Photo Uno: Yesterday, we installed a stove in a house on the slope of a mountain. The boys, with the help of two Good Samaritans, were able to carry a large cement piece of the stove up a precarious gravel hill. Thankfully, we had so many people to help, not everyone needed to work on the stove. I spent my break time with the kids, being a ‘silla’ for Axel, and holding this adorable little puppy. He was four weeks old and so precious.
Photos Dos y Tres: These two pictures are taken from Sandra’s kitchen. Sandra, a school employee, invited us to her house to cook and learn. In the first photo, you can see Vulcan Fuego, the volcano that recently erupted. Just twenty minutes prior, the volcano was emitting a small black cloud. Sandra described the day when the volcano erupted. What upset her the most was not the eruption, but the lack of tourists visiting her family’s shop afterwards. She teared up while telling us about the weeks they went without any income from tourists. The second photo shows the realistic view of most neighborhoods: rusted metal roofs and cinder blocks squeezed in where they will fit on the mountain. Even for Sandra, someone with steady income and almost fluent English, this is the life most Guatemalans live.
Photos Cuatro y Cinco: While making lunch, Sandra’s mother invited us to make tortillas. While she made it look easy, the process of shaping the tortilla took precision and speed. In the first photo, you can see my mom, Beth, trying her hand at the slapping and flipping motion needed to flatten the tortillas. In the second photo, I proudly display the second tortilla I made. While certainly not perfect, and definitely not my first try, I made it all on my own. The tortilla is in my apron, provided by Sandra, because it was too hot for me to touch. Sandra’s mom was able to grab it straight off of the stove.
Photo Seis: No trip is ever complete without a cute baby. This is Mateo and Samantha, Sandra’s two kids. This was taken just after I held Mateo for at least ten minutes. He didn’t scream or cry, and was always looking around at you. His sister gave him a kiss after I asked, “Te gusta tu hermano?” Darby didn’t let go of Mateo until it was time to eat, and I don’t blame her. He was so adorable and chubby!
Photo Siete: This is a selfie of Emanuel and I. Emanuel is a previous student at Escuela Integrada and ix an interpreter for us. He is seventeen and currently studying music at college. In the picture, he is wearing my hat, which he insisted he wear all the time. We met three years prior when he was a student, and by God’s faith, happened to be here for the two weeks he was helping the school. The picture was taken on a chicken bus, a very colorful bus that is most Guatemalans’ mean of transportation. Most chicken buses are repurposed school buses that are privately owned, but organized in bus lines and destinations by the owners.
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