http://exploradora.snappages.com Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:05:00 +0000 http://snappages.com en http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2010/01/08/bienvenido-de-vuelta-a-la-tierra-de-insectos http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2010/01/08/bienvenido-de-vuelta-a-la-tierra-de-insectos Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:05:00 +0000 http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2010/01/08/bienvenido-de-vuelta-a-la-tierra-de-insectos
That is all, for now. [...]]]>
That is all, for now.

]]> http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/11/21/what-you-dont-expect-in-chicken-buses http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/11/21/what-you-dont-expect-in-chicken-buses Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:16:00 +0000 http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/11/21/what-you-dont-expect-in-chicken-buses
The trip from Antigua to Nebaj involves seven hours of travel on three different chicken buses. My trip up on Monday began [...]]]>
The trip from Antigua to Nebaj involves seven hours of travel on three different chicken buses. My trip up on Monday began without excitement. The leg from Antigua from Chimaltenango passed quickly, with only one other person in my seat for most of the trip (quite the luxury here). The second bus, from Chimaltenango to Quiche, was driven by one of the craziest drivers I have encountered to date. We spent most of our time in the other lane on hairpin curves that had me wondering which way to best position my backpack to act as an airbag during the crash that was sure to be coming. But, as things generally go here, somehow we arrived in Quiche safely, allowing me to embark on the third, and most interesting, leg of the trip.

At first glance, the bus from Quiche to Nebaj looked like a normal camioneta - old, dingy, some Looney Tunes stickers. But when an hour or so into the ride, the ayudante flipped on the DVD player to SCREEN A MOVIE, I knew I was in for it. And I was. The sometimes bizarre cinematic taste displayed by Guatemalan men resulted in an entire camioneta packed with indigenous Guatemalans watching a dubbed Spanish version of Rest Stop: Don't Look Back.

Go look this up on IMDB. Do it.

As you might expect from the title, Rest Stop: Don't Look Back is about people who, while driving through remote country, stop at rest stops and proceed to get into VERY bad situations, generally involving death (for the lucky, mutilation for those less fortunate). This movie was disgusting. Foul, bloody, awful, disgusting. People were getting nails driven through their legs, eyeballs ripped out, etc, etc, etc, etc. Under normal circumstances you would have to pay me to watch such a thing. But here, in the middle of nowhere in Guatemala, it was like a train wreck. I sort of couldn't look away. Until the bus broke down. In the middle of nowhere. In Guatemala. While watching a movie about people who die in the middle of nowhere on the side of the road.

Luckily for all of us, a few rusty tools later, we were up and running and on our way to Nebaj. And luckily for me, I reached my destination before the part of the movie where there are "tongues shown that have been cut out," as IMDB tells me.

Just another day of travel in Guatemala.

]]> http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/10/01/on-women-and-our-work http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/10/01/on-women-and-our-work Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:11:00 +0000 http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/10/01/on-women-and-our-work

(http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/news/story.jhtml?id=266700002)

]]> http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/09/19/sometimes-my-eyes-are-bigger-than-my-physical-ability-to-consume-produce http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/09/19/sometimes-my-eyes-are-bigger-than-my-physical-ability-to-consume-produce Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:42:00 +0000 http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/09/19/sometimes-my-eyes-are-bigger-than-my-physical-ability-to-consume-produce
So, if anyone has any brilliant ideas for what else I can do with apples besides snack on them continuously for several days (keep in mind that I do not have an oven), please let me know.

Also, I bought 12 bananas. This was more of a conscious decision than the 18 apples, and I can generally find a way to consume 2 bananas a day, so this is slightly less of a problem. But 12 bananas AND 18 apples? I'm not so sure.

]]> http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/09/11/leverage http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/09/11/leverage Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:56:00 +0000 http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/09/11/leverage
In the States two, or possibly three, men would have been employed [...]]]>
In the States two, or possibly three, men would have been employed for this job. If the task involved moving the dresser more than a couple of feet, a vehicle would have been involved.

This guatemalteco tied a rope around the dresser, removed his hat, strapped said rope to his forehead, placed his hat back on his head, and promptly walked off.

He walked off with a dresser strapped to his forehead.

]]> http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/09/05/what-happens-after-all-the-students-leave http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/09/05/what-happens-after-all-the-students-leave Sat, 05 Sep 2009 17:26:00 +0000 http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/09/05/what-happens-after-all-the-students-leave
A lot has happened since I last wrote - my 22nd birthday, getting more set up in my apartment, diving into individual projects for work, my first "reunion mensual" (monthly meeting for my job), and more.

My birthday was a lot of fun - my [...]]]>
A lot has happened since I last wrote - my 22nd birthday, getting more set up in my apartment, diving into individual projects for work, my first "reunion mensual" (monthly meeting for my job), and more.

My birthday was a lot of fun - my friend/coworker Izzy and I had a generally decadent day/evening/night and then got up the next morning for all-you-can-eat pancakes at Cafe No Se, a sort of gringo/local staple in Antigua. We also finally got our hands on an English version of the latest Harry Potter, which I'd been dying to see.

My apartment is coming together...I finally figured out how to get the shower to leak less (on a good day, not at all!) and got an internet connection here, which has been a lifesaver. It doesn't exactly feel like home yet, but it's getting there.

I mentioned this a few posts ago, but my primary project at this point is www.invennovations.com (check it out - I would love feedback!), a giant database of new ideas/products in the international development world. The idea is to start getting development professionals worldwide to start talking to each other - something they don't do nearly enough at this point. I'm in charge of a ton of stuff for the site, so I've been spending pretty much all my time working on it and trying to get it ready for our more-or-less "official" launch at the end of this upcoming week.

This past week at work we had our reunion mensual, which is when all the staff from all over the country come to Antigua for monthly meeting. It's basically hours and hours of discussion in Spanish about how things are going and what we're looking to do in the future. It was pretty interesting and a good insight into the inner workings of the organization, which I'm starting to understand more and more as I continue my work here.

Overall, things are good. I'm busy, which is important for me. I've joined a gym, am planning on exploring a potential rock climbing club next week, taken a salsa class (will NOT be doing that again), and am doing my best to meet people here. The 15th is Guatemalan Independence Day and I think I will be going to Xela (the center of the celebrations) with some coworkers. It should be fun.

My parents are coming to visit in October, which I absolutely cannot wait for. It will be great to see them. If anyone else wants to visit, let me know!

I also broke down and bought the iTunes season pass to Top Chef (streaming tv online really doesn't appear to be an option here). I am loving living in a different culture, but it's definitely nice to have little bits of home now and then.

Anyways, I'm off to go figure out what to have for dinner. It's looking like more vegetables, as usual....


:)

]]> http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/08/19/in-the-spotlight http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/08/19/in-the-spotlight Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:36:00 +0000 http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/08/19/in-the-spotlight
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10099258/

Click on the "launch" button on the righthand side of the screen underneath the picture.

This was shot around 3 years ago, and gives a sense of some of the work that we're doing. I am working for Greg Van Kirk, and the woman identified as Yoly in the short is [...]]]>
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10099258/

Click on the "launch" button on the righthand side of the screen underneath the picture.

This was shot around 3 years ago, and gives a sense of some of the work that we're doing. I am working for Greg Van Kirk, and the woman identified as Yoly in the short is the woman I stayed with a few weeks ago in a homestay. She is one of the owners of Soluciones Comunitarias and I am supporting her in her work during my time in Antigua.

Enjoy!

]]> http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/08/18/entering-phase-two http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/08/18/entering-phase-two Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:35:00 +0000 http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/08/18/entering-phase-two
So far, this means working on www.invennovations.com, an enormous database meant to help the fields of international development and social entrepreneurship start communicating [...]]]>
So far, this means working on www.invennovations.com, an enormous database meant to help the fields of international development and social entrepreneurship start communicating about what is going on in different parts of the world in terms of inventions and innovations (hence invennovations....get it!?). I'm really excited about the site and its potential, and thrilled to be working on it as closely as I am.

It's a little lonely without the students here - I really enjoyed being a leader and I got to know some of the students pretty well. But it's also nice to throw myself into this other work and start getting settled in Antigua.

On that note, remember my door? Well, it rains a lot here in Antigua. And what happens to untreated wood when it rains? It gets bigger. So I tried to leave my apartment yesterday afternoon, after 24 hours straight of rain, only to discover that my door no longer closed. So I ran to the carpenter, who explained to me that yes, of course that is what happens when it rains and no, he couldn't do anything about it even though one of the key points of a door is that it closes. After much fumbling in Spanish and frustration on my side, he finally sent one of his employees over to my place and Victor (the employee, who was actually very nice) shaved away pieces of wood until the door finally fit back into the frame. This morning, when I was about to leave for work, I discovered that the door had gotten even bigger and wouldn't close AGAIN. But I really didn't have it in me to deal with the carpenter once again, so this time I grabbed my Leatherman and hacked at the door myself until I got it to close. It's been raining all day, though, so it remains to be seen whether the process will have to be repeated when I get home.

Oh, the wonders of a Guatemalan life.

I'm supposed to be getting internet installed at my apartment tomorrow morning! Pray, or cross your fingers, or think general kind thoughts in my direction - it would make a world of difference if I had access to the outside world while at home. Plus, then I could stop spending my days stealing the wireless at McDonald's while hoping that none of the employees notice that I've been in the same spot for 8 hours straight and haven't bought a single thing....

]]> http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/08/09/finally-a-moment-to-relax http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/08/09/finally-a-moment-to-relax Sun, 09 Aug 2009 14:13:00 +0000 http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/08/09/finally-a-moment-to-relax
As I mentioned, there are pictures up of my hike up Volcan Pacaya. It was really difficult, but lots of fun. Seeing the lava up close like that was amazing, and certainly nothing that would ever be allowed in the [...]]]>
As I mentioned, there are pictures up of my hike up Volcan Pacaya. It was really difficult, but lots of fun. Seeing the lava up close like that was amazing, and certainly nothing that would ever be allowed in the States....

On Tuesday the 28th my group (6 interns) and Mary Claire and I left for Nebaj. During the week we did publicity and campaigns, did feasibility tests for solar lights and medicinal plants as new SolCom products, talked to restaurants to find out if they would be a new market for water filters, painted a school that is funded by SolCom, and found a new referral clinic for our clients with larger eye problems than we are able to treat. Overall, it was a very productive week.

This past Tuesday we left Nebaj and traveled to Xela (also know as Quetzaltenango), the second biggest city in Guatemala. I really love it here. It feels like a real city (sometimes Antigua doesn't) and has a lot of restaurants and cafes and a gorgeous Parque Central. We've done some similar things in Xela, such as campaigns and publicity, and several Xela-specific projects, including working with a weaving co-op called Nueva Alianza. On Friday we also went to Fuentes Georginas - hot springs about an hour outside of the city. They were gorgeous and it was a really nice way to spend an afternoon. On Tuesday we leave Xela and head to Lake Atitlan for a day (I'm going ziplining!) and then I'll be back in Antigua on Wednesday. I'm looking forward to going bacy, finally getting my apartment in order, and starting to set up a real life (at least for a while).

Today I finally have a day to relax a bit, which is nice and very necessary. I'm almost done with a book I borrowed from one of the interns (The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie), so I'm going to finish that now and then head off in search of a bookstore. I will try to update a little more frequently in the future, and more pictures are coming soon!

]]> http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/08/04/long-time-no-post http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/08/04/long-time-no-post Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:42:00 +0000 http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/08/04/long-time-no-post
I'm exhausted and have tons of work to catch up on, as I haven't had reliable internet in over a week. But all is great here and I [...]]]>
I'm exhausted and have tons of work to catch up on, as I haven't had reliable internet in over a week. But all is great here and I will post a real update as soon as I get some free time!

]]> http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/07/23/i-swear-this-was-the-easiest-way-to-carry-it http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/07/23/i-swear-this-was-the-easiest-way-to-carry-it Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:03:00 +0000 http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/07/23/i-swear-this-was-the-easiest-way-to-carry-it Standing outside of my apartment with the desk that I carried a mile from the office because we couldn't find a tuk-tuk (a Guatemalan form of public transportation falling somewhere in between a bicycle and a golf cart).

This photo was taken before I discovered that the inside of said desk was infested with literally hundreds of [...]]]> Standing outside of my apartment with the desk that I carried a mile from the office because we couldn't find a tuk-tuk (a Guatemalan form of public transportation falling somewhere in between a bicycle and a golf cart).

This photo was taken before I discovered that the inside of said desk was infested with literally hundreds of ants, something I was glad to learn after I had carried it on my head for half an hour.

Posted to prove things to Billy.


This week has been going very well. Orientation and discussions with the new interns have been extremely informative and interesting, and I'm really excited to head out into the field with them on Tuesday. Izzy and I finished painting my apartment yesterday (pictures to come soon - keep checking the photos section) and I'll hopefully be moving in and beginning to decorate over the next few days. It's going to be great!

Tomorrow is a big day because all papers will finally be set and Soluciones Comunitarias will officially be an entirely Guatemalan-owned company. This is a huge deal and something that everyone involved in SolCom has been working towards for years. All future decisions about SolCom will be decided by the 'junta directiva' (board of directors), comprised of Guatemalans who have been working for SolCom for various lengths of time and have earned their shares in the company through sweat equity (one of the shareholders/owners is Yoly, my coworker and homestay mother). Being an entirely Guatemalan company allows SolCom to enjoy various legal benefits such as the potential to take out loans,etc. In general it's a huge sign of SolCom's progress and a very exciting moment in the history of the company.

That's the update for now!

]]> http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/07/20/llaves-y-puertas http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/07/20/llaves-y-puertas Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:57:00 +0000 http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/07/20/llaves-y-puertas
A few hours later, I met up with my broker and got the keys to my apartment! It definitely needs a lot of work, but I'm really excited to finally get moving on it. I went by later in the day with Greg and spoke to a carpenter about getting a door installed, so hopefully that will be done by the end of the week.

[The apartment consists of three separate doors for the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen, all of which open out onto a somewhat public hallway. I am installing a door to make the hallway private so that I can, for example, go to take a shower without needing to lock my bedroom door.]

I also got to talk to Greg for a while about his experiences in Peace Corps and his thoughts on MicroConsignment versus MicroFinance, which was very interesting. One of the things that I'm loving about my job so far is how much I'm learning every single day, and how many interesting and brilliant ideas are constantly thrown around amongst the team. It's a great environment.

Tomorrow morning I am heading over to my apartment to clean so that Izzy (one of my coworkers/friends) and I can start painting the place as soon as possible. In the afternoon we have more orientation with the new interns. That's more or less the schedule for the rest of the week, though we have a campaign on Saturday morning and Sunday it looks like a whole group of us will be climbing Volcan Pacaya, an active volcano outside of Antigua. There are plans to make smores over lava.....more on that to come!

]]> http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/07/19/pictures http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/07/19/pictures Sun, 19 Jul 2009 21:37:00 +0000 http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/07/19/pictures
]]> http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/07/19/starting-to-feel-like-home http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/07/19/starting-to-feel-like-home Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:11:00 +0000 http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/07/19/starting-to-feel-like-home
The 8-week program ended on Friday and the 4-week program starts tomorrow, so we've spent most of the weekend sending off and picking up students, as well as preparing the schedule for the next four weeks. This past week has been really interesting - it was the wrap up week for the 8-week program so Greg has been down here leading final discussions and reflection groups. It has been a great way to learn about all the work that has gone on for the past two months, as well as hear some different perspectives on our initiatives and reflect on what we can do to improve and expand our impact. I am really excited about what SolCom is doing and has the potential to do in the future, and I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of this organization.

Everyone is here in Antigua for orientation through next Monday and then I will be heading to Nebaj (about 6 hours from here) next Tuesday with a group of 7 interns. I will be in Nebaj for a week and then going to Xela (pronounced SHAY-la, also known as Quetzaltenango) with the same group for the following week. I will be acting as a guide for the program along with several other employees, supporting the interns in the program with their work down here. The new interns seem great and I'm really excited to be helping to lead the program from the beginning, as opposed to coming in halfway through like I did with the 8-week program. It will also be great to see Nebaj and Xela and start to get a sense of each of the different regions in which we work.

My Spanish is getting better, though it's definitely not where I would like it to be. That will hopefully come with time, especially once the intern programs end and I'm speaking more Spanish than English on a regular basis. Everyone on the SolCom team is amazing, and we're all really protective of each other. I really feel like I'm becoming part of a family down here, which makes a huge difference in the whole adjustment process.

Time to figure out dinner - I promise that pictures will go up soon(ish)!

]]> http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/07/14/im-here http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/07/14/im-here Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:44:00 +0000 http://exploradora.snappages.com/blog/2009/07/14/im-here
SolCom (Soluciones Comunitorias - the Spanish name [...]]]>
SolCom (Soluciones Comunitorias - the Spanish name for Community Enterprise Solutions and how everyone refers to it here) is filled with great people. I am learning very quickly what we actually do (primarily involving giving free vision consults and promoting and selling products to Guatemalans such as glasses, water purifiers, vegetable seeds, and more) and because of the student consultants here currently, the schedule has been quite busy, which means that I have been able to observe a ton of things in a very short amount of time.

For several days I stayed with Guatemalan woman and other SolCom employee names Yoly. She is extremely nice and has helped my tremendously with Spanish, as well as being a superb cook. And, Jenny and Alli - I am happy to report that despite a two-year hiatus, my bucket bath skills are still up to par! Yesterday all of the student groups working in different parts of the country came back to Antigua for the final wrap-up week, so I met some more of our stuff and we are all staying in the office/staff house-thing. This week will be final presentations for the current student group, and another group comes on Saturday. It is sure to be another extremely busy week.

In any event, all is going very well. I am really excited to see where the next few months will take me!

]]>