Feliz Navidad y Año Nuevo! I hope that all passed the holidays restfully, with family. I myself had the good luck to be visited by my brother Dan and sister-in-law Sahra. We enjoyed a typical Ixtahuacán Christmas Eve, eating tamales and drinking ponche, a hot drink made with stewed fruits.

After the feast we gathered around the fire and I taught the kids how to make smores, and later we had a small impromptu dance party out in the courtyard by the Christmas tree.

At midnight people all over town started lighting off fireworks, creating a brief but impressive display. The next day we walked through town and visited friends, and were served tamales at every house we visited. Yum!

During the first week of January my parents were able to visit as well. Given that they don’t speak Spanish, and had never traveled outside of North America, they were remarkably good sports. They got to see a slice of village life, as well as a glimpse into my home and work here in Ixtahuacán. Some other friends from the States will be coming to visit over the next six months. If anyone wants to visit a Mayan mountain village at 10,000 feet, Chez Xwan is open to the public—just be sure to bring a sweater, and maybe an oxygen tank. I didn’t force my parents to stay here the entire time. We also passed a couple of days at the beautiful Lake Atitlán, a couple of hours away. With its tranquil blue waters ringed by volcanoes and its Mediterranean climate, the lake is an excellent place to get some R&R away from the highlands of Alaska.

With school back in session and a barrage of new work opportunities before me, it looks like I will be busier than ever over the coming months. I will probably return to the teacher’s college as a professor of English and Environment like last year, and will continue my work in the primary schools, though in a more reserved capacity. I have also been presented with the possibility of working with youth groups in rural villages, and doing sex education and HIV/AIDS awareness with teenagers. I have now done needs assessments in seven remote communities, and am trying to develop projects that respond to specific needs in collaboration with the local development committees. It is interesting and challenging work, but I am quickly realizing that finding funding for small-scale infrastructure projects will be more difficult than I ever imagined. There are an incredible number of NGOs, foreign embassies, and foundations working in Guatemala. However, most only work in certain geographical regions, or only fund certain types of programs. Then there are rigid budgeting structures, feasibility studies, strategic planning and other obstacles that come between communities and the small grants that would help them develop. While perfectly sensible within the institutional logic of the NGO, this system means that communities are not rewarded for articulating their own needs or for creating their own development plans. The end result is a top-down system in which daddy knows best, as frustrating for we volunteers as for the campesinos we work with.

While I will endeavor in sourcing out funding in Guatemala, there is a strong possibility that I will be seeking funds in the States and abroad as well. If anyone has any ideas about potential sources of funding for reforestation, potable water systems, and other village infrastructure projects that would benefit indigenous people, I am all ears.

Have a great 2008! Blessings upon you and the rest of the world…