We were getting ready to begin a water tank project in the community of Los Alisos.  15 tanks for 15 families were planned.

Brenda had the supplies from the city of Huehue loaded up into a large truck and delivery planned one afternoon.  As they were approaching the community on a newly cleared dirt road, they noticed a large group of about 50 men blocking the road ahead.

As they approached they flagged down the delivery truck and said that they had to pay a toll.  It seems that the alcalde who helped the community clear the road (that still seemed to be little more than dirt and rocks) supplied the equipment but the community was responsible for paying for the diesel.  So to raise money they decided to close the road and charge a toll till they could raise enough money.

Well the driver and Brenda were not about to pay the exorbitant fee (Q100 or about $12). And so there was lots of back and forth between Brenda and the men.  Several people in the group wanted to let the truck through since they were, after all, delivering things to their community for the good of the community.  Specifically about 15 of the men, whose wives were part of the project, felt this way.  The other men in the group felt that it wasn’t fair since they weren’t going to get anything of out if.  The solution they presented was for the truck to leave its cargo at the bridge about 2 miles away and then to have someone carry them in by hand.

At last Brenda realized that they had reached an impasse and Brenda said that she was going to call the women (who were assembled and waiting for the delivery) and let them know the problem.  The men acted as if Brenda had pulled a gun on them.  They quickly spoke up and said “no no, you don’t need to call them”.  And “now now we can talk about this”.  As it turns out, even the men whose spouses were not a part of the group had family of some kind in the group and not one of them wanted to go up against a sister, mother, or wife.  They quickly decided that they could pass and that no one would speak of the incident and that the women in the group didn’t need to know about this incident.

So when Brenda arrived with the materials and told the women the story they got a good laugh out of it.  Several women stomped of to let the men know that they were not to interfere in their business.  Several others got a good laugh at the whole incident and said that Brenda should have just left the materials at the bridge and they would have had the “burros” that were blocking the road haul things back to their houses.

In the end the materials were delivered, the project went on well and we saw yet another example that the men are not as “machismo” as they pretend.

Our Guatemalan bus driver (the ring leader of the attempt to fix the sister bus) toyed with things until the bus started and was turned around. He returned to our bus, announcing that we were switching to the defective bus. We filed off the bus…one passenger took note of our foreign status, saying, “It’s American bus,” in our direction, chuckling at his cleverness. Knowing we were between 2 & 5 kilometers from our stop, we opted to take the trek on foot. It worked out in our favor in the end…we never did see that bus pass by.

Needless to say, Antigua was worth the trek. I know it isn’t “real Guatemala”; it is expensive and more full of foreigners than Guatemalans. But you can walk the whole town, and there seems to be a breath-taking church everywhere you turn. It has cobblestone streets, and a beautiful park (and church) in its center.

As a side note, I almost didn’t make it out of Antigua. I had scheduled a shuttle out of town for 5 a.m.—the only safe way to avoid hiring a private shuttle driver to bring me to my destination. The “night watch” employee at my hotel knocked on my door at 4:30 a.m. to tell me my shuttle had arrived. Turns out we started driving to Guatemala City…we had to turn around.

I am happy to be safe and sound, back with the kiddies….who were happily working on their homework, sprawled out in the dirt after school today. They still ask me to take their picture sometimes—I try to curb this as much as possible to avoid distractions. But they are warming up more each day—they seem to welcome the “guest appearances” of volunteers, and the new energy and faces.

It started storming in Chiantla yesterday—this is unusual for this time of year, as rainy season (here, the beginning of winter) isn’t expected until May or so. The rain has been nice—it is much-needed, and it makes the roads less dusty. The Cumbre is already turning from brown to green. Although I prefer the brown hue. (I have been known to root for the underdog.)

Once I found my hotel in Pana, I relaxed. I found a nice dinner spot, walked around, and bartered for handmade bracelets. This went on until I got scammed by a five-year-old who was trying to sell me unnecessary items. He was relentless, despite my insistence that I didn’t, in fact, NEED a device that would allow me to eat pizza and store my remote control simultaneously (okay—this is a bit of an exaggeration.) I insisted time and time again that though his goods were lovely, I had no need for them. He went in for the kill, telling me he was hungry. (He must have sensed my bleeding heart for small, cute Guatemalan children looking helpless.) I told him again that I didn’t need anything, but that if he was truly hungry, I would buy him some food. He silently marched next to me for the next few blocks….this confused me, until he marched me right up to a local food vendor, mumbling “pollo” under his breath. I sheepishly handed my money over to the vendor, and handed the to-go box full of fried chicken and French fries over to the boy. Naturally, this unusual scene attracted more child vendors—one of whom aggressively demanded I buy her mangoes, and then moved on to demanding pollo. All this eventually lead me back to the safety of my hotel room. I got told by a five-year-old.

After my trip to Pana, I happily ventured back “home” to the Chiantla/Cuchumatanes region (where the children may stare, but will not call you out). Our group of volunteers was greeted last Thursday with Nuevo Progreso’s students yelling, “Gringos!” in an uproar. We sang songs, played games, and caused general havoc for their teachers. The kids tried to teach us Guatemala’s national anthem, I sang parts of ours for them, and our German friend, Clemen, attempted to teach them Germany’s. We met with a women’s group in the Cumbre last week, where Señora Coni spoke about the importance of self-esteem. We are working with the preschoolers at Escuela Cuchumatanes on their colors, shapes, and numbers, as well as general practice of motor skills to prepare them for primary school. The new preschool teacher is encountering some problems with students with separation anxiety…Cicabel, their original teacher, is out on maternity leave for a few weeks. (This has resulted in behavioral issues in one student in particular, who attempted to lock us in the classroom with a padlock last week. He went on to tell us he was sick, and when we tried to walk him home, he ran away from us. We started to run after him, until we realized that all of his neighbors were staring…and how this must have looked.)

Part II coming soon…

If you would like any more information or to purchase photos you may do so by contacting us at info@seedsofhelp.org and all proceeds go directly towards children’s scholarships.

Girls from a school where Seeds of Help works.

Seeds of Help has a new volunteer in Guatemala. Her name is Valerie and she will be our guest blogger for these next couple of weeks. Her voice will be the day to day activities of what one volunteer with Seeds of Help experiences. Below is her first weeks thoughts and observations as well a photo of Val with Brenda and two Seeds sponsored girls.  Both girls speak an indigenous language, Mam, and wove their own clothes.  Mirabel (between Brenda and Valerie) will be helping some of our women’s groups by teaching them to weave.

Week 1 in Guatemala was a whirlwind. Last week, we visited various schools in the Cumbre, met with women’s groups and Peace Corps volunteers, and spent time with the families whose children are being sponsored by Seeds.

A teachers’ strike has been in effect throughout Guatemala for two months, so many schools have not been in session for a total of four months (two months of vacation, and two months of teachers’ strikes.) The government and the striking teachers finally reached a compromise, so schools are back in session as of this week.

Guatemala experienced a significant earthquake (approximately a 5.6, I believe), but not before Chile’s large scale earthquake last weekend. Almost 450 people in Chile died due to the earthquake; much of central and South America seem to have been in a panic.

I worked at La Escuela Cuchumatanes today–the kids seem similar to American preschoolers in many ways (mischievous, silly, and adorable.) In more ways, though, they are different . Life is hard for them–and not in an “I-didn’t-get-the-toy-I-wanted-for-Christmas” way. Many of them have severe burns on their cheeks from consistent exposure to open flames and smoke in their homes (as this is how many of their families cook.) Some of them are already developing cataracts from the severe conditions in the Cumbre–the wind is strong, and the sun is even stronger.

Many of them are sick; you can hear it in their voices (which are raspy), or see that their persistently running noses are not so due to the common cold. It is evident that the work ethic and hard labor that they have grown accustomed to are ingrained in them–one of the students picked up a broom nonchalantly today and began sweeping up the scraps of paper that were strewn all over the floor after the students took part in a project. I don’t know a six-year-old in America who would do the same without being asked, and with such a jovial demeanor. (Some of the students, though in preschool, are 5 and 6 years old. It is difficult to tell sometimes, since they are so small for their age.)

It is difficult to teach the students certain things that seem “natural” in America, as the children here have grown up learning to do things differently. Many of them throw their trash on the ground (inside and outside), and don’t understand why they are asked to do otherwise. Some of the boys are accustomed to being physically aggressive, and they think it is curious and funny when you tell them not to push. They don’t understand. One of the preschoolers has asked me for money multiple times, or at least I think that’s what he is asking for. He puts his hand out and demands that I hand it over, and then laughs. I found it funny the first time. But now that I understand, it makes me sad.

This morning on the micro bus, I rode with a woman who threw a piece of trash out the window, and then another a few minutes later. It is hard for me to understand these things…especially when some families here take such pride in their land and their homes that they religiously sweep their dirt floors. A lot of people I have encountered act as though they have never seen an American. They stare relentlessly, or laugh when they hear me speak. It usually only happens with the children. Others act as though I belong.

The pace of life here is so different…I love the way families here take the time to eat together, to speak to one another–they genuinely care about each other; they are so unified. I love the way meals are homemade, and from scratch–and that no one complains about the meals that are prepared. I love that each person takes care of his family in a different way. I love that strangers talk to one another in the street–they say “good morning” or “good afternoon” in passing. I love that people go so far out of their way for one another…just because they care, not because they have a motive. And despite my claims of being a hippie, I love that as an act of celebration, they kill a chicken and, and, later, feast. That’s all for now.

Val taking a photo of one the schools she’ll be working with

Below are some photos of our volunteers both peace corps and regular. If you’d like to volunteer with Seeds of Help please contact us at info@seedsofhelp.org Generally a basic knowledge of Spanish and vast stores of patience are crucial as Guatemalan time isn’t like American time!

Please contact us by email at info@seedsofhelp.org if you are interested in volunteering with Seeds of Help.

Here are some photos from past trips…

Interesting day.  Today Guatemala celebrated Dia del Nino (Kids day) and I got to spend it with the community of Los Cuchumatanes.  This is the second year we have had our preschool class in this school.  We took bags full of candy (as if they needed more sugar in their lives) and three piñatas.  One for the girls, one for the boys and one for just the preschool class.  I don’t know what they make their piñatas out of but they are extremely resilient and can take a beating. Usually after everyone has had a turn the teachers intervene and break the think apart by hand.  The kids were extremely excited and had a special place they wanted to break the piñatas.  Turns out it was about a 10 minute walk from the school and there wasn’t a house in site.  The thing that made the area special was that there were two large trees from which they suspended the target of their joy.  These trees were over 200 feet apart (I don’t know where they found rope long enough.)  Two kids scrambled up the tree like they were monkeys and had the rope strung in no time.

After everyone had their bags of candy we went back to the school to hand out surprises. We gave each kid a plastic piggy bank (a few were rabbits though) to encourage them to think about their futures and about saving money.  Several kids had their little piggies named  and were introducing them to their friends.

The highlight of the day was in the evening when we met with Celso and Florintina, two of our scholarship students from Fey y Alegria.  Florintina is just precious.  She brought her cousin along and she reminded me of how Florintina was when I first met her.  The cousin said nothing and sat quietly.  If asked a question she would respond politely and quietly and then try to sink further into the shadow.  By contrast Florintina starts out quiet but curious.  She is extremely gracious and quiet at first.  Once you get her talking though she becomes animated and full of life.  We had a long conversation about differences in her version of Mam and the version of Mam spoken in TotoSantos.  In theory the same indigenous language but with numerous differences.  Tomorrow we will show her where we hope she will be living as she has completed her studies at Fey y Alegria and will be attending the next level of education next year.

The biggest surprise was Celso (known to some as Ancelmo).  When we first met him we recognized right away that he was a bright young man.  As he was the first person in his village to graduate from the 6^th grade we felt he had lots of potential.  He was very quiet and respectful.  His first year at boarding school took some adjustment.  He went from sharing one teacher with 6 other grades to living with students from all over Guatemala and having a variety of new teachers and topics.  This is the end of his second year and I could barely recognize him as the same person.  He is still respectful and very polite but he is now a young man.  He is enthusiastic and well spoken.  He is quite animated and thoroughly looks forward to exploring any new topic that may present itself.  He is extremely appreciative of the opportunity we helped to give him.  He no longer wears the cowboy boots and hat of his youth and he recognizes that he has to be an example to his family and other youths of his village.

We raised enough money to cover Florentina’s first year of technical school. Guatemalan children generally get school provided for them for the first 6 years by the government. If the child wants to continue, the family must pay for a middle school (like our junior/high school). Then past those three years, if the child wants to get a degree in a trade like shoe making, mechanical work, construction, nursing, teaching, they go for another 3 years (like our college/trade schools here) which again the family must pay for.

Most families in the rural area of Huehuetenango, Guatemala have 6+ children so they can hardly afford to feed their families much less pay to send their children to school. When we first met Florentina we saw her enthusiasm to continue her education and wanted to help her achieve her dream. Women in Guatemala have an exceptionally hard time continuing their education as they are perceived as the care takers and often marry young and have to care for their families. So, Florentina who wants to continue to study nursing and teaching is a beacon of light and with our help she’ll be able to go to school as well as be a great example to other young woman in her area.

Photos were taken by Jarvis Cooper of Faith Ministries in Columbus, Indiana.

When: Saturday, September 19, 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
Where: Faith Ministries, 5103 State Road 46 West (Past CVS on the left)
Suggested free will donation: $10 per person | Raffle: $5.

Kids will be grouped by age for their own special classes while adults enjoy their
own yoga time in another room. Teachers include Kathy Therber, Sarah Hess
and Tracy Lehfeldt. After yoga, a raffle for Guatemalan goods, light snacks, and
information on Florentina and Seeds of Help’s work in Guatemala will be presented.

Contact (Yoga): Kathy Therber ktherber@hotmail.com or 342-7627
Contact (Seeds of Help): Walter Able wable04@gmail.com or 552-1007

Sponsored by Yoga Now and Seeds of Help

See photo and description of Florentina on the blog prior