Settling in

With the random Internet availability and the intestinal parasites I haven't been able to post lately. Now that both situations have improved I'm back in business. My service placement is a two-minute walk from my house at the Clinica Naturista. It's a medical clinic that focuses on traditional Mayan medicine. There is a large herb garden and they make all of their own medicines.

Since my Spanish is still pretty limited I've busied myself with re-doing their website, with help from my friend Maura. Glad to be able to do something to help out. I'm planning on a little online fundraiser for the clinic once the website is up, so you have been warned. However, any little bit helps - a $10 donation is extremely valuable.

Yesterday I had my weekly field class in San Juan la Laguna. Took a tuk-tuk over there. A tuk-tuk is a three-wheeled taxi. I had mentioned to my host mom that my friend had gotten taken for 75 quetzales for the same ride and she was horrified. When I was leaving to go catch my ride she came with me and made sure, in no uncertain terms, that I was not to be charged more than 10 quetzales. She's awesome! It's nice to know my family here has my back.

A week ago Sunday I got stricken with parasites. It happened in the middle of the Chichi market. Very intense. Running through the crowded market, looking desperately for a bathroom, trying to keep my pants from falling down. Found a bathroom, so crisis was averted. However, it was the beginning of a week of surveying every location I was in to make sure I knew where the bathroom was at all times. (Considerate as ever about some people's delicate sensibilities, I will not go into detail about sharing an open bathroom with 13 people while wrestling with the critters in my gut. I'll leave that to your imagination.)

Throughout the week I kept thinking I was getting better but the parasites would have a different idea and I'd be back at square one. I talked to the people at the clinica and they gave me some tea made out of chamomille, star anise and something else. It did help settle my stomach but did nothing to get rid of my enemies. There was talk of some kind of preparation of papaya leaves that would make my system bitter and coax most of the parasites out. However, by this point I didn't want to play nice. There would be no coaxing. It was kill or be killed. I took the boat over to Pana and with the help of Veronica, our program assistant, got to the doctor. I got a sample (again, I'll spare you the details. I will say just one thing: film canister) and had it sent to the lab. Within two hours we knew what we were dealing with. I got sixteen tablets that are the medicinal equivalent of an AK-47 and went to war. Took 8 last night before bed and I am like a completely new person today. I take the final 8 tonight and the war is over. Shock and awe.

One final note: I read a really interesting book for my field class called Silence on the Mountain. It's a history of the Guatemalan civil war. I can recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about what happened in Guatemala during the last part of the 20th century. (I'll give you a hint: the U.S., unfortunately, does not come out smelling like a rose.)

Love and miss everyone -
KF