Rebecca is finishing her two years as an ecotourism volunteer in Guatemala! She had started a community tourism project and trained local guides, taught English to over 100 kids, led two theater camps, trained librarians and planned events and the library, and most importantly: she has been an amazing friend to everyone she meets. I feel so fortunate that Peace Corps put us in the same site so that I made a life-long friend.
With seven days to go until she departs, she is busy with going away parties, packing, Peace Corps paperwork, and showing the incoming volunteer around our site. Still, she found time for us this weekend!
Virginia took us to Xela’s most over-the-top convention center and restaurant to celebrate my birthday and Rebecca’s close of service. I passed this place in a bus before, but I had never gone in. The trip finally satisfied my curiosity.
Whenever Guatemala tries to emulate something gringo, it usually turns out somewhere between a bad photocopy and black hole of tastelessness. This convention center fell somewhere between the two. It was aiming for a Nepolianic theme, but it came up a little short. Nonetheless, the food was good! And the garish decorations were entertaining.
Today we held a lunch in Rebecca’s honor here with the host family. Sachiko cooked yet another amazing dish, and we honored Rebecca’s two years and her plans for the future.
Becca, we will miss you so much—so very, very much! Guatemala will not be Guatemala without you! Luckily, St Louis and Tennessee are in the middle of the US, and thus easy to visit! For Rebecca’s going-away present, I created and printed a photo collage of her two years. I uploaded it here in its full resolution (click on the image) in case Becca’s relatives want to print it out.
0 comments:
Post a Comment