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The RJC team poses in the day care that they have been helping to build. The Pennies for Poverty campaign back at RJC was for this specific project.
Canada vs Guatemala!
Greetings Today was our third and final work day at Carranza. It started off like many of the other days. We once again split into groups and set to working on our assigned tasks. The cement crew finished pouring the floor in the new building. The daycare group once again helped with arts and crafts before heading out to the park for an exhausting recess. Before lunch we were taken on a tour of some local families´ houses.
The first house we entered was next door to the church. The lady who lived there had just recently moved back from the coast. She had been forced to leave with her family due to gang activity that threatened them. To emphasize the importance of working with youth she told us a story of a boy she walked to church with. He was shot in the head right next to her by a gang member. This member also threatened that if she told anyone she would be next. The lady´s house was very basic and small. They had a terribly small kitchen with only the bare minimum and was very hot due to the metal siding and roof. She had a baby in a hammock and to quote Krista it was the ´cutest baby in the whole entire world´. The second house we visited was a small shack that doubled as a store. We stood in the garage as they told us about the lady´s health problems and the miracle that allowed her to regain her ability to walk.
After this tour we prepared ourselves for the Canada verses Guatemala soccer game. This epic game begain with team Canada (RJC) walking down the dirt lane waving small Canadain flags and singing O Canada. As we warmed up we observed the captain of team Guatemala (church minister Manuell) coming to the soccer pitch (dirty rough field) in a Jersey, cleats, and shinpads. We knew the game was a lost cause but this confirmed it. He proceeded to show off his mad soccer skills by juggling the ball while the rest of his team walked out in matching jerseys. With the fans screaming, team Canada´s starters walked onto the pitch. (actually the fans were Geraldine, Laurel, Abby and a smattering of younger children and the starters were whoever had the ambition to be trounced first). The game started off pretty well. The game seemed fairly close after Canada closed a two goal deficit. We soon dicovered that as soon as we scored a goal Guatemala quickly and easily scored again. Coming to the conclusion we were being toyed with, we picked up the pace. Even though they were very good at passing and handling the ball we had the advantage in height and managed to pick up a few headers. Eventually we resorted to playing an extra person and using a flying V to confuse our oppenents while shielding the stiker (Krisha) who had the ball. It didn´t work. Highlights of the game include Coby´s disbelief that our oppenents never subbed off or stopped for water. This prompted the comment ¨They´re like freakin cactuses¨!!!!!! O it was a blast. This intense and monumentus game concluded with a kind of tie. Actually we lost as last goal won but the number of goals was even at 5-5.
Exhausted, tired and sweaty we headed back to the church for lunch. Here we had the most tasty chicken ever and tried a funny looking rice drink that was O so good. In the afternoon we had a commisioning service on the recently poured cement pad. It was very touching as members of both cultures prayed for and with each other. Our gifts were given to Anthony (MCC head honcho) to be given to the Carranza church once the day care facility is done. Then we took a couple pictures on the cement and infront of the church, before saying our goodbye´s.
We again loaded into Bertha and drove to the market. This is the same market we visited our first day in Guatemala city. The drive back to Semilla was extremely long. We had the priviledge of being caught in rush hour traffic. This makes drivers even more daring than normal with more close calls than usual.
Due to a change in venue for the next couple of days blogging will not happen until sunday evening at the earliest. Until then Adios Amigo´s !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Krista, Ian and the herd of RJC students |
So far our trip has been a lesson in contrasts. Our stay at Semilla has been wonderful. In many ways it is much like RJC. In the dorms we have clean beds, four sturdy walls around us, and friends to hang out with. We also have enough room on campus to have some alone time and a space to decompress and unwind after a long day of work. The food has been delicious. The daily portions of fresh tropical fruits at every meal have been a highlight. A quote from Adam while eating cantaloupe with gusto: "I don´t even like cantaloupe!" We have been comuting to the work site at Carranza in ´Bertha´, a 15 passenger 1980 dodge van not unlike the RJC vans. In many ways at Semilla we have been feeling quite at home, but the moment Bertha ventures outside the Semilla compound (complete with an electirified barbed wire fence) we know we are in a different land. In Guatemala signs of poverty and violence abound. Guatemala is not a
´pretty´city. It is very dirty and the smell of smog permeates the
air. The Lonely Planet travellers guide for Guatemala ranks the top
five things to do in each city in Guatemala, and in Guatemala City (2.5
mllion people) they rank ´leave the city for somewhere else´as number
five. Hardly a ringing endorsement. Carranza is located on the outskirts of this metropolis. It is a very
poor community. They struggle with gangs and crime. Garbage is
everywhere, in places covering the roadside like snow. I have never
seen such a poor church as the Anabaptist Churhch of Carranza. The
toilet that we use (in someones house) operates on gravity plumbing.
Once your business is finished you pour a bucket of water into the
toilet and (if you move fast enough) you can run outside and watch the
waste come out a pipe and fall into the two hundred foot ravine which
is meters from the church and houses. The sheer dropoff of the ravine
is also a safey concern for both adults and children alike, and with
erosion the ravinve is growing closer to the church. Safe drinking
water is a major problem and it is expensive to purchase. Yesterday
the wate truck came by and the truck was armed with two men with
shotguns. In Canada, we take our water for granted. In spite of all its challenges, Guatemala City has a gritty charm. If
one can look a bit beyond the poverty, pollution, corruption, crime and
violence you will meet many vibrant and beautiful pepole, including
many youth who hold the future of Guatemala in their hands. The church
members at Carranza have been extremely hospitable and kind. Their
smiles are infectious. Working with them has been inspriational. We
learned a lot from the Guatemala contractors. One thing that impressed
me was how little they waste when they build. I started mixing cement
by ripping the bags open, they quicly stopped me and showed me how they
cut the tops of the bags and dump our the cement so the bags are still
useable, and every little piece of rebar is reused in some fashion. Guatemala City faces many challenges, but it is very dynamic, full of
energy and exciting. We have had an excellent time at Carranza. The
buttery golden glow of the sun rise filling the room as I type reminds
me of the hope for a better future that exists in this place. I think
the Lonely Planet Guide got it wrong. I´m glad we didn´t take their
advice. Ryan
Good Evening faithful and noble readers!!!!!
This morning started the same as yesterday with wake up call coming at six forty five. Many people wore the same disgusting clothes as yesterday. White t-shirts were now a lovely dirt brown. Pants, well, we won't even discuss pants. We left at eight o'clock for another work day at Carranza. Bertha performed admirably as she chugged up and down gorges and weaved in and out of traffic. Work started at the church with many people discovering muscles they did not know they had. Daycare went a whole lot better today; biting was down an estimated 50%. Certain small activities were even led by RJC students. The stump crew removed a large, and I mean ginormous, root from the six hundred plus pound stump. Cement crew poured roughly 3/4 of the floor in the daycare facility amidst the shouts for mas agua (more water) and discrepancies in instructions from several foreman-ish people. We left Carranza early to once again travel in a hot, sweaty, crowded Bertha to the MCC office. Anthony (MCC head honcho for Guatemala and El Salvador) gave us an overview of MCC´s work in these two countries. The group was very very excited about the choco-bananas and cake provided by Anthony´s wife, Irma.
Quotes of the trip:
Cole Friesen- I hate pineapple seeds. Pumpkin. (wilst eating watermelon).
Russell: (to Jacoba) Go take a shower, Stinky Head. Don´t breathe on me onion breath. Adriana- (Passively) I think I´m on the wrong side of the road (wilst driving Bertha).
Ryan- (to Russell) You look like a chotch, trying to be a prep.
Raoul (Driver)- Mas Aqua (in reference to almost anything).
Abbey- I´ve been to Boston (in answer to the question ¨Have you ever been outside of North America¨).
The blog today was brought to you by Ian and guest blogger, Curtis. Krista was brutally assaulted by a vicious bout of the giggles (hours... literally). The diagnosis from Doctor Dan Driediger was lack of sleep. Personally, we feel she is just having too good of a time. It´s unbelievable (and/or inconcievable) what will make that girl laugh.
Ian, Curtis, and the rest.
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Howdy! This morning started early with beans, fruit, tortillas, and scrambled eggs. Today was the first of our three days working on the addition to the daycare in Carranza. Our transportation is an early 80´s Dodge Ram, fondly nicknamed Big Bertha. This precarious vehicle is well used and quite often has way too many people riding. So in the lovely contraption we started out on our 45 minute drive through steep ravines and sketchy traffic. Bertha started making funny gurgling noises. We were slightly concerned when things started to smell HOT. Matt asked if we could take a different route because he was under the impression that the smog that was actually fog was poisoning him to death. As soon as he realized it was actually Bertha, he was fine with it. As we climbed out of a very steep ravine, Bertha started to smoke and heat up. As we crested the hill, Bertha gave one final sputter and died. We coasted to the side of the road with smoke pouring out of the hood and into the cab. We kept our distance as Russell, Ian, and Raoul (our driver) assessed the situation. After some language difficulties, much to Russell and Ian´s horror, Raoul proceeded to try to take of the radiator cap while the van was smoking and running. Luckily there was absolutely no fluid or pressure in the radiator. Raoul, again to Ian and Russell´s protests, started pouring fluid into the radiator while the van was still running. The liquid proceeded to vapourize and shoot several feet above the van. After several minutes of adding water, we limped the van the short distance to Carranza.
We arrived to shouts of buenos dias from all the kids at the daycare. The groups were split into four groups. Jill, Matt, Jacoba, and me (Krista), were in the daycare group and we spent the morning helping the kids colour and do their various crafts. They were younger than the group yesterday so the language gap was much more pronounced. These kids were far more rambunctious and one boy, Brandon, caused every sort of trouble he possibly could and even took to biting people. We went to the park for a bit but it was so hot that we didn´t last very long.
The second group consisted of Ian, Tim, Dan, and for muscles, Laurel. This group was in charge of taking out a ¨humongo¨ tree stump in the front yard. Throughout the day we hacked, chopped, pulled, and dug at the roots of the stump. The tools of choice were shovels, pick-axes, and an axe. Progress was slow but the removal of several large roots was very rewarding.
The third group was Krisha, Abby, Ryan, and Curtis. They mixed, carried, and poured cement columns all throughout the day. The fourth group was Cole, Coby, Adam, and Russell. They shovelled, shovelled, and moved dirt. Their job was to move the large mound of dirt out of the new building and to level the floor in preparation for cement.
For lunch we had a traditional meal consisting of chicken, squash, potatoes, carrots, green beans, rice, and tortillas. And freshly squeezed pineapple and cantaloupe juice which was absolutely delicious. After the lunch the daycare group joined other crews because the day care itself ended at noon. We continued with our tasks as the temperature rose and for the first time a nice big snow bank would have been excellent!
During one of the breaks, Ian, Russell, and Raoul took a closer look at Bertha´s issues. It was discovered that a hose leading from the radiator to the engine had a rather large crack. Luckily it was near one end. Using a saw they cut it off shorter, eliminating the hole. After Ian and Russell kind of communicated that a hose clamp was needed, Raoul proceeded to turn and book it down the street, leaving a very confused Ian and Russell behind. Ten minutes later Raoul was spotted trucking up the street with the necessary supplies. It was a quick fix and Bertha returned to her former glory!
As the afternoon progressed the sun got hotter and hotter. For the afternoon coffee break, fresh oranges ( SO tasty!) were provided by a neighboring lady. Many sun burns and blisters later, seventeen extremely dusty, dirty, stinky people stuffed into Big Bertha, exceeding the number of seats by seven. It was cramped. And hot. The drive back was another good example of Latin American driving. There were enough close calls to make even Russell grab the seat. Inches separated us from losing Big Bertha to nearby buses or opening car doors. Miraculously we arrived back safe and sound. Supper was once again delicious and so ended another exquisite day in Guatemala. PS. Sorry about yesterday´s blog. Ian and Krista were terribly tired. Ian, Krista, Big Bertha, and the rest. |
Bueno Noches Wow today was busy!!!! The sun came out today and warmed us up considerably. We left for Carranza in the morning and drove through a visibly poorer section of Guatemala city. This poorer section was seen through the many stray dogs and piles of garbage spilling down the sides of the ravine and into these poor people´s drinking water. We arrived at the church with no expectation´s and yet we all had different ideas of what to expect. The actual church was a small blue shack made out of wood and metal thrown together. The inside was covered in carpet, lace and curtains. This bare terrible biulding was made to feel very comfortable and the people made a huge effert to make us feel at home. We filled up the majority of the church. This made us feel very akward but the congregaion was just happy to see us and didn´t mind at all. The church service lasted about two hours. It consisited of prayer, singing and a sermon which was thankfully translated for us. The singing style was very different from our own. As Adam later staid the bible says make a joyful noise not a pretty noise! We had a chance to sing three english songs in four part harmony and taught the kids our spanish song about baby moses. The lunch included veggies, thin chewy beef (so good), bean paste and tamalles which are baked corn bread in a corn husk. The group had mixed opinions on the meal and to be honest it didn´t look that good. The taste on the other hand was so great. In the afternoon we had a chance to play with the kids of Carranza. It started with a game of toss the ball and ended with a variety of games in the ¨campo¨ which we now know means park. The kids tired us out with constant requests, in spanish, of piggy back rides and us spinning them around in the air. After a brief water break we left the church and travelled to downtown Guatemala where their is a huge public cemetary. It was crazy each tomb was bigger then the houses that poeple actually live in. It made for a odd feeling of walking among the city of the dead. Some of the tombs were mansion´s that housed some of the richest families in Guatemala. We also visited a tomb where poeple during the civil war were dragged and shot before being thrown off a cliff into the dump. On the other hand their were rentable tomb´s and once the family quit paying the body was removed. This was followed by a more touisty event which included seeing a to scale relief map of Guatemala made 100 year ago. We concluded our day by going out for icecream and returned for a wonderfull supper. This only briefly sums up our day and we are already half asleep!!!! Until tomorrow, Adios Krista, Ian and the rest |
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This afternoon we went on a tour of downtown Guatemala. We drove in the van through extremely busy streets where motorcycles were squeezing between cars and people were hanging off of buses. We drove past several steep ravines where houses were stacked almost one on top of each other. The difference in height was not only physical but represented status as the poorer people were at the bottom, and the rich at the top. We started off our tour in the city square. On one side was the cathedral which respresents the church, on another side was the palace which represents the government, and a ¨humongo¨(quoting Ian) fountain in the centre. We learned some history of the area from a super sweet man with an even cooler goatie named Enrique. The church was enormous and commanded a sense of awe. The catholic museum was open so we spent some time looking at the various statues and paintings of Jesus and his followers. From the church it was a short walk to the biggest market in Guatemala. In the market there was ¨oodles¨ (again Ian) of stuff jammed into every possible open space and we got our first taste of negotiating prices. The market was divided into two levels, the first being touristy, and the second being more practical and more commonly visited by local Guatemalans. For the next hour we were split into groups and sent on a scavenger hunt to find out answers to different questions and to explore the winding streets. This showed us the real day to day living of ordinary local norms such as ridiculously crazy driving and very sketchy shacks. Supper was once again prepared by the cooks who made us burgers (which were delicous), wedges (which were even more delicious), and soup. We will all be in bed early tonight after practicing our songs for tomorrow´s church service. Goodnight!!
Krista, Ian, and the rest of the sleepy gang.
P.S The boys got a lot of machetes and other such sharp instruments. The flights home should be interesting....
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This morning after having the privilege of sleeping in till 7:45. Our first meal was an excellent Guatemala breakfast. The view from Semilla´s roof top is breathtaking. It is almost completly encircled by mountains. We also have a excellent veiw of fuego a live volcano not far from the city. The biulding and courtyard that comprise Semilla are amazing. The trees and grass in the courtyard are very pretty and nothing like any of us has ever seen. This morning after breakfast we had a introduvction to Semilla and the rest of our trip from the MCC worker. During the after noon we will explore downtown Guatemala city and a large market.
Ian
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Buenos Dias! We arrived safely and on schdule late last night in the guatemala
airport! We clapped loudly as the jet touched down and made it through
customs without much trouble. By our last flight I no longer had to
hold Coby´s hand during take offs and landings. Adriana Koehn, our travel guide, and Anthony Sanchez, the MCC Guate
Country rep., taxied us to Semilla. As always, driving in Guatemala
was an experience. We were tired, but excited. We unpacked and had a group meeting while
snacking on Banitos, choc covered frozen half bannanas with a popsicle
stick inside. As we shared our hopes and anitcipations about the trip
I was impressed with some of the comments of the students. This will
be a great trip! I was unable to use the computers last night as they were down. Sorry
about the wait, I know that parents want to know that we arrived safe
and sound, which we did! This morning we were served a typical guatemalan breakfast, fijoles
(beans), quezo fresca (a type of feta cheese that they eat on beans),
huevos (egss), papaya, and melon (a golden type of honeydew melon.
Properly eaten, this should all be sprinkled with a healthy dose of ik
(pronounned eek wiht much gusto, chili pepper). Spirits are high, health is good, group dynamics are healthy and we are
excited to begin the day exploring this city that has already
mezmorized us. Talk to you soon. Peace, Ryan
Hola! Well, we have arrived in Mexico City! Things so far have been smooth. We woke up early (4AM) and boarded the plane in Calgary at around 8:00 AM, and six hours later we were flying over one of the biggest cities in the world. Jill´s bag got swabbed, and Cole got a picture with the stuffed mountie bear. Moving sidewalks are really fun. Good times. Mexico City is crazy big. The houses go on for miles and miles. In
typical latin american fashion the houses are in every shape and color.
On our decscent we also got accquainted with the smog that smothers
the city. Upon arrival we soon learned that our spanish needs some
work. They speak soooo fast. We will keep trying. Right now we are waiting for our final flight to Guatemala!!!! Can´t
hardly wait! Ciao, Ian, Krista and Ryan
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