Site Placement

Wednesday was a day we had been expecting for two months. We waited on Nicole’s porch, sitting on small plastic stools and bundled because it was extra cool that morning. They were about 15 minutes late, which is pretty good for Guatemalan time. Salvador, Zaira, David and Jacobo filled in through the doorway, big smiles on their faces and papers tucked under arm.
Site placement.
I will be headed to an aldea (village) in the department of Solola. The head of the municipality is called Santa Catarina Ixtahaucan. I will be working with an organization called Women for a New Dawn. Of the seven officials, four are named Catarina. I think the only reason PC is sending me there is because me name is Kathryn; I’ll fit right in.
I will be living at nearly 7,000 feet in a community with just over 3,000 people. It is totally indigenous Maya in population. Although most people speak basic Spanish, the native tongue is K’iche. I will have the opportunity to be tutored in K’iche. I will work with this organization, Women for a New Dawn focusing on family gardens, compost and vermicompost, soil conservation and nutrition. The second group I will work with is the Committee for Potable Water
The location is great as well. Three hours to the capital, one to Xela, the second largest city next to the capital, three to Antigua and less than an hour to Panajachel and Lake Atitlan. If you have never seen Lake Atitlan, do yourself a favor and google it. After you google it, you will immediately book your ticket to Guate for a visit to your local PC volunteer, yours truly, because the lake is stunning.
Although I am very excited to move to my site, I will be sad to leave training behind. My family is great and I will miss the fun (at lunch today, Danny was dancing to the ranchero music with, yes, a small drawer drawn to his chest. Currently my family is preparing the temascal (sauna) for me to bathe in on this rainy afternoon). I will also miss my fellow PCVs that have been in Sta. Maria Cauque with me. I will miss our Spanish teacher, who not only patiently corrects our repetitive mistakes but also teaches us the traditions and mysteries of the Maya (today for class we hiked into the mountains outside of town. He taught us how the Maya believe the nose is the guide for the body and about birthing rituals. Philipe raced us to bottom of a clay-soil slope. He won.).
I could not be more pleased with my placement and know that November 3 is just around the corner. Until then I will enjoy the duration of my time here with the Chiroy family in sleepy Santa Maria Cauque and speaking English during Spanish class breaks.