Field Work - La Maquina

Previously, I was able to give a quick overview of two of the communities (Willywood and Conrado) that I work in. Since my time here is coming to an end, I wanted to introduce you readers to the other area I've spent a ton of time in over the past 6 months - La Maquina.

La Maquina is more of an area than a community, made up of tiny little 'city' centers, but I generally just use the name as an umbrella name for the whole region. Unlike Willywood and Conrado, the farmers of La Maquina are more spread out, less centered around a community and more grouped into family 'complexes' in a way. The other less obvious and yet important (at least to us Xelans) difference is the laid-back lifestyle of La Maquina. This could be influenced by the family we stay with but for me, an afternoon spent in a hammock out of the sun is the only way to spend a 98 degree day.

The family we stay with has been amazing. The head of the family, Isaias, is a 30 something year old who runs the fields with the help of his brothers and puts food on the table, that is cooked by his sisters. How many siblings he has, I will never know, but his kind, toothless laugh has always made me feel welcome, even if he was making fun of my terrible Spanish.

Isiais is constantly trying new farming methods, attempting to make his land both more profitable and more sustainable. Like most farmers in La Maquina, he is completely content with living a simple lifestyle, he just wants his land to be usable for his children and nephews. By working with Semilla Nueva, he believes this is possible.

For me, I have loved every family that I work with. However, Isaias and his siblings have made my time down here special and I wish I had had a chance to thank them before I left. However, I will always have a special place in my heart for La Maquina and its lazy afternoon hammocks.

A Positive Look At Guate

As my time winds down here in Guatemala, I'm starting to feel the sting of both wanting to leave and wanting to stay. A few weeks ago, I took a look at what makes Guatemala, well, Guatemala. Most of what I had to say wasn't necessarily positive. So, I only think it's fair that I take a look at things about Guatemala that I will miss.

• Corn tortillas: Of everything, this might be my most missed. Corn tortillas here are so so different than those in the States. In the States, they are stale and tasteless. Here, they are fresh, fluffy, and perfect for every type of meal (have you ever had tortillas with spaghetti? I have...). If I could, I'd take home a Guatemalan women to make me tortillas the rest of my life. Hmmm....



• Cheap prices: Not everything is cheap but I will miss getting fruits and veggies for insanely low prices. My mindset now has gotten to "What? 50 cents for 2 red peppers? That's way too high," or "4 avocados for $1? That's okay I suppose." Returning to Portland is going to be a bit of a price shock.



• Bus schedules: When I lived in Seattle, I had to plan around bus schedules. They only left Green Lake for Downtown once or twice an hour. Here, I can go up to the main bus terminal, looking to go virtually anywhere in the country and leave within 20 minutes (and usually much sooner than 20 minutes). This has made traveling across Guatemala much easier and more efficient.



• My neighbor, the rooster: I actually will not miss him at all. I loathe that creature. That little black and golden demon has ruined my sleep schedule so much in the last 4 months. I often have nights where I've pondered how delicious he would taste fried.



• Guatemalan dance clubs: While I did get burned out of these pretty early because of my European friends I made, I really will miss discotecas. They are entertaining, cheap to get in, love gringos, and usually a fun way to spend a Saturday night. Yes, the music does get old eventually, but there is nothing better than listen to Black Eyed Peas every other song (sarcasm). In all seriousness, they are quite enjoyable and less sleazy than the ones I've seen in the States.



• Tortix: I will find a way to take a bag of Tortix home. I can't imagine life without Tortix. Tortrix is a Frito-esque chip that has much more flavor. The best: bean flavor. They don't taste exactly like beans, which is a good thing. The flavor is unlike any snack I've ever had. My carry on might just be a plastic bag full of Tortix. We'll see.



• The farmers: I will address this more when it gets closer to going home but I feel so attached to some of the farmers and their families, it's going to be really hard leaving them. Before I start getting all weepy, I'll move on and blog about this at a future date.



• My friends: Again, I will have another 'ending' post where I'll get all emotional and what not about people I've met, but for now and list-sake, I just thought I'd say, yes, I will miss all the great friends I've made down here.

Like I said above, I will be writing about my time here in a more serious manner in the coming weeks. For now, I just thought I'd give a happier rebuttle to the other Guate list I mean a little bit ago.

"Sun City Picture House": What I Saw In Haiti

I've linked to shorter clips from this film before but this is the long version that has much more to it. It's amazing to watch this clip and say 'yeah, I saw this, I was there,' etc. There are quite a few things and people that I recognize but the main part that I wanted to point out is the morgue. For those of you who have read my blog since my trip to Haiti, you'll know that I spent a day working in a morgue that really was completely mentally and emotionally draining. It was something that I was glad I did but I don't think I could do it again. I didn't take pictures so I had to describe with my words exactly what that day was like.

When I first started watching this trailer and it got to the 30 second mark with Raphael pulling on the plastic gloves, I know exactly what was coming next. He was there that day I went out to the hospital, just as he is every week, smoking a cigar, drinking rum, and carrying the dead to a proper resting place. As weird as it was to see these scenes, I'm glad that this weekly ritual made it into the film.

I cannot wait to see this documentary. Just watching this 2 minute trailer today really took my mind back to what I saw in Haiti and, yeah, I kind of miss it. I only hope to return one day.

Tengo Soló Uno Mes Más!

Hay solamente 30 días hasta que regrese! Estoy muy emocionada!!!

* * * *

Basically, to translate some of that - I'm exactly a month from being home and I couldn't be more excited! I can't wait to be back in my own country, speaking my own language, and see friends and family.

I really do have a lot more to port about my time thus far and what remains but I'll get to that later.

Katie's Guatemala Visit, Part II

So I already wrote about when my friend Katie visited Guatemala last month but she finally got around to posting about the trip (she is much busier than I am, so I don't blame her for her tardiness). Here are the two different posts she put up on her blog, Part One and Part Two. Enjoy! She is much better at writing than I am so they'll be more enjoyable reads than what I normally manage to put together.

Some Guatemalan Observations

With a little over a month left in my stay here in Xela, I think it is time to do some reflecting on some of the things that make Guatemala, well, Guatemala. Here is what I've come up with:

• Guatemalans have tiny feet: Or, I have gigantic feet. Yesterday, I spent three hours looking for new shoes. I kept finding the style I wanted... only to be told the biggest size they have are 8's. I wear 11's. Not going to happen. This even happened in shoestores in the mall. Because of this, I gave up and bought them online instead.


• There is no time that isn't appropriate for dance music: Typically, loud dance music should be played afternoon. Or at least close to noon. Not 7am. Waking up to the Black Eyed Peas at 7am is not ok.


• Pink - not worn by straight men: I am very secure in my masculinity and wear pink sometimes. It happens. Or at least it happens in the States. Here, pink is only girls and gay men. So much for my favorite pink and grey sweater.


• Roosters are unable to tell time: The rooster that lives outside my apartment thinks that 2am is really 7am and time to crow. I have almost gotten up a few times in the middle of the night to climb to the roof and throw rocks at the thing. I'm sure it will make a delicious dinner one day. Soon hopefully.


• Bars don't exist: Everyone knows my beer sadness and lack of choices. But what also is lame in Guatemala is the fact that bars are different too. The typical bar that I like in Seattle or Portland, one that you go in, sit, have a good pint, watch some baseball, and chill and talk about life - not happening here. Here, you can go to a club. Dance. Which can be fun once and a while. Or, you can sit in a restuarant and have a beer. But its different. I miss Teddy's off Roosevelt in Seattle. And the EndZone in Port Orchard.


• GRINGO!!!: Pointing and yelling 'Gringo!' is completely acceptable. In Xela, its rare. But on the coast, very common. Just so you know, gringo is slang for a foreigner, usually white foreigners.


• Rainy Season: People at home in the Northwest always complain that rain in Seattle never stops. It does stop. In Guatemala, rainy season means rainy season. Like, rain every day. To be fair, at least it is on a schedule. The rain holds off until at the earliest 1pm, allowing for erronds and walking to be done in the morning. So that's nice of the rain gods.


• Guns: I don't even flinch anymore when I see men standing outside of stores holding shotguns. It seems like every store that sells anything has a shotgun toting security guard. The stat I heard was that there are 3 armed private security guards for every police officer in this country. I'd believe it.


• Guatemalans are terrible baseball players: A two examples to back this up. One, when I go to the coast for work and I attempt to toss something, be it fruit or a ball, to the children, they can't catch it. They mostly look like they've never even had to use their hands to catch anything. Ever. It's painfully awkward. The second example - I went to an athletic complex to work out a few weeks ago and stopped by the baseball field to check out the adult league that was playing. The teams, made up of mostly mid 20-somethings, were aweful. After about 10 minutes of watching, I concluded that one guy might have made my high school's Jr. Varsity team. Maybe. There is a reason there are no Guatemalans on MLB rosters right now and only 3 have ever played professional baseball.


• Guatemalan men don't clean themselves: OK, this is not true and a hugely incorrect statement. But what I'm trying to say is that there is no such thing as men's body wash here. Not even at Walmart. Only bar soap. Gross.

For now, that's all I got. I'm off to go work out, before it starts raining. Only 40 days, 13 hours, and 10 minutes until I land in SeaTac. Not that I'm counting.

Semilla Nueva - Boise Event

For those of you in or near Boise, check out theinfo on this event that Semilla Nueva is putting together in July. Should be fun times. Plus, you can buy photo books there that consist of 90% my photos. (The girls eating corn used in the advertisement... my picture).