CULTURAL PROOF

in behalf of my cultural proofs...I´d just like to say that I´ve experienced quite a bit of Guatemalan culture in the past few days-- proof enough that I am here!

There´s nothing like sharing 3 bathrooms with 10 girls and 2 boys- two that have functioning sinks, one with a hot shower, and three that have toilets without the plumbing capabilities of flushing down toilet paper. OH BOY can I not wait for the day when brushing your teeth with a water bottle and sleeping in a sleeping bag on a mattress hard has the wood underneath its cover, and having rice, beans, chicken and tortillas for lunch....becomes NORMAL. haha -- it is slowly becoming so already.

Yesterday we went up to Cerro Alto - a community in the highlands (further up than we are in Chimal) and I experienced my first view of rural poverty. We were meeting with a man, named Heladio, that has started this non-profit organization to help his people. He owns a garden nursery of sorts - all types of fruit trees, roses, herbs and other vegetable plants, that he starts, and then they serve as transfers to other people in his community for their own personal gardens and as means to make a living. He also uses the medicinal herbs to create champoos, lotions, medicinces and ¨vicks¨ vapo rub (yes, mom, seems like you and grandma would have quite the connection with this guy). But, since in spanish ¨b¨ and ¨v¨ are very similar it is ¨Bicks¨ but it´s made out of honey and other things, completely natural but smells like the real deal. He has taught his daughter-in-law some skills, and they administer their medicines and natural remedies to people in their community - she sees some 50 people a month, for free. This is in addition to raising her 6 kids and making a living. This man wants us to work with him, helping in his gardens and also would like to start up a school (which would be after the children´s regular school) that would teach them about the plants, moral values, and extra things. He has dreams of starting up a community library that would circulate different higher education possibilities as well as spread the education about the medicinal remedies and benefits. He is AMAZING! He is constantly thinking of the future generations and how to better the conditions of the people that surround him.
His home was very humble. Surrounded by hanging clothes, pigs and cows, and rough dirt roads (we surprisingly made it up with 10 of us in his flatbead truck...there aren´t quite as many regulations around here :). We heard corn grinders (for the lunch tortillas) that sounded like machine guns. But we ran into a group of school girls that were possible the cutest things ever, who loved having their picture taken and talking with Americans.

I suggested to my group that one day in the future we count how many times someone honks at us as we walk down the main streets of Chimal (because we are Americans, white, mostly girls, and stick OUT)...but the proposition was laughed at. Keep in mind, this was not counting the stares or whistles, which would just get hard to keep track of for a full day.

We went dancing in Antigua for our Friday night par-TAY...Something we were all really excited about doing. Antigua is a very touristy town about half an hour away, that is more European style. We didn´t stick out as much because we could blend in more with the gypsy-German crowd- yes, more so than the latinos (baby got BACK). We went with Guillermo (the orphanage owner) and his friend...yes I went clubbing with my boss for the next little while. HA but it was really fun. Not really creepy at all (until we were leaving, but we won´t go into that). They played some salsa, and American hip-hop, and finally, after some begging, some regueton (which is like Spanish hip-hop). We just mainly danced with our group and we are all getting along so well and can just fit in with other...that it turned out to be a pretty swell bonding experience. I probably sweat as much as Mitchell at a WHS basketball game. gross. but necessary and enjoyable!!

Other than that, ¨comida tipica¨ and our first rain-down-pour of the season and a constantly saying ´hola´and ´gracias´ ... has definitely been an introduction into the culture...and for anyone who didn´t believe it before, here´s some proof that ¨I am in GUATEMALA¨ (which I am constantly repeating to myself, just so I can believe it too...)