About Me

Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Welcome to my adventure in Guatemala! Feel free to comment, positive or negative, and share your stories as well.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Black History Month Celebration-Guatemalan Style

So in February almost all the Black folk in Peace Corps Guatemala got together to celebrate Black History Month. It was a wonderful time of celebration, education and mutual edification and time just to let our hair down and be BLACK! Topics ranged from using the Black card inappropriately to inter-racial dating to Black professional organizations to volunteerism and what the African American community really needs of us both now and when we return.
Quotes by or about Black people.

Breakfast! Oh it was GOOD.

Group discussion-and of course there are always SNACKS!

Deep in debate.




After the Black trivia game. My team won, of course!


There was a projector for the trivia game and everything. Xani did a great job setting the whole event up!

There was of course a dance off.

And the best soul train outfit.

Here I am with my pimp. I shoulda won that contest. I mean, I have a braided headband (with my own hair) for crying out loud!

Bringing back the 70's and 80's.



Sunday, April 10, 2011

How I Got Humped

So I though this was something interesting that would never happen in the states. Maybe it will make you laugh as well! Of course it has to do with...my dog Pia lol

Who thinks she's the Queen of Sheba. She likes to sleep in extremely awkward positions.

But she's just SO darn cute no matter how she's sprawled out. Look at those curled feet : )




Dogs in heat are not an uncommon sight here in Guatemala and can bring much entertainment-at times up to 7 dogs are following around some poor chucha (a female street dog). Sometimes she'll get feisty and bark at her (literally) drooling suitors to back off. Depending on how brava (aggresive) she is, she might continue weak attempts to go about her business as usual or start a brawl, viciously attacking one of more of the relentlessly persistent dogs in the "heat pack".


It also just might happen that by some phenomenon in science that I can't explain, whoever happens to win the male dog brawls and actually gets his go with the poor chucha-might just end up stuck to her...for a least 15 minutes. I'm still un certain as to how it all works-I'm pretty sure I would be judged harshely if I stooped down to examine how the dog parts got stuck together in the city's central park-all I know is that the two end up butt to butt, unable to separate. It's an interesting sight.


As you can imagine, my baby girl is not allowed in the streets much-it's no place for a lady-so when she was in heat she was especially not allowed outside. However, it didn't stop AAAAAAALL the neighborhood dogs from miles around from coming to congregrate in front of my door step.


Usually this would not be problematic. It should work out something like this: the female dog in heat is inside and I, the human exit the house and walk without incident to work. However...THIS fellow




couldn't seem to get it right.


Poor little guy, he's just a big puppy. He followed me from my house (whining this horrible little whine) for miles sometimes. It never ceased to make me giggle but every day while Pia was in heat, as soon I walked out of my house the humping would begin. Now I'm far too tall and don't at all smell or look like a dog, but apparently the smell of my dog on me was enough to send him into a tizzy.


My neighbors tried to help me by chasing him with brooms and throwing rocks and kicking him...but to no avail.


During the period I experienced many "firsts": I was humped in the central park, I beat a dog with a pineapple, I slapped a dog in the face, I pelted a dog with large, sharp rocks, I threw buckets of water in a dog's face, I holed up in my house for fear of being called a witch or something for being chased and humped by a dog, I publicly (loudly) chastised a dog and hit it with a large stick....the list goes on and on....


As you can see....it was an interesting time. Luckily, Pia's heat didn't last tooooooo long (two weeks) but MAN I was glad when it was all over!