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La Hora Chapina All the Healthy Schools news that’s fit to print April/May

New PCVs join Healthy Schools team

Content: Tricks of the Trade: Keep those little buggers … errr … energetic balls of joy on task

Free

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Letters to the 3 Editor: The difference between manos and monos Parting Words: Take a cue from Alexis Guild

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Photo Essay: La Pura Vida

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Healthy Recipes: 6 Skin Scrub (It probably won’t taste great.)

La Hora Chapina Publisher: Sheny Huerta, shuerta@gt. peacecorps.gov Editor: Kristina Crawley, kcrawley@ gonzaga.edu Senior Reporter: Kristina Crawley, kcrawley@gonzaga. edu La Hora Chapina is a newsletter dedicated to providing PC Guatemala volunteers with information regarding the Healthy Schools program. La Hora Chapina welcomes letters to the editor.

Presenting the newest generation of Peace Corps Guatemala Healthy Schools Volunteers:

class to serve in Ghana, her cousin served in Mauritania, another cousin is serving in Namibia and her brother is applying. Her favorite book is The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara KingJulia “Hugus” Dale, North Carolina Don‘t call her ―Julia Gulia.‖ It doesn‘t solver and she played water polo at the go over well. This Lost fan is also into University of California, Berkeley. modern dance, which she doesn‘t con- Mark Forsberg, Minnesota This cross-country and track runner sider a sport, but I beg to differ. Do I smell a secondary project in the works? will be taking on the Cobán half maraShe was a history major who loved My thon this month. He was a History, Sociology/Anthropology and American Little Pony as a girl, and the thing she‘ll miss least about the States is ig- Studies major and his favorite book is norance. Her favorite quote is from fel- Nelson Mandela‘s autobiography, A Long Walk to Freedom. The last time low volunteer, Rebecca Dreyfuss: ―I he was in Guatemala was 2007, when spent my college years wet.‖ visited his sister and her husband, Kaci Rebecca Dreyfuss, California and Corby Lewis, who were PCVs in Besides being a world-class humorist (see Dale‘s entry), Dreyfuss is a Peace Alta Verapaz at the time. Continued on page 3 Corps legacy. Her aunt was in the first

The Smack Down! I would like to take this opportunity to thank a group of exceptional HS PCVs. Rose Winchell, Jessica Taylor, Melissa Cuddy, Katherine Franks, Alexis Guild, Jillian Geissler, Marlene Mora, Ellen Kernan, Michelle Henderson, and Nicole Hunt finished their service in April, after two years of outstanding work. They were spread out around the country, from Campur, Carchá, Alta Verapaz to Pologuá, Totonicapán. Seven of them started new schools and two of them certified four

schools and started the HS program in another four! On behalf of my ―paisanos,‖ I want to thank you for your two years of generous service, fine work and affectionate cultural sensitivity. Please remember that ―Guatemala es su casa.‖ We hope we will see you soon! On the other hand, we welcome a professional, committed and enthusiastic new group of 16 additional PCVs! Samra Brouk, Adrian Ortega, Bethany Harmon, Rebecca Schwartz, Rebecca Dreyfuss, Mark Fors-

berg, Jareau Hall, Amanda Mayhew, Joanna Sylwester, Joshua Eckley, Julia Dale, Crystal Sand, Cori Purcell, Sarah Suwalsky, Travis Snow, and Valerie Walker have joined us and are ready to continue the good work started by the colleagues they are replacing. Please join me in saying farewell to our colleagues who have left and welcoming our new fellows!

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La Hora Chapina

Tricks of the Trade with Seño Katie

“Walk around the classroom as you speak. Look children in the eye or slide your hand across their desk as you walk by. Don’t ever give them a chance to think they can get away with talking.”

―Pay attention!‖ ―Stop talking to your neighbor!‖ ―Do your work!‖ Ever get sick kids not paying attention? As adults we have been trained (at least most of us) to sit still and listen for extended periods of time no matter how bored we are. But as elementary students, they are still learning. There are many ways to keep students on task. Here are some suggestions: Keep your feet moving. While giving a lesson, or even giving simple directions, walk around the classroom as you speak. Look children in the eye or slide your hand across their desk as you walk by. Don‘t ever give them a chance to think they can get away with talking to their neighbors. Involve. A good lesson is a lesson that includes the children. We have all seen way too many lessons in which teachers just talk while their students copy notes into their notebooks. Taking notes may

Teachers in Buxup, Jacaltenango, Huehuetenango act out techniques for how to deal with rowdy students without disrupting the lesson.

keep them occupied, but it doesn‘t mean they are paying attention. So, constantly ask questions to your students and do hands-on activities. Make sure all students get involved. Don‘t forget the shy ones. No down time. Never have breaks in your lessons that allow the students‘ minds and mouths to drift. Something as short as needing to tape up a poster or rummage through your bag for a marker can get kids talking. So, always be prepared. Put the poster up in advance and have your markers and everything else you need for the lesson out in front of you ready to go. Keep lessons short. Not only are elementary students still learning to sit still, young elementary students physically and mentally cannot pay attention to one thing for very long. Making lessons interactive helps a lot, but how much the students retain is what is most important, and if a lesson is too long, their brains go on overload. Párvulos through

third-grade lessons should not be longer than 15- to 20minutes, while the older kids can go up to 30 or 40. This applies to all types of lessons; mathematics, language, Healthy Schools, etc. Positive reinforcement. Get students to do their assignments by reinforcing good work out loud. If the students are supposed to draw their daily habits, and some students are not doing their part, walk to a working student and say out loud how awesome they are; ―Wow!! Freddy‘s drawings are amazing! I‘m so impressed! Great work Freddy! (high five!)‖ The distracted kids will now want the same attention from you and will get back to work in hopes of earning your praise. All kids need and want positive reinforcement. *Katie Noren-Yeagle is a Healthy Schools PCV living in Aguacatán, Huehuetenango. She is a graduate of Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore. with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood and elementary education.

Try out Seño Katie’s suggestions (and share them with your teachers) for keeping energetic students like these involved and on task.

April/May

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Continued from page 1

Jareau “Just call him Jay” Hall, New York He was an African Studies major at Colgate University and he already misses sushi. FYI: there are a couple sushi restaurants in Antigua, but I‘ve yet to try them, and as his biggest pet peeve is being around large groups of drunken foreigners, he may want to avoid AntiguaLandia. This soccer player and 24 fan joined the Peace Corps because he ―enjoyed the idea of living in another country and being able to contribute to its development.‖ Bethany Harmon, Washington Like me, she survived the college experience in Spokane, so Guatemala should be no prob-

lem (I kid, I kid). Her worst job was held at age 12 when she spent a winter counting bee larvae in a cold warehouse for $3 an hour, so she‘s been prepped for those chilly temperatures she‘ll be experiencing in Santa Polonia. Her favorite book is a collection of poems called Sailing Alone Around the Room, by Billy Collins. Amanda “Manders” Mayhew, Colorado She‘s already missing dairy products, but here‘s a word to the wise: lactose intolerance has a tendency to creep up on unsuspecting Peace Corps volunteers, so proceed with caution when you finally get a chance to consume some quality cheese. Her biggest pet peeve is people who think they know more than you about everything. But that shouldn‘t be a problem here in Guatemala, because as we all know, all PCVs are experts in medicine, agriculture, engineering and, well, just about everything. Her mechanical bull record is five seconds and she‘s

going to have to buy some warmer clothes, because she thought it would be hot here all the time. Adrian “Adeedo” Ortega, California His favorite quote is, ―Go with confidence towards your dreams. Live the life you have always imagined,‖ and that‘s presumably what he‘s trying to do by joining Peace Corps. He plays soccer, beach volleyball, baseball and surfs, and he got his kicks from his Speak ‗n‘ Spell as a child in the 80s. Adeedo says he‘s going to miss Nana most from home and recommends the book Cien Años de Soledad. Crystal Sand, California The Political Science/Spanish Literature major joined Peace Corps for an adventure and is in good company with her fellow Californians as she already misses all things Trader Joe‘s. Make sure your nose is clean if you‘re hanging out with Sand, because she can‘t stand nose Continued on page 4

Letters to the Editor

Volunteer monkeys around with teachers and CTA So I am giving a taller to all of my teachers (about 25) to start the year off right. In this workshop, of course, we talk about our fundamental Healthy Schools themes. I write a request to the CTA to cancel classes and explain what the taller is all about. I give it to the CTA who in turn signs it, stamps it, and gives one approved letter to each of the schools.

All four of my schools, all of my teachers see the letter when he returns it approved. I see my teachers today at my first school of the week and they are all complimenting me on the letter and are so amazed at my Spanish and my ability to write such a great letter and how difficult it must have been. I accept graciously the compliments even though it's just a basic

letter and I really don't see what the big deal is. Still I go home feeling really good about myself and how I've finally won the respect of the teachers. Now that I've gotten their attention it's going be a great year. Just out of curiosity I go back to my computer when I get home and read over the letter again. It looks pretty good and I'm just about to

close it when I read, "la importancia que los estudiantes lavarse las monos." And just for clarification, that's "monos" not "manos"— the importance that the students wash their monkeys. Yep, their monkeys. Amazing. I am so awesome. Really got their attention, alright. Way to start off the year right. -Dana Weddle, Tecpán, Chimaltenango

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La Hora Chapina

Parting words from retired PCV Alexis Guild What are your post-Peace Corps plans? Grad school. What are your proudest accomplishments in your Peace Corps service? Seeing my certified schools continue and improve upon the Healthy Schools project postcertification. What advice do you have for the new volunteers? Take your time and don´t let the teachers walk all over you just because you are new and trying to be culturally sensitive. Sometimes, you need to be fuerte to get things done. What advice do you have for the yearlings? Make the most out of your final year of service. Go to school events, birthday parties, weddings. Continued from page 3 whistling (de acuerdo!). Her favorite book is Razor’s Edge and she‘ll be trying to keep up with Lost and The Office on DVD. Rebecca Schwartz, New York She joined Peace Corps ―to learn in-depth about another culture and in turn use her knowledge and enthusiasm to try to give back.‖ Well, she‘s already learned that contrary to her prior beliefs, Guatemalans do eat noodles. Her musical education started early with a Spice Girls concert (―Shake it to the left!‖) in the fifth grade. Her favorite quote: ―Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit.‖ Travis Snow, Connecticut He studied Latin American Studies and International Relations at Johns Hopkins University. Of his decision to join Peace Corps he says, ―I love the grass-roots, people-oriented approach to development as well

The full school year is the time when we can get the most out of our schools and when many of our goals are accomplished. What will you miss most about Guatemala? The people — both Guatemalans and other PCVs. And, of course, the Bake Shop in Xela. What is the craziest/weirdest thing you ever saw/ experienced here? I almost fell out of a back of a pickup truck once. I had to literally grab for someone to pull myself back into the truck. What is your most anticipated meal? Turkey sandwich on sourdough roll, followed by Cold Stone ice cream (cheesecake with black cherries and brownie).

as the combination of idealism with pragmatic realism.‖ A selfdescribed avid skier, cyclist SCUBA diver and paraglider, he calls 24 his guilty pleasure. Snow‘s luxury item is noisecanceling earbuds, ―for when the Guatemalan music on the bus becomes too much.‖ Joanna “Joey” Sylwester, Colorado Last Halloween, she dressed in a blue jumpsuit with a rubber chicken and electric cord tied around her neck: Chicken Cordon Blu! Get it?!? A woman after my own heart, one of her biggest pet peeves is bad grammar in text messages, and she lives by the words, ―The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.‖ Also, Sylwester is proof that they do play water polo outside of California. She‘ll have to swap stories with Dreyfuss and Jessica Momberg. Four more

and we‘ll have a Healthy Schools team. Valerie Walker, Michigan She has her bachelor‘s in print journalism – which means I‘ll be hitting her up soon for help with La Hora Chapina – and her favorite toy from the 80s were those irresistible little troll dolls. She made a good call in bringing along her Nintendo DS for entertainment. Her biggest misconception about Guatemala? That there would be endless amounts of delicious coffee at every street corner. I‘m sure in no time she‘ll be downing gallons of sugary NesCafé with ease. Editor’s note: New volunteer surveys were not received from Samra Brouk, Joshua Eckley, Cori Purcell or Sarah Suwalsky, though I’m sure they’re interesting people and we welcome them, just the same. Send those surveys to [email protected] to get your profile printed in the next Hora Chapina!

April/May

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In February, my teachers and I assisted a bottle-project training put on by Susana Heisse and her organization, Pura Vida in San Marcos, La Laguna. It was a great experience not only for the education, but also because of the team bonding that took place during the trip. Here are some photos:

La Hora Chapina

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Letter from the Editor

La Pura Vida: Training minds, changing hearts When my teachers and I were presented with the opportunity to attend a bottle-project training in San Marcos, La Laguna, Sololá, honestly the first thought in my head was: ―Ugh! This is going to be a logistics nightmare.‖ I can hardly get all six teachers to show up on time for a meeting at school. How in the world am I supposed to get them to a town more than six hours away, and on the other side of a lake? How will we get there? How are we going to pay for it? But in light of the fact that we are building our kitchen using the bottle-project technique, we couldn‘t exactly pass up the chance. Well, I was right. Getting the trip organized was a huge headache. I won‘t go into details. I‘m sure you can imagine the moaning and groaning, the postponing and the groveling for money from the muni that went into the process. But in the end it was all worth it.

My teachers and our albañil got a first-hand look at just how this project is going to come together. And they were blown away by the passion of Susana Heisse, the one-woman show behind Pura Vida, the organization that put on the training and promotes environmentally responsible practices. Not only did we get a hands-on experience with a bottle construction, we also got a tour of the eco-friendly hotel in San Marcos which has figured out a way to reuse or recycle virtually all the trash it creates. Susana, a German transplant who just received her Guatemalan cedúla after 18 years of living incountry, has also been the driving force behind the creation of a recycling center in San Marcos. When we had our post-trip meeting at school the next week, my teachers‘ enthusiasm for the project had doubled. They were more energized and positive than I had ever seen them. And while the peak of that energy may have worn off a bit, we can still feel it as a driving force behind the project. We‘ve been having difficulty getting

project funding approved by the muni (even though using the bottle method has lowered our costs from some Q60,000 to around Q20,000), and before this trip I would have expected something like that to cause the group to completely lose steam. Instead, they‘ve responded to the challenge. We were recently accompanied by our CTA in a meeting with the mayor to appeal the negative response. Four of the six teachers from the school showed up with half-a-day‘s notice and waited for two hours to be seen. We exacted a promise from the mayor to come down and see the school and reconsider supporting the project. The teachers are also optimistic about pursuing other funding options. I‘ve always been leery about giving advice in this column, because I think every volunteer‘s situation is unique. But I‘ll go out on a limb here and say that if you have the opportunity to take a trip with your teachers – for whatever reason – do it. It was a huge boon for us, and I bet it will be for you, too. Kristina Crawley

Healthy Recipes Homemade skin scrub

2 Tbsp. used coffee grounds 1/2 cup sugar Oil

Dry season, wet season, high altitude — this country is not great for maintaining healthy skin. Try Mix the coffee and sugar. making a homemade scrub on a Add oil to cover the coffee mixPeace Corps budget: ture. Use it to treat the skin on

your hands, feet, body and even on your face. Contributed by: Andrea Stanaway La Hora Chapina is always looking for new healthy recipes. Please email yours to Kristina Crawley at [email protected].

Quote of the Month “He who helps a child helps humanity with an immediateness which no other help given to human creatures in any other stage of human life can possibly be given.” — Phillips Brooks