Homeward Bound

     Amidst our travel back to Guatemala City, we made a couple stops. Below are some pictures from our adventures.

Mayan ceremony being performed during our visit to the ruins

From our stop at the Mayan Ruins...

Though this is a very blurry picture, it accurately portrays our trek through a mud slide (you can see the rushing river of mud out the bus window) on our way to Guatemala City.  

   
     And a final anecdote as told by La Profesora (Mary Grant). As we departed from Hotel Chalet Suizo, we had two vehicles provided for us, a 15-passenger van and a pick-up truck for the luggage. Mary rode with Amadeo in the pick-up. As she entered the pick-up, Amadeo (Piloto de la Paroquia de San Lucas) said "Me permite" and then put his arm across Mary's lap and safely tied her in with a make shift seat belt with a 2 foot piece of rope. She asked Amadeo what had happened. He explained that the buckles were stolen while the truck being re-painted. The owner of the "taller" (repair shop) claimed that the truck had no seat belt buckles when it was left for the paint job! This is a perfect picture of the culture we have been a part of for the last three weeks. We have developed an awareness of the poverty even amidst the beauty of this country and the humble people we have met. The people here are faced with hardships that many of us couldn't imagine, but they retain a passion and a drive for life that has left a significant impact on us.
     So as we sit here in the airport, we are reminded of all that we have learned and how thankful we are to be headed home!

Professor's Perspective...

Greetings all,

     Our students asked me to blog today from the perspective of an instructor. As such, I need to forewarn you that this will be far more boring than previous blogs. This course has been a real eye opener for me. I have led student groups to Guatemala from James Madison University, Western New England University, Cornell, and Harvard. This group of students is the best yet. It says a lot about Furman, liberal arts and Engaged Learning.
     This is the first time I have had the opportunity to take another faculty member who speaks Spanish, Professor Mary Grant. Better yet, Mary is a professor in our Modern Languages Department. I feel the two of us and Chrissy Carpenter of the Study Away Office have provided an excellent learning opportunity for our students when compared to previous trips that I have led.
      For me, the best part of the course was for the students to see how sustainability works in the developing world. We had a great mix of students, including majors in physics, music, environmental science, accounting, business, spanish, and education. I feel the mix of students provided some significant synergisms. According to the course syllabus, if we are successful, the students will be able to: explain and understand global sustainability; understand the workings of non-profit organizations; recognize effective project management tools; compare and contrast effective global sustainability techniques; and converse effectively in foreign culture. While all are important, I feel the first (explaining and understanding global sustainability) is the most important and the least understood. My latest research investigates the relationships between investments in environmental sustainability, economic development and public health - the three pillars of sustainability. I feel this travel course provided our students unique opportunities to see these constructs and their relationships up close and personal. The students were able to talk with successful labor leaders, politicians, former guerrillas, and leaders of unique non-profit organizations. We also provided joint and mutual learning experiences with students and professors from Stanford, Cornell, Rice, and Loyola. I have planned for our final presentation to be with the Minister of Environment of Guatemala.
      I join our students in applauding the excellent support from Furman's Departments of Modern Languages and Business and Accounting and our Study Away office. Their generous assistance and willingness to support an extremely tailored and flexible pedagogy has made this all possible. In no way could I have ever provided this level of learning experience in the classroom. Finally, Mary, Chrissy, and I thank our students for their great attitudes and willingness to be flexible in such a different world. One student recently shared that she was amazed that my Guatemalan friends who live on dirt floors and do not have access to running water can be as happy as Americans. That feeling alone would make this course worthwhile.

-Bruce Clemens

Another Day Full of Surprises

     Wednesday night part of our group headed to La Parranda for Salsa dancing. We enjoyed seeing the night life in Guatemala but little did we know the floor was going to be packed with sweaty Gringos, of which Stuart was the sweatiest. The Guatemalan teachers sure knew how to move, and at one point they busted into a breakdancing dance-off. We can't wait to come home and teach you our Salsa knowledge!
     Our time in Guatemala has been marked by a number of learning experiences ranging from how to make a column to the history of the recent Civil War here in Guatemala to the engineering involved in getting water to indigenous communities. Additionally we have learned an intangible lesson of flexibility.
     Today was a day we had been looking forward to because we had plans to go to the hot springs. The hot springs are located about 45 minutes outside of the city Xela where we are now, so our bus was to pick us up at 9 am. Loading the bus at 9 am, we thought we were headed straight for the hot springs, but little did we know we first had to make two stops.
     First stop - Bus parks on the side of the road and we are motioned to follow our professors. Completely clueless, we walk through an unmarked door into rent ma courtyard where we met Victor Racanjof, a current mayoral canidate. He is a mayan representing the people's party. This was just one surprise.
     Second stop - We arrive in a park where once again our bus parks, we gather our backpacks, and we exit the bus. Assuming this park is where the hot springs are, we quickly find out we are wrong. Instead this is a beautiful overlook to see the city of  Xela. We are once again blown away by the beauty of this country. Alongside this view is a playground, but it is not your typical playground. There was a 45 foot slide where we college students joined a bunch of 5-10 year old Guatemalan children. A few of us even got air! It was a blast! I am pretty sure the Guatemalans had just as much fun laughing at us as we had laughing at each other.

View of Xela

Wheeeee!

     Around 12 o'clock we reached our final destination - Las Afueras Georginas (the hot springs). Only a couple of us were able to brave a step into the hottest pool, but we all enjoyed relaxing in the second hottest pool as the clouds rolled in and a few raindrops cooled and pelted us.


Boys in the hot springs


     We had a most enjoyable day, surprise and all!

-Margaret

New Town, New Sights

Dear readers,

I apologize for the delay in posting over the past two days! Wrapping up our time in San Lucas took our attention away from the blog for a little bit. No need to worry though, we are all safely in Xela, Guatemala's second largest city.

After a winding bus ride around the lake and over the mountains, we arrived here yesterday around lunch time. I think we were all shocked at the sight we saw when we drove into the town center. Let me give you a visual. Here is a picture of our view in San Lucas:

And here is a picture of our view in Xela:

Do you notice the contrast? Both are very beautiful, just in very different ways. San Lucas is quiet and slow-paced; Xela is full of big city hustle and bustle. Different as it is, being able to visit and experience this part of the country only adds to our time here. We are definitely getting to experience both parts of the country. I think most of us were sad to leave San Lucas yesterday morning, I know I was. Friendships were built and memories were made that I know I'll never forget (that sentence sounds cheesy...but sometimes you just have to do it).

This morning after breakfast, we drove out to Agua del Pueblo to help Stuart and Michael begin their summer research. We started the morning with a short meeting about the organization and how it runs and then we got to work. The rest of the day was spent sifting through dusty binders and looking for data from previous water projects. It was a change of pace from the work we did in San Lucas but still interesting to see the work the organization has done.

To conclude, I'm sure you all have been itching to know who one our soccer game on Sunday afternoon. Say hello to the Black Magic Campeones (Spanish for "mushrooms"). Look for us in the next World Cup.


Intimidating, aren't we?

Well, that's all for today. Tonights agenda: free salsa dancing lessons in the town center. I'm sure there will be an update tomorrow about how things go down.

-Katie

Behind The Scenes...

Today, I'm going to take you to the places only those living in Guatemala for this May X course dare to venture. Hold on to your hats. 

 So, here we are in this lovely land with only one week left until we board the plane and are homeward bound. Above you can see the view from our hotel roof where we occasionally have night time fires prepared by eager hotel staff and discuss the deeper meanings of life. I cannot release what those deeper meanings are, but trust me, they're deep.  

This photo captures our food scraps which turn into a gourmet meal for the local chickens. They eat pretty much everything. They even eat chicken scraps. Worrisome? Maybe.

If you have been following our blog, you know that recently we had three of our own avid dishwashers struck by lightning. Above you can see the scene of the incident. The only reason people are smiling and washing in this picture is because there are no stormy clouds in sight. All of the visitors to the Parrish take turns washing dishes and I must say that the Furman students have been very thorough washers. I'll eat off a plate they wash any day of the week. 

URGENT NEWS! STOP THE PRESS! 

We have a star in our group! Rebecca McDaniel, a rising sophomore majoring in Music, received the opportunity to play the Marimba in this morning's Mass service. This was truly an honor for her and everyone was very impressed by her talent. We were all very excited to see her step out on a limb and work hard to blend in with the Sunday band. MUY BIEN, REBECCA!

Today is a free day so our group spent a fun morning at the market. If you're wondering what kinds of things you can buy at the market, refer to the comprehensive list below.

1. chickens

2. pirated DVDS

3. fruits

4. vegetables

5. snails (still squirming)

6. crabs (still kicking)

7. undergarments

8. stray dogs

9. flowers

10. shampoo

11. perfume

12. buckets

13. rodent traps

After the market we signed up to play a fun game of 6 on 6 soccer at the local field. The anticipation is high and the trash talk has already started. T minus 30 minutes until game time.

As a staff member of the Office for Study Away and International Education, I consider myself privileged to be a part of this course and see how each of these students has grown and changed on this trip. I look forward to the upcoming week and facing the new challenges alongside the faculty and students. 

-Chrissy Carpenter

Playin' in the Dirt

     Today, after a delicious breakfast of black beans, oatmeal and the most wonderful strawberry jam you have ever tasted, we headed off to work at the Reforestation Project. Saturday is the day of the week that the children come to work on various projects on the farm and it was so fun to come along side them and help them get things done. To be short and sweet, we were playing in the dirt all morning! From stuffing recycled paper bags with dirt to planting tree seeds to digging holes and sifting soil, we got to interact with the kids every step of the way. One nice thing about hanging out with children is they don't care how bad your Spanish is and as you stumble through conversations you end up learning a lot about each other. Being the only one in the group with absolutely no Spanish background, it was fun to bond with the kids over popular songs and our dirt covered hands.
     This afternoon we had a very special experience. We all piled in the back of a pickup truck and headed up the mountain to a small town of about 1,500 people called Panamaquip for a Saturday evening mass. Father John, a priest at the San Lucas Mission, drove us up before leading the worship service. We parked the truck and hiked up the road to the small church that was made for less than 100 people and was quickly packed with eager church goers. We didn’t notice until after we were sitting that all the women were sitting on one side of the church while our entire group had mistakenly taken seats on the men’s side of the church, but Bruce assured us that it was ok. Father John gave a wonderful homily about our place in the kingdom of God, which I would not have understood at all if it hadn’t been for Carrie’s whispered translations in my ear. All the scripture readings were done by younger women of the community, who I assume were those with enough education to read Spanish eloquently. As communion started in this packed little church perched high on a mountain it began to rain and the cloud actually came into the building.

-Maddy Parks

It's Friday!

     It's hard to believe that we only have four days left in San Lucas Toliman! We woke up to another clear morning and a beautiful view of the volcanoes.

    
     After a quick breakfast of-you guessed it, oatmeal and black beans!- we headed off on a hike, accompanied by six engineering students from Rice University (Texas). You may have read about last week's hike when we were mapping out locations for a new potable water project; today we were continuing that project farther into the mountains. The project's final location is hoped to be Chanan, the saddle between volcanoes Toliman and Atitlan, where the land needs to be used for crops, but is uninhabitable because of the lack of water. We walked up a trail high into the mountains, entering way points into three GPS systems in order to minimize the error and make a thorough map of the potential pipe system. After walking awhile, we stopped for a picnic lunch in a beautiful open area that is part of a biological reserve. In this area was one of Bruce's favorite objects- a latrine, just like the ones we use every day! Next year, the Modern Languages and Business/Accounting departments pledge to upgrade the course's bathroom facilities! ;) We had earlier determined that 40% of the world's people do not even have a latrine to use, leading to serious public health issues.

Latrine

     Getting out into the woods and away from the noise of the city was a nice change; this really is a beautiful country with an incredible variety of life. I will really miss waking up to the mountains every day. Until next time!

-Rebecca McDaniel

Mayan Ceremonial Grounds and Almost Falling Rocks

     Yesterday morning we walked to the reforestation center amidst the usual stares from locals amused by a large roaming group of Americans. At the center, we met with the head of reforestation,Toribio, who served as our guide into the country hills. We panted up a large hill while Guatemalan men periodically passed us carting over a hundred pounds of wood on their backs.

Toribio, our dear friend and guide

     After passing by strawberry, avocado, and banana plants, we reached Imox, a Mayan ceremonial ground. The Guatemalans had worshiped there for centuries, incorporating the Judeo-Christian God after the Spanish arrival. The grounds featured a cluster of rocks in the shape of a turtle. Almost all Mayan altars are shaped like turtles: during their ceremonies, the Mayans ask that God protect them as shells protect turtles. Toribio explained that the ceremonial grounds were central in the celebration of baptism and welcoming new life to the planet. Now the Catholic Church houses most baptisms, but there is a revival in use of the traditional grounds among young Mayans hoping to retain their culture.
One large departure from a typical Christian baptism includes the sprinkling of chicken blood on the altar. The use of candles and incense compare to Catholic ceremonies.

Turtle-shaped Altar

The smaller mayan altar

Our view down into the city from IMOX

avocado tree

     After lunch, our crew embarked again upon clearing out hillside to create a turn-around for trucks transporting coffee. The boys set their aims upon dislodging a boulder approximately two-thirds the size of a Smart Car from the side of the cliff. After close to an hour of prying and excavating, the boulder only wiggled a bit. We remain hopeful the rock will tumble before our departure.
Following dinner, we attempted to ignite a fire on the roof of the hotel. When our American efforts failed, we enlisted the help of our gatekeeper. After the skies began to drizzle, I exercised my Spanish to tell the tenacious worker not to worry. Determined, the man approached us half an hour later to exclaim he had made us a fire. Guatemalan work ethic at its finest.

- Carrie LaGrone

We put the FU in FUn

     Today we visited the nature preserve in Panajachel.  On our hike through the preserve to reach the start of the zip-line course we were able to see monkeys and coatis, which are a kin to anteaters.  While the monkeys would not come close enough for us to feed them bananas, the coatis were very curious and they took bananas right out of several people's hands.  As for the really FUn part of the day, the zip-line course was absolutely amazing.  The views of lake Atitlan while riding the zip-lines were truly incredible, and fortunately visibility was very good today.  I believe all of the students enjoyed their experience riding zip-lines, as no one needed to be pushed or accompanied down the zip-lines. 

    
     After we finished the zip-line course, we got the opportunity to hear a man named Alberto speak to us.  He is actually the owner of the land that the nature preserve is located on, and he had much to say in regard to environmental protection and the developments on environmental issues in the area.  Alberto told us about how the lake has changed in recent years, such as experiencing a boom in algal growth and the loss of reeds along the edges of the lake.  While he may have presented somewhat of an idealist point of view, I personally believe that Alberto made some excellent points.  For one, he said that "third world" countries such as Guatemala act as a mirror for ourselves as United States citizens.  More specifically, he pointed out how one may not realize how different life is in one's own country until that individual experience a truly foreign place.  I really like this point because I had never thought of things in exactly that light.  I never realized that going to some place where everyone is different from you can actually teach you more about yourself than about the foreign culture you are visiting.
     When we left the nature preserve we stopped briefly by a local town named San Antonio.  We spent only 30-40 minutes in San Antonio to shop.  Rather than shopping however, myself, as well as Michael and both of our professors walked around town.  It is remarkable how different nearby towns can be here.  San Antonio is reminiscent of a Brazilian favela as all of the buildings were built on top of and very close to each other.  The town was literally built on the side of a mountain, and it was not a tourist hot spot in the least.  San Antonio lacked the multitude of shops present in other cities and we didn't see a single dog or chicken roaming the streets (which is quite unusual here).

     In all, today was both very fun and quite educational.  I feel that we all learned a lot while still enjoying ourselves, which is what a May experience should be.  It continues to amaze me how much I learn, especially about myself, by simply observing what this place has to offer.

- Kevin

One Week

We have now been in Guatemala for a full week and it feels like we almost belong here. We have gotten into a routine the past two days of walking down the street to the farm where some of the mission´s projects are. Today, we were in charge of building rebar columns that will eventually be used as support columns for a future building. The Guatemalan working with us today showed us some new techniques that helped improve the strength of the columns. When our work was inspected before, the Guatemalans would be hesistant to say it was good and now we know why. We spent almost 2 hours today and only completed 1 1/2 columns, but at least these columns are the first quality products we have created. It was kind of frustrating at first hearing that we had done it wrong before, but we also felt accomplished to know that the Guatemalans at the site we were with the work we had done today.

This afternoon, we listened to a talk from Chona. She is one of the cooks at the mission, and she talked to us about the projects the mission is participating in and the civil war that occurred here in the 80s. Her stories from the civil war were very difficult for her to talk to us about and it was such a gift to listen to here first hand account of the experiences of the people in the region. We have heard about the civil war from most of the speakers we have listened to, but the emotion they show always make us realize what a difficult time it was in Guatemala.

One thing that has not been mentioned in previous posts is how much the children love getting their pictures taken here. When we walk down the street, many of them will ask us to take their picture, and then laugh when we show them the picture on the camera´s screen. I have added some pictures below so you can see them.

-Michael Sauer

Moved a mountain, Built a House

     Yesterday, we moved a mountain, built a house, and Diego got struck by lightening. Just kidding, kind of. After our classic meal of oatmeal and beans (which, contrary to some team members, I don't recommend mixing), we walked to a nearby farm for our first assignment. Our job was to help clear  rocks and level off some of the land so that they could build a road up the hill to the coffee washer. With our combined team effort, including some rock-breaking skills from Stuart and Miguel and the master of the wheelbarrow Katie Pierson, we made a fairly good dent in the work. It seemed though that whenever we moved one rock, it was only to discover another one underneath. The Guatemalan workers seemed to be able to break the rocks effortlessly with one little tap on their metal pole or pick axe-with all their experience they had a better idea of the rocks cleaving points.

     After, we went back more than ready for lunch, which was delicious as usual. Then, we returned to the housing project we worked on the previous day and worked on building columns for reinforced concrete. On the way back, we decided we needed some ice cream. I'm definitely going to miss pina colada ice cream, and the prices, when we go home.
     My dinner was highlighted by more amazing bread. I honestly could not tell you what was in it -  maybe bananas or apricots, but it was pretty darn good. Lucky for team FU, it was our turn to wash dishes when the thunderstorm struck. Those of us not washing dishes ran back and took cover to watch the storm from our porch. Then we watched as dishwashers David, Maddy, and Margaret jumped out of their tuk-tuk (a little three-wheel taxi) and ran for cover. I think their adrenaline is still going. The survivors were treated with praise and even free massages as we spent the rest of the night relaxing on the porch.

Until manana...

Susan Bitetti

Stuart´s Turn!

    As many of you know the blog has been down for a few days which has forced me to postpone my blog. I will be writing about last Thursday, the 12th.
    We got the chance to do our first official work this day. After breakfast, we loaded up into the back of a Ford pickup modified with an intricate roll-cage type railing system (my new favorite mode of transportation) and drove out to a temporary housing project setup for people whose houses were destroyed in a hurricane. We were assigned the task of moving a large pile of sheet rock from a house to a shed about 100 yards away. I know everyone, myself included was ready to get some work done and it felt good to get some exercise and some sun. After we picked up loose sheet rock and trash all over the area. When we were done we were toured around the area and shown their water system, pilas (outdoor laundry area), and the new latrines they were building.
     Later in the afternoon, we got back in my favorite truck and headed out of town. I was sure to get a prime spot in the front of the truck this time. After a bit of driving we started to climb a mountain road, and drove until we reached a small village near the top of a mountain. We parked the truck and hiked the last 5 minutes up to a small house. We all filed in to a small, dim house with three beds in the corners. We had come to listen to the widow of man who died in the Guatemalan civil war tell the story of her husband´s death. The woman, like many of the indigenous population only spoke K'iche', a narrowly used native language. She would speak, then our guide Andres would translate into Spanish, then Professor Grant would translate into English. It was an awe-inspiring scene. Her late husband was the leader of a movement trying to advocate for the rights of the poor in this area. The government targeted him as a suspected communist. They came to his house and shot him through the window of the house we were sitting in. They then came into the house, and shot his wife (our story teller) three times. To be able to hear this story firsthand was an amazing experience for all of us, and I know that we are all grateful for it.

The cooking area of the house we visited

     This was an amazing day, and I feel like we are learning a lot. Despite all the learning, we are also having a great time. It feels like time is flying by and I know I will be sad to leave.

Lavando la ropa

     Typically back at Furman, I happily do laundry once a week for free in the automatic washing machines and dryers. Here, it's a totally different story. Once or twice a week the Guatemalan ladies hand wash their clothes in pila (essentially a big rock basin). That is exactly what I and four other American ladies attempted to replicate. Some of the other students paid an outrageous 30Q (approximately $4) for the hotel ladies to do their laundry for them. But we definitely made the right choice. As you can see in my educational video, doing laundry is a bit different. . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0zRPMvRSNA

     Yes, the ladies stared at me. Yes, they laughed while I carried my clothes on my head. But I got it done--Guatemala style.

     Also, to recap the main event of Friday the 13th... After an exciting breakfast of oatmeal and black beans, we hopped on the back of a pickup truck to go to our next destination. Our friend Andres took us to visit Andres Tos Toy in Panemaquip. He is essentially the Martin Luther King Jr of the San Lucas area. He worked with about 100 others on a coffee plantation where they were severely mistreated because of their Mayan heritage. They were expected to work more than 12 hours a day and receive minimal payment of less than 50 cents of the Guatemalan money. That translates to about a nickel a day for backbreaking work. Andres realized this social injustice. He led a 13 day strike against the owner of the farm and eventually they were able to settle on a fair salary for less time working. It was a monumental time for San Lucas. This strike allowed the local Mayans to know that they were being severely persecuted. This one occassion sparked many other strikes around at the farm.
     Andres´ story is not something that can easily be read and studied in a textbook. In fact, there is a book written about this history, but it forgoes many of the details in fear that a violent uprising could happen at any moment. Essentially, the only way to hear the real story is to hear it straight from the source. No amount of Wikipedia can substitute a firsthand account of a real strike that inspired many other Mayans. I guess this is what Furman means by Engaged Learning.

School children in Panemaquip

- David Hanor

Travels on Lake Atitlan

     Many of us started our Sunday by attending mass at 7:30. It was very busy this morning because many of the community children were receiving their first communion, but it was a beautiful service.

      After a quick breakfast of pancakes and refried beans, we hopped onto a boat to visit two other cities across the lake. Our first stop was San Pedro, about an hour away from San Lucas Toliman.  We only had an hour to spend in San Pedro- Bruce even specified it as an hora gringa (American time), which REALLY means an hour, not an hora chapin (Guatemalan time), which we have discovered can be anywhere between 30 minutes and three hours.  We enjoyed a quick tour of the town markets before re-boarding the boat for a short ride to Santiago, a more tourist-oriented city with a good bit of history.  Our first destination was the Church of Saint Santiago, where a series of violent riots during the Guatemalan Civil War resulted in the death of a prominent American priest and mission worker, Father Stanley Rother.  After learning a bit more about Father Stanley's life, we headed for the market streets, where the vendors were incredibly determined to sell to us gringos.  The more headstrong people from our group ended up with real bargains, while the naive ones got the shaft from experienced Guatemalan vendors.

Church in Santiago

Father Stanley Rother

    
     And we can't forget the most important part of the day: Donna and Bruce renewed their marriage vows, new "rings" and all, presided by the captain of our boat! What a fun end to our relaxing boat trip.

El Fin de Semana

     Our first weekend in Guatemala was anything but work-free. Saturday morning started off with a delicious breakfast consisting of black beans and oatmeal. At first we thought that we had the morning off to work on our final projects, but we soon found out that there was work for us at the "granja." Our work was anything but easy. We were cutting and bending iron in order to make cement re-inforcers for buildings down here. We soon realized that what we were making were the same things that we see sticking out of the top of every building. When Guatemalans build houses or buildings, they always leave room to build another floor which is why we see metal bars sticking out on top of almost every building.

Four Projects

After a great night´s sleep, we had a very educational day. It began with an orientation at the mission telling us about their philosophy and different projects. For more information on the San Lucas Mission visit their website at http://www.sanlucasmission.org/. In the afternoon, we had the opportunity to tour the city and see the different projects in action. The four main projects are a Women´s Center, a health clinic, a coffee mill, and a reforestation center. It was so neat to see what we had been hearing about actually taking place in the city. Tonight we had our first experience of the rainy season...it poured for 5 minutes straight...and then it stopped. It was a great beginning, and now we are headed back to the hotel to hang up our wet clothes. Check out our pictures below!

The group in front of the Parish Church

Women weaving at the Women´s center

Andres teaching us about coffee production

Coffee at it´s second stage of production

Outside of the health clinic

Reforestation Project

Cyprus trees are the favored tree for reforestation because they grow the quickest