In reply to Mike Bosio a.k.a. Miguel.

That is hard core. Many of us current PCVs talk about you guys, with a sort of mystical reverence- the pioneer volunteers who had to figure stuff out the hard way. I often think "we stand upon the shoulders of giants" when I think of how lucky we are in the US compared to Guatemala, but that also applies to the volunteer community here. We start with good training, an efficient support structure, and admin that has a solid grasp of what's going on.

I feel lucky, I guess, because my site is one of the few places left in Guatemala that comes close to the old-school 70s experience. PC/Guatemala still places volunteers in Chimal occasionally, but it's more developed now, so most efforts are focused elsewhere. But one of my buddies Ellen called me today, and she's putting together a 50-latrine project in her site in Chimal, so there is still a lot of work to be done.

Good job with the Cakchiquel, by the way. Getting to "fluent" in Q'anjob'al is whipping me something fierce.

If you decide to return to Guatemala during our service, email me and we can do lunch. You know the drill: beans, tortillas, fried egg... and maybe a jalepeño, too. ;)