Whats up Mr. Prez!? Want a cookie?

OJO!! (“Look” in Spanish)- If you have not read about my OPERATION GINGER BREAD HOUSE project then scroll to the previous blog for info.

(this blog is suppose to have more pics but the computer was having issues..sorry)

# of kids that participated in the Independence Day Parade- 2057
# of people that live in the town of Tejutla -4000
# of letters received from California Senator Barbara Boxer saying good job in PC- 1
# of movies watched while being sick-3 (Hero-weird movie, MallRats-not funny, Legend of the Falls- always great! Didn’t finish the 3rd, reason below)
# of spiders that made me fly up during movie #3 and decide no more laying on the floor for now-1
# of batches of popcorn made for soccer game-4
# of batches of popcorn that burned-2 (see reasons below)

You Know its Cold When- You buy a tamale from your host family for dinner and you keep it in the pocket of your coat to keep warm.

How Long Does it Take To Make A Batch Of Cookies- 6 cookies per pan x 18min of cooking x 10min of letting pan cool and reheating pot for next set of cookies = About 3hrs.

We Tied- The girls soccer team I am on at work had a game for the first time in months and we tied 2-2. We were winning till I let 2 balls get by me in the last 5min. Bummer..

Popcorn Making Facts- I made popcorn, as usual, for the soccer games on Thursday night and learned two very crucial things to making a good/non-burnt batch of popcorn.
- Don’t reuse pan after first batch of popcorn (I always make 2)
- Always use more oil, than less (was trying to be healthier)

Took a Guatemalan Highlands Bath!- Up where it’s cold they have little tiny houses that are about 3ft tall and made out of mud. They are like saunas, but just can’t get rained on (cause they are made of dirt). So you make a fire, that heats up some rocks that are above it, then the fire goes out, you wait for the smoke to clear out, then you hop in (in your bathing suit, Guatemalans go birthday suit) and you lay on these boards that are a few inches off the ground and cover the entrance with a piece of cloth. Pour a pitcher of water on the rocks to make steam and poof! You got a sauna! So we laid there for about 20min or so getting sweaty trying not to move the boards because then it pinches your skin. After your all sweaty and gross, you take a ball of soap made out of pig fat and ashes and use that to clean your body. Next to the rocks is a metal barrel of water that was heated up by the fire and you use that to rinse off. After its all done, step outside into the cold and notice the bits of black slim still on ya from the “soap” and grab a towel.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

I’m MacGyver- I made cookies the other night for national Kids Day and didn’t have a cooling rack for my cookies so I took some chopsticks I was given, because figured they would never be used, and put them together in a tic-tac-toe form and placed the cookies on those. Worked great! Found out later that night that placing them on a towel works just as well.

One Of Those Sounds That Makes Ya Jump- So when baking anything in my pan, I haven’t quiet figured out why, but it makes a VERY loud popping sound at some point which makes my heart skip a beat every time. I just think of that is my way to tell that the pan is “preheated”.

How Do You Soften Butter?- So many recipes I have here call for the butter to be softened, not melted. I can’t put it in the sun because its not out most of the time and so I decided to put the stick of butter in my pocket of my pants and just continue with the other ingredients. It worked for the most part to make it softer, but not quiet there.

What’s Going On Up There People?!?!- A former volunteer was here visiting and asked us what we thought about “The Wall”. I looked at my site mate and we both thought there already was a wall and didn’t really know much about what the government is trying to build. In another email, someone said something about school shootings and all I have heard is something happened in Colorado but still don’t know what. So yea, even though we get Newsweek here which keeps us informed on politics and world issues, I have little idea of what is going on in the states. Sometimes I wonder if that’s a good or bad thing.

“There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:18

Old Guatemalan Saying- If you bring a fruit vendor a homemade cookie, she will look at you with a speechless smile, quickly run away, come back and give ya a papaya.

Alert Alert- I think I have fleas again! Grrrr…….. All you people be thankful for your peaceful night sleeps where you don’t wake up feeling something crawling up your arm, then its on your shoulder, then hops back down to your arm, which at that point you start tossing and turning in bed quickly in an attempt to squish the ant size bug.

UPDATE ON WHEN I LEAVE GUATE- It use to be where we had the unofficial option of leaving Peace Corps about a month before you End of Service Date (mine is Nov 24th, 2007) so that meant I could leave as early as late October. That has changed, so we are told. So unfortunately, those who have anything going on between September (latest I can travel) and Nov 24th, I will not be able to make it most likely.

Salad Dressing Recipes- I am asking for salad dressing recipes if anyone has some. I have a Peace Corps cookbook but most of those recipes include mayo or cream. So, any recipes that are vinegar (balsamic is fine) or oil based please send. Gracias! I can’t live off of Ranch for the next 13mos.

I Met the President of Guatemala!- Today I got up at 630am to be at Jake’s house by 7am for breakfast. Angel got there late and he was in charge of eggs (made pancakes) so we left the house a little late, around 8am. We walked down a trail that was slippery and I said “I hear a helicopter!’ and then slipped onto my butt in the process. Great….Angel was told the President of Guatemala, Oscar Berger, was going to be there at 830. Of course, he wasn’t. So we waited around and talked for awhile and there were not that many people there. However, around 945am the helicopter flew over and then around 10am or so there were a LOT more people. So we were kinda worried how we would be able to take a picture with him. Then comes speeding around the corner is a caravan of 4 black cars. He gets out and its funny because its so different than our president. Our president you can’t get near, nor touch. However, this guy kinda got attacked by people wanting to shake his hand and what not. So he goes to give a speech and I am in the front, kinda, because I wanted to take a picture. Well, he looks at me and in English says “where are you from?” I freeze and not sure if I was in shock that he was talking to me in English, or the fact that he was talking to me in general. So I said we live here in Spanish (yea, not the answer to his question) and meanwhile Angel (site mate) was behind me yelling “we are from California!” Yea, I made an idiot of myself. So then he gives his speech, clap every 30 seconds or so, and meanwhile we are talking to a guy who says he is the president’s friend and that he will ask the president if we can take a picture with him. So he does and we run over to him quickly and so it is Me, the Prez, Angel and Jake. Meanwhile he is saying something about a Chevy Chase movie but I was concentrating on our camera and the other cameras that were taking our picture at the same time. So then he gave me a kiss (customary) on the cheek and shook Jake and Angel’s hands and left. That was exciting!

“Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him and he will do this” Psalm 37:5