I've come to the conclusion that Guatemala passes through some weird time warp. It's rare for me to be able to name what day of the week it is without thinking for a moment. Maybe it's because our schedule is constantly changing or maybe it's because I'm just unorganized but whatever the reason, I love it. I love just living day to day and not thinking too far in advanced about what all I need to get done. It's incredibly freeing in not being confined to a strict schedule.
Guillermo (see picture above) was a gift to Fr. John, along with a basket of fruit. Apparently the Guatemalans saw it fit to give him a living pet. It didn't take long before Guillermo become the butt of several jokes. Comments were thrown around for 3 or 4 days about how we're going to kill Guillermo and serve him in a soup, etc. Well, low and behold, that was not a joke because not long after receiving poor Guillermo as a pet, we ate him in a soup. Let it be noted that I did not eat him because it creeped me out. Everyone else said that he made a delicious soup though. Pobrecito Guillermo.
We've only had one group since the reopening of the Mission but we had a good time regardless. We helped on a water project that us LTVs actually worked on a few months ago. I can't remember if I blogged about it, but in short, we helped measure hundreds of feet into the forest and up a mountain because that was where they were going to lay the pipe to carry the water. It was one of my first weeks here in San Lucas when we clambered up and down the mountainside trying to keep up with the Guatemalans while also holding a big long tape measure. The project is especially cool because everyone who works on it is a volunteer. At one point in time, the Guatemalans would only work on it on Sundays because that's the only day they have off work. They'd come and work for free for hours on end so that they can help get water to another community. If that's not an awesome sense of community then I don't know what is. Anyways, with the group, we actually helped dig some of the trench where they lay the pipe. We carried five or six 15-20 foot long tubes up the side of the mountain then helped dig. Needless to say that by lunch time, we were filthy and tired (both signs of a good morning of work).
While this group was here, they did quite a bit of discussing with the coffee guys. In the past they have bought pergamino (whole coffee beans that haven't been processed yet) and roasted and sold it in the States. It was really interesting to hear them collaborating with the coffee program. They actually did a blind taste test back home to compare the San Lucas coffee to I think 5 other coffees from around the world and found that people liked the San Lucas coffee the best of all! Pretty cool. If you're in the market for some coffee here's the link to buy it from the Mission http://www.sanlucasmission.org/pages/order-by-credit-card-or-check
Although now the group is gone, our work has definitely not been over. Boni, a guard who works for the Mission, is arguably one of the sweetest guys in Guatemala. He has a big family and has been living in 2 bedroom dirt floor house in a community at the edge of San Lucas. There's a church somewhere in the States that has been fundraising money to build Boni a new house and recently we have begun the tear down / reconstruction process. SO exciting for everyone involved. |
Some more exciting news comes from the surrounding community of Nueva Providencia. They recently installed a water turbine that is providing electricity to the whole town. Pretty incredible for a place that has not had power until now. Even more exciting is the fact that we have computers to donate to the school as soon as they can set up all of the electrical stuff. I went with Jackson out to Nueva Providencia this past week with the electrician Salvador to scope it out. This trip confirmed that I know absolutely nothing about electricity. Although I wasn't much help at all, it was still cool to hear about it and see where they want the computers to be set up. What an mind-blowing leap - to go from no electricity in the school to having lights and computers.
I'm very excited to say that the past few weeks have been fun, busy, and productive. From graduate school applications (I've officially submitted 4 of my 5 applications to different Master's in Social Work programs!) to working with the group from IL, the days have flown by and I can't believe Christmas is almost here! I've been working on making Christmas cards and I can't help but reflect on how lucky I am to have so much love and support in my life. This time of the year is my favorite because of how joyous everyone is and the amount of quality time I get to spend with those I love the most. I so much to be thankful for it's insane. If you're reading this - I'm incredibly thankful for ya.
I hope this update finds you well and enjoying the holiday season :)
Paz,
Alejandra
Alejandra