We needed a break from Guatemalans, so we went on our first road trip to see another volunteer. Or, in this case, two: our married friends Katy and Joe. They are stationed in Cabricán, in the department of Quetzaltenango to the south. We left at 6am from Temux, and 4 bus transfers and 12 hours later, we were at their door. It’s fun to see how different two assignments can be… they have a flush toilet, a hot shower, cable tv, a pila to wash clothes, and most consumer items (like cheese and milk) are available to them in their town or with only a little travel. Yet, much is the same old Guatemala third-worldness. They’ve gone to the trouble to set up a nice kitchen with spices and yummy food, they have their little computer setups, and they are content. Their house is cozy for guests; they have a second bed and everything!

Another weird thing about their site is that they have “sitemates”, a phenomenon that occurs frequently in Peace Corps, just not with us. There are 4 Peace Corps volunteers in Cabricán, and 3 in villages within walking distance. Cabricán also has a few other foreign aid workers from other organizations. They’ve been getting aid for nearly a decade now, so their level of infrastructure is WAY higher than ours here in Temux, and gringoes doesn’t get a second glance as they stroll down the street. It was kindof weird for us.

This poses a challenge for Katy & Joe that is different than ours: they have to find ways to engage a population that is now “ho-hum” about aid work, and they have to dig deeply to find the people that need aid the most. We, on the other hand, have PILES of work and EVERYONE needs help; so for us the difficulty is where to start, and who to help first.

We went with J&K to their Market on Sunday, and witnessed one of the recurrent themes in Guatemalan culture- the bolos (drunks) passed out in the street. We see this sometimes when we go into our own market in Santa Eulalia, and it’s pretty sad. But we saw a LOT this weekend, more than usual. Joe and I are starting to take pictures of them on the sly. It started as a joke, kindof, a way to try to cope with this sad thing we are regularly exposed to. But now, it’s starting to become a sort of photojournalistic project. I am not yet sure where it will lead, but we’re talking about having a photo exhibition next year once we get a lot of material and think of a good conceptual way to present it. Alcoholism is the #1 killer of adults in my municipality, and is in the top three in Guatemala as a whole. Perhaps we can do something to raise awareness. Perhaps I am being too optimistic.

So, to end on a lighter note, we had a great weekend and are all set to work really hard here in Temux for a few more weeks before Reconnect training, when all of the volunteers from our group get together to talk about what we’ve seen so far, get some remedial Spanish lessons, and socialize a bit. That’s about all I’ve got for now. Take care!