Guatemala - Albert Schweitzer Institute at Quinnipiac University

"Travel is so interesting, intriguing, and inviting because it gives us something new every day. It challenges us.  It calls us.  it shows us new places, people, and cultures.  It beckons us to come with it to new lands and unfamiliar retreats."

This weekend we began the next leg of our journey once our capstone project was complete and we had a bittersweet celebration with out host families, volunteers, and members of the communities in Joya de las Flores, Guatemala.  As three of us got ready to continue on for another week we said goodbye to half of our group as they safely returned to the US.  The purpose of the second half of our time spend in Guatemala is geared towards traveling to various places and communities to help plan sustainable activities for the Alternative Spring Break delegation in March 2014.  We will mostly be meeting and talking with leaders and community members in Cobán, Guatemala in a community Poso Seco (which translates to "dry well").  Before heading to Cobán we took time on Saturday to travel to the nearby region of Panajachel, one of the many areas surrounding Lake Atitlán.  Here we visited an NGO called the Mayan Family Foundation. We met with the director who explained to us their holistic mission and vision which encompasses four main necessities of: healing, shelter, food, and education.  She continued to provide a break down of the programs run by the organizations some of which were the following: welding and carpentry classes, sewing classes, mother and baby programs, activities for preschoolers, mentoring high school students, installing stoves, installing water filters, building houses in the area, donating beds to families, providing food to families, elderly care, education to work, and a medical clinic.  She also shared stories with us of how they had impacted the lives of some families in the area and it was clear that the work they do is truly admirable.  While we were talking there were volunteers hard at work to distribute school supplies to struggling families with younger children.  We were told that it would be an all day event and they would focus on older children later in the day.

One of the main reasons we went to the Mayan Family Foundation was because there was to visit the small medical clinic located inside.  The clinic lacks a consistent staff, but is run by nurses, doctors, and therapists who travel from all over the world to volunteer for periods of time to come and help those in need in the surrounding areas.  There was one case we were specifically interested in because all three of us are physical therapy students and were supposed to follow up with a man, named Carlos, who one of our professors had met with earlier this past summer during his travels to Panajachel.  Carlos unfortunately suffered from a spinal cord injury.  While working he accidentally cut a wire with his machete and electricity traveled through his body, sending him falling from a tree and  leading to fractures in his spine.  Our professor was able to get leg braces for Carlos which he sent down with us to be fitted in order to help him walk again.  We met Carlos and you could tell right away he had suffered a great deal but remained positive and his spirits were soaring after a recent paragliding trip he participated in. With slight modifications we were able to fit the braces and get Carlos to stand. We were invited to Carlos' home to deliver the braces and he showed us his new work of stitching intricate designs into pillow cases by hand.  During the visit we were fortunate to be accompanied by a local self taught therapist, Otto, who has maintained steady contact and a relationship with Quinnipiac students and professors over the years.  Collaborating with Otto allowed us to talk to Carlos about future possibilities of becoming involved in adapted sports in the area such as tennis and basketball.  It was an eye opening experience working with Carlos and all of the children the past week in Joya de las Flores.  We all got back so much more than we could have ever imagined working with these people .  These experiences humble and challenge you.  They make you want to be a better therapist and person.  They push you while revealing skills, qualities, and capabilities you would have otherwise never have known you had in you.

After the wonderful day in Panajachel, we returned to Guatemala City for dinner with a Quinnipiac alumni, who goes by Goldy.  Following graduation Goldy joined the Peace Corps and was placed in Guatemala.  After the completion of his two years of serving the communities of Guatemala he decided to stay and continue his work with an organization called Hug it Forward.  The dinner was the perfect way to end the weekend and reflect on our week in Joya as we shared stories and opinions of the struggles and rewards of working in global development, promoting sustainable projects, educating communities, and engaging change in the world.

Below are the links for both Mayan Family Foundation and Hug it Forward!

http://www.mayanfamilies.org/

http://hugitforward.org/

Abrazos (hugs) from Guatemala,
Marianna DiMaggio