2012!

It seemed so far away when I got here April 2010, but 2012 is here and I will be home in less than six months, but there is still so much to do here! After many months and obstacles I finally submitted the SPA application, so if it is approved, construction of the improved wood-burning stoves will begin mid to late February! Thanks so much to everyone who contributed through FOG, it was a huge help and made this project possible! I will be updating and posting photos as things progress.

I was back at the beach for New Year's eve, and it was fantastic. The pictures are of the ferry ride in through the mangrove swamp, and the last sunset of 2011 on the beach. The weekend included lots of dancing, good seafood (amazing ceviche!) and some swimming although the surf is pretty rough in Monterrico. It calmed down the morning of the 2nd as I was about to head back to Cunen, so I made it out past the breakers for about 5 mins and then had to swim back in because I got scared of sharks and other sea creatures. There were skates (or small sting rays?) jumping in the surf; it was strange to see them flapping above the waves. I'm not ashamed to admit I was a little scared of them too, that is how Steve Irwin died!

Due to low funds, work, a standfast, and town fair I will not be out of Cunen again for the rest of the month. Standfast is when Peace Corps tells us to stay put for a few days until the weather (or in this case, inaugurations) calms down. All the new mayors, govenors, and the new president will be taking over this weekend, so just to be safe, we'll all be staying in our respective towns for a few days. Standfast is always a good time to catch up on reading, watch tv/movies for hours on end, hang out with people in town or, as Melissa, Nicole and I usually do, bake something delicious. The weekend after next kicks off town fair preparations, although the real days of the fair aren't until the 30th-Feb 4th. Town fair is a huge event and the biggest marimba band in Guatemala, Los Conejos, is coming to play for the dance (if rumors are to be believed, and I hope so, because they came last year and it was excellent). It should be a productive and fun couple of weeks, and good for my bank account after all the festivities last month!