Hello Again

Much time has passed since I last posted. Much has happened since then as well.

I’ve spent time on the beaches of Costa Rica with my best Peace Corps friends, said goodbye to an amazing friend upon his very sad and permanent return to the states, travelled a ton, gotten closer with a few more amazing Peace Corps friends, visited more beaches, and had hardly any time to think about how I’ve spent the past 2 and a half months.

My host mother asked me to be the godmother of her son, Amer, whose FIRST birthday was on February 15^th. I got to spend the day with the family, setting up the party and being a super-tall spectacle for all of the Tejutlecos I’ve met over the past year and a half. It was a really gratifying occasion to see familiar faces, be more to Amer than just this strange white giant, and to feel close to my host family. I love them. They call me traviesa, or naughty, because I have tattoos and travel so much… I love that they accept me. Although I still feel as if I cannot be 100% myself with them, I feel closer to them than almost any other Guatemalan. I am still working with Sarita on getting her travel visa so she can come home with me…

I got to participate in a three-day HIV/AIDS workshop with a Guatemalan counterpart from Tejutla (María Luisa) in the Peace Corps Office and am very excited to take on HIV/AIDS work as a secondary project. She’s excellent and so easy to get along with! We’ll be working with the Centro de Salud (health center) to recreate the workshop with many of the surrounding communities and I can’t wait. The workshop is so much fun to do, and so gratifying. It’s like you’re making a direct impact – something I don’t get the pleasure of experiencing quite as much with my work here as I’d like to.

At work I’m doing a real business plan with my counterpart and Board of Directors – we started it last month and I’m interested to see how far we get on creating a successful compilation of information. We plan to meet every three weeks to knock out pieces of it at a time… let’s see what Guatemala can do for us on this one.

I’ve also been in touch with a group called Soluciones Comunitarias, whose work is micro consignment: a non-risky business venture for rural communities, mostly women, in the hopes of making extra income. Soluciones gives products to the women to sell and the women make commission off of what they can sell. Soluciones and I will be meeting with one of my groups this week to see what we can kick off with. More exciting stuff.

I visited my friend Annalisa’s site on the coast of Guatemala, 20 kilometers from the border of El Salvador. A group of us from my training group went out there and had a great beach party. SO hot, so great. Annalisa is a great and sound friend – I’m happy to have had this time to get to know her as well as I do. She came to my site the next week to climb Tajumulco with me (the highest volcano in Central America, 1 hour from my site). We left the house at 6:00am, climbed to the top in about 3 hours and 45 minutes, and sat on the top of the world in freezing cold wind. It was an incredible and unusually clear day, and well worth the pain of climbing up rocks towards the top, at about 13,845 feet. I was a bit dizzy and VERY cold, but in awe of the amazing view and accomplishment. So worth it. We climbed down the same day, in about 2 hours time, and found it hard to move the rest of the day and next morning. It was just about as euphoric as running a marathon. Can’t wait to experience that again!

Since then I’ve been to several despedidas as a few good friends of mine are getting ready to finish their service. They’ve been so much fun, great way to say goodbye, but sad events nonetheless.

                                          

On that note, I can’t help but be consumed by the idea that I have about 7 months left. 7 MONTHS. That is NOTHING in comparison to the 27 months I signed up for. And the time this year has already gone away as if it were mere seconds. I love that the time flies, I love that I will be home sooner than I can imagine, and I love that I have so much time and realization under my belt. I do not like, however, that regardless of the relationships I’ve built, regardless of how I’ve learned so much about Guatemala and how it works, regardless of the newfound immense and great workload, my missing home and missing feeling at home continues to impact my motivation and excitement at what I’ve accomplished and what I have left to do. Every day, even with small victories here and there, is a constant struggle to be so 100% aware of the cultural differences and challenges. I will never be completely understood and accepted here as I am at home, and my work will never be fully understood or appreciated as it is when I am at home. I know that it is meaningful to be here and great to have this experience and I regret absolutely nothing. I am immensely grateful for what I have done and seen and learned. I am just constantly reconciling that with my desire to be comfortable again, all of the time instead of just some of the time. This is, consequentially, the life of a Peace Corps Volunteer.

So that’s life, all. Thanks for listening. Love to you. 

Christmas in 6 Corners of the Sky

I apologize for being so malcriada and not posting for such a long time, what a life I have lived for the past two months.

I wrote my last post just before I went to Todos Santos, Huehuetenango for the world famous drunken horse races and delirious drunken marimba dances all throughout the streets. It was the greatest celebration of culture and PEACE CORPS culture I have experienced since arriving in Guatemala. The Peace Corps community rented a house and stayed there (about 60-70 of us) for the weekend of All Saints, ready to soak it all in; “it” being many things, of which most you can imagine, I’m sure. Halloween night we threw a costume party and set up a dance hall on the unfinished fourth floor of a magnificent house unoccupied by its US resident owner and slept on the floor in the 6+ bedrooms of this place. The next morning a few people braved the sunlight to watch the cemetery processions of colorfully dressing the graves and then went to join the crowds of candy-cane pants and blue-rimmed straw hats to watch the unfolding of events at the horse tracks. It is a tradition of this “dry” town to get the bravest riders drunk throughout the morning while running the horses back and forth on a short stretch of sandy path, to the point where most of them fall off in the middle of the track because they are so drunk they can no longer hold on to their horses. Literally. This, really, is the sole point of this activity. But fun it is, to watch, indeed.

Shortly thereafter, or so it seemed, I moved out of my host family’s house into my VERY OWN apartment. I painted the walls in the bedroom and bathroom a pale green and off-white and absolutely LOVE being in my own space. The time with the family was super lovely, especially towards the end where I FINALLY began to feel comfortable being absolutely myself with them and knowing they care no matter what. But having your own space is its own special kind of meditative peace and quiet, I am so grateful. I painted and moved in PROMPTLY after my site mate Matt and his wife, Meli, moved back to the United States. Emotional as it was to say goodbye, I was quite relieved to have the opportunity to find my breathing space in town. It seems warp speed the time in which it took me, at that point, to feel as if my comfort and space in town was all settling in as if I actually belong there. I really can truly say I feel at home now. Moments pass by more and more frequently in which I feel as if I DO NOT need, nor desire, to go back to the United States just yet. It feels good to be in this small town where life is simple and everything can be expected before it happens and family is so close and so defined that you really aren’t left for wanting much. I spent the day with my host sister and the family for her graduation from Diversificado (the equivalent to a very applicable tech high school degree) and felt as if I truly were a part of the family. Even Dona Vida, the momma of my host momma, was treating me as a family member – scolding me when I didn’t get pictures at the right moment, etc. It really was beautiful. That night I moved out. And from that night of November 20, it seems, life began.

So I spent the following week preparing the house, cleaning, moving in, and getting ready for about 16 PCV guests who came to spend Thanksgiving in my site with me, my site mates, and our most beloved host family. The preparation for this event included provisions for three turkeys, pumpkin pies, sweet potato pies, and all the other dishes in between which, thankfully, we had our volunteer friends help provide and put together night before and day of. We celebrated the night before for my friend Kiera’s 30th birthday by ordering about 8-10 pizzas and having ice cream cake and JELLO SHOTS (strawberry and pineapple jellos mixed together – my ingenious creation). The brave ones prepared the turkeys by getting them drunk, getting them dizzy, killing them, plucking their feathers, and setting up the pans for the next day, while the rest of us enjoyed our drunkenness and the celebration of Kiera’s life (and ours, really). It was absolutely fantastic. The next day we made breakfast at my house, prepared our dishes, and headed over to stuff the turkeys and take them over to the town bakery who let us borrow their huge ovens for the day. It was a great day, this Thanksgiving day. For others as well as myself it was probably the best Thanksgiving I have ever had. There was no regret or sadness for not being at home with my family and friends (as much as I really do miss them). It was only happiness and gratefulness for being in the presence of so many that we love, understand, and appreciate in needing one another throughout this crazy Peace Corps experience. I got up and gave my palabras at dinner and almost instantly started to cry (what some of my fellow PCV’s here have dubbed as the usual “heart-to-heart with Amanda Baker”). I cried because I honestly felt in my heart and mind and body that everything that was happening at that moment with that host family and Peace Corps family was just absolutely perfect. There was no ounce of satisfaction or love missing from that event and I felt it. So overwhelmingly, in fact, that I do proclaim that the best Thanksgiving I’ve ever had… along with a few other volunteer friends of mine.

Anyway, after this Thanskgiving there were only two weeks (less!!) to wait until MOM GOT HERE!!! She arrived to my site with me on December 9th and from there, what a holiday it has been. We started by having Walter (a Garcia brother of mine) pick us up in San Marcos to drive us back to site where they insisted we ate lunch before going home to decompress. They cooked a delicious meal of grilled chicken and forced a bit of rum down our throats before sending us home to rest. Everyone instantly loved mom, of course. The whole time we were there we were told how friendly you could tell she was just by looking at her face, and how young and preserved she was even though she is %@ years old.  Everyone absolutely loved her. The next morning I cussed out the construction workers right in front of my house when they tried to deny my request to move their 50 lb bags of concrete away from RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY DOOR so I didn’t have to trip over them on my way out and as things escalated, I sent my counterpart over to talk to the owner of the job site. After that, they didn’t bother me. Saturday my friend Lauren from Comitancillo (the town next door – 2 hours away by foot AND by bus) joined my new site mate, Jaron, me, and my mom for some wine and dinner. It was absolutely delicious and such wonderful times. Sunday we made spaghetti for my host family for lunch and relaxed in the evening. Monday we went to my host family’s house, made a TON of chocolate-chip cookies (host grampa’s favorite), and accompanied them to the family’s land up above Tejutla for the day. We shared a DELICIOUS lunch of pollo con crema, many stories of what kind of work mom did and does now, wool-lined boots for a Christmas present from us (and Thank You for treating me like one of their own and taking care of me) which had almost everyone in tears. It was such a heartfelt and gratifying event, so validating of my time here. We then napped on the crazily terraced hillside of their once-farmed land to watch the sun settle into the afternoon sky and listen to their cows drink from the fresh-water spring facing Volcan Tajumulco. Indescribable beauty and calm. Tuesday my Garcia family came over to dinner with us and the site mates and mom made her chili, which is now WORLD FAMOUS!! So much fun, I ABSOLUTLEY love them and how at home I feel with them. I’m so happy they had the chance to meet mom, although they were quite displeased at having missed the opportunity to meet Dad and Olivia, too. But even still, all was beautiful and well. Wednesday we went to the office and then to Momma Meli’s house for dinner. It was so sweet, they made us a typical meal of beans, fried plantains, and chicken. So delicious. And so great a time – what a wonderful family that I have yet to experience the best of times with. There are three nephews/sons, all eight years old, that are super talkative and loving and excited about life—such a refreshing thing in Guatemala. The three sisters are just BEAUTIFUL women with whom I am very excited to share much love in the next year, and Momma Meli, the sisters’ mom, is the most dear lady in town – you cannot help but instantly love her. Thursday we went to Quipambe, one of my community groups, and made spaghetti with the ladies for the Clausura (the end-of-year reflection and projection of prosperity and greatness that has come into our lives) and enjoyed listening to them chatter, talk to mom in Spanish, watch me stand in front of the stove because I sat in unseen spilled pineapple juice, and EAT. It was such a pleasurable experience for momma, to see the lifestyle, to share in the love that is ever-present between all Guatemalans and the world. Thursdsay night was dinner at Joe’s with Charlie (3 lbs worth of burgers – DELICIOUS). Joyous night to send us off, sadly, the next day to Xela.

Since Xela it has been TRUE vacation in the nice restaurants and resorts that are so un-Guatemala but so relaxing. Dad and Olivia FINALLY arrived Tuesday night (the 21st) and it’s been fantastic. We wandered through the markets of Antigua, the crazy grocery stores, and the bars/restaurants that my volunteer friends and I frequent, enjoying taking our time. Today was Christmas Eve and we made brunch and wandered into town in the afternoon, had a beer at one place and shots of Don Julio at another, just enjoying ourselves. We ate at a blues/jazz bar and had tapas for Christmas Eve dinner, retiring early only to be woken up at midnight by Christmas in 6 corners of the sky. I’ve not properly explained to you the great tendency to be pyro-crazy in this country, but telling you that you could literally hear and SEE magnificent fireworks coming from about 6 different places in the sky this evening may do that fact justice. It was such an overwhelming and wonderful way to bring in Christmas day, such an unusual (for us) Christmas, yet so filled with magnificence. I do not believe there will ever be a Christmas like it. Having my family here has been the greatest joy, and being able to share with them what I love about this country, the people I love here, and just time has been such a blessing to end the year with. I cannot fully explain my joy at this moment.

In one week I will be flying off to Costa Rica for New Years… more to come soon. I love you all immensely and hope that you have enjoyed this Christmas season as much as I have been able to. Merry Christmas, everyone. Pictures will come when I have more time (and it’s not the middle of the night) to upload them. <3 <3 <3 Love you.

My Sunset

It appeared as if the sun was setting in three parts of the sky. 

 West

 North

East

These photos were all taken within 5 minutes of each other.

Over the Hump

There was a day a couple weeks back that was so incredible, I don’t think it could ever be topped in its magnificence. I was getting ready to go to Quipambe and a little stressed out; it was our first meet. I was suddenly hit by a moment of clarity so strong that I no longer felt a part of the earth. It was like I could see everything that was happening around me, everything that would happen in my life, and was SO aware of the beauty that I make my life out to be. I literally felt high – a little overwhelming. Of course it made me cry; it was so beautiful to feel so sure and all-knowing of life and what I’m doing in it.

If only we could have those kinds of days every day. Anyway, out of that came the realization of my dream to be a professor and do ALL SORTS OF THINGS in life that just seem so perfect I can’t hardly wait to get started on the path towards doing them. I’m hoping to start online classes in January to jump ahead on some pre-requisites for the Masters of Science in Nutrition and Clinical Health Psychology (Bastyr University), or a few other Masters of Public Health – Nutrition programs I’m looking at. I’m SO excited.

But this excitement has been making it a little difficult to maintain my enthusiasm about being here. Oh, Guatemala. It is so unbelievably gorgeous yet covered with so much trash. The people are so unbelievably friendly yet plagued by fatalism and poor health/malnutrition. The work is so simple yet so far from realization, it’s almost discouraging. I’m supposed to just DO and let be done, without being so concerned with the outcome. Maybe learning how to do that will be my greatest accomplishment here.

 This morning I asked the “powers” that be for some kind of inspiration or reminder of why it is so great to be here. I was riding in a very crowded taxi on the way to El Horizonte with Virginia, a técnica at ADICTA, and her 5-(or so)-year-old daughter, Neyneli, who is always accompanying her (us) to the office and to community visits. She’s very precious. She was basically sitting on my lap because of how crowded the taxi (i.e. clown car) was. As she leaned up against me on the bumpety, washed-out dirt road I felt present and peaceful. I was happy to be there, to have relationships with Guatemalans that make me feel close with them, and to go give a charla that I was too tired to give. Well, when we got there, the meeting was nonexistent… some faulty line of communication (typical of Guatemala). This did not make me mad; I was actually excited to just sit there and relax with the lady of the house (Doña Reina) to chat about random things. When it came time to leave I waited on the road in front of her house for another clown car to come by and got to see the sun shine through the clouds and disperse its immaculate gold light. This beauty is just as extraordinary the second time around as it was the first. I’m sure it will never lose its splendor. This photo does no justice to the way it shone over the valley.

Anyway, every now and again I get glimpses of that excited “I’M A PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER!” attitude I so fervently came here with. It is a great thing that I am doing; for Guatemala but mostly for myself. I love that I’m challenged, very apparently, to better myself and to be for the people of Guatemala what I want to be for everyone, all of the time. So as I listen to all the people COSing (CloseOfService-ing) and exclaiming how great it is to finally be an RPCV, I patiently wait my turn. I look forward to the next year’s worth of lessons and successes. It can only be good, no matter how hard it seems to have a life devoid of Jamba Juice’s REVIVED Pumpkin Smash smoothie and Zeta and Sacramento fall and tile floors without rolly-pollies crawling all over them and beds without fleas and streets without failed-smog-check or burning plastic fumes.

<3 

One Year Left

First year DONE.

Some tricks:

-          Learning how Guatemala works

-          Learning how Guatemalans work

-          Learning how to be myself in a culture where I’m not really allowed to be mySELF

-          Learning how to eat right in this place full of carbs, carbs, carbs, and protein (and no use of the abundance of fresh and beautiful vegetables)

-          Learning how to BE with myself, by myself, for large periods of the time

Some treats:

-          Living in the vast belleza that is Guatemala

-          Having the comfort of close friends

-          Having technology to connect with my most loved ones

-          Connecting with my host family and Guatemalans

-          Working with Guatemalans

Some things for which I’ve learned to take off my costume:

-          How to be myself and remember myself no matter whose company I am in

-          How to FEEL myself at all times

-          How to remember what’s most important and what I can afford to let go of

-          How to KNOW that my day and my LIFE are what I make them, what I WANT them to be

-          How to let myself love others regardless of what thoughts may be in their heads

I just went through my mid-service medical exams and all is well (no tuberculosis, no cavities!!). What was even better was when everyone that “examined” me asked, “HOW DOES IT FEEL TO HAVE JUST ONE YEAR LEFT?! YOU MADE IT SO FAR ALREADY!” Well, I suppose it feels great to have come this far and to be able to see things differently and ways in which I have changed. It feels great to finally feel like I’m accepted and appreciated here. It feels great to know how fast the past year went by and how the next year should go by even faster; not only because it means I get to go home sooner, but also because I will be working more and feeling more fulfilled in what I’m doing.

Guatemala is great – the people, the places, the things to do and learn… I do not regret a thing. I especially love the people that have come into my life because of my being here, and the life I’ve learned to live because of my experiences.

Change is the only constant thing in life, and I’m grateful for that. We are always growing and learning and doing things that get us where we are supposed to be in life.

Here’s to one more year of change!

Happy almost Halloween. 

Estoy aquí para servirles.

I saw a man walking down the street with a UCLA Bruins T-shirt on, navy blue with the classic yellow-gold lettering. I was pretty excited. He, however, was very unsuspecting of its significance, and so it goes with most of the clothing bought in Guatemalan PACAs (second-hand stores). It gets so ridiculous to the point that we volunteers had a PACA shirt contest during our Reconnect back in February. My shirt said “Alien Sex Fiend Club” with a picture of a man with what looked like numerous spikes coming out of his head. I did not place, but Des’s “I’m horny” unicorn shirt was a fair winner. Keep in mind that people wear these shirts all over the country having absolutely no idea what they say. It’s pretty entertaining for us volunteers. I wish I could tell you more, but they are so many that I can hardly keep up.

…

So, starting on August 29^th, I will have 14 months left. It is true what they say, that things pick up after your first year. I have had probably the best “Peace Corps” week since I’ve arrived in Guatemala.

My first victory this week: I won the representative position on the Gender and Development (GAD) Committee of volunteers for the Sustainable Agriculture program. This means I will be facilitating the sharing of information on how to incorporate Gender and Development charlas and activities into our projects, and will become a primary resource for the other volunteers in the Sustainable Agriculture program. This will add such depth to my service, as it has already given me the boost in self-confidence I need to start giving more charlas and building better relationships with the people I’m working with. AND, my counterpart is interested in working on this WITH me, since he has spent many of his years creating his organization (ADICTA) with a focus on development, devoting much time to providing opportunities to the groups of women in the surrounding communities. For this I am VERY excited.

Second victory: On Tuesday I gave a charla on Commercialization and all of the necessary steps to successfully commercializing your business idea. We started with a small skit and then did a rompecabezas (puzzle) to put all the pieces of commercialization together. The end result was a picture of a Guatemalan Quetzal (basically a dollar bill, but worth a lot less). They had fun doing it and I had fun sitting with them afterwards to eat our bread with jam and tea, chatting about life and ourselves. I LOVED it, in fact. When I left the house to go wait for a taxi to pass outside, it was drizzling. The house was located on a dirt road in a river valley, surrounded by trees with huge jungle-like leaves and forest-covered mountains. It was so serenely beautiful to just stand there in the drizzle watching the water drip off the leaves, the water pulling them down as it fell. Then I received a free ride back to the municipio from a passing minivan, of which the drivers were related to my counterpart! Or so they say. It is Guatemala, afterall. J

Third victory: Tuesday night, I chatted with my host family about how they felt about hosting another volunteer once I moved out. Their first response was, “will they be like you? We only want them if they’re like you.” It was the nicest, most validating thing – especially since I spend the majority of the time feeling like I’m an extremely rude, totally culturally insensitive gringa. I felt very loved/loving. Afterwards I went to “Noche Juventil” at my host family’s church and had my ears just about blasted out of my head by the absurdly loud speakers. I’m surprised they don’t have to buy new ones every week for how loud they insist on playing them. Aside from the difference in viewpoint and opinion on many real-world issues and the obnoxiously loud music, I thoroughly enjoyed spending the extra time with my host sister, Rosmil and the sweet girl that works in the family’s store, Vita. It was really a great experience.

Fourth victory: This morning I went running again!! And I did two miles, walking parts of the second mile. It was so absolutely invigorating and refreshing to get up early, blast my iPod (with some EXCELLENT old school hip hop to boot), and watch dogs fighting over each other as I made my laps around the super muddy soccer field. It is so nice to be able to feel the blood flowing through my thighs again as I seemingly effortlessly take one step after the other. It makes me SO nostalgic for those marathon training days. Anyway, I ended up being completely splashed up with mud—haven’t had such a glorious shower in quite some time.

Fifth victory: Today we had a meeting with the Junta Directiva. FAO came to ask them a questionnaire about their roles and to give a charla about Market Investigation and its importance. I sat through it with everyone and felt nice to be a part of the group. Towards the end, the secretary asked how one might go about doing an investigation, or writing a survey to take around with them. Don Víctor, my counterpart, chimed in, “well, fortunately for us Amanda is here. And she is FULL of conocimiento about just how to do that sort of thing. I recognize that I haven’t spent very much time working with her or showing her the ropes since I’m always in and out of the office in various meetings, but it would be to our great advantage to work with her. She is here to help.” Paolo, the Italian volunteer from FAO who came to give the charla, added very fervently, “ADICTA is SO lucky to have someone with this conocimiento at their disposal ALL of the time. It is really important that you make use of what she has to offer, especially since she will be here for only another year. AND, she’s here for free!” And much more. This was a victory because much of my previous despair and troubles came from my not doing anything in ADICTA. It was so hard for me to accept that it wasn’t my fault and that I wasn’t just some lazy volunteer – it really does go both ways and if I hadn’t proved I was willing to work by making my own plan and following through with it, I would likely have continued to go unnoticed. But now they notice. And they appreciate. And I feel like my decision to stick this out was the best one I could have made. I am happy, I am finally comfortable being who I am here carrying on with what I know is important and expecting nothing in return. This is the greatest relief.

And so, here’s to continuing on the up!

…

In much of the spare time I do have, I have begun to draw a little bit here and there, and am the proud artist of my friend Charlie’s brand new tattoo! It’s a starfish, inspired by “The Star Thrower” by Loren Eiseley. You all should read it. This is why I love Charlie. I am also working on one for my dear friend, once diaper buddy (a whole half sleeve!!!)… I’ll let you know how that turns out.

I have also done extensive research on graduate programs of study. After much consideration of my extreme passion for nutrition (have read several books in their entirety in one single day) and its effects on physical AND mental health, and my obsessive interest in psychology, I searched long and hard for a program that would combine this love for nutrition and its psychological effects. I am excited to be seriously planning on starting from scratch with the many science prerequisites I need to be accepted into the MSNCHP (Master of Science in Nutrition and Clinical Health Psychology) at Bastyr University near Seattle, Washington. This is the first dream I can clearly see carrying through the rest of my life and I can’t tell you how pleased I am to have finally gotten ahold of it. Pretty sure this one will stick, but don’t hold me to it. J Afterall, I still have a whole year (+ two months) in Guatemala to change my mind…

…

I love you all. And I miss you. 

Long stretch no write.

Last weekend of May Pacaya exploded and made a mess of things with ash all over Guatemala City and the surrounding areas, IMMEDIATELY followed by Tropical Storm Agatha. Ash turned to goo and landslides, compounded by mudslides caused by the torrential downpours all over the country. Houses were filled with mud to the roofs, people buried alive in mud, and lockdown all over the country for lack of transportation. It was horrible. My location was relatively unaffected.

That weekend I was “stuck” in Xela for floods, mudslides, and roadblocks. What a weekend it was. There’s something wild about not being able to move amidst downpours and streets-turned-to-rivers. We didn’t let it get us down and enjoyed almost literally swimming around town. Fortunately Xela stayed open: we weren’t the only crazy ones taking advantage of the disability to do anything else besides relax and enjoy ourselves. Those couple days will never leave my memory.

Then HOME. At last. Greeted by tears and terribly-missed family, I flew into San Francisco on June 10th. From that point forward I immediately started in on the must-do’s: Lagunita IPA, Stone Double Bastard Ale, Stone IPA, Stone Ruination IPA, and Sailor Jerry & Coke. Oh, and I also very much enjoyed seeing my family and friends. Such wonderful therapy. I gave a short speech about tolerance and the Peace Corps to two different groups and felt good about what I had to say. I attended a family party with friend afterparty and talked way too much about what I do and don’t do in Peace Corps, re-fell in love with Sailor Jerry, and saw so many of those that mean the most to me. OhHowIMissAndLoveThem. I flew out after probably the most amazing night of my life and back to Guate I went. Maybe a relief, maybe not. But here I am.

Almost right afterwards was the 3rd of July party. What to say besides beer, debauchery, and spending too much money? Said goodbye to Alex. A new experience dawns here in Guatemala. I had the MOST fun since I’ve been here and am relieved to have had a few weeks off of alcohol. I also have new VERY amazing friends.

The past couple of months were not easy ones. Probably the roughest patch I’ve ever been through in my life. But the seemingly unending “crisis” culminated with a newfound motivation to do what I came here to do, and recognize what it was I originally wanted from coming here. I am happy to have seen the other side of this funk and to have reestablished my commitment to serve Guatemala and mySelf. It helps to remind myself of this from time to time, as this kind of adjustment doesn’t stop evolving until it’s over. I greatly look forward to the euphoria that will come for having finished this gargantuan task of performing the toughest job I’ll ever love.

Meanwhile, I’m going to Huehue to visit some of those very amazing friends and see Tricia!!! She FINALLY comes back from her very long surgery visit to the states. I love her.

And I love you. I miss you. Can’t wait to see you again.