This is my commute to work during the rainy season: 

This trip usually only takes one hour during the dry season but can take up to two and half when it rains. One interesting fact on Guatemalan culture is that when a car gets stuck the men pull with a rope and the women push to get the car free.  

Here are some photos from the recent community workshop that I helped organize en my town. A total of 19 people received diplomas for attending all three days of the workshop. The workshop consisted of capacitating community members on how to make their own projects instead of having to depend on outside help most of the time. I consider it to have been a success and plan on having another workshop next week with social workers in our department´s capital.

School Gardens

A few images of the school gardens that I´ve been working on.

A New Life in Guatemala

Even though I've lived in Latin America for roughly 17 years, I'm still amazed about how some things are so similar and yet so different.

• When I lived in Bolivia I used to eat potatoes every single day. I've now learned to say, "Please pass the ixim (K´iche´ for corn)."
• My bi-weekly baths now consist of a bucket with a plastic scoop or a mud oven that acts as a sauna. I'm rather tall for Guatemala so I can now say that I bathe lying down.
• The first question that I was asked when I first moved to rural Guatemala was how much money I make. There were rumors passing through town that the backpack that I carry filled with teaching material is actually filled with dollar bills.
• I know how to read and write...meaning that I'm qualified to do just about anything that I want. A family has invited me to work with their kid who has a speech impediment. Worst-case scenario: he still stutters but has learned about the world of C. S. Lewis.