Last week was fun-filled with a visit to another gay club
(which sells beer for only 50 cents on Wednesdays!) as well as a going-away
party for E, who just left Guatemala to study public health in the States (you
go guuurl).
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| My wonderful coworkers at E's going-away party
This past
weekend, I met up with Jocelyn and Fernando, two of my closest friends from
when I lived in Guatemala in 2008-2009. I hadn’t seen them in almost three
years and it was truly wonderful to catch up! I met up with Fernando in Antigua
(he had been there for work) where we had a delicious coffee at a place
appropriately called Fernando’s and we then set off for the 3-hour drive to
Xela (aka Quetzaltenango, Guatemala’s second-biggest city). I had forgotten how
beautiful the landscape is along the way, and also how windy the roads are.
Despite
the fact that I had completely interrupted their moving weekend (they’d just
relocated to a second-floor apartment within the same complex), and the fact
that they both work demanding full-time jobs and manage a Spanish school together,
Jos and Fer were the best of hosts. Over the course of the weekend, they took
me to some of my favorite haunts, Bajo la Luna (tapas and wine bar), King and
Queen (bar), King and Queen (yes, again), Pool and Beer (another bar), and el
Cuartito (coffee shop – see, I did more than just go to bars!). In the past
three years a lot has changed. For
example, King and Queen installed a mini stage and laser lights, Pool and Beer
is more popular than it used to be, el Cuartito has added a new cuartito
(room), and beer prices have noticeably gone up. But luckily, the things I most
love about Xela have not changed at all! I ran into some of my favorite Xela characters
which warmed my heart. I also got to meet some of the new crop of gringos at a
potluck, many of whom are volunteers at Primeros Pasos, where I also used to
volunteer.
Sunday was
a particularly lovely day, as Fer invited me to a family lunch to celebrate his
father’s 60th birthday. I felt incredibly honored to be included in
the lovely event along with four generations of the Cojulun family! We ate a
delicious lunch, played with some seriously cute children, and enjoyed the
piñata more than we’d like to admit.
After
the lunch, Jos, Fer and I did some serious relaxing and watched movies and ate
cookies all evening. But all good things
must come to an end, and I took the early bus back to the capital on Monday.
On
Tuesday, I accompanied one of my coworkers on a site visit to a clinic that
participates in the organization’s STI/HIV sentinel surveillance program. The
clinic’s mission is to better the lives of those living with and affected by
HIV, and it also provides a host of medical and social services to vulnerable
populations (female sex workers, people with scare resources, etc.) I spent the
afternoon shadowing their lab technician and doctor, both of which were
fascinating experiences. Working on the research side of things, it’s easy to feel
removed/detached from the people you’re eventually trying to help and the health
issues you’re addressing through your research. Even spending a few hours at
the clinic was enough to remind me of why I’m working in this field, but also
made me realize how much I still have to learn about the realities and lives of
the people and health problems I am studying.
I
have a few Guatemala-related items to recommend if anyone is interested:
Hasta pronto, patojos!
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