another day in the jungle

Another Day in the Jungle has Moved

2010-11-22T06:31:00.001-07:00

ANOTHER DAY IN THE JUNGLE has now moved to

www.ixcanaan.com

Please come and visit us there!!

Volunteers from Campus California

2009-12-15T03:30:00.000-07:00

Bit by bit, I will be catching up on some blogging that was left far behind by circumstances. Volunteers Francisco Mendes and Ok Mandoon are from Campus California Teachers Group. CCTG is many things, but I have become familiar with it as a "school for adults, training them to become Development Instructors and Poverty Fighters in Africa, Asia and Latin America, for a 4, 6 or 12 month period". The instructors from CCTG have been bringing their small classes through El Remate to tour Project Ix-canaan for a while now, and this group of two, who are on their way to a volunteer job in Belize, actually stopped for a few days to help out with the kids of the NUFED Academy, by teaching a cooking class and an art class.

The two students were happy to do some research to determine the type of recipes that would be both interesting to the students, as well as possible to do with the ingredients that the women could afford. The primary dish that they decided to make was a Teriyaki Chicken.

They made a large poster with the recipe printed on it so the students could follow along. The class was very interesting and well received by the students.

I didn't get photos, but Francisco also taught an art class to a class of NUFED students.

Special Thanks from the N.U.F.E.D. Academy

2009-12-13T00:17:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful surprise we had the other day when Project Ix-canaan was presented with this beautiful plaque thanking us for the support we gave the NUFED Academy during the past year in Computer Classes! The Academy had wanted to teach Computer Classes for some time, so we made the Ix-canaan library and computers available to them every second week for them to teach their students.

SIFE Seminar

2009-12-13T00:11:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Nikki, Cameron and I ran up and down thousands of stairs around the village as we delivered invitations to a seminar to all the hotel owner/managers in the village. The Seminar was to be in two parts, Scott teaching the first part on "Social Marketing", and Nikki teaching the second segment on "Building a Free Website with Windows Live".

Jeffrey filmed the event,

and Cameron greeted the guests at the door, passed out the information handouts, and made sure that everyone was comfortably seated.

Estella Monroy, on the far right, was hired as translator. A good sized crowd turned out to learn how they could boost their business through a more effective online campaign.

Doña Marta (right) and her daughter, Brenda, were hired to serve a snack of tostados with refried beans, tomato sauce and fresh cheese with fresh lemonade to drink.

The seminar was very successful and the people were so interested that almost all of them stayed to ask questions and talk more after Scott and Nikki finished.

SIFE Volunteers

2009-11-22T07:32:00.001-07:00

We are excited to welcome 4 volunteers from the SIFE chapter of the University of Valdosta, Georgia ... Cameron Hoopes, Scott Manley, Jeffrie Shipley and Nikki Mitchell.

SIFE is an international non-profit organization that works with leaders in business and higher education to mobilize university students to make a difference in their communities while developing the skills to become socially responsible business leaders. Participating students form teams on their university campuses and apply business concepts to develop outreach projects that improve the quality of life and standard of living for people in need. An annual series of regional and national competitions provides a forum for teams to present the results of their projects, and to be evaluated by business leaders serving as judges. National champion teams advance to the prestigious SIFE World Cup. In addition to the community aspect of the program, SIFE’s leadership and career initiatives create meaningful opportunities for learning and exchange among the participants as well as the placement of students and alumni with companies in search of emerging talent."

The group, consisting of two students and two faculty advisors, has come to El Remate as an "outreach project" to teach us to market ourselves, both as individual entities (beginning with Gringo Perdido and Project Ix-canaan) and as a village that has a lot to offer as a tourist destination.

Over the past week, the group has spent a lot of time familiarizing themselves with Gringo Perdido and Project Ix-canaan ... here you see them checking out the new experimental water collection system at the Women's Center ...

And they have been visiting local points of interest, like the Ruta del Mono Canopy tour, to collect marketing information.

They have also spent a lot of time in the Ix-canaan library,

putting together a new website for Gringo Perdido (I'll let you know when its online!) and preparing for what could be a huge seminar this afternoon, to which they have invited all the hotel owners of the village. The seminar will be in two parts ... Nikki is going to teach part 1 and Scott will teach part 2. Tune in later to find out all about it.

Solar Cooking Workshop is Altered

2009-11-15T07:33:00.000-07:00

After building the solar ovens on Saturday, we planned a Solar Cooking Workshop for Sunday. The volunteers had done fundraising before they left home, and were prepared for the expenses of the food, as well as the few things we needed for the ovens themselves.

Unfortunately, Sunday turned out to be too overcast to cook solar, so we turned the class into an indoor cooking class to teach the women the recipes for the foods that they had planned to cook in the solar ovens. They taught how to make a delicious lentil and rice casserole, as well as a chicken/vegetable stew.

Julie Mikus taught the procedure ...

and everyone gathered around to watch ...

while Gloria prepared the tortillas ...

and Doña Goya prepared the fire with the comal on top to cook them for the lunch that followed.

For some reason, I didn't get photos of the lunch, but everyone agreed that the recipes were superb and we all look forward to trying them in the Solar Ovens. We decided that we would collect more boxes over the next while, so we can commit one day to building the other 10 ovens for the other person in the pair, and while we are building, we will use the first 10 ovens to cook the recipes that we had just learned, along with a variety of other local foods, like beans, rice and sweet potatoes.

Solar Oven Building Workshop

2009-11-14T20:23:00.000-07:00

The students from the University of North Carolina were instrumental in organizing and facilitating our first Solar Oven Building Workshop. From left to right above: Julie Mikus, Brandon Dixon, Jessie Kruse, Avani Javer, Roshen Edathil and Anushri Deshai.

We collected boxes from all over Santa Elena for weeks before the date of the workshop so we would have enough to make 10 ovens. There were 20 women who wanted to participate, 10 from each of the two women's groups, so we divided them into teams of two to work together on the ovens.

The volunteers began by matching up boxes in pairs ... one approximately 2" larger on all sides than the other in each pair. Sometimes they had to actually rebuild the boxes to get the right size.

Gloria and Doña Goya have chosen their paired up boxes.

Lots of cutting and folding.

The cut folded pieces of cardboard are stuffed below and into the sides, between the two boxes, to provide insulation to the stove.

Then the flaps of the outside box are folded and tucked in, and the flaps of the inside box are folded and then glued down to the outside of the box.

Then the insides were painted black.

A great deal of hilarity ensued when the women tried a variety of alternatives while trying to figure out the "wings", but it didn't take them long to come up with a workable design.

And cover it with aluminium foil.

The last step is to measure and cut a piece of glass about 1" larger than the smallest box on all sides.

Collaboration with N.U.F.E.D. for Computer Classes

2009-11-08T20:19:00.001-07:00

This past school year, we have been collaborating with the Nufed School here in the village so that the students are able to add Computer Studies to their curriculum.

THE NUFED School is a technical institute for grades 7, 8 and 9. The graduates from this program are mostly unable (usually because of financial reasons) to go further with their education, so it is important to give them as many life skills as possible in their short time in this school.

We don't have enough computers in the Ix-canaan Library to be able to teach an entire class at once, so Byron, a local man who volunteers to teach Computer Skills to the students, has set up a schedule for afternoons, every second week. The eligible students don't get what I feel is ENOUGH computer time, but they at least get some time to become familiarized with the use of a computer. Considering that many of these students will be looking for work in tourism, their studies in Computer Skills and English are critical to their future success.

These two students are waiting for their class to begin ... it was an exam day, so they were spending every extra minute going over their notes before their class.

If you would like to volunteer to teach either computer classes or English classes to the students of the NUFED Institute (or any of a variety of other classes), then please let us know.

Volunteer Group from North Carolina State University

2009-11-01T16:22:00.001-07:00

We recently spent 10 days working with a group of volunteers, mostly students from the North Carolina State University who organized two programs to benefit the local people. The first of these programs was a Diabetes Awareness Day. Shown above are Julie Mikus, Emily Soli (a woman who just happened to volunteer at this same time), Avani Javer, Anushri Deshai, Roshen Edathil, Jessie Kruse, and Brandon Dixon with Dr. Enrique and the early-morning line-up of patients who were interested in participating in this program.

Diabetes is a huge problem here in the jungle. This is a result of diet (heavy on sweet coffee and soft drinks and low on nutrition) in combination with the hot humid climate. Since there are no programs for the jungle poor who have this disease, many, often women, lose feet, then legs, then their lives at a relatively young age.

The volunteers had brought information for the patients, which they passed out while they prepared to do individual testing.

Anushri and Emily kept records of the patients ...

Jessie began by taking blood pressure and pulse

Anushri was in charge of height and weight ...

Avani took the temperature for each patient ...

Brandon prepares to help with the patient intake, also at the temperature-taking station ...

and the two nurses of the group, Roshen and Julie, were doing the glucose testing on each patient to determine if they have high blood sugar content, an indicator of diabetes.

The Diabetes Journey was a huge success. Many diabetes patients were identified, and all were given information about how to manage their condition.

Here at Project Ix-canaan, we are continuing with a program for diabetics ... to identify those who are having problems, and to counsel on how to manage the disease. We are in great need of ongoing donations of testing strips to check for blood sugar levels.

Solar Lighting

2009-11-01T13:24:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Light Up the World, who donated this small solar lighting system, and Dr. Bob Dickson, who volunteered to bring it down with him when he was here in April, we now have solar lights in the Ix-canaan office.

The system includes a small battery, as well as a small solar panel

which we have placed on the edge of the lamina roof, where it gets relatively direct sun all day, and two small but powerful lights that each have two settings and about 10 meters of wire for each one.

The office is dark and cool, which is great for the climate, but lighting is required in order to work during the day ... we left the electric lights hooked up, but haven't had to use them since putting in the solar lights, thus cutting back on rapidly increasing electricity bills. IT WORKS GREAT! WE LOVE IT!! Now, all we need is a solar system to run the refrigerator, the satelite dish and a device that will charge computers and cell phones, and we can get off the grid altogether.

Adelaida Finishes her "Practicas"

2009-11-01T12:38:00.001-07:00

Here is Adelaida in her uniform in the morning, getting ready to go to her "practicas". For the last month, she has been going each morning to work at a company in Ixlu. She has done well ... and this week she will formally graduate from her course in "Perito Contador" ... Junior Accountant. Adelaida's schooling (and that of 3 other young women) has been supported for the last 3 years by a small group of 4 Ix-canaan supporters (coincidentally, two sets of sisters) ... Dina Hanson, Laura Bunting, Linda Kiernan and Ruth Bieber.

Adelaida will now be seeking employment and will not need educational support, but not only do we still have the other three young women who are working towards their basic junior-high education, but I have had applications from another 6 young women this year who would appreciate support in being able to return to school. All of these young women, like Adelaida, were forced to quit their educations when they reached grade 6, and would now like to return, with the goal of becomming secretaries, teachers or accountants.

Please contact me if you are able to make a one time donation to our Scholarship Fund, or, if you can (even better) donate on an ongoing basis throughout the school year. We do give tax deductible receipts for donations to this worthwhile cause, as well as quarterly reports.

A Successful School Year

2009-10-18T19:57:00.000-06:00

Both Elsa and Aracely are bursting with pride as they near the end of their successful first year back at school. Below are their reports, that they brought over to show me. Both of these young women were unable to attend school past grade 6, but have gone back to school with the goal of becomming teachers. They are enrolled in a special program in Santa Elena on Saturdays. It is specifically for mature students and the students are able to earn the three years of grades 7, 8 and 9 in just 2 years. Elsa and Aracely are hoping that we are able to continue the scholarship program that has enabled them to attend this program. Please contact me if you are able to make a donation to our Scholarship Program for Women so they can prepare to continue to work towards their goals.

October Volunteers: Joe Moore and Juleen Rodakowski

2009-10-18T14:38:00.003-06:00

Meet Joe Moore and Juleen Rodakowski, who have been volunteering here for over a week ... teaching and working with a group of local children.

Joe and Juleen prepared an excellent program for their daily class, consisting of a variety of different activities, interspersed with time on the playground.

Literature, reading and comprehension figured strongly in their teachings.

Part of each day's class would consist of a craft session focussing on an aspect of education. On this day, the children are making a mobile that illustrates what they dream of accomplishing, what they are working towards, when they finish school.

For the children, the highlight of each afternoon was their English class ... they love it ... and they participate with great enthusiasm, not only repeating the words, but writing them in the notebooks that several of them began bringing after the first day's class. Most kids here know that a working knowledge of English will move them rapidly up the employment ladder if they are lucky enough to obtain work in tourism when they finish their educations.

One of the modules that Juleen and Joe taught was on garbage and the importance of keeping their neighborhood clean. They made a game of cleaning up the entire block to see which team could find the most garbage, and made badges to say that they are members of the "I Do Not Litter" Club.

It was a great week!! Thanks Joleen and Joe!

Beberly Reads

2009-10-01T15:54:00.001-06:00

On the most recent trip that Rose and Beberly were here, Beberly took time out from their busy schedule with the women's group in order to read some books to the children.

Rose and the kids were enthralled as Beberly entertained the group with animation and laughter.

This is an activity that is really important for the kids here. They do not have books in their homes or schools and seldom hear a story read aloud to them. We are always looking for volunteers who would like to share this type of activity and help to birth an appreciation for literature amongst the young kids.

Meet La Chatona ...

2009-09-30T14:34:00.000-06:00

Meet La Chatona ...

y el Caballito (little horse)

Adelaida dropped by the other day to ask if I would like to see her school project before she passed it along to its new owners. I gladly assented and we walked over to her house where I saw these colorful giants waiting up on her porch.

Wow! What kind of project is this? Adelaida jumped into the Caballito costume

and proceeded to give me a spirited description of the meaning behind the large characters.

As near as I can understand, it seems that la Chatona was a famous woman of the jungles of Petén who would come riding her little horse to the dances and always be the life of the party. She is now a fixture at all parties and dances in the province ... so much so that on December 6th, 2007, the dance called El Baille de la Chatona y el Caballito (The Dance of Chatona and Little Horse) was declared by the Minister of Culture and Sports to be "a part of the intangible, cultural heritage of the nation for its expression of the history, culture and art of the region".

Apparently our local school children were saddened that they did not have a Chatona and Caballito to liven up their celebrations. And Adelaida had been assigned the task, for her main project of the year, of creating something lasting for the local school district. She made an excellent mark on her project ... and the school now has its own La Chatona y el Caballito.

Only in Petén

2009-09-29T07:38:00.000-06:00

This is the MAIN STREET in Santa Elena / Flores!! If you look straight ahead, you will see the island of Flores ... the capitol of Petén ... and this is the corner of the main intersection in town. Months ago the muni ripped up and dug out the main road from this intersection to the island capitol ... and the road to the right which is the main route out of town. They worked long enough to get a good deep hole which promptly filled with water, at which point they closed down the operation and left it as you see it ... with grass growing right up to the intersection.

You can only imagine what this has done to our traffic patterns!!

Volunteering with the Children

2009-09-28T11:09:00.001-06:00

We have just finished a fun-filled two weeks with volunteers Cadie Powers (left) and Theresa Caballero who have been doing a variety of activities with a group of children ranging in age from about 5 to 12 years.

For 3 hours every afternoon, about 25 kids have been coming to the Ix-canaan Library to do a daily project,

followed by reading, game playing,

art work

some lessons in photography

and fun in the playground.

On their final day, Theresa and Cadie even brought a cake to be shared by all ...

The Wall

2009-04-27T17:10:00.000-06:00

Violette asked shortly after she began working with the kids if it would be possible to paint a "group mural" on the end wall of the library/computer center building. We gave her an enthusiastic YES ... and this is the happy result!

She made stencils of various types of flowers, and let each child choose their flower, color and location on the vine.

Simon and Violette, Volunteers from France

2009-04-27T10:24:00.000-06:00

Simon and Violette Berger, from France, have been here volunteering with the kids for over a month. In that time, they've done a variety of things with the kids ... most notably ...

THE WALL: (check next entry for more details on this incredible work of art!)

Amongst many other things, they also taught the kids how to make juggling balls and how to juggle.

They taught them some magic tricks!

They worked at puzzles ..

and games ...

and miscellaneous other arts and crafts.

Lots of Volunteers

2009-04-24T07:52:00.000-06:00

For a short while, we had a large number of volunteers all active in the village at the same time. They are not all here for this picture (missing Simon, Violette and Aleta) but the ones that are here are ... Dr. Bob Dickson, co-ordinator of Friends of Ix-canaan in Calgary, Alberta; Dr. Andrea Hull, working on a water and sanitation program and a diabetes program here in the village; Jan Raymond, supporter of library programs; Allison Haynes of California, volunteer working with the women's group; Ok Namgoong of Korea, volunteer teaching cooking classes for NUFED students; Francisco Mendez South America, teaching an art class to the NUFED students; and Anthony Nugent from Campus California who volunteered with the labor of the NUFED bathrooms.

Dr. Andrea Hull

2009-04-24T06:16:00.000-06:00

Dr. Andrea Hull is here from Canada for a month, volunteering with Project Ix-canaan. Andrea is focussing on two main areas ... Water/sanitation in the village and Diabetes Care.

Shortly after her arrival, we scheduled a meeting with the village Water Committee to discover what is being done re purification of the village water supply. It appears that the Chlorination machine was disconnected within a month of its first operation (10 years ago) after complaints that the chickens in the village were dying of chlorine overdose. Since the water of the lake is not REALLY bad, and those with enough money buy their own drinking water, it has never become a priority to purify the water.

Andrea is now doing a survey of the village inhabitants to determine what services of water and sanitation the houses have now and what the people believe is most needed.

She has also been working closely with the Nurse's Aid of the Puesto de Salud in the village, and with a group of women with diabetes, to develop a care program that will prevent the worst of the repercussions of diabetes (loss of feet, legs and life).

Determining Educational Needs

2009-04-20T16:55:00.000-06:00

One of the first things Dr. Bob did while in El Remate was to meet with the Director and teachers at the NUFED school to discuss the needs and goals of the school over the short term. Later, he met with the Directora of the public elementary school, who are in need of funding to finish the cement floors of two new classrooms (I don't know how I missed getting photos of that day).

He also was excited to talk with Don Sebastian (right), the contractor in charge of the new bathroom construction.

NUFED Bathrooms Completed!

2009-04-20T13:29:00.000-06:00

The students and teachers of the NUFED School are really happy to finally have bathroom facilities.

Thanks to the untiring efforts of Bill Horne of Calgary, Alberta (shown here with Don Sebastian, the contractor for the job, back in October when this idea was discussed) this idea has become reality.

Jan Raymond

2009-04-13T07:12:00.000-06:00

Dr. Bob's travelling companion, Jan Raymond, has been an active supporter of Project Ix-canaan for a few years now. As an educator, Jan has been instrumental in gathering together and sending a variety of excellent books, as well as art supplies and other library materials. This time, we were fortunate that Jan was able to come herself to deliver another huge bag of educational supplies.

Delivery of Medicines

2009-04-12T14:50:00.000-06:00

Dr. Bob, the Calgary coordinator of Friends of Ix-canaan, arrived the first of April to bring down much needed medicines to the clinic.

It is wonderful to once again have medicines in the pharmacy.

Bathrooms for the NUFED School

2009-03-29T13:30:00.000-06:00

Last week we began the construction project at the NUFED School. The project in its entirety will be quite a bit more extensive, but we are beginning with the student bathrooms. Here are Henri (Nufed teacher), Sebastian (contractor), Julian Mayen (President Parents Committee) and another teacher from the school, in front of the present bathrooms. As can be noted, there are only two bathrooms with doors (those two have toilets inside) and although those two toilets are drained to a septic tank, there is no running water so water for flushing has to be carried by bucket from the water source several meters away. There are also no sinks for hand washing. The plan is to construct a cement wall in front of the present structure and a dividing wall in the middle between the 4 bathrooms (creating a boys side and a girls side), with doors on either end that can be locked. The building will be properly plumbed (water in and waste out) and 4 toilets and 2 sinks installed.

By last Monday morning, the basic materials ... cement block, sand and gravel (and cement that is not pictured) had been delivered and the project was ready to begin.

Since this is a technical school, the plan is to teach a mini-course in several aspects of construction ... primarily plumbing, block/cement work and painting. About 35 students from all 3 grades (7, 8 and 9) have opted to take this mini-course. The construction project began with a class given by Don Sebastian in how to do an estimate for a job.

It was decided that 7 students would participate each day in the actual construction. Immediately the young men were directed to the smashing digging door removal type jobs ...

and the young women to cleaning the old toilets.

I pointed out to those in charge that this might be a bit of gendrification ... they agreed, calling it "machismo" ... and before I knew it, the labor jobs were more equally dispersed.

Gardening Again

2009-03-28T14:03:00.000-06:00

Our new volunteer, Allison Hayes, has been having a wonderful time helping the women to get their square foot gardens back up and running. Aleta Leigh, who has been working on a variety of projects since her arrival, has volunteered to help with the garden building and to translate when necessary. Here are the two women with Gloria Mejia, whose garden they have just finished planting.

Type rest of the post here

Volunteer Teacher at the NUFED School

2009-03-27T16:07:00.000-06:00

Aleta Leigh, our first Alaskan volunteer, (shown here with some of her students), has been working as an Ix-canaan volunteer for over a month now teaching English at the NUFED School. The NUFED School is a technical institute here in the village that teaches grades 7, 8 and 9 to students who have little chance of furthering their educations. English is a very important subject for them, since many of the jobs locally are in the tourism industry, and their services will be much more in demand if they are bilingual.

The NUFED School meets for full day classes every second week (most Guatemalan schools are in session either in the morning or in the afternoon) so that the students do not have to pay for transportation or rooming fees for the entire month. During the weeks when the school has been out of session, Aleta has found time to act as the interpreter for the group of dentists that were here for a week, she helped out with the unpacking and organizing of medicines that the pre-med group brought down, and now she is working with the Women's Group to reinstate their garden initiative.

Here she is with her Grade 7 class. (Note that the school building has no doors or windows, unfinished walls and a dirt floor).

Breakfast in the Jungle

2009-03-17T06:44:00.000-06:00

Dusk, Dawn and Brother (I'm not sure who's who in this shot) eagerly munch up their breakfast up on their shelf, while Tzolkin, the chou chou, crunches his up outside on the patio.

Angel in Her Element

2009-03-15T10:20:00.000-06:00

The Sun Oven

2009-03-15T10:10:00.000-06:00

Dana Machovec visited El Remate for 10 days and while here, was able to demonstrate the use of this Sun Oven that she then donated to Project Ix-canaan to use as a model for building others here in the community.

Mirror Image

2009-03-15T08:12:00.000-06:00

Entertainment in the New Mall

2009-03-15T07:31:00.000-06:00

Who needs the fair when one has a new escalator to ride for free?? Few residents of Peten have ever seen an escalator in motion and when the new mall turned on their new escalator, the kids went crazy going up and down, up and down for the entire afternoon!!

Scholarship Students

2009-03-15T07:14:00.000-06:00

Elsa (top) and Aracely have returned to school as "adult students" with a scholarship from Project Ix-canaan. These two young ladies were forced to leave school when they finished grade 6, and they both have now registered for the Adult Upgrading classes in Santa Elena, with the desire to become secretaries.

A Fourth Student

2009-03-14T20:17:00.000-06:00

Delmi Estair Sinto is the most recent addition to our scholarship program. Delmi is 15 years old, and, like many girls from poor families, was forced to leave school 3 years ago, at the end of Grade 6, for lack of funds. She and her mother came to me shortly after school started this year to ask for the funding help to enroll her in Grade 7 of the NUFED School (a technical institute here in the village for grades 7, 8 and 9). Thanks to the ongoing support of Laura Bunting (Alberta), Dina Hanson (B. C.), Linda Kiernan (Alberta), Artane Woodwork (Calgary) and Play with Perspective (Calgary), I was able to include Delmi as our fourth scholarship student.

Type rest of the post here

The People

2009-03-14T17:29:00.000-06:00

People came in droves to wait for a turn to be seen by a dentist. These few you see here are the ones that made it up to THE SEATS ... the place for those who were next on THE LIST. To get on the list, they had to get here first in the day. Hence, the early mornings for all of us involved in making up The List.

There were families present from all of the villages in the area. Many would start arriving with the early morning bus and plan to spend the whole day standing, waiting.

There were usually a couple of neighborhood entrepeneurs selling munchies of some kind for the dental crew, as well as the long lines of patients who declined to leave to look for food.

This young woman impressed everyone with her patience and bravery throughout her extended time in the chair.

I heard several kids in line discussing the fact that they felt they could endure just about anything to get a pair of those Crocs!!

A Practical Gift

2009-03-14T16:56:00.000-06:00

It is important on a limited budget here in the jungle to make every penny count ... so when a husband is buying a gift for his wife for Valentines Day, what better gift than a fluffy pink one that keeps right on growing until it creates breakfast (eggs, I mean eggs!).

A New Laptop

2009-03-14T15:58:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Chris and John Guilbeault of Alberta,Canada for their donation of a used laptop computer. This laptop is much appreciated and will be used to increase our computer class size from 6 to 7 students per hour.

Thanks also go to Brad Krusky of Dentistry for All, who provided the pickup and transportation of the laptop, from Alberta to Peten.

Preparing for the Group Shot

2009-03-14T15:09:00.000-06:00

Dental Journey 2009

2009-03-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

A team of 11 (mostly) Albertans from the Canadian group "Dentistry For All" arrived last weekend to begin a full 5-day Dental Journey here at Project Ix-canaan.

The potential patients began lining up at 4 a.m. on the first day, and by the final day, we were awakened at 1 a.m. by the sounds of people waiting in line outside the clinic with their towels or blankets over their shoulders to be sure they would be one of the 50 - 60 people that the dentists would be able to work with that day ...

The team set up four stations for cleanings and fillings ...

as well as one station for extractions ...

and another for sterilization of equipment and giving away of toys and gifts to the patients.

And here are a couple of satisfied patients exiting with their frozen mouths and arms full of toys and ... best of all ... Crocs!!

A Three-Month Volunteer

2009-03-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

For the last three months, Margo Van der Sluys, from Holland, has been here volunteering with Project Ix-canaan. Margo loves weaving, and while here, she did a lot of experimenting with various materials and she taught several young people the tecnique.

She also spent many hours involved in various types of educational activities with a group of children through the Ix-canaan Library.

A New Butcher Shop

2009-03-01T05:39:00.000-07:00

El Remate's first Meat Market (Carniceria) sells only the freshest beef!

Lunch at the Women's Center

2009-03-01T05:25:00.000-07:00

After spending the morning unpacking and organizing medicines and medical supplies, we continued on our tour of Project Ix-canaan, ending at the Centro Femenino where the Ix-canaan Women's Group was prepared to serve an excellent lunch of tamales and black bean salad.

After lunch, we went to visit and talk with the nurse's aid at the local Puesto de Salud to get a rounded view of the medical services offered in a small village.

The nurse was joined by the technician who is running the new Malaria Prevention Program, also through the Puesto de Salud, who explained the new program and showed how it has lowered the cases of malaria in our area from thousands per year to just 75 cases in 2008.

University Students Bring Meds

2009-02-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

Today a group of students from North Carolina State University visited us with a huge donation of medicines and medical supplies.

Students used every available spot in the clinic to begin unpacking the 20 large suitcases and duffel bags that were filled to bursting.

While others sorted and classified the thousands of small packets and boxes.

The organization of such a wealth of supplies is far from finished, but by mid-afternoon it was clear that the clinic's supply of basic meds has been replentished for at least a short while with (among lots of other things) ...

Medicines for pain.

Vitamins for adults, children and babies.

Needles of all different sizes for injections of different types.

And piles of gauzes, bandaids and cotton for cleaning and dressing wounds.

Amongst the piles of supplies are also many things that are used for emergencies or in hospitals that will be donated to the local volunteer Red Cross and to the new volunteer hospital in San Benito.

Student Advances

2009-01-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

Adelaida, one of the students who receives scholarships from Project Ix-canaan, has finished the second year of her 3 year program to become an Accountant.

Meet Luis Cua

2009-01-12T14:50:00.000-07:00

Luis is working for Project Ix-canaan as a computer teacher. He studied to become a teacher in Guatemala City, and just recently arrived here in Peten. He has set up a formal and comprehensive program to teach the local children computer studies. There is a suggested donation of Q10 per month for the kids who take the class.

The class has proven to be so popular that all of the available 7 computers are in use each hour and now children are coming in from outlying villages and asking to participate.

2009

2009-01-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

Samsimian is sorting through some Mayan pottery while looking forward to another year in the jungle!

Keeping the Library Active

2008-09-13T18:39:00.000-06:00

In September of 2008, Joan Centra, from New York, volunteered to work in the library and oversee activities for the children who came to use the facilities. Many children used the opportunity to practice their budding computer skills ...

while others were thrilled to have an opportunity to develop their artistic abilities through crafts or puzzles.

Dennis Bedard Dental Group

2008-09-03T05:10:00.000-06:00

While I was in Canada in 2008, the Dennis Bedard Dental Group came to do a 4-day Dental Journey here in the village. This was the 4th year that this group has come to help the villagers with their dental problems.

The villagers lined up well in advance to get their numbers, then waited patiently for their turn.

The team did cleanings, fillings and extractions for people of all ages and averaged about 50 patients per day.

Anne Moon volunteers at NUFED

2008-08-26T18:41:00.000-06:00

Another volunteer that was here in March was Anne Moon from Vancouver. Rather than advertising for people to come to the Project Ix-canaan Library for English classes, we decided to do something a bit different, and Anne went into the local NUFED School to teach English.

Anne's teaching support at the school was well received and it gave us the occasion to visit the NUFED School. It is a Technical Institute that covers grades 7, 8 and 9 and serves the many small villages in this end of Peten. I was surprised to see that the construction of the school has never been finished.

The school consists of 4 walls with a roof and has no floors, doors, windows, paint, minimal furniture and no books or other teaching aids.

Friends of Ix-canaan (based in Calgary, Alberta) have decided to continue supporting the NUFED School through Project Ix-canaan by finding volunteers to help teach the curriculum, as well as looking for the funding to finish the construction of the school and equip its library with the textbooks the students need for their courses.

A Chichipin Caterpillar

2008-08-26T13:49:00.000-06:00

I am always amazed by the ingenuity of Mother Nature. Today we saw the first chichipin caterpillar of the season. This caterpillar lives out its life span on the chichipin bush and its coloring allows it to blend in perfectly. Not only that, but when the caterpillar emerges from its cocoon, it has become a distinctive butterfly that still carries the same chichipin colors. Maybe I can capture that miracle on film when the time arrives.

Making Soap

2008-08-20T19:46:00.000-06:00

I have been reading about and practicing making soap so that we are ready to bring in a "soap making teacher" from one of Canada's premier "soapers" to teach the Ix-canaan women's group all about making soap. We also need someone who feels creatively able to design packaging, labelling and soap finishing.

So far, I have made soap twice ... the photo above is from the second time. The first time I made a soap without aroma or color (below), but I did pour the second half of it over chunks of loofah to create a few "scrubbing bars". That worked well.

Many of the soaps are of a small size because two local hotels have told us that if we can produce a soap that is up to their standards, they will start to buy from us. These two designs are just to begin ... one is a more or less typical small round soap (I used toilet paper rolls as molds for these) and the other is shaped like a small pyramid (I used egg cartons for these). The larger soaps (and a few of the smaller) are scented with lavender oil and colored with paprika.

This second batch (above) is double because I took the opportunity to teach two women of the women's group, Doña Juana (the president) and Doña Bety (the treasurer) how to make it.

I had been thinking of the possibilities of making a useful yet beautiful soap from local ingredients, so made one type of soap with cinnamon, which has insect repellent qualities. The smell of the cinnamon, however, was not strong enough to last through the process ... we discovered that it is necessary to also use essential oils to give a good aroma.

This past week, Enrique and I took a drive out to Dos Aguadas where a women's group had been set up to make and sell essential oils. They are making essential oils from allspice, and from 2 different types of trees, as well as 2 different jungle flower blends. I bought some of each to try and I think they are going to be perfect for the soap aromas. The allspice has insect repellent qualities like the cinnamon, so I think the two together will make an excellent spicily-aromatic repellent soap. When I discovered the beautiful flower blends, I thought that the second soap should be of Rainforest Flowers. The hotel guest could receive one of each ... the spice soap for the morning shower before hiking in the jungles, and the flower soap to shower off before dinner.

Cooking Classes

2008-07-29T04:41:00.000-06:00

Recently, several members of the Grupo Femenino Ix-canaan chose to spend a week working with a cooking instructor (far left) learning how to properly prepare a variety of excellent Guatemalan dishes. The classes were co-sponsored by ProPeten and the Guatemalan government.

The women attended classes mornings and afternoons for 5 days, learning to create a variety of Guatemalan main courses and desserts. The day that I dropped by, they were working on "Poultry Dishes" and had made three different recipes.

The first one was Pollo Guisado, (Chicken Stew), which is chicken legs (preferably legs ... they give a much better flavor to the dish) and potato pieces (with other vegetables depending on your finances) in a sauce based on achiote (annato).

The second one was Pollo en Jocon, which is chicken cooked in a green sauce based on mil tomates.

The third one was far and away the best in my opinion. It was Pollo en Crema con Loroco ... Chicken in Cream with Loroco (small green unopened flower buds that have a distinctive flavor). I'm sure loroco is one of those foods that you either love, or hate. So far, I love it. At least I do when it is cooked with chicken in a cream sauce. I am definitely going to learn to make this dish.

To accompany the three chicken dishes, the women had prepared a Salad of Vegetables en Escabeche

and a pot full of the fluffiest rice I have ever seen!

This group of women is working hard to prepare to open a cooking school for tourists who would like to have the opportunity to cook and eat these regional specialities.

Installing New Cables

2008-07-24T21:24:00.000-06:00

After months of internet problems, and changes to almost every part of our satelite system, Enrique and Gonzalo install new cables and solve the problem, enabling me to begin to catch up on all the blogging that I haven't been able to do for so long.

A New Camera

2008-07-24T16:18:00.000-06:00

Dan McKinnon, good friend and Ix-canaan supporter from Calgary, Alberta, has responded to my plea for a new camera to enable me to continue documenting another day in the jungle. Thanks, Dan!!

A Month in New Brunswick

2008-05-24T12:46:00.000-06:00

The main reason for scheduling my trip to Canada so early in the spring in mid-March (or should I say late in the winter!!) was so that I could be with Mom to celebrate her 80th birthday on March 20th.

Here we are preparing for church on Easter Sunday with Mom's surprise Birthday Bouquet (from my brother John in Calgary) of 80 ruby red roses!!

I was happy that the temperatures throughout the month were relatively mild.

And I thank my sister Arlene for fantastically cozy winter coat that was waiting for me in Boston when I deplaned, that kept me warm and snuggly while I enjoyed the beauties of nature by the Oromocto River as it begins its yearly thaw.

I spent a lot of very enjoyable time with my brother, Herb, who lives in southern New Brunswick on the border with Maine. Not only did he host an overnight visit en route both to and from Boston and Mom's home in Fredericton, but he and his wife Marg came up to visit Mom and I for two weekends while I was there.

I'm also grateful to Marg (shown here with their grandson Trypp, son Adam, daughter Larissa and Larissas friend, Andrew) for driving all the way to Portland, Maine to pick me up and drop me off on both legs of my trip. Oh yes, and Larissa too!!

My brother, Maurice, lives in Boston with his wife Kathleen, and between them, they run the best darn "half-way house" one could wish for. They are always picking up family and friends at the airport, putting them up for a few days in their Boston heritage home with lots of great food and entertainment, then sending them on their way, either north or south depending if it is the beginning or the end of their journey.

On my return to Guatemala, Mo and I went walking through Middlesex Fells Reservation, a beautiful walk through woodlands and around a duck-filled pond to a tower and a breathtaking view of Boston in the distance.

My travelling companion for the long trip back to Guatemala from the cold cold north.

Another Day in the Jungle

2008-05-23T14:58:00.000-06:00

I heard a lot of giggling coming from my neighbors house right behind me, so looked out the window to see this pretty lady passing by ....

Third Anniversary Party

2008-02-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

The timing of the visit of Rose, Cecilia and Kavita cooincided with the third anniversary of the beginnings of the women's group, so the women took a vote and all decided to hold a celebratory festival to mark the occasion. There was only a couple of days to prepare, so Kavita made some posters and put them out in the tiendas of the village, and Cecilia went around in the truck with the megaphone to broadcast the event from neighborhood to neighborhood.

The young Ixcanaan Dancers immediately canvassed their friends for "costume materials", dug out their favorite Hindu music, and began practicing so they could participate in the show.

All of the women volunteered various foods to the production of tamales ... corn or banana leaves or herbs from the garden, and everyone showed up to work together to prepare the feast.

Tinoco (left) happened to be still in town since Unificacion Maya (this is sometimes a hard place to leave) and he volunteered to present his musical "show". He has a marimba and a frame-work of drums and percussion instruments, as well as various flutes and shakers that he passes around, and he gets everyone involved in making music.

The music was so "alegre" that many of the guests began to dance ... Danny even began teaching salsa lessons!

A number of donated items including mostly school and art supplies were placed out on a table where Cecilia offered them to the children as a Q1. raffle, with all the money going to refurbish the petty cash fund of the women's group. The women also set up a table on the patio with a selection of their wood carvings for sale.

The tamales, served with a black bean and cilantro salad on crispy tostadas, were superb ... the quality we have come to expect from the cooking of these women!

And while we ate, we were mesmerized as Danny Diaz played several of his hand made flutes for the group (http://www.kokopellistrailflutes.com/).

A Cookbook by "Mujeres Ix-canaan"

2008-02-20T07:23:00.000-07:00

Last year when Vansana Nolintha visited Project Ix-canaan with a group from North Carolina State University, he had the idea to help the women to produce a cookbook featuring their favorite foods ... foods that are often part of the menu that they will be offering as part of their catering services. During the early days of the new year, while Niru Bhatia, a volunteer photographer from Calgary, Alberta was here, the women held a "cooking day" at their new center to make some of the foods to be photographed for their cookbook. The women who were able to participate, divided into 5 groups, and each group made a favorite dish of their choice, while Niru took photos (take note that these photos are my own, and not Niru's professional shots).

Doña Amalia and her daughter Adelaida made Pasta Vegetariana ... a nutricious dish of pasta, tossed with a variety of sauteed vegetables and sprinkled with fresh cheese.

Chely, Doña Bety and Doña Juana made a dish that is a "fiesta staple" here in Peten ... tamales ... traditionally they would be Tamales de Pollo (Chicken Tamales) but due to changing times and diets, they now make vegetarian, chicken and fish.

Doña Goya and Doña Blanca made a delicious local favorite ... Coliflor Forados con Salsa de Tomate y Arroz ... or cauliflower, fried in a light egg white batter and served with a home made tomato sauce and rice.

Chila and her mother, Doña Nicolasa, made Papalina, a dish I hadn't tried before, that is made from thinly sliced and fried potato cooked in an egg white batter and served with home made tomato sauce.

And last but not least, Alba and Cyra cooked my favorite Guatemalan meal of all time .... Pollo Guisado. This flavorful stew of chicken and potatoes (and other vegetables, depending on the wealth of the cook), which is served over rice, uses a local spice called achiote for its unique taste and deep red color.

Volunteers from Georgia

2008-02-20T06:34:00.000-07:00

Andrew Longhi, and his mother Tricia Kolsby spent 10 days volunteering here early in the new year. Andrew had toured Project Ix-canaan earlier in the year with a student group called "The Dragons", and was inspired to return and offer his resources and energy to opening a market for the women's handicrafts.

The Morning Jungle Chorus

2008-02-20T06:01:00.000-07:00

Each morning as the sun's rays begin to lighten the skies, the Morning Jungle Chorus lines up on the topmost branch of the tree of giant lemons, which they have conveniently plucked clean of all leaves and spines, for their cacaphonous greeting of the dawn, an event that effectively catalyzes the entire neighborhood into morning movement! The members of this chorus are, from left to right, Angel, R2D2, Gypsy and Gandalf.

A Volunteer from France

2008-02-20T05:32:00.000-07:00

For the past couple of weeks, Sophie Marquestaut from France has been volunteering as librarian while Carolyn is travelling in Honduras.

Each afternoon Sophie opens the library to all the children who want to "drop-in" to play on the playground, to read books, put puzzles together, color in coloring books, or learn a new game, like this group ... who are getting quite adept at Monopoly!

A Sea of Ramon

2008-02-20T03:38:00.000-07:00

I first learned about ramon seeds shortly after moving here. Known as "Yaxox" in Mayan, the ramon tree (Brosimum Alicastrum) is a member of the fig family, which also includes mulberry trees. Referred to as "corn tree" by the Maya civilization, its nut was a staple food crop, capable of being stored for lengthy periods of time, that was roasted, ground into a flour and combined with corn for baking or boiled and eaten like potatoes. Ramon nuts are actually the seed of the ramon fruit. They have zero fat and can be ground into flour which is gluten-free making it a nutritious addition to gluten-free flours. Ramon flour is very high in potassium, fiber and tryptophan, the amino acid that helps calm stress and anxiety. Ramon nuts were used medicinally by the Maya to detoxify the liver and promote lactation in nursing women. Other common names for ramon nuts are ojoche, mojo. breadnut and mayanut.

Ramon was integral to the physical and spiritual life of the Maya as evidenced by their 4th day-sign glyph, KAN, meaning "the seed" ... which is a depiction of a ramon seed.

Enrique and I have been championing the re-popularization of ramon seeds since we first heard about them, and understood their importance, not only as a food, but as a way for the people of the rainforest to earn a living in harmony with the trees of the jungle (see www.ixcanaan.com). Through the support of various organizations, the women's group of Ixlu (our neighboring village) now operates a full-fledged production/packaging facility for Ramon Flour and Ramon Beverage.
(see http://www.teeccino.com/ramonnut1.aspx AND http://www.theequilibriumfund.org/page.cfm?pageid=2890 ).

Just before Christmas, we were pleased to be able to visit this new facility while in full operation to see their complete, professional setup.

The first step, when the seeds are brought into the facility is to do a primary hand cleaning to remove sticks and stones and other debris.

The seeds then spend from 4 to 7 days, depending on the weather, in solar dryers.

Then they are put through a "forced air" dryer to take even more moisture out.

After which the seeds are loaded into a professional "toasting/roasting" machine that roasts them lightly for flour, or darker for the beverage/coffee substitute.

The facility is also equipped with a professional oven for baking the breads, cakes and cookies which are being marketed to local people as well as to the tourism industry.

The group is marketing a range of products, from fresh bread and cookies that are sold locally, to flour and coffee substitute that are now waiting FDA approval to begin sales in foreign countries

Friends of Ix-canaan

2008-02-18T15:09:00.000-07:00

This week, Bill Horne and Christine Savary, both of Calgary, Alberta, have been here visiting. Bill and Christine are part of our incredible support group that enables us to continue the work of Project Ix-canaan.

First Banana Harvest

2008-02-12T04:45:00.000-07:00

The women of Global Coalition for Peace were greeted on the first trip of the year by another first ... the first "Banana Harvest" from their "Forest Garden". Rose and Kavita enjoy a couple of the regular eating bananas ...

while the women of the group divide up the rest of the harvest, which includes majunches, as well as the tiny delicious manzanitas (apple bananas)and regular bananas.

Doña Bety separated the bananas and divided them amongst the women of the group ... (here she is separating the racim of majunches) ...

Doña Blanca and her daughters start with a few small ones ...

Cyra and her daughter ....

And Doña Goya carries the majunches on her head, the bananas in her hands, and a few little manzanitas peeking out of her pocket.

Volunteers for Women's Group

2008-02-01T16:47:00.000-07:00

Once again, Rose Lord (with sunglasses) is back to work with the Grupo Femenino Ix-canaan. Rose (www.makegardensnotwar.com) has been coming here 3 times yearly for 3 years now to support the personal and group development of the village women. This time, Rose was accompanied by Kavita Krishna (right), a documentary film maker, and Cecilia Zavaleta, (left) their translator from Washington, D.C. Also with me on this "errand run" into town was Melonie Old (2nd from left), who has been visiting from Calgary, Alberta.

Roxanne's Visit

2008-01-14T05:22:00.000-07:00

We had a great time with Roxanne, who was here for a month-long visit that extended through Unificacion Maya to her return on Christmas Eve.

Project Ix-canaan Sign

2008-01-14T04:56:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Friends of Ix-canaan of Calgary, and our volunteer librarian, Carolyn Bedford, we now have a 2-sided sign on the main road that lists the activities of Project Ix-canaan with directions to find us.

Niru Bhati Volunteers

2008-01-06T03:23:00.000-07:00

Niru Bhati, a photographer from Calgary, Alberta, arrived during Unificacion Maya to photograph the events and to work with the women and children of the village.

Laundry Day

2007-12-29T05:14:00.000-07:00

Although most people in El Remate have water piped into their homes, the same is not true for the small villages between here and Tikal. Once a week the women pack up all the laundry and the kids and bus the few kilometers down the road to wash their clothes here in the lake on ancient "washing stones". This family group bathed themselves and cleaned a weeks worth of clothes while keeping an eye on the Mayan Fire Ceremony that was sharing their space.

Another Dramatic Sunset

2007-12-29T04:04:00.000-07:00

Here is another of the dramatic sunsets that we are privy to here in the village almost every single night!

Unificacion Maya 2007

2007-12-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

Early on the morning of December 15th, 2007, a group of people began to assemble on a spit of land that protrudes into Lake Peten Itza from the middle of the village of El Remate to begin the first of 7 Mayan Fire Ceremonies to take us to the Winter Solstice late on the night of December 21st.

The ceremonies were facilitated by Tata Pedro Cruz (left) who was supported by Tata Mariano (middle) and Nana Maria (right).

At various times throughout the ceremonies, Tata Pedro would keep time with his drum as the prayer incence was offered to the Sacred Fire and the 20 Naguales were called to be present.

There was lots of time for music ...

And Ayah was once again leading the Unificacion Dancers through the dance of Unificacion that they have been developing for three years

Walker Dies (1999-2007)

2007-12-24T15:15:00.000-07:00

It is with great sadness that I report to all who knew him that Woof Walker (known as Walker) died on the evening of December 22nd. Walker was our good and faithful friend for 9 years. He was the best jumper ever and could clear any normal fence at a single bound. His big soulful brown eyes won many a heart. He was deeply loved and will be achingly missed.

A New Laboratory

2007-12-03T17:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the generosity of AGAT Labs, of Calgary,Alberta, we are now able to do various basic tests for diagnosis of frequently seen diseases and conditions.

RoseMarie Nielson, of Canadian Blood Services, also from Calgary, volunteered to come down and set up the lab and train a person to use the microscope and various other testing strips and devices.

Floridalia Mazariego, our clinic staff person, has rapidly caught on to the procedures and shows strong abilities in this area.

Here Floridalia practices preparing a sample of blood for viewing under the microscope.

Vegie-Creatures

2007-12-02T05:04:00.000-07:00

Medicines Arrive

2007-11-29T04:35:00.000-07:00

Roxanne Walsh of Calgary, our most recent visitor to Project Ix-canaan, volunteered to bring with her a shipment of medicines paid for by Friends of Ix-canaan, and eye medications donated by Sonja Hagemann, all of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

A Birthday Party!

2007-11-29T03:50:00.000-07:00

Many of the children of the village don't enjoy a special celebration on their birthdays, as a matter of fact, many of them didn't even know when their birthdays were, so Marilyn and Joe decided to hold a
BIRTHDAY PARTY for EVERYONE!

A few days before the party, each child took home a paper to have his/her mother write out their date of birth.
The papers were then posted on a chart.

The class area was decorated with balloons and streamers.

Two cakes were baked by a couple of residents of the village.

Each child was invited to place a candle on one of the cakes.

Carolyn and Marilyn light the candles.

The group sang "Happy Birthday to You"

and shared the cakes.

The Finished Beads!!

2007-11-21T18:54:00.000-07:00

Making Beads

2007-11-21T18:43:00.000-07:00

After the children saw how much fun it was to string beads, they were really looking forward to actually MAKING their own beads. Each child was given some play dough, flour to roll it in, and a stick to make the hole in their beads.

Each child showed their own talents and style.

Cute Kids #3

2007-11-21T18:33:00.000-07:00

Stringing Beads

2007-11-21T18:23:00.000-07:00

The kids loved stringing beads to make their own necklaces.

New Volunteers

2007-11-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

I recently received an unexpected e-mail from Marilyn Baeza Ponce from Chile and Joe Golinveaux from California who were travelling through the area and wanted to spend some time volunteering.

It turned out that Joe had had previous experience teaching English, and was able to design and teach a program that was of great benefit to some of the young people of the neighborhood who need to learn English for their school programs.

Marilyn, who works as a Doula in Chile (she supports women through the entire childbirth experience) jumped with enthusiam into the children's programs.

Yoga to Begin Each Day

2007-11-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

Each day's classes begin with some basic yoga exercises. The kids enjoy them very much.

Play Dough

2007-11-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

There has been a bit of a gap in blogging while our satelite system has been down, so I have lots of pictures of things the kids have been doing over the last couple of weeks. I'll begin with the day of "Play Dough", which Georgia mixed up from flour, salt and water. It was a huge success ... the kids loved it.

Bill Bevan Volunteers

2007-11-21T10:38:00.000-07:00

Bill Bevan, Georgia's partner and photographer/archeologist/guide in the Peak District, England (see http://www.visitpeakdistrict.com/ for more information on this interesting area), has been helping the village to prepare for Festival Unificacion Maya, a community sponsored celebration at Winter Solstice. His next project is to photograph and prepare the materials for a Recipe Book that the Grupo Femenino is now putting together.

Preparing for Exams

2007-10-23T18:04:00.000-06:00

Adelaida has been in the library every afternoon recently, studying and practicing for her upcoming exams.

And Storytime

2007-10-23T17:22:00.000-06:00

This is a vision I have had of the function of the library for quite some time. None of these children have books in their home or school, and thus, have never been read to, and their listening/attention skills are minimal. I think this is an excellent way to develop listening skills as well as an appreciation for books and stories. Georgia has been preparing well to keep them interested and attentive throughout the session.

Break Time

2007-10-23T16:57:00.000-06:00

Making Name Tags

2007-10-22T19:23:00.000-06:00

Although she has been helping out over the last few days of classes, today, Georgia Litherland, of Sheffield, England was prepared to begin teaching a multi-faceted class of kids from 6 to 12 years.

The first project today was to make nametags.

Happy Birthday Georgia!

2007-10-20T18:04:00.000-06:00

Georgia Litherland and Bill Bevan arrived from England this past week, and plan to be here volunteering for the next 6 weeks. It was Georgia's birthday a couple of days ago, so we whipped up a vegetarian feast and a carrot cake to celebrate!

There's One in Every Class

2007-10-20T13:16:00.000-06:00

The Results

2007-10-20T11:51:00.000-06:00

Eva used a Project Ix-canaan stamp to make cards for each of the Recycled Paper Post Cards to give the kids an idea of how they can make this kind of product and put it out for sale.

Making Paper Part 2

2007-10-20T11:46:00.000-06:00

As usual, the class size grew from about a dozen on day 1,
to about 20 on day 2,
to over 30 on day 3!

Eva helped all the kids cut the edges of their paper to form rectangles.

Then each child was given paints or colored pens to create an art piece that reflected their surroundings.

Making Paper

2007-10-20T11:31:00.000-06:00

On the second day, Eva blended up old pieces of paper and gave each child a small cupful.

Each child used a spatula to spread out the paper mash on a piece of gauze and fold more gauze over the top.

Then all the pages of wet recycled paper were hung up on a line to dry.

An Environmental Class

2007-10-20T11:08:00.000-06:00

I synchronistically met Eva Oleksinska on her way to Gringo Perdido the other day and discovered that she was open to various volunteer opportunities. I invited her to visit Project Ix-canaan, after which she decided to delay her trip for a few days to offer a program to some of the neighborhood kids. She decided on a class that would focus on the protecting the environment, while instilling a dose of creativity.

On the first day of her three day class, Eva took the kids around 1 block of our neighborhood to pick up all the garbage they could find along the edges of the road.

Then they made it into "garbage art"

Recycling

2007-10-17T03:20:00.000-06:00

We, here in the jungle try to do our part to combat global warming. It would be difficult for most of my neighbors to "reduce" since their purchases are quite few already, but they are imaginative experts at "re-using" and "recycling". Here, a bedspring has been recyled into a front gate.

Beautiful Jungle Bird

2007-10-17T03:10:00.000-06:00

One of our neighbors recently acquired a pair of toucans. She gave one away, but the second has become a member of the family. She feeds it maza (ground corn) and a variety of fruits. She had been leaving him with unclipped wings so he could fly about freely, but last week someone shot him down with a slingshot and clipped his wings to keep him. Fortunately, they left enough wing that he was able to flutter home.

A New Volunteer

2007-10-17T02:47:00.000-06:00

Meet our newest volunteer, Carolyn Bedford, from Calgary, Alberta. Carolyn plans to be with us for an entire year!! She will be in complete charge of the library ... overseeing daily operations, setting up programs and helping other volunteers.

Cactus Flower

2007-10-14T19:51:00.000-06:00

The grounds of Hotel La Mansion del Pajaro Serpiente are full of a huge variety of orchids, bromeliads, cactuses and lots of other local plantlife. Nancy gave me a slip of this cactus the other day, and I am going to try my hand at reproducing this gorgeous flower!

The Graduate

2007-10-14T17:47:00.000-06:00

Mayra Cheguin, one of the two young women that are being supported by Project Ix-canaan through the generosity of several donators (Kathleen Gleason, Laura Bunting and Linda and Ruth Keirnan of Alberta, Dina Hanson of B.C., and Valerie Rothwell of England), is graduating! Here she is wearing her graduation outfit. Mayra has applied to attend University in January, and has been accepted upon successful completion of her entrance exams. If you are able to help with the "education fund" so we can continue supporting these two determined young women, please contact me.