Feliz Navidad

Christmas turned out to be lovely even though I was a bit homesick. I spent a total of 5 hours at the Catholic church on Christmas eve. The service was as beautiful as it was long and I tried to listen to the whole things but had trouble understanding and paying attention to everything. There was a lot of kneeling, and crossing, and blessing, and praying and I think I stood out because I kept missing the cues.

Christmas Mass... lasted about 5 hours

Some could not make it the whole 5 hours... (see body on the floor between the standing women)

At the front of the church they had a nativity scene set up and at midnight everyone lines up to bow before baby Jesus and give him a kiss. One thing I did catch from the mass was the emphasis on the very humble beginnings of Jesus Christ. -How he was born in a dirty little manger, in the company of animals... How it must have been very cold and dreary that night. Most nativity scenes I have seen at home seem to do justice to this modest image of Christ's birth. Here though, the nativity scene was quite the opposite.

When I approached the scene, I immediately was thrown off by the ambiance of the place... It was less of a barn and more of a disco. The small building was adorned with flashing lights and colorful tinsel. If I knew nothing of Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, and this were my first brush with a nativity scene, I would probably assume that Joseph and Mary were into lavish parties, and that they had decided to welcome their new son into the world at the nicest discothèque in Jerusalem.

 

At midnight, everyone lined up to kiss the baby Jesus as he lay in his manger 

in what could have been the lobby of a Las Vegas hotel.

 

At midnight there was a gargantuan firework show which went on for at least 40 minutes. At the end of the mass everyone was embracing and wishing each other Merry Christmas. I was very happy to be a part of it all.
On Christmas day I watched the movie, Its a Wonderful Life, which I have in both black and white, and in color thanks to Helen :) It was perfect... although it reminded me even more of home it still warmed my heart. Later on Christmas day, I listened to some holiday music (my favorite song being Jingle Bells, sang by The Barking Dogs) -Thanks mom.
All in all it was a nice holiday and I hope everyone at home felt the same.

For New Years I headed to Antigua with some friends and stayed at the beautiful Earth Lodge. This place was amazing and it was incredibly tempting to drop everything and just go and live there. It is a small lodge on the top of a mountain overlooking Antigua. It faces 3 volcanoes and offers modest yet beautiful cabins and tree houses to rent at great prices. Every room has an incredible view over the valley and makes you feel like you are sleeping on top of the world.
On New Years eve we hiked Volcán Pacaya which is the volcano that recently erupted in May.

It was a amazing to see how much of the vegetation had already grown back and how quickly nature is able to renew itself.

The hike was not long but a good challenge as the ground was made up of volcanic ash and so with every step up, you slide back a few inches.

The views were spectacular and at the cone of the volcano we were greeted by a deserted wasteland. There was almost nothing growing at the top and as we hiked around the wide open slopes I was reminded of the huge bowls found at the tops of the great ski resorts. As we made our way down, it was difficult not to run because it was so steep and the ground was sliding out from beneath us. We cut quick traverses down and it actually felt a little like skiing. Aside from the slope being made up of hot black volcanic ash, it was very much like skiing those crunchy, cookie, ice chunks of the north-east.

The Tippy Top of the Volcano.

At the top, our guide brought our group over to some heat vents. There was a good-sized cave you could walk into and it felt just like a sauna. It was an incredible dry heat and you could feel the sweat evaporate immediately off your skin. The other heating vent he brought us to was above ground and as you approached it there was this intense hot wind that swept over your body. We had heard about these heat vents and came prepared with sticks and marshmallows. There was a crack in the ground about a foot wide and it was difficult to look down into it because it felt like your eyelashes might be seared off. Down in the crevasse I could make out a burning stick and red-hot and white hot rocks. We expertly prepared our marshmallows and lowered them down only a few inches into the crack. The marshmallows instantly began to bubble and turn brown. I timed how long it took for a perfect golden brown: 3 seconds. 3! It was amazing. The only thing was that because it was so hot and cooked it so quickly, the marshmallows were not actually cooked all the way through and so we would eat the outside then re-cook the gooey inside and eat it layer by layer until it was gone. They were the most delicious mallows I have ever eaten.

One guy we were with, whipped out a cheese sandwich and grilled it on a rock at the opening of the crevasse. He was nice enough to share, and it was scrumptious.

Volcano Grilled Cheese

After descending down the steep slopes, we headed back to the beautiful Earth Lodge and prepared to ring in the New Year. The evening was warm and clear and we sat in the lodge among travelers and folks from all over the world, eating a family-style dinner, and drinking margaritas. On the other side of the valley, Volcán de Fuego (Fire Volcano) spewed orange lava into the night sky. It seemed almost like a natural preview to the fireworks at midnight... When the clock struck 12, (or 0, depending) dozens of magnificent fireworks shows erupted throughout the valley below. It was one of the most spectacular New Year's I have ever spent...

View From the Tree Cabin at Earth Lodge.

The last few days of vacation passed quickly and I busied myself with planning and meetings with teachers and schools. I finally felt I was ready. I felt like I had all the teachers on board. And then, the weekend before classes were to begin, I fell and tore the ligaments in my ankle.
Don't bother asking how I did it. It's not a good story. But I am open to some more dramatic versions of how it could have happened so please post your ideas here. I have a "walking cast" but what I do is less of a walk and more of a totter. The cast makes my right leg much longer than the other and provides only a small surface area on which to balance, so walking on steep and rocky paths is very difficult. I think I should have asked for the all-terrain walking cast... I've only got 3 weeks to be in the cast, and hopefully I will find a transportation solution in the meantime.

Mes on Christmas Eve

That's all for now,
Be well.
Grace

Packages!

I have recently had some inquiries about mailing packages... As always, I am overjoyed to recieve mail of any kind!

Some packages hav been rerouted through the Post Office in Guatemala City for security purposes which makes it difficult and expensive for me to pick them up... I was told that one way to avoid this is to write CUERPO DE PAZ in large letters under my name and the package will likely be sent to me with no problems.

So... My current mailing address is:



Grace Hansen: CUERPO DE PAZ
Apartado 33
Chimaltenango,
Chimaltenango, 4001
Guatemala, Centro América

Thanks to everyone and Happy Holidays!

Twas The Night Before Christmas

By Eduardo "Lalo Guerrero"

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the casa,
Not a creature was stirring -- Caramba! Que pasa?
Los ninos were tucked away in their camas,
Some in camisas and some in pijamas,

While hanging the stockings with mucho cuidado
In hopes that old Santa would feel obligado
To bring all children, both buenos and malos,
A nice batch of dulces and other regalos.

Outside in the yard there arose such a grito
That I jumped to my feet like a frightened cabrito.
I ran to the window and looked out afuera,
And who in the world do you think quien era?

Saint Nick in a sleigh and a big red sombrero
Came dashing along like a crazy bombero.
And pulling his sleigh instead of venados
Were eight little burros approaching volados.

I watched as they came and this quaint little hombre
Was shouting and whistling and calling by nombre
"Ay Pancho, ay Pepe, ay Chucho, ay Beto,
Ay Chato, ay Chopo, Macuco, y Nieto!"

Then standing erect with his hands on his pecho
He flew to the top of our very own techo.
With his round little belly like a bowl of jalea,
He struggled to squeeze down our old chiminea,

then huffing and puffing at last in our sala,
With soot smeared all over his red suit de gala,
He filled all the stockings with lovely regalos--
For none of the ninos had been very malos.

Then chuckling aloud, seeming very contento,
He turned like a flash and was gone like the viento.
And I heard him exclaim, and this is verdad,
Merry Christmas to all, and Feliz Navidad!

The Miracle of Death (don't worry, no photos included)

For Christmas my family decided to slaughter their pig. They got the pig as a tiny piglet just as I moved in so I have watched it grow and fatten over the past few months. A pig for Christmas is very special for them... Last night they told me they would be inviting the entire family over early in the morning to begin cooking and preparing to make tamales. While I couldn't help but feel for the doomed porker, I remained as culturally objective as possible on the matter and crawled into bed.
I had planned to go running early this morning but lazily hit the snooze button... Suddenly I was jolted awake by not my alarm, but rather the most horrifying sounds I have ever heard in my life. It sounded like BOSE surround-sound demons blaring around my head... I wrapped my pillow around my head as tightly as I could, and cupped my hands over my ears but it barely dulled the roar. Felix, our friendly neighbor was slaughtering the pig on the front lawn, just outside my window at 7am this morning. Needless to say it was an unpleasant wake-up call.
------- This one is a little unpleasant too so read on at your own risk--------

I don't know much about slaughtering animals but I would think it best to put the animal out of misery as soon as possible. I'm not sure what the standard methods are here in Guatemala but this pig screamed for an agonizing 5 minutes. My stomach twisted as I lay in bed hoping for the thing to just die already. Sometimes there would pass a few seconds of silence only for it to begin its wailing again... -Until finally the sound grew weaker and eventually sputtered out.
In the past year I had quit eating meat for a variety of reasons; health, environment, and for the animals sake. After this experience I am sure I will never touch another piece of pig meat in my life.

Every morning I let my kitty outside to play at about 5am because she switches from "sleep" mode to "annoy the shit out of Grace" mode. Today was no different and I thought about her out there in that war zone as the pig lay screaming and dying. After a few minutes of silence I decided to go out and look for her. There in the yard I saw the pig... dead on the table as Felix expertly shaved off its fur with a sharp knife. A second man was pouring hot water over the animal to soften the skin, and the water, hair, and blood dripped to the ground. - That's when I spotted my cat... She was poking around under the table, licking at little pools of pigs blood. She was smattered with water and blood and had clumps of the pig's wiry hair stuck to her paws and back. GROSS...

I grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and locked her in my room where she cried for about 10 minutes before she finally got some class and cleaned herself up. -Meanwhile, I decided I deserved a good strong cup of coffee. I grabbed my coffee maker and headed out to the pila (sink) to rinse it out. I grabbed the dish used to scoop up the water and as I lifted it, a warm liquid sloshed onto my hand. I peered into the dish and saw it was in fact full of pigs blood. It felt as if I might be in a horror film (for pigs)... For the rest of the morning I decided it would be best for Mes and I to stay in my room. Occasionally I would peer out the window to see if the blood-bath was over, only to be greeted by a clear view of the two men hacking up the pigs body. Eventually I had to leave my room and I did my best to avert my eyes but even in my peripheral vision, I could see the slow dismantling of the animal throughout the day...
--------------------------

This was a very special occasion for Yolanda and Rodolfo and I know they felt incredibly blessed to be able to share this feast with their family and friends. I made sure not express my discomfort in front of them and I was very polite when I declined the offer of fried pig skin... I am happy for them to have had such a bountiful feast this Christmas and feel lucky to be here sharing it with them (even if I am not actually sharing the food).

I also think it might be a good thing for everyone to witness or at least listen to an animal being slaughtered and then make a decision about eating that type of meat. I have seen chickens being slaughtered and I can still manage to eat them when necessary. It just seems fair...

Anyway, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

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!

... Career Day Countdown

Today I experienced another miscommunication and yet this time I find it very difficult to bring any sort of humor to the situation...

As I have written, I am planning a Career Day and now we are only 2 days away from the big event. I am frantically trying to keep calm and manage the last few items before Saturday. I am meeting with my students for the very last time before C-day to give them last minute updates and see if they have any questions or concerns.

Well today I went to one of my schools and was confronted by a most unpleasant situation.
From the beginning I had asked that all students make an effort to find "professional" clothing (Slacks or skirt, and a button-up shirt). I told them these clothes could be purchased at the second hand store, or borrowed from a friend or relative, and I even went as far as to purchase some clothes and lend them out to the kids. Up to this point all the kids have been fine if not excited about the clothes they would be wearing for Career Day.
I had asked that the kids bring in their clothes this week so that we can make sure everything fits okay before the actual day.
When I arrived at this one school this morning, I came lugging a big bag of clothes to lend out if needed. I walked into the Tercero classroom, and the teacher followed me in and curtly said, "These students will not be attending Career Day because they don't have permission from their parents."
This seemed pretty shocking to me since we have been planning this event for the past 2 months and this is the first I was hearing that the students could not attend. I addressed the class and said, "When did you guys tell your parents about this event? I have been coming here every week for 2 months planning this with all of you..."
I had a feeling there was more to the story... Then finally the teacher told me it was because the kids had nothing to wear.
"You cannot ask these kids to go out and buy brand new suits to come to your Career Day." she scolded.
Clearly there had been a misunderstanding.
"I never asked them to buy brand new clothes. I told them they could borrow them or whatever was needed" I said calmly. "Look, I even brought clothes of my own for them to use" I said as I hoisted up the bag.
"The kids are not comfortable in those kinds of clothes," she said. "And you should not ask them to wear something they are not comfortable in."
Again, this was the first I was hearing about these clothing issues and I was a little peeved to be hearing about just 3 days before Career Day.
"Look, the professional clothes were only a suggestion. I would really like these kids to attend and it doesn't matter what they wear." I contended.
"Well we'll see... I just don't like that you are trying to tell them that they have to wear something they are not comfortable wearing," she admonished again.
"They can wear whatever they like," I said.
The teacher then had a semi-private conversation with the students and I was left trying to sort out my confusion. I figured it must have been about suggesting the girls wear non-traditional clothes. Sometimes the girls wear the Mayan corte and guipil but sometimes they wear jeans and t-shirt. Upon my first suggestion of wearing professional clothes, there seemed to be no qualms so what was this all about?
Finally the teacher said, "Okay, they will come but the girls will wear corte and the boys will wear their street clothes (jeans and t-shirt)."
I agreed but still felt very confused. I understand about one wanting to maintain their cultural identity and therefore the corte and guipil are perfectly acceptable. But this teacher was also advocating that the boys should be allowed to wear their street clothes... It could be about money, but this is the only school out of four that seems to have a problem. Also, 99% of these folks go to church every weekend and wear their Sunday best which is pretty much exactly the get-up I was suggesting for Career Day. On top of that, I was even offering to lend the clothes out...
After the strange episode I made a point to go up to both of the teachers and apologize. I told them that I was never demanding the kids wear these clothes and that if they had a problem they could have told me at any time.
At that moment, one of the teachers launched into a long lecture about how Guatemala has many cultures and each person has a right to express themselves as they wish. He told me that there are also laws protecting the rights of indigenous people to wear their traditional attire.
It seemed like nothing I said was getting through to them. To them, I had blatantly disrespected the kids' culture by denying them the right to wear their traditional clothes.
I tried to defend myself by saying that I had a great deal of respect for the culture but again my rebuttal seemed to fall on dead ears.

-Just as a side note, jeans and t-shirt are no more Mayan then a McDonalds hamburger so I still cannot see how the teachers justified their advocacy in that department...

I left the school feeling pretty dejected. The student agreed to come but somehow I am left with the feeling that they will not. I also feel like I have lost a great deal of respect in that school and maybe even the community. Whether just a miscommunication or not, the last thing I ever want to be is culturally insensitive. I never want to make people feel like they need to change in order for me to help them... Somehow, without knowledge or intention, I conveyed that message and I imagine it will take a lot of work to reverse it.

I guess I have learned a valuable lesson through all this which will definitely help me in the next 2 years. I must always be careful about what I say and do here. I must be very conscious of what I ask of people and their feelings and beliefs. I guess it was a good thing for me to learn, I only regret having lost face in the process...

On a more positive note: Career Day is in only 2 days and (most) everything is falling into place. We have nearly 20 professionals who have confirmed and the kids seem very excited. I will share the stories of the day and some photos as soon as I can...

Perhaps Mother Nature has PMS?

It is the rainy season here in Guatemala from about May-November and so a bit of rain was to be expected. It was not however, expected to rain quite so much. Mother nature seems to be getting a little whacky and I feel like telling her to take some Midol, eat some chocolate, and just calm down!
We started the season off with Tropical Storm Agatha which left everything pretty much inundated with water. After that, we had a number of sporadic rain storms that have left homes and villages flooded.
Once I arrived here at my site there had been quite a few of these heavy rains. They usually last a day or two and being that we are on a mountain, the waters just flows down like a river. During one of these rain storms we heard the neighbor across the way crying and yelling. Yolanda and Rodolfo went over to see what was going on and they found the woman's house was full of mud. The back wall of her home, which was pegged up against a hill had simply gave way and in came the mud and rocks from the mountain. The woman was devastated and cried as she surveyed the few of her belongings buried in mud.

Here are some photos of the nieghbors house... it should be noted that hers was probably not as well constructed nor sturdy as our house.

After this rain storm, Yolanda noticed water entering into the kitchen in our house through the wall. (Our house is 3 rooms in a row, mine in the middle, with the kitchen on one side and the family's bedroom on the other). The house is situated much like the one across the road, with one side of the house pegged against the hill. As the rainy season persisted, the water continued to seep in through the back wall of the kitchen. One evening as I was crawling into bed I noticed that all my pillows were wet. I looked at the wall to see that water had been seeping in there too and because my bed had been pushed up against it, the pillows had absorbed the water. I moved my bed away from the wall and called up Peace Corps. While it wasn't a lot of water, I still felt nervous because of the woman's home across the way. A few days later my boss came out to survey the house and said it was safe and sound and there was nothing to worry about. A few weeks passed and I soon forgot about the issue and moved my bed back to it's place against the wall.

Then.
Just last night...

I was just about to settle onto my bed to watch a movie. It was a chilly and rainy night and it seemed like curling up to watch a movie was just the thing to do. Just then I looked up and noticed wet spots on the walls. The water was collecting on the wall like beads of sweat and then dripping to the floor. I called Yolanda and Rodolfo's attention to it and they said it was nothing to worry about and suggested I just pull the bed away from the wall so it doesn't get wet.
I believed them.
They had told me, "It's not serious. Nothing serious will happen, if God doesn't want it to."
But what if God does want it to? Or what if it's not entirely in God's hands?

Anyway, I took their word for it and settled down onto my bed to watch the movie. It was really nice listening to the rain from beneath a warm blanket. I distinctly remember the lovely aroma of the fresh rain, -it smelled damp and earthy. After a few minutes I decided to grab a little snack. I clicked pause, swung my legs over the side of the bed and fumbled for my sandals. My feet hit the floor with a splash. and I thought, a splash? how strange...
I quickly realized that my entire room was flooded. About 2 inches of water was sprawling out from the wall and reaching almost to the door on the opposite side. The damp and earthy smell indeed turned out to the be the rain but in fact it was much closer than I had thought. The lake on the floor was spreading and had already soaked a few items that were in its path. I called to Yolanda and Rodolfo and the came to help me move my things outside. I guess there must have been some distress in my voice because the little 6-year-old Miriam kept saying, "Graciela, don't be so afraid, don't let it scare you it's just water!"

I told her of course I wasn't afraid... It was just a little surprising how quickly the water was coming in. We moved my bed out of the room and the wall where the water was leaking in looked like those peaceful Japanese fountains that people put in their homes. The water poured steadily and silently down the wall like a slick pain of glass. Lower on the wall there was water pouring out, not quite so gracefully. It was flowing through none other than and electrical socket...
Unlike peanut butter and jelly, water and electricity don't go well together and I began to feel nervous about the spreading puddle on the floor. We quickly moved everything off the floor and got most of my belongings out of the room. We moved my bed into the family's room where I would pass the night sleeping with Yolanda, Rodolfo, their six year-old daughter and their 5 month-old baby. It was a cozy arrangement to say the least and the little girl has been sick with fever and a bad cough for the past few days and spent half of the night suppressing coughing fits.
I was very grateful for their help and offering me to sleep in their room. When I awoke this morning the sky was still gray but at least the rain had stopped. Yolanda and Rodolfo had swept most of the water out of my room and it appeared to have stopped flowing in through the wall. It's still quite damp but I have to say that the floor has never been cleaner! It practically shines! So I think I will start moving back in here little by little and hope that the rain stops for good.

The wall, where all the water seems to be seeping in..

I spoke to Peace Corps and they are adamant about me looking for another house... This is bad news because I am very happy living with this family and I know they would be very sad to see me leave. I agree that it would be better to live somewhere a little dryer and with less risk of natural disaster but I know it will be difficult for my family to understand that I am moving out of necessity and that it has nothing to do with them...
Anyway, we shall see how it all turns out.