my peace corps guatemala house

[Sims34u]

Hi,

I'm interested in joining the Peace Corps, but I have so many questions that their website hasn't answered. I would really appreciate it if you could take a few seconds to answer these!

How are the living conditions? I know it's different for each country, but as I research more about the Peace Corps, I've been finding stories of spiders coming up showers and so forth.

If you're rejected, is that it or can you try again? If you go to a country once, can you reapply and go to another country?

[lenahall]

yeah, he came back with me, along with another dog :) just gotta fill out paperwork through the embassy, get a clean bill of health and pay for their passage on the plane.

[aver6934]

You had a dog in the peace corps? How did that work? Did it come back with you when you left?

[DESTROYriaa]

really cool paint on the walls

[danyboy78113]

Hello. Nice video! I hope I get accepted into the PC. Do you know how long it takes for nomination after the interview?

[sirchristian12]

What do peace corps do exactly?

[MyImaginationsDesign]

It looks lonely

[Mzquia]

Nice clean place:)

[ramirov97]

probably kicking the dog will not teach him anything on the other hand i maybe would consider slow roasting him over the outdoor firepit but nah its only a consideration

[gonon2]

Peaceful place!!!

[lenahall]

i try to do my best. sometimes you have to teach them what is what. just like chirren. (sarcasm)

[webstaranimations]

Good job kicking your dog (sarcasim)

[bluejustness]

hooked up...nice

[twizzted69]

im looking at jamaica right now, does any one have any suggestions. jamaica has been the place ive wanted to see to get a bob marley feel, and im looking at doing some medical things

[mamache1]

very proud to be a ex-peace corps in India and Mexico

[cfuzzy]

Is so random that I bumped in to this video in youtube. My dad works for Peace Corps in Guatemala.He works at the Santa Lucia TC.

[jerscar]

Thanks for bringing back some nice memories. I was in Zacualpa, El Quiché 2000-2002, only in GT can you paint whatever color you want and never get a second glance!PS: I was an A.H. too and my rabbits also got ate up -but not by me =(

[FoxmanPhD]

Do you need any formalized training to teach English as a second language in the PC?

[lenahall]

i don't think so, but this wasn't my project area. they would go through all of that during training though.

[MrAnicote]

@FoxmanPhD In Peace Corps Ukraine, at least, we get 12 weeks of technical training in secondary schools or universities depending on where we're supposed to be placed. All secondary school TEFLs in Ukraine need a bachelor's plus at least one year of experience working in education in the US; all university TEFLs need the same plus at least a master's degree.

[znost]

Sweet house.. hopefully I end up with something just as nice (I leave for PC service in Guatemala on May 1st).... what did you have to do to bring your dog back to the US?

[lenahall]

an approved vet check up, and paperwork. it wasn't too bad, actually.

[DKfansown]

what ever happened to the dog?

[lenahall]

he is with me in the states!! he still likes to bite. lol

[DKfansown]

really cool. thanks for posting this video. i am going to apply with the peace corps when i get my bachelors degree. hopefully they will accept me.

[Calabrese9876]

"thats where i used to keep the rabbitss before i killed and ate them all" lol..i thought that was funny

[amnightingale]

nice house; you did a really great job decorating :)

[updegraft]

Nice house, thanks for sharing it lenahall. I was a PC volunteer in Ayarza, Santa Rosa 2000 - 2002. I like your dog, it reminds me of mine when she was a puppy, now she's 7 and is a little less active (she's also a Guatemalan chucho)! Where was your site?

[lenahall]

san martin jilotepeque, chimaltenango.

[david8085]

nice house... I was in Mataquescuintla Jal. in '84 and in san miguel Chicaj, BV in 80, 81 and your house looks familar....you must have been there quite awhile to have so many things. My houses were much smaller and I didn't ever have a frig or a dog

[bellgoebel]

I just read back through comments and saw that you are an animal husbandry person. That's the same type of job I did in Dominica in the 80s. I worked with individual farmers, 4-H type groups and with the breeding stock programs promoted by Heifer International and USAID. You're back in Country now?

[lenahall]

yep, back in the land o milk and honey now. still think about guatemala daily, i doubt that will ever change!! heifer international does some great work! one of the vols in my group had a goat project with them.

[bellgoebel]

Wow! You live in a palace! I was in PC in the Eastern Caribbean at the beginning of the 80s. I had a spacious home for the place and time, but nothing like this. And the color! Jeez. Beautiful. I love the contrast between the colorful interior and the somewhat drab back yard.

[lenahall]

haha, thanks. i spent the first three months painting the interior of the house. the backyard never had the results i intended! and the dog dug up my garden as well as random holes in the grassless yard. a lotta fun for the parties during the rainy season. i definitely had a good dwelling. all of the volunteers that lived in my town had pretty nice homes, however those that were placed or decided to live outside of town had more 'rustic' living arrangements.

[ctrot]

How many hours a day did you have electricity and water?

[lenahall]

i had water for a few hours each day. sometimes not... usually after a day or two of not showering and thinking to myself... "i'll shower tomorrow", yep, that is when i wouldn't have water for a day or two.

i had electricity pretty much all the time... it was off and on more in the rainy season, but i don't think there were whole days without electricity.

[ctrot]

Ahh brings back memories. My home was similar but with tin roof. My cinderblock closet/shelves. Did you find a tarantuala (BIG) in there too? Same stove. It's amazing what you pick up! I backbacked Guat through in my way home RPCV Dominican Rep. 1987

[lenahall]

had some big spiders at my house, but no tarantulas. i came to respect the spiders i lived with. they had free range of my house except my bedroom. i have a creepy story about a spider crawling around on the wall behind/above my bed one evening! i hope you enjoyed guatemala, i know you must have passed through during a very rough time for the country.

[ctrot]

I was fascinated with the country. Very different than DR & PR. It was hard to know the people. Very humble and shy. The Spanish is very melodic and they used "vos". Nice. Bumped into some army patrols. VERY UNHAPPY we were there but no problems. Chi Chi, Tikal, Antigua, talking on the bus. I want to go back.

[ctrot]

I'm glad the recent RPCV's are doing this, it was hard for us to explain it all in words. I noticed your "Cribs, Peace Corps Edition" we called our "Better Shacks and Gardens"

[unicoforever]

The house is so cute :) I love Guatamala! And I hope to become a volunteer someday too

[jejuneraccoon]

P.S. Haha, I like that you have Snow Patrol playing.

[jejuneraccoon]

Thanks for posting this.

I am applying to the PC and hope to get assigned to Central or South America.

What kind of work did/do you do in Guatemala?

[lenahall]

i was an animal husbandry volunteer. i worked w/ groups of women teaching husbandry methods for their livestock, nutrition lessons, natural remedies, etc.

[deier]

What was your take on the use of so much technology: bringing your computer and video camera?

[lenahall]

many pcvs have laptops, ipods, etc. my digital camera has video capabilities. you would be surprised at the technology available in guatemala. there are no land phone lines (b/c of the terrain and expense of them) almost all households instead have a cell phone. it is very strange to see an person in the traditional dress talking on a cell phone, using an atm etc. technology is growing in leaps and bounds in developing countries.

[deier]

I was just surprised because one pcv told me that she wished that she didn't bring her Cd player, of all things. I've been to Ghana many times and each time purchased a cell. I guess the same thing goes for many parts of Africa as Central America with the lack of land lines. In fact, I was under the impression that a lot of tech. was a bit too much. Did you find a good use for your computer? Btw, I am asking these questions because I've applied for PC

[lenahall]

yeah, at first i didn't have my computer, i guess i got it around 6 months in. i didn't use it all that much for work, a bit of typing up type stuff, etc. however, it was a great way for myself and sitemates to maintain sanity by watching movies and the like. pretty much all the pcvs i know had some sort of device for music. most said they wished they had brought more music. never heard of anyone not wanting to have their cd player around! but all situations are different.

[SingingCrab7]

That's great! No, I'm not a volunteer yet, but I hope to be within the next year or so!

[SingingCrab7]

Did you get to take your dog with you??

[guatemelon25]

hour house is gettho hehehe i lie it do

[ToddlerMcNugget]

Dude, your dogs an ass.