The Most Fun

I was asked the other day what the funnest part of my day to day life in site is. Normally I would reply in a tongue and cheek manner that there is nothing fun to do in my town, but this isn't completely true. I decided that the funnest parts of my day are usually the unexpected surprises. I think I wrote about this earlier, but my motto is just say yes (especially to invitations) even if I don't really know what I am saying yes to. I rarely know what I am getting into, but it usually works out. This goes hand and hand with "be flexible." I had my afternoon planned out (albeit my plans weren't set in stone or all that exciting), but when my host sisters knocked on my door and told me that they were cooking sheep's heads I grabbed my camera and headed out. They cooked the heads and feet over an open fire of special branches and leaves that will give them a special flavor. The feet will be made into "caldo de pata" hoof soup and then we will eat the brains. Side note: I have had cow hoof soup and it is probably one of my least favorite things that I have ever eaten. This is all being prepared as a special treat for my host brother's birthday.

My host sister Maria

Minako and I in our courtyard

I think I would call this a smile mixed with disgust

I am apparently eating all this tomorrow night. Wish me luck!  

Dados de Salud

aka health dice. Why do so many things just sound better in Spanish?

Anyway, they are a healthy schools tool. Each side of the die has a different body part on it: nails, hands, face, hair, clothes, feet, or occasionally one of these is swapped out for something like lice. The idea is that each morning in every classroom the teacher will throw the die and they will check the body part of whatever side lands face up. It is to make a game out of daily hygiene and also to add a random element to the checks to hopefully motivate the kids to be clean all of the time. Trust me they aren't.

Every month all of the directors in the district that I work in have an all day meeting (8-12:30). At today's meeting I did a sort of arts and crafts with them and had them make their own dados de salud. Guatemalans love arts and crafts. It was a hit. Now hopefully they will replicate this activity in their schools so that each classroom will have one. I'm not holding my breath, but it's a start. Other notable things that happened in the meeting: my counterpart, the superintendent, announced that someone in the department of education is trying to put a stop to sports days. My thoughts: PLEASE DO. Also, after the meeting I had two different directors come up to me and say that they too would like to work with me. YAY! I'm going to do my first visits with them next week.

All of the directors (there are more dados hidden in the crowd)

The Chicken Bus Song

The other weekend a group of us went to Lago Atitlan for a little R&R and gringo time. We stayed at the Iguana Perdida a nice fun hostel which is right on the water in Santa Cruz la laguna (a short boat ride from Panajachel). On saturday night they had this bomb BBQ, cross-dressing (they have a costume closet) and live music. Basically it was a good time. The band sang this chicken bus song and it was so funny and so true. Turns out this guy wrote it and he has a music video. Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGZJvbkCjEA

P.S. All of the "chatter" between verses are typical chicken bus sounds. Ayudantes (the men who collect money) calling out where the bus is going, people selling gum or fruit on the busses, etc.

The guy from the music video is in the red pants

Oh and we also met this guy (I feel like he is a regular)

Breakfast view at the Iguana Perdida

Wild

I just finished reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed. I liked it, but found it a little hard to get into her story when I didn't really like her as a person. Not the point. In it she mentions that in general, men lose more weight hiking the Pacific Crest Trail than women: “I’d lost weight too, just not as much as the men – an unjust pattern I’d observed across the board in the other male and female hikers I’d met.” This is the same general pattern that happens in the Peace Corps: men tend to loose weight while women tend to gain weight. This is simply not fair, but sadly mostly true. A couple of girls in my training class have gained over 10 pounds since arriving in Guatemala while some of the boys are noticeably skinnier. I lost weight in training (mainly because I was sick/having intestinal problems for the majority of it). However, since then I have gotten back to where I was before I left.

The Resturaunt Doesn't Sell Tortillas? No Problem

So Guatemalans love the fast food restaurant Pollo Campero (Country Chicken) which is basically a fried chicken fastfood chain. It is so well liked that when I told my host family that I was going out for a friend's birthday they immediately asked me if I was going to Pollo Campero. The answer was no. I have actually never eaten there, but I did accompany my host family there for a 'cafecito' (snack) during Semana Santa (holy week before Easter). It is expensive compared to eating at home or at a comedor (informal resturaunt) where meals are usually around 15 Quetzales (~$2). I think a chicken sandwich meal with fries and a drink costs around 55Q (~$7). So anyway here it is considered a little bit of a treat.

Well anyway there is one small problem with Pollo Campero from a Guatemalan standpoint. They don't serve tortillas. And for most Guatemalans a meal is not complete without tortillas. To solve this problem at every Pollo Campero that I have seen there are at least two women sitting right outside with a basket full of hot tortillas to sell. Problem solved.

The woman on the left is selling tortillas (in the basket under the yellow cloth)

Transaction in front of the drive-through (the tortillas are in the basket)