Momestenango

Sunday morning we met at 8am in the park, just in time to grab a delicious chocolate mint latter from &café. This morning we headed to a community outside of Xela called Momostenango. We traveled in a private micro with a representative from the family we visited. Every week, a husband, Luis, and wife, Thelma, team brings woven goods (purses, rugs, bracelets, etc) to our Spanish school to sell and this was the family we visited. Their weavings are a product of their family business. They presented us with the process for making the goods and the history of their family.

To start, the family buys wool from a neighbor sheep farmer. They used to have their own sheep but when the children would herd the sheep in the forest, they would not want to return for their schoolwork so the family decided to get rid of them. After the wool is sheared, it is washed with soap and water. This washed wool is combed using two metal bristled paddles. The soften wool is spun into thread using a hand crank. The thread is then wrapped around wooden polls to create the long bundle shape. The long bundles are then colored using natural dyes. The green comes from plant leaves, the red from crushed insects from Mexico, the purple from fruit from Mexico, the orange from a nearby plant, and a combination of these. The grey and black are from the different type of sheep’s wool. They use ash and calcium to preserve the stained colors. Once the colors are set, they are set up on a foot loom. With a photograph of a previous design as a reference, they set out weaving the wool within pieces of string stretched out as the foundation. A rug takes two weeks and a larger rug or blanket takes longer.

Throughout the presentation, we had the opportunity to try each step. The weaving reminded me of an arts and craft kit I used in my childhood but the detail would never have matched. The process is incredibly tedious and requires lots of practice to become efficient. The products are made exclusively by Luis, Thelma, and their 7 children. Luis learned the process after 8 years of studying with is father. Their family is the fifth generation to participate in this process. All of the children go to school in the morning and work in the afternoon. Neither Luis nor Thelma can read or write so it was important to them that education be prioritized. The oldest of the children is 23 and currently attending the university in Xela to become a doctor. He continues to work in the business, too. He wants to serve as the doctor of Momostenango because there is not one in their community. The second oldest is a PE teacher in Xela. The youngest is only 2 years old.

After the presentation, we were offered fresh tortillas off the fire (delicious!) with beans, queso fresco, and guacamole. We also got to see the finished products. They had hats, gloves, jewelry, purses, jackets, and more. I bought a full-size blanket. I had been admiring their work at school for a while now but once I saw the process, I felt drawn to support this family. I am waiting for it to get colder before I start using it.

When we returned to Xela, we were dropped off at Artisano. I picked up my stuff bread (think sausage bread menus the sausage plus veggies and more cheese) and headed home. Hannah, Rachel, and I met up with Geoff (who had camped the night before) and went to the Xelaju soccer game. Xelaju won 1-0 after a goal by our drama queen in yellow kicks.

Laguna Chicabal

Saturday morning we met at the pharmacy/fire station round-a-bout at 6:30am. After a short walk, we boarded a micro toward the trail head. Upon our arrival, several people bought water for the hike ahead and camping overnight (5 people). We started the first part of the walk to the trail head down and back up from a creek. Luckily, we encountered a pickup that was willing to give us a lift to the trail. It was about a 20 minute bumpy ride with lots of inclines and drops. 13 of us girls piled (including Kate) climbed in the truck bed and the boys squeezed in the cab. We all sat quite uncomfortably but were grateful to avoid exhausting ourselves before the actual hike.

At the trail head, there were a few huts surrounded by farms and lots of the trees. The majority of the hike to the Laguna was straight up. There were a few switchbacks and a few flatter resting areas. This hike was much easier than my experience last weekend with Tajumulco. About an hour later, we reached a view point of the Laguna. It is a mountain lake surrounded by trees on all sides. This is the site of Mayan rituals and prayers. You are not allowed to swim or fish in the lake, although we heard some rumors about the fish and the water. From the viewpoint, we descended some 600 stairs to the lake. It was incredibly still and calm. There were a few ripples from some fish or animals. As we walked around the bank, the clouds began to descend over the water. Within 15 minutes, you could no longer see a few feet in front of you. Our adventure around the lake was not too adventurous. We had to climb over some fallen logs and walk gently through swampy marsh but nothing too radical. We saw several prayer alters around the lake with signs reminding people not to disturb them.

After our walk, 10 of us began the challenge of climbing back up 600 stairs. I served as Harim’s primary cheerleader as we stepped 24 steps at a time – in honor of her 24^th birthday today. The other 5 camped the night (I heard was very wet and cold but the fog cleared for a bit). The walk down the trail was more difficult then up because it was quite steep and slick. We chatted all the way to the huts. The same truck was waiting to take us the rest of the way down. We took another micro back to Xela and enjoyed some sandwiches with Carlos at Artesano.

Saturday afternoon we all spent separately and then reunited in the late afternoon. To celebrate Harim’s birthday we went to Megapaca (GIANT second hand clothing store), ate dinner in the Hiper food court – I had Dominos which didn’t quite taste like Dominos, and saw Bad Teacher at the movie theater with popcorn and skittles.

First day at Salud y Paz

Today (Monday) was my first full volunteer day in my clinic, Salud y Paz (http://saludypaz.org/). Salud y Paz is a nonprofit organization sponsored by the Methodist church that runs 3 clinics year-round and 2 other clinics with medical mission trips visit rural areas. Monday and Tuesday I will be with the clinic in Cocomanuj (Chichicastenango), Wednesday in Xela, and Thursday in San Antonio (Sustantepequez). Today I met Korrin at the bottom of her hill at 620am and we walked to the Rotunda to pick up a microbus at 635am. Five minutes later we departed next to the orange wall under the overpass where Erika, our coordinator, told us to wait for the blue micro that would take us to the clinic. We arrived plenty early and watched chicken bus after chicken bus and micro after micro pass until we saw a woman across the street with a Salud y Paz jacket. We raced across the street to catch the bus, only to find it that it would truly make a u-turn and come back to the same place we waited for nearly 20 minutes. Tomorrow we are going to leave our houses a bit later to avoid the long wait time.

Our micro ride was uneventful at first. Jose, the eye glass specialist, drove the micro. Maribel, the clinic cook, rode in front with him. There were also two dentist, Dr. Fredy the GP, one nurse, two Guatemalan student volunteers, and us. About an hour into the ride, we came to a dead stop. There was a human blockade across the freeway to protest the crappiness of the freeway. Buses, trucks, and cars could not pass and would not be able to pass all day. Dr. Fredy, Korrin, and I walked through the blockade to the other side. The others followed shortly after. Jose parked our micro in some man’s driveway and we all waited together for about another hour. Korrin and I had a chance to talk to Dr. Fredy a little about ourselves. He presented the current state of Guatemalan public health to us a few weeks ago (shitty, as you can imagine). An ambulance from the town’s firestation came to pick us up and drove us the next hour into the clinic.

When we arrived Korrin and I met Sarah, a 4^th year med student at UVA, and Cheryl, a nurse practioner from the States who is our coordinator. Sarah gave us a brief tour of the clinic, which she had just received herself that morning. The clinic includes a few exam rooms, a pharmacy, a laboratory, a storage room, an eye exam/surgery room, an operating room, multipurpose room, and kitchen. We spent our entire day in the multipurpose room. After our tour, we watched a presentation about the clinic and its expectations for us. Then Korrin and I helped Sonia and Maria count pills from big bottles and sort them into individual prescription sized amounts in zip locks. Sonia and Maria spoke Quiche (one of the top three most common Guatemalan dialects) to each other and spoke Spanish to Korrin and I. We want to learn some Quiche because the majority of the patients at the clinic speak only Quiche.

Just after 1pm we ate lunch as a staff. Roasted chicken, chicken soup, tortillas, and pineapple. Korrin and I ended up at what Cheryl called the “bilingual” table at lunch but Korrin and I spoke more Spanish than any of the other American staff or volunteers. Dr. Fredy sat with us as well but spoke in broken English (I assume he wanted to practice). I felt bad for two of the women who sat at our table and did not understand any English. Somos Hermanos has done a lot of prep with us about not speaking English in front of people who don’t understand it. I spoke some Spanish to Maria who sat next to me and translated some of the conversation for her. I was surprised by how much Cheryl struggled to speak Spanish despite her time in Guatemala and Honduras. The other visiting doctor turned out to be from Everett, WA. He did not understand any of the Spanish I said to him. Sarah has been in Guatemala for 3 weeks taking Spanish classes but Korrin and I will be spending part of our volunteer time translating for her during patient consultations (OMG but totally awesome for us). After lunch, the English-speakers continued on discussing a patient and medication, alternative birth control methods (alternative to condoms and pills because Guatemalan typically won’t use either), and how Cheryl does a lot of research to learn more about patients needs outside her expertise (way cool for her).

Around 230pm we left the clinic in anticipation of another delay after our ambulance ride back to the micro. Luckily, we had no further delays and arrived back in Xela around 4pm. We took another micro back closer to home. I had time to go to yoga after and reflect on the day. It was a great opportunity to stretch out all my soreness from Tacamujlco. Ready for bed after a long day!

Tajamulco

This weekend I sumitted the tallest volcano in Central America, Tajamulco! Hannah, Rachel, Sarah, and I went with a local NGO called Quetzaltrekkers (really awesome people – check out their website: http://www.quetzaltrekkers.com/guateabout.html).

At 4:15am Saturday morning, we walked to the Quetzaltrekkers office at Casa Argentina with our packs ready to go. We had met the night before to fill our water bottles and borrow some gear. After a brief check in, 13 of us piled in the back of a pick up and headed for the Minerva Terminal. The 13 of us included us 4, a couple from Israel, a man from Ireland, a man from Idaho, two people from California, and 3 guides (1 British, 1 Canadian, 1 Guatemalan). We loaded into a chicken bus for San Marcos and left about 6:30am. Two hours later we arrived in San Marcos and ate a typical breakfast at a comedor at the bus station. Another one hour bus ride later we arrived at the trail head and started to hike around 9:30am. I received my backpack from the rooftop of our bus with several blood stains. I do not know if someone was bleeding on top of the bus or some dead animal was splattering about up there. I would rather not know. At this point, I was starting to feel the affects of the altitude. I had a runny nose all week as I readjusted to Xela climate after our free week in warm weather and the congestion was greater with the altitude. We started out at 3000m and headed up. The trail was well dug in but a bit muddy. A few places were quite steep and the rocks were easily dislodged from the trail. The altitude, grade, and 35-pound backpack made a difficult start to my first backpacking/camping hike. I spent most of the uphill climb breathing heavily and resting every so often while taking photos. All around the mountain you can see small villages in Guatemala and across the hills in Mexico. There were many green trees and farms. I also spent part of the climb chatting with Pete, one of our guides. Pete is from the UK but has been living and working in Central America for a few years. He is the most experienced of the guides and does most of the coordinating for the NGO because he has the strongest Spanish skills (you should hear Spanish with a British accent :).

Around 1:30pm, we arrived at base camp at 4000m. We hustled to set up the tents because the fog had come in around the mountain and the thunder was overhead. We knew rain would be upon us so we were quick to raise the tents. Fortunately, the girls and I got our own tent. Everyone joined us inside for lunch as the rain began. We eat peanut butter sandwiches and chips with hummus, a tomato and corn salsa, and a potato and veggie salad. This was some of the most flavorful food I have eaten in a while. After lunch, we made our sleeping bags and climbed in. The rain was coming down hard and it was quite cold. We bundled up and snuggled in. We spent the rest of the afternoon giggling, sharing stories, and feeling a bit loopy from the altitude. After night fell and the rain paused for a moment, we stood around a hot pot of Tang. Our spice kit with the tea bags and hot chocolate did not make it up the mountain but somehow the Tang did! Henry, our 15-year-old-looking Guatemalan guide, was having a panic attack about the forgotten spice kit and continued to remind us to look in our bags through the night. Amazingly, hot tang is not as bad as one would expect – anything warm to drink will help. This warm refreshment was followed by a garlic, pesto pasta dinner. The noodles were incredibly flavorful as well. Around 8pm, we climbed back into the tent as the rain began again and called it a night.

I slept well through the night despite the cold and my gurgling stomach. My new sleeping bag was a huge success in comfort, warmth, and maneuverability. When we woke up at 3:45am Sunday morning, my stomach was in a bad place. The pasta was not sitting well and I felt quite nauseous. Despite my discomfort, the clouds had cleared and you could see a million stars and the lights of the homes below. We piled on the layers and packed a few bags with more clothes for the summit. I quickly fell behind from the back and was overcome by my sickness. The combination of altitude and garlic resulted in a few leftover along the trail. Ben, another guide from Canada, stayed back with me. His encouragement included a combination of reminders to watch the colors change in the sky and details from his experience summitting Kilamangaro in Tanzania (I might be brazen enough to attempt this one day). The last hundreds of feet were mostly rocks which we had to climb and scramble. After my last expulsion of dinner and water, I felt like a champion and completed the final burst. The reward of an amazing sunrise at 4222m or 13,900 feet could not be captured in my pictures. I felt like I was on top of the world! The wind blew in cold and many people sat wrapped in their sleeping bags and the sun creeped over the horizon. The clouds looked like ocean waves rolling of the lower mountains. From the top we could see Santa Maria and Santiaguita, which surround Xela, the volcanos around Lago Atitlan, Antigua, and Tapachula, Mexico. The sun changed colors from red to orange to glowing yellow. We could even see the eruption at Santiaguita (commonly bursting with smoke and gases). The view was vale la pena (worth it) but I am not sure how ready I am to complete another huge altitude change with the leftovers of a cold and new food.

The descent was much simpler. We returned to base camp around 6:45am and enjoyed a hot breakfast of oatmeal/granola/cookies/mush. The walk down to the base took about two and half hours with a few breaks. At this point, my legs were sore from all the climbing the day before (and Baul on Friday – bad idea to climb another hike the day before). In my experience, the downhill is always more painful. Pete, Ben, and I chatted all the while on our way down. It was great to hear our people’s travel stories. I was more and more tempted to continue traveling and working abroad as I listened to their stories (sorry, Mom). At the bottom of the trail, we ate lunch at a local restaurant. The servings were huge and well deserved. My appetite had not quite returned but I felt significantly better than breakfast. We boarded a passing chicken bus back to San Marcos after lunch. At the bus station we had a quick transfer facilitated by the ayudante throwing our backpacks from the rooftop to the next bus’s ayudane – can you say, holy flying backpacks, Batman?! This was a Guatemalan first for me. The ride back was uneventful. We went back to the Quetzaltrekkers office as the rain back and unloaded the gear we borrowed and packed. We then walked home. I showered, snacked, and went to a café to check in with life after. Sunday was an early night to bed.

Semana Libre

One week traveling in a microbus aka an oversized mini van through Guatemala and Belize with my new family results in way too many individual stories to write about. The following is a list of highlights from our trip in chronological order. We spent 2 nights in Semuc Champay, 1 night in Tikal, 3 nights in Belize, and 1 night in Rio Dulce. If you want to know more about one or another, google it first for some awesome images (my camera died day two) and then I get share the full details with you.

1. Traveled for 8 days with my new family
2. Swam through the “Cave of Death” while holding a candle over my head in Semuc Champay
3. Climbed up a ladder while a waterfall poured down on me in the same cave
4. Jumped off a cliff into a running river in the same cave
5. Visited a rural clinic in Lanquin with no anestia or x-rays after Korrin dislocated her shoulder in the cave
6. Drank Nutella vodka shots with the hotel dueno/geologist who mapped the cave of death
7. Climbed temples in Tikal that were built over 2000 years ago
8. Saw monkeys, toucans, and other jungle animals living in the wild
9. Crossed the border to Belize – country number 5!
10. Slept 50 feet from the ocean
11. Enjoyed the stars, moon, and lightening on a lounge chair in Placentia, Belize
12. Snorkeled off Silk Caye, an isolated island chain (think island screensaver picture) with white sand beaches, no people, 30+ varieties of fish
13. BBQ lunch on the same island
14. Swam with sea turtles, nurse sharks, and eagle rays at the Belize Barrier Reef (second largest in the world after the Great Barrier Reef)
15. Visited the private island of Hatchet Caye for drinks with our new Belizean friends
16. Drank pineapple daiquiri and margarita while staring at the ocean
17. Boated into the sunset after a great day on the ocean
18. Sang along to music and drank with friends in our beach cabana
19. Stayed the night in a jungle tree house above Rio Dulce
20. Ate delicious food including creole shrimp, chicken quesadillas, Bolognese
21. Returned home feeling exhausted and totally fulfilled from a great week

Despite a few hiccups here and there, this was a trip of a lifetime, which I hope to repeat. We learned a lot about each other and shared an amazing experience. I did things that many people can only dream of and saw sights that are far more beautiful than can be captured in a photograph. There are many places I would like to visit again and new places I have been inspired to visit from this trip. If you need any more reasons to visit Guatemala or Belize, you must be crazy. This trip was unbelizeable!!!

Oaxaca Summary

After 30 hours of transit, 1700 pesos, gallons of rain, and warm days …

Things I learned in Oaxaca

1. A community can rise up against the government when united
2. Dresses fair better in the rain
3. Rain jackets are only impermeable to a point
4. Mezcal makes for a worse hangover than tequila (I did not experience this only watched)
5. Toilet seats are a luxury

What I am going to do with what I learned

1. Share information with other people
2. Move to Oaxaca if I don’t get into medical school
3. Look into forensic anthropology and archeology programs
4. Read more about architecture
5. Take more time for myself to relax and reflect

Oaxaca Day Six: Clinic and Wrap Up

After a brief night sleep, we work up extra early to travel to a free clinic. The chicos returned to the hostel just in time to join us. We took a short bus ride and drove past a canal that is usually dry. The canal was a rapidly flowing river as a product of the rain.

Clinica del Pueblo provides free or low cost consultations to Mexicans who cannot afford the public and private clinics. It was started by a church member from Philadelphia and is not supported by some 75 workers. They have a few full time generalists and many specialists who donate their time in the clinic. There are also several nurses and social workers who are here as well. The clinic appears to be well-run and organized with resources for all their patients. The majority of the patients are females and they have a special delivery space. They have a really cool delivery chair that allows the mother to be reclined or upright during delivery. Another great feature of the clinic is the family space. Since some people travel far to come to the clinic and their family is poor, the clinic has a dorm and kitchen available free of charge to families of patients. As far as our guide knew, this was the only clinic of its kind in Mexico. Our guide was the president of the board of directors and was an orthopedist. While he did not work as a physician at the clinic, he used his time in the administrative aspect. They have mostly Oaxacean doctors and staff members who speak a few of the local dialects and a few volunteers from other regions and countries. We didn’t get a good summary of public health in Mexico but it sounds worse than the States. This clinic seemed to be a step in the right direction. The mission is to provide care to people who need it and not to profit from them.

After the clinic we returned to the CASA Chapulin to wrap up our experience. We shared a few criticisms and things that we enjoyed so they could make changes for the next group. In all, I think most people really enjoyed the trip. I really liked the diversity of the topics we discussed and how open people were to sharing their experiences with us. The community of Oaxaca appears to be working to elevate itself and find alternatives to the current constraints of the government.

Before lunch, I went to the market to make some last minute purchases and headed back to the hostel for a shower. I organized my bag and got ready for the last free afternoon.

After lunch, Jefe, Logan, and I went to the museum at the cultural center at Santo Domingo. We saw a special exhibit about the eagle and walked through long hallways of Mexican artifacts. The museum traces the history of Oaxaca from its beginnings as a Zapoteca region, through Spanish colonization, and into present. Our primary purpose for going was to see the gold and treasures from the Monte Alban ruins. I was amazed by the detail and precision in the gold, turquoise, and bone. The thing I enjoyed most about the museum was the museum itself. It has long hallways with natural lighting, many courtyards, and small rooms. It reminded me of a castle. I took a lot of pictures of the architecture and natural framing by the stone windows. We watched the rain storm come in over the valley and looked at the botanical garden below the museum. We did not anticipate the size of the museum and ended up racing through the last rooms. I could definitely have spent a few more hours wandering and reading. It was good practice for the Spanish and culture integration.

In the downpour, we raced across the plaza to the mezcaleria. The boys had bought a really cool book with photos, descriptions, and maps of the food, culture, and customs of Oaxaca. They ran back to the hostel with the books under their tshirts; they had not planned for the rain. I ran back covering my bag with my rain jacket, holding my sandals in my hands. The rain was so powerful almost at hail status. I ran through the puddles of warm rain and arrived at the hostel soaked through. I changed again for dinner to anticipate another wet walk.

After a delicious dinner of quesillo and steak tacos with guacamole, we returned to the hostel for the final time. We took taxis and a truck to the bus station and awaited the beginning of our long journey. This time we took an even nicer bus. They offered us coffee, tea, and cold drinks before the trip. There were two bathrooms and they placed movies the whole night. About ten minutes into our trip, I was asleep. We had more leg room and Rachel and I snuggled again with my sleeping bag. When I awoke in the morning, The Karate Kid was just starting so I watched that. I imagine it is a terrible movie in English because I did not enjoy it in Spanish. I could not help but think how bratty the child was and how much he reminded me of my students.

In Tapachula, we ate breakfast at the same restaurant. I used my last few pesos to splurge on tortillas, eggs, and beans with coffee. Oscar picked us up and we headed to the border. We crossed back to Guatemala much easier than into Mexico. I have my new travel visa and life is good. On the final leg, most of us slept again into Xela. In Xela, Carlos was waiting for us with pizza on his homemade bread and strawberry licuados. After lunch, I returned home for a shower and rest.