Deep Thoughts by Carey Cooper

I can't remember the last time I felt so tired and so fulfilled at the same time. It was probably a mission trip. :) And now my life is one big mission trip. And sometimes it's hard. Some mornings, I dread the long drive on Guatemala's windy, treacherous roads to the COLD mountains of Camanchaj. (Remember last year when I was complaining about my commute to Princeton? Ahh, those were the days...) And some nights, when I'm especially tired and frustrated, I wonder if I'm really strong enough to do this work long term. But other mornings, I wake up thinking about the children of Camanchaj and am filled with a deep sense of purpose. The feeling is new and sometimes I don't recognize it for what it is. I just know that I feel happy and at peace. And when that sense of purpose stays with me 'til night, I feel overwhelmed with gratitude for my life with Jay in Guatemala.

As most of you know, since we arrived in October, I've been preparing for the opening of Camanchaj's first preschool -- meeting with parents, buying materials, planning a school menu, hiring teachers and cooks, recruiting sponsors from the US, and hundreds of other little things that a graduate degree in education didn't prepare me for! Well, the first day of school is finally here (Monday, February 2nd), and it wouldn't have been possible without the support of a lot of people (including you)! Above all, I am grateful for the help of a team of 21 volunteers who worked tirelessly the week before our community-wide celebration last Saturday. Jay has posted some photos and videos of the big week below. And I'll blog again soon about the first week of school. Wish us luck!

La Directora in front of the school - obviously still a work in progress at this point...

...but a few days later, with the help of countless volunteers, it all came together.

Setting up for the big opening celebration on Saturday morning.

Check out this 100-second video of the opening day celebration and school classrooms. It's not a party until the mariachi band arrives.

With our two teachers, Mary and Josefa. Carey and I are giants in Guatemala (I love it here).

Carey's speech on video - 2 1/2 minutes of dominating in Espanol!

It's all about the ribbon-cutting. Carey doing the honors with Salud y Paz director and founder, Dr. Phil Plunk.

One of our students, Diego, wearing his new school hoodie, his mother, Candelaria, who works as a receptionist in our Camanchaj clinic, and Inge, who is sponsoring Diego's education. This was Inge's last day in Camanchaj, and she was honored at our celebration for the work she's done at Salud y Paz the past two years.

Ready or not...24 eager five and six-year-old Mayan children are showing up at the school at 8 a.m. Monday morning. Dios mio!

GO TIME!

It's time to get our game-faces on. Carey and I hosted the first of our 20+ teams in 2009 (a dental team from Oregon), and now we're hosting a team from Florida to help us get ready for the big preschool opening celebration this Saturday (the school officially opens on Feb. 2). Some pics from the action...
Represent! Dr. Black and Tina from Oregon! (they're Beavers, not Ducks)
Open wide! At the clinic we do both fillings and extractions, but in remote rural locations (like here in Lacama), we just YANK (2-3 per patient). Unfortunately, many of the people don't brush and for a comfort food/cheap treat, drink too many sodas and eat a lot of sweets.
Favorite moment: an elderly Mayan woman comes in complaining of a tooth ache. I try to ask in broken Spanish which tooth she needs pulled. She opens wide, the dentist and I peer in...and she only has one tooth left! ; )
The team took photos of kids and families and printed them on photo printers they brought. It was a huge hit b/c the people don't have the opportunity to take photos (for obvious reasons). The frame above was pain-stakingly decorated by one gentleman. He was SO proud of this photo of his family.
Each little village has a "Committee" that gathers occasionally to make decisions affecting the community. A very important meeting was taking place when we arrived in Lacama b/c another nearby town had just taken justice into their own hands and killed several men who were kidnapping and ransoming locals. Unfortunately, with slow police/government response, this kind of vigilante justice is not that uncommon.U.S.A.! Dr. Black's son teaching 4 locals life's most important lesson: how to play american football.
Jay with one of our translators, Fernando. Nice guy - too bad that ugly jacket will make this his last time working with us.

Members of the Florida team teaching Jose, one of our other translators, the Hokey-Pokey. Guatemaltecos agree: this is clearly NOT what it is all about.

Floridians making up for their election year gaffes in 2000 by building the second level of the preschool and preparing the classrooms.

If you're the praying sort we could use a couple... I'm sure Carey has a lot on her mind trying to train her two teachers and get everything ready for the daily growing number of students signing up for the school, and I have now graduated from amoebic dysentery to the wonderful world of some yet-to-be-determined stomach bacteria. We both need to be at our best during this important time. Thanks!

Love you,

Jay

Deep Thoughts by Carey Cooper

Reflections at three months:

I miss some silly things like bubble baths and girly stuff that’s expensive here (although a team from Utah brought me face soap – wahoo!). I also miss some things that we take for granted in the States like drinking water straight from the tap and yes, flushing toilet paper. Mostly I miss my family and friends from Texas and New Jersey. And Molly.

But there are also a lot of things I don’t miss. Like my cell phone. Or my car. Or those knots in my back from working on a computer all day.

It would take all day to describe all that I’ve learned about myself, others, and our world over the past three months, but I will say one thing. Learning a new language is kicking my butt! One month of school wasn’t even close to being enough, and we’re doing our best to speak Spanish at home, but it’s so frustrating. I’ll leave you with an example of a typical conversation between the two of us (translated into English from Spanish).

Carey: I go to store now. You want go to store?
Jay: No, I no need things from store.
Carey: No, I ask you want to go?
Jay: What?
Carey: (now yelling) You want go to store with me, or no?
Jay: I can hear. I no… What is word?
Carey: What word?
Jay: (in English) deaf
Carey: I don’t know. Look in dictionary.
Jay: Where is dictionary?
Carey: I don’t know, but I need go before light.
Jay: What?
Carey: I make error. I need go before dark. You go?
Jay: Where?

Mexican Math (aka The Grapes of Wrath)

90 # of days foreigners have in Guatemala before they have to renew their Visa by jumping the border to Mexico
30 # of hours we spent in a microbus traveling to/from/around Mexico this last week
14 # of pesos you get for 1 US Dollar (it's a good time to visit Mexico!)
13 # of combined ways there are to say the word "vomit" in English and Dutch
12 # of grapes you're supposed to stuff in your mouth as the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve in Mexico
6 # of people we crammed into 1 room for 5 nights at a hostel in San Cristobal de las Casas
4 # of Dutch friends Carey and I went with to Mexico to celebrate the New Year
3 # of people who vomited in the microbus during one of our stomach-churning drives
1 # of grapes it took for Jay to contract an intestinal amoeba and then pray for a quick death

Since our 90 days in Guatemala were up, Carey and I planned a trip with several Dutch friends to a very cool town in Mexico called San Cristobal de las Casas to renew our Visas (even people who have lived here for 10+ years do this every 3 months - great system, huh!?) San Cristobal may be the "hippest" town in Mexico, and was a side of Mexico I didn't know existed. Picture Vishnu-worshipping Mexicans with dreadlocks selling anti-war t-shirts. Very interesting place. If you really want to stretch your vacation dollar and visit a beautiful, colonial town with lots of things to do, you may want to visit one day.

C & J with Lenny & Marija trying to look "hard" before we boarded a boat for one of our day-tours. We may need some practice.

On our boat in the Canon del Sumidero. Gorgeous place with up to 1000 meter cliffs hanging over head on both sides.

We got so close I could have pet the thing. Yeah, this would be allowed in the States.
Agua Azul. Wow.

The sign said "No Swimming" in Spanish. It's a good thing I don't know the language : )

Misol-ha. Just another beautiful waterfall in Mexico.
Palenque Mayan Ruins. Coolest place ever. Was it worth spending 6 hours in a microbus smelling of vomit? Yes. Well, maybe.

My theory is that the little house on the right was the "love shack" of Palenque. Of course it's just a theory.
At 5 p.m. on Dec. 31st the Dutch celebrated Holland ringing in 2009.

Later that night. It was comforting to learn that white people are universally bad dancers.
The fateful moment at midnight.

I've never read the book, "The Grapes of Wrath," but I can only assume that the author visited Mexico on New Year's Eve one year, stuffed 12 grapes into his mouth at midnight, then 2 days later realized that he had been outwitted by a single-cell organism. Dote!

Carey and I hope you all had a wonderfully peaceful holiday season and wish each of you all the best in 2009.

Love,

J & C

Honey, Jesus is at the Door Again...

Jesus keeps showing up at our back door unannounced in the form of a 4'9" Mayan woman with no front teeth. He's going by the name Isabel and has a deviously-cute baby named Norma slung over his back. You wouldn't believe how loud he knocks and how persistent he can be with his knocking. The man will simply not go away! In fact, he just left a few minutes ago. Let me be perfectly honest with you...Jesus is really starting to tick me off!
His visits always frustrate me and leave me feeling taken advantage of. He started coming around in October. At first he only wanted money and seemed upset with me when I would instead hand him eggs, bread and milk. But now that's it's Christmas time and all he's been hanging around town more, so we seem to see him everywhere we go. He wants me to buy his baby groceries and take him to the health clinic. That cleverly-disguised Jew sure does have a way of getting under my skin...he asks for more than I want to give, he makes me feel guilty about the money I have, and pulls me away from important things I need to do just so I'll notice him everytime he comes around. Errrrgggg!
Even though I talk about Jesus a lot as a pastor, for some reason there is something in me that is simply rebelling against him barging into my life like this. His mere presence in Isabel is forcing me to re-examine my relationship with the poor I see day-to-day and what my responsibility is to them as someone with money, resources and education. Not to mention the lesson he's trying to teach me about the mysterious joy of being taken advantage of. I'm probably just mad because Jesus is making me put my money where my mouth is. Maybe I'll learn one day, but until then I'd better get to bed because tomorrow I'm taking that annoying carpenter from Bethlehem to the pharmacy early in the morning to get him some meds...
Peace,
Jay

An Open Letter to All Roosters

Dear Roosters,

I hate you.

Sincerely,
Jay (that gringo in Guatemala you have chosen to torture with your incessant, 24/7 crowing)

p.s. Watch your back. If I see one of you wandering the streets alone...it's on!

Reflections at 2 Months...

Things I Miss:
-Route 44 Cherry-Limeades from Sonic (FYI Happy Hour drinks are ½ price 2-4 p.m. daily!)
-Drivers who stop at stop signs
-Hugs and holidays with my family in Texas
-The Jersey shore
-Flushing toilet paper
-Town Lake in Austin
-Ice
-Having dinner at some great local restaurant with close friends
-Preaching on Sunday mornings (mostly)
-Creamy Jalapeno sauce at Chuy’s ~ I could bathe in that stuff (and would if I had the chance)
-Snowy days in New Jersey
-My partners in ministry
-Our dog Molly
-Playing with my cute nieces
-The feeling of college football Saturdays
-You

Things I Don’t Miss:
-The insane consumerism around Christmas
-Being inundated with advertising and media
-Being part of the majority (it’s good to experience being the "different" one for a change)
-Having a car
-Feeling driven to be productive 24/7
-The concrete jungle
-The sense of entitlement I felt in the States
-Bathing everyday (overrated)

Things I’m Learning:
-It’s a lot more fun to drive when everyone else on the road is crazy too!
-It may be easier to see God when you’re in unfamiliar environments.
-It really feels good to say “hola” and smile at people I walk by everyday.
-Where your treasure is your heart will be also (I think some famous Jew said that once).
-The United Methodist Church may be “dying” by some standards in the States, but it sure is full of life down here!
-A small Toyota pick-up actually can hold upwards of 20 people in the rear bed.
-Unfamiliar situations or people are rarely as scary as we make them out to be.
-No matter where I live from here on out I will own a hammock.
-Even though motorcycles clearly are the best and most economical means of transportation, if your spouse doesn’t want you to drive one it just ain’t gonna happen!
-If you smile and nod a lot when listening to someone speak Spanish they'll think you understand them.
-A machete really does make the perfect gift for a 6-year-old boy.
-Mayans must be among the hardest working, yet most family-oriented people I have ever met.
-I should take more time to slow down and enjoy life (even while working)
-If you can't pronounce the name of a particular type of food it's no more likely to make you sick.
-If you look directly into the big, brown eyes of a Mayan child you will feel more hopeful about life. (Remember that verse, “in the twinkling of an eye you will be changed?" Well, it seems to make more sense now.)
-It’s really easy and cost-effective to reuse zip-lock bags, plastic bottles, paper towels, and many other things I used to throw away after only one use (note: reusing toilet paper = bad idea).
-It’s a big world out there, and it is clearly not all about me!

Happy Festivus!
Paz,
Jay

Deep Thoughts by Carey Cooper

I don't know about you, but I am still trying to make my parents proud. This gets a little tiring after 33 years, but I still keep at it. For example, I'll always remember the day I told my Dad that I got a job at Princeton. I've never seen him so excited! For some reason, he was less excited when I told him I got a volunteer job in Guatemala. Go figure. :) But I'm still trying to make him proud, and I thought of something today that he would appreciate...

About 20 years ago, my Dad walked into my room while I was fixing my hair. Chicas, you remember what an ordeal this was in the late 80s, right? So he watched me blow drying, curling, and teasing for a while and then asked, "How long does this usually take?" I remember saying, "Oh, about 30 minutes." (It was more like 45 but I could see where he was going...) After a quick calculation (he's an engineer so it didn't take long), he reported how many hours over the next year and then days over my life I would waste on my hair. I'm sure I only laughed at the time and went on with my teasing. But this morning, when I ran a comb through my wet hair and ran out the door for church, I thought of our conversation. I'll overestimate this time and say that I usually spend about 1 minute a day on my hair. Over the next year, that adds up to about six hours. Not bad, eh Dad?

Carey's Birthday!

Carey's b-day started out with a BANG last Saturday. It's tradition around here for a man to set-off a bunch of firecrackers outside his wife's window on her birthday. So when in Rome...good times : )
We spent the day in a lake town called San Marcos La Laguna, and then I had a couple of new friends here help me surprise Carey back at our apartment when we returned ~ complete with decorations, cake, dinner and a pinata! A truly Guatemalan "cumpleanos."

The birthday chica out on the lake in San Marcos. We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather.

A local enjoying the day in a typical home-made wooden boat.

A great reaction after realizing that the shadowy figures in our apartment were there for a surprise party, and not her impending death.
As you can see, gringos are considerably worse at pinata than Guatemalteco's are. Daniel and Lety are our spanish instructors and friends. They were so kind to offer to set-up this big surprise for Carey.
Since I didn't get to shove Carey's face in cake on our wedding day, Lety did the honors for me on Saturday.
Lety and Daniel taught us how to do meringue dance, and we taught them how to 2-step! Note: Jay is white.
Lety is becoming a good friend of Carey. Unfortunately, it is physically impossible for Lety to keep her eyes open during a photograph.

Keep eating those turkey sandwiches ~ it will be gone soon!

J & C

Happy El Dia de Accion Gracias! Gobble, Gobble

During this time of year I usually find myself thanking God for all the “things” I have. This year, however, I’m feeling blessed for the things I don’t have. Carey and I just recently spent a week in a little town here in Guatemala hosting a Methodist work team from the States. In that time, we witnessed around 628 miracles: 271 medical patients treated, 355 teeth pulled, and two new rooms constructed at the John Wesley Medical Clinic where we served. It was there, among some of the poorest people of Guatemala, that I began to realize just how thankful I was to have “less” this year.
I no longer have disposable income, but now I’ve been given the gift of learning to rely on God and others. I no longer enjoy the safety I had in the States, but now I’ve been given the chance to trust God in unfamiliar situations. I no longer have many of the comforts I’d become accustomed to, but now I’ve been given the opportunity to learn about the cost of following Jesus. So this year, as I lead mission teams on various projects throughout Guatemala and Carey prepares to open the new Susanna Wesley Preschool in January, we both find ourselves thankful, not only for all that we do have, but especially for all that we don’t.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
Jay & Carey

ps - we spent our most unique Thanksgiving ever today with 1 Italian, 2 Guatemalans, 1 Woman from Switzerland, another from Sweden, and a handful of gringos. The only thing that connected us was our ability to speak Spanish (mas o menos)...it was a beautiful thing ; )

Clinic Video

If you're interested in what a "typical" clinic day looks like, check out this 80-second video that I took at one of our off-site clinics...

The woman in the blue scrubs in the video is the one I'm taking over for in February. Of course she's much better looking, taller, and smarter than me and speaks three languages fluently, but I still hope to somehow carry on the great work she's done over the years hosting teams and administrating clinic operations. I think I'm going to love this job...

Pics of Carey's b-day coming tomorrow. Jay

Deep Thoughts by Carey Cooper

"Dead Man's Clothes"

Guatemala receives a lot of donated clothes from the U.S. I was told the other day that Guatemaltecas assume they are "dead man's clothes" because they can't imagine any other reason we would give away clothes in such good condition. Ouch. I'll remember that the next time I think I need a new outfit. :)

Warm Days, Hotter Lava

We finally got a real taste of the kind of work that Salud y Paz does this past week, and we loved it! Carey and I spent 8 days helping host a work team from Utah in "southern" Guatemala in a town called San Antonio Suchi...name continues for about 7 more syllables. Once again earning my man-card, I drove us about 3 hours through the mean streets of Guate. After meeting the team, which consisted of 2 doctors, 1 dentist, lots of nurses, and several construction grunts, we all attended a local Methodist Church (Guatemalan Methodists have "slightly" more exciting worship services than American Methodists do - when Guatemaltecos sing...they really sing!) That week we worked three days at the Salud y Paz clinic and 2 days at off-site/make-shift clinics (at local churches, road sides, etc). It was such a blast seeing the team in action. Despite the extreme heat, they worked long days and inspired me with their compassion. Here's the final tally of big and small miracles they performed: 271 patients seen and given medication, 355 rotten teeth pulled, and two new rooms added on to clinic! I think God decided to show-off a bit.

Here are some more pics and a video of our big adventure...

Outside the John Wesley Clinic in San Antonio Suchi. It's one of our newer clinics and is only open on Fridays and when teams come into town now, but in the near future we hope to see patients several days a week. Carey was a huge hit at the clinic reading to the kids while their parents were with the doctors. The children here are crazy cute. A view from the future patio/waiting area for patients looking into the two new dental rooms. The new rooms are just to the right of the existing clinic. My job was to lay the bricks you see in the background - they're "mostly" straight.

After the week was over, we stayed a night in Antigua with the team and got to climb Volcan Pacaya. It's very active, as you can see in the background of this pic and in this video...

Our guide Felix was kind enough to roast some marshmallows ("angelitos" in Spanish) that I brought with us in case we were able to get close enough to the lava. I know what you're thinking, but he actually looked better without eyebrows.

Have a great week and thanks for checking in! We'll post some pics of Carey's b-day this Saturday and hopefully a short video I made of a "typical" day at the clinic. Love, J & C

A Week in Pics...

Carey and I have had a busy week, working at two of our clinics (Camanchaj and Quetzaltenango), but also took some time to do some sight-seeing after work. I am also glad to announce that I am now officially a MAN! I drove us all over Guatemala and only got lost twice! Yes, I did have to ask directions four times in total, but did NOT drive us over a cliff or run over any roosters, dogs, cows, or children ~ thank God! It's all down-hill from here baby!
Enough talk. Here are some pics from our past week...

The cemetary in Panajachel on El Dia de los Muertos in preparation for All Saints Day. All burial plots were ornately painted and decorated with flowers in memory of lost loved ones.

Ummm...it's kind of windy here. The rainy season ends at the end of October and you know it's over when the wind starts. Imagine Hurrican Ike minus the rain. We lost a tree that crushed our gate. It hasn't rained since (and may not throughout the dry season!) Note: this is not true. I'm just being dramatic ; )

Top of a volcano on our drive to Fuentes Georginas (hot springs) near Quetzaltenango.

This, my friends, is a "chicken" bus! God created it on the 8th day. It can always fit "uno mas" and take you anywhere you want to go for pennies. Chances are good that the one pictured here was the same one you rode to school in 3rd grade. There are no atheists on chicken buses.

The central park in Quetzaltenango (thankfully it's also called Xela). It's the second biggest city in Guat. One of our 4 clinics is right outside of Xela in the same building where the U. Methodist Church has their volunteer office.

Ahhh!! Believe it or not, this store, named Despensa Familiar, is owned by Wal-Mart! They also own a huge store in Xela called Hiper Mart. The end is near...

Now that's a church! This is one of the most unique, colorful churches in Central America. It's in San Andreas outside of Xela and can be spotted from outer space (again, not true). The top of the dome is painted like a circus tent, and over the altar is a neon blue sign that says "Pescadores do Hombres" (fishers of men). Definitely worth the visit.

Fuentes Georginas (Hot Springs) outside of Zunil. A quick dip helped melt away all the stress from driving in Guatemala.

You can never take enough pics of Lake Atitlan. It truly is one of the most beautiful places on earth and is like steroids for your faith.

Prayer Request: Carey and I will help lead a team about 3-4 hours south of here this week in Mazatenango (near one of our clinics in San Antonio Suchi) starting Sunday. We'll be doing some construction work on the existing clinic and offer health care to the locals everyday. Please pray for safe travel, success in our mission, opened eyes, and changed hearts. Thanks!

Love,

Jay and Carey

Guatemala: Type-A "Hell"

I would consider myself to have a Type-A personality. I walk fast, I'm anxious, I need structure, I base my self-worth on my productivity, and I like to be in control. Yep, you guessed it...living in Guatemala is kicking my butt.
Carey and I started work this week, and I feel like I've just entered a treatment center to detox from all I learned about work and self-worth in the States. I know most of us would kill to slow down for a bit and take a break from our hectic lives in the U.S., but it's become clear that if I'm going to make it here I'm going to have to change my expectations. Things here are just slower. People are less stressed, or at least seem to be. Which is ironic because they arguably have more to be stressed about than I do (for example, having enough money to survive this month!) Although the people here are some of the hardest working I have ever seen (bending over for 8+ hours picking onions does not look easy), I don't see them scurrying about like rats. I see them talking with their neighbors at length every day and spending time playing with their children (and it takes a lot of time to play with 7 children!)
I don't want to make Guatemala sound like some sort of Eden, because it's not, but there is something very attractive and natural about this way of life. But I still feel myself resisting it - resisting the slower lifestyle and the society that seems to define me more by my 'being' and less by my 'doing.' I know, however, that this is why I need to be here. I recongize how unhealthy it has been for me to define myself by what I do and not who I am. As I detox from my Type-A addiction, I hope to emerge from treatment as less of human doing, and more of a human being.
Peace friends,
Jay

Deep Thoughts by Carey Cooper

Sometimes learning a new language is like going to therapy. For example, as Jay already pointed out, we frequently rely on about ten verbs when communicating with our Spanish-speaking neighbors and practicing with one another. Well, I realized this past week that I may know ten verbs, but I use the same three over and over again. They are necesitar, deber, and tener que, and here's how I used them today.

Necesito estudiar mas. (I need to study more.)
Debo ir a la iglesia esta semana. (I should go to church this week.)
Tengo que terminar este articulo. (I have to finish this article.)

Now I recognize that these verbs will always be part of my vocabulary, but I would like them to be a bit more balanced with another verb: querer (to want). And perhaps more importantly, I should -- drat! Let me start over. I want to better balance my use of first person ("I") with other personal pronouns (you, she, they). :)

Press "2" for English? Por Favor!

Carey and I have been attending Spanish classes here in Pana just about everyday now since we arrived in Guatemala. During that time we've experienced quite a range of emotions about our ability. On some days, we feel supremely confident - speaking nothing but Spanish to each other and those we meet in the market and in our neighborhood, and on other days I feel like crying because I couldn't explain to the guy on the phone in Spanish that 1) I wanted my pizza delivered because it was raining, and 2) no, I don't have a street address for you because I live on a street without a name! (Proof that God exists: the pizza somehow arrived, much to our surprise, later that night).

Being immersed in a new language has me thinking about the ways in which we help our "neighbors" today. We finally got a cell phone yesterday, and I can't tell you how difficult it was to figure out if I had voicemail on it or not (let alone how to access it if I did). I called the cell company's "Servicio" line to see if I could get some help, and to be perfectly honest I was (naively) expecting there to be a "Push 2 for English" prompt during the call. But there wasn't! I listened to the Spanish-speaking computer lady about 5-6 times before hanging up. Hmmm. It was obvious I was on my own.

Without getting into a political discussion...it seems that different countries try to reach-out to their neighbors in different ways. Most U.S. companies include a "Empuje 2 para Espanol" prompt during customer service calls, and I've found that most Guatemaltecans are happy to go out of their way to help me learn their language and manage in their country day-to-day, even though I do only have about 10 or so verbs - mostly conjugated incorrectly - at my disposal. Maybe a big part of being neighborly in our world today has to do with finding patience for and doing our best to understand those who are trying to make it in our "neck of the woods."

I probably could have made this blog about one sentence, because what I really wanted to say is...this is a really good experience for us and we're learning lots about our neighbors and, in the process, ourselves.

Thus is the life of two Spanglish-speaking gringos in Latin America : )

Peace,

Jay

ps. Carey and I have a little TV in our apartment and can pick-up a station that plays old American sitcoms and comedies - all dubbed in Spanish! Needless to say, we watch 'Alf' in Espanol most week nights and our language-skills have improved vastly!

Deep Thoughts by Carey Cooper

Why is it so difficult to step outside our comfort zone? I've been to the mercado (where we buy a lot of our food, and all our fruits and vegetables) twice in the past week, and although I find it a beautiful and exciting place, I can't help but feel the need to flee the scene! What exactly am I afraid of? I'm not sure, but probably something like this... I walk up to a woman in the market and intend to ask, "Cuanta cuesta?" to inquire about the cost of a vegetable. But instead, I ask something really offensive. And suddenly, the entire market goes quiet and everyone turns to stare at me. Then, one of two things happens. Either all the Mayan women become enraged and attack me OR they fall on the floor laughing. Ridiculous? Definitely. But I'm pretty sure these are the things I fear -- danger and humiliation. And possibly, these are things that kept me from living outside my comfort zone in the US.

P.S. The absense of photos of me on the previous blog has nothing to do with face soap. (This time anyway.)

Introducing...the Clinic & School!

On Tuesday Carey and I were able to make our first visit to the village of Camanchaj and what will be our new place of work for the next 1-2 years. The brand-spanking-new preschool looked ready to go for lots of five and six year-old kids come January and the clinic was full of patients!
Salud y Paz by the Numbers:
1 Preschool (in Camanchaj)
Will open in January 2009
First class of children will be around 20
Students provided 3 meals a day, 5 days a week
4 Clinics (one in Camanchaj, the other 3 spread throughout the lower half of Guatemala)
Each with:
2 Operating Rooms
1 fully-stocked pharmacy and lab
Approximately 75 patients (indigenous Mayans) a day receive medical and/or dental care
2 More "hopeful" clinics to be built in the near future

Here's the clinic in Camanchaj (nearest "big" city is Chichicastenango)

Here's the new Susanna Wesley Preschool (that's our boss Phil in front of it).
If everything goes well, we'll be adding a second story to it in 2009!

One of the patient rooms inside the clinic.

The clinic is stocked with medical supplies and a kitchen to feed the staff.

One of two operating rooms for visiting surgical teams.

A very impressive pharmacy!

The dental room (LOTS of tooth extractions take place here).

Of course the most exciting part of the visit was the fact that I was able to drive us home! If you thought I was a "gifted" (i.e. bad) driver in the States, you should have seen me in Guatemala! I've never dodged such a wide variety of animals before on one trip : )
We'll be posting photos soon of Carey's students and give you information about how you can sponsor them each month.
Thanks for checking in!
Peace,
Jay (and Carey)