Friday, May 10, 2013

May 10: Week One Complete

Week one completed of our work here in San Miguel Duenas. We have learned many interesting things while working with our assistants (the guys who know what they are doing and actually we assist them…) Nariz and Eddie. They teach us and put up with our learning, and definitely let us know if we are doing something wrong! The family is also getting used to having us around. The two grandchildren are finally warming up to all of the strangers in their home and are loving having us around to play with (during short work breaks of course). It’s so nice to actually get to know the people whose lives you are touching and having this hands on experience with them is great.


In Guatemala May 10th is Mothers Day - Dia de las madres. It is taken very seriously and we saw many flowers everywhere we went as well as a few cars that had been covered with an entire pad of sticky notes each one with a message of love! It is also an important day to remember any mothers who have passed away. Not too far from our work site is the mausoleum of San Miguel . We walked through it with Teresa and saw everyone paying tribute to their loved ones. Definitely can’t forget to call home for Canadian mothers day in two days!

Friday afternoon we decided on having a bike tour around smaller places outside of Antigua including a macadamia nut farm and a famous textile and weaving village. Riding through the streets of Antigua was very interesting… and very bumpy! The cobblestone roads made for a lot more work and the many speed bumps kept us alert. We rode out almost as far as our 20 minute drive to Duenas and stopped in at the macadamia nut farm… but not before we had already had one broken chain, one gear malfunction and one very impressive and painful looking flip over the handlebars. Everyone was alright though so after our new knowledge of macadamias (and a few macadamia oil facials!) we continued our bike ride to the village of San Antonio Aguas Calientes. (But not before a run in with poison ivy and an arm…also turned out alright after the initial painful reaction, luckily we're all taking turns with our mishaps so not one person is having all the bad luck.)This city is known for its weavers, local Mayan women weave traditional patterns using a backstrap loom. Essentially it was a two story market with demonstrations of weaving. It was filled with amazing crafts though. These women spend so much time on each item they make and they are truly beautiful – the women and their creations!

Our bike ride had a few ups and downs and we ended up being out in San Antonio Aguas Calientes at a later hour than planned. That combined with the fact that there was a large uphill portion of the bike ride back to Antigua had us questioning our guide for alternatives. So we decided on adding another typical Guatemalan event to our day and we got on the Chicken Bus! These are school buses here used as public transportation between towns but they are more than just school buses… they are each individually named and with extra chrome and paint and anything you can imagine they are each pieces of art in their own rite. We had the driver add our bikes to the load onto of the bus and all climbed aboard to end our bike ride… with a bus ride uphill!

Next to see what adventures await us on our trip to Lago Atitlan this weekend!

Danielle Anderson
Student Team Leader
Guatemala, 2013

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

May 7: Learning Through Open Windows

We arrived in Guatemala Saturday night and found our ride waiting at the airport for us. It was a pretty exciting sight to see the DWC sign our driver held up and realize that our adventure was finally about to begin ! We checked into our hotel and managed to get a few hours of sleep before our early morning departure to climb Volcano Acetenango. It was a bit more of an undertaking than we had anticipated… in total we spent 11 hours on the volcano and definitely had a very good team building experience.

Monday morning we put on our new DWC shirts and headed out to San Miguel Dueñas to meet Teresa and see her amazing work with Open Windows. We toured Open Windows and had a chance to walk around the town with Teresa and see where we would be working for the next two weeks. In the afternoon we returned to Open Windows and went to the library where the children read to us. It was a really great way to interact with them although we didn’t necessarily understand everything –many hand gestures were used!


Tuesday morning the shuttle picked us up right on time after another incredible breakfast (complete with yummy Guatemalan coffee of course!) at Fernando’s Café. We arrived at Open Windows and got ready for our 10 minute walk to the work site. Our job is to build a room in a family’s home out of cinder blocks. None of the eight of us have any sort of experience with building but we all learned everything from our Guatemalan locals to get the project underway.


Cutting wire, putting holes in the cinder blocks, mixing cement, and twisting metal and creating re bar supports were some of the many new things we are learning. Each of us has our own expertise after day one and actually had a lot of fun!

Danielle Anderson
DWC Student Team Leader
May 2013, Guatemala

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

March 12th: A final reflection

Our last day in Guatemala, and it's a very emotional one. In the morning some of the group were able to finish the last tin home. As a team, we spent the afternoon completing the cinder block house. We were all together with the family as the last panels of the roof were installed. The Gonzalez family now has a new home to move into with a concrete floor, cinder block walls, enclosed windows and a door that locks. Teresa, Open Windows co-founder, translated for us as the father and mother thanked our team. Candelario, the father, thanked us for coming to their town and doing all of this work for them so that they can have a better home. He said they were so incredibly grateful that there are people who do work like this. He said that their prayers had been answered. Rob Kirsch handed over the house keys to the family and the kids (Jose, Daniel and Julio) were all smiles. We presented Maria Delfina (the mother) with a housewarming gift (our Canadian tradition) of a card with notes from all of us in it.

The hardest thing after that was packing up and hugging the family goodbye. We all made connections in some way with the families we helped here. We are coming back with a changed perspective, fuller hearts and are looking forward to seeing our friends and families again!

Muchos Gracias Open Windows, Developing World Connections y las familias de Guatemala!

Hopewell Residential Communities
DWC Corporate Social Responsibility Team
Guatemala, March 2013

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

March 12: Last day on the project

Today is our last day working on building houses in San Miguel Duenas. Our goal is to complete the brick house and make more improvements on the last tin house we took on. Guatemala will leave us with a changed perspective and new appreciation.

Hopewell Residential Communities
DWC Corporate Social Responsibility Team
Guatemala, March 2013

Monday, March 11, 2013

March 11: Humbling experience...

This morning we went to the last tin home we will be working on. The conditions the family lives in is difficult to process. As you can see in the photo on the sidebar, the toilet is directly behind the sink. Having the chance to change their lives is a humbling experience that we won't soon forget.

Hopewell Residential Communities
DWC Corporate Social Responsibility Team
Guatemala, March 2013

March 10: Volcano hike

We took some time today to do a local activity, volcano hiking! Pacaya is in the heart of the active volcano complex of Guatemala and sits 8,373 feet above sea level. What a spectacular view!

Hopewell Residential Communities
DWC Corporate Social Responsibility Team
Guatemala, March 2013

Saturday, March 9, 2013

March 9: Reflections from the field


Day 5 - Today has been an extremely rewarding day for everyone. Although it is Saturday there was still a lot of work to be done. We split into two groups with one group heading to Open Windows and the other half of the group heading back to the cinder block house.

Open Windows is closed on Saturdays which allowed our group to concentrate on painting the exterior of the building. They spent the day cleaning the front of the building getting it ready for a fresh coat of paint. Teresa chose a vibrant and happy yellow color that shines as bright as the sun. The team did a great job and the building looks brand new and ready for all of the kids on Monday morning.

The group at the cinder block house focused on making all of the concrete for the interior floor of the home. Watching the floor go in was a fulfilling and emotional step in the process for our entire group. For many of us we realized that we take so much for granted including the floors under our feet. Their tin home has a dirt floor and they take great pride in keeping it clean, so we know that this concrete floor with be kept immaculate. We made two and a half loads of concrete with 14 wheelbarrows of sand, 7 of cement, and 7 of gravel. We poured buckets of concrete while Pedro and Mike smoothed and finished, creating a beautiful floor for the family's new home. There was lots of laughter and water fights along the way.

The two groups met up before lunch to visit a migrant workers camp at a coffee plantation. We brought candy for everyone and we really were not prepared for what we saw. The living quarters were small, filthy and cramped. It would be hard to imagine 500 people living together in such a small space during the height of coffee picking season.

We finished our day visiting where the eco stoves are made. On an average day they have between 9 to 10 labourers and can make 10 Eco-stoves per day. We are proud to have purchased 10 Eco-stoves for deserving families in San Miguel Duenas.

It is difficult to put into words what we are experiencing but we are taking a lot of photos to try and capture our memories. We have shared many stories, a lot of laughter, and a few tears and as we get ready for our day off, we are realizing that our adventure is almost over and many of us are not ready for it to end.

Hopewell Residential Communities
DWC Corporate Social Responsibility Team
Guatemala, March 2013

Friday, March 8, 2013

March 8: Second tin home with Eco-stove completed

As of today our team has completed 2 tin houses and a kitchen with an Eco-stove in it. Because of the generosity of our donors we are able to purchase many Eco-stoves for families in need (see photo of the Eco stove in the kitchen we made on the side bar). Working with the families on these homes is inspiring!

Last night we were invited to the home of one of the founders of Open Windows which is the organization partnered with Developing World Connections that we are in San Miguel Duenas to help.
Last night our group was invited to have dinner at the home of the founder of Open Windows. A great opportunity to learn more about the NGO and important the DWC volunteers like our group are to families here.Two of Open Windows's board members were there. They were blown away by the donations that Hopewell brought for Open Windows and to those from our donors providing much needed assistance through home building, kitchens and eco-stoves.
Tomorrow we will continue to work on the brick home while some people will be painting the interior of Open Windows.

Hopewell Residential Communities
DWC Corporate Social Responsibility Team
Guatemala, March 2013

Thursday, March 7, 2013

March 7: Completing our first house!

Our hard work pays off for a local Guatemalan family. By the end of day 2, our team had completed their first house, and reflected on the accomplishment: "Half the group went to one site and the other half went to a new families home. This family had 6 kids ranging from 18 to 2. Their house wasn't really a house so much as a makeshift shelter. Both families wash their clothes in the toilet. It is the saddest thing, but so happy that we can help them move forward with a new home! In one day we completed one house. It was a tin house for the family of 8. The tin roof they had was completely rusted out but it was borrowed and they had to give it back. It's so great that we were able to buy new tin for their home.The team really enjoyed the work. It was hard, but so worthwhile. Quite a departure from the Calgary day-to-day!"

Hopewell Residential Communities
DWC Corporate Social Responsibility Team
Guatemala, March 2013

March 7: Early days in Guatemala

Reflections from our team after the first few days in Guatemala:

Day one - A beautiful day!  We had breakfast then headed out from Antigua where we are staying and drove to the town of San Miguel Duenas. We went to Open Windows and met with their founder, Teresa, who talked about the organization and it's progression and growth. She talked about how they used to have a reward system to encourage kids to come and read but they didn't have to after a while because kids started to read for fun. Our Manager of Safety and Environmental Compliance, Rob Kirsch, presented her with the bags of items on her wish list (including pipe cleaners, bags, soccer balls, frisbees, and a number of other things) which she was thrilled to receive. After that we went to meet some of the kids and gave them the toupees which they liked.

Then our entire group walked to site to begin work on a concrete house for a family. Tasks included cutting rebar, moving and levelling dirt, disassembling an outdoor toilet area, building up the cinder blocks and adding concrete, etc. The family were all present and helping with the process. They are wonderful.

We had lunch at a local Guatemalan host's house and split up into two groups. One group went to Open Windows and read and worked with the kids. The other group went back to work on the house. A long day but an incredibly fulfilling one.

A few other things worth mentioning...On our drive to San Miguel we saw a volcano erupting, there are a ton of stray dogs, a truck with the back open drove by us full to the brim with coffee beans, a common security system is to have barbed wire on top of your fence but with glass shards on top sticking up, and they have the most beautiful doors on buildings.

An amazing place and an amazing team - can't wait for the next few days!

Hopewell Residential Communities
DWC Corporate Social Responsibility Team
Guatemala, March 2013