I did not anticipate having internet during this trek, but alas, we are staying our first night at a restaurant/hostel called Popi's thats run as a non for profit, supporting Mayan Hope which works to help children with special needs in the region. The hostel is run by an ex-pat named Don who has been living here in Guatemala for 25 years. He got contracted to install cable here from a Belize company and just never left...
The day started early. I woke up around 5:30 without my alarm (I have actually been getting up pretty early the past couple weeks) and packed my bag for the trip. Then headed down to the Quetzaltrekker office, which is also in Casa Argentina where I spent the last two nights, to have some banana pancakes and fruit for breakfast. We walked to the Minerva bus terminal and took a chicken bus through Chichicastenango and then switched at Quiche into a microbus. That was about another 2 hours, and we finally arrived in Nebaj around 3pm. I was pretty beat, but walked around the market here a bit...and when I came back, I got to witness some pig castrations...4 in fact..which was really crazy to watch. I didn't know that castrating pigs meant they gain more weight faster...the things I learn in Guatemala...
Later, much much later, we had an awesome dinner of salad, pesto pasta and pie and ice cream....but! the craziest thing is how Don makes his ice cream..out of soy...and duck eggs! It was delicious. I never would have thought that those two things would go together...
So in total, on this trip, there are two guides from Quetzaltrekkers (Darah and Ryan) and three other girls: Sarah from Germany, Joanna from Oregon, and Sharron from Ireland. A good group! I am excited to spend these next 5 days with them!
Tomorrow we get up at 7, have pancake breakfast, watch the first half of the world cup game (England vs US) and get walking out of town. We stop at a cheese farm tomorrow, eat lunch at a stream, and end the day in a village where we get to try out a temescal, which is a mayan sauna. Very excited!
I also got an email from PLQ, my school in Xela, this evening. The coordinator wanted to let me know that apparently there are some problems at Finca La Florida right now, as some campesinos have gone to occupy the finca. Im not sure of the details, but I am very touched that they thought to let me know. I stopped by at the school yesterday and talked to Carlos, the director, and told him of my plans, and he got someone to email me. So, if Finca La Florida doesn't happen, I might head to the coast and go on a surf trip..we'll have to see
Day one of the trek is over! Not that we did any trekking today, but a 5 hour bus ride should count for something! 5 more days to go...
Jun 22, 2010
Jun 21, 2010
Before the trek..
I don't have much time to write, I am literally at a McDonalds in Xela because I couldn't find another internet place open past 7, and had to buy something to get these 30 minutes.. sigh..
But! On a happier note, I start my trek tomorrow, from Nebaj to Todos Santos which is in the department of Quiche. Its in the northish-west region of Guatemala. I mentioned it in another post, and am pretty sure that I posted the link. There are 4 of us giong, with two guides. Im pretty excited but need to get packed tonight because everything gets started around 7 tomorrow.
I spent this last weekend at the coast, in a place called Tilapa, near the border of Mexico. It was beautiful, and being near the ocean finally was great. I've never been on a Pacific Coast beach and been the only one in the water, on the beach, and the only white person in the area as well. There is only one place to stay, and one restaurant there, and its very small, located on a peninsula and you can only get there by boat as well. The people there earn their livings by fishing in the mangroves, in the ocean, and selling their pigs, which run around the peninsula freely with their piglets. I took a tour of the mangrove which was beautiful as well. I don't have time to upload photos, but I might get around to that next week once I get back to Xela for another day!
The mountain school was great. I felt a lot more integrated into Guatemalan life there, despite living in the school house. I made friends with a lot of the workers and local people and it was great to be able to converse with them and learn more about their work. I ended up tagging along with my friend Lauren-who is from England and doing her masters' thesis on nutrition and health in rural Guatemala-and attended a health day where height and weight were taken, to measure levels of malnutrition. And I also sat in on an interview with women from the Nuevo San Jose health group. My host mom is the president, so I had helped set it up. It was great to hear how they're organizing themselves and trying to provide access to healthcare as best they can in an isolated area.
..
On a different subject, I ended up cancelling my last week of classes here in Xela, and am instead going to spend a week volunteering at Finca La Florida. Its a finca ( a farm more or less) that was started by a group of campesino families, who occupied an abandoned finca in the 90s after the peace accords were signed. Basically in the Peace Accords there is a part which stipulates that organized groups can obtain land from the government to work on their own. Of course it wasnt that easy. Its a long story but eventually after quite a few years, they got the debt waved on the land and they now own it communally and sell free trade coffee, bananas and honey to keep the place going. They also give tours as a eco-tourism project. So I'll be staying there for a week and helping from 8 to 1 each day, harvesting bananas since it isnt coffee season.
Anywho, that's it for now! Hopefully I make it through the trek, haha
I'll be back in Xela on Sunday afternoon
But! On a happier note, I start my trek tomorrow, from Nebaj to Todos Santos which is in the department of Quiche. Its in the northish-west region of Guatemala. I mentioned it in another post, and am pretty sure that I posted the link. There are 4 of us giong, with two guides. Im pretty excited but need to get packed tonight because everything gets started around 7 tomorrow.
I spent this last weekend at the coast, in a place called Tilapa, near the border of Mexico. It was beautiful, and being near the ocean finally was great. I've never been on a Pacific Coast beach and been the only one in the water, on the beach, and the only white person in the area as well. There is only one place to stay, and one restaurant there, and its very small, located on a peninsula and you can only get there by boat as well. The people there earn their livings by fishing in the mangroves, in the ocean, and selling their pigs, which run around the peninsula freely with their piglets. I took a tour of the mangrove which was beautiful as well. I don't have time to upload photos, but I might get around to that next week once I get back to Xela for another day!
The mountain school was great. I felt a lot more integrated into Guatemalan life there, despite living in the school house. I made friends with a lot of the workers and local people and it was great to be able to converse with them and learn more about their work. I ended up tagging along with my friend Lauren-who is from England and doing her masters' thesis on nutrition and health in rural Guatemala-and attended a health day where height and weight were taken, to measure levels of malnutrition. And I also sat in on an interview with women from the Nuevo San Jose health group. My host mom is the president, so I had helped set it up. It was great to hear how they're organizing themselves and trying to provide access to healthcare as best they can in an isolated area.
..
On a different subject, I ended up cancelling my last week of classes here in Xela, and am instead going to spend a week volunteering at Finca La Florida. Its a finca ( a farm more or less) that was started by a group of campesino families, who occupied an abandoned finca in the 90s after the peace accords were signed. Basically in the Peace Accords there is a part which stipulates that organized groups can obtain land from the government to work on their own. Of course it wasnt that easy. Its a long story but eventually after quite a few years, they got the debt waved on the land and they now own it communally and sell free trade coffee, bananas and honey to keep the place going. They also give tours as a eco-tourism project. So I'll be staying there for a week and helping from 8 to 1 each day, harvesting bananas since it isnt coffee season.
Anywho, that's it for now! Hopefully I make it through the trek, haha
I'll be back in Xela on Sunday afternoon
Jun 13, 2010
So I'm in Colomba right now, my first time into town in a week, to use internet and just get out for a bit.
Escuela de las Montañas, where I have been studying for the past week, and will continue for another, is quite different from the others so far. We live in the school house and it sort of reminds me of summer camp (which I never actually had the chance to experience, but I am guessing that its sort of the same?). There is enough space for 14 students, with shared rooms, a kitched, patio with hammocks and a veautiful garden. Its pretty lush, feels like we are in the middle of the jungle, and study outside in huts, sort of like I did in San Pedro. We don´t live with the families for a variety of reasons...the poverty here is pretty stark, and there isn´t enough room for us to live with them. But we do go to families for each of our meals.
When I read that we would be living near the communities of Fatima and Nuevo San Jose, I thought it would be a bit bigger. But Fatima is actually a single street, lined with 20 families, with communal land holdings. Nuevo San Jose is two streets with about 70 families I think. Each has a primary school and a health centre. The communities hold similar histories, of struggles against the coffee finca owners, which finally spiralled out of control after over a year of lack of pay, and deaths from malnutrition. Nuevo San Jose came here 17 years ago or so, and Fatima nearly 8 years ago.
There isnt any work here for the men, so they all catch buses to bigger city centres at 3 or 4 in the morning, and many times they dont find work, but have to pay for the fares there adn back. The school provides some work int he community, based with women, who recieve work by feeding studens on rotation. They don{t have much land, but Fatima grows a bit of coffee, though Im not sure how much they sell or where.
The computer here is pretty slow, and my friend Kira is waiting for me so I will update more later!
Escuela de las Montañas, where I have been studying for the past week, and will continue for another, is quite different from the others so far. We live in the school house and it sort of reminds me of summer camp (which I never actually had the chance to experience, but I am guessing that its sort of the same?). There is enough space for 14 students, with shared rooms, a kitched, patio with hammocks and a veautiful garden. Its pretty lush, feels like we are in the middle of the jungle, and study outside in huts, sort of like I did in San Pedro. We don´t live with the families for a variety of reasons...the poverty here is pretty stark, and there isn´t enough room for us to live with them. But we do go to families for each of our meals.
When I read that we would be living near the communities of Fatima and Nuevo San Jose, I thought it would be a bit bigger. But Fatima is actually a single street, lined with 20 families, with communal land holdings. Nuevo San Jose is two streets with about 70 families I think. Each has a primary school and a health centre. The communities hold similar histories, of struggles against the coffee finca owners, which finally spiralled out of control after over a year of lack of pay, and deaths from malnutrition. Nuevo San Jose came here 17 years ago or so, and Fatima nearly 8 years ago.
There isnt any work here for the men, so they all catch buses to bigger city centres at 3 or 4 in the morning, and many times they dont find work, but have to pay for the fares there adn back. The school provides some work int he community, based with women, who recieve work by feeding studens on rotation. They don{t have much land, but Fatima grows a bit of coffee, though Im not sure how much they sell or where.
The computer here is pretty slow, and my friend Kira is waiting for me so I will update more later!
Jun 5, 2010
Gettin out of the city
This is my last day in Xela for two weeks. I´ll be heading up to Escuela de las Montañas which is the sister school of PLQ here in the city. There are only 10 students up there at any point, and instead of living with a family, you live in the school house and then walk to the neighbouring communities at meal times to eat with campesino families.
Yesterday I was feeling a little sad that I would be leaving the city, and perhaps be bored with heading to the mountains for so long. But today I realized that its time for a change, and I know I´m going to appreciate the tranquilitiy a lot, more than I know right now. I feel like Ive been too lazy to take advantage of what the city has going on lately anyway.
I am actually having my first bout of homesickness, I think. I really am getting excited to go back to Vancouver and get 4th year underway. Oh well, if anything, its nice to have something to look forward to!
Earlier this week, the school had a clean up organized, to help people whos houses were flooded. My group of 5 people spent about 4 hours cleaning only two rooms of a host family´s house. The mud and damage was ridiculous. The school also brought food and water to them, which was a big help. I know it wasn´t all that much, but it was nice being able to help out a little bit where we could. A lot of people whos houses were damaged on the street we were working on were only renting so many houses have sort of been abandoned for now.
On a bit of a random note, Ive really enjoyed playing soccer here with the school. Students and teachers and workers of the school play. Its been getting pretty competitive, but ridiculously fun! Thats probably what I´m going to miss most when Im away. But I´ll be back for a week in about a month so I´ll be waiting until then...apparently the mountain school has a feild and a ball up there...so hopefully I can get people motivated enough to get some games giong in between the rain.
I keep meaning to put pictures up, but everytime I head in to do internet stuff, I forget my card reader...so hopefully I can get that done tomorrow morning? Keep fingers crossed!
Miss you all, and hopefully I´ll get a chance to update from the mountains, if not, don´t be worried if you don´t hear from me for two weeks, haha
Much love,
Kalyeena
Yesterday I was feeling a little sad that I would be leaving the city, and perhaps be bored with heading to the mountains for so long. But today I realized that its time for a change, and I know I´m going to appreciate the tranquilitiy a lot, more than I know right now. I feel like Ive been too lazy to take advantage of what the city has going on lately anyway.
I am actually having my first bout of homesickness, I think. I really am getting excited to go back to Vancouver and get 4th year underway. Oh well, if anything, its nice to have something to look forward to!
Earlier this week, the school had a clean up organized, to help people whos houses were flooded. My group of 5 people spent about 4 hours cleaning only two rooms of a host family´s house. The mud and damage was ridiculous. The school also brought food and water to them, which was a big help. I know it wasn´t all that much, but it was nice being able to help out a little bit where we could. A lot of people whos houses were damaged on the street we were working on were only renting so many houses have sort of been abandoned for now.
On a bit of a random note, Ive really enjoyed playing soccer here with the school. Students and teachers and workers of the school play. Its been getting pretty competitive, but ridiculously fun! Thats probably what I´m going to miss most when Im away. But I´ll be back for a week in about a month so I´ll be waiting until then...apparently the mountain school has a feild and a ball up there...so hopefully I can get people motivated enough to get some games giong in between the rain.
I keep meaning to put pictures up, but everytime I head in to do internet stuff, I forget my card reader...so hopefully I can get that done tomorrow morning? Keep fingers crossed!
Miss you all, and hopefully I´ll get a chance to update from the mountains, if not, don´t be worried if you don´t hear from me for two weeks, haha
Much love,
Kalyeena
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