I am happy to report that all is well here in Guatemala . It’s hard to believe how the time passes, but
now that I've made a life for myself here, everything is happening in the blink
of an eye.
For starters, I have been in my permanent site for over two
months…22 more to go. After ten weeks of intense training near the main tourist
city, Antigua , I moved six hours north to
Nebaj. Here’s some background
information on Nebaj:
·
Nebaj is located in the North of the department
of Quiché
·
It’s part of the “Ixil triangle” and is the
largest of the three cities. Chajul and Cotzal make up the other two points.
·
Nebaj is 98% indigenous Ixil (pronounced
ishil).
·
The native language of Ixil is very well
preserved here. It is most native
Nebajense’s first language and Spanish is rarely spoken in the aldeas (small
towns outside of the city center). This
makes it a bit challenging to communicate with students, but all of the
teachers can speak Spanish.
·
It’s famous for its beautiful traditional dress
that is worn by the majority of women here. It consists of a brightly woven
top, known as güipil (pronounced wipil). The güipil is tucked into a long, red
skirt known as corte, which is wrapped around the waist several times and
fastened tightly by a colorful belt known as a faja.
·
The municipio of Nebaj has a population of about
80,000 which is big for a Peace Corps site.
·
There is a daily fresh market (which I take full
advantage of).
Nebaj has been treating me well thus far. I’m working in 10 schools overseeing the
Healthy Schools project where I teach teachers how to instill healthy habits in
their students. It is definitely a work
in progress. Eventually I also plan to
work on nutrition, school gardens, and mental health in the schools. My schedule is made by me (a big plus). My mornings are usually filled with school
visits, meetings, or trainings. The
afternoons I have relatively free and I use them to plan, spend time with my
host family, and integrate into the community.
The people here in Guatemala continue to amaze me with
their generosity, humbleness, and timid manner.
Working in the small towns surrounding Nebaj has shown me the more
conservative, rural side of life. In one
of my schools, about a 40 min microbus ride through rocky, windy hillsides, I
was greeted by children with a Buenos Dias as they bowed and waited for me to
touch their head in approval. This, I
soon learned, is an old Mayan custom that is rarely practiced anymore, but can
be found in some of the small villages.
In this same school several classrooms had dirt floors, the sound of
pounding rain on the laminate roofs made it near impossible to teach, and there
were two teachers absent the day I went, which meant no school for those
students. They have such strong
traditions that have lasted for centuries, but it’s still a struggle for many
to place importance and priority on education.
Rainy season has settled in nicely here in Nebaj. Upon my arrival in Guatemala , I began asking people
what the rainy season was like and built this inexplicable fear of the
inevitable rain. After all the pre-rainy
season nerves, I must admit that I am quite enjoying this season and I've
settled into my own routine which is dictated by the weather. In the morning I wake early to sunshine,
birds chirping, and pigs snorting. I
normally go for a run, as I’m training for Antigua ’s
half marathon in July. The beautiful
mountain sides are green from all the rain and the air is fresh. Nebaj’s farmers are up early and greet me as
I run past their plots of land while they tend to their crops. After my morning routine, I head out to a
school, and I make it back home in time for lunch and for the afternoon rain to
start. Typically it rains on and off the
rest of the afternoon. This creates
excellent background noise for afternoon reading and naps. My rain phobia has now dissipated and I look
forward to my afternoon siestas and relaxation.
The church of Nebaj.
