Pretty in Pink and Gorgeous in Guatemala!: July 2012

Soooo my COS or “Completion Of Service” date is actually one year from today!!! How exciting right? And to commensurate my 2nd year of serving Guatemala, I gave an awesome presentation to the Area de Salud or Department of Health for my area. It was a great presentation because it spoke to my passion… lots and lots of data! Haha… it’s crazy how alive I become when I have data… I am definitely a researcher at heart and a true Public Health Professional! I presented on the community diagnostic I did for 4 of the rural areas in my town. It’s amazing to show how many people use the bathroom in their backyards because they don´t have latrines, or the amount of families that don´t have access to water in their homes, or the amount of mothers that cook with open fires. It’s definitely amazing, I don´t know how so many of them do it… Guatemalans, especially the women, are so strong, stronger than they realize! I´m definitely blessed to be here, serving them, and making their lives just a little bit better.

Anyway… Soooo I guess now is as good a time as ever to catch you all up on my happenings and what nots… well not really! Lol .. I prefer to just skip over the last five months of my life because they haven´t been the best! I have definitely tried to write a few posts several times (no lie) but I just can´t get myself to write negative things, for the life of me… I know it´s not good to only portray the good things of my service, and totally unfair to those of you interested in becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer… I´m sure you want to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly right? Well, just let me know, I can forward you to plenty of other people´s blogs so you can get the low down… but from me, I´m choosing only to focus on the positive. I will say, however, that my last 5 months have been filled with the typical questions, like Why am I here? Why don´t I feel appreciated? What do I have to give to this country? Etc etc… and the amazing part about all of this doubt and uncertainty is that most of my fellow volunteers are asking the same questions… so I know I´m not crazy! Haha

I´m excited to write this post.. knowing that a year from now I could possibly be in my home… or in another country…or still here in Guatemala … SABER where I´ll be… but what I do know, is that a year from now I will be able to say I DID IT!!!! I completed the hardest job I´ll ever love… I overcame the dark months, the disappointments, the frustrations, the loneliness... I overcame it all and served 2 amazing years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala! I know, also, that I´ll be able to say I contributed so much to my community, I changed lives, and I made a difference!

So now, I will take this time to reflect on my 1st year as a PCV and all of the challenges (i.e. having my site changed, health issues, missing my family, missing my host-family from my old site, counterpart issues, etc.) and focus on my 2nd year and all of the excitement and aspirations I have ahead of me! I will save the details of what I´ll be doing for a later post (more so because I have NO idea), but I do know that it will be exciting, it will speak to my passion, it will help me learn more about myself and it will make a difference! On top of creating groups of health promoters in my 4 communities and working with families to improve their health… I am going to do something exciting that also ensures professional growth. God has some cool things in store for me… I can´t wait to share them with you, once they are more concrete! Until next time… (I PROMISE, it won´t be so long next time)!

Much love from Guatemala!!!!
Shantrice

Enjoy some pictures from the last few months....