Day 6: Liz and Shanek

             Day 6 started with breakfast at 7am.  We were served scrambled egg with ham, fresh local cheese, black beans and oatmeal.  After fueling up for our first work day we headed over to the school where we met Nelson and the five students that are leading our groups.  Nelson is a teacher at the school.  He is very accomplished, only twenty four years old and extremely passionate about the school.  He has received an award for his outstanding teaching and leadership for the past three years in a row.  The students who are the leaders are Sayda, Wilmer, Reyes, Megli, and Alfonzo. They are all really sweet kids but were shy when we all first met.  To break the ice we played a game that let all of us get to know one another’s names.  As usual, we were confronted with the obvious language barrier, but we tried our best to get to know our student leaders, in our downtime. 

            The beginning of our project started with us basically cleaning and scraping residue off of the walls, and rearranging furniture. Some of us varnished the outdoor fence (which was built by the AB group from last year) while others worked on the outdoor and interior walls. It was not necessarily difficult work, but a bit tedious and repetitive at times. All in all though, I think we all shared the same enthusiasm for starting the volunteer work that we ultimately came to Guatemala to do.

            We were also introduced to Jorge Ochoa from FunCafe, who helps sustain and support the Los Andes community by promoting the education system.  Mr. Ochoa was very appreciative of our presence here in Los Andes, and came with brand new books to present to Nelson and Vilma.  He was very energetic, while the rest of us were slowly getting tired.  But, he got us involved and woke us up by engaging us in a sample of a class activity, which included singing and group interaction.  It was a special moment for us to see what our donations meant to the school and the overall community and to just experience the joy of the people, especially Nelson and Jorge.

            After a lunch break we continued work on the school building and surrounding area.  Inside we finished cleaning and started putting the first layer of paint in the walls while the outside teams did the same as well as continue the sanding of the fence.  Nelson helped us stay lively by putting music on over the speakers.  It was fun to see what they like to listen to here, and you could tell that they wanted to see our reactions and kept asking if we like the music. 

            At the end of the work day we were really proud of our first day and what we had gotten done.  We were ahead of schedule which is awesome because we want to make sure we complete our entire project with tome to spare.  When we left the school we went over to the local store in Los Andes. Here we met the President and the loan manager of the Solidarity Union.  They taught us about what they do in Los Andes to improve the lives of the people in the community.  At the store anyone from the town can open up a savings account.  The store takes out a percentage from the salary of each person and puts it in individual savings accounts.  This helps people learn how to save their money and manage it efficiently.    If a person has an account at the store they can also buy items on a tab so they do not have to bring cash with them when they go.  This prevents people from ever going hungry because if they are low on money they can buy food on their tab and pay it back at a later time. 

            It was really interesting to hear about the Solidarity Union and how they help the people in the community.  It is nice to see an institution within a society that is there to really benefit the people and not themselves.  We headed back to the house after for some dinner and down time.  We have yet to have a bad meal, and tonight was chicken, soup, rice, and veggies.  We all sat around the table and talked and eventually picked up our ongoing addiction to the card game President.  Everyone in the group gets closer every day, and by now we are all pretty comfortable with each other, which really makes hanging out fun. 

            We learned a lot about each other, especially when we played a game that is a mix between Pictionary and telephone.  It is a really simple game but there were some hilarious pictures drawn and wrong guesses and ridiculous clues.  We all had a great time laughing together and winding down from a long days work.  Time got away from us so Josh and Rado decided to skip reflection for tonight and have a longer one tomorrow.  We have an even earlier morning tomorrow with another full day of work so time for bed! Can’t wait to keep working!

Day 5: Alex and Emily…again

This morning we slept in to the ripe hour of 7:30 AM…it was quite the treat.  Unfortunately we lost some of our troops to upset stomachs and other unpleasant conditions.  After breakfast we embarked on our rugged journey, down two team members.  We waited outside the house to be picked up and taken higher on the volcano Atitlan to hike.  Sadly, Fidel is not participating in this leg of the journey with us…luckily, we have Salvador: The expert pick-up truck driver of Los Andes. 

Our faces grew uneasy as we saw Salvador pull up in a pick-up truck with only one cabin seat and a metal cage surrounding its bed.  Our faces grew more uneasy when we learned that we were to drive with Salvador in his truck by standing up in the bed and holding onto the metal cage for dear life.  Not only was the situation questionable, but so were the “roads” we drove on for thirty minutes through jungle to get to our starting point.  Other than Rado falling out a few times, the drive was a breeze.  We expect him to turn up anytime now….just kidding.  

We finally got to the starting point of our hike and Don Jesus led us into the brush.  After about 55 minutes of walking straight uphill select members of our group were none-too-pleased.  At one of the five “half-way points” Josh A. expressed his displeasure at the upward expedition.  He requested that Josh T. and Rado level with him and stop lying about being “halfway there”—he just wanted to know the truth.  Of course, as all of us twenty year-olds are huffing and puffing, 57 year-old Don Jesus is strolling along and leaving us in the dust, while paving the way with his machete. 

Not only did Don Jesus handily use the machete and wear us out, he also showed us many cool sights of the forest.  We saw a Quetzal nest, tea leaves, exotic flowers, and humongous trees—we even went inside the trunk of a 600+ year-old tree that had been hollowed by disease…it was awesome.

Thankfully, we finally reached the true halfway point and it was all downhill from there—literally.  After a few more sights and many more casualties we arrived at the end of our path and Salvador was there with his pickup truck of death to take us back to the house.            

We ate lunch, relaxed a bit, then embarked on part two of our hike.  Jaime taught us more about the hydroelectric plant and, dogs in tow, we ventured down the volcano to see the plant itself.  This was more of a stroll compared to the vigorous hike of the morning.  It was all straight downhill so when we were dreading the walk back up who do we see but Salvador and his truck—he graciously (but not so gracefully) gave us a lift in his truck/cage back to the house once again.  We played several heated rounds of president until it was time for another fantastic dinner.

After dinner we began team building activities and reflection.  We began with a game of memory and teamwork which ended poorly for certain groups and in which a certain leader slightly degraded some of the lovely ladies of the group by calling them “idiots”.

We spent a lot of time on reflection talking about our definitions of “sustainable community development” and how to achieve it.  We also discussed the causes of problems in Guatemala and their various solutions.  These discussions succeeded in getting us pumped for our service project—which we start tomorrow.  We’re so excited!! Stay tuned.

Day 4: Alex and Emily

Today we finally made it to the Los Andes Nature Reserve after a groggy 6 AM breakfast, 30 minute hike, 1 hour boat ride, and a 3 hour bus ride (courtesy of Fidel)—stopping only once for coconut water and a bathroom break.  We were greeted warmly at Los Andes by Olga and her husband Jaime.  They treated us to a delicious lunch—that surprisingly did not include guacamole.  After lunch we explored our accommodations—La Casa Oliver—and found them to be beautiful and very homey with hammocks on the porch, an amazing view, hummingbird feeders throughout, a pool, and 2 friendly dogs roaming the grounds.  Olga taught us some of the history of Los Andes and how her individual history connected to the reserve when her father was hired by the Oliver Family (of La Casa Oliver) to maintain the grounds.  

            Our project is “sustainable community development”, and in a lot of ways the community of Los Andes is already sustainable.  Many of the people living in the community have lived here for a couple of generations and continue to help the reserve evolve and grow in a positive way.  Within the grounds they grow coffee, tea, macadamia nuts, and quinine—using community resources and sustainable processes.  The entire reserve is powered by a hydroelectric plant on- site, built by the Oliver family in the 1950s. 

            We concluded the afternoon with a quick tour of the parts of the reserve surrounding the house, led by a local expert named Don Jesus.  He was kind enough to give us machete lessons—which, thankfully did not lead to any serious injuries…but did result in some close calls.  We learned about some of the crops, tasted raw coffee beans, and saw the water that flows to the hydroelectric plant.

            After our walk we ate another delicious meal, played some quick games of president and mafia, and had our nightly reflection.  Today was very exhausting but also very rewarding.  Stay tuned for more Guatemalan adventures.

Day 3: Josh A. + Shanek

Josh: Today we explored the Mayan ruins. The history behind it is very intriguing in that the remains were a result of a fire caused by the Spaniards during colonial times. An interesting but unfortunate fact was that the reason why the Mayan area burned so fast/well was because of how flammable the trees are. Later in the day we went to Panajachel and within the town the Atitlan reserve. We walked around the shore and the scenery was breathtaking. After that we went back to the reserve where we slept outside in tents. This will mark the first time I’ve slept outdoors let alone in Guatemala! Although the temperature dropped drastically that night, it was a great experience.

The night of camping out was super funny. Since it was very dark outside, candles were set up to provide light for those who would want to use the bathroom.

Shanek: Today was a long physical and personal exploration.  We boated across Lake Atitlan to reach Los Andes and our extremely personable driver Fidel met us just in time to bring us up to the nature reserve.  Hiking through the ravine with Olga and Jesus 

Day 2: Karina

Today we had the amazing opportunity to further explore Antigua and its historical background. While touring a 15^th century house restored by the Poppone family that occupied the house for all of their lifetime, we were struck by the breathtaking view of erupting volcano’s on the roof of the building. Needless to say, Guatemala is known for its magnificent flora fauna, with blooming flowers and mountainous ranges at every corner. We later made our way into the central market, filled with all kinds of authentic commodities for us to buy. While I was tempted to buy everything in sight, I knew that I had to resist the urge to spend all of my money, and so I purchased only essentials. Nevertheless, I was deeply saddened by the locals’ economic situation and how they desperately wanted to appeal to tourists in order to make ends meet. Witnessing children walking with their mothers and begging for consumers, was very moving and tragic to watch.

   I was always aware that Guatemala is a very pious country. However, today when I walked into an elaborate church, I was stunned to see many locals quietly listening to a prayer and nodding along. It was great to know that what the Guatemalans lack in goods they make up for by faith. After finishing up with our tour/mini-shopping experience of Antigua, the group and I headed towards a buffet-style restaurant filled with all kinds of meats and side dishes. The food was delicious and had a pure and distinct flavor resembling the purity and uniqueness of the culture of Guatemala. I’m excited to see what kinds of meals we will taste next. I’m also excited to explore the natural setting via the upcoming trip to the reserves. 

Day 1: Naomi + Danielle

Danielle’s Reflection: Guatemala City and Antigua are absolutely beautiful. This is my first time going abroad and it is a complete culture shock. The city was a mix of modern and older looking buildings with the exception of the poverty stricken area of the city, which was an eye opening experience. I love being in Antigua. It took me completely by surprise how friendly the people are here. The town is adorable and I’m excited to continue the trip.

Naomi’s Observation: There are trees here that have leaves like grass, trees with round tops like a forest, trees with flowers bursting in orange, pink, purple and red. In Guatemala, when you smile, you get a smile and a wave back. The city with all its vibrancy at night looks like its strung with Christmas lights, happy all the time. The mountains and volcanoes stand back in the distance, mysterious but present. The sky was unusually clear, and the moon glowed bright as we walked through the cobblestone streets of Antigua. It’s a group of people that might not have ever met under other circumstances, despite attending the same university, but what an incredible way to get to know someone: with an open mind and a good-intentioned reason to bring us all together. Everybody is curious, cautious at first, but incredibly friendly. It seems like everyone is feeling the good vibe, and I have a feeling that this will be an unforgettable trip.