Bradley UMC in Guatemala

Posting Reorder

2009-04-10T11:22:00.001-04:00

I've reordered the posts so the blog reads chronologically now from the start.

Contact Info

2009-04-10T06:14:00.000-04:00

I'll be monitoring bobtrue1@comcast.net

and my Skype user name is bobtrue

Link to the project

2009-04-10T06:13:00.000-04:00

http://www.highlandsupportproject.org/partners.html

Rain Rain Rain

2009-04-10T06:12:00.000-04:00

So we got a good start leaving Greenfield at 2:30 but a detour on SR 44 added and extra 25 or so minutes to the trip which was just enough to get the Vahlemobile into rush hour traffic in Louisville. The Lockemobile which went further south to catch I65 is now about an hour ahead......

No reports from the Fiermobile or the Hornmobile.

Rain Rain Rain.......Eat at Subway!!!

2009-04-10T06:11:00.000-04:00

Dad pumps the gas..

The girls ponder choices..

The guys are bored

Atlanta the flight and the 1st day

2009-04-10T06:10:00.000-04:00

We got to Atlanta and the hotel and the lobby was packed. Between weather around the country and in Atlanta lots of flights cancelled and our flight took off 2 hours late on Friday.

We all hit the bed about 1 a.m. and were lined up for the shuttle at 6:30. We made it in 3 groups to the airport and were very excited to find we could check in at the curb. Except several of us couldn't. Seems there was an equipment change and some of the seat numbers we were assigned didn't exist on the new aircraft. So it took the ones who didn't have seats lots of time to check in and we didn't have seat assignments until we got to the gate. So we got seats but the Fiers didn't do it until the last minute and they ended up in 1st class......

Chatting at the gate in Atlanta

The flight was really bumpy at the start and that started our motion sickness experiences of the trip. Several people puny and some expressing that in an outward manner. The girls thought I should publish a puke spread sheet in the blog but I have declined out of respect for my fellow travelers. But lets just say ground transportation has been just as challenging as the air for many, crazy traffic in the city, smoke from wildfires, exhaust from trucks and buses, and major construction along the way.

Our sack lunch at the airport included a traditional Guatemalan tamale-like food cambrayes which some enjoyed and some wanted to exchange for McDonald's.

Lunch

The luggage truck in Guatemala City traffic.

Linda Gellert has been excited to learn where old school buses go when they die. Turns out it's Guatemala. The first yellow bus we saw leaving the airport was a South Bend Community School Corporation bus!

John Vahle enjoys the ride passing a Goshen Community School bus.

Smoke, dust and haze along the road.

We made it to Panajachel and had our second "apparently" traditional meal in Guatemala of spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread and salad the kids were in heaven. After dinner we toured the town on foot and most had an early bedtime.

Sunday trip to Chi Chi and Xela

2009-04-10T06:09:00.002-04:00

Sunday morning started with a 6 am walk to the lake at Panajachel.

It was smooth as glass and we could just make out the outline of one of the volcanos. There was a person fishing from a small boat and a group of kids (swim team?) swimming.

We had a breakfast of cereal, pineapple and melon then took everyone to see the lake (volcano had disappeared in the haze) and hit the road.

The road to Chichicastenago (Chi Chi) was the same as the others except more crowded. The trip took about an hour and we still had one person get a little green. Sunday is a market day and religious day combined for the locals.

We checked the market out and went to Marvin's (our driver) restaurant El Restaurante Regional and had a great meal.

Then back into the market for more bartering.

Sunday Evening Presentation by AMA

2009-04-10T06:08:00.000-04:00

Sunday evening several Mayan women and their translator came and talked to us about their current situation and why this project is so important to them.

Association of Women (Mujeres) of the Highlands (Altiplano) (AMA) is a religious group that fosters self esteem, civic participation, health and education for women. They use small women's circles to empower Mayan women and is based on the UMW model. Ama is the verb to love in Spanish...the act of loving.

The primary goal of AMA and Map is to foster agency, the ability to change one's own life.

A Mayan Arts Program (MAP) has been developed to give:

children an outlet for self expression (school depends on rote memorization writing )
change teachers views on education and promote non-violent teaching methods
develop pride in the Mayan culture

The MAP program's goals are to:

Develop respect for the environment
promote the Mayan Culture
promote equality both gender and race
enhance civic participation by the Mayan people

In addition AMA helps women market products they produce to enhance their lives.

Stove Building

2009-04-10T06:07:00.001-04:00

Monday started the stove building project. We had a nice meeting with one of the AMA women's circles then got a 20 minute training session teaching us some of the things we needed to know to build stoves. Turns out we are working 3/4 mile from our hotel. Quite a juxtaposition- we're in a conference center with WiFi and a wonderful resturant and that close people are living with block rooms with dirt floors, no stove or toilet.

Sarah Horn, Molly Locke and I went to the dirt-floored home of 4 women and a baby. The girls thought I knew what I was doing- I just kept telling them to do what looked right and check the instruction sheet again.

Our new family.

We should finish it up Tuesday..........

We've been seeing lots of people laughing and talking even if they don't speak the same language such as Thom Horn and his daughter Sarah.

Stoves Day Two

2009-04-10T06:06:00.000-04:00

So we started finishing stoves today and we're much faster on the second one. The black on the wall is soot from their cooking fire's location.

Gary and the mason working on the fire brick.

Linda and Gary finishing a base.

Stove waiting on the flue.

The area we're working in is very poor but only about 10 minutes outside the center of the second largest city Xela.

So it turns out there's a chocolate shop at the conference center, who knew???

Various Images from the week

2009-04-10T06:05:00.000-04:00

AMA circle meeting to greet us.

Guatemala City Airport Art

Game Night

2009-04-10T06:04:00.001-04:00

Jim, Lori, Kathy and Elaine tallying answers while Thom moderates the game.

Thom Horn is an avid game developer. We played Majority Rules a game where players answer a set of questions with five answers each. Answers are tallied and players receive points according to the number of like answers for each question. The person with the most points for matching the most answers with other players wins.

More Images

2009-04-10T06:04:00.000-04:00

Terry and Liza work on the firebrick center of the oven.

Damon and Sam preparing to fill the space between the fire brick and oven walls.

Our hotel/training center from the air. They have programs to train individuals in culinary arts, hair dressing, electronics, auto repair.

Large bread oven in Colorado Alto (the town above the town we worked in (Colorado Baja) they were preparing to bake 300 loaves of bread for the holiday week before Easter Semana Santa.

More Miscellaneous Images

2009-04-10T06:00:00.000-04:00

Walking the streets of Xela 120,000 people one fire house and maybe 3 stoplights.

Boys being boys at Le Luna, where we found great hot chocholate!!

Parked at the square in Xela having just seen the two headed goat and other wonders of the world at the museum. The boys were very impressed, the girls not so much!

William, moma and the puppies. William's job was to bother them. Our job was to keep Kathy Locke from feeding all the dogs and kids.

The Gellerts found the Colorado Baja Rotary water project

Another finished stove.

Lori and Molly finishing a stove.

Beginning of the End

2009-04-10T05:00:00.000-04:00

Everyone's madly packing we're on the road tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. for Antigua. We may or may not have connectivity the rest of the trip.

There will be some more updates as we get back. We were truly amazed at the sendoff we received from the family's we worked with this week.

Celebration Day at the school.

2009-04-10T04:00:00.000-04:00

On celebration day we started with a trip to Escuela Oficial Rural MIXTA school at where the Mayan Art Program (MAP) program came in and painted the school walls. Before MAP came in the school was completely gray and looked like a prison. Map painted large murals on the walls of the school and the principal said within a year grades and participation starting increasing. The murals depict unity amongst the races and ecological responsibility.

Boys taking breakfast to their classroom. The bucket is milk and two large boxes of corn flakes bring up the rear.

Kathy Locke talking to a 3rd grade class about our trip.

Celebration Day visiting an AMA circle weaving.

2009-04-10T03:00:00.001-04:00

We left the school and went to a village about a half hour away to see an AMA circle that weaves.

Turkeys helping weave.

Celebration Day the dinner.

2009-04-10T02:45:00.000-04:00

The families that we helped build stoves cooked dinner for us it consisted of a rice based drink, chicken, rice, tamales, a hot salsa verde and a pepion gravy.

After dinner the families each presented gifts to the team that worked in their home. It was very emotional for the families and the teams.

Then we visited a couple of the completed stoves that Don Poli Cario the mason had stuccoed and installed the chimney on. (The chimney still needed to be punched through the roof.) The families were instructed to wait 3 weeks before using the stove to let it cure.

Celebration Day afterwards

2009-04-10T01:13:00.001-04:00

So we walked back to El Refugio after the celebration

Random black and white thing for Phil and the Marrs. Horses and cows were tied along the roads to basketball sized rocks so they could graze in the ditches. Sometimes the ropes didn't hold and sometimes the rocks didn't stop them.

Random Rotary water project (this is where much of the town's people got their water) in Colorado Baja with the Gellerts. (I'm told this was an official Rotary meeting since two members were in attendance.)

and most rappelled down a 190 foot rock wall.

Headin' to the wall.

John Vahle on the way down

The trip to Antigua

2009-04-10T00:22:00.001-04:00

Friday morning we loaded up for a 3.5 hour trip to Antigua one of the early capitols of Guatemala.

Marvin and Javier our two fixers. They handled all our issues, (well except the ones we brought with us). They fixed every problem and handled any special requests along the way. The trip couldn't have happened without them (and not just because they had the wheels.)

We loaded up early and hit the road.

The streets are amazing.

Random post for Sue......On streets with areas reserved for motorcycle parking they embedded white and blue tiles in the sidewalk in the area.

The Arch of Santa Catalina

We spent the day touring, shopping and chilling.

We were there Friday before Palm Sunday. Antigua starts its celebrations a week early. This is one of the daily processions through the city. School girls are carrying this float on their shoulders.

Friday Evening in Antigua

2009-04-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

Linda, Terry, Kathy and I walked north from the town square soaking things in and shopping. We stumbled onto Iglesia de la Merced a Catholic Church. They had started their Holy Week celebration in earnest.

It was part Riley Festival and part religious ceremony.

We made it around to the front of the church and it was beautiful. They had a huge display inside with blaring music. A constant stream of people moved inside, praying, lighting candles, lining up at the confession booths and just observing. In the center of the church in front of the chancel was a piece of art created on the floor probably 20' by 35'. It was made of sand, grains and vegetables with offerings all around it.

We reconnected with the crew at the square as scheduled and had Marvin and Javier take the rest back so they could see the spectacle. It was truly moving.

Closing the Trip

2009-04-09T00:07:00.000-04:00

We got back late for supper Friday because of the unscheduled return trip to the church. We had a wonderful meal of steak (those of you who know me don't worry I gave mine with someone else) corn, rice, bread. There were prayers, toasts, we thanked Marvin and Javier and retired to the garden so the staff could clean up.

The next morning Gary and I were reminded we were in a different place as a man herded goats past our hotel.

The hotel was being renovated but still comfortable.

So we took our group picture at the empty pool in the garden.

We made it to the airport and here's where we found out the flight would be delayed more than 4 hours. Delta had a plane in Managua that couldn't fly because the crew worked too long to continue. So our flight went to Managua from Atlanta to drop off a fresh crew before they came to Guatemala City. They did make it, turned the plane quickly and got us to Atlanta before midnight. We all hit the road many driving through the night some stopping on the way for the night.

Everyone made it home with no problems.