School

    Today at school, I had so much fun. I played with the kindergartners and at recess and we worked as an intern with the first graders. It was very fun. I loved the first graders. The day went by very fast.

                                                                                                                                                 Ian

Fun day!

Today we did many fun activities. We woke up, and left for the schools at 7:40. It was fun to be with them and see how school is here in Guatemala. We then came back and ate lunch before we all left for different things! The Roaches and I (The Geitzenauers) went with a social worker named Beatriz and Rachel to our sponsered childs house. The Kalal's and Burfords went on a social work visit with 3 different families, and the Kryzer's went to go visit their sponsored child with their social worker and Hannah. We later on came back and spent some time resting and hanging out before dinner. After dinner we had reflection time and shared about our day, new friends, and fun new memories. We are all tired but can't wait for tomorrow!

-Evy

So far this trip to Guatemala is so much more than I expected. My highlight so far was visiting the women's weaving cooperative yesterday, in Santiago Zamora. The women there and the weaving they do are phenomenal. they told us great stories, we danced, learned how to grind coffee with stone and they showed us how they weave, Its very intricate. Before we left, the women made us a wonderful meal of chicken, potatoes, green beans, rice, tortillas and pepian (a wonderfully delicious sauce) they also made us home made lemonade. I'm a bit of a picky eater and I have loved every thing we've had here. Another favorite being the Limonada de coco a drink we had at a Peruvian restaurant the first night.

Nukoyia

First day thoughts

This first day was very adventurous.  We actually arrived yesterday, but was quite travel fatigued, and today we got the chance to visit the weaving co-op and spent the afternoon in town at the market.

We were welcomed at the weaving co-op with warm hospitality, and one of the women that worked there (named Filomena) shared stories of her life, which I felt was very moving.  I felt she wanted us to appreciate what her and her friends went through to build her business, and I think the kids (and us adults) could relate and admired her for it.

Later in the day we went to the market.  This was a massive indoor/outdoor mall that had over 100 vendors selling souveniers, clothing, and various items.  Many of the shops were tiny and it seemed that all were family run, and competition was rather fierce - as I walked past nearly every shop I was chased down with offers of "great price for you" and the like.  It wasn't uncomfortable, it actually reminded me of fair carnival games, where vendors attract patrons by bold and humorous means.

Some final thoughts about my first impressions - As we walked through town and stopped here and there,  I was reminded that the average person in Antigua is not very tall.  I stand 6 feet one inch (not terribly tall by US standards) but I bumped my head a lot - buildings are small, doorways are low, and the sidewalks are very narrow.  Tomorrow we visit the school, and I'm looking forward to that.

-Mark    

First full day for us, and wow, what a day!  Started off by going to the Women's Co-op in Santiago Zamora.  What amazing ladies they are.  They make the most beautiful hand made goods!  Scarves, purses, wallets, book marks, blankets, aprons, book covers... I think you get the picture! 

It was a hands on place too!  We were able to ground coffee, spin yarn, and dance.  Josh's favorite thing was watching them do the weaving!  It was amazing.. and they don't need patterns, they have everything memorized!  Ian's favorite thing was grounding the coffee, and I have to say, both he and his dad were very good at it, actually they were told they needed to stay since they were so good!

In the evening we went to the market, oh my goodness, nothing like I have ever seen before! Tomorrow we are off to the schools, we can hardly wait!

Beth

Today we went to the weaving cooperative. There were a lot of really cool things there. We got to learn how the women weave and we learned how to make coffee. i got  a lot of really fun things like bracelets and bags. so far i really like it. The only thing that i didn't like was last night when we had to walk outside in the dark, i was scared that someone would take our stuff or hurt us. i really like looking at the volcanoes and mountains early in the morning. I'm hoping that a volcano is going to erupt but i don't think thats going to happen.

Hallie

We made it! Hakim and I are back in Guatemala with group #2! Hakim cried a little on the landing coming into Houston, but was awesome on the flight into Guatemala! The group is pretty excited to be here and also a little bit in awe. The car seat made it this time, which is always a bonus. :) Yesterday (Saturday) we got settled before heading into town and hitting the grocery store. After that, we stopped for some coconut deliciousness at la Peña and headed to the van. Most people were tired, so they showered and headed for bed. More later!

Chris

Saturday, July13: Visited the weaving cooperative

We started the day at 8:00 am, driving to Santiago Zamora, about 20 minutes from where we're staying. We visited a weaving cooperative, where 10 women create and sell lovely textiles, including table runners, blouses, skirts, purses, wallets and bookmarks.

One of the women told us the story of their town and their weaving cooperative. They led us in a dance. By the end of the song, all of us were dancing in a circle. How kumbaya is that? The women then demonstrated their weaving techniques and provided a delicious lunch, called pepillan, with chicken, rice, green beans, potatoes, a tomato-based sauce and fresh homemade tortillas.

After returning to Antigua, a few of the adults went into town to watch the World Cup game. The rest of us remained at the campus where we're staying to watch the game on the TV in the common area or just sit around and chat. The kids created posters that they'll show to students in the schools here and then they played tag for a couple hours.

During the evening, most of the group went into town to walk around and attend mass at the Catholic cathedral.

Here are some observations from the kids about today:
Madeleine: "I really liked the weaving place. Looking around was awesome, the food was great and I thought it was funny when they threw flowers at us during their dance." (Editor's note: A highlight of her day was holding Hakim, Sra. Asuquo's baby.)

Alana: "I really liked the weaving cooperative because I think the stuff that they weaved was really cool and the food was really good. I thought the rice was going to be spicy, but it was really good. I liked playing tag with everyone. It was fun because the campus is big."

Isabelle: "I think the weaving was really cool and the food was great. In the afternoon, I liked running around the compound, which is so big. Also, I liked watching the World Cup. Poor Argentina."

Matt: "I liked the weaving cooperative and the story that the woman told and making tortillas."

Jacob: "I liked the all the weavings and how they weren't that expensive. I also liked the food there."

It's that time again!

It is that time again--time to finish preparations for this year's trip! We are actually taking 2 groups this time (July 12-20 and August 2-10), and the extra surprise is that I'm taking my 3-month old along for the trip as well! Though I'm a bit nervous to see how I'll be able to carry the extra bags and the baby, I'm excited for my Guatemalan friends to meet Hakim.

This year's groups are made up of 5 family pairs each trip, and each trip has 2 boys and 3 girls going. I'm especially excited because I've had all of these students in my homeroom, social studies, or math classes, so I know them well!

I hope to post some more before we head out this year, and will be sure to keep you posted on the adventures with Hakim in tow.

¡Hasta pronto!

Chris