Feliz Ano

Happy New Years from Guatemala!

The team enjoyed a fun night out last night at what was apparently the best pizza place in Guatemala. Certainly made for lots of enjoyable food and drinks. We are in Panajachel which sits on the edge of Lake Titalan (sp?) -- which fills a volcanic crater and is surrounding by majestic volcanic peaks (a consistent theme in Guatemala).

Yesterday we arrived here after two days at Finca Santa Anita -- a small coffee cooperative north of Antigua. It is really quite hard to describe the experience of hiking out into the quasi-jungle and picking coffee off the slopes of hillsides. It was a phenomenal experience as we broke into groups of three or four and picked alongside a family from the community. Most of us picked along slopes that were 20 - 45 minutes away from the main community. As the forest is very thick you pick and carry out (back up the steep slopes towards the community). Some groups carried out over 150 pounds of coffee on their backs. Then we spent the afternoon sorting the red from the green (this was there last pick -- so they cleared the trees of all berries) and prepping them for drying. Don't worry, if the process is confusing ... it is. We'll try to do a good job post-trip to wrap it all up in a nice, logical bow.

Needless to say, most of us were exhausted by days end and then realized that the work of over 25 people had succeeded in perhaps collecting only about 10 pounds of drinkable coffee --- or to make that practical ... $16 for the community. A very sobering thought that left us reflecting that we would never drink another cup of coffee flippantly again.

One amazing point that left us all quite moved is that this community is made up on ex-guerilla fighters in the 30 years war for the equitable land distribution (particularly for the native Mayan people). When the war ended 10 years ago (Dec 29, 1996 -- and yes, we had a long night of dancing with the locals in celebration of the anniversary), these people in the Santa Anita community dropped their weapons and went to work. They took this piece of land and built homes (albeit cinder block walls and tin roofs) and began working the coffee. After 8 years of harvest they are still working to pay off the land (worth $200K) and will be for quite a long time. They are a very modest people yet extremely proud and long to own the land they fought 30 years for and to prove through their labor that they will and can survive -- without the use of force or coercion -- a phenomenal sight to see.

We are in and out of internet access but will hopefully post more thoughts and pictures in the days to come.

Cheers!

Days 1 & 2

Hola Amigos!

The team arrived in Antigua yesterday beginning at the crack of dawn and ending late in the evening. For those with a head start we enjoyed the opportunity to poke our heads around town and get a feel for a beautiful city alive with history but obviously decaying with age. The colors of the houses are amazingly vibrant yet appear to have not been revived in several decades -- reds, yellows, blues ... contrasting against the cobbled roads yet complemented by the rich blue sky broken by the volcanoes pluming billowy white smoke.

After a trip to the local watering hole last night, we jumped into the "learning" portion of service learning with a tour of Antigua this morning and an afternoon lecture on development, with the highlight being a chat with a local development hero -- Rigoberto, who has founded learning centers and libraries to deepen an educational system that's most stunning statistic is that 60% of 1st graders don't proceed on to 2nd grade.

Tomorrow we'll head deeper into Guatemala where we'll stay on a coffee farm cooperative -- where roosters will replace car horns and a community bunkhouse instead of hotels.

Cheers

Itinerary

Hi folks,

Here is a brief overview our trip's first week itinerary:

Wed 12/27:
Arrive into Guatemala and head to Antigua

Thu 12/28:
Tour of Antigua (former capital of GUA)
Lecture on Sustainable Development (Dr. John van Keppel)
Meet with Rigoberto (founder of PROBIGUA)

Frid 12/29:
Travel to Santa Anita
Meet with owners of Santa Anita plantation (former guerrillas in land distribution resistance)

Saturday 12/30:
Work on plantation
Afternoon with plantation children at their school
Dinner in the homes of plantation owners

More to Come!

Books and Toys Drive

Thanks to all that contributed to the Guatemala Toys and Books Drive. We are looking forward to delivering these to children in Tzanchaj.