Gearing up for Holy Week!

Here in Guatemala Semana Santa- Holy Week is a HUGE holiday. It's even bigger than Christmas. Most people (Guatemalans and foreigners alike) have off the entire week and use the time to travel, visit family, etc. Hordes of people go to the town of Antigua because it is famous for its processions and alfombras- carpets made on the street of flowers, plants, and colored saw dust. They are absolutely beautiful! Dan and I are hoping to go see some later this week. I think it's worth facing the crowds because they are truly beautiful.

An alfombra illustrating Mayan culture

Word on the street is that many people come to Pana since it is a popular vacation spot. I hear it's like a week long party so I am bracing myself for loads of drunk people on the streets. Kind of sad since it's suppossed to be a week reflecting on Jesus' sacrifice, but at least it's good business for the restaurants and all the street vendors.

This week will probably be crazy for us at Mayan Families. We are handing out over 500 Easter baskets to our clients which have been donated by various donors. This will be my first time distributing baskets (they also give Christmas and Mother's Day baskets), but I hear it is CRAZY! Please pray that things go smoothly and safely.

The past two weeks I have spent a lot of time outside of the office working with groups of short-term volunteers (usually a week or two). First, it was a group of high school students from St. Louis. Last week it was a group of adults from a church in Southern Indiana. Although being with groups can be exhausting (translating, answering 2 million questions, coordinating transportation), I truly enjoy helping them learn about Guatemala and being a type of bridge- connecting them and the local people. I participated in building some fuel efficient stoves with the first group. The group from Indiana visited some of Mayan Families' pre-schools and sang songs with the kids. All of the pre-school students are adorable! Also, they visited our Elderly Feeding Program. Here are some pics below. Also, I am working on creating a separate site that will be exclusively for sharing our photos with family and friends. Stay tuned!

Happy Semana Santa! May you find time to reflect on this special season and on Jesus' ultimate sacrifice- He died so that we may live. Amen.

Erika- one of our sponsored students & one of my favorites :)

The St. Louis group brought coloring books for all of the kids.

What a cutie!

Singing a song with kids in our San Jorge Pre-school

The little boy in front is named Mariceo & is so cuddly.
He's adorable!

One of the elderly women in our feeding program.
This is Doña Gregoria.

Waiting to sing some songs w/ the gringos. 

Pure joy 

{image source}

A Few Things You May Not Know About Guatemala....

• It's common to drink pop (soda for all you non-Pittsburgh folks) from glass bottles. And almost everyone uses a straw when doing so. Also, the Coca-Cola here is made with sugar cane instead of high fructose corn syrup and I swear it really does taste better.

• Most of the major grocery stores are owned by Wal-Mart. Sad, but true. Our local grocery store (La Dispensa Familiar) is one of them. 
• Most homes and apartments do not have hot water except for what a friend described as "electric suicidal death showers" a.k.a. widow makers. These little contraptions warm the water as it passes through the device providing steamy showers. It takes a little tweaking to get the temperature and pressure just right, but once you do it's great. Just remember not to touch the widow maker while it's on and your hands are wet or you will get shocked! For all other things (washing dishes, washing your hands, face, etc.) it's all cold water.

What a widow-maker looks like

• Speaking of water, never EVER drink the tap water. We use filtered water for everything- cooking, drinking, even brushing our teeth. We also sanitize all of our fruits and veggies with a special solution. It took some getting used to, but it's not as bad as it sounds. 
• For most Guatemalans, their first language is an indigenous language. Here in Panajachel, most of the people speak Kaqchikel. There are over 20 different indigenous languages. You can see a map of the country and the different languages here. 
• A huge part of Guatemalan culture is wearing traditional clothing. Each region has a distinct style of dress that the women utlize. Although the colors and designs vary, all women wear a traje (skirt), huipile (blouse), and faja (belt). Often, the women make the clothes themselves and spend hours embroidering their blouses. The designs are truly beautiful. 

Naidelyn & Jocelyn two of students sponsored through
Mayan Families. Her blouse is hand embroidered!

• The land of volcanoes, Guatemala has 37! You can even climb some of them, which Dan and I did the last time we were here. 
• There are dogs everywhere. Street dogs are really common and sometimes it's very sad to see. Many of them are skin and bones and usually carry diseases. This is one reason we decided to adopt a puppy here- to save her from a horrible life on the street. I probably see 30 or more dogs a day just going to and from work. 
• Guatemala women are insanely strong. In fact, it seems like all Guatemalans have super human strength! Just today I watched little boys no older than 8 or 9 years old carry heavy bags of cement on their heads. Women commonly carry jugs of water, baskets, and even 100 pound bags of corn on their heads!

Anakleta carrying a bag of corn. She carried it
all the way up the mountain like it was no big deal!

• Guatemala has the lowest literacy rate in all of Central America. I have seen figures as low as 75% and as high as 88%. So far in my work with Mayan Families I have met many people (women especially) who are not able to read or write at all. 

A student at Mayan Families' San Jorge
Pre-school coloring & learning the alphabet.

Hope you enjoyed this {partial} list about the little things in life here in Guatemala! :)

Introducing: Lucia Sun Katyl

There is a new addition to the Katyl family here in Guatemala! On February 29th, 2012 (Leap Day!) we jumped into being parents (kind of) and adopted an adorable little puppy. 

Ms. Lucia Sun Katyl

She's two and a half months old and her mama is a street dog here in Panajachel. There is an NGO here called Ayuda that works to improve "the health and well being of homeless and roaming dogs and cats." Stray dogs are a HUGE problem here. They are all over the streets and it's really sad to see. Many of them are skin and bones and the majority are not fixed- a problem which perpetuates the overpopulation. In this case, Ayuda was taking care of the puppies and looking for a good home for each of them. While they look for families to adopt the pups they place the dogs with foster parents and it just so happened that these puppies went to a woman at our church. 

We went for a home visit and immediately fell in love! 

Lucia's first bath! (yes, in the pila)

She was miserable! She cried the whole time
& it sounded like she was dying!!

Lucia Sun Katyl. Her original name was Sun, but after visiting with her and deciding we definitely wanted to adopt her we started brainstorming names and agreed that we wanted something with a Latino feel. Less than 20 minutes later we decided on Lucia! It means "light-bringer" which is perfect not only because of her original name, but also since she brings so much joy and sunshine into our lives! That is when she is not chewing on everything we own. Haha! 

In one of her favorite spots

Nap time!

Since I have wanted a dog my ENTIRE LIFE (I kidd you not) I was super excited! (Don't worry Dan grew up with all types of pets so we are not totally clueless! :-P) But I have been quickly learning that having a dog, especially a 2 month old puppy, is a LOT of work. Sometimes she drives me nuts, but mostly I love her. Nothing compares to coming home and being greeted with that huge smile and jumps of joy. 

Visiting the waterfall by our house

Life in Guatemala- The ins and outs

We are long overdue for a post about our life here in Guatemala. In a way I think our lack of posts is a good sign. We are busy and happy and even though that has left our blog a little empty it has left us with full and content hearts.

I feel the need to share about the ins and outs of our daily life since other than Skyping with friends and family we haven't really shared about it. So here goes....

Our Home
Originally we were living with another girl- a volunteer at the NGO where I am working. At first, it seemed like a good set-up, but eventually we realized that we needed our own space. So at the end of February we moved into our own little apartment. It's equipped with furniture, appliances- including a microwave! and a stove with an oven, WiFi, and a tv with cable. Compared to our place in Bolivia we are living the good life. Lol! Most places here don't have an oven and a lot do not have furniture so we feel fortunate that we found this place. Also, we are thoroughly enjoying having tv since we get some U.S. channels like the main networks and CNN. I am able to watch The Voice which makes me a happy girl. :) The only downside is that we now live on the outskirts of Panajachel (our town) so it takes us longer to walk places. For me, it takes about 30 minutes to walk to work. Not a huge problem, but my nearest and dearest know I am perpetually running
late.

Dan in front of the waterfall close to our apt.

Transportation
I was talking to a friend back home recently and realized something. It is pretty unique that we don't have a car here and we don't need one! Our main form of transportation is our feet. If we are running late or something we take a tuk-tuk (rhymes with fluke fluke) a little motorized vehicle.

A tuk-tuk! Our town is full of them.

That is pretty much it when it comes to transportation in our town. It is small so that's how most people get around. Some people have motos or cars. Also, some use bicycles, but we can walk to everywhere we need to go- the bank, the coffee shop, the grocery store or market. It's awesome right now, but might be a pain once the rainy season begins in June. We will wait and see.

My Job
The catalyst of our move here to Guatemala was me being offered a job with Mayan Families- a local NGO. We arrived with high hopes... dreams of enjoying my job, liking the organization, and overall, being happy here. So far, our hopes are being fulfilled. I won't spend too much time explaining what Mayan Families does, but you can click here if you want to visit their website.

I work specifically with the Education Program otherwise known as Student Sponsorship. The program is very similar to those of other NGOs like World Vision and Compassion International. Individuals (usually North Americans) choose a child and become their sponsor paying a fee every month to support them. Where our program differs is that the sponsorship is focused on education. The donors are paying to send children to school, to provide them with the supplies and tools they need (shoes, books, uniforms, etc.), and overall, to give them the chance of a better future. The other difference with Mayan Families is it's personal nature. The program started out small, but we now have over 2,000 kids sponsored. We still manage to offer very personalized service which is a huge part of my job. Every day I answer emails from donors checking in on their families and asking about their needs. Donors tend to get really involved and many send additional funds for food, medical costs, and other things. Oftentimes, they support not only their student, but the student's family. If a student comes into our office asking for additional support whether it is for a field trip or a doctor's visit we write to the donors letting them know and asking if they would like to or are able to support their student and his/her family. For more information on child sponsorship please click here.

Shot of the volcano from the waterfall by our house

While a huge part of my job is office work- corresponding with donors, tracking payments, etc., I also get the opportunity to go to the field. This happens when we receive visitors, specifically donors who sponsor children through our program. My co-worker, Laura, and I take the visitors to meet their sponsor children and families. We act as translators for our guests. Even though it's hard work (there have been days when I have done 7 or 8 visits and many of the children we support live in faraway villages), I think this is my favorite part of the job. It's amazing to see the North Americans interact with local families and vice versa. It's a really special experience that I am honored to be part of. In general, I feel like I am getting into the groove and feel very blessed to be doing something I enjoy and to work with some really cool people- both foreigners and Guatemalans.

Dan's Job
When we moved here we were hoping and praying that God would provide something for Dan. I am happy to say that God has really answered our prayers. First, Dan began working part-time at a local restaurant geared towards gringos (the Spanish word here for foreigners). It wasn't his dream job, but something that would help pay the bills. This job gave him the chance to meet lots of other foreigners including local gringo teachers. Through connections he made at the restaurant Dan began substitute teaching. There are three English-speaking schools here in Panajachel. They would call him to sub when they needed someone to fill in.

Recently, there was an opening at one of the schools and Dan was offered part-time work. He is teaching English Literature, World History, and Drama to high school students. So far he is really enjoying it and I am very proud of him for jumping in feet first. The work is only part-time, but financially it is definitely a help for us. He is loving interacting with youth here. Also, he's continuing with his Spanish studies and meets with a private tutor 2 hours each day.

The river Dan crosses everyday to get to school.
Dry now, but it'll be full of water in June.

Food
I was shocked to discover upon our arrival that there is a grocery store here! Let me explain... in most Latin American countries grocery stores are not common. Most people get their groceries at open air markets or tiendas- comparable to corner or convenience stores. Actual grocery stores are not common. Some big cities have them, but not little towns like where we live. But sure enough, there is an actual grocery store in our town. Such a little thing, but something that makes life here a tad more comfortable and convenient. We buy some staple foods there, but get all of our fruits and veggies at the local market. It is a huge space full of vendors selling everything from lettuce to cantaloupe to black beans.

Some agricultural  fields by our house- to the right are onions,
not sure what's on the left.

There are also some gringo grocery stores here which are awesome, but problematic. It is cool finding things we never thought we'd find here (Sleepytime Tea!?!), BUT the dangerous part is the prices. They have nearly everything one could want, but some of the prices are insane. For example, it costs over $10 for a handful of almonds! For this reason, we try to limit ourselves when we go there. There are some things we always buy though like multigrain bread for sandwiches. To satisfy our caffeine addiction we visit a local coffee shop where the owner buys coffee and roasts it himself. It's delicious!


The Little{Big}Things
A huge thank you to all of you for your prayers. I am finally starting to feel better! I ended up going back to the doctor who determined I have fungus, yes fungus, in my stomach. Kind of strange, but I was happy he was able to diagnose me with something. I am on a new set of medicine and finally starting to feel like myself. Praise the Lord!

We have been meeting a lot of people as this town is full of gringos. Everyone has a different story of why they came here and why they are staying. It's been interesting meeting all types of people and for me it's been a new experience being "the Christians". There are definitely a lot of people here that are anti-religion or have beliefs very different than ours such as New Ageism. For me, it's been an opportunity to show people God's love and grace. Please pray for us as we continue to meet people and start building friendships here.

A huge blessing has been finding a local English-Spanish church. We were introduced to it by one of my co-workers and her husband, a young couple from Indiana that are also Christians. One of my biggest struggles my last time in Guatemala was feeling alone and isolated so having a chance to worship with others and meet new people each week has been really awesome. We'd like to get more involved with the local church (which is also an NGO- Solomon's Porch). It is something we are talking and praying about.

That's about it friends. We are grateful for your prayers! Please keep them coming. Also, we'd love to hear from you. Now that we have WiFi at home we are able to check email and be online daily so please drop us a line (on here, on Facebook, or via email).

We love you!

-Rachel {& Daniel} 

A Prayer for Healing

I don’t want to be overly dramatic (or freak my mom out) so let me explain… I have been sick for about two weeks (since my birthday on Feb. 20^th). Maybe that doesn’t sound like very long, but when you are constantly running to the bathroom or doubling over in pain, two weeks is a very long time. It all began with a lil’ nausea and diarrhea. I thought at first it was a little bug… no big deal. The confusing thing is that my symptoms have come and gone so near the end of my birthday week I thought I had gotten better. Then, I spent all of last weekend in bed curled into a ball running to the baño. One of the worst parts of the sickness I have (whatever it may be) is intense stomach pain. There have been times where I’ve been walking and I have had to stop and sit down for a moment because my stomach hurt so bad. After a pretty miserable weekend I decided that I definitely had to go to the doctor. So I did. 

It may come as a surprise (or maybe not) that medicine here in Guatemala is not as advanced as the U.S. so even though I went to the doctor with high hopes I can’t say I am extremely confident in the care I received. Basically, he put me on two super strong antibiotics for a bacterial infection in my stomach. Hoping that they would do the trick I started dutifully taking the pills. Those of you who have had similar ailments probably know all too well what I am about to say. I felt WORSE once I started taking the meds. It was as if a battle was going on inside of me like a tiny person was inside repeatedly stabbing my stomach. I started to feel really skeptical about them wondering if he gave me a dose that was too high. Oh I forgot to mention that this is a local doctor and the whole appointment, etc. was in Spanish.

So here I am laying in bed once again today and feeling very discouraged. My sickness comes in waves. Sometimes I feel fine, but other times I get really sick running to the bathroom and just feeling awful. Today is one of those days. I am sick of being sick. Also, I barely feel like myself if that makes sense. I often feel exhausted and just plain whiney… I wish there was an easy solution, but there really isn’t. I have heard about an American doctor that sometimes passes through our town so I am going to try and get in touch with him. I am going to keep taking the medicine and hope that it helps. I am going to try and stay positive even though it’s really hard. And I am going to ask you for your prayers. Prayers of healing.

As much as this post is to keep everyone informed it's also a way for me to express what I've been going through as writing it has been therapeutic. Thank you for your prayers and thanks for reading!

Maybe this is what I need to do?

Birthday Thoughts

Today is a pretty big day in the land of Dan & Rachel. Not only is it my 26th birthday, it is also our 6 month wedding anniversary!!! Yeah, yeah. I know for those of you who have been married for 20+ years 6 months is nothing, but hey for us, it is a lil' milestone. Afterall, many say that the first year of marriage can be tough. (I am not sure if I really believe this, but don't want to jinx myself. Haha.)

Unfortunately, I woke up this morning feeling a little ill. The original plan was to work half a day and to celebrate this afternoon and evening, but since I am not feeling so hot I decided to stay home and rest. Which is why I have time to write this post. Being home is nice minus the middle school next to us that has been blasting music over the loud speakers and awful singing for the past 3 hours. But wait? Can it be true? It just stopped and now it is blissfully quiet. Hoping it stays. Please Lord for my birthday! haha

Taking a moment to reflect on my 25th year, I realized that it has been pretty monumental. It was full of big events and many transitions. To name a few....

Travels- In March I had the chance to go to Costa Rica with my Eastern grad school classmates. For me it was a really special trip because I got to visit my old host family. I also had the chance to work alongside a local NGO and see a region of Costa Rica I wasn't familiar with. I met some really cool people and yet another fabulous host family that I still keep in touch with. Also, I was able to be a leader on this trip helping to organize it and facilitate fundraising events. While there, I acted as a translator which was a growing, positive experience for me. I also made some small trips to places like D.C. and New York to see friends which was pretty sweet.

Marriage!!!- August 20th was the day Daniel and I got married! :) It was an absolutely beautiful day full of love and joy. After the months of planning and many stressful moments, it was a relief to just be married at the end of the day. I am sure I am not the only bride who felt this way! Haha :) So far, marriage has been absolutely wonderful. We are growing so much as a couple and as individuals. We feel like our relationship is getting stronger and stronger as we learn how to communicate better, how to make decisions, how to balance time together and time alone, and so many other things.  

Two International Moves- First, Bolivia and now Guatemala it has been a year of transitions for sure. Despite the challenges that we've experienced, we have also had so many wonderful moments. Even though sometimes I truly miss home and all things familiar, I also feel peace and joy knowing that we are where God wants us to be. I am not sure what the future holds, but know that for right now Guatemala is the place for us. Also, it is kind of cool only having a couple suitcases of belongings; it makes moving fast and easy (which was the case on Saturday when we moved to a new apartment). 

Graduating- Most know that for me, graduate school was anything but easy. Planning a wedding while studying full time while commuting two hours daily while also working part-time was just as complicated as it sounds. But, in the end, I made it and was truly blessed by the friends and family who pulled me through, my amazing classmates and professors, and the education I obtained. I feel very blessed to have completed a Master's Degree at the age of 25 and to have had the chance to study something I love! Right now I have sworn off any more studies, but who knows maybe I will feel differently in the future.

In some ways I feel like my 25th year was so great. How will year 26 compare? But even though I don't expect this year to be full of huge life changes I think it will still be amazing (or at least has the potential to be). At the end of the day I am truly thankful for the simple things in life- sunshine, living in a beautiful place, coffee, emails, Skype, good food, wine, meeting cool people, quiet moments, my wonderful husband, good health, and supportive friends and family. Here's to my 26th year of life and the second half of our 1st year of marriage! Much love to you all! ;)

P.S. Guess what I found in the grocery store here! Funfetti cake mix!! I don't know why, but I LOVE it! Dan is in the process of making my cake right now. :)

A Very Special Day

Last weekend I got to do something I have wanted to do ever since Dan and I decided to return to Guatemala…

After two weeks of getting settled and going through the mandatory “getting adjusted” sickness it seemed like the right time for our visit to my former host family in Santiago. I wanted to just show up at my family’s house, but after finding out they moved since I last saw them I figured it would be better to call. So, on Friday night I called my host sister, Josefa, and let her know we were coming to visit.

Santiago is about 30 minutes from Panajachel in lancha (small motor boat) as it is situated on the opposite side of the lake. On the ride across beautiful Lake Atitlan I pondered what it would be like to see them again.  I felt a mix of emotions, but mostly felt excitement. I have lived with multiple host families during my travels in Central America, but the one closest to my heart is the Damian-Sosof family. After all, I lived with them for an entire year; I shared countless meals with them, celebrated the holidays with them, and introduced them to my family- my parents, aunt, sister, Dan, and two best  friends (all of whom visited me during my last time here). I feel a bond with my Santiago family that is hard to explain, but very special.

We met Josefa at the docks and she took us on a little tour of Santiago. I discovered that my host brother, Diego, is married and has a 3 year old daughter! Also, he has continued his studies and is now in University (a huge accomplishment!). He was in class, but ran out to say hi for a minute. I got to meet his wife and daughter. Both were nice, but a little confused on who the gringa (white woman) was. Haha. I also got to visit my former boss/the director of ANADESA, Juan Ramirez, and his family. I received some awesome news regarding ANADESA (the community group I worked with that is funded through Mennonite Central Committee). They recently became an official foundation (similar to the US equivalent of being a 501 3c). Also, they just purchased their OWN LAND! This is a huge deal as they have been working out of Juan’s small home for the past five years. That is where they hold all of their activities and meetings and where they sell their beadwork. They hope to one day build a community center and office for ANADESA on their newly acquired land. It will be a long journey requiring lots of hard work and money, but it was really encouraging to see them committed to their purpose and moving forward!

The best part of the visit was seeing my host mom, Andrea. As I walked into the family’s new home I heard her before I even saw her. She yelled “Buenas tardes!”, but in a kind of broken Spanish since she doesn’t really speak it. I walked through the door and ran to hug her and tears started streaming down my face. I just love this woman so much. She is the epitome of a servant and I see Christ reflected in her in so many ways. With Andrea unable to speak Spanish and me unable to speak T’ztujil you would think we were never able to communicate, but the fact is she was the family member I bonded with the most. There is just something special about her and I was thrilled to see her again. It was a really emotional moment that is hard to describe so you will have to just trust me. ;) Andrea prepared lunch for us including her delicious corn tortillas- fresh off the grill. They were delicious! Man, I have missed those tortillas! All in all it was a lovely day and one I won’t forget anytime soon. One of the best parts was telling everyone that we are not here on vacation (what they thought), but that we are actually living in Panajachel for a year. We invited them all to come visit us in Pana sometime and told them we’d love to have them over for lunch. It’d be a great role reversal for us to make lunch for them! I hope they take us up on the offer. 

With my host sister, Josefa, in Santiago Atitlan

Some of the kids from my former host family.
They have grown so much!

Andrea & Dan. I told her that I still have the present she gave me (a woven shawl)
& she whipped out the Pittsburgh coffee cup I gave her! :)

Beautiful Lake Atitlan on the ride over to Santiago