Hello from Julie!

Hey there, my name is Julie Barwig. I have just joined Nicole, Ja, and Sarah here in Guatemala. This past December I graduated from the University of Georgia, where I learned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and International Affairs.  I’m so excited to be back in Central America. I spent the previous summer interning in Panama and a spring break in Nicaragua with the UGA campus chapter of Manna.

I’m going to be running the after-school intermediate English class for the students at primaria Coopertiva, the environment committee at basico Central, the healthy schools initiative, as well as working on setting up a community garden at both Central and Coopertiva. I’ll mainly be focusing on my English class as well as the environment committee at first. I’ve developed an avid interest the environment and conservation in the last few years, so these programs really reflect what I am passionate about; I am beyond thrilled to begin.

I arrived in Guatemala on January 5^th, so I’ve been here about a week already. It’s been a week of getting my bearings to how life runs down here. And so far, it’s honestly been truly a week full of laughter as well as learning. Nicole, Sarah, Ja, and Jess have welcomed me wholeheartedly and that has made the transition to living here almost seamless. With them, I have experienced some of my Guatemalan firsts: I used the back of a pick-up as legitimate transportation, I have seen the most amazing lake nestled within a couple of gorgeous mountains, and I spent an afternoon shucking corn with a Guatemalan family, just to name a few. 

 The beginning of my time here has been wonderful, and I can’t wait for programs to begin in a little over a week! 

-Julie 

The New Year

Hello faithful readers!

I just wanted to let you know that we are all back safe and sound from our winter holidays in the States.  We returned Saturday night and spent the weekend orienting our new PD, Julie! (She will be posting soon to introduce herself.)

Then on Monday, we jumped right in with the unexpected. We learned that the principal of the Básico school we work in would no longer be working there, due to unexplained reasons. Sadly, there's been a lot of reshuffling in schools lately due to a large purge of teachers.

Since then, we have been re-visiting our program goals for this quarter. We were asked to continue one of our programs (Básico English classes) even though we have made it clear multiple times that we are unable to. After much discussion and thinking as a team, we have decided to stick to our previous decision. I think all of us are learning that sometimes what's best for the community and for our organization may not be what's easy. Sure, it would be immediately helpful and easy for the PD's who are fluent in English to teach these English classes. But that means there is turnover in the middle of the school year when we leave and new PD's arrive. Our students told us that this is hard on them and hinders their learning. Furthermore, we have decided to switch our focus on teaching English to the teachers. In this way, we are empowering the teachers to learn a new skill and be able to properly teach their students English. We look forward to potentially partnering with the Ministry of Education to create a more formalized program for all of our teachers' English programs. That way, our classes are more efficient, teachers are more motivated to attend, and they could become more marketable as teachers. While it may be tough at first, we truly believe this is the best way we can support the school.

This quarter is going to be a great one. All four of us are focusing on developing new programs. Today, we all picked particular programs to focus on first. We have a good variety of health, women's empowerment/business development, and environment. It is truly exciting to be able to build new programs from the ground-up in a so many different sectors. All of us look forward to reaching out to different populations of the community and building many new relationships along the way.

Here's to a new year, a new quarter, a new PD, and many new programs!

-Nicole

San Marcos Retreat!

We just returned from our 2nd retreat, and this time we went to the tranquil little town of San Marcos right on the beautiful Lake Atitlan! It had such a calm and relaxing effect on me & I loved every minute of it. We arrived Tuesday noon, just in time for lunch. After getting settled into our hotel  Bosque Encantado (Enchanted Forest, which it really was), we had lunch followed by development and program discussions. From the looks of it, the next quarter will have a lot of good things in store. There are many new programs we are discussing and I can't wait to return in January to start working on them! Some of these new initiatives include sexual and reproductive classes, an overall health class (nutrition, self-esteem, hygiene), new partnerships with women's cooperatives, a new Teacher's English program, etc. There are a lot new things to be excited about this next quarter and I know our team is very enthusiastic about them :)

Interesting wheel of all of the Mayan nahuals, at our hotel

At nighttime, we got to experience being in a Tamascal! Tamascal is basically a sauna, heated by firewood outside. There is water in the room and people sometimes bathe themselves with it. I have heard that tamascals are very common around here for people to bath in. After hearing about it so much, it was really interesting to actually partake in this cultural experience.

Yes, the lake is really this beautiful :)

The next day, we worked on group-dynamic activities, which got us thinking about how more efficiently we can work as a team. Afterwards, we took in the sights of the lake from a park and some of us braver ones actually got in the freezing water! Which, sadly, I have to say I could not make myself once I felt how cold it was.

All in all, it was a great time and a perfect balance of work and relaxation. Now, off to the States to recharge my batteries during these next 3 weeks and come back to tackle these new programs!

Nicole, Me, Jess, Sarah at the park

Happy early Holidays from MPI-G!


-Ja

Nicaragua Blog Swap!

Every week you hear about our work down here in Guatemala, but did you know that Manna has three international sites? Though all three sites are driven by the same mission, and run community development programs led by small teams in their respective countries, each site looks very different on the ground. This week we will bring you first person narratives of MPI's work in Ecuador and Nicaragua. So, without further ado, I present this week's blog from Samantha Wyatt of MPI Nicaragua.

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Hi! My name is Samantha and I’m a member of MPI’s Nicaragua team. This week, MPI Nicaragua is excited to share a bit more about what we do here at Manna’s oldest site. Rather than rattle off a list of programs, we thought it might be fun to share a Thursday in the life. Below is a typical, if slightly busy, Thursday in my life. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!

7:30 a.m.: Wake up, sneak out of my room so as not to wake up my roommate Carrie, and head to the kitchen. There I find Elena, our amazing cook, finishing up a batch of French toast. We have a cook Monday through Thursday to allow us to focus on programs during our four busy days of the week.

9:00 a.m.: Pile into the micro with all nine fellow PDs to head to La Chureca (Managua's trash dump). The drive to Chureca takes about 20 minutes, and provides an interesting cross-section of life in Managua. At one main intersection, two familiar men propel themselves onto the hood of the micro and begin cleaning the windshield. We keep a stash of cookies in the glove compartment for such occasions, and these guys always remember us, making sure to shake everyone’s hand through the windows before the light turns green.

9:45 a.m.: We arrive at the clinic and community center in La Chureca after a brief but incredibly sweaty walk. On Tuesdays, I help Jesse teach our brand-new kids’ English class in Chureca’s Esperanza School. Thursdays, however, I still work with Jenny and Karen, my older, more advanced students. Unfortunately, Karen was unable to come this morning due to a university soccer game, and Jenny is nowhere to be found. On the walk to Esperanza we run into Milton, one of our students. His regular teacher, Matt, is busy, so I offer to work with Milton. Milton is 17 years old and recently moved out of Chureca, but returns to the dump to hang out with friends because he feels that people outside are too fresa (pretentious). Milton knows everyone in Chureca, and offers to help me find Jenny’s house to check in and schedule our next class.

10:10 a.m.: Milton and I find Jenny’s house, and, in lieu of ringing a non-existent doorbell, we peer over the fence (constructed with black trash bags). We see Jenny’s head peeping out of a structure on the other side, and realize that she’s in the shower. While rinsing shampoo out of her hair, she tells us with a smile that she’ll be ready to meet next Tuesday.

11:00 a.m.: I conclude a short but productive lesson on the past simple tense with Milton. After finishing our discussion on Lil Wayne vs. Eminem and giving him a homework assignment, I meet up with the other PDs (who have been walking around talking to moms in our Child Sponsorship Program) and we make our way back to the micro.

12:30 p.m.: Arrive at El Farito, the community center where we work in the local community of Cedro Galan. Thirty kids promptly spill through the gates and line up to wash their hands before sitting down to collectively scream/sing their prayers and eat (“GRACIASSSSS SEÑOOOOOOOR POOOOR TU AMOOOOOR!!!”). I have a great talk with Armando and Gerald as they inhale their arroz con pollo.

1:15 p.m.: To incentivize and reward kids for helping with Comedor cleanup, every two weeks we put on a venta in which helpers who have earned “dolares” can purchase items ranging from silly bands to crayons or—for the big spenders—a Frisbee. The venta runs smoothly this afternoon, without any tears or drama!

1:30 p.m.: Today, I stick around for Fiona and Christin’s Kids English class. I sit at the back table with Agdiel, a 16-year-old with a severe mental disability. Agdiel is great today, super quiet and well behaved. We draw squiggles and participate when Fiona shouts call-and-response questions (“IS HE ON THE BUS?!” “YES HE IS!”)

2:30 p.m.: On the way back to the house, I pass by Jorge, one of the students in our Kids English class at Salero. Even though he’s with his cool friends, Jorge still waves to me! Yes!

3:15 p.m: Get home and help Carrie and Anna to prep for the women’s exercise pool party. Today all of the regular attendees of women’s exercise are coming to the house for a pool workout!

4:15 p.m.: After taking some amazing photos of everyone bouncing around the pool, Maggie and I watch Peter Pan and play Frisbee with Henry, Junior, and Jose, three boys who have tagged along with their moms.

5:30 p.m.: Time for Adult Beginner’s English! Fiona reviews object pronouns, and we do a worksheet in class to practice. We have a big class today, and everyone is a little more chatty than normal, but also excited to participate. We’ve recently decided to incorporate more listening activities, so we end class by asking students to fill in the missing lyrics of a Taylor Swift song. Unfortunately Love Story is way to difficult for our class, but everyone remains enthusiastic, especially after seeing Fiona and I sing along.

6:45 p.m.: Get home, eat a quick dinner, and get ready for Anna and Maggie’s Advanced English class. I don’t teach advanced, but enjoy going, as it tends to be very social and conversation-based. A lot of our close friends in the community go, and it’s invariably a good time.

8:30 p.m.: Get home from advanced, do some dishes with Fiona, and relax. Friday’s a light day—our only programs are computer class and girls’ soccer—so there’s nothing to prepare for! 

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If you'd like to keep up with Samantha and MPI Nicaragua's work, you can follow their blog. We'll hear from MPI Ecuador later this week! Thanks for reading!

Hurdle #74926903

"Necessity is the mother of invention" -- Since the author is unknown, I will attribute it to Lori Scharffenberg who told it to me most recently.

Last week, the team and I were supposed to be laying by the water, talking development, and debriefing in beautiful Semuc Champey, but that didn't happen. This week, the principal of our school was supposed to deliver the sign-up sheets for our summer camp program, but he didn't show. And yesterday, I was supposed to be able take a bus down the mountain to Panajachel, but the rains persisted. Nothing in Guatemala ever happens how you think it will, but if I've learned one thing, it's how to think on my feet and accomplish things despite these daily hurdles.

Team Orange Iguanas from Summer Camp 2010

Hurdle #74926903:

School has ended for the year which means that our programs have also ended for the year (one of the biggest cons in the in-school vs. after school program debate). But no need to fear, our summer camp program, 2nd annual may I add, is coming up in just a couple weeks. As you may already know, last year we had 6 Program Directors and about 120 campers! Fast mental math will tell you that this is 20 campers per volunteer, and exhausting enough. This year we have 3 Program Directors and I can only imagine how many campers we will have due to last year's success. Nervous? I was too.

I've been stressing over the situation at hand, especially when I picture 120 rowdy kids charging the three of us. However this actually presents the perfect opportunity to get our butts in gear and jump start a new program. Instead of solely soliciting in-country help, why not create a leadership and empowerment program for local Guatemalans? They receive training, act as counselors, and receive a notarized diploma at the end of the "course." I went back a reread my initial feasibility trip proposal in the midst of this chaos... You know, my naive preconceptions of what I thought I was getting myself into, and what my idea of success would be down the road. Well's here's what I had to say almost two years ago: "The goal is to educate the community to help themselves and teach them to build upon what they have learned towards their own economic, social, and political independence."

Thus it seems out of necessity we have found opportunity, and are suddenly working towards what I always thought community development should be, in more ways than one. Take us out of the picture, and educate to empower.

Until the next hurdle,

Mama D

P.S. Come help with summer camp from November 8th - December 8th!

Bottles on the Brain

The term "Central American time" gets thrown around a lot. The usual context involves arriving at a meeting on time, only to wait two hours until your counterpart arrives unapologetic but ready to begin. So, you learn to bring a book and chalk it up to cultural differences, right? Well, in the past few weeks this concept has been thrown on its head.

As you may or may not know, we've been in phase 1 of our bottle school project for months, over 6 to be exact. I could rattle off a long list of why this is, but I will spare you the details. Instead, let's talk progress and speedy progress at that.

At the beginning of last week, I walked into the La Primaría Central on a normal day, ready to teach some 4th graders English. As I walked down the row of classrooms, I saw that each was putting together an ode to the environment on a large poster board. My brow furrowed a bit, confused at the sudden adoration until I was finally introduced to the man responsible. Emerson was invited by our principal to more clearly show the relationship between our bottle project and the environment to the school's 275 students. The short version in case you’re interested—when all is said and done, our bottle school will remove about 13,000 pounds of trash from Guatemala's streets, rivers, and mountains. Emerson works for AMSCLAE, the Atitlan area's foremost authority on everything environmental, and now MPI Guatemala's newest partner organization!

In the next two weeks, Emerson and I put together a presentation on our bottle project and gave it to over 450 people in 3 different assemblies reaching children, parents and community leaders. On top of that, we also had an architect in to draw the plans for the new second story, four-room addition. The kicker? I was taken to see the local kindergarten, and again, quite confused about the purpose of the visit. The director unlocked the first classroom and as the door swung open, stuffed bottles jumped out of the way. The room was entirely devoted to bottles, plastic, and bottle stuffing. Apparently for months now if you were a kindergartener, you participated in "stuffing time," requiring you to stuff plastic for 20 minutes at the end of recess each day. As if this weren’t enough, they also convinced Big Cola, one of Guatemala's largest soft drink producers, to donate their used plastic shrink wrap and discarded bottles to the cause.

I still carry a book just in case, but is it possible that Chaquijyá just reinvented "Central American time?"

I hope so,

Dana

Sunday Snapshot XXIX

Meet Rivaldo. He's in our after school intermediate English class. Six months ago he didn't know how to say "hello."

The assignment: write an ode to a family member.

And a New Chapter Begins...

Karen Baker here.  With the new crew of PDs now here and settled, we have initiated the process of transitioning our existing programs to them for the upcoming year. We began the week by giving Kelsey and Cameron a history and overview of all the English, health and environmental programs that we currently run and why we have the programs set up as they are. Throughout the past year, our team has had many discussions and debated about program structure, what “sustainability” means as it pertains to our work, and, more broadly, what we envision our site’s mission and vision to be. Over the next several months, however, the recently arrived Program Directors will have the opportunity to do the same, offering a fresh perspective on all of these topics.

Per this week’s opening transition discussion, MPI-G’s English program will likely be the focus of much talk in the weeks and months ahead. Last August, our group began teaching English during class at La Primaria Central at the request of Esteban, the school’s director. Earlier this year, we expanded our English program to include an accelerated after school class for motivated students at the primary school in the nearby neighborhood of Cooperativa. Six months later, we are taking a good look at how the differing program structures and teaching strategies affect the efficacy and impact of our classes.

Which of the two models has thus far been the most successful? At this point, I believe that we would all arguably say that the after school English class, which is led by Dana and Hudson, has been more effective than our in-school English classes. Students voluntarily come to class because they have a genuine interest in learning English and, as a result, make a stronger effort to master the material. These students score well on their English exams and the class can move at a faster pace than those taught in La Primaria Central. Thus, the disparities between the English classes in the two schools have led us to consider the possibility of implementing an after-school English program in Central which is similar to that in Cooperativa.

A bit overwhelming, though nonetheless exciting, the transition period raises various important questions about evaluating and perhaps modifying program structure so that the new MPI-G team will continue building and maintaining a solid relationship with people in Chaquijyá, and direct programs as best they can. Additionally, there are fewer PDs this year than there were last, so the way programs are structured may also be affected by this variable. The upcoming months will be an incredibly busy but exciting time for the MPI-G group, so be sure to check back for more updates on how our programs are growing and changing and all else new that we have going on!

Reflections and Retreats

One of my favorite perks about being a Program Director is the retreats that MPI requires all PD’s to take each quarter, once every 3 months. Financed by the organization, these retreats not only allow PD’s to get to know another part of their host country, but they also provide a space away from work in which PD’s can further bond as a team and develop their group dynamic and vision.

Last Monday, my coworkers and I returned from our second retreat, in which we spent six days in the tropical climate of Guatemala’s Caribbean coast. The trip began with a lengthy, yet luxurious charter bus ride to the port town of Puerto Barrios from where we snagged a water taxi bound for Livingston. We then spent two days in Livingston listening to reggae, relaxing at postcard beaches, and venturing into the jungle where they filmed the original Tarzan movie. Following these excursions, we boated up the Rio Dulce to Lake Izabal, the largest lake in Guatemala, and to our pleasant surprise, both the river and the lake exceeded the guidebook descriptions

Picture a tranquil, brilliant blue river narrowly enclosed in a steep canyon whose walls are masked by cascading green plants and flowers. Innumerable white herons are nesting in the nearby shrubbery, cormorants are disappearing and emerging amidst the gentle waves, and flocks of prowling pelicans are diving into the water in search of fish. Eventually, the river opens into a lake so immense that you cannot see the mountains encasing the far shore. Now, picture yourself on a small boat amidst this nirvana. Let me tell you, it is nearly impossible not to ponder the world and your life, when you are surrounded by such an idyllic environment.

Following this reflective voyage up the river, we kayaked and tanned for one day at the isolated Denny’s Beach Resort on Lake Izabal, then stayed the remainder of the retreat in Rio Dulce town at a rustic hostel nestled into the jungle. The capstone of the trip, on the last day, we visited Finca Paraiso, the world’s only hot water waterfall. Though we all left the falls drenched in the rotten-egg smell imparted by the sulfur, it was worth every scent to be able to stand in a cool stream while simultaneously being showered by hot water. Dana and Jared, brave souls, even jumped off of the falls into the pool below.

Possibly due to my love of Bob Marley, or my passion for all things aquatic, or maybe even my weird obsession with humidity, I found the coast to be an ideal retreat location. More than eight hours away from our home and comfort zones in Sololá, my coworkers and I were able to explore unfamiliar locations together and come together as a team. Amidst the rewarding chaos of directing programs, fulfilling organizational roles, and maintaining relationships with community members and other expat volunteers, we sometimes forget to spend time together as a group. Immersed in our relationships as coworkers, we sometimes overlook our relationships as friends. I am so grateful for the retreat, as it reminded us of the importance of these friendships.

While our time with MPIG offers us a unique professional experience in the field of international development, the position of Program Director also allows us to form lifelong relationships both with community members and with our coworkers/housemates. As our time with the organization draws to a close, we must remember to cherish and cultivate these friendships. 25 years later, we may or may not remember the details of a 6^th English lesson plan, yet I am certain we will recall the memories we make together as friends. Our work will always be a priority and will shape us into our future selves. However, every person we meet, every friendship we form will also become a part of us and we must remember to treasure those relationships and each other.

Peace,
     Ginny

One Big Happy Family

We are always together.  Six peas in a pod, a little family in our own right.  When one of us ventures out of the nest, outsiders question, “where’s the rest of Manna?”  Now, that is a beautiful thing.

We function as a well-oiled machine, where each cog pushes the next towards its goal, because being surrounded by co-workers at all hours drives performance.  Each of us is involved in every program and every decision, and it works.  We each hold stock in the minute details, and take genuine interest in the successes and failures of our day-to-day work.

But is that efficient?  Are six cogs really better than one?  Realizing this, we have decided to branch out.  Let’s see what happens when each of us flies out on our own—After all each is a highly capable, competent, and trustworthy team member.

So far it’s been a two-week experiment, and the results have been pretty astounding.  We have had eight meetings with new organizations.  To put that in prospective, we met with about ten new organizations in our first six months.  Now our new approach isn’t wholly to thank, but since returning from break I have been impressed with each member’s go-getter spirit, foresight, and certainly increased productivity. Within the next few weeks we will start teaching seven sections of third through sixth grade English in our local primary school, begin a teacher's English class as well as an after school program in the nearby high school, work alongside local health promoters to give educational workshops to our classes, and hold demonstrations on how to stuff discarded plastic bottles with trash to later use as bricks for an addition to our school.

In our first six months we focused on working together to forge relationships and lay the groundwork for future programs.  Slow and steady wins the race.  Now as we come upon our halfway mark, we aim to increase efficiency and visibility by using our individual passions to drive progress.

And that too is a beautiful thing.

Mamabear,

Dana

Serendipity

As often as it feels like we’re living in the epicenter of “hurry up and wait,” from time to time the opposite happens and problems solve themselves overnight.  There’s that rare day when a week’s worth of frustrations are suddenly put in their proper perspective, and solutions materialize from the red clay of the Guatemalan countryside.  I’d like to share two such vignettes with you, to briefly illuminate a sliver of our good fortune.

Women’s Cooperative

                In the past month, I’ve grown increasingly interested with branding and selling Guatemalan artisan goods in the States. There are certain products that defy the cheap and touristy stereotype, products that could be marketable in the States.  But that conviction was as far as I got.  Then I caught a bus to Chichi (the largest market in Guatemala) on a whim to spend the afternoon taking photos.

After stopping for coffee, I was encouraged by the barista to visit a nearby fair-trade cooperative.  Getting there required you to walk through a hotel lobby, up a flight of stairs, and out onto their parking deck – not the kind of place you stumble into.  But there it was, my obscure vision actualized.  Here was my model.

                Later that week, some of my co-workers were having a meeting in a nearby middle school.  After they finished and just as they were leaving, two women stopped them, imploring their help in translating a business email.  The women who stopped them were members of a self-run artisan cooperative, only minutes from where I work.  What I wanted to incubate already exists.

The organization’s already there, a trail’s blazed for me to follow – and here, for two weeks, I thought the idea would only exist in my mind.  What follows remains to be seen, but unexpected doors continue to open.

Summer Enrichment Program

                We’ve been working for the past month to have a summer program ready to launch when the kids finish school in mid-October.  We had our itinerary and logistics decided, but couldn’t find a place to hold the camp.  There just aren’t buildings big enough where we work, and we understood that the local schools were not an option.  We were only a month from launch with no ideas what to do next.

Then, during the meeting mentioned above, our team inquired as to the availability of the middle school for our summer programs (keep in mind that this was only a meet-and-greet in a different neighborhood than the one we currently work in).  Still, they extended us their facilities. Later that afternoon, we found another space in a building we thought was abandoned that we can use for future programs –adult classes, library, after school program – everything, an ideal location.

Each of these experiences offered a needed dose of encouragement.  Often, as we're busy planning future programs or trying to teach English, it's possible to lose sight of why we're here.  Certainly my perspective becomes too narrow.  But then these warming moments occur, moments when the clouds clear and the view glistens in wide swathes all around, moments when I’m certain that I’m doing what I ought.  It's a bit like serendipity.

Warmly,

  Hudson