10 Updates in 1

Often as I ride the school bus with the teachers in the mornings I think of all the things I could or should blog about. But life gets busy and blogs end up at the bottom of the to-do list. So here are 10 tid-bits of what's been happening in my life here in Tactic.

1) Today I finished marking marking the third semester exams. Only 1 more semester to go! It's hard to believe and I know it will go by fast.

2) Marvin is still continuing to fight. He has his good moments and bad. The other day we had a longer conversation than I've ever had with him. Yet he has basically lost his vision. He could tell I was wearing a blue shirt. The day before that he had 5 seizure-like attacks, and his muscles are very tense and sore. He subsists on baby food and beverages, and he does everything really slowly and seemingly half asleep. But he and his family keep pressing on. We don't know what the future holds and your prayers are still very much appreciated.

3) The Yellow House is, or was, or is still in the process of being painted. Two nights I slept on the couch in the living because all my things were heaped on my bed and my room smelled strongly of paint. Marvin and his family have moved in indefinitely and painting is being put on hold for now. And in case you were wondering, yes the inside and outside of the yellow house is yellow, though my room is more a peach colour and the outside is very faded.

The Yellow House being painted yellow

4) Behind the Yellow House, the bulk market continues to grow and develop. Dump trucks and steam rollers keep the house rumbling 6 days of the week. There used to be plants and bushes surrounding our house, where you could spot fireflies at dusk. Now the dirt extends right up to the walls of our house on 2 sides. As much as I would love to have more windows in our house, for safety reasons I'm glad there are no windows to the outside on 3 sides of the house. Now as I hang up my laundry I see lampposts going in and I wish for the privacy we once had.

Our backyard traffic

5) The fog has returned. For the first couple months here I would marvel at the fog rolling through the hills in the early morning. Then during the hot, dry season there was no fog. Lots of smoke or smog but no defined white clouds drifting in and out of the trees in the steep mountains. Once again I gaze out the bus window and smile at how beautiful and fresh the morning is.

The fog in Chicoy at 7am

6) Science Week is a new thing for the Vida schools. This year Hector Beb put his idea into action in Mocohan and Chicoy, and it will for sure spread to the other schools in the future as it was a big hit. I was so excited to be able to participate, though only on the one day in each school. It felt so good to teach a more academic subject than basic English. I studied science 4 years in university, and I studied ESL only 3 months. I love science and it was so much fun for me and the kids. I'm glad I could participate.

Grade 5 students doing an experiment with Smartie-like candies and water

Grade 5 students doing an experiment with coins and water

7) Science week in Chicoy was delayed a week, though, because of flooding. The stream that flows behind the Chicoy school became a river from heavy rains and flooded its banks, filling the roads, fields, and houses with water, silt, and wood debris. I went with the grade 7 class to see the garden they had planted months earlier. The green onions were salvaged, but only time will tell with the carrots, cilantro, celery and other plants. In the next field many of the corn stalks were flattened. Somewhat devastating, yes, but there is a lot these students can learn through this too.

The flooded cow pasture in Chicoy

Grade 7 students in Chicoy attending to their ruined garden

The river flowing from behind Chicoy school, with all the mud and wood on the banks

8) My parents sponsor a child through Impact Ministries. Miriam is one of my students in Purulha. Her dad's birthday was on Wednedsay, and their family invited all the staff from Purulha to their house for lunch. Unlike in Canada, that means we show up, they serve us lunch, and they do not eat with us or sit at the table chatting with us. Their gift to us is the meal and our gift to them is praying for their family. I always feel like I'm really in Guatemala when I visit their house. This time I was also able to meet Miriam's grandpa, Martin.

Miriam (in her school uniform) with her parents, sisters, brother, and grandfather at their house

9) The fair is coming to Tactic, Aug 10-15. Everyone loves the fair. As you can imagine, it's not quite the same here as in Canada. When the fair came to Purulha, they closed school. Not so the students could have fun, but because it was too dangerous for them to be walking to school and back. The fair draws a lot of people. Thieves, among others, love the fair, and unfortunately that puts a damper on the fun that could be had.

10) The Vida schools in Tactic will be closed for the days of the fair. For these days off and the week prior I will be going home. I will be in Kamloops Aug 2-14. The main purpose is to be a bridesmaid in my friend Jodi's wedding. I will also be visiting friends, family, and my boyfriend. I am really looking forward to being home, and I hope to come back refreshed and rejuvinated for the final few weeks of the school year.            

Marvin

This is not an easy blog to write. It has not been an easy couple of days. Last week Ingrid's brother, Marvin, got worse again. He has a cancerous brain tumour and yesterday he was told there is nothing the doctor's can do and that he only has a short time left to live.

The last couple of days Marvin and his family have gone back and forth between our house in Tactic, and a medical clinic in Coban. Now, they are staying in our house. It didn't really hit me how bad it was until I saw him and spent time around the family. Sure I was praying for healing, but their pain did not affect my life. Hearing the praying, sobbing, vomiting in the next room makes this real.

This morning we as a staff prayed for Marvin on the bus, in staff devotions, and with the students in school devotions, as well as in church yesterday. Knowing that people are praying, I should not have been surprised when I got back from work at noon and there were visitors in our house. People have been visiting all day. And, as is Guatemalan custom, you always serve your guests bread and coffee, or tea, or a meal if it happens to be that time. So Julio, Ingrid, and Julie have been running around town getting groceries or running around the house serving guests. Having something to do, though, helps distract from the severity of the situation.

Also when I returned home from work, Ingrid said Marvin's head pain had lessened. This is good and is an answer to prayer. It is hard seeing someone in pain. I have first aid training and lifeguard training, but I have never spent much time with someone in severe pain, let alone on their deathbed... or with their grieving family. Yet what a blessing it has been to have so many people praying. It fills the house with hope and brings a peace that is unexpected in a situation like this. If you feel so inclined, I ask that you please pray - for Marvin (who is the youngest of 3 children), his parents, his brother Julio and sister Ingrid, as well for Julie (his to-be sister-in-law) and myself. I believe God can do miracles, the Bible makes that very clear, yet at times like this I lack the faith that God actually will heal. But regardless of whether He heals or not, this is an emotionally draining time for all. Thank you for your prayers.

Sandwiches and more

Tactic has one grocery store. It does not have a wide variety of food, especially of imported goods. So when I get the chance to go to Coban, I go to the grocery store and stock up on North American products, such as multigrain bread, shampoo and conditioner, and salad dressing. Last weekend I lucked out and was able to find Rice Krispies and Jet-Puffed marshmallows. So what did I make? Rice Krispie squares. Actually Rice Krispie sandwiches with a layer of chocolate in the middle. As good as they are, however, I decided it was better for me if I share, so I brought some to staff devotions at Mocohan. Then I happened to mention they were really easy to make. Of course none of them had ever had Rice Krispie squares before, let alone made them. With still half a box of cereal in the house, I decided to invite the female teachers over and I'd teach them how to make them. They all seemed very interested.

In deciding when to plan it for, we figured right after school on Wednesday would work because everyone had the afternoon off. So I invited them for lunch. But what could I make for all of them? Only what I make best for lunch: sandwiches. If they weren't convinced before, now they all wanted to come and learn how to make real Canadian sandwiches!

Guatemalans think they know what sandwiches are. They even call them "sandwiches" in Spanish, but pronounced like "sanweeches". These consist of white Bimbo bread, mayo and ketchup, deli meat, and processed cheese. That's it. No wonder they say sandwiches don't fill them up! It's about time they learn what a sandwich really is!

Now, I'm not much of a cook. I would never survive on a cooking show. But I can make sandwiches. Just as tamales are a Guatemalan staple, sandwiches are my Canadian staple. I bring sandwiches to school, to work, on hikes, and just in the house. I choose Subway over McDonalds anyday. I could probably eat sandwiches everyday, no problem. So this Wednesday, I was the sandwich pro.

Whole grain bread, mayo, deli meat, mozza, tomato, lettuce, cucumber, and avacado. Mmmmmm. Of course I mentioned the variety you can have with sandwiches. Mustard, bacon, a variety of meat...and of course there's also the peanut butter sandwich classic, which they have never even heard of. It was so fun to see them all excited about something Canadian, something so ordinary to me. One teacher commented that she likes trying different food from other countries. Me too, but sandwiches has never been on my list of "different foods"!

After we filled ourselves with sandwiches (most could hardly finish one and were surprised at how filling it was), we made Rice Krispie squares, with chocolate in the middle, because of course they're better like that. All 6 of them helping, watching, asking questions, and of course licking out the marshmallow bowl.

By this time it was well past 2:30, the time their English class was supposed to start at the school with the couple that is living upstairs. I felt bad. I tried to kick them out and send them to their English class. Instead, they convinced me they would learn more English here and have more fun and create better memories than in a classroom. So I gave in. But, being the English teacher that I am, I had to write the recipes for the sandwiches and Rice Krispie squares on the whiteboard in English. Maybe making food is the kind of creative lesson I need in my English classes so the kids learn better.

After a fun-filled 2 hours, the teachers left with detailed recipes, full tummies, the rest of the Rice Krispie squares and some wonderful memories. Here are some pictures from the day.

Six teachers from Mocohan learning how to make sandwiches

Christina melting the marshmallows

Norma cleaning out the bowl

Everyone helping clean out the bowl

Marta enjoying the marshmallow-covered spoon

Wendy spreading the chocolate

Glenda, Glenda and Norma enjoying the final product

Norma, Wendy and I

Cristina and Marta

High Humidity

One characteristic of living in Central America is the high humidity. Coming from Kamloops, I don't experience this often, and never to this degree. For example, on July 16, the weather website for Kamloops said it was 22 degrees C, partly cloudy, with a humidity of 46%. On the same day in Coban it was 24 degrees C, partly cloudy, with a humidity of 73%. No wonder my lips aren't chapped like they are in Canada in winter, I rarely have to use hand moisturizer, and my hair takes forever to dry (and never dries straight).

I also notice the humidity in our house. Food goes bad faster. Towels never really seem to dry. And things go mouldy or mildewy. My clothes are fine. I wear them, wash them, and hang them up to dry in the sun (when there is sun) on a regular basis. My cloth shoes and leather sandals, however, are going mouldy. So is my suitcase. The spare room also smells of mould from when it rained really hard and the water came in through the walls. No wonder people don't have carpet in their houses. So, if you have any suggestions on how to de-mould my backpack and suitcase, that would be greatly appreaciated! Thanks. I need to use them soon.

A Land of Opportunities

Contrary to popular belief, Guatemala is really a land of unlimited opportunities. Anyone who wants to make some quick cash has plenty of simple options. Anyone can sell chips, candies, or marshmallows. Products here do not say in fine print: "Not for resale". Those shampoo samples we get in the mail, those are sold more than bottles of shampoo here. Anyone who has a stove in their house (wood or gas) can make and sell tortillas. Anyone who has a fridge can sell jello, and anyone who has a freezer can make and sell popsicles or chocolate covered fruit. There is no minimum wage or age in this country. For example, one of my grade 7 students wanted some new clothes. So his aunt helped him make jello to sell walking around town so he could earn some money and buy himself some 'new' clothes.

Now, if your house opens onto the street, you're in luck. Then you can sell these items from your door instead of walking around or sitting in the market. For example, our neighbours put up a simple paper sign written with a maker: "se vende helados de piña" which means pineapple ice cream for sale (which is actually frozen pineapple juice in bags). So, if anyone walking home from school feels like a cold snack, they knock on the door and buy one. I have also seen similar signs for chococlate covered fruit, or tortillas (2 or 3 times a day), and even eggs, chickens, or puppies. Whatever you have to sell, a simple sign on the door is sufficient to begin your business.

The white paper sign taped above the door says they have piña helados. 

If you have a front room that opens onto the street, the opportunities increase. Open a convenient store. Start a used clothing store (just buy a bag of used clothes that come down from the States and maybe some hangers). If you're feeling adventurous, start a restaurant. No one is going to stop you or ask for your business license or check if you've taken the Food Safety course. The opportunities are endless.

If you have a landline phone, you can put a sign on your door saying phone for rent, Q1/min. If you have a computer you can start a shop selling movie DVDs or music CDs you've downloaded for free. If you have more than one computer and internet access, you might as well start your own internet cafe. Those are becoming really popular in Tactic.

If you have a car you can put a taxi sign on the roof. Or put megaphones or speakers on the roof and get paid to be a moving advertisement. If you have a van you can become public transit. If you can use a paintbrush you can cover buildings with advertisements or election slogans.

In the schools I am teaching in, the students have started selling food at recess, with the help of the teachers. This has developed because Mocohan and Purulha are now completely enclosed by cement walls and so the village women can no longer sell food through the barbed wire at recess. At Chamche and Chijacorral, the recess meal has been moved to breakfast so that only those who really need the food will show up before classes start in the morning. The rest will bring a snack or buy from classmates at recess. What a more practical way to learn mathematics than to buy and sell in a practical setting like this.

In Canada I can only think of lemonade stands in summer and paper delivery kids who work for petty cash. Here, adults will sit in their front entrance selling gummy candies and jello. Here it will be a man's career to sell newspapers in order to put food on the table. A mother will spend all day cooking, making and selling tortillas, 4 tortillas for Q1 (which is approximately 3 cents a tortilla). As school lets out at noon, the ice cream man is there with his cart of neapolitan ice cream and a package of cones. I doubt a man in Canada would feel he was providing for his family by selling ice cream cones for 12 cents a piece. But hey, it's an opportunity to earn money. This country is all about opportunity. It's fair game for everyone. Let your imagination soar! If you lived here, what kind of business opportunity would you take hold of?

A kid walking down the street selling food of some sort door to door or to passersby.

     

In a Nutshell

For only having a week off, I managed to cram a lot in. Here is my week in a nutshell. Most of the time I spent in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, with my friend Karina. She was the cook during both my semesters at Capernwray Bible School Portantorchas (http://www.portantorchas.org/). I was able to visit the school and the staff who still work there. That brought back many great memories of my 8 months there in 2006.

Me in front of the kiosko (classroom) at Portantorchas

After that I visited a good friend, Laura, who is currently working as a tour guide in the rainforests of Monteverde. Consequently I got to do a canopy zipline and 2 guided walks through the rainforest, one at night and one in the morning. I got to see (and hear) howler monkeys, an armadillo, a coati, an emerald toucanet, as well as various butterflies, orchids, and insects. While in Monteverde I visited a serpentarium (snakes), ranarium (frogs), and butterfly gardens. Having a biology degree I found this extremely interesting.

Laura and I before the zipline tour

One of the guides on the zipline

Laura and I on one of the hanging bridges in the rainforest canopy

A green iguana at the serpentarium

A boa constrictor

A butterfly in the butterfly gardens

From the mountains I went to the beach. Karina's mom rents some cabins on beachfront property in Parrita. So Karina and I went first to Manuel Antonio (one of my favourite white sand, calm water tourist beaches) and then to Playa Bandera (a deserted black sand beach with crashing waves). I got to see white-faced capuchin monkeys, sloths, and iguanas.

Manuel Antonio beach inside the national park

A white-faced capuchin monkey at Manuel Antonio

Karina after a day on the beach

Playa Bandera

Playa Bandera

Our cabin by the beach

Drinking and eating a coconut on the beach

Returning back to the capital, I was able to visit another friend, Fresia, and her family who I had met on a number of occasions. Her sister actually just got back from Capernwray Bible School on Thetis Island, BC, Canada. Before leaving Costa Rica, I was able to enjoy some typical Costa Rican food, such as gallo pinto and Pops ice cream, as well as some American food that I can't get in Tactic, such as Subway and Rootbeer (which they call Zarza). Karina and I went to an exercise gym, and I got a new pair of shoes (I cannot buy shoes in Tactic because they do not sell my size. Overall it was a wonderful trip.

Eating Subway

A traditional Costa Rican meal at McDonalds

Wonderful, yes. Perfect, no. Transportation issues made this a real adventure. Three times I was on buses that broke down. I got ripped off by a taxi driver. Once I got on the wrong bus and once I got off at the wrong stop. In hind sight, I should have bought a prepaid cell phone when I arrived since my Guatemalan phone has no service there and ended up breaking anyway. Also, my camera case got stolen/lost/left behind. Thankfully it only had my spare batteries in it and not my memory cards or the camera itself! Then, to top it all off, my flight back to Guatemala was cancelled. I didn't have access to internet all week and therefore was uninformed of the change. As a result, Copa Airlines put me up in a hotel for the night, covering the costs of transportation to and from, as well as dinner, breakfast, and a free international phone call. They rebooked my flight for the next morning, which turned out not to be a problem for those picking me up in Guatemala. Thanks to this dilemma, I enjoyed the jacuzzi, air conditioning, a comfy double bed, and carpet on the floor! I feel so fortunate and blessed. God has been so good to me. Despite transportation and communication glitches, I felt at peace and not anxious or afraid the entire week. I managed to find my way around San Jose. I got to see my friends and experience the best of Costa Rica.

Waiting for a new bus

The Ramada Hotel

One of the many tropical flowers