La Hora Chapina

As far as adjustment to a new culture goes, I feel as if I have done well thus far. I enjoy the food, have friends in my town, am able to converse with the locals and am not making too many mistakes to offend people, at least that I am aware of anyways. I am enjoying Guatemalan culture and adjusting to the slower pace of life. When I say slower pace of life, I am referring to literally everything moving slower. People, traffic, meetings, all of it. There have been a few occasions in which the slow pace really presented itself to me in all of its glory. In Guatemala there is a phrase, La Hora Chapina, literally meaning, the Guatemalan hour. It basically means that there is real time and there is Guatemalan time. Needless to say, la hora chapina tends to lag a bit behind real time. This has become painfully obvious to me, if I was not fully aware of it before.

For the past few weeks, I have been trying to get water delivered to my home, as opposed to riding in the back of a pickup for 45 minutes, buying 5 gallons, riding back in the pickup to my town and then lugging the jug of water up the hill to my house. The water company here, Salvavidas, has a truck that goes through my town so I have been talking with them to coordinate a time for the delivery. After a few conversations, I finally got a call this week from a guy in a truck, saying he would be in my town around 730 pm and what is my address. This question caused some difficulty, as I do not have a proper address. After trying to describe where I live, he said that I could wait by the road around 730 and he would stop when he saw me. So, 730 rolls around, I stand there for about 45 minutes in the pitch black with an empty water jug and no one shows. I try calling him a couple times and still nothing. So, I head back up the hill to my house, waterless and a bit frustrated. It is getting close, if not past, my usual bedtime and although I want water, I also desire sleep. I decide that I will hang out in my yard, watching the traffic below to see if he comes by for another 15 minutes. 15 minutes is about up when I hear a truck, look down and there he is, driving past my house no less than an hour after he said he would. I call, he answers, with ranchero music in the background at about 150 decibels. I tell him I just saw him drive by, if he stops now, I can be there in a minute. He tells me he will wait for me in town, just a bit up the road. I grab my jug, head up and exchange it for a full one, price 15q, about two bucks. Of course there is no sorry for running late or anything like that, it is pretty much expected that one will be later than one says. He tells me for the future he will call when he is near my house and we can take care of our business. He also gave me a free calendar, which really made it all worth it.

Guatemalan Crime

As I reviewed my blog, I noticed that I have updated you all on my travels, a bit of work and training, and little else. With that said, I had a topic come up over the weekend that had an effect on my plans and is a prevalent one here in Guatemala. I am referring to the crime problem in Guatemala.

As some of you may have read, heard or even learned the hard way; Guatemala can be a dangerous country and has a fairly high crime rate. While I have yet to experience this, not counting the ayudantes trying to take a few extra quetzales here and there, it is a problem that others have had to deal with. This past weekend, Katie, myself, another volunteer named Sara and Katie's friend John from the States were planning on hiking Volcan Acatenango and spending the night on top. Sara's counterpart, a Guatemalan gentleman, was going to accompany us and he had made the trip before so we were assured that everything was secure. As we talked to a few people about it, it came to our attention that this volcano has been the location of numerous robberies, usually involving guns. So that was nice. As we talked to our security officer at the Peace Corps office about it, he said it was our call, but he would prefer if we had a police escort to the top, which always makes for a nice hike. Usually, I really enjoy having an armed police officer around me, but this just did not seem like one of those times where I would want that. So, we called the municipalidad (city hall) to see if they could provide one, they could not, therefore we decided to postpone our trip until either they can or we feel better about making the hike. It was a very strange experience to think that in order to go camping, I would need a police escort. So, it was dissapointing to not be able to make the trip, but encouraging that I still have all my possessions and did not have to hand them over at gunpoint.

After we decided not to do the hike, we went to Antigua for the day. We went to the bus terminal in Sara's town to find a bus to Antigua, when the ayudante told us that there were no buses to Antigua today, as the owner of the buses running this route had been killed. He obviously did not go into details, but just said that the always mysterious "they" had killed him. Here in Guatemala it is common practice for gangs to extort bus drivers and/or owners for money. If they do not pay up, then "they" kill them. While I am not sure, I believe this to be the case of why we could not find a direct bus to Antigua, having to travel 15 minutes out of the way and backtrack. It was odd how the criminal element could have an effect on my weekend, luckily not a direct effect, just by their actions towards others.

Having said all of this, I want to make sure that I mention that my site is one of the safest places not only in Guatemala, but probably on the face of the earth. My biggest threat is chuchos rummaging through my trash or figuring out new ways to sneak in my fence. The volunteer before me has been in Guatemala six different times with Peace Corps (tough act to follow) and told me that he thinks this place is the safest he has been in Guatemala. So while crime is out there, it has not been a problem for me thus far and I intend to keep it that way. Still, crime is a major problem in Guatemala and has an effect on all of the people here in one way or another. It is a pity, but a fact of life here.

Also, there was an interesting 2 part series on NPR about crime and vigilante justice in Guatemala a couple of weeks back. Check it out here:http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98614371

That is all for now, take care.

A completely random update...with photos.

Pinata carnage from above. This was definitely the safest place to be at that point in time. Getting between a Guatemalteco child and their candy can be an extremely dangerous proposition. 

More of the countryside around my house. 

Katie and I with her host brother, Hendrick, who is quite the kid. Usually, this kid can be found covered in whatever he happens to have in his hands at the time. This can range from suckers to peaches to an entire cantaloupe. Seeing him this sanitary is a sight that few have had the pleasure of, so I felt quite honored and was compelled to get a photo. He was cleaned up and dressed up for his birthday, he turned 5 and we were able to help out with and attend the festivities. Over the course of 2 days, there were 8 cakes prepared by Katie for the birthday and on the day of the party two pinatas were completely destroyed by a number of children. Good times for all. 

More of the festivities in Chichicastenango. These guys were paraded around town throughout the day. 

The church in Chichicastenango. This was when Katie and I visited during their feria, when the whole town celebrates their patron saint. There were supposed to be men flying from a 80 foot pole, "los palos voladores", but we never saw them. It was still a pretty wild scene with non-stop music, firecrackers and thousands of people in a space intended for hundreds. 

Riding in the back of a pickup to get tamale dough for Christmas Eve. I spent Christmas in Katie's town with her family and we went with them to get tamale dough, which was located in a town near Lago Atitlan. So, this was on 12/24, and it was a balmy 70 degrees--a bit different than the weather most of you are experiencing in the States I imagine. 

Yes, I have been able to locate a grill here in Guatemala. Very nice. I was having trouble finding charcoal, so I asked a person in the market in Quiche if he knew where I could track some down. He directed me to "la puerta azul, cerca la carniceria"--the blue door next to the butcher, of course how did I not know that. So, I knock on this random door, and lo and behold, the guy comes out and asks how much I want. I get a good sized bag for 3Q, less than 50 cents, and this has provided two meals off the grill. Excellent. Also, as there is no lighter fluid, we use something called "jocote" which is basically a pine tree that is super sappy and when it finds flame it keeps it. It is pretty handy stuff and can be found in just about any market. 

That is all for now, enjoy the photos. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year. Hasta 2009.

One Month In...

The view of the lake from our hostel. 

Hiking into a meadow for a break during our hike. 

A view from my "office" for the next couple of years. 

Ola a todos y todas. I am about one month into living in my site and while it has been an adjustment (it was pretty easy to get used to someone cooking and cleaning for me) it has been going well. Work is a slow process, I have been able to visit several communities and meet a lot of people who have interest in my project, but we are still working to determine when and how we are going to get started. A great deal of the work is just getting the people to feel comfortable with me and forming a trust there, so it takes a few visits to make this happen. I am settled into my house and am really enjoying it so far. While not having my laundry done and food prepared for me is a drawback, being able to determine my own schedule and having a bit of privacy is definitely a plus. A couple tidbits from the last month:

A couple of weeks ago I was outside at my house doing laundry when a man approached my gate. He told me that he was from a community close to mine, had family that lived up the hill from me, and that they had informed him that a veterinarian lived here—me. It seems that his cow was not producing milk, but instead had blood coming from her udders. He was in my town today and was very happy to discover that a veterinarian, a gringo veterinarian nonetheless, lived here now. After clarifying that I was not in fact a veterinarian, I invited him in and we began to consult some books given to me by Peace Corps about animal husbandry and health. While looking for information, he mentioned that he thought the illness was called mastitis and not 30 seconds later I happened upon a recipe for remedying mastitis in a book of homemade animal remedies. I wrote the recipe down, gave it to him and asked him to let me know how it goes. He asked me how much he owed me, which was nothing since this is what Peace Corps is paying me for. Plus, I don’t need a lawsuit for practicing veterinary medicine without a license, despite the apparent rumors in Guatemala of my qualifications.

For Thanksgiving, I was not able to celebrate due to a meeting with my Junta Directiva on Friday morning, but after the meeting I was able to meet up with a group of other volunteers in my group at a hostel on Lago Atitlan and stayed there for the weekend. The lake was pretty amazing, on Saturday we rented kayaks and paddled out to the middle for a while and took a dip. 

One of the communities that I am working with is about a 2 hour hike, after a 25 minute ride in a pickup, from my house. There is a road in from the back, but from where I am, it is a hike. While that may seem like a bit of a chore, the scenery on the way there is amazing. So much so, that when a friend of mine visited a couple weeks back we decided to make the hike on a Saturday afternoon, just to check it out. She took some pictures which are posted above. Actually, all the photos on this blog are credited to Katie, as I forgot my camera on these trips. 

Well, that is about all for now; I will try to get more updates/photos on here when I can. Enjoy the photos and if I don't get back on here in the next few weeks, a happy holidays to all. 

Swearing In and Moving Out

A couple of the kites in Santa Maria Cauque. 

The youth of Santa Maria Cauque preparing for the kites. 

Dona Anacleta, myself and Don Francisco at the Ambassador's house. 

The Food Security group with our trainers on the left, David and Jacobo. 

All of the volunteers that I came to Guatemala with. 

All of the volunteers of Santa Maria Cauque and our families. 

Myself and one of the technical trainers David Castillo, who is quite possibly the funniest man on this planet. 

Being sworn in as volunteers by the US Ambassador. 

So, after three months of training, we were sworn in as volunteers on 10/31 at the Ambassador's house in Guatemala City. That was a great event, the home itself was amazing and the Ambassador was very welcoming. All of the families that housed trainees during our training were able to attend also, which was great.

On 11/2 we all parted ways for our respective destinations in Guatemala. I made it to my aldea on Sunday around noon and was able to track down my landlord and get the key to my house. Unfortunately for me, the well that my house is on was out and remained so until Wednesday afternoon. I was a pretty dirty guy for those few days, but it seems like a fairly appropriate start to Peace Corps I guess. Once I got there, arranged a few things and began to settle in, it dawned on me that I was going to be here for 2 years, the closest volunteer is at least 1 hour away and I am not sure how to get ahold of this person. The closest Americans I do know are 2-2 to 3 hours away. Training was definitely much easier than adjusting to life on your own in Guatemala, without Americans around to converse with, a family to do your cooking and cleaning and Peace Corps to schedule everything for you. So far, so good though. I have my house in some semblance of order and was able to get out to some other aldeas in my area to meet with people who are interested in my program. On Wednesday, my counterpart and I went out to an aldea, which was about a 2 hour hike from my aldea, passing through mountains covered in pine and oak trees. It was very scenic and I was kicking myself for not bringing my camera. I will have plenty of opportunities in the next two years though. After we worked in the village all day, we headed out a bit late and got to the main road as it was getting dark, 5:30ish. We began walking back, about an hour or so, but luckily were able to find a ride in a pickup. However, the pickup was filled with wood, so we had to ride on the bumper, holding on for dear life for the remainder of the trip. It was quite a day and I was beat by the time I made it home. I am very excited about my work and my location, I am sure things will get tougher, but for now, everything is going well. 

Also, on 11/1, All Saints Day, the towns of Santa Maria Cauque, Santiago, and Sumpango have a tradition of constructing enormous kites for display and some for flying. We were able to check them out and they were pretty impressive. I have attached some pictures of the ones for exhibition, they were all built by kids and looked great. 

If anyone wants to get in touch with me, I have a cell phone and you can call me from the States on www.skype.com for 10 cents/minute. My number is 502-4091-9468 and I believe you have to dial an international code to get out. I am sure you all can figure it out. That is all for now. 

Quiche and Chuchos

The view from behind my boss' house, where I stayed.

The view from the house where I will be living.

The house where I will be living.

One interesting aspect of life here in Guatemala that I have somehow failed to mention yet is chuchos. Chuchos are dogs, however not your average dog. They come in all shapes and sizes, but are typically emaciated, filthy and covered in fleas and who knows what else. Usually they will bark at you and sometimes advance menacingly, but most of the time by kneeling down like you are going to pick up a rock will deter them from attacking. Most of the time. Awhile back I had an adventure with some chuchos. I was running one morning on a path by some fields that I had run before without problems. I was returning down a hill, when two chuchos began barking and running towards me. Being the experienced and wise person that I am, I was already armed with two rocks in my pockets and figured that would be enough to scare them off. They were bearing down pretty fast and I unleashed one of the rocks and nailed one chucho square in the head. These chuchos were bravos however and this didn’t slow them down. Having already attempted to follow through with my fight instinct and having it fail, I figured it was time for flight. I took off running down the hill, and proceeded to enter a field that had a trellis system that was about 2.5 feet high. After a few successful hurdles, I ate dirt, literally, falling and coming up with a mouthful of dirt. The chuchos were right on my tail and as I got up, they were nipping at my heels. Finally, I made it to the bottom of the hill and the chuchos gave up on me. Returning to my house, covered in dirt and mud from head to toe, I received more than one strange look from the local citizens out at 6:30 that morning. When I came home and explained to my host dad what had happened, he recommended that I take a machete with me when I run, which could be useful or potentially fatal. That is my best chucho story, but the encounters with them never stop here. When I visited my site this week, one of the first things I saw was a chucho fight, there were about 5 dogs tearing each other apart right in the middle of the aldea. My only hope is that they will eventually wipe each other out. My counterparts at the agency that I will be working with also recommended that I carry a stick at all times to ward off the chuchos. I was never much of a dog person prior to coming to Guatemala, and that feeling has been strongly affirmed during my short time here.

Outside of the abundant chuchos, my site visit went great. The community I am assigned to is located in the mountains and the scenery there is awesome. There are numerous other communities around which I will also be working with. To get to my community, I rode 45 minutes in the back of a pick up on a dirt road. This is typically the quickest and only available option to get there. Early in the mornings and in the evenings, there are camionetas, but the pick up seems to be the most readily available form of transportation. In my town, there are a few tiendas, basically convenience stores, a school and numerous evangelical churches along with one Catholic Church. I was able to find a home to live in, where a previous volunteer had lived, and therefore it is equipped with a calentador, which is an electrically powered showerhead to provide hot showers. It sounds dangerous, but really isn’t. Maybe the occasional shock, but that just gets you going in the morning. The previous volunteer also left a stove, propane tank, pots and pans, and two cots behind for me to purchase. This made my life much easier, as I will not have to pay much for these, nor for the transportation to get them out to my site. Overall, I was very pleased with my site and am looking forward to starting work there. We are sworn in as official Volunteers at the American Ambassador’s home in Guatemala City on October 31st, Halloween. After that, we (the 29 volunteers) will spend the weekend in Antigua before leaving for our sites on Sunday November 2nd. After that date, I am not sure how regularly I will be able to update the blog, as my computer access will be fairly limited. I’ll try to update it from time to time, but with having to pay for internet in cafes and the speed at which the pictures upload, it will not be as regular as it has been. I’ll make sure to put up one more update before I head out though. That is all for now.

Site Assignment

I am still unable to rotate photos, the computer will not coooperate with me. If you open the photo, you should be able to rotate it yourself though. This is me on a zip line in the eco-park.

A view of the mountains and clouds outside the eco-park.

View of the forest outside Julapa.

A suspension bridge we crossed in the eco-park.

After a ride in the back of a pickup during a rainstorm.

Buenas tardes todos. This week we received our site assignments, which is where we will be residing for the next two years. I will be living in the department of Quiche, in the northern part of Guatemala. The department is mountainous and my site is at about 2350 meters. I was pleased with this site and will be visiting the town with my counterpart next Tuesday. On November 2nd, after swearing in, I will move there permanently. I am ready to begin working in my project, thus far it has been only training, which has been enjoyable and useful; but I am ready for a change...I think.

Last week I visited a volunteer in Julapa, the eastern part of the country and had a great time. It is supposedly drier in that area, but as we are in the midst of the rainy season, it was very wet there also. There was even a mudslide that blocked the road out of town one morning. The area was beautiful and there was an abundance of fruit--oranges, banana, misporas (new fruit to me)--everywhere you looked. I purchased a bag of 10 oranges from a family for 2 Quetzales and the oranges were literally chopped off the tree minutes before I purchased them. Pretty tasty. The area that I visited was pretty remote and we had to use transportation what transportation was available, which meant riding in the back of pickups at times. This is fine, except that it doesn't provide much relief from the rain, see above. We also had the chance to visit an ecological park where we were able to zip line between huge trees. I was a bit wary of having my first zipline experience in Guatemala, but I lived to talk about it, so all's well that ends well.