marzo update

Last week I went on another extraordinary translating trip with CEDEPCA. This time I had the opportunity to accompany the Presbyterian Student Fellowship from Vanderbilt University on their Spring Break mission trip. I know, I know, I have a hard job but someone’s got to do it. We went to Santiago Atitlan (the most beautiful place in the world, I think) and helped build a retention wall for a hospital called Hospitalito. In 2005, Hurricane Stan caused a mudslide to bury the original hospital. Now, plans are underway to rebuild a modern facility that will provide care to a community of 45,000 mostly indigenous Guatemalans in Santiago and the surrounding area. We spent the week digging and hauling dirt and sand, mixing cement, moving big rocks, enjoying a chocobanano or two (chocolate + frozen banana = delicious), and playing a little futbol with the workers. A little bit of sight-seeing was also thrown into the mix; we went to Chichicastenango, the home of a massive and very colorful market, visited some Mayan ruins, and spent the last night in Antigua. I had a fabulous time sharing in the mission trip and getting to know the group- there are some pretty fine folks at Vandy! I hadn’t realized how much I miss American humor! We are one funny country, if you ask me! I have to say, though, that my favorite part of the trip was the chance to share my YAV year with the group and facilitate in their discovery of the country that I have become so fond of. A little hard work for a great cause, wonderful people, beautiful country. Yup, another first-rate CEDEPCA trip.

This week I gave talks on buenos modales (good manners). I had planned to play Mother May I? with the classes but it turned out that fluoride treatments were also planned for this week so we didn’t have time for games. I spent Monday and Tuesday up close and personal with horrendous dental hygiene. I’m telling you, my little tooth brushing classes couldn’t even come close to helping these teeth! Five year olds should not have black teeth and 12 year old molars should not be rotten and falling out. It was very disheartening to see this reality in the majority of the children at the center. It took all I had not to cry as I gave fluoride to my sweet little babies and saw them cringe with pain and tremble with fear. I had to keep reminding myself that I was giving them a valuable treatment that they wouldn’t otherwise get. I had a tooth ache all day Monday. I think I was having sympathy pains.

Wednesday and Thursday I was in charge of distributing lice shampoo to the mothers of infected children. This method of louse control bothered me because even though the mothers received the shampoo there is no guarantee that they will use it on their kids or clean the infected bedding etc. in the house. Yesterday I helped treat a little girl and her sister whose mother didn’t feel like coming to the center to get the shampoo so she just shaved half of their hair off. My heart really goes out to these unfortunate kids who have to endure poor health and subpar living conditions due to lousy parenting, lack of education, poverty and countless other societal problems. Again with the sympathy pains; I made my host mom check my head for lice last night.

I was pretty busy all week what with strengthening teeth and de-bugging children and all. I also was about to burst at the seams with excitement . . . excitement because my mom and dad come tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I absolutely can not wait for them to see my Guatemala! I will be playing tour guide all next week while soaking up some parental lovin’, then I’ll spend Easter in Antigua and the following week we have our next YAV retreat. Man, marzo is a good month!!