It's Not Beginning to Look A lot Like Christmas

more photos to come...

More than 2 months I have neglected this page and I apologize. Perhaps it helps that one of my New Years resolutions will be to keep with my writing?..
Since 2 months have passed, and so much has happened, I will try to give a quick recap.

Career Day!

Oct. 16, Career Day was a HUGE success. Nearly all of the kids showed up looking very snappy and most of the invited professionals from the city came to share the day with us. Peace Corps helped to transport people and the parents of the students provided a delicious lunch for our guests. The day was amazing and I think it had a big impact on not only the kids but the professionals as well. I hope we can recreate this event each year.

Presentations on Career Day.

Halloween Weekend, I traveled with some PC friends up to Cobán and Semuc Champey. It is a really beautiful part of the country and we hiked through the jungle, swam in the beautiful natural pools, and explored some pretty amazing caves.

The amazing natural pools of Semuc Champey.

Here in Guatemala it quickly becomes clear that liability insurance must not exist... The "cave tour" was spectacularly dangerous and exciting. We cashed in safety precautions for fun and adventure as we waded into a completely unlit cave with only a small candle in hand. The water began to get deeper as we waded into the dark water and it quickly rose above our heads. Hot wax dripped down our arms as we all struggled to kick and swim with only one arm. We were constantly kicking into sharp rocks as bats swooped at our heads. Many times the guide seemed to disappear up ahead or lag behind and it felt like we were left on our own. We climbed a rusty ladder up the side of waterfall (candle still in hand) and scaled along a steep ledge. The best part about this tour was that you felt like you were really exploring... and while it may have been a bit unsafe, it was quite thrilling.

Amazing views of Semuc.

After a wonderful weekend we packed our things for an early departure from Semuc on Monday morning. The van was waiting down below and so I slung my pack onto my back and reached down to pick up my other bag... As I lifted the bag I uncovered a huge hairy tarantula. Never in my life have I seen such a big, scary spider. It could have been the twin brother to the spider from the move Home Alone. I have been told that these spiders are not poisonous but I am sure they could easily provoke a fear-induced heart attack. We told the staff at the hostel about the spider and they said it was quite normal and they would send someone in to chop its head off with a machete.. We didn't stay to see that happen.

Terrifying.

Since school has ended I have been busy going to graduations and continuing with the women's group I inherited from Amanda. I also have started a sort of girls group with the younger kids. We meet every 2 weeks and do a different activity each week. So far we have done cooking, whiffle ball, and art projects. This week we will be dancing. It has been a lot of fun and a great way to get involved with the community.

Girls group with their art projects (plus Freddie, the little brother)

One day I was going for a run down to the river and some of the little girls asked to accompany me. I told them yes and incorporated a little lesson on the importance of stretching and exercise. The road to the river is all down hill and so the run back up is very hard. We walked most the way and the girls began picking flowers and saying things like, "okay I'm going to throw these flowers an whoever catches them will be the next to get married." The girl would throw the flowers backwards over her head and all the other little girls would run to catch them and I watched with amusement. This continued for most of the hike back up to town, "Whoever catches these flowers will have a very happy life," "Whoever catches these flowers will be a doctor," then one of the girls said, "Whoever catches these flowers will have 7 children" - I instinctually blurted, whoa no way! No sooner had the words left my lips, and I was pegged in the face with the bouquet of wildflowers... This whole time I had been nothing more than a spectator in the girls game but this time it seemed those damn flowers had sought me out. Hopefully it doesn't mean I will actually have 7 children. Kids are great, don't get me wrong, but 7 is just unnecessary.

In mid November I was invited to a graduation in the community and a lunch afterwards. It was really nice to be invited to an event in the community. After a delicious lunch I sat and chatted with the family and a small calico kitten made herself comfy on my lap. Normally I am not the biggest fan of cats but this little things was just so darn sweet. When it was time to go, the family insisted that I take the cat home with me... I was apprehensive but finally gave in. So now I have a kitten named Mes (which means Cat in Kaqchikel). She's a great cat and now that she has no more fleas it's even better. The best part is that since she spent the first 2 months of her life mostly outdoors, she doesn't need a litter box! I have had her over a month now and we are getting along famously.

Mes.

Nov. 21, My mom came to visit! We started the trip off in Antigua where we bargained our way through the artisan market and enjoyed some delicious food.

On Tuesday we took a shuttle to Lake Atitlán and spent 2 nights at a beautiful lakefront hotel tucked between two towering volcanoes. We went on an 11 mile horseback ride up to a beautiful spot with breath-taking views of the lake and pacific planes.

Horseback Riding.

On Thursday we returned to Estancia to prepare for the Thanksgiving dinner we would be hosting at my house on Friday. We made stuffing, green beans, garlic mashed potatoes, with cranberry sauce and pumpkin cookies. The women from the women's group made a big batch of Puliqué to share and invited their families to join. It was a lovely dinner and a nice way to celebrate Thanksgiving. My mom's visit was short but very nice and now she is back in NY and will be celebrating Christmas in her new home!

Just after my mom left I began working on a mural projects with the kids from Chi Don Juan. I had help from my friend and PCV Melissa who came to help and also from my friend Jenn, who I studied abroad with in Spain, and who happened to be traveling around Central America. The mural turned out to be a great success and the kids seemed really proud of their work.

Mixing paint.

Day 2...

The Final Result.

Dec. 7, Lily came to Guatemala! The past 2 months have been very busy and full of visitors which has really helped me through the holiday season. Lily arrived and we spent the first 2 nights in Antigua so she could see the sites and do some Christmas shopping. On Thursday we returned to my site and had to get ready for a Bible camp I was recruited to help with. The camp was being run by Mari, one the women from the women's group and she had solicited my help months ago. So the plan was to help with 3 days of bible camp and then head out on a jungle adventure to Petén.
Day 1 of Bible camp was lovely. They treated us to a delicious breakfast and huge home cooked lunch. We sang songs with the kids and played fútbol and it was a fun day. We got back to my house and Lily had the great idea of redecorating my room. We went to the hardware store and bought some paint and got started on the project. We finished painting only 1 wall before we sat down to dinner and later got ready for bed.
The next morning at 5am, I was awoken by an angry gurgling in my stomach... I tried to ignore it but it became more intense and I quickly ran to the bathroom.
---------------------
Disclaimer: This part of the story is not cute so read on at your own discretion.

Upon reaching the bathroom, I came to terms with the fact that I had finally gotten the dreaded stomach illness that had affected so many of my comrades here in Guatemala. As I sat, the pain in my belly grew more and more intense and I became unsure from which end my food would be evacuating.
I would have brief waves of foolishly thinking I could leave the bathroom but then within seconds I was running back to that cold dank toilet. At this point I had a bucket as well and I found that I had to sit with a bucket on my lap because I was so violently ill in "multiple directions." It felt like there was some angry traffic cop in my stomach blowing his whistle and yelling, "Ok I want everyone out of here NOW! Yesterdays lunch, you head south GO GO MOVE IT. Last night's dinner, split up, I want the tomatoes and carrots to head north, pasta, go south. This is not a drill! GO!" The exodus of my bowels was accompanied by the worst stomach ache I have ever experienced but thankfully it was all over in about 6 hours. At that point I was finally able to lie down on the hammock and sleep.
Unfortunately, as soon as I began to feel better, Lily began running to the bathroom... She spent the afternoon with similar ailments although hers seemed a little less intense but instead her sickness seemed to last much longer. By Monday she was feeling well enough to travel but still had diarrhea... We decided to try to make it Cobán anyway and headed out on the bus at 6am.
----------------------------
As our extremely overcrowded bus passed through San Lucas, it became clear that we would not be able to stop there... As it turned out, there were protesters blocking the road and the bus was rerouted through another part of Guatemala City (a part PCV are not allowed to be...) A 15 min bus ride turned into 3 hours. I fought my way to the front of the bus and asked when we would be arriving at Mira Flores in Guatemala City (where we needed to get off). The driver told me that because of the reroute we would no longer be going to that stop and I should just get off here and get a taxi. Lily was a few rows back and I told her we would be getting off. The ayudante (bus drivers assistant) took our pack from the front of the bus and got off with it. He waited to for me to get off and then handed it to me. I told him, "Please just wait because my friend is getting off too." It looked like he was waiting for her but then suddenly the bus began to lurch forward and he hopped back on. I was left on the side of the road somewhere in Guatemala City, in a cloud of exhaust as the bus drove away with Lily still on board. My chest started to feel tight but I tried to stay calm. Lily speaks little Spanish, has no phone, and no knowledge of the city. I began to walk in the direction of the bus and tried to stay positive but my eyes were getting blurry with tears as I came to a fork in the road and had no idea which way I should go. Suddenly I heard someone calling my name and I spotted Lily on the other side of the road. I ran over to her and broke into sobs. Thankfully, a woman on the bus had seen what had happened and helped Lily to get off at the next stop and look for me. We had the great fortune of running into only the most kind and helpful people... They helped us figure out where the hell we were and we called for a ride out of there.
By the time we were "rescued" it was lunch time and Lily was still feeling sick so we opted to postpone our travels and ultimately we decided to change our itinerary and go to the beach which was much closer.
We arrived in Monterico and stayed in an amazing room with a private balcony overlooking the beach and crashing waves. We relaxed for a few days, watched the release of some baby sea turtles, and went on a sunrise rowboat tour of the mangrove forest. By the time the weekend rolled around, some friends came to the beach to meet us and we all had a great time. While we didn't get to see as many places as we would have liked, we had a lovely and relaxing time together.

It was sad to see Lily go and now all my pre-holiday excitement has died down. I am looking forward to Christmas here in the Aldea but I can't help but think of everyone back home. I feel a little more bummed than I expected... I sort of thought that watching Christmas movies and listening to holiday music would cheer me up but that wasn't the case. I'm sure it will be a really wonderful Christmas here and I hope all of you reading this will enjoy the snow, and time with family and friends. I'll keep reminding myself of how special it is to be part of a different culture and celebrating in a new way.

In the words of José Feliciano:
¡Feliz Navidad, Prospero Año y Felicidad!