This morning I had a meeting at 8 AM.  I called for directions yesterday and my counterpart gave me excellent directions: he told me the SOSAM building is right at the site of my infamous accident down the drain.  That is exactly where it is; I just didn’t notice it before.  I showed up at 5 til 8, only to be informed that the meeting was moved back to 9, but apparently I was the only one who did not know.  I returned at 9 AM, along with the rest of the approximately 10 other people who were there to plan the foro (forum) on sexual and reproductive health that is being held in the plaza next Tuesday morning.  Luis Macario, my counterpart, told me at last week’s meeting that he wanted the Toto volunteers to attend and that he wanted me to participate in the forum as a speaker.  It’s a great opportunity, but it meant suffering through a 3 hour meeting in which we discussed who would be attending, how many chuchitos we’d have to feed everyone, and how many chairs we needed and from where we would obtain them.  We spoke briefly about what the topic should be and settled on “Conociendo la Salud Sexual y Reproductiva Generamos Vidas Saludables.”  As for the content of this forum, I was told in the last minute of the meeting as we were getting ready to leave that I should develop two questions to answer each in 10 minutes.  I asked for some clarification and basically was told I’m supposed educate everyone on AIDS and HIV in 10, maybe 20 minutes.  Apparently everyone else is developing two questions as well.  A further meeting was set for Monday at 8 AM at the Muni to meet with the mayor and settled some logistical questions and I asked if I should bring my speech outline so we could go over what we are discussing as a group to be sure we’re not all presenting on the same topic.  Someone decided that was a good idea and as a last minute announcement as everyone was leaving said to bring their forum presentation ideas to be sure we have different topics.  I don’t think I was the only one frustrated by the meeting – there was one guy who was constantly interrupted by another guy – but I think I’m the only one concerned that during a three hour meeting to plan a public forum on an important issue we barely touched on the content of the presentation and instead mulled over some new pamphlets and posters oohing and awing at how bonito these large advertisements with women with their nipples hanging out as they breastfeed are.

This afternoon I had my much anticipated planning meeting with Xenajtajuyup.  I really love this school, but again was very frustrated.  While the director and most of the other teachers were finishing up with other activities (as in supervising students paint the school), I took advantage of the presence of two teachers to ask the questions of the diagonostic.  Technically, I’m supposed to do it with the directors, but at this point, I don’t really care, and I do believe the teachers have just as much to contribute, if not more, since they’re the ones actually in the classroom.  We had a good discussion and I got my long-overdue, much needed info.  I lugged my laptop (the first time it has left my room since landing in Toto) along with a huge costal of ALL the Peace Corps curriculum books so I could go over the matrix (explaining which topics should be taught by which teachers and how this PC generated curriculum corresponds with the national – Guatemala – curriculum for basico students).  I was just asking one profe who was really helpful and eager what talleres he could benefit from (he listed off two straight from my list that I had yet to mention, so it looks like participatory education and adolescent psychology will be good talleres to teach), and was going to gather up my stuff and leave and write my own plan and just bring it for the director’s approval the next week when the director finally came into the office to meet with me and the rest of the teachers (nearly two and half hours after our appointed time).  And I walked away from the meeting extremely satisfied.  So my day was not a total bust, but what qualifies as an immensely successful day for me these days.  They said the biggest parent need is on communication skills with their children.  I just so happen to have done one parent workshop (during training) and coincidentally on this very subject.  It was really successful too – the most successful taller our San Bartolo group did during training.  So things are looking good, even if it’s often painstakingly slow.  It really cuests one to be patient here.