Outtatown Site 1 Guatemala

Independent Week Con't

2009-05-02T17:09:00.007-05:00

Casa Bernabe is a large orphange in Guatemala- our students got to be part of the kids lives for the week. It was a very meaningful experience with a lot of laughter!

Independent Week Con't

2009-05-02T16:37:00.008-05:00

Global Shores is another organization that we volunteered with. Students helped children with their homework, played and even went on a field trip with them to a science museum! Students also did odd jobs here and there like painting and cutting the grass.

Independent Week Con't

2009-05-02T16:13:00.007-05:00

The group that went to Roca de Ayuda helped out by playing with the kids and cleaning different rooms.

Independent Week Con't

2009-05-02T16:04:00.005-05:00

Parramos is a Boys and Girls Home.

Independent Week Con't

2009-05-02T15:35:00.007-05:00

Another group went to Santa Maria to do construction work. The dug a very big hole and ate a lot of food.

Independent Service Week- Casa Angelina

2009-05-01T18:26:00.009-05:00

Independent Service Week- groups of students went to different places to volunteer. This group went to an Orphanage called Casa Angelina for the week. These are the children that they played will all week!

APPE Grad

2009-04-14T23:58:00.009-05:00

On the last day of Spanish, the students had their final exam. 6 weeks of Spanish is finally over. We all cannot believe it has gone by so fast. After the exam, there was the APPE Grad Celebration where there were speeches by students, leaders and teachers and then some sandwiches and cake that followed.

Students writing their final Spanish exam.

And now the fiesta begins! Lillian the Director of APPE came and said a couple of words, thanking Outtatown for being part of APPE over the years.

The boys and their teacher!

Ethan wrote a Spanish song for his teacher.

Trevor and his Spanish APPE Certificate.

Xocomil Waterpark

2009-04-09T16:08:00.022-05:00

The greatest waterpark ever! The rides were awesome and weird and a little sketchy but always fun!!!

Antonio's Finca

2009-04-08T18:10:00.019-05:00

For one of our weekends inbetween our Spanish weeks, we went to Antonio's Finca (Finca is Farm in Spanish), relaxed for a couple of days, had some sessions on gifts, passions, abilities and stewartship. Then we went to a very awesome waterpark!

Guatemalan history is painted with the rich and the poor. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. I feel sorry for the poor and get mad at the rich. Who are the poor? I have seen them, I have heard about them, I have listened to their stories of pain, suffering, joy and truimph. So who are the rich? Do I know their stories?
Antonio is rich. Antonio is very rich. He owns a large farm (his farm includes coffee, macadamian trees, bamboo forests, fern plants, etc. The photos below are pictures from his farm) which was passed down to him from generation to generation. He has influence, everyone knows him and he has talked to Presidents. Antonio is a person that I assume is rich and greedy.
Antonio employs about 45 families, which means about 200 people live on or around his farm. If Antonio was a normal rich farmer, he would treat his workers poorly and make money off them by giving them poor wages. But Antonio is different. He is rich but that doesn't mean that he is greedy. And he is not. Antonio has wrestled with how to be a good farmer, a good businessman and a Christian. What does that mean to him? It means a lot. He has lived his life with integrity and love. He loves Guatemala and wants it to be a better place. He could easily escape and live an easy life in America or Canada but he is here in Guatemala making a difference. He respects his workers, gives them fair wages and supports them as well. In return his workers and their families respect him and love him. His workers have even saved Antonio's life. A while back, some bandits came around and wanted to take his land and kill him. But his workers told the bandits that he was a good man and he helps the workers and their families. And so the bandits left. What would have happened if Antonio was not a good man? Would his workers have stood up for him? It's good to see both sides. The rich and the poor. Hearing stories about the rich with intergrity has made my heart happy.
And because Antonio is such an influencial man, he was able to get us into the coolest waterpark for FREE! (photos of the waterpark will be on the next post)

Carolyn

This is coffee berries on the coffee plant.

The coffee is then dried.

Antonio's new enterprise is filtering clean water in bags to sell. His water company name is called Cero Agua.

Antonio took us on a tour of his finca. There was lots to see and he shared with us his knowlege about plants and trees.

The Bamboo forest was very cool! Gareth, Nic and Joel pose for a picture.

Walking along to see our next cool thing.

Ferns are grown and then sold to flourist shops in Europe.

Antonio showing off his ferns!

Antonio has macadmia nut trees and sells the nuts. He gave us some to try and they were very delicious.

Macadamia nut trees.

Macadamia nuts before they are roasted.

Antonio holding some macadamia nuts that have been roasted and now only need to be peeled!

More macadamia nuts!

Travel Week and Semana Santa

2009-04-05T18:47:00.004-05:00

Travel Week is slowly coming to a close. We stayed in Antigua for a couple of days where we saw some an old church and went Ziplining. Then we went to Copan, Honduras to see some ruins but as it turns out there was an Indigenous protest and the entrance to the ruins were blocked. If Guatemala and also Latin American has taught us something- its flexiblity. So we just relaxed in Honduras. Then we spent 2 days in a great place called Finca Tatin. We suntanned, swam in the river and played cards and games. Right now we are in Livingston, Guatemala. Tomorrow we will spend the day at the beach. White sand and clear blue water. Then we will drive back to Antigua and spend the next week in a convent in Antigua.
The countdown begins as there is only one week left. For our last week we will have debrief where we will share what we have learned and experienced with each other and we will also have the opportunity to see Semana Santa (Holy Week- aka Easter). Our last day in Guatemala will be April 13, when we start our trek home.
No pictures today, maybe in a couple of days.

Boys!!!

2009-03-29T11:32:00.008-05:00

Boys? Of course there are boys on this site!!

Here they are: the boys of Site 1 Guatemala!!!!

Cultural Event: Salsa Lessons!

2009-03-29T11:04:00.006-05:00

Another cultural event! This time it was Salsa lessons with Freddy!

APPE Fun!

2009-03-29T10:06:00.010-05:00

During our last 3 weeks of Spanish classes with APPE, there were a variety of things we did in class to spice things up a little!

Vinicio and his wonderful drawing of "Hank" and all of his body parts!

How do you learn all the different types of fruit? Have a fruit salad party! Shannon and Jill cutting up some fruit.

Some of the APPE teachers mixing all the fruit!

Also in Spanish class we learn about the Guatemalan culture. This day we learned about Semana Santa (Easter) and we were able to make the beautiful sawdust carpets that people make on the streets during Semana Santa. Nikkita is getting some sawdust for her carpet.

Free Weekends

2009-03-28T19:18:00.022-05:00

Free Weekends- we have had a bunch of free weekend this past month. These are the things and the places students went to: El Salvador to surf, Monterrico to sit on the beach and Panajachel to paraglide abd kayake!

Habitat Photos Part 2

2009-03-28T15:40:00.013-05:00

More photos: including us hanging out at our lovely Hotel Hawaii, going on rides at the Rio Hondo Fair, seeing the horse show, eating food, taking baths in the river, Jason's Birthday party, walking on a sketchy bridge to get to the waterfall and cliff jumping spot and also having fun at the waterpark!

Habitat Photos...

2009-03-28T10:08:00.023-05:00

Lots of photos from Habitat For Humanity!

Habitat For Humanity

2009-03-24T16:29:00.006-05:00

It is better to give than to receive.

After our trip up to Tikal we traveled to Rio Hondo (in the Zacapa region in Western Guatemala). After getting settled in to our rooms at Hotel Hawaii (no it was not a tropical paradise like the name would imply- rather it was quite the opposite and it was more like a paradise for cockroaches!) we went for dinner and met the families we would be building houses for. After a good nights rest they showed us where we would be working and we got at it right away. Our site was split up into the 4 small groups lead by the 4 leaders (Carolyn, Chris, Lindsay and Steve). Each small group got to build a house for a family. This was an experience our site and I had been waiting for. It was really hot in Rio Hondo but the families blessed us with their hospitality giving us many tasty snacks at break. We worked hard for 3 days building our new host families houses. And the families that we were building for hung out with us and help too. It was wonderful to get to know them and have shared experiences.
Then on the weekend we got to relax and do some really cool things. We had the opportunity to go to a water park called Valle Dorado. Some of the slides were painful on the backs but it was a great day for relaxing our bodies after the intensive labour of building houses. On Sunday a handful of us hiked up to a waterfall and did some swimming and cliff jumping. It was beautiful up there. On Monday work continued on the houses. The next 4 days were not as work-filled but we enjoyed our time with our small groups and the families. We spent our evenings hanging out at the local fair (we went on some really sketchy rides!), eating ice cream, lighting really cheap fireworks off, and just hanging out. It was a blessing for our group to give our time and labour to Habitat for Humanity and to the families so that they could live in a new house. And we were blessed too by the families gratitude, love and care for us. Thanks to Habitat for this experience.

Jeremy Enright.

The 4 Small Groups:

Carolina's Small Group

Kelly, Ethan, Jill, Elizabeth, Carolina, Emma, Rebecca and Darin.

Chris' Small Group

Heather, Mel, Joel, Chris, Kristine, Nic and Holly

Lindsay's Small Group

Lindsay, Christina, Shannon, Janine, Linda, Marisa, Jenna, Trevor and Jeremy.

Steve's Small Group

Jason, Kristin, Lindsay, Rachael, Kendra, Alida, Nikkita, Steve and Ashley.

The whole group together!

Oh good old Hotel Hawaii!

In the next couple of days there will be lots of photos of our time in Rio Hondo.

Carolina

Jungle Hike

2009-03-19T14:19:00.014-05:00

Here are some more pictures of the jungle trek and here is an article written by Kendra Matheson.

It was unlike anything we had ever done before. No one knew exactly what to expect when told we would be embarking on a Jungle Trek. A major clue should have been the requirement of rubber boots (I have never been so thankful for rubber boots, as it turns out). Yes, excitement ran high for me at the thought of a three day hike in two groups; mine was soon dubbed “Man Trek”…apparently our manhood was soon to be tested? Leaving any unnecessary items in Semesche, we began walking Tuesday morning. The first night we slept in a church in Sequixpur after handing out saplings to start a project (It is a “pass it on” sort of community project where each family receives the beginnings of the project which will raise rabbits to provide valuable fertilizer for their fields, and they eventually must give three of the offspring to three more families). The next morning we started off on the hardest day, where we would reach a mountain summit. Again, my rubber boots came in handy…although I almost lost them to the mud several times. It was a long day, rationing our fire-tasting water and eating lollipops for good taste. I was constantly in awe of the Creator of our surroundings. After finally reaching the summit, our guide, Rob Cahill, described our lodging for the second night of Man Trek, a description which I believe kept us going. Exhausted, hungry, out of fire-water and lollipops, and getting blisters from our boots (not to mention a growing need for any sort of shower and/or flush toilet), you can imagine our immense pleasure upon entering the Swiss Lodge. A man from Switzerland had sold his belongings in Europe and bought five hundred acres of cloud forest in Guatemala. He built a beautiful house and currently hosts groups there. Yes, it was definitely paradise, as there were beds with mattresses, HOT SHOWERS, flush toilets, and may I repeat HOT SHOWERS! God is good. We went to sleep that night full, thankful, and completely content. We continued hiking the next morning through villages where many times we were the first large group of white people they had ever seen. What an amazing experience! That night we lodged in San Francisco, where the road had only been constructed two years earlier and clearly they had had few visitors. The major plus to the San Francisco experience was a fantastic waterfall, which we promptly swam and washed off under. The family there was immensely generous to us. They did not speak our language, and fifteen or so of us just piled into their home, yet they offered us everything they had, more than we needed. I won’t tell you it was a comfortable night, but I will tell you that it was humbling. For once, we North Americans weren’t walking into the situation with our hands ready to help and give aid. We arrived needing a place to sit down and rest, protection, and food. We couldn’t expect anything because there is no reason we deserve it. We came with hands open to receive what they could give us. And they were more than happy to oblige. Their hospitality was very humbling. We met up with the other group to finish our hike together, walking through the last leg of our jungle trek. All in all, we as a group are so glad for Man Trek. Sometimes things are even better in retrospect; not everything was necessarily fun or easy. But we got to feel a part of creation that few get to partake in; we received genuine hospitality; we were challenged physically, emotionally, and even spiritually, as we try to find our place in this broken world. And we were all amazed at the lack of complaining – we all really enjoyed each other’s company. I can’t think of a better group to do a jungle trek with! I can’t really explain much of what I saw or experienced beyond the surface facts, because I don’t think that I’ve fully articulated it all. But I don’t think I will forget it any time soon…we agree it was an all-around great experience.

Nic about to walk down into the muddy valley.

Rachael, Darin and Joel.

Are Darin and Kristin missionaries?!

Walking in the corn fields.

The waterfall/bath tub!

The jungle forest.

The greatest place ever: Swiss Lodge!

Look a real toilet and hot showers!

Lindsay and Nikkita chillin' on a hammock.

The view from the lodge.

Another amazing view.

Nalgene water bottles!

Host Families in Semesche

2009-03-19T08:06:00.009-05:00

Here is an article about our experience in Semesche and some more pictures too!

“Impoverished” Hospitality?
Slowly getting used to the cold, wet climate, we went to Coban where we meet this really energetic interesting guy named Rob, who for the next crazy week would be our leader. On Saturday morning we all packed into a small cattle truck and rode on a old dirt road through the mountains for the next two and half hours, however we were all very excited to see what was next for us all we knew that we were being thrown into a village that is far away from “civilization” and that they didn’t speak a word of English, or Spanish for that matter but solely K'ekchi' a language that only the local Natives knew plus our fearless leader Rob. So we finally arrived there with all the village people waiting for us. Upon arrival we were broken into small groups that we would stay with for the next 4 nights with host families. So after that we just all broke off and headed off to our new homes… However the experience was a lot more fun then what we could have expected. The families we stayed with were exceptionally hospitable towards us and catered to our needs the best they could which was a huge blessing to our group and really opened our eyes to see how people with so little could give so much. And over the next few days we made relationships and had lots of memorable moments… One of our main purposes there was to help with a project that they have been working on for quite a few years now. These people live on the edge of a Cloud Forest, a forest where it gets most of its precipitation from clouds that surround the trees and the precipitation falls on the leafs and drips to the ground, not only providing for the trees and the Forrest but it also created springs of water which would provide safe drinking water for the surrounding communities. Sometime back in the day the people over-forested and cut down too many trees, so our job when we were there was to help plant trees and help bring back the ecosystems. It was a really neat thing we were doing for these people and the environment. I think our little time in Semesche had a huge impact on all of us. We all had lots of fun a learned a lot about a different culture. Over all it was a pretty cool experience!

By Trevor Bach

The Mayan Temples of Tikal

2009-03-11T12:37:00.030-05:00

After the Mucbil'ha caves, we continued to drive North to the province of El Peten, to the island of Flores. Flores is a small and beautiful tourist town with great restaurants and little shops. During our stay in Flores we took a day trip to Tikal. Tikal is a National Park filled with ancient Mayan ruins from around the 6th- 10th century AD. The park has many tall Mayan temples, grand plazas, monuments, stone carvings and stelas.

The entrance of Tikal.

A very cool sign.

This was our guide who took us around Tikal and shared about the history.

This is the trail to get to the centre of Tikal. It takes about 15 minutes to walk.

So along the way we had some fun. Steve pretending to be Tarzan.

As we walked along the trail, there was another trail... the leaf ant highway. They are very busy ants- they cut out leaves in the jungle and then take them to their home which can be miles away.

The Ceiba tree is sacred for the Maya. It is a very large tree! Kristin looks very small beside the tree.

There are a couple of very large temples in the park. These are a couple of them.

This temple is called Temple 1.

Janine, Lindsay, Marisa, Linda, Elizabeth, Jeremy and Steve in the door of some ruins.

Alida, Kristine, Ashley and Elizabeth in front of some stelaes.

This is a Stelae up close.

Jill by some steps!

Jill and Ethan climbed those steps!

Emma excited about the temple!

Jason in a window.

Nic in front of a Stelae.

The jungle has overtaken this building! Incredible isn't it?!

The ball court.

The boys checking out some cool buildings.

The next bunch of pictures are of us on temple 4 looking out at temple 1 and 2.

Wildlife!!! Howler monkeys!

Caves, flashlights, water and tubing

2009-03-09T12:04:00.009-05:00

Feb 15, 2009
Mucbil'ha Caves

After our Alta Verapaz adventure we drove further up north to Peten. Along the way- 7 hour drive, we stopped to do some caving. We sat in tubes and followed the lazy river through the trees and into the dark caves. It was a very cool experience!!!

Alta Verapaz Experience Part 3

2009-03-09T10:52:00.020-05:00

After our jungle trek and then surviving what seemed like a 3 hour roller-coaster ride of death on the back of a pick-up truck, we arrived safely at our hotel near Semuc Champey. The next day was spent in Semuc Champey, where we were rewarded with a long relaxing day full of adventure in what some people call “God’s Waterpark.” The hours we spent there consisted of beauty beyond the production of any photo- while contrasting against the rugged and perilous terrain on which we traveled. Semuc Champey means “scared water” and it is in a valley with steep walls surrounded by a tropical forest. The Cahoban River flows down through the valley and then suddenly it submerges itself at the entrance of a cave and then resurfaces from that cave about 400 meters later after it passes a natural limestone bridge above, suspended with crystalline mountain fresh spring water ponds. There are many ponds and they range from 3 to 14 feet deep and vary in unique water shades of light green to emerald to blue sapphire. From bridge/cliff jumping to waterfall climbing and to basking in the sun as a group, it turned out to be a nice recovery day from the past weeks of working, traveling and hiking in Alta Verapaz.

By Kelly Bye.

Semuc Champey is very hard to explain because it really is 2 rivers on top of each other with a cave and ponds as well. Pictures do help with the explanation but it does not fully put everything together and into perspective. Our suggestions is to go there because it is amazing!

This says "Welcome to Semuc Champey"

This is a view of Semuc Champey from the top of the mountain.

This is the above river and the pools of water.

There are a couple of people swimming in the pools.

Carolyn, Jason, Trevor and Rob (in the other photo) hiked up to see the spectacular view.

A bunch of students near the Cahoban river where it goes into the cave.

This is the rushing river of Cahoban that goes into a very dangerous cave below.

The river above is calm and beautiful.

Now for the colorful ponds of water! Marisa and Elizabeth jump in.

Ashley swimming in the clear water.

Mel and Nikkita enjoying the swim.

Jason swimming around like a fish.

There were other things to do as well as swim- jump from a tree into the water and swim some more! Look closely and you can see Rob in the tree about to jump!

The on-lookers.

Ethan hanging from the tree branch over the water. He very much reminded us of a monkey!

He's about to let go...

Mid-fall into the water!

Nic catching some air for a sweet dive.

Rebecca going in for the dive.

Isn't it glorious- Holly and Heather splashing in the water.

Mel, Nikkita and Jenna.

Kendra at the edge of a pond.

God's Waterpark.

Jill and Ashley.

Alida, Linda, Marisa and Jill.

Heather, Carolyn, Kristine, Linda, Jenna and Elizabeth looking lovely in the sun.

Elizabeth and Ethan.

Kristin and Shannon.

Jason and Trevor.

Feet in the clear warm water.

Alta Verapaz Experience Part 2

2009-03-04T09:05:00.016-06:00

February 10- 13, 2009
Cloud Forest Trek

We had to split up our Site into 2 groups for the hike. Rob hiked with the first group and Tara hiked with the second group. The photos are of both hikes mixed together.

So where did we hike? Well we hiked from Semesche to Semuc Champey. The trek was from West to East along the mountain range called Sierra Yalijux.

If you were on a normal 4 day backpacking trip in Canada or the US, you would usually pack things like a tent, stove, food, mattress, etc. But this hike was different. No tent, no stove, no food and only a couple of people brought mattresses.

So how did we survive and cross a whole mountain range in 4 days?! We survived by the help of others. Rob and Tara work in many communites in the area. They have many strong and trustworthy relationships with the people that live in the remote villages. Over the 4 days of trekking, K'ekchi' families took us in and fed us and gave us a place to sleep.

Cargadores are people who carry things. We had a couple of local guys who came along on our trip and carried our packs. Some of them carried 2 packs at once and all the weight was on their foreheads!

This was the beginning of our hike.

We started from walking on the road to walking in the corn fields.

Mel and her pal!

Steve, Paul, Emma and Alida.

Rachael and Heather.

While we hiked through the corn fields we would sometimes come across small villages. Not many foreigners go to these remote villages because the only way to get to them is by small walking paths. So when we walked through a village, and us being a group of 15 white people, we got a lot of attention and the kids would run and sworm us. Some of the kids were brave enough to touch us or even hold our hands.

These are the magnificant mountain ranges that we either hiked or saw around us all the time!

We hiked all the way to the top right of this photo and then over the mountain range. It's cool to see how much we can walk in one day!

Jill showing off her muscles!

Holly and Marisa.

Carolyn and Nikkita in their favorite shirts!

Guatemalan snacks are awesome, especially when we are not used to eating beans and tortillas every day! Snacks we enjoy: chickys, lolas and tortrix! Mel, Nikkita, Shannon and Lindsay displaying their snacks!

Paul Kroeker, the Director of Outtatown came on the Alta Verapaz experience with us and also came on the trek. It was great having him with us and he was very encouraging to us.

One of the Cargadores taking a rest. Even though they carried our packs, they were still more in shape than us! The Mayan people are strong and resilient.

Lunch time! We took some time from hiking and ate our lunch in one of the corn fields.

After eating our lunch we began trekking in the jungle/cloud forest. It was very cool!

Shannon and Mel in the jungle! Look how green and dense it is!

More hiking in the jungle! Trevor, Nikkita, Holly, Ashley, Marisa, and Lindsay.

Marisa and Kristine in the mud! Good thing we were all wearing rubber boots!

Walkie-Talkie were "essencial" for our hiking trip. The leaders used them wishly and only for work and emergencies... and maybe also for fun. And of course there needs to be code names. Lindsay aka "Cheap Dishes" and Carolyn aka "Lady Moon" with their Walkie-Talkies.

Rob and Jill.

Lindsay helping out by patting tortillas.

Would you believe that in the remote jungles of Guatemala there would be a Swiss Lodge that was made by a Swiss couple and all the furniture was handcrafted in wood by them too? And on top of that they made Swiss food and had hot showers too? Well it's true! One night along the way on our trek we got to live in luxury and eat the most amazing food ever, sleep in beds, and have a shower with hot water!

You start to appreciate the little things in life when they are not surrounding you. For example: Mel, Shannon and Lindsay were very happy with homemade bread, butter and homemade jam. This doesn't seem like a big deal but it was for us!

This is a photo of the cloud forest from the Swiss Lodge.

All of Group 2 outside of the Swiss Lodge. We didn't want to leave this wonderful place!

Another photo of the landscape that surrounds the Swiss Lodge.

Pedro carrying one of our bags.

A couple of the guys decided to carry their own packs. Steve was one of them.

Alright everyone- keep hiking!

Random slug that Jason found on the path.

Chillin' with the kids at a remote village in the jungle.

Tara chatting with some of her friends.

As a part of the trek we had to take a truck to get to our next destination. The truck ride was bumpy and squishy! Alida, Trevor, Ashley and Marisa by their backpacks that were tied up on the outside of the truck.

Off we went for the next hour on the bumpy road.

Chris, Rachael and Josh with wind in their hair.

And this is the bumpy road- unfortunately the photo doesn't capture how bumpy it was but you get the picture- sort of.

And then back to more hiking in the mud! We did a lot of that. It wasn't like there were a couple of muddy spots in the trail. The whole trail for hours on end would be muddy!

Jason resting with his dirty boots and pant legs.

More muddy rubber boots!

Kelly was very fashionable. She rolled her boots down! I think she started a rubber boot trend!

We hadn't eaten fruit in a very long time so when Rob brought out the watermellon we all went crazy! Rachael and Kendra slicing up the watermellon for all of us to devour!

This was the end of our trek. We all made it in one piece... some a little dirty, some a little tired, some with a little more muscles and all of us with a lot of wonderful memories!

To end off our trek we had to take a 3 hour truck ride to Semuc Champey. It was long, dirty, dusty, windy, bumpy and at some points a little scary.

Alta Verapaz Experience Part 1

2009-03-01T16:18:00.023-06:00

February 5-10, 2009

Coban and Semesche

While in the region of Alta Verapaz, we were taken in, taken care of and worked with a couple; Rob and Tara Cahill. They have been living in this area for over 7 years and have invested their lives in the K'ekchi' (a group of mayan peoples) communities. First Rob took us to a sacred Mayan cave where we got to walk down into. He told us about the Mayan god- Tzul Taka which literally means Mountain-Valley. He explained it is the same as how the Bible says God is the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega.

Then we were taken to a Church that had a beautiful painting of the history of the Maya.

Next we went to the Bezaleel School which was set up by MCC for K'ekchi' children to have a good education and to learn some skills as well.

When we got there, the school had an assembly and we were invited to join. They sang K'ekchi' (their language is also called K'ekchi') and Spanish hymns and we sang some English and Spanish worship songs for them.

Rob (person on far left) translated a Mayan traditional story for us. Jose Maria (person on the right of Rob) shared with us a story that has been passed down orally from generation to generation. He shared about their creation story. The main characters are: Lady Moon, Jaguar-Deer and Itzamna.

Site 1: Guatemala listening intently to the story!

Here is Jose Maria telling the story.

This is how we got around. The Microbus that seats us all!!! Only in Guatemala!

We also got to plant some trees!

Emma and Jill with some trees.

Linda and Holly also with some baby trees.

After being in the city of Coban we went to Semesche. Semesche is a small remote K'ekchi' village in the mountains. For the next 7 days we were either living with K'ekchi' families or treking in the jungle. It was an adventure like no other- our comforts were taken from us (no electricity and running water for 7 days... this means we didn't shower for a week!!!), communication got harder (K'ekchi' families only speak K'ekchi' and obviously we don't!), and our bodies and minds were stretched to the limit (we hiked and hiked up and down mountains in the jungle, some of the mountains were so muddy our rubber boots would get stuck!). And for all of those days we only ate beans and tortillas!!!

This is where the girls were asked to wear long skirts to be more appropriate in the K'ekchi' culture. The girls on site 1 embrassed the long skirts wonderfully!

Coban was very cold so Jenna, Christina and Linda wore pants under their skirts. This is what we call "Classy!"

These next photos are of the K'ekchi' Host families and Site 1 students. We stayed with host families for 4 days and we were split up into groups of 2-4 per family.

While living with the families we were able to try some things like patting tortillas. Holly is trying to pat a tortilla in a circle. It's harder than you think! It was very rare that we could pat a circular tortilla and when we were finished and showed them they would laugh and laugh and kindly say "Oos" which means "good."

Other things we tried was putting things like a water jug on our heads. Once again it's harder than it looks, but Shannon is doing a good job of balancing it on her head!

During our stay in Semesche we helped the families by working in their gardens. The village is pretty spread out and so some of us had to walk 45 minutes to get to the job site. Our host families were very hospitable- they would walk us to work everyday and usually it was the children that would walk us!

This was one of the work sites. All day we bagged dirt. We would put soil in small bags and then we transplanted small trees into them. It was a lot of work and we got a lot done for the community.

Lindsay and Mel bagging some dirt!

More dirt bagging!

These are the bags of dirt with the trees in them.

We made hundreds of these.

And since we were bagging dirt, we got dirty!!! Lindsay, Shannon and Nikkita showing off their dirty hands!

Holly saying "Hi" in a creative and dirty way!

Alida- enjoying the mud in her hands!

By the end of 3 days of being in the dirt and mud the girls skirts got darker and darker by the day.

Our bums were dirty!

The houses that we lived at were always in and amoungst the corn fields. Corn is the way of life for the K'ekchi' people.

From the corn they make tortillas.

Eating the usual meal of tortillas and beans! This time we also got some rice!

Emma and Linda resting.

AHHHHH turkeys!!! They are everywhere!

We also went to a K'ekchi' Mennonite Church service.

Joel and Jason wore their best Sunday clothes to the service: Hawiian shirts!!!

After church we got to play with the children of the community. They do not get to play a lot because they have to help out in the house or work with their parents so this was a special time for the children where they got to play games and draw some pictures!

That is the bathroom!

This is the view in the morning- the mountains, the jungle and the clouds!

This was a misty beautiful morning!

And an amazing sunset.

After our stay with the families we then went straight on the Cloud Forest Trek.
You'll have to wait for the next blog to hear about our great adventures in the jungle!!!

Carolina!

Back to Electricity!

2009-02-18T18:42:00.002-06:00

Okay so we are back to places with electricity and running water!!!
We had a fantastic time in Coban and soon a new blog with lots of wonderful photos will be up! But this might take a couple of days because right now we are building houses with Habitat For Humanity in Rio Hondo!
Pray for our group that we have the energy to build houses for the next 2 weeks!
That is all for now
Carolina

Blogs, Blogs and more Blogs!

2009-02-04T16:30:00.002-06:00

Okay so I (Carolyn) just put up a ton of photos and blogs for you all!
Enjoy!

Schedule for the next month:
Feb 5- 17: We will be in Coban. Coban is up in the northern region of Guatemala and this is where we will be staying. It is also the jungle/cloud forest area with the mayan people! For a couple of days we will stay with a mayan family where we will have no running water or electricity! Wish us luck!
Feb 17-27: We will be in Rio Hondo (Zacapa) which is in the western region to work with Habitat For Humanity building houses.

Note: while in Coban we may have little/no access to internet and sometimes our phones will not work in Coban beacause it is so mountianous. So the next blog might not be for a while.

Monterrico: Pacific Ocean!

2009-02-04T15:34:00.018-06:00

Monterrico... two glorious days of sun and relaxation, with the ocean only a matter of steps away. As I close my eyes I can still hear the waves lapping against the black, sandy shore. The sand was so hot at times, it would be a mad dash back to our sandals. I think one of my favorite things was having worship out on the beach! We made a bonfire and sang some songs. And then we watched the beautiful sunset and saw the dazzling stars all around us. At once I realized how small I was and felt. As I looked out at the ocean I couldn't help but admire its beauty and strength.

By Alida Santos

Volcan Pacaya

2009-02-04T14:11:00.010-06:00

The sign for Volcan Pacaya!

This is Pacaya and yes she is active and yes she is smoking right now!

Some students decided to hike up the volcano and some decided to ride horses! Ashley looking cool and calm on her horse.

Shanin happy on her horse!

Nikkita, Shanin, Janine and Lindsay in front of Pacaya.

Joel, Darin and Nic being manly!

Steve and Kristine looking at the Guatemalan Volcano landscape. Its one of a kind my friends!

Another awesome volcano shot!

So we climbed up and up and up. And then we had to go down before we saw the lava.

The walk down was a little dusty! But a lot of fun!

Marisa and Heather!

Feeling on top of the world!

Chris and Shanin!

The river of lava!!!!!!!!

Cool eh?!

Our destination: this is all of us by the river of lava!

It got dark fast so we had to hurry to get on our headlamps- Heather sporting her headlamp.

And now begins the feat and feast of roasting marshmallows, aka Magma-mallows!!!

Nic poking his stick in the lava.

Emma ready to roast her marshmallow.

Christina and Kristine found a good crack where there was lava.

Kristine eating her Magma-mallow!

Lindsay and Mel eating theirs too!

Kristin burnt her Magma-mallow to perfection!

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1

Water: check. Sunscreen: check. Hiking boots: check. Chance of a life time: double check. Throughout this Outtatown experience we were told repeatedly that this would be a once in a lifetime experience; the things we see during this year might be the only time we will experience that kind of beauty. Climbing Volcan Pacaya for many was a chance of a life time experience, one I am sure will be a lasting memory!
It was a nice sunny day as the group of 33 piled into Dario’s blue bird school bus. The two hour drive ahead could not damper the excitement of the experience we were about to embark on. We chatted, we sang and we listened to music. We did anything that could pass the time pending our arrival to Pacaya. As the bus drove on we went up, we went down, and we traveled up winding roads. Upon arrival we were greeted with the hustle and bustle of men and children selling the “essentials” for climbing a volcano. Sticks and horses; who knew that’s all you needed?!
We began the trek up the mountain, not quite sure what to expect. With no way to go but up what better way to pass the time than to chat and take pictures. After one hour of hiking we had our first view of our destination. We stood in awe as we took in the sight of the massive volcano. As Joel put it “it’s the zits of the earth” and here we were looking at it, most of us for the very first time.
We continued on up and as the sun began to make its descent, it truly became a blessing that we were able to experience God’s canvas. With all our cameras ready, we made sure that we didn’t miss a single moment of the mountains, volcanoes and the sunset that was placed before us. Just when we thought things couldn’t get any better we were pleasantly surprise by a 200 meter descent of sandy dirt. It was like skiing on powder, black dirty amazing powder! After the adrenaline of running/skiing down a mountain and hiking the last stretch on volcanic rock, we came to our destination: the river of lava. With the sun setting below us, there was no better way to celebrate our achievement then by roasting marshmallows over flowing lava! Being quite content in that moment we relished in the fact that we had climbed a volcano and saw a vibrant sunset and now it was time to leave. We returned to the bus that night with the satisfaction that “Yeah, we climbed a volcano today!”
Throughout Outtatown we have experienced the beauty God created in this world and this was just another check off that list. We experienced the power of God and his magnificent creativity. We were given the reminder that we truly have an awesome God.

“God saw all that He had made and it was very good.” Genesis 1:31

By Darin Hovious

More Photos from Guate. City

2009-02-04T13:54:00.005-06:00

The Guatemalan Flag!

A gravestone.

A gravestone of a one year old.

More grave plots.

During the civil war many atrocities happened. This spot here was a place that people were murdered. It was a somber feeling after we heard about that.

Marisa looking at the dump and the people in it.

The dump.

Faces missing from the civil war.

Faces are plastered on walls to remember the ones who lost their lives and sacrificed themselves.

This is the church at Parque Central.

The names ingraved on the stone are the thousands of people who died in the civil war.

Guatemala City Dump

2009-02-03T18:36:00.005-06:00

Guatemala City Dump- Urban Plunge

Friday, January 23rd we set out for Guatemala City, ready for a weekend of new experiences. We visited the Guatemalan National Cemetery noting the differences between most North American cemeteries and this one. We also saw the Guatemala City Dump, which was shocking to many of us. Knowing that people work in the dump and knowing that they sort though the city’s trash doesn’t quite prepare you for seeing it first hand. The smell was overwhelming and the vultures flying above made an ominous feel.

Fortunately the Government has made it illegal for children under the age of 14 to work in the dump and the Government has also made some other rules that can be good or bad depending on which side of the fence you are on. For example before any rules, workers could work at all hours of the day or night. But now they are only allowed to work from 6am to 6pm.

Sunday morning we visited a mega-church, where we really stood out because we were the only white people with a congregation of over 5000. But we had a great time! Some of the worship songs had a familiar tune and after some time we could sing the songs in Spanish as well as English! It was great to worship alongside people even with a language barrier. All in all the weekend showed us the extremes and differences of wealth and poverty in Guatemala.

By Kristine Bartel

We stayed at a wonderful Guesthouse for the weekend. The flowers in the hallway were amazing!

Jason, Rachael, Heather and Nic at Parque Central in Guatemala City.

Chris, Darin and Joel hanging out at the parque.

Linday and Carolyn in front of the National Palace.

At the National Cemetery it was easy to see the rich and the poor. There were small plots that could be rented out and large building to be bought.

No we are not in Egypt even though it looks like it. This is a large building for one of the richest families in Guatemala, where they put their loved ones when they have passed on. Why would they have an Egyption feel to their tomb? It may be because they wanted to look like the Gods.

Taking a break in the Cemetery. It was very large and there were many things to see.

Then we went to the Guatemala City Garbage Dump, which is near the Cemetery and right in Guatemala City.

So why did we go see the dump? Because there are people who work in the dump daily to make ends meat. Over 2000 people work in the dump. This is their way of life: to sift though the garbage and find recyclable things to sell. It is a dangerous place to work and few are able to get out of the cycle of poverty.

Women's Co-op

2009-02-03T13:41:00.006-06:00

Guatemala is a beautiful place of rich color from the green mountain landscape to the bright splashes of color on people’s clothes or in the fruit and vegetable markets. Just like the rich colors of the country, Guatemalan culture is vibrant and alive. Mayan tradition is strong and evident, soccer is played in the streets and firecrackers are being lit off at any hour of the day or night.

In Guatemala it’s easy to see the colors, the landscape and the culture. It is also easy to see the rich and the poor. On one street you can see a sturdy two-storey house with beautiful flowers and plants and right beside it you can see a small shack with a tin roof and only dirt for a garden. Just like in any country, there are people in Guatemala that are rich and poor. And the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.

The Maya are among the poorest in Guatemala and they are almost 50% of the population. They live in shacks, work long hours, and are illiterate. They have a hard life with stories of pain and suffering. But this is not every Maya. The Mayan people are resilient, hard-working and resourceful.

A group of Mayan women decided that they and their children were going to have a better life. And that was going to start now. Their community was small, had few resources and they were all poor subsistent corn farmers. The children of the community did not go to school because there was no school in the vicinity but also they were more valuable working and helping their parents in the fields or at home.

What could a group of uneducated Mayan women do? The answer: Women’s Co-op. It wasn’t easy but it worked. The women all agreed to use their resources and their skills to make money and use it for the common good. They started making handicraft products like blankets, table-runners, purses and skirts. Then they sold their uniquely Mayan-made products in the markets.

Our group was blessed by the opportunity to learn from these resilient Mayan people. The women’s Co-op proudly shared their story to us and then they showed us how they made their products. See the photos below. It is a fascinating process where they first start with balls of string and then they end up with a colorful masterpiece!

They also shared with us that they were able to save enough money to build a school and a medical clinic. Now their children can go to school and learn to read and write. And the clinic is open and free for the community- if someone is sick they can get medicine.

The school walls, medicine and handicrafts have helped the people not only by increasing the standard of living but also it has boosted the community’s morale. They did it themselves. They were not given any handouts. They were not given any money. They were not told what to do. They got together and figured out that they were capable of doing wonderful things for themselves and their children.

Carolyn Kolm

The women first danced for us. It was a welcome dance.

Then they told us their story of how they came to be.

Then they showed us how they made their handcrafts.

This lady is using a loom to make a blanket.

It can take up to a year to make something like this!

Coffee beans!

Coffee grinds.

Kelly learning how to grind coffee.

Jason is too!

As well as Emma.

Some really adorable kids!

Jill with the girls!

Preview of things to come...

2009-01-29T18:43:00.004-06:00

Here is a little preview of things to come that we have already done.

(And tomorrow we will go to the beach for the weekend!)

Guatemala City Dump: where people work!

Volcan Pacaya: where there are rivers of lava!

More volcanoes in the distance!

Well until next week!

Carolyn Kolm

First Week of Spanish

2009-01-29T18:25:00.005-06:00

The first week at the APPE Spanish School in San Juan was fantastic. I went from knowing how to say "Hola" and "Gracias" to conjugating verbs and describing my family in 4 days. Again the term "school" takes on a whole new meaning in Outtatown. We walk to school in the morning and slowly make our way to plastic tables and chairs on the covered porch outside. If it's cold we take our chairs and move to the lawn in the sun. This is school for us Outtatowners.

On our first day we had a level placement interview; an awkward few minutes during which one feels completely incompetent. I started counting in French by accident! But the awkwardness was worthwhile, because the students in each class are all at about the same level. With a 4 student per teacher ration the learning goes pretty fast.

I love the fact that I can now communicate more easily with the members of my family, barter at the market and buy chocolate covered bananas (in Spanish called: Choco-bananos) by myself and I know it will only get easier as time goes on!

By Emma Purser

This is the first day at APPE!

Heather, Jill and Mel enjoying the sun while learning some Spanish.

Chris, Lindsay K., Shanon and Linday M. chatting in Spanish.

One of the APPE teachers helping the girls out.

Pinata time!

An APPE teacher blindfolded Rebecca and gave her a stick to whack the Clown pinata.

There she goes!

Next Jason got a chance at breaking open the pinata!

But Marisa was the final one to spill open the candy contents!!

Meeting Host Families

2009-01-29T17:51:00.008-06:00

It has been two weeks now since we first arrived in the beautiful country of Guatemala. Yet so much has happened. I can still remember the pre-host family gitters. The sense of excitment and anticipation continued to surmount as we gathered at the APPE Spanish School to meet our families for the first time. One by one our names were called and we were introduced to our host families. Then we each walked home with our host family to their/our house. As I walked into my room, my family had put "Bienvenido a su Casa!" My new home- what an interesting thought. And now its already been two weeks and I feel privillaged to be part of my new Guatemalan family.

By Alida Santos

The morning of the big day of meeting our host families we bused it from Camp Adulam (on the outskirts of Guatemala City) to San Juan del Obispal: our new hometown.

Mel, Jenna and Marisa.

Linday, Shanin and Nikkita.

Chris, Joel and Trevor.

There pictures are of the APPE Spanish School and Host Family Event in San Juan.

Carolyn, Steve Plett, Lillian and Benjamin.

The host families waiting for their names to be called as well as one of the students.

Heather meeting her host family.

Trevor hugging his host mom.

Darin chatting it up with his host mom.

Janine hugging her host mom.

Alida meeting her host family.

Rachael bending down to hug her host mom- and Rachael isn't even that tall!!

There photos are of the students at their new home with their host families!

Kristin and her host brother rocking out!

Elizabeth and her host sister surrounded by a beautiful garden.

Shanin and her curious little host sister.

Rebecca and her 2 host sisters hanging out together!

More from Camp Adulam

2009-01-28T17:05:00.007-06:00

Here are some more pictures of our group at Camp Adulam and our day trip to Anitgua.

Heather, Ethan and Jill sporting their Outtatown Guatemala Gear!

Site 1 Guatemala in Antigua, Guatemala!!!!

The lovely Site Leaders enjoying a Liquado (Fruit Smoothie). Steve Plett (our field manager in Guatemala), Lindsay Kubassek, Carolyn Kolm, Steve Allen and Chris Sones.

During our stay at Camp Adulam we had the privillage of singing some Christian Spanish songs to some Guatemala children. They kept wanting to hear more songs so we also sang some English songs too. Then we asked the children to sing some songs for us! It was awesome! It was an amazing experience and we will all remember it forever.

2nd Semester in Guatemala!

2009-01-17T16:17:00.005-06:00

Family, friends and everyone else- I just wanted to let you know we have safely made it to Guatemala! We have spent the last 4 days at a beautiful camp on the outskirts of Guatemala.
Carolyn

From –40 to Tiki Huts
Hey, so the second semester has finally arrived!!! On Jan. 14 most of us students met up at CMU very excited to see one another again and to travel on to Guatemala. That night we drove through the night on a very cold bus for 8 hours to Minnesota where we got on our first flight to Dallas Texas which was very exciting for us, because that’s where we met up with all our Ontario friends that flew out earlier that morning. After the very happy reunion we all got on our flight to Guatemala and arrived their safely! It was very exciting driving through the city and looking out the windows of the landscape around us. We drove to Camp Adulam where we have been staying for the past couple of days. It was lots of fun first exploring the camp the night we arrived; we were really stoked about the nice cabins. Also they have these little Tiki huts all over the place surrounded with new trees and brush that made it really obvious that we were in a new country. The next morning we woke up excited to see our new home in daylight. It was really amazing because the camp looks over a valley of little Guatemalan homes and gardens that look like something out of a movie. Everything just seemed so much more real that we were actually in Guatemala! During our time here we have been reviewing some basic Spanish and learning about the culture and about culture shock. We have been at the camp for a couple of days and we are now really stoked to go beyond our camp walls and explore this neat and different country. The only down fall so far is that it has not been as warm as we had hoped but that is supposed to change when we head to San Juan and Antigua tomorrow. But it still beats the heck out of being back in Winnipeg where it was –40. Anyways that’s all for now! Today we head for Antigua to explore and shop around. Tomorrow we meet our host families, which will be awkward but exciting, so we’ll keep ya’ll updated.
See ya!

By Trevor Bach