El Ultimo Dia - The Trip Home

Parker's blog
We got an early start today, waking up at 5 am.  After a short bus ride to Guatemala City, it was finally time to board the plane and head back to the greatest country in the world. We arrived in Dallas and ate a delicious meal at Champ's Sports Bar. We played cards and told stories from the trip during our long layover.  Now as we fly back to DC, we are all killing time reading and listening to iPods.

Though we all look forward to going home, the friends and knowledge we gained in Guatemala will leave a lasting impression.  Jack, Mollie, and Davis each plan to continue to communicate with the kids David, Dennis, and Juana from their respective work sites.

We made far more progress on the houses than I expected.  Although I was skeptical about how much we would help, I feel we really did make a difference.  Getting to know the kids and workers at our site was the highlight of my trip and helped me realize how much can be communicated even through language barriers.  As everyone else would agree, the trip was a great experience and one I will not soon forget.  

El Octavo Dia - Back to Antigua

Olivia here! 


Unfortunately, our trip to Guatemala is coming to a close.  We started the day off with the last breakfast at Las Lilys hotel and followed our bowls of cornflakes with the five-hour bus ride to Antigua.  Leaving Salamá fostered bittersweet emotions.  We were happy to see the work "done" and to have formed new relationships with the locals (especially with the children: David, Dennis, and Juana).  However, this day also meant goodbye to those same individuals.  On the way to Antigua, we dropped the Colins at different locations (another good-bye I did to want to make).  The ride to Antigua create hypothetical questions.  Will I ever see the finished homes? Will we speak or keep in contact with the Colins and the kids in Salamá? And lastly, did we make a difference if so, how can we continue? 


We arrived in Antigua around twelve and the hotel had not finished preparing all of the rooms.  As a result, we had lunch early at El Mono Loco, a very Americanized restaurant compared to the others we've previously visited.  There we met Pablo, our new "Colin." He shared his story in regard to joining the Habitat community and based on his story in combination with the Colins, I've discovered Habitat members are called to serve. They all joined Habitat at a time when Habitat was in greatest need. 

Angelina's "office" and home for her family before the Habitat house

Angelina's kitchen pre-Habitat

After lunch, we walked through Antigua, haggling for gifts for friends families.  Ms. Yen and Jack proved themselves most effective with their bargaining skills. "Just walk away," said Ms. 'yen.  Our time among the locals has shown us their culture and improved our Spanish communication. 

A few hours later, we went to dinner at Santo Domingo.  The setting was amazing--a converted monastery.  Sharing memories of the trip filled the majority of the dinner we spent time flipping through Ms. Yen's camera, which somehow documented almost every highlight the trip.  We then walked and struggled to find our way back to the hotel (not one of my favorite moments).  [Ed. note: we took the scenic route.]

Now, I sit in my hotel room.  Abby and Wiam are asleep to my right and Ms. Yen has already checked for lights out.  I don't want to leave and those hypothetical questions return.  How can we make a difference?  If we do, where should we try to make difference?  The one thing I've most definitely learned is I should aspire to make a difference and wherever that place is there will always be a need. 

El Septimo Dia - Last Day of Work

Lauren's Day!

Juana is to the left of Lauren. 

It's hard to believe it's already Friday -- our last day on the work sites in Salamá. When my team arrived on the site this morning, we were greeted by our friend Juana, a twelve-year-old student from the neighborhood who wanted to spend her day off from school helping us work.  Our work today consisted mainly of sand-sifting and moving blocks from room to room within the house.  There was less work for us to do today because the house is nearly at the top layer. 

The Alpha team, plus Juana.  Note our progress! 

Juana (center) and friends

At ten o'clock, we headed over to the soccer field to spend some time with our friends from the neighborhood during their recess.  All of the kids seemed to have extra energy today, which they exerted by jumping on us/insisting we give them piggy back rides.  We had a lot of fun playing with all the boys and girls, and getting to know them using the little Spanish vocabulary I can recall (sorry, Senor Whitford) was an incredible experience.  It was really hard to say good bye to all of the kids, which goes to show that you don't need to speak the same language to connect with people and form a bond. 


At noon, we loaded onto the bus and drove to the other work site for the closing ceremony.  The ceremony was really meaningful for all of us because the families from both houses expressed their gratitude for the work we have done and the mission of Habitat.  Angelina shared with us that she will always remember the work we did and think of us and our hands as part of her home. Her words were very powerful and helped us all get a sense of just how appreciative the families are for our help. Angelina and Luis Eduardo are both incredibly hard-working people, and their dedication to their families is something we should all aspire to.  Both families were so deserving of these homes and I know we are all thrilled to have gotten to know them. 

Alpha team (see Davis's post) with our masons: Felipe, Carlos, Ruiz, and Melvin. 

Beta team with their masons, led by Rudy who is also an impressive soccer player.  We didn't see him coming! 

Later on in the afternoon, we headed into town to play soccer as a whole group along with the masons and helpers from both sites.  In my opinion this event has been one of the biggest highlights of the trip.  During the two hours of soccer in the pouring rain, we had a lot of fun seeing the more competitive side of the men we had worked with all week, and we managed to avoid complete humiliation on the field thanks to goals made by Abby and myself (Mom and Dad--you really should have gotten me into soccer earlier.  I think it's my calling.)  It has been really fun getting to know the masons during the week--and the soccer game was a great way to end our time with them.  

We ended the day with a delicious dinner of a traditional Guatemalan dish, Pepián [chicken stew], and shared personal highlights from the group.  Thought was all shared different moments, it was clear that we have all really appreciate getting to know the Guatemalan culture and we have formed a respect for their history and their family-oriented lifestyles.  

Tomorrow, we will leave Salamá and head back to Antigua, but I know that I won't forget the incredible people I was fortunate enough to meet here and I would love to have the opportunity to return some day. 

El Sexto Dia - de Patricio

Patrick's Day!
We started off the day with eggs and coffee. We departed from the hotel around seven am to head to our designated work sites.  My group arrived and got straight to work, putting holes in rocks and moving cinder blocks.  Ten am was the nearby school's recess time.  Ten or so children came running to the site screaming "Jugamos!" Parker and I joined our teams and went to work.

Santa Marta Elementary versus the Gringos

The shooter became Pat's fast friend: Oscar

I wasn't feeling too hot and made several mistakes, including tripping on the ball and falling on my tailbone.  Five kids proceed to jump on me to see if I was okay--not the most fun moment.  After the game, we went back to work and at noon, we had lunch: mystery chicken sandwiches and carbonated pineapple juice.  We ended the work day early to being our hour drive up and down the mountains to the civil war museum in Rabinal.  We walked ten or so minutes to the museum through a beautiful town.  The civil war museum was pretty difficulty to process; it consisted of the background of how the war started and pictures of many victims.  There was also a library with more information on the war.  [Ed. note: photography was not allowed in the museum.]

Walk to museum.  Note Rigoberta Menchu's name on the wall.

After the museum, we stopped for ice cream and water and began the journey back to the hotel.  We got back around five and prepared for dinner at six.  We had rice and chicken for dinner and we were joined by our Habitat host Ambrosio and his two kids, Diego and Kati. Ambrosio has been with us the entire trip and sadly had to depart due to another Habitat event on Friday.  We said our goodbyes and quickly hurried off to bed.

El Quinto Dia - Work + El Biotopin

Davis (6th day since the drop)

The heat is starting to get to us.  What used to be smiles and perseverance has turned into delusion and hysteria.  Jack has been infected.  He sweats profusely and boils and rashes have invaded his hands and neck.

Soon, they will consume the rest of his organs.  Some people just can't handle the jungle.

The "jungle" 

(0600 hours) We have breakfast. The coffee is smooth, but the omelets are cold and bland. Many of us scarf down bread to carbo load for the taxing day ahead.

(0720 hours) Alpha Team is dropped off at the first site.

Alpha team has arrived. 

(0730 hours) Beta team reaches the second site and begins to work.  The house is five blocks high today and the building is starting to take shape.  We work on sifting and moving sand for the concrete mix.  We proceed to break more holes in bricks and pour mortar into the cracks of the house.

Note the progress on the house.  The guy on the right is Colin 2. 

(1200 hours) Alpha and Beta teams reconvene at site A1 for a quick meal of chicken and rice before we set out for the mountains.

Nordeen IS Lord of the Flies 

(1400 hours) We reached the "hike" entrance and prepped for the exploration.  The jungle seemed to writhe at us with an impotent despair. [Ed. note to self: Remove Heart of Darkness from syllabus.] We were given the choice between a long path and a short one.  The decision was obvious.  Being of ample size and enduring fitness, we chose the long path with the detour at a waterfall (later we uncovered that the short track was a trap).  We finished our recon of the mountain at a naturalspring.  Some of us jumped in the freezing water (I believe all of us got out, but I'm not sure.)

(1800 hours) We went to Pollo Campero for dinner (a fast food restaurant...also a trap).  We were lured in by the enemy waiters and convinced to order chicken and pizza.  It tasted good at first but most of Alpha team was poisoned with what is commonly known as "the runs."

(2000 hours) We returned to the hotel weak and tired.  We clean up and get to bed quickly.  Not many words were shared except a shrill shout to "stomp that toad!"

(2200 hours) Most of use are deeply asleep but members of Alpha team still must battle the aftermath of Pollo Campero.  It will be a long night indeed.

(2250 hours) Jack has a nightmare.
(2300 hours) Jack bleeds from the ears.
(2350 hours) Jack loses cognitive function.
(2400 hours) Day is complete.