Memo RE: internet access

Dear friends and family,

Now that we're in early September, I'm sure you're asking yourself, where has the Holla been in Guatemala? Let me assure you, it's been dying to get out but just hasn't been able to.

We haven't posted a blog in a while because here in the jungle of rural Guatemala, our internet and computer access hasn't been as easy as you'd expect. Last month, the computer was infected with the Trojan Horse virus and though I myself am a proud Troy Trojan, I have no affiliation with this *%!@?/! virus. We weren't able to use it for about three weeks and finally got it fixed by a computer guru who worked on it for two days, reformatting it and reinstalling all of our programs. How much did we pay for this computer work? 25 Quetzales or $3.25. We thought that was a pretty fair price.

But the computer drama doesn't end there. Around the same time that the computer was infected, a tiny piece broke off the computer where the battery connects in, leaving the battery a little loose. This has resulted in a short that forces the computer to shut off at random intervals. And also at about that same time, the computer stopped recognizing that it has a DVD drive so we're no longer able to watch all the romantic comedies I brought down (Edd's really disappointed about that last one).

Finally, the last two weeks in Tzeja and continuing still, there hasn´t been internet access and no one seems to know why. I suppose waiting for internet access is relative when people have been waiting years for electricity and running water to come to the village.

All of this is certainly has made us appreciate the ease of technology and access to information that we have available all the time in the US. It has also taught us great lessons in patience and in the ability to not get so caught up in what we thought we HAD to do.

We´ve felt pretty disconnected from the outside world for the last month or so. In light of all of this, we hope you´ll excuse the tardiness of this and our subsequent posts.

Sincerely,
Audrey and Edd

Virtual High Five

We did it! Thanks to the generosity of friends and family, you have helped me to achieve my fundraising goal to cover the living costs for 6 months in Guatemala! Thank you to each of the donors who made this possible!

Any funds raised above $2,000 will go towards the community. As the projects and needs have not been further delineated, we will continue to write about our progress over the next six months and how your financial contributions are helping.

I have been simultaneously humbled and uplifted by the generosity of each of you throughout this transition, not only by your financial gifts but also by your words of encouragement and prayers.

In honor of this milestone, please accept this virtual high five (with directions, in case you are confused). Also check out this video , created by friends of a friend, which further shows how appropriate high fives are for celebrating big achievements. High five!

Big step

One of the hardest parts about leaving Atlanta is ending my formal relationship with my Little Brother, Sergio. We have been matched through Big Brothers Big Sisters since 2004 and it has been awesome. Initially, I wanted to be paired with a 12-year-old girl (who doesn't love awkward adolescence?) but I ended up with a 7-year-old boy. Normally, they do not make cross gender matches but because there are so many more boys to match and less male mentors, they sometimes make exceptions. It has turned out to be a really great match for both of us. Now Sergio is 12 and about to finish his 6th grade year.

I'm extremely excited and relieved that my friend Clay has volunteered to take over as Sergio's Big Brother. BBBS has approved the new match so they are undergoing the process of making things official. I think it's a great time in Sergio's life to transition to a male role model and I couldn't think of a better person to be matched with Sergio now. Clay has taken us rock climbing a few times and it quickly became Sergio's favorite activity we've done together. This kid has no fear of climbing walls and Clay will continue to encourage him to take risks and try new things. Other friends in Atlanta have also become close to Sergio so I know I'm not only leaving him in Clay's care but the care of Yves, Tina, Bruce and others. I'll be excited to hear about everything when I'm in Guatemala!

Sergio and his whole family have become very important to me and I know that I will stay in touch with them for a long, long time. Here are some photos of Sergio and me throughout our years together. Note that both Sergio and I have had some significant transformations with hairstyles these last few years:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeisforlivingguatemala/sets/72157617019868667/

If you are interested in learning more about Big Brothers Big Sisters in Atlanta and finding your own awesome Little, please visit www.bbbsatl.org. To become a Big in your area, visit www.bbbs.org.

Yard Sale!

Have you ever decided on a Tuesday that you're going to sell as many of your belongings as possible on Saturday? If not, I suggest giving it a try sometime. The awesome feelings of parting with things you haven't used in years are truly cathartic.

Allow me to walk you through my evening. I started by thinking I would just empty one closet of things I knew I wanted to sell. But after one closet, I was hooked. I got things out from under the bed, the deep recesses of my closet, boxes on the top shelf near the attic...I couldn't stop once I started. In fact, it became rewarding for me to see how much STUFF I could pile on the kitchen table and chairs. I'm not going to lie - I impressed myself.

By the time I was about half-way to my first photo here (and consistently tripping past the picnic cooler), I realized that I would not be able to sort through all of this by myself. I called in reinforcements and along came Phil and Kyle to sort through my crap and arbitrarily assign monetary value to it. This is also a suggestion I have for future yard-salers: have people who have never seen your stuff price it. They don't care that you paid $30 for that bowl - it's ugly and should sell for $4. Maybe.

Four carloads later, many of my belongings were at Allyson's house and proudly displayed for all of Kirkwood and East Atlanta. I went home with money in my pocket, significantly less stuff and a carload of donations. One step closer!