Wheels Up, Guate Bound

Hello families, friends, lovers, Romans, countrymen, and everyone else!

So I’m the first to kick off the blog. Here’s a little pre-trip ramble for your enjoyment:

I think it’s finally sinking in that this time tomorrow, we’ll be in Central America. Craziness! We can’t wait to get to Chaquijyá and get our hands dirty doing some good work, not to mention getting to run around Guatemala experiencing the culture and seeing everything that this beautiful country has to offer! Personally, as the University of Georgia chapter president, I’m really excited to be sending our first team to MPI-G so that we can begin to establish relationships with the community here in the same way that we were able to do in Nicaragua last year.

On our side of things, we’ve all been doing some research on Guatemala and its history, both political and cultural, which we’ll be discussing as a team during our trip down. Throughout the week, we’ll be updating the blog every night with what we’ve seen and done that day. It will of course be rife with ridiculous nicknames, sweet inside jokes, censored accounts of pillow talk, and hopefully some tasty personal epiphanies. Get excited.

Keep our team in your thoughts and prayers as we make our way down tomorrow!

Tears at the Airport

Hello Everyone, 

This is our last blog post!  We just want everyone to know how much our experience in Guatemala has meant to all of us.  It would be an understatement to say that this week was one of the best weeks of all of our entire lives.  The moment we landed in Nashville we received an email from Kat and Hudson that nearly brought everyone on the plane to tears.  It was so nice to hear about how much our work in Guatemala had made such an impact.

I think of the many aspects that we took from this trip some of the biggest things were that we can help make changes in communities no matter how small those changes they may be.  Although we were only in Guatemala for a week, we were able to see our immediate impact in the community through our trash can project.   I think one of the most rewarding experiences of the trip was the presentation to the community for our project; to see how appreciative the families were of our work was so meaningful.  To see women with their children sitting in the community room listening to what we had to say about our project meant so much. 

Another thing that I think that a lot of people took from the trip was how real poverty is.  We had multiple discussions throughout the week about Guatemalan culture and their economic situation.  I was astonished to learn that only about 15 years ago there was a civil war in Guatemala and that many of the older generations had lived through that time.  I was also intrigued to learn that the largest percentage of income coming into the country as “imports” came from money made by Guatemalans working in America that was sent home to their families.   To think that Guatemalan workers are willing to leave their families in their communities to be able to provide the best for their families is so meaningful.

As a team we were also able to see how deep poverty is and how you can’t “change the world” in a couple of days and not even in a couple of years.  It is the relationships you make with people and the little changes that you are able to make in a community that can make the most difference.  Through working with Kat and Hudson, we were able to see some of the struggles that they have gone through to be accepted by the community.  The relationships that we were able to make in just a week with the kids and the families in the community really were able to show us how important those relationships are in life.  It was so cool to hear all the kids at the school yelling “Utz, Utz, Utz” (which means “Good” in their native tribal language) for Hudson and “Katie” for Kate.  The teachers and students really have made such connections with Kat and Hudson and Manna’s impact in Guatemala can really been seen through their work.

I would like to close in saying that through this entire experience, the relationships and impact that we were able to make in the community and with each other was the most important thing we were able to take from this trip.  As cliché as it might be to say this, I know I am not the only one who thinks that this experience has been life changing.  We have seen how much of an impact we can have on a community and the ways in which our relationships can change people’s live.  We are all so grateful to have had the opportunity to go on this Manna Spring Break Trip and I think that our memories and relationships that have been made will stay with us forever. 

Manna Love Always,

Allie Voss and the A-Team

Last Day in Chaquijyá

Utz a wach, followers!!

We started the day at la escuela with Hudson and Kat teaching third through sixth grade students some English numbers and fruits; and in turn we learned a little K’aqchikel, the local dialect (hence our greeting).  After saying goodbye to our friends at the elementary school, we took a very scenic walk on the way back to Solola. Always looking forward to our crazy pickup truck rides into Panajachel, we took one into town to meet with Robin and Yolanda from Mayan Traditions.

There, we got to see Yolanda back-strap weave a beautiful design, and bought a few gifts for our loved ones from their showroom. We had such a good time in Pana that we decided to stay some extra time to walk around Calle Santander and work our bargaining skills. Also, we tried these amazing avocado popsicles dipped in chocolate; those will definitely try to be replicated in our Vanderbilt kitchens. Since we anticipated having beans and eggs for dinner we ate a lot of fun street snacks and fried chicken before dinner. We had a fun time using our new salsa dancing skills in downtown Pana at Rumba bar. Then we played a few rounds of quarenta, our new favorite card game, and went to bed (but not before our nightly pillow talks, duh).

We miss and love our parents and family!

Mannamor,

A-team

Duke Plants a Garden in Ecuador

After Duke's spring break group returned from Baños, we got our hands dirty with our partner organization, Fundación Añamisi.  Here to share is Mateen!

Slashing at the gnarled weeds, dodging the hundreds of bugs, and digging into the tough ground, we were fighting a battle in Fundación Añamisi's organic garden. In only three days, the garden would be completely planted, and we would have helped move Christian Añamisi's dream forward.  With his partner, Laura Araujo, Christian has been able to create an organic farming business (De la Mata a la Olla, roughly translated as “from the ground to the table”) through which local organic gardens are able to distribute their products to the people of Quito and its surrounding areas over the internet. They both also utilize the knowledge they have gained from this venture to teach other people in the area about organic farming through their organization.

When we arrived at the garden Wednesday morning we were greeted by Christian, Laura, and their two crazy dogs Lupita and Tommy. Christian gave us a quick overview of his projects and proudly showed us some of the many products he sells.   We were all amazed by how Christian and Laura were able to create such a sustainable organic farming business while also giving so much back to the community. It was surprising that organic products would be so popular, especially over the internet in a country where only small percentage of the population own computers. Our work over the week was to clear several plots of land, plant new crops, and harvest corn. When we first arrived, the garden was overrun with tangled weeds, grass, and hundreds (only a slight exaggeration) of spiders. With the guidance of Christian and Laura, we dug our tools into the ground.  Two days and several tarantula encounters later, we had finally conquered the garden. During the last week of work, we planted lettuce, beets, chard, Japanese lettuce and ahí (chili peppers), and it felt good to be able to see the product of all our hard work.

With the garden work finished, we had the opportunity to help Christian with the English class he teaches at the local university.  He had his students record videos with questions in English for us and we recorded answers.  We had so much fun with the videos we decided to send back our own questions for the students to answer.  My time at the garden was definitely one of the highlights of the trip and I hope I have the opportunity to help them more in the future.

The Duke crew in Añamisi's garden

Mateen and Kia working together!

Angela and Miranda listening to one of Christian's student's English questions

Aging chard in the beds we completed weeding!

Beds freshly planted with lettuce and chard

Vandy Spring Breakers Stay Busy in Guatemala

From catching aquarium fish barehanded to bartering in a local market, the third day of our Guatemalan adventure was filled with exciting new experiences.  The gang (not Tuktuks, Tyler) got off to somewhat of a sluggish start to the day as a couple people fell to Montezuma's revenge and the rest of us battled fatigue from hard work and play in the local village.  Upon arrival, David and Drew took a preemptive break at the neighborhood tienda while everyone else began work.

Once well rested, they caught up with the rest of the team to give a presentation to the local school PTA.  After playing with kids as we waited for our turn, Tyler, Alex, Ali, and Amanda outlined the logistics and long-term sustainable benefits of the community trash initiative.  Their Spanish was impeccable and the crowd was impressed by both their eloquence and their height.  David's photo slide show and smooth transitions, were equally impressive (Watch the presentation at the end of this post!).

 For the remainder of the morning, the gang taught third and sixth grade English classes before heading back to the hostel for lunch. Following lunch, Hudson, Amanda, Streeter, and Lia went to Pana (a nearby town situated on the lake, popular to backpackers and tourists) to meet with Mayan Traditions to pick out items to be sold in the Vanderbilt Bookstore in a fair trade initiative.  (Though Drew was eager to help, the girls decided that due to his lack of fashion sense it would be better if he sat this one out.)  At the hostel, the rest of the gang came to the realization that it was our last day before the other Manna group arrived and lamented that the week was moving too fast.  We then headed down to Pana in the back of a pick up truck and enjoyed the breathtaking views, fresh air, and John's heroic photo-shoot.   

David, Drew, Kat, Leigh, and Allie walked through the streets for an afternoon filled with shopping. The men and women reversed roles as David and Drew ravaged the shopping, buying belts, shirts, and baby shoes as the girls walked along and assisted with fashion advice.  With Waites doing the talking and Drew providing the silent but strong intimidation, the pair made quite a formidable bartering duo and made bargain after bargain.  Following the extensive shopping spree, the group reunited and relaxed at a local restaurant to discuss the cultural differences of poverty, the difficulties of community development, and the complications of defining happiness.  Afterwards, a friend of Hudson and Kat's offered to give us salsa-dancing lessons.  Despite extreme whiteness and stiff hips, the guys managed to keep up and the girls managed to remain patient.  Drew was voted Most Improved Dancer and had many convinced that he was actually of Latin descent.

After working up quite an appetite, the gang headed to a local steakhouse to have our first Guatemalan restaurant experience.  It turned out to be quite interesting.  Following our meal of burritos, pizza, and chicken cordon bleu (where was that for the scavenger hunt?) another group of students from the University of Vermont gathered around a fish tank where one girl was preparing to catch a large fish from the aquarium with her hands.  Our interest was obviously piqued but as we watched her melodramatic attempt, we decided that it was time to show Vermont how we do it down South.  Two minutes later, Streeter was standing victoriously over the tank with fish in hand, smiling proudly at the crowd as the restaurant waiters laughed at our antics. 

Tired from the day's activities, the whole group packed into another truck and began the ascent back to our hostel, loudly singing in merriment.  However, during the second verse of Justin Bieber's hit "Baby," our truck rolled to a stop.  Apparently the ancient truck couldn't quite handle the incline and we had to get out and push until it could get started again.  Despite the inconvenience, the A-Team spirits couldn't be dampened and soon were playing Guatemalan card games on the hostel balcony.  Tomorrow, the two Manna groups will be united and the outcome is sure to be epic.  Whether or not Guatemala is prepared for such a combination remains unknown.

Check out our trashcan project via David's awesome presentation:

MPIV Spring Breakers Hard at Work in Guatemala

Hola! Greetings from Guat!

Today started off with a bang again, as both Hos and Drew were awoken by their favorite canine companion in each of their beds. We had a great breakfast of curious, potentially vanilla flavored milk with frosted flakes—necessary sugar rush—with toast and our favorite watered down, pre-sweetened, albeit very tasty coffee, bright and early before we headed into the community. We got the privilege of witnessing the last day of the epic Carnival festival, which was highlighted by dancing to a 4-song playlist of Enrique, Pit Bull, and No Speak Americano, getting pelted by countless eggs filled with flour, confetti, and glitter, and the nugget party.

The one and only Lester.

If only y’all could have met Lester, our favorite little nugget of joy who sported sweet shades and rockin’ dance moves most of the day—aka Tyler’s little nug and my new “novio” (boyfriend…see, I’m catching on to this whole Spanish thing). Hudson and Kat judged a dance competition, costume contest, and pageant, in which we were all wildly entertained but mildly disappointed when our favorites, the melon girl and the “terrorist” didn’t take home the gold. The whole school loved the Carnival festivities, especially dousing us with the confetti and glitter, which are still in most of our hair, and chasing John up the basketball hoop.

In addition to the festival, we completed the spray paint work on our trash can project lining the main street, and filmed a video about our project starring our favorite 15-year-old third grader, Ramiro. The trash cans look awesome, and we were thrilled to see members of the community already throwing their trash into our new additions.

Chaquijyá's brand new trashcan

After we left the school, shortly after Hudson almost got run over by a truck while trying to take the group picture in front of one of the trash cans, we came back to the hostel to attempt to clean off the glitter and eat an awesome lunch. A little jam sesh took place on the balcony, and then we were off to town for our uber competitive scavenger hunt in the market. Once we were split into three teams, we were sent out into the market to take pictures of everything from the funniest American t-shirt being sported by a Guatemalan—with no chance that they understood the saying—to the grossest dried fish, to the best failed attempt at an American knock-off brand. Claws came out immediately as we embarked on this serious mission, relying on our groups’ Spanish skills, and often natural born schmoozing skills, to get the pictures we needed from the locals. Highlights of the scavenger hunt include: Yummy Donuts, “Pooo” backpacks, Hos eating a moderately large dried fish, balancing baskets on our heads, “Fist Pumping Politicians”, and the inspiration of Man taming Nature. Also, Amanda and I got attacked by a pack of local boys who pelted us with flour…thanks Hudson.

But in the end, it was my team, the Boisterous Assassins, being Amanda, Hos, Drew and myself that came out victorious as the Program Directors judged our photos. Honorable Mention goes to Tyler for being awkward and tall in each of his group’s pictures. Afterwards, we hung out on the balcony as the sun went down, discussed what we look for in fashion models and great hair, enjoyed a great spaghetti dinner full of nicknames, expertise, TLM’s, great stories and aggression, and then planned our day for tomorrow, including our presentation to the community on our project and our continued nugget party.

Fun fact: Tyler, the ultimate claustrophobe, got stuck in the tiny bathroom for a solid 20 minutes. Good times. Well it’s time for me to learn some traditional Guatemalan card games and continue our A-Team bonding. It’s been real, until tomorrow!

Adios, y’all! Lots of love, Streeter and the rest of the A-Team

Duke Spring Break in Baños

After a weekend on the beach in Montañita, Ashley, Jack, Sam, and I returned to the sierras Sunday night to meet our first two spring break groups.  While Ashley and Jack took the group from Vanderbilt University out to our partner organization, FEVI, in the valley north of us, Sam and I met up with our group of six from Duke University and brought them back to the valley with us.  Seeing as Monday and Tuesday were holidays in Ecuador celebrating Carnaval (what we know as Mardi Gras in the States), we took off for our overnight trip bright and early Monday morning, to Baños.  Here to give a snapshot of our time together is one of our spring breakers from Duke: Jake!


After a long and bumpy ride to Baños, we were welcomed with espuma (foam) and buckets of water by the locals.  It was Carnaval, and the festivities were wild; a major part of the celebrating involved spraying foam on everyone and everything.  Once I dried off, the town was amazing.  We checked into a hostel (which only cost $7.50 a night), and then decided to go repelling down 5 of the local waterfalls.  We had a blast – the experience was well worth the blisters and rope burns on our hands.  After we dried off (again), we caught a chivas (essentially a party bus) and went to party on top of a volcano.  The party consisted of fire-jugglers and comedy shows, but the real highlight of the night was the view.  We could see over all of Baños, and the mountain scenery was incredible.  When we returned to the town, we quickly learned that the celebrating during the day was nothing compared to the celebrating at night.  We all were so tired after the adventurous day that we turned in a little early so we would be ready for the next day’s events.  


We started the next day with a rooftop breakfast before renting bikes and embarking on a 27 kilometer ride to a huge waterfall (I know, there are a lot of waterfalls on this trip).  The ride was exciting for two reasons: the incredible views that we saw on our path and the water balloons that we had to dodge (the Carnival activities also included water balloon pelting).  About half way through the ride, we stopped to go on a one kilometer zip line (it was the longest zip line I have ever seen).  I can honestly say it was one of the coolest experiences of my life.  We finished the bike ride and snapped a few Kodak pictures of the waterfall before returning to our hostel and leaving Baños.  A few pointers for those of you planning on being in Baños for Carnaval: get the Mega Grill burger (it’s delicious) at the burger stand off the plaza, go zip lining (it’s exhilarating), and bring a bathing suit (it’s wet)!  

Baños!

A performer with fire on top of the volcano

Jake concentrating in preparation for a 1km zipline.

ZIPLINE!