Dear Mom and Dad

Dear Mom and Dad,

I’m here in Guatemala, safe and sound. I moved into my training host family (I’ll be here until I swear in towards the end of July and the 2-year clock starts). My family is extremely kind. I live with an older widow, Evangelina (or Eva) and her 26-year-old daughter Flores, Flores’ husband Mario, and their two young children Mario (3 years old) and a baby girl who will soon be turning 1.

Like the general Guatemalan population, my family is very conservative Catholic family, although the daughter and her husband are of a more progressive generation. I address my host mother using the “usted” form, which is the more formal form of Spanish, and the way that children address their parents. Flores and her husband, however, told me today at breakfast that they like to use the more informal “tu” form, and that I was welcome to do the same. It’s amazing how open and welcoming these families are; Flores already addresses me as hermana, or sister, and her son calls me Tia, or Aunt Hannah.

Mario’s birthday is coming up, so today we are all going to the zoo in Guate City. We are taking a taxi for my benefit, since the Peace Corps requires that I never use public transport to the capitol (bus hijacks and robberies are quite common and thus dangerous…the locals still use the buses though).

It’s been only 4 days since I arrived in Guatemala, but it seems like it’s been much longer. I’ve had so much information thrown at me during PC training sessions, and so much to get used to…the food here is good, and like I was told, mostly vegetarian. Food is served in much smaller portions than I’m accustomed to seeing in the States, but being the “Gringa,” I have been receiving extra-large portions, and only purified water or juice.

I’ve been waking up with bites all over my body…I don’t know yet what’s biting me. The rainy season isn’t in full swing yet so there really aren’t many mosquitoes (although I’ve already begun my anti-malarial drugs as instructed by the PC Medical Staff). I’m thinking bed bugs, which is nothing I haven’t dealt with before. I’m lucky as my house has a more modern bathroom, with a flush toilet, a sink, and a cement shower (no hot water, but at least it’s a shower). My bedroom is also nicer than I expected…and the family gave me a lock so I could lock up my valuables out of reach from the little ones (this being an extremely collective society there are different norms when it comes to ownership and personal belongings…so kids especially don’t understand the boundaries of “this is mine” and “that is yours.”)

My Spanish is coming back very quickly, and I’m picking up new words and phrases everyday from my host family (Flores especially is great about correcting me). I showed the family photos of you all last night after dinner…they said I have a beautiful family. They all have a hard time believing me when I tell them that my family and boyfriend “allowed” me to come here and do this. Just as I’m amazed by the level of collectivism here, they have trouble understanding American individualism, and how families could live so separately. This is truly a beautiful country; I can’t wait for you to see it.

Love,

Hannah