I AM BACK IN THE USA (arrived late last night)!
While I haven't made it back to Cincinnati yet, I have spent a great day in Dayton, hanging out at my sister's new house, having lunch with Mark (got salad for the first time in two months!) and getting my hair test drug screen for my new job which starts in TWO WEEKS!
It feels great to be back although it was hard to leave yesterday. But, Kevin and Franz called me today from Guatemala (gracias por the phone call, guys!) and they seem to be doing well and I wasn't too sad I wasn't with them.
Weirdest adjustment back to the USA: flushing the toilet. I think I flushed the toilet about ten times all summer so I have caught myself getting up and washing my hands before I even flush. Along with that, I am having trouble adjusting to putting the toilet paper in the toilet and not in a trash can. Haha!
My plans for the next two weeks before I start my job include my sister's med school white coat ceremony, Sandra's wedding, Cedar Point, and hopefully lots of dinners with friends.
Then at the beginning of the month my job begins (first week on the job in Dayton, haha) and then my sister and mom are graciously helping me with my big move later that week. Should be exciting!
This is my last ETHOS post. Just wanted to thank all of you who have read and commented on my blog. I can't even write how grateful I was to have a fan club this summer. I am glad I was able to share my experiences with you and you were interested enough to read about them! I know they sometimes got long but I appreciate the persistence! I wasn't writing to a wall! It inspired me to maybe do another blog at some point. Take care everyone and God Bless!
Love,
Laura Betty :)
Monday, July 19, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
whoops
sorry if it seemed like I was complaining in my below post, but I just wanted to explain to people what the weather is like because I think there is the common perception that I'm in Central America in the summer time-it must be hot! miss you guys and thank you for reading!
loooove/amor,
lowraaa :)
loooove/amor,
lowraaa :)
Rain and Spain and Foto!
Hola todos,
This post isn't necessarily an update on my day or anything, but considering the fact that it is pouring here and Spain won yesterday, I have a few things to say.
I don't know how many of you realize the weather patterns that I have here in Guate. Here's a typical overview: I go to bed under my three sleeping bags wearing my boxers (because I didn't pack any sweatpants), long soccer socks I bought at the market (because I didn't pack any sweatpants), my one long sleeve t-shirt (if its not dirty from work) and I usually hug my one sweatshirt unless its really cold and I wear it. So its coldest at night and we live in a cement box. In the morning, I usually put on whatever I'm going to wear that day plus my sweatshirt to wear to breakfast and ward off the morning dew and chill. Then once or twice a week it gets warm until about 2 pm. Like warm where I'm putting on sunscreen. Maybe once a week it gets REALLY COLD where my nose sniffles and I wish I had two sweatshirts. Then come 2 pm, we get our afternoon rain. We are excited when it doesn't rain because then my warm close don't get wet, however no rain one day means double rain the next day. I just wanted to describe this to people so that when I come back, nearly as pale as May, you aren't shocked with "LAURA, WHY ARE YOU SO PALE?" You also might see me bundling up in sweatpants although I know its very very hot in Ohio, but I really miss my sweatpants, haha.
Currently ,I'm reading Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods" and he comments on rain. This might be a little more extreme than my conditions, but not much:
"Rain spoils everything. There is no pleasure in walking in waterproofs. There is something deeply dispiritng abotu the stiff rustle of nylon and the endless, curiously amplified patter of rain on synthetic material. Worst of all, you don't even stay dry; the waterproofs keep out the rain but make you sweat so much that soon you are clammily sodden."
I heard Wisconsin is having great summer weather, too. Let's hope I don't bring the wet spell in August!!!
So, last weekend in Xela I bought my first ever sports jersey-Espana! Franz wanted Germany, Kevin wants Holland, and I want Spain to win the Copa Mundial. Before the semi-final games were played we decided to make a bet for the winner of the tournament! I have a 50-50 chance of winning! Take that men! Winner gets to buy at the market something ridiculous/embarassing/funny that the losers have to wear to my Despedida (goodbye lunch) on Monday. Losers also buy the winner something goofy from the market, but they don't have to wear it out anywhere. GOOOO ESPANA!
Above, is a picture of me and my host family the morning we went to Xocomil water park (from left to right...Dona Hilda, Georgina, Armando, Ariel, Iwrin). To the left behind us is the town cemetery-very colorful. And directly behind us is downtown Comitancillo. I will try and also attach a picture of downtown which will be above the family picture. Thank you for reading! Lluvia es igual a felicidad, Lowra
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
"Laura's Move-Out" Plans
Hi all!
So we FINALLY finished our Water Deposit project today and it feels great and I feel really accomplished. Yes we were supposed to finish last Friday however one of our men we work with was sick so our progress was slower. Anyways I will finish the week with repairing the biodigester, watching Spain win tomorrow (I bought my first ever jersey so they are my team. Franz wants Germany and Quebin wants Holand and we have a bet going for the winner hehe), visiting the families who are receiving stoves from AMMID, and visiting the town with Franz where he is doing the water filter work-I think the woman we work with doesn't speak English so hopefully I can help translate what Franz doesn't understand.
A week from today I leave Comitancillo thus beginning "Laura's Move-Out". This takes a few days because we have to go back to Guatemala City, which is a far trip-8ish hours/3 bus rides. We are breaking it up to see a bit more of the country because we haven't really gone elsewhere besides Xela and Comitancillo. So we are stopping for two days at Lake Atitlan (supposed to be gorgeous, might go Ziplining and Kayaking at sunrise), one day at Antigua (have been here before and its very touristy but rustic), and spending one day visiting with the Estrada family of 13 again. I am so excited for all of it! Kevin might show Erick Estrada the solar cooker plans that he has that Erick was interested in seeing for implementation at his medical clinic or nearby towns (near Pacaya actually). Possible future ETHOS worksite? Quizas! Then the boys are returning to Comitancillo to work for two more weeks. I'm really lucky that I don't have to make the trip back to Guatemala City alone!
Exciting thing for Sunday. Well, its the World Cup finals but I am also cooking the Ebetino spaghetti sauce for my host family and Comitancillo friends (dinner fiesta of 12!). I have been craving the sauce (I can taste it en mi boca ahorita) but also love making it and love hosting dinner parties so this will be a great time and a great way to say goodbye to all of my friends and family in Comitancillo.
Albondigas es mi favorita frase en espanol y las de mi mama son mis favoritas,
Lowra Betty :)
So we FINALLY finished our Water Deposit project today and it feels great and I feel really accomplished. Yes we were supposed to finish last Friday however one of our men we work with was sick so our progress was slower. Anyways I will finish the week with repairing the biodigester, watching Spain win tomorrow (I bought my first ever jersey so they are my team. Franz wants Germany and Quebin wants Holand and we have a bet going for the winner hehe), visiting the families who are receiving stoves from AMMID, and visiting the town with Franz where he is doing the water filter work-I think the woman we work with doesn't speak English so hopefully I can help translate what Franz doesn't understand.
A week from today I leave Comitancillo thus beginning "Laura's Move-Out". This takes a few days because we have to go back to Guatemala City, which is a far trip-8ish hours/3 bus rides. We are breaking it up to see a bit more of the country because we haven't really gone elsewhere besides Xela and Comitancillo. So we are stopping for two days at Lake Atitlan (supposed to be gorgeous, might go Ziplining and Kayaking at sunrise), one day at Antigua (have been here before and its very touristy but rustic), and spending one day visiting with the Estrada family of 13 again. I am so excited for all of it! Kevin might show Erick Estrada the solar cooker plans that he has that Erick was interested in seeing for implementation at his medical clinic or nearby towns (near Pacaya actually). Possible future ETHOS worksite? Quizas! Then the boys are returning to Comitancillo to work for two more weeks. I'm really lucky that I don't have to make the trip back to Guatemala City alone!
Exciting thing for Sunday. Well, its the World Cup finals but I am also cooking the Ebetino spaghetti sauce for my host family and Comitancillo friends (dinner fiesta of 12!). I have been craving the sauce (I can taste it en mi boca ahorita) but also love making it and love hosting dinner parties so this will be a great time and a great way to say goodbye to all of my friends and family in Comitancillo.
Albondigas es mi favorita frase en espanol y las de mi mama son mis favoritas,
Lowra Betty :)
Thursday, July 1, 2010
work updates!
so we didnt work yesterday because of RAIN and we arent working today because we have to go to the monthly AMMID-update-us-on-what-youve-done-all-month meeting, but we are going to La Reforma tomorrow to finish the water deposits, before heading to Xela for the weekend to celebrate the FoJ (4th). Anyways, we didn't have plans for what to work on next week, my LAST week of work. But at the meeting we talked about it and heres the plan:
We are going to spend 2 days going around the different towns of Comi to determine who needs new stoves. Certain towns have already been picked so we are going to now select the families that get to receive a new stove. AMMID only has funding for so many. Criteria: (1) They need a kitchen and (2) They either don't have a stove or it is terribly old and run down. I will enjoy this because I will get to see different communities of Comitancillo and also work with someone from AMMID, who we haven't had HUGE interactions with this summer.
Also, they are selling or giving away produce all next week (not quite sure how this works yet) but they need help working at the table. I think this will be great because we will be able to interact with the locals and stay in downtown Comitancillo to interact with those people. This will probably help me improve my Spanish!
Comment on my Spanish: I think I have improved this summer, and I think mostly my improvement has come in my pronunciation of words (rolling my r's, etc.) AND PRONUNCIATION IS SOMETHING I HAVE ALWAYS STRUGGLED WITH! yay I sound more Spanish-speaking!
Final note: TODAY IS CANADA DAY. HAPPY CANADA DAY! There are two Canadian voluteers here who are our friends (volunteer for Cause Canada) and they gave us tatoos to wear. I have the glittery maple leaf on my cheek and the boys have the flag on their wrists. We are going to a yummy restaurant tonight for milk shakes and to celebrate Canada!
Today I'm wearing very fun earrings and its the girliest I've felt all summer, haha,
Lowra :)
We are going to spend 2 days going around the different towns of Comi to determine who needs new stoves. Certain towns have already been picked so we are going to now select the families that get to receive a new stove. AMMID only has funding for so many. Criteria: (1) They need a kitchen and (2) They either don't have a stove or it is terribly old and run down. I will enjoy this because I will get to see different communities of Comitancillo and also work with someone from AMMID, who we haven't had HUGE interactions with this summer.
Also, they are selling or giving away produce all next week (not quite sure how this works yet) but they need help working at the table. I think this will be great because we will be able to interact with the locals and stay in downtown Comitancillo to interact with those people. This will probably help me improve my Spanish!
Comment on my Spanish: I think I have improved this summer, and I think mostly my improvement has come in my pronunciation of words (rolling my r's, etc.) AND PRONUNCIATION IS SOMETHING I HAVE ALWAYS STRUGGLED WITH! yay I sound more Spanish-speaking!
Final note: TODAY IS CANADA DAY. HAPPY CANADA DAY! There are two Canadian voluteers here who are our friends (volunteer for Cause Canada) and they gave us tatoos to wear. I have the glittery maple leaf on my cheek and the boys have the flag on their wrists. We are going to a yummy restaurant tonight for milk shakes and to celebrate Canada!
Today I'm wearing very fun earrings and its the girliest I've felt all summer, haha,
Lowra :)
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Corn (bad), Sand (hysterical and embarassing)
So this is my last week working on the water deposits. Today we finished deposit number 9 (as Franz put it, weve finished 9 holes haha) and we will start 10 tomorrow and finish on Thursday.
Monday when we went to the new location for our 9th water deposit, Franz noticed that the whole farms supply of growing corn had collapsed and fell to the ground. We asked about this and from the bad winds and rain we had Sunday night, this knocked the crop down, destroying the entire years supply of corn. This fact hit us all kind of hard. After being in Comitancillo for five weeks, we have picked up on the fact that we eat corn tortillas every single meal. How will they go a year without their biggest crop? This corn they grow wasn´t even to sell it was just a supply for their own consumption, a family of 11. They explained that they would have to buy their corn in the market for a whole year, and the market is down where I live. Daily it takes us an hour and a half (walking and bus) just to get to La Reforma for these water deposits, so this is a ton of travel time weekly that the family will have to go just to get their corn. Additionally, they told us that they didnt have the money to buy this corn. I was really devastated and its just awful how something like ONE storm can ruin the whole years supply of corn. Isnt there a way to prevent this?
We talked to our Peace Corps friend Barbara about this at dinner Monday night just to see if this was something she knew much about. Why are all these families losing their YEARs supply of corn and couldnt they try and regrow their crops or find a closer market? We really wanted to talk to Barbara because she volunteers for AMMID who the men who lost their crops asked us to talk to about this problem. Apparently AMMID doesnt believe that wind has ruined peoples crops so they are less likely to support these farmers (this is according to the men we work with who lost their crop). Its a really tough situation and Barbara explained that there is only so much that AMMID can do to support all these towns of Comitancillo. She also doesnt really know how much of an effect this will have on the families economically, and its a tough judgement to determine how much support to give. She said that ultimately, people find a way to eat, but its still a really sad concept.
I could talk about this longer but dont want to make this too long of a post.
Anyways, on a lighter note, all day Monday I was jokingly being called Weak Laura and Laurs Makes Bad Ganchos (essentially nails made of tree twigs). So, I wanted to redeem myself by helping to get a wheelbarrow full of sand. This sand came from the top of the hill, and you had to wobble the wheelbarrow down a curvy downslope as well as through much mud and pig poop and other droppings before reaching our work site. I wish I could upload the picture to show you how ridiculously muddy and poopy it is by our worksite. They have a pig pen that houses one big oinky pig and the pen has grating at the bottom so that all poop and food doesnt stay in the pen. Well, this pen is uphill of the path we walk to get to the worksite. TRANSLATION: All the pig droppings fall into our path. Okay, so Franz was encouragingly (is that a word?) coaching me down the slope into the mud. As I hear him say: "just keep moving, its better to not stop" I get half way through the mud and one side of the wheelbarrow instantly sinks into the mud, dumping all of my sand into the mud. I was embarassed especially because I wanted to redeem myself! But it was so funny because it might have happened to anyone!
Hope everyones having a great week! Today is our 5 week anniversary in Guatemala!
To smelly pig poop,
Lowra
Monday when we went to the new location for our 9th water deposit, Franz noticed that the whole farms supply of growing corn had collapsed and fell to the ground. We asked about this and from the bad winds and rain we had Sunday night, this knocked the crop down, destroying the entire years supply of corn. This fact hit us all kind of hard. After being in Comitancillo for five weeks, we have picked up on the fact that we eat corn tortillas every single meal. How will they go a year without their biggest crop? This corn they grow wasn´t even to sell it was just a supply for their own consumption, a family of 11. They explained that they would have to buy their corn in the market for a whole year, and the market is down where I live. Daily it takes us an hour and a half (walking and bus) just to get to La Reforma for these water deposits, so this is a ton of travel time weekly that the family will have to go just to get their corn. Additionally, they told us that they didnt have the money to buy this corn. I was really devastated and its just awful how something like ONE storm can ruin the whole years supply of corn. Isnt there a way to prevent this?
We talked to our Peace Corps friend Barbara about this at dinner Monday night just to see if this was something she knew much about. Why are all these families losing their YEARs supply of corn and couldnt they try and regrow their crops or find a closer market? We really wanted to talk to Barbara because she volunteers for AMMID who the men who lost their crops asked us to talk to about this problem. Apparently AMMID doesnt believe that wind has ruined peoples crops so they are less likely to support these farmers (this is according to the men we work with who lost their crop). Its a really tough situation and Barbara explained that there is only so much that AMMID can do to support all these towns of Comitancillo. She also doesnt really know how much of an effect this will have on the families economically, and its a tough judgement to determine how much support to give. She said that ultimately, people find a way to eat, but its still a really sad concept.
I could talk about this longer but dont want to make this too long of a post.
Anyways, on a lighter note, all day Monday I was jokingly being called Weak Laura and Laurs Makes Bad Ganchos (essentially nails made of tree twigs). So, I wanted to redeem myself by helping to get a wheelbarrow full of sand. This sand came from the top of the hill, and you had to wobble the wheelbarrow down a curvy downslope as well as through much mud and pig poop and other droppings before reaching our work site. I wish I could upload the picture to show you how ridiculously muddy and poopy it is by our worksite. They have a pig pen that houses one big oinky pig and the pen has grating at the bottom so that all poop and food doesnt stay in the pen. Well, this pen is uphill of the path we walk to get to the worksite. TRANSLATION: All the pig droppings fall into our path. Okay, so Franz was encouragingly (is that a word?) coaching me down the slope into the mud. As I hear him say: "just keep moving, its better to not stop" I get half way through the mud and one side of the wheelbarrow instantly sinks into the mud, dumping all of my sand into the mud. I was embarassed especially because I wanted to redeem myself! But it was so funny because it might have happened to anyone!
Hope everyones having a great week! Today is our 5 week anniversary in Guatemala!
To smelly pig poop,
Lowra
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Triste Day for the US of A
just came from a comedor (little restaurant) where we watched the USA lose to Ghana. Man, it was really sad and I dont know who Im going to root for anymore. I had a lot of fun cheering for the USA and the boys definitely got me pumped. Funny thing about today is that I think we are officially coined the Crazy Gringos from our intensity at the game. At one point, I was on the floor after we almost scored a goal.
Wanted to also comment on Thursday night because it was so special. We had a special dinner for San Juan la Baptista of Chuchitos and Sevne Camisas. What was most special, though, was that our family ate with us. Usually, they serve us our meals and they eat by the stove. But, tonight I asked if they wanted to eat with us. So, we pulled out the table and fit 6 people around it. We were one happy family! I will always remember that!!
I also want to shout out to my brother, Frank. Happy 21st Birthday, Franco! I love you and miss you!
Looking forward to finishing the water deposit project this week! Every day we have a 45 minute walk up hill to get to the site, so it will be a nice change of pace when we don´t have to do that anymore.
Miss everyone, email me with life updates if you want!
Also, Ghana faked too many of their injuries, even I knew it!
Besitos son mis favoritos,
Lowra
Wanted to also comment on Thursday night because it was so special. We had a special dinner for San Juan la Baptista of Chuchitos and Sevne Camisas. What was most special, though, was that our family ate with us. Usually, they serve us our meals and they eat by the stove. But, tonight I asked if they wanted to eat with us. So, we pulled out the table and fit 6 people around it. We were one happy family! I will always remember that!!
I also want to shout out to my brother, Frank. Happy 21st Birthday, Franco! I love you and miss you!
Looking forward to finishing the water deposit project this week! Every day we have a 45 minute walk up hill to get to the site, so it will be a nice change of pace when we don´t have to do that anymore.
Miss everyone, email me with life updates if you want!
Also, Ghana faked too many of their injuries, even I knew it!
Besitos son mis favoritos,
Lowra
Thursday, June 24, 2010
GOOOOL !!!
Los Estados Unidos continua al segundo parte de La Copa Mundial! What a game and I hope that if you haven´t watched it you have at least seen replays of the amazing goal we had! Guys, I am turning into a Futbol nut and I think I will come back more changed by the World Cup than by ETHOS, jaja. The boys have me hooked and they are teaching me a lot about everything too. Carlos Bocanegra might be my favorite player for USA, yes, mostly because his name is Bocanegra (black mouth).
Today we finished water deposit 8 of 10. We only have two more left so we should be able to finish them by next week! We finished earlier today and the men invited us to play soccer, I mean futbol, with them and that was a lot of fun.
Today is El Dia De San Juan here, the patron Saint of Los Bujes (where Im living). Dona Hilda is making us Chuchitos (tamales stuffed with meat) and 7 Camisetas (I think thats the name, they are bean-stuffed tamalitos). Apparently that is the food you traditionally eat to celebrate San Juan.
Short blog for once. Gracias por reading it!
When I get older I will be stronger I will be freer just like a waving flag,
Lowra :)
Today we finished water deposit 8 of 10. We only have two more left so we should be able to finish them by next week! We finished earlier today and the men invited us to play soccer, I mean futbol, with them and that was a lot of fun.
Today is El Dia De San Juan here, the patron Saint of Los Bujes (where Im living). Dona Hilda is making us Chuchitos (tamales stuffed with meat) and 7 Camisetas (I think thats the name, they are bean-stuffed tamalitos). Apparently that is the food you traditionally eat to celebrate San Juan.
Short blog for once. Gracias por reading it!
When I get older I will be stronger I will be freer just like a waving flag,
Lowra :)
Monday, June 21, 2010
"Lowra se cayo en los abrazos de un hombre" (sorry Mark)
Dona Hilda said while laughing that "I fell into the arms of a man". Dont worry, I didnt fall in love down here but I literally fell into a Guatemalans arms when we were on the bus on Saturday. We were headed to the waterpark and on one of the buses our driver was nuts. The roads are bumpy and curvy anyways, but he was busting out his moves to get us to Xela faster. I lost a handle on my seat during one intense curve, and flew over into another seat onto a Guatemalan. While doing this, I also pulled the hair of the girl sleeping in front of me. I was so embarassed but I was really just good entertainment for everyone around me: STUPID GRINGA.
The waterpark was so so so enjoyable. We spent the whole day with our host family which was so special. The water park is just like any other waterpark, but I rode about half of the rides with my host mother. And, how fun she was! She was scared and nervous but giggled the whole time and it was so cute. She was partially laughing at me screaming my head off, and partially at how fun the ride was.
Today has been a crazy day in Comi. I got up to a not-feeling-so-hot Franz and Kevin so I started to head to La Reforma on my own. But then I got a call from Charlie who was going to go with me, and he was delayed because of AMMID complications. So we didnt end up setting out for the buses until around 9:30, waited an hour, no buses, so we returned to La Granja to help fix things around the farm. No water deposits today, but hopefully I can help the rest of the week.
Today at the farm, I used my Chemical Engineering degree to dig up poop in our latrine so that we could move the toilet from one side to the other. The way the bathroom works is that while you are utilizing one side, you are letting the other side age into good yummy fertilizer. Dona Hilda insisted on digging instead of me because she didnt want me to get another throat infection, ewww.
So, while I watched her play with the poop, Charlie taught Kevin and I how to sharpen machetes and hoes, which apparently he was trained about from Peace Corps. What an excellent life skill I now can put on my resume. We also wanted to fix our broken shower door, which is outside, so that you couldn´t see naked pale Gringos up at the top of the hill, and apparently Dona Hilda has plans for that, so soon we should get some privacy, haha.
We have also talked to her about fixing the biodigester in her kitchen. She has to spend a lot of money on propane tanks, so if we can get the biodigester working again she can save some money to power her stove. I forget if I mentioned this already or not but a drunk driver ran into their house in December, thus breaking the bag of the biodigester. Hopefully we can just patch up the holes.
SAD NEWS: I dropped out of school this afternoon. I feel like I just went through a breakup. It was pretty sad and kinda awkward to explain to them that I cannot take classes anymore, but the classes cut into our day and we were not able to complete as much work as we had hoped if we try and make it back in time for school. Since ETHOS is our priority, we have to prioritize. I guess theres a reason that I have a diploma. NO MORE SCHOOL.
FINAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE DAY: Tonight is the Seniorita Los Bujes pageant. Los Bujes is the town of Comi that I live in and this week is a semi-festival for the town. They are kicking off the week with the pageant and I think Georgina is entering. Im excited! We also joked at lunch that I should put on the Mayan traje and enter into the contest as well. I mean, I represent the town well, right? Seniorita Los Bujes Laura?
Porque toda chica es una princesa,
Lowra
The waterpark was so so so enjoyable. We spent the whole day with our host family which was so special. The water park is just like any other waterpark, but I rode about half of the rides with my host mother. And, how fun she was! She was scared and nervous but giggled the whole time and it was so cute. She was partially laughing at me screaming my head off, and partially at how fun the ride was.
Today has been a crazy day in Comi. I got up to a not-feeling-so-hot Franz and Kevin so I started to head to La Reforma on my own. But then I got a call from Charlie who was going to go with me, and he was delayed because of AMMID complications. So we didnt end up setting out for the buses until around 9:30, waited an hour, no buses, so we returned to La Granja to help fix things around the farm. No water deposits today, but hopefully I can help the rest of the week.
Today at the farm, I used my Chemical Engineering degree to dig up poop in our latrine so that we could move the toilet from one side to the other. The way the bathroom works is that while you are utilizing one side, you are letting the other side age into good yummy fertilizer. Dona Hilda insisted on digging instead of me because she didnt want me to get another throat infection, ewww.
So, while I watched her play with the poop, Charlie taught Kevin and I how to sharpen machetes and hoes, which apparently he was trained about from Peace Corps. What an excellent life skill I now can put on my resume. We also wanted to fix our broken shower door, which is outside, so that you couldn´t see naked pale Gringos up at the top of the hill, and apparently Dona Hilda has plans for that, so soon we should get some privacy, haha.
We have also talked to her about fixing the biodigester in her kitchen. She has to spend a lot of money on propane tanks, so if we can get the biodigester working again she can save some money to power her stove. I forget if I mentioned this already or not but a drunk driver ran into their house in December, thus breaking the bag of the biodigester. Hopefully we can just patch up the holes.
SAD NEWS: I dropped out of school this afternoon. I feel like I just went through a breakup. It was pretty sad and kinda awkward to explain to them that I cannot take classes anymore, but the classes cut into our day and we were not able to complete as much work as we had hoped if we try and make it back in time for school. Since ETHOS is our priority, we have to prioritize. I guess theres a reason that I have a diploma. NO MORE SCHOOL.
FINAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE DAY: Tonight is the Seniorita Los Bujes pageant. Los Bujes is the town of Comi that I live in and this week is a semi-festival for the town. They are kicking off the week with the pageant and I think Georgina is entering. Im excited! We also joked at lunch that I should put on the Mayan traje and enter into the contest as well. I mean, I represent the town well, right? Seniorita Los Bujes Laura?
Porque toda chica es una princesa,
Lowra
Friday, June 18, 2010
¡Feliz dia del Padre!
HAPPY FATHER´S DAY!!! I just wanted to take a moment to say how lucky I am to have my father and grandfather. You two have been so supportive of me and all my crazy endeavors, and thank you for always having confidence in me and giving me so much love.
Would anyone else like to comment on how grateful they are for their fathers?
Last night, we went to a Despidida, which is a goodbye party. There was a dentist in town volunteering at a dental clinic and he was leaving. I hadn´t met him yet but we still got invited to the dinner and it was very nice. I had a chocolate (basically melted chocolate in a glass-delicious) and a tostada and an emparrillasa or something like that. It was kinda like an enchilada but stuffed with ham and crumbled chicken. They also had a gorgeous fruit cake, that was so scrumptious and succulent. Usually cakes here are dry but this one was not. Anyways, before anyone ate, there were a few speeches to Shane the dentist about how grateful everyone was for their service. It was very nice. Then the organizer of the group said that we were also there to celebrate something else. Nobody really knew what to expect. Then, almost everyone at the table (about 8 people) went around and talked about Father´s Day since June 17th is always Father´s Day here. They recognized that barely anyone at the table was a Father, but they all talked about how grateful they are for their fathers-haha. It was very nice, and what I said above about my dad and grandpa is very true, but people down here are so funny about their toasts. Everyone repeats themselves and one another, and its really great to recognize how much our fathers mean to us, but it could be done in fewer sentences, haha. It´s kind of like how they pray down here before meals. I think it is important to be greatful for all of your blessings, but when you sit down for a meal I don´t think it is necessary to recognize all of them and pray for every person that needs prayers. Haha, I just get a kick out of how many words people use here to express something that doesn´t need to be as complex.
That was my observation for the day...
Anyways, I had a really great week since returning from Xela. I started to feel better Sunday night, and now I feel 143% like myself, even better than I have felt in a while. My voice is back and I just feel really good. ¡Gracias a Dios! We had hard days of work this week, accomplishing a lot with the water deposits. We have completed 5 and are half way done with a 6th, and need to finish 10 in total. So, hopefully in the next week (probably 2) we will have completed that project and moved onto our water filter projects. I love the local men we work with (they help AMMID) and they LOVE saying my name. Literally, every time they say something to me, they either start or end the sentence with LOWRA. And sometimes they just say LOWRA LOWRA LOWRA. Its so funny and the guys have even picked up on how frequently it happens. I don´t mind it because I love how native speakers say my name!
Franz met with a potter for our colloidal silver filters and she seems very promising. That will be a project that will advance slower, but they need to take their time with it so that no more pots are broken. Once the deposit project is done, I think we will also help AMMID with the other water filter project (this involves coal, etc, to filter out the water-a different technique than the colloidal silver project because this water will be filtered so that it can be reused, ie. if the water is soapy and used to clean dishes, it will then be sent through the filters and used to water plants or something of that sort).
The weather in Comitancillo has been VERY cold and part of this is because we have been working at higher altitudes and they suspect that we might be feeling the effects of another tropical storm-its rained sorta a lot. Yesterday, we were the coldest, but we were literally working IN A CLOUD, so it was fascinating and we avoided the rain since we were essentially above the rain.
Another cool thing, last night some of the gringos and I had a movie night. We had a lot of fun and hopefully we do it again! We watched Shutter Island. That´s right people, I watched a scary movie! I did pretty well with it although I kinda had weird dreams last night. Its more of the creepy mess-with-your-head movie than the jump out scary movie, but don´t worry I still screamed (only a little though) at jump out parts.
On our agenda for this weekend: Tonight I am helping my host mother cook. Yay, I´m excited and its cool that she asked me to help since I have helped before and she knows I like to cook. We are making lunch for tomorrow. Tomorrow we are going to Xocomil, which is a water park in Guatemala. We are taking our host family and some of the gringo volunteers are coming, too. I am so excited and am hopeful that the weather warms up for us. Kevin took our family last year when he was here, and he said they had a blast, so I just can´t wait to go tomorrow and spend time with them. Giorgina has been giddy about it all week! Finally, we will probably stay the night in Xela tomorrow night. The water park is close to Xela and so it would be a lot of traveling in one day, and this way we can do laundry and get more cash (Comitancillo doesn´t have an ATM where you can use foreign ATM cards)and come back sometime Sunday.
¡Gracias por leer este blog!
Bad call refs, USA should have won,
Lowra
Would anyone else like to comment on how grateful they are for their fathers?
Last night, we went to a Despidida, which is a goodbye party. There was a dentist in town volunteering at a dental clinic and he was leaving. I hadn´t met him yet but we still got invited to the dinner and it was very nice. I had a chocolate (basically melted chocolate in a glass-delicious) and a tostada and an emparrillasa or something like that. It was kinda like an enchilada but stuffed with ham and crumbled chicken. They also had a gorgeous fruit cake, that was so scrumptious and succulent. Usually cakes here are dry but this one was not. Anyways, before anyone ate, there were a few speeches to Shane the dentist about how grateful everyone was for their service. It was very nice. Then the organizer of the group said that we were also there to celebrate something else. Nobody really knew what to expect. Then, almost everyone at the table (about 8 people) went around and talked about Father´s Day since June 17th is always Father´s Day here. They recognized that barely anyone at the table was a Father, but they all talked about how grateful they are for their fathers-haha. It was very nice, and what I said above about my dad and grandpa is very true, but people down here are so funny about their toasts. Everyone repeats themselves and one another, and its really great to recognize how much our fathers mean to us, but it could be done in fewer sentences, haha. It´s kind of like how they pray down here before meals. I think it is important to be greatful for all of your blessings, but when you sit down for a meal I don´t think it is necessary to recognize all of them and pray for every person that needs prayers. Haha, I just get a kick out of how many words people use here to express something that doesn´t need to be as complex.
That was my observation for the day...
Anyways, I had a really great week since returning from Xela. I started to feel better Sunday night, and now I feel 143% like myself, even better than I have felt in a while. My voice is back and I just feel really good. ¡Gracias a Dios! We had hard days of work this week, accomplishing a lot with the water deposits. We have completed 5 and are half way done with a 6th, and need to finish 10 in total. So, hopefully in the next week (probably 2) we will have completed that project and moved onto our water filter projects. I love the local men we work with (they help AMMID) and they LOVE saying my name. Literally, every time they say something to me, they either start or end the sentence with LOWRA. And sometimes they just say LOWRA LOWRA LOWRA. Its so funny and the guys have even picked up on how frequently it happens. I don´t mind it because I love how native speakers say my name!
Franz met with a potter for our colloidal silver filters and she seems very promising. That will be a project that will advance slower, but they need to take their time with it so that no more pots are broken. Once the deposit project is done, I think we will also help AMMID with the other water filter project (this involves coal, etc, to filter out the water-a different technique than the colloidal silver project because this water will be filtered so that it can be reused, ie. if the water is soapy and used to clean dishes, it will then be sent through the filters and used to water plants or something of that sort).
The weather in Comitancillo has been VERY cold and part of this is because we have been working at higher altitudes and they suspect that we might be feeling the effects of another tropical storm-its rained sorta a lot. Yesterday, we were the coldest, but we were literally working IN A CLOUD, so it was fascinating and we avoided the rain since we were essentially above the rain.
Another cool thing, last night some of the gringos and I had a movie night. We had a lot of fun and hopefully we do it again! We watched Shutter Island. That´s right people, I watched a scary movie! I did pretty well with it although I kinda had weird dreams last night. Its more of the creepy mess-with-your-head movie than the jump out scary movie, but don´t worry I still screamed (only a little though) at jump out parts.
On our agenda for this weekend: Tonight I am helping my host mother cook. Yay, I´m excited and its cool that she asked me to help since I have helped before and she knows I like to cook. We are making lunch for tomorrow. Tomorrow we are going to Xocomil, which is a water park in Guatemala. We are taking our host family and some of the gringo volunteers are coming, too. I am so excited and am hopeful that the weather warms up for us. Kevin took our family last year when he was here, and he said they had a blast, so I just can´t wait to go tomorrow and spend time with them. Giorgina has been giddy about it all week! Finally, we will probably stay the night in Xela tomorrow night. The water park is close to Xela and so it would be a lot of traveling in one day, and this way we can do laundry and get more cash (Comitancillo doesn´t have an ATM where you can use foreign ATM cards)and come back sometime Sunday.
¡Gracias por leer este blog!
Bad call refs, USA should have won,
Lowra
Monday, June 14, 2010
Sometimes, it only takes two weeks to fall in love!
Made it back from a great weekend in Xela...AND I FEEL HEALTHY AND GREAT! Gracias a Dios! The weekend consisted of a lot of gringos and a lot of Flyers. It was so great to see peoople of my UD blood and the other gringos I met were very friendly, and I think Xela is a very cool, fancy city, but, man, is it good to be home!
I realized last night as I was riding my second bus of the day, from San Marcos to Comitancillo, and as I listened to the fantastic polka-like music that is played in this region, that I have fallen in love with Comi. This is no agape, I don´t think I want this forever, but it is so perfect for me right now and I feel very blessed. As I said, Xela was great, but I spent the whole weekend eating whatever I wanted and barely speaking any Spanish. French fries weren´t exciting anymore. And I missed speaking Spanish! And it was weird for me to shower two days in a row! I have definitely fallen in love with my host family. I thought about them a lot this weekend, like how Georgina has learned some English phrases that she says so funny like, I LOVE YOU BABY and OH MY GOD. And when we got off our bus, we had our long walk up our big hill with all of our bags. But I didnt care that I was tired, still a little sick, and carrying a lot, I WAS HOME! And then when we got back to La Granja only to find that the electricity was out, and for a long time. But it was so good to be home-I didnt need lights.
I also want to write a little bit about how I have been blessed with great friends down here. This weekend in Xela, I was surrounded by people who I call friends, and it is just neat that I can develop relationships even abroad. I was in Comi for 4 days and I was having one friend throw me a birthday party, one friend making me a birthday cake, and 5 others attending my party! And then, several friends called me when I was sick, and continued to ask me daily how I was feeling. And meanwhile, Kevin and Franz supported me the whole way. I had been snoring Hal Ebetino style every night that I was in Xela as a result of my throat infection. Snoring so badly that the boys rejoiced when I got up to pee during the night, as they had a few minutes to try and fall asleep. The boys were not sleeping and I had no idea at all. I didnt find out until my 4th day in Xela. So the boys were sleep deprived and I was having the best sleep of my Guatemala career. But they sacrificed their sleep because they just wanted me to feel better. Man, I am very lucky.
Im ok with an empate, lets go USA!
-Lowra
I realized last night as I was riding my second bus of the day, from San Marcos to Comitancillo, and as I listened to the fantastic polka-like music that is played in this region, that I have fallen in love with Comi. This is no agape, I don´t think I want this forever, but it is so perfect for me right now and I feel very blessed. As I said, Xela was great, but I spent the whole weekend eating whatever I wanted and barely speaking any Spanish. French fries weren´t exciting anymore. And I missed speaking Spanish! And it was weird for me to shower two days in a row! I have definitely fallen in love with my host family. I thought about them a lot this weekend, like how Georgina has learned some English phrases that she says so funny like, I LOVE YOU BABY and OH MY GOD. And when we got off our bus, we had our long walk up our big hill with all of our bags. But I didnt care that I was tired, still a little sick, and carrying a lot, I WAS HOME! And then when we got back to La Granja only to find that the electricity was out, and for a long time. But it was so good to be home-I didnt need lights.
I also want to write a little bit about how I have been blessed with great friends down here. This weekend in Xela, I was surrounded by people who I call friends, and it is just neat that I can develop relationships even abroad. I was in Comi for 4 days and I was having one friend throw me a birthday party, one friend making me a birthday cake, and 5 others attending my party! And then, several friends called me when I was sick, and continued to ask me daily how I was feeling. And meanwhile, Kevin and Franz supported me the whole way. I had been snoring Hal Ebetino style every night that I was in Xela as a result of my throat infection. Snoring so badly that the boys rejoiced when I got up to pee during the night, as they had a few minutes to try and fall asleep. The boys were not sleeping and I had no idea at all. I didnt find out until my 4th day in Xela. So the boys were sleep deprived and I was having the best sleep of my Guatemala career. But they sacrificed their sleep because they just wanted me to feel better. Man, I am very lucky.
Im ok with an empate, lets go USA!
-Lowra
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Chonte Dios That I Am a UD Alum
Chonte Dios means Thanks be to God in Mam, the Mayan language spoken in Comi.
I haven´t updated lately (1) because I haven´t been by a computer because (2) I haven´t been feeling very well. I have been having various symptoms for over a week, and I had thought that it was just my body adjusting to an 8,000 ft altitude, new food, and TONS of rain. Since Monday, though, the lump in my throat just kept getting bigger. Wednesday morning, I tried calling most of my immediate family, and I couldn´t believe that none of the tech savvy Ebetinos on Acrewood Dr. were available to talk to me haha, even though I wasn´t the easiest to understand with my swollen mouth. I reached my family doctor, thank goodness, and he recommended what I do. Kevin also called his doctor dad and I talked to him, so it was good to talk to doctors.
We decided that I needed to go to Xela, the biggest city near Comi, about 3 hours with taking two buses. Feeling up for the ride, I decided that I really wanted to see a doctor and get the right medicine. We were also planning on traveling to Xela the next day (Thursday) to spend the weekend in Xela with a lot of gringos enjoying the First Round of the World Cup. So, Kevin and I packed our bags for a long weekend of recovery and said goodbye to Franz and Doña Hilda (who we had been confusing the heck out of...every day for the past week a different one of the three of us was telling her we weren´t feeling good).
On the two buses to Xela, I did very well. I was pumped because that was a pretty big mental game for me, not feeling well but really having no choice but to suck up the pretty bumpy and crowded rides to Xela.
Here is why I am blessed to be from the beautiful University of Dayton. Upon arriving in Xela, we needed to take a Taxi van to the central park. This van holds around 15 people. Two people down from me was Karen, a UD grad student, who I had been trying to call earlier to see where a good doctor was (she never responded earlier because I had the wrong number). I was THRILLED to see her. We explained to her the situation, and she wanted to help me out. God Bless her! She took me to her Spanish school where she has been studying where I was able to pee (Ebetino females bladders are super weak, so at the time I was actually more worried about peeing than I was about my throat) and we talked to her teacher, who recommended a private hospital for us to go to.
We walked to the hospital, and I struggled to (1) speak and (2) explain that I think I need a strep culture in Spanish (¿¿¿Como se dice I NEED A STREP CULTURE???). The reception lady clearly didn´t understand me. She said something in Spanish to another worker, and it was along the lines of "this woman cannot speak SPANISH, so find her someone who can talk to her". BUT I CAN SPEAK SPANISH, I JUST CAN´T SPEAK RIGHT NOW!
Anyways, they walked away for a minute, came back out and took me into a room. I noticed a doctor was there. He was friendly and asked Kevin and I to sit down. He then asked me in Spanish if I was from Spain...I believe he thought I was from Spain because of my flushed face and frizzy hair. As I struggled to respond that no I am not from Spain but I do know Spanish, he interuppted me in English. He was trying to be sassy and I wasn´t in the mood, yet super relieved that he spoke English. While I explained my symptoms, he kept chiming in with clever little things and jokes and sick Laura just wasn´t having it. I finally said "look, I´ve come to find out what is wrong with me and I need medicine". Today was an exhausting day of traveling and I didn´t want to beat around the bush anymore. So, he examined me and gave me several prescriptions. We both thanked him, we left and went next door to fill the prescriptions, then I ate a McFlurry at McDonalds because I had been needing something to numb my throat (ha...).
I was truly one lucky girl today. Through all the traveling I was worn out physically but so many things went right for me in Xela that now I felt that I could fully recover. My friend Kate (also from UD) also happened to pass McDonalds at the same time we were in there, and I was so relieved to see her because I wanted to contact her but didn´t know how to reach her. LUCKY GIRL.
Thank you for reading this post. I hope it wasn´t too down beat, but I´m very hopeful that I will feel better after resting for the weekend in a place with warm water and lots of food varieties. I miss my America people!
I had watermelon this morning!
para buen salud,
Lowra
I haven´t updated lately (1) because I haven´t been by a computer because (2) I haven´t been feeling very well. I have been having various symptoms for over a week, and I had thought that it was just my body adjusting to an 8,000 ft altitude, new food, and TONS of rain. Since Monday, though, the lump in my throat just kept getting bigger. Wednesday morning, I tried calling most of my immediate family, and I couldn´t believe that none of the tech savvy Ebetinos on Acrewood Dr. were available to talk to me haha, even though I wasn´t the easiest to understand with my swollen mouth. I reached my family doctor, thank goodness, and he recommended what I do. Kevin also called his doctor dad and I talked to him, so it was good to talk to doctors.
We decided that I needed to go to Xela, the biggest city near Comi, about 3 hours with taking two buses. Feeling up for the ride, I decided that I really wanted to see a doctor and get the right medicine. We were also planning on traveling to Xela the next day (Thursday) to spend the weekend in Xela with a lot of gringos enjoying the First Round of the World Cup. So, Kevin and I packed our bags for a long weekend of recovery and said goodbye to Franz and Doña Hilda (who we had been confusing the heck out of...every day for the past week a different one of the three of us was telling her we weren´t feeling good).
On the two buses to Xela, I did very well. I was pumped because that was a pretty big mental game for me, not feeling well but really having no choice but to suck up the pretty bumpy and crowded rides to Xela.
Here is why I am blessed to be from the beautiful University of Dayton. Upon arriving in Xela, we needed to take a Taxi van to the central park. This van holds around 15 people. Two people down from me was Karen, a UD grad student, who I had been trying to call earlier to see where a good doctor was (she never responded earlier because I had the wrong number). I was THRILLED to see her. We explained to her the situation, and she wanted to help me out. God Bless her! She took me to her Spanish school where she has been studying where I was able to pee (Ebetino females bladders are super weak, so at the time I was actually more worried about peeing than I was about my throat) and we talked to her teacher, who recommended a private hospital for us to go to.
We walked to the hospital, and I struggled to (1) speak and (2) explain that I think I need a strep culture in Spanish (¿¿¿Como se dice I NEED A STREP CULTURE???). The reception lady clearly didn´t understand me. She said something in Spanish to another worker, and it was along the lines of "this woman cannot speak SPANISH, so find her someone who can talk to her". BUT I CAN SPEAK SPANISH, I JUST CAN´T SPEAK RIGHT NOW!
Anyways, they walked away for a minute, came back out and took me into a room. I noticed a doctor was there. He was friendly and asked Kevin and I to sit down. He then asked me in Spanish if I was from Spain...I believe he thought I was from Spain because of my flushed face and frizzy hair. As I struggled to respond that no I am not from Spain but I do know Spanish, he interuppted me in English. He was trying to be sassy and I wasn´t in the mood, yet super relieved that he spoke English. While I explained my symptoms, he kept chiming in with clever little things and jokes and sick Laura just wasn´t having it. I finally said "look, I´ve come to find out what is wrong with me and I need medicine". Today was an exhausting day of traveling and I didn´t want to beat around the bush anymore. So, he examined me and gave me several prescriptions. We both thanked him, we left and went next door to fill the prescriptions, then I ate a McFlurry at McDonalds because I had been needing something to numb my throat (ha...).
I was truly one lucky girl today. Through all the traveling I was worn out physically but so many things went right for me in Xela that now I felt that I could fully recover. My friend Kate (also from UD) also happened to pass McDonalds at the same time we were in there, and I was so relieved to see her because I wanted to contact her but didn´t know how to reach her. LUCKY GIRL.
Thank you for reading this post. I hope it wasn´t too down beat, but I´m very hopeful that I will feel better after resting for the weekend in a place with warm water and lots of food varieties. I miss my America people!
I had watermelon this morning!
para buen salud,
Lowra
Monday, June 7, 2010
A Series of Unfortuanate Events y un repaso
Hola a todos!
Before I recap the last few days, I want to take you through what happened this morning. Don´t worry, I write about it more for entertainment sake, and everyone is fine and no money was lost.
Wake up at 6 15 am for breakfast at 6 45 am. Wake up to Franz already awake because he had been up all night sick. He decides to stay home for the day because there is no sense in feeling worse. Kevin and I walk down to La Cruz where we wait for Charlie and our bus. Our bus comes, but no Charlie, so we miss our 8 am bus. Unsure what to do, we decide to walk into town. Still not having heard from Charlie, we walk by his place. Its opened and there are women in there doing their laundry (theres a community place outside his apartment). The women say that hes home but dont think hes woken up yet. My suspicion. Maybe he silenced his phone and missed his alarma (haha ALMARA, katie and meggie)? We knock on his door, and he answers, confused, and clearly just woke up. Apparently his phone shut down in the middle of the night for no reason. I was close. While we waited for Charlie to get ready, one of the laundry ladies knocks down the laundry line, clothes falling down. Kevin and I go to help her and try and tie the line back up. Not really sucessful, so we try and make things better. After we leave Charlies and head for the bus, he tells us that he thinks he might have pink eye. Shooot. As we sit on the bus and wait to go, Charlie decides he can´t take it anymore and so he decides to go back home, and send us off to work. Two men down. Then, the bus we are on needs to be pushed by two Guatemalans. The engine wasn´t even running. How would it make it up hills, ¿you ask? It wont. We had to switch vehicles. Meanwhile Kevin and I are amidst a Snake tourny on my cell phone and during the switch from one bus to another, Kevin loses a good game. THE END OF BAD HAPPENINGS. We then arrived in La Reforma and worked on our water deposit project for a few hours. YAY! I also got to speak lots of Spanish. YAY!
Recap of the weekend
...We are officially taking private Spanish lessons. Hooray! Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays for an hour each day (that makes 3 hrs a week) sitting down with our own native speaker. Im still unsure how this will work, as they know no English, but Im willing to try it out because there is always room for improvement! We start this afternoon and Im excited to work on more advanced verbs (my request to my teacher)
...I finished my first book down here, The Last Templar. It was 500 pages!
...I read a 500 page book, thats right!
...I ate crepes and pasta. Take that, corn tortillas!
...Got our gameplan for the work we want to get done while we are here. Franz will work primarily with the clay water filters, Kevin with the stoves, and me with the water deposits.
...Went to a school who gave AMMID and I free lunch. It was a thank you because a few years ago AMMID built them this school. It was really neat to see how AMMID is appreciated within the city. I think it is a great organization and it is wonderful that others appreciate it, too.
...I read a 500 page book!
...I went exploring on a walking path past our guest house only to find a bunch of houses and a GORGEOUS view of the valleys and mountains. I wanted to explore more but didn´t want to impose on these peoples homes. Still trying to figure out what is acceptable here.
...Upon arriving to La Granja where we live, as Kevin put the key in the door to unlock it, IT BROKE! And, Dona Hilda couldnt remember where she put the spare. And could I mention that this was while Comi was experiencing very heavy rains, haha.
...Walked to a waterfall, La Gruta, and hope to go back. It was so peaceful and very scenically beautiful (¿is ¨scenically¨ a word?) I´m forgetting my English.
...I ran through a field to arrive at a tienda (store). A nine year old and an 11 year old were telling us that this store existed and I thought they just wanted us to run through a field. But, indeed there was a store.
...I read a 500 page book!
...GOT TO WEAR A GUATEMALAN TRAJE. This is the typical dress of a Guatemalan woman. At dinner the other night, we were talking about trajes with our host family and were talking about bigger woman wearing them. Since I am about 6 to 9 inches taller than any female in Comi, Dona Hilda let me try one on. It was muy especial. I got to wear the blouse, skirt and belt. And we took pics that hopefully I can post sometime. I was really honored that I got to wear it because I know the women here are proud to wear them. And they kept calling me beautiful, they were so sweet.
Hope everyone is doing well. I hear its been hott in the USA so I hope everyone is staying cool but getting a nice tan. Eat lots of watermelon for me! Still havent gotten my hands on any down here.
Ten cuidado y come mucha sandia,
Lowra
Before I recap the last few days, I want to take you through what happened this morning. Don´t worry, I write about it more for entertainment sake, and everyone is fine and no money was lost.
Wake up at 6 15 am for breakfast at 6 45 am. Wake up to Franz already awake because he had been up all night sick. He decides to stay home for the day because there is no sense in feeling worse. Kevin and I walk down to La Cruz where we wait for Charlie and our bus. Our bus comes, but no Charlie, so we miss our 8 am bus. Unsure what to do, we decide to walk into town. Still not having heard from Charlie, we walk by his place. Its opened and there are women in there doing their laundry (theres a community place outside his apartment). The women say that hes home but dont think hes woken up yet. My suspicion. Maybe he silenced his phone and missed his alarma (haha ALMARA, katie and meggie)? We knock on his door, and he answers, confused, and clearly just woke up. Apparently his phone shut down in the middle of the night for no reason. I was close. While we waited for Charlie to get ready, one of the laundry ladies knocks down the laundry line, clothes falling down. Kevin and I go to help her and try and tie the line back up. Not really sucessful, so we try and make things better. After we leave Charlies and head for the bus, he tells us that he thinks he might have pink eye. Shooot. As we sit on the bus and wait to go, Charlie decides he can´t take it anymore and so he decides to go back home, and send us off to work. Two men down. Then, the bus we are on needs to be pushed by two Guatemalans. The engine wasn´t even running. How would it make it up hills, ¿you ask? It wont. We had to switch vehicles. Meanwhile Kevin and I are amidst a Snake tourny on my cell phone and during the switch from one bus to another, Kevin loses a good game. THE END OF BAD HAPPENINGS. We then arrived in La Reforma and worked on our water deposit project for a few hours. YAY! I also got to speak lots of Spanish. YAY!
Recap of the weekend
...We are officially taking private Spanish lessons. Hooray! Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays for an hour each day (that makes 3 hrs a week) sitting down with our own native speaker. Im still unsure how this will work, as they know no English, but Im willing to try it out because there is always room for improvement! We start this afternoon and Im excited to work on more advanced verbs (my request to my teacher)
...I finished my first book down here, The Last Templar. It was 500 pages!
...I read a 500 page book, thats right!
...I ate crepes and pasta. Take that, corn tortillas!
...Got our gameplan for the work we want to get done while we are here. Franz will work primarily with the clay water filters, Kevin with the stoves, and me with the water deposits.
...Went to a school who gave AMMID and I free lunch. It was a thank you because a few years ago AMMID built them this school. It was really neat to see how AMMID is appreciated within the city. I think it is a great organization and it is wonderful that others appreciate it, too.
...I read a 500 page book!
...I went exploring on a walking path past our guest house only to find a bunch of houses and a GORGEOUS view of the valleys and mountains. I wanted to explore more but didn´t want to impose on these peoples homes. Still trying to figure out what is acceptable here.
...Upon arriving to La Granja where we live, as Kevin put the key in the door to unlock it, IT BROKE! And, Dona Hilda couldnt remember where she put the spare. And could I mention that this was while Comi was experiencing very heavy rains, haha.
...Walked to a waterfall, La Gruta, and hope to go back. It was so peaceful and very scenically beautiful (¿is ¨scenically¨ a word?) I´m forgetting my English.
...I ran through a field to arrive at a tienda (store). A nine year old and an 11 year old were telling us that this store existed and I thought they just wanted us to run through a field. But, indeed there was a store.
...I read a 500 page book!
...GOT TO WEAR A GUATEMALAN TRAJE. This is the typical dress of a Guatemalan woman. At dinner the other night, we were talking about trajes with our host family and were talking about bigger woman wearing them. Since I am about 6 to 9 inches taller than any female in Comi, Dona Hilda let me try one on. It was muy especial. I got to wear the blouse, skirt and belt. And we took pics that hopefully I can post sometime. I was really honored that I got to wear it because I know the women here are proud to wear them. And they kept calling me beautiful, they were so sweet.
Hope everyone is doing well. I hear its been hott in the USA so I hope everyone is staying cool but getting a nice tan. Eat lots of watermelon for me! Still havent gotten my hands on any down here.
Ten cuidado y come mucha sandia,
Lowra
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
tostadas y smoothies de fruta
Hola everyone,
Today I am having a great day in Comi and a lot has happened since my birthday. The gringo birthday celebration was a lot of fun-Charlie, who hosted it, even let me cook a stir fry for everyone. I had been itching to cook for a while, so it was a real treat for the birthday girl. My stir fry was the básic Laura Ebetino stir fry, with garlic, basil, onions and peppers, but Charlie encouraged me to cook with beets and carrots, two veggies I would never think to cook with. It was very very good. I even sprinkled some lime on top.
The day after my birthday we had to get up very early. 5 30 am breakfast with Dona Hilda, and a 7 am bus ride to La Reforma, a Comitancillo town, with Charlie. Today was our first ETHOS Project day and we went to help build a wáter catchment system at a house. The family we were helping was so hospitable, which is pretty common for families when volunteers are building for them, but they served us breakfast, a drink, and lunch and we were only there for about 4 hours. We even told them that we had all already eaten breakfast, but they wanted to cook for us anyways. I learned a lot about the catchment system and it was neat to help. The hole had been dug, and what we did was put up the Maya chicken wire and did the first layer of cement. I learned how to use pliers, so I was very pumped about that, jajaja. Our goal is to make about 10 of these catchment systems, so this should take 2 to 3 weeks.
We came back and went to the market for a Little bit, then I took a nap and read a lot of my book. I was so tired because I slept very Little the night before, and it was good to relax and enjoy the sunshine of the day. Our bunk house has a second floor patio, so I read up there with an incredible view of the countryside. I wish I could add pictures, but this internet café cannot read my camera. Before dinner, we also played cards with Jorgina and taught her a new game.
I had been talking to Dona Hilda in the kitchen, and I was really enjoying myself. Then, I asked her if she needed help with dinner, and she said YES. I got to make guacamole and, man, was it good. It was fun to bond with her through cooking and I was excited to cook more. I might also help her sell her vegetables at the market on Sunday, and I really hope I can because I think that would be a great experience for me. Here is the guacamole récipe that is delicious with refried black beans and tortilla
5 avocados
7 cherry tomatoes, or the equivalent in amount of tomato
1 small onion
About 10 twigs of both fresh basil and fresh oregano
Half a big spoon full of salt
Juice of two baby limes, or probably about half of a normal sized lime
If I was to make it again, I would also add feta cheese, maybe about 0.75 of a tub
The family and us ETHOS personas were all very giggly at dinner, and it was fun to bond with our host family in a less serious way. We got to bed early which I really needed.
Today has been a cool day. What we just left was our first AMMID monthly meeting. They have one of these meetings every month and its really just a time for everyone in the organization to get together and update on what they have been doing. Us ETHOS kids introduced ourselves and talked about the projects we were thinking about working on. I also stressed that we really want to do what they need us to do, and another Project we will help with is gray wáter filters. This is really cool because it will take the wáter used to wash clothes, vegetables, etc. And feed into this new filter to be purified and used to wáter the garden. So basically all the wáter a house will use will be used twice. Yay for conservation. It was great to be able to talk a lot in Spanish and finally meet everyone involved in AMMID, our NGO we are working with. After we presented on our work, they gave us the Go-To to leave the drawn out meeting. But, then they invited us to stay for a snack…and THEN they invited us to leave and come back for lunch. SCORE-FREE FOOD. And the food was great, too. Our snack was a fruit smoothie, do not worry there was no ice in it, and tostada which is something I had in my first trip to Guate. Its a giant Tostito chip topped with cream, onion, feta cheese and some ground beef-YUMMO. Now, at the internet café waiting to go back for lunch. Hey, if they are offering us food, ¿how can we say no?
One other cool thing…after leaving the meeting we went to a colegio, school, and asked about potentially having Spanish lessons while we are down here. Because we come from 3 different backgrounds in Spanish, our ideal plan is to have individual tutoring in the language. The office seemed interested in assisting us, since they have helped Peace Corps workers in the past, but we have to check back in later this afternoon since the people we needed to talk to were at lunch.
Signing off for now. OCHO DIAS HASTA LA COPA MUNDIAL
Wave your flag,
Lowra
Today I am having a great day in Comi and a lot has happened since my birthday. The gringo birthday celebration was a lot of fun-Charlie, who hosted it, even let me cook a stir fry for everyone. I had been itching to cook for a while, so it was a real treat for the birthday girl. My stir fry was the básic Laura Ebetino stir fry, with garlic, basil, onions and peppers, but Charlie encouraged me to cook with beets and carrots, two veggies I would never think to cook with. It was very very good. I even sprinkled some lime on top.
The day after my birthday we had to get up very early. 5 30 am breakfast with Dona Hilda, and a 7 am bus ride to La Reforma, a Comitancillo town, with Charlie. Today was our first ETHOS Project day and we went to help build a wáter catchment system at a house. The family we were helping was so hospitable, which is pretty common for families when volunteers are building for them, but they served us breakfast, a drink, and lunch and we were only there for about 4 hours. We even told them that we had all already eaten breakfast, but they wanted to cook for us anyways. I learned a lot about the catchment system and it was neat to help. The hole had been dug, and what we did was put up the Maya chicken wire and did the first layer of cement. I learned how to use pliers, so I was very pumped about that, jajaja. Our goal is to make about 10 of these catchment systems, so this should take 2 to 3 weeks.
We came back and went to the market for a Little bit, then I took a nap and read a lot of my book. I was so tired because I slept very Little the night before, and it was good to relax and enjoy the sunshine of the day. Our bunk house has a second floor patio, so I read up there with an incredible view of the countryside. I wish I could add pictures, but this internet café cannot read my camera. Before dinner, we also played cards with Jorgina and taught her a new game.
I had been talking to Dona Hilda in the kitchen, and I was really enjoying myself. Then, I asked her if she needed help with dinner, and she said YES. I got to make guacamole and, man, was it good. It was fun to bond with her through cooking and I was excited to cook more. I might also help her sell her vegetables at the market on Sunday, and I really hope I can because I think that would be a great experience for me. Here is the guacamole récipe that is delicious with refried black beans and tortilla
5 avocados
7 cherry tomatoes, or the equivalent in amount of tomato
1 small onion
About 10 twigs of both fresh basil and fresh oregano
Half a big spoon full of salt
Juice of two baby limes, or probably about half of a normal sized lime
If I was to make it again, I would also add feta cheese, maybe about 0.75 of a tub
The family and us ETHOS personas were all very giggly at dinner, and it was fun to bond with our host family in a less serious way. We got to bed early which I really needed.
Today has been a cool day. What we just left was our first AMMID monthly meeting. They have one of these meetings every month and its really just a time for everyone in the organization to get together and update on what they have been doing. Us ETHOS kids introduced ourselves and talked about the projects we were thinking about working on. I also stressed that we really want to do what they need us to do, and another Project we will help with is gray wáter filters. This is really cool because it will take the wáter used to wash clothes, vegetables, etc. And feed into this new filter to be purified and used to wáter the garden. So basically all the wáter a house will use will be used twice. Yay for conservation. It was great to be able to talk a lot in Spanish and finally meet everyone involved in AMMID, our NGO we are working with. After we presented on our work, they gave us the Go-To to leave the drawn out meeting. But, then they invited us to stay for a snack…and THEN they invited us to leave and come back for lunch. SCORE-FREE FOOD. And the food was great, too. Our snack was a fruit smoothie, do not worry there was no ice in it, and tostada which is something I had in my first trip to Guate. Its a giant Tostito chip topped with cream, onion, feta cheese and some ground beef-YUMMO. Now, at the internet café waiting to go back for lunch. Hey, if they are offering us food, ¿how can we say no?
One other cool thing…after leaving the meeting we went to a colegio, school, and asked about potentially having Spanish lessons while we are down here. Because we come from 3 different backgrounds in Spanish, our ideal plan is to have individual tutoring in the language. The office seemed interested in assisting us, since they have helped Peace Corps workers in the past, but we have to check back in later this afternoon since the people we needed to talk to were at lunch.
Signing off for now. OCHO DIAS HASTA LA COPA MUNDIAL
Wave your flag,
Lowra
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
mi cumpleanos en guate
hola everyone!
as i celebrate my 23rd birthday here, i miss everyone a lot! i'm still having a great day but i miss my birthday spankings from my family (haha non-abusive), and all the phone calls from my aunts.
since updating you last life has been really great here. still hanging out a lot because the town is celebrating la feria still. i ended up going on the ferris wheel again, this time not as scary but still made mi estomago sink. the weather has been fantastic since sunday, now only getting rain in the afternoon, which is very common for the wet season. i have met all the gringos here now, two from canada, and three peace corps workers. last night at the feria not only was i there with jorgina, my host sister, but Dona Hilda (my host mother!) came!! she is absolutely adorable and it was more hilarious at the fair. she went in the bumper cars with kevin, and then she played foosball with kevin, franz and i. it was so surreal looking across the foosball table with 6'2" Franz and 2 feet shorter old, beautiful guatemalan woman. haha what a cool experience.
another highlight of the past two days was that yesterday we talked a lot with Charlie, who is a Peace Corps worker with AMMID, our NGO we are working with. We wanted to talk about our potential projects for the summer since we wanted to first find out what the people want. This week (starting at 5:30 am tomorrow) we are helping with the rain water catchment project in a nearby part of comi. basically, its a giant hollow cement ice cream cone in the ground and it will collect a lot of water in the wet season, to be used to water crops in the dry season (then guatemalans arent at risk of losing their crops and having to go to the coast to make little to no money). there is also a strong support for the clay pot water filters, and Lauren, another Peace Corps worker, is helping us with that. hopefully most of the containment work will finish this week, and then we can do the filter work. We also want to fix Dona Hilda's biodigester which has a popped bag because a drunk driver ran into her house. Hopefully, this wont cost much, but I think it might. Finally, AMMID got a lot of funding to continue the stoves that kevin worked on last summer. they are safer because all the smoke is sent outside the house so people aren't breathing in unhealthy fumes.
sorry, im typing fast but i dont want to be a ball hog with the computer. we are at the peace corps workers house now and she is making a carrot cake for us! we are going to hike to a waterfall today, then have a special lunch at home-Dona Hilda makes great chuchitos, and then hopefully we are having a birthday celebration with the gringos at Charlie's house later. should be a great day! thank you for reading!
mi amor,
lowra :)
Sunday, May 30, 2010
mi estomago lleno, corazon contenta
hello to all! i have made it safely to comitancillo, guate which is where i will be for the duration of my trip, aside from a few weekend jaunts. this phrase is a common guatemalan phrase that my host mother, hilda, taught me. it means my stomach full, heart content. comitancillo is a great little town and it took a lot to get us here. we left guatemala city the day of the death at volcano pacaya (which we saw the night before, lava and all) and spent the night in xela. xela is a pretty big city about 3 hours from comi and it is very popular for people to come to xela to learn spanish. they have intensive spanish classes and they are all over guatemala. there are about 16 UD students in xela this summer and we ended up running into two of them! it was great to hang out with some flyers down here. we will be returning to xela the weekend of the 12th to watch the Copa Mundial (world cup) so that will be fun. many guatemalans cheer for brazil, not mexico.
leaving xela in the pouring rain (it started POURING friday morning and stopped early this morning-over 48 hours of heavy heavy rain) we took a chicken bus to San Marcos. i was sitting next to a really interesting guatemalan who now lives in LA but was visiting family in Antigua. we talked for almost the entire 1.5 hour trip. i love being able to practice my spanish so much. he was really wise and made parallels between dancing and believing in God. kinda cool.
then we took another chicken bus, about 2 hours, from San Marcos to Comitancillo. I bought my first guatemalan merienda (snack) at the bus stop and they were yummy strawberry pie cookies. so i enjoyed them for the second bus ride. when we arrived in Comi, still rain pouring, we still had about a mile hike UP a hill. this would have been an intense walk with each of us having two bags, i have the giant travel backpack. luckily, not only was one of their red scooter taxis available, but somehow by an act of God, we fit our three bodies and all of our bags in this taxi. this taxi is no bigger than a golf cart. we are still amazed we all fit. thank goodness or we would have been severely wet.
after the taxi ride up the hill and lots of laughing, we arrived at Doña Hildas casa (¡yay for Spanish keyboards!) she is our host mom and hosts all of the people coming to help AMMID. we have our own clubhouse which is a room of bunk beds near an outdoor bathroom and shower (yes, i have to pee in the dark at night, it is so scary but im challenging myself to either be brave or try and fall back to sleep when i have to pee). the clubhouse is amid Hidas farm and she has every crop. it smells strongly of cilantro, which i love. they also have pigs oinking near us, making for a great summer ambience.
Hilda has three kids that I have met so far. Jorgina, 10, is an absolute riot. She is so goofy but talkative and fun. I love her relationship with Kevin, who spent last summer with her. Irbin, 15, is really nice, too. Much less talkative than Jorgina but very nice and considerate. I also met Armando who I think is 20, and we havent really talked. But, what a great family to have in my life this summer. Hilda cooks meals for us when we don’t want to eat in the village, and she is a great mom figure for this summer (Non, I miss you!).
During the rain yesterday, we walked into town (back down the giant hill) and met Lauren, who is doing healthcare work for the Peace Corp in Comitancillo. She is a great girl, very nice and seems to really love her volunteer job. She wants to help us with our water filter project, so I think this week we are going to go with her to meet potters to see who can help us make the pots. We also met Charlie who is the Peace Corp worker for AMMID. He is very nice, too, and he is also a Buckeye. GO BUCKS!
AMMID doesn’t open until Thursday, haha, so we will probably be slow to get things rolling with our work, but its ok because this gives us time to get to know the community and the people. Also, we are currently in a 3 day festival for Mary, so the town is hyped about that. There was supposed to be a desfile (parade) for the start of the festival yesterday, but that has been postponed till tomorrow. Kinda a fun way to start our time in Comi, though.
We just went to Sunday Misa (mass) this morning and that was a hoot. It wasn’t in the normal room, which is much bigger, so we were crammed into a smaller room, all standing. It overflowed into the outside where the market was going on. They had all these candles lit for Mary, which made things even hotter than the normal body heat of people standing next to each other. This had an effect on all the babies, I felt so bad for them, and many cried throughout mass. Luckily, mass is in Spanish and not Mam their Mayan language. Also, we gringos were so obviously gringo by our height alone. We, even I, towered over EVERYONE. I was taller than the tallest man at mass. And, it’s a hoot how people stare at us. Comi people are known for staring blatantly at gringos, so I just smile, say HOLA and then they giggle. Haha I love it.
My Mam phrase of the day (trying to learn a new one each day): Wah hey ka pey…This means I WANT COFFEE!!!
In the internet café and Hey Soul Sister is playing. Sigh, a bit of home. Don’t know how often I will get to Internet, but there are Internet cafes in the town. Sorry this was long but I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave me comments and let me know how you are doing, or send me an email!
As they say goodbye in Mam, koon hey (but you have to be really throaty with the pronunciation, haha, Mam is a very throaty language)
Koon hey,
Lowra Betty…Ñ¡¿ ooo I love Spanish keyboards
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
hoy es el miercoles
hola todos,
i have a bit more time to write to you now. the kids, ten of them, are all studying right now because they are home schooled. two of them have tests today, which their mother Cynthia administers, and currently Kevin is distracting Stephen by having him help him read a Spanish childrens book to improve his spanish. Kevin and Franz have done a great job communicating in Spanish. they made it sound like they knew nothing at all but the kids and family are understanding them well.
all the family wants us to at least stay till Saturday, when they are having a birthday celebration for their littlest, Felipe, but we need to get to Comi. they are having a pinata and it sounds like a blast. i would love to spend the whole summer with them because they are incredible, so full of energy and love, and so much fun. today, we are going to Antigua around lunch time. i have been there before, it is the city where mile 0 is and its very touristy, but pretty and historic. we are also going to try and find cell phones so i might be able to call home.
after lunch yesterday, Cynthia found out that Franz knew how to play the violin, so she asked him to teach Leroy how to play. we had fun listening, franz was really good, and leroy was getting better. i also gave them the games that i brough them, including coloring books, frisbees, velcro ball throw, play doh, those pills that grow into foam creatures in water, bubbles and cards. everyone had fun trying out these new toys.
last night we went to Erick´s Evangelical church (not only is the Estrada father a doctor but he is a pastor). and we basically had 1.5 hours of praise and singing. it was really neat. we got in large circles and said prayer intentions for all the church ministries, we sang A LOT, and we (kevin, franz and i) were also introduced as guests. we each had to say our name over the microphone, haha.
this morning we woke up and had breakfast consisting of mashed beans, corn tortilla, hot dogs with a sauce of tomatoes, sweet peppers and onions, fried plantains, and of course cafe. Felipe was a hoot this morning. he came into the kitchen, jumped on Franz, and commented on his ¨barbacoa¨ and ¨pelito¨ (short haired beard). he then touched his hole face and laughed about his adams apple. then he observed that kevin had longer hair than Franz, haha. Then, the UD boys, Juan Carlos, Felipe and I all played two card games, memoria and this fun matching addition game. i will have to teach people when i come back. its no euchre, but i still enjoy it.
the pics above include my Favorite Juan Carlos...so freakin adorable. and the other is of me, Oscar, Isaiah, Diego and Sandra. These pics were taken while Franz and Leroy were playing the violin. Felipe had a lot of fun with my camera.
well, i am peacing out, but thank you for reading my blog, i hope its entertaining for you!
platanos fritos,
lowraaa
i have a bit more time to write to you now. the kids, ten of them, are all studying right now because they are home schooled. two of them have tests today, which their mother Cynthia administers, and currently Kevin is distracting Stephen by having him help him read a Spanish childrens book to improve his spanish. Kevin and Franz have done a great job communicating in Spanish. they made it sound like they knew nothing at all but the kids and family are understanding them well.
all the family wants us to at least stay till Saturday, when they are having a birthday celebration for their littlest, Felipe, but we need to get to Comi. they are having a pinata and it sounds like a blast. i would love to spend the whole summer with them because they are incredible, so full of energy and love, and so much fun. today, we are going to Antigua around lunch time. i have been there before, it is the city where mile 0 is and its very touristy, but pretty and historic. we are also going to try and find cell phones so i might be able to call home.
after lunch yesterday, Cynthia found out that Franz knew how to play the violin, so she asked him to teach Leroy how to play. we had fun listening, franz was really good, and leroy was getting better. i also gave them the games that i brough them, including coloring books, frisbees, velcro ball throw, play doh, those pills that grow into foam creatures in water, bubbles and cards. everyone had fun trying out these new toys.
last night we went to Erick´s Evangelical church (not only is the Estrada father a doctor but he is a pastor). and we basically had 1.5 hours of praise and singing. it was really neat. we got in large circles and said prayer intentions for all the church ministries, we sang A LOT, and we (kevin, franz and i) were also introduced as guests. we each had to say our name over the microphone, haha.
this morning we woke up and had breakfast consisting of mashed beans, corn tortilla, hot dogs with a sauce of tomatoes, sweet peppers and onions, fried plantains, and of course cafe. Felipe was a hoot this morning. he came into the kitchen, jumped on Franz, and commented on his ¨barbacoa¨ and ¨pelito¨ (short haired beard). he then touched his hole face and laughed about his adams apple. then he observed that kevin had longer hair than Franz, haha. Then, the UD boys, Juan Carlos, Felipe and I all played two card games, memoria and this fun matching addition game. i will have to teach people when i come back. its no euchre, but i still enjoy it.
the pics above include my Favorite Juan Carlos...so freakin adorable. and the other is of me, Oscar, Isaiah, Diego and Sandra. These pics were taken while Franz and Leroy were playing the violin. Felipe had a lot of fun with my camera.
well, i am peacing out, but thank you for reading my blog, i hope its entertaining for you!
platanos fritos,
lowraaa
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
ya llegue!
i made it, im with the estradas and i will update more luego because right now i have a naranja in one hand so its hard to type...but we have had a yummy lunch where i ate spaghetti noodles with a spoon, we played frisbee, cards, bubbles...and juan carlos is as adorable as i remember...the 5 kids i havent met are a joy. they are so sweet to me and they fit right in with the family...ALSO!!! i have gotten to speak spanish alllll afternoon, and im not half bad! love u all!!! besos y abrazos, loWra (i love how spanish speakers say mi nombre)
Sunday, May 23, 2010
adios USA!
So, I leave in two days. TWO DAYS. yay! I am so very excited, really not nervous, but sad to say goodbye to people for a long time. BUT, when you read my blog and leave comments, it will be as if we are having a never-ending convo!
I am really proud of myself because I accomplished a lot so my life won't be as hectic when I return from Guatemala. I have mostly everything picked out that I am moving with me to Wisconsin, and I have gotten all of my furniture so I can sit down in my new apartment.
Now, I just need to pack and say my goodbyes! I saw a lot of people Friday night (and some awesome people in Vegas a few days earlier) and it was so wonderful, and just reminded me how every time my friends and I reunite it will be wonderful and feel as if our conversation really never ended.
I got an email from the Estradas (I love confirmation), the family who is picking the three of us from the airport on Tuesday, so hopefully we will connect with them in Guatemala City and I can see all of my Guatemalan children, like Juan Carlos and Stephen and Leroy! Maybe I will even be able to see the medical clinic that my grandpa and uncle helped to set up and build down there. Seeing this family will be a great way for me to re-introduce myself to Guatemala before we head west to Comitancillo for our ETHOS projects! They speak English and Spanish so I will be able to transition to speaking Spanish.
What I am looking forward to most after I step off the plane: SPEAKING ESPANOL. It hit me the other day how much I LOVE speaking Spanish. And how much I thrive on communicating in another language. Entonces, voy a hablar tan mucho como posible.
Well, off to lay by the pool on this beautiful day in Cincinnati. Hopefully next time you hear from me, I will be in Guatemala. Have a great summer everyone, I love you all so much!
Me encanta el sol,
Lowra :)
I am really proud of myself because I accomplished a lot so my life won't be as hectic when I return from Guatemala. I have mostly everything picked out that I am moving with me to Wisconsin, and I have gotten all of my furniture so I can sit down in my new apartment.
Now, I just need to pack and say my goodbyes! I saw a lot of people Friday night (and some awesome people in Vegas a few days earlier) and it was so wonderful, and just reminded me how every time my friends and I reunite it will be wonderful and feel as if our conversation really never ended.
I got an email from the Estradas (I love confirmation), the family who is picking the three of us from the airport on Tuesday, so hopefully we will connect with them in Guatemala City and I can see all of my Guatemalan children, like Juan Carlos and Stephen and Leroy! Maybe I will even be able to see the medical clinic that my grandpa and uncle helped to set up and build down there. Seeing this family will be a great way for me to re-introduce myself to Guatemala before we head west to Comitancillo for our ETHOS projects! They speak English and Spanish so I will be able to transition to speaking Spanish.
What I am looking forward to most after I step off the plane: SPEAKING ESPANOL. It hit me the other day how much I LOVE speaking Spanish. And how much I thrive on communicating in another language. Entonces, voy a hablar tan mucho como posible.
Well, off to lay by the pool on this beautiful day in Cincinnati. Hopefully next time you hear from me, I will be in Guatemala. Have a great summer everyone, I love you all so much!
Me encanta el sol,
Lowra :)
Monday, May 10, 2010
QUINCE
dias hasta Guatemala. That's right, I leave in 15 days! That's two weeks from tomorrrow. That's 3 times 5 days. I'm very very excited but still hasn't hit me that I am going to Guatemala for that long. It might be because I'm trying to organize all of my college stuff, decide what I'm moving to Wisconsin (where my full-time August start job is), get things together for my apartment lease (yes, I officially have a Wisco address!) and get ready for a two day trip to Vegas-all before May 25th. Haha, at least all of this is good though!
I am writing this post because I was inspired by my friend Meggie to write more often. She is headed to Central America this week and for a longer period of time. I am so proud of her, and we have promised each other we will travel together once she is back in the USA. Thank you for your inspiration, Megs!
One thing I have to do is pack gifts for the Estrada family (people I visited during my first trip to Guatemala in 2007) as well as gifts for the children and families in Comitancillo. Any ideas???
Hasta pronto,
Lowra :)
I am writing this post because I was inspired by my friend Meggie to write more often. She is headed to Central America this week and for a longer period of time. I am so proud of her, and we have promised each other we will travel together once she is back in the USA. Thank you for your inspiration, Megs!
One thing I have to do is pack gifts for the Estrada family (people I visited during my first trip to Guatemala in 2007) as well as gifts for the children and families in Comitancillo. Any ideas???
Hasta pronto,
Lowra :)
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Guatemala, la proxima aventura
Hola todos!
Today I finished my academic career and I am officially a Chemical Engineer. Waaa! How exciting. The reason I am posting about it is that I can now completely and totally think about my trip to Comitancillo! All semester I have been struggling because I could not fully think about my ETHOS experience, but now that classes are over, it is my top priority. Just wanted to share in my happiness. Thank you for reading :)
albondigas son mis favoritos,
Laura
Today I finished my academic career and I am officially a Chemical Engineer. Waaa! How exciting. The reason I am posting about it is that I can now completely and totally think about my trip to Comitancillo! All semester I have been struggling because I could not fully think about my ETHOS experience, but now that classes are over, it is my top priority. Just wanted to share in my happiness. Thank you for reading :)
albondigas son mis favoritos,
Laura
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Mi primer "post"
Hola todos! I am very excited to be writing my very first blog post. I have never had one of these before because I am not much of a writer but I'm excited to use it as a way to update you on my Guatemala adventures!
Guatemala is approaching quickly, leaving on May 25th. For those of you who don't know, I am doing a program at UD called ETHOS (Engineers in Technical Humanitarian Opportunities for Service-Learning). It is essentially an engineering service immersion, and students travel all over the world to develop sustainable technologies in developing countries. This year students are traveling to Guatemala, India, several countries in Africa, Bolivia and Nicaragua (oh, and one student will be in Ohio). I have been wanting to participate in this program since I can remember learning about ETHOS when I first started school at UD. I am excited to work on my Spanish, learn about Guatemalan culture, share myself with Guatemalans, and be an engineer! Here is a link to the UD ETHOS website: http://ethos.udayton.edu/
Where will I be going in Guatemala? I will be in Comitancillo (hence the title of my blog) which is about 7-ish hours west of Guatemala City. We are close-ish to Xela which is a city that UD sends students to from other programs they have. Here's a map! http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl
I have been to Guatemala City once before with my Grandpa and uncle and absolutely loved it, so I couldn't have been more excited when I heard that I was going back to the country! I love how green the nature is and how beautiful the people are.
Who will I be going with? Two other UD students, Kevin (who went to Guatemala for ETHOS last year) and Franz (another chemical engineer like me).
What will I be doing down there? Still yet to be determined, but we have a list of different things we have in mind. Something we will most likely be helping with is the development of colloidal silver-impregnated ceramic filters. They are clay pot water filters and the colloidal silver is a natural antiseptic to help clean the water. Another UD student is making some a few weeks before we go down and we will hopefully be helping with water testing and talking with the community to see how they like drinking the water. Other technologies on our list: biodigesters that convert pig manure into energy to power a stove, wood burning stoves that are cleaner and healthier for the homes, hand washing stations at schools for hygiene, solar dehydrators for food preservation, and composting. We will be working with Peace Corps workers and a non-profit, called AMMID and you can view their website here: www.sharingthedream.org
I am so excited to share these 8 weeks with you, so I hope you check this website periodically throughout the summer to hear what I am up to!
Chao for now y muchos abrazos :)
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