TheBanyanTree: More news from Guatemala

[apmartin at canada.com]

I'm becoming accustomed to Antigua's cobblestoned
streets with no stop signs, traffic lights or
crosswalks. (Imagine a town of 50,000 without road
signs.)  After a few close calls, I have finally
accepted that pedestrians have no rights here. 

I have adapted to the narrow, uneven sidewalks (it's
hard for two to walk side-by-side) and take care where
I walk so that I don't trip in the holes.  I've come
close to falling several times.  

The pollution here is another story.  Although Antigua
is nothing like Guatemala city, it is still very
polluted.  All day long chicken buses billow clouds of
black smoke and there is no escaping it. I dislike the
pollution but have no choice except to breathe the air.
 

When I open the front door of the house where we are
living, I step onto the sidewalk amongst throngs of
Mayans in traditional clothing as well as others in
western dress.  There is a fruit stand across the
street selling small watermelons, papayas, bananas and
pineapple.  A few starving dogs wander amongst the
people while others sprawl on the sidewalks and wait
for handouts. Volcano Agua stands guard to the south
and is a familiar landmark should I ever get lost.

The people here in Guatemala are very courteous and
pleasant.  Although they are poor, for the most part,
they are well-groomed and take pride in their
appearance.  Most do their laundry by hand and spend a
few hours a day washing clothes.  Many Guatemalans
speak no English at all, and it is sometimes difficult
to communicate with my limited Spanish.

Every school has a different school uniform. Children
can't attend unless they have a uniform and school
supplies. Many parents can't afford them.  Camino
Seguro (where Andrew and I will commence work next
week) buys school uniforms for over 350 kids whose
parents live at the dump. They also supply the students
with all of their school supplies as well as a hot
breakfast or lunch.  

The average child attends school for only 3 or 4 years
until they can read and write.  Then, they must work
fulltime to help support the family.  Often the father
is absent or has a drinking problem and the mother must
feed 8 or 9 little ones.  The children become street
vendors, they shine shoes, they beg, they help care for
the younger children so the mother can work on crafts
(which are sold), and they help make meals.  Some
street children survive through prostitution although I
haven't seen it because I never go out at night (it
simply isn't safe).  

Here in Guatemala, most kids never get a chance to be
kids, nor do they have the opportunity to participate
in activities that stimulate the imagination.  

I have learned so much about the Mayan people since
living here.  Some twenty years ago there was a civil
war and the Guatemalan army obliterated dozens of Mayan
villages.  They marched in and killed every man, woman
and child.  Many Mayans reject the Spanish people
because of this.  They refuse to learn their language
and refuse to step into the current century. 

Many Mayans still believe in witches and make
sacrifices to the Gods.  In the past, they made human
sacrifices.  Now they sacrifice animals.  Although they
are poor and there isn't enough food for the family,
they will scrape together enough money to pay the witch
for a sacrificial ceremony that involves slaughtering a
chicken or other animal.  The person drinks the blood
(for strength) and throws the carcass in a bonfire as
an offering to the Gods.  They believe they will have
good fortune because of this. 

Many Mayans live in one-room houses. They cook over an
open fire in this room (there isn't a chimney, only
gaps in the walls) and entire families of 10 or more
sleep alongside the walls.  Most Mayan women have 8 or
9 children.  These children are the only life insurance
these people have.  When the parents are too old to
care for themselves, they count on their children to
support them.

The women from each Mayan village make their own
clothing.  Each pueblo (village) has its own colors and
designs.  One can tell which village a person is from
by what they are wearing.  Most women wear loose,
colorful blouses with intricate needlework and
ankle-length skirts.  They don't use plastic or paper
bags to carry things with.  They wrap their packages in
a piece of brightly colored hand-made cloth and balance
it on their heads.  

Guatemalans do not like their pictures taken.  If you
ask, most will say no.  Although I have been here a
month, I have only taken a few pictures. I feel like I
am intruding when I pull out my camera.

Mayan women carry their babies (until they are about 3
years old) in large pieces of fabric draped over their
shoulders and tied.  Both Spanish and Mayan men and
women are very short and slight.  

On September 15th, the Guatemalan people celebrated
Independence Day.  All week there were parades in the
streets, marching bands, and fireworks. Casa Hogar had
a party for the volunteers.  Andrew was in the
mountains hiking and I decided it was time to find my
way there alone on the chicken bus.

I was a little apprehensive but I knew enough spanish
to ask for help.  My first solo venture was a success. 
The fiesta went well.  At Casa Hogar, I had my first
experience playing with the children. I could imagine
becoming quite attached to them.

The party was fun, about 20 or so volunteers from
around the world:  Holland, Germany, USA, Belgium, El
Salvador, other Canadians etc.  Most are in their early
twenties but there are a few older people too.  Good
people who want to make a difference...

Well, it is dusk and I must get home before it is dark.
 Andrew has been ill for the past couple of days with
stomach problems so I'm on my own.

Thought I'd include an email that Andrew sent me from
Nebaj, a village in the mountains he visited to hike
and continue his Spanish studies.

.......


I am in a little town in Guatemala called Nebaj which
is up in the mountains and really really interesting.
Everyone still lives like they did at the turn of the
century. The people all walk around in their
traditional clothes, and the scenery and hiking is
spectacular. I have to use a guide but it makes things
safer and only cost 7 dollars for a guide for a 4 hour
hike. I guess I got the cheap one because he is blind,
or very nearly so, but that is another story.

On a sunday morning you can see a guy leading a live
cow through the streets to the market, and a few hours
later they start hangingup all the meat at the butcher
store. There is no refrigeration beacause the power
goes out all the time. Just before the market closes,
the butcher throws out all his scraps and there are
these packs of wild dogs that roam the streets all day
that start fighting over the day´s pickings.I am
staying with a Guatemalan family and get a place to
stay and two meals a day for US$35 per week. To
supplement I buy fruit at the market. You can buy a
whole watermellon for 30 cents.

Yesterday I got really sick with a high fever and
couldn´t go to my afternoon Spanish lesson. I don´t
know what it was, a high fever and no other symptoms. I
feel a bit a better today and the fever seems to have
subsided but it is a bit of a mystery. Sure hope it
goes away because it could be nightmare getting medical
attention around here.

On the downside with respect to Nebaj, the power goes
out all the time so it can get pretty boring in the
evenings. Actually the most scary thing is that after a
few days here, the open sewers at the sides of the
streets, the packs of wild dogs roaming the streets, no
electricity half the time, having to take the chicken
out of the outdoor washbasin if I want to wash my
hands, it is all starting to feel normal.