Guatemala Day 3

Guatemala day 3!

We all woke up this morning to the sound of roosters crowing (no joke) and to the smell of French toast cooked by Alison S. and Sivan. Although sore, we were well rested and in good spirits to begin day 2 at the construction site. After breakfast, we gathered outside and decided our goal of the day, which was to make friends with at least one person (a local, construction worker, or Long Way Home team member) outside of our immediate trip. 

Quickly after arriving at the school, we got straight to work. We broke into groups and worked on various projects such as sifting rocks, carrying rocks, creating shingles, building fences, and cutting down bamboo with machetes for construction supplies (so cool!).

 At 10am, we ate a delicious home made snack with various local ingredients such as avocados, jam, tortillas, dobladas, and juice. After working for another hour, at 11:30 we departed for the local market in the town square. 

The market today was unlike anything most of us have seen before. Words people responded when I asked them to describe it in one word were  "Hectic" "insane" "crowded" "chaotic" "colorful" "bustling" and "live chickens". We purchased various things such as tapestries, bags, ceramics, food, and some of us even had success using our Spanish to barter lower prices! 

After the market, we went back to the school to finish our work for a few hours. At 4pm, we left and headed to the gallery of Oscar Peren, where we learned about his work and his inspiration (Andres Curruchiche) and purchased some artwork on display. We then came home, relaxed at the hotel, and ate dinner. After, we had our nightly discussion and had an in depth discussion of Power and Privilege. Now, it is time to go to bed, and rest up for another jam-packed, day of work! 

PS. Somehow, we have managed to avoid severe sunburns and stomach issues! We are doing a great job of taking care of ourselves and one another. 

Guatemala Day 2

Guatemala Day 2:

We woke up to a wonderful breakfast made by Julia and Alexis! Then we walked over to the school/construction site, which is about 15 minutes from where we're staying in Comalapa. We started with a tour of the construction site - we got to see all of the classrooms, buildings, and sustainable practices that LWH has implemented here. 

For example, many of the buildings are made from tires stuffed with trash and sand, or plastic bottle "bricks" with plastic trash compacted inside.

 For the first part of the day, we split into two groups: one group stuffed trash into plastic bottles to make bricks and one group shoveled sand or gravel into buckets to make cement for a rain cistern. We took a break for una "merienda" or snack where we could have cantaloupe, popcorn, or dobladas (small tortillas stuffed with potatoes and covered with avocado, tomato sauce and cheese). Then we worked 2 more hours before lunchtime, which was beans, rice, vegetables, and more tortillas! 

 After lunch we continued with a variety of tasks, including sifting the sand, making shingles out of plastic bottles, and making hurdles out of bamboo sticks for the students' upcoming track meet. There has been ample opportunity for us to practice our Spanish. On the walk back, some of us stopped for crepes at a café in town and we rode in a tuk-tuk (rickshaw) back to the hotel. 

Others returned the hotel first, then went back to town to shop for bags and other souvenirs. For dinner we had pasta salad and the most delicious fruit salad made by one of the Long Way Home Staff. After dinner we had a group discussion about community service and our universes of obligation. We left the day exhausted but inspired!

Guatemala Day 1

Guatemala Day 1:

¡Bienvenidos a Guatemala! We arrived in Guatemala City after about 12 hours of traveling. At the airport, we met Robyn (a volunteer at Long Way Home) and Feliciano (the owner of the hotel we're staying at). After a pit stop at a Walmart, we drove on switchback roads up the mountains for 2 hours to arrive in Comalapa, the village where we're staying. Our hotel is very nice: bright yellow with a roof where you can watch the sunset or look at the stars. The weather was chillier than we expected - most of us are wearing pants and sweatshirts. After we unpacked, lunch was waiting for us: vegetables and rice, potatoes, mini tortillas, and a delicious tomato sauce! 

After lunch, we got a tour of Comalapa from one of the Long Way Home staff. We saw the iglesias (churches) as well as the longest painted mural in all of Guatemala, which is in this village! There are many stray dogs on the streets and we greet everyone with "buenos días" or "buenas tardes." For dinner, we had vegetable soup and we got to see what the street vendors are like in the evening. Tomorrow we will visit the construction site and start working!