Peace Corps turns 50, Guatemalan wedding, and theories on homosexuality

In a recent conversation with another PCV, we agreed that blogging becomes more difficult with time, because after a while, things no longer feel "new" and start to feel like "life". I feel that this couldn't be more true. Although I am always used to expecting the unexpected here, there are certain things that I will almost consistently encounter: lateness, wordy speeches, and super sugary coffee...no matter what the actual context of the event is.

The most recent example that I can provide is the wedding that I attended over the weekend. It was my first Guatemalan wedding and I was so excited to cross it off my two-year to-do list. The wedding was for a friend's brother, the youngest in a family of 7 older sisters. So, as you can imagine, it was a really big deal, especially in a society where the groom's family is in charge of the wedding (including ALL costs. What a difference from the wedding tradition of the bride's family paying in the states!) My friend, a sister of the groom, told me they'd be arriving at 6:30, so I figured at 7:15 would be a good time to arrive...not too early, not too late. But of course, I arrived before them, walking into a huge gymnasium filled with the other early arrivals who stared at me in confusion. The wedding venue was a huge indoor basketball gym that was covered in white balloons and streamers, which seemed tiny in comparison to the size of the room. There were plastic tables covered in white plastic tablecloths, each one adorning a plastic figurine of a bride and groom. More guests trailed in, wearing everything from sparkly puffy dresses and high heels to dirty jeans and cowboy hats. And of course, there was the DJ set up, blasting marimba music so loud that I was convinced we'd all lose our hearing by the end of the night. We all just sat and waited...nobody really conversing with each other, just staring around the room, and at the kids who had already ripped the balloons off the wall and were engaged in a full-on balloon war in the middle of the room.

All of us sudden, the DJ stopped the music and announced that the flower girls were entering the room! Then the godparents! Then...the bride! It startled me that there was no introduction or welcome...basically just all the guests sitting around for 1+ hours while waiting for the event to start, and all of us sudden it started when the DJ told us to stand up.

The bride walked in looking terrified, joined the groom, and with both their families sat at a long table where the wedding officiant waited, wearing jeans and a leather jacket. He gave a speech over the mic about the institution of marriage, and not a single person listened except the bride, groom, and their respective families. Everyone seated at the tables was carrying on their own conversation, as if completely unaware that the two people who had invited them were getting married. Then, he announced them as husband and wife, and they went and stood under the balloon arch, where their godparents blessed them and then cracked open a bell-shaped piñata, leaving them covered in white confetti. We raised our plastic dixie cups for the champagne toast. I almost choked on the orange liquid, and my friend asked with a big smile "Do you like it?!" and I of course said "It's great!!" and she told me the secret recipe: beer, orange juice, 7-up, and some sparking wine all mixed together. Yum.

They had their first dance, to a marimba song nonetheless, and then their parents joined them. During this time, my friend gave me the "inside scoop" on the couple...the groom is 26 years old, and the bride 16, and three months pregnant. The mother of the bride looked to be on the verge of tears the whole time, and my friend told me that the bride didn't want to leave home to live with the groom's family. "I hope this marriage will last" she said. It felt so strange to be talking about the future of their marriage and the couple had barely been married for five minutes at this point. Also, in Guatemala, there exists the "church marriage" and the "civil marriage". For different reasons, couples will opt for one over the other, or do both. But I was told that the priest did not agree to officiate their wedding because he didn't want to marry a minor. I felt saddened to put myself in the position of this young bride, who was being married not so much by choice as by obligation, and would be living with a large family in one house, a family of a man she's only even been dating for 8 months.

After the first few dances, we received our dinner: tamales and hot, sugary coffee. The grooms family had prepared over SIX HUNDRED tamales, because in an event like this, you never know who is going to show up! I couldn't believe my ears when they told me. The family was running around to serve all the guests, because unlike the states, there was no caterer or wait staff. One of my favorite parts of the wedding was seeing the guests taking all the decorations off the walls and tables as souvenirs. I have never before been to a wedding where people fought over who would get to keep the centerpiece, or ripped off the decorations from the walls before the event was even over. But it was fun to see all the kids running around playing with the decorations, as their parents enjoyed dancing to the music.

All in all, it was a really interesting experience that I am thankful for having taken part of. And the wedding followed another big celebration, which was Peace Corps' 50th Anniversary, just the day before. All of us PCVs were invited to a reception at the Ambassador's residence, where we had many people give speeches on the Peace Corps and its contribution to Guatemala. It made me feel so proud to become part of a legacy of hundreds of thousands of volunteers who have served worldwide and imagining what the Peace Corps will look like in 50 more years. I think it really helped me to reflect on what this experience is supposed to mean for me personally, because sometimes being out in my site, I feel like I forget sometimes what Peace Corps really signifies, as I get caught up in the daily life here (and frustrations that go along with it). Plus, the last time I was dressed up and in that same location was in October 2009 when my group was sworn-in as volunteers...it is amazing to think how far we've come along since then!

A recent story that made me really happy was something that Rosario told me about her university class. She studies full-time, which means one Saturday a week, from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm (I recently accompanied her to a full day of classes, which was really cool. Will share more in another blog!) Her major is Social Work, and one of her recent classes was talking about different social groups, one of them being homosexuals. Her professor told the class that people become homosexuals because they suffer something in their past that makes them choose to be that way. Rosario raised her hand and said "I have a friend who knows a lot of information and she told me that people are born that way" and that the professor was like, well that is another theory, this is just something I read somewhere... It made me outraged that the professor would proclaim as "truth" a theory that she read somewhere, but SO proud of Rosario for speaking out about what she knows is right. To be so honest, plus contrary to what a college professor says (a step below royalty as far as Guatemalan society is concerned) definitely took some "cajones" on her part.

In other news, we are in the final stages of my USAID Small Project Assistance project, which should be completed before Semana Santa (holy week) in mid-April. It feels so good to finally see the project come to life, after so much time and work. More news to come soon!

PS. I can't post photos right now because my internet is too slow, but hopefully within the next few days!

Stef's entry...a little hora chapin, but más vale tarde que nunca

and now's Stef's turn. Thanks Stef for your awesome blog entry!

Caminetas (fancified school buses in electric colors) weave between other cars that overspill on the roadway in major hubs and sail solo up mountains in a seemingly deserted countryside. Simultaneously to our boarding, a sturdy man, shorter than I, scales the back of the bus to the roof top without hesitation (like second nature). Entangled in his arms - my gringo sized backpack and the ten pounds of fruit the 60-year old abuelita had previously been balancing on her head (while carrying two children, a baby strapped to her back, a skirt tied tightly from her waist to her ankles, and a sandal missing one strap). Adentro, its six to a row (four in the seats and two in the invisible chairs that are created when persons squeeze close enough together - either for warmth or out of necessity). As the camioneta climbs in altitude circling the mountain, the man next to me leans his leather-like hand on my shoulder to maintain balance, we exchange smiles, which acts as a universal language. The girl next to me, non-descript in age, opens her hand to offer me a candy without saying a word. A boy - blind, enters, he praises the lord in word and song, and feels his way down the aisle in the old worn-out school bus. Astonishingly (although this shouldn’t be the case), casi every Guatemalteco offers to him at least a few quetzals, which could likely be a noticeable portion of their daily income. Every few minutes persons jump on and off the bus, many in seemingly deserted areas. We change buses in hub cities where streets are lined with vendors of the most exotic vegetables/fruits, homemade snacks, American soft drinks, and artisan crafts. I gawk in amazement of the diversity of offerings, the intensity of the professions, the simplicity of life.

For everyone around me this is life – camioneta rides are perhaps a once daily, twice daily, thrice daily afterthought at most - the most relaxing time of the day for those that spend the majority of it laboring in fields, over stoves, in the heat shaded by a small umbrella selling anything that will be purchased.

For me this parallels the essence of Guatemala – a taste of the perseverance, humility, vitality, simplicity, and passion of the Guatemaltecos that surrounded us. It was an immediate appreciation for the diversity of landscapes - the breath taking views of the active volcanoes, vegetation, and crops; the historical architecture of doors on small tiendas that I attempted to capture on camera from the window of the fast moving camioneta.

I am utmost grateful to two amazing guides for exposing us to Guatemala – the ability to shop in local markets, speak with the Chiantla neighborhood pharmacist, engage with Guatemaltecos eager to learn English and equally those eager to read and write their own language, dine in local tiendas, to travel from one corner of the country to another – something most natives will never have the opportunity to do, and all of the other adventures Jason reminisces in his blog post.

With little perception of Guatemala before I arrived in Guate, I left two weeks later with a few broken finger nails, a stomach ache, and a desire for a long hot shower, but most importantly with an appreciation for a life very different than my own (both that of Guatemaltecos and PCVs). I see this country as a gem that is often overlooked by the American tourist, but offered to me, an American tourist, a diversity of adventure, relaxation, and exposure - and make a million life long memories (and of course the chance to travel wtih a childhood friend, visit with an awesome friend of 8 years, and to make new friends in David and a few Guatemalans)! It goes without saying, for those of you yet to visit Cara, get planning - you have 8 months!

Another Perspective on Guatemala

I had asked my recent visitors from the states to submit a blog post for me to share since I thought it would be neat for the readers of this blog to have a different perspective on Guatemala. Stefanie and Jason´s trip was an experience that will definitely stand out as a big highlight from my service. Below is Jason´s entry...Stefanie is a little "hora chapin" on getting hers to me :)

I had the opportunity of spending about two weeks in Guatemala and visiting various parts of the country. It was the trip of a lifetime and I was able to experience the tourist side of the county and gain familiarity with every day life of a Guatemalan. I don’t believe many Americans are fortunate enough to really see the everyday life of the Guatemalan people and I cannot thank Cara and David enough for this experience. Without my “tour guides” I could not have had such a unique and eye opening experience.

The first stop of my trip was Lake Atitlan, which is a major tourist destination in Guatemala. The lake is beautiful, clean, and is surrounded by mountains and volcanos. This place is truly a paradise and you don’t have to look far to find Americans on vacation. The little towns on the lake are only accessible by boat due to the huge surrounding mountains, which gives this place a unique and relaxing atmosphere. This vacation destination rivals those of Costa Rica and Mexico and I have already recommended the lake to many friends for future vacations.

Thereafter we made the trip to Chiantla in the department of Huehuetenango. This is Cara’s Peace Corps site and I was privileged to observe her daily life and the daily lives of many of her friends within the town of Chiantla. The town is filled with small locally owned stores offering fresh food and supplies for daily living. Despite myself being an obvious outsider I was greeted with a smile everywhere I went. While staying with Cara I was able to attend an English class and communicate with her students. The class was a blast and those attending including myself had a great time attempting to communicate with each other. I could tell they were excited to meet me as much as I was excited to find out more about them. I am a beginner Spanish speaker as they were beginner English speakers so lack of language made conversation fun and interesting. I could tell Cara had a strong relationship with the people of her class, they respected her and appreciated her presence.

Climbing the Santa Maria Volcano was remarkable experience. The hike was 8.5 hours total and we spent about an hour at the top eating and taking in the view. From the top, the second largest city in Guatemala, Xela was clearly visible as well as a group of active volcanoes. It was a very difficult but rewarding adventure.

In the latter part of my trip I visited the ancient Mayan city of Tikal. This was truly an amazing experience to be in the middle of the rain forest and see the tremendous Mayan temples. Climbing to the top of the temples was an adventure in itself. Temple 5 has a ladder that you must climb to go up 150 feet. Once at the top of the temples there is a view of the rain forest above the canopy, which is breathtaking. The most amazing part is that hundreds of temples still must be excavated and are covered with earth and huge trees. The park is unique in that it is huge; at one point I walked for 1.5 hour without seeing another person only animals and rain forest. The tours are truly worth it and give you a good history of the Mayan people. I took a sunrise tour in which you work up at 4:30 am and walked through the rain forest in complete darkness. I have never been somewhere it is so dark you cannot see your hand in front of your face. The sounds of rain forest in the night are something I will not forget.

These are just the highlights of my trip and a true recount would be much longer. The county in beautiful and a very affordable trip for Americans. I believe the country’s tourism is not well known or advertised and this results in the lack of knowledge that Americans have for the country and what it has to offer. This for sure will not be last trip to Central America and look forward to improving my Spanish and getting to know the region.