Sunday, February 20, 2011

Random stuff

Hmm, so this time I’m just going to jot down some observations/things I’ve been up to since I last left off. It may seem like I’m rambling about random things but I just don’t feel like being very creative and adding fluff.

Camionetas…(buses)
Here there is a joke that goes something like: “how many Guatemaltecos can you fit inside a camioneta?” The response: always three more. Probably not very funny for those that have never been packed like sardines on a bus but you can kind of get the idea. Take your average bus give it a sweet paint job, add a tacky grill and either a flat screen inside that doesn’t function or stereo that plays Tina Turner and you got yourself a Camioneta.Where seats not quite comfortably sit 2 there are 3, where people aren’t usually supposed to stand they are standing and when you think another human body couldn’t possibly fit on the fucking bus at least 5 people get on. The ayudantes (guys who collect the fare) some how move through with ease and by ease I mean climbing over the backs of other people while I constantly struggle to get out from the middle of the bus window seat. You know those few seats on the bus with less leg space from the rear tires? Some how I usually get stuck there…and getting out is emotionally draining because I constantly have to decide whether I want to give the persons next to me the crotch or the ass when I try and move by. This is especially enjoyable when I can catch a glimpse of another volunteer’s eye and we laugh and shake our heads like what the hell is going on. I can’t decide if the buses here are brilliant or insane, they will literally scrape by one another on the narrow streets…If I wanted to I could poke somebody in eye on the other bus or ask them for a piece of gum. They will fly around corners and you will feel like you are pulling 3 g’s. Holding on is absolutely necessary, but if you are lucky it is packed as shit and the abundance of bodies helps keep you in place. The one time I was by the chofer (driver), door wide open I decided to check the speed just for shits and giggles…it was non functional I would have guessed 60mph though, haha. It wasn’t really surprising at that point but that’s about all I got to say about that.

Showers
I have had 1 hot shower since I have been living in Guatemala. This wasn’t your ordinary hot shower since I had to make a fire, boil water, drag it to the shower area and use a bucket to wash myself. Needless to say it was awesome, but I am far too lazy to do this daily so now I am getting more accustomed to taking cold showers. Have you ever gotten stuck in the shower where the water went cold…horrible right? I am proud to say that this is something I have been getting used to and today for the first time I stood under a stream of cold water and could tolerate it which is awesome since before I had been putting one limb at a time to minimize those weird body spasms due to cold water. I’m definitely taking this as a small victory.

Cold Play
My host brother Fernando has been trying to learn to play “Yellow” by Coldplay on guitar and that has been pretty cool. Never played a guitar in his life and he is determined to play for his classmates for a little talent show. He is making progress everyday and is really into it…unfortunately I’ll be at my field based training while the show will be going on. It is nice to hear Yellow about 20 times every night.

Soccer
I weigh about 149 pounds now; I came to Guatemala at 160. It’s kind of sad since it’s close to what I weighed in high school, but I eat plenty everyday but sometimes the food is not as enjoyable as I would like. I think the weight loss is due to being more active, the Sta. Catarina and San Antonio groups have started playing soccer weekly which is a lot of fun. This past Sunday we played 3 on 3 against some local guys and got our asses handed to us…but it was a lot of fun especially since we had some sweet goals ourselves. I look forward to getting better and playing as much as possible.

Training
This part could go on and on, but I’m just going to paraphrase and say training is frustrating, we are treated like children, the people we are supposed to be working with don’t take things seriously, language training is tough and there is always increasing pressure to be like other impressive volunteers. Sometimes I feel like what the hell am I doing here or this isn’t what I thought Peace Corps would be like. In moments like these it’s nice to be surrounded by so many other awesome volunteers who really get me through these frustrating times, they also help me see the beautiful everyday things that are here in country which reinforce my reasons for being here. 

Evangelical
I really have never hated on a religion but goddamn, the Evangelical church down my street is driving me fucking insane. The music is deafening, the instruments have never been tuned, people are chanting and this is followed by 30 minutes of sobbing. I just don’t understand it.

Field Based Training
Tomorrow I will be heading off the map for a week of training around the country with my buddies in the tourism group. This is going to be awesome since we get to road trip to 3 different places, see some beautiful scenery, do some incredible work and go zip lining! I’m super stoked and should have an interesting blog to write when I get back in addition to some awesome pictures. I’ll have my phone so if anyone needs to get a hold of me, feel free to call me in the evenings.

So i couldn´t put this blog up before i left for training...oops. But i´m back and should be posting another blog shortly! Adios