Swearing-in and First Week in Site

The San Bortolo Group and our Families

Ambassador

Just before the ceremony

Here I am, my first week in site... Life is busy yet tranquil, slow yet exhausting, new yet familiar. Life is good. Before I go into things here at site, I would like to reflect a bit on the swearing-in ceremony last Friday. It was a special day. I think Peace Corps does a good job of matching a meaningful ceremony with the magnitude it represents. For the 47 of us, this was it... The moment you anticipate from the time you click, "submit" on your online application. The moment you wait still for, after receiving your nomination. Then just when you think you're there, you must wait yet again to receive your invitation. Then finally you arrive... but wait! Three months of training! So wait yet again... Until now. Last Friday marked the official moment of, "Here I am." It was the symbolic representation of our collective emotion and pride... We all knew what was to come. We have all seen our sites, visited our schools yet most of us still have no idea what to expect.

The ladies of San Bartolo

When I arrived at site, I could almost feel the collective sigh of all 47 of us, as we let our last suitcase fall to the floor... "Here we are," we all thought. "All alone... Now what?"

My new room

If I had sat down to write this on my first day here, it may not have been such a pleasant read. I think as a rule of thumb, the first day is the hardest. I qualify this with the accounts I received from a few friends as well. I sort of wonder if Peace Corps sets it up this way, as one final test... They say to our counterparts, "Please make sure that on the first day, NOTHING goes as planned." More likely, it is just the anticipation we have built up over the last few months finally coming to a head. The first day is when you realize how small you are... When your alter your definition of progress as one drop added to a bucket of water, to progress as one drop added to the entire ocean!
My new best friend

Now that I sit here, nearly at the end of the week I feel good. I am adapting to life here. I appreciate the beauty and realness of doing everything by hand. I know there will be days when I miss microwaves, and washer machines but I truly am happy to be without them right now.
I found a bike which I have been riding to my schools for the past 2 days. I get a lot of strange looks because it's not everyday that you see a gringa on a bicycle. Also the roads here are not exactly conducive to a relaxing journey. So far I have nearly crashed at least once each day. I think the probability of me actually crashing is quite high... I just hope it won't be too bad. The three things I am most likely to crash into are:
1. a fence
2. a cow
3. a tree/shrub.
None of these things offer a very soft landing and so I am sure to wear my helmet all the time. I don't know if I will ever make the entire trip without getting off the bike and walking. The road is just so rugged, and quickly changes from steep downhill to extreme uphill. Perhaps there are mountain bikes out there that can handle this terrain but the bike I found cost about $120 so I can't complain.
Today I went to an anniversary party for one of the elementary schools. It was really impressive to learn about the history of this school. They were celebrating 40 something years, and told of how when the school was first built there were no roads leading to the village. When the school was brand new, it was reduced to rubble by the horrific earthquake of the 1970's. They rebuilt the school, and here it stands today, proud as ever. It was an honor to be invited to such a special event. I left soon after lunch and rode off on my bike as the sounds of the marimba band trailed off behind me.

Some little girls at the school's aniversary party

The ride home was even more grueling than they day before... -Perhaps because today was blistering hot. I had to get off my bike numerous times and rest. It seems pitiful because the ride is only 2km! But it's unlike any 2km bike ride I have ever experienced. I am certain that after two years of riding my bike, I will be fully prepared to take on the tour d' france. When I finally got back to the house, I looked as if I had just swam home... I was soaked with sweat, and had a tomato-red face. Everyone who greeted me looked at me the same way, as if to say, "why do this to yourself?" But I am determined... And honestly, I like riding my bike. It just will take some time to get into shape.

I spent the afternoon doing some chores. I did laundry and cleaned the bathroom. I would like you to take a moment and think about both of these tasks. Think well about how long it takes you to complete them. You could probably throw your clothes in the machine and clean the bathroom in the meantime... Well of course things are different here, and that is to be expected. It took me about 3 hours to do my laundry and about an hour to do the bathroom. I am not complaining here... only trying to paint an accurate portrait of what my day was like. I was so exhausted by 5pm I could have gone to bed right then. I slumped into the hammock to relax before getting up to cook dinner. In those few moments I sat on the patio, taking in the view; the mountains, the setting sun, and I acknowledged my weary body and realized that I felt good! I had a very fulfilling day, and yet I only got a few things done.
I have never been so domestic in all my life. When I get home from school, I take shower, change clothes, and put on an apron. I wear an apron whenever I am in the house! I have never even owned an apron and now I am the proud owner of 2. I wear it, not because it's fashionable, but rather because it's so darn useful! Both my aprons were given to me as gifts, and while I did not think I would use them at first, I now wonder how one could live without. Where else do you put clothes pins when hanging laundry on the line? Where to put your phone while washing in the pila? Need a napkin? No problem! Aprons do it all!

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Just as I was writing this in the flickering candlelight of my bedroom, I noticed a strange dark spot on the ceiling. It looked like a spot where the paint might be peeling and I thought, "that's strange, I don't remember seeing that before." So I grabbed my headlamp to investigate. When I looked up, there to my great horror was... a SCORPION!
Now, usually I am not unrealistically afraid of creepy crawly things but scorpions are the at the top of my list of scary things. I sort of panicked... I didn't know what to do. What is a scorpion anyway? Can you crush it? Is it a bug? Or is it more like a devil crab with an impenetrable shell? I imagined it to be the latter, and called one of my Peace Corps friends to see if she had any advice. "Kill it with a broom," she said. So I grabbed my old broom, took a deep breath and swept it off the ceiling. Now I don't know about you, but the image I had of scorpions consisted of them moseying along in the desert waiting to murder some unsuspecting victim... Well once I swept this guy to the floor he took off full speed! It caught my off guard how quickly he ran and hid... I swept him out from under his hiding place, and hit him with the broom but he scurried away unscathed. He ran across an open spot on the floor and I knew I had to act quickly... the broom didn't work the first time so I closed my eyes and gave a quick stomp with my flip flop. That did the trick... but he was a big guy, and his scorpion goo went all over. Gross. I decided it would be better to deal with cleaning it up in the morning.
As of now I am trying to calm down and convince myself that that was the only one...
-that there are not more lurking in the corner behind my bed. Before tucking myself in I sent out a little prayer that went like this, "Dear scorpion brothers (and sisters), I'm sorry for killing your comrade. Please don't come and seek vengeance on me. Goodnight."

Killer Scorpion...

PLEASE NOTE!
I am changing my address to a mailbox that is a bit closer to my site. I can still receive mail at the old address, so if you sent something, no worries. I should be able to receive mail faster, and with less risk of theft with this new box.

Grace Hansen/ PCV
Apartado 33
Chimaltenango, Chimaltenango
Guatemala, Centroamérica