Notes from Guatemala

New School Year Starts in Salacuim

noreply@blogger.com (Corby Lewis) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 03:13:00 +0000

A new school year in Salacuim is already underway. The program welcomed 3 new 7th grade students as scholarship winners. All of the graduating 6th graders took a test to vie for a coveted junior high scholarship. For many of the students in Salacuim, gaining a scholarship like this is their only chance to continue studying beyond 6th grade.

Congratulations to:

Helmut Román Leal Oxom
Blanca Quinillo Castro
Marlin Floridalma Caal

More updates to come.......

Guatemalan Scholarship Update

noreply@blogger.com (Corby Lewis) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:21:00 +0000

We've been back from the Peace Corps for more than 8 months now, but we're still trying to help the rural community that we lived in by helping local kids go to school with a basic scholarship. We updated the "Scholarships for Salacuim" website with a bunch of information about the program. The work relies on donations from individuals in the US. Check it out if you want to learn more... lachua.org/scholarships

More Family to Guatemala

noreply@blogger.com (Corby Lewis) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:02:00 +0000

It's a small world. Right around the time that we came back from the Peace Corps this past April. Kari's brother Mark was turning in his application to join the Peace Corps himself. In November, he received his invitation to join the Peace Corps..........in GUATEMALA! He leaves tomorrow and we're both really excited for him, and slightly jealous of the all the great experiences he's sure to have.

Que te vaya bien, vos marcos.
Suerte.

check out his blog at: http://markforsberg.blogspot.com/

Leaving Salacuim

noreply@blogger.com (Corby Lewis) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:00:00 +0000

Our time was up in Salacuim, we had to go. You can't really sum up what the experience has meant to you with words, how much it has formed you and helped you grow.

It was hard to leave, sad to say goodbye to friends: the kids that came to be so important to us, the customs. In the last weeks and days I wanted to savor it all, experience all the quirks of village life one last time--stretching out the 5 block walk from the NGO office to our house in to a 2 hour series of random visits instead of the usual 1 hour, joking around with my young buddies who loved to call me mamaá (the q'eqchi' word for old man) and wondering why the same old joke never got old, the afternoon tortrix® and elojito® snack breaks with Kari in the hammocks, the early morning fresh milk deliveries from our friend Hugo Tista on his horse that served as my alarm clock and daily weather report, the visits from Carlos Macz that never seemed to have a purpose, but always seemed to last at least an hour anyway, all of the visits from the group of neighbor girls that especially admired Kari and watching them play Uno or Jenga or draw pictures. Of course sometimes they just liked to stare at us and our strange foreign customs: cooking, washing clothes, reading books. How strange they thought we were:

¿Que es esto? ................A headlamp
¡Que bonita su reloj! ......An $8 Target special
¿Que es esto? ................A garlic press
¡Tienen 3 bombillas! .....The extravagance and excess of our lifestyle

I also wanted to absorb for one last time, all the special daily experiences that life in Guatemala had afforded me. The meals at the local comedor where the Medina's treated us like family and we felt the camaraderie with co-workers from the local NGO. The trips in the "poprocho", the old Toyota that always need a good shove and a slight incline to get started. This was the same vehicle that tossed the driver around like a rag doll on every bump as the seat wasn't attached to the rusted frame. The trips to the river, walks in the jungle, our outdoor jungle shower that was oh-so sweet in the warm evening air, unannounced visits to families where we were always greeted warmly and offered food or drink and made to feel like we were important, celebrations where we were given a big bowl of Caldo de Gallina, the pinnacle of local fine dining. Of course the Caldo was hard for us to choke down, and if I finished mine, Kari would always have seconds to put on my plate when no one was looking: This was all part of the experience!

I'm proud of what we accomplished during our 2 years in Salacuim. During our time there, we motivated and organized a local group to take steps toward development an income generating eco-tour of their community including a boat trip through "el Peyan" canyon, we trained leaders from the local youth group in grant writing and community project planning which cumulated in a project to improve the community library which was planned and executed by the youth group members themselves, we made connections with individuals in the US to make it possible for 19 local students to go to school in 2007 and 14 in 2008 through a scholarship program that will live on past our peace corps tour, we helped to plan future tourism in the Laguna Lachuá National Park (including new interpretive signs, remodeling of the eco-hotel, and the purchase of kayaks that are available for rent), we developed a website promoting sustainable tourism in the Laguna Lachuá region, and we work on lots of smaller projects that we hope made some kind of positive impact for the rural indigenous village of Salacuim where we served.

But that list of projects isn't what we did.

Although it sounds like a cliché, what was so much more important than the projects we worked on were the less tangible things...

We took walks over the dark muddy paths to visit families in the evening. We spent Christmas eating more than the recommended number of tamales with some of our favorite families. We spend several early mornings sitting 30 people deep in the 4:00 AM van built for 15 people to make a trip to Cobán trying to sleep despite the blaring ranchera hits such as "el chofer" or "tin marin" or "te vas arrepentir" over the bumps, mud, and flat tires. We sat and visited with families and friends in their humble homes and felt a part of something, a community.

Slideshow: Our Peace Corps Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Corby Lewis) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:18:00 +0000

Looking Back.

Easter

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:22:00 +0000

It's a tradition in Salacuim to spend Easter Sunday at the river. We went with one of our favorite families in town, the Prados, and spent the day swimming, eating and socializing with the entire community. It was a cultural event and something different than we had experienced in our time here.

The river scene in Ixloc

The Prado family on Easter Sunday

Kari, Paola and Kennedy in Ixloc

Passing the Torch

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:18:00 +0000

Last week we had a chance to spend time with the volunteers that will be coming to replace us in our respective programs. We spent about 4 days with my replacement Andy, the new environmental education volunteer, in Salacuim and we had a chance to meet Ted, Corby's replacement in Ecotourism. There will be many changes coming up with the new cycle of volunteers. After realizing some of the challenges we dealt with while working in our programs, we recommended some changes to be made for the new generation. They will no longer be partnered with our NGO counterpart and rather Andy will work directly with the 4 schools in Salacuim teaching environmental education and training the teachers how to implement the curriculum into their classrooms. Ted will be living in a new Peace Corps site, Santa Lucia, which is near the entrance to the National Park Laguna Lachuá. He will be better situated to work with the park from that location as well as all the budding tourism sites in that area.

Welcoming Andy to Salacuim

It was nice to meet the people that will be taking over and continuing on with some of our work and starting new projects of their own. I really think that Andy will be a great addition to the list of Salacuim volunteers and the kids and schools are already so excited to have him start. In terms of passing the torch, I don't think we could have asked for a better person to receive it. He's also talking about starting a blog so we can stay caught up on the happenings around town. We'll post that info as soon as we find out for those of you that have become attached to Salacuim as well.

Last Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:01:00 +0000

We just took what may be our last trip around Guatemala a couple weeks ago. We were lucky enough to have Corby's brother, Jeremy visit us for 3 weeks. He just returned from a year long tour in Afghanistan and made time to come see us, which was great.

We spent some time traveling to new parts of Guatemala that we had not seen before, including Huehuetenango and Xela and up to Mexico for a couple days. We also managed to climb the 3rd highest volcano in Guatemala, Santa Maria.

Things are quickly coming to a close here and the time seems to be slipping away. We've finally made our trip plans home and after a small trip to Mexico City, we will be returning to Minneapolis on April 7th. Everything has slowly been falling into place and the most exciting news from last week was my acceptance to graduate school at the U of M. Starting in the fall, I will be working on my masters in social work. I'm really looking forward to a new challenge and it'll be great to get home.

The mix of emotions has already begun to set in about leaving Guatemala and we're looking forward to spending the next 3 weeks with our Salacuim family.

Close of Service

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:01:00 +0000

Last week we attended our close of service conference in Antigua. Although we have more than a month left until we pack up and leave Guatemala, it was a chance for the original group of volunteers we started with more than two years ago to get together and reflect.

Ecotourism and Environmental Education Volunteers 06-08

Of the 25 volunteers that swore in April 2006, not one of us has terminated our service early. I remember during training, we were told that more than 1/3 of us would be gone before our 2 years of service was up. Last week, our training director told us that he could not remember one group to leave with all of its members in the more than 33 groups he has supervised. After hearing that, we all felt pretty proud of what we had accomplished.

Healthy School Volunteers 06-08

It was really interesting to hear about all the projects, frustrations, accomplishments and people impacted by our group of volunteers over 2 years. There were many anxieties expressed in returning to the states along with much excitement. Some of the things that people were looking most forward to were carpet, couches and hot water. Above all, I think we will miss all the amazing people we have met along the way and look back fondly on all the experiences we have had together and apart.

Volunteers at the Close of Service Conference 2008

2008 Scholarship Student Profiles

noreply@blogger.com (Corby Lewis) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:05:00 +0000

S.P.A. Project Complete

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:58:00 +0000

We are finally starting to see some concrete results of a much awaited project. So much of our service in Peace Corps is about intangible projects. Many of the activities that we participate in or seeds we plant will not be realized for years to come and we may never see the results. It has been refreshing to work on a project and see it completed before we leave.

In March 2007, we started writing a grant project with the youth group, JAGUAR. They participated in several community diagnostic meetings late in 2006 to determine what the best project for the community would be. In the end, we came up with a committee of 6 young men and women from the youth group to write a proposal for a grant to build a community space next to the library to allow for more study and training space.

As Peace Corps volunteers, we have access to a Small Project Assistance Grant (SPA) through USAID. The idea behind SPA grants is that it allows the volunteer to guide a community through the diagnostic and grant writing process, while enabling them to gain important skills along the way. The community is essentially in charge of writing the proposal and following through with the project once the funding is approved.

In May we received $3,205 to begin the project. The unique part of this grant is that 30% of the total costs must be covered or donated as in-kind contributions from the community. The community receives a little monetary assistance to get started, but in return they must contribute and invest themselves into the project. It's a beautiful concept and for the most part was very successful in Salacuim.

The committee was in charge of organizing all the in-kind labor from the community as well as being resourceful with the materials that we needed to supplement the $3,000. We hired a skilled mason from Salacuim at a reduced rate to do the concrete work, roof and doors, but all the kids from the youth group, the scholarship kids and all their parents were in charge of donating their time and manpower to the project.

We finally finished the building in December and the group threw a small inauguration party to celebrate. After 2 years of, at times, not seeing large changes, it is wonderful to see the success that the SPA grant has brought to Salacuim.

Christmas in Salacuim

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 17:54:00 +0000

After much debate of how and where we were going to spend Christmas this year, we finally decided to stay home and experience the holiday through the eyes of Salacuim. There were many events that led up to the day and we could feel the excitement in the air as Christmas Eve approached. About a week ago, Corby helped one of our neighbors, Don Ramon, wrestle a pig in a nearby community so that he could cook it for his Christmas dinner. Not very many people can afford to purchase an entire pig, which goes for about Q500 ($65), but he was planning on cooking the meat and selling it for all those that wanted a special treat.

Corby and Don Ramon with the Christmas pig

For us, it is difficult to get used to a green Christmas, especially since we have been hearing about all the snow in Minnesota this year. We struggled to find creative ways to make it feel like Christmas while it was 80 degrees. Luckily, a large coconut tree feel down in our front yard a couple days before Christmas, which allowed us to use the palm branches for a makeshift tree- lights and all.

Decorating the Christmas Palm

Christmas Eve is the biggest day of celebration for Guatemalans. We spent our day helping neighbors make the traditional meal of tamales, which consists of corn paste, a chile sauce and a small piece of chicken, all wrap up in a banana leaf. After being here for almost 2 years, I finally found myself liking the taste of tamales, but that has worn off over the last few days.

Preparing tamales with the Prado family

We spent the evening at church with our friends and neighbors, singing the same Christmas songs as we sing in the states, only in Spanish. There were endless invitations afterward to join families in their homes for tamales. We were overwhelmed by the spirit of the season as people welcomed us and shared their food and company. Corby and I had a difficult time consuming 2 tamales at every house we went to and as a result we have over 10 sitting in the refrigerator right now.
At midnight people lined the main street, some sat with chairs in their front yard and everyone threw firecrackers. The entire town was alive with excitement. The Catholic church walked through town in a procession singing songs and people spent the rest of the night into Christmas Day with their families, eating and socializing.

Catholic Procession through town

While we missed being with our own families at home, we look forward to next Christmas when we all will be together again and cherish the memories of Christmas in Salacuim. We are heading to Belize for the New Year and are looking forward to seeing a new part of Latin America.

¡Próspero Año!

2008 Scholarship Recipients

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 20:18:00 +0000

We are happy to announce that we have selected 5 new students to enter our program in 2008. About 6 weeks ago an exam was given to all 6th graders and the top scoring students were selected to participate in the Scholarships for Salacuim program. Each student has been offered a full 3 year scholarship to complete junior high in Salacuim as long as they complete the rules of the program and maintain their grades.

The 5 newly selected students for 2008- all entering 7th grade

Our program this year will solely be focused at the junior high level, as the community committee takes over in our absence. We are also grandfathering in the 4 junior high students from last year that have successfully completed the 2007 school year.

This week we had our first meeting with the new students and their parents to introduce them to the program. We are really excited about this new group as we feel they have already proven their intellectual ability through the exam and are ready to tackle the challenges of 7th grade. They really seem like a great group of kids and we look forward to working with them in 2008!

Russell, Reyna, Sherna, Maria, Jener

Cell Phones coming to Salacuim!

noreply@blogger.com (Corby Lewis) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 16:45:00 +0000

We've been hearing rumors for at least a few months now that the cell phone companies have been visiting the area around Salacuim and doing feasibility studies. Obviously, we've been anxious to see if the rumors are true. We've lived here for almost two years now, always with limited communication. There are a few public telephones that grab a cell phone signal with a large antenna from distant cell towers, but the result is always a scratchy connection and a 65 cent/minute charge to call the US. There is also a telephone at our NGO's office which works on a satellite connection, but its plagued by a 2 second delay and strict limits on personal calls (especially frustrating when speaking Spanish as a second language).

Also, about six months ago some new towers went up across the Chixoy River in the Quiche department that gave everyone a sort of hope that maybe their phones could grab signal in special "spots", in fact the large open field next to our house has had a faint signal if you stand in the right place for enough time and learn the tricks such as shutting-of and restarting your phone 3 times in succession while raising your left hand in the air. This ghost signal has created a culture of small groups that congregate in these "spots" with their phones every night, partially to make phone calls but also to pass time.

This is all about to change, as this week we noticed a large metal object growing in Salacuim's skyline, a shiny new cell phone tower! The rumor is that we will have real cell phone signal before Christmas. A team of 6 Colombian and Nicaraguan workers (better described as Trapeze artists) are throwing up a 130 meter tall tower that promises cheap, clear phone calls and the ability to actually receive calls in the last few months of our Peace Corps Service.

Construction Methods:
Although these guys don't have all of the safety gear required in the US, I'm impressed with their use of resources. There is no crane, but they can secure a metal section of ladder to the tower with rope and use it as a boom. From there they run a rope through a pulley system to the rear wheel of a pickup truck up on blocks. To lift sections of the tower, they start the pickup, put it in gear and use it as a crane.

Development:
An adviser to our NGO talks about development of the area as a balance between infrastructure, education, political organization, and environmental conservation; calling them the 4 "capitals". Things like education and political organization are just as important to the development of Salacuim, but they are intangible, hard to see, and actually take more time.

Infrastructure, however, is very tangible and visible. We arrived in Salacuim about 10 years after they were connected to Cobán with a gravel road. The electricity came about 4 months before we arrived, and a previous Peace Corps volunteer told us about the drastic difference: TV's, later nights on the street, etc. Earlier this year, all of the side streets were leveled and lined with gravel; a huge improvement to the steep, slippery paths of before. Offices have also been built for the local organizations: the youth group, the farmers group, and the womens group. In the near future, running water and road paving projects are in the works. We have to look at how much the face of this area is changing and just be amazed.

Tower construction acrobatics

The tower construction site is the most popular community gathering spot

Use of pick-up as a crane

Lunch with the Senators

noreply@blogger.com (Corby Lewis) — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 03:42:00 +0000

During Joey and Stacie's visit, we got a phone call from the Peace Corps office inviting us to have lunch with a delegation of US Senators that were in the midsts of a tour, meeting with presidents of several South American and Central American countries during the Senate's Thanksgiving recess. Only 6 Peace Corps volunteers were invited, including us because I happen to be the only PC volunteer in Guatemala with North Dakota roots and both senators from North Dakota were part of the delegation.

Kari and I were split between tables, my place was with the ND senators while Kari was with the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the US ambassador in Guatemala. It was a unique experience for me to have lunch at a small table with 2 senators and their wives. I was impressed at how interested they all were about the life of a Peace Corps volunteer, and I think my Dad was just as impressed when he received a personal phone call from Byron Dorgan the day afterwards to let him know that his son was doing well in Guatemala.

Kari & I with North Dakota Senators Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan

Kari & I with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

After-Thanksgiving Visitors: Lewis family

noreply@blogger.com (Corby Lewis) — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 05:46:00 +0000

After a visit from Courtney & Eric, we got to be hosts for another week for the long awaited visit from my brother and sister: Joey and Stacie. We had a great time, catching up with their lives and showing them around a few places we know in Guatemala. The highlight of the trip was the 3 days we spent in Salacuim, although we had some bad luck with heavy rains while they were here. We also had the chance to visit with our original host family (for the first 3 months of Peace Corps training, way back in January of 2006) and climb an active volcano. Here are some the pictures from their trip.

Lewises at Sachicha Waterfall

At our house in Salacuim

With the kids from our original host family

Lewises on Pacaya Volcano

Lewises at the Biotopo del Quetzal

Thanksgiving Visitors

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 18:17:00 +0000

Here are a few highlights from our Thanksgiving trip. Courtney and Eric came from San Diego to join us for a week in Guatemala. We spent most of our time in Salacuim, but we were able to do a few things that we have yet to do in our own site, including a very muddy hike through the jungle to the other side of the park. We celebrated Thanksgiving with amazing Cuban food in Cobán and enjoyed our time together catching up and sharing our experiences with them.

welcome to Salacuim

a muddy hike through the jungle to Rocja Pomtila

Courtney and Maria (scholarship sponsor)

spending time in Salacuim

Benpec el Castaño, Historic Day

noreply@blogger.com (Corby Lewis) — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 17:58:00 +0000

Today the neighboring town to Salacuim, Benpec el Castaño, held a ceremony where the community members received titles to their land after a long and arduous process. This town is only a 30 minute walk or a short bike ride from Salacuim, and Kari & I often go there to visit the river for swimming or just to pass time. Our Peace Corps site-mate Nicole works with a womens group from Castaño that makes hand woven fabrics. I've worked with their community association this year to form a group that was trained in the principles of community tourism. So this community is really part of our Peace Corps "site"; we've made friends and memories there.

It was special to see a group of farmers that have never owned land, achieve something that will benefit them and their future generations. As Guatemala has a long, long history of land rights struggles, it's encouraging to see that at least some local farmers are receiving the basic necessity to build a better future for their families: a title deed to their land.

Here are the few of the details of the purchase:

75 families received land, all as part of an farmers association
each family will receive about 12 "manzanas" of land (about 21 acres)
Each family will pay subsidized price of Q11,800 over a maximum of 8 years for their land (through the local association)
The community will also receive support with various production projects to help them get started (pineapple, cacao, reforestation, cattle, and tilapia)
Their are about 1500 acres in the community, and the sale price (from a private owner to the government) was Q2,400,852.50. This implies that the land is worth about $210/acre.

Guatemalan Units of Measurement

noreply@blogger.com (Corby Lewis) — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 14:00:00 +0000

Guatemalans use the metric system, but they are still kind of trapped between rural farmers who still use their traditional units of measurement and influence from US English units. You buy gas by the gallon, drive stretches of road in kilometers, and you plant corn by the cuerda. Below is a list of distance and area measurements used in Salacuim, Guatemala.

Scholarship Exam

noreply@blogger.com (Corby Lewis) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 16:31:00 +0000

We had a great turnout for the scholarship test that was given this week to all students in Salacuim that had completed 6th grade and have the desire to continue studying in 7th grade next year. The reality is that about half of these students won't be able to go to school next year, and essentially all of them will have difficulties finding money to buy supplies or uniforms.
So for many of these kids, doing well on this test and winning a scholarship through this program is the only chance they have to study next year.

Although several scholarship students will be grandfathered in this year, new students will all come from this group. The program hopes to select about 5 new scholarship students, depending on the success of fund-raising.

We are especially proud of how much the community collaboration has developed in a year. Last year, Kari and I picked scholarship students based on personal relationships and perceived needs. Right now, we have the support of teachers, community organizations, and of course the small committee that will be in charge of management after we leave; all supporting the dream to create a small, sustainable program that will create opportunities for children and develop leaders.

Something to Think About

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 19:22:00 +0000

With only five months left of service, I find myself trying to understand the situation Guatemala is in and what my future role can be. There is a strange feeling in knowing that I will someday leave and go back to a fairly comfortable lifestyle. I often feel guilty and at times very excited. It's a difficult balance. After living in Salacuim for nearly 2 years, I truly feel concerned for the people of my community and wonder what their future holds.

Currently Guatemala has the highest percentage of people living below the poverty rate in all of Central America at 56.2%. Extreme poverty is defined as living on less than $1 a day and moderate poverty is less than $2 a day.

Here are some interesting comparisons between Guatemala and the U.S.

Guatemala/United States
Illiteracy rate: 30.9%/1%
Infant Mortality rate: 29.7 of 1,000/6.27 of 1,000
Fertility rate: 3.7 per woman/2.09 per woman
HIV prevalence: 1.1%/0.6%
Population below poverty level: 56.2%/12%
Age structure: 1-14(40.8%) 15-64(55.5%) 65+(3.6%)/
1-14(20.2%) 15-64(67.2%) 65+(12.6)

Other Guatemalan Facts...

Average duration of schooling is only 4 years
Only 3 of 10 children graduate from 6th grade
More than 2 million children do not attend school
(mostly indigenous girls in rural areas)
Infant mortality rate is the highest in Central America and the 3rd highest in the hemisphere
50% of Guatemalan women have given birth before the age of 19
20% have 2 or more children by their 18th birthday
Contraceptive prevalence is 43%, the 2nd lowest in the hemisphere
49% of Guatemalan children under the age of 5 are chronically malnourished
Only 41% of births are attended by a doctor or nurse, lowest in the hemisphere

information provided by www.cia.gov, www.usaid.gov

Laguna Lachuá National Park Brochure

noreply@blogger.com (Kari) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 21:01:00 +0000

It's been over a year in the making, several rough drafts and months waiting for funds, but finally the new park brochures are finished and should be printed soon. Even though Laguna Lachuá has been a national park for over 37 years, very few promotional materials exist. This may be one of the reasons it remains one of the least visited parks in all of Guatemala. We hope that by distributing brochures and posters to all the major travel agencies in the country, it will encourages some tourists to take the long journey to check out, what we would consider, one of the most beautiful areas in Guatemala.

Ecoregión Lachuá

noreply@blogger.com (Corby Lewis) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:44:00 +0000

Ecoregión Lachuá is where we work. Kari made this map as part of some new eco-tourism promotional material.

Álvaro Colom Visit to Salacuim

noreply@blogger.com (Corby Lewis) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 01:31:00 +0000

Guatemala is in the heat of a campaign leading up to it's presidential elections on November 4. Salacuim history was made today when this small aldea of 2,500 people received its first ever presidential campaign visit from Álvaro Colom. He came in a helicopter, talked for about an hour and then his team accepted letters of request from community members seeking community projects if he were to become president. Afterwards, there was squabble around the truck that was throwing out 50 cent bags of kool-aid and little pieces of bread to the locals.

Carpe Diem Visit to Lachuá

noreply@blogger.com (Corby Lewis) — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 00:49:00 +0000

Last week we had the good fortune to be hosts to a group of 15 Americans that came for a week long visit to Laguna Lachuá and Salacuim. They came with a ton of energy and willingness to contribute to community projects in the area. They were in week 4 of a 3 month long trip through Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica (link to their blog); all of them learning to speak Spanish and doing community service along the way. I think they all really enjoyed being in our area: visiting the Laguna Lachuá Park, learning about the hand made weaving from TESA (women's group that Nicole works with), working really hard pouring a cement floor in the youth group construction project, harvesting corn with a local farmer, helping to clear weeds from a reforestation project, sifting dirt for the tree nursery, and helping out on a Tilapia farm.

We felt lucky to host such an active group and watched a wonderful exchange of cultures between the locals and the visitors. Most of all I also enjoyed playing in a competitive basketball game with people taller than me.

Helping mix concrete by hand

Learning how to weave