Babies!

Well, as I left off in my previous blog post, I had some news that I was excited to share, and now I am finally able to…I am going to be a TIA! My brother and sister-in-law told me about two weeks ago that they are expecting a baby in January. I am soo excited and happy! While it will be difficult for me to be far away from family during all this, I am trying to keep perspective that joining Peace Corps, I knew I'd "miss out" on certain things, but that it will be worthwhile in the end. Plus, as a fellow PCV told me, I need to stick around Guatemala so that I will have lots of ridiculous stories to tell my little niece/nephew :)

And actually, I think that returning home to what will then be a 10 month-old will help with my reverse culture shock. I am constantly surrounded by babies and kids here. Everyone has young kids and they bring them everywhere. Whereas in the states, it would almost be considered rude to bring your children somewhere like a dinner party, at least without asking first, here it is expected that the children will attend. This past week, I had a dinner party with my English class students for the US Independence Day. And everyone got all disappointed with my friend for not bringing her two-month old baby girl! And not only is it socially acceptable to bring your babies/kids to a professional meeting, friend's party, or whatever the gathering may be, but people make a huge deal over kids. It is a very youth-focused culture and people will even treat stranger's kids like a member of their family, telling them how cute or beautiful they are, giving them a snack, playing games with them on the bus, etc. And it's not at all seen as weird.

Something that is really interesting in Guatemala is not just the kid-friendly culture but also how people here treat kids. They are babied in the sense that people are always making a big deal over them, but at the same time, kids are expected to act like adults much more than in the states. They aren't fed kiddie food, on kiddie plates, on kiddie chairs when they eat meals. They don't have a "bedtime". Women bring their kids to meetings without the army of snacks, toys, books, and games, as they would in the US, and the kids (for the most part) sit quietly while the moms receive trainings and such. I've only even seen strollers being used on very rare occasions, as most women carry their babies on their backs tied in a shawl.

Another really interesting thing in Guatemala which struck all of us when we first arrived is how openly women will breastfeed here. I've seen women standing on the bus, holding their baby and breastfeeding. I've been in meetings where a woman will get up on stage to speak to the audience, holding her baby and breastfeeding. I feel like if I told my Guatemalan friends that those actions would be looked upon as strange in the states, they would think that we gringos are absolutely insane. After all, babies need food and formula is extremely expensive, as it is in the states, and people here couldn't afford to spend $30/week on baby formula when breastmilk is free.

Anyway, my Guatemalan friends were as thrilled as I was to hear that there is going to be a new baby in my family. Allow me to describe a typical conversation with a Guatemalan upon meeting for the first time: After introducing myself, explaining that yes, my name means "face" in Spanish, I am a Peace Corps Volunteer, the conversation usually goes like this:

Guatemalan: Do you have any siblings?
Me: Yes, an older brother.
Guatemalan: Just ONE?!?
Me: Yes. Just one. He is married.
Guatemalan: Do they have any kids?
Me: Not yet.
Guatemalan: They DON'T!?!

So as you can see, I am a disappointing person to Guatemalans who tend to have many siblings and many nieces/nephews to go along with them. And not to over-generalize, but a huge percentage of marriages occur here because of accidental pregnancy. So I think a lot of people are surprised to learn that Andrew and Steph are married for almost two years without any kids on the horizon. But, now that is all going to be different, and hey, maybe my little sobrinito/sobrinita will help increase my cultural integration.

On a quick note to end, I recently spent a week in Antigua for some Peace Corps trainings, then the annual All-Volunteer Conference and 4th of July party. Peace Corps had a big party for us, with lots of food, bbq, music, and beer, and it almost made me forget that I wasn't in the states. There was a departamental basketball tournament, where I made the smart move to assist my Huehue team by NOT playing and instead cheering on the side. We made really cute t-shirts that say "Huehue - the happiest place on Earth". Curious as to why? Well, I'll invite you to come visit then!! :)


With my English class students and fellow Huehue PCV at my casa for my 4th of July dinner party

Getting into the Independence Day spirit!

And what would the 4th of July be without refried black beans? Or more appropriately stated, a meal in Guatemala isn't a meal without black beans...

PCV Huehue basketball team

Representing the happiest place on earth and strategizing for the basketball tournament

My friend's very cute and chubby newborn baby

My counterpart's 10-month old baby, who she calls my Guatemalan nephew. Adorable!