Pre-Departure/First Month

On August 3rd, I (along with 23 others) finished BVS Orientation in New Windsor, MD. BVS stands for Brethren Volunteer Service and is similar to the Peace Corps in that members volunteer for a year or two either in the States or abroad (word on the street is that BVS inspired the Peace Corps). From what I understand, the difference between BVS and the Peace Corps is that volunteers have more of a say in where they spend their time (one year in the States, two abroad), but in Peace Corps they put you where they most need you. I could be wrong. My orientation went well, considering 24 people from different backgrounds were thrown together and challenged to create a supportive community within the space of less than three weeks. Of the group, eight were from Germany, 10 had just graduated college (six of which were from Manchester), 12 had just graduated from high school (this included the Germans), and two were adults over 30. It was definitely a challenge, but I can see now that I have grown from it.

Many people have been asking about my project specifically, and it's been a little strange repeating myself, but I certainly know how to explain myself now. During orientation, my top three choices were ARI, Gould Farm, and Central America (ambiguous). I don't have time to explain all of them, but the first two are linked to their websites if you'd like to know more. There is no specific BVS project site in Central America available that I am currently interested in, so the plan was to go down to Guatemala with the BVS Latin American project coordinator and stay with his family for three months, meanwhile working on my Spanish, getting acclimated to the culture, and also looking for a project. Todd (the Latin American coordinator) and Dan (the BVS director) are confident that we will find a project that fits my interests, and that I will benefit as well.

I apologize for switching between tenses, some of this was written right after orientation, but I am now writing while in Ixtahuacan (ex-tee-wah-can), Guatemala. I am living with Todd, his wife, Cati (a native Guatemalan), and their children Yana (5) and John Diego (11 months). Cati is a middle school teacher and only teaches from 7:30 AM-12 PM. Todd spends most of his time working on their property, where they grow bananas, coffee, pomegrantes, oranges, peaches, figs, corn, and various herbs and spices. He guessed they have about three acres, but I think it's a little more. Here it is common to use herbs that are commonly used in food  in the States (chamomile, fennel, sage, basil, etc) as medicine. Saint John's Wort and Chamomile are known to cure stomach problems such as aches, cramps, and vomiting. They sell these herbs at the city market on Thursdays and Sundays. I will try to write about my experience selling at the market later.

It's a little crazy here with the two young children, Yana is especially a handful. She feels like a little sister. The house is tri-lingual between Spanish, English, and Mum (a native Guatemalan language, one of 26, I think). Todd and Cati want me to speak English to the kids, and then we speak Spanish when we are all together at meals or with other family members (Cati is one of 10, and they all live in Ixtahuacan). I've met most of the extended family, and can remember most of their names, except all the men in the family look very similar.
   
It still feels very strange to be here, and it will take some time to warm up to some of the customs, like washing clothes by hand (I feel so spoiled now), not having an oven, and eating corn tortillas at every meal. I hope I warm up a little more to the culture, but for now, it will certainly be a grand experience.