Escuela Vacaciones

Happy holidays everyone!

I hope you are all enjoying the cold weather in MN...you probably think I am making fun of you from a nice tropical climate (which believe me, it is very nice!), but Christmas just isn't the same without snow on the ground and frostbite on numerous extremities.

We finished our vacation school yesterday. Here in Guatemala, we are on "summer" break right now so to speak. The vacation school was an optional class that 38 students decided to participate in. We taught both English and Intro to Computation (basics of the computer). The vacation school also included the nutrition program I have been working on.

For a final hooray, we had a fiesta yesterday. We brought ice cream (a first for many), cake, drinks and enough food to feed just about the entire community (parents, siblings, non-participants). We also gave away flashlights to all the students. Fr. Bernie had them donated, and they are great for the aldeas because they don't require electricity (which the community doesn't have and cannot afford to purchase batteries). These lights have a small hand crank on them that you spin to turn a mini generator in the flashlight that powers the light. Very cool. The kids were ecstatic.

After dancing for an our or so to burn off all the extra calories from the sweets, we gave away the grand final. I spent the day before making diplomas for all the students and appreciation certificates for the mothers that decided to help cook with the nutrition program. More smiles. It was really a great day for everyone.

Thank you Kevin for scoring me a College Pass to Steamboat...helped me BIG time!!!

Go Vikes!

I hope you all have a great Christmas, and I look forward to seeing everyone soon. I'll be back in MN on the 28th of December for two weeks.

PD

Tis the Season

Hello all!

I haven't blogged for a while, but to tell you the truth not a lot has happened lately (not a good opening line, I know. But keep reading if you want). Just lots of work and studying...

This past week we started learning Christmas songs in Spanish. It is really funny because they have the same tune, but often times have very different translations - kind of confusing. We are teaching our students these songs in the aldeas, too. They are mostly Catholic with indigenous Mayan influence, but are unfamiliar with Christmas songs. How sad, I know.

I'm fighting a cold night now, which isn't real important to anyone - but it highlights some traditional thinking that is kind of humorous. I'm not trying to sound demeaning, but it is just very different than what we know in healthcare these days in the States. The best example is their fear of hot/cold combos. If you come in from the rain, they don't want you to take a warm shower. Or I'll finish running, but they advise against talking a cold shower. I can't even eat ice cream with hot fudge! This hot/cold combo is the only reason people get sick down here, apparently. I was telling some of the monks that I got sick this time because I'm always around our students - and there are always a couple who will be sick. They disagreed with me and said it was because it is really hot where you work in the jungle and cooler here in Coban. They even went as far as to tell me that I should drink a glass of whiskey for my throat, but without ice. If there is ice in it, you will just get worse! I like the idea of having a glass of whiskey, but without ice - not so sure! Maybe I'll just have one with ice and another without ice. They should balance out, right?

The other traditional thinking mentality I've experienced here is that EVERYTHING is gripe (Spanish for 'flu'). Whether you have a headache, are stuffed up, or have a fever - you have gripe. There is no distinguishing between bacterial infections, viruses, or fungus among others. There exists only one type of sickness in the world, and that is gripe!!!

We did get some good news yesterday. MAGA and the Departmental Government of Alta Verapaz approved a grant for our chicken coop project. The grant will fund the purchase of all our chickens, feeders, feed concentrate, and egg cartons. This is GREAT news as we didn't have enough money to finish the project!

Talking about financial problems...ahhh Dubai - you make me laugh.

This is just a pet-peeve, but I just have to get it off my chest. We have breakfast every morning here at 7:00 am. We usually leave for work well before this and eat on the way, but somedays we stay in Coban and "sleep in" until 7:00 am. Anyways, if you don't show up for breakfast, the community is small enough that everyone notices. All day I get interrogated about what happened the night before - so I just never miss breakfast, it is easier that way. This morning, I decided to sleep in until 8:00 am when work starts because I'm sick. Should have known it, Fr. Bernie told me the entire community thinks I was hung over...awesome.

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season. I heard MN just got hit with a big storm. Send some of that snow down here!

Looking forward to seeing everyone soon,

PD

(Chicken coop project in Yalchacti)

Contact Info

So I just found out people have been looking for my contact information...I probably should have done this in my first post, but here it is:

Mailing Address:

Jon R.J. Dunn F107
PO Box 520635
Miami, FL 53152-0635
Attn: Fr. Bernadine Ness

*This address can be used for all packages and valuables

Apartado 19
16901 Coban, A.V.
Guatemala, Centro Americo

*Use for letters/postcards/etc. Expect two weeks minimum on this, and don’t use it to send anything of value!

Program Info:

Benedictine Volunteer Corps
Collegeville, MN
http://www.saintjohnsabbey.org/volunteers/ (website)
Attn: Br. Paul Richards, OSB
prichards@csbsju.edu (email)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

*Warning: This is a looooooong one!

My spirits are still high, but today was the first day I was really thinking about home. We actually had Thanksgiving here in the monastery, even though it is not celebrated though out Guatemala. Apparently they don't celebrate Day of the Conquistadors like we celebrate the arrival of the pilgrims at Plymouth Rock?! (Off color joke, sorry...) Thanksgiving was nice here (we actually got turkey and dressing), but it just reminds you that holidays are special because of family – not all the fluffy things like presents and food that go along with it. Mom, your cooking is AMAZING (just to clarify). You guys know I’m not much of the emotional type, but I’m really looking forward to seeing you all just after Christmas. Today was just another day without spending it with you guys down at Joan and Jims. Ok. Enough of the sentimental stuff.

I had a bit of a frustrating day in the aldeas today for multiple reasons. I need to vent, so you will just have to put up with it. Firstly, St. John’s Abbey was kind enough to provide me with a donation for the nutrition program here – which does not have funding during the vacation period (ie now). [THANK YOU VERY MUCH BR. PAUL!!!] With the donation, I was able to secure enough resources to continue the program throughout their five-week break – because believe it or not, just because they are not in school officially doesn’t mean they don’t get hungry! Anyways, the mothers today told us they don’t want to help cook the meals. I think I do a very good job of recognizing cultural differences, of being patient, but this got my blood pressure going. Here, we are providing free school in a building we built, your child(s) are in our classes, we have provided food free of charge, we are using the food to feed YOUR child, and all we ask for is two mothers to help cook each day! We even provided them with money to purchase tortillas and wood for the stoves, so all they have to do is show up! Oscar is having a meeting with all the senoras tomorrow. I hope he can clear this up…

Secondly, we are building a large-scale chicken coup in the same aldea. This will serve two purposes. It will provide unlimited eggs, which are a great source of protein in their diet (almost non-existent now), as well as provide a consistent revenue stream. Fr. Bernie has paid or found donors for everything, including two full time laborers to assemble it. All he asked for was help with some of the simpler tasks, such as backfilling and building the chicken rousts. Everything is there, but no one has shown up the entire week to help. The project is just being forgotten about, and when it is this close to completion, all I can think about is the opportunity costs of both money and nutrition being wasted every day. Very frustrating.

Lastly, the community is having some internal problems as well. In an effort to buy locally, we invited anyone within the community who had access to wood to sell it to us (remember the blog I wrote about the difficulties of purchasing locally, but we were willing to work with as we wanted to support the local economy). Only one person came forward and offered to sell us wood. So, we bought all the wood he had. Now, the other members of the community are jealous of his earnings and refusing to help with anything. Again, trying to not criticize a culture or community I am not a part of, but we offered everyone the same deal (which was a very fair price by the way). I don’t get it. Ok, I’m done venting. Hopefully you’re still reading?

I am not a big fast food guy. I eat it on occasion because it is cheap, or just looking for a quick meal on the road like most Americans. So when I came here, I decided I wouldn’t eat any fast food for my duration in Guatemala. There are not many fast food restaurants here anyways, and the ones that are here are almost exclusively located in Guatemala City, but there are a few hidden gems here and there. Today, Br. Rolando brought me back a cheeseburger unexpectedly. I ate it – and must admit McDonalds has never tasted so good in my life.

My stories today follow absolutely NO chronological order, so please don’t try and figure out a timeline when I say “today” or “last night.” Either I’ll be wrong or you’ll be wrong, but either way it will never be correct, so save yourself the effort.

LASTNIGHT we had a bit of a celebration for Thanksgiving. It included some finger food (peanuts, popcorn ect), cerviche and beer. The cerviche that I have had has always been made with seafood. This cerviche had a distinct flavor and texture. Apparently bull testicles are a delicacy here in Guatemala. I almost throw-up, and in retrospect, kind of wish I did. I swear I could feel the pure testosterone flowing through my veins this morning when I woke up…

On another note, [READ: One it which I will not make myself the center of all jokes for the next two and a half years] blessings here in Guatemala are very abundant. People may not go to church, but they sure as hell need a religious to come and bless their (fill in the blank). A few funny ones from this week; a semi-truck, a new computer store, and lastly a discoteca (epicenter of all things immoral – i.e. murder, drugs and prostitution).

Bought my plane ticket this week. I will be back in the States from 28 Dec to 14 Jan.

See you all then,

PD

(Photo: Before the cerviche...)

Fuimos a Belize

Wow. Belize is absolutely AMAZING!!! I can’t believe how beautiful it is. I am volunteering in the WRONG country – I hope you read this Br. Paul…

For those of you who don’t know, I didn’t get a Visa for working in Guatemala. This means I need to conveniently leave the country every 90 days for a long weekend – a perfect opportunity for a little R & R. For our first ‘trip’ we decided to go to Belize, or at least that was my excuse.

Luke, another BVC member from Esquipulas, joined us for the little adventure, along with two monks from the monastery in Cobán. When we got to the border at Belize though, the two monks weren’t allowed in. There was a recent rule change, similar to Canada and the US, that now required all Guatemalans to carry a passport in Belize and not only their identification cards. Too bad for them, they missed an awesome trip.

So we caught the last bus from the border to Belize City. After about 3 hours, we arrived in Belize City well after dark and found ourselves a sufficiently sketchy guesthouse (hotel) to stay in. After some conch soup and a couple Belikens, we were ready for bed.

In the morning, we took a water taxi out to San Pedro – a caye (key) just over an hour away. This is one of the coolest places I have ever been. Like an undeveloped Cancun, Mexico. Just as nice, but fewer people, cheaper and a little more culture. People in Belize speak English as well, so that wasn’t a problem. I would recommend this place to ANYONE. Absolutely fabulous. It was low season for tourism, so all the prices were really low. We rented a great condo with queen size beds, private deck/patio, private dock, air conditioning – all for $55 US/night.

We also took advantage of San Pedro’s close proximity to the 2^nd largest reef in the world. We spent an afternoon snorkeling, checking out one of the best snorkeling sites in the world, Hol Chan – check it out on-line. This included a visit to ‘shark alley’ where we swam with wild nerf sharks and stingrays (yeah, the “harmless” rays that killed our beloved Steve Irwin). Actually got to touch them in the water and everything as we had this completely crazy guide that would catch them and hold them for us underwater. Yeah, he got a tip…

There was some great nightlife there too. Without going into too many details, we spent a couple nights socializing with a bunch of Canadians. For some reason or another, Canadians love this place. It was nice for me though, as Canadians made me feel closer to home in MN than anyone else I have met down here. Highlight: At one of the bars, they had the world famous chicken drop. You are probably asking yourself, what the hell is the world famous chicken drop – as I did as well. It consists of a large board with painted squares numbering 1 – 100. Each person buys as many squares as desired, at 50 cents each, and then draws their numbers. Once all the squares have been purchased, a chicken is released on the board, which is surrounded by a small fence. Wherever the chicken decides to do its ‘business’, the person with that square wins the pot – which was the total winnings (the house doesn’t take any). Only catch is the winner needs to clean up the mess in front of the entire crowd. Very fun. I will be introducing this to Wytt in hopes of bringing the “world famous chicken drop” to Waconia, MN. My mother would be so proud…ha

On the way back, we stopped in Placencia for a night. Another great place on the coast, but more low keyed. Apparently it picks up during the high season, but during the rest of the time it is more of a couples hangout. Nice though.

After crossing the boarder back to Guatemala via water taxi to Puerto Barrios, we started our lovely bus trip back to Coban. Awesome trip though, I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

Take care,

PD

P.s. Almost forgot. I saw my first deadly snake here in Guatemala. Luckily, this guy had just been killed minutes before by a car in front of us. Despite my smile in the picture, I don't like snakes. At all.

Birthdays in Guatemala

Two posts in one day. You can tell I must be trying to catch up before I head off to Belize this week!

My birthday, Friday the 13th, was surprisingly very fun. I got a cake, a really good one too. Pretty sure the monks bought it because it looked very professional. With ice cream too! The whole “day” was actually really fun. Thursday night, Fr. Bernie and Fr. Basil (the two American monks) along with Matt and a Guatemalan friend of Fr. Bernie’s and Fr. Basil surprised me with a bottle of whiskey, a bottle of rum and some beer. We sat around eating peanuts and sipping “holy water” until way passed the monks’ normal bedtime. On Friday, I woke up a present of candy outside my door, still don’t know who left it? I went to the refectory for breakfast, and they had signs, streamers and balloons on the wall for me. PLUS, we had pancakes for breakfast! No beans - thank God!!! Then at lunch, I got the birthday song, cake and ice cream. For dinner, my Spanish teacher invited Matt and I over to have dinner with her family. Very fun. Good food, a little wine, good company. Very nice evening. And finally, one of the monks and one of the guys I work went out for Chinese food and a couple beers in the Central Park, where they had the Christmas Tree lighting program. Sponsored by none other than Gallo Cervaza. The lights decorating the tree are actually Gallo beer lights. I really wish I was joking, but it is the truth.

See you all soon,

PD

Antigua y Guatemala City

Hello all. So this past weekend Matt and I went with Hermano Augustine to Antigua for a graduation celebration. Augustine is best friends with the uncle of the graduate - who just graduated from a one year school to work in banking. It was a private party, which was really nice. They had catered food, a large area for dancing, a full DJ...and security at the door. It was really fun, especially because we could just let our guard down, have some drinks and 'try' to learn to salsa dance. Of course the night wouldn't have been complete without some quality Michael Jackson music - he is really starting to get on my nerves down here...

The whole experience was great because we were able to experience Antigua, a large tourist spot, as locals. This included local restaurants, visiting the local markets, and just having an "in" that most gringos don't usually have in Antigua. Very fun.

On the way back we stopped in Guatemala to get a package my parents sent down. Thank you very much mom and dad, I love packages and look forward to more?

While in Guatemala, we decided to check out the Cathedral and Government Palace in the center of the city. It was interesting, especially because the Cathedral houses the tomb of Monsignor Juan Jose Gerardi, known as an outspoken human rights activist who was assassinated in his home in 1998.

The highlight of the day though was eating at Pollo Campero. It was my first time ever in over two months in Guatemala. That doesn't sound like a big deal, but Pollo Campero is like McDonalds in the States, only worse. It is the definition of monopoly in the fast food industry. It is the ONLY fast food restaurant and it is everywhere!!! It is pretty good, very similar to KFC in the States, but I'd eat at a local restaurant for less money and better food any day. They did have french fries though, and after two months...damn they tasted good.

Almost forgot. I've been doing some work with a Rotary water project. The club here has received funding from a Rotary group in California. We purchase them, paint em' up, and ship em' out to needy families/schools. They work as cisterns, and capture rain water from their roofs for drinking water. Sounds unsanitary to us in the States, but this is FAR better than the drinking water found in the tap or in the rivers/lakes.

Heading to Belize this week, so I may be out of touch for a while...who knows?

Until next time,

PD

Dia de los Muertes, Circo, Antigua

Wow...I am really starting to get behind on my blog. Anyone familiar with Dia de los Muertos would know it was celebrated last Monday! I don't even have a good excuse as to why I haven't filled you guys in-

Here we go. So Monday was Dia de los Muertos. It follows all Saint's Day every year. People spend the day before adorning the tombs of dead family members and friends with flowers. These makeshift alters also contain numerous photos as well as items the deceased enjoyed, such as chocolate or cigarettes to name a couple. While celebrated as a reflective holiday, the general attitude seems to be more positive than people visiting grave-sites in the States. More of a "celebration of life" if that doesn't seem to cliche. The afternoon is spent eating HUGE traditional meals. Kind of like Thanksgiving in the States, it is notorious for over eating/drinking. My cheeks may have been a little red at prayer that night...

Tuesday night Matt and I went to the Circus, or circo, with two of the monks. It was more of a talent show than a circus the way we know them in the States. I give them credit for trying. In between acts, they would rotate in and out as food vendors, security, ticket sales etc. The highlight of my night was the Michael Jackson tribute. No it wasn't. That's a lie. Thought I could run away from that whole media mess back home, only to run into tribute bands here. I visited the capital this week too - another impersonator in the central park. I have no idea why, but he is more popular here that he was back home. Ridiculous.

This past weekend we went to Antigua for a graduation party and stopped in the capital on the way back. Very fun. I'll tell you more about it. Tomorrow. Off to Belize this next weekend to renew my "90" days on my passport/and for my birthday.

Damn Yankees. Souless.

Happy 25th Anniversary Mom and Dad! David and Kevin too if I'm not mistaken? Two years for both of you, wow. I'm either the immature one or the smart one - who knows?! ha

Got a package this week. I like getting packages.

Miss you all back home-

PD

Happy 25th Anniversary Mom & Dad!

This post is reserved solely for them. Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad! Wish I could be there, and please do something fun...(i.e. visit me?)

Semuc Champey

What a weekend…Semuc Champey was absolutely AWESOME. Matt and I left Cobán after work on Saturday with Br. Augustine, Br. Lionel, and the monastery’s two employees that help in the aldeas, Oscar and Alberto. We got a later start then expected, which made things difficult because we ran into bad fog and the road has no lights – in addition to being a scary mountain road with limited guardrails. We finally arrived in the pouring rain. After a quick meal at a restaurant called Shalom, we meandered back to the hotel for a nightcap or two. It was Halloween after all, or Dia de los Brujas.

In the morning, we got an early start up the jeep trail to the actually falls of Semuc Champey. Near the entrance, there is a German Eco-hotel where we sat and ate breakfast outside. It was really a cool/relaxing place, with bungalows and hammocks all over the place. If I go again, this is where I will be staying.

The actual falls and pools were absolutely beautiful. The area is still very undeveloped, creating an extremely natural setting – but kind of dangerous too if you’re not careful! We spent a couple hours just floating in the pools under the sun, what a great morning.

We headed back to the Monastery in Cobán in order to celebrate Dia de los Santos – or All Saints Day. It is celebrated here much more than at home. There are lavish decorations around altars to honor all the Saints and clergy that have passed, as well as a large feast of traditional "turkey soup" and "sandwich Maya."

On a completely unrelated note, something really funny happened during my Spanish class tonight. My teacher had made it clear at the beginning of my course that she didn’t speak any of the Mayan dialects. Well in comes one of the monks, Rolando - a close friend of mine, and calls me a womanizer in Q’ eqchi’. I bark back and tell him to “eat s*&$” in Q’ eqchi’. Apparently this is the ONLY phrase my teacher knows, because she immediately turned to me in dismay. Despite the moment of awkwardness with my teacher as I just cursed a religious, Rolando and I couldn’t stop laughing…it was the story of the monastery all night.

More to come soon. Dia de los Muertes and my trip to the circus with two monks.

Go Phillies! Please beat the Yankees…

PD

My New Job Description

Hello all,

Happy Halloween!

My job description has now changed. I spoke with Fr. Bernie and told him that it might be time to split Matt and I up to focus on our individual strengths rather than just doing everything together (i.e. taking the food to the aldeas). I think he was glad to hear this because I will be able to help him out more at the monastery. Matt will continue teaching (he’s really good with kids and has the energy to keep up with them – more than I sometimes have…) and I will be taking over the new school here in Coban.

I can already tell it was a good adjustment. I feel much more productive in this element – as I should after working in an office for the past four years at St. Johns (Hello office ladies!). I get to organize all the aid that we received, set up our office, make sure construction is coming along correctly, documenting everything, etc. Essentially, “get this school and office operational so we can open in January.” I am looking forward to the challenge! Its fun too because I get to meet a lot of Fr. Bernie’s contacts and try and bring the right people together to create some synergy that will make things happen, all the while trying to fundraise as well (cough, cough).

Last night at dinner we had some food that really looked awful. Normally, there is an alternative choice, but not this time! Talkin about bad luck. One of the monks heard me making a joke about the god-awful food and apparently agreed. We dipped out after dinner and went to a Chinese restaurant (actually the first time I’ve ate out in Coban). It was really good and I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated variety more. After dinner we went to a small, second floor local bar and enjoyed some drinks before arriving back at the monastery where we were greeted by one of our guard dogs…thank God she was in a good mood – that could have been bad. I found out this morning she was out because three guys were trying to break into the other entrance gate near the new school and the security guard set the dogs loose on them. Wouldn’t want to be them.

I’m off to Semuc Champey now, which is supposed to be the most beautiful place in Guatemala, check it out on Google. I’ll post another update when I get back-

Have fun at Lambo this weekend, dad. Man that would be fun…

PD

Quick Update + Purchasing Wood Locally

Hello all,

Thought I would give you all a little update. I got word yesterday one of the septic babies was being discharged. Good news! No word on the other baby or the situation with the pregnant daughter/step-dad, but I will update you as soon as I hear.

We are in the process of building a large scale chicken coup right now. In an effort to buy local, we are purchasing much of our wood from a local family. We requested 1ft wide by 8ft long boards - pretty standard. Well, he didn't cut them that way. He said he had 20inch wide boards. Ok, so I recalculated EVERYTHING for purchasing and building with 20inch boards. When we got there to negotiate price, many of the boards were 17 or 18 inches. I told him this was a problem because I drew the plans for 20inch boards. He said, "no problem, I have 21inch and 22inch boards as well to average out to 20inches..." For anyone that has ever built anything, they know this isn't exactly how it works. Just had to roll with it and hope it works?!

Looking forward to Halloween in Central America, it should be pretty crazy and VERY different than in the States! Take pictures of your costumes and send them my way!!!

What a heartbreaker for the Vikings Sunday…

Miss you all and look forward to seeing everyone after Christmas,

PD

Medical Mission - Esquipulas

So I just got back from Esquipulas. It’s the site where Michael Anderson, Waconia and SJU, volunteered two years ago. A 24 member medical team from Catholic HeathCare West (California, Nevada, and Arizona) came to town and needed some extra help. It was really great. We worked REALLY hard, but talking about rewarding. Just the amount you learn being around all these doctors and medical professionals is remarkable. We had a septic baby the first day, seizures and all. It was pretty scary, but luckily we had a full pharmacy set up so they were able to give the injections immediately to try and stabilize him before rushing to the hospital for a full septic set-up. I hope he recovers, but the doctors thought he had meningitis, which is hard for a 26 day old to recover from. The worst part of the whole situation was that the local doctor that was with us wanted to send the baby home with Tylenol. Then, word for word said, “Call me on Saturday, but don’t come in to the clinic.” Basically wanted to cut the loss and not waste time or medicine on the baby. It turned into an argument with our doctors who pretty much told him, “f*#@ you, we are giving him drugs and sending him to the hospital regardless of what you think.” (Spurred on by one of the nurses that was rightly fired up about the situation)

It obviously made me feel better that we were doing the right thing, but at the same time this situation points to a much larger problem. With such limited resources, the doctors here are forced to be realists. They are not heartless human beings. They share the same compassion for helping people that all the doctors on the American team exert, but with the baby’s long-term diagnosis he couldn’t rationalize ‘wasting’ medicine. It is a concept difficult for us to fathom in the States. I know I struggled with it all day.

We also had a lady come in for generalized body pain. She had her 15-year-old daughter with her, who was holding the mom’s infant daughter. After her examination and discharge, the woman just stayed sitting on the bench. She didn’t want to leave. One of the doctors was able to read the situation, and brought her back in. After a long support session, it came out that the woman’s 15-year-old daughter was four months pregnant – with her husband’s baby. The stepdad had more than likely raped the child and now she was pregnant. The mother was irate, but hadn’t said anything because the father threatened to kill her.

Doctors in the US are obligated to report situations like these. But here, things are different. Death threats like these need to be taken very seriously. Most people carry guns, or at least have them, so situations escalate very quickly. Unfortunately, safe-houses and a just judicial system don’t exist. While discussing what to do, our local contact told us, “She won’t live a year if you report this. Additionally, you guys won’t ever be able to return here because he knows she talked to the ‘American’ doctors.” The doctors are desperately trying to figure something out, but I had to return to Cobán before we found a solution, if one even exists. I know this story probably breaks every patient-doctor confidentiality agreement known to man, but I needed to tell it. It still has me off my rocker. I said I was going to write about “the good, the bad AND the ugly.”

On a lighter note, I split my time between the pharmacy and working as a triage ‘nurse.’ While taking vitals, the team ‘camera man,’ who is also a doctor, decided to get me in an ‘action shot’ – yes, cheesy I know. Anyway, he starts making fun of me for being really slow at taking this lady’s blood pressure. After getting the same number twice, I move to try her other arm as well and he just starts ruthlessly making fun of me. I then tell him that I need him to double-check my number (hopefully we don’t give this lady a blood clot in the process) because I got 225/110. I didn’t think that high of a number was even possible, so I am totally doubting myself. He gets the same number. My self-esteem goes up.

We move her up the line and get her into a doctor quickly. The doctor comes out, takes my equipment and without saying anything leaves. She comes back. Looks at me and says, “Oh my God. It’s real.” She is from Panama, so that expression with her accent just got me laughing. So now I know – it is possible to be alive with blood pressure twice the healthy range.

In the evenings, the doctors took us out to REALLY nice restaurants. They can’t afford to get sick from contaminated food, so they demand the best! This is awesome though, because we got to come along on their tab the whole time. Drinks too!!! The last night, the three women that head the medical mission met with us and said they will right letters of recommendations, job search, help with scholarships, anything for us. What a great group of people!

Check out their website (with pictures of our work):

http://missionsblog.chwHEALTH.org/

Miss you all back home-

Cookies, Waterfalls and Riots oh my

Hello all-

What a week for Minnesota sports!

Well I am once again behind on my blog - sorry David. This time I have a legitimate excuse. I finally got sick. It had been over a month without a single incident, so it was long overdue. Luckily, it wasn’t the bad food, throwing up sick like you’d expect. The flu, or “gripe”, has been going around one of our schools. With all the kids holding your hands and touching your stuff (water bottle, dictionary, hat, etc.) it was bound to happen. It had me in bed all weekend. Sore throat, plugged ears, headache. No fun!

But I am better now! So back to the good stuff. Matt and I have successfully created peanut butter cookies from scratch. You may be thinking to yourself, “Oh, nice work boys. I could make cookies from scratch in the 4^th grade,” but from scratch is REALLY from scratch down here. We started by buying peanuts from a street vendor. Make sure and get the roasted peanuts, as most of them are not, making them inedible. Next, you need to shell the peanuts – tastes better that way. After that, we put them through a grinder used primarily for grain and corn. Next, we had to translate the recipe into Spanish, which would normally be easy, but when you are using ingredients not common in Guatemalan cuisine life can be difficult. For example, there is no baking power here. Or brown sugar. We needed to improvise a bit! Using our homemade peanut butter, along with whole grain flour and oats, we were able to develop a nutritious cookie that tasted really good. This was the primary goal, as our aldeas produce eggs and peanuts, and we are trying to create a market for them to sell their goods. Our organization can purchase these inputs for our Nutrition Program, and produce the protein-packed nutritious cookies.

I hate the Yankees.

Spanish classes started this past week with my teacher, Mirna. She has been teaching for twenty years and seems like a very good match so far. We meet three days a week for two hours per session. In between she assigns homework. This should help speed things up a bit!

Happy Birthday Christine!

This past Monday we never made it to work. It was Dia de las Razas (Day of the Races). It is recognized across the country and is celebrated with demonstrations for indigenous rights. One of these demonstrations took place on our road, the only road, to the aldeas. Like these demonstrations often do, things escalated and had become violent. Two people in a similar demonstration were killed in Guatemala City. Here, they prohibited anyone from passing. I have to admit; it is frustrating when you drive through this pass daily, clearly marked as “Rotarians” on our pickup. We eat our breakfast there every day on our way to deliver food/aid to the INDIGENIOUS population! Now they won’t let us through and consequently the kids at our two schools won’t eat today, let alone have teachers.

On a happier note - Welcome, cousin Leo!

On our way home from working, well TRYING to work, we decided to make a detour. The two guys we work with, Oscar and Alberto, showed us this swimming hole off the main road. It doesn’t exist in either of our guidebooks and was hardly marked, so we weren’t expecting much. Wow were we wrong! Here we walk down an embankment in the middle of the jungle. It is so untraveled that nothing but random rocks and a cable to hold onto exist for a path. With more than about two beers in you it would be impossible, and you’d have better luck sitting down on your butt and sliding. We got to the bottom and could see the small lagoons of blue water – similar to those in Glacier National Park, but not nearly as cold! We thought we were there, but Oscar told us to follow the path a bit further. As we rounded the bend, a massive waterfall with a large lagoon appeared from nowhere. It was honestly one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. The picture below cannot do it justice. The sides of the ravine shoot straight up from lagoon. Best part is there wasn’t another soul there except us.

After venturing behind the falls to the cavern, Matt and I returned and we all enjoyed a cold beer on the shore. Life doesn’t get much better than that.

Happy 62^nd Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa!

What a Week

So I got a little behind with my blogs this week, so this one is going to be a long one. Sorry, I'll try and keep it short and concise.

Last Friday we had a little "break" from the typical workings of Guatemala. The evening started with Confirmation Friday (92 kids in all). This is a big deal in the Church, so the Bishop came. Fr. Bernie happens to be good friends with the Bishop, so after the service we all went out to dinner together. We ate at another friend of Fr. Bernie's, Dr. Torey Viarte - out at one of his fincas (large farm/ranch). He comes from a very well-traveled affluent family, is a doctor and large land owner. He had a beautiful Spanish summer home on the property with a veranda out back where we ate (complimentary with armed body guards and all - sawed off shotguns seem to be the weapon of choice). We spent the evening sipping Chivas Regal, talking politics in English and eating steak. It was a great break from what I am exposed to day in and day out in my normal work.

The following day I was not granted the same luxury...we were supposed to have received two semi-containers of aid last Wednesday. Instead, they came on Saturday. No actually I lied. It would have been Sunday as it was at 1:15 am. We unloaded in the dark until about 6:30 am. On my one day off...at least we got a lot of good stuff. We will be working for weeks to distribute it all. Much of the aid will be used to fill the new school we are building in Cobán.

Sunday, Vikes pull off an amazing win. I'm happy again.

During the week, we worked in the aldeas a TON. We started at 4:30 or 5:00 am everyday. We were preparing for Dia de los Ninos (Day of the Children). It is a big celebration for the last day of school. We brought cakes and lots of special food, along with gifts donated by Columbia. We invited a private school (bunch of rich kids) to come out and experience the event. They brought along several pinadas which the students at Rio Palmeras absolutely loved. The whole event was really special. We even got the parents to participate some. This does not seem like a big feat, but the Mayan culture is EXTREMELY serious. It took us about fifteen minutes with the kids calling out particular names before we got anyone up there. Humorously, the first person to come up was a woman with no teeth. The event was "bobbing for apples." For a not so funny thing such as having no teeth, I couldn't help myself from chuckling. A lot. Students will be off of school for about two months now.

Wednesday, Happy Birthday Mother. Love you-

We finally got out grinder, so we will be making homemade peanut butter soon. Also, I start Spanish classes this week. Look for an update midweek.

Go Twins! Go Vikes! Possibly the greatest week in Minnesota sports history ever...

Typical Catholic Mass?

I only have a couple minutes, so I'll make this quick. Two absolutely ridiculous things happened tonight at Mass. First, the Celebrant's cell phone went off while he was preparing the Eucharist. He got startled and couldn't silence it. It rang again seconds after, but this time he tried to pretend it wasn't his - but everyone knew. Secondly, the congregation sang a hymn to the melody of the Bob Dylan song "Blowing in the Wind." The song is now stuck in my head. What a night. And the Catholics criticize us Lutherans for having informal services...(thats a sarcastic joke for all my Benedictine friends at SJU!)

Teaching Begins!

This week Matt and I began teaching in Yalchucti and Rio Palmeras. We will be there three days a week, teaching primarily English. It is a bit of a challenge considering many of the students don't speak Spanish - Q'eqchi' only. A couple of the teachers speak both languages though, so we use Spanish as the intermediary to teach English. Kind of confusing, but hopefully that makes sense? We teach for about 4 hours a session, with 55-60 students in the class (little different than the student-teacher ratio at SJU...)

This Wednesday, all the teachers ate in one of the surrounding aldeas. It was the home of our "athlete of the week." Her parents had a celebration in honor of the award, which is really humorous though - because as is customary, only the males ate/drank (even though the "winner" was his daughter). She helped prepare the meal, and then waited outside. As this example clearly indicates, gender roles are still very alive in parts, well most, of Guatemala.

The actual meal is another story. I need to tell you guys about it now as it is becoming very normal for me, and I need to highlight how "culturally unique," synonym for ridiculous, things can be!

We had to walk about twenty minutes from the gravel jeep trail to reach the aldea. During this part of the day, the temperature is about 100 F with humidity of roughly 250 to 300 percent. So as we get there, I am sweating heavily. We then precede to enter their home, which is a four sided chicken coup essentially with a dirt floor. The temperature is even hotter inside, as we have to sit next to the cooking fire and are separated from any breeze there may be outside. Additionally, the roof is a product called lamina (essentially sheet metal) and you can feel the sun radiating its heat right above your head. Tree limbs are laid across tree stumps for chairs and the table consists of two desks pushed next to each other, and closely resembling the desks from our school (coincidence...?)

Once comfortably seated inside, we are handed a cup filled about half way up with a clear liquid. It is poured from an unmarked bottle, but smells distinctly of a 50/50 rum and insect repellent mixer. Next you are handed a lemon, which you cut in half and squeeze as much juice out of as possible. Finally, you ask for "agua" which is Spanish for water. Humorously again, this is Q'eqchi territory and the language has no distinct word for soda, so "water" means "cola" now. Apparently they don't like mixers here either. I would have been extremely pleased with a "splash" of cola. Which would have been significantly more than the teaspoon poured in my cup. I asked for "poco mas" or a little more, but to no avail. For the record, I needed to stomach a second one of these drinks (cubre libre) for "dessert."

So back to sweating profusely. I am now not only extremely hot, but eating spicy food. Really spicy food. The sweating continues. We drink a hot drink called atoll during the meal. It is steaming when served, and now I am steaming even more. Literally sweating through my shirt. Along with two hefty drinks in my system, I don't think I've ever been this hot before. I'm glad it is guys only at this point.

The meal was called soupa organica. It is a mixture of carrots, onions, maize and spinach in chicken broth. There is some meat, chicken actually, but not exactly what you are used too back home. There is a chunk. A section. Bone, skin, maybe some feathers as I mentioned in my last post with Padre Pedro. I usually choose not to eat the chicken. Today, I did not eat the chicken.

Lastly, people usually have a family dog that sits under the dinner table waiting for someone to drop some food, or he sniffs out the weak one and puts on the begging face? Either way he usually gets some food. Well not here. If there were any dogs, someone probably ate them by now. Instead, we have ducks and chickens under the table looking for food. Again, no joke. I don't even notice them anymore. As we finish our meal, a woman drops off banana leaves at the table. We all take our unfinished meat, along with some extra tortillas, and wrap them up using the leaves and tie them shut with corn stalks. We then walk back to the road in the rain. What a day.

Despite my sometimes sarcastic remarks, I'm having a blast - for real. The hospitality at the meal today, for example, was exemplary. There wasn't a second where I didn't have food, drink or attempted conversation at my fingertips. The hosts were wonderful. I just keep putting a smile on my face and remind myself to have patience, for I will never experience a world like this again. Miss you guys, and look forward to hearing from all of you soon. We are receiving two semi-truck containers of aid tomorrow, so I have A LOT of work in front of me over the next few days. If you're around, drop off some Gatorade!!! Please.

Oh yeah, I got my first haircut down here. Old school barber shop. Used a straight blade and all. So despite what some people may think, I will not be returning to MN with long hair...

Yalchucti y Mayan Misa con Padre Pedro

This week has been packed full of extraordinary events. On Thursday, Matt and I accompanied Padre Pedro to one of the aldeas in the jungle. He is the only native Mayan ordained priest in the region, so having the opportunity to hear not only a Mass, but a baptism and wedding in the local indigenous dialect was something very view people ever get to experience. We had absolutely NO idea what he or anyone else was saying, but we stumbled through the motions making it appear as if we knew what we were doing.

At the actual aldea, we were treated like kings. They provided us, along with local community leaders, meals both before and after the service. We had some type of red, greasy soup with chunks of bird in it. I say "chunks" because that is exactly what it was - bones, fat and whatever else happen to have been attached. We did our best to eat some (trying to be courteous), but remember we had to do this twice in a matter of about two hours!!! We were nowhere close to finishing our food, so they brought in banana leaves to wrap our "take-outs" in. They were then tied up with split corn stalks. No joke. I felt like I was on Discovery Channel's Survivor Man or something...

As we left, they filled our jeep with gunny sacks filled with cocoa (coconuts), bananas, beans and corn. Enough food to feed us for weeks.

The day before, we celebrated a second day of Dia de la Independencia - this time in Yalchucti. Yalchucti is our second project site. We are currently building a chicken coup there that will supply food for the nutrition program, as well as provide additional funds with any surpluses - which there will be plenty as the coup is designed for 1500 chickens.

In Yalchucti, we spent the day playing in a soccer tournament. It was an adult male only team, but don't let "adult" fool you. These guys were ruthless. All they do is play soccer and you can tell. They are in really good shape and have no hesitations throwing their body across the field. Fortunately for me, the tallest one on the field was about 5'6'', giving me a considerable height advantage - the only thing I had going. We lost 4 - 5, but I had three of our four goals. I think this helped me make friends.

Rio Palmeras

Hey everyone!

So despite my claim in the last blog, I did not attend a futbol match this weekend. We were all set to go, but Matt (the other volunteer down here from SJU) got sick and I wasn’t exactly in the mood to go by myself. Next week!

I have spent the last two days in Rio Palmeras – the site of one of our school/building projects. We celebrated Dia de la Independancia there yesterday, September 15th. There were events planned ALL day. It started with dancing, put on by the students at the school. Then there was traditional marimba music while we ate and then danced. The people there loved to see us gringos “trying” to dance to the marimba (a little different than Sal’s on a Friday night).

On another note, it is so damn hot there. I mean like 100 F no problem. The schools, while situated in the mountain jungles, are still about 3,500 ft lower in elevation than Cobán. The craziest thing about it is the indigenous population there wears large, bulky wool skirts and these sweater throws. The men all wear jeans, rubber boots and long sleeve shirts. It is awesome being there, and probably the most rewarding work so far, but my favorite part of the day is still coming back to a cold shower (not by choice, but perfect in that situation!). The other part that tops the day off is the ride home. This over an hour drive would normally seem boring, but here in Guatemala it is the perfect time to enjoy a couple beers. No joke. You stop at a tienda on the side of the road, pick up some Gallos (Guatemalan national beer) and drive. Numerous monks taught me this. Should I feel guilty doing this?

Home for the Next 10 Months

Hello all,

As mentioned in the last blog, I have made my way to Cobán - which will be my home for the next ten months or so. The city has about 50,000 people or so in it. There is very little nightlife as it rains daily in the evening. Not as bad as it sounds though. It is great weather the rest of the day, creating a very green and lush landscape year round. The actual city is nestled in a ravine between several large mountains. The Caribbean and Central American plates actually split the city down the middle, a perfect equation for disaster – though little activity has been prevalent for twenty five years or so (minus weekly tremors!). In my room I am sitting at 4, 150 feet – the only reason my place is bearable as the altitude means cooler temps, but more importantly NO snakes or mosquitoes (not sure which one is worse…).

The actual compound I am in is relatively nice when compared with its surroundings, but unfortunately that is not saying much. I am trying to convince Fr. Bernie to replace the sharpened glass bottles on the security wall with barbwire, but will probably not happen anytime soon. There is a lot of potential though! There are currently several buildings clustered throughout the square block compound, but there are several more under construction. By mid January this year, there should be two brand new educational buildings up and running. The buildings have space for several classrooms, a media room, kitchen, dinning facility and dormitory area for 150 students coming down from the aldeas (mountain villages – primarily Q’eqchi’ Mayan). This has everyone very excited and I will provide pictures soon.

My living quarters are very modest but acceptable. I have a single bed, a desk, closet and my own bathroom with shower! The monks living here are very nice. There are fifteen in all. Three from Blue Cloud Abbey in South Dakota, the remaining are from throughout Central America – including two Q’eqchi’ Mayans. Only one native monk speaks English, so learning Spanish and a little Q’eqchi’ has become a must to interact. I’m learning a lot. I quickly learned one of the monks is a marathon runner, so I have been running with him. He speaks no English, and I speak limited Spanish at the moment, so our runs provide the perfect “mobile classroom.”

I will be going to my first futbol match tomorrow night, and then visiting our building project in the mountains on Monday, so check back in for an update in a few days, friends.