Reflections

These reflections were written on Friday night after our last day in the school and at the work site.

I started this trip on a bad foot- by complaining to my friends about it. My summer was very short and I wanted to make the most out of it by spending it with people near to me, both in my heart and geographically. Instead I was going to have to spend it with slimy little kids who didn’t speak my language. My mind quickly changed when the first thing I saw were smiling faces with open arms running at me for a hug and I realized I was the one who didn’t understand their language. I have always been told that you never have to do something, you rather have the opportunity to do it. This really came true to me on this trip. I realized how privileged I was; I have a roof over my head, neighbors I can trust, loving parents, loving friends, a good education, food readily available whenever I am hungry, and the list goes on and on. I have truly had a wonderful experience with the young children of Guatemala. They welcomed me as one of their own by smearing their chocolate sauce all over my face and holding my hand wherever I went. Today in the nursery, we played many games with words beginning with “j”. This including chocolate sauce, shaving cream, and glue, which in turn meant lots of hand scrubbing. Friday is also gym day so I had the opportunity to participate in their workout. This meant laying on the ground, stretching, running around cones, and more fun. This may sound easy considering I am at least ten years older than these kids but when you are being tugged on either to have a hand to hold or being given a hug, simple tasks like touching your toes become extremely difficult. It was hard to say goodbye to the kids because they didn’t really understand I wasn’t coming back but they still gave me plenty of hugs and warm smiles. However, I had to leave to go to the closing ceremonies. This included the students dancing, singing, playing instruments, and showing off their other feats. We jumped rope for them and in return received many paintings from the students from all the different grades. Next, we started the dirty work. We put lots of finishing cement on the walls and made some other finishing touches before packing up to leave for the final time. It is important to make a note here of how patient these people were. The main construction site manager didn’t speak much English but kept a smile on his face when he repeatedly showed us how to things we knew were easy for him. (We spent hours on them even though it would have only taken him minutes.) All the children, teachers, and workers, smiled, showed extreme patience, and gave us love, which they most definitely needed more than us. This group never stopped working, even through rolled ankles, stomachaches, and dehydration. We learned to work well with each other as a team and continued to stay positive. I am truly blessed to have had such a great experience here. It has really helped me to see that I need to seize the many opportunities I am given, even if they don’t seem like opportunities.

Claudia

Today was the last day we spent with the kids of the school. Everyone was devastated that we had to say goodbye. Its incredible that we could form such a close bond with these boys and girls in such a short time, even with the challenge of the language barrier. For me, I didn't want to say goodbye because i didn’t want to think this was the last time i would see these kids. A new desire grew in me to come back to Guatemala and see how these kids are doing. Their spirits are so pure and so kind. I hope and pray that as time goes on their strong light and immense supply of love will not be dimmed by the evils of this world. These kids taught me that no matter what background you are from, no matter how much money you have, and no matter what language you speak, you can always show love to those around you. I am going to bring this back to the United States. We are all intrinsically the same. We all have a body and a soul. We all have an intellect and a will. We all desire to love and be loved. I truly do love all the kids I met and grew close with as well as the teachers, workers, and police we encountered.  I saw God in each and every one of them. I will always keep them and the memories we shared close to my heart. 

Isabelle 

Lake Atitlan

The teens were not thrilled with the early start today. Wake up was a few minutes after six and breakfast promptly at 6:30 am. By 7:00 we were on the bus headed out to Lake Atitlan.

The entire group and the Paso y Paso teens.

After nearly three hours of driving we arrived at a beautiful hotel on the lake. The teens make use of the restrooms and then we headed to the dock via the stunning gardens.

The boat ride across the lake took abut 40-45 minutes. The water was incredibly still, except where disturbed by the handful of boats.

The hotel offered helicopter tours. Though we couldn't take a ride,
we enjoyed the photo opportunity.

We then arrived in a small town where we walked up the main street, past many artisan stalls, and through the town square. Near the square was the old cathedral, St. James the Apostle, built in 1547. We went in to see the beautiful structure and the many statues of familiar saints dressed in the now familiar traditional clothes of Guatemalans.

Our lunch spot.

One of the volcanoes around Lake Atitlan.

From there we headed to lunch where we enjoyed garlic fish and typical fare of the area. Andres then led us to a wonderful shop full of paintings. A few teens began practicing their bartering skills as they purchased a few items. We then wandered past the remaining artisan stalls on our way back to the docks.

The cathedral was built in the 15th century and played a role in the lengthy civil war.

Our group and some local children received a demonstration of a traditional headwear.

The return trip across the lake was much choppier. Those sitting in the back got a bit damp from the spray.

The main street.

Enjoying the ride home.

We had a few minutes to explore the gardens or get a cold drink at the hotel before the long ride home. Now the teens are relaxing, as usual, by playing Bananagrams.

Farewell

Today we said goodbye to the students at Francisco Coll. They shared many songs, dances, and acts with us in an assembly. In addition we were presented with gifts from each class - drawings and paintings. The art teacher gave us a cross she painted. The afternoon was busy as we tried to completely finish the second floor. While we could not reach that audacious goal, the teens worked hard to complete as much as possible. Since pictures are worth a thousand words, and we have an exceptionally early wake up tomorrow for our journey to Lake Atitlan, I will keep this short.

The school children love posing for photos.

Watching the assembly performances brought us all great joy.

A traditional dance.

A few of our chaperones watching the performances.

A student in tradition clothes for her role in the performance.

Our teens played the guitar and jump roped.

The entire group managed to jump through one rope.
The students were rightfully impressed!

Working on the stairs.

Don Lolo was the most patient person anyone here knew.
His patience in teaching us how to do the tasks and especially
his patience when we made mistakes was incredible.

Making the last batch of concrete.
 

The nightly (intense) game of Bananagrams.

The visit of a very large spider during night prayer led to a bit of a distraction
as teens and Andres jumped for high ground.

Thoughts from Jake & Grant

Here are two reflections for the day:

I started off the week not knowing what to expect from my service trip to Guatemala because of my trip to the garbage dump community last year.  I have learned a lot more from my trip this year compared to my first visit last year.  The most obvious of which is that I know a lot more Spanish this year compared to last year.  I am becoming better able to communicate with the kids and Lolo (the construction worker) because of their patience and the fact that they somehow know what I am saying when I mess up.  The most important thing I am going to bring back from this trip is to look for God in the little places.  Before this trip I didn’t think I saw God because I didn’t have an experience like Paul when a big shining light came that blinded him.  I learned to look for God in the pure joy of the people in Guatemala, who despite having to worry about how they are going to find their next meal still have some of the biggest smiles I have ever seen.  

Jake T. 

Coming into this trip I was not very excited. What could be fun about having no electronics for over a week, sleeping in a retirement home, and eating food that my stomach wasn’t used to. Also, I only knew 2 other kids coming on the trip with me and I do not like to meet new people. I had a negatively skewed view of Jen, mainly because most of my experiences with her (all 3 of them) involved her going well over the time limit on our pre trip meetings. However, when I got here I found the reality of the trip to be much more enjoyable. I have never been good with little kids, because they can’t hold a reasonable conversation for very long, and that doesn’t amuse me. However, when encountered with the language barrier I had to learn to communicate with these kids via the language of compassion. The roles were reversed, and I was the one who couldn’t hold a decent conversation, I was on the outside looking in. My new perspective of being a humble observer allowed me to witness a new dynamic in children that I had never seen before. They felt the same emotions that I do. I saw a little piece of myself in each one of them. On top of the fantastic experience with the kids, I got along very well with the other people on the trip. I made new friends and had a lot of awesome talks about all sorts of things that we find exciting, and I can honestly say these are some of the best people I have ever met. They make me want to meet new people and try new things, to get out of my comfort zone and live the way God intended me to be. This trip has definitely made me a better person, and I hope to continue building myself on the new foundation that I have laid here. 

Grant

Walls

Yet again, everyone should be quite proud of the teens from St. Francis.

Most of the teens spend their mornings here in the classrooms. These rooms will have 20-35 children, who, despite being in the same grade, will range in age up to three years. Those in the upper grade have put together English lessons for the kids. Those in the nursery find themselves busy helping the children learn to count, learn about those in public service roles (firemen, policemen, doctors, nurses, etc.), and making sure that the young children eat every bit of the nutritious meal provided (often their only full meal of the day).

The teens are showing great compassion, patience, and enthusiasm despite residual tiredness from their busy afternoons of work. Many of our youth also have impromptu Spanish lessons each night to gain a better grasp of vocabulary to help them in the classroom. Combine this with their love of Bananagrams and our youth are working hard on their language skills!

Expert brick layers

During the afternoon, the teens gathered again to work on various construction projects. Today mostly revolved around laying the cinderblock wall around parts of the stairway to the new second floor classrooms. This sounds quite simple. Deceptively simple. In order to do this, we first have to mix the cement - sifting two buckets of sand, add in one bucket of cement mix, mix the two together by shoveling, add water, and mix. It takes a while and it requires strength and endurance as the cement gets heavy in the final rounds of adding water. The cement is then loaded into the buckets and taken to those who are laying the bricks. A second mixture of a finer cement was made to use in the final covering of parts of each classroom entryway.

Cleaning cement off of shovels has become a speciality.

The teens are enjoying a well deserved rest right now before dinner. However, we will be practicing our show later tonight. At the farewell assembly tomorrow the teens will have an act.

In our reflection this morning, the teens were asked to start reflecting on what they have learned and what they are taking home from this trip. Simple questions to ask, but as the lengthy discussions and prayers each night show, the teens are finding these new experiences challenging, full of grace, and life-chaging.

Football and Cinderblocks

Today was a day of cement.  Lots of concrete and even more cinderblocks.

Surina and Claudia worked hard in the morning.

Many of our group did not head into classrooms but spent the morning working. We continued the project relating to the new classrooms on the second floor - mixing concrete, laying cinderblocks, installing outlets, patching cement, and more.

A pre-game photo op.

Just before lunch, we met the 6th grade students in an epic battle on the soccer field. Despite our teens' valiant efforts, we lost 0-1. Everyone had a great time, but found themselves tired, thirst, and ready for lunch.

Grant caught some air.

The afternoon brought the battle of the cinderblocks. We had to haul them from the compound where the older students gather in the afternoons for tutoring to the school. This entailed quite a bit of distance that was uneven, rocky, and a challenge for our kids to get all the 200+ bricks moved and a few hundred pounds of rocks for concrete mixing.

Finally the projects were completed and we were able to head back to the retreat center to clean up (which was much needed between the game and the hard work in the afternoon). Dinner again proved to be absolutely enticing.

We just finished our evening reflection which centered on a passage from 1 Corinthians and discussing what strengths and weaknesses we have discovered in ourselves this week. Now everyone is relaxing a bit, but little do they know that an early bed time is going to be enforced (except Maria as she is reading this over my shoulder as I type).

Reflections on Tuesday

Here are a few thoughts from Rachel on Tuesday's experiences

Our morning began as we walked into the door of the elementary school and nursery and were welcomed by the beaming smiles of the children. Despite having never met us before, we were swarmed with hugs and kids grabbing our hands leading us to their seats. Our group was divided by pairs into different classrooms for the rest of the morning. I would look around the room and wherever my eyes met, a child’s smile was looking back. We sat in the class while the students learned division, and attended an exhilarating recess filled with a competitive game of jump rope. A big highlight of the morning was the opportunity to teach the students English. Although we were teaching our own language, a majority of the lesson took place in broken spanglish and desperate hand motions. 

After spending the afternoon with the children, we headed up the stairs to the roof to begin construction work. From the top of the school we had a perfect view of the massive dark clouds rolling in. We patched holes with cement with the sound of deep thunder roaring in the background, all while balancing on a small ledge. The good news is we left with no remains of cement on us, thankfully it was washed off by the torrential rain. 

Tuesday, or the day we needed an ark

Today started in the usual way - morning prayer followed by a wonderful breakfast. We enjoyed all the fruit - fried plantains, pineapple and cantaloupe.

We then headed to the school and nursery. Everyone was divided up into different classrooms. Our grasp of Spanish was put to the test as were our abilities at playing tag during recess. Some of our teens taught brief English lessons or helped teachers with tasks like laminating books.

Lunch was the usual again - sandwiches, apples, chips, cookies and juice. It was a needed break before an afternoon of work.

Lunch in the library.

Our tasks involve the second floor of the school that is being built. We had to mix concrete by hand, hauling the water up the steps in large buckets. Then we used the concrete to set blocks in order to create a wall around the stair case or to fill in some gaps in the classroom walls around electrical works.

Alainna is our master of concrete patching.

A few minutes after we set to work, the sky turned dark and it suddenly started to rain. Then it began to pour. Then it felt like there was merely a river straight from the heavens descending on our heads. It blew in so quickly that we did not even have time to grab our rain gear. Everyone was absolutely drenched. Everyone kept working as best they could.

Though drenched, Heather and Surina did an amazing job
chipping away cement.

Setting the rebar for a wall. In the torrential rain.

Cleaning up and scraping up the concrete.

Given we were chilled, it was unsurprising everyone was anxious for showers when we returned to the retreat center. Tonight many added long sleeves to their ensembles for dinner and evening reflection. Now they are enjoying some free time playing Bananagrams, Canasta, and Euchre.

Yet again, the teens were impressive, not only for their work ethic but for the reflection, prayer, and thought they bring to the trip as a whole and the evening prayers specifically.

Many are already processing this trip as they reflect on what it means to be successful as people in modern America, but more importantly what it means to be a successful Catholic.

Thoughts on Monday

In addition to the the travel narrative and photos that we share, I'll be posting thoughts from the teens. Here is what Jake K. has to say in regards to yesterday:

Jake writing his reflection

Living in a small, comfortable farm town in the United States is how I’m used to living my life, so coming out of the country to the huge capital city of Guatemala in-of itself is kind of a big deal for me. From seeing the smiling faces of the children in the elementary school and nursery to the welcoming personalities of the locals in the garbage dump community of the city, it’s a lot to take in. In the school, we watched the classrooms of children perform various acts and readings and music to welcome us to Guatemala. They gave us homemade gifts and the full experience of a “warm welcome.” During the day, we visited different families in the garbage dump community, who were also very welcoming as well as humble, which in turn was humbling to see. Along with visiting the families, we saw the garbage dump of the city, where hundreds of people were literally digging through trash. It was so hard to process that this was how they made their money for the day: by digging through garbage for plastics, aluminum, and glass to sell for as much as 5 dollars a day or as low as 1 dollar a day. It gave us all something to think about and how much we have in our lives. It’s only been the first day and there has been so many life altering experiences.

From a Cemetery to CostCo

Buenas tardes!

Good afternoon from Guatemala City! We had a busy first day here that started with one of my favorite moments - seeing the face of the teen who uncovers the black bean dish at breakfast. This is actually the dish that CRS highlighted during the Lenten Rice Bowl project. In addition there were banana pancakes, eggs with tomatoes, queso fresco, bananas, watermelon, and fresh brewed coffee (I will admit the last item caught my attention - Sunday was a long day of travel to recover from in just one night!).

Watching the student assembly.

With such a substantial breakfast, the teens were ready for the day. As we have morning reflection prior to breakfast, the kids were set to head right out. Our first stop was to pick up our two police officers, Yvonne and Saulo (I may not be spelling their names correctly, my pardons). Next we headed to Francisco Coll Escuela for 1-6 grades. There we were welcomed by a brief ceremony.

A few students with a mother of three in her recently reconstructed home.

Then we toured two homes as we took a brief walk through the garbage dump community homes.

Walking the narrow streets of the district's homes.

After those tours, our next stop was the Santa Clara nursery. There we saw the classrooms, kitchen, and playground for the children of those who work in the garbage dump.

To help us understand the situation of what the garbage dump workers face without endangering ourselves, Tony, our driver, and Andres took us to the cemetery where the cliff overlooks the dump. We could then clearly see the dangerous scavenging work that the people in the garbage dump community do in order to scrape out an income of about $1 per day.

The garbage dump as seen from a safe distance

A memorial near the cliff
Barbed wire, roses, and a cross keep vigil over the workers.

In what posed the strangest juxtaposition of any trip, our next stop was the Guatemalan version of CostCo. There we picked up the bread, peanut butter, jam, chips, and other items for our lunches. We took our lunch to a local park for a picnic. Two teens enjoyed the seesaw while a couple of the girls kicked around a soccer ball with some local youth.

The fountain in the main square

The Cathedral

To get a sense of more of the city, we were then taken to the central square where we saw the Presidential Palace and Cathedral.

A memorial to the Archbishop who compiled the names
of the "disappeared" from the 36 year war.
He was killed the day after submitting his report.

Our last stop of the day was to enjoy hearing about the Paso y Paso (Step by Step) program that helps secondary students with scholarship funds, tutoring, meals, and more.

Our students with the Paso y Paso Program

After such a full day the teens are enjoying a chance to relax, shower, play games, and one is even reading a required book for his freshman college course.

Dinner already is smelling wonderful and we will follow that with the more involved evening prayer and an early lights out.

Everyone is excited for our first day in the classrooms and working on the second floor of the new school!

If you have any questions for the group or for us to pose to the staff and students here, please leave a comment!