Place in PG

I have a place now, an office / apartment above a popular guesthouse in PG.  At left is a photo of the entrance to the room.  I was worried it might be too hot, but it's very well ventilated.  I have been sweating like a pig outside walking, but was fine in here with a fan on.

The kitchen works.  I have 2 pots and a few utensils and a gas stove that the wind blows out if I don't pay attention.  The little fridge doesn't seem to work, but the owner said he will replace it.  I'm pretty sure if I don't keep it clean I'll have more guests than I want. 

Here's the morning view.  I'm just 50 meters from the shore.  Last night we had a very loud thunderstorm and I had to get up and close the windows.  The storm served as a distraction from the mosquitoes.  I have a net, but it wasn't set up last night.  That will change tonight!

Farewell Dinner, 2010

Several days ago we invited Irma & Ilda's mother, Magdalena, over for Saturday dinner.  We spent Wednesday & Thursday traveling to Chichicastenango with the girls (my apologies for no blog post on that, but my patient readers will learn about it when the situation permits...) and had a blast.  We bought them a few items of clothing, ate in a fancy restaurant, and stayed in a hotel with tv and hot water.  Magdalena was pleased to agree to come to dine, and had a good time with us last year.  We expected that she might bring a few people, as that sometimes happens.  Last year she brought her mother and Irma.

We also invited other good friends -- Ingri, Nyla, Rosa Viviana and Francisca.  Nyla often brings her cousin Manuel, so we thought we might be feeding 9 or 10 people plus ourselves.  Pizza, bread, spaghetti with meatballs, fruit salad and chocolate cake were planned in honor of Irma's 12th birthday.  Just in case, I made a huge pot of beans and bought several dozen tortillas.

That was good planning.  Some guests started showing up at 5 because they had to leave early.  Irma's family was supposed to show up at 6.  They still hadn't by 6:45, so Viviana & I hiked up the path to the road to look for them.  They weren't there.

Shortly after 7, after we had given up hope and were enjoying the mountains of food, Magdalena arrived with our sponsored daughters.  She also brought her daughter Juanita and her baby.  Her mother Candelaria came.  So did Magdalena's sister with 3 or 4 of her children and her sister-in-law with 4 or 5 of her children.  I kind of lost count, but I believe they were 16.  They were late because no truck would stop to pick them up and they had to walk the mile or so to get there.

They are a beautiful family as I hope you can see from the photos.  It was beautiful how all of our friends from the big city of Santiago pitched in to help serve this poor family from the outlying areas.  Culturally, they're so different, and it's common for the elegant city dwellers to look down on their poorer neighbors, but our friends are awesome!

Irma & Ilda

Last year we decided to sponsor Irma. She's 10 and has a smile that melts my heart. Through the sponsorship, she receives such things as school supplies and medical care. We go well beyond normal sponsorship. We have visited the family, had them over for dinner, and given them all sorts of other things including traditional clothing.

When we bought Irma's corte, or skirt, last year, we also bought one for her sister Ilda. We weren't really thinking of Ilda, but the skirt is basically a square of cloth, and for a little girl, they cut it in half, so there are two. You buy the whole square either way, so it cost us nothing to be nice to Ilda.

At Christmas, we contracted a local family to make two guipiles, or blouses, so that Ilda would not be left out. We didn't want her to fell left out.

This year the school began requiring a uniform to participate in physical education, and Pueblo a Pueblo, the sponsorship organization, bought one for Irma.

But not for her sister, of course. Ilda is very athletic, and I'm sure that it bothers her not to be able to participate. Even worse is the stigma of being among the poorest in a poor community while her sister is spared that shame in this case.

The uniform costs about $15. Their mother earns about $3 a day. The two older daughters are 17 and 19 and each have two children. The 19 year-old has returned home to live. Ilda is 13 and without help will likely end up married in a year or two. The main problem with that is that education almost always stops there.

So we have decided to informally sponsor Ilda. She's shy (though nowhere near as shy as Irma!) and sweet and the two have an excellent relationship.

 

She's in 4th grade now, having sat out several years when primary schools were allowed to charge tiny amounts of money. I asked her if she's hoping to attend básico (middle school) after sixth grade. She enthusiastically assented, but her mother added that it might not be possible financially. I smiled and said we would gladly take care of the expense.

We're taking both girls to Chichicastenango next week, so check back soon for photos of that.