Randomness and Ramblings (Month 3)

This is the washing station at Calvario 2 in use ( yea I know very original name there is also a Calvario B we work at  god knows how many Calvarios there actually are). Not the prettiest it must be said but works well.

               As I said not the prettiest, nice from far, far from nice. To be fair though the last day before the hoilidays I had to run back to antigua for Inlex meeting. I asked the two peace corp volunteers if they would mind coming back in afternoon when concrete was better set and see if they could dickey it up and if not just scrape it with a nail so that I could put another decent coat on after the holidays. They said no bother, I went and bought them lunch and the lot to say thanks and guess what they never went back. Sound..... Peace corp are pulling out of Hue hue because of some politics before April. Must be carelful I dont slip on my own tears when they go. If I am honest I am especially bitter towards them because they were the first people I had contact with when I reached La cumbre and they were so negative about everything I thought I must be entering hell. Luckily I took it with a pinch of salt and when I talked to Stefan a few days later he painted an opposite picture. He is naturally a positive person and I I honestly dont know what I would have thought about things if he hadnt of been there. For that I willl always be greatful. It is very annoying I let somebody. Really I am a little annoyed with myself for half believing them and being a little dubious at first when there is absolutley no reason to be.  There is absolutley no place for negativity here and you have to be extra positive around the two other volunteers becuase the negativity, especially when they are together just oozes. They must have been out the day in their Peace Corp training when the thought the lesson that its what you make of it yourself... Leave them at that.
             Officially Peace Corp are leaving Huehue because it is too dangerous. Most dangerous thing up in the Cuchmantanas is the dogs, natural hatred for gringos or else well trained who knows. honestly dangerous here what a joke? If they worked in Ashford of a Saturday night they would nuke the village.
            I have no problem with individuals who work for the peace corp, dont get me wrong, just happened to get too whingy fXXXXers in my project. I have met loads who are well clued in to whats happening in the world, along with plenty of people from the States who are here independantly who are doing great work and can recognise the problems of Capitalism.
              The peace corp as an organisation I just dont get. Sorry if I offend anybody here but what is the point in an organisation financed to do charity work by the same government who have been raping every country south of the border of their resources for decades. Coincidence it started up in the earlñy 50s along with the worst attrocities in Latin America, finaced by the CIA. Hey im no Jim Corr but im not blind either. To me it is justification to be here enforcing capitalist policies. Stop raping resources and there mightn´t be such a need for charity down here.

First day back and asleep on the job tut tut. Cheers Roberto...

Right so going back in time now to the start of my holidays. Gloria the co founder of Inlex with her husband Carlos asked myself and Michael to visit a project that an Irish women had donated money to and deliver a check. Not really my scene standing with a check like a lottery winner but to be fair to Gloria she was more than helpful in helping me find Borax and went out of her way when she could to help with Dona Lily when she was needed so nice to be able to return the favour.

The project is an orphanage called Santa Apelonia near Chimaltenango. Along with a school the kids are thought trades. From the ages of 12 to 15 they have carpentry, clothes making and shoe making classes and after 15 they choose one trade to specialise in. They do not sell the products but they use them themselves and they are also somewhat self sufficient in the area of vegetables and eggs. 

This is one of the kids who didnt have anywhere to go fo the Christmas and of about 75 was ont of the 20 or so that spent xmas at the orphange. The kids here are not necessarily orphans but could be in a situation where their family cannot afford to take proper care of them etc. Also relatives might take the kids out for xmas.

This is myself and Micahel D with Suzy a teacher at inlex AKA Laaaaauuuuuriiiiiittttttaaaaaaaa......

Dona Lily puts the pout on for the photo again without fail. Honestly she is the happiest women in the world normally. Just a bit confused as to what to do in photos. Suppose we all put on a smile so why not....

                  This is where the rambling is gonna come in now. During the xmas Dona Lily was sick. Had two tumours removed from her intestines. She is doing well now. I have to say how I feel about the hospital though. Hermano Pedro. You would think that there would be some sort of Christian sentiment wouldnt you? For a start they first said it was liver cancer. That is a death sentence in most countries but especally here. No facilites for liver transplants whatsoever. Why would you say that unless you were sure? When I returned from Coban to visit Dona Lily, Astrid informed me that she was able to leave physically but that until they paid the full fee she was not allowed to leave. And with a 500 euro fee for every extra night. Needless to say I had a little freak out at the doctors at this stage, who quickly changed their tune to saying as she didnt need medical attention that a 50 euro fee would do per night. This was a Friday and it was impossible to get money before Monday. Now I offered to give them my passport and bank card until it was paid at this stage because she was eager to get to her own home. No doctor stone would not have it. Where is the sense in it, the fee keeps getting bigger, what would happen if she wasnt able to get her hands on the money, prisoner for life? Dont mind Hermano Pedro, more like Saint Peter with the key to front door. Now I understand its probably like that for a reason but they had her address and I offered to give them my passport. Anyway besides that I asked explicitly did she have all the medicine she needed I even asked Diego of Inlex (Gutemalan) to ask to make sure and was told yes she did. I waited around for a few days until Dona Lily´s stitches were to come out and low and behold the doctor tells her she needs more medicine. He knew she didnt have the money herself. Incompetance or spitefulness i couldnt say. If he spent more time worrying about medicine and not money things might be a lot more effective. Last week Astrid rand me saying Dona Lily had sever pain again so I told her to go back to the hospital. They perscribed more medicine and she was out in two days not a bother on her. Surely this medicine could have been perscribed straight away? Gloria has asked a doctor friend to get a full report from the hospital so we will wait and see.....
               I also visited a De La Salle school in Antigua. It made the De La Salle school I attended look like a slum. Now im not religion bashing for the sake of it, take a look at the coban blog and you will see I appreciate the good work done by members of the church. However there has to be something fundamentally wrong with private hospitals or schools being run like a business under the name of a christian organistaion. I have now doubt a lot of the money ends up in Rome, along with a lot of the money from the collections on Sundays. I personally find it hard to stomach. This could be Irish bitterness towards the church though who knows..........

Miguel and Astrid

No this isnt a scene from the remake of Darby O Gill and the little people.........

I got this T shirt for free, the night of the Reillys 10 year anniversary. Well now to say it was free, did spend quite a bit of time and money there over the Xmas. Some spot though to be fair. Right craic there every night without fail. If your not dancing on the counter your on your way to the toilet.

This is a fountain in the market in Antigua. Carlsberg dont make fountains..............

Right so new years eve climbed a mountain (Dog nose Mounatin I think) in San Pedro de Atitlan. From left to right Johnnie, Lara, Stefan, Meself and Denise. How do I know these people you ask. Stefan was a work mate in La Cumbre and Johnnie and Lara are his companeros in Coban. Denise was my class mate in Spanish school. Anyway very sober new years, was very cool but too tired to drink much after walk. 

Coban of an early morning.

The two love birds.... Right little Cila Black I am. Fairly handy at it myself though....... Useless gone....

A roof top party at the lads apartment in Coban. Not much night life in Coban. Before 2008 was like most Guatemalan cities but since then it has gotten really dangerous because of Mexican drug gangs who have came to Guatemala since the crack down by Mexican government. Also a route from Columbia to The United States. More about the project the lads work in blog on Coban.....

 Back in La Cumbre since last Monday.......... What are you looking at gringo?.

Mi nuevo Casa. Few little alterations still needed but is getting there. Stove going where the bags of borax are now, next week hopefully.

View from the half door........ just for you Sprocket.

The Jacks...

 My new addition as of yesterday. An Into the Wild style shower. A come on now what else did you expect... Going to see about getting two gas bottles welded together next week. Bottom one is stove and top is an oven. For use as a typical oven but also for making charcoal or carbon which in turn can be used to make water purifiers. Method in my madness I tell you.

The new tat.....

 Few senoritas on the way to the market with corn on their heads. Took me about twenty minutes in a pick up. You do the maths....

A bread oven made out of Adobe. Have thoughts to try make a stove out of this. Little bit more confident seeing this.

Back in work visiting the schools and womens groups see what they need help with in the year to come. One look at this is it any wonder why I love it here so much. Some place to wake up every morning I can tell you.