Ok…so it didn’t seem I would have too much to update on the
blog until I actually read the last blog update that is almost a month old
now! So here goes!
I’ll roughly follow the order of the pictures below so I’ll
start with the coffee at Tretto Café in Antigua that is simply
outstanding! The cappuccinos
pictured are the work of Frosty who is a very talented barista who is very
passionate about good coffee!
On the weekend of Jan 28-29, we went to Lago Atitlan that is
a beautiful spot! We took the bus
from here to Panajachel on the edge of the lake. We didn’t spend much time there as it is a touristy spot and
we took a small boat to a small little town called Jaibalito. We stayed at a hotel run by a german
fellow who has done a lot for that small town. He supplies propane tanks at a cheap rate to the locals who
before had to head to Panajachel if they ran out, recharges peoples cell phones
with more minutes (a lot of the phones here are pay by the minute), and he
roasts the coffee grown by the local farmers so they can sell it at a higher
rate. It was a great spot to hang
out for the weekend as it is a quiet little town.
The house I showed pictures of in Santa Maria showing
pictures of the family in need has indeed turned into another opportunity where
we have been involved for the last two weeks! Thanks to the generous donations of several families back in
Canada, we are helping a local mason and his crew, build the house. Oswaldo is the mason/contractor, his
brother Hector, and another local Carlos.
They are great guys to work with and we’ve had a lot of fun with
them! They work hard but they have
a good time doing it! We wish we
knew more Spanish and Quechua so we would understand more of their jokes! Their first language is Kaqchikel, one of
the local indigenous languages but they are fluent in Spanish as well. It’s been a great opportunity to learn
local building techniques and Oswaldo is a great guy to learn from as he is
studying in Guatemala City to become a Master of Construction. He has worked on big multi-story
buildings, churches so he has a lot of experience.
The kids at the house have been a lot of fun and they like
to play with us or help us with our work when they get the chance. They start school at 1:00 pm for 5
hours so we see them for a little while in the morning. Oswaldo has also been showing us the
town and surrounding area a little bit.
He introduced us to his family, took us to his local church (which he
also built), and to the Country Club situated roughly 25 minutes by walking
down a bumpy dirty road. The
Country Club apparently sees a number of Korean, Japanese and Chinese visitors
along with the richer crowd from Guatemala City.
They are expecting to finish the house on or around March 8
so we should be here to see the finished product! The walls are finished and the roof will be the project for
the next few days.
We’ve been teaching with Luis in the schools on and off
during the week. Usually two or
three days per week as we split our time with the house in Santa Maria. Two weeks ago I gave a devotional on
self-esteem to a school which was a good experience for me as it was something
that I struggled with a lot in my past and a much needed topic in that school
unfortunately so I pray that I encouraged some of them. This coming Friday there is a bigger
youth rally occurring as a number of schools will be coming together. They are expecting roughly 900 students
to be in attendance and Luis and I will each by taking half of the students and
talking to them about dating and pre-marital sex.
Luis also has a vision of starting a youth center in the
Antigua area as there is no such facility in the area. The vision is becoming closer to
reality as there are some people in the U.S. interested in supporting the
project and Luis has begun the search for acquiring land. He has asked me to develop some
drawings for a potential building to show potential investors what the vision
is. Not only would the facility be
used as a safe environment for youth to come and hang out, but would also
provide counseling for those who are interested/need it. For example, it is believed that 40% of
the kids in Guatemala have been sexually abused, and there is little to no help
for any of them who seek help in how to cope with that.
So we’ve been staying busy and are learning a lot about the
needs of this country and practical/respectable ways people are helping the
less fortunate here. We have just
over 3 weeks left here and it will be bittersweet to return to Canada. This feels like home now and I will
miss it here. But it will also be
great to reconnect with everyone back home.
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| Cappuccinos from Tretto Cafe |
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| Lago Atitlan |
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| We formed a team with our friends from the World Race group to compete against some kids from one of the schools...I think the score was almost close... |
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| Construction begins in Santa Maria |
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| View from the road heading from Antigua to Santa Maria |
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| U-block channels lined with rebar tie the entire house together in a rebar grid to strengthen the house against earthquakes |
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| Oswaldo the mason |
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| Hector, Oswaldo's brother |
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| Carlos the helping hand |
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| Photo taken by Harrison, one of they boys of the temporary kitchen they are using |
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| Laying my first concrete block |
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| Oswaldo and his family |
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| Preparing formwork to pour concrete in the corner |
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| Entrance to the country club |
