The kids keep themselves occupied in the playground, using the tire swings to build ever-more-complicated machines, while the women are busy cooking in their makeshift kitchen. 
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
The Playground
Today's Lunch
A carne guisada is on the luncheon menu today ... it is a meat stew that uses a local red spice called achiote to color the broth.
Preparing the Lunch
The women of the Women's Group are hard at work preparing the lunch. They have been on duty almost every waking hour since the group arrived, cooking breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, as well as providing a place for workshop participants to sleep for the night last night.
Hosting a Workshop for ProPeten
The Women's Group were thrilled to be approaced by representatives from ProPeten about hosting a 2 day workshop for about 30 indigineous people from other villages. The 2 days of meetings are taking place in the meeting house up in the top right, and the women are making the lunch in the makeshift kitchen in the foreground.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Yoga for the Kids
Several of the kids went to ask Rose if she would lead them through a yoga class while their mothers were digging and planting. If there is anyone out there who would like to volunteer as a yoga teacher, you would have classes of several different ages ... the people here love it, and don't have anyone nearby to teach them on an ongoing basis.
Women's Group President
Doña Juana Melendez, president of the Women´s Group, sets a strong example as she digs, hauls and plants to help create the FOREST GARDEN. She looks forward to the time when they share in a regular harvest of various fruits and vegetables, which will also be used to make preserves for sale to the public, and to sell through their restaurant.
Preparing for Planting
This group of young women are in charge of adding one bucketful of "natural fertilizer" to each of the holes as they are being dug.
Planting Platanos
Todd Bauer of Trees for Life carries 2 platanos trees to their spot. This garden of trees will be a ¨layered¨garden, with a variety of tall trees, with shorter bushes and shrubs under those, and various types of usable ground cover (sweet potatoes) under those. Also, a variety of berry-bearing bushes will be planted to create a "living fenceline" all along the borders of the property.
Planting Papaya
Doña Amalia and Doña Blanca plant papaya seedlings. Each woman is required to work for 4 hours a day during this week while the planting is in progress. After that, the Forest Garden will require a commitment of 4 hours per month per woman, working in pairs.
Planting Pineapples
Tom and his nephew (who came down from the States to help with this project) work with several of the husbands of the women (who came to volunteer) to plant a large field of pineapples in front of the Meeting House that can be seen in the background.
Women Working Together
A young girl watches over her baby sister in the hammock while their mother works with the other women of the women's group in the field beyond.
A Forest Garden
Rose Lord (Global Coalition for Peace) and Juana Melendez (Women's Group President) are in the process of planting one of the many trees that will be part of a "forest garden" ... a very special "showplace" that the women, with help from Tom Benevento and Todd Bauer from Trees for Life, are creating on their land.
Enjoying Quirigua
Enrique looks out over the courtyard of the main square of Quirigua where we were virtually serenaded by choruses of birds and insects in the trees surrounding us.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Quirigua
I have driven by the Mayan site of Quirigua several times on journeys between Guatemala City and Peten, but the timing was never right to stop. This time, we planned a visit into our trip and spent a couple of wonderful hours strolling through the park-like grounds of the site.
Gabriel
We just returned from a couple of days with Enrique's family in Guatemala City and I had the great pleasure of meeting his youngest grandchild, Gabriel, who at 8 months old is incredibly bright, curious and very pleasant natured.
Friday, May 19, 2006
A Ceiba Mural for the Library
The inside of the library has been painted, and Lorena, an artistic volunteer, painted the mural of the ceiba with the glyphs dripping in oropendula nests.
Community Library
And the view from this end shows the bathrooms and bookshelves at the far end ....
The Library / Computer Center
The false ceiling of the library/computer center building has now been finished, and the building has been painted.
The New Laboratory
This is the area that is being developed as a laboratory, to do basic blood, urine and feces exams. We are at this time looking for a volunteer to set up the laboratory and teach a local person how to do the basic tests.
Clinica Medica de El Remate
And inside, a wall with a door has been built, dividing the clinic from the area that is being developed as a laboratory. Also, from donations during the 2 dental journeys, we were able to purchase (amongst other things) plastic "organizers" to keep surgery items, well, organized.
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