Hi!
This is Nina.
Guatemala has been very educational. Despite the poor economy, it is a country full of wonders. However, not everything will make you smile and laugh. And now I'd like to tell you about the heart wrenching sight we saw yesterday, after school. After the tour of the mausoleum, we walked to the edge of a ravine and looked down. The tour guide was babbling about how a dump lay beneath, but I could hardly listen. My eyes were glued to the sight below. People were sorting through garbage, taking what they wanted to sell. They knew nothing else but to scavenge, fix up, and sell to make a living. I tore my eyes away from the spectacle to the road. Garbage trucks were coming in a steady flow, one every twenty feet, nonstop. I was later told they work from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm with no salary. They make their money off of what they can salvage from the garbage heap. The tour guide went on with how children working at the dump were run over often, drivers couldn't see them through the heaps of waste. It broke my heart to see the hundreds of people down there. We looked on for a while, until I could bear it no longer. I turned away and walked back to the bus.
My mind was occupied with images of the rubbish heap until sleep, where I was grateful to be out of my conscience's guilty clutches. I had bad dreams that night.
Anyway, on to Sara.
Today was pretty much the same as yesterday. We went to the school
and
helped out. We're not allowed to bring cameras, because it would be rude
to snap photos of the kids until we know them well. So sorry for the
lack of pictures.
You'll just have to make due with the occasional picture of the city.
One thing that was different about today was that we helped out in the kitchen. We started the day by cleaning up. I swept, and after that Nina and Mom mopped.
"Aha. Done." I said. I then saw a cockroach scurry across the floor.
Of the kitchen.
Take it in.
Anyways, I almost screamed. "Eeeeep-" but since that wasn't very Sara-like, I cut myself off. Quickly, I grabbed the broom and whacked the cockroach. Hard.
Squish.
Well, it was pretty gory. They could film it and make a cockroach horror movie on it. But just as I was sweeping up the dust, crumbs, and dead bug into the dustpan....the thing came alive again. It seriously stood up, shook itself, and I swear it winked at me before scurrying off to whatever hole it came from.
Soon after incident cockroach, we washed our hands. And we started sorting through about five pounds of black beans.
"Rock. Found one." I mumbled.
"Me too. Wait. That's not a rock...."
"Say no more. Please."
After that and helping some kids learning to read, it was on to....more beans. Green beans this time.
"Just snap off the stem and the bottom." said the cook, in Spanish.
Snapping off the stem and the bottom was rather difficult for one who doesn't have fingernails.
"Ack."
"Ha, I have LONG nails. It's easy."
"Ouch. Something just bit me."
And so it had, and now I have quite the mosquito bite on my arm. Oh well.
Today, we also went on a little "Spanish Lesson." We actually went on a short, two hour long excursion. We saw a huge, to scale model of a map of Central America, which was actually 3D. It started to rain, so we headed back to Home Base.
My favorite quote of the day:
One thing that was different about today was that we helped out in the kitchen. We started the day by cleaning up. I swept, and after that Nina and Mom mopped.
"Aha. Done." I said. I then saw a cockroach scurry across the floor.
Of the kitchen.
Take it in.
Anyways, I almost screamed. "Eeeeep-" but since that wasn't very Sara-like, I cut myself off. Quickly, I grabbed the broom and whacked the cockroach. Hard.
Squish.
Well, it was pretty gory. They could film it and make a cockroach horror movie on it. But just as I was sweeping up the dust, crumbs, and dead bug into the dustpan....the thing came alive again. It seriously stood up, shook itself, and I swear it winked at me before scurrying off to whatever hole it came from.
Soon after incident cockroach, we washed our hands. And we started sorting through about five pounds of black beans.
"Rock. Found one." I mumbled.
"Me too. Wait. That's not a rock...."
"Say no more. Please."
After that and helping some kids learning to read, it was on to....more beans. Green beans this time.
"Just snap off the stem and the bottom." said the cook, in Spanish.
Snapping off the stem and the bottom was rather difficult for one who doesn't have fingernails.
"Ack."
"Ha, I have LONG nails. It's easy."
"Ouch. Something just bit me."
And so it had, and now I have quite the mosquito bite on my arm. Oh well.
Today, we also went on a little "Spanish Lesson." We actually went on a short, two hour long excursion. We saw a huge, to scale model of a map of Central America, which was actually 3D. It started to rain, so we headed back to Home Base.
My favorite quote of the day:
".....Eeeep-!"
-Sara
Wow, girls! You are having some powerful experiences that are great reminders that so many people struggle just finding clean water or a safe place to sleep. It's hard, but so worth it. Thanks for sharing!
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