Already April

Time is flying here. Wow! It's already April. Apparently I have gotten in the habit of only updating this blog once a month. Sorry about that. I'll try to keep it brief, but informative.

So we celebrated St.Patty's day big at the pupusa restaurant in Coban. Pupusas are originally from El Salvador and are kind of like a tortilla with your ingredient of choice inside, such as beans, cheese, spinach, meat, etc. It was a blast. Thanks Grandmommie and Mom for the decorations. We had green beer and green pupusas. I will post pics. Two of my work friends came and the principal from my school, as well as PCVs Evan and Whitney. It is always nice to share traditions from home with locals here.

I have started back with q'eqchi, the indigenous language, classes. Hopefully it will stick more this time. It is really hard for me to retain it. We shall see. Instead of trying to master the entire language, I am focusing more on usable phrases and skills. Already have the birthday song under my belt and have put it to use (speaking of, my 24th birthday is coming up a week from tomorrow...getting old).

I am still trying to get the trash education program started up with the school, including a school construction project using plastic bottles filled with trash. All the teachers in Guatemala are striking currently over payment issues with the government, so that project has been stalled a bit.

One of the biggest events of March was getting to go to the US Ambassador's house in Guatemala city for the big 50th Anniversary of Peace Corps worldwide. PC paid for the volunteers from my region to get to the celebration and return in the same day. It was not only a special celebration for the 50th year of Peace Corps, but also the swearing in ceremony of a new group of volunteers, as well as the leaving of a group who had finished their two years. I had some great photos from the event, including some funny poses in the house with my friend Amber, but somehow they all got erased from my camera and computer. Kind of a bummer but I'm going to try to copy some from someone else.

Work here on the coffee co-op has been a little stressful lately. I still do not have a new counterpart and no one is directly in charge of the tour. Hopefully all of this will work out soon, because I am rapidly losing patience. Thankfully I am working also in a community that is very far from here into the mountainside. They received funds from USAid to do a stove project. They are in the process of buying all the materials now. All 46 families in the cooperative will soon have a stove that uses much less wood, helping to end deforestation, as well the stoves produce much less smoke, helping alleviate smoke inhalation on the part of the women and children who spend many hours daily in the kitchen. I visited this community for the first time recently. It was one of the greatest motivators I've had. They are a community that was completely deserted during the civil conflict here in Guatemala. I believe there were 26 or so people killed in the masacre. I will put up a photo of the monument that is located there to honor those who died. This community, like I said, is located far into the mountainside and all locals walk to reach their homes. A motorcycle can be used, but cars can not take the rocky road. Since Peace Corps does not allow travel by motorcycles for volunteers, my PC boss and I recently walked to the community to meet about this project. Because of their location, they also do not have electricity. Despite these hardships, they are some of the hardest working people I have met to date, as well as very eager to learn new ways to improve their lives (case in point, their desire to have better stoves). I am currently trying to brainstorm, with some help from my Aunt Martha who lives off the grid in Alabama, about how to get a sustainable solar energy project started with them. They met last year with a Guatemalan NGO that sold them a few small units that provide them with the energy enough for a light bulb and two outlets to charge cell phones and such. After they bought one as an example to try out in the community, 13 families are now using them. They have said it has changed their lives. Now we are trying to think how to get a project going that will benefit all 46 families and that can be sustainable for them. The families currently spend so much money on batteries and candles that could be used to finance these solar units. As well, they are not disposing of the some 6,000 batteries a year in the community. Long story short, I hope to get them on the right track with a solar energy project. We are soon going to take an order for these small solar lamps that my boss showed them. I wish you could have felt the excitement in the room that day. Everyone wanted to have one so that their kids could study at night. This is what Peace Corps is about... helping educate and get basic resources for families who otherwise wouldn't have the access/opportunity.

Lastly, everyone should check out this article that was recently in The New Yorker about Guatemala : http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/04/04/110404fa_fact_grann?currentPage=1. It is a long, but interesting read.

Like always, I hope everyone is great stateside! Next week is Semana Santa, or Easter week, and is always a big time in Guatemala. We have a few fun things planned with friends so that should be good!