A big part of the Fulbright-Hays program is to expose us to the cultural, economic, and social issues in Mexico. As part of that we visited VAMOS! VAMOS! is a non-profit organization we visited this past week which provides meals for hungry children and adults; community centers to educate the poor (children get no more that 2 hours of schooling per day here); medical, dental and psychological care; and activities and the chance for the mothers and elderly to make friends. In Mexico being poor is entirely different from what it is in the U.S. There is no government safety net. No Social Security. No welfare. Everyone works, if they can find a job. Fifty percent of the population lives on less that $3.00 a day. Even though it's mandatory that children go to school at ... read more

Antigua, my last days I'm back in the U.S. now, safe and sound. Guatemala has surely added to my education of our world. What a beautiful country. I had the privilege of meeting some wonderful people from all over the world as well. It won't be an experience I'll soon forget. A Tradition: Birthdays are a big deal down here. They like everyone to know that someone is having a birthday by setting off firecrackers... at 5:30 IN THE MORNING! Our neighbor had a birthday a few days after I arrived. Then a couple of houses over, they had a birthday too. You could hear firecrackers going off practically everyday. Sometimes they used bigger fireworks. When I first arrived, I thought people were shooting guns in the streets. ... read more

Lake Atitlan and San Marcos Hannh and I got away for the weekend. It took about 2 hours to get to the lake. What a beautiful place! When I got into my room ($6/night with a shared bath; the most expensive place is around $40/night), I noticed the light didn´t work. When I looked at the ceiling light, there was no light bulb. So, down to the desk I went to ask for a light bulb. Keep in mind that very few people here speak English, and, of course, neither did the woman at the desk. I told her there was no light in my room, and she giggled. I quickly realized that I had said in Spanish, "There is no light in my food." Well, "cuarto" (room) and "comida" (food) are close, aren´t they? Needless ... read more

Antigua homestay- Through the school, most students arrange a homestay which includes meals. My homestay has been great, although I was surprised when I first arrived on that Wednesday afternoon. When I filled out the application for the homestay online, I checked the box for "no children" and "no pets." Is there a difference? So, of course, my homestay mother, Sylvia, has a 15 year old son, Franchesco, and a "pretty little dog too" named Terry. Actually, neither has been a problem. And I wouldn´t trade the experience for anything. I would describe the family as working to lower middle class poor. There are also other students living there. Now, we have two American college girls and one woman from Mexico doing an internship here from a university in the U.S. Everyone has been sweet and ... read more

I flew into Guatemala City, the capital, safe and sound Wednesday afternoon (July 2nd). The city was noisy and dirty with generous amounts of carbon monoxide. Colorful chicken buses, retooled American school buses for public transportation, abound. It took about 1 hour to arrive in Antigua from the capital. It was once the captial of Guatemala, but a major earthquake hit Antigua in 1773 and leveled the town. After that they moved the capital to Guatemala City. For a brief history see- http://www.thegringosguide.com/Antigua/AntiguaHistory.htm. The town is 5,000 ft in the mountains. Now is the rainy season, so it´s been fairly cloudy with a bit of sunshine here and there, mostly in the morning. Things don´t tend to dry out very quickly if at all. It´s quite cool as well, temperatures range from 70´s during the day ... read more