And so, we begin

Last Friday my early in-service training ended with my group, Kan 14, and now we are all back in our Guatemalan homes, preparing for the 21 months ahead of us. This training was the last time everyone in our group would be all together until our Close of Service (COS) conference in 2021. Now, we are thrown out into the lands of Guatemala again, a little more prepared than before, to start working, making connections, forming relationships, and dreaming about the projects we can do in these two years.

During training we learned a lot of information about our jobs, about what Peace Corps calls “working groups,” and we received more details about what it looks like to work in this country and in this culture. We worked through the difficulties many of us are already facing in the workplace here, within our host families, or within the identities we hold and how they affect us in this new environment. Working groups are groups that volunteers can be involved in that focus on specific aspects of Peace Corps Guatemala life. Some groups are focused on Diversity and Inclusion, others focus on Student Health Groups, and others focus on Community-Based Organizations and how we can work with them. Plus, there are many others! They are like little clubs you can be a part of in Peace Corps that help you to be involved, make a change, learn, and give back to the process. One group that I am a part of already is called the Project Advisory Committee (PAC) and we focus on projects at the departmental level of Guatemala, working with our departmental counterparts. I still am learning about what it is, and we have our first meeting at the end of February where I am sure I will receive much more information and will learn how being a part of this group will affect my service.

Learning during EIST about the identities we hold and how they are impacting everyone differently was a very important part of the training, and it is where I feel like I learned a lot, being able to listen to everyone’s experiences and pull on support from others with the same identities as me. A group that I was a part of and had a very thorough discussion with, was a group of Peace Corps Volunteer women who were all experiencing different forms of sexual harassment that varied to different degrees. We shared our experience of receiving cat calling in the streets, sometimes being followed by drunk people (bolos), and receiving uncomfortable comments by our male work partners. It was a great opportunity to see that we are not alone, and that we can work to support each other through the realities of being a woman in this world and in this country. Being in this session also showed me the reality of my privileges and how being a white woman here can often give me security that a woman of color here does not have. Many of my fellow volunteers experience racial harassment daily and that is something I have not experienced here. The intersectionality of our identities and how they affect volunteers during service is essential to look at and to understand for the safety of volunteers and to give everyone the support and tools they need to do their job effectively.

EIST was not all sitting through sessions, however. Over the weekend I had the opportunity to hike the volcano Pacaya once again, with both Lily and José this time. It was a great experience to hike it with two people I care about very much and again reach the top and see the beautiful view. This time, however, we saw someone making pizza from scratch and cooking it with the heat of the volcano! Only in Guatemala.

Another recent adventure I had was visiting San Pedro La Laguna in Sololá. Every time I visit the lake I am in awe of the beauty of this country and how amazing God works. It was a nice small vacation full of peace and fun before starting work back up again.

Also, a very special thing happened on February 1^st that I want to share with you all. In conjunction with Lily, sweet José sent me on a scavenger hunt around Antigua to five special places that we have memories together. At each place I received something, plus the next hint. For example, one place was a coffee shop we went to together once and I received my favorite drink from the baristas along with the next hint. One place was a bookstore we picked out a book that we are reading together, and I received my favorite scented incense along with the next hint. The last place was the water fountain in the central park area where we went the day we first met, and I had mentioned how it’s a tradition to make a wish at a fountain. When I arrived at the fountain, he was there, pink flowers in hand, and asked me to be his girlfriend and his forever wish. WHICH BY THE WAY is the cheesiest, cutest thing anyone has ever done for me. I said yes, of course. So now I have a boyfriend. And I’m very, very happy. He’s the most intentional, selfless, caring person I have ever met. He would move mountains for me. He would do anything to keep me safe and show me that I am cared for. And I am blessed to know him.

We will see what the future holds, and we are taking one day at a time, but for now I am going to focus on the present and how filled with life I feel.

Today is Wednesday, February 12^th. I’m already busy back in my office working. Yesterday I visited three schools and I am slowly introducing myself to the directors in my district and discussing how I can be a support to their projects and plans for the year. I feel proud of myself for getting this far. If you had told me even three months ago that I would be walking into schools unannounced, having hour long conversations with directors in Spanish, facilitating development tools to groups of teachers and parents, or walking along a dirt road asking everyone where to find a school, I wouldn’t have believed I could do it. And now I’m doing the damn thing. So, let’s celebrate that.