January News

So much has happened in the last week, where to start...

Well the biggest news is that my counter-part in the office quit last Wednesday because of problems in the office with getting paid for his time off. I´m not completely sure of all the details, but I do know I´m now stuck with his work and have no idea what to do. Plus things in my own work have started to pick up as well. I am passing out the IDs I made, and making others for each member of the COMUDE (Municipal Commission of Development). I´m also working with a group of local kids to paint a mural of Central America in the library. The library needs a lot of help, there are hardly any books, no computers, and the paint is peeling off the outside of the building. It´s just one room and noone ever really visits. So if this project goes well then I want to paint a mural on the outside to make it more inviting, and start a project to get them computers. I´m still working on Computer skills with the women's office, which is going fairly well, except last time the coordinator of the office walked out during the middle of it. I'm also planning events with the community group CIJJ and we're presenting our budget to NGOs for support on the 3rd of February.

This last weekend I went to a wedding for a friend I had met back in San Bartolo. She married an American from New Jersey and the entire wedding was in both Spanish and English. The groom had worked here in Guatemala through a non-denominational church organization for the last 3 years, and the pastor, who was also from this NGO, translated everything. It was really a beautiful wedding, but I did feel a little bad for the American side of the family because they were way outnumbered, but they seemed to have a great time nevertheless.

What else is going on... I´m reading books like you should drink water. And I just borrowed the film Tropic Thunder from another volunteer which was pretty funny. What I really want to do is draw more, then send some of my stuff back with my parents so I can have an exhibit.

Everyone here is very excited about the inauguration of Obama, and although I didn´t get to watch any of it I did buy the paper the next day and see the picture of the DC Mall with all the people... very impressive I thought. It´s great that the country is behind Obama, but the reality is no one man can change America. We all need to do our own part and I hope this does inspire people to be more active in the future of our country and the world, environmentally and economically.

Peace, Love,

Robin