Me with three of my host sisters, my host brother, and my host mother.
Two of my host sisters, preparing tortillas.A lot has changed since that first post. I am now with the host family I will have for the next three months in a village in Sacatepequez. I´ve been here for a little over a week. Three other girls in my program are in this village as well (they split us into groups of four based on Spanish level and sent us to different villages near the Peace Corps center in Santa Lucia). We´re in an indigenous Mayan village where virtually every woman wears the traditional ¨traje¨ (a long woven skirt, tight beaded or embroided belt around the waist, and an elaborated woven or embroidered blouse). Many people speak both Spanish and Katchikel.
I am staying with an incredibley welcoming, wonderful family of 8. The six "kids" range in age from 5 to 21. The little girl and little boy are the light of my life. They literally beam every time they see me. Then there´s a teenage son, and two teenage girls, and a 21 year old woman who basically is responsible for me and most of the household needs. The father works long days in the campo (countryside) growing vegetables. The mother of the household on most days gets up at 2:30 in the morning to make the long commute to Guatemala City with several pounds of vegetables to sell them in the market. The thirteen year old daughter lives for most of the week with their cousins, working as a sort of nanny, and the 15 and 25 year old girls work hard from dawn to dusk managing the household. It turns out keeping a family happy and healthy without expensive machines and heat and serve meals is a lot of work. They amaze me.
The house is very different from any I´ve seen. It is constructed of cement blocks with a tin roof. In the center there is a small open coutryard which all of the rooms are off of. I have a rather large room (painted dark teal) that has a window on the street. The ¨bathroom¨is a toilet enclosed by a cement block hut with a blanket over the entrance in the courtyard. All types of washing is done in the pila, which is a sort of large sink with a very deep rectangular basin in the center that you fill up with tap water, and two shallow basins on each side where you do the washing. There are little bowls that you dip into the water of the center basin. Washing hands and face, brushing teeth, washing the dishes, getting cooking water, etc. is all done in the pila. For bathing, there is a the temascal. This is a beehive shaped hut constructed of cement blocks with a small hole to enter in and a small slot big enough to build a fire in. When preparing it, the women build a fire in the slot which heats up a huge iron pot of water inside the temascal, and additionally heats the temascal like a sauna. Once ready, it is very hot, dark and damp inside. There is a bucket of cool water, and you use a little bowl to dip in the pot the hot water until the bucket of water is to your liking. There is a little bench where you can sit and bath yourself using the little bowl and a hole in the floor where the water drains. It´s very soothing. I´ve told them how I like it, and the father says he will come to the US to build me one.
I´ve already built some ¨confianza¨ with the family. I had a break through the other night when I made them crack up for the first time (they´re a bunch of jokers). And I´ve been able to learn a lot about the town and traditions here from them.
There are certainly a few discomforts (flea bites, "stomach problems", and some adjustment to make. But overall, it is so nice to be here at last. Training keeps us busy with Spanish and technical assignments, but it´s a good pace of life. I still have plenty of time to talk with my family, and read and journal. And I´ve made some connections to the other trainees. This weekend, I´m going with a group to Antigua, the old imperial city that is more touristy and less conservative. I´m also hoping to climb a volcano soon. It´s nice to be settled here into my new life.
I am staying with an incredibley welcoming, wonderful family of 8. The six "kids" range in age from 5 to 21. The little girl and little boy are the light of my life. They literally beam every time they see me. Then there´s a teenage son, and two teenage girls, and a 21 year old woman who basically is responsible for me and most of the household needs. The father works long days in the campo (countryside) growing vegetables. The mother of the household on most days gets up at 2:30 in the morning to make the long commute to Guatemala City with several pounds of vegetables to sell them in the market. The thirteen year old daughter lives for most of the week with their cousins, working as a sort of nanny, and the 15 and 25 year old girls work hard from dawn to dusk managing the household. It turns out keeping a family happy and healthy without expensive machines and heat and serve meals is a lot of work. They amaze me.
The house is very different from any I´ve seen. It is constructed of cement blocks with a tin roof. In the center there is a small open coutryard which all of the rooms are off of. I have a rather large room (painted dark teal) that has a window on the street. The ¨bathroom¨is a toilet enclosed by a cement block hut with a blanket over the entrance in the courtyard. All types of washing is done in the pila, which is a sort of large sink with a very deep rectangular basin in the center that you fill up with tap water, and two shallow basins on each side where you do the washing. There are little bowls that you dip into the water of the center basin. Washing hands and face, brushing teeth, washing the dishes, getting cooking water, etc. is all done in the pila. For bathing, there is a the temascal. This is a beehive shaped hut constructed of cement blocks with a small hole to enter in and a small slot big enough to build a fire in. When preparing it, the women build a fire in the slot which heats up a huge iron pot of water inside the temascal, and additionally heats the temascal like a sauna. Once ready, it is very hot, dark and damp inside. There is a bucket of cool water, and you use a little bowl to dip in the pot the hot water until the bucket of water is to your liking. There is a little bench where you can sit and bath yourself using the little bowl and a hole in the floor where the water drains. It´s very soothing. I´ve told them how I like it, and the father says he will come to the US to build me one.
I´ve already built some ¨confianza¨ with the family. I had a break through the other night when I made them crack up for the first time (they´re a bunch of jokers). And I´ve been able to learn a lot about the town and traditions here from them.
There are certainly a few discomforts (flea bites, "stomach problems", and some adjustment to make. But overall, it is so nice to be here at last. Training keeps us busy with Spanish and technical assignments, but it´s a good pace of life. I still have plenty of time to talk with my family, and read and journal. And I´ve made some connections to the other trainees. This weekend, I´m going with a group to Antigua, the old imperial city that is more touristy and less conservative. I´m also hoping to climb a volcano soon. It´s nice to be settled here into my new life.
The temescal, where I take my sauna baths.
My bedroom.
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