Today{s construction crew put in a long morning--but when they left the site, the house was up and roofed with corrugated tin. Nan, Claire, Bridgit, Katie, Deb and Morgan were all part of the construction crew. They had help from the family who will live in the house--a grown son worked with us all week, the dad was there today, and one of the youngest members of the family tried to help. He wanted to keep the waterbottles filled--but didn{t know we drink agua pura instead of water from the village{s supply!
Alex and Charlotte made three home visits with a social worker. They had fun at one home where the family makes tortillas to sell by the basketful. They asked if they could watch the tortilla makers, a grandmother and her teen-aged or young adult granddaughter. Before long, Alex and Charlotte were slapping a tortilla each into shape. The family cooked them and enjoyed watching them eat them. Sarah was in the daycare rooms playing with pre-schoolers.
Joanie and Stacey were in San Rafael all day. Fortunately, Stacey took along arts and crafts ideas and supplies with which to engage children who were waiting to be seen in the clinic. Eventually Stacey got to visit with the child she is sponsoring, Joanie{s child{s family was working in the fields all day and that meeting didn{t take place. What a disappointment!
During the afternoon, a much smaller construction crew--Bridget, Sarah and Charlotte--delivered materials to San Rafael so that next week another team will be able to build a house for a family there. We thought they{d have to continue levelling the site, but the family had worked hard and there was no need to get the pick axes going again. (Correction to the previous post--the crew broke 5 of the 6 pick axes they{d used to break up the soil.)
Nan and Claire and Deb and Morgan were off on home visits with social workers and Katie visited a girl she and her grandmother have sponsored throughout Katie{s high school years. Conversation was a little slow, but they both enjoy soccer and discovered some other similar interests.
After supper, it seemed good to take a little time off and go into town--Charlotte and Abby arranged it so we could go to Antigua (2.5 km) for ice cream cones at Marco Polo{s and some shopping at Nim Pot. Most of us came home with at least a few souvenirs or gifts for folks at home.
The weather{s been great! It{s cool enough in the early morning and evening that we{re glad to have fleece jackets or sweatshirts. It{s the rainy season but we haven{t had rain since Sunday. Afternoons are hot and sunny. In Guatemala, temperatures tend to depend on elevation. Because we are close to the equator, it gets dark much sooner than in Duluth--it{s quite dark by 7:00 or so. Take care.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Mid-week progress
Have you ever seen a human cement mixer? Take bags of sand, rock, and concrete mix and dump them out. Use six shovels wielded by six volunteers to turn over the pile. When well mixed, use one large hoe to scoop out a depression in the middle of the pile. Add buckets of water. Put volunteers back to work turning pile and mixing water into the dry ingredients. Voila! (What's the Spanish equivalent?) Concrete ready to bind together the square planchets which the volunteers and Common Hope staff had laid out to form the floor of the house we are building. Nan, Claire, Charlotte and Sarah spent the morning at the construction site. Every day we've had help from Carolina, another Common Hope volunteer from St. Paul who is here on her own.
Alex, Deb and Morgan spent the morning in the occupational therapy department helping some Common Hope students make jewelry which they sell. These students have various kinds of disabilities, but the occupational therapy department gives them an opportunity to learn some skills. In addition to the beading, they are learning math as they measure, cut, count and sort for their projects. At noon there was a small sale of items-beaded earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Each item for sale included a tag with a picture of the student artisan.
Joanie and Katie rocked babies and played with children in the child care center. Common Hope provides day care for the children of employees--there are three rooms: infants up to 2 years old, 2-4 year olds, and 4-6 year olds. Joanie encountered the Guatemalan insistence that babies be bundled--ask her how many layers of clothing she had to get through just to change a diaper!
Stacey and Bridget were off with social workers making home visits. One of Common Hope's protocols is that social work home visits be made by two people, so when volunteers can accompany social workers, it frees the staff to get more visits done. The visits also give volunteers a more intimate glimpse of life in the families served here. During the visits, social workers identify additional family needs and asses how they can be met.
We met back up at lunch in the diningroom where volunteers (long term and short term) eat, along with staff, teachers, social workers, etc. Our plates overflowed with white beans in a tomato based sauce, rice with various seasonings, and tortillas.
Charlotte went back to the construction site in the afternooon--along with Stacey, Sarah, Bridget and Deb. We delivered to the site the panels that will be the walls for the house. They were both heavy and unwieldy and had to be carried by hand a distance equal to about two city blocks. When that job was done, the construction crew returned to Common Hope to stack lumber that had been cut for use in building more panels later. And we built two panels before we left--none of us are skilled at hammering nails in straight, and we pulled out some mighty interestingly shaped nails before we were done!
Meanwhile, Claire and Morgan led a youth group that gathered at Common Hope for the afternoon. Nan, Alex and Joanie were part of that activity as well--and at the evening report session, this particular volunteer assignment earned stars for being the most fun! All the kids made lanyard bracelets and fortune telling cups and then there were card games, puzzles, and music.
Katie was off to help in one of the public schools.
Each afternoon at 5:00 we{ve had some sort of presentation--today{s was the video A Precarious Peace which reviews some of the history of the civil war in Guatemala and efforts toward the peace accords. Guatemala{s history of violence and mistrust is so enormous--it{s hard for us to imagine how that legacy continues to impact life here. It is also interesting large a role the church has played--both in fostering the conditions that led to the civil war and then working to bring some kind of peace and reconciliation. But that{s probably a subject for an adult education event at Pilgrim and not the blog!
Take care, those of you who are at home reading this. All is well.
Alex, Deb and Morgan spent the morning in the occupational therapy department helping some Common Hope students make jewelry which they sell. These students have various kinds of disabilities, but the occupational therapy department gives them an opportunity to learn some skills. In addition to the beading, they are learning math as they measure, cut, count and sort for their projects. At noon there was a small sale of items-beaded earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Each item for sale included a tag with a picture of the student artisan.
Joanie and Katie rocked babies and played with children in the child care center. Common Hope provides day care for the children of employees--there are three rooms: infants up to 2 years old, 2-4 year olds, and 4-6 year olds. Joanie encountered the Guatemalan insistence that babies be bundled--ask her how many layers of clothing she had to get through just to change a diaper!
Stacey and Bridget were off with social workers making home visits. One of Common Hope's protocols is that social work home visits be made by two people, so when volunteers can accompany social workers, it frees the staff to get more visits done. The visits also give volunteers a more intimate glimpse of life in the families served here. During the visits, social workers identify additional family needs and asses how they can be met.
We met back up at lunch in the diningroom where volunteers (long term and short term) eat, along with staff, teachers, social workers, etc. Our plates overflowed with white beans in a tomato based sauce, rice with various seasonings, and tortillas.
Charlotte went back to the construction site in the afternooon--along with Stacey, Sarah, Bridget and Deb. We delivered to the site the panels that will be the walls for the house. They were both heavy and unwieldy and had to be carried by hand a distance equal to about two city blocks. When that job was done, the construction crew returned to Common Hope to stack lumber that had been cut for use in building more panels later. And we built two panels before we left--none of us are skilled at hammering nails in straight, and we pulled out some mighty interestingly shaped nails before we were done!
Meanwhile, Claire and Morgan led a youth group that gathered at Common Hope for the afternoon. Nan, Alex and Joanie were part of that activity as well--and at the evening report session, this particular volunteer assignment earned stars for being the most fun! All the kids made lanyard bracelets and fortune telling cups and then there were card games, puzzles, and music.
Katie was off to help in one of the public schools.
Each afternoon at 5:00 we{ve had some sort of presentation--today{s was the video A Precarious Peace which reviews some of the history of the civil war in Guatemala and efforts toward the peace accords. Guatemala{s history of violence and mistrust is so enormous--it{s hard for us to imagine how that legacy continues to impact life here. It is also interesting large a role the church has played--both in fostering the conditions that led to the civil war and then working to bring some kind of peace and reconciliation. But that{s probably a subject for an adult education event at Pilgrim and not the blog!
Take care, those of you who are at home reading this. All is well.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
One team in three places
Today our team split up, visiting all three of the Common Hope sites here in Guatemala. Those who signed up for construction this morning--Stacey, Sarah, Nan, Claire, and Bridget--have the distinction of being the very first construction crew to visit San Rafael. San Rafael is an indigenous village 40 minutes away from Antigua. Common Hope has been there for almost two years, slowly building up trust in the community, establishing programs, and working with the school there to improve children's education. Now there is a family there who will receive a new home, thanks to their own hard work and Common Hope. Our team members worked on preparing the site for the house--which meant using pickaxes to break up hard soil and trying to level the site. We had been told yesterday's work was the hardest we would do all week, but it didn{t match the hard labor this morning. The ground was so compacted, two of the pickaxes broke! We're building up some arm muscles on this trip!
Morgan and Deb left Common Hope at 5:00 a.m. in order to spend the day in New Hope, a village established by Common Hope in partnership with Habitat for Humanity after Hurricane Mitch. Morgan and Deb spent time at the school there, visited with a young girl they will be sponsoring, and had the opportunity to meet the child's mother and other family members as well.
Back here at the Antigua site, Katie accompanied a social worker on a visit to an affiliated family and Alex and Charlotte sorted and packaged colored pencils for student use next January when the new school year begins.
During the afternoon they made a home visit to a Common Hope child, Carlos, with whom they've corresponded since ALex and Carlos were in kindergarten. It was a fun visit, made easier because Alex and Charlotte were there just a year ago. The family of four live in a small pueblo about half or 3/4 of a mile past the end of the road--and straight up the mountain. It's not just upper arm strength we{re gaining this week!
Nan and Claire spent time in the afternoon working with children whose mothers were attending a meeting here at Common Hope--mostly doing puzzles and fun activities in the library area. Katie, Stacey, Bridget, and Joanie were on construction this afternoon. They were back in San Pedro leveling the site there and setting the concrete blocks for the floor of the house we're building this week.
Common Hope provides our meals along with our lodging--last night we had chulitos (oversize tamales) for our evening meal. At noon today we had yellow rice, cheese tortillas, and bananas. Tonight was a soup with large pieces of root vegetables. The broth was very tasty. Although hot chili or jalepeno pepper condiments are usually available with meals, Guatemalan food is not as spicy-hot as Tex-Mex. The fresh fruit is very delicious--nothing quite like a tree ripened banana. Or a frozen banana dipped in chocolate.
We keep the washers and driers in the dorm going--and are very glad for the hot showers! Our Common Hope host, Abby, has been great--making sure we are comfortable, answering tons of questions, and keeping up with changes in our work assignments. We're doing fine!
Morgan and Deb left Common Hope at 5:00 a.m. in order to spend the day in New Hope, a village established by Common Hope in partnership with Habitat for Humanity after Hurricane Mitch. Morgan and Deb spent time at the school there, visited with a young girl they will be sponsoring, and had the opportunity to meet the child's mother and other family members as well.
Back here at the Antigua site, Katie accompanied a social worker on a visit to an affiliated family and Alex and Charlotte sorted and packaged colored pencils for student use next January when the new school year begins.
During the afternoon they made a home visit to a Common Hope child, Carlos, with whom they've corresponded since ALex and Carlos were in kindergarten. It was a fun visit, made easier because Alex and Charlotte were there just a year ago. The family of four live in a small pueblo about half or 3/4 of a mile past the end of the road--and straight up the mountain. It's not just upper arm strength we{re gaining this week!
Nan and Claire spent time in the afternoon working with children whose mothers were attending a meeting here at Common Hope--mostly doing puzzles and fun activities in the library area. Katie, Stacey, Bridget, and Joanie were on construction this afternoon. They were back in San Pedro leveling the site there and setting the concrete blocks for the floor of the house we're building this week.
Common Hope provides our meals along with our lodging--last night we had chulitos (oversize tamales) for our evening meal. At noon today we had yellow rice, cheese tortillas, and bananas. Tonight was a soup with large pieces of root vegetables. The broth was very tasty. Although hot chili or jalepeno pepper condiments are usually available with meals, Guatemalan food is not as spicy-hot as Tex-Mex. The fresh fruit is very delicious--nothing quite like a tree ripened banana. Or a frozen banana dipped in chocolate.
We keep the washers and driers in the dorm going--and are very glad for the hot showers! Our Common Hope host, Abby, has been great--making sure we are comfortable, answering tons of questions, and keeping up with changes in our work assignments. We're doing fine!
Take a look at some pictures!
Take a look at Common Hope{s vision team daily diary and you can see pictures of us! Here is the link: http://www.commonhope.org/visionteamphotodiary/index.htm. Enjoy!
Monday, August 3, 2009
First work day
This was our first day of work. We signed up for various assignments, both morning and afternoon.
Each day five or six of us are signed up for construction work. The crew this morning worked on materials for a house being built this week in San Pedro, a nearby village. Last week a group of volunteers made cement squares that will be used for the floor. Today we took the forms off the squares, cleaned up the forms, and then took 48 squares, along with sand, rock and concrete mix to the building site. We could only take the truck to the end of a road--from there the materials had to be hauled either on our backs or in unweildy wheelbarrows. Morgan, Deb, Katie, Joanie, and Charlotte figured they hadn't been so sweaty, tired and dirty in a long time--but they helped get the goods delivered.
Meanwhile, Claire, Nan, Sarah, Stacey and Alex unpacked and inventoried school supplies at the warehouse. Later Sarah, Stacey and Alex worked in the kitchen making great tamales to serve for dinner tonight. Claire and Nan also spent time in the library looking for lost and damaged books. Bridget spent the morning translating letters written by students to their English speaking sponsors.
After a presentation about the sponsorship program and how it works to benefit students and their families, we split up again for various assignments: The afternoon construction crew--Nan, Sarah, Bridget, Katie, and Stacey, laid out the forms for another set of concrete blocks and worked on building panels that will be used for the walls of the home in San Pedro. They had fun, but didn't get as dirty as the morning crew!
Morgan and Deb took the kitchen assignment, thinking they would be cooking--but they ended up hand washing pots, pans and dishes for 3 hours! The kitchen crew was really grateful! Charlotte and Alex were in a classroom in San Pedro with students in an afterschool tutoring program. Charlotte wondered how she would manage, given her limited Spanish--it turned out that her job was listening to a first grader sound out words and learn to read from a simple Spanish reader. After that, she and Alex worked with a third grader learning to count by fives. Claire and Joanie worked at the warehouse, packaging beans and corn that will be delivered to various families.
Tamalyn Guiterrez, the Guatemala director for Common Hope, spoke to our group before supper--telling us a bit about her own life and the history of Common Hope.
It{s easy to wonder what kind of contribution we can make in a week--eleven of us with limited language and no special skills--but so many projects here in Guatemala are so labor intensive--there is work to be done if you just have a willing set of hands and a cooperative spirit. The staff and long term volunteers are great--they are patient, willing to accept what we can do, and they make every effort to communicate with us. So--we are glad to be here. And all of us are headed for bed a little earlier than last night!
Each day five or six of us are signed up for construction work. The crew this morning worked on materials for a house being built this week in San Pedro, a nearby village. Last week a group of volunteers made cement squares that will be used for the floor. Today we took the forms off the squares, cleaned up the forms, and then took 48 squares, along with sand, rock and concrete mix to the building site. We could only take the truck to the end of a road--from there the materials had to be hauled either on our backs or in unweildy wheelbarrows. Morgan, Deb, Katie, Joanie, and Charlotte figured they hadn't been so sweaty, tired and dirty in a long time--but they helped get the goods delivered.
Meanwhile, Claire, Nan, Sarah, Stacey and Alex unpacked and inventoried school supplies at the warehouse. Later Sarah, Stacey and Alex worked in the kitchen making great tamales to serve for dinner tonight. Claire and Nan also spent time in the library looking for lost and damaged books. Bridget spent the morning translating letters written by students to their English speaking sponsors.
After a presentation about the sponsorship program and how it works to benefit students and their families, we split up again for various assignments: The afternoon construction crew--Nan, Sarah, Bridget, Katie, and Stacey, laid out the forms for another set of concrete blocks and worked on building panels that will be used for the walls of the home in San Pedro. They had fun, but didn't get as dirty as the morning crew!
Morgan and Deb took the kitchen assignment, thinking they would be cooking--but they ended up hand washing pots, pans and dishes for 3 hours! The kitchen crew was really grateful! Charlotte and Alex were in a classroom in San Pedro with students in an afterschool tutoring program. Charlotte wondered how she would manage, given her limited Spanish--it turned out that her job was listening to a first grader sound out words and learn to read from a simple Spanish reader. After that, she and Alex worked with a third grader learning to count by fives. Claire and Joanie worked at the warehouse, packaging beans and corn that will be delivered to various families.
Tamalyn Guiterrez, the Guatemala director for Common Hope, spoke to our group before supper--telling us a bit about her own life and the history of Common Hope.
It{s easy to wonder what kind of contribution we can make in a week--eleven of us with limited language and no special skills--but so many projects here in Guatemala are so labor intensive--there is work to be done if you just have a willing set of hands and a cooperative spirit. The staff and long term volunteers are great--they are patient, willing to accept what we can do, and they make every effort to communicate with us. So--we are glad to be here. And all of us are headed for bed a little earlier than last night!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Together at Common Hope
We're all here! Joanie, Sarah, Bridget and Katie flew down today--like the rest of us they had an early start from Minneapolis. Joanie got the earliest start, driving down from Duluth in the early morning hours! Deb, Morgan, Nan, Claire and Stacey had a relaxing day exploring more of Antigua. Alex and Charlotte traveled to Escuintla to spend the day with Alex's family.
Common Hope provides a nice dormitory space for volunteers and our team is settled in for the week. Everyone but Charlotte and Alex went to mass tonight. Go figure--the minister and her family are the only ones who didn{t go to church today!
We've signed up for work projects tomorrow--looks like each morning and afternoon 4 or 5 of us will be working on a construction project--building a house with a family--and the rest of us will help with various other projects.
Common Hope provides a nice dormitory space for volunteers and our team is settled in for the week. Everyone but Charlotte and Alex went to mass tonight. Go figure--the minister and her family are the only ones who didn{t go to church today!
We've signed up for work projects tomorrow--looks like each morning and afternoon 4 or 5 of us will be working on a construction project--building a house with a family--and the rest of us will help with various other projects.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Saturday, August 1
We spent today learning a little about Guatemala. We had a wonderful driver and guide by the name of Luis who took us to a Mayan ruin at Iximche. It is, by comparison, a modern ruin, still used by indigenous people here for rituals and ceremonies. It does not have the pictographs and bas reliefs that characterize the older sites, but still, it was quite impressive to see. Lus helped us with ordering lunch and tasting more typical Guatemalan food. Later in the afternoon we walked through the artisan market in Antigua, the regular market, and a general store. Aisles are really narrow, the place is crowded with people, and we all have funny stories to tell. We are ready for a good night´s sleep!
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