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
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 6th
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
