Today was our last day, and we are more than sad to say goodbye. It was a typical day at school for most, but for prepa (kindergarten) volunteers (Aideen and Haele) they went on a field trip with both classes. It was a field trip to a traffic safety fair where the students played a lot of games and got to win prizes. It was touching to see how happy the students were when they got their faces painted and blow up balloon characters made for them!
At the end of the school day, it was time to say goodbye to the children we have been spending the last two weeks with. Goodbyes are hard, but they are even harder when you know you will not see them the next day.
Later tonight we will all be going to dinner together for one last family meal!
This trip has made us grow as a group as well as individually on so many levels. There are no words to describe this experience and what we learned.
Of the many things we learned one quote can describe a small portion of what was learned the past two weeks: "If you have food in your fudge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of the world... but it doesn't mean you are happier."
It's been fun Guatemala, next stop America!
Friday, May 23, 2014
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Day 11
Today we went to school and decided to dedicate the entire day to painting the front of the school. Out fear was that the anticipated rain would prevent us from finishing! We did not let that stop us, so we decided to start as soon as we arrived at 8 am!
We worked until about noon, but then had a ran scare and started cleaning up. At this point the wall was basically finished except for the upper trimming. We only had one person working on upper trimming because we only had one ladder! At that point Christina was on the ladder and she was not letting the rain get in her way. She continued to work and decided she wasn't going to stop unless the rain got worse... The rain stopped after a little bit! Christina finished the upper trimming with two minutes to spare before lunch! We did it, we finished the wall!
After lunch we all went back home to shower before our adventure to the chocolate factory. At the chocolate factory, we learned a bit of chocolate history and then made some chocolate of our own. The chocolate factory was a tasty experience!
Only one day left in our trip and we are all sad to say goodbye, but we are ready to enjoy our last full day in Guatemala!
Goodnight and see you all in 48 hours!
We worked until about noon, but then had a ran scare and started cleaning up. At this point the wall was basically finished except for the upper trimming. We only had one person working on upper trimming because we only had one ladder! At that point Christina was on the ladder and she was not letting the rain get in her way. She continued to work and decided she wasn't going to stop unless the rain got worse... The rain stopped after a little bit! Christina finished the upper trimming with two minutes to spare before lunch! We did it, we finished the wall!
After lunch we all went back home to shower before our adventure to the chocolate factory. At the chocolate factory, we learned a bit of chocolate history and then made some chocolate of our own. The chocolate factory was a tasty experience!
Only one day left in our trip and we are all sad to say goodbye, but we are ready to enjoy our last full day in Guatemala!
Goodnight and see you all in 48 hours!
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Day ten and eleven... Missing everyone!
Dia diez:
On Tuesday, May 20th, we adventured back to Guatemala City! We met with individuals from Catholic Relief Services, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing humanitarian assistance to alleviate poverty and bring a better standard of living to the needy. Within Guatemala, they have been working to empower communities in order to foster sustainable integral human development. We learned about some of the projects they have even doing in Guatemala: educating the youth on their human rights, supporting agricultural workers to advocate for their labor rights, assisting communities to prevent water-borne diseases, and improving access to food. They have been doing a lot of amazing things in Guatemala and it was really interesting to hear some of their challenges and success stories.
After that we went to Hospicio San Jose, a center for individuals living with HIV. We spent most of our time playing with babies - they were adorable. Most of the children there were abandoned after their parents found out they were HIV+ or child services brought them to the center. They also provide a lot of services to adults and members of the community. This was an incredibly rewarding part of our trip and everyone was really glad that we had the opportunity to go.
On Tuesday, May 20th, we adventured back to Guatemala City! We met with individuals from Catholic Relief Services, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing humanitarian assistance to alleviate poverty and bring a better standard of living to the needy. Within Guatemala, they have been working to empower communities in order to foster sustainable integral human development. We learned about some of the projects they have even doing in Guatemala: educating the youth on their human rights, supporting agricultural workers to advocate for their labor rights, assisting communities to prevent water-borne diseases, and improving access to food. They have been doing a lot of amazing things in Guatemala and it was really interesting to hear some of their challenges and success stories.
After that we went to Hospicio San Jose, a center for individuals living with HIV. We spent most of our time playing with babies - they were adorable. Most of the children there were abandoned after their parents found out they were HIV+ or child services brought them to the center. They also provide a lot of services to adults and members of the community. This was an incredibly rewarding part of our trip and everyone was really glad that we had the opportunity to go.
Dia once:
Today is Wednesday, the days are going by faster and faster the closer we get to the end of our trip!
The majority of us went to repair a home of two students from the school. The family used to rent land until now, which is why they live where they do. The family owns this piece of land now but there is not enough living space for all of them. So what we did today was begin the building of a second room for they two younger boys who currently go to the school we are volunteering at. One son is in second grade and the other is in kindergarten! The family was extremely appreciative of the work we did, even though we were unable to finish. People will be finishing up the house the rest of the week.
We got hit with a lot of rain today, looks like we may be catching the beginning of rainy season in Guatemala!
Monday, May 19, 2014
Hola las familias y los amigos!
It's day nine and we are still having a great time. We all woke up and had breakfast in our houses. It was delicious! One of the houses decided to try a new route to school today... And although we got lost we saw cool new things in Antigua! We have been working in the classrooms all morning. The children and the staff are teaching us all so much. It's crazy that we are already nine days into the trip... Time flies when you're having fun! We will be painting the school again in the afternoon. We are hoping to finish the project by the end of the week.
We will try to continue to keep you all posted!
Adios for now!
We will try to continue to keep you all posted!
Adios for now!
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Day one to eight!
HOLA!
Sorry for the lack of posts, the wifi in Guatemala is not the most reliable source.
Dia Uno:
Today we arrived in Guatemala, or what we thought was a whole different world! When we left the airport terminal we were standing beside army-like forces armed with machine guns and tanks, which was a bit intimidating. We rode on the bus from Guatemala City to Antigua (about an hour and a half), and then we were brought to our host families homes! The groups were split up into two homes, four in one home ( Aideen, Bree, Alissa, and Haele), and six in the other ( Nicole, Kendall, Conor, Christina, Sister Sean and Sister Betsy)! After arriving at our host families houses, they fed us lunch... Out first Guatemalan meal! After lunch we met up with Mary Florence (the volunteer coordinator for the school), who then showed us around Antigua and brought us to some helpful local spots, such as the grocery store and the bank! After our mini tour we headed back to our houses for dinner and called it a night after our long and tiring day to Guatemala.
Dia dos:
First day at school!!
Our days start around 6:30am for breakfast, then the two groups meet up to go to school together... We take the "Chicken Bus"! Chicken buses are old, broken down, yellow school buses that are driven down from the states to Guatemala and used as public transportation! Theses are your usual yellow buses.. They are very well decorated with many colors and blast music! So much fun. Mary Florence took us the first day then have us a your of the school and explained how school is free that many children don't attend because the families can't afford them. The original school was closing down and a volunteer and her father saved the school and now has a motto that says "only education can break the cycle of poverty". Then we met Hyliem who is in charge of the education and we talked about the school and everyone went into to a classroom of a grade (each grade has an English class and a Spanish class). The kids are AMAZING! We stayed and helped the teachers then ate with the kids (which was very yummy)! We stayed with the kids until 2:30 which is when they get out of school. We got a chicken bus back to Antigua and went to the market afterwards to buy some souvenirs! We then dispersed to head back for dinner.
Dia Tres:
Today we split up into groups to do a clean up! One group of five stayed at the school and did what was done yesterday! The other group of five (Conor, Christina, Alissa, Sister Sean, and Haele) went to a home of two students and helped the mother of the family organize her new home she is renting out.
When we arrived at the home we walked into what seemed to be an apartment building (but was a normal house) and rather than renting an apartment, each family rents out a room of this home/apartment building. The room was the size of our dorm rooms at Saint Rose, and there were two full sized beds along with a portable stove top on a wooden table as the kitchen. We reorganized and cleaned the room, as well as folded and put away their clothes. After we finished, we noticed that the family flipped a stool upside down and put a garbage bag around the four legs of the stool and used it as a trash bin and they put their dirty clothes in a different garbage bag. It was then that we decided to venture off and look for a trash bin as well as a laundry bin. When we arrived back at the home, the look on the mothers face when we gave her both a garbage and laundry bin as well as a ton of garbage bag can not be described. She was unbelievably thankful for all that we did for her! After, we went back to the school to meet back up with the group to catch another chicken bus back to Antigua. We again split up for dinner and called it a night!
Dia cuatro:
Today we split up into groups again, but this time for a repair! The group of five who cleaned yesterday stayed at the school and did what was done on day two! The other group of five (Bree, Kendall, Aideen, Nicole, and Sister Sean) went to a home of one student and helped repair the roof of the home as well as clean and reorganize the home.
The group that went to the home went to help fix the roof of the house. When we got there it was very interesting to see. They had dogs, a cat, bunny, duck, chicks and a rooster. They had two walls and a metal roof where the wife made tortillas(source of income). There were two rooms. The girls helped sweep and get the spider webs off of the wall. The husband of the house and the carpenter did the roofs themselves and did it very quickly while we watched and just took in what we were seeing. The daughter gave us some tortillas with salt while we watched the men work. They were soooo good ! After the roof was done the husband thanked us so much. He was telling us how it's expensive for him and how he wouldn't be able to buy the roof if it wasn't for us. He was explaining how the economy is bad, jobs aren't consistent and how grateful he was. He told us "although I can't repay you, I will repay you with prayer." It was so genuine and nice that it was hard not to tear up! The wife also thanked us and showed much appreciation (even though we felt we didn't do much because we watched). But it was great that we were able to help the family of a girl who is in the kindergarten class at the school. What a great experience !
Dia Cinco:
Today was just another day at school! Woke up at 6:30 for breakfast, then headed to the bus for school at 8! Thursdays and Fridays are different at the school. Rather that the teacher standing in front of the same class, the teachers rotate! Ms. Claire (the kindergarten English teacher) teaches gym, Ms. Jessica (the first grade English teacher) teaches art, Ms. Sarah (the second grade English teacher) teaches music, and Mr. Chris (the third grande English teacher) teaches conversations in English! The day went until 2:30, and then we headed back to Antigua!
Dia Sies:
Today was the same as yesterday, minus the fact that Fridays end at 2:00! At 2:00 we headed back to Antigua for a walking tour of Antigua! The waking tour consisted of walking through Antigua learning about certain landmarks, but specifically two of many churches in Antigua. The first church we toured, Saint Joseph's, was very interesting! When you first walk into the church it is fairly large, and was recently refurbished... What we didn't know was there was more! After the tour inside the main church we went to the ruins of the church. There was an earthquake in 1976 that killed 22,000 people and also took down a lot of the church. The church had several different parts to it and we explored all of them! Next we ventures to El Barroco En La Merced, which was also a beautiful church. We learned a lot about Antigua and it culture including Holy Week and different holy days celebrated here in Antigua. After the walking tour we called it a day and headed home for dinner!
Dia Siete:
Today, because there is not school held on Saturday, we painted the front of the school! What you would think to be an easy task, painting in Guatemala is not easy, AT ALL! It started off with the mildew on the lower half of the wall being a problem, so our job was to scrub it off... It was not easy! After about an hour and a half on our hands and knees scrubbing mildew off the wall we began painting! First we had two people from the group run to the supply store and get painting supplied, and then when we realized how bad the mildew was we had two others from the group run to get a mildew killer base coat I'm hopes that it would stop the growth of new and more mildew growing! So throughout the day we had a system, a group working on the lower half of the wall applying the mildew killer base coat, a group working on painting the middle parts of the walk and we also had ladder duty who did the upper half of the wall as trimming! Our system worked quite well thanks to Sister Betsy (basically our professional painter), and we finished painting one half of the school! We hope to work on it throughout the week in order to finish the whole front of the school!
Dia Ocho:
Actually today!!! Today we visited three Mayan islands... First stop was San Juan! San Juan was beautiful, and there were a ton of art galleries and shops to look in. We went to a shop where the woman showed us how they make the thread they use to weave all different things like scarfs, shirts, skirts, bags and pants! It was crazy! They use all different natural dyes such mint plants, flowers, cherries, carrots, and even avocado! The process to do all of this is extremely long. After San Juan we took the boat to San Pedro, where we only went to swim! Some swam while others walked around to explore different parts of the island. The third and final stop was Santiago. Santiago was a little different than the other two, being less of a tourist attraction. It also had a market, and church that we went to! The boat ride back to the dock was a bit bumpy but good, we missed the rain that was coming! We are now on our ride home, all very tired and tan from a nice trip to three Mayan islands. All ready to go home and rest up for the week ahead of us!
Adios for now!
Sorry for the lack of posts, the wifi in Guatemala is not the most reliable source.
Dia Uno:
Today we arrived in Guatemala, or what we thought was a whole different world! When we left the airport terminal we were standing beside army-like forces armed with machine guns and tanks, which was a bit intimidating. We rode on the bus from Guatemala City to Antigua (about an hour and a half), and then we were brought to our host families homes! The groups were split up into two homes, four in one home ( Aideen, Bree, Alissa, and Haele), and six in the other ( Nicole, Kendall, Conor, Christina, Sister Sean and Sister Betsy)! After arriving at our host families houses, they fed us lunch... Out first Guatemalan meal! After lunch we met up with Mary Florence (the volunteer coordinator for the school), who then showed us around Antigua and brought us to some helpful local spots, such as the grocery store and the bank! After our mini tour we headed back to our houses for dinner and called it a night after our long and tiring day to Guatemala.
Dia dos:
First day at school!!
Our days start around 6:30am for breakfast, then the two groups meet up to go to school together... We take the "Chicken Bus"! Chicken buses are old, broken down, yellow school buses that are driven down from the states to Guatemala and used as public transportation! Theses are your usual yellow buses.. They are very well decorated with many colors and blast music! So much fun. Mary Florence took us the first day then have us a your of the school and explained how school is free that many children don't attend because the families can't afford them. The original school was closing down and a volunteer and her father saved the school and now has a motto that says "only education can break the cycle of poverty". Then we met Hyliem who is in charge of the education and we talked about the school and everyone went into to a classroom of a grade (each grade has an English class and a Spanish class). The kids are AMAZING! We stayed and helped the teachers then ate with the kids (which was very yummy)! We stayed with the kids until 2:30 which is when they get out of school. We got a chicken bus back to Antigua and went to the market afterwards to buy some souvenirs! We then dispersed to head back for dinner.
Dia Tres:
Today we split up into groups to do a clean up! One group of five stayed at the school and did what was done yesterday! The other group of five (Conor, Christina, Alissa, Sister Sean, and Haele) went to a home of two students and helped the mother of the family organize her new home she is renting out.
When we arrived at the home we walked into what seemed to be an apartment building (but was a normal house) and rather than renting an apartment, each family rents out a room of this home/apartment building. The room was the size of our dorm rooms at Saint Rose, and there were two full sized beds along with a portable stove top on a wooden table as the kitchen. We reorganized and cleaned the room, as well as folded and put away their clothes. After we finished, we noticed that the family flipped a stool upside down and put a garbage bag around the four legs of the stool and used it as a trash bin and they put their dirty clothes in a different garbage bag. It was then that we decided to venture off and look for a trash bin as well as a laundry bin. When we arrived back at the home, the look on the mothers face when we gave her both a garbage and laundry bin as well as a ton of garbage bag can not be described. She was unbelievably thankful for all that we did for her! After, we went back to the school to meet back up with the group to catch another chicken bus back to Antigua. We again split up for dinner and called it a night!
Dia cuatro:
Today we split up into groups again, but this time for a repair! The group of five who cleaned yesterday stayed at the school and did what was done on day two! The other group of five (Bree, Kendall, Aideen, Nicole, and Sister Sean) went to a home of one student and helped repair the roof of the home as well as clean and reorganize the home.
The group that went to the home went to help fix the roof of the house. When we got there it was very interesting to see. They had dogs, a cat, bunny, duck, chicks and a rooster. They had two walls and a metal roof where the wife made tortillas(source of income). There were two rooms. The girls helped sweep and get the spider webs off of the wall. The husband of the house and the carpenter did the roofs themselves and did it very quickly while we watched and just took in what we were seeing. The daughter gave us some tortillas with salt while we watched the men work. They were soooo good ! After the roof was done the husband thanked us so much. He was telling us how it's expensive for him and how he wouldn't be able to buy the roof if it wasn't for us. He was explaining how the economy is bad, jobs aren't consistent and how grateful he was. He told us "although I can't repay you, I will repay you with prayer." It was so genuine and nice that it was hard not to tear up! The wife also thanked us and showed much appreciation (even though we felt we didn't do much because we watched). But it was great that we were able to help the family of a girl who is in the kindergarten class at the school. What a great experience !
Dia Cinco:
Today was just another day at school! Woke up at 6:30 for breakfast, then headed to the bus for school at 8! Thursdays and Fridays are different at the school. Rather that the teacher standing in front of the same class, the teachers rotate! Ms. Claire (the kindergarten English teacher) teaches gym, Ms. Jessica (the first grade English teacher) teaches art, Ms. Sarah (the second grade English teacher) teaches music, and Mr. Chris (the third grande English teacher) teaches conversations in English! The day went until 2:30, and then we headed back to Antigua!
Dia Sies:
Today was the same as yesterday, minus the fact that Fridays end at 2:00! At 2:00 we headed back to Antigua for a walking tour of Antigua! The waking tour consisted of walking through Antigua learning about certain landmarks, but specifically two of many churches in Antigua. The first church we toured, Saint Joseph's, was very interesting! When you first walk into the church it is fairly large, and was recently refurbished... What we didn't know was there was more! After the tour inside the main church we went to the ruins of the church. There was an earthquake in 1976 that killed 22,000 people and also took down a lot of the church. The church had several different parts to it and we explored all of them! Next we ventures to El Barroco En La Merced, which was also a beautiful church. We learned a lot about Antigua and it culture including Holy Week and different holy days celebrated here in Antigua. After the walking tour we called it a day and headed home for dinner!
Dia Siete:
Today, because there is not school held on Saturday, we painted the front of the school! What you would think to be an easy task, painting in Guatemala is not easy, AT ALL! It started off with the mildew on the lower half of the wall being a problem, so our job was to scrub it off... It was not easy! After about an hour and a half on our hands and knees scrubbing mildew off the wall we began painting! First we had two people from the group run to the supply store and get painting supplied, and then when we realized how bad the mildew was we had two others from the group run to get a mildew killer base coat I'm hopes that it would stop the growth of new and more mildew growing! So throughout the day we had a system, a group working on the lower half of the wall applying the mildew killer base coat, a group working on painting the middle parts of the walk and we also had ladder duty who did the upper half of the wall as trimming! Our system worked quite well thanks to Sister Betsy (basically our professional painter), and we finished painting one half of the school! We hope to work on it throughout the week in order to finish the whole front of the school!
Dia Ocho:
Actually today!!! Today we visited three Mayan islands... First stop was San Juan! San Juan was beautiful, and there were a ton of art galleries and shops to look in. We went to a shop where the woman showed us how they make the thread they use to weave all different things like scarfs, shirts, skirts, bags and pants! It was crazy! They use all different natural dyes such mint plants, flowers, cherries, carrots, and even avocado! The process to do all of this is extremely long. After San Juan we took the boat to San Pedro, where we only went to swim! Some swam while others walked around to explore different parts of the island. The third and final stop was Santiago. Santiago was a little different than the other two, being less of a tourist attraction. It also had a market, and church that we went to! The boat ride back to the dock was a bit bumpy but good, we missed the rain that was coming! We are now on our ride home, all very tired and tan from a nice trip to three Mayan islands. All ready to go home and rest up for the week ahead of us!
Adios for now!
Monday, May 12, 2014
We're on our way!
We have all safely made it to JFK airport and are waiting to board or first of two flights to Guatemala!
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Almost on Our Way
Classes are over and graduation is only two days away. So now we can concentrate on our final preparations for our trip to Guatemala. We hope to work in a school and help families who live in tin-roofed, dirt-floored homes prepare for the upcoming rainy season. By the way, the rainy season will probably start while we are in Guatemala, so we are all bringing appropriate footware, ponchos, umbrellas and whatever else we need to do to look like we expected this -- which we do.
We also plan to paint the front of the school, so that should be a good day. Since it will be on a Saturday, we're not sure whether any of the students will be there that day, but watch this space and we'll update you about that in a little more than a week.
Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we make our final preparations. It's both exciting and a bit scarey to take off into unknown territory.
More to come.
We also plan to paint the front of the school, so that should be a good day. Since it will be on a Saturday, we're not sure whether any of the students will be there that day, but watch this space and we'll update you about that in a little more than a week.
Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we make our final preparations. It's both exciting and a bit scarey to take off into unknown territory.
More to come.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Getting Ready
We are getting really excited about our trip to Guatemala. Although we still have a lot to do before we go, it seems impossible that just a week from now we will already have been in Guatemala for sevearl hours.
We will leave the BIG Lima Lot (off Madison Avenue) at 1:00 AM on May 12 (that's the night between Sunday and Monday. We may be a little early to the airport, but better to be there early and have extra time than to be held up along the way and be nervous about making our flight.
The folks at Education for the Children are all prepared for us and eager to meet us. We plan to do a lot while we are there and learn more than we can even imagine.
Soon, soon, now!
We will leave the BIG Lima Lot (off Madison Avenue) at 1:00 AM on May 12 (that's the night between Sunday and Monday. We may be a little early to the airport, but better to be there early and have extra time than to be held up along the way and be nervous about making our flight.
The folks at Education for the Children are all prepared for us and eager to meet us. We plan to do a lot while we are there and learn more than we can even imagine.
Soon, soon, now!
Friday, May 24, 2013
Last Days in Guatemala
Hello, readers! Sorry we haven't posted on a few days, we've been so busy!
On Tuesday night, we all learned to do the salsa! (And it was quite a hilarious experience). Our instructor, Fernando, was quite the professional, and quite patient with us as he taught us our basic steps! Watch out, America, we're professional salsa dancers now!
On Wednesday, the girls working at the orphanage and the daycare had their last day. It was a bittersweet ending, with memories to last a lifetime.
On Thursday, we all came back together to build our last stove. It was BEAUTIFUL! We even finished with a few minutes to spare due to our quick working now that we knew all the steps.
Today is sadly our last day in Xela. We are all together at The Street Children Project, making tons of grilled cheeses for all the kids here. We hoped to bring a little taste of America to Guatemala, to have the children experience new foods.
Tonight we are having our last dinner together at a local restaurant to tie up our wonderful trip.
Tomorrow we depart Xela at 5am, beginning our long trip back home!
See you all soon!!
On Tuesday night, we all learned to do the salsa! (And it was quite a hilarious experience). Our instructor, Fernando, was quite the professional, and quite patient with us as he taught us our basic steps! Watch out, America, we're professional salsa dancers now!
On Wednesday, the girls working at the orphanage and the daycare had their last day. It was a bittersweet ending, with memories to last a lifetime.
On Thursday, we all came back together to build our last stove. It was BEAUTIFUL! We even finished with a few minutes to spare due to our quick working now that we knew all the steps.
Today is sadly our last day in Xela. We are all together at The Street Children Project, making tons of grilled cheeses for all the kids here. We hoped to bring a little taste of America to Guatemala, to have the children experience new foods.
Tonight we are having our last dinner together at a local restaurant to tie up our wonderful trip.
Tomorrow we depart Xela at 5am, beginning our long trip back home!
See you all soon!!
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Day 8: Today we climbed a volcano with a couple obstacles along the way. It was a pretty difficult hike that at times felt like we were never going to reach the top. Thankfully our chaperone Joe warned us about a flock of sheep, goats, and rams that were approaching us by calmly saying "there are animals coming...there coming!". We all made it to higher ground as the farmer and tour guide laughed at our reaction to the harmless animals. After that interaction, we proceeded up the volcano. We then came face to face with 3 cows, the tour guide distracted them with his red shirt and stick while we safely went around them. We finally made it to the top of the volcano, laughing about our animal interactions along the way! When we got to the top at 2100 ft. above sea level and it was quite cloudy and visibility was pretty bad. We waited about 20 minutes and were able to see the other volcanos. The view was well worth the wait. During the wait we heard two eruptions that sounded like airplanes, but was unable to see any lava like we expected. The walk down was not as strenuous and all made it down safely! After the volcano hike we went to the Center where we shopped and found a lot of great souvenirs. We then enjoyed pizza at the local pizza place to celebrate Bridgette's 20th birthday. To finish off the night on the way back to the school for our meeting it started down pouring. The chaperones all opted to walk in the rain while the girls got cab rides home. Joe experienced the classic movie scene where the cab hits a puddle and soaks the pedestrian. To end the fun filled day we enjoyed cupcakes at our meeting and sang happy birthday to Bridgette.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Hola!
The past two days we have built stoves for two different women and their families. We built them from the bottom by making our own cement, stacking cinder blocks and bricks, and layering dirt and sand to create each stove. It was an awesome learning experience for everyone and opened our eyes to a completely different world than we are used too. The stoves are important to these families and we are proud to have bad the opportunity to make a difference. Today, we traveled up the mountain sides to a place called "Fuentes Georginas," the hot springs. We could not go any higher in altitude and were basically in the clouds! We got to relax in the steaming hot water and eat an American lunch! All 10
students enjoyed a cheeseburger and fries! We are excited to venture to an erupting volcano tomorrow where we will be hiking up in the morning. Buenos noches!
The past two days we have built stoves for two different women and their families. We built them from the bottom by making our own cement, stacking cinder blocks and bricks, and layering dirt and sand to create each stove. It was an awesome learning experience for everyone and opened our eyes to a completely different world than we are used too. The stoves are important to these families and we are proud to have bad the opportunity to make a difference. Today, we traveled up the mountain sides to a place called "Fuentes Georginas," the hot springs. We could not go any higher in altitude and were basically in the clouds! We got to relax in the steaming hot water and eat an American lunch! All 10
students enjoyed a cheeseburger and fries! We are excited to venture to an erupting volcano tomorrow where we will be hiking up in the morning. Buenos noches!
Friday, May 17, 2013
GUATEMALA day 5
Hola blog readers,
Posting live from an Internet cafe! Last night we all visited the chocolate house as a group and it was very good! We started out with a chocolate fountain and plates of fruit as well as yogurt we added the chocolate to, and hot chocolate to finish off the treats. The chocolate house is actually a family's home where they run the business and have for many generations. The woman talked to us about the history of chocolate and how it was first gold for the Mayans. Basically everyone in the world loves chocolate especially because it can be used for so many different things. While she was speaking her son did his best to translate to English for us. He didn't seem conscious of the fact that she was giving us a presentation because he walked around the house making loud funny noises. He even took out a huge knife to cut down a decoration that was in the way for our picture. I think we were all entertained by him and his care free attitude more than anything. The group working at the street children project created an awesome painted mural with characters like nemo and woody from toy story. Today at the day care a few of us enjoyed a siesta they had which was a fundraiser for the children at the daycare. They were so gracious for our donations and we ate some nachos and queso. The woman named Hope who was in charge of the association that helps fund the daycare was there and someone we will definitely remember. She gave us memory rings and expressed her joy that we were there and hopes that we will return again some day. Tonight we plan to go out to dinner as a group- a much needed Mexican meal.
Posting live from an Internet cafe! Last night we all visited the chocolate house as a group and it was very good! We started out with a chocolate fountain and plates of fruit as well as yogurt we added the chocolate to, and hot chocolate to finish off the treats. The chocolate house is actually a family's home where they run the business and have for many generations. The woman talked to us about the history of chocolate and how it was first gold for the Mayans. Basically everyone in the world loves chocolate especially because it can be used for so many different things. While she was speaking her son did his best to translate to English for us. He didn't seem conscious of the fact that she was giving us a presentation because he walked around the house making loud funny noises. He even took out a huge knife to cut down a decoration that was in the way for our picture. I think we were all entertained by him and his care free attitude more than anything. The group working at the street children project created an awesome painted mural with characters like nemo and woody from toy story. Today at the day care a few of us enjoyed a siesta they had which was a fundraiser for the children at the daycare. They were so gracious for our donations and we ate some nachos and queso. The woman named Hope who was in charge of the association that helps fund the daycare was there and someone we will definitely remember. She gave us memory rings and expressed her joy that we were there and hopes that we will return again some day. Tonight we plan to go out to dinner as a group- a much needed Mexican meal.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
dia 4
Hola blog follwers,
Today has been another sunny and beautiful day in Guatemala. Another group arrived today from Maine and joined us at the street project. Today was a great day for teaching English at the local school. The students reviewed what they learned yesterday (food) by competing in a lively boys vs. girls game. Then they learned about clothes and accessories by using hand drawn pictures of people wearing various outfits. They were very eager and excited to learn English and were picking up the words very well. On the way home from the school some of us had the oppurtunity to visit a local market. At the market there were many people selling fruits, vegetables, material, jewelry, and pottery. This market was very huge and we were only able to see a quarter of it. We cannot wait to go back. Tonight, as a group, we will be visiting a chocolate factory. This will be a very sweet experience!
Adios for now,
The Guata Girls and Joe
Today has been another sunny and beautiful day in Guatemala. Another group arrived today from Maine and joined us at the street project. Today was a great day for teaching English at the local school. The students reviewed what they learned yesterday (food) by competing in a lively boys vs. girls game. Then they learned about clothes and accessories by using hand drawn pictures of people wearing various outfits. They were very eager and excited to learn English and were picking up the words very well. On the way home from the school some of us had the oppurtunity to visit a local market. At the market there were many people selling fruits, vegetables, material, jewelry, and pottery. This market was very huge and we were only able to see a quarter of it. We cannot wait to go back. Tonight, as a group, we will be visiting a chocolate factory. This will be a very sweet experience!
Adios for now,
The Guata Girls and Joe
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Hola from Day 3
Buenos noches Guata-followers!
Today was day 3 of our trip, and all our groups have been working at their project sites again today. Things are going well, everyone's starting to adjust to our new climate (it's been a bit chilly here in the mornings!) and our Spanish is improving every day. Special thanks to Student Leader Kait Rooney for carrying the Street Project group with her grasp of all things Espanol!
Every day, one of the Guata Girls will be sending a post out to keep everyone updated - know we miss you and love you all!
See you soon!
The Guata Girls and Joe
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Day 2
Hola from Guatemala, Day 2!
We arrived safe and sound in Quetzaltenago yesterday around 6:30pm and had dinner with our host families before sleeping for the night since we were EXHAUSTED.
Today we started our volunteer placements with 5 of us going to the Street Children Project, 5 of us at the Orphanage and Day Care, and 3 people at a local school.
Those at the street children project painted in the morning and helped with maintenance, then played with the children in the afternoon. The kids loved playing soccer (fútbol) and getting piggy-back rides, which made for some hilarious pictures. The kids also loved playing with English/Spanish flash cards that we brought alone with us. Those at the orphanage and day care enjoyed a day in the sun playing games with the kids like charades, duck duck goose, and Simon says. The volunteers at the local school are in charge of teaching basic English and computer skills to students ages 12-17.
We are about to head out on a tour of the city, but want all our friends and family to know that we are well and miss you all very much, but are very excited for the rest of our trip!
Til tomorrow,
The Guata Girls and Joe!!
We arrived safe and sound in Quetzaltenago yesterday around 6:30pm and had dinner with our host families before sleeping for the night since we were EXHAUSTED.
Today we started our volunteer placements with 5 of us going to the Street Children Project, 5 of us at the Orphanage and Day Care, and 3 people at a local school.
Those at the street children project painted in the morning and helped with maintenance, then played with the children in the afternoon. The kids loved playing soccer (fútbol) and getting piggy-back rides, which made for some hilarious pictures. The kids also loved playing with English/Spanish flash cards that we brought alone with us. Those at the orphanage and day care enjoyed a day in the sun playing games with the kids like charades, duck duck goose, and Simon says. The volunteers at the local school are in charge of teaching basic English and computer skills to students ages 12-17.
We are about to head out on a tour of the city, but want all our friends and family to know that we are well and miss you all very much, but are very excited for the rest of our trip!
Til tomorrow,
The Guata Girls and Joe!!
Monday, May 13, 2013
First Post
Hola!
We are anxiously awaiting our aeroplane to Houston! Everyone is excited and ready to begin our exciting adventure. Our travels should take around 10 hours between the two plans and the bus ride to Quetzaltenango, but we will try to update on Tuesday with how our first day in Guatemala went!
Love to everyone at home!
The Guata Girls and Joe
We are anxiously awaiting our aeroplane to Houston! Everyone is excited and ready to begin our exciting adventure. Our travels should take around 10 hours between the two plans and the bus ride to Quetzaltenango, but we will try to update on Tuesday with how our first day in Guatemala went!
Love to everyone at home!
The Guata Girls and Joe
Friday, May 3, 2013
Getting Excited
All of us are getting so excited about our upcoming Community Service Trip to Guatemala. In only a few more days we will be in our new environment, meeting our host families and getting to know the people with whom we will work for a few weeks. Much still remains to be done, but in spirit we are ready today. Follow us on the blog as we move into this adventure.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Our Last Day in Honduras
Last night at our meeting we discussed retuning to the US. People assume that they will have some culture shift when they go to a foreign country and they do, but they don't realize that the change that occurs while they are away, means that they will oten experience some culture shift on their return. Even in a few weeks, changes can occur and these need to be fit into their lives at home. Those at home can best help by realizing that culture shift is normal, by listening to stories about the trip and the changes that students have experienced and by being patient with the students as they reintegrate their 'new' selves into North America. Father Chris and Sister Sean are always available to converse with students as shift back to North America.
Today, we visited Susanna in the dump community. She is a sort of Mother Earth of the community, looking out for those who are sick, watching out for neglected children and running the recycling business which provides part of the income for the dump community. She's such a special person that most of us were almost struck dumb in her presence. She had promised to answer any of our questions to the best of her ability and, as she did this, we could see clearly the passion she has for her faith, her family and her community. She is indeed one of the most memorable people we have encountered in Honduras.
After this, we took the rest of the day at a wonderful spa like environment not too far from La Ceiba. We started with a zip line experience, completing about 15 zips through the canopy, a really fun way to start the day. Walking after all that flying seemed a little mundane. Following a nice dinner at noon, we spent time in a series of pools which were progressiving warmer, ending in something like a natural hot tub. A hot spring in the mountains flows into these pools and mixes with the cool water. The scenery is stereotypically jungle... something that you would dream up if you were creating a jungle scene for a Hollywood movie with abundant growth in every direction and scenes of the ocean below. During this time we could also have mud applied which made your skin really smooth and-or have a massage. A really delightful day.
Tonight we have our good bye party. It seems impossible that these two weeks have flown by so quickly.
Tomorrow we leave La Ceiba by bus at half past five in the morning to drive to San Pedro Sula where we will fly to Atlanta. After four hours in Atlanta, we will fly to New York. If everything works right, we should be there about quarter after 12 in the morning. Then we will board the Saint Rose bus for our trip to Albany, arriving in the La Salle Lot (with the entrance across Western Avenue from Albertus Hall.. a different parking lot from the one where we were dropped off) at about 3 AM.
We will be really glad to see you all.
Today, we visited Susanna in the dump community. She is a sort of Mother Earth of the community, looking out for those who are sick, watching out for neglected children and running the recycling business which provides part of the income for the dump community. She's such a special person that most of us were almost struck dumb in her presence. She had promised to answer any of our questions to the best of her ability and, as she did this, we could see clearly the passion she has for her faith, her family and her community. She is indeed one of the most memorable people we have encountered in Honduras.
After this, we took the rest of the day at a wonderful spa like environment not too far from La Ceiba. We started with a zip line experience, completing about 15 zips through the canopy, a really fun way to start the day. Walking after all that flying seemed a little mundane. Following a nice dinner at noon, we spent time in a series of pools which were progressiving warmer, ending in something like a natural hot tub. A hot spring in the mountains flows into these pools and mixes with the cool water. The scenery is stereotypically jungle... something that you would dream up if you were creating a jungle scene for a Hollywood movie with abundant growth in every direction and scenes of the ocean below. During this time we could also have mud applied which made your skin really smooth and-or have a massage. A really delightful day.
Tonight we have our good bye party. It seems impossible that these two weeks have flown by so quickly.
Tomorrow we leave La Ceiba by bus at half past five in the morning to drive to San Pedro Sula where we will fly to Atlanta. After four hours in Atlanta, we will fly to New York. If everything works right, we should be there about quarter after 12 in the morning. Then we will board the Saint Rose bus for our trip to Albany, arriving in the La Salle Lot (with the entrance across Western Avenue from Albertus Hall.. a different parking lot from the one where we were dropped off) at about 3 AM.
We will be really glad to see you all.
Friday, May 25, 2012
A Day in the Country
Yesterday we spent the day in the camposina... with a small farming community. We worked to clean up a field which thee community recently received through a grant and where they hope to plant banana trees. They make a bread using bananas which they can sell and make a little money for the community. Unfortunately, it will take about three years for the trees to produce, but the sooner they can start, the sooner they will have fruit. Our work kept us busy and out in the sun much of the day. First we had to walk to the field which is quite a distance from there village. Though probably a walk of less than a mile, it seems longer in the heat of the day. We cleared the ground of all the trees and limbs they had cut down earlier. Some of us even got to use machetes!! We saved some wood which they can use in the village and stacked the smaller sticks around the big old tree trunks. Later they will burn those stacked around the trees to try to burn the trees so that they will be easier to move. Some of those trucks seem to be about two feet on the diameter and since they mostly use machetes for cutting, it would take too long to cut them down without another process to get them started.
We finished earlier than we thought we might so off we went to the beach. Getting there on narrow country roads with a big bus was a bit of a challenge and we had a bit of a walk after we got off the bus, but a beautiful beach welcomed us at the end of the walk and the wonderfully delightful sea soothed our battered bodies and helped clear away a little of the dirt. The perfect end to the work day.
We arrived home tired and still dirty, but some of us had the strength and energy to go to the fiesta, a sort of street fair complete with music and many booths where we could purchase food or jewelry and such. It was fun to see how people in a different culture do this.
Today we are going back to the country to help the community again. More about that later.
It seems impossible that we have only these two days before we are on our way back to the US on Sunday, so we will see you soon.
We finished earlier than we thought we might so off we went to the beach. Getting there on narrow country roads with a big bus was a bit of a challenge and we had a bit of a walk after we got off the bus, but a beautiful beach welcomed us at the end of the walk and the wonderfully delightful sea soothed our battered bodies and helped clear away a little of the dirt. The perfect end to the work day.
We arrived home tired and still dirty, but some of us had the strength and energy to go to the fiesta, a sort of street fair complete with music and many booths where we could purchase food or jewelry and such. It was fun to see how people in a different culture do this.
Today we are going back to the country to help the community again. More about that later.
It seems impossible that we have only these two days before we are on our way back to the US on Sunday, so we will see you soon.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Good byes are difficult
We had a day filled with good byes because we will not return to our 'regular' places of work again. So, both in the morning and in the afternoon we were saying good'bye to both the children we met and the teachers and caretakers who work with them all the time. While we delight in the fact that we had a chance to meet these folks, our hearts weep at having to leave them. Even though we have only known them for five days, they welcomed us into their lives in ways that made us love them so it's hard to leave them. At the same time, they will always be with us in memory.
Tomorrow we go to the campesino, a community that was washed out in 1997 when Hurricane Mitch came through Honduras. They just received some land from the government about 4 or 5 years ago, so they are doing pretty well at building a town out of a field. (Here in Honduras, a town is less a 'place' than it is a group of people, so they stayed together in hopes of finding a place to put their town. Their waiting succeeded, but it took a lot of time.) They hope to build another bathroom and work on putting gutters on their main street, street being a definite euphanism for a small 'track' through the little town of shacks. Some other organizations have come and built a church for them and built some of the houses, so right now the town is a combination of shacks made of collected materials, a church, a school which the government built and some cute little one or two room cinder block houses that this other organization has constructed. Of course, even these more stable houses still have dirt floors and no screens or anything, but they are a big step up from houses made from the truncks of saplings put up like a stockade around a Revolutionary War fort. They have some kitchen gardens in the back of the town and the Saint Rose group from last year was able to get a grant for $8000 to purchase a field for them last year because though they had room for their town, they had no room for farming. As a farming community that really didn't make sense. Now, at least, they have some room to farm, so we may be helping them to clear that field and get it ready for the banana trees they hope to grow. Since bananas and plantains are a staple of the diet here, that gives them a good chance at a successful farm.
When we left New York, two weeks seemed like a long time. Now, it seems impossible that we have only three more days before we leave early Sunday morning to return to the states.
More tomorrow after we visit the little rural town of La Bomba.
Tomorrow we go to the campesino, a community that was washed out in 1997 when Hurricane Mitch came through Honduras. They just received some land from the government about 4 or 5 years ago, so they are doing pretty well at building a town out of a field. (Here in Honduras, a town is less a 'place' than it is a group of people, so they stayed together in hopes of finding a place to put their town. Their waiting succeeded, but it took a lot of time.) They hope to build another bathroom and work on putting gutters on their main street, street being a definite euphanism for a small 'track' through the little town of shacks. Some other organizations have come and built a church for them and built some of the houses, so right now the town is a combination of shacks made of collected materials, a church, a school which the government built and some cute little one or two room cinder block houses that this other organization has constructed. Of course, even these more stable houses still have dirt floors and no screens or anything, but they are a big step up from houses made from the truncks of saplings put up like a stockade around a Revolutionary War fort. They have some kitchen gardens in the back of the town and the Saint Rose group from last year was able to get a grant for $8000 to purchase a field for them last year because though they had room for their town, they had no room for farming. As a farming community that really didn't make sense. Now, at least, they have some room to farm, so we may be helping them to clear that field and get it ready for the banana trees they hope to grow. Since bananas and plantains are a staple of the diet here, that gives them a good chance at a successful farm.
When we left New York, two weeks seemed like a long time. Now, it seems impossible that we have only three more days before we leave early Sunday morning to return to the states.
More tomorrow after we visit the little rural town of La Bomba.
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