Wrapping Up

Days 9 and 10 flew by....
We stayed up late with long reflections, dramatic games of Avalon, and star gazing. Saying goodbye was rough but we are all so grateful for this experience. The people in Los Andes and the UMD students all made this such a memorable and meaningful experience.
I know that I speak for both Paulina and me (Chelsea) when I say that this experience was one of the best we've ever had. The people, the love, the nature, the knowledge, the curiosity, the authenticity, the hard work, the inspiration, the laughter, the tears, the music, the food, the community, the views...it was unbelievable and a fantastic way to kick start 2015!
We can't wait to continue hanging out with our AB group--these are some of the most beautiful friends I've ever met :)

Day 8 and it's Great!

1/20 Nathan and Mayhah

As the sun began to set on the second to last day of service, the new community we have created was thrown into sharp relief. Participants clumped into inadvertent groups with community members. Some continued to decorate a blank wall with words in Spanish and English, fumbling over unfamiliar vowels and accents. Others played a game of soccer, an equal mix of AB participants and community members, although perhaps with unequal levels of skill.  Another group of participants explored the wonders of the iPhone camera with younger children, making goofy faces at each other. Others sat on the stoop, playing hand games and trading stories about our families. Even though we have only known each other for a few days and come from “vastly different” places, there was still a deep sense of community that felt comfortable, natural, and everlasting.

The initial awkward hesitation we feel when meeting new people almost completely vanished because we were all working toward the same goal. When we meet people in our daily lives, it is in a comparative atmosphere. There is a pervasive need to compete. In Los Andes, that has not been the case. Our intention is to be open, vulnerable, and connected. The goal is not to prove anything to one another. It is simply to coexist. We have shared losses and gains, successes and failures. Knowing that Nelson and Vilma are going to school doesn’t make us feel the need to do better than them. Knowing that Lily has lived in so many different parts of the world has not made us feel as if our lives have been boring. There is an African term, “Ubuntu” which means “I am, because we all are.” Our individual experiences have become our shared knowledge. The group dynamic of laughter, support, and commitment has brought a powerful dimension to the impact this experience is having on each member of our newfound community, both independent of and within Los Andes.

We have a tendency to place more weight on the future than what is happening in front of us. We restrict our experiences because they may not have a tangible benefit to our future. We choose not to be vulnerable due to a fear of future betrayal. We put less effort into temporary positions and programs because we know they will end soon. Yet all of us, the participants, community partners, and community members have fully thrown every inch of our souls and minds into working with and knowing each other. During reflection we all agreed that there is an inexplicable focus on the future in the States, as opposed to the desire to live in the moment. What would life be like if we appreciated everyone we met rather than competing with them? As a group we have been half-joking that the community of Los Andes is a utopia, a perfect world that only exists here. Could bringing these intentions with us into “real life” get us closer to a perfect world?

During our reflection tonight, we discussed the impact of privilege on our lives before Alternative Breaks. From there, we moved onto how those privileges or lack thereof have influenced our experiences here in Guatemala. A particularly heavy thought was that the cost for someone to participate in this experience was $1350. The cost for only three people to attend would be more than enough to completely pay for Nelson and Vilma’s education to be paid in full. There is something daunting about the fact that cost for us to come to Guatemala and support this community is equal to the amount of money needed to completely change multiple people’s lives.

However, the sense of utopia still exists. The need for us to do something with our privilege after our time in Guatemala has ended still remains. How we fuse these experiences will be the true measure of the impact that this experience has had on us, and the impact that we continue to make on this community.

Yet despite the great need in Los Andes and the great abundance in Maryland, we were able to forge a bond based on our similarities. Last night we went around the dinner table coming up with words to paint on a wall outside the school. We thought of words to inspire the students like friendship, faith, trust, and happiness, to paint in both English and Spanish. The list continued to grow as we went around the table. Today we asked Vilma to choose the words she wanted to see written on the wall and she chose 32 of them. She suggested we title the wall “Los Valores Compartidos Entre Los Andes y Maryland” which means “Shared Values Between Los Andes and Maryland.” The wall reflects how we all truly want the same things, even though they may be obscured by the physical differences in our daily lives. In a few days, we will no longer be breathing the same mountain air but our community will live on.

Day 7 in this Heaven

Julie and Paulina

After finally catching up on the lack of sleep from yesterday’s early start, we got up to the school at 9am and we started finishing up painting the ceiling to the school and started working on painting desks and chairs. When we first started painting the walls white on the first day it felt as though we weren’t really making a difference to the school. But now that we can see the finished product of the newly painted walls, it looks so much better and is really reassuring that we are making this school better!

 Today was especially exciting because we met the student government in Los Andes. These students are elected to the roles of president, speaker, treasurer, etc. and are responsible for organizing activities and events for the students and the community. Vilma told us that the students already know the importance of a campaign and following through with promises they make during a campaign, which is super cool and inspiring. Talking to the students and the members of the community during this process has all of us feeling as though our perspective on life is changing, and I feel as though I am constantly blown away by these incredible people.

Communicating has been a challenge for many of us because of the language barrier. But during the past few days I have learned how much you can communicate without speaking fluently in Spanish. It is so fun learning new words and teaching the students words in English! Today we decided that we will paint one of the walls on the outside of the school with Spanish and English words, which will be beautiful. At dinner we decided that we want to paint words like “friendship”, “peace”, “love”, and “dream”.

This whole trip has really opened my eyes to how important the simple things matter. Not being connected to our phones and really being present in the moment has allowed me to create more meaningful memories and conversations with both the members of our AWB group and the community members in Los Andes. There were points today when people would just burst out laughing at simple funny moments that have happened or jokes that we have made and it made the whole work ethic and attitude improve, and that is definitely something my time in Los Andes has taught me about other aspects in my life: to always keep a positive attitude, be present in the moment, and enjoy other people’s company.

During our break, a few of us got to play soccer with a few of the children which was embarrassing but also so much fun! It was amazing how much fun playing with a soccer ball we brought, and how clear it was we were out of shape after an hour. Returning to the school, we all broke up into many groups, painting the ceiling, starting a mural outside, and painting the desks the students use. I (Paulina) got to have an amazing conversation with one of our team leaders, Romeo. He was talking about how much he loves school, not just the classes but how important it is to the community. He was so cheerful coming in during his summer vacation (which they have from November to January) to work with his peers, community, and us. While cleaning up from a fun day of painting, playing, and talking, we were teaching each other English and Spanish words. I told him I had a massive dictionary with me that I had to buy for Spanish class, when he mentioned he was trying to learn English before his official English class started. I have never seen someone get so excited to learn new words and study a dictionary.

It really made me reconsider the things I viewed as problems, like not having time to buy my textbooks or even finish registering for classes (sorry Mom & Dad, I know). Even those these are very real problems (that I need to address immediately on my return), I feel so lucky to have these kinds of problems.

During our reflection, we were sharing what the most difficult part of the trip so far for us. Many people mentioned this odd sense of guilt, that we have so many opportunities and privileges. Even though it is very true, I have come to understand that having these things is not a bad thing. As the saying goes, to whom much is given much is expected. I feel not that I have so many things undeservingly, but that I have so many capabilities to use what I have and what I know to better the world through my personal choices and caring for others. Through the few days we have been in this community, it amazes me more and more how selfless, caring, happy everyone I meet seems to be. I hope that I can carry everything I have learned and gained here back home, but as of now the happiness of being together, united in our work and lack of internet and electronics has brought a relaxation and peace I haven’t encountered before. 

Writing this now, listening to everyone scream at each other over Avalon (a highly intense and competitive card game) after sitting together and laughing so hard we all cried, I can confidently say there is no other place I would want to be. I have met so many beautiful people, been so touched by experiences and conversations, that I can’t wait to see what tomorrow will have in store for us. 

Day 6!

DAY 6: Chelsea and Matt

5:30am we headed up volcano Atitlan in a tractor and a pick-up truck to see the sunrise and bird watch. Fuego, a volcano in the distance, “poofed” for us, which Olga said happens once each day. Two bird watching guides took us for a hike through the forest. We saw a black bird that is endangered and some of us even saw a native toucan!! Along the hike, we stopped by a tree that was over 150 years old and got to inside of it! The inside of a tree smells weird. Our bird guide said that it would take 8 hours to hike to the top of the volcano, which is hot and sandy. Along the hike, we also saw coffee plants, tea plants, and macadamia nut trees. At the end of our hike, we got a machete lesson from the bird watching guide—he told us that sometimes he has to sharpen his machete every hour when working in dense forests. We now know that we are accompanied by some professional machete-users…and some others who are not…

Once we got back to the school for the morning, Nelson was here to give us an information session on the different teaching practices he uses in the community and throughout the country. We all found it fascinating how excited Nelson was to see Chelsea, which just goes to show how much our work is actually doing for this community. Nelson explained that the main principle that they use is E.R.A. – educate, reaffirm, and apply. We found it interesting that it is structured for these rural communities and put in such a way that they can fully understand in addition to the fact that one teacher will teach multiple grades at one time in the same room. After Nelson was done, Vilma had set out a couple goals for us to work on for the day, and we all got started. While we worked, Nelson walked around and met each UMD student, asked their name, major, and year. This initiated a personal relationship with everyone, and even though our Spanish is rough, connections were definitely made and he didn’t seem to mind J Fast forward to the afternoon, we kept working on painting the school and others got started working on the fence, and by the time we knew it, time was up and we headed in for dinner.

We invited Nelson and Vilma to join us for dinner tonight, which was a wonderful and educational experience. We learned more about them; the sacrifices they have made and the effort they have put in to benefit the Los Andes community: time, energy, family, money, personal needs, etc. Olga emphasized to us that Vilma and Nelson are working to benefit the entire country of Guatemala, not just Los Andes. She mentioned that the risk of becoming educated is that it means you will probably leave your home community for school or work. This is a risk that they are all willing to take to benefit the entire country and reach their full potentials. Because of this, we feel like interpersonal relationships between people who live in developing countries seems stronger and deeper. This is very clear to us, even after being here for just two days. This strong sense of community helps the residents of Los Andes sustain their community together.

Returning back to dinner, Nelson made a good point on how we should all take our education seriously and realized how fortunate we are to have the opportunity to get a higher education. Although this made us feel somewhat guilty at first, his inspiration and motivation causes us to have a new perspective on how we should not feel this guilt but that we should be cherishing these opportunities and doing all we can to make the most of them. He made a point on how, whenever we may feel sad or stressed out, think about how these students feel and what they are experiencing – but we also realize that we haven’t seen anyone visibly upset and that their quality of life is through the roof. Education for adults is also valued in this culture and it was very cool to listen to Nelson talk about the radio lectures that are provided for the transition from primary school to a higher education. He mentioned that the sustainability aspect of this system involves the students helping give the lectures after graduating from the program.

Listening to all of the work that Nelson has done and continues to do over the years was a great transition into our gift to him and Vilma. As some of you may know, for the past year, UMD Alternative Break Guatemala participants from the past and present year have been raising money to help Nelson and Vilma afford to finish their degrees. Attending a university is very expensive, which has slowed down this process for them. Many tears were shed (video coming soon) and our hearts we warmed as we gave them the money that we fundraised and let them know how important they are. Vilma and Nelson were incredibly appreciative and also emphasized that money is not the only important contribution to success, but personal relationships are also vitally important. They made this clear by hanging out with us for the next hour and getting to know us better (side note: this fundraiser is going to continue, stay tuned!). Nelson emphasized how he hopes that we can do our best and be successful, which was really powerful coming from him.

The night is currently ending with the daily game of Avalon and we are listening to Julie getting yelled at, Vasily lying, and Lily getting defensive on how she isn’t a spy. And Bryce is clearly Merlin. P.S. we all seem to appreciate the tortillas a lot more after learning how difficult they are to make. P.S.S. hello to our families and we look forward to seeing you in the next week even though we will have to leave this beautiful place. 

Day Five

Hi everyone! Natalie and Vasily here. Today was an exciting day because it was our first day of service! After breakfast, Olga gave us a presentation about the geographical layout and history of Los Andes. During the presentation, Olga mentioned that avocados were first discovered in Guatemala, and Vasily was devastated to learn that guacamole did not in fact get its name from Guatemala.

We visited the community health center and met Carlos, the sole community doctor. He knows where every single family lives in the community, keeps records of all the children in order to monitor their nutrition, and is even trained as a midwife. It was so inspiring to hear about his efforts to keep the residents of Los Andes healthy and medically informed.

Afterwards, we met the community partners we would be working with for the next five days. We divided into teams and worked together to clean and paint the primary and secondary schools. The teenagers our team was paired with were named Zuriam and Elmer, and although there was a definite language barrier, we were still able to bond over Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, and Selena Gomez. It also rained for the first time since we’ve been here, but that didn’t prevent us from completing our afternoon service.

During the evening, Olga set up a tortilla-making competition to see which one of us could make the “best” tortilla. Although salt was not part of the tortilla making process, many people used it as their main ingredient when making their tortilla. Even though many of the competitors tried very hard, their final product lacked many of the properties that make a tortilla edible. The judges, who felt very bad for the effort put in versus the tortilla that came out with gave first and second place to tortillas that resembled flattened road-kill. Third place, whose tortilla’s circumference equaled, swallowed his pride in order to avoid another wide-scale emotional breakdown from AWB Guatemala students. (Vasily)

Can’t wait to see what these next 4 days of service will bring!!

Day 4!

Hi everyone, it’s Niké and Jasmine! Today we had a jam-packed and exhausting but fun day. We started off learning about butterflies after breakfast with Alberto. After that we hiked some trails to the zip lines. There were a total of 8 and everyone decided to participate. The view of Lake Atitlan and the volcanoes on one side and the waterfall on the other were breathtaking and truly unforgettable. After the zip lining, we enjoyed a beautiful breezy and little splashy boat ride across Lake Atitlan. We finally got to see the top of the volcano and the clouds enveloping them (yay!) We were then picked up by our awesome bus driver Hector and got to enjoy a delicious lunch at El Rancho with him on the way to Los Andes. During the bus ride to Los Andes we passed the time by playing games and listening to Visily and Lina argued about deep topics.

After a long and bumpy drive and seeing the rubber trees that Chelsea pointed out, we finally arrived at Olga’s house to be greeted by the sunset and her playful dogs. We settled down in our rooms and met five of the local ninth graders, who we’ll be working with this week. They are currently on vacation and go back to school in February. To break the ice, we played a name game where we said our name and did a movement and everyone else repeated it. Thanks to Mayhah, Lina, and Nathan, who translated Spanish for us, we were able to understand people throughout the day.

Next, we had a traditional Guatemalan dinner of broth, an assortment of boiled vegetables, rice, tortillas, and chicken. There was also salad and a spicy sauce which a couple brave souls tried. For dessert we tried warm pears in sweet juice. After dinner we had a long reflection during which we answered questions about our past experiences and got to know each other on a deeper level.

(Niké) One high of my day was definitely zip lining. It’s something I’ve always wanted to try and enjoyed it a lot. The boat ride was also very relaxing and allowed me to reflect on what we have done so far and what we would be doing. Another high was arriving in Los Andes and being greeted by the dogs! When we went to eat lunch, we had access to wifi, but none of us got on it. This was very refreshing to see because usually we all would be glued to our phones checking social media. It was nice to just be present in the moment and enjoy our surroundings and the people we were with. A low of my day was when we got off the boat and the local people rushed to sell us goods. It was a bit sad seeing the dad pushing his products with his little son because this is how he makes his living. I’ve seen many kids selling products throughout this trip and it makes me sad because I feel that kids should be kids and not have to work or worry about making money. Another low was that since I’m somewhat allergic to dogs, my eyes started to itch and get irritated after a while (but nothing Benadryl can’t fix!). For our time in Los Andes, I’m really looking forward to meeting and connecting with the local people. I’m ready to learn and I want this experience to be as eye-opening, memorable and life changing as the Alternative Break trip I went on last spring.

(Jasmine) Today was one of the busiest and most exciting days of our trip thus far. My high of the day was zip lining throughout the trees and being able to capture the spectacular scenery, breathe the fresh mountain air and feel the wind blowing against my body. We even got the chance to see some spider monkeys showing off. Even though we had 8 zip lines, the view never got old and I thoroughly enjoyed the adrenaline rush. The low of the day was during the boat ride across Lake Atitlan, when I noticed a small boy at the back of the boat playing with an old tire and looking sad and bored; that’s when I wondered how many times he brought tourists across the lake every day when he should be in school. A bud that I’m looking forward is making meaningful, deeper connections with local students and realizing our universal similarities despite our geographical and cultural differences. I want to be able to remember and talk about my relationship with the community in Los Andes when I return to reality, cold weather, and the states. I’ve had an amazing time so far in this beautiful country and can’t wait to experience the rest of our trip and learn more from Los Andes locals. (P.S. Hi Mom and Dad! All is well and I’m safe and loving Guatemala!!! J) 

Day 3 Reflection

Bryce and Ryan here! We are currently at the Lake Atitlan Nature Reserve where we will be channeling our inner outdoorsman this evening and camping! We woke up and enjoyed breakfast at Donde Monica before heading on our journey to the Panajachel market.  It was about a two hour bus ride from Antigua and the views along the way were breathtaking.  We entertained ourselves with guessing games about celebrities and other famous figures to pass the time so the ride did not seem too bad

.(This is Ryan) Once we got to Panajachel, we split up into groups and explored the market.  This market contained much more authentic and handmade items than the market in Antigua.  Touring through the markets is a great experience for all of us because it really immerses us in the culture.  In the markets, we have been putting our Spanish conversation skills to the test (Mine is not too sharp), we learn how to bargain with the vendors, and sample the local food and drink. Both Bryce and I were very successful in bargaining.  I brought the price down of one item over 350 quetzales!! We finished up at the market around 3:30 and then made our way to the Lake Atitlan Nature Reserve.

               

                (Bryce) I also had some luck with bartering and managed to barter down a traditional blanket by almost 50%. After the market we went to the Lake Atitlan Nature Reserve where we are currently camping. There are beautiful trails that are connected to the camp site. One of them leads to a magnificent waterfall. Along the way we also came across several spider monkeys and an ant eater. The spider monkeys were very entertaining and spent most of their time hanging upside down from trees eating bananas. On the way back there was also a gorgeous view of Lake Atitlan, the namesake of the reserve. After we returned to the campsite we had dinner with the director of the reserve, Alberto, and got to learn all about the reserve community and ecosystem. He was also a great source of information about Guatemala in general. Just try and picture the Dos Equis, Most Interesting Man in the World, because that’s him.

(Ryan again!) Just wanted to say Hi Mom and Dad!! I am alive don’t you worry and I’m taking plenty of pictures. Love and miss you and I’ll talk to you soon.

(Bryce Again) Also wanted to say hi to the family. All is well. My Spanish is improving rapidly and is much more useful than I would have thought. I’ll see you in a week and have much more to say then.

DAY TWO REFLECTION

It’s Lily and Mihili here, ready for bed after a wonderful day exploring the beautiful Antigua. Started off the day with breakfast at Donde Monica and headed off for our first service opportunity at Associacion de Cambiando Vivas. We were greeted by the director of the school, Janet, who explained the history of the school and the background of the kids in the school. Janet wanted us to help with different areas of the school, ranging from cleaning the exterior of the school, to drawing materials for the kids, to working in classes with the kids. I (Mihili), worked with the 5^th grade class where they were doing math, which thankfully didn’t require me to know Spanish. After math, the kids and I went off to recess followed by PE, no clue where the kids kept all that energy! I didn’t like PE back in school, and definitely didn’t feel different today, but then the kids played soccer and wanted me and Mayhah to play with them and that was so much fun!

After PE, went back to the classroom, where the kids were more comfortable around me which prompted them to speak really fast in Spanish, eventually I understood that they wanted to play music/sing songs, and of course naturally the one thing they asked me about was if I had Justin Beiber’s songs with me, specifically ‘Baby’; smh how on earth did Beiber fever make it to Antigua!

We all worked with the school until around 12:30 and it was so difficult to leave the kids! It was incredible to see how much the alternate break crew bonded with the kids in the school in just a couple of hours and this was only  a glimpse of what we were going to be doing in Los Andes! So excited for our service there in the next couple of days!

(Lily here!) After leaving the school, we came back to the hotel for a quick lunch (chicken sandwiches, chips and ice cream), and got ready for the ruins in Antigua, which were called Convento de Capuchinas. The ruins used to be a convent for nuns in Antigua. For about an hour, we roamed around the ruins, took adorable group pictures, and got a taste of rich Guatemalan history. After visiting the ruins, our wonderful bus driver, Hector, took us to the markets in Antigua! After exchanging our money that morning, we were all very eager to spend it. On the 15-minute bus ride there, Lina, Mayhah and Nathan gave us a review of phrases, numbers and tips to ensure that we were all successful bargainers. We broke off into groups, and wandered around the markets for an hour. On the streets, I saw tourists, foreigners and locals alike. The colorful booths and eager vendors lined both of the streets, which included “touristy” booths full of souvenirs and handmade Guatemalan items, as well as booths that attracted more locals, like the fruit, vegetable, and clothing booths. After walking through the aisles of the market, I stopped by a belts and handbags vendor with Lina. I managed to buy a very unique, leather handbag and can’t wait to see what the rest of the markets have to offer!

After the markets, we came back to Donde Monica and broke off into groups to have dinner. Both of us decided to go back into town to find a restaurant with Nathan and another group, where we enjoyed Crepes (and most importantly, free wifi!). We officially bonded over becoming Facebook Friends and Instagram followers. Others opted to try out the restaurant in Donde Monica, while Matt and Lina, being the most adventurous, ate some delicious looking street food! We’ll keep you updated on how that turns out. We had a great reflection after dinner, led by Nathan, to discuss and think about why we are in Guatemala, what social injustice means to us, and to think about our identities. The reflection made us even more comfortable with each other, even though it is only day two, and we couldn’t be more grateful. We are both so excited to share the rest of this trip with such an inspirational, diverse and open-minded group of people, and can’t wait to see what the rest of the trip holds! Buenos Noches from Guatemala!

DAY ONE REFLECTION

17(ish) hours later, we’re still awake! We can’t believe it’s only day one, but we’re so excited to see what this trip will bring after our much awaited night’s rest.  Our day began at a modest 3 a.m., when we loaded our luggage on our own personal DOTS bus after waking up sleepers with a roaring stampede of luggage.  The smooth jazz served as our pump up music as we arrived to the airport and waited in line.  Then we proceeded to groggily stumble through TSA lines and on to our first flight (aka nap time).  We had a quick connection and we were off for nap number two.  This time we were excited because when we woke up it would be to step foot on volcanic Guatemalan soil.

                We were greeted by Olga our soon to be host mother in Los Andes, and Hector, our Guatemalan Mrs. Frizzle. With our luggage strapped on the roof and the rest jammed in the trunk we rode off to our first Guatemalan adventure; our food was fresh tortillas complemented a spicy sinus cleansing green sauce for our first course. Served next was rice, corn on the cob, and a chicken piece marinated in a flavorful potato tomato soup. It was delicious. To finish our first meal we were served a sweet mystery fruit medley that was also delicious. Hector arrived right on time to take us to our home for the next two days; Donde Monica in Antigua.

                Around 3, about 12 hours from when we left College Park, we saw just how different our stay in Guatemala would be.  The temperature is a perfect, breezy warm-cool.  Surrounding Donde Monica are the buildings of Antigua, which are painted an array of warm hues.  Inside the walls of Donde Monica is a kind of haven including a big breezy porch and a beautiful yard with a lemon tree that appears to also grow limes and oranges.  After arriving at our little haven, we briefly scoped out the city in our anticipation for our stay.  Beautiful architecture surrounded by mountains and volcanoes painted a picturesque view of Antigua. We returned back to Donde Monica for a gourmet dinner of pb & j’s and wrapped up a long day with reflections, showers, and complicated card games. We are looking forward to starting our service adventures tomorrow after a well-deserved sleep.