So it has been some time since the last time I wrote but in my defense I have been VERY busy. I have been working to plan this little event we like to call, "Día de Carrera" or Career Day. If my Peace Corps experience leaves me with nothing else, at least I could be a professional wedding planner or something. Planning this Career Day is unlike anything I have done before and I am very lucky to have a number of very wonderful people helping me out.

The date is set for October 16, 2010 and the event will be held here in Estancia de la Virgen. I have 41 students from my 3rd-year Básico classes that will attending from all four of the schools I work at. We have invited representatives from every career in which the kids have expressed interest and a few others. So far we have only 9 professionals confirmed and only 2 and a half weeks to C-Day... Yikes! I am trying to stay optimistic, and calm, and organized, and focused, and productive, and CALM.

If all goes as planned (ha) then 41 kids who are just on the brink of graduation will have the chance to meet with (20ish) professionals from Guatemala. I have spent the last 2 months working with the kids, talking about making decisions about their futures, doing mock-interviews, and writing résumes.

A few weeks ago we talked about the pros and cons Life Plan Nº 1: Going to work in the US versus Life Plan Nº 2: Continue studying in Guatemala and pursue a career. Of course I was trying to make them see that continuing with their studies was a better choice but I learned that actually the cost of hiring someone to take you America is much greater than the cost of public education. To hire someone to take you to the US would cost about 40,000Q or $5,000. That amount of money could pay for a kid to complete diversificado (highschool) and a public University program with money to spare! But one factor to consider is the opportunity cost of a kid who is studying rather than working in the field and earning money for the family...

The mock-interviews were fantastic. We talked about what a good interview would look like and what a bad one would entail. I also gave them a list of typical interview questions and discussed some good answers and then some not so good answers... I had them pair off and present two interviews to the class; one good and one bad, using the common questions I had given them. They did really well with the activity and especially had fun with the bad interviews. One of my favorite "bad" answers was to the question, "Give an example of when you worked well in a team." to this the non-professional interviewee slouched in his chair, and while playing with his cell phone he answered, "Well one time I wanted to steal this really nice car and so I asked my friends to keep a look out for me and we worked really well as a team because we had to, because it's really hard to steal a car alone." It was hilarious... and the same pair went on to present one of the best professional interviews of all the groups. The interviewee entered with a zip-up lunch box, pretending it was his briefcase and was so polite and professional that I truly believed that he deserved the job.

So anyway... Career Day. Not only will these kids have a great opportunity to make professional contacts but it will also bring two side of the socio-economic spectrum together. Just as in the US there tends to be a resentment on both sides... Some people in the city think people in the campo are uneducated or ignorant. Likewise, people in the campo see the city folk as stuck up, thinking that they are better than everyone and giving little thought or care to the campesinos. This is why this day is so important. We have professionals coming from humble beginnings as well as some coming from a more comfortable upbringing. This sends a good message to the kids by showing them that their are professional who grew up just as they did and they're are also professionals are wealthy, and who still care for them. Those who attend the event will attend not out of pity nor arrogance, but out of a real respect and desire to support there fellow Guatemalans. Those who trek the bumpy mountain road out to Estancia will meet not just campesinos, but a group of bright, enthusiastic, and extremely respectful young people who would be a great asset to Guatemala's growing sea of professionals.

I have gotten a lot of positive feedback from those who have confirmed their attendance and while I am a little stressed with the planning of everything, I have a good feeling that it will be a good day for all involved. For now, I must get back to typing up the 41 résumes in Spanish as the kids don't have computers. It has been a bit challenging trying to classify their "work experience" as many of them began working in the fields at the age of 4 or 5... and as for "Job references," the only "boss" most of them have ever had is their parents... Anyway, it will all look good on paper in that sexy 12point font and professional format. It doesn't really matter what it says, as long as it looks good, right?

In all seriousness, these kids have a lot to be proud of and a work ethic like nothing you have ever seen. If these kids can break into Academia and the professional world, I'd say "watch out American kids!" -because these young people have not been touched by the laziness and apathy affecting so many youth in America and other developed countries. They have a desire to learn and to work hard... all they need is a little boost.