Hello all y'all,
You are probably wondering what we have been up to since we have been here, so here it goes:
The morning after we arrived we went to market in Guatemala City and we all purchased something whether that be a soccer jersey or a flashy pair of short capris. It was different being the minority group while walking through the market being as we are all Canadian and the rest of the population being Guatemalan.
After a long border cross, we ate lunch in La Linea and then explored the community. After suffering through a civil war and hurricanes, the people there live in very basic houses made of sheet metal and wood scraps with no running water or sewer systems. It is hard to explain what it looked and smelt like.
That evening we travelled to the "finca" which is a farm owned by the church of La Linea in El Salvador. The church plans to move 250 families from the squalor of La Linea to this farmland. While there we spent time with the youth of the church working on the farm building a fruit dehydrator and painting various buildings on the farm. We also spent an afternoon at a lake near the community which was "tons of fun" - Jamieson Fitzgerald. Picking fresh oranges and mangoes from the trees was a highlight for everyone on the trip as well. Geraldine led a jam workshop where 30 El Salvadorian women learned how to make jam for the first time.
After spending three wonderful days in El Salvador we traveled to Copan, Hondouras where we again indulged ourselves in the local market purchasing various souvenirs. The trip took a lot longer than expected taking about 7 hours due to many enormous potholes and a slow border cross. We stayed in an awesome hostel and ate great food. In the morning we visited the Mayan ruins which was a new experience for everyone.
We are now back at Semilla and are heading out tomorrow for a 2 day home stay at Lake Atitlan. All are well, traveler's diarrhea aside, and are looking forward to the rest of the time spent here.
Adios Amigos
-Pablo Ayres, Diego Fitzgerald and Brendan in Spanish Paetkau
