So this one is coming to you a bit earlier than usual in an attempt to provide a short update between the end of this past few week's craziness of groups coming and going, Feria, and short trips out to various project sites. The following month (or so) should consist of fairly consistent work here in Xoy (hopefully...), but a few recent developments:
- Doug, the girls, and Waleska left about half way through last week
- I spent a little more time with them, including a meeting with me, the PCV girls, and Doug to talk about his ideas for guided discussions during an upcoming Rotarian trip he's planning for next March
- Steve Crowe (Waleska's husband and the mechanical engineering contractor finishing out the hydro portion of the electrical project in NP) came out to see a potential hydro project here in Xoy and to give Waleska a ride home
- Finally got to meet their son, Gabe, who is 6 and awesome
- Got to chat briefly with Steve about recent goings on at NP - CANNOT WAIT for that project to be completed SO SOON
- I wasn't feeling awesome during a lot of their time here, so that just about sums up the rest of my time with them here
- As a result of feeling icky, I spent a lot of time laying in my room reading
- This meant I finished the book from Tim's mom that came in the care package from my mom... because it's AWESOME
- The name is "The Boys in the Boat"
- basically, if you like novels about true stories about sports/the Olympics, Nazis, propaganda, the Great Depression, and a beautiful little love story, you should make an effort to find and read this book. A wonderful collection of major historical events woven into an exceptionally well-written account of the life of a man raised during the Great Depression. Can't say enough good things about this, other than I finished all 350+ pages in 3 days...
- Got a visit from my friend, Enrique D., from Guatemala City as well as his old HS teacher (from Minnesota originally), Steve, who happens to be in the country for the month
- Enrique designed a bridge about 2hrs from here and figured the two would swing by to see some of Feria and pick me up on their way out to site
- This visit coincided with a visit from some other PCV friends of Lauren and Margaret
- we all hung out at mine and Lauren's house for 2 for 1 pizza from Mario Bros pizza place and played "Zoo" (aka thumper, but only with animal signs and sounds) - tried to teach our host mom, Dona Umbe, how to play
- Despite the fact that her goat symbol and sound were quite entertaining, she didn't catch on to the game and eventually went to bed
- Some favorite signs/sounds included Margaret's bunny/"nom nom nom" and Tina's butterfly/"rolled rrrrr"
- SUB-BULLET POINTS!
- Headed out to the El Rodeo bridge site with Enrique and Steve
- Spent the afternoon chatting with the Cocode about another potential bridge site, then hanging out at a family's house where they gave us some soup and one of the sons (maybe 16 years old?) complimented Enrique on his Spanish
- definitely thought Enrique was a gringo like the rest of us - a misconception we didn't correct
- Spent our Saturday taking as-built measurements and helping around site for the laying out of the cables, finishing touches on the towers, and one anchor pour
- We came back Saturday afternoon b/c Steve needed to get back to Guate for a flight home in the next few days (other plans fell through)
- Had a lovely dinner with Steve, Enrique, Lauren, and Margaret as well as a nice breakfast/chat with Enrique and Steve before they left
- All are great company and we were collectively able to work out some kinks with my GPS before I start data collection
- After dinner last night, Lauren and I came home to find a very distraught Dona Humbe
- She had locked the keys into her medicine room (where she keeps her dialysis supplies) and, despite eliciting the help of the contractor who build the home additions, was not able to break in
- With the couple of hand tools I keep in my room, Lauren and I tag-teamed a break in
- Lauren beat the crap out of the door handle and janked it out with the hammer, then I was able to pull the lock open with my pliers and unscrew/knock out the lock
- Humbe was thrilled and visibly relieved, and Lauren and I celebrated by finishing off the apple tart the Kristina (other PCV) had made earlier in the week
One other item that really stuck out to me occurred on the ride to the El Rodeo bridge site - as we were winding through some mountain back roads passing beautiful valleys covered in a wide variety of trees and sliced by winding rivers full of small waterfalls in the soft rock and swaths of tumbled and varied stones settled in the mica-rich sandy banks, I was overwhelmed by a sense of joy.
I suddenly came to the realization that my work here bears a startling resemblance to my favorite childhood pastimes. Every year growing up, our summer camping trips throughout the campgrounds of Wisconsin (either with the full family and groups of other families with young kids, or on camping trips with my dad) were something I always looked forward to (and still remember vividly), because they meant a long weekend of wandering through the woods with other kids, building forts, throwing rocks, and just using our imaginations. During my family's time living in Germany (when we didn't camp), some of my favorite memories come from playing with the kids on the US military base (though we didn't live there, we went for church and other activities) in the woods behind their apartments. In 5th grade, my best friend, Maggie, and I built forts inside and outside her house in Tosa with whatever her mom would let us use, from bed sheets and cushions to mud and sticks. In high school, trail runs and bike rides with friends and geocaching with my family through the parkways and wooded rivers of Wauwatosa brought me tremendous happiness and peace, often reminding me of times I would head down the same paths with my dad as a kid to whittle sticks and build "duck traps" (aka throw sticks in a pile(ish) on the bank of the river) with my dad.
No matter where I was, playing outside and building things have always been some of my favorite activities.
This love of the outdoors and building things has never really left me, but I guess it just struck a chord seemingly at random this week (the way these things often do) and I just had to take note of how fortunate and blessed I am to have this opportunity to serve a population that I love and respect tremendously in a way that so perfectly aligns with the core of what brings (and seemingly has always brought) me joy and fulfillment.
With that, here are some photos...
A continual dance/parade for the Virign while the micos ascend the palo
The floats coming around the circle
the micos flying
Examples of Mayan ladies wearing traje here in Joyabaj
Out at the El Rodeo ped bridge site - Mincho and his son, Eddy (who is training under Mincho to be a mason), on the left
Another ped bridge completed by Mike/Enrique in October 2013 through Bridges to Prosperity
I made friends with this guy (Ferari, who does, in fact, have a master) with a nice, behind-the-ear scratch, and he proceeded to sit in front of me like this and occasionally paw at my leg...
I just want to love and pet and feed all of them!
Cables being pulled across the river
Ladies from the community walking across the river at another potential bridge site
Wrestling the cables into place under the direction of Mincho and Eddy
One of the anchors being poured - we noticed that the lower tubes were too short midway through the pour and used my ever-present roll of duct tape to add some length
The guys at the end of the day
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