Up next: 8 countries in 60 days!

With the stoves officially finished, I am preparing to leave Cunen on Tuesday.  Instead of focusing on just how sad that is, I'm trying to be excited about my upcoming plans--which is pretty easy, because they are kinda awesome.  Up first--a two month vacation through South and Central America!  I'm flying with my sitemate Kate to Peru on Wednesday to visit Machu Picchu, and then continuing north through Ecuador and Colombia.  We will part ways at the end of May, and I will continue on through Central America back up to Guatemala, and fly home from there in early July. 

Thanks to everyone who has supported me the past 2 years, and in particular the last 2 months.  I am so grateful that I am able to leave having accomplished what I came here to do!

Inauguration: Mission accomplished!

Friday was an incredibly exciting day--the inauguration of the stoves!  Since the stoves were built in two different communities, we decided to do separate events in each community.  Up first--inaugurating the 15 stoves built in the community of Tzanabaj!



Diego (my counterpart) helping decorate

Being a Guatemalan event, the main order of the day were speeches.  Speeches were given by the director of our health center, my counterpart, myself, the mayor, and the ladies.  I must say, of all the Guatemalan events that I have been too, this was the quickest.  Usually the speeches drag on forever, but I think we were all getting hungry for the lunch that was to follow, so we managed to keep it brief.


All the ladies listening intently to the speeches



Me giving a speech, everyone got a kick out of me wearing traje,
and were very impressed when I opened my speech in K'iche'. 
Just don't tell them that all I can say in K'iche' are greetings.



The ladies presenting me with a gift of appreciation, a beautiful scarf

After the speeches, we moved on to one of the houses for the official ribbon cutting!


Ribbon cutting with the mayor

We finished up with lunch, which I have no pictures of, as I was busy stuffing my face and embarassing myself.  I was on such a high after my "speech" in K'iche', that I tried to show off some more with the mayor.  I tried to tell him to eat, and apparently I actually told him that I want him.  Oops...

After lunch, all the ladies insisted on having their picture taken with me!

Once again, thank you everyone for your support!  This would not have been possible without all your help!

With one of my favorite ladies, Roselia

Stoves and Cute Kids who are Happy to have New Stoves

The stoves continue to move along spectacularly.  After coming to a demonstration, all the families are responsible for building their own stoves.  So, last week I went to visit a number of the families to check on their progress.  And honestly, I was a little worried what would happen. Would they really be able to build their own after watching, just once?  Or would they all be misshapen messes that wouldn't actually work (which is what would happen if I had to build one by myself....)? But I was happy to find that pretty much everyone has finished their stoves, and everyone else is well on their way! 

And, here are some more pictures of cute Guatemalan kids.  Cuz who gets tired of that?

Note:  These pictures were taken during an impromptu photo shoot that took place while
everyone else was working/carrying heavy materials to their homes.

He saw I was taking pictures and immediately posed.  Notice his brother in the background,
about to carry blocks to their home using the head-strap thing

My favorite kid in Las Vegas.  She is always smiling.  Also, my personal favorite picture of the bunch. 
It was taken by a 9 year old who got ahold of my camera, and has probably never taken a picture before. 

Diva pose, or yawn?

Let the building begin!

After months of planning, fundraising, and subjecting myself to mild sexual harassment from the mayor, last week we were finally able to start the building of the stoves!  Enjoy some pictures from the big day!



Breaking ground on stove #1!

Carrying water to add to the concrete mixture

I made all the ladies help out.  Women's empowerment!



Each women had to come see a stove being built, so she (or her husband) could then build hers

Materials--Check!

Wednesday was an exciting day, as we handed out materials to all the ladies!  Here is the day in pictures.


Handing out the stove tops at the Health Post to the ladies from Tzanabaj



Picture in front of the blocks and bricks...seconds before chaos ensued.....  You can tell how excited everyone
is because they are all smiling.  Guatemalans never smile in pictures!



Okay everyone, grab 35 blocks and 22 bricks!  Not surprisingly, a few went
missing in the process.  But, we worked it out.



Repeat in Las Vegas, the other village.  The ladies sitting with their piles of materials

Carrying the materials home

Cutie pitching in!

Thank you, Gracias, Maltiox!

Although we are technically behind the optimistic schedule I had planned, Things are moving right along.  Thursday and Friday, the cement and stove tops that the mayor ordered for us were delivered!

Friday, I ordered the portion of the materials that are being paid for using the money I received from donations.  A HUGE thank you to everyone who supported the project.  The amount donated exceeded that which was necessary for the projects!  The materials are being delivered tomorrow, which means, barring any of the million setbacks that could occur, we should be able to start building Thursday!

So, thank you!  Gracias!  Maltiox! (that's thank you in K'iche')

And the muni comes through!

This afternoon, I paid yet another visit to the muni to turn in the latest set of papers that they had asked for.  The first time I went, of course, the person who I needed to talk to (the treasurer) wasn't there.  So, went back a couple of hours later and managed to catch him. 

At first, things seemed to not be going so well.  He asked for some papers that I had already turned in to the secretary and pulled a few "fijese ques" (how every Guatemalan starts the sentence when they are giving bad news).

But then, something amazing happened.  He got on the phone and called the hardware store and told them to deliver the cement and stove tops to the health post!!!  For TOMORROW!  We'll see when we actually get them, but things are finally happening!  Yay!

Project Update

Well, it's been about a month now since I embarked on this crazy race to build 31 stoves.  In typical Guatemalan fashion, things are moving at a snail's pace.  Really, I should have known that of course this would happen, but call me crazy, even after 2 years of being here I somehow thought that I would be further along by now.

Mainly, I am being held up by the mayor's office.  Turns out, getting him to agree to give me money was easy, it's actually getting the money that is a challenge.  About a week after he initially agreed to give me the money and signed the solicitud, I went back to find out when I could expect to get the money.  His response was something along the lines of, "oh....right.  I agreed to that?  We should check with the treasurer to see if we have that much money."  So, off to see the treasurer who assured me that they do have them money, but to get it I would need to submit more paperwork. 

So, for the past two weeks I've been making daily trips to the muni to get paperwork done and signed by the appropriate people.   Every time I think I have jumped through the final hoop, something new pops up.  But now I am directly negotiating with the treasurer, which I think is a good sign, as he is the one with the money.

On the good news side, I am very close to reaching my fundraising goal!  I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of family, friends, and strangers.  Thank you so much to all who have donated!

What keeps me going

Cunen Crime Blotter

Last week as I was sitting in our monthly all health center meeting, helicopters flew overhead.  Immediately, we all stopped listening to the presentation and started whispering amongst ourselves as to what could possibly be going on.  Then, my sitemate texted me that the park was swarming with police, a significant turn of events because our town kicked out all the the police a few years back.  What could possibly be going on? 

Turns out....

In the  days before this, a man (we'll call him Juan) from one of the outlying villages had been arrested (depending on who you ask, for either illegal lumber trade, drug trafficking, or as a result of a land dispute).  This particular village is well known in the area for being, well...  kinda crazy.  So, naturally, their response upon finding out that one of their people had been arrested was to kidnap 3 police officers and hold them hostage, demanding that Juan be set free.  The police weren't too pleased that their fellow officers were being held hostage, so they mounted a rescue expedition involving hundreds of police and soldiers and the helicopter.  In the end, the 3 policemen were liberated and Juan remains in jail.     

The 3 policemen following their liberation. I'm guessing they didn't have their guns handy

when they were kidnapped (photo courtesy of Prensa Libre)

Article online: http://www.prensalibre.com/quiche/Policias-continuan-retenidos-aldea-Cunen_0_646135479.html



One Mayor, Two Gringas: A Love Triangle

Today, Kate (my awesome sitemate who is making me look bad by building the 84 stoves) went to visit the mayor. He asked her to be his first lady.

Kate with some fancy towel art at a not fancy hotel in Xela

I'm pretty offended.  I really thought we had something special.

Happy Valentine's Day (Dia del Carino) from Guatemala!

A Visit to the Mayor and Good News Finally!

Yesterday, I went to the mayor's office to formally introduce myself and my work here, and of course to beg and plead for him to give money to my project.

The municipal palace where the mayor's office is located

As I said, this was my first FORMAL meeting with the mayor.  You see, Kate, Nicole and I accidentally ended up going to his inauguration dance, and I accidentally ended up dancing with him.  So, even though we had never formally been introduced in a professional setting, we actually go way back...all the way back to Jan. 15.

 With coworkers after a different town dance that we accidentally went to...notice the socks with flip flops look I was rocking...

When I first walked into his office, he had the first reaction most men have when meeting me--he started trying out his English on me.  And flirting with me and making mildly inappropriate comments (he informed me that he is single).  I decided that the best approach would be to flatter him, so I shamelessly flirted back.  I needed the money!!!

Sample of the conversation:
Mayor:  Tengo derecho de una gringa. (I have the right to an American girl)
Me:  Tiene derecho, o tiene ganas?  (Do you have a right, or do you just want one?)

Finally, we got down to business.  I gave him the solicitud (official petition for funds) and explained the project.  His response?  Why are you only doing 31 stoves?  Kate is doing 84! 

Luckily, he approved us for the entire amount we asked for!  Since the municipality is 6 million quetzales in debt, I was really worried that he would not approve our solicitud, or only give us a portion of the money we asked for. The project is now 70% funded, with the mayor providing 40%, the community providing 30%, and the rest in the process of being raised from my lovely family and wonderful friends.   So, this is a huge weight off my shoulders! 

What the finished product will look like!

Donate Now! (Via Check)

Don't want to donate online? 

Want to make a tax deductible donation?

Send your check to:

Friends of Guatemala

PO Box 33018

Washington, DC 20033

And, write "Melissa Amyx Cat II" in the memo line.

Making jelly with the ladies receiving stoves

 Help this cutie breathe easier!

A new stove will mean that Santa no longer has to cook over on open fire!

Donate Now! (Online)

Donations can now be processed via PayPal!

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=YXQE3JT2BYJX4

For those who already have a Paypal account, just click on the link, enter a donation amount, click update total, and then log into your Paypal account.

If you do not currently have a Paypal account, you may donate via mail, or set up an account and then follow the previous instructions.

Thank you for all who donate! It is going towards a great cause!

When I visit many of the families, I can barely stand to be in the kitchen more than a few seconds because the smoke is so bad.  They are in them most of the day, every day.

31 Stoves in 90 Days

Well, alot has changed in the eleven days since my last post. Due to decisions made by Peace Corps, my time left in Guatemala has been reduced from 5 and a half months to less than 2.  Less than TWO!  Two months to scramble to finish my work in Cunen.  Two months to say goodbye to the friends I've made.  Two months to make post-Peace Corps plans.  And, most importantly, two months to finish the infrastructure projects I have been working towards since I arrived in Cunen in July 2010.

To back up a bit, my work here (the Healthy Homes project) has two phases. Phase 1: health education and training of health promotors. Phase 2: the building of infrastructure. In my case, I was planning to build a mix of stoves, letrines, cement floors, and water deposits, with a total of 56 projects. However, because I now have less time to work with, my counterpart and I have decided to scale back the project to 31 stoves for the families that I have been working with the longest.  And, I will be staying in my site an extra month after I am officially done with Peace Corps to make sure that the projects are a success and are not rushed.

Why stoves?  Most of the women I work with cook over open fires.  The smoke generated by the burning wood causes eye problems and respiratory problems, especially in the children of the family.  The stoves we will be building will improve the health of all members of the family by reducing the amount of smoke in the home.  Additionally, the health education that the women will be receiving throughout the course of the project will hopefully lead to overall healthier homes and families.

So, 31 stoves in 90 days?  It's going to be a crazy ride to the finish, for sure!

Feeding a big family without a stove to cook on

Women's group in Tzanabaj--planting veggies to cook on their new stoves!

Beginning of the End

I have utterly failed thus far at the blogging thing.  Many apologies.  But, I have 6 months left in service, so there is still time to turn things around!

I am fresh off almost a full month of vacationing, which saw me traveling home to Georgia to spend Christmas with my family.  Then, I headed off to Belize with my sister for New Years and brought her back with me to Guatemala! 

Me and Alison scuba diving off Placencia, Belize

Zipline through the jungle in Belize

Ruins in Antigua

Yesterday was rough, as I went into the health post for the first real time since December 16.  I put in a good 4 and a half hour work day (and by that I mean, I was there 4 and a half hours, including time for the lunch break and the time I spent waiting for my counterpart to show up), came home, and took an hour and a half long nap.  Sometimes, Peace Corps life is so hard...

              Hard at work at the health post