Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Settling In

I love my new life in Chimaltenango. I absolutely adore Dora, my host mom. She and I can talk for hours, which is rather remarkable, considering that I only have 2 months of experience speaking Spanish. The fact that I love to talk to people and hear their stories has made the learning process rather easy. Of course, I still have daily moments of verguenza (embarrassment), but those moments are often wonderfully chistoso (funny). The past two weeks I worked with the children of the women in the Corazon de Mujer group. Working with the two to six-year-olds was a humbling experience, let me tell you. I have never been known for paciencia (patience). I had the expectation that I would be teaching them English songs and games and we would all hold hands and skip afterwards, needless to say, this did not occur. I had babies running here and there, biting each other, crying, and doing everything but listening to the Gringa (me). After a day of complete and utter chaos I decided to try a new approach: do anything to keep the kids from eating one another and/or crying. We played with play-doh, drew pictures, and read stories. Only two kids cried the second day and only one got bitten. I used art as the vehicle to teach the kids words in English and they really seemed to like this approach. And while we had very few supplies to work with, my kids were definitely not lacking in the imagination department. For several of the days I also had the opportunity to work with the older kids, ages 6-13, and that was a blast! I really connected with them and they were extremely eager to learn (aprender) English; we played games and sang songs, though we never got around to the holding hands and skipping bit.


Another exciting bit of news: I learned to weave. No joke. I spent 13 hours weaving a scarf (pictures of the process will be in the next post).  I think Dora was a little nervous to teach me, because it's actually pretty hard to learn, but I caught on quickly. :) It was actually kind of funny because when her friends and sisters came over she brought them into the room where I was weaving and bragged to them that I was better at weaving than most Guatemalans. Of course this caused me to blush furiously and fumble with my weaving (I've never been very comfortable with an audience). Although her praise made me embarrassed, it also made me feel like she is starting to think of me like a daughter (hija). I feel so lucky to have her as one of my Guatemalan moms, because she is one of the most amazing people I've ever met. I'd love to tell you all about her amazing story, but I need to ask her permission first. I'll post again soon! Thanks so much for reading and please keep my Guatemalan family and me in your prayers! :)

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Turning Over A New Leaf

I am so excited to tell you all that I will now be living in Chimaltenango and working with a women's co-operative called Corazon de Mujeres (the heart of the women). Chimaltenango is about 45 minutes from Antigua by bus and it is one of the biggest cities in Guatemala. The women in the Corazon de Mujeres group weave hand-made scarves, purses, clothing, etc., to help support their families. These women are hard-working, welcoming, and brave. Each of these women suffered from the violence that happened during the war in Guatemala and a part of what they do is share their stories with groups that come to visit them.

Over the next nine months, I will be living and working with the women of the Corazon de Mujeres. I will be teaching the women English, and tutoring the children after school, but I am certain that I will learn more from them than I could possibly teach. I hope to record their stories and translate them for CEDEPCA, another organization that I will be working with. CEDEPCA stands for Centro Evangelico de Estudios Pastorales en Centro America (Evangelical Center of Pastoral Studies in Central America). Cedepca is a training center that provides safe, accepting, creative spaces where women and men from many different Christian traditions can deepen their faith while they strengthen their ability to confront the key issues facing their communities.Cedepca seeks to form thoughtful, compassionate disciples of Jesus Christ whose world is big enough to include all God’s children and who care for all of God’s creation.Cedepca offers people the tools to eradicate violence and injustice in their world, especially violence against women and children.

This past week, I was lucky enough to spend time learning about Cedepca in Guatemala City and I can't wait to spend one week out of every month in Guatemala City working with Cedepca. The people who work for Cedepca are people I really look up to and hope to be like some day. They are making such a difference here in Guatemala and in other Central American countries and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to work and learn with them.

Lessons Learned in the Guat: Part 3

Lesson 10: Everyone Poops

I used to be the type of person who gets rather embarrassed when the topic of bodily functions comes up. However, I've learned to get over it. The bathroom at my new host family's house has a sheet over the door and the toilet doesn't flush (think outhouse). When the wind is blowing, it's not uncommon to catch a glimpse of a person in the bathroom doing his or her business. Two months ago this would have mortified me, but today I am just glad we have a toilet. I still find it a bit embarrassing that everyone in the house can hear the goings-on in the bathroom, but I'm pretty much over it.  After all, everyone poops right? I don't know why it took coming to Guatemala for me to realize that, but it's an important lesson, especially now that I'm bound to be caught in the act.

Lesson 11: Lesbiana is not the Spanish word for Lesbian(at least not in the Guat)

"Hola, me llamo Lesbiana,"(Hi, my name is Lesbiana) is something I hear on a pretty regular basis, believe it or not. The first time someone introduced herself as Lesbiana I almost burst out laughing. I thought I had heard her wrong, but after asking for her name again I was certain that Lesbiana was, in fact, her name. Lesbia is also a popular name for girls here, in case you were wondering.



Lesson 12: It's O.K. To Ask For Help

As some of you know, I am now living with a new host family and have a new placement. I lived in Comalapa for three weeks and was miserable the entire time. At first my host family seemed to be making an effort to get to know me, but after the first couple of days they seemed to lose interest. I would try to spend time with them and they would suggest that I spend time in my room until the next meal. I was shadowing at the school, which was great, but my actual job description kept changing and that really stressed me out. One day I was told I would be teaching two times a week, and the next I was told I would be teaching six times for week for 8 hours per day. At first I was told I would have one class, and later I was told that I would have three or four classes. I really wouldn't have minded spending most of my time teaching, but my start date kept being pushed back and I really hated being in the dark about my job. I ate one meal a day with my host dad (if I was lucky) and I ate the rest of my meals alone in silence. I love alone time, but having only alone time for three weeks straight made me feel extremely lonely and sad. I'm not going to go into detail recounting everything my host family did to isolate me, but I will say that at times I felt like they did it on purpose. One day, after eating at a table outside while the rest of the family ate together in the kitchen, I realized that I needed a change. I called Marcia, the director of the YAV program in Guatemala, and told her what had been going on. To my immense relief, she promised to find me a new host family as soon as possible, and within two days I moved out.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Lessons Learned in the Guat: Part 2

Lesson 7: Discard your personal bubble prior to entering a Chicken Bus.
When on a Chicken Bus, be aware that you do not have a right to your own space. You might think that you have a right to your space, however, you don´t. You might think that bus seats are meant for two people. They´re not. Bus seats are meant for as many people as is humanly possible. Even if there isn´t room for another person in your seat, someone is bound to find just the right amount of space. In fact, many people, including large men, will take your lap into account. Just the other day I was sitting on a Chicken Bus next to an older gentleman, minding my own business, when a significantly larger older gentleman decided to sit with us. Now, I did not think there would be room for this man, but there was. This older gentleman found ample space. On my lap. It´s a damn good thing I remembered to get rid of my bubble, because if I hadn´t, that man would have burst it.

Lesson 8: Brace Yourself.
Prior to taking a shower it is important to prepare yourself. This shower is going to be frigid. In fact, this shower is going to make your teeth chatter and cause every hair on your body stand on end. I have never in my life worried about taking a shower as much as I dred showering in the Guat. To be honest, I don´t shower as frequently because I find it utterly unpleasant. I don´t shower when it´s raining, because I´ll be impossibly cold. As the water cascades down on my head, I try to think about the fact that my hair is growing, but that doesn´t help very much. Sometimes in the morning, I forget to brace myself before hopping in the shower. This is very bad. When I forget to brace myself I shout out in surprise, because I am so shocked by how freezing the water is. I read in a magazine that cold water is good for your hair. I hope that´s true. I hate cold showers now, and it´s only September. I can´t imagine how cold it´ll be in December.

Lesson 9: Watch your step.
The ground here is almost never even. Most of the streets are cobblestone, however, the stones are haphazardly placed and all happen to be different sizes. For a klutz like me, Guatemalan streets are a huge accident waiting to happen. It doesn´t help that pedestrians do not have the right of way here. The sidewalks here are very narrow and there are a lot of protruding window things that are waiting to bash your head. So actually, the lesson is really to watch out. Beware. The streets of Guatemala are dangerous, but not for the reasons you might think. I have yet to witness a pickpocketing. I haven´t seen any crazed drug dealers on the loose. What I have seen is my face coming dangerously close to the ground countless times, becuase I can´t help but trip all over the place.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Lessons Learned in the Guat: Part 1

Lesson 1: Never go anywhere without a rainjacket.
The rainy season here in Guatemala is from May to November and in that time it rains quite frequently. The rain here is pretty sneaky and can appear out of nowhere to soak you completely. Also, the streets here in Antigua don´t have a drainage system so it´s best to wear sandals. I always thought I loved the rain, but there is a little too much rain here for my liking. However, I guess, if it weren´t for all of this lluvia (rain) there wouldn´t be so much delicious fruit to eat. I eat piña (pineapple), sandia (watermelon), and papaya pretty much every day and it´s amazing!

Lesson 2: Go to bed early, becuase you won´t be able to sleep in.
The roosters here don´t really have a sense of the appropriate time to crow. Sometimes they crow at 2 in the morning, and if the roosters aren´t crowing, someone is probably setting off fireworks. I´m all for fireworks, but  not when they´re set off at 6 in the morning. In my town there is also a truck that drives up and down the street advertising gas starting at 5:30 am. The truck has a recorded advertisement and the first few times I heard it I thought it was saying "Geeeeeeeeeet Uuuuuuup!" but what it´s actually saying is "Zeeeeeeeta Gaaaaaaaas!!!!" The roosters, the fireworks, and the Z Gas truck are bad, but the worst is when Raul, the family parrot, repeats the Z Gas advertisement. Raul enjoys repeating just about anything that might annoy the rest of the family. Needless to say, sleeping in is not an option.


Lesson 3: Mango is more than just a fruit.
Yes, mango is a delicious fruit and it´s in season from May to August here in Guatemala. However, the word "Mango" is also used to describe an attractive man. For example, if a group of girls is walking down the street and one of them sees a good looking guy, she might say, "¡Que Mango!" or if he´s very attractive she might say, "¡Que Mangazo!" I hear girls saying this quite often, and when I finally asked what it was, I burst out laughing.


Lesson 4: It doesn´t matter how conservatively you dress...
Men will holler at you like you´re dressed for a scandalous night out on the town.
Maybe it´s because I´m a gringa, but I´ve never had so much male attention in my life. I usually wear floor-length skirts and conservative shirts, yet that doesn´t seem to deter men from yelling (what I assume are pick up lines) at me. At first I was terrified, but now I just find it hilarious. The other day, while walking in the market, one many yelled at Kate and I that we were good-looking pastors (or something like that). Haha.

Lesson 5: Make jokes.
When I first moved in with my host family, I found it difficult to interact with them and I felt very out of place, however, when I started making jokes, they really loostened up around me. I make jokes that I´m sure sound like they were made up by a 7 year old, yet they laugh as though I´ve just said the most hilarious thing they´ve ever heard. One night there was a funny looking bug in the kitchen. It was bouncing off the wall in time with the marimba music on the radio. I pointed to the bug and joked that it was dancing to the music. My host dad thought it was so funny; I thought he was going to fall out of his chair. I think he really appreciated that I was making an effort with my Spanish, and the bug really did look like he was dancing. :)

Lesson 6: Don´t pet Chuchos.
Chuchos (street dogs) are pretty much everywhere and most of them are cute. I have a hard time not petting dogs, but after I got fleas, I decided to abstain from petting the Chuchos. Fleas tend to bite you around your waistband and your wrists and ankles. Flea bites are REALLY really itchy. Don´t pet the Chuchos. 



Saturday, September 8, 2012

A few photos of Antigua

Jensen, Annie, Kate, and I in front of the fountain in Antigua´s City Park.

Our new friendship bracelets!

The view from my window in San Juan del Obispo!

The famed arch in Antigua!



Saturday, September 1, 2012

iEstoy feliz como un lombriz!

Ayer estoy feliz como un lombriz! (Right now I am as happy as a worm!) Guatemala is everything I hoped it would be and more. Annie, Kate, Jensen, and I spent our first three nights in an adorable little hotel in Antigua. We explored the city and learned more about one another. On Thursday morning, after a breakfast of mosh (similar to oatmeal) and huevos y frijoles (eggs and beans) we took a taxi to San Juan del Obispo.  San Juan is a small town outside of Antigua with a beautiful view of the volcano and surrounding mountains. Each of us had a host family waiting to welcome us into their home. My host mom, Dolores, carried my duffle bag on her head as we trekked up the cobblestone hill to her two story casa (house). We were greeted by Toffe, a gregarious perrito (puppy), and el loro (a parrot) se llama Raul (named Raul). Dolores lives with her husband Julio and spends most week days watching her nieta (granddaughter) Camilla. Despues de almuerzo delicioso (after a delicious lunch) we walked a few blocks to our language school. Each of us has our own maestra (teacher), mi maestra se llama Beatriz (my teacher is named Beatriz). I have only had two lessons so far, but I can already tell that I am improving. Next week I will have classes in the morning and outings in the afternoon. I am so excited to continue getting to know Guatemala and her cultura bonita (beautiful culture).

I found out today that my family will be coming to visit me on the 26th of December! I am eager to see my mom, dad, and sister, and I cannot wait to show them the country that I am growing to love. I will end this post with a quote from Douglas Wood,

And maybe it is only on the trail to nowhere-in-particular that you find the most important thing of all. Yourself.
 

Saturday, August 25, 2012

This past week I've heard horror stories about living in Guatemala, everything from giant spiders, to unwelcoming host families, and a myriad of other downright terrifying situations. While these stories left me feeling a bit unsettled about the upcoming year, they also served to amplify my desire to live and work in Guatemala. As an optimist, I am able to make the best of pretty much any situation and I am confident that this will carry over into my year of service. Mother Theresa said it best when she said,

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. 

Life is beauty, admire it.

Life is a dream, realize it.

Life is a challenge, meet it.

Life is a duty, complete it.

Life is a game, play it.

Life is a promise, fulfill it.

Life is sorrow, overcome it.

Life is a song, sing it.

Life is a struggle, accept it.

Life is a tragedy, confront it.

Life is an adventure, dare it.

Life is luck, make it.

Life is too precious, do not destroy it.

Life is life, fight for it.

In the coming year, I know I will encounter life in all of the above manifestations and more. Spiders as big as my face may run across my floor, it might be difficult to get to know my host family, and I will certainly encounter bumps along the way, but I am ready to take those challenges head on. 

Here at orientation, I've come to realize that I have an amazing community of YAV's, family, and friends supporting me and I'm excited to share my triumphs and my struggles with you all. My first struggle will be getting up on Monday morning at 1:30 am to leave for the airport. Our flight is at 5:30 am and we will land in Houston sometime in the late morning. After a short layover, we will board our plane to Guatemala city!!!! I've heard that the atmosphere at the airport in Guatemala city is pretty intense, but I'll have Jensen, Kate, and Annie (my fellow YAVs) by my side. 

Please continue to pray for me in the coming weeks and months! I love you all! <3


Tuesday, August 21, 2012

FIRST POST!!!

Today is the second day of the Young Adult Volunteer program orientation in Stony Point, New York. I have to admit, I am slightly disoriented. Leaving my home (Golden, Colorado) yesterday was much harder than I expected it to be and, according to my countdown, I have a mere five days and approximately 16 hours until I arrive in Guatemala. I will spend 5 weeks in Antigua, Guatemala taking Spanish classes. I will then move in with my host family in Comalapa. As of right now, I know very few details and, until this morning, I was consumed by fear of the unknown.  My fear evaporated because of my experience at today's morning worship service. During today's service, we reflected on a passage from Psalm 139, in which the psalmist writes, 

Where can I go from Your spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go to the heavens, You are there. If I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me; Your right hand will hold me fast.  

In reflecting on Psalm 139 I feel at peace. This might sound silly, but I now feel certain that God will be with me in Guatemala. Most of you are probably thinking, "Well, duh, Rachel!" I know, I know. God is everywhere, and it seems only natural that God be with me in Guatemala, but the past few days I've been worrying myself sick about packing, traveling, and other logistics, and in worrying so much, I unintentionally took God out of the equation. 

I am happy to report that I am no longer fixating on unnecessary worries and I couldn't be more excited to see what God has in store for me in Guatemala. After all, I can't go anywhere or do anything without God, and that alone is enough to quell all of my fears about this upcoming year. 

Look for another update later this week! Thanks for reading and may Christ's peace be with you all! :)