To One of My Students

Querida Mosquetera,

Deseo lo mejor para su vida, Usted ha sido una de las senoritas mas dulces, alegres, sinceras y llenas de vida que he conocido en mi tiempo aqui. Con el tiempo, nosotros los humanos vamos cambiando. Algunos nos ponemos amargados y pesimistas, mientras otros adquieren sabiduria y una vision para vivir sus vidas de la mejor manera posible. De una formo que no solo lo llevara a tener grandes exitos y felicidades, sino que va a querer lo mismo para las personas que comparten este mundo con uno. La quiero mucho y quiero saber que en un futuro no muy lejano esta impactando la vida de los demas.

Con carino,

Seno Anna

i like this job except the part that says database

The Harlem Peacemaker program is a youth development program, which focuses on training college aged individuals and providing opportunities for them to give back to their community. The program provides additional staff to schools and offers after school and summer programs to ensure that elementary students have a safe environment for learning, enrichment, and recreation. The program provides several services to children and families. We are currently seeking to hire two Site Supervisors to assist in managing the day to day programming. The Site Supervisor will act as a liaison between HCZ and the Department of Education and the Site Supervisors report directly to the Site Supervisor.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Manage day- to –day programming
Act as a liaison between HCZ and the Department of Education
Supervise and evaluate staff
Submit budgets for the program
Collaborate with volunteers and HCZ representatives from various sites
Manage AmeriCorps intern service and training hours
Submit weekly narratives and program reports to the Site Supervisor.
Facilitate, in coordination with Site Supervisor, staff trainings and meetings
Keep the Site Supervisor abreast of incidents and staff issues
Oversee the management of the SMART program information in the Social Solutions ETO software database for the assigned site
Compile and maintain information pertaining to the assigned site
Research and participate in trainings designed to enhance performance
Comply with various Harlem Children’s Zone and AmeriCorps initiatives
Must be able to work at least one Saturday per month and some late nights.
Additional responsibilities may include but are not limited to:
Maintenance of the Out Of School Time initiative and Database
Maintenance of The After- School Corporation contract and Database
Maintenances of the SDPP funded students and compiling relevant contractual information
Qualification, Skills and Knowledge Requirements:
Must possess a Bachelor’s degree
The ideal candidate should have a passion for the mission of the Harlem Children's Zone
A specific interest in higher education
Be creative and possess strong organizational and communication skills, verbal and written.

una carta a mi misma

I'm sitting here grading homework. Que raro! Not. Today is a chill Sunday afternoon. Profe is in the other room taking a nap. He's having troubles with his momma so he's hanging with me all day today. So this homework I'm grading. It's a letter to myself for the self-esteem unit. Some students completely understood the assignment while others started inviting themselves to go on some outing...Hmm. Some of these students are writing to themselves and saying how great they are, totally humble, the most beautiful human being, completely intelligent. I'm like, really? Either you do have some great autoestima or you are still very naive. So if I had to write a letter to myself, I'd prob say something like this.

Dear Anna,

I smell trouble in the air. Or is that just the sweet, intense smell of change. Thinking about leaving has me feeling like at any moment, I could start crying. Like a few weeks ago when I was pissed at the director of my schools and had a small fight with Profe, and had to turn in a report, I start talking to the janitor and he says, we're really going to miss you. I'm not one to kiss ass but you have been an important person for us for the time that you have been here. The tears started to stream down my face. I had gone back and forth about extending for another year but decided that I couldn't decide with peace in my heart so maybe it wasn't meant to be. There are many factors. Ya tu sabes. But I can't really verbalize them very intellectually right now. Every since I got to Guatemala. I shake my fist at you, Guate, for fucking with my English but making me a much better person.

Love,
the coolest person you know


That's how my letter would write. It wouldn't make sense. I'd jump from one idea to the next without the greatest transition and then I'd be done.

Grading Test

Grading tests has really got to be one of the most time consuming activities that I've had to deal with in this country. 550 students. Tests that try to get the students to share opinions and think critically. While some give me these amazing answers, most of the others are somewhere on the moon. For the past few days, I've been grading papers. I hate the red pen. I hate the red Xs that I have to make when a student is wrong. And I'm too objective. "Well...I can see where he's coming from..." And I want to give the student the point just because his answer was interesting. Anything where they have to give their opinion, I generally give them all the points. Unless, it is blatantly obvious that they barely read the question and gave me a half-ass answer. The tests make me sad. I realize that most didn't study. Or they don't know how to, or simply didn't because they were doing other things. Some students work but most don't. I'm not sure what they spend their time doing. Maybe thinking about doing it, like I sometimes do. It's a sickness. But honestly, it makes me slightly depressed. I start to think about high school and the students that didn't try. Achievement is partially related to things you have no control over, but more than anything it's attitude. There are students here that have it all, in relation to others, not US standards, that perform so poorly, that just don't give a fuck. And then you have a students like Norman that have to come by bus an hour away, bring their notebooks to class smelling like firewood but they get it done. And they pay attention and they ask questions if they don't understand. I'm in love with my students. Some of them give me headaches and I think, what is going on in your head. But most of the time, I like observing them, listening to them, and talking to them. They crack me. On the tests, they make up answers. Hell, they make up words! Question: pais donde hubo conflictos etnicos entre los Hutus y Tutsis en 1994, causa de resentimiento de un grupo hacia el otro...answer: Musulmania...My dear student, as far as I know (and I studied International Relations), this country does not exist. Never had they heard about Rwanda. Never had they heard about the Holocaust until a month ago. But honestly, most of the topics that I teach them, they had never heard about.But they like them. And I find that the students miss our classes and ask me, "When are you going to come and teach us? It's just that your class is so nice." And its true. Those classes are my own special little time with them. Talking about real things affecting their lives. That's whats up.

Guatemalan Janice

The day before yesterday, my friend, the contadora, and I went to get manicures. Living the high life, I guess. The teachers at our school decided to do a Secret Santa but for Valentine's Day and I picked my friend's name out of a little plastic bag. I was happy too because what the hell do you get a Guatemalan man or woman. I am not a fan of cheap gifts. The set amount was $6 which is A LOT here but after going to at least 15 stores, I realized that it's really not that much because any gift worth giving was way more expensive. I wasn't about to give a stuffed teddy bear or a box of chocolates, nor did I want to give her something for the kitchen. She's not really a traditional Guatemalan woman anyway. She doesn't make tortillas everyday. She isn't in charge of the cleaning and her husband helps her take care of their 3 boys. Nonetheless, like most or all Guatemalan women, she is overworked. Who wouldn't want a manicure? I've never had one so I didn't know what it would be like but I assumed it had to be enjoyable. I was having doubts though because flashes of Paula Abdul were racing through my mind and how she tried to sue her beauty salon for, what?, making her nails fungus-y. Hahaha. Of all the things to go and start a revolution for...sterilizing beauty utensils. Whatever. It's important I guess. I got tired of going to so many stores so I made my friend a card and wrote, "Go to this place to get your V-Day gift." She was pretty damn surprised so that was good. I couldn't have lived with myself if I gave her a set of spatulas. A week later she convinces me to go with her. Just like teenage girls that can't do things alone for the first time. So I went but not before getting my caffeine fix at the Museo Cafe, a glorious establishment in the heart of Huehue. Mmmmm. We make our way to the Rotonda where Evolution Spa is located, which is apparently run by a lady that lived in Chicago for many years. I'll have to confirm because I've had people tell me that they have relatives in Chicago and it ends up being Iowa. Sorry folks, but it's definitely not the same. A slim beauty leads us upstairs and starts working her magic on my friend. This lady was so friendly but had a very bizarre personality. Her name was Veronica but she made us call her Vero. And she had a laugh that was out of this world. A la Janice from Friends. A Guatemalan Janice if you will. I can't recall everything she was saying but she was ripping on Mexicans' mustaches and for treating Guatemalans poorly. Then she started to say that she was going to file down my friend's nails until you could see the bone. All this was said in a very light-hearted way....but damn, how morbid. All in all, this lovely experience lasted 3 hours! It was fun. The time went by fast and I also got a manicure (my first time ever in all my 24.5 years of existence). Only problem was the girl who I got, sucked at painting nails (she was the sister of the owner). When I went home I took off the nailpolish and painted them clear. That's how I like them. Clean and simple. We almost missed the bus back home and my friend's husband threatened to lock her out of the house. False promises though.

SPA in Chimu

I have a student named Emelia that always lights up my days. This is the student I took to the Encuentro Juvenil. She's one of the top students in the school. She's a bit older than the other students. I'm not sure if she started school late or flunked at some point in primaria. Everytime I see her she gives me this huge hug or pokes my stomach and grabs my hand. Today she came up to me and we started talking about proyects for our school. This is another thing that sets her apart. Ever since we went to the Encuentro Juvenil, she has it transfixed that we have to do something about the garbage problem in Huehue. We've had to postpone any kind of activities because of the big problem with the mayor and the garbage. Oscar the Grouch, why did you have to screw everything up so badly? Lining our streets with trash. Baby diapers. Orange peels. Tamale leaves. We wanted to put up garbage cans in the community and signs with thought-provoking messages. But no one was picking up the garbage for months so it was useless to organize clean-up days, make garbage cans and paint signs if the garbage was just gonna overflow and pile up next to the garbage cans. Recently the EU with the help of some government agency put trash bins all over the casco urbano. A nice little duo of organic and inorganic. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if they were supposed to capacitar people in what the differences are. Because if you run into one of these in Huehue you'll see that people are using them but are putting the trash in whichever bin is closest. Today I went to lunch at my friend's house and her husband, our town's carpenter, started suggesting we do a project to clean up the community. There is a clear need for it. We are divided by the Interamerican Highway. People driving by fling out their garbage, making our town its new home. I've never been super proactive about the environment. I rather try to build a community center to bring this town together. Even though everyone in my town are the descendants of 3 main families, there's a lot of division. They need some conflict-res and team-building charlas. Too much division over creencias religiosas and infidelity. I fantasize about a small building with a computer room, a library and a salon. Tables for students to do their homework. To spend time together in a positive and safe setting. But there's no time. Unless...I extend. If we were to do this garbage project though, we'd need a SPA grant. There needs to be a community organization in charge of the project and the PCV is just there for apoyo. So I wouldn't be able to say...let's do this. But rather, I'd have to see what their needs are and what will actually benefit the community, principally the youth. And, will it work. In the words of Tim Gunn, "make it work." Gotta make it work. Gotta be sustainable. Or else, when its all over... nothing was done.

I'm sitting here, drinking a little bit of what was left of a bottle of some cheap Chilean wine I bought at the Paiz. I'm feeling a lot but I'm kind of just numb. It's very probable that in 6 months I will no longer have the life I've grown accoustomed. I was talking to a friend and we started talking about me leaving. I started to explain that life would be completely different. He's a 21 year old kid. And he asks me the same questions over and over again. I swear he's asked me at least 4 times where I'm from in the states. But, yeah. I can't get a grasp on it. I've been surprisingly productive since the new year started. I've surprised myself. Maybe its cus I know I have to get all this sustainability shit down before I take off and leave my kiddies. God, I'm going to miss some people. I'm going to miss walking to the bus stop and riding on the bus. Seeing their little faces with the spiked up hair or the lips loaded with lipgloss. I'm going to miss going on walks with Amiga. Drives with Profe. Everything with Profe. I'm going to miss Cristian and I whistling to get each other's to come up or down the stairs. My Bebes...and crazy Capulina. Don Hugo's cool and amazing chill self. Doing stupid things with Jane. Going into Huehue to buy school supplies. Saying Buenos dias to everyone I see. Tamilitos. Chuchitos. Tears. PS, I'm not depressed. Just getting sad.

To New Beginnings

I'm not too sure that most Guatemalans make New Year's resolutions. Who came up with the idea anyway? Saber. The internet says it was the Babylonians. Parece que los Babylonians would make resolutions to get in with the gods. If a resolution was not cumplido, it was considered bad luck so one should be wise when choosing what exactly was gonna be different about this year. Someone mentioned that Guatemalans don't make resolutions because they are much more focused on survival than changing their behavior. But since I'm American, I do have some. I was talking to Profe last night and he said the whole generic New Year's bit, although I know he is very sincere. In everything he says. Que Dios le traiga muchas bendiciones a ud y su familia. I told him, well I know it will already be different. I will more than likely be home for half of this year and Phillip will no longer be at war or in the army. Just those two things will make life drastically different than 2009. Crazy to think that 10 years have passed. I was fourteen when this decade started. A little freshmen/sophomore in love with Dan Flores, long-haired pot head. I was super skinny, and getting those fabulous grades in school. Now, PC volunteer in another country far, far away from my family. By the end of this next decade, I will more than likely be an aunt of at least two little ones from Perla and Alberto, I may even be married and have my little ones. Scary. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's focus on 2010. Resolutions for this year are:

• Be healthy (typical)
• Get a fabulous job that pays well
• Have more fun
• Love my family more, as well as my friends and students
• Be more organized
• Travel to Chile and Brazil (maybe Costa Rica)
• Start drawing again

El Chacal

El Chacal de las trompetas on Don Francisco's "Sabado Gigante" is this man (maybe woman) dressed in a black satin cloak,covering his entire body except for two holes around his eyes lined with gold. Sounding the trumpet on the singing contest when someone uber sucks at singing. Although if the person singing is a good-looking woman with tight-fitting clothes, she will probably pass on to the next round just to appease Don Francisco's machista ass. That man has always been gross. I like him cus he's Chilean but he's sleezy and he turned way too Mexican to try appeal to his audience. He even came out with a ranchero album. Seriously? Anywho...in Huehue, there is a man they call El Chacal. I know him as Jorge. That's the way he introduced himself to me. He sells newspapers. The first time I saw him was on the camioneta to my town. He gets on and starts his bit, "Les traigo Nuestro Diario..." then towards the end, he ends a joke with something like this, "el hombre que no trabajoa es porque tiene una mujer gorda que lo mantiene...pero no va a pensar mal, no gorda de peso si no de billete...gorda de billete." Then everyone giggles. Its the same joke every time. He always offers me the Prensa Libre which is the newspaper that actually has articles and not just pictures of homicides. He always says hi to me and we've talked many times when I'm waiting for the bus. He used to be an alcoholic and now attends AA meetings. Yesterday, coming home from La Reforma, San Marcos, I waited for my bus for about an hour. The buses were running sporatically. Then el Chacal walks up and sits next to me underneath the pasarela. I asked him how was New Year's Eve. He tells me, well, I was sober, so that was good. Continues telling me that this year life was kinda tough for his family but that is life. We started talking about the violence in Huehue (#1 department in the entire country for lynchings and burnings...we're #1, we're #1...). In one of the aldeas I work in, they found a dead man in his taxi. Sigh. I like talking to Jorge. He's nice. Some people have told me some bad things about him, but I think this man has just had a really hard life, partially because of the way he grew up and partially because of bad decisions. Oh, and people call him Chacal because he's really dark.