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Published: November 14th 2008
At the Onion
No Brett, this is not Taco Bell, I decided to lunch at the Onion instead and actually get on the train!Hola mis amigos y familia. I have arrived safe and sound in the lovely little city of Quetzaltenango, known by the locals by its Mayan name Xela, pronounced Shayla. I enjoyed my train ride for the most part. It is best not to be in a hurry if you choose this mode of transportation, that´s for sure! I had the opportunity to share stories with some interesting people and enjoyed watching the countryside roll on by. I found the air to be stuffy, as we could not open a window. Imagine trying to sleep in a room with 100 other people, while in an upright position. Air please!!!! Rather than move on to San Diego and Mexico as I had orginally planned, I took a flight from LAX to Guatemala City, hereto referred to as Guate. From there I had what was probably the craziest bus ride of my life (so far) on what was apparently a first class coach. For the next 5 hours, I would see the men jump off the bus to water the tires, but none of the women, so I decided I would rather suffer than to be flashing any parts of my anatomy by the
side of the very public road, and try to discover their secret as soon as possible.
I am studying Spanish at a school run by a cooperative of professional teachers. Pop-Wuj is a non-profit organization that sponsors several community projects in the area. The most important of these is a scholarship program for students ages Kindergarden up to University level. There is a free medical clinic on the main floor of the building that offers services to families of scholarship recipients, as well as outreach programs to outlying Mayan villiages. There are volunteer opportunities with the Guardaria daycare close to the town. The Guardaria offers free childcare, meals, and medical services for single working mothers, whom often have been victims of domestic abuse. The other hands-on program is Proyecto Estufo, the stove project. In many of the villages, members of extended families live together in one-room casas, with an open fire for cooking. There are many health problems from the smoke, along with burn accidents for the children, and rapid deforestation for fuel. Using cement blocks, cement, and an iron stove top, students from Pop-Wuj build a specially designed stove that vents the smoke, is more fuel efficient,
At the Spokane Train Station
All alone in the big city, I was kind of freaked out to tell the truth! and prevents direct contact with the flame.
My homestay family has welcomed me and made me feel right at home. The grandmother Gloria is my hostess, and is a fantastic cook. After 5 days of living there, I am still not sure exactly how many people actually live there. There is an ebb and flow of extended family and nietas(grandchildren). They speak no English at all, and so I have been launched into my immersion program. Using very choppy survival spanish, I seem to be able to have my needs met, and even dare to attempt small talk. They are very patient people, that is all I can say!
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