Home Trip Journals Partners About Us Sponsorships

June 25, 2009

Our day started at the Elder Center in Santiago with a delicious breakfast of French toast and fruit. Felipa and Bernabela are spoiling us with their excellent cooking. After breakfast, we walked down to the boat launch. We took a two hour ride in three kayucas around Lake Atitlan. The views were amazing from every direction. We were surrounded by volcanos covered in lush vegetation. We saw women and children doing their laundry in the lake and men fishing. We were greeted by many friendly calls of “Buenos dias”. Diane was heard to say, “This is not a vacation!”, but I have to disagree. I certainly felt like I was on vacation. It was tranquil, beautiful and I can’t think of a better way to spend a morning.

kayuca

After the boat ride, we walked up to the market and tried some teeny tiny bananas and some small bananas. I liked them both, but preferred the small banana because it tasted slightly of pineapple. Everyone else liked the teeny tiny bananas better. We journeyed on to the bank to further support our retail therapy habits. At the bank, you have to be let in by the guard. Otherwise, the door is locked. He was also heavily armed.

From there we went to visit the library called Puerta Abierta which means Open Door. The library is run by Amanda and three other ladies. It is a wonderful program that seeks to foster a love of reading in the local communities. The library is a private organization and is supported by private donations. Amanda gave us a tour of the colorful and welcoming rooms and told us about some of their programs. They deliver book kits to local schools. When they deliver the book kits, Puerta Abierta does a story hour and then a creative project with the children pertaining to the book. It has been well received and Amanda is pleased with the progress of her programs in the community.

On the way back to the Elder Center, we stopped at Adisa’s. They make paper bags  and some other items including ornaments and baskets. They employ some of the handicapped residents of Santiago. The products were interesting and unusual. After our brief visit, we headed back to have another delicious meal. The favorite dishes so far have been the guacamole and the salsa. You practically have to wrestle the guacamole away from Peggy and Barbara and you have to keep your eye on Diane or she’ll eat all the salsa. It’s really been a trial with those ladies hoarding the wonderful freshly made condiments!

We had a heavy rain after lunch and postponed our visit to Artesa until the rain let up. Eventually it stopped and we made our way to the wood shop where we were treated to demonstration and tour of their shop and store. They make rompe cabezas which are sculptures that are also puzzles. Most commonly they take the shape of animals but I did see a super fantastic piece in the shape of lips. I know… the seventies called and they want their lips back! But their awesomeness could not be denied. They also make beaded jewelry which is another weakness of mine and I enjoyed their excellent selection of colors and styles. Pedro introduced us to all the men working in the shop and we all had a good time talking. There was even a little music on the marimba provided by Kwen and one of the men at the shop. The feeling of camaraderie during this visit was wonderful. We have made many new friends and formed relationships that will have a warm place in our hearts.

Elephant grande

We visited with three elders and they told us their stories. They were stories filled with hardship and struggles. They expressed their gratitude for a place to come to be with their friends and share a meal. They told us about Sharing the Dream being a family to them and it’s easy to see why. The staff here is more than staff because they don’t treat this as a job. They are here every day with loving hearts and willing hands, ready to serve. We were all moved by the stories shared with us today.

Monica & Magdalena

We had a big group dinner and shared a tasty macadamia nut pie and reflections. I know we were all pleased to share our table with both old and new friends. This is how differences are celebrated, relationships grow, and peace is manifested. Our stay at the Elder Center has been a joy that will stay with me always. Thank you Sharing the Dream! This day rocked!

This journal was shared by Monica Lyon.


PS from Diane.     We are headed for Comotancilo now and won’t have e-mail contact for several days.  We will journal though and send them out when we get back to Guatemala City.