Chimuy Chicoc

Today I had one of the moments when I wondered, “Will I be able to leave Chahal in a year and a half?” It hit me on the drive back from a distant village with the mayor and some others from the Muni. We visited a community called Chimuy Chicoc in the southwest part of the municipality. In Chahal there are seven micro-regions; this community is in micro-region 1, which I had never been to before. It is about an hour from town and luckily the road goes all the way to the village. Don Cesario, one of the mayor’s consejales (advisors), is from this region and was beyond extremely pleased with my visit because foreigners never make it out there. The people of the Chimuy Chicoc were equally as pleased: many told me as I left, “Thank you so much for coming to visit our community. We appreciate it so much. I hope you can bring some memories back to your land from Chimuy.” For this reason, I am sharing the experience with all of you. I want you all to recognize how friendly and welcoming these people are – the people of Chimuy Chicoc, Chahal, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala.

(The kids of Chimuy Chicoc. They loved my camera!)

The visit to this community also involves a hilarious story. When we left town, the mayor and his consejales realized that they had forgotten to “bring something” to the community. As we passed through the village just before Chimuy, the mayor pulled over and Don Cesario hopped out to buy 4 tiny bottles of Venado (Deer), an alcohol that is quite similar to rubbing alcohol. We continued down the road, then right before the community we stopped, got out the plastic cups that the mayor keeps in the truck for just these occasions, and prepared ourselves for the visit. Don Cesario poured the drinks – a good-sized shot of Venado plus a hint of Pepsi. Then we continued on our way; we were ready. However, we finished all the Venado and had none to share with the community; obviously I misinterpreted the phrase, “bring something to the community.” We talked for 2 ½ hours with the community about the projects they want. It was all in Q’eqchi’ (including the bit that I said), and I understood a good chunk of it. When we finished, the community members broke out a fifth of Venado light (who knew it came in light?) and mixed it with 7up. At this point I was a bit tipsy, and shocked that these men would give me alcohol – sometimes I feel like people see me as a male here, since I wear pants, am educated and work. We then ate our caldo (a type of soup – the typical local dish), I played with the kids, listened to marimba and we hit the road. We stopped at the tienda (store) where we had bought the original bottles of Venado in order to return them … and buy more! They wouldn’t let me say no, so I had another. I must say, my relationship with the mayor is now much stronger and friendlier … hmm, I wonder why?

Sometimes when I’m walking down the muddy streets of Chahal, I step out of myself for a moment and envision me standing on a globe in this random little town in rural Guatemala, then spin the globe to Springfield, Oregon and am baffled as to how I managed to come to this place of all places in the world. However it happened, though, it doesn’t really matter, I’m just glad it did. I am learning so much about myself and about the world through being here.

What’s more, my work is really coming together now. I hit six months in site and boom, I’m up to my ears in projects. It took the first six months to get to know the community and what it needs and how to work in this part of the world (i.e. slowly). But now, puchica vos (dang dude), I’ve got some really exciting projects on the table. First of all, my counterpart and I are working on a proposal with FONACON (Fondo Nacional para la Conservacion de la Naturaleza – National Fund for the Nature Conservation) for 300,000 Quetzales ($40,000), which we would use to build interpretative trails, bridges, a visitors center and other infrastructure for Las Conchas. It’s obviously not guaranteed that we will receive this money, but it is highly possible.

Secondly, we recently formed a committee to deal with the trash problem here in Chahal. Trash is a huge problem in all of Latin America, and all developing countries for that matter, but it came into the spotlight here when the passage was closed to the dump, the trash was thrown in the forest reserve for a couple weeks (which I later had to go pick up by hand, yuck), and then eventually moved to a forested ravine alongside the highway. So, my APCD (Program Director) Flavio came last week to check on me (he was very pleased, by the way) and we put on a workshop of what we can do to combat this problem. From there, we have formed a group of community leaders who really want to work on this. They come from the three main institutions in town: local government, education and health. I am very hopeful about the potential we have to make Chahal a cleanier, healthier, more beautiful place through a variety of steps, including building a sanitary landfill, teaching locals to compost, starting a recycling center, and simply having pride in their town. Sadly, though, we had a meeting this afternoon and I missed it because the visit to Chimuy took so long! But the group understood and forgave me because I’m going to make cookies for the next meeting!

Thirdly, I am working on another project proposal to create a park in the Areas Verdes (Green Areas) that have been set aside in town which would include a running/walking trail, playground equipment and a botanical garden with native plants. As well, in this proposal we’re going to ask for funds to build trails in the forest reserves (119 and 37 hectares, respectively). We are asking for the money from Perenco, the “local” French oil company that has its oil pipeline running through Chahal. I rubbed elbows with the head-honchos last week, and they said they would gladly finance this project. The money may be a bit tainted, but I figure it’s better to use it for something good!

I have handful of other small things currently going on, but those are my main focuses right now. Outside of work, I’m making more friends, including friends that want to go hiking/exploring with me or at least play basketball. And my co-workers in the muni are finally learning that they need to bring me on their treks to distant communities – I think I’m going to one this weekend – a half-day hike to get there! I’ve also been solidifying bonds with other volunteers lately. I still don’t plan to leave site often to go see other PCVs, but on occasion it’s necessary, and now quite enjoyable as well. This past weekend, after a month in site, we had an early Halloween party in Coban with some spectacular costumes (I was a 1987 Vegas cocktail waitress). I think the next time I see other volunteers will be for Election Day – we will need moral support just in case!

(Andy the thug, Audrey the 1987 Vegas cocktail waitress, Stephanie the costal and Tigo Ted)

I almost forgot! At the end of the month I’ll be moving into my new house. I am finally quite content, excited and ready to be in my own house. I may be lonely at times, but really, with all the work I have going on right now, when I get home, I’m ready to relax – read a bit, study some Q’eqchi’, cook a delicious meal. Plus, I’ve been here long enough that I have friends and families that I can visit, but this way, I won’t be confined to spending the majority of my time with the family I live with. And the house is adorable – it’s two-stories, yellow, wooden and with the bathroom INSIDE! It’s fenced in, which will be perfect for my new puppy Cacao. (She’s a mutt, but cute nonetheless.)