War stories over an open fire

January 30, 2006
Well another windy week in Solola. It was beautiful though; the days were sunny and clear while the nights were wild with the howling of the wind. I still had a great week, but I must say that Saturday was the best! All the Peace Corps volunteers who live and work in Solola came to a BBQ at Michelle’s, a fellow volunteer’s house. Now you have to understand that Solola is called a “department” here like a “state” in the U. S. There are 22 departments in all of Guatemala and there are roughly 18-20 volunteers in Solola. Michelle is my site mate, meaning that she lives in my same town. We chose to have it at her house because she has an amazing view that overlooks the lake.
So the purpose of the BBQ was to just hang out and meet the newbees, not that we needed a purpose to be social with our fellow American. There are 3 new volunteers in our department that came in about 2 months ago. Not only do we want to hang out and meet the new volunteers, but we also like to vent our emotions. We are like a breed of people who truly understand one another’s frustrations and heartaches. Call us a brotherhood if you will who share war stories involving stool samples, bowl movements, ravishing dogs that run in packs and the foul rides on chicken buses. Maybe we were a little rough on the newbees but someone’s got to break them in. We can’t all be fooled by Guatemala’s rich culture and saturated beauty. That’s just one side of Guatemala, the other side; we volunteers work with and know all too well. It's the side we're not afraid to talk about.

My fellow Solola Peace Corps volunteers

From Left to right, Josh, Katherine, Ann Marie, Bree, Emily, Tamera, Michelle, Katy, Shana, Erin, Me, Ryan and Crystal 

Lago de Atitlan

The view from Michelle's house 

Waterfall in San Cristobal

 

Part of the first Church built in Central America

 

Hospital nights, television dreams and Toto

January 23, 2006
I had a very exciting and noteworthy weekend. First of all my neighbor and good friend Fabia went to the hospital late Thursday night. We took her to the national hospital which is like our County hospital in the states, so you can only imagine. Well she apparently ate some “street food” and got this serious virus. I was a bit surprised because I always figured that Guatemalans were already immune to their food and that their stomachs were like steel, I guess I was wrong. She was in the hospital for 2 days and I played host to her 2 daughters. They spent the night with me and it was like having a huge slumber party. Fabia is a trooper and is already feeling better. She is an amazing woman; she and her daughters took the 2 ½ hour bus ride to Xela to go to church with me last weekend. I was super encouraged by that.
Let me tell you about Saturday. I started off my morning going to the open market to buy fruits and vegetables with my other neighbor Sonia and her husband Emilio. I wanted to go with them so that they could show me the ropes with regards to bargaining price tactics. After that we went to buy my TV. I have to admit I felt like a peace corps sell out wanting a TV. When I first got to Guatemala I was adamant about not having one. I thought I will read and journal on my down time. I’ve been in Solola for 6 months and I’ve read till my eyes burned and wrote till my hand went numb. I’ve decided that it’s okay to have a TV, its not against any Peace Corps rule or regulation, it was my own gut it out and suffer mentality that has kept me from buying one. So I have one now and I’m pretty excited about it.
Saturday was a busy day. After all that I did in Solola I went to Xela to spend the night at my friend Jackie’s house who is a great friend from church. Sunday morning we had an adventure with my church group. They had decided to have church service under a waterfall. I had no idea where we were going and I sure was not dressed for the occasion. All I knew was that we were going to walk a lot. I didn’t know that meant that we were going to climb up to the waterfall. Can we say lost in translation? We took a bus to San Cristobal which is in Totonicapan or Toto for short then walked our way to the waterfall. We passed the first Catholic Church ever built in Central America which was a treat to see. The waterfall was also amazing as you can see from the pictures. As I sat in the sun and looked around me I was so happy to be in Guatemala. At that moment I felt a complete peacefulness that I could never find back in Los Angeles; it was awesome.

Problems, what problems?

January 18, 2006
It’s been super windy the last couple of days. I mean major winds that could actually knock young children down. Because of the high winds, the electricity went out and my day started to spiral from there. No electricity is one thing, but add no water to the equation and that equals a bad day. I walked out the house this morning and the wind threw me off balance as a whirlwind of dust circled around me. I’m sure I looked like I was fighting the invisible man. I’m walking to work angry and annoyed by my present inconveniences when all of a sudden I see a familiar face. I don’t know this person’s name because he can’t speak, but he has the smile of an angel. This person I see has an obviously large tumor growing on his head. I think it’s safe to assume that this man is poor because he never has shoes and his clothes are always dirty and tattered. Since this man can’t speak he walks down the street waving and smiling at everyone that passes his way. He doesn’t even care if they smile or wave back, his goal is to simply share his joy. When I saw him, his joy illuminated my anger and I couldn’t help but feel a singe of guilt about the shallowness of my bad attitude. I can’t even compare my grievances with his and I’d be ashamed to even try.
After I saw him I walked to work with a different mindset. I was reminded that I have so much to be grateful for. No electricity, no problem that’s just an excuse to have scented candles lit all over the house. No water, that only means that the dishes wait a bit longer and the clothes get washed another day. Shower? Really, who is going to get close enough to smell me? Chicky my dog, but I’m sure she won’t mind.

Sunset over Panajachel

The beauty of Guatemala 

Back in Guatemala

Hello everyone. For those of you I didn’t get a chance to see or for those who didn’t know, I went home for the holidays. What a culture shock, clean streets, big screen TVs, restaurants by the hundreds, Coffee Bean and no chicken buses. My goal was to appreciate all that we have back in the states as much as I could. It’s amazing how much we take for granted. I felt like I was in Paradise or close to it for 3 weeks. I had a blast hanging out with family and spending time with friends. I’m back in Guatemala now, and still have jet lag. I’m happy to be here and am so excited about the projects I plan to get involved with. There is so much work to do here. I’m looking forward to seeing all that God will do in my life throughout this next year. In the meantime I promise to do a better job of keeping you all updated on my life. I have my laptop now with me, so that should make communicating a little easier.
Thanks again for your friendship through cyberspace. I appreciate every email, letter, package, picture, thought and prayer you send my way. I wanted to wish everyone an incredible new year and I pray that this year will bring you all closer to your dreams.

Love
Yvonne