Well training has finally come to an end. The idea has circulated that Peace Corps service is filled with long days and short months…and I’d say I have to agree. It seems that training has flown by but sometimes it seems as if the days will never end. This has been by far the busiest month I’ve faced yet. Between visiting volunteers, finding out our site, visiting our site, packing to move to our site and swearing in, we have definitely been inundated with activity. The benefit of the “long day syndrome” however is that we seem to be provided with ample rest even if it is only a day or two intermittently.
As the month comes to an end, I find myself extremely pensive and a little nervous. We have been in this wonderful training bubble where
everything was provided for us. I had a family that protected me and gave me everything I could hope for. I’ve experienced minimal cultural shock and have had the best medical care available should the need arise (which thankfully and surprisingly it has not!) We are now ready to be released. While I still have access to all of the same avenues and services the Peace Corps provides, it is now my responsibility to utilize the tools and training I have been given. If I succeed, it’s because I have been able to take really take advantage of these wonderful sources, but if I fail, it’s all on me. The one amazing thing about this organization is that everything surrounding me is meant to help us succeed. There is no inherent competition or climbing any proverbial ladder, it’s just a united effort intent of on the well-being and development of the volunteers and their projects.
I think a great deal of the nervousness I’m feeling is really a product of the disjointed ideas of accomplishment between the United States and Guatemala. It seems that the question most commonly asked of volunteers is “what do you do as a volunteer?” While this is a perfectly acceptable question and usually elicits an answer relating to projects that have been started or accomplished, schools that have been certified and fun that has been had, there really seems to not be a lot of doing involved, especially in the beginning months of service. I’ve come to realize that this is because of the need to build trust in a community and integrate myself before anything can be accomplished, but I’ve also realized that in many ways, who I am and how I act will be weighted heavily as opposed to what I do. This is still a foreign concept to be in the sense that for years I’ve defined my success according to what tangible results of efforts, and relied
little on the importance of the effort itself. Much of my success in this culture, however, will be a result of the time I invest in being within the community, effectively establishing myself as part of it at all times, in all manners…and I’m scared. It is one thing to say what I do isn’t enough, but to say I didn’t succeed because of who I am? It’s a completely different means of self-analysis. However, at the same time, it’s an extremely refreshing concept. So few people get the unique opportunity to spend any significant amount of time on this subject and I am excited for my chance.
It that way however, I also realize that the coming months will be quite difficult in regard to what I will need to do. There are a number of things that I cannot control and nothing has made me realize that than the past month. There is a great unknown that exists with this move. None of know with any certainty if we will succeed or not, who we will meet or even what obstacles we will encounter. But along with that fear and that lack of control I have found comes a great relief. That there exists situations and circumstances that we cannot for see nor control means that ultimately we are only responsible for how we react, and that to a certain extent, we can rest in the idea that there is something else, something bigger than me, good or bad, that I do not have to take responsibility for. And that can be a comforting thing.
The next step after finding out my site was meeting my counterparts (or the superintendent and
a couple directors from the schools in my municipality), packing up everything but a weeks worth of clothes, and traveling to Santa Apolonia to get acquainted with the town. We spent the few days we were there doing mainly three things: relishing in the idea of independence, trying to find a host family with whom we can live for the next three months, and going to schools. Of these three things, by far the most interesting are the latter two. Peace Corps rules state that for the first three months of service we must live with a host family and rightly so. We need someone to show us the community as well as introduce us to a community that knows very little about us and what we are here to do. As our training director so aptly says, “It’s like showing someone that you’re married…if people know at least one person that can live with you and put up with you, you can’t be all that bad.” Gentle words, I know. And so, Bethany and I, with the help of the current volunteers went tienda to tienda talking to owners, meeting the people of Santa Apolonia and asking about families we could potentially live with. After talking to many many people and with a great deal of help we have successfully found two families and are ready, with enough luggage to supply a small nation, to move in.
The majority of the time however, and bar far the most applicable part of our time spent in Santa was traveling to the various schools. We will be working in a total of twenty-six schools in the surrounding aldeas or small rural towns and will be traveling by foot, bus or truck between 2km and 17km daily. The schools range between those that are new to existence with dirt floors and limited water access to some that are already deemed “healthy schools” according to the program’s guidelines. The highlight of these visits came in the fourth day of our visit when we rode with a doctor from the Centro de Salud to two far away aldeas to give vaccinations to dogs. As we drove through the towns, he would call out of the window with a megaphone for people to bring their dogs to the schools for a rabies vaccine. At one point, we walked into one of the schools, told the students what we were doing and just dismissed them from school so they could run home and get their dogs. While the doctor was busy giving the semi-wild dogs their vaccines, we were able to meet with the directors and teachers and talk about their goals for Healthy Schools this year. I can already tell that working with the Centro will be a rewarding and equally adventurous experience!
Things I’ve learned about Santa Apolonia…
…I learned that there is no police force in this very small town but there is a pizza joint a town over that, if you get to know the owner, will deliver.
…I learned that the most dangerous thing at night is the chuchos or wild dogs that roam the streets like a gang of adolescents.
…Pedregal, the breakfast place near my town, is more famous than my actual town.
…I am very fortunate to have been placed where I am.
Alongside Spanish, the dominant language in Santa Apolonia is kaqchikel, the third largest of many Mayan languages spoken in this diverse country. Part of the preparation this last week for swear-in and the move to our site included an afternoon of Mayan language lessons. I have a new found respect for the people that can easily speak these languages because I have never encountered one as difficult to speak as kachiquel. We spent the first part of the lesson learning how to touch the back of your tongue to the roof of your mouth to make the q’ sound that is so important to the language
Q’aq’ = fire
Matiox = thank you
Ja´ = yes
Q’ij = sun
In the last weeks so many things have changed, and this graduation-like feeling has completely dominated my emotions. I have packed up, said good-bye to the school where we worked for these three months, expressed my commitment to Peace Corps and my fellow volunteers and have officially become a Peace Corps Volunteers. The ceremony was beautiful. It took place at the ambassador’s house in the center of Guatemala City. After words from the ambassador himself, the directors of Peace Corps and a fellow volunteer Jamie we all stood and together joined the Peace Corps family, thus dedicating ourselves to two years of service. We also individually received a certificate from the ambassador officially declaring us volunteers, or in other words, 3 months down, 24 to go!!
While I have so few pictures in this post, it does reflect in so many ways the events of the past two weeks. It has been a time of reflection, anticipation and preparation. As I embark on my journey in this new town, I will have many new adventures and photos to share so thank you for your patience with this post. Also, I want to thank everyone for your prayers and thoughts, it has really meant a lot to me to receive your blessings and encouragement!
New Address:
Joanna Sylwester
Voluntaria de Cuerpo de Paz
Tecpán Guatemala
Chimaltenango, Guatemala
04006
(Nope, there is no street name and no more than 5 numbers in the whole address. I travel to the nearest town to pick up my mail from the post office where they will know me by name!)
As the month comes to an end, I find myself extremely pensive and a little nervous. We have been in this wonderful training bubble where
everything was provided for us. I had a family that protected me and gave me everything I could hope for. I’ve experienced minimal cultural shock and have had the best medical care available should the need arise (which thankfully and surprisingly it has not!) We are now ready to be released. While I still have access to all of the same avenues and services the Peace Corps provides, it is now my responsibility to utilize the tools and training I have been given. If I succeed, it’s because I have been able to take really take advantage of these wonderful sources, but if I fail, it’s all on me. The one amazing thing about this organization is that everything surrounding me is meant to help us succeed. There is no inherent competition or climbing any proverbial ladder, it’s just a united effort intent of on the well-being and development of the volunteers and their projects.I think a great deal of the nervousness I’m feeling is really a product of the disjointed ideas of accomplishment between the United States and Guatemala. It seems that the question most commonly asked of volunteers is “what do you do as a volunteer?” While this is a perfectly acceptable question and usually elicits an answer relating to projects that have been started or accomplished, schools that have been certified and fun that has been had, there really seems to not be a lot of doing involved, especially in the beginning months of service. I’ve come to realize that this is because of the need to build trust in a community and integrate myself before anything can be accomplished, but I’ve also realized that in many ways, who I am and how I act will be weighted heavily as opposed to what I do. This is still a foreign concept to be in the sense that for years I’ve defined my success according to what tangible results of efforts, and relied
little on the importance of the effort itself. Much of my success in this culture, however, will be a result of the time I invest in being within the community, effectively establishing myself as part of it at all times, in all manners…and I’m scared. It is one thing to say what I do isn’t enough, but to say I didn’t succeed because of who I am? It’s a completely different means of self-analysis. However, at the same time, it’s an extremely refreshing concept. So few people get the unique opportunity to spend any significant amount of time on this subject and I am excited for my chance.It that way however, I also realize that the coming months will be quite difficult in regard to what I will need to do. There are a number of things that I cannot control and nothing has made me realize that than the past month. There is a great unknown that exists with this move. None of know with any certainty if we will succeed or not, who we will meet or even what obstacles we will encounter. But along with that fear and that lack of control I have found comes a great relief. That there exists situations and circumstances that we cannot for see nor control means that ultimately we are only responsible for how we react, and that to a certain extent, we can rest in the idea that there is something else, something bigger than me, good or bad, that I do not have to take responsibility for. And that can be a comforting thing.
The next step after finding out my site was meeting my counterparts (or the superintendent and
a couple directors from the schools in my municipality), packing up everything but a weeks worth of clothes, and traveling to Santa Apolonia to get acquainted with the town. We spent the few days we were there doing mainly three things: relishing in the idea of independence, trying to find a host family with whom we can live for the next three months, and going to schools. Of these three things, by far the most interesting are the latter two. Peace Corps rules state that for the first three months of service we must live with a host family and rightly so. We need someone to show us the community as well as introduce us to a community that knows very little about us and what we are here to do. As our training director so aptly says, “It’s like showing someone that you’re married…if people know at least one person that can live with you and put up with you, you can’t be all that bad.” Gentle words, I know. And so, Bethany and I, with the help of the current volunteers went tienda to tienda talking to owners, meeting the people of Santa Apolonia and asking about families we could potentially live with. After talking to many many people and with a great deal of help we have successfully found two families and are ready, with enough luggage to supply a small nation, to move in.The majority of the time however, and bar far the most applicable part of our time spent in Santa was traveling to the various schools. We will be working in a total of twenty-six schools in the surrounding aldeas or small rural towns and will be traveling by foot, bus or truck between 2km and 17km daily. The schools range between those that are new to existence with dirt floors and limited water access to some that are already deemed “healthy schools” according to the program’s guidelines. The highlight of these visits came in the fourth day of our visit when we rode with a doctor from the Centro de Salud to two far away aldeas to give vaccinations to dogs. As we drove through the towns, he would call out of the window with a megaphone for people to bring their dogs to the schools for a rabies vaccine. At one point, we walked into one of the schools, told the students what we were doing and just dismissed them from school so they could run home and get their dogs. While the doctor was busy giving the semi-wild dogs their vaccines, we were able to meet with the directors and teachers and talk about their goals for Healthy Schools this year. I can already tell that working with the Centro will be a rewarding and equally adventurous experience!
Things I’ve learned about Santa Apolonia…
…I learned that there is no police force in this very small town but there is a pizza joint a town over that, if you get to know the owner, will deliver.
…I learned that the most dangerous thing at night is the chuchos or wild dogs that roam the streets like a gang of adolescents.
…Pedregal, the breakfast place near my town, is more famous than my actual town.
…I am very fortunate to have been placed where I am.
Alongside Spanish, the dominant language in Santa Apolonia is kaqchikel, the third largest of many Mayan languages spoken in this diverse country. Part of the preparation this last week for swear-in and the move to our site included an afternoon of Mayan language lessons. I have a new found respect for the people that can easily speak these languages because I have never encountered one as difficult to speak as kachiquel. We spent the first part of the lesson learning how to touch the back of your tongue to the roof of your mouth to make the q’ sound that is so important to the language
Q’aq’ = fire
Matiox = thank you
Ja´ = yes
Q’ij = sun
In the last weeks so many things have changed, and this graduation-like feeling has completely dominated my emotions. I have packed up, said good-bye to the school where we worked for these three months, expressed my commitment to Peace Corps and my fellow volunteers and have officially become a Peace Corps Volunteers. The ceremony was beautiful. It took place at the ambassador’s house in the center of Guatemala City. After words from the ambassador himself, the directors of Peace Corps and a fellow volunteer Jamie we all stood and together joined the Peace Corps family, thus dedicating ourselves to two years of service. We also individually received a certificate from the ambassador officially declaring us volunteers, or in other words, 3 months down, 24 to go!!
While I have so few pictures in this post, it does reflect in so many ways the events of the past two weeks. It has been a time of reflection, anticipation and preparation. As I embark on my journey in this new town, I will have many new adventures and photos to share so thank you for your patience with this post. Also, I want to thank everyone for your prayers and thoughts, it has really meant a lot to me to receive your blessings and encouragement!
New Address:
Joanna Sylwester
Voluntaria de Cuerpo de Paz
Tecpán Guatemala
Chimaltenango, Guatemala
04006
(Nope, there is no street name and no more than 5 numbers in the whole address. I travel to the nearest town to pick up my mail from the post office where they will know me by name!)
Friday, school was canceled for the a huge basketball tournament of all the teachers in the area. Very entertaining in that fouls and travels are not really considered in the refereeing process! I am seriously considering asking to be part of the team, if for no other reason than the stories and to feel like a tall person for the first time in my life!
In keeping with the theme of Lent, Sunday evenings are reserved for a much larger procession in Antigua where people create alfombras or rugs on the street out of dried flowers, wood ashes 
Well the jury is out! The day our entire group was waiting for has arrived! On Thursday we all lined up on the basketball court with our eyes closed and were lead out to a chalk map of Guatemala to stand on our site. Needless to say we were completely suprised, but Bethany and I now know for sure that we will be in Santa Apolonia, a beautiful town about an hour and a half away from Antigua. We will be working in about 25 schools between 2km and 14km away and I am really starting to get excited! I will be meeting with the superindentent and two of the driectors on Monday and packing up and leaving Tuesday to visit my site for the week toprepare for the next two years. It has all come on so fast, I will be a legitimate Peace Corps Volunteer before you know it.