After sending 36 of us to this country, Peace Corps split us up into smaller groups and sent us to live in various communities to complete our training. There are three of us in San Bartolomé: John, Mark, and me.
Each of us was specially selected for our unique strengths and talents which will [...]

Last week we took a trip to Volcán de Pacaya to visit a current volunteer on site. On the way to the volcano, we stopped off at Lake Amatitlán.
Amatitlán is a large, shallow lake about 13 kilometers northeast of Pacaya. The lake is probably all that remains of an ancient caldera.
As we approached, [...]

But instead of walking to church in San Lucas, I got up much earlier, walked much further, and got much closer to heaven (topographically speaking) by hiking to the top of the mountains behind San Bartolomé.
A quarter of the way up, I could see San Lucas in the valley, below unseasonably gray skies. This is [...]

Last Sunday my host mother informed me that we were all going to church. What she didn’t tell me, or what I failed to understand, was that our church wasn’t in our town. So my family and extended family packed up their totes and their gringo and set out for San Lucas. We [...]

So here I am in my new home community of San Bartolomé Milpas Altas. I’ll be here until the end of March when I complete training and swear in as a volunteer.
This adventure requires adjustment. Without implied complaint, here’s a partial list of novel phenomena:
• Unannounced blackouts
• Bucket bathing
• Anti-malarial medication
• Seismic tremors
• Torrential Spanish
• A barrage of mandated [...]

I leave today.
It was the subject of yesterday’s low panic. But from space it looks easy.

Today Addie left to live with my brother while I’m in Guatemala.

My explanation was very poor.