To Market, To Market

For NY,  it is gallery openings and fashion shows. For LA: sushi bar reveals and movie premieres. And for Guatemala (my town in particular), it is market day.

Yes, these are social events where you go to see and be seen--- and sometimes, even allowing you some time to conveniently pick up your weekly grocery list!

Sunday and Tuesday market days are the social events of the week in my town. Vendors sell their best batches of fragrant produce, while townsfolk walk through the mercado lugging their costales (colorful, plastic bags) over their finest clothing.

Nothing better than fresh produce!

These are the days to catch up with friends and loved ones who live across town, snag a bit of town gossip, and even make new friends---friends who sometimes have the power to save you a Q or two.

Sara and I are now seen as a sort of Gringa Power Duo. We walk through the market in perfect unison---creating a whirlwind effect that can only be compared to seeing Kali, the Hindu Goddess, stretching her four arms across the market, purchasing wisely and with swift precision.

If time is on our side, we begin our journey with a cup of atole (deliciously made by one of the members of Sara's women's group) in the 'inside market' and then slowly make our way out to the veggies, fruits, and finally the grain section---exercising our 'haggling muscle' with every stop.

Sometimes though, our route and even our grocery lists go out the figurative window when something catches our eyes. For me, that usually means fresh lychee (which, yes, is apparently grown here in Guatemala) and for Sara, it is a fresh basketful of berries.

But no matter the route and no matter how late we are to the party, we make an appearance. Because, let's face it, if you can't show off your new MegaPaca (Guatemalan thrift store chain) shoes while hauling around three pineapples, a pound of onions, and a bushel of broccoli, then, what is the point! Oh, and maybe it doesn't hurt that you have two opportunities a week to cement crucial connections in town via a hug or a quick hello. Yeah, that too!

The Perks of Being a Site-Rat

Site-rat: 
Noun
: integrated, homebody, adjusted
1. PCV who happily spends most of his/her service in site. 2. PCV who most likely chooses to remain with HCNs (Host Country Nationals/Guatemalans) rather than spend yet another night in a tourist town. 3. A title taken with pride for some and scorned by others.
Example: Susie Q refused to come to the Halloween party, what a site-rat!

Ah, it is October and although the smell of pumpkin spice lattes and pastries is not wafting through the Guatemalan air, there is good news. School is out! And since this girl works with the school system, that means I can actually spend time in my site. But let's rewind a bit.

In order to end with a bang, Abra and I lined up taller after taller after taller that had me chugging energy drinks while simultaneously hailing buses en la madrugada (colloquially known in english as butt-crack of dawn). Our wonderful counterpart from the Ministry of Education quite enjoyed our week full of workshops and was beyond amazed at how much the directors, teachers, and CTAs care for us! Score!



In related news, October 15th was National Handwashing Day! And in order to share the excitement with our office and the whole Ministry of Education, Abra and I created the following bulletin board. Yes, I went back to my R.A. days to create a bulletin board complete with glitter to represent germs! And thanks to Abra, my caricature (complete with shiny snot) is hanging in the middle of our office causing hordes of employees to stand in front of it with curiosity. The title, by the way loosely, translates to: Don't let bad friends stick.

After winding down the school year with school visits, workshops, and office activities, Abra and I finally have a chance to enjoy something we've had little time for since the beginning of our service: time in our site. See, traveling every day (sometimes for four, five hours) gets a bit tedious-- especially when you end up getting home around dark.

So now, we have more time to be around our communities and to meet new people in site. I've already met my new site-mate (and her fiance), have been more involved with community groups, and have spent more time with my other more experienced site-mate, Sara. And heck, since being in town in a more visible way, Sara and I have received vocal support AND funding from our alcalde (Mayor) for our upcoming Multimedia Taller! Huzzah!

So why the definition at the beginning of this entry? Well it seems this is a term is thrown around quite frequently within the Peace Corps community to poke fun of those volunteers who actually enjoy their sites, have created a niche for themselves and really feel separation anxiety once they leave. While it seems like this word carries a negative connotation, I have to say, I take this title with pride.

I am completely head over heels with my site. I enjoy that I have friends in my local market who always give me a better price because they know I'm here working for and within their community. I look forward to taking particular buses with those bus drivers who I know can identify me by name and would look out for me if I were ever in trouble while on board. I relish the fact that my community's CTA wants to expand the pilot program I'm working with to all the schools in my community because he feels passionate. And I even get a kick of the night food vendors who have realized I do speak Spanish and will laugh at their stupid jokes.

So here's to you, fellow site-rats, may we serve in solidarity knowing that we are truly challenging ourselves via our interactions with the myriad characters who surround us every day!

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Side note: Shout out to Cheryl for the greatest surprise I have gotten while in country! Thanks for reading my mind and knowing exactly what I needed: tea, room fresheners, and best of all... scented candles!