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.”
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| 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.
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| 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 22nd 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 5th and 6th 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.
