Far From Home

We are far, far from home, and we're so happy. Far from home, all alone, but we're so happy.

-"From Finner," Of Monsters and Men

This week marks the Guatemala 12-13 crew's first week on our own, since our summer vols, previous PD and CD have all departed. I felt this song lyric to be most appropriate in describing our experience up until now.

First of all, yes, we are QUITE far from home. We live in a place where Spanish is the dominant language and work in a place where women wear "traje tipico," or traditional Mayan clothing. Our house lacks water half the day, and we ride overly crowded public transport to get around. The streets are uneven, houses practically built on top of one another. So yeah, it's pretty different.

However, we are so happy. How many people can look out their window back in the states and see something as gorgeous as this?

Yes, that's real.

And how many people can say that they will have the opportunity to play with/teach some of the cutest kids on earth?

You can't argue with this.

Or build relationships within a truly indigenous community?

Check that traje tipico.

So there you have it. We are in a truly foreign place... but couldn't be happier to be here.

-Nicole

A week in the life of a summer intern

Dana, Juliana, Karianne, and I stayed in Xela for the weekend while the others hiked up Tajumulco. We had a blast and ate some delicious food at the hostel, El Cuartito, and Blue Angel, two of Dana's favorite restaurants. On Saturday, we had a relaxing afternoon at Las Fuentes Georginas, 3 hot springs located in the mountains. In the evening, we got to witness all of the excitement and commotion of the city after Xela won the championship soccer game against Guatemala City. We even got to see the Xela team's bus parade around the city!

On Monday after our weekly morning meeting, we went to the market and bought TONS of food for the week. Besides Christina and Cam, we didn't have any classes. Some of us ran some errands in Pana, or went to Spanish school. Upon our return we cooked a delicious meal of fajitas and finished off with some casual mustache-shaped sugar cookies.

The following day, all of the interns went to Chaquijyá bright and early in the morning to teach nutrition to 3rd and 4th graders in Cooperativa and Central. We all had the opportunity to practice our Spanish and teach a little about the food pyramid to the children. We ended the lesson with fun activities such as "Simon Dice" (Simon Says) and Gato y Raton (Cat and Mouse) to emphasize the importance of physical activity. Before our after school English classes with Dana and Cam, we visited the absolutely beautiful Catholic Church in Chaq, and a few of us even went on the roof!

On Wednesday, we traveled 2 hours to Comalapa to work with another NGO, Long Way Home. They were rebuilding the Tecnico Maya Vocational School with solely refurbished and reused materials! The various buildings were being made from old plastic bottles stuffed with trash, rubber tires, or earth bag domes (polypropylene sacks). It was crazy to see how much could be done with recycled materials, and how every single step of their process was sustainable (including human waste!). We had such a fun time packing, tossing, and throwing mud balls to fill the spaces in between the half-built rubber tire wall foundation. It was great to have the opportunity to see what kind of work other non-profits in Guatemala were doing. Everything about the project and the organization were resourceful, creative, and inspiring, to say the least. 

 

As you can tell, we've been having an AMAZING time here, and I can't believe we're almost halfway done! We have a ton of exciting things coming up with mini-camps for our kids and weekend trips, so keep checking back for our next blog post!

 

--Rebecca

The Recycling Habit

      Walking through the streets of Guatemala, you find trash scattered around and piled up, ignored as a problem in many parts of the country.  Generally, NGOs in Guatemala either focus on environmental education or on the economic growth of an impoverished area;  Long Way Home is working towards both. This non-profit is educating the community in Comolapa, Guatemala by building a school with recycled waste materials. This idea of alternative building isn’t new, but they are using this project to provided better education and employment opportunities. They are changing the mindsets of the people by demonstrating that the trash they throw out on the street really can be of use and of value.

     Hudson, Dana, and I had to opportunity to visit Comolapa and the Long Way Home team. We saw first-hand the construction of the main vocational school. As we climb up to the site from the town below, a large structure, made of tires, came into focus.  It was amazing to me that they had built this seven roomed structure with all recycled tires. Walking inside, the ceiling was decorated with skylights made from different colored glass bottles.  This was one of about five projects they have planned for the school’s campus.  The classrooms up on the hill, though not yet under construction, will be made  out of earth bags (polypropylene sacks filled with soil - we didn't know either).  Other buildings will be constructed with plastic bottles packed with trash gathered in the community.

     Not only is Long Way Home providing a school for the community but they are raising the bar by demonstrating efficient and effective ways to be environmentally friendly. With trash piling up throughout the country, building schools with recyclables is only the start of the solution. It is wonderful to meet people in Guatemala that have such an inspirational drive to improve life in this country.  Our hope is to educate our community in a similar light, but maybe not with a massive construction of tires.

Most exciting, Long Way Home is a finalist in the BBC World Challenge Competition.  If you have a moment to vote for them online, it would go along way towards helping raise awareness for Guatemala and environmental issues.

Best,

  Jared Stepp