Back in San Bartolome

...and the dreams have begun. Just like during college finals, when I'd have the recurring nightmare about showing up to a final exam only to realize that I never attended the class, I'm starting to have dreams about my site placement. I'm getting so anxious about where I'm going to spend these next two years, and it doesn't help that it's completely out of my hands. July 1st is the designated day that we all find out our placements, and I just hope I don't go nuts waiting until then.

Yesterday we got back from Field-Based Training (FBT)...we spent the past week in the Western Highlands visiting current volunteers and giving charlas (talks/workshops) at their schools. It was an incredibly exhausting week. I slept through dinner last night and breakfast this morning...my host mother was pretty concerned. I had a bit of a fever on the way back, but feeling better now after a good night's rest. The hotel we stayed at in Salcaha was FREEZING, so it made sleeping through the night pretty difficult.

FBT was meant to introduce us to life as a volunteer, as well as get us practicing in the schools. We did a student charla on decision making in Cantel, a teacher workshop on participatory learning and learning styles in San Pedro, a parent charla on family roles and communication outside of Totonicapan, and an HIV/Aids charla at a rural middle school in San Vicente. Each talk was a bit easier than the one before, but I definitely enjoyed working with the students and parents the most. They were so enthusiastic and interested in what we had to say and the activities that we wanted to do with them--it was so refreshing. By far, the HIV workshop was the most rewarding...I walked out of there feeling like we had really made some small impact on those kids' lives. It was particularly daunting walking into a classroom of indigenous segundo (more or less U.S. 7th grade) students and bringing up topics related to sex and HIV/Aids prevention. Getting participation is always a challenge at first (especially with the girls), but by the time we got to the condom-banana demonstration, they were all able to push aside their embarrassment and involve themselves in some pretty great discussions. After the charla, two of the girls from the class came up to me while I was gathering my supplies, and told me that it was a "charla muy bonita" (a beautifully done talk) and that they enjoyed it greatly. At the end of the day, that was all I needed to hear.

Another great part of FBT week was meeting all the different volunteers and seeing how differently they all live. One female volunteer in a semi-rural area lived in this beautiful house--nicer than ones I've lived in back in the States. Apparently Peace Corps lingo would designate her living arrangement as "Posh Corps"--when volunteers live well beyond the average standard of living in-country and possibly that of U.S. Don't get me wrong--I have nothing against this "Posh Corps" lifestyle--I just know that personally I'd rather take advantage of these 2 years to challenge myself and live within the means of my PC budget.
It really goes to show that the Peace Corps stereotype of some dread-locked dude sleeping underneath a banana leaf on a beach somewhere is, quite frankly, a load of hooey. Each volunteer is so different from the next, and it really depends on the volunteer to create his/her own experience. I found this to be quite inspiring, honestly--and it makes me ever more impatient to get out to my site, wherever it may be, to start constructing my own experience. ...One day at a time.