Meet the Kids

Since January I (kelly) have been working 2 days a week at a shelter for abused women and their children. It is one of only two shelters in Guatemala, the other having just opened in the capital a few months ago. The shelter provides food, clothing and a safe place for women who have nowhere else to go. They also provide health education and vocational training so these women improve the quality of life for them and their children. If you want to read more information about the organization go to their website at www.ahnh.org. I work with the children of the women who are not yet old enough to go to school. We play games, do art projects and go on field trips outside the shelter. I´ve been trying to teach some basic hygiene skills and creativity through art. The pictures below were taken on a field trip last week that we took to play soccer on ¨field¨ above the city. It was the first time that the kids had gone outside this year (2008) because other outings had been cancelled... The kids are great, very loving and trusting despite all they have been through.

New Mailing Address

Thanks to everyone for your letters, cards and packages! We love getting mail and being reminded that people at home are thinking about us. Our address has changed as the Peace Corps office is being moved outside the capital due to security reasons. Our new mailing address is:

Cuerpo de Paz/Peace Corps
Kelly and Mosiah Montoya PCV
Apartado Postal 66
Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepéquez
03001
Guatemala, Centro América

Lots of love,
Kelly and Mosiah

What we´ve been up to

We realize that we have not written a really in-depth post for some time. Sorry. I wish that we could say that it has been because we have been so busy with work, but the truth is that in December nothing really goes on as far as work goes. The truth of the matter is that we have been having too much fun getting to know our new country and sharing it with friends and family.
Dave came down on Halloween and spent about a week with us here in the Xela area. I hope that he had as much fun as we did. It was a little strange having our first guest. Not that it wasn’t a pleasure on our part, it’s just that it is kind of strange to have these two very distinct worlds and lives come together for a short time. I sometimes worry that people wont like Guatemala as much as we do. I think that the highlight of that trip was our journey to Todos Santos for the Drunk Horse Races. It was a truly amazing thing to see and I would suggest that anyone traveling through Guatemala November first make the trek up there to see the colorful and inebriated town.
Our next adventurous visitor was my wonderful mother, Diane. We were honored that we got to steal her away from the family for thanksgiving. I was happy to show her not only our town but also our life here in Guatemala. She was also a trooper through her bout with traveler stomach for a few days. We got to take her to one of our favorite spots in Guatemala for Thanksgiving, Lago Atitlan. Anyone who gets to visit this high volcanic crater lake falls in love with it. Not only for its spectacular views (it is surrounded by volcanoes), but because the people around the lake are so unique and wonderful. I think the highlight of the trip for me was when my host family took a trip to Antigua to visit Diane because she was too sick to leave the hotel. Although I found translating to be harder than I thought, it was great to have my Guatemalan mother meet me real mother.
After Reconnect we awaited yet another visitor. Trevor came to visit about mid December and spent the New Year with us. As our previous post describes we had a great time traveling around Guatemala and Belize. I really don’t think that I can explain to everyone how beautiful the landscape and the people are here. While I can’t say that we will have the time to do the trip that we did with Trevor I would encourage all visitors to Guatemala to take more than a week to get to know this wonderful place.
Well, there is a summery of some of the things that we have been up to in November and December. We are now trying to get back into the swing of things. I have started school again and have high hopes for a more productive year with the kids and the teachers in Cantel. Kelly is trying to expand her role in the cooperative and is meeting with a women’s shelter to see about volunteering. All in all we are having a great experience and I think that we fall more and more in love with Guatemala everyday.