- field based training- June 6-12 in San Marcos San Lorenzo. Six other trainees and I were driven 6 hours to give several charlas and learn what other volunteers in our program are doing. We were the lucky group that was able to visit 2 volunteers and see how differently they worked, yet how successful both of them were in their own ways. I personally gave 2 presentations on nutrition/micronutrients, 2 on acute respiratory infections, starred in a radio sociodrama, and acted in several skits. We put on a 4 hour HIV/AIDS workshop for a group of 65 high school students, where yours truly was in charge of, along with other things, the condom demonstration, as well as teaching the students how to put a condom on a banana (there are definitely pictures). I was also able to experience a Mayan Chuj - it's basically a sauna. A few of us girls got undressed and stepped in, while a little old Mayan woman kept coming in a throwing water on the hot rocks to make it nice and steamy. I could definitely do that again = )
Last week our San Antonio group assisted another town with a shortened version of the HIV/AIDS workshop, as well as put on the presentation to a group of 245 students in San Antonio. Overall it went well, although there were a few eye-opening questions that really shook me up. Following the workshop, we saw a man have an alcoholic seizure. We were unsure of what to do because we were informed that if we attempt to help in situations like that we will get kicked out of the Peace Corps. Two of the girls went to the health center to get help, where they told them that the guy is a drunk and there’s nothing to be done; needless to say it was a rough day.
Today is Michele’s birthday, so yesterday we went out to eat in Antigua to celebrate. It was nice and relaxing. Today I gave a hand-washing charla in the morning, and did work for the rest of the day. I leave for IDA – individual directed activity – on Wednesday and come back Saturday. They basically tell us where we’re going and who we’re visiting and say “good luck!” It’ll be another nice change. I’ll get back just in time to rest up for my little brother’s 7th birthday party on Sunday. Today I helped my host mom fill the party bags for all of his 70 friends that are coming over.
I find out my site on July 1, and I am super excited for this day!! In my interviews with Basilio, the housing director, I told him I don’t have any preferences in regard to weather or location, or anything else for that matter. I’m just excited to finally find out where I’ll be exactly for the next two years – where you all will be visiting me!!! I love my host family and my training group, but I’m beyond excited to cook for myself, have my own space, and be an adult again. I was recently able to talk to Megan Bender, who just returned from PC Uganda, and she explained that training is pretty tough for several reasons, and that it gets a lot better after. It was VERY nice to hear that!
I’ve been here about two months, and reflecting on my journal entries and interactions with my lovely group, I can definitely see myself experiencing the ups and downs of moving to a new place and living in a new culture. I’m struggling with the machismo and with women’s roles in Guatemala. I’m struggling with my American perspective of a different kind of corrupt government. I’m getting used to the constant sound of fireworks and church bells. I’m loving black beans and avocados. It’ll be a while until I’m fully settled in, but I’m getting there. Lots of love and support stateside- it’s appreciated!!!

New pictures from FBT on flickr!