At the end of another eventful day.
This morning we went to the school which our scholarship students attend and met some of the teachers and had a tour of the school.
Playing fields are never level, even in Montgomery county, Virginia, but seeing the struggle of the teachers to provide a learning experience for children who have only three years of half day school to compete in today´s world broke my heart. After that we visited the homes of two of the scholarship students and were treated graciously by people who gave much more than they could afford to provide us with canned juices in hospitality. I´ll never forget the pride with which 6th grade diplomas were displayed in tiny homes with dirt floors.
That was followed by a relaxing visit to a local baths and sitting for awhile with our feet in the cool water.
This afternoon we went to visit the Episcopal Church in a local city and heard the story of that congregation. Followed by a walk around the vary lively and crowded market.
Before dinner, we read the Evening Office as usual and then got involved in a very intense discussion led by Brian and Julieta, the Sister Parish staffers about Free Trade and the implications of US companies having factories in Guatemala. Starting with the question of whether having a LandsEnd shirt ¨Made in Guatemala¨ is a good thing or a bad thing for Guatemalans. Far from an easy question.
Just stopped writing for a bit while the young girls in family picked out traditional Guatemalan clothing for us to wear tomorrow, with much giggling as we tried to make fit them right.
Tomorrow we´re headed out for two days of seeing a model macadamia nut farm, visits to a big cooperative and then spending tomorrow night at Ruth and Naomi, a handicrafts cooperative in Chichicastenango. Then visiting ruins in Guarmaarcaaj and the Chichicastenango handicrafts market before returning to San Andres for one more night with our hosts.
The living is certainly different here, and working to communicate past ¨Cuantos anos tiene el perro¨?¨is very taxing, but I wouldn´t trade the experience for anything in the world.
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