Current Happenings and Agatha

So right after my last post, I got violently sick again with stomach troubles. This time they didn't really know what was wrong, but i took some antibiotics and they didn't help. Then the nurse let me know I shouldn't take any more antibiotics because I had already taken so many this month. Long story short, I was sick for days and it was absolutely miserable. On the bright side, it finally passed and I am feeling better. However, I missed about another whole week of work. I hate that because we have really been getting stuff done and planning for the future.

Last week we had three days of workshops that INGUAT, the national tourist organization, put on for my community about good practices in tourism and conservation of the environment. It was awesome. I am going to add a lot of photos to my album soon from that. We also were provided lot's of snacks and lunches those three days. One day I actually drank about 8 to 10 cups of coffee. I am going to have to watch myself with the temptation of working at a coffee farm. Anyway, one day we took a walk and they showed us these natural springs of water....pure water. I had no idea those were there but they are very valuable and now we will plan to protect them more and maintain them.

In other news, Evan and I finally bargained with our q'eqchi teacher and we are going to start having shorter classes. She wasn't excited about this because that means less money, but it was either this or quit for me. We were just getting too many words to study and I have had not much time between classes. So that is a success.

So the rainy season has arrived to Guatemala. I have heard so many different things, but I am pretty sure it doesn't stop until October. Not only does this mean flooding sometimes and so much mud, but also the water supplies (rivers and catch buckets below gutters) are much more likely to be contaminated with bad runoff. If you didn't already know, Guatemala has some serious trash problems. This is another reason PC has an environmental education component in our jobs. Anyway, one day when I had gone to Coban for medical reasons, my counterpart called me and told me I couldn't come back because no one could pass over the road. The river had overflowed and no one was passing. So Friday, the downpours came. I mean granted it rained all week, but these were bad. Saturday PCV (Peace Corps Volunteers) were put on STANDFAST, which means stay in your site and prepare for possible CONSOLIDATION, because of tropical storm/depression Agatha. Consolidation is used to bring all the PCV's in different regions together if there is a major threat to our safety. So I waited it out here, for some of the time without power, and the rain just kept on coming. There have already been several casualties from mudslides in the country and many people are missing. My guatemalan host mom called me last night and said our training town has had a lot of damage and has no electricity. Long story short, we are still on STANDFAST and now I am trapped in my community. I am going to put pictures up of this also, but the road into my town is flooded again. I don't know what it looked like the last time, but it is bad this time. Nobody is able to enter or leave. The river is basically just running over the road. Houses are flooded. Flooding may seem normal to many people in the states, but in a country that is underdeveloped like Guatemala, flooding can ruin people's homes and lives. Please pray and think about all those affected by this natural disaster. The worst part has supposedly passed and the storm is now a depression. I have been in contact with PC and have let them know that we are going to HAVE to come up with an emergency plan for me because if that storm had been a cyclone or hurricane and we were to be consolidated, I would be trapped here. Also, this seems to be a regular occurence since it is the second time this month and we aren't even deep into the rainy season. Hopefully we'll get on that soon.

Hope all is well stateside and that conditions will get back to normal here.

PS. There was also a volcanic eruption of Pacaya this week and two earthquakes. The airport is closed for days and there was apparently a lot of ashfall in areas near Guatemala city. The country is kind of a mess right now.

PPS. My friends and neighbors from Pine Bluff, Jack and Elaine, sent me a carepackage this week filled with chocolate and other snacks. Having been locked in the house for a couple of days has resulted in lot's of boredom eating, a full stomach of chocolate, and probably a few extra LB's. Thanks guys!