I have discovered that the best way to make friends in Guatemala is through food. Which I can totally empathize with, because eating is my favorite pastime. But the Guatemalan diet, oversaturated with things sugary, salty, and greasy, is also rather monotonous. So they really love being introduced to new foods, even if they sprinkle bbq-flavored Tortrix (corn chips) in the fettuccini alfredo that I made, I try not to get insulted…

I’d say the things that most helped me to “win over” friends in my site are banana chocolate chip bread, my mom’s recipe which I could now make in my sleep, and choco-crispie treats. I have made these on many occasions, and people always ask for the recipe and how to make it, so it is a nice excuse to create conversation and invite oneself to people’s houses. Anyway, I had some baking dates with some of the muni ladies and their young daughters, where we made Valentine’s cookies back in February, and then more recently made pizza. They were so excited because they’d never made pizza before. And the experience is one that I will definitely never forget. I told the ladies that I’d be in charge of the dough if they took care of the sauce, cheese, and toppings. I show up to the house, and see they have bought, among mozzarella and cheddar cheese, Kraft American singles and “queso fresco” which we PCVs call Campo Cheese. It is very pungent and delicious cheese made from fresh cow’s milk. But it isn’t quite what you would want to put on a pizza, especially since it’s quite strong-tasting, crumbly, and greasy. There was also sliced ham, ground beef, and turkey hotdogs (they were kind enough to get the turkey kind, knowing I don’t eat red meat, and not knowing that I’d find the idea of turkey hotdogs on pizza somewhat repulsive). But with the help of seven little girls, we kneaded the dough, and threw on the sauce and very over-processed cheese and toppings. At one point, I pulled the pizza out of the oven to see if it was done. I gave the crust a poke, and it was, in fact, crusty. So as I am taking it out, the ladies say, “wait, no! It’s not done! The cheese isn’t melted yet!” I didn’t have the heart to tell them that the Kraft American singles would probably never melt, because there is barely a trace of real cheese even in there. But they were all ecstatic when we served the pizza, and proceeded to cover it with ketchup, which is how Guatemalans love the classic Italian dish. It was a very funny and memorable experience, to say the least.

World Cup fever is definitely keeping everyone busy and excited around here. I am actually surprised that my muni didn’t completely close for the month so that everyone could watch the games, but most of the muni employees have moved TVs into their offices instead. The World Cup is also a great way to start conversations with any type of person, because fútbol is a passion that permeates throughout Guatemalan society as a whole. When I went to give a training at a women’s group today, we usually sit around for a while in the beginning in a rather awkward silence while we wait for people to show up, and chit-chat about whether or not it will rain that day. But I asked them if they had been watching the games, and they exploded into conversation! Guatemalans are all rooting for Brazil, and were all cursing the Mexico team. Even though I live really close to Mexico, people here have contempt for the country…I think that it has a lot to do with how Guatemalans are treated when they immigrate through Mexico in attempt to cross the border into the US.

I received emails from a lot of people back home asking about the condition of things after tropical storm Agatha passed through a few weeks ago, days after the eruption of one of Guatemala’s most active volcanoes. It was not a very good week for Guatemala. A lot of people were killed in the floods and landslides from the storm, and roads, homes, and bridges were destroyed. I’m sure many of you have seen the massive sinkhole in Guatemala City that looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. But my part of the country was very fortunate to have minimal damage during the storm. Thanks to everyone for your concern.

One of my most recent projects at work has been starting a radio show with my counterpart. We are doing a weekly, one-hour program on issues related to women, families, and youth. When I first arrived to site, I was not at all interested in radio, but it is a really important means of communication here, especially when most of the population is illiterate, and many times women listen to the radio all day while at home cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the kids. So as time went on and I realized how hard it is to have an impact, especially since I have a really large town, I got more excited about the idea. So far, we’ve done themes like jealousy in relationships, tips for being environmentally friendly, integral health, etc. I am looking forward to having something new to devote my time, energy, and ideas!

Tomorrow I depart for the Peace Corps headquarters, where we have a training for my program, and annual All-Volunteer Conference, and legendary 4th of July party, which should be really fun.

I also have some exciting news to share, but I feel that it is worthy of its own blog post, so stay on the lookout!

My internet is really slow to upload lots of pictures, so here are a few…

My counterpart and another muni colleague and I, planting trees for Tree Day, on one of Chiantla's lower mountains overlooking the town


Our overloaded pizza

Lots of little hands helping to flatten the dough