They have a Big Heart

So here it is. The small community HOURS away from the capital, Guatemala City, and what seemed like forever up and down dirt roads from the city of Jilotepque.

I dont know if I can put what I was feeling into words at this exact moment properly...but of course Ill try.

The last few times that I visited a Plan sponsored community I was with some Plan people and usually some local officials. When we arrived at the community itself we met with some of the members of the communities and some volunteers. They told some stories and did some business and then we were on our way. This time was DIFFERENT.hahahah...

So when we arrived I noticed the school off to the right and then I saw nothing but people. People looked like they were so packed into the school yard they had to sit on the fence. It looked like people trying to get into a 49ers game at Candlestick. There were people everwhere. I was soooo nervous. I think I sat in the car for an extra second or two and didnt move. I had no idea what was going on. Ann was sitting next to me and she gave me this look that said...ok Aaron...dont freak out here... Shes the best. She gave me a quick pep talk...ok alright alright...were here...she said THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN. What did I get myself into I thought but then I calmed myself. I told myslef to make it fun. Go with the flow. Have fun with it and make this an experience that Ill never forget. I eventually looked at Ann and said somehting like...alright..lets do it...with a chuckle.

THERE WERE KIDS EVERYWHERE!!!

There must have been 300 kids there at least. Maybe more. On top of that ALL the moms from the village where there. They stood behind the kids holding babies with there traditional dresses on while trying to cram under a dead looking tree for some shade. This was overwhelming but so fun. When I entered the yard the kids spread quickly away. This was totally crazy. They were staring and whispering and checking out Ceasar and I. Of course they were a bit shy but eventually they got on with it. You can see Aiden in this pic. I dont think he was worried about any of it. Hes a champ!

Here are some of the children from the village. Wheres Merdardo?

It was crazy at first. Like I said there were kids everywhere. It seemed like they would get close but then when I went to talk to them they would giggle and run away. And then a new group would get close and do the same. I finally got some of the boys rounded up for a quick picture. The first part of the day was an opportunity for me to just take a look around.

Like I have said in some of the past posts this community is facing a serious challenge because there more children than can fit into the school. At this current time there are about 400 kids and only 2 classrooms. The classrooms only hold about 23 kids each. You can do the math here. They have a serious problem. On top of that they all WANT to go to school. They know and understand how important it is. Last year, of course this same problem was happening, and they only had 1st grade to 6th grade. After that they were working in the fields or doing whatever there parents had them do. Collecting water all day or in most cases firewood. All of these children want to go to school but the school simply isnt big enough for them. They want a better future.

Bring out the dancers!

This visit was a HUGE deal for the school and the entire community. The schedueled some traditional dancing for the event. When I went to the back I found these guys getting ready for there big day.

The children are so cute. The teachers had them line up in there grade. The kids keep pushing closer to get a better view of the event. They took off the entire day of school just to see the crazy guy whos riding his bike across 8 countries to help build them 2 new classrooms. Behind the kids were the moms and in the back were all the cowboys. They didnt move or say anything at all. They were quite intimidating really. Just watching and checking the whole thing out.

The Mayors wife was also there. She eventually had an opportuinty to talk. She told the community that the governement is doing their best to help and she also thanked me for my time and efforts.

Can you see the cowboy hats in the background?

Has anyone heard the Guatemalan national anethem. This song is like 10 minutes long. hahahah.
3 of the children from the school who have been elected to the school council get the privlage of brining out the country flag. A very big honor!

This particular child came up to present a song or some type of poem to the community. The one thing that struck me here was at the end of the song. He told his classmates to make the best out of life. Life is short, he said. Ya little guy, your right....life is short. It was very inspirational to hear.

Here, Hellen is giving a speech about what Plan has in store for this particular comminuty. Hellen wanted to let eveyone know that Plan is here to help but Plans main objective is to help the people of the communities to help themselves. Education is key to success.

Here is the Plan worker that actually comes out to the village. He knows the people and understands the struggles and challenges that they face. He wanted to let them know that Plan is there to help and that Plan wants to help educate and promote safety and protection for the children.

Bring on the dancers. This was amazing. These little girls are wearing the traditional dress and they had a small routine for the guests. I was front row center and it was a special dance. There skirts are hand made and absolutly beautiful.

The little cowboys are all ready as wellª

So here I am....My turn....

I was a bit nervous about doing this but I was also excited at the same time. I thought that this was such an amazing opportunity to talk to the people of the community. I told them a bit about what I was doing and where I was going. But overall I wanted to say that the people of this community have big hearts...thats what I saw on this day...and thats whats important....

They also put down pine needles on the ground. Its a very old Mayan tradition thats supposed to set a good feeling on a very important day.


Some of the kids looking on as I talked.

A picture of the place where the teachers prepare a snack for the kids during school. Much different than the cafateria from Harding Elementary school where I went back in El Cerrito, CA.

Peace, Pwer and Pedal

Aaron

The Trip to the village...

Wake up call at 5 am. This is going to surely be a long day. This is a picture of Aiden, Anns kid with my bike outside the PLAN office in Guatemala City. Todays agenda is packed. We had to wake up early to get to the opffice. At the office we had to switch cars and get into, yet another 4x4 PLAN truck. Today our journey is taking us a few hours outside of Guatemala City to the exact village where the money is going to build 2 new classrooms for the kids. On top of that this is the day where I get to meet my sponsor child Merdardo. Its going to be a packed day so we had to get up early.

Aiden was taking the day off school. His parents thought that this would be a great educational experience for Aiden. Aiden was quick to jump on the opportunity to miss class and he was also really excited to get to meet some of the kids. The night before, when Aiden and I were building a massive lego land bridge with Indiana Jones and a wicked sourccerer, we got really excited because this entire journey was all new and completly different. So after another story from Captain Underpants, Aidens fav book, we got som ZZZZs.

This picture was taken outside the Plan satelite office in Jilotepque, Guatemala. From Guatemala City we took the Plan truck to this office. From here we had another long drive but it also gave me the opportunity to meet the field office manager, Helen, and her staff. All very exciting stuff. On the way to the office Ann was giving me a break down of all the challenges that this particular area is facing. On top of that she mentioned that I was only the 3rd person to ever make the journey to this office and only the first sponsor to make the journey to the actuall village. This all was turning into quite a big deal.

The office staff was great. When I walked into the office they had a big sign with my name on it welcoming me to the Jalapa office. Ann is next to me with Aiden in the background. Helen is in the middle, shes the manager at the office and the gentleman on the right is the Plan worker that is in charge of this particular village. The map behind us gave me a great visual of the entire municipality of Jalapa. A muinicipality is kind of like a state within Guatemala. They had all these pins on the board indicating where the villages were, where some villages had no running water, where other villages needed electricity. The communities in need were EVERYWHERE. Theres a lot of work to do...

The trip out to the village was through some rugged terrain in Guatemala. Good thing we had the truck because I doint think Ceasar could handle these roads. At some points we were high in the mountains and the views were amazing.

This particular community is WAY OUTSIDE of town., an extremely remote place.

Before heading to the community itself we made a stop at the capital of the municipality, Jilotepque, Jilotepque, Guatemala. Get it...hopefully.... We stopped here because some of the government officials were coming along with us.

At this point of the trip I still wasnt sure what to expect. The last time I visited the communities in El Salvador and Nicaragua we met with some officials but then we were on our own way. This time they were coming with us. Before we left, one of the officials gave us a quick tour of the main church across the street and of the market. This particular area gets most of its income from agriculture but theres also some artisians selling some hand made crafts. The communties around this area is in particular need of help. The president recently declared it a high priority area because of the high levels of poverty. Walking around the main square was nice because I could tell they dont get many visitors.

Here is a picture that I quickly took while in the municipalities office. Helen is making a few introductions to the workers before we get on our way. Ann pointed out that next door they had a Womans Office that was dedicated to any urgent needs from the women in the municipalities. Its designed as a safe place for them to come to give suggestions to the local government. Ann, a long time Plan worker and total professional, acknowledge that this is a rarity a good step in the right direction.

Heres a quick pic of the inside of the church across the street. It was a very traditional church. The inside didnt have many decorations or anything like that but it was still a very peaceful place. I had a quick moment to sit down and relax myself a bit. I still wasnt sure about the agenda or anythign like that. I told myself to just go with the flow. I was a bit nervous. This whole adventure, this whole thing is becoming REAL. Im about to meet the people in this small far off community that are going to benefit from the donations being made from this fundraiser. Thinking about it made me more nervous. I said a quick prayer. Im not a religious person in the organized since but everyonce in a while I do take a quick moment to send out some good vibes. I asked for courage and strength. I prayed for my family and friends and I prayed for the people of Jalapa, they have so many challenges. That really helped. I was starting to get really excitied.

This entire area is quite beautiful. I took this shot when I was walking out of the church. The market is in the foreground with the government building and the beautiful mountains are in the background. The inside of the municipality building reminded me of a typical smallish highschool with an auditorium. It was small and simple but hopefully it gets the job done. There was also a health clinic off to the right.

This is a typical small shop near the community. Theres an old scary looking bridge in the background with a nice stream flowing under it. It was good to see running water. A lot of river beds are usually dried up.

Off to the community

Peace, Power and Pedal

Aaron

Hola

Here is a quick peek into the life of the people in this small village near Jalapa, Guatemala. This is the same village that the money is being raised for the school construction project AND the same village where my sponsor child is! Amazing!

Pacaya Volcano

A view from the top of Pacaya Volcanoe. The clouds only cleard for a few minutes and we got this amazing view during sunset. It really looks like another planet!

Some tourists roasting marshmellows in the lava!

Another shot of the sunset.

The cloud cover kept everything around us out of sight. We were climbing on this black volcanic rock. It was out of this world!

This picture doesnt do it justice but the lava was amazing. To tell you the truth I wasnt going to go on this trip. I was still recovering from food posioning and didnt see the big deal about lava. When I saw the lava after a 2 hour hike I reall got that AWWWWW THATS COOL feeling. It was a trip to see Earth in its most basic form. It was well worth it.

Taking a break on the volcano. The ground around the volcanoe was crumbly and hot!

ooohhhhhh!

It was foggy and cool on the trip up. I told this study abroad guy from Indiana how it reminded me of a cool sumer night in San Francisco. He had never seen anything like it!

Aaron

WOW!!!

So check this out...

I'm sitting here on the internet at Ann Salzarulo-Mcguigan's house in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Ann a devoted worker for Plan and a huge advocate of childrens rights. Her and her husband Mike took me in for a few days while I was here in Guatemala. Today was an amazing day because I got to visit the community where I sponsor a child and this also just so happens to be the same community where the money is going to build two new classrooms. It was an amazing experience, something out of a movie. I cant wait to post the stories and the pictures...

Anyway...


I'm checking my email, doing the same old same old...my Mom's Birthday is coming up, I got to get back to some people. When....I open up the Plan newsletter and see MY FACE on the letter! I'm totally shocked. Aparently I got a quick write up and they sent out the link to the blog in hopes to raise awareness about this specific cause! HOW COOL!!!!!

check it out...

http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/833212/tp/VE1HUj0xLHRpZD0yMzQyMzMs


Aaron

Mexico is Huge!

Ya...Mexico is no joke!

Lazy life of Antigua

Central Park, Antigua. I bought a book, even though it isnt travel friendly (the book is huge). Its called Open Veins of Latin America. It was nice to read a bit about the economical history of Latin America in the shade next to the fountain in the middle of town. One of my faviorte things to do on a day off!
Another angle of the main square in Antigua. The trees were in blosom, it was a beautiful park.

The archtectiture in Antigue is fantastic. This particular building and this courtyard dates back to the 16th century when the Spanish came in. A great place to rest up and the coffee in Guatemala is some of the best in Central America.

Cool building near the main square.

Antigua has a ton of churches that are 400 or 500 years old. This one is being rebuilt but they kept the front for historical purposes.

Great shot!

My faviorte church in town. On Friday night I saw a religious percession going into the church. Antigua is famous for their religious ceremonies.

Aaron