First Person Foreign

Year Two Like a Mango

March 24, 2018March 24, 2018 First Person ForeignGuatemala

Mango pits dusted the February pueblo streets: dotting my daily route with off-white pits decorated by stringy remains. One day in January there are no mangos and the next day there are mango pits everywhere[…]

The Big Cry, Part Two

March 11, 2018March 11, 2018 First Person ForeignBeauty

Continued from The Big Cry (Part One) Clara saw my tears, grabbed my bags and helped me up the concrete steps, my host mom following behind. I immediately went for the medical kit and took[…]

The Big Cry, Part One

March 11, 2018March 11, 2018 First Person ForeignChanges

In January of 2016, I looked at one button on my computer screen. It was an “Accept Peace Corps Service in Guatemala, September 2016-December 2018” button. I had to click the button then press “Submit.”[…]

El USB and La Prédica | Pueblo Press Issue Two

March 4, 2018March 4, 2018 First Person ForeignCulture Shock

I did not know what upset I had caused. I went to school (like normal) and when I got there the door was locked and I waited with the errant alumnos who were late (like[…]

A Very Unusual February (in Peace Corps)

March 3, 2018March 3, 2018 First Person ForeignBeauty

It turns out that 31 is not too old to experience something new and unexpected for the first time. If you’re starting to feel moldy from routine, Peace Corps is for you. But I’m referring[…]

El Lustrador | Pueblo Press Issue One

February 4, 2018February 4, 2018 First Person ForeignCultural Difference

The Pueblo Press is a series based on the strange, intriguing experience of living, working and existing in a Mayan pueblo in rural Guatemala as a US American woman. This is my second year living[…]

I’ll Be Home for Christmas (2017)

February 3, 2018February 3, 2018 First Person ForeignBest Friends

Since I booked my trip in August (through my parents’ generous sponsorship), the thought of going back to the United States for Christmas shimmered in the wintry distance. I would say it was a “much-deserved”[…]

Hallada | My 76th Word in Guatemala

January 7, 2018January 7, 2018 First Person ForeignBeauty

The first 6 months in site were beautiful and difficult: everything was novel, quaint almost primitive (I use this word to mean simple but not unsophisticated or crude). Every tortilla, every billowing laugh from my host[…]

El Otro Lado | 75 Palabras in Guatemala

December 19, 2017December 19, 2017 First Person Foreign75 Words in Guatemala

“Su país/hogar/pueblo/de dónde viene” are all terms for the US. Most commonly it is “Los Estados Unidos” (never America- Guatemala is in Central America). Ana María (we’ll call her) is a school secretary. First I[…]

Agallas | 75 Palabras in Guatemala

December 18, 2017December 18, 2017 First Person Foreign75 Words in Guatemala

October 30th, 2017: Tonight I switched on National Geographic in the hotel. The brownish tile floors, standard flat but not sinking mattresses and the thin blanket are all second nature. But the showers have hot[…]