I can't remember if I've mentioned it yet, but I started taking Spanish lessons yesterday. I was worried that my teacher would be concerned with curriculum, but halleluiah, she too prefers to chat rather than look at assigned things. So I am learning tons and am also really enjoying the lessons. It's a very "learn while doing" type of experience which I much prefer. Plus, I am getting a cultural lesson too while we talk because we get into fairly intense discussions about politics, religion, and the troubled youth of today (she has two teenagers). We both enjoy maps so we put a big map of the world up on our white board where other instructors write vocabulary, and we discuss different cultures and laws and such. Her favorite thing to tell me is (in translation) "you talk so much, but you must fix all of these wrong things!" Apparently I passed 7 Spanish classes but never learned the very important verbs of haber and ser... But she is making sure I am now! What a firecracker.
It took some adjusting to start working on the tour less and shifting to other areas of work, but it's very fun now. After class today I went on a hunt for brown sugar. I haven't been able to find it in the supermarket. So I went from panderia (bakery) to panderia asking for brown sugar, but non of them have it. I finally ended up settling for something brown and granular but I'm told is not brown sugar, it is something "more special." Hmm... I think it is very similar to brown sugar, but they don't want to admit that it is the same thing and instead call it something different. I also found out today that I've been paying 2-3 quetzales (Guatemalan curency) more than I should be for bottles of coke. I normally pay 5 for a small glass bottle, whereas I'm told they should be 3! Apparently the gringo tax is hefty for coke. I will straighten out the local tienda though. And I finally told the coffee shop that is right down the street from Casasito, that they are the only place in town that charges Q10 for a small coffee. I told them that was no bueno and I didn't want anymore if it was going to be that over priced. Everywhere else in town coffee is Q6 for a medium. Maybe by the time I leave I will pay close to what Guatemalans pay for things. Maybe.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Back to work
So after that nice break in Semuc Champey, I refocused upon the reasons I am here. I've found that because Antigua feels so much like home now, it is actually more difficult now to do the more tedious jobs associated with my work. As I have mentioned earlier in this blog, I have three projects here: Santiago Zamora Tour, a personal business idea, and Los Patojos (I nixed Los Patojos). The tour is very easy, straight-forward work and to be honest, I've done about all I can do at this point. So I am now shifting focus to a business idea I am working on with a couple partners from school. I had an interview today with our microfinance wizz here at Casasito, and the outcome was hardly what I was expecting, but nonetheless very helpful. The woman I was interviewing expressed her views that donation-based NGO work is not particularly sustainable. This is a thought that has crossed my mind before, but I figured I would not worry about it until I was done working for one. So much for that.
The philosophical conclusion to our meeting was that if countries are ever going to get on the right path, it has to be from the people and the government. NGO's like Casasito definitely relieve some of the pain caused by poverty and corruption, but it is most often only temporary until the next war or genocide swings around, and actually makes it harder for the people and government to see that there is a great need for solutions to problems. It makes me question whether my work on the Tour is simply putting makeup on a zit that would otherwise be so hideous it couldn't be avoided. Obviously it's on a much larger scale than just one person, or even one organization, but still, it's by no means a new idea and is worth consideration.
The philosophical conclusion to our meeting was that if countries are ever going to get on the right path, it has to be from the people and the government. NGO's like Casasito definitely relieve some of the pain caused by poverty and corruption, but it is most often only temporary until the next war or genocide swings around, and actually makes it harder for the people and government to see that there is a great need for solutions to problems. It makes me question whether my work on the Tour is simply putting makeup on a zit that would otherwise be so hideous it couldn't be avoided. Obviously it's on a much larger scale than just one person, or even one organization, but still, it's by no means a new idea and is worth consideration.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Our Sore Muscles
Rather than bore everyone with pictureless words or wordless pictures... here is our weekend:
We left Antigua in the morning and had a typical shuttle ride and arrived a nice 2 1/2 hours late to Lanquin (the town nearest to Semuc Champey). We were unfortunately in the shuttle for 10 hours with the spitting images of the stereotypically loud, arrogant, and offensive American. After finally ridding ourselves of them at the first hostel we arrived at in Lanquin, we stepped out of the van to finally stretch out legs, and then the tropical rainy season finally decided to let loose. This picture shows the few drops that hit us during our transfer to the more mountain-capable truck that took us to our final destination as dusk fell.
Here is the place we stayed. The loft of the building with the red roof hiding in the trees on the left was our humble abode. The river was about 50ft down the bank, turquoise blue.
Our private little climbing session, right below our hut.
The next morning we began the Semuc tour. Two other people hiked with us up to a good 1000ft above the ponds to a vantage point (mirador), and those ponds behind us are those of Semuc Chammpey. Pictures don't do the height justice. It is a truly extraordinary height. 1000ft is very likely a low-ball estimate.
Hilary, happy to bask in the cool turquoise pools after the "death hike" to the mirador. For those who don't know about one of the world's great wonders, there exists a type of fish which are used in South East Asia for feet massages. I got one when I was in Bangkok last year and was forever in love with the small fish that swarm your legs and feet and eat all of your dead skin, leaving your skin feeling fresher than a baby's... After dangling our feet in the ponds for a while we realized that some similar fish existed in the Semuc ponds, so we allowed them to feast upon our calloused and abused feet. It was a big scary at first because the larger fish were just as visible only a couple feet below and whenever they swam close it was quite difficult to keep our feet in the water.
Because I can't seem to grow my own facial hair, I thought I would make a water beard for myself... The pools were absent of foreigners/tourists for the majority of our time in them. The majority of the pools' baskers were locals. Quite the phenomenon at such an incredibly tourist-prone location. I think the 10 hour drive, the last 2 of which are on dirt roads in the middle of the jungle, keeps many tourists away.
After lunch and a leisurely innertubing down the river, we adorned our headlamps and followed a guide into a set of 11km deep caves. Although we had candles to help light our way, we found that treading water and swimming through pools and climbing up cavernous waterfalls was much harder to do when trying to keep a candle that drips hot wax on to your hand afloat and lit. We left them behind and left the lighting to our 21st century devices. After venturing 500 meters into the caves (the furthest you can go without a wetsuit), we stopped at a particularly deep pool and climbed up the walls of the narrow cave and took turns jumping carefully between the walls and plunging to the bottom of the pool. Then we turned around and hiked back out. It was all quite fantastic in the literal sense. What an experience. By the time we got back to the hostel for dinner we had gone through 6 liters of drinking water, but our muscles still ached and groaned with every step. This trip is well worth the 20+ hours of treacherous driving time for anybody who is traveling to Guatemala. Also, note, the best place to stay is the hostel we were at: El Portal. It is literally in the park. All of the others are 2-12km away.
Hilary takes off tomorrow morning and then I will be back to work after my 3 day break.
We left Antigua in the morning and had a typical shuttle ride and arrived a nice 2 1/2 hours late to Lanquin (the town nearest to Semuc Champey). We were unfortunately in the shuttle for 10 hours with the spitting images of the stereotypically loud, arrogant, and offensive American. After finally ridding ourselves of them at the first hostel we arrived at in Lanquin, we stepped out of the van to finally stretch out legs, and then the tropical rainy season finally decided to let loose. This picture shows the few drops that hit us during our transfer to the more mountain-capable truck that took us to our final destination as dusk fell.
Here is the place we stayed. The loft of the building with the red roof hiding in the trees on the left was our humble abode. The river was about 50ft down the bank, turquoise blue.
Our private little climbing session, right below our hut.
The next morning we began the Semuc tour. Two other people hiked with us up to a good 1000ft above the ponds to a vantage point (mirador), and those ponds behind us are those of Semuc Chammpey. Pictures don't do the height justice. It is a truly extraordinary height. 1000ft is very likely a low-ball estimate.
Hilary, happy to bask in the cool turquoise pools after the "death hike" to the mirador. For those who don't know about one of the world's great wonders, there exists a type of fish which are used in South East Asia for feet massages. I got one when I was in Bangkok last year and was forever in love with the small fish that swarm your legs and feet and eat all of your dead skin, leaving your skin feeling fresher than a baby's... After dangling our feet in the ponds for a while we realized that some similar fish existed in the Semuc ponds, so we allowed them to feast upon our calloused and abused feet. It was a big scary at first because the larger fish were just as visible only a couple feet below and whenever they swam close it was quite difficult to keep our feet in the water.
Because I can't seem to grow my own facial hair, I thought I would make a water beard for myself... The pools were absent of foreigners/tourists for the majority of our time in them. The majority of the pools' baskers were locals. Quite the phenomenon at such an incredibly tourist-prone location. I think the 10 hour drive, the last 2 of which are on dirt roads in the middle of the jungle, keeps many tourists away.
After lunch and a leisurely innertubing down the river, we adorned our headlamps and followed a guide into a set of 11km deep caves. Although we had candles to help light our way, we found that treading water and swimming through pools and climbing up cavernous waterfalls was much harder to do when trying to keep a candle that drips hot wax on to your hand afloat and lit. We left them behind and left the lighting to our 21st century devices. After venturing 500 meters into the caves (the furthest you can go without a wetsuit), we stopped at a particularly deep pool and climbed up the walls of the narrow cave and took turns jumping carefully between the walls and plunging to the bottom of the pool. Then we turned around and hiked back out. It was all quite fantastic in the literal sense. What an experience. By the time we got back to the hostel for dinner we had gone through 6 liters of drinking water, but our muscles still ached and groaned with every step. This trip is well worth the 20+ hours of treacherous driving time for anybody who is traveling to Guatemala. Also, note, the best place to stay is the hostel we were at: El Portal. It is literally in the park. All of the others are 2-12km away.
Hilary takes off tomorrow morning and then I will be back to work after my 3 day break.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Vamos
Yesterday was a sick day for Hilary and I. Hilary actually managed to go to her Spanish lessons while I took refuge in the bathroom for the better part of the morning. A day of rice and salt and we were back on our feet again today! Actually, I felt completely fine and spunky by lunch yesterday, Hilary's bout was more drawn out.
Today was Hilary's last day in Antigua so we spent a lot of time researching just how much stuff she is allowed to bring as checked baggage home, and then the rest of the time combing the market, filling Delta's baggage allowances. After some careful alterations of some hammocks, I only have some rough-hewn wooden rods sticking out of my pack, awaiting the fast approaching end to my stay in Guatemala and their ultimate reunion with their respective hammocks being brought home by Hilary.
Tomorrow morning we are headed off to a place called Semuc Champey. It is slowly becoming more of a hot-spot in the Central American ecotourism scene, due to its Crater Lake-like blue water ponds and falls, and its deep caves. It's 17 hours of driving in a public shuttle in total. We hope it is worth it. There are no phones or electricity there so sayonara until Friday night!
Today was Hilary's last day in Antigua so we spent a lot of time researching just how much stuff she is allowed to bring as checked baggage home, and then the rest of the time combing the market, filling Delta's baggage allowances. After some careful alterations of some hammocks, I only have some rough-hewn wooden rods sticking out of my pack, awaiting the fast approaching end to my stay in Guatemala and their ultimate reunion with their respective hammocks being brought home by Hilary.
Tomorrow morning we are headed off to a place called Semuc Champey. It is slowly becoming more of a hot-spot in the Central American ecotourism scene, due to its Crater Lake-like blue water ponds and falls, and its deep caves. It's 17 hours of driving in a public shuttle in total. We hope it is worth it. There are no phones or electricity there so sayonara until Friday night!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
A weekend
Where to start... Early yesterday morning we left Casasito and met our friend Ganzalo at a coffee shop. Gonzalo was an exchange student who stayed with my friends in Hood River a couple or few years ago. We started the day off with a beautiful drive from Antigua to the coastal region. Gonzo stopped and took us to a big water park/amusement park (we opted for the water). We spent a few hours doing all of the big slides there and then started back on our way through a bunch of villages I had read about in books before coming down here. He showed us the city where he goes to school (Xela, pronounced 'shayla') and then we proceeded on to his home town of San Pedro Sacatepequez in the San Marco province. It is not in the 'highlands' but it is at about 6000' elevation. He introduced us to his Mom (his dad is running a race this weekend), his sisters, aunt, grandma and grandpa. A very welcoming family served us food and water and then Gonzalo took us out to get Pupusas, an El Salvadorian dish which is essentially a delicious filling of meat and beans and other things fried inside of a big tortilla! Very yummy. We spent the night at his house which is right downtown San Pedro.
This morning we were fed a delicious traditional breakfast and then made our way back to Antigua. After about 3 hours of passing road-side stands selling things I realized that these goods must be cheaper than in Antigua, so I asked Gonzalo and he confirmed and so we stopped and had a little shopping spree up in the highlands in a beautiful little hillside market. An hour later we stopped in a little food paradise that resembled a logging camp in the old west (of the States). We were served a delicious and huge lunch with the traditionally made tortillas which I was stoked to have because as I was bummed to find out, the traditional tortillas are no longer the norm here due to the cheap price and labor-nonintensive corn flour available in stores. A couple more hours and here we are! Back in Antigua. Both Hilary and I agree it feels like we left Casasito some time last week, not yesterday morning. It is a peculiar feeling. Annndd... pictures!
Group photo
A little post-lunch teeter tottering
Some cute little girls at the road-side market
This morning we were fed a delicious traditional breakfast and then made our way back to Antigua. After about 3 hours of passing road-side stands selling things I realized that these goods must be cheaper than in Antigua, so I asked Gonzalo and he confirmed and so we stopped and had a little shopping spree up in the highlands in a beautiful little hillside market. An hour later we stopped in a little food paradise that resembled a logging camp in the old west (of the States). We were served a delicious and huge lunch with the traditionally made tortillas which I was stoked to have because as I was bummed to find out, the traditional tortillas are no longer the norm here due to the cheap price and labor-nonintensive corn flour available in stores. A couple more hours and here we are! Back in Antigua. Both Hilary and I agree it feels like we left Casasito some time last week, not yesterday morning. It is a peculiar feeling. Annndd... pictures!
Group photo
A little post-lunch teeter tottering
Some cute little girls at the road-side market
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Dos Dias
Yesterday was a pretty average, non-eventful day. Other than going to see our Brazilian friend Paulo play at an open mic, and his friend singing T-Pain while playing a ukelele... not much eventful happened.
Today we did our usual routine of Hilary: Spanish, Me: Send emails, walk and talk to schools for two hours. But the director of Casasito, Alice, asked me yesterday if Hilary and I would go to the Los Patojos project today and conduct a survey for a Canadian elementary school program. So I agreed and Hilary translated the questions in her Spanish lessons, and then we went forth with our laptops and ventured to Jocotenango (the village where Los Patojos is) and did our thing. If you remember from earlier blogs, Los Patojos is crazy, so it was quite the interview session. We were interviewing kids from ages 6-9 ish about life in Guatemala so that the Canadian elementary school could teach their kids about Guatemalan life. We both remembered doing similar things in elementary school, so it was kind of fun! I'm not sure how accurate the survey was though... There were some 12 year old boys whispering answers and intimidating the younger ones, especially the girls, during their interviews.
It was a blast though, and Hilary actually took some pictures!
Hilary insisted on taking a Tuktuk back to Antigua
Me showing the movie Flyboys to the kids
And for some good affirmation of my decision not to try and compete with traffic on a motorcycle here... On my way to coffee this morning I ran into a crowd around an unconscious man being put on to a gurney and a crushed bike.
Today we did our usual routine of Hilary: Spanish, Me: Send emails, walk and talk to schools for two hours. But the director of Casasito, Alice, asked me yesterday if Hilary and I would go to the Los Patojos project today and conduct a survey for a Canadian elementary school program. So I agreed and Hilary translated the questions in her Spanish lessons, and then we went forth with our laptops and ventured to Jocotenango (the village where Los Patojos is) and did our thing. If you remember from earlier blogs, Los Patojos is crazy, so it was quite the interview session. We were interviewing kids from ages 6-9 ish about life in Guatemala so that the Canadian elementary school could teach their kids about Guatemalan life. We both remembered doing similar things in elementary school, so it was kind of fun! I'm not sure how accurate the survey was though... There were some 12 year old boys whispering answers and intimidating the younger ones, especially the girls, during their interviews.
It was a blast though, and Hilary actually took some pictures!
Hilary insisted on taking a Tuktuk back to Antigua
Me showing the movie Flyboys to the kids
And for some good affirmation of my decision not to try and compete with traffic on a motorcycle here... On my way to coffee this morning I ran into a crowd around an unconscious man being put on to a gurney and a crushed bike.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Any title suggestions?
Yesterday: After deciding on a Spanish school, Hilary started adjusting to Guatemalan speed... Work from 8-12 then eat and sleep for a couple hours, then do a little more work or food-prep from 2-5.
I received some very welcome news from two sources yesterday about the tour. One was from the ladies of Santiago Zamora, telling me that one of the Spanish schools I had talked to had gone on a tour last Friday. Also, the school Hilary is attending and which is the largest school in Antigua, after some negotiation, committed to doing at least 1 tour every other week. This was big news for both me and the ladies of Santiago Zamora.
I'm starting to understand the reason that I am needed here. The ladies are perfectly capable of running the tour all by themselves. The problem for them, as they told me, is that when they walk into a Spanish school in their native dress, they look no different than the random beggars who walk into doorways banging their cups on the counter. Whereas when I show up with my legal pad and pen, with a polished pitch and "American" clothes, the desk attendant doesn't shoo me out, they call the director. The sad part about this is that I understand this, don't see it changing, and have not a single idea of how to fix it for the long-term.
Right now I think I may ask the head lady of Santiago Zamora to start coming to the schools with me so that I can introduce her as my boss, and forge the relationship between her and the school so that when she walks in she is served a glass of cold water, not a dirty look and a "get out of here, beggar."
The problem with this is that directors come and go in many of the schools, or some other white person walks in 6 months later with shiny brochures and a polished pitch and the director switches to back to the for-profit tours. I can't figure out how to make it stick.
But overall, progress is being made!
I received some very welcome news from two sources yesterday about the tour. One was from the ladies of Santiago Zamora, telling me that one of the Spanish schools I had talked to had gone on a tour last Friday. Also, the school Hilary is attending and which is the largest school in Antigua, after some negotiation, committed to doing at least 1 tour every other week. This was big news for both me and the ladies of Santiago Zamora.
I'm starting to understand the reason that I am needed here. The ladies are perfectly capable of running the tour all by themselves. The problem for them, as they told me, is that when they walk into a Spanish school in their native dress, they look no different than the random beggars who walk into doorways banging their cups on the counter. Whereas when I show up with my legal pad and pen, with a polished pitch and "American" clothes, the desk attendant doesn't shoo me out, they call the director. The sad part about this is that I understand this, don't see it changing, and have not a single idea of how to fix it for the long-term.
Right now I think I may ask the head lady of Santiago Zamora to start coming to the schools with me so that I can introduce her as my boss, and forge the relationship between her and the school so that when she walks in she is served a glass of cold water, not a dirty look and a "get out of here, beggar."
The problem with this is that directors come and go in many of the schools, or some other white person walks in 6 months later with shiny brochures and a polished pitch and the director switches to back to the for-profit tours. I can't figure out how to make it stick.
But overall, progress is being made!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
A Friend
After a night of stressful flights, Hilary arrived this morning. She had to sit at the airport from 6am until 11 when my shuttle finally arrived. I apparently food poisoned myself though with the pizza I made (I think a risky looking bag of dry yeast for the dough is to blame). Anyways, I got about as much sleep as Hilary, and woke up puking and other sorts... So I took a shower and brought an empty yogurt container on to the shuttle and proceeded to ride with my head hanging out of the window for an hour while the driver picked other people up. After this ridiculous delay, we finally left Antigua. After several mysterious stops at random houses, we finally got to the airport and picked up Hilary. 2 more hours of mysterious stops followed this, and then finally we were Antigua-bound. I don't recommend that driver. What a nightmare.
But we made it and Hilary took some pictures at dinner because we were both too exhausted/distrustful of home cooking to stay in. So here we go!
A little clothing repair...
Doña Luisa's wonderful restaurant and bakery
Hilary Fighting off sleep deprivation!
"We'll take your picture if you take ours"
But we made it and Hilary took some pictures at dinner because we were both too exhausted/distrustful of home cooking to stay in. So here we go!
A little clothing repair...
Doña Luisa's wonderful restaurant and bakery
Hilary Fighting off sleep deprivation!
"We'll take your picture if you take ours"
Friday, May 13, 2011
A success
I visited the Los Patojos project yesterday. (This is a project I was thinking about volunteering at during my spare time). In short, Los Patojos is the manifestation of the absence of Ritalin in the village of Jocotenango. I don't mean this in an "these kids should be sedated" sort of way. It is just where all of the kids who for some reason don't do, can't handle, or have been kicked out of regular schools go. The only regulation that seemed to be in place was "smoke on the street." They let the kids choose what they want to study. So in one room there is one kid trying his best to break holes in a drum set, in another, breakdancing, and so forth. My personal opinion was that this should be an after school program, not simply a school. As many of you might think, it is weird that I would be against a "choose for yourself" curriculum. The problem is that these kids sit for maybe 5 minutes and actually practice something. As I sat and observed, I witnessed so much impulsive behavior that I felt like screaming. A kid would go pet the dog, run to a guitar, strum it, run to the sink, get a drink, run to the patio, breakdance, run to a classroom with an active lesson, scream, and so on. Multiply this times the 150 kids squeezed into small dirty area, and it was chaos. I couldn't see the "superior learning" that I was being told existed in that environment compared to the traditional schools. Yes, I saw kids physically in a school who otherwise wouldn't have been, but they were not "in school." They were only seeing their impulsive and undisciplined behavior get positive reinforcement. Casasito is one of the only organizations who fund Los Patojos. The director reminds me very much of the main character in the movie recently nominated for an Oscar Exit Through the Gift Shop. In short, I have a project that I may design and give to them to use in their teen program, but I can't work there. I have listened to the rationale for this approach to education, I have witnessed it in-person, and I definitively have concluded that these children are not as well prepared to enter the globalizing world as their peers in San Mateo and Santiago Zamora are.
Today I made some good progress on the tour. I had a very formal (for Guatemalan standards) meeting with the owner of Christian Spanish Academy, and the director. This was my first big meeting here and I was nervous about deliberately showing up late, as is the custom here. David, the owner, commented on my Guatemalan timing, and was very pleased with it. The meeting went off very well, and they are planning on adding the tour to their schedule of activities. CSA alone will hopefully provide an extra Q2000 of income per month for the Santiago Zamora ladies, which is a huge amount for them and a definitive success for my project.
Hilary will be arriving tomorrow! Which means you all will finally get some pictures.
Today I made some good progress on the tour. I had a very formal (for Guatemalan standards) meeting with the owner of Christian Spanish Academy, and the director. This was my first big meeting here and I was nervous about deliberately showing up late, as is the custom here. David, the owner, commented on my Guatemalan timing, and was very pleased with it. The meeting went off very well, and they are planning on adding the tour to their schedule of activities. CSA alone will hopefully provide an extra Q2000 of income per month for the Santiago Zamora ladies, which is a huge amount for them and a definitive success for my project.
Hilary will be arriving tomorrow! Which means you all will finally get some pictures.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Day of decisions
So I had to decide on the motorcycle today. Those who are reading this and wish me to stay alive will probably be glad to hear that I decided against buying it. Apparently my haggling skills suck. We started the negotiations off at the guy's asking price of Q2500 (roughly $390) and somehow we ended up at a firm Q3000! How did that happen? I decided that the extra money just wasn't worth it. So I bought myself a consolation prize. A ukelele. It is a cheap piece of crud but maybe I can learn those Jack Johnson songs that just don't sound right on the piano.
The project goes well. If anybody ever wants information on Spanish schools in Antigua, I will have visited them all by the time I've left. The vast majority of them are simply the result of the following dinner conversation: "hey honey, we could park the car on the street during the day, paint 'spanish school' over the garage-door entrance, and start a Spanish school to earn some extra money."
Lesson of the day: a band's website may look as good as that of a famous band's, but in the end who do you want to hand over $50 to go see? The same can be said for Spanish schools.
There's this little kid in the central park who always tries to get me to let him shine my shoes. I would have given in by now, but my shoes are beat-up Sperry Top Siders... Can you even shine those? I mean, I have no doubt he can. He is my favorite person to talk to though. We discuss the philosophy of whether or not my shoes could possibly be shined. He insists they could and should. Obviously I have my doubts. But I have decided that my last day here I will let him give it a go. So much for the last two years of wear and tear that has made them look what I consider to be fashionable.
The project goes well. If anybody ever wants information on Spanish schools in Antigua, I will have visited them all by the time I've left. The vast majority of them are simply the result of the following dinner conversation: "hey honey, we could park the car on the street during the day, paint 'spanish school' over the garage-door entrance, and start a Spanish school to earn some extra money."
Lesson of the day: a band's website may look as good as that of a famous band's, but in the end who do you want to hand over $50 to go see? The same can be said for Spanish schools.
There's this little kid in the central park who always tries to get me to let him shine my shoes. I would have given in by now, but my shoes are beat-up Sperry Top Siders... Can you even shine those? I mean, I have no doubt he can. He is my favorite person to talk to though. We discuss the philosophy of whether or not my shoes could possibly be shined. He insists they could and should. Obviously I have my doubts. But I have decided that my last day here I will let him give it a go. So much for the last two years of wear and tear that has made them look what I consider to be fashionable.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Mother's Day
It is Mother's Day here. Unfortunately one of the mothers in our San Mateo project woke up to a dead son. There is no doctor in San Mateo but hepatitis seems to be the suspect. I'm not sure what to say other than that this seems to be uncommon. Casasito is trying to pay for the siblings to see a doctor in Antigua as a preventative measure, but apparently the village members explained the "truth" about what vaccinations are to the mother; they explained that a vaccination is just a doctor injecting the disease they are trying to avoid into people. So the mother thinks that her options are to hope that her remaining children didn't become infected, or to guarantee their infection by getting them vaccinated.
I used to think that in international aid, keeping people alive with medicine was more important than sending them to school. That, however, is treating only the symptom. The illness that ails these villages is not something tangible medicine can treat. All you can hope for is that each generation will reject more of their parents' fallacies and keep learning to read and speak in a language that allows them to seek knowledge beyond that of their village's.
Meanwhile, the volunteer here who works at San Mateo is loading a miniature coffin on top of a crowded chicken bus in order to give to the mother of one of his students the ability to bury her son in more than the t-shirt he died in.
I used to think that in international aid, keeping people alive with medicine was more important than sending them to school. That, however, is treating only the symptom. The illness that ails these villages is not something tangible medicine can treat. All you can hope for is that each generation will reject more of their parents' fallacies and keep learning to read and speak in a language that allows them to seek knowledge beyond that of their village's.
Meanwhile, the volunteer here who works at San Mateo is loading a miniature coffin on top of a crowded chicken bus in order to give to the mother of one of his students the ability to bury her son in more than the t-shirt he died in.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Climbing
I found the climbing gym. I will see you all again in a couple years.
Ahh, not really. But it turns out there is a climbing wall about three blocks from the volunteer house. One of the head volunteers from Brazil (Paulo) took me and my volunteer friend from Vermont (Jacob) to this rumored gym. It kind of felt like we were looking for some underground secret society meeting, walking around the dark back alleys looking for this indefinite location. Once we found it though I was quite astonished. What a wall! There was quite a group there, guys and gals climbing some pretty tough stuff. Of course they insisted that I lead the hardest, most exposed route there as my first climb. Porque no? So I gave it a shot. I made it all the way out on this overhanging ceiling that sticks out from the wall about 20 ft and my arms started to shake. Then I realized;
"Taylor, you just wandered into this random gym, picked up some frayed harness, put on some very used shoes that probably are giving you athletes foot, you are being belayed by a guy who's language you don't understand, and are about to fall with 40ft of air and a cement floor below you. What are you doing?" Then my stomach added it's two cents: "Why did you go eat a huge German meal and pint of beer before going climbing?" In all fairness, I didn't know I was going climbing... A long story short, I fell. But luckily everything worked out. But my stomach still isn't happy about the German food.
I also restrategized my approach to marketing the tour to Spanish schools today and talked to 5 schools, two of which were very promissing. One said that they might have too many people who would want to go! So that was a boost because I was Mr. cranky this morning because my original plan was failing so spectacularly miserably. (I walked for 4 hours in the hot sun chasing addresses that had changed or never existed).
In short, lesson of the day is, do things the Guatemalan way: eat a big lunch, not dinner and don't have a plan, things will work out if you let them find you. I don't think the shower is going to wander into my room presenting me with shampoo anytime soon though, so I'm going to stop typing and go to it.
Buenas noches
Ahh, not really. But it turns out there is a climbing wall about three blocks from the volunteer house. One of the head volunteers from Brazil (Paulo) took me and my volunteer friend from Vermont (Jacob) to this rumored gym. It kind of felt like we were looking for some underground secret society meeting, walking around the dark back alleys looking for this indefinite location. Once we found it though I was quite astonished. What a wall! There was quite a group there, guys and gals climbing some pretty tough stuff. Of course they insisted that I lead the hardest, most exposed route there as my first climb. Porque no? So I gave it a shot. I made it all the way out on this overhanging ceiling that sticks out from the wall about 20 ft and my arms started to shake. Then I realized;
"Taylor, you just wandered into this random gym, picked up some frayed harness, put on some very used shoes that probably are giving you athletes foot, you are being belayed by a guy who's language you don't understand, and are about to fall with 40ft of air and a cement floor below you. What are you doing?" Then my stomach added it's two cents: "Why did you go eat a huge German meal and pint of beer before going climbing?" In all fairness, I didn't know I was going climbing... A long story short, I fell. But luckily everything worked out. But my stomach still isn't happy about the German food.
I also restrategized my approach to marketing the tour to Spanish schools today and talked to 5 schools, two of which were very promissing. One said that they might have too many people who would want to go! So that was a boost because I was Mr. cranky this morning because my original plan was failing so spectacularly miserably. (I walked for 4 hours in the hot sun chasing addresses that had changed or never existed).
In short, lesson of the day is, do things the Guatemalan way: eat a big lunch, not dinner and don't have a plan, things will work out if you let them find you. I don't think the shower is going to wander into my room presenting me with shampoo anytime soon though, so I'm going to stop typing and go to it.
Buenas noches
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Music
Today Antigua was full of music. It was a music festival. I was pretty impressed with the sound system they had going... The sub woofers were as loud and ridiculous as ones at Snoop Dog concerts. I sat and ate a gelato-filled crepe while listening to a very good marimba group. I'm anxious to get back to work tomorrow.
Motorcycle
The motorcycle plan might work out! I found a guy who might sell me his tiny little piece of crud 100cc bike for $400 and then buy it back for half when I leave. Stay tuned.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Transition
Today felt like I live here all the time. It was the first day like that, where I woke up, went to the coffee shop and got my coffee, came back, did some work, and then realized I was in Guatemala, not Burlington or Hood River.
I met with Silke in the morning. I don't know if I've introduced her yet, but she is the lady who is really in charge of the tour, and is the person I am learning from for the tour project. Then I went out and talked to some Spanish schools about the tour. They were very receptive, which could either be indicative of Guatemalan courtesy or their actual interest. I don't really know at this point. But I will email them all again on Monday, and then visit them again sometime next week.
I spent the evening developing my own Guatemalan peanut sauce, which was a complete success, and learning card games from the three of the four other volunteers staying in the volunteer house . I'm terrible at all card games so this was more entertainment for them than me.
I was originally planning on getting a motorcycle while here, but then I kind of thought it would be useless, but after walking so much today I think it would be useful... I will see. If I do get one then that is one time where I guarantee that I will take a picture for once!
Hasta luego
I met with Silke in the morning. I don't know if I've introduced her yet, but she is the lady who is really in charge of the tour, and is the person I am learning from for the tour project. Then I went out and talked to some Spanish schools about the tour. They were very receptive, which could either be indicative of Guatemalan courtesy or their actual interest. I don't really know at this point. But I will email them all again on Monday, and then visit them again sometime next week.
I spent the evening developing my own Guatemalan peanut sauce, which was a complete success, and learning card games from the three of the four other volunteers staying in the volunteer house . I'm terrible at all card games so this was more entertainment for them than me.
I was originally planning on getting a motorcycle while here, but then I kind of thought it would be useless, but after walking so much today I think it would be useful... I will see. If I do get one then that is one time where I guarantee that I will take a picture for once!
Hasta luego
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Dia lost count
I finally started getting to work on my primary project today of promoting the tour in Santiago Zamora. I'll just be generating interest by going and talking too Spanish schools and Hotels and forming relationships which eventually, maybe not while I'm here, will help send more tourists on the tour. I also decided to start doing field research for a business idea that some friends of mine from school have been developing. I won't bore you with trying to describe this idea, but it is simply put, sustainable banking. So that's second priority. Third priority project is working at the after school program at Los Patojos. I don't know anything about it other than that it is a very wild, loud, and excited atmosphere of children learning. I hear it is less disciplined, and thus more popular with the kids, than Profe Chris's in Santiago Zamora. So I will find out next week I think.
I accidentally made a sandwich for lunch with sweet bread and it was terrible. So I still felt hungry and went to the super market looking for ingredients to make vegetable curry with. But I looked for lemongrass until the ladies were staring at me pacing back and forth with my brow furrowed and looking insane. I couldn't find it! So I figured that a Thai restaurant must have it and that they would sell me some, so I walked until I found a Thai restaurant and I spent a half hour trying to explain to a poor Guatemalan waitress what I wanted, and that no, it was not a manzana (apple). How do you describe lemongrass with a vocabulary of a two-year-old!? Finally she told me that the owner spoke English and would be back tomorrow. So I told her I would come then. I asked everybody I know here how to say or explain lemongrass, but nobody knows.
Anyways... I was invited by the founder of Casasito, Alice, to her house with some other volunteers for a traditional 7 course Chinese meal (cooked by her sister, they are both from China). Who would have thought I would have to come to Guatemala to experience a traditional Chinese feast? It was incredible. One of the best meals of my life. And I got to do a lot of listening to conversations and was able to understand some of them, but I got lost when one story was telling about a little girl who can tell when women are pregnant telepathically... I just laughed when everybody else did during that one. And it sounds like there is a rock climbing wall near here... I will find that. But at the end of dinner I realized I had tasted lemongrass in one of the dishes. So I asked Alice my question of how to say lemongrass or describe it in Spanish, but she didn't answer. But she pointed to her courtyard and said that she grows it and I can have some! Halleluiah! The day was a success. Tomorrow I will have curry. If I can ever find my way back to her house...
Oh and Alice was apparently taking pictures the whole week. She sent some to me so I guess you guys get pictures after all!
I accidentally made a sandwich for lunch with sweet bread and it was terrible. So I still felt hungry and went to the super market looking for ingredients to make vegetable curry with. But I looked for lemongrass until the ladies were staring at me pacing back and forth with my brow furrowed and looking insane. I couldn't find it! So I figured that a Thai restaurant must have it and that they would sell me some, so I walked until I found a Thai restaurant and I spent a half hour trying to explain to a poor Guatemalan waitress what I wanted, and that no, it was not a manzana (apple). How do you describe lemongrass with a vocabulary of a two-year-old!? Finally she told me that the owner spoke English and would be back tomorrow. So I told her I would come then. I asked everybody I know here how to say or explain lemongrass, but nobody knows.
Anyways... I was invited by the founder of Casasito, Alice, to her house with some other volunteers for a traditional 7 course Chinese meal (cooked by her sister, they are both from China). Who would have thought I would have to come to Guatemala to experience a traditional Chinese feast? It was incredible. One of the best meals of my life. And I got to do a lot of listening to conversations and was able to understand some of them, but I got lost when one story was telling about a little girl who can tell when women are pregnant telepathically... I just laughed when everybody else did during that one. And it sounds like there is a rock climbing wall near here... I will find that. But at the end of dinner I realized I had tasted lemongrass in one of the dishes. So I asked Alice my question of how to say lemongrass or describe it in Spanish, but she didn't answer. But she pointed to her courtyard and said that she grows it and I can have some! Halleluiah! The day was a success. Tomorrow I will have curry. If I can ever find my way back to her house...
Oh and Alice was apparently taking pictures the whole week. She sent some to me so I guess you guys get pictures after all!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Dia 3
The coffee plantation was great! We got to talk to the owner who is the 5th generation of the estate's original founders. He was very honest about Antigua coffee and where it fits into the coffee aficionado's cup. He explained how it is best to mix Antigua coffee with other less acidic types in order to make a more well rounded blend. I never had much time for blends in the past, so this was proof of my ignorance! He also showed me the Cuban cigars he liked best and I bought one so that I can check that item off of my bucket list. The plantation was all organic and it was great to see the individual farmers so enthusiastic about it. We also got a tour of the Mayan instruments. Interesting to hear about the legends about how the marimba originated with the Mayans, although there is no evidence to support that the pre-Columbian Mayas ever played marimbas, and much evidence to support the theory that the marimba came across the Atlantic with the African slaves. The Mayan collection of instruments is a confluence of seemingly every global culture. They have instruments from Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and of their own origins.
Other than that, no philosophy for today!
Oh and I almost forgot. I went and helped with Casasito's debate club tonight. Each of the scholarship recipients from Casasito are required to participate in extracurricular activities, and the debate club is one. It is a competition and tonight was the semi-finals. The finals are in 3 weeks, so stay tuned! But I was the official timer and did my best to follow along with their arguments and questions. At one point a girl giving her presentation broke down and couldn't talk anymore. She was so cute that I felt really bad for her. After the presentations her teacher Amanda, a Casasito staff, asked her what was wrong, expecting to hear that she did not like speaking in front of a bunch of people, including three white foreigners. But as Amanda says, she often forgets what large problems these kids face. It turns out that the girl's parents were "broken" and she felt very unsafe and lots of girls are being raped in her village and she doesn't know what to do or who to turn to. She finally just couldn't take it all and lost her composure. It is gut-wrenching. What do you do in a situation like that? This girl is a very successful student to a) be receiving a scholarship from Casasito, and b) to be in the semi finals of these debates. You can't take her from the village because there are thousands more like her. I guess the truth is that progression is slow. Maybe like the women in Santiago Zamora this girl will understand the benefits of learning to speak and read Spanish, how to succeed, and how to fight Maybe she won't escape the tragedy that is her village, but her kids might, or their kids might. The grandchildren of Feno Mena in Santiago Zamora are on their way. Hopefully I can help them by not only providing their grandmothers and mothers with income from the tours, but also by giving them a sense of purpose by showing them that people in other countries support them and that their decisions are despite what their taunting neighbors say, rational, moral, and parallel to their religious sentiments.
So now I know why I'm here. There is something for me to really do, and I hope that I can start doing something tomorrow.
Buenas noches
P.S. sorry about the lack of pictures. I am not a camera guy. Maybe they will happen at some point. Who knows?
Other than that, no philosophy for today!
Oh and I almost forgot. I went and helped with Casasito's debate club tonight. Each of the scholarship recipients from Casasito are required to participate in extracurricular activities, and the debate club is one. It is a competition and tonight was the semi-finals. The finals are in 3 weeks, so stay tuned! But I was the official timer and did my best to follow along with their arguments and questions. At one point a girl giving her presentation broke down and couldn't talk anymore. She was so cute that I felt really bad for her. After the presentations her teacher Amanda, a Casasito staff, asked her what was wrong, expecting to hear that she did not like speaking in front of a bunch of people, including three white foreigners. But as Amanda says, she often forgets what large problems these kids face. It turns out that the girl's parents were "broken" and she felt very unsafe and lots of girls are being raped in her village and she doesn't know what to do or who to turn to. She finally just couldn't take it all and lost her composure. It is gut-wrenching. What do you do in a situation like that? This girl is a very successful student to a) be receiving a scholarship from Casasito, and b) to be in the semi finals of these debates. You can't take her from the village because there are thousands more like her. I guess the truth is that progression is slow. Maybe like the women in Santiago Zamora this girl will understand the benefits of learning to speak and read Spanish, how to succeed, and how to fight Maybe she won't escape the tragedy that is her village, but her kids might, or their kids might. The grandchildren of Feno Mena in Santiago Zamora are on their way. Hopefully I can help them by not only providing their grandmothers and mothers with income from the tours, but also by giving them a sense of purpose by showing them that people in other countries support them and that their decisions are despite what their taunting neighbors say, rational, moral, and parallel to their religious sentiments.
So now I know why I'm here. There is something for me to really do, and I hope that I can start doing something tomorrow.
Buenas noches
P.S. sorry about the lack of pictures. I am not a camera guy. Maybe they will happen at some point. Who knows?
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Dia 2
Today I went to Santiago Zamora and took the tour that I will be leading. What a tour! Santiago Zamora is a small village about 25 minutes outside of Antigua. It is about a 15 minute walk from the nearest bus stop, San Antonio. It is very indigenous feeling. There is a house built by Casasito for the eight women and families who endure the taunting of their neighbors. Even on our short walk in the streets we heard men being frustratingly chauvinistic. They taunt the husbands of the women in the project, saying that when their wives go into town to put the 10% of their meager earnings in the Casasito fund for the Santiago Zamora after school program (El Plan Infinito), that they are being unfaithful and the sort. Considering that El Plan Infinito welcomes over 100 children every day after their regular classes and provides electric pianos, harps, guitars, computers, maps, books, and a devoted full-time teacher (Profe Chris), you would think that the village would appreciate what is being done voluntarily for their children. Profe Chris is quite a guy. He is Belgian and has lived in Santiago Zamora for the last 3 years. He takes the kids on tons of field trips, ranging from the 10 hour trip to Tikal to daily swimming lessons nearly an hour away. This is very important to the children because normally only rich children learn to swim. Even when he makes his annual visit home, he brings the two best students with him, obviously paying their way and shows them Europe.
Anyways, back to the tour. We listened to the leader of the women talk about the history of Santiago Zamora and how it came to be so impoverished. Alcohol, testosterone, and greed being the primary reasons. I was happy to see that my Spanish is getting less rusty and I was able to understand most of what was being said. The ladies then did a traditional dance during which I was invited to participate in! I tried my best and thought I did quite well, but their sideways giggling whispers in Quechua (the Mayan language) convinced me otherwise. After that I tried my hand at grinding coffee the Mayan way, with a large granite sort of mortar and pestle, which I'm told is one of the key inheritances from mothers to daughters. They knew better than to let me try weaving though. They exhibited all of the steps required to weave and then weaved a row of thread. They said that to make their traditional dress, I'm forgetting what it is called right now, it takes them a year or more, depending on the intricacy. For a table runner they say about a month of 4-6 hours per day of weaving is required. They also taught me how to tell the difference between textiles made by hand vs. machine. Then they taught tortilla making. Again, a large granite mortar and pestle is used to roll the corn into a paste, which they then turn into a round tortilla. I stress they because they called my tortillas "mapas de Canada" due to the Baffin Islands that kept falling on to the floor. (Maps of Canada). Then they fed us an excellent lunch and sent us on our way.
I got myself lost in the big market once I got back. I got a good deal on potatoes, Q1 for a pound of potatoes. That is like $0.14! But then I got ripped off on tomatoes. After finding my way back out of the dark depths of the market I headed home.
Tomorrow I am taking a tour of a coffee plantation. When will I start working!?
Hasta!
Anyways, back to the tour. We listened to the leader of the women talk about the history of Santiago Zamora and how it came to be so impoverished. Alcohol, testosterone, and greed being the primary reasons. I was happy to see that my Spanish is getting less rusty and I was able to understand most of what was being said. The ladies then did a traditional dance during which I was invited to participate in! I tried my best and thought I did quite well, but their sideways giggling whispers in Quechua (the Mayan language) convinced me otherwise. After that I tried my hand at grinding coffee the Mayan way, with a large granite sort of mortar and pestle, which I'm told is one of the key inheritances from mothers to daughters. They knew better than to let me try weaving though. They exhibited all of the steps required to weave and then weaved a row of thread. They said that to make their traditional dress, I'm forgetting what it is called right now, it takes them a year or more, depending on the intricacy. For a table runner they say about a month of 4-6 hours per day of weaving is required. They also taught me how to tell the difference between textiles made by hand vs. machine. Then they taught tortilla making. Again, a large granite mortar and pestle is used to roll the corn into a paste, which they then turn into a round tortilla. I stress they because they called my tortillas "mapas de Canada" due to the Baffin Islands that kept falling on to the floor. (Maps of Canada). Then they fed us an excellent lunch and sent us on our way.
I got myself lost in the big market once I got back. I got a good deal on potatoes, Q1 for a pound of potatoes. That is like $0.14! But then I got ripped off on tomatoes. After finding my way back out of the dark depths of the market I headed home.
Tomorrow I am taking a tour of a coffee plantation. When will I start working!?
Hasta!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Dia 1
Antigua is great! All of the people, Guatemalan or foreign, are so friendly. I feel very safe walking around and chatting in my embarrassingly rusty Spanish. I was introduced to the staff here at Casasito this morning and was briefed on what my mission is here. There is a small village in the hills near Antigua called Santiago Zamora. Casasito has a project in the village there which promotes the textiles and handicrafts that the women there make, and they also I think have a school in Santiago Zamora. From what I have been told, the men and also women who are not part of the project in the village are not particularly happy with the empowerment this project has given to the women. My job is to take tourists on just that, tours, through Santiago Zamora allowing them to learn about the coffee growing/harvesting/roasting process and the Mayan culture and cuisine (the ladies provide lessons on tortilla making and then feed the group). The ladies offer their crafts and such for sale and I have been told on multiple accounts that those ladies' crafts in particular are the best around. Tomorrow I get to go on this tour conducted by the founder of Casasito, Alice, and learn more about the details of the tour. But the more pressing and challenging aspect of my job here is to go out and do some marketing here with the Spanish schools, hotels, and travel agencies in order to start creating more interest in our tour again. It sounds like it was a very successful thing at one time, but after some time one thing led to another and the tour stopped receiving interest. I'm working on developing a strategy for recruiting, so stay tuned for that.
Today I went with a group of volunteers from socal up to the project they are working on in the village called San Mateo. I forget the name of the project, but WOW! It is a school for, although my rusty Spanish limited my understanding, kids ranging from 3 years to 19 years old. All of the students' families live on less than $1 per day, and as such, I was expecting a Greg Mortensen school. I was shocked as we got off of the sardine can of a chicken bus and walked back behind some corrugated metal shanties and down into a skinny little stair well to emerge in this wonderful school. They had clean walls. That was the first shock. 40 shoeless children running in and out from recess and futbol and spotless, brightly painted walls just don't seem to go together in my mind... Maybe that's just me though. But then after a long talk about what the project does, we went and tried out the Spanish-learning programs. I was thinking maybe we would be looking through dog-eared surplus Spanish books with erased answers to confuse you. No. We walked into a computer lab with at least 20 flat screen computers. We booted these up and played for about 45 minutes on programs which I should probably be using myself. I've always wondered what the gaming industry had to offer the world in terms of international development. Well this is it. It is amazing and such a fantastic use of technology. Although the kids weren't present today due to our visit, many got word that "una fiesta de gringos" was walking around, and pretty soon they started trickling in. They don't get much cuter. And they had no problem making fun of my often misleading conjugations and vocabulary. Casasito is doing a very good job. After my visit to San Mateo I am confident that my experience here with Casasito and its partners will be nothing short of a life-long inspiration. I was told today that Casasito is helping over 4000 people here, but with a full-time staff of only 5, and a budget between $125,000-$250,000. Despite not considering myself partial to a single religion, I am reminded of that story where Jesus fed a bunch of people with only a little bit of fish or bread or something like that.
The volunteer house I am staying in is also so wonderful. I don't have to eat out and can live very frugally, while being surrounded by like-minded people. I think it is a great example that every person has something to contribute to the world. The range of projects is so large. Everything from a guy (who happens to be from Vermont) working on an accounting program for Casasito, to people just teaching English and playing with kids whose fathers or mothers are sick, alcoholics, or in one case, beheaded.
Sorry about the length of this post! Tomorrow will be a long one too because I am going on my tour!
Hasta!
Today I went with a group of volunteers from socal up to the project they are working on in the village called San Mateo. I forget the name of the project, but WOW! It is a school for, although my rusty Spanish limited my understanding, kids ranging from 3 years to 19 years old. All of the students' families live on less than $1 per day, and as such, I was expecting a Greg Mortensen school. I was shocked as we got off of the sardine can of a chicken bus and walked back behind some corrugated metal shanties and down into a skinny little stair well to emerge in this wonderful school. They had clean walls. That was the first shock. 40 shoeless children running in and out from recess and futbol and spotless, brightly painted walls just don't seem to go together in my mind... Maybe that's just me though. But then after a long talk about what the project does, we went and tried out the Spanish-learning programs. I was thinking maybe we would be looking through dog-eared surplus Spanish books with erased answers to confuse you. No. We walked into a computer lab with at least 20 flat screen computers. We booted these up and played for about 45 minutes on programs which I should probably be using myself. I've always wondered what the gaming industry had to offer the world in terms of international development. Well this is it. It is amazing and such a fantastic use of technology. Although the kids weren't present today due to our visit, many got word that "una fiesta de gringos" was walking around, and pretty soon they started trickling in. They don't get much cuter. And they had no problem making fun of my often misleading conjugations and vocabulary. Casasito is doing a very good job. After my visit to San Mateo I am confident that my experience here with Casasito and its partners will be nothing short of a life-long inspiration. I was told today that Casasito is helping over 4000 people here, but with a full-time staff of only 5, and a budget between $125,000-$250,000. Despite not considering myself partial to a single religion, I am reminded of that story where Jesus fed a bunch of people with only a little bit of fish or bread or something like that.
The volunteer house I am staying in is also so wonderful. I don't have to eat out and can live very frugally, while being surrounded by like-minded people. I think it is a great example that every person has something to contribute to the world. The range of projects is so large. Everything from a guy (who happens to be from Vermont) working on an accounting program for Casasito, to people just teaching English and playing with kids whose fathers or mothers are sick, alcoholics, or in one case, beheaded.
Sorry about the length of this post! Tomorrow will be a long one too because I am going on my tour!
Hasta!
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