Last One :(

Hi there !!!   This is to fill you in on what we´ve  done these last few days. We started our third portion of the trip with a four hour bus ride to Coban. This bus ride took us around many curves, like oodles of curves. From Coban we drove in a mIcro to Bezaleel where we were given a tour of the campus. Despite the campus appearance which is lovely we notice the bathrooms and cafeteria were lacking. The food was very bland and consisted of either beans and eggs, beans and rice or a singular hard boiled egg. We also drank Ketchi Koolaid which was pretty much coffee and lots of suger. We were able to participate in Canada vs Guatemala soccer games in which we were schooled. Other interesting activities we did were a tour of a coffee plantation and participating in their schools chapel. (It was really long and very loud even though their mikes weren´t working). The next day we headed to the coast and Monterrico. The hotel we stayed in was very cool (not literally actually it was very warm). The hotel consisted of huts with palm leaf roofs, hammocks, bug nets, and pools. We got a chance to walk the huge distance or 200 feet to the beach where we swam and were tossed by the waves. The turtle release was a good time and we all had fun watching them try to crawl to the ocean. We had a great pizza supper that night and a bonfire on the beach. The next morning we got up super early to pariticipate in the mangrove tour, which was really interesting. We got to see the sunrise and watched many cool birds. Later that day due to a slight change in plans that included two flat tires, we headed to Antiqua instead of climbing Mount Piquia. Antiqua was very gorgeous due to all the colonial buildings, spanish influence and lack of garbage. After lunch we headed back to Semilla one last time. After a very short night we boarded our plane to Mexico City and here we are on our way home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had a fabulous time and will see you soon.   Krista, Ian and the 15 other great peoples in the group

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Final Night

Good Night or thats how we feel We arrived back at Semilla safely after our jaunt to Bezaleel and the coast. We leave here at four thirty tomorrow morning and will give you a detailed blog when we kill seven hours in the Mexico City airport. Good Night (again) Krista, Ian and the other happy tired students

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Evening of Day 9

Hello again! We woke up early this morning (6:15) and had breakfast with our host families. Two more poor people were added to our sick list. Ten down, seven to go.... We met at Anadesa and rode in the back of a pick up to the lake front. We then crammed into a small boat for the hour trip across Lake Atitlan to Santiago. Here we had more time in the market due to our driver being caught in rock slide traffic and Ryan treated us to Valentine´s Day popsicles. Oh yes, HAPPY VALENTINE¨S DAY!! Edwin, our driver, arrived at Santiago two hours late. In these two hours of waiting, we were kept entertained primarily by Matt´s antics. Matt, looking slightly zoned out, tried to cross a busy intersection to go to the bathroom. Looking both ways he proceeded halfway through the intersection before being caught between three ´tuk tuks´ (the three wheeled taxi thingies). Matt, startled from his own world, jumped as the ´tuk tuks´ honked at him and proceeded to play what looked like chicken or happy feet in the middle of the intersection. This took place for probably four or five seconds but was absolutely hilarious. Matt then scampered sheepishly across to the bathroom. Edwin drove us to a gas station down the road where we transfered into a local van so that we wouldn´t be charged by corrupt construction workers. We then drove down a dusty, very rough road, bottoming out continuously until we arrived at an inconspicuous path. Our van left us as we tramped down the small footpath that wound down the mountain side among farmer´s fields consisting of corn, avacado trees, and apple trees. We arrived 15 minutes later at a random collection of small buildings. Once inside we noticed the stark constrast between the drab outside and vibrant inside covered in scarves, blankets, and other textiles. The ladies fed us a lovely chicken lunch. We then heard a moving story translated from Ketche to Spanish to English. She told of the problem in the village during the civil war that led to the death of many husbands and fathers because of internal corruption in the village. This forced the ladies to provide for themselves and create the Woman´s Cooperative which is made up of widowed women. These ladies now sell their wares for fair prices to Ten Thousand Villages. We then had a chance to purchase items straight from the makers and even watched a tapestry being made. After saying our goodbyes we hiked back up to the van. Once in the van we set a new record for the most people in/on a fifteen passenger van. The new record is 24. The seventeen of us jammed in the van, plus the driver and two locals. As we bounced our way down the road, four people hopped onto the top of the van for a lift to the top of the hill. This is a common practice in Guatemala. We switched back into Edwin´s van and drove the remaining four hours back to Guatemala city. Semilla had many new inhabitants but still felt like home. Tonight we look forward to going to bed early (as in five minutes after this blog is completed...). Tomorrow we head off to Bezeleel and from there to Monterrico. Blogging times will again be hit and miss at best but we hope to keep you as up to date as we can! Ian, Krista, and everyone else (who are probably sleeping right now)

Quick Blog on Day 8-ish

Hey there!! We´re writing a quick blog from an Internet Cafe in Santiago Atitlan. We just returned from our home stays in Panabaj. They were lovely people and so was the view. They took us on a tour of their community and told us about the history of the peaceful resistance and the devastation that Hurricane Stan and the mudslide caused. They are doing some amazing work to help restore what was lost. We dug dirt for their tree nursery high up in the mountains where the view was exquisite. We could see the lake on one side and the pacific ocean on the other. We were able to swim in Lake Atitlan which is surrounded by volcanoes. The water was very refreshing to our increasingly tired crew. Unfortunately, a round of sickness has taken the majority of the group. Several people have spent large amounts of time sleeping and recouperating. On the whole though, we are on the ´ups´now. Other highlights of the past three days have been exploring the market, playing soccer and basketball with the kids, and travelling in unique forms of transportion (three wheeled taxis and in the back of pickup trucks). We had time to write this blog due to a rock slide on the road that our transportation was coming on. But when he arrives, we´ll be heading to the Woman´s Cooperative in ChiChi which many of us are very excited for. Until possibly tonight, Adios!! Ian, Krista, and their tanned companions.

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Day 5 pics

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!

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Day 5

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

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Guatemala: Morning Day 5

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