We broadcasted from the Scheels Center on Thursday morning. I got
the experience of typing on a Spanish Keyboard while Nic and Stacy broadcasted the morning show.From there we started the hike up Buena Vista. WOW…it was almost a 45 degree incline starting that eventually ended up to some places being 90 degrees and crappy roads that were mostly unpaved. WOW. We were so exhausted when we got halfway there!
The first place we stopped there was over 20 people living in a 16x20 “house”. She makes tortillas and wanted to teach us how to make them. We were horrible, her children actually laughed at us. She made and cooked 10 in the time that we were still working on our one. She actually held Stacy’s up and showed it to one of the other women and they both giggled at her! This is also where I cut my head open…they just don’t have tall people in Guatemala…I hit my head on so many things. When we were going to leave, she gave us a packet of tortillas to take. She makes 500 of them, hauls them down the mountain, and sells them. It takes about 40 tortillas to equal one American dollar, yet she wanted to give them to us.
We went further up the mountain, and the idea is that the further you get up the mountain, the poorer the people are and the less likely they are to have electricity. The reason we stopped and visited this family is because one of the little girls was sick(with a kidney infection) and they wanted to check on her. We found out from the mother that she had given the little girl 2 pills, instead of half, like she was prescribed. They also fitted everyone for new shoes. They take a notebook and trace the girls feet and go back, find the ones that would fit and take the shoes to the family. I was amazed to watch the men interact with these little girls and the mother. So attentive and caring, they loved picking the little girls up and talking to them, complimenting them, and laughing with them. It was such a thing to admire as many men don’t show these characteristics.
We went further up the mountain to tell a little girl that she is getting a god mother, which means that their house will now get electricity. I took some time to reflect and look at the view and take in the city. When you look it is so bleak and dingy. I was amazed at the congestion and population. However as I sat looking at this view I noticed one rose on the top of Buena Vista, just inside my grasp. This was a constant reminder that this country is one of contrasts. Here among the poor of the poor, you can find an obvious beauty.
We came back down the mountain, which isn’t as easy because of the uneasiness and the shifting of the path. It’s a good thing that everyone is short, because that means that they have little feet. When we got back down, we hosted the Scheel’s Center radio class. Nic and Stacy were so happy to have students that were egger to learn and ask questions.
That night we went to the homeless shelter. It is the only one in Central America. When people walk in, they divide into 2 groups: families or men with alcohol or drug addictions. The evening starts with a group discussion and then this bean soup is passed out with a glass of water(that looks like milk). The men then help sweep the floor, lay out the mats, and then spread out to go to sleep. We were censored again as group started out with a joke and
when we asked what the joke was we were told “it’s not good for you.” So, when we asked the person that told the joke, he said “today, I’m losing my English, but the joke does not transfer well from Guatemalan.” Yeah, right. The man pictured here saw me taking a picture and told me to take one of him...but to ensure that I got his "good side"....I admired their sense of humors. I also was nervous because one of the men became infatuated with me, Nic was sure to point this out and I was worried that I was going to be married off AGAIN. These girls get something in their heads and are relentless.We were pretty tired when we got home that night, it was pretty easy to crash and stay in that night.
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