Our first day was a success! We woke up at 7:00 this morning. I had an AMAZING sleep! Who would have thought my best night of sleep would be in a hostal in Guatemala?? At 7:30 we walked to the mission for mass. We waited patiently for a half an hour and then remembered we were on "Guatemalan time." Mass didn't start until a while later, but we did stay because breakfast was at 8:00. Breakfast was a new experience... I've never had black beans for breakfast! We've all quickly become addicted to coffee though, it doesn't get more fresh than this!
After breakfast we went on a tour of the projects. The places we will be working include a women's shelter, the hospital and a coffee farm. We stopped at the women's center first. Women can go there to live and learn how to cook, weave, clean and more. We saw two women weaving and a bunch washing clothes. There was even a little girl, only four years old, washing clothes. She was working SO hard and it made me think of my sisters at home. I think it's safe to say they would never want to do that!
Our next stop was the hospital. The hospital includes a maternity ward, pediatrics center, eye doctor, dentist and surgeon area. Surgeons from America comer for one week every six months to perform surgeries (they call that week "Surgery Week"). We saw a little boy leaving the hospital with a cast on his arm. And by cast, I mean a cardboard box fashioned to the shpe of his arm. It wasn't even securly held on.
Then we visited the coffee farm and learned how coffee is harvested. We got to taste a new invention of theirs too: coffee wine. It wasn't good.
Then we came back to the mission for lunch and watched a movie about coffee harbest and how it benefits their country. We're all convinced to buy coffe from here before we leave and learned NOT to buy Folgers coffee anymore!!!
After lunch we worked at the coffee farm. Some people put fertilizer on little coffee plants and some people hauled dirt. We almost got attacked by a crazy cow too! Needless to say, it was very eventful and we were satisfied with the work we did. Many of us were able to use our Spanish!
At 4:00 we jumped back into the back of the pickup truck (standing, sorry Mom!). Any time we've traveled throughout San Lucas we've been standing in the back of the pickup. When we got back we walked around the town and bought stuff from the vendors. There are little tents and tables set up EVERYWHERE of the people selling their own little trinkets, clothes, food, or jewelry.
It's time for dinner now (which is spaghetti... I don't think that's Guatemalan, but I don't really know), so more will be coming later!
~Lauren Schoenbauer
No comments:
Post a Comment