This past week has been really fun! I participated in a sewing workshop with some of the women in town, which was really fun. We learned how to use sewing machines that work by using a pedal instead of electricity. The first day was spent just learning how to use the pedal since all the machines were new and the pedals were really stiff. It was really funny because all of us were huffing and puffing trying to get the machines going! The muni bought about 10 machines for the women to use so that they may be able to earn some extra income or make clothes for their family. We never actually sewed anything- just worked on making lines and curves and everything and then next month the trainer will come back for another week. The trainer was really nice and interesting to talk to. She’s with an organization that sends her out to give workshops about all kinds of stuff- sewing, crochet, knitting, baking, etc. I made peanut butter cookies one day for snack for everyone and was asked to teach them how to bake, so hopefully that can be something I can do. Also recycled art is really big here, so I might see if the women would be interested in learning how to make bracelets and purses out of chip bags and things like that to sell in the market. The only downside is that there are no tourists here and I don’t think any locals would buy them so they would have to sell the goods in a more touristy town.
Besides doing the sewing taller (workshop), I worked some more on my presentation and then on Friday went to Panajachel, which is a really touristy town on the lake, for an eco-festival put on by an NGO called Pura Vida. They are the ones who invented the eco-ladrillo and bottle constructions and they work a lot with solid waste management around the lake. At the festival they had all kinds of eco-friendly goods for sale and lots of info about composting and vermiculture. I learned a lot more about worms so I think soon I may go visit a vermiculture specialist in Chimaltenango to see how he does it. I went with Justo, who is another volunteer who lives in Santa Clara, the town right next to me. It was really fun to get out of town and go see the Lake, which was beautiful even though there are so many hippies and tourists everywhere there! It made me miss the beach a lot.
I finally started cooking for myself, which is really nice. Tonight I made dobladas, which are like empanadas, with fried plantains. It was really yummy!! Now I just have a lot of dishes to do. I’m finding it’s really hard to find time to do everything I need to do! Laundry takes at least two hours to do, and there’s lots of dust everywhere so I have to sweep a lot. There are also tons of cobwebs in my house so tomorrow I’m going to try to do some spring cleaning and try to mold proof my casita before rainy season kicks in. There’s already a little bit of mold creeping up some of the walls, so if anyone knows how to get rid of mold just let me know! Peace Corps has made me so domestic! I’ve been sewing and baking and washing clothes and cleaning a lot this past week. And I’m working on turning a dress I found at a PACA into an apron. I found a free podcast with snippets of Ricky Gervais’ comedy bits which are really funny, and I like listening to those at night when I’m cooking or having a coffee or something like that. Even though I’m in Guatemala and the coffee here is SO good and is exported all over the world, I drink instant because the good stuff is too strong for me! Lots of people in the campo, or rural areas, drink café con cereales, which is kind of like a really weak, watery coffee with barley and other grains in it. I’m not a big fan.
This week is the beginning of the Semana Santa, so the town is getting prepared for the celebration at the end of the week. We have Thursday and Friday off, and on Friday in the town square the Catholic Church is building a couple platforms for the dramatization they are going to perform on Friday. In Santa Clara, they do something called the toronjeada, which is where a bunch of people, some who are drunk, just throw oranges at each other. That’s one of the major reasons why there has been a rise in the evangelical church here. It’s about 50% evangelical and 50% Catholic. A lot of people are evangelical because they think the Catholic Church is too loose with its rules- it allows people to drink, for example. The Evangelical Church doesn’t, and so that’s why some people prefer that faith- it’s a lot stricter. The family I live with is evangelical, and they are very, very religious. They go to culto, or church service, every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday for at least two hours.
I apologize for all the grammar and spelling mistakes in my blogs, by the way. It’s pretty much just a stream of words running from my brain to the page so that may be why I’m getting worse at spelling and grammar.
Lately the shower has seemed colder than usual- I woke up on Saturday morning to take a shower, and it was so cold I could see my breath! It definitely woke me up though and makes me take shorter showers. Plus, when you get out, the air around you feels a lot warmer than it did before you took a shower so that’s another plus.
Besides doing the sewing taller (workshop), I worked some more on my presentation and then on Friday went to Panajachel, which is a really touristy town on the lake, for an eco-festival put on by an NGO called Pura Vida. They are the ones who invented the eco-ladrillo and bottle constructions and they work a lot with solid waste management around the lake. At the festival they had all kinds of eco-friendly goods for sale and lots of info about composting and vermiculture. I learned a lot more about worms so I think soon I may go visit a vermiculture specialist in Chimaltenango to see how he does it. I went with Justo, who is another volunteer who lives in Santa Clara, the town right next to me. It was really fun to get out of town and go see the Lake, which was beautiful even though there are so many hippies and tourists everywhere there! It made me miss the beach a lot.
I finally started cooking for myself, which is really nice. Tonight I made dobladas, which are like empanadas, with fried plantains. It was really yummy!! Now I just have a lot of dishes to do. I’m finding it’s really hard to find time to do everything I need to do! Laundry takes at least two hours to do, and there’s lots of dust everywhere so I have to sweep a lot. There are also tons of cobwebs in my house so tomorrow I’m going to try to do some spring cleaning and try to mold proof my casita before rainy season kicks in. There’s already a little bit of mold creeping up some of the walls, so if anyone knows how to get rid of mold just let me know! Peace Corps has made me so domestic! I’ve been sewing and baking and washing clothes and cleaning a lot this past week. And I’m working on turning a dress I found at a PACA into an apron. I found a free podcast with snippets of Ricky Gervais’ comedy bits which are really funny, and I like listening to those at night when I’m cooking or having a coffee or something like that. Even though I’m in Guatemala and the coffee here is SO good and is exported all over the world, I drink instant because the good stuff is too strong for me! Lots of people in the campo, or rural areas, drink café con cereales, which is kind of like a really weak, watery coffee with barley and other grains in it. I’m not a big fan.
This week is the beginning of the Semana Santa, so the town is getting prepared for the celebration at the end of the week. We have Thursday and Friday off, and on Friday in the town square the Catholic Church is building a couple platforms for the dramatization they are going to perform on Friday. In Santa Clara, they do something called the toronjeada, which is where a bunch of people, some who are drunk, just throw oranges at each other. That’s one of the major reasons why there has been a rise in the evangelical church here. It’s about 50% evangelical and 50% Catholic. A lot of people are evangelical because they think the Catholic Church is too loose with its rules- it allows people to drink, for example. The Evangelical Church doesn’t, and so that’s why some people prefer that faith- it’s a lot stricter. The family I live with is evangelical, and they are very, very religious. They go to culto, or church service, every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday for at least two hours.
I apologize for all the grammar and spelling mistakes in my blogs, by the way. It’s pretty much just a stream of words running from my brain to the page so that may be why I’m getting worse at spelling and grammar.
Lately the shower has seemed colder than usual- I woke up on Saturday morning to take a shower, and it was so cold I could see my breath! It definitely woke me up though and makes me take shorter showers. Plus, when you get out, the air around you feels a lot warmer than it did before you took a shower so that’s another plus.
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