Day 10

Today’s adventure started bright and early at 6:30AM for breakfast duty. Breakfast was early in order for everyone to go to a mass dedicated to Father Greg, the man who founded the Mission, for the sixth anniversary of his death. The church was full of all the school kids and many locals. Whenever there was a song in mass, all the kids sang along; they knew every word and sang loudly and proudly. When mass ended we followed a procession to the San Lucas Toliman cemetery where we surrounded Father Greg’s grave site. 

A song that was written about Father Greg was presented for the congregation, and someone who had been close to him in life spoke of his generosity and passion for the community. The memorial ended with all the kids releasing yellow and white balloons in a chorus of cheers and singing. The celebration was very lighthearted and was more about life than about the passing of the late Padre. The mass and the memorial were vibrant and had upbeat songs and bright colors as opposed to the dismal dark coloring and low-key music associated with many funerals in the United States.

Next, we split off into pharmacy and engineering groups and went to our final day of work at the project sites. The engineers went to the school. More sand! The pharmacy students went to the clinic to help Edson in the pharmacy brainstorm ways to better monitor controlled medications and keep track of inventory in the storeroom. The real world application of their skills and helping in the clinic has provided an experience for them in the Global Health sphere never afforded to students on this trip before.

In the afternoon, we went to a presentation on the coffee roasting process used by the Mission. We also were able to try coffee prepared via french press. Delicioso!

It's hard to believe that this was our last work day. Definitely not ready to say goodbye to this beautiful country yet!

-Emily and Kayla

Day 9

Today our day started with prep for breakfast. We were assigned dish duty and were also responsible for bringing out the food. Breakfast today was oatmeal and beans. Our group was assigned to work at the school, and long-term volunteers Hannah and Cecelia joined us. We carried sand from the front of the school to the back. We were helping the contractors prepare to build the foundation for the new building. Lunch was rice, chili, pineapple and watermelon.

After lunch we returned to the hotel to freshen up and prepare to go to the Women’s Center. We piled into the back of the pick-up truck with the Marywood crew to get to there. At the Women’s Center we were taught how grind the mas and the corn mixture. 

We were then given the chance to make tortillas by hand from mixture that was previously made. Everyone in the group enjoyed hand-crafting the tortillas. The best part was being able to consume them fresh off the fire. 

We then made our way over to the wash stations. At the station we were taught how to properly wash clothing by hand. Everyone took their dirty article of clothing and got the chance to hand wash it. 

 After wringing out our clothing, we placed it in a bucket and went back down to center. The women showed us how to carry a bucket of clothing on our head. We all enjoyed watching each other try to balance the bucket and gained a greater appreciation for the women who can carry over 70 lbs. for many miles. 

Next we were taught how to carry firewood on our backs. Some of us attempted to carry the wood using the forehead strap. This was very difficult as the “small” load of wood weighed 75 lbs. 

We were also given the chance to shop in the store for goods made by the women. All the profit from each good goes to the woman that made it. Lastly we enjoyed dobladas prepared for us by the women at the center. Dobladas are tortillas filled with peppers, onion, and carrots then fried. They were served with red sauce and cilantro. We crammed back into the bed of the pick-up truck and returned to the Mission. We met up at 6 pm for a delicious dinner of rice, vegetables, chili, potato skins and chocolate chip cookies.

-Tyler and Alfonso

Day 8

Today started off with breakfast at the mission. After breakfast our class split into two groups. The pharmacy majors, Kathleen, Jeannette, and Alfonso, went to the hospital that is run by the Mission. At the hospital, we spent about 3 hours in the pharmacy talking to a technician, Edson, who ran the pharmacy. We went through several different medications with him regarding the common uses and side effects. Edson asked great questions regarding inventory and expiration dates. He was very thankful and said he learned a lot. It was a rewarding experience for the pharmacy majors. 

The three engineering majors, Tyler, Emily, and Kayla, ventured off to help build a wood house in Nueva Vida. The frame of the home was previously built by another group visiting the Mission.  They nailed the wood plank siding onto the frame with the help of some Mission workers. They were also able to see the inside of a nearby home to see how the family lives their everyday life. 

Our group rejoined for lunch time where we were on dish duty. Afterwards we went to a reforestation presentation and saw how various trees were grown and cared for. It was interesting because the owner, Torribio, recycled plastic bags and planted all of the trees inside of it. He also teaches children the importance of recycling and cleaning up trash, as San Lucas Toliman does not have a recycling program. He shared that he works to spread awareness about the importance of maintaining the integrity of the earth. 

 

Following the presentation, we walked around the market and relaxed by the Lago de Atitlan before heading to dinner. After dinner we went to a local ice cream shop, La Neveria, and then went back to the hotel to rest for the rest of the night.

-Jeannette and Kathleen