Beans and Eggs...Don't Mind If I Do...

First off, Happy Monday! Today I spent all day in our monthly meeting with the governing board and committees of our co-op, and as per usual, it was a bore. However, I did find out some interesting statistics about our co-op that were collected during the recent census by our education committee. The first presented today was that 203 households (or 76%) in our cooperative do have latrines outside there homes, while 64 households (or 24%) do NOT have any sort of latrine to use outside their homes. To me, this is just astonishing about a community that is located 5km from a one of the largest city centers in Guatemala. 64 households in my community do not have any type of latrine. This is a huge health risk for not only those families, but also the entire community because of possible contaminations of water and/or food sources. Wow! A few more statistics: 51% have potable water and electricity, while 49% do not have potable water or electricity. I assume those that do not bring water from the river or simply collect rain. This also has huge health implications, because for the most part, our river is not a clean, safe source of water. Sometimes I get caught up in the tour operation at my site and forget exactly how impoverished/underdeveloped my community is. Having seen these statistics now has motivated me to think about some secondary projects I could do to help improve the living standards of all people in my community.

On to a happier note, I think I'm becoming a little bit Guatemalan. Since living on my own at the co-op, I have not been eating much of the staple beans, eggs, and tortillas. However, I have been craving them everyday and I finally fixed beans and eggs tonight for dinner. I didn't get to buy tortillas because the one lady that sells them didn't have any made yet, but I told her I would definitely be back tomorrow. Also, I haven't yet "nested" well in my new place, however the mice have done quite well with nesting in MY place and the kitchen. Tomorrow though I expect to have my new dresser delivered and hopefully will stop having to live out of suitcases. Big Day!