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Published: January 5th 2009
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This is it
Coffee. Ubiquitous product through developed nations, but it was a privilage to be standing next to the actual plant. Bonito! Entering Guatemala was an immediate change to the senses. Mexico's Ucatan had the pleasure of quaint towns with highly cultured events, and a relatively wealthy population driving around in big cars enjoying it all.
Guatemala was different. Arlene's eyes were wide with the evidence of coffee plantations hiding under the shade of taller trees including banana palms, encroaching right up to the side of the road. But alas Guatemala is also rich in endemic poverty, crime, rubbish. For the tourist, everything is negotiable - upwards. The blast backwards was out of proportion with the small distance covered to get across the border and to our first stay - a town called Quetzaltenango (fortunately for us, simply dubbed 'Xela'). Being a temporary home for many estudious gringos, the many Spanish schools ensure you have your work cut out deciding which one will brush your skills up the best.
We had an easy decision, as the 'Esquela de la Montana' was perfectly situated in the hills well out of town. Nestled both (spacially and economically) on the fringe of a small village, it gave us the beautiful opportunity to learn about Spanish and the reality of life in rural Guatemala while
Perfect place to learn some Spanish
None of these small city cubicles, we were free - well sort of. trickling a stream of indispensable income into the village. One on one spanish lessons in the afternoons and their ensuing homework exercises were nicely broken up with outings to the nearby coffee plantations, talks on local history, Mayan medicinal plants, and the Mayan equivalent of the Sauna (with the real thing in the evening), local kitemaking session, a waterfall walk and of course playing football on the lawn with the local kids.
Being utterly dependent on lucrative coffee, Guatemala was in deep trouble when the industry crashed after the world bank thoughtfully helped out Vietnam by funding the development of their coffee industry. The resulting glut dropped prices from Q1000-1500 to Q150. Many plantation owners simply stopped paying the workers - the very villagers we stayed with who are so close to that sharp hunger line. The ensuing collective legal struggle surprisingly backpaid their earnings, but they were ejected off the plantation (read: surfdom situation terminated), losing their access to housing and schooling. Their current little concrete block village is in its first decade, and they are collectively navigating all the increasing inequity of their poverty. Most have almost nothing, a few have ongoing employment, while one or two
Spot Arlenes ones.
Tortillas - Arlene had a lesson in the art of making them. Maybe best to leave it to te experts. have family in the US sending money to prop up their households. One even has a car...
The Spanish school itself is part of the support for the village by employing locals for feeding students, providing exta-curricular activities, security, and of course organic coffee - much to the betterment of our morning zest for study.
For our meals, we were individually farmed out to local houses to be fed and conversed with - which is a financial lifeline to the households hosting us. It was also another huge learning curve as we met and got to know our families. Arlene struck the jackpot, and was fed huge and variegated meals of tasty expertly cooked local dishes. Her dietary 'distinctions' were easily catered for, and she was even given lessons in tortilla making. Of course the mis-shapen and runt-like products of her hands were part of her dinner, fortunately suplemented with a few proper ones...
The father of Benj's family was fortunate to have stable employment at the timber mill in the city. For Q20 worth of return buses, he earned Q10 per hour. To stretch this into something to support a household of 7 up on, he
Health and Safety in action
We loaded on the back of the ute to take little Coca into town to see the football - well, it wasn't just for him! worked five and a half days a week, and two late nights where he stayed in town away from the family.
To put that in perspective, Q10 is USD$1.50, or one pineapple. Perhaps inexplicably, Benj was seated for meals in the pride of place in front of the stereo, which cost Q600. When practicing Spanish by enquiring about the stereo, it was layby'd over 2 years, and was for playing the Evangelist radio only.
If you want something interesting like antibiotics, that was Q100. The probiotics we bought were a further Q120. So four days of work for Juan would have paid for one course of treatment for one dodgy stomach. And so we were looking strangely at the 'loud American tourist' who was disgusted with local Mayan natural medicines offered to her, exclaiming: "WHART THESE PEEOPLE NEEED IS PRARPER DRUUGS".
After a dashing display of attacking football, Oscar of 12 years (aka 'Coca') from Benj's family scored 7 of the 8 goals for Benj's team. Most impressed, Benj thought to invite him along to our night outing to see the semifinals of the national soccer league, where local team Xela took on the might of the
Benj's family
One of these kids is not like the others.
Coca is standing next to Benj. visiting Guatemala city team (the 'Cremas', not always affectionately named after their relative affluence). Having carefully gained the permission of everyone from his mother, the village elder, the teachers, to the school, Coca jumped on the back of the ute with us and rode the one hour into town for the first ever time in his 12 years of life. And we had the pleasure of seeing this quiet kid soaking in the sights of a city, a football stadium with a huge game lit up by fireworks, barracking locals, and pockets of trumpeters and drumers nursing their team to a 1-0 victory... ding, Ding, DING --- SHE-LA!
By the end of the week, our brains were full of a little Spanish, and lots of local Guatemalan history. Emerging from the tough start of colonial control, this little country fits into all the stats second only to Haiti. Running from one problem to the next, these people have learned a deep distrust of everything from the government down. Corruption is rampant, and work is hard to come by. But at least the latest civil war 15 years ago is drifting further away.
So eventually it was time to
Playing with the kids...
...and Benj's hat became a target. leave our little school camp, say farewell to the kids and families that had made our life so fascinating, and shrug on our packs, and again board the chicken buses. As a parting reminder that all is not well in Guatemala, the Police had come to the nearby village to attend the death of another child at the hands of his Father.
Adios la Esquela con su campo. Tienes tiempos dificiles en su historia y ahora, pero con suerte, a un futuro bueno. Tal vez...
Y gracias el campo. El dinero por nos estudiar es muy util aqui, y la esquela es ecelente.
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