Description of Service Preview

PEACE CORPS

Description of Peace Corps Volunteer Service

Mark Allen Kennedy – Healthy Schools

Guatemala

Mark Allen Kennedy began pre-service training on February 12, 2013 at the Peace Corps Office in                                                Guatemala. During the 9-week intensive program, Mr. Kennedy acquired the language and technical skills necessary to become a successful Volunteer during his two-year service. The program included:  

·         210 hours of intensive Spanish language instruction

·         288 hours of technical training in rural community health and development, adult education, local health services and structures, participatory analysis assessment, educational material development, training systems development, and health beliefs and behaviors.  Approximately one half of this technical training was practical field experience.

·         56 hours of core training in: non-formal education, cross-cultural integration, project design, management, and evaluation, situation management, community analysis, participatory rural appraisal, and diversity. 

·         48 hours of training in personal safety and preventative health.

·         8.5 hours of training in cross-sector project priorities such as food security, HIV prevention, and gender and development. 

In-Service Trainings

·         16 hours of training in Project Design and Management.

·         57 hours of training on topics such as leadership, monitoring, reporting, and evaluation, tools for improving water, sanitation and hygiene at schools, improvement of school gardens and methodologies to improve work with very young adolescents.

Mark Allen Kennedy took the Oath of Enlistment in the Peace Corps on April 18, 2013. He worked in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health for the duration of his service in Guatemala. He served as a District Coordinator for the Healthy Schools Project, a project created by the Guatemalan government to improve the basic health and hygiene of elementary school students and develop the health promotion capacities of members of the educational community. Mr. Kennedy worked primarily with the principals and teachers of ten schools in the municipality of                           , but collaborated with a variety of actors from other institutions as well.  

District Healthy Schools Coordinator

·         Conducted a Healthy Schools Diagnostic, guided by Peace Corps approach to community development, at each of the 10 schools he worked with in order to gain a better understanding and context of the status of the student’s hygiene, sanitary infrastructure on school grounds, and teaching practices most commonly used by teachers.

·         Planned, organized, and facilitated three day-long leadership workshops to orient principals in the municipality towards the Healthy Schools Project, techniques of non-formal education, and methods of health promotion. An average of 50 principals attended the workshops, which were co-facilitated with professionals from the Health Center and the Ministry of Education. 

·         Strengthened capacity-building amongst school staff members to encourage health education in the classroom.

·         Assisted in the formation of a Municipal Healthy Schools Committee to manage and oversee the project sustainably in              . In its first year, the Committee organized a municipal-wide Earth Day clean-up, authored, edited, and published a Healthy Schools manual for every school in           , and appeared on a local radio station to promote the Healthy Schools Project and healthy practices in schools. 

·         Planned, organized, and facilitated a “Best Practices and Positive Leadership” workshop for the Municipal Healthy Schools Committees of 4 municipalities. The workshop was organized with 3 other volunteers as well as 2 members of the National Healthy Schools Commission, and attended by 26 Healthy Schools Committee members (including educational superintendents, social workers, food security coordinators, and municipal workers).   

·         Appeared on multiple local radio spots to promote the Healthy Schools Project and practical waste management strategies in the rural community. 

·         Formed a group of Peer Health Promotors in one of the 10 schools. This group met weekly to learn and discuss diverse health topics, take part in leadership-building exercises, and engage in activities over gender equality.

·         Created and developed educational resources and lesson plans to share with other volunteers and the Peace Corps as a member of the Environmental Education Working Group within the Healthy Schools Project. 

·         Worked with principals and teachers at 10 schools to assist each classroom in the formation of adequate healthy spaces in accordance with the Healthy School Project guidelines.

·         Facilitated the construction of a school garden in one of the 10 schools to promote healthy eating habits and self-sustainable agricultural practices.

·         Created and developed educational resources and lesson plans as a member of the Environmental Working Group within the Healthy Schools Project.

·         Assisted in the writing and editing of the National Healthy Schools Manual to be used in all municipalities of Guatemala.

Project Management

·         Solicited and administered a grant of $2,600 to plan and host two adolescent camps, one for boys and one for girls, during the school vacations.  Coordinated with 10 host country nationals from various government institutions, and 2 other Peace Corps Volunteers. 

·         Solicited and administered a grant of $251.28 to print and bind 100 Healthy Schools manuals – written and edited by the Municipal Committee, and to be distributed to every school in             . 

·         Solicited and administered a grant of $250 to bring together the Municipal Healthy Schools Committees of 4 communities in a workshop to share best practices, improve teamwork, and discuss positive leadership.

Secondary Projects

·         Studied 20 hours of Kaqchikel, the regional Mayan language, with the instruction of a local teacher, during the first year of service. 

·         Planned and completed an adolescent girls’ camp during the school vacation with the collaboration of 4 other Peace Corps Volunteers, local youth leaders, teachers, and health professionals. Mr. Kennedy co-facilitated educational sessions on gender equality and HIV/AIDS during the camp, which was attended by 40 young women.

·         Planned and completed an adolescent boys’ camp with the collaboration of 2 other Peace Corps Volunteers and host country nationals from three different government institutions and local NGOs. Mr. Kennedy facilitated the educational session on nutrition and acted as coordinator of activities during the camp, which was attended by 40 young men. 

·         Shared Peace Corps experiences and Guatemalan culture with the teacher of a Spanish classroom in Georgia through a continuous exchange facilitated through the World-Wise Schools (WWS) program.  

·         Planned and completed two annual science camps during school vacation. Mr. Kennedy taught and administered interactive activities pertaining to topics in Geography, Geology, Physics, General Chemistry, and Biology.

·         Worked with the school principal and teachers of two rural communities to host weekly nutrition and food preparation workshops with the mothers of students.

·         Co-designed and facilitated 2-hour workshops on Preventing Teen Pregnancy and Drug Addition in nine high schools in              .  Topics included resisting peer pressure, managing stress, and making positive decisions regarding sex and alcohol/drug use.  In total, approximately 500 students and 20 teachers participated.

Mr. Kennedy conducted all primary and complementary work activities in Spanish and his mastery of the language was critical to the success of his work. At the end of service, he was tested by Peace Corps certified examiners through a Language Proficiency Interview and achieved a rating of Advanced High.

Pursuant to Section 5(f) of the Peace Corps Act, 22 U.S.C. 2504(f), as amended, any former Volunteer employed by the United States Government following his/her Peace Corps Volunteer Service is entitled to have any period of satisfactory Peace Corps Service credited for purposes of retirement, seniority, reduction in force, leave, and other privileges based on length of federal government service. Peace Corps Service shall not be credited toward completion of the probationary or trial period of any service requirement for career appointment. 

This is to certify in accordance with Executive Order 11103 of April 10, 1963, that Mark Allen Kennedy served satisfactorily as a Peace Corps Volunteer. His service ended on March 20, 2015. He is therefore eligible to be appointed as a career-conditional employee in the competitive civil service on a non-competitive basis. This benefit under the Executive Order extends for a period of one year after the termination of the Volunteer’s service, except that the employing agency may extend the period for up to three years for a former volunteer who enters military service, pursues studies at a recognized institution of higher learning, or engages in other activities that, in the view of the appointing agency, warrant extension of the period. 

March 2015

Short and Sweet

Why hello there! Well, it has certainly been a while since my last blog post, so here it goes. Throughout the last year of my Peace Corps service, I have accomplished much. In fact, my second year in Guatemala has been more fruitful in individual accomplishments and integration than the first. However, many of these accomplishments will be shared in an “official report” at a later date, so stay tuned. Rather, the purpose of this post is to briefly share my experience of applying to medical schools while serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer.

The application process began back in May of 2014. Since then, I have flown back and forth from Guatemala to Texas 5 times for medical school interviews like a migrating Rose-breasted Grosbeak confused by climate change. However, I have finally found my resting place. I have recently accepted my offer to attend the University of Texas School of Medicine at San Antonio, or UT Medicine. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity, and am anxious to begin my medical studies in the near future.  I plan to bring home many of the values I have acquired as a Peace Corps Volunteer in order to continue to give back to the community in a medical career.

From Indigenous

To Urban

Friends

I will always cherish the experiences and friendships I have gained over the past 2 years, and look forward to seeing where everyone ends up after we disperse and go our separate ways.

¡Puchica! 387 days in Guatemala

Looking back on my last weeks in Texas, I remember diligently studying for the MCAT. I usually had my face buried in a computer screen somewhere in Lubbock, with an expression of perplexity plaguing my emotional health. To ease the hair loss, I once took study breaks to read the blogs of volunteers serving overseas in the Peace Corps, and this calmed my overly-caffeinated state of being. The irony of the matter is that I now occasionally study my old university notes to achieve a similar state of tranquility. That’s not to stay that I am walking around Guatemala in a constant state of stress, but that I now understand why Peace Corps is the “toughest job you’ll ever love.”

Lesson on Plants

It has been about 4 months since my last blog post, and much has transpired. The first of which was the facilitation of a science camp for the students of the village, Xepatán with my site-mate, Annie. The camp lasted two months beginning in November, and has been the most rewarding experience I have had in my service thus far. Every Tuesday and Thursday, Annie and I would take an old microbus (van) to the village, and set up shop in one of the vacant classrooms of the school. We taught the primary school children various topics over life sciences and Geology using crafts of recycled materials to make the lectures fun and interactive. Thankfully, the students responded well and hopefully learned something in the process.

Next came Christmas. During this short vacation time, my family came to visit. We went to Lake Atitlán, spent Christmas Day with my host family in my site, and then traveled to Antigua to drink the delicious coffee. While in site, my mom dressed up in the traditional Mayan wear and walked proudly through the streets on market day with her head held high. Later that evening, the whole family gathered to prepare dinner and await the fireworks display. Nothing says Christmas like standing on the roof, watching a war of bombas explode throughout the town. It was truly a beautiful chaos that ensued for 20 minutes until the town fell silent, and everyone went back to making chuchitos and tamales, celebrating the night away. While in Antigua, we took in the sites and climbed the Pacaya volcano to roast marshmallows in the cooling lava flow. As it turns out, this same volcano erupted just last week (March 2, 2014), with ash clouds reaching a height of 3 miles. Our timing could not have been better.

Rincon de Salud

Regarding the Healthy Schools project, I have accomplished much since the vacation time. My site mate and I have been working on forming a municipal healthy schools committee (COMES) to improve communication between the two school districts as well as the health conditions within the municipality. So far, we have put together a team of 8 individuals who are currently working on writing a Healthy Schools manual, which will include all aspects of the project framework. Also, this committee is planning a parade for Earth Day, which will be held on April 22^nd and include all villages in the municipality. With respect to my school visits, I am currently working on part of the Healthy Schools framework called “Rincones de Salud.” These are healthy spaces that should be located in every classroom and consist of various aspects such as toothbrushes for every student, fingernail clippers, soap, water, towels, dental floss, etc. Recently, I visited a school called Paraiso Chichoy to present myself to the parents group and do a follow-up on the healthy spaces. To my surprise, every classroom had greatly improved these Rincones, and had solicited many materials from the local carpenter (see photo). Thus, I am pleased to say that I now have a favorite school of which I look forward to visiting on a weekly basis. My future plans include working with a children’s group consisting of 5^th and 6^th graders and a letter exchange program with a school I am communicating with in the United States as part of the World Wide Schools program. Stay tuned!

Other honorable mentions:

• I was invited by the country director to have lunch with Ted Poe, a Texas congressman that was visiting Guatemala at the time.

• Corn harvest with the family.

Plucking Out the Feathers

Hello to all! This is my first blog post in quite some time, so there much to tell. Over the past 5 months, I have changed sites, integrated into a new community, developed a work routine, and have made many friends and work partners along the way. Suffice it to say that I am still content with living and working in Guatemala, and I look forward to the new adventures that lay ahead.

First things first, I am now living in a relatively large community in the department of Chimaltenango, a place that has a municipal population of 15,000 people and a community population of 50,500 people. There are taxis, public basketball courts, a gym, market days 3 times a week, a supermarket, and even a small park with Wi-Fi! Needless to say, I am roughing it no more. 

Healthy Schools

Regarding work, I am the first Peace Corps volunteer to be working in school district 14, a district that contains 23 rural to semi-urban schools that are only a micro ride away (plus several miles of walking depending on the school). Thankfully, the supervisor of the district, Bonifasio, is a great person and work partner that is dedicated to his job. This has made my life so much easier, as I know this can be a rarity in the world of Peace Corps. 

During the first couple of months in site, I visited every school in my district to present myself to the directors and explain my responsibilities as a Peace Corps volunteer. Much of my time was spent waking up at 5:30am, taking the wrong bus, asking the lovely village-folk for directions, and getting to know the lay of the land. Then came the school map activity. 

School maps with Xeatzan Bajo

The school map activity is an activity I facilitated with the students in each of the 10 schools I chose to work with, the names of which are Chuinimachicaj, Chichoy Alto, Paraiso Chichoy, Xeatzan Bajo, Xepatan, Chuchuca Alto, Chipiacul, Mocolicxot Alto, Chichoy Bajo, and Popabaj. Anyway, the activity required that the students break into groups and draw a top-side map of their school, indicating areas that they liked with smiley faces and areas that they didn't like with sad faces. After several hours of vigorous drawing, 2 representatives from each group were asked to present their map to the rest of the class. With much coaxing, each group elaborated on why the drew smiley faces and sad faces where they did. Typical sad faces meant no soap or water in the bathroom, the lack of a school garden, or the need for an improved "Rincon de Salud," a term used to describe an area in each classroom that contains the toothbrushes, towels, toilet paper, and other items essential to a healthy lifestyle. Happy faces almost always indicated the soccer field, learning in the classroom, the principles office, or healthy habits like sweeping before class or a designated time during the day when everyone brushed their teeth. This activity was a helpful way for the students to engage in peer education, a fun and interactive way of learning the importance of healthy habits and analyzing the school they attend. 

Perhaps the most rewarding work I have taken part in is the facilitation of three workshops for the directors (principles) of the two school districts in my town. With the help of another Peace Corps volunteer in my site, Annie, we taught and facilitated the directors of our districts to learn about leadership, the Healthy Schools project, information on services provided by the health center, and environmental preservation. These three workshops were a great success thanks to the staff from the local health center and other speakers that came to present. 

Health Center awareness activity

Other honorable mentions regarding work include assisting in a BRO-camp in Quiche and facilitating an aerobics class for the nurses of the local hospital, the later of which may or may not be actual "work" per say. A BRO-camp is a youth camp for young males that covers various topics and youth-led activities regarding health. These topics include leadership in the community, sexual health, puberty, avoiding male chauvinism, HIV/AIDS awareness, and team-building exercises. One of my favorite activities was something called a changing Mario Maduro. In this activity, a blank outline of an adolescent male, Mario Maduro, was drawn and placed in front of the kids. The campers were then asked to step forward and draw a different change that occurs during puberty, and explain it to their peers. Needless to say, this was a fun and giggly activity where everyone learned the normal changes that occur during puberty. Regarding the aerobics class, I assist my friend, Gustavo, in giving various exercise instructions to the nurses that meet several times a week in the town gym/weight room. Attending abs class in college has finally paid off!

Currently, Annie and I are planning a science class curriculum for the off-season, as the Guatemalan school year has now come to a close. These classes will cover topics in Biology, Chemistry, Geography (volcanoes and plate tectonics), and environmental preservation relating to Guatemala. Thankfully, we have locked in the attendance of students and have found helpful directors that are willing to let us utilize their schools during the vacation time. Also, I am helping another Peace Corps volunteer in a nearby town in creating a BRO-camp for the students of his schools. We have received financial help from an NGO and the local municipality for transportation and materials that will be used during the camp. If everything goes to plan, November and December should be rewarding months for us all. 

Integration and Adventure

Now to the fun of integrating into Guatemalan communities. Over the past several months, I have made many friends playing basketball and volleyball in the town tournaments, going to the gym, and integrating with my neighbors and host family. When you are over 6' tall and stand out like a sore thumb, it is not hard to get recruited to sports teams in Guatemala. That being said, I am enjoying many nights training and playing games with my friends.

In the afternoons, I usually go to the gym, which is filled with Guatemalans blasting Reggaeton and pumping iron with handmade barbells and old equipment from the US. Luckily, no one seems to mind when I plug my ipod into the speakers and go about my business. This is a huge stress reliever down here. 

Another stress reliever is spending time with the other Peace Corps volunteers. To say the least, we have had wonderful adventures seeing the sites of Guatemala and have become great friends throughout our service. Last weekend, we went to Tulate, a beach on the western coast where we relaxed and watched baby sea turtles begin their journey waddling to the sea. 

Sea Turtle hatch-lings

Tulate

Monterrico

As for my host family, I am currently renting a living space from the Ixens, who are incredibly hospitable people. The immediate family is composed of 8 individuals living in a nice house close to the center of the municipality. There is running water, hot showers, privacy in my mini-apartment, and a new grill on the roof that overlooks the active volcano (Volcan de Fuego). I am extremely lucky to be living in their household, and look forward to spending the next year and a half of my service with such great people. Life is good.

Grill on the roof

Plucking roosters with the host family

A Typical Saturday

Today I was invited by my work friend, Eli, to go eat lunch at his sister’s house a few miles down the road. I agreed, and met him and his sons in front of the courthouse for a ride to the house. Upon arrival, I saw that lunch was going to consist of pork because two full grown pigs were hanging from a center beam of pine in between a pair of clay buildings. Behind the two pigs was a giant metal bucket used to fry many small pieces of pig fat. There were hundreds of chicharrones in the bucket, and I began to see just how healthy the meal was going to be. Before lunch, a few of us went for a walk behind the house. The walk was about a mile through riverbeds and pine trees, and finally ended up in a small clearing. There, some of the kids and I had a slingshot competition to see who could hit the water bottle the most. Needless to say, I will be buying a slingshot at the market tomorrow. After I lost the competition with bruised thumbs, we all returned to Eli’s sister’s house to eat lunch. At the lunch table, Eli and about 15 of his family members congregated around the table, said grace, and laughed at the tall gringo for not being able to stand inside the small house. The meal consisted of whole chunks of grilled pork, rice, tamalitos, and hot sauce. It was a delicious meal that ended up satisfying my appetite, and left no portions remaining. After lunch, us men sat around the table and talked about cutting lumber. It seems my old job at Fine Lumber and Plywood has nothing on these Guatemalans, who use machetes and axes to cut down the trees, then long saws to make planks out of the pine (I just said we had machines that did the job for us). Once the conversing was over, I went outside and played soccer with the neighborhood kids. I taught them how to open a Pepsi top with the end of a water bottle, then how to make cannons out of the many plastic bottles that were lying around. Once everyone was ready to go, I was given a bag of green apples and avocados, and we were on our way.

After I was dropped off at the courthouse, I went home and began writing this blog post. After the first sentence or two, I get a call from my host mom telling me to go the town complex for a Quinceañera. This glorified birthday party ended up being a huge success because I got some quality face time with the community and free food. The whole town was in attendance, including the mother of the 15 year old girl (or woman) who was in the United States, displayed from an overhead projector, and using Skype. I’d say that’s pretty fancy for this small town in Quetzaltenango.

Coffee, Religion, and Healthy Schools

It has been almost a month of training, and it feels like time has slipped away. With all of the activities Peace Corps has us doing, it feels like everything is happening rather quickly. On the other hand, when I think about all of the different things I have done, it feels like I have been here forever. In any case, you won't hear any complaints from me, as each day brings with it a new adventure.

Coffee:

Coffee Blooms

This past weekend, each PC training group met at a coffee and Mayan music museum (Cafe Azotea) for a cultural experience and understanding. In reality, this ended up being a caffeine-filled day of laughter and catching up with other trainees. That being said, I now have a justifiable reason for being a coffee snob (along with the rest of the Kennedy family), and a much greater knowledge regarding coffee production in Guatemala. The secret: red beans are better than green beans! Juan Valdez would be proud. 

Regarding the music, Guatemalans absolutely love their marimba bands. Thanks to my employment at Fine Lumber and Plywood (respect...), I found Rosewood to be the type of wood used to make these instruments. 

Religion:

Shrine of Jesus

On Sunday, my family and I went to the church to see a catholic procession during the day, then later from 9pm to midnight. At the beginning of the procession, men were selected to carry a large shrine of Jesus on the cross out of the church, and parade around town with a group of marchas (which are like marching bands) for the majority of the day. Later that night, the men and the shrine made their way back to the church, greeted by many townspeople taking pictures and eating junk-food in the streets, much like a fair. Though impressive as this may have been, the real culture was in the alfombras.

Family's Alfombra

In Guatemala, processions are filled with alfombras, which are carpets made by families usually of painted sawdust using different molds of religious figures. Luckily, I was able to help make our family's alfombra in front of the church before the shrine of Jesus returned around midnight. Our family's alfombra was made with pine needles as the base, roses, and another type of plant I can't remember at the moment. After its completion, many townspeople began to congregate around our alfombra, at which point I took much pride in being a gringo taking part in such an important cultural event. After the procession, we returned home nearly frozen, I took a shower, and woke up bright and early to begin class that morning.

Alfombra Made With Sawdust

Healthy Schools:

Throughout training, Peace Corps requires us to visit various schools in different areas to see the health situations of the kids first hand. I must say, the first school we visited in el campo was much different than any school I had ever seen in the US. For the sake of optimism, I will just say that much work was being done to improve the health of students, but more work was needed. It is in rural (or semi-urban) areas such as these, where PCVs serve to improve health conditions.

A PCVs role in the healthy schools project is to facilitate teachers, staff, and community members to help improve health conditions in various schools. Perhaps the most important role we will have as volunteers is to improve communication between the ministry of education and the ministry of health to help reach various goals that the healthy schools project sets forth. However, this is easier said than done, as the responsibilities of each organization are not set in stone, and it is difficult to differentiate which ministry will carry out what task. Thus, a facilitator (PCV) is needed to smooth out the discrepancies. 

Other Experiences:

-MCAT score is a keeper!
-Tomorrow I get sized for some custom boots.
-Side project: Making a slideshow of stray dogs (chuchos) to put to the music of Sarah McLachlan.

The First Week of PCT

I have now finished a full week of official Peace Corps training and am pleased to say that my homestay and training is going well. Guatemala is truly an amazing country, and I am grateful to be staying here for my 27 months of service.

El Volcán de Agua

My host family placement for the first three months of training could not be better. I live 30 min away from the city of Antigua with Doña Lupe, Don Luís, and their son Fernando, who is 22 years old. The town itself is very small, with many boot stores along the main drag. There is a small cement park composed of a basketball court, and an open slab in front of a catholic church not too far from the house. All in all, I’d say that I lucked out. My house is very large compared to the others I’ve seen, with a perfect view of The Volcano of Water, HOT SHOWERS, and internet access 24/7 (which is almost unheard of in these parts). Still, I try to stay off the interwebs and talk to my host family and townspeople as much as possible. This past Sunday, my host parents celebrated their 25^th wedding anniversary, and had a party in their backyard. There was a live marimba band and many family members in attendance with whom I attempted to dance.

Lunch with Farah (PCT) and Chepe

A typical day as a trainee begins with waking up at 7am, eating Corn Flakes with hot milk, and drinking a cup of instant coffee. Two things: (1) Apparently “Corn Flakes” is used to describe all brands of cereal, much like Kleenex is used to describe all brands of tissues in the US. (2) If Guatemala is the capital of great coffee, why does Nescafe make an appearance down here? I digress. After breakfast, I make my way to one of the other volunteers’ homestay to begin our daily Spanish lesson (Level: High intermediate). The lesson itself is with 3 other trainees and our Spanish instructor, Chepe Chapín. Chepe is a 38 year old Guatemalan instructor that is one of the best people, and characters, I have ever had the opportunity of knowing. After chatting in Spanish for the majority of the day, we say our goodbyes to Chepe, and usually go to the park and play games around 3pm. Yesterday, we played Go Fish with a Guatemalan woman and her daughter, who had a baby chicken that we greeted with open palms (I really need to start taking more pictures).

This past Tuesday, all of the PCTs met in the Peace Corps office in Santa Lucía. There, we learned how to avoid unwanted attention and had more ice-breaker sessions with our fellow “allies (PCTs).” Thankfully, a new era is upon us. We now have cell phones! With these platonic devices, we can now communicate with the other trainees living afar. The possibilities are endless.

Other Experiences:

-Rabies vaccination: 60% of all volunteers serving in Guatemala have been bitten by stray dogs.

-Many animals live with host families: It is truly aggravating to learn vocabulary from a parrot. 

-Camionetas: These death machines are chicken busses (school busses) used as public transportation.

-Mice: While I was writing this blog, a mouse came into my room and almost gave me a heart attack.