A proud accomplishment....

As you have all come to notice I like to write about my blunders way more than my feats....I find them more amusing to tell and I think it is good to be able to laugh at yourself. I am, without a shadow of a doubt, a comedy of errors out here...which make, I believe, for way better stories!

But beyond all of my stumbling, tripping, falling, getting back up...I am really proud of one thing I have been able to do while here...that I think will make a permanent, positive mark on Guatemala long after we have left. You really cannot ask for more from the short time we will be able to live in place to place and I can only hope that I will be able to do the same in tours to come.

I work in the World Heritage Office of Guatemala, a small office tasked with the great job of protecting, preserving, and promoting all of Guatemala's cultural heritage....and everything that encompasses from ancient ruins to Maya rituals. How I was so lucky to get such a gig is a whole other story that I am sure I will never be able to replicate, ever again. I sort of feel like I cashed in all my good-luck chits, but none-the-less I did it (will not question it), I have a really cool job. And needless to say, this is something that gives me a great sense of independence, allows me to carry on with my career path that I have been forging (something I wasn't sure that would be possible), and makes me SO happy (well most days, it is still work after all)!

Anyway....I was asked to write a grant that needed to be in English because the request was to a non-profit in the states. I had very little information, all the info I could find was in Spanish, only about 24 hours to do it, no one to ask for feedback or input, and I have never once written a grant in my life....but I was all they had, have worked in the fundraising world for years, and wanted to see if I could do it.

I pulled an all nighter (something that is so much harder to do than I remember), finished it, submitted it, and low and behold.....got $1 million dollars for Guatemala to reconstruct and preserve the original colonial palace that once served as the capital for ALL of Central America when it was under Spanish rule way back when in the 1600's. Unbelievable.

And if I can say so myself, it is an incredible project that when finished being restored will be a cultural center, world-class museum, the official meeting place for the President of Guatemala and all traveling dignitaries, and a living, beautiful, opulent connection to the past. Something that for years will be used, utilized, and learned from.....in no other words, absolutely incredible to be a part of and to have a hand in helping to become a reality.

Even more incredible....the work has begun, I have been able to see with my own eyes, in just a short amount of time, the pile of rubble transformed and turned into a glimpse of its once fabulous self!

And....we may (fingers crossed) get to see part of it fully restored and open to the public before we leave here!

So there it is, my proud accomplishment. Something I plan to carry with me always! As our first post I knew Guatemala would always hold a special place in our hearts, but this makes it even better for me, something more tangible to look back on.

And I really do hope that this can bring hope to the other spouses out there who are nervous, like I was, when I signed up for this FS thing, not sure what I was going to do for myself. If I can do it, find a place and a way, anyone can!