After a year of preparations, and the Peace Corps looming over my future like this black unknown, looking down on Guatemala from the airplane felt surreal. As we neared, I saw a country below of lush green mountains and deep ravines and clusters of tin-roofed buildings on precarious mountain tops or plateaus.
From the moment we got off the plane in Guatemala City, Peace Corps representatives were there to greet us and usher us on the buses. We traveled a ways to a small village in the mountains called Santa Lucia Milpas Altas, where the training center and Peace Corps office is located. It's very pretty here, lots of tropical trees and small thickly forested mountains all around. On a clear day you can see the volcano looming on the horizon. The training center has a beautiful courtyard surrounded by blooming plants.
Last night I roomed with another Peace Corps Trainee (PCT) with a host family near the village. The mother, father and three children were very welcoming. The eight year old daughter was especially taken with us. She loved to just sit in our room, even as we were doing homework. The little two year old boy was adorable. When we first arrived, he hid behind the tv, but he warmed to us pretty quickly. The house is simple but clean with cement walls, a tin roof, and few decorations on the wall. Me and the other trainee share our own room. It is located within this complex of other houses of relatives and they showed us around and we met almost everyone (other PCTs are staying with those families). They have fruit, coffe and avocado trees and several gardens with vegetables and flowers, as well as chickens, cows, and other animals. We both felt like we lucked-out with the family we were assigned. The first night, the hardest thing to adjust to was the noise-- cows mooing, roosters crowing, and sudden blasts that sounded like gunfire or bombs... turned out to be fireworks (Guatemalans apparently set off fireworks for the smallest of occassions).
On Saturday we will get our placements for the family we will have for the rest of training in a different village in the area (I'll be in the village with a small group of trainees in my program that have the same language level).
Today we had a Spanish interview, got some vaccinations, and sat through trainings on health and safety. I feel very good. It's beautiful here, and everyone I've met has been very friendly and welcoming. Sometimes I'm overwhelmed when I think about everything
that's ahead and everything I'll need to be cautious about. But I'm just trying to focus on one day at a time. So far, I´m just happy to have finally arrived.
From the moment we got off the plane in Guatemala City, Peace Corps representatives were there to greet us and usher us on the buses. We traveled a ways to a small village in the mountains called Santa Lucia Milpas Altas, where the training center and Peace Corps office is located. It's very pretty here, lots of tropical trees and small thickly forested mountains all around. On a clear day you can see the volcano looming on the horizon. The training center has a beautiful courtyard surrounded by blooming plants.
Last night I roomed with another Peace Corps Trainee (PCT) with a host family near the village. The mother, father and three children were very welcoming. The eight year old daughter was especially taken with us. She loved to just sit in our room, even as we were doing homework. The little two year old boy was adorable. When we first arrived, he hid behind the tv, but he warmed to us pretty quickly. The house is simple but clean with cement walls, a tin roof, and few decorations on the wall. Me and the other trainee share our own room. It is located within this complex of other houses of relatives and they showed us around and we met almost everyone (other PCTs are staying with those families). They have fruit, coffe and avocado trees and several gardens with vegetables and flowers, as well as chickens, cows, and other animals. We both felt like we lucked-out with the family we were assigned. The first night, the hardest thing to adjust to was the noise-- cows mooing, roosters crowing, and sudden blasts that sounded like gunfire or bombs... turned out to be fireworks (Guatemalans apparently set off fireworks for the smallest of occassions).
On Saturday we will get our placements for the family we will have for the rest of training in a different village in the area (I'll be in the village with a small group of trainees in my program that have the same language level).
Today we had a Spanish interview, got some vaccinations, and sat through trainings on health and safety. I feel very good. It's beautiful here, and everyone I've met has been very friendly and welcoming. Sometimes I'm overwhelmed when I think about everything
that's ahead and everything I'll need to be cautious about. But I'm just trying to focus on one day at a time. So far, I´m just happy to have finally arrived.
No comments:
Post a Comment