It was weird showing my family the book I got them. It is a picture book of NC sights. It has everything from Charlotte skylines, to the Biltmore estate, to the parkway. I tried to show them my favorite parts, like the picture of Wilson and the Old Well. They thought it was a castle. They kept saying "Tres pisos!!!" (three floors?). Oh how they poured over each picture! Touching it first. How do explain what the Biltmore house is? Or the dogwood (smells bad i said), or the old well? Of course I sat there with a huge grin on my face, such state pride!!! But, thi is the best of NC taken with a thousand dollar camera. A book like this of Guatemala would be INCREDIBLE. I told them I honestly think Guatemala has more beautiful sights than NC. It would be a novel. Mayan ruins, and colonial architecture, and lakes and volcanos!!! Do they know how I see Guatemala? Do they know how naturally beautiful their country is? Is ther country pride like my state pride?
My little sister Joseline is 12. She wants to be a singer when she grows up. I asked if she could sing for me and this is what she sang. She wrote it. Google translate it.
Yo estare a tu lado y le aduyare a encontrar la solucion a la violencia
Hay tantos ninos que necesitan nuestra ayuda, purque andan en malos caminos y dicen que no hay solucion a su problema
(chorus) Guatemala llora y llorare yo contigo
porque cuando y llore tu lloraste conmigo y eras como mi amiga
y nadie era contra ti y nadie contra me
Guatemala llora
Guatemala llora y llorare yo contigo
porque en los momentos de dolor
oh mi guatemala llorare y contigo
porque tu estas conmigo
En el cielo se nota que tu tristeza brota y no se agota, por eso decimos...
Que hay fuerza que nos une por el amor por el corazon y por Guatemala
Guatemala llora y llorare yo contigo
porque en los momentos de dolor
tu estuviste conmigo
I had goosebumps. After she sang it I asked if they were taught about the Civil War in school. Denis, my papa, said they learn history but that is a tough subject. I do not know how she knows so much about the violence.
jueves, 7 de junio de 2012
miércoles, 6 de junio de 2012
An excerpt from my online homework...
I wrote this for my global health nursing class. A typical day in my life...
It is so great to be back in Santa Lucia. I am staying with the same host family that I did last summer, and they are so excited to have me! My day begins at 7am (which is like 9 am for me, so very nice to sleep late) when my mama says "va comer" and I reluctantly come to the table. I only eat with my 4 year old brother because the girls are already at school and the dad is at work. I eat panqueques, plantains, or eggs with salsa before I brush my teeth with my water bottle and head outside. The family has to buy bottled water for me, but they all use a concrete sink sort of like a well. At 7:30 I head out to meet Kelsey at the bus stop, which is half a mile up hill on a highway. The bus supposedly leaves at 755 but guatemalans are always slow, so we've never missed it. We hop on the bus (which is a revamped, out of commission, american school bus) and pay 2 quetzales with is about a quarter. We may share seats with 2 or 3 other people, and many times people are standing. We arrive atthe hospital and give greetings and kisses to the nurses. At first we worked in the HIV childrens section- where the nurses are basically mothers. There are 40 kids and the nurses do everything from changing diapers to helping with homework to giving advise on boy problems. The kids seem absolutely normal, and receive meds only once a day. There are no skilled nursing tasks involved. We help bathe and dress the babies, and end up playing a lot throughout the day. My favorite part is observing the physical therapist, who is WAY nicer than the nurses, as she worked with my best little friend Rosalie. Rosalie is overweight so she has to do a lot of exercise. She is 4 and not speaking yet, so I am very worried about her development. This was the most interdisciplinary thing that has happened. The doctors never come, the psychologists are not involved, and no other health care workers visit. The nurses run the house. The physical therpists are on a mandatory rotation for their schooling but you can tell the nurses do not love the help. They are very resistant to the scheduling interruptions that PT takes and you can see the therapists frustration. For example the nurses fed all the babies before the PT came, and so the babies spit up during PT. There is a lot of miscommunication. The nurses are resistant to us as well- most of them ignoring us or even talking about us in front of us. (We know more spanish than they think :) Anyway, so we are hopefully changing locations next week to a local health department. Today was a little better because I got to work in the adult section, where they have progressed to SIDA or AIDS. They were very weak, sickly and malnourished. It was a terrible place. I am not surprised that the nurse said they were very depressed. White walls, dirty sheets, no music or stimulation. One lady was watching a muted TV, and then I asked her if she could read the subtitles and she said she did not know how to read. How bored she must be!!! We helped with bathing and PT as well.
We leave the hospital at noon, return to the bus stop and go into town. The town is small enough that we are the only gringas, and big enough that we can eat lunch and use inetrnet there. We usually hang out at the school fr volunteers, or go into Antigua for the afternoons. We just catch up and process and journal a lot. At 5 or 6, I go home and have cafe y pan (bread and coffee) with my family. The are so kind, and speak slowly, and include me in conversations. Then at 8 we have a small dinner and we go to bed by 9. The sleep is great. If I want to take a shower I can take one in a bucket or during the few hours that there is city water each day. My room is just a bed, chair and dresser. I am homesick, but my little travel cell phone has helped.
The best part so far has been how rapidly my spanish has improved. So ecstatic!!!!
It is so great to be back in Santa Lucia. I am staying with the same host family that I did last summer, and they are so excited to have me! My day begins at 7am (which is like 9 am for me, so very nice to sleep late) when my mama says "va comer" and I reluctantly come to the table. I only eat with my 4 year old brother because the girls are already at school and the dad is at work. I eat panqueques, plantains, or eggs with salsa before I brush my teeth with my water bottle and head outside. The family has to buy bottled water for me, but they all use a concrete sink sort of like a well. At 7:30 I head out to meet Kelsey at the bus stop, which is half a mile up hill on a highway. The bus supposedly leaves at 755 but guatemalans are always slow, so we've never missed it. We hop on the bus (which is a revamped, out of commission, american school bus) and pay 2 quetzales with is about a quarter. We may share seats with 2 or 3 other people, and many times people are standing. We arrive atthe hospital and give greetings and kisses to the nurses. At first we worked in the HIV childrens section- where the nurses are basically mothers. There are 40 kids and the nurses do everything from changing diapers to helping with homework to giving advise on boy problems. The kids seem absolutely normal, and receive meds only once a day. There are no skilled nursing tasks involved. We help bathe and dress the babies, and end up playing a lot throughout the day. My favorite part is observing the physical therapist, who is WAY nicer than the nurses, as she worked with my best little friend Rosalie. Rosalie is overweight so she has to do a lot of exercise. She is 4 and not speaking yet, so I am very worried about her development. This was the most interdisciplinary thing that has happened. The doctors never come, the psychologists are not involved, and no other health care workers visit. The nurses run the house. The physical therpists are on a mandatory rotation for their schooling but you can tell the nurses do not love the help. They are very resistant to the scheduling interruptions that PT takes and you can see the therapists frustration. For example the nurses fed all the babies before the PT came, and so the babies spit up during PT. There is a lot of miscommunication. The nurses are resistant to us as well- most of them ignoring us or even talking about us in front of us. (We know more spanish than they think :) Anyway, so we are hopefully changing locations next week to a local health department. Today was a little better because I got to work in the adult section, where they have progressed to SIDA or AIDS. They were very weak, sickly and malnourished. It was a terrible place. I am not surprised that the nurse said they were very depressed. White walls, dirty sheets, no music or stimulation. One lady was watching a muted TV, and then I asked her if she could read the subtitles and she said she did not know how to read. How bored she must be!!! We helped with bathing and PT as well.
We leave the hospital at noon, return to the bus stop and go into town. The town is small enough that we are the only gringas, and big enough that we can eat lunch and use inetrnet there. We usually hang out at the school fr volunteers, or go into Antigua for the afternoons. We just catch up and process and journal a lot. At 5 or 6, I go home and have cafe y pan (bread and coffee) with my family. The are so kind, and speak slowly, and include me in conversations. Then at 8 we have a small dinner and we go to bed by 9. The sleep is great. If I want to take a shower I can take one in a bucket or during the few hours that there is city water each day. My room is just a bed, chair and dresser. I am homesick, but my little travel cell phone has helped.
The best part so far has been how rapidly my spanish has improved. So ecstatic!!!!
domingo, 3 de junio de 2012
Sleepless night
Last night I did not sleep. Maybe because our room int he hostel is under a bar. But maybe because my mind is running. We hiked Pacaya today so I am exhausted and too scattered to blog....but here is the highlight...
1. hanging out with T boone
2. We are about to walk to a bakery to get the 2pm round of banana bread
3. at the bar last night, people were playing a drinking game called ´´WHENEVER FUEGO SPEWS LAVA WE TAKE A SHOT¨´ which was entertaining. Anyway.
I am so happy here. I loving the deep conversations and long talks with the girls. Travelling brings out vulnerability like nothing else. And vulnerability breeds friendships like crazy.
& I miss Peter!
1. hanging out with T boone
2. We are about to walk to a bakery to get the 2pm round of banana bread
3. at the bar last night, people were playing a drinking game called ´´WHENEVER FUEGO SPEWS LAVA WE TAKE A SHOT¨´ which was entertaining. Anyway.
I am so happy here. I loving the deep conversations and long talks with the girls. Travelling brings out vulnerability like nothing else. And vulnerability breeds friendships like crazy.
& I miss Peter!
sábado, 2 de junio de 2012
Lluvia
I am sitting here in the rain, waiting out one of the storms that is so typical of Guatemala in the summer.
It is good that I have not blogged recently. I think all of us would agree that the past 3 days were the lows of the low. We all had food poisoning except for dana. >Vomiting, diarrhea, you name it. We had it. We were homesick. Cried a lot. Lonely. Etcetera.
So we decided to take the day off Friday and go to Antigua in the morning. We met a peace corps volunteer who gave us advise on the best hostel and best travel agencies. We made reservations and sat with her at ´rainbow cafe´where we sipped orange juice and coca. We asked her all about the peace corps and she asked us about Chapel Hill because she applied to the MSW/public health program. It was humbling to us because she had been there SEVENTEEN months and we were whining about one week!
After she left TAYLOR BOONE came in!!!!!!! It was soooo good to see someone familiar. We went to lunch at a pizza place to get the american food we craved so much. After lunch we hiked up to the ´cruz´(see photo) to see the beautiful view. I cannot wait to show julia and peter this spot when they get here.
Taylor then took us to his house which was GINORMOUS AND GLAMOROUS AND SO NICE!!!! and we were all SOOOOOOO freaked out by the plumbing and architecture and furniture. They were so hospitable. I cannot tell you (TAYLOR) how much we needed that afternoon. It was so refreshing to all of us.
Later after getting lost in the dark we found our hostal, changed, AND FELT LIKE WOMEN when we went out to dinner! There was live music and MOJITOS and we barely ate we were so full and happy. I think I got a bit tipsy from my mojito so we went home and fell asleep right away. We considered goingto the bar upstairs but there was nobody there so we went to sleep happy.
I have to go now, the rain has let up. But I am so thankful and happy today! Woke up under a volcano to panqueques and good conversations.
XOXOXOXO besitos
It is good that I have not blogged recently. I think all of us would agree that the past 3 days were the lows of the low. We all had food poisoning except for dana. >Vomiting, diarrhea, you name it. We had it. We were homesick. Cried a lot. Lonely. Etcetera.
So we decided to take the day off Friday and go to Antigua in the morning. We met a peace corps volunteer who gave us advise on the best hostel and best travel agencies. We made reservations and sat with her at ´rainbow cafe´where we sipped orange juice and coca. We asked her all about the peace corps and she asked us about Chapel Hill because she applied to the MSW/public health program. It was humbling to us because she had been there SEVENTEEN months and we were whining about one week!
Taylor then took us to his house which was GINORMOUS AND GLAMOROUS AND SO NICE!!!! and we were all SOOOOOOO freaked out by the plumbing and architecture and furniture. They were so hospitable. I cannot tell you (TAYLOR) how much we needed that afternoon. It was so refreshing to all of us.
Later after getting lost in the dark we found our hostal, changed, AND FELT LIKE WOMEN when we went out to dinner! There was live music and MOJITOS and we barely ate we were so full and happy. I think I got a bit tipsy from my mojito so we went home and fell asleep right away. We considered goingto the bar upstairs but there was nobody there so we went to sleep happy.
I have to go now, the rain has let up. But I am so thankful and happy today! Woke up under a volcano to panqueques and good conversations.
XOXOXOXO besitos
martes, 29 de mayo de 2012
Day 4
(yesterday)
The highlights:
1. Playing 1.5 hours of soccer with the boys at the hospicio. I am actually kinda ok at it =
two goals! But that is against 3 foot tall boys and we are giants. But oh well.
2. Reuniting with Joseline!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is so big (FAT!!!!!) and has long hair. She is talking some but still behind developmentally I think.
3. Cafe y pan in the afternoons.
4. HORCHATA today during lunch! (Courtney Reed!!!!!!)
5. Improving Spanish!
6. After dinner talks with my family. Over chess, weddings, religion, y todo.
things I am thinking about...
Charlotte or Dana said something about not being able to be ourselves when we can't speak the language. In the US I am silly, sarcastic, snarky, extroverted, etc. But here I am SOOO timida. Sarcasm is not accepted here. And I do not have the cutesy vocab to be bubbly. It's almost as if we lose a little bit of ourselves. Maybe that is what is alienating and scary. I think of so many great comments I want to say in English but than they do not translate.
Spanish is such a beautiful beautiful language.
And today I am content. Here the word for happy is 'contenta' which is so appropriate. I am happy and at peace. I am exhausted from chasing kids all day but I know it is ok. They remember me and all the nurses do too - everyone is so shocked by me returning. Nobody has come twice. I do think it means something. I hope so.
Today there was a march for HIV awareness. Afterwards we had songs and a small service and lit candles in memory of those who had died of HIV AIDS this year. It was beautiful. And kind of revolutionary because we proclaimed HIV in public in Guatemala. A very conservative Catholic country. A very taboo topic. We stood proud. It was awesome. I think I will process more later.
The highlights:
1. Playing 1.5 hours of soccer with the boys at the hospicio. I am actually kinda ok at it =
two goals! But that is against 3 foot tall boys and we are giants. But oh well.
2. Reuniting with Joseline!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is so big (FAT!!!!!) and has long hair. She is talking some but still behind developmentally I think.
3. Cafe y pan in the afternoons.
4. HORCHATA today during lunch! (Courtney Reed!!!!!!)
5. Improving Spanish!
6. After dinner talks with my family. Over chess, weddings, religion, y todo.
things I am thinking about...
Charlotte or Dana said something about not being able to be ourselves when we can't speak the language. In the US I am silly, sarcastic, snarky, extroverted, etc. But here I am SOOO timida. Sarcasm is not accepted here. And I do not have the cutesy vocab to be bubbly. It's almost as if we lose a little bit of ourselves. Maybe that is what is alienating and scary. I think of so many great comments I want to say in English but than they do not translate.
Spanish is such a beautiful beautiful language.
And today I am content. Here the word for happy is 'contenta' which is so appropriate. I am happy and at peace. I am exhausted from chasing kids all day but I know it is ok. They remember me and all the nurses do too - everyone is so shocked by me returning. Nobody has come twice. I do think it means something. I hope so.
Today there was a march for HIV awareness. Afterwards we had songs and a small service and lit candles in memory of those who had died of HIV AIDS this year. It was beautiful. And kind of revolutionary because we proclaimed HIV in public in Guatemala. A very conservative Catholic country. A very taboo topic. We stood proud. It was awesome. I think I will process more later.
Day 3
Today was a great day. Gracias a Dios. No more loneliness like last time. I get to share my love for Guatemala with my friends. Today we had a beautiful time exploring Antigua and I think they love it and I dunno why I was so worried! I surprised myself by how much I remembered about getting around and different streets and businesses. We used the internet and bought cell phones and everything was without knowing the time (which I love). We had nowhere to be and no clue what time it was. Beautiful. There is something natural about eating when your stomach says to, getting up with the sun, and going to bed when the sun goes down. Tranquilo. There are moments when having no purpose is frustrating and makes you stir crazy, but here it is good.
Day 2
Day 2:
My spanish feels so smooth and natural. It is flowing well. Now that I have more confidence... which means I talk very fast and mess up lots. But I can see fluency within reach one day and it is SO EXCITING.
Here's what's hard. I have been reading Proverbs and really meditating on how good it is to listen more than you speak. But here I am chatting away in Spanish (to practice) but I also need to stop and learn how to have an ear for it. Is listening or blundering better for learning a language? No se.
I am glad I was taught to never interrupt. When I catch myself doing it here I am ashamed!
Explaining scholarships to my host family is so hard. There is no word for it in my dictionary and my family has no concept of it. I told them I received money so I could come back. I really wanted to tell them about Eve and how incredible she was and how I hope I can honor her memory. But I did not know how to say that in Spanish. I need a whole new dictionary to describe her! But anyway scholarships make me feel like a sugar mama, or make me feel wealthy. I try to explain need-based aid scholarships but I do not think they can understand because to them I am the richest person in the world. I could explain at-risk/low income but I do not think it would be that beneficial. All that matters is I am here and I am blessed.
My spanish feels so smooth and natural. It is flowing well. Now that I have more confidence... which means I talk very fast and mess up lots. But I can see fluency within reach one day and it is SO EXCITING.
Here's what's hard. I have been reading Proverbs and really meditating on how good it is to listen more than you speak. But here I am chatting away in Spanish (to practice) but I also need to stop and learn how to have an ear for it. Is listening or blundering better for learning a language? No se.
I am glad I was taught to never interrupt. When I catch myself doing it here I am ashamed!
Explaining scholarships to my host family is so hard. There is no word for it in my dictionary and my family has no concept of it. I told them I received money so I could come back. I really wanted to tell them about Eve and how incredible she was and how I hope I can honor her memory. But I did not know how to say that in Spanish. I need a whole new dictionary to describe her! But anyway scholarships make me feel like a sugar mama, or make me feel wealthy. I try to explain need-based aid scholarships but I do not think they can understand because to them I am the richest person in the world. I could explain at-risk/low income but I do not think it would be that beneficial. All that matters is I am here and I am blessed.
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