I’ve decided I want to blog more. So, instead of just thinking about doing it, I’m starting right now.  I will be posting on this blog once a week for all of 2011. I’m not planning to do anything crazy, maybe posting a picture or a few lines here and there.

I know it won’t be easy, but it might be fun, inspiring, awesome and wonderful. If you already read my blog, I hope you’ll encourage me with comments and likes, and good will along the way.

Let’s see if I can keep this resolution =)

My husband and I just finished our fourth episode of a podcast we’re doing called The Julio From NY Show. We did our first episode sometime at the beginning of July, so it hasn’t even been a month since we started. We are still trying to get used to the whole recording thing and learning the new program, etc. But it’s been especially hard for me since I am extremely shy. So, when I have the microphone in front of me, I tend to freeze and forget everything I was going to say and sometimes cannot even think clearly! Nevertheless, I am enjoying this whole process a lot. Hopefully, with time and practice, I will be more comfortable and sound more professional and put together. At least that’s the hope.

Ali wearing a hazmat suit

In any case, during this last episode, we were talking about Ali’s work with the Peace Corps organization. Ali was one of the best student workers we’ve had. She worked in our office until she graduated during the Spring of 2006. During her college years, she was also involved in sports and Dance/Theatre, both fields being very demanding in terms of time and physical dedication. After graduation, she and a couple of friends from college decided to join the Peace Corps. Ali started traveling all over the states and doing different types of projects like disaster relief, community service, habitat for humanity, after school programs, theatre groups, etc. For one of her first assignments, she was sent to the Louisiana / Mississippi area to help with the disaster relief that is so badly needed there. Part of her job was to help remove mold from houses using a toothbrush-size brush. As you can imagine, she had to wear a hazmat suit for that.

One of the schools in Nicaragua

One of her friends was assigned to work in Nicaragua instead and had to teach in at least two different schools. I think that choosing to join an organization like this right after college, whether it is as an employee or a volunteer, is such a great way to start your professional life. The experience you will get from helping all these different types of communities is something you would not get on a 9 to 5 job. And I don’t think it matters if it’s all over the states or all over the world. The help you are providing for these communities, especially for the people you engage with on a daily basis, is something that they will cherish and appreciate greatly.

A cathedral in León

Recently, Ali went to see her friend in Nicaragua and got a better idea of the type of work she does there. They also went to some touristic places. One of the places they visited during their trip was the city of León. Reading about their adventures and looking at some of their pictures reminded me of home for some reason. I guess it’s the fact that it’s close to my country, Guatemala. Also, some of their experiences brought back some memories from my childhood, like the arachnophobia I now have due to my encounters with tarantulas. We used to live in this big beautiful house surrounded by lots of trees. Every once in a while, we would find tarantulas inside the house. Thankfully, this experience didn’t last throughout my childhood. Once we moved to another house, in the same city, we didn’t have that problem anymore. I can only assume they kept coming in due to the trees.

Lake Nicaragua

But not all the memories were bad. I was also reminded of the family trips we used to take to famous lakes, rivers, and beaches and our love and appreciation for Spanish architecture. I’ve always wanted to visit Lake Nicaragua. It’s one of the biggest lakes in the world, and the only one with fresh water and sharks! I guess at the moment it’ll just be another name I’ll add to my growing list of places I would like to visit. But for now, thank you Ali for all the memories you brought back and for all the work that you and your friends are doing. Here are more pictures of their trip in Nicaragua. Enjoy!

Monkey from one of the islands in Lake Nicaragua

Monkey from one of the islands in Lake Nicaragua

Swimming in the crater lagoon

Crater Lagoon

Crater Lagoon