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. 

The Arrival

Hello everyone! All I can say is wow. Between Peace Corps training/orientation sessions and 2 different host families in 4 days, there is little time and effort to blog. Nevertheless, I figure I should let family and friends know that I have arrived safely, alive, and well.

Pre-service training was is Washington, DC for a full day of get-to-know-you introductions and ice breakers involving other Peace Corps Trainees (PCTs). There are 29 of us working in either the healthy homes or healthy schools project, the later of which I am assigned. The training day was meant to give everyone a taste of what was to come the following morning, which came way too soon, at a whooping 2:00am! As group leader, I was "responsible" for getting everyone to the airport on time, which entailed tipping the bus driver for taking us to the airport 2 hours early... Sigh.* We finally made it to Guatemala.

The Peace Corps office in Guatemala is located near the city of Antigua, which is surrounded by beautiful countryside consisting of forest, hills, and volcanoes, nestled under a thin layer of clouds. The office itself is in a guarded complex of barbed wire and concrete walls, which seems a bit extreme for the incredibly friendly country of Guatemala. It seems the town is used to seeing gringos walking about, and greet you with a friendly "buenas tardes" after each training session. The first three sessions consisted of an overview of medical and safety information along with several shots that were not administered in the United States. Now to the essence of Peace Corps: Integration!

My first host family was with Don Mauro and Doña Irma, who were incredibly hospitable people, regardless of the loss of a family member earlier this year. They had 4 kids, and a dog they called Lulu. After dinner, we would sit down and talk about various topics, ranging from my suspected amigovias in the states to the duck duck goose games I had played earlier in the park. Although it has only been 4 days in Guatemala, I must share a memory that I will never forget on the first night of my homestay in Santa Lucia. After much discussion about family over dinner, I had asked Doña Irma if I could take a shower. She grinned, and proceeded to tell me that I could bathe myself in a little bit. Continuing to sip my coffee, about 10 minutes of discussion had passed, and Doña Irma said that I could now take a shower. I then go to my room, get my towel, and proceed to the bathroom. Upon arrival, I realize that there is a shower, but it doesn't work. I throw on my clothes and return to the pila (glorified sink), where I find Doña Irma, bucket in hand, waiting to greet me with a "Bienvenido a Guatemala!" The first realization that I am not in Texas anymore.