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Published: July 24th 2008
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Antigua.
Well I can't quite believe I've been in Guatemala over a week. Antigua is so beautiful I am totally in love with the city. It has history and amazing architecture. The streets are quaint and so pretty with multicoloured houses, mainly blue, red, yellow and white Spanish style frontage. Then when you get a glimpse behind an open door you can usually feast your eyes on a pretty courtyard garden behind the wooden front door.
Even the buses here look pretty, painted all sorts of vibrant colours and they seem to be named...although I have unfortunately been warned not to get the local buses so I'll just admire them from the outside.
My second host family is ok..I'll not dwell on it but I'll just say mama in Costa Rica spoilt me. The food there was delicious and she really cared for her students and gave my stay a homely feel. Here is quite different. Home is a room out the back of the house, where the washing and the dog gets shut out. The room is ok but I did take a wet wipe round and I've bought a mat to cover the table to
pretty the room up a bit and make it "home" for the month. I'll not mention the food but I'll just say there is no food provided on Sundays and I'm looking forward to eating out, sorry mrs host lady (I'm sure she's about ninety anyway and looks like she could do with taking a break bless her ) I had to ask for a new toilet roll last night and I felt awful you'd think I'd asked for air con in my room and I'm sure not long after the ninety year old woman was sent out down the local shop for a roll I'll try and make the next one last longer
The project.
The houses to homes project I am lucky enough to be part of for the next month is brilliant. I was privileged to be part of a team who handed the keys over to a new house to a family of eight on Friday.
We began last Monday, with the ground work already started from before I came, with continuing rows of brick work. The children around the house were pretty shy to start with but by the second day were joining
in with us filling up the cracks in the brickwork with forks and spoons, barefoot on the site just itching to help be a part of making their house. (Let's not worry about any health and safety no hard hats or steel toe caps in sight..don't think risk assessment comes into play!!)
The families we are building houses for do have a shelter at present but it's a kind of shack made from bamboo which I assume wouldn't stand much bad weather. The project coordinator goes around and assesses the people with the greatest need (don't ask me how this is determined?) and then we come in and build them a house. It's a pretty basic house..it's 19ft by 13ft, one open room with a lockable door and a window, with a corrugated roof. I assume this would withstand most weather conditions and is a great improvement to what they have.
The families are always large, the average is four children but this family had six. They seem to use the house for storage and sleeping and then make a cooking area outside the house next to the chickens and the communal toilet, I've been in worse. They
can put electric in after the house is finished and I think most families do tend to do this.
The handing over of the keys is a pretty emotional thing where the project co-coordinator gives a little speech in Spanish and English to say how the project works and to thank the family for giving us the opportunity to do this for them. Most families say they don't know how to thank the project and the volunteers but seeing their smiles along the week is enough..it's very humbling and is an understatement to say it's just touching the surface. It's a tiny pebble thrown into the sea of poverty here but it feels nice to know I took part it one tiny ripple that was cast.
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Maureen
non-member comment
house building in Antigua
Dear Karen - what a brave soul you are! Your lastest blog made me feel so humble. What an amazing project to be a part of. I love your description of 'the tiny pebble being cast in that sea of poverty' - and I can just imagine how pleased and overjoyed teh family was when they were given the keys to their new house. We take so much for granted here, and waste so much, too (even use too much loo roll!) take care love from Maureen and Roland.xx