Another week down here in Punta Gorda, and a lot more work has been accomplished, despite relentless rain storms. Most of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week was a wash, quite literally, as we just could not seem to get a break from the rain long enough for the ground to dry enough to work. I was commenting on how hard it was raining repeatedly, while all the extensionists seemed to be saying, ”If it would only stop this annoying drizzle then we could get back to work.” Apparently I know nothing about a good rain, an understanding I thought was inherently mine since I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. I was disappointed to not be able to go out and continue to work on the projects, but it was a nice opportunity for me to spend more time around the office and get some of my own work done while getting a better idea of how things work there.
Friday made up for all the missed work the previous three days by offering me a 17-hour work outing. I was told by Nana that they were driving up to Belize City to meet a board member who was flying down here for a while. I thought it strange that we would drive four hours just to meet them and come back when they could just fly here very easily on their own, but I asked no questions and agreed to join them. A couple hours after our 5am departure, I learned that while one of the extensionists would be going all the way to Belize City, I would in fact be stopping in Georgeville, outside the capitol city of Belmopan. As it turns out there was a children’s home there that was in need of a solar latrine and a wood conservation stove and oven. I was unprepared to put together stove and oven, but glad to have the opportunity to get out of the truck and do some more work. Nine hours, 48 bug bites, a nail-penetrated right foot, and a sunburn later, we had completed our work for the day. I was exhausted, but felt great to have contributed to helping Jaime get his vision of a self-sustainable home for abused and abandoned children moving in the right direction.
Since Friday was the last official day of work for all the extensionists until the 29th, this weekend has been very relaxing and a great opportunity for me to get out and do some recreational activities. Yesterday I hiked up Serra Hill, which is the highest hill in the Toledo District, and today I went for an afternoon swim in the sea. On Tuesday I will be traveling by ferry and bus into Guatemala with Kevin, the Smaller World Tour director, to visit one of his friends in a rural Mayan village. We will celebrate Christmas there and then travel for a few days to see some other parts of the country, including the village that was his site while he was a PeaceCore volunteer and hopefully Tikal, which is home to Central America’s second biggest Mayan ruin.
Once we get back and everyone returns to work, I am excited for many things I have planned in the next few weeks. For one, I will be living and working with a farmer in his home out in one of the villages we work in for three days. Hopefully this will take place from the 31st through the 2nd. What a way to ring in 2009, huh? This is something that I told Nana was very important to me while I was here because it is one thing to come into their villages and work with them during the day, but it is quite another to live as they live for a few days. Hopefully I will encounter some of the issues I have been hearing about, and have the opportunity to really get to know a farmer and get his point of view on life as he knows it. After that, I will be looking forward to being heavily involved in the Smaller World Tour that will be here January 3-10, where I will be able to help with all the projects and offer any insights I can to the participants. Also, I will spend a few days up in Stann Creek, which is the next district up from Toledo, and the district that SHI has recently expanded to. So much to do and so much to learn!
I tried to upload a video of the "light rain" so you could judge the intensity of this precipitation for yourselves, but, alas, the satellite internet we have here would not allow it. Unfortunately it always has the final say in matters such as this. The top photo is of me at the top of Serra Hill, looking down over the beautiful dense forest, Punta Gorda Town, and out to the Caribbean Sea. Yes, I am sweating profusely. It was a very difficult hike straight up a heavily wooded hill in hot and humid conditions, what do you expect? I wanted to give you all an idea of what this stove looked like and how it functioned, so I took a photo from above to show all its compartments and intricacies. It looks so basic from the outside, but there really is a lot going on and a lot of work to do to make it function. Then there is a photo of the crew I worked with on Friday in Georgeville. From left to right - Jaime, Juan, Greg Anthony, Ramon, and yours truly. Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday there is a market in the town center for all the farmers from surrounding villages to bring their produce and sell to the townspeople. This next photo is the scene on Saturday, the biggest day at that market each week. Finally, just because this is such an important part of my journey, the last photo is of the view from my journal spot. I found a lovely little hidden spot below a cliff to sit on a rock at the edge of the sea and let my thoughts and prayers flow. It is absolutely perfect. Merry Christmas, everyone, be good to yourselves and those around you.
Another week down here in Punta Gorda, and a lot more work has been accomplished, despite relentless rain storms. Most of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week was a wash, quite literally, as we just could not seem to get a break from the rain long enough for the ground to dry enough to work. I was commenting on how hard it was raining repeatedly, while all the extensionists seemed to be saying, ”If it would only stop this annoying drizzle then we could get back to work.” Apparently I know nothing about a good rain, an understanding I thought was inherently mine since I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. I was disappointed to not be able to go out and continue to work on the projects, but it was a nice opportunity for me to spend more time around the office and get some of my own work done while getting a better idea of how things work there.
Friday made up for all the missed work the previous three days by offering me a 17-hour work outing. I was told by Nana that they were driving up to Belize City to meet a board member who was flying down here for a while. I thought it strange that we would drive four hours just to meet them and come back when they could just fly here very easily on their own, but I asked no questions and agreed to join them. A couple hours after our 5am departure, I learned that while one of the extensionists would be going all the way to Belize City, I would in fact be stopping in Georgeville, outside the capitol city of Belmopan. As it turns out there was a children’s home there that was in need of a solar latrine and a wood conservation stove and oven. I was unprepared to put together stove and oven, but glad to have the opportunity to get out of the truck and do some more work. Nine hours, 48 bug bites, a nail-penetrated right foot, and a sunburn later, we had completed our work for the day. I was exhausted, but felt great to have contributed to helping Jaime get his vision of a self-sustainable home for abused and abandoned children moving in the right direction.
Since Friday was the last official day of work for all the extensionists until the 29th, this weekend has been very relaxing and a great opportunity for me to get out and do some recreational activities. Yesterday I hiked up Serra Hill, which is the highest hill in the Toledo District, and today I went for an afternoon swim in the sea. On Tuesday I will be traveling by ferry and bus into Guatemala with Kevin, the Smaller World Tour director, to visit one of his friends in a rural Mayan village. We will celebrate Christmas there and then travel for a few days to see some other parts of the country, including the village that was his site while he was a PeaceCore volunteer and hopefully Tikal, which is home to Central America’s second biggest Mayan ruin.
Once we get back and everyone returns to work, I am excited for many things I have planned in the next few weeks. For one, I will be living and working with a farmer in his home out in one of the villages we work in for three days. Hopefully this will take place from the 31st through the 2nd. What a way to ring in 2009, huh? This is something that I told Nana was very important to me while I was here because it is one thing to come into their villages and work with them during the day, but it is quite another to live as they live for a few days. Hopefully I will encounter some of the issues I have been hearing about, and have the opportunity to really get to know a farmer and get his point of view on life as he knows it. After that, I will be looking forward to being heavily involved in the Smaller World Tour that will be here January 3-10, where I will be able to help with all the projects and offer any insights I can to the participants. Also, I will spend a few days up in Stann Creek, which is the next district up from Toledo, and the district that SHI has recently expanded to. So much to do and so much to learn!
I tried to upload a video of the "light rain" so you could judge the intensity of this precipitation for yourselves, but, alas, the satellite internet we have here would not allow it. Unfortunately it always has the final say in matters such as this. The top photo is of me at the top of Serra Hill, looking down over the beautiful dense forest, Punta Gorda Town, and out to the Caribbean Sea. Yes, I am sweating profusely. It was a very difficult hike straight up a heavily wooded hill in hot and humid conditions, what do you expect? I wanted to give you all an idea of what this stove looked like and how it functioned, so I took a photo from above to show all its compartments and intricacies. It looks so basic from the outside, but there really is a lot going on and a lot of work to do to make it function. Then there is a photo of the crew I worked with on Friday in Georgeville. From left to right - Jaime, Juan, Greg Anthony, Ramon, and yours truly. Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday there is a market in the town center for all the farmers from surrounding villages to bring their produce and sell to the townspeople. This next photo is the scene on Saturday, the biggest day at that market each week. Finally, just because this is such an important part of my journey, the last photo is of the view from my journal spot. I found a lovely little hidden spot below a cliff to sit on a rock at the edge of the sea and let my thoughts and prayers flow. It is absolutely perfect. Merry Christmas, everyone, be good to yourselves and those around you.
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