1 down, 26 more to go!

Jan 15-17^th

Big festival in San Antonio for a few days en el dulce nombre de Jesus.  Strangest things I have seen in quite some time. And that says a lot.  I’d say the weirdest moment happened when I was trying to walk back home Saturday night.  First I notice a man balancing on high heels, sporting a bra, and lifting up his mini skirt to pee on an alley wall.  I turn left onto the road because on the right there seems to be a costumed group of people beginning to gather.  I don’t even get a block and there is a gang of crazy Donny Darko-esque characters bouncing around to really weird music.  I realize there’s no way I can work my way through there.  So after watching for a while, confused, I turn back around.  BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!! There are now huge fireworks going off in what looks like a giant dance of transvestites/firemen/clowns etc.  I’m trapped.  I can’t even go back down the road I came on and try a different route.  I’m trapped in between Disney-world-gone-wild and Drunk-men-in-mini-skirts-rave.  I just wanted to get home ASAP to my host mom.  Not that people in giant animal character costumes would ever scare me… but I chose to try and force myself through the rave.  Entered like a battering ram and came out the other end baffled.

Our technical trainer Craig and even Guatemalans do not know the roots of these traditions.  They have “elderly” dances where even young men dress up like old ladies and dance around.  Afterwards a man from the dance crew goes around with a fake handgun demanding donations for his piggy bank.  Pretty clever idea.

They have ones where they dress up like crazy giant looney tune characters and jump around really fast.

Dances where there seems to be a jumble of random costumes.  My friend had her host dad asking her to put make up on him for their town festival earlier.  Completely normal, even for the macho guys.  And they even had a fake cameraman:

Everyday most of the party activity seems to be at the central park where all the street food, games, and music are.  Music louder than any concert I’ve been to in the states.  I could feel my heart vibrating to the bass.  But on the outskirts at seemingly random times and locations there are parade processions, jousting (yes on horses), and “toritos”.  I don’t know how people knew where to go.  I really wanted to see a torito and got wrong directions a few times.  And finally on Monday I got to see the toritos with my host mom!  They attach lots of fireworks to a giant metal cage, place the cage on a guy, guy runs around, fireworks shoot into crowd, crowd runs away screaming and laughing. 

Jan 25

I can’t get myself to write.  I’m really sick.

Jan 29

When I first heard about stool sampling I was grossed out by the idea.  But after having really bad diarrhea for days I was so excited and pumped about giving a sample.  I had to drop it off in Antigua.  But it turned out that Gladis (my language and culture teacher) wanted to go to Antigua that day anyway to teach us fruit/vegetable/spice words in the market.  It was also required that we haggle (regetear) in front of her.  We were on a bus  back to our hometown from Antigua and it hit a bicyclist.  It jammed up the traffic pretty bad. The medic ran so fast, weaving through the street.  

Jan 30

Seems like I’ve been sick forever.  But now I have medicine so that should change soon.  

For safety reasons they are now giving cells to all the volunteers.  We’re the first training group to receive them in Guatemala.  Free calls between Peace Corps people here.  If any close friends or family want the number just let me know.  You can call cells from skype for like 2 cents a minute I think.  Also I heard there’s a google program out this year that you can call cells with for free.

Jan 31

The medicine worked wonders.   I feel awesome!!  I just got back from a soccer game and actually scored a point for once.  We are also each preparing our own “charla”.  A charla is an educational presentation.  They are interactive and definitely work off of group input and creativity.  We (the four in my town) are presenting to the municipality about environmental topics… in Spanish. I am presenting about incendios forestales (forest fires) and brechas (firebreaks).  I’ve been stressing about coming up with my lesson plan.  Finally came up with an interactive activity that involves candy and possibly lighting things on fire so it should go smoothly.  Well I have to turn in the outline and a couple other assignments tomorrow at the center so I better get to it.  Wow, tomorrow is already February.  Time to switch my calendar page, a picture with Toni.  Here’s a picture of my group taken when we first got to our town, flashback: