Almost a Volunteer!

This morning I had quite the experience on the bus… it seems like every time I ride the camioneta I have a good story to tell afterwards. A couple weeks ago I was on the bus and it was packed full of people and I was wearing a skirt…. First mistake right there. I was sitting in the aisle seat and my skirt got caught between two people walking through the aisle and just about came off my body. I definitely mooned a couple people and some woman had to help me pull my skirt free. How embarrassing! At least it didn’t rip or I would have been walking home in my underwear. This morning wasn’t quite as embarrassing but during the 45 minute bus ride to the training center the seat I was sitting in came completely unattached from the bus and slid into the aisle and on top of the people sitting behind me. I guess I should stop eating so much bread! J Good times on the camioneta!

Time is going by so fast! I can’t believe that I’ll be a Peace Corps Volunteer in less than a month! This week flew by. Wednesday I gave another presentation to teachers at one of the schools that a volunteer is working at. I talked about the Healthy Schools program is and what kind of things we do in the schools. I’m not only teaching others about the program, but I’m also learning a lot about what I am going to be doing during the next two years. There are three levels to the healthy schools program, and the schools have to complete all three levels in order to be certified as a healthy school. This certification could take up to 6 years. In the first level the schools have to start implementing healthy habits such as washing hands before snack and after using the bathroom, brushing teeth after eating, health lessons twice a week, having water in the school 5 days a week 5 hours a day, and having a place to go the bathroom. Once the school reaches these goals it can move on to the next level which includes a menu for school snack and other more depth plans such as what to do during a natural disaster. Some of the schools I’ll be working with will be starting from nothing and we’ll have to build infrastructure such as hand washing stations and bathrooms. Some of the sites we’ll be placed at will be brand new sites so we’ll literally be starting from the ground up.

Today we found out our site mates, and I happen to be one of eight people who will be without a site mate. I have to admit I shed a tear or two just because initially I was really shocked and scared of the fact that I am going to be working alone without a partner but there will be other volunteers from other programs so I won’t really be alone. It’s definitely going to be a challenge because with a partner you can work with each other and plan stuff together, but I am going to have to do everything on my own. It’s going to be hard but I’m taking it as a compliment that my trainers think that I am capable of working independently. I’m excited and nervous at the same time and it will definitely be a life-changing experience and a time of personal growth. I know that there are going to be frustrations and that I’ll feel lonely at times but I’m trying to keep a positive attitude and an open mind and I know that this will be an amazing adventure! At least I’ll have my dog to keep me company at my site J

I took Suki on his first ride on the camioneta (bus) to Antigua to go to the vet. I was a little nervous because we went last Saturday and usually the buses are packed full on the weekends because people aren’t working and I had no idea how I was ever going to bring a dog on the bus. I felt like I was taking my kid for his first haircut! Fortunately Suki ended up loving the bus and he sat perfectly in my lap and looked out the window. I guess I’ve just had bad experiences with taking dogs in the car since my last dog, Hunter, would shake and throw up everywhere. It was Suki’s first time on a leash so that was interesting trying to walk through the crowded streets of Antigua but we made it safely to the vet! The vet told me that he’s about 3 months old and he weighs 7 pounds. He’s part Labrador and part Chesapeake retriever. The vet was really nice, and I was so proud that Susie didn’t have to help translate anything for me! I was able to talk to the vet about Suki’s vaccines and everything all on my own in Spanish! It was a pretty big accomplishment and it turns out that the vet tech study veterinary medicine in California. Suki got his first round of vaccines and is a healthy little pup minus the burns he has on his back…. So about a week ago I was heating up my water for my bucket bath in the coffee pot and when I took the top off some of the boiling hot water fell on Suki and burnt his back. He now has 2 burns on his back and his hair fell out L My family teases me about how I’m a bad mom but I promise it was an accident and Suki’s tail was wagging like 2 minutes after it happened. The vet told me his hair will grow back and that I just need to put anti-bacterial cream on the sores until they heel. Poor baby! The burns are looking better though and hopefully the hair will grow back so he doesn’t have bald spots on his back. He’s starting to have separation anxiety and cries every time I leave the house but he has fun playing with the other dogs. He’s awesome, and I can’t wait to get settled into our new site!

I’m going to be really sad to leave Susie and the rest of the family when I go to my new site in a month. Susie’s niece Sheyla who’s 9 wrote me the sweetest letter saying that she hopes I know how much the family loves me and that their doors are always open to me and my family to come visit anytime I want. I literally had tears in my eyes when I was reading it… it means so much to know that they have enjoyed the time that I’ve been here and to know that I have a family away from home who will gladly welcome me into their house. It takes a while to feel completely comfortable in someone else’s house especially when they speak a different language, but Susie and her family have really taken me in almost as another daughter and I’m going to be really sad when I have to move. I really feel at home here, and I feel like I’m a role model to Susie’s daughter and the other kids so it’s going to be really hard to leave everyone but at least I can come and visit anytime I want. They have taught me so much, and I have been able to share with them a lot about our culture in the U.S. This is just the start of many impactful relationships that I’m going to make throughout my service…. What a great experience!

Not much else is going on here in Guatemala… just waiting to get our site assignments and living up the last month of training. Thanks mom and dad for the packages! I love getting stuff from home… I haven’t really been homesick but it’s nice having a little bit of home here with me.  I’m starting to get tired of Guatemalan food so my new diet consists of Cliff bars and bananas for every meal J I’ve pretty much become a vegetarian since I’ve been here… the chicken feet, pig skins , and cow brains in the market about did me in. I ate pig skin the other day without knowing what it was and just about died when I found out. One thing I’m most looking forward to is cooking my own meals but exploring Guatemalan food has definitely been an interesting experience! Also, the whole no internet thing is going really well. I’ve realized that so much of life is wasted being connected to the internet all the time. Without internet I’ve been able to spend more time talking to my host family, and I’ve been more aware of what’s going on around me. Although I’d love to know what everyone’s up to back home, living without internet has really taught me that there’s more to life than being connected all the time and that I need to live in the present moment and embrace it or else life will just pass right on by. The one thing I love most about the Guatemalan culture is how much they love spending time with their families and friends. The other day Susie’s sister was telling me how parents purchase land for their kids to live on so that the whole family can live together on the same terrain and she was shocked when I told her that it’s weird for someone to live at home with their parents after the age of like 25. She told me that it seems like Americans like to be alone a lot whereas here the families are together every single day and they always take time for each other. I really admire how much they value friendships and time with their family.

That’s all for now! We swear in as Peace Corps Volunteers in a few week so we’re all getting really excited about that. I’ll update you next week! Thanks for all your support J Hasta luego!