Our Return to Comalapa

After an amazing summer and fall in Eugene, and our adventuous roadtrip to the Southwest, we have arrived home in Comalapa. Although the rainy season was less wet than previous years, the plants around the volunteer house and the gardens are gigantic! Little has changed in the town itself, except for a new coffee shop at the end of the market area boasting lattes, mochas and granitas. Still no oraganized garbage system, but now they have a means to espresso... not so sure I would call that progress.
Much has changed at the land in Paxán where we are building the school. The first of two buidings have been erected with roofs and a water tank adjacent. We will be hosting a small group of 11th graders from an International high school in Guatemala City this Saturday and are hoping to complete the cobbing of the inside of the buildings.
Andy and I are so happy to be back. We have jumped right back into our jobs with the Director´s immediate departure to the states for fundraising and presentations. Our spanish is a little rusty, but as we are forced to communicate every moment, we are improving fast.
We wish everyone is as happy as we are, and we will share more about our work here soon.

Pictures from Lago Atitlan Music Festival, Chiapas Mexico, and Parque Chimiya

Pictures from our trip to the Music Mestival at Lago Atitlan, our San Cristobal de las casas, Mexico trip, and some good pictures of our cultural exchange with some local Guatemalans.

Guatemala Music Festival, Chiapas Mexico, Parque Chimiya

Rebecca teaching about Plastic Bottles - Prensa Libre article

Rebecca was in the Prensa Libre last Friday, the biggest newspaper in Guatemala. Here is my attempt at translating in English, the original article follows in Spanish.

















Rebecca Sanchez, representative of the Association Chuwi Tinamit,
explains to students about the plastic container recycling campaign.

By Fernando Magzul
Chimaltenango, Guatemala

The Association Chuwi Tinamit intiated a campaign that tries to teach primary students the habit to recycle the plastic remainders, with the purpose of avoiding the contamination of environment.

The Association Chuwi Tinamit, with the support of the University of Oregon, United States of America, explained that the campaign consists of teaching to the students, of grades first to sixth, the damage of the plastic in the environment , because it is one of the materials that takes more time in decomposing and when it is burned it is one of the main polluting agents in the air.

The American Rebeca Sanchez, coordinator of programs of this association, emphasized that the children must take advantage of the homemade resources, like backpacks, market bags, or other objects that help to carry the purchases, to lessen the amount of plastic bags in the streets and rivers.

Sadly, we are customary to go shopping without taking something to bring products, because we know that in the store or market the salesman will give a bag to us. With this habit we are deteriorating our environment, because recycling systems do not exist”, said Rebecca Sanchez.

The objective is to teach how to turn plastic packages of any size into ecological piggy banks.

Matt Paneitz, coordinator of projects, added that the purpose of the plan is for the student to have one or several ecological piggy banks and that after buying a product in the store or the market, deposits the wrapper in the bottle instead of throwing it in the street.

“If the young one buys a cake, they must learn that after eating it, they must deposit the wrapper in the bottle, like a piggy bank, declared Rebecca Sanchez.

They will extend the plan

Paneitz announced that this month they will visit the schools of this municipality where they will start the campaign.

“Also we are in contact with the head of the Municipality of Chimaltenango to take the campaign to the educative establishments departmental head this May”, he added.

General benefit

Authorities of the school Cojol Juyú assured that the campaign benefits not only the school, but in addition to the villagers, and for that reason they involved all the students in the project.


Olga Marina Salazar, director of the school, explained that the decision was made to give extra credit points for each two months that the students fulfill the habit to have an ecological piggy bank.

The Association Chuwi Tinamit created years ago the Educative and Recreational Center Ecological Chimiyá, to the east of town, where there is a football field, a basketball/football court, a playground with swings, slippery spots (slides), among other attractions.


Spanish Version (Original) taken from the daily Prensa Libre

La Asociación Chuwi Tinamit impulsó una campaña que intenta fomentar en los estudiantes de primaria el hábito de reciclar los desechos plásticos, con el fin de evitar la contaminación del medio ambiente.

La Asociación Chuwi Tinamit, con el apoyo de la Universidad de Oregón, EE. UU., explicó que la campaña consiste en enseñar a los estudiantes, de párvulos a sexto primaria, el daño del plástico en el medio ambiente, porque es uno de los materiales que más tarda en podrirse y cuando se quema es uno de los principales contaminantes del aire.

La estadounidense Rebeca Sánchez, coordinadora de programas de esta asociación, destacó que los niños deben aprovechar los recursos caseros, como morrales, costales de mercado u objetos que ayuden a cargar con las compras, para disminuir la cantidad de bolsas plásticas en las calles y ríos.

“Lamentablemente, estamos acostumbrados a ir de compras sin llevar algo para traer los productos, pues sabemos que en la tienda o mercado el vendedor nos dará una bolsa. Con este hábito estamos deteriorando nuestro medio ambiente, pues no existen sistemas de reciclaje”, declaró.

El objetivo es enseñar a convertir los envases de plástico de cualquier tamaño en alcancías ecológicas.

Matt Paneitz, coordinador de proyectos, añadió que la finalidad del plan es que el estudiante tenga una o varias alcancías ecológicas y que cuando compre un producto en la tienda o el mercado, deposite el envoltorio en la botella en lugar de tirarla en la calle.

“Si el niño compra una galleta, debe aprender a que después de comérsela, debe depositar el envoltorio en la botella, como una alcancilla”, explicó.

Extenderán plan

Paneitz expuso que este mes visitarán las escuelas de este municipio en las que impulsarán la campaña.

“También estamos en contacto con la Municipalidad de Chimaltenango para llevar en mayo próximo la campaña a los establecimientos educativos de la cabecera departamental”, agregó.

Beneficio general

Autoridades de la escuela Cojol Juyú aseguraron que la campaña beneficia no solo a la escuela, sino además a los aldeanos, y por ello involucraron a todos los estudiantes en el proyecto.

Olga Marina Salazar, directora de la referida escuela, explicó que se tomó la decisión de que el claustro otorgue puntos en cada bimestre a los estudiantes que cumplan con el hábito de tener una alcancía ecológica.

La Asociación Chuwi Tinamit creó hace años el Centro Educativo y Recreativo Ecológico Chimiyá, al este de la población, donde hay un campo de futbol, una cancha polideportiva, un parque infantil con columpios, resbaladeros, entre otras atracciones.

I guess you all want more pictures so here they are. We have been busy working and excavating land for the school we are building in Comalapa. Also we built a new chicken coop and welcomed 3 new chickens to the family! Our gardens are full of Lettuce, Kale, Mustard Greens, Peas, Beans, Dill, Cilantro, and 10,000 Elm, White Pine, and Cypress trees. Andys parents came to visit in February and we traveled around Western Guatemala including Antigua, Lake Atitlan, Xela, and of course San Juan Comalapa. We will be joining Long Way Home staff and will be coming back to the U.S. in May to work and fundraise before returning to Guatemala in the Fall.
Our three months are up soon so we will be traveling to Mexico to get new stamps, so look forward to more posts soon.

Check out the photo album link below!!

Guatemala Early 2009

Oh, We´ve Done So Much...

It´s been quite some time since we have last posted, and our only excuse is that we have been trekking across the country with friends and building a school out of tires. Life has been tough!

When last we wrote, we had dug the new water line to the location of the new vocational school that will be called Tecnico Maya. With that completed, we began working in the Vivero (tree nursey) at Parque Chimiya, preparing it for the 10,000 pine, elm and cypress trees that will be planted all over the region. The tree roots will help to stablize the soils and the branches will provide shade for coffee plants and herds of cattle as they graze the hills. It´s a great project that benefits everyone, from the farmer to the rancher and back to the workers at Parque Chimiya, as sales from the tree starts help to pay workers salaries. The chance to participating in projects that are both sustainable and beneficial to the entire community is one of the largest reasons why we left everything in Oregon to live in Guatemala. Happily, we are learning everyday that such a great thing is possible.

Needless to say, although we have been working like crazy almost everyday, we have been having the time of our lives. It was the perfect time for a visit from one of Rebecca´s best friends, Kaisa and her aunt Jeanie. They were both so enthusiastic about Long Way Home, that we all stayed at Parque Chimiya (crammed into one room and two twin beds!) for two days to work in the gardens and the Vivero. Then...we hit the road!

First, we headed Northwest to Lago Atitlán. We stopped in Panajachal for two nights to eat Mojarra, shop and swim in the lake. (Guatemala explorer tip: skip Pana!) The view of the San Pedro Volcano is breathtaking, but not worth the dozens of women who will, literally, chase you down the street with their wares and then curse you, in english, for not buying from them. It is a place where foreigners don´t have to speak any spanish, eat tempeh (which was delicious) and buy overproduced crap at embarrasingly cheap prices. Beautiful,but not our scene.

From Pana, we headed to the region of Cobán which is located in the center of the country. Even before we got here, and everywhere we have travelled since, people have been telling us about the caves of Lanquin and the waters of Semuc Champey. Once we told Kaisa and Jeanie about using candles to swim through the darkness of some of the caves, they were in! Ten hours later, we got stuck in the city ofCobán, two hours from our destination. Luckily we found a nearby hotel, that just happened to be an old colonial castle with it´s restaraunt located in the tower. We were the only guests, had our own sweet rooms and an incredible fish dinner made by the owner himself. Sometimes getting stuck in a place works out for the best.

The next morning, we got a shuttle to Lanquin. Two hours later, we threw our bags in our cabañas and walked to the limestone caves. We saw gigantic stalagmite/stalagtite formations and spiders the size of Rebecca´s hand!

The next day, we took a tour to the caves and pools of Semuc Champey. It was amazing! Armed with only our swim suits and a light (candle or headlamp), we climbed over a waterfall with a rope, swam across sections with bats overhead and jumped off a narrow but high ledge into a dark pool. (Okay only Kaisa and Andy jumped, but we all scaled the waterfall!) We then floated down the river in the sunshine, ate homemade chocolate in a cocoa plantation and climbed a mile to overlook the green and blue pools of Semuc Champey. It must be said again, it was amazing!

Our group of four parted ways for a few days after Semuc Champey. Kaisa and Jeanie wanted to see Tikal in the very northern part of Guatemala, and we desperately needed to get our visa´s extended in Guatemala city. Luckily, we had time to visit the most famous Vivero in Guatelmala, Vivero Verapaz.

Located in the city of Cobán, it cultivates over 30,000 different species of Orchid, including the rarest, White Nun Orchid, which is also the official flower of Guatemala. The Vivero specializes in miniature orchids, blooms that are so small they grow them on wine corks! The head gardener took us around personally, telling us the history behind some of the crazy names, pointing out a pepper tree and a lycopod, a prehistoric plant that has medicinal purposes he swears by.

We made it back to Comalapa Christmas Eve and shared a big feast with new volunteers and the regulars who have become like family to us (Matteo, Kat, Adam and Liz). The next few days were devoted to preparing for two visiting groups from the University of Illinois and St. John´s University. We celeberated the New Year with Kaisa in Comalapa. The town center was set up like a carnival, with food vendors, arcade games and a ferris wheel. Kaisa and Rebecca braved the old wheel, and when it finally stopped, were in tears from laughing and yelling.

Twenty-six people volunteering at Long Way Home for two weeks, and for the first three days we were asked to be in charge of preparing their meals and showing them the ropes.
With that many hands, we broke ground on the actual land of the school. We began laying the foundation for the walkway/road to the workshops and dug the hole for the latrine.
During the digging, an area was uncovered with almost a hundred pieces of ceramic and obsidian flakes. Matteo enthusiastically pointed out Long Way Home´s resident archaeologist, sending Rebecca every five minutes to log another found artifact. No piece was very old, but a treasure hunt is always good for morale after digging eight hours.

The leaders of the neighboring village of Cohol had asked Long Way Home to help complete an application to Engineers Without Borders for a new water system. Of the 300 homes in the village, 75% only had water for a couple hours a day and 10% of families had to carry water from the public pilas (water tubs). Andy took a group hiking along the hills to GPS all the nearby natural springs to create a map to determine from which spring a family would receive their water. Rebecca went door to door with a guide to collect information on each family´s water situation, health problems and educational history. The survey´s were to help our organization and EWB determine coalations between sicknesses and water shortage/cleanliness and overall situation with educational background. The application we submit will help point out that the lack of a decent water system is only one element in the cycle of poverty. We were welcomed graciously into every home, offered refreshments and served lunch prepared by the families of the town´s leaders. We are currently finishing the application and, although others have promised the same as we are now, we are ready to see this project through to the end and every family has water every moment they need it.

With the water surveys collected, the groups were off on their promised ¨mini vacation¨. We were asked to chaperone the group and help them enjoy the towns around the lake. We happily took the responsability and took them to San Pedro, San Marco and Santa Catarina around Lago Atitilan. We attempted to make the mini vacation somewhat education, so we arranged for the group to visit Rocio´s home, a local weaving woman who works with a board member of our organization and sells her wares in the United States for fair wage. She is a beautiful woman working hard to be respected and paid what she deserves.
The rest of the trip was a whirlwind! The group went kayaking, horseback riding, hooka smoking and shopping. As they did those things, we spent much needed time alone together. But we did jump off some cliffs and swim in the lake with them.

When we returned, it was back to digging. A local Mayan priest came to the school land to conduct a ceremonial blessing. About a half hour before sunset, he set up a circle of chocolate, sugar and other herbs and lit it on fire. He gave thanks for the help of the volunteers and then gave thanks to all the gods and Mother Earth and asked them all to bless the project and all the people involved in the construction, teaching and learning. Later we found out he specifically asked for the spirit of the deer for us, so we could be nimble and jump out the way of problems that might arise during construction. As the sun set, he handed out cigars to smoke and we all ceremonially threw dirt over the edge and hugged one another as he spoke prayers in Kechi-qel.

The holidays are over, Kaisa has gone back to school in Oregon and the groups are gone. We are no longer sleeping in a tent in the gardens and have our own room. Things are starting to settle down for all of us at Parque Chimiya, and we are both looking toward the future of our participaton in the organization. We have accepted staff positions with Long Way Home and will be committing ourselves to the jobs until the school project is completed. Andy has been asked to establish a computer internet lab at the parque, and has plans to build a ground refrigeration system for the kitchen of the tire house. And Rebecca has been asked to lead the recycling programs that will be set up at the local schools. We have already done so much, and we are excited about all the things we will be able to help get accomplished in our shared future.*

*Rebecca picking up every street puppy she finds!

Food, Waves and Digging!

We hope you all had a delicious and belt-bursting Thanksgiving! And don't worry, we didn't miss it. All the volunteers banded together and created Thanksgiving here in San Juan Comalapa. We each prepared our favorite dishes (fresh bread, garlic mashed potatoes and Green Bean Casserole for us), and invited over some of our Chapino friends to experienceour traditional American holiday of stuffing faces. There was talk of somehow showing a football game, but gladly weopted for playing horseshoes, instead. Fidelia, the owner of our favorite tienda, loved "our" food so much, we walked her home with two overfilled plates of leftovers. At that point, we'd done the Thanksgiving holiday justice.

The next morning, 6am, Keri, Cali and us, were on our way to the black sanded beaches of Sipacate! Six hours, three chicken buses and a lancha later, we reached the warm and sunny ocean. Unfortunately, we had to stay at an overpriced resort, Rancho Cabrillo, that had a complete monopoly on the Sipacate ocean. But the four of us threw our bags in the room, jumped into our suits and ran for the waves.

The waves were short, but incredibly powerful. Cali and Rebecca were almost pulled out by a gigantic wave before the super-ripped lifegaurd called us all to safer areas. We swam for hours the next day as well, but we decided to depart our friends and head to Antigua for a night of real showers and our favorite resteraunt that has both veggie burgers and a Peruvian pan-flute band. We came to learn later, that only hours after we left the beach, two men were pulled out by the current, and sadly, the lifegaurd could only make it to one. Such a things reminds us how important it is to always be cautious and protect each other.

We returned just in time for the town´s big dig day. A new water pipeline was going in, and every family who were to use it was responsible for digging as much as 25 meters in length and 80cm deep. Because we had about 10 people in our crew, and Rebecca´s impressive experience, we dug twice as much. It was great to work side by side with the people of Comalapa. We even shared in the refraccíon of Pepsi and pan dulce. After digging for three hours it suprisingly hit the spot.

We saw seven volunteers come and go in these two weeks and said goodbye to the two that welcomed us a month ago. Now we are the welcoming committee at the Casa de Voluntarios and are looking forward to completing the retaining wall of the garden and the kitchen of the Casa de Llantas.
Escribamos Más Pronto!

Into the Gardens of the Highlands

Our adventure has taken us into the Central Highlands of Guatemala, and to the artisan town of San Juan Comalapa. As we entered into the town we saw the expansive and famous mural. The quarter-mile painting tells the history of the Kechi-qel people from their part of the Mayan empire, the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors, civil wars and dictators to their hopes for education, community development and self-empowerment. It is breathtaking to walk along. The mural lines the outer wall of the town's cemetery. From the outside, we can see the colorful tops of the graves lined with flowers and candles. We are eager to walk through the cemetery one day.













We came to Comalapa to volunteer with Long Way Home, a nonprofit organization that works with the surrounding communities on development projects such as reforestation, alternative building methods, water improvements and community parks. But most importantly, the website said they have an organic garden that needed work. We were also told they would welcome help on building a kitchen out of rammed earth bags, but the moment Matteo (Project Coordinator) heard Andy had done web design work, Andy has been working overtime redesigning Long Way Home's website. Check it out at: longwayhomeinc.org, it is a really amazing organization.

My assigned project has been to paint almost every day! I have painted fences a beautiful green
and painted signs for leading to the campo de futbol at Parque Chimiya, the protected community park, the organic garden, and the Casa de Voluntarios, our home. We have spent a lot of time together in the garden and have found so many pottery shards and obsidian flakes that we are fantasizing about conducting an archaeological report...
We have been here two weeks now, and we are sublimely happy. We believe in the organization and the people who work in it. We love Comalapala, the beautiful people and the incredible green hills of pine trees. Less than two hours west, are the ruins of Ixsmiche in Tecpan. We spent two days in the town and hours climbing up and down the ruins. We even happened upon an area that was stills used for Kechi-qel rituals and sacrifices today. As we walked up, the central pit was smoldering from a fire and there were freshly lit candles placed in
the towering altars. We looked quickly, and respectfully returned to the public site.

We are entering our third week here, and both have exciting projects to work on. We hope to be sending good news about our vegetables and the kitchen we will build out of old tires and earth bags.

We hope you have a delicious Turkey Day! We will be spending that holiday on the beaches of Sipacate! Don´t worry, we will tell you all how incredible the waves are!













Picture of two of my students at Casa Guatemala; Jennica and Karla! They loved the book Shelley! Thanks!