Mecanical baby from el Infierno (hell), and some art :-)

Field Base Training is two years of a Peace Corps volunters' life meshed up into 11 weeks, you either keep up with the cultre, lifestyle and language of the host country or get left behind in the dust. It is definatelly a test of ones physical, (intestinal) but most importantly emotional endurance. The rollercoaster ride of emotions being the most dificult part of the process.

here are some of the things I have been up to these past few weeks...

Heres a pic of the Mechanical baby fom Hell.

Several weeks back Our APCD Gonzalo set us up with a Guatemalan Organization which dedicates itself to teaching children the joys or downs of parenthood by providing them with mechanical babies. The children keep the babies for about a week and have to care for them as if it where their own. With the help of a chip planted inside of them, the babies are programed to cry histerically when they are cold , hungry, need to be carried, need their diaper changed or are just plain cranky. Maggie was my partner in this wonderful experience and we decided on naming the baby Milagro de Jesus Giraldo Hume. I kept her that first night and did not get any sleep at all. This experience has let me to postpone any child rearing for many years to come.

This past week we at San Bartolome Milpas Altas realized an event with the children in the community. We organized an Art Day at the Municipality which was a success. The children had to draw about the Comunity of San bartolome. A total of 35 people arrived and we had music and snacks. Good times...