Saved by the Bell

  In Guatemala school starts in January, in conjunction with the presidential inauguration and a visit from my parents, it was an eventful start to the year. Then came changes to Peace Corps Guatemala, followed by Semana Santa and a ton of other special events in which classes were canceled including mothers day, fathers day, school anniversaries, town anniversary, mid year break and a few soccer tournaments thrown in there and a dash of Peace Corps trainings and conferences. And here we are with one semester remaining until summer vacation. With all that said, there is not much class time for students and teachers and provided there aren’t any teacher strikes, which I have not experienced as of yet. Much of my work involves implementing a life skills curriculum into the already existing middle school curriculum.

  The first phase is teaching students directly, followed by co-teaching with the teachers in order for them to be able to teach independently, in a perfect world. It is a challenge when majority of teachers are unavailable and leave their class unsupervised for periods at a time, especially when they view their time with me as a free period.   As the year is coming to an end, I can count on two fingers how many teachers are successfully administering lessons on self-esteem, leadership, decision-making and goal setting. It was not without some challenges, some more significant than others. Prior to leaving for my trip home I organized a month long plan for each of my teachers in all three of my schools, I prepared materials, gave instructions and a drawn out calendar with what to do on what day, fool proof so I thought. I came back excited to hear back from my teachers, of the five only one followed instructions.

  One of the teachers completely ignored the calendar and materials and decided to teach sex education; only thing is that she is a social studies teacher. I was concerned so I asked the kids how they felt about the lesson and the looks on their faces said it all, terrified.  I worked with the science teacher on properly educating the students about the reproductive system and only hope that the teachers continue to properly use the manual as a resource in their courses and I plan on training all teachers about the proper use of the manual and working with teenagers due to the fact many are not trained teachers or have experience working with adolescents.  I am neither a certified teacher nor an expert on teenagers but as educators and influential adults we owe it to the youth to take an effort in their development and prepare them for the next step of their lives. Being a teenager today is so much more challenging than it was to be a teenager just 5 or 10 years ago.  

   In finding the challenges that face my students and in part of my work to educate and help the youth I am working with local government, community members and collaborating with nearby volunteers to develop summer camps focusing on topics of cultural diversity and gender based leadership camps. It may be a bit ambitious but it gives non-working students something to look forward to. Plus, it beats waking up at noon and doing nothing all summer. 

I DO

  I sit here counting the remaining time of my service on two hands, thinking how in the world did I get here and what am I doing.  Over two years ago, I made a conscious decision to join the Peace Corps via a pop-up while studying for the GMAT. I don’t regret my decision at all; I’m not a good test taker anyways.  I knew I would be leaving behind a lot but I also knew I would be gaining a lot.  During the months prior to my departure, reading blogs, deciding what to pack and talking to local RPCV’s I realized I’d be living thousands of miles away from everything that I was familiar with, friends, family, my car, Friday night drinks after work and my pillow top mattress. Among all those wonderful things that did not initially cross my mind include peace and quiet, personal space, privacy, and anonymity. I wasn’t waking up to street dogs, tortillaring, crying children, herds of cows and marching bands at 4am. I was able to walk out of my house and not be questioned about why my hair is curly and if it can be touched, or why I am so tall or why my skin is the color it is. I could sit in my hotel room watching TV and eating my pizza peacefully without a little girl coming in and helping herself to a slice only to ask for some more for her friends minutes later, yes this really happened and no she did not get any for her friends. 

  When everything seems as if it could not get any worse I am reminded why I am here and that I willingly agreed to these challenges and disappointments, new relationships, excessive personal time, and most importantly diarrhea and other digestive related issues. My laundry lady doesn’t just wash my clothes, we talk, we laugh, but most of all I know she genuinely cares about me, why else would she be trying to find a husband for me. Sitting on my doorstep out of boredom has now turned into a small kids group of fun and games and occasional cookie baking. After enjoying a long walk to school only to find classes are canceled for a district wide soccer game delaying us yet another week, I see it as an opportunity to hang out with my students to talk about cultural differences and Facebook. And on those days that I just can’t trust my stomach in public, I see it as an opportunity to think back to what I ate the day before and catch up on my blog! Every volunteer has their own unique experience, and has their own perspective of their host country and service.  I know one day I will look back and cherish each waking moment I have in Guatemala. Some days are easier to get through than others thanks to our Peace Corps issued cell phones, comfort foods and Internet access. 

Hasta la Proxima