Youth Development Group 2010-2012 at 4th of July Party

July was filled with many gringo-oriented activities, including the All Volunteer Conference and 4^th of July Party, and also marked the mid-point of my Peace Corps service.  The second to last Friday of July my group that swore-in July 2010 had our mid-service conference.  We talked about our challenges and successes and future options for extending for a third year, along with other Peace Corps opportunities elsewhere.  July was also time for mid-service meds, a full medical review, including tests and vaccine updates.  I thankfully have nothing to report.  I have been very fortunate with my health this past year with no major illnesses or hospitalizations and one of my goals in this second year is to continue along the same trend.  July was a good time for reflection for what I want out of my second year, and equipped with an entire year of experience that I did not have when I first arrived in Toto, I can hopefully seguir adelante with a little more fluidity and focus than in my first year.  This school year – my only full school year in Guatemala – is about to wind down.  I have many activities planned for August, after which is September, marked by elections, the Totonicapán Feria, and Guatemalan Independence Day which means little work and school.

Students with me in the Parque Central, Totonicapán

Dinner, prepared by me and Christina, with our host families

In preparation for my meeting tomorrow with my fellow Toto Youth Development volunteers and our local counterparts from the Ministry of Education I had to write up an informe (report) this evening documenting all the activities I’ve carried out this school year and which activities I have planned for rest of 2011.  While I often feel that I’m moving in slow motion and doing very little, I was reassured by seeing the length of the list and the many activities I’ve been doing, especially by way of training students and teachers, as well as the many different trainings I’ve received myself from Peace Corps.

To briefly rehash: Activities carried out in my four assigned schools this year included teaching life skills, helping teachers teach students life skills (finally!), three different teacher trainings (a fourth is scheduled for this Wednesday) to which at least 60 teachers attended, and three parent workshops on leadership, communication, and self-esteem; Workshops with students from the ENRO (large, public institution in Toto – not one of my assigned schools but one that provides a great opportunity to reach many students at different academic levels) on sex ed, HIV/AIDS, decision-making, communication, as well as a survey I carried out today in an effort to work on behavioral change in relation to healthy relationships.  There are also the activities with the Population Council, which I recounted in my last blog post.  Teacher trainings for teachers from the Instituto Nacional Mixto (another Basico level school in Toto); English classes with 5^th and 6^th graders Friday mornings; my work on the Gender & Development Committee as the coordinator for GLOW camps in Guatemala; and my favorite activity of the year, the International Women’s Day event in March.  I have also attended seven Peace Corps sponsored trainings that took place in Xela and Santa Lucia since February.  I like marking these moments, however briefly – seeing where we’ve been and seeing where we’re going.