water solved

Well not completely, there is still no water during the day, but I did get the shower fixed which is like a miracle (Drew, cheer with me on this one). See when I did have water it constantly ran... and I mean I like waterfalls and all, and the truth is after a while I kind of forgot about the noise. It´s just when people come over they ask me whats wrong with it, and it is annoying those who are not used to it. But yesterday they tore out the concrete, replaced the valve, and retiled it. Just this one section so the tile is different in this area, but the only thing I care about is being able to control my shower, and it's awesome. So thats really all the news I have for now.

Peace,
Robin

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

Chocolates and Condoms

Monday was back to work and a new task I´m working on is giving training to the Women´s office on Microsoft Office. Basically how to use Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Access, ect. I was a litte nervous because it´s all in Spanish and although I would say I can navigate Word fairly easily, when all the menus are in Spanish it makes for a challenge, and then to teach it in Spanish is well kind of ridiculous. So in the Women´s office were always doing events with kids and adults about health education and different things, and I decided to use an idea from these events. I brought a bag of goodies which included gum, lolipops, chocolate, and a couple of condoms I have from my medical kit just as a joke. It really helped the session, everyone participated and competed for the stuff in the prize bag. Right at the end though a woman came in the office with two twin boys (no more than a couple weeks old) asking for help. Her story is that another woman just left these children, and that this woman wants to adopt them and take care of them but she doesn´t have any money to take them to the hospital or register them, and she already has a 4 year old son of her own, no husband, lives with her aunt or something. The women´s office gave her diapers, some milk, some cups, whatever we had around the office and asked the radio and local cable station to come over and take her information to send out for help as well but she doesn´t have a phone or electrity at her house so we can´t contact her. I took a photo for the office, aren´t they precious? Dylan and Junior are thier names.

Landslide, Happy New Years!

So just to tell you how badly the landslide in Guatemala is effecting me, I heard about it from my Grandmother in Virginia before I heard about it from anyone including Peace Corps here. Basically, I´m fine and it´s on the other side of the country pretty much, but it is impressive... and we do have landslides over here as well but I hope not like this one.

In other news my New Years was low-key but great none the less. I ended up not going to Montericco and instead just hung out with some of my local Guatemalan friends. The New Year all and all has brought me only good things, except lice. Yes I had lice this week... I don´t know how or what or why it happened, I´m pretty sure I did not use anyone else´s comb. At first I was just itchy and thought it was an allergic reaction to something so I started taking Benedryll and slept for about 2 days and when that didn´t work and the itching got worse I assumed the worse. No really it wasn´t that bad, and I got up extra early this morning to drown those damn things while washing almost everything I own. My New Years resolution was to make it through this next year here in Guatemala, please God, don´t make it harder than it has to be!

Love, Peace,

Robin

Photos Uploaded

So Christmas in Guatemala is pretty amazing, I think that even though they don´t have snow, or much of Santa, I would say they outdo us in celebration. The custom here is called MediaNoche, which means midnight, and everyone cooks this big dinner and waits up till midnight when fireworks from every house explode simultaneously. It´s cool enough to see big fireworks from the end of a town pier or roof of the Muni, but to see them from every street corner and roof of every house blew my mind. It´s got to be yet again the most dangerous thing of life, but never the less the 10 year olds and myself put things ablaze into the air 5 feet from telephone poles and other electric or flamable things in the street.
I look forward to repeating this for New Years as well.
As far as the tradition goes, I went to a Catholic Church for the night service with Doña Dora and at midnight they light incense and put the baby Jesus in their nativity scenes.
Oh! and the best part was the next day when Diego came by to see this parade of people dressed in different animal costumes do a line dance in the street. It was awesome, there were two GIANT panda costumes twice as big as the people inside, and kids in little dog costumes too, costumes of Gizmo, Sonic the Hedgehog, Skunks, a Furby, Chipmunks, Reindeer, and more. Quite an eclectic mix, and they all had these huge costume heads on. My favorite was the Lion from Robinhood (the King from the cartoon version) It was either a kid inside or a very small person, who danced like there was no end yet obviously could not see out of the extremely large costume head they had on and had to look around confused after bumping into the guy infront and behind in the line formation, fix his head back, and continue dancing like nothing happened. I can´t explain it, I wish I had video, and I definately had a better time watching this than Diego did.
Happy New Year to everyone, Peace,
Robin

My very own Christmas

So I'm here in San Bartolo where it feels much more like Christmas as it's freezing... Got to go to the Peace Corp office and pick up a package from over a month ago and get some stuff straight with work. Friday was the last day of work until the new year at my Muni, and we had a Convivio that night which is basically a Chirstmas party for everyone who works for the Municipial. I have a secret santa which I bought a sombrero for, and recieved much needed bowls and glasses from my SS as well. There was lots of singing to Ranchero music, a mariachi band, games, speeches, and food. The next day on Saturday was awesome. I woke up to my mailman calling me from outside my house with a package (shout out goes to Suzy Smith) and I made breakfast and opened the santa box. After that I washed all my sheets and underwear on my concrete pila, which isn't so exiciting as much as it is just an accomplishment. Around lunch Gabriel and Tia Neldy came by and we cooked lunch and hung out together. Then Saturday night I had my Christmas, I put on a holiday cd, the pajamas from my grandmae, and sat in front of my tree to open the gifts my family had sent. I have to say that for being alone, it really was a great time. I tried out everything and just had a nice time celebrating in my own way. I am glad to be here in San Bartolo with my Guatemalan family, but I just needed to have a little american celebration of my own. Thanks again for everyone who has sent a gift, card, email, phone call, or anything else. Feliz Navidad and Happy New Year.
Peace on Earth and Good Will to Men (and women)
Robin

Christmas is coming..

All the other volunteers from Spain, Austria, and Italy are leaving for Christmas, some are returning but I remain, haha. Sounds grim, but I hope it´s not that bad. The wonderful packages my family has sent me help so much and before they left the Spanish Volunteers bought me a small fake christmas tree and covered it in blue lights that flash randomly. I put my presents under it and pasted the Christmas cards on the wall above it. I couldn´t wait and I already opened a package that was a pair of very soft pajamas from my grandmae.
She also sent homemade Snickerdoodles! which I am taking with me to our Bienvenidos party this weekend so that I don´t eat them all at one time by myself. I did already eat 2 and they are delicious. I do have two Christmas CDs, and one more with the NOW! Christmas that my mom sent, so I guess it is starting to feel like that time of the year although the weather still throws me off a little. I miss everyone back home, and my advice is to spend the holidays with your family because I can´t.
Peace, Love,
Robin