Day 7

Today we started our day with breakfast duty at the Mission, which involves setting up the meal and cleaning up after as a group. Then we went to start working on our first job site! We moved sand from the front of the school building to the back in order to aid in the construction of an extension for the school. This work carried us from about 10am to about noon. At noon we walked back to the Mission for lunch.

After lunch we got a tour of all the programs run by the Mission, starting at the school. The school was developed by Father Greg in an attempt to increase the literacy rate in Guatemala. The school is comprised of Pre-K to 6^th grade and also allows older students to rent the area later in the day. Next we got in the back of a pick-up truck and traveled to the Women’s Center. At the Women’s Center, we learned a bit about what they do in their weaving, sewing, and cooking classes. The classes cost nothing to the women of the Mission and were developed in order to promote women’s rights and allow them to contribute to the economic status of their families. We had the privilege of perusing their shop and purchasing some of their goods, we also got to observe one woman at the Mission weaving a napkin. A few members of both the Western New England and Marywood groups got to learn and try a row of the weaving process.

The next Mission project we were brought to was the hospital. Comparing it to the other hospitals we have been in, it was very modern and very open. The hospital serves the immediate area of San Lucas as well as the surrounding municipalities and even surrounding countries when groups of surgeons come from the United States. The technology has primarily been from donations from the Friends of San Lucas organization and those they have partnered with. A modern surgery suite and X-Ray make the hospital one of the most advanced we had the privilege of visiting. After the hospital we loaded back into the vehicles and went to the coffee production location. The smell of coffee was strong when we walked in, and we got to see where the coffee was being roasted and ground. The stages of processing coffee and the history of the coffee project were introduced to the group, and we learned that dark roast coffee has less caffeine than other roasts. The nursery for the coffee plants was behind the storehouse and some people tried the freshly ripened coffee beans (they were sweet!).

After the tour we had time to go walk around the city and buy goods in shops before dinner. We were able to get back in time just before the rain set in. We ended our day with ice cream and a visit to the rooftop of our hotel, affectionately named The Castle.

-Emily & Kayla

Day 6

Today we enjoyed our last breakfast at Hotel El Centro in Xela.  We had pancakes, oatmeal (avena) and fruit (papaya and melon).  Afterwards, we had a chance to say goodbye to Rosita, the coordinator from The Institute of Tulan.  We then packed our bags into the van and headed on a 2 hour ride to the Mayan Ruins called Ruinas de Iximche.  There we met our tour guide, Alexis, who lead us on a detailed tour explaining the history and significance of all of the structures.  We saw the temples for the sun and moon, as well as their water collection technique via aqueducts.  We also had a chance to see where the current Mayans continue to worship their gods, and were able to take some great group pictures. 

 
While we were heading back to the temples for photos a group of students from a university in Guatemala City stopped us to ask questions. They were doing a project for their tourism major and needed to interview foreigners on their views of the ruins. For lunch we headed to Chichoy, a restaurant located a few miles from the ruins. Here we had the chance to try conejo (rabbit) and yes it tastes like chicken. There was also a small shop where we were able to buy a few gifts.  
 

 Our trip down to San Lucas was long and curvy along poorly maintained roads. We arrived in San Lucas a few hours before dinner and said our final goodbyes to Archie and Carlos, our translator and driver. The hotel we are staying at in San Lucas is beautiful. We settled into our rooms then went on a walk around the town. 

We were able to visit Lake Atitlan where Dr. Rust was able to buy a baja sweater. For dinner we met with the San Lucas Mission. We had chance to meet other groups working with the Mission, and we had a brief orientation explaining the basic responsibilities and plan for the week. Tomorrow we will be beginning our work with the Mission.

-Alfonso and Tyler

Day 5

A relaxing day today. We started off with a presentation by Victor about some of the challenges facing the people of Guatemala. The students had heard about some of these issues during our course, and had a lot of good questions during the talk.

Afterwards, we headed to the soccer field for a game of footy with our hosts. Smiles were in abundance as everyone had a great time.

 

Following our football showcase, we went to the local hot springs for a relaxing afternoon at Fuentes Georginas. And to cap it all off, we went to a banquet with our hosts for the week to celebrate our time together in Xela.

-M. Rust

Day 4

Today was different in that we did not make a hospital visit. Instead, hospital technicians from Coatepeque, San Marcos, Huehuetenango, and Solola joined us for a training seminar. The seminar was held at the Tulan Institute, and the topic was preventive maintenance of medical equipment. After the seminar, we went to the cemetery in Xela to see how loved ones are respected in the local culture.

After dinner, we were treated to a dance lesson with one of the Tulan staff members. The entire group participated, and it was a blast!

-M. Rust

Day 3

Our group made the trek to San Marcos today to visit a hospital that we haven't had the chance to see on previous trips. It was a little over 2 hour drive from Xela, and we arrived in the late morning. We toured the hospital with the technical staff, allowing the students to compare and contrast with the conditions we saw in Coatepeque the previous day. It was particularly interesting to see some differences in the physical plant and credentials of the healthcare workers between the two hospitals. It was also neat to see some of the technical solutions the maintenance staff has come up with to address resource shortages in the hospital.

After touring the hospital, we stopped by the repair shop to see some of the equipment that was not functioning properly. Kayla, Tyler, and Emily helped troubleshoot an infant incubator that had an error message related to air circulation. They were able to trace the problem to a flow sensor that was likely faulty, and recorded the part information to help find a replacement.

Once we returned to Xela, the students were able to visit the central market to look for souvenirs and fine tune their bartering skills.

We also visited the cathedral located in the town square, and wandered through the municipal building to see their stunning courtyard.

-M. Rust

Day 2

Today we visited the Hospital in Coatepeque, which is about 1.5 hours away from our base in Xela. We were given a tour of the hospital by Manuel, one of the chief technicians who works on the medical equipment. Manuel took us to areas such as intensive care, pediatrics, and the laboratory. In each area we looked at equipment that was not functioning and talked about the challenges his team are facing in maintaining the equipment. The local media took an interest in our visit and followed us as we toured the hospital. Jeannette stepped up and gave an interview to represent our team and describe the purpose of our visit.

Since we have Pharmacy students on our team this year, we were interested in seeing how medications are handled and dispensed in the hospital. We really learned a lot from our visit to the bodega de medicamentos.

-M. Rust

Day 1

Our Guatemala adventure started at 4:00am when our group met at Hartford/Bradley Airport. Two flights later, we were in Guatemala City on a sunny, breezy afternoon. We were greeted at the airport by our host Rosa, translator Archie, and driver Carlos. After loading into our transport, we pulled out into the afternoon traffic in the Guatemalan capital. An hour or so later, we stopped for a bite to eat at San Martin, an upscale restaurant featuring a mixture of local dishes and American classics. Refreshed, we hit the road for our journey to Xela (aka Quetzaltenango). This trek took us to well over a mile elevation, through the mountains and clouds, and back down again to the second largest city in the country. After checking into our hotel, the students made a quick stop at Xelapan for a light snack.

Time to recharge our batteries (literally and figuratively) ahead of our first hospital visit in the morning.


-M. Rust