Day 12

With today being a travel day, we thought it would be nice to post some photos from throughout our travels that didn't make into a blog post. Enjoy!

Day 11

Today was a very different day at the Mission. Instead of heading out to a work site in the morning, we went to the celebration held at the church for the life of Padre Greg. Father Greg was instrumental in starting the Mission in San Lucas, and he sadly passed away 7 years ago. The celebration of his life began at the church with a mass, followed by a procession to the cemetery. It was a beautiful experience to see the entire community, particularly the children, singing together in one voice during the service.

In the afternoon, we went to the coffee project to learn about the process of harvesting and brewing coffee. Eddy and Carlos presented loads of useful information regarding the roasting process, and we even got to try French Press and Chemex brewed coffee.

In the evening, we went out for a final dinner with our hosts, Heidi (the long-term volunteer coordinator at the Mission) and Hannah (recently arrived long-term volunteer). We are so grateful for their help this week and the work they are involved with at the Mission.

Hard to believe our Guatemala adventure is coming to a close. We head to the airport first thing in the morning!

-M. Rust

Day 10

This morning was met with a breakfast of eggs and beans, and perfect weather for a boat ride. We took a small boat across glassy Lake Atitlan to get to Panjachel- a touristy town about half an hour away. Upon arrival, we were able to poke around some of the stores close to the dock. 

After a few minutes of exploring, we called for 5 tuk-tuks (small, scooter-like vehicles that fit 3-4 passengers) to bring us to a nature reserve, which has some of the best zip lining around (yep, sure does). 

We geared up with bright, colorful helmets and rather uncomfortable harnesses, and headed on a 20 minute hike to the first zip line. The series of 8 lines spanned the width of a canyon that gave a stunning view of Lake Atitlan. At first, it was a little scary to speed across the canyon and it took some time to get used to slowing down, but it was all worth the beautiful view. After the exciting adventure had come to an end, the tuk-tuks were called to pick us up.

We were dropped off on the main shopping street, and were given time to look for gifts and souvenirs. Many of the shops offered beautiful paintings, and we were able to practice our bartering skills with the shopkeepers. After spending quite a few hours in the hot sun, soft serve really hit the spot. We stopped at a shop that allowed us to select frozen fruit to mix with blocks of frozen yogurt, creating our own unique concoction of flavors. We then headed back to the dock and boarded the boat to ride back to San Lucas, which was a bit of a bumpy ride due to the waves created by the increasing afternoon wind. Upon arrival back at San Lucas, we headed back to the Mission for dinner, and finally back to the hotel after a long, fun day of adventures across the Lake.

-Sienna and Per

Day 9

This morning we started our day with a delicious breakfast consisting of oatmeal, beans, bananas, and bread. After breakfast was cleaned up, we made our way to the work site. Today, however, the groups switched the types of houses they have been working on. When we arrived at the work site, we were told to dig a trench a meter deep. Using pickaxes, shovels, and machetes, we dug trenches for over two hours. Towards the end of the work day, one of the workers dug up the trench even more. He made it look so easy and we learned that a single person will make only 40 Quetzals to dig up a 1 meter deep trench that is 30 feet long. When it was time to leave, we made sure to say goodbye to all the children and to thank the workers for their help.

After lunch, we set out for the women’s center with the Marywood group. When we arrived we rotated through a series of four activities. The first activity we were a part of was tortilla making. We have been looking forward to this all trip so we were very excited this was the first activity we were doing. During this, we learned how to grind up corn with stones, how to pat up the dough to make the tortilla shape, and how to cook the tortillas. To cook the tortillas, the women used a lime coating pan to ensure they didn’t stick to it. 

The next activity we were a part of was wood carrying. During this we saw how the men tie up many pieces of wood with string. When it came time to try to carry the wood, we were surprised with how light the wood actually was. The hardest part was honestly standing up with the weight of the wood on your head.

After the wood carrying, we learned how to wash our clothes in a pila, a water complex with multiple scrubbing stations for washing clothes. The roof of the pila was bent inwards so the rain water would enter the pila. After we rinsed, washed, and rung out the clothing, we put the clothes in a bucket and made our way down the stairs to attempt to balance all these clothes on our heads. 

Using an apron rolled up into a spiral, we balanced the bucket on our heads. This was much harder than expected and it was interesting to learn that a women can balance up to 75 pounds on their heads.

After completing all of the activities we made our way back to the hotel where we cleaned up before making our way to dinner. After dinner was completed, Northrup and Rust took us to a hotel restaurant complex to have dessert. Most of us got brownies and ice cream, but others got cheesecakes, and flan. After consuming the desserts, we made our way back to the hotel to get some much needed sleep for tomorrow. We are all looking forward to what is in store for tomorrow.

-Becky

Day 8

This morning we all woke up early to go for a walk around the lake and have a look at the volcanos before the clouds covered them. After breakfast we headed out to work with the same groups as yesterday. Waiting for us in the truck were two shovels and a pickaxe, so we were very curious as to what we would be doing today. We got to the work site and were told that they wanted us to level a hill so they could build a new house. We started working with pickaxes and shovels clearing out the hill. We soon discovered there were some big rocks and even bigger rocks that needed to be removed. We got to work getting the big rocks out of the ground. With the rocks out, one of the Mission workers started to break it up with some chisels. We spent a few hours doing this, breaking up the dirt and moving it elsewhere with buckets. Just as we finished the work and got back in the truck, we were swarmed by kids from the nearby school who were out for lunch.

After lunch we set out with the Marywood group to the reforestation center. We learned about Toribio and his efforts to replant trees in the forest. His center used to be part of and funded by the Mission, but since it is no longer part of it, he sells wooden spoons to help support the center. Toribio buys plastic bags and bottles from children in the town to help decrease pollution and plant tree seeds. According to Toribio, a plastic bag takes about 100 years to decompose if thrown away. However, if used to plant seeds, the bags decompose in only 3-4 years. We also learned about the many benefits that trees have on the community. For example, roots of trees help protect against landslides, and the leaves can provide shade to coffee plants, resulting in a more flavorful coffee.

Also, sadly, this was the last day with our dear friend from Minnesota—go Gophers—Quinn. Quinn wanted the group to know how grateful he was for being so inclusive of him. He was glad to be able to explore the town with everyone, and get to hang out with our group during downtime. He’ll miss his time in Guatemala with his new friends from Western New England University. Especially the ridiculous riddles, inspiring insights, and witty jokes. Thanks again for going out of your way to invite me to be part of group activities. I wish all of you good health during your last days in Guatemala, safe travels back home, and the best of luck with your future goals and dreams.

-Per and Quinn

Day 7

Our first morning at the Mission began at 8 am with a breakfast of oatmeal, banana, bread, peanut butter, and jelly. We then departed on a tour of the Mission’s projects. We first looked at the school, which teaches children from pre-school to twelve years old. The kids there were excited to see us passing through and made sure to say hello. 

We then visited the women’s center, which offers sewing classes and weaving classes to women in the local community. The women can sell their goods through the center to provide income for their family without a middle-man vendor. The hospital was next on our tour, which was recently constructed and has 10 beds for men, 10 for women, 10 for children, and 3 for births. 25% of all births in San Lucas are in the hospital, with the other 75% being at home with the assistant of midwives. Volunteer surgeons visit the hospital 7 months out of the year to provide inexpensive medical assistance to the people of San Lucas and the surrounding areas.  The final stop on our tour was the coffee project, Café Juan Ana, which processes the coffee grown by local farmers and connects farmers directly to consumers. 500 pounds of coffee fruit is eventually turned into only 62-63 pounds of the coffee we know and love.

After lunch, we split up into groups to head to various work sites in the local area. Our group traveled to a nearby department (similar to an American state) to help begin the construction of a new cinderblock home for a local family. The children in the town were excited to see us, and almost every one of them stopped and waved. A few of them even stopped to touch Emilie’s blonde hair and Brendan’s red beard. We played a pick-up game of soccer with some of the older kids before beginning our work. Most of us were surprised at the size of the current house compared to the size of the family- a small structure made of tin roofing material with one bed for 7-8 children and their parents. We moved rocks from the back of their yard to the area where the new house will be built, and the children who lived in the house were eager to help. Other groups worked on the construction of wood houses. 

We stopped for soft serve on the way back to San Lucas (coconut/chocolate twist or cream/lime twist). On our ride to and from the work site, we rode in the bed of a truck with a roll cage on top. Our ride back to the Mission was rainy, so a tarp was placed on top to keep us dry. A huge thunderstorm started as soon as we got back to our hotel, and the power went out for a few minutes. Dinner was provided by the Mission.

After a long day of exploring the Mission’s projects and helping the local community, we headed back to the hotel for some much-needed sleep. We all enjoyed our first day working at the mission, and are all excited to see what other experiences are in store for us for the rest of the week!

-Emily and Sienna

Day 6

The day began with breakfast at 7:00 am before leaving the hotel to head towards San Lucas. We loaded our stuff on top of the bus and set off towards the Mayan ruins in Iximche. After three hours of driving through clouds in the mountains, we were greeted by our tour guide, Alex. He was able to give the tour completely in English as well as speak fluent Mayan and Spanish. During the tour we learned that the ruins we visited were not the whole settlement of Iximche, but actually just the home of four rich families. The area was divided into five plazas in which the families each had designated spaces. Only 200 people lived in this area, while 80,000 resided in surrounding areas. 

The ruins visible were the foundations of the buildings that were once there. In each plaza was a designated area for ceremonies, a sun temple, a moon temple, and sometimes a sporting arena. The Mayan architecture was extremely symbolic to their culture and was very beautiful to witness.

After our tour, we loaded back onto the bus to continue our journey to our new home for the next five days. Along the way we stopped for a quality family-style lunch, which consisted of different meat options in addition to potatoes, green onions, guacamole, and tortillas. Once we finished eating, we all headed outside to explore the small store owned by the restaurant and walk down by a small stream. We then loaded back onto the bus for another two hours to arrive at the San Lucas mission at 6:00 pm. At the mission we were greeted by Mynor to settle into our rooms and go to dinner. At dinner we met another college group from Marywood University and had an orientation to explain what we will be doing for the rest of the week. We finished the day by getting ice cream after and going back to our rooms for the night.

-Emilie and Julianna

Day 5

The day began with a presentation from Victor on the issues in Guatemala and some information about the Institute of Tulan. Victor informed us that almost 60% of the population in Guatemala is in poverty. We then went to a soccer field where we played a pick-up game against each other. The high altitude mixed with our pan (bread) filled stomachs caused everyone to be out of breath very quickly. José, one of our translators, was the MVP of the match for saving many goals.

We then drove an hour up a steep mountain through clouds to go to the hot springs. The hot springs were rather warm but supposedly were not as hot as it has been in the past. There are myths that the water from the springs have healing powers and taste like lemon. Jenna and Cailin were the first to try the water and were overjoyed when they realized that it actually did taste like lemon water. The water dripping down from the rocks was boiling to the touch. We stayed there for a couple hours and then made the trip back to Xela.

A couple hours later, we went to a Uruguayan steakhouse with our host, Victor, and the translators as a thank you for volunteering our time. We enjoyed a family style dinner with steak, sausage, chicken, salads, and soups. Both of the translators and our hosts received gifts from WNE as a thank you for organizing this trip. They all gave heartwarming speeches about how thankful they were for our help and for our newly formed friendships.

-David and Marc

Day 4

We started the day with breakfast at 7:15. We were welcomed with a new driver, Pedro, who drove us to the University of San Carlos branch here in Quezaltenango. After a brief tour of the campus, we met with some engineering students and heard the engineers from both hospitals in San Marcos and Coatepeque give presentations. They spoke about the more technical side of the hospitals, teaching about ways to maintain the most important equipment. Dr. Rust spoke about various pieces of equipment that are used both in the US and in Guatemala, and explained proper upkeep and sterilization. At the end of the presentations, the students all spoke about what we saw at the hospitals and how conditions can be improved. After our presentations, we wrapped up the training seminar by handing out certificates to the students and professors who worked with us. We closed out our trip to the University with a short tour of the different engineering labs, which were similar to but slightly less advanced than the ones at WNE. Most of the things that we saw in the labs were projects made by students, like a 3D printer.

After the University, we headed to lunch at an authentic Guatemalan restaurant (El Apaste), in which we got to experience the specific dishes that are unique to Quetzaltenango. We then visited the cemetery here, which was very different from any cemetery in the US. It was very colorful and showed how they celebrate life rather than mourn death. 

We had some free time after this so we went to an overlook up on the mountain on the edge of the city. The park at the overlook featured stone slides which were definitely a group favorite. We made our way to the actual overlook, which featured spectacular views of the entire city.

As our day came to a close, we headed back to the hotel for a salsa lesson with Armando, which exposed our horrible dancing skills. Defeated and hot, we walked through the city to a restaurant with a balcony view of the central park. Here we indulged in their pizza as well as some other appetizers before heading to the hotel for bed.

-Heather and Nina

Day 3

The day began with the noise of city bustling about as stray dogs bark over territory or food (it is unclear which from the bedrooms). Breakfast was fairly American this morning with hot corn flakes followed by pancakes (served with corn syrup of course) and melon. 

From there everyone proceeded to the bus and we began our departure not too far off from our predetermined goal of 7:30 am. The bus ride for the most part was pleasant with the exception of my poor attempt at continuing my journal (I’m thinking about publishing it as a comedy; be on the lookout this coming fall) on such bumpy roads making my poor handwriting horrendous.

At around 10:30 am we arrived at the hospital. The first thing that struck all of us was the oppressive humidity and heat making even the worst New England summer day seem more like a bitter winter evening. We all proceeded to apply our respective insect repellants and wait for Dr. Rust to greet the head of the hospital while many decided to visit the restrooms. I myself stayed in the shade and attempted to prevent the insect repellant from melting off of me.

While the hospital that we saw yesterday might have been some of the best outside of Guatemala City, it was apparent this one has a lot more challenges. Overcrowding of every ward left each room feeling oppressively humid and crowded. Even as we all divided into two equal groups, it was evident that even this effort meant little to subside this overwhelming feeling. From what I have heard from Dr. Rust, the care provided here has been improving over time. While small victories have been achieved, it is still not enough to give the care that the people of Guatemala need. This visit in particular opened all of our eyes to the work that is needed in this area and beyond.

The rest of the day was rather relaxed with a visit to a Pollo Campero (better than KFC but not quite up to par with Chic-Fil-A in my opinion). It was a relief to all when we returned to Xela as the humidity no longer clung to our bodies like a second skin. By the time we returned (5:10pm) we only had a limited amount of time to visit the market and purchase souvenirs. I myself purchased a rather cool hat. From the market we had a quick ice cream cone and then a lighter dinner at a Texas themed restaurant (owned by an authentic Texan). After a quick stroll around the block, some bad jokes from Dr. Northrup and myself, and one non pet-able good dog later, we all turned in for the night. Until next time...

-Brendan

Day 2

After an early rise, we took a short walk over to the hotel’s breakfast facility. We were spoiled with a breakfast consisting of a porridge-type meal, paired with a banana. Little to our knowledge, that was just the appetizer; we were also given interesting looking frijoles, pan, huevos, and platanos. We then made a long bus ride (in which most of us fell in and out of sleep) to San Marcos to visit the hospital there. 

Our professors commented that it was one of the cleanest hospitals they have seen in Guatemala. There we were able to see the emergency room, which was simply a room with one bed and a curtain on the outside. We were also able to visit the ICU for adults as well as for infants. This was a very touching portion of our visit as we were able to see just how challenging the hospital conditions were for these patients (and how little attention they received).

After visiting the pharmacy and getting a tour of the rest of the hospital, we departed on our way to a local restaurant to eat a fantastic lunch. With stuffed bellies, we made our way back to the hotel to change quickly before going out into the city. In the city, we visited several stores in which we bartered to get better deals on the souvenirs we purchased for ourselves and family members. All the merchandise was hand-made and very unique in nature. 

We broke into small groups during this time in which one group followed one of the translators to a small ice cream shop, while another group went to a bread store with Dr. Northrup. Around 6pm we all met together in front of the church in the center of the city to discuss dinner plans. After a quick meeting, we made our way down the street to a restaurant (passing by Americans eating at Taco Bell who were equally excited to see us as we were them) to eat once more before coming back to the hotel to sleep. We’re excited to see what day 3 has in store for us!

-Cailin, Christina, and Jenna

Day 1

Our Guatemala adventure began (for most of us) at 11pm Monday evening when we met on campus and loaded onto our shuttle bus. About two hours later, we rolled into Boston/Logan airport, where we met up with the rest of our team. Cue scenes of students and faculty napping in the airport off and on for the next several hours. After our first flight to Atlanta, we embarked to Guatemala City, arriving just after noon local time. We were welcomed at the airport by our host Rosa, our translator Jose, and driver Samuel.

It is about a 4 hour drive from Guatemala City to Xela, so we broke up the ride by stopping for a delicious lunch at San Martin Cafe.

We arrived at our hotel in Xela just after 7pm. Tired, but eager to get started on our work in the hospitals beginning tomorrow morning.

-M. Rust

Day 12

We are heading to the airport today, so instead of an end-of-day post, I thought I would share some photos from throughout the trip that didn't make it onto the blog. Enjoy!

-M. Rust

Day 11

Today started off with breakfast at the Mission where we were on breakfast duty. We then rode on a boat across Lago de Atitlan to Panajachel, about 30 minutes away. 

Panajachel is a city that was more of a tourist area with several restaurants and places to shop. Once arriving in Panajachel, we rode in tuk-tuk’s to the Reserva Natural Atitlan where we went zip lining.

There were a total of eight zip lines and we all had a lot of fun. While we were there, we also met a monkey named Lula and were able to feed her bananas, which she loved. We also visited a butterfly sanctuary with hundreds of butterflies. Afterwards, we ate our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that we packed for lunch and went shopping for the next couple of hours.

We headed back to San Lucas Toliman at 3:30 on the same boat we arrived in. The water was significantly choppier then it had been in the morning. Before heading to dinner for the night, our hotel caretaker, Giovanni, showed us the other side of hotel that the owner stays in when he visits. It was absolutely beautiful, there was a formal dining area, an in-ground pool, and a courtyard. The style was similar to our hotel with many intricate details. We then headed to dinner for our last meal at the Mission where we had pasta, vegetables, and potatoes, which was great because many of us had been craving those foods throughout the day. Afterwards, Papa Rust brought us to a fancier restaurant for dessert to celebrate the success of our trip. The rest of the night mainly consisted of packing as we leave for the airport in Guatemala City at 6am tomorrow morning.

We are all sad to leave Guatemala. I think we can speak for everyone in saying that this experience has positively changed our perspective academically, professionally, and personally. This is not goodbye Guatemala, it’s see you later. 

-Kathleen and Jeannette