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:
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| 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:
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
