6.12

San Vincente
Today was an easy day for work. The ladies watch a movie every Thursday, and those who aren't watching are either in line for baths or in physical therapy. I help move everyone to their places, then find a couple of women who are embroidering. I brought my stitching today, so I join them. We chat a little, and when the movie is over, I help move the women to their rooms and bring them cafe & pan.

National Palace
For our Spanish Lesson today, we try the National Palace again. This time it is open to the public. The whole palace is green, and the guide explains it's the natural color of the stone, no paint. Green was somebody's wife's favorite color, and you know wives ALWAYS get what they want. ;) The tour is short, but the palace is pretty. There are 350 offices in the palace, and they all ring different, open courtyards. We eye some gory murals of the Spaniards conquering the Mayans, but there are also beautiful stained glass windows depicting peace between the two. I guess you can make everyone happy, in a way. There is an art exhibit with some pretty pieces and a man playing Love Theme from The Godfather on the piano. Nice place, not much of a Spanish Lesson.

"Surprise"
We get back to the home base earlier than usual for our Surprise. The base decided to throw a birthday party for the summer birthday people. We have a piñata, tostadas & some butter cream cake. Mmmm. I eat two slices. It's been an uneventful, easy-going day. Just what the doctor ordered.

6.11

San Vincente
Last Wednesday, we had a group come to sing for the ladies, but there isn't one today. Instead, we do the arts and crafts day that we missed yesterday. I smuggle in the toilet paper for Alicia, but happily realize she already has a new roll. I hope she didn't steal it from someone else. Two women (in wheelchairs!) begin fighting over a bowl of crayons, each holding onto one side and pulling! I have to separate them like children. I go room to room and talk to a few women after this is over, then it is time to go. The further I get into this trip, the harder each day is. Though the women aren't sporting black eyes or split lips, it's obvious that most, if not all, hate it here. Some don't have families at all, and those that do often don't ever get visited. The most difficult thing to come to terms with is that I feel I'm not really making a difference here. The place is fully operational without volunteers, so our job is mostly to help build a connection and allow the inhabitants to feel loved, and heard. But, even then, I know that I am only here for three weeks, and that even if they remember me forever (which most won't), whatever shred of happiness I brought them for that time will go when I do. If there is any woman whose life I really changed by being here, then her heart will be broken when I leave. So, I listen to them, I show them pictures of my family, I hug them, hold their hands, and, sometimes, we just sit and look out of the window. In only another week and a half, I will be home with all my loved ones sharing pictures and souvenirs, and they will be here in the beds and wheelchairs that they will die in, and nothing will have changed.

Macadamia Nut Farm
It has been a hard week, not only for me, and our cultural activities today are a welcome break in the gloom. I now understand why CCS chooses to have volunteering in the morning and a schedule for the afternoon - today it was pouring down rain and the weather fit everyone's mood - sometimes we just need some cheering up. Today was perfect for that. We began with a very brief tour of the Val Halla Macadamia Nut Farm (as I said, it was pouring down rain). The nuts are sorted into different sizes - they make a point to not have "clones" as the woman puts it - some trees produce large nuts and some small. The tastes are supposedly even slightly different (though I couldn't tell the difference). The nuts are shelled with a simple machine engineered from a flat tire - something to help keep equipment costs low. After, we get to sample Macadamia Nut oil, chocolates and nuts. Delicious.

San Antonio
After the Macadamia Nut Farm, we head to a small village outside of Antigua to learn about how the Mayan villagers weave all the beautiful crafts we see & buy in the markets. The process is long, tedious & confusing. The woman who is leading the workshop tries to show Sharon & I can hardly follow along. After just the background is finished, the brocading & embroidery often takes more than 6 months to complete.

After the weaving lesson, we are informed we are going to have a traditional wedding. A bride, groom & parents-in-law are brought up from our group. In this village's tradition, the wife-to-be makes a shawl for the mother-in-law to be worn on the wedding day. The couple is married & purified with incense and flower petals. The family goes into the kitchen after the wedding, and the new daughter-in-law demonstrates her cooking skills by making tortillas and coffee. The family eats wedding bread with their coffee, and the mother-in-law gives the bride an apron that she made to show she approves of the union.

We all get to learn how to and make our own tortillas and even get to eat wedding bread with our coffee. Then, we have the option to buy from the 5 families of the village. I've been eyeing the beautiful aprons that the natives wear since I arrived, and am thrilled to find one with just enough embroidery to be gorgeous, but still plain enough to be useful in the kitchen. The Mayans make everything beautiful and durable. This has been a great end to a long day.

6.10

San Vincente de Paul

Today should have been arts and crafts day again – AKA coloring for two hours. I arrive at the institution and the women are, again, not in the chapel. I chat with Florencia, again, in her room, for half an hour. She starts to tell me again how much she hates it here. She tells me she's afraid of the night nurses and that she can't sleep, because it's dangerous. She tells me the other women are thieves and bad people. I'm not sure what to say. At 9, we are supposed to go to el comedor to set out the art supplies, but one of the staff, who is usually in charge of the activities for each day, asks me to help her with something else instead. We go downstairs to a different dining room where she's started hanging up balloons and streamers. She says it's one of the boss's birthdays tomorrow, and she wants me to help her decorate. We inflate balloons and hang streamers for two hours. When I go back upstairs, nobody has moved from their rooms. Because the nurse and I were downstairs setting up something else, nobody bothered to take the women out of their rooms to do anything. There is only an hour until lunch, and there will be no activity today. This is discouraging. I feel guilty and angry. I go to find Alicia to paint her nails, as I promised her I would, yesterday. I talk to her while I paint them and she looks out the window. She shows me her toilet paper roll, which is soaked and ruined. She dropped it in the bathroom and it's not time for her to receive a new one. This makes me want to cry. I resolve to smuggle her a roll, from home, in the morning (something very much against the rules). It's already time to leave, and I say my goodbyes. It hasn't been a very good day.

Afternoon

Our plans for after lunch are to visit the National Palace, which is where the President of Guatemala lives. We pile quickly pile into the van; it's pouring down rain. When we arrive, the guard tells our "Spanish Teacher" (Tuesdays and Thursdays are supposed to be "spanish lessons") that the Palace is closed, because of the rain. We ask to go to a textile museum that I read about in my guide book, the Teacher says ok and tells the driver. A few minutes later, disappointingly, we arrive at a different museum, which is inside the mall. The museum is called the Mira Flores and is about Mayan dwellings. Half of it is outdoors, meaning half of it is closed also. We briefly explore the inside, which is interesting. It includes some Mayan pottery and an example of one sort of Mayan burial - in the living room floor. After that brief tour (two rooms and a hallway), we're standing outside the museum, in the mall. The Spanish Teacher suggests we go to one of the markets, but I'm not really interested in shopping today. Hallie and I take a cab home from the mall while the high schooler's go check out the wares. I spend the evening relaxing after dinner and hoping that tomorrow will be much better.

6.9

San Vincente de Paul
Today was my first day alone at San Vincente de Paul. I feel a little more confident, because I know what the schedule for the week is going to be like. When I arrive, the women aren't in the chapel. One of the staff says they aren't going today, but we still have exercises at 9. I spend half an hour chatting with a lady named Florencia, who is in a wheelchair. She's very sweet and doesn't have any family. She says it is very lonely here, because the staff and other people are always running by the rooms, never stopping to say hello. We go to the exercise class and dance a lot today. I sit next to small Valentina, again, and she chatters quietly to me and to herself throughout the class. Everyone is in much better spirits than they were last week.

After the class, I visit with another woman who is in a wheelchair, Alicia, who can't speak. She can make noise, but not from words. However, she's excellent at miming and knows the sign language alphabet (unfortunately, I don't). I talk to her, ask her yes or no questions, tell her about my life, show her pictures. We sit together and look out the window. She had three children, but they all died. Her husband died too. I tell her I will bring nail polish to paint her nails tomorrow, which makes her happy. Today has been a good day.

Popol Vuh
After lunch, we are taken to the Popol Vuh Museum. It's a small place that details the Mayan civilization from pre-classic period to colonial. The tour guide is a well-meaning college student, but isn't able to go off her script much or answer questions. We aren't allowed to take pictures unless we pay 30Q per camera, so none of us do. We see some old pottery and teensy Jade figures and beads. The Mayans didn't have metal until after the Spanish arrived, so everything is crafted with other rocks. The details are amazing.

After the tour, we have a workshop downstairs and get to make some cute little Mayan pottery of our own out of clay. I dropped off my laundry at a laundería before the museum, so we pick it up on the way home. Tomorrow, we're supposed to see the National Palace, which is Guatemala's White House.

6.8

Tikal
Our taxi arrives at 4:15 am instead of 4:30 and is already honking. My teeth are only half brushed, and Hallie and I are walking around in a daze trying to get our shoes on the right feet. We hop in the cab and he takes us to the Hotel de Intercontinental Real where we will meet up with Ann and her daughters, then be picked up by our shuttle. We help ourselves to coffee and a scone in the lobby; this will have to suffice for breakfast. After the Woodwards come downstairs, our shuttle pulls up to take us to the airport. We are driven straight to the plane and don't go through security or anything. Daylight has just broken, and the volcanos are clear in the distance. As we watch, Volcan Fuego blows up a black puff of smoke to say goodbye. We get in the tiny plane and attempt to sleep for the hour long ride.

Howler Monkey

When we land, we find a man holding a sign with our names and others. A few of the people who flew with us turn out to be in our group, and the guide tells us we will be 11 in all, but still need to pick up 3 on the way. It takes an hour and a half for us to drive to Tikal from the airport after stopping for the 3 remaining tourists. We've all paid for a package that includes the guide, entrance fees and lunch. We enter the park and I'm already sweating. It is so humid. The closest I've been to this weather is Houston, and it doesn't even begin to compare. The air is thick and it's hot. Immediately I regret wearing jeans and cuff them. Tikal is in the jungle. There are giant bugs, boa constrictors, and worst: howler monkeys. I hate monkeys. They're mean AND smart, which makes a bad combination. Howler monkeys aren't big, but the noises they make are terrifying. Walking the paths, it feels like I am in Jurassic Park. The trees shake as the monkeys move through them, and deep roaring growls echo around us at a deafening volume. I half expect to see a T-Rex crashing through the ruins.

Aside from all the awful animals, Tikal is beautiful. It's lush and green, with the huge stone pyramids peeking out through the trees. Our guide grew up in the villages surrounding the ruins and is well versed in not only the archeological history of the site, but is also able to communicate the personal history of today's villagers, descended from the ancient people who built this city.

Wooden steps leading to one pyramid

Deadly Temple

covered temple

There are large hill-like mounds everywhere. The guide tells us that a huge portion of the park remains uncovered, and that every 20 years, they excavate a new temple. This is to preserve what they can while archaeological processes improve. The temples are breath-taking. Some we are still able to climb, others have a wooden staircase built around the back, for safety and to preserve the pyramids. Several pyramids can't be ascended at all, because they are too dangerous (and one pyramid even claimed three lives).

Temple with small alter in front

Me on top of above temple

We spend the day hiking, climbing and sweating while we learn about the Mayans. They were commercial people. Their cities were centers of trade, and while they occasionally went to war (as people do), conquering was not the Mayan way. While they did execute enemies and criminals, they were not sacrificed to the gods as previously thought. It was an enormous honor to be sacrificed, and there were special priests who trained all their lives to take that honor. There was a special ball game (like soccer) that the priests played. Whoever won the game got to be sacrificed. The bodies also weren't thrown from the tops of the pyramids, nor even were people ever killed on them, as we see in movies.

example of unrestored steps vs restored steps

me at the tippy top of a tall temple

We end up not eating lunch until after we finish the park, which is at 4 pm. With nearly 12 hours between meals, we're famished. We eat lunch at a restaurant deep in the trees, which sounds nice except for the horrible sand flies (they bite!!) that hovered all around us for the entire meal. Don't ever eat in the jungle, if you can help it.

At around 5, we are back in the van on the way to the airport. One of our group is staying in a Mayan village doing humanitarian work. He tells stories about how the women give birth standing up, holding on to a rope, and the midwives catch the babies.  Ann, Harbour & Willow have a flight back thirty minutes earlier than ours, so we say our goodbyes in the airport. They'll be going home tomorrow. After the flight, Hallie and I take a taxi to the Home Base and fall into bed. It's been a long day, and we have work tomorrow.

6.7

Oakland Mall
Today, I feel pretty bad after all the hiking on the volcano. I've been needing a rain jacket for some time, and there is an enormous mall in the "rich" zone, Zona 14. (Of course "enormous" is relative to my current location, as nothing will ever compare to Houston's Galleria). We arrive and it is very Americanized: American clothing stores and very American prices. I don't save any money on a North Face rain jacket by purchasing it in quetzales, but at least I have one. Perhaps one of the most amusing things about Guatemala are the McCafe's. McDonald's McCafe is an entire coffee chain here, a la Starbucks. They even have nice little scones and biscotti! I had to snap a picture... Too funny. We spot a double-decker carousel on one level, and there is a "VIP" movie theater here that is similar to Movie Tavern, except with reclining chairs. Hallie and I decide to see The Fault in Our Stars. After boo-hooing through the entire movie, we head back to the home base for an early bed time. Tomorrow, our taxi will pick us up at 4:30 in the morning to take us to the airport.

6.6

San Vincente 
This morning, a theater group came to put on a short drama for the women. It was interesting, but I couldn't understand most of it, except that it was about losing & being reunited with your children. A lot of the women, and even some nurses, cried at the end. Today was also Sari's last day with me. Next week I will be alone at my placement. We chatted with some of the women after the show, and took them to their rooms to prepare for lunch. Then, we cleaned up the multipurpose room where the play was held. I'm so sad Sari is leaving tomorrow!!! Ann and her two daughters also have their last day in the program today, but we are going to Tikal with them on Sunday. After lunch, the entire group is going to hike Volcan Pacaya, an active Volcano outside of Antigua. :)

Volcan Pacaya
The week has been exhausting, but this is a great end to it. We have to drive part of the way up the volcano, and when we arrive at the entrance, we are greeted by little boys from the villages trying to sell walking sticks. We're advised not to buy one (I regret listening to this advice later on). After meeting our guide and paying an entrance fee, we're off. Right off the bat, there is a cobblestone path that is steep, and I mean STEEP! It makes the hike I took with Eric at Enchanted Rock a few weeks ago look like child's play. The guide takes care to remind us that many people can not handle the hike and that horses are available to take us up. The cobblestone path ends after a few yards, and then the hard part begins. The path is only a path in the sense that there are no trees in the way. The dirt on the ground is very soft and a little muddy, so we sink in. One of our group opts for the horse at the second "rest stop" - there are 24 stops before we reach our destination -- something like 4 miles (round trip) with this horrible, steep angle the whole way there. In America, I think this would've been recommended for "experienced" hikers, but I push through. Guatemala City is already 5,000 feet above sea level - a far cry from Houston's ~100 feet - and we began this hike halfway up the volcano. The elevation change combined with my ongoing sinus infection makes for a rough trip, but slowly, I ultimately make it to the top.

We aren't hiking all the way to the crater, because it is too dangerous. However, after several hours, we make it to a peak overlooking a valley filled with dried volcanic lava. This peak includes a very steep drop down into the valley which I soon learn that we will be carefully descending. We half-walk, half-fall down this mud cliff until we are in the valley of lava. The hot mist rolls across the dried rocks - it's incredible. Then, we start to walk across the lava. Volcan Pacaya recently erupted in March, so all of this is fairly new. The volcanic rock is warm under our feet. As we cross the valley, there's a small hut with a sign out front: LAVA STORE. We make it across and are greeted by four dogs and a speech about the hand crafted jewelry (made from coconuts and volcanic rock!) that the villagers make. Only four places in the world make this sort of thing, and Guatemala is one of them! The Lava Store is also the only store inside an active volcano.

After we do some quick shopping, we hop over to where some holes in the dried lava rock have opened up to let out the heat - and boy is it HOT! Luckily, we brought ingredients for s'mores. The hot gas shooting up from the volcano browns the marshmallows in seconds - best s'mores ever. As we're enjoying our ooey, gooey, volcanic desserts, the sun starts to set. Our guide urges us to leave, but our big group moves slow. We crawl back up that steep hill to get to the peak, and then start heading down the volcano at break-neck speed, after getting some awesome pictures of the other volcanoes in the distance. We lose the light quickly, and our muddy, slippery path down the volcano is lit only by the beam of a few flashlights and Willow's voice yelling "Step! Root! Horse poop on the left!" to guide us. We are on safe ground after about 25 minutes.

What. A. Trip. We're all filthy, thirsty, and totally pooped, but it was definitely worth the arduous ascent. Everyone is too wired to fall asleep on the way back to the home-base.