Our team has just arrived at the Biltmore Hotel in Guatemala City. We are tired from the long trip from Tamahú, but we´re having a lot of fun shopping in the hotel for souvenirs for ourselves, families and friends, as well as hanging out by the pool with everyone. A part of the trip has not been discussed on this blog. It was a very big important part that definitely should be shared. One part of the trip that everyone participated was going to see the newly opened malnutrition center in Tamahú. It was opened the week before we arrived and it offers a great help and hope for the families and children it attends for. The malnutrition center is a hugely important aspect to Tamahú because it is a center for young children who are very poor in health due to the bad nutrition and insufficient balanced diet. We met five children there. One was named Marvin and is an adorable little toddler but sadly has a horrible case of worms. He was by far the friendliest and always has a smile on his face. Another was a small baby who was both blind and deaf and had scabies all over his face. Claudia and Mira were two small babies who were severely premature due to the malnurishment. Norman was a little boy we met with his mother during our visit was is severely disabled neurologically. It was a sad sight to see, but we were all able to take out of it many happy memories.

Nicole

Heading back to Guatemala City

Hi everyone - this is Ms. Hallihan. Our busy schedule yesterday did not allow us to blog (as we were busy saying our goodbyes and sharing time together). It has been an amazing week full of discoveries, challenges, language lessons, and plenty of laughter. We do not have much time now to share stories but wanted to let you know that all is well. We are headed back to Guatemala City now and will be headed back to the US in the morning...with plenty of stories to share with you! Hope all is well in the Northeast.

Tuesday in Tamahu!!!

Today was definitely taxing but we all had a great tim! The day began with our usual breakfast ...today it was pancakes and cereal! Right after breakfast we headed off to the church to get our supplies for stove building and wall covering. While meany of us were already tired, the day was just beginning! Next our guide arrived and brought us on our hike up the mountain. We soon learned that we were REALLY going up the mountain. About an hour and lots of sweat later we arrived at our destination and got to work. It was so fun to meet the families and play with the kids, who could not be any more excited. We are able to see what life is really like for them by peering into their houses. Many have no stoves at all, which leaves them cooking on te ground and threatening their childrens safety. In addition, the walls are planks that are sometimes nailed together, sometines tied with string, subjecting the families to drafts and rain. It is no wonder they are so sick! Our group split up and in total we were able to biold 5 stoves and cover 6 walls. The people are so grateful, and it makes us so happy to know that we are making a differene in their lives. When it comes to the kids, their memories of playing with us will last them a lifetime. WHen it comes to the adults, and the families in general, these stopes and plastic wall coverings will hopefully make a huge difference in their health and productivity. We returned for lunch exhausted, but many of us soon set off again for soccer, the shops, and other fun. Overall, it was a great day, and we are happy to be in Tamahu! Adios!
Helen and Bridgit

Sunday - Gabe and James

Gabe - Hola Mom, Dad, and Genna!!! Today was Palm Sunday for the locals in Tamahu, and they celebrated the event with several celebratory actions. When we woke for breakfast they told us about the two-hour mass in the church, "iglesia", and we attended the event. Prior to the mass, we watched as the locals took strands of palm and sang as they walked in the streets. Several people wore special garments for the event, and the clothes consisted of bright colors. In the mass we were un-able to understand the actual sermon, but the people were welcoming and extremely happy that we joined in on the significant day for their culture. We even recieved a blessing for Mir Pace! So I am doing well, and I wanted you guys to know that Im having a great time and I miss you all very much. Especially you, Genna! Hasta luego! (Until next time!) James- Hola from Guatemala. We posted this a bit late because the internetcafe was, probably because of Palm Sunday. Seeing as Gabe posted about the festivities, I will fill in the blanks on the rest of the day. We did not go into the mountains today, so we got to see a lot of the town and the market. We hung out a lot at the sports court and played frisbee with the little kids. At first they seem to be a little nervous, but soon we are all having fun. Afterwards we played a game of basketball with some of the older kids who were about the same age as us. They were a lot better than us, but we did ok. It was about 6 on 6, us against them. We were all having a lot of fun and they invited us back tomorrow. At dinner some of us bought some handmade clothes. It was a good day, but I got to go. Bye hasta manana

Saturday in Tamahu

Hola!! Today, we spent our day working on building simple stoves for those without and covering exposed walls with tarp. We spent the rest of the day socializing with the children and playing soccer, then we had a delicious meal made by Marta. Tomorrow, we will attend a two hour long mass, and hopefully visit the nutrition center for malnourished children. We also will not be able to blog since all shops will be closed for palm sunday. We will keep you all posted-check up on Monday! Love, Helen, Bridgit & Nicole!

First Work Day in Tamahu

Today, we woke up from our first night with our host family (the Filibertos), and prepared for our first day of work. We ate breakfast as a group - corn flakes, pretoasted toast with jam and peanut butter, bananas and plaintains. After breakfast, we divvied up supplies for the stoves we're making and the plastic we're using to weatherproof houses. We all loaded into a bus, which was blasting techno music, and headed up to an indiginous village. We spent some time in the center of the village, getting to know a few locals, and being debriefed about the day ahead. Xavier, the church caretaker and leader of the expiditions to the houses we're working in, showed us how to build the stoves. Each one uses four square posts with a pointed end. Boards are then nailed to each of the posts to form a rectangular box, open on both the top and the bottom. After they were built, we moved them into the locals' houses and filled them with dirt. This structure provides a raised surface for the women to cook on, and prevents children from burning themselves on ground level fires or hot cookware. Aly- I got to meet two families today, although it may have been more, because it was often hard to tell which children belonged to which parents. The people here live very communally, and it seemed like the children felt comfortable moving between houses. I had the opportunity to connect with two kids especially. One of them was named Alejandro; he is a thirteen year old boy who was very interested in helping nail the boards for the stoves and digging the foundations for them. He was very social. The other was a ten year old girl named Claudia-Esmeralda. She was very interested in my hair, and using the shovels. All in all a great day providing a good balance of relationship building and production. :) Lily- Thoughout this trip so far, I've been struck by the friendliness and welcoming air of the local people. The indiginous Mayans proved to be no exception. As we began our trek up perilously steep mountain paths, lugging staples, staple guns, and wood for our stoves, it was definitely a test of endurance just to reach our work sites. Once we were there, we got to work. We built two stoves, plastic-ed two houses, and made friends with countless little children. Although they were timid at first (connecting us to their previous white visitors - a group of doctors who gave them shots) they warmed up quickly. Making faces, of course, helped a lot. Overall, I was struck by the trusting air of the Mayan people. Not questioning our presence, our competence, or our motives, they welcomed us and worked alongside us. The children, especially, were eager to hear us sing the alphabet, or teach them to play pattycake, or engage in almost any other form of interaction. At the end of this day, I'm left feeling satisfied, and contemplative. The words of Eileen and Xavier are starting to make sense: "The real gift is not the stoves, the real gift is your presence, and your attention". I understand that better now, and I hope to continue forging relationships with the beautiful, happy people in and around Tamahu, Guatemala.

Arrival in Tamahu

After leaving Guatemala City yesterday morning, we got on a bus... where we would spend about the next six hours. Passing through arid desert, lush tropical forests, and countless cliffs and ravines, we shared our sweat and laughter until we arrived in our home for the next week: Tamahu. The village is small and condensed, filled to the brim with friendly locals. We got a brief tour, including the basketball courts, nutrition center, place where we eat, and town square. For lodging, we are in groups of four to six (single gender), each group assigned to a family, who have graciously opened their houses to us. Although the houses are of varying descriptions and have families of varying levels of presence, everyone is comfortable and happy. Our meals are prepared for us specially, so we know that everything served to us is safe to eat. We are about to depart on a one to two hour hike into the mountains, where we will be working for the rest of this week. We will be building stoves and weatherproofing houses. We will be posting again tonight; hopefully that will be our regular schedule. - Lily and Sean

First Day in Guatemala!

Last night, we arrived in Guatemala! After a long day of travel taking us from Boston to Miami to Guatemala City, we were all exhausted, but excited. Despite some nervousness about customs, going through the Guatemalan security was a breeze. The bus trip from the airport to the hotel took a little longer than expected (the bus was slightly tardy). However, once we reached our hotel (after some pretty thrilling curb-riding and corner cutting), we were pleasantly surprised by the excellent quality of our hotel, the Biltmore Express. Nearly everyone slept like a rock-despite some external noise-and when we descended on this morning's continental breakfast, we were ready to do some serious devouring of the papaya, pineapple, croissants, watermelon, waffles (with maple flavored honey), and other exotic foods. We're about to depart on a 4-6 hour drive by bus to Tamahu, and apparently we'll be going through some pretty intense terrain, including a desert and high altitude. We'll check back in soon!
-Aly and Lily

Tamahu - 2011

Although busy with last minute preparations, our 21 student volunteers and five group leaders are very excited to make our way to Tamahu tomorrow! We are looking forward to seeing our beloved friends and to serve them with open hearts, warm smiles, and great big hugs!

To follow our week of service and fellowship, check this blog daily. If we are able, we will also upload photos along with our posts.

Please keep us and the people of Tamahu in your prayers!