Day 9

We started our day with breakfast which consisted of beans, oatmeal, bananas, and bread. Today marked the five-year anniversary of the passing of Father Gregory Schaffer, who was a vitally important leader of the San Lucas Mission. A children’s mass began at 8am and immediately following was a procession through the streets of San Lucas and to the final resting place of Father Schaffer. We left shortly before the precession began and went to see Father Schaffer’s grave, which was front and center within the cemetery, and extremely well-kept. We then watched as the procession made its way into the cemetery; Professor Northrup, Kendall, and Zeke took part and walked with the children. We then had the rest of the morning to spend at the lake, visiting some local shops, and even playing a few rounds of UNO. We were on dish-duty for lunch which was beef soup and macaroni salad.

After lunch we went to the women’s center to take part in a few of their cultural classes that are offered weekly. We started out by listening to beautiful melodies played on the Marimba, and then were able to learn how to make tortillas. The dough was pre-mixed and we learned the correct technique for shaping the tortillas, which was much easier said than done. After tortillas, we headed up the hill to the pila, otherwise known as the washing center. Several students brought articles of clothing to be hand-washed; we learned the most efficient way to scrub and then rinse the clothing. We definitely were overshadowed by the women who were there washing their own clothing, and they even lent a hand to some students who needed some extra help scrubbing their clothes. It made many of us realize how fortunate we are to have the easy access to washers and dryers while at home and while at school.

Once the laundry was rung out, we headed back down the hill to learn how to balance the banos (buckets) on our heads. Most Guatemalan women will carry up to 50 pounds on their heads at any given time, but we only tested the buckets with roughly 10 pounds. It took a lot of practice to balance the bucket just right on our heads, and everyone was able to take a few steps on their own before having to catch the bucket from falling. What was even harder was learning how to carry wood using a modified backpack in which the wood was carefully packaged. We learned that many families travel two to three times a week to gather wood, and some men carry up to 150 pounds of wood at a time. Some students were up to the challenge of picking up the wood using the backpack, and while it wasn’t easy at first, it definitely was rewarding when we were up and standing. 

Finally, to end our day at the women’s center we had the opportunity to support the local women by purchasing items that they made in the store. We wrapped up our day with dinner and even got to venture out for some ice cream!

-Lucia