Well, another successful tour to Guatemala is in the books and we can’t wait to share all of the exciting moments that occurred during those ten days! A little background info for you: 31 Rotary International volunteers participated in the Guatemala Literacy Project Tour from February 1-10th (with a little help from the CoEd staff, of course). Trekking in a caravan of nine vehicles from Guatemala City to San Marcos and back, we saw a ton of the sights of Guatemala, both awe-inspiring and heartbreaking. There are just too many stories to cram into one blog post, so you’ll have to be satisfied—for now—with one highlight from each day…
Enjoy our top 10 moments of the 2013 GLP Tour!
Friday: Volunteers assembled nearly 1,000 school supply kits to hand out to a CORP school. That’s right, one THOUSAND. We had a regular leaning tower of school supplies!
Saturday: Lake Atitlán provided the most spectacular backdrop for an informal tour introduction meeting. As if that wasn’t enough, we were graced with a rainbow. A good omen for the remainder of the trip? You betcha.
Sunday: Another relaxing day by the lake, complete with a walking tour of Santiago Atitlán and Katie’s consumption of three desserts at Posada de Santiago. Katie, we applaud your ambition—those desserts were delicious.
Monday: First ever graduation of a Rural Technology Center that will now manage their computer lab on their own after three years of training by CoEd. Can I get a woot woot?! No? How about some light applause? Great.
Tuesday: A small group of “valientes”, or brave ones, ventured off the road into dirt path, 4-wheel drive, might need to use that sick bag territory to deliver textbooks to the students at Las Majadas Cooperative School.
Wednesday: Students from Colegio Noj took us on a walking tour of Zunil complete with a home visit. It was a special day, where we witnessed both the heartache of the abject poverty facing these families and their joy at being able to share their homes and stories with us gringos.
Thursday: A squealing posse of 500 teenage girls welcomed volunteers to El Hogar and showed off their brand new computer lab and skills (with many of the technology in action sponsors present). Squealing might actually be an understatement; these girls were shouting at a heretofore undiscovered decibel level.
Chorus:
May you rise up in flight,
higher than the condor and the royal eagle
and on your wings may you lift the immortal
name of Guatemala to heaven!
Friday: The nearly 1,000 primary schoolkids at Parramos Urbana Integral regaled us with the Guatemalan National Anthem with the full force of 2,000 little lungs. Very impressive performance.
Saturday: A beautiful day in sunny Antigua spent with students in the Scholarship program and their sponsors, complete with a 360 degree photo from the top of La Merced.
Sunday: Unfortunately the only day without a highlight—just tearful departures and promises to return!
See the complete highlight reel on our Facebook page.
When will YOU be joining us for a volunteer trip to Guatemala?
I live in Guatemala and am keenly interested in the whole educational situation, as you can well imagine. I am dazzled by all you are doing. You might be interested in a new book that has been published by Thrums Books, Traditional Weavers of Guatemala – Their Stories, Their Lives. It tells the stories of 20 artisans, all working with textiles/fiber, as well as having short pieces providing context through the history of the country and the people, from Mayan legends to the effects of the 1976 earthquake. I confess upfront to being one of the authors, and as such can tell you that EVERY story in the book talks about education in the families of the artisans. They range in age from 33 to 89, and in most cases they grew up illiterate, may still not speak Spanish, and in every case have made great efforts to be sure their children went further in school than they were able to. The results range from college degrees to third grade – the first in the family ever to go to school. It’s a good book, with over 200 spectacular photographs, worth checking out. Amazon has good info, including many reviews. Or go to http://www.thrumsbooks.com.