Sunday, April 24, 2005
Pasa Hakeem (sp?)
Yesterday, I went to Passa Hakeem. A tiny town in the back woods of Guatemala. My first time there, with my church, the entire town shut down when we arrived.. School got out early to see the Gringos.This time, disappointingly, the town did not shut down. However, some fun was still to be had with the kids who hid behind the trees from the Gringo.What also was funny was the kids who were utterly unafraid of me and my camera (they obviously just didn't know any better). As I took out my camera to take a photo of two of them, thier older sister (hiding behind the tree) yelled out something in Zutiheel (probably to the effect of "watch out, that deamon machine will steal your soul!") that made them duck inside the house, and made one of them start crying with fear....for literally 5 minutes.Later I proved to the girls that the camera was not dangerous, by taking pictures of myself and my guide Lukas. They were instantly convinced and addicted, asking for copies.unfortunately i don't have any really good photos....but i have a pretty good video clip of the girls ducking to avoid the gaze of the all seeing camera.Also...rainy season is officially here. Untill a week ago, it had not rained once. Now it rains every day.
oddities.
Guatemalans are for the most part unable to grow a beard. I have kind of a half hearted attempt going right now......so, of course this brings to thier mind the most famous bearded man alive....Bin Laden. Because I have half a beard, I look like Bin Laden to them (ok...it is a joke...but it is REALLY strange that this is what enters thier head...I mean THEY are the ones with black hair and similar skin....).
A few weeks ago a fascinated kid pointed at my Adam´s Apple and demanded to know what it was. When I told him it was caled an "Adam´s Apple," he promptly indicated that I should spit it out so he could see it. I had a difficult time explaining to him why I was laughing to hard.
Update:there were 24 people in the back of the pickup i took to the internet today. this is the amount of people that it takes to make a pickup have to speed up to get over a speedbump (in case you were wondering)
I learned to do my laundry by hand the other day. The women stood around watching and laughing. I think it was a lot like if i had never had to feed myself before.
A few weeks ago a fascinated kid pointed at my Adam´s Apple and demanded to know what it was. When I told him it was caled an "Adam´s Apple," he promptly indicated that I should spit it out so he could see it. I had a difficult time explaining to him why I was laughing to hard.
Update:there were 24 people in the back of the pickup i took to the internet today. this is the amount of people that it takes to make a pickup have to speed up to get over a speedbump (in case you were wondering)
I learned to do my laundry by hand the other day. The women stood around watching and laughing. I think it was a lot like if i had never had to feed myself before.
Saturday, April 16, 2005
San Juan
Ok....so I spent my last week in the little town of San Juan. So far it has possibly been my best experience so far.
I am living with the director of the school here. His name is Francisco. He and his family are very grateful to my church for all of the work they have done down here....So they are taking out all their pent up hospitality, kind feelings, gratefulness and just plain niceness on me.
I teach English in the mornings at the school. This is great fun (though largely ineffective). I have achieved the status of a celebrity here...With kids yelling my name (Oso...bear) at me from every place in town. I am asked for a kiss by the girls here at least 6 times a day (not an exaggeration). I don't know who taught them to ask for that in English.
Yesterday I went to a tiny town in the back mountains, and visited Francisco's mother and father in law. They are in their eighties. I peppered them with questions about how Guatemala has changed in the last 80 years....But for them it has stayed largely the same. They go and hoe in the fields, and make dresses. They only got electricity 3 years ago, and the first car came into town 5 years ago.
I am living with the director of the school here. His name is Francisco. He and his family are very grateful to my church for all of the work they have done down here....So they are taking out all their pent up hospitality, kind feelings, gratefulness and just plain niceness on me.
I teach English in the mornings at the school. This is great fun (though largely ineffective). I have achieved the status of a celebrity here...With kids yelling my name (Oso...bear) at me from every place in town. I am asked for a kiss by the girls here at least 6 times a day (not an exaggeration). I don't know who taught them to ask for that in English.
Yesterday I went to a tiny town in the back mountains, and visited Francisco's mother and father in law. They are in their eighties. I peppered them with questions about how Guatemala has changed in the last 80 years....But for them it has stayed largely the same. They go and hoe in the fields, and make dresses. They only got electricity 3 years ago, and the first car came into town 5 years ago.
Teeter Totters of Doom
It is funny to watch the kids attempt to use these. Imagine what would happen f a child were able to succesfully sit on it, AND another child were able to climb 7 feet in the air (no exaggeration) to get on ther other side (never mind that he would be at more than a 45 degree angle, and that if he weighed more than the other kid, it would be moving, and if he didn't weighed less, the whole effort would be pointless)....well...you get the picture . I´ve been talking to francisco...If i am lucky he will let me cut the legs a LOT shorter.
Sunday, April 03, 2005
A week with the fam
last week was a great week spent with the parents and Evan and Elliot. they spent a day wandering antigua, a day in panajel (i´ll learn to spell that city someday), and a day climbing mt. pacaya (the one with lava). It was great to see them, and great to stay in all the posh hotels. thanks mom and dad!
Friday, April 01, 2005
Solomon´s Porch week
I just finished up a delightful week with Solomon´s porch in San Juan. The week was spent building 5 houses, 1 latrine, and painting a basketball court. Here are the events of the weekend.
-We arrive and tour the town, looking at the locations for the future houses.
-We discover that the houses have pretty much been built already by the workers...some of them only need a roof (basically, the masons had agreed to work this week (a holiday week for them), but then decided that they would not work this week, and then went on to leave very little work for us to do).
-Dustin figured out other work for us to do on the fly.
-the beds had bugs in them. there were some days where all i wanted to do was just sit at home and itch my legs. all day long.
-I arrive at a house to work, and am informed that they need sand. We all climb into a half dead pickup truck, and are carted off to the mountain, where we hack at the sides of it to make sandstone into sand. Then we load it into huge bags, throw the bags on our back, and then climb down the near cliffs to the pickup...the pickup was pretty much dragging on the ground on the way back.....and we had to all get out so it could make it up a hill...
here were incredible processions in the town that night. the streets were completely covered with continuous colorful sawdust carpets.
-I went and saw my old house I had built. It was amazing. Juan, my buddy from that house has moved to Guatemala city at age 14, and now sells pants there to support his family. He´s a great kid. Also, his little brother oscar, who was VERY sick last year, is doing great. I honestly think that had not someone from the last trip provided him with medicine he would be dead now.
-the families were incredibly greatful for the houses. Many tears. a very touching goodbye.
-Saturday we went swimming...on a beach of mud. I have never seen so many guatemalans...We were definately the only gringos there.
-Also saturday, I went to a showing of the Guatemala vs. Trinidad World Cup game. It was insane. There were sombereos thrown in the air with every goal. U.S. plays Guatemala tomorrow. They take thier soccer VERY seriously here, so if anyone asks you, I´m Canadian tomorrow.
UPDATE: I forgot to mention that the guy my group (3 people) built house for makes a whopping 4 bucks a day. Which wouldn´t be so bad if he didn´t have EIGHT kids.
-We arrive and tour the town, looking at the locations for the future houses.
-We discover that the houses have pretty much been built already by the workers...some of them only need a roof (basically, the masons had agreed to work this week (a holiday week for them), but then decided that they would not work this week, and then went on to leave very little work for us to do).
-Dustin figured out other work for us to do on the fly.
-the beds had bugs in them. there were some days where all i wanted to do was just sit at home and itch my legs. all day long.
-I arrive at a house to work, and am informed that they need sand. We all climb into a half dead pickup truck, and are carted off to the mountain, where we hack at the sides of it to make sandstone into sand. Then we load it into huge bags, throw the bags on our back, and then climb down the near cliffs to the pickup...the pickup was pretty much dragging on the ground on the way back.....and we had to all get out so it could make it up a hill...
here were incredible processions in the town that night. the streets were completely covered with continuous colorful sawdust carpets.
-I went and saw my old house I had built. It was amazing. Juan, my buddy from that house has moved to Guatemala city at age 14, and now sells pants there to support his family. He´s a great kid. Also, his little brother oscar, who was VERY sick last year, is doing great. I honestly think that had not someone from the last trip provided him with medicine he would be dead now.
-the families were incredibly greatful for the houses. Many tears. a very touching goodbye.
-Saturday we went swimming...on a beach of mud. I have never seen so many guatemalans...We were definately the only gringos there.
-Also saturday, I went to a showing of the Guatemala vs. Trinidad World Cup game. It was insane. There were sombereos thrown in the air with every goal. U.S. plays Guatemala tomorrow. They take thier soccer VERY seriously here, so if anyone asks you, I´m Canadian tomorrow.
UPDATE: I forgot to mention that the guy my group (3 people) built house for makes a whopping 4 bucks a day. Which wouldn´t be so bad if he didn´t have EIGHT kids.
I also forgot to mention that miraculously, NO ONE got sick (for very long).
