March 20: Day 6

Hi Everyone,

Today was a very hot, long, and exhausting day for us here in Antigua. We started off with the usual breakfast at Fernando's before proceeding to the work sites. The "Dirt Bags" house is very near completion and "Das Chavos" has some catching up to do but is not too far behind. Team "Dirt Bags" would not be as far as they are without the assistance of dedicated leaders Jill and Peter (Mrs. Simpson's parents).

We spent the morning filling the cracks between the bricks with cement and hauling dirt. We began running out of jobs to do because as our buildings have progressed there have been things that only the professional builders can do. Therefore, we spent some time with the kids near our work sites drawing with chalk and finger knitting.

We went to our usual lunch location for another home-cooked meal. Today we had chicken soup and tortillas, for dessert we had papaya.

After lunch only a few of us returned to our work sites due to lack of jobs for us. Arjun, Rob and Robyn continued working on the house for the "Dirt Bags" and Sarah and Rachel went to the "Das Chavos" work site. Everyone else worked with the children at the center, except for Cole, who spent the afternoon with a doctor, from Florida, who was doing check ups on children from the village.

Later in the afternoon we all met up to play soccer against a team of Guatemalan children from one of the schools in the village. After a long day in the heat we were extremely tired and couldn't pull off a win but managed to keep it a close game and lost 5-4. After the game our bus was surrounded by children saying goodbye to us.

We went to Teresa's house for dinner, she is the volunteer coordinator for us and runs the Open Windows Foundation. All the teachers from the center joined us for dinner as well as a couple other volunteers, including our translator Patrick. Teresa toured us around her house, which was exceptionally beautiful.

Everyone is exhausted from a long day.

Buenos Noches

The Guat Crew
DWC Participants & Sahali High School Students
Guatemala: March 2014

March 19: Day 5

Hi Everyone,

We had another good day in Guatemala. We started off with the usual breakfast at Fernando's, and loaded the bus on time to get to San Miguel Duenas.

Today was hot, and we started work right away. At the "Das Chavos" work site, we spent most of the morning chiseling blocks and making re bar, while our builders continued to add to the walls. At the "Dirt Bags" site, concrete was made, blocks were hauled and some time was spent with local kids.

We went back to the same family home for lunch and had a very Canadian meal of pasta and bread, with watermelon for dessert. It was delicious again.

After lunch, Erin, Sarah and Danielle went back to the Open Windows Foundation while the rest of us went back to the work site. The Dirt Bags are eager to see a finished project by Friday. At the learning center, the girls taught the kids how to finger knit. They absolutely loved it!

At 3:00, Arjun, Rob and Robyn stayed at their work site while the rest of us went back to the Finca compound to hand out the care packages we made. Some of the items that were in them were soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste, yarn and little candies. Initially, there were only about 15 kids in the compound and we were able to hand out packages to everyone, but word spread quickly and suddenly about 20 others showed up. We had no more packages, and it is heartbreaking to deny these kids things we take for granted back home. Many of them have dry coughs, and runny noses and walk around in broken shoes and clothes that are too small.

We then went to a large field and started up a game of soccer with the Finca kids. It was disorganized, but their skill level was incredible. Seven year old boys were heading the ball and slide tackling, giving Shelby and Cole a run for their money.

We headed back to Antigua at 4 and were able to go to a few shops and enjoy the remaining daylight before a later dinner at Sabarico. It was in a lovely rain forest setting, and we enjoyed yet another good meal.

Talk to you tomorrow!

The Guat Crew
DWC Participants & Sahali High School Students
Guatemala: March 2014

March 17: Day Three

Hola amigos,

So today happened. It was a good day, many laughs were shared along with great memories.

Our bus left bright and early, and we headed out to the Open Windows Foundation, the learning center. We met our DWC connection Theresa and Patrick, a Swiss man who has been volunteering with the organization. We were given a tour of the Children's Centre right away, then we were divided up into two groups and headed to our work sites where we will be building houses for the next week.  Before we started the work, we were taken to both of the work sites and given a background story on the families that we were building the house for. One woman had been saving up for eight years to purchase a small plot of land.

After a few hours of vigorous work, we were treated to lunch in the home of a local family. It was delicious, and we all had a big appetite. Then we were back to the grind, and worked again until 4:00. We mixed cement, carried a lot of bricks, and made re-bar, among other jobs.

Tonight we went out for dinner in Antigua with Mary, and luckily the menu was in English too so we knew what we were ordering! We enjoyed a nice, warm walk back to the hotel (it's definitely not winter here :-) ) and headed up to the terrace to end the night.

Guatemala is treating us well. We'll let you know how day 4 goes tomorrow!

Buenos Noches

The Guat Crew
DWC Participants & Sahali High School Students
Guatemala: March 2014