March 26, 2007

Painting the World

At the end of last year, I had an idea to do some impromptu art classes with the youth group. There are no art programs in the school, yet many of the kids have an interest in exploring this area. I was pleased to discover that several of them have some untapped talent as well. We started out with a few drawing classes, but I decided we needed to tackle a big project in order to keep the interest up, as well as keep my own energy going. We decided on a mural for the community to enjoy. The end result is a giant world map on the wall of the elementary school. The project was a chance for the kids to learn how to draw, paint and study geography all at once.
It wasn't too difficult to find kids that were willing to help me with this project. After many breaks, crew changes, hiatuses and running out of materials, we finally finished the map. Throughout the process there were constantly people around that were curious about what we were doing. For some of them, this was the first time they had seen a world map. We had many of the same discussions over and over and a typical one would always start with, ¨Where's Guatemala?¨, followed by, ¨Where's the United States¨, with the inevitable statement...¨Wow, Mexico is a long country to cross¨. Most people here think in terms of how they can get to the U.S. to work. Usually that idea doesn't involve getting on a plane, but rather hopping on the back of a truck or walking. The realization that Mexico is quite big, was a bit of a downer for some. We also talked about things that were geographically important to the kids-like, where Shakira was from. Most decided that Columbia isn't all that far from Guatemala and they might have a chance of running into her some day. All were amazed at how small Guatemala is in comparison to the rest of the world and everyone wanted to know where exactly the mythical land of Canada was. More than anything it gave the kids a chance to create a conversation around Salacuim that was more than what the weather is like, or how their corn is. They helped open the world to the rest of the community and made everyone realize that they are all part of a much bigger thing than just Salacuim.

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our blank canvas

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beginning the drawing process

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all the countries were drawn out in about 4 hours

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starting to paint

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coming to life

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working on the water

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final touches

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mapa del mundo complete

March 22, 2007

Children of the week

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name: Paola Prado
age: 12
grade: 3rd
favorite subject: math
favorite sport: soccer
future goal: to be a nurse


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name: Maria Prado
age: 10
grade: 3rd
favorite subject: math
favorite sport: basketball
future goal: to be a trilingual secretary


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name: Pablo Prado
age: 9
grade: 1st
favorite subject: spanish
favorite sport: basketball
future goal: to be a college graduate


These kids make me smile. Mostly because no matter what- they are a family and they stick together. The Prado family has taken the scholarship program by storm this year. We've known this family since we arrived in Salacuim. They are a nightly fixture in our house and they've become some of our best allies here. After finishing off the 2006 school year, we learned in January that none of them were enrolled in school this year. Our first reaction was that we need to get these kids in school so they are not in our house all day long. In reality, it became our mission to just show them that we think they are worth helping out. The scholarship program has transformed the kids from what we knew when we first met them. The self-confidence is oozing out of them now. To me, they were always the kids that were never really the ones that fit in at school. They have a lot of friends, but they never had a descent outfit to wear, rarely had shoes and always were a little more grubby than the normal grubby kids we see around here. None of them had ever owned a backpack before this year and a full set of school supplies was unheard of.

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study time at our house

They come from a single parent family and live in a one room wood house with dirt floors. In this one room house, they live with their mom and 4 older sisters, two of which have babies. They're older sisters are lacking an education as well, but these three have a chance to succeed. This is Pablo's third year in first grade. In the past, no energy was put into him . Nobody told him that he could succeed or that better yet, he should succeed. Last week he came to show us his exam scores and he had passed all of them with flying colors. Our goal is to get him out of first grade this year and he is on his way. We've probably seen this family change the most because of the help they've received. They're all really smart, but nobody has put the effort into them. Their mom is illiterate, like most indigenous women in the community and it's hard for her to help them with any of their work. The kids are attending the only church school in Salacuim and it was really important for their family to have the kids enrolled in a school with a religious background. The teachers work at the school often without getting paid for months at a time because nobody is really paying the tuition for their children. They admit kids, sometimes knowing the family won't be able to pay. It's a bit of a different philosophy than the other schools.

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Pablo working on a thank you letter with his mom

One of the favorite exchanges we have had with them is teaching them words in English and for every word we teach in English, they give us the Q'qechi' word. We have started teaching them colors and they already know the English alphabet. This family has kind of turned into a personal project for us and we feel really attached to the kids. With your help, we are sure they will go far.

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new backpacks and school supplies

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Paola working on her thank you letter

March 20, 2007

Milk Delivery

Lately the routine has been to wake up at 6:30 to the sound of a horse trotting up to the front door and a "buenas dias" from our neighbor and friend Hugo. Since he's had his calves (both of them), he arrives to deliver our liter of fresh milk 6 days a week. It's a good time of the day to talk about the weather and learn a new spanish or q'eqchi' word.
I don't think we'll be able to find this kind of service when we're back in the states. When you eat bananas from your backyard with fresh cream and local honey, its hard to find a reason why you'd want to go back.

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March 14, 2007

Child of the week

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name:
Jorge Choc
age:
15
grade:
4th
favorite subject:
natural sciences
favorite sport:
soccer
# of brothers and sisters:
4 brothers
future goal:
to be a teacher

I decided to feature Jorge this week because today is his 15th birthday. So as we are celebrating his birthday, we are also celebrating the fact that he is in school this year. At 15 and still in 4th grade, it's obvious that school has been a struggle for Jorge and his family. In Salacuim it is all too common for kids to take years off from going to school if there is work to do in the fields or if the family cannot come up with enough money to send them. Over and over we have heard...maybe next year, as a response to why the children aren't in school. We have a huge problem with teenagers still in elementary school here. More importantly, is the race against the clock to get them through before they become too embarrassed to be in elementary school at their age. Many of the kids are close to finishing 6th grade, but are now 17 and do not like the idea of being in a class of 12 year olds. Shame plays a large part in why kids may drop out of school. We are really pushing Jorge to finish this year and move forward instead being stuck in the same position year after year.
Jorge was one of the first kids that sought us out for help after hearing that we were doing a scholarship program. At the time we had several kids already enrolled and had an idea where the rest of the money was going to go. We weren't really looking to expand any further. After coming to our house a couple times and constantly asking for the chance to study, we decided that we couldn't say no to him. How many kids actually beg for a chance to go to school in the states? He really had no other way to study this year and I have a feeling if we wouldn't have helped him, he would have been lost to a 3rd grade education for the rest of his life.

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Jorge is the oldest of 5 boys in his family. His mother works hard as an employee of the NGO we work at. She cleans the office and washes the clothes for the employees. It's a couple hours of work a day. The rest of the time she is busy trying to find other ways to make ends meet. Her husband was killed a few years ago and since then, Jorge has assumed the role as the labor worker in the family. He's only 15, but is expected to work in the fields every day right after class. Because of the scholarship money he received, Jorge has discovered a passion for acting in school plays. Most recently he was Pedro Alvarado, the Spanish conquistador that led the conquest of the Guatemalan highlands in 1523.

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Jorge as Alvarado

Sometimes the smallest explorations of talent would not be possible without the monetary help of a sponsor. The money to sponsor a child in elementary school goes to school supplies, extra curricular activities, shoes, and uniform. We are fortunate enough to have acquired enough to support each child in the activities they desire to participate in throughout the year, which makes their experience much richer. For a while Jorge has a chance to be a 15 year old again without worrying about how the money he needs for school is taking away from his family.

March 12, 2007

Bjugstad Family Connection in Guatemala

These are the types of connections that can only be made over a Sunday cup of coffee in places like Sheyenne, ND or in an Arizona snow-bird refugee camps. Allyson Phelps sent me an email a few months ago to say that we were probably related. She is serving in the Peace Corps municipal development program and arrived to Guatemala in September 2005, about 4 months before we did, so we hadn't ever met but shared common friends. A few weeks ago we went out to lunch in Guatemala City to sort things out. Here's the linage we came up with, maybe someone will find it interesting enough for the family history books. If anyone has anything to add, you can leave a comment on this post.

>Corby Lewis, Peace Corps Volunteer (Jan 2006-now) in Salacuim,
Cobán, Alta Verapaz
--->David Lewis
----->Marian Kruger
------->Bernice Bjugstad
--------->Andrew Borreson Bjugstad and Johanna Julseth
------->George "Judd" Bjugstad
----->Wilmer Bjugstad
--->Erica Bjugstad
>Allyson Phelps, Peace Corps Volunteer (Sept 2005-now) in San
Raymundo, Guatemala

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Allyson and I after lunch in Guatemala City

March 8, 2007

Child of the week

In an attempt to show what an impact the donations to the scholarship program have made, I thought I would post information about a child once a week. Those of you that donated through Friends of Guatemala should be receiving a letter from the child we have chosen to give your money to. They all took the letter writing process very seriously and when they were handed the piece of paper with your name on it, they just stared at it. None of them can believe that someone in the United States wants to help them.
I'm always amazed when I see all the activities that the kids are getting involved in. It's hard to imagine that without your support, they would not have the chance to do any of this. Through this program, leaders are being created in the community. Every day I am reminded that education is the ONLY way to break the cycle of poverty that exists here. When we held our letter writing meeting, one of the most humbling discoveries was that many of the student's parents could not sign their names or help their child read the directions we passed out. Instead we used their fingerprints as a signature and the older kids helped the younger kids with the instructions. Already it was evident that the large majority of children had surpassed the educational abilities of their parents. The struggle to educate here is immense. Little by little steps are being made. Thanks for your support and this is where your money is going...

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name: Claudia Chub
age: 16
grade: 7th
favorite subject: math
favorite sport: soccer
# of brothers and sisters: 2 brothers, 4 sisters
future goal: to be a college graduate


Claudia was recommended to us by her 6th grade teacher as someone with motivation to study and a great sense of respect for those around her. Her teacher told us that she was not enrolling in classes this year, due to the increase in prices for junior high. Her family was simply unable to come up with money to send her to school this year. It's fairly rare for girls in Salacuim to go beyond 6th grade. There are always more opportunities for the boys and the girls really have to fight for an education. It is very common for many of the girls to get pregnant at 13 and be bound to the house and a family with no more than a 6th grade education. We were determined not to let this happen and that's when we found Claudia.
We were instantly impressed with how well spoken she was and her ability to communicate her thoughts and desire to study. She has continued to impress us with her organization and the responsibility she takes for all her studies. Since being enrolled in school, she has become an active player on the basketball team, she is participating in typing classes (one hour a day for the entire year) and 2 nights ago she was crowned ¨senorita simpatía¨ or miss friendliness.

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basketball practice

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typing class

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¨senorita simpatía¨

Many of the children we encounter do not have a lot of support from their families. Not because they don't want to help their children, but mostly because they don't know how or lack the ability to help. Claudia's parents have been involved from day one. I will never forget when we invited them over to our house to talk about enrolling their daughter in our program and after we told her that we were going to help her out this year, both her parents started to cry. We had not received a reaction like this before, but they truly were grateful that someone was willing to help their child. You could tell that this was a life changing event for them.

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Claudia and her parents, Martin & Rosalia

The money from Claudia's sponsor is going towards her tuition, uniform, typing classes, fees for sports and extracurricular activities (such as pageants) and also paying for her to take her exams every couple months. It doesn't seem like a lot, but it all adds up to making her experience a successful one. A couple hundred dollars goes so far here and it's amazing to see how it has change Claudia's life.

March 6, 2007

Weekend in the City

Kari & I just returned to Salacuim after being in the City/Antigua area last week. We took a week long course from the Peace Corps to try to take our Spanish to another level. We took advantage of the trip to take in some Guatemala City culture over the weekend. Here are a few picures...

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Kari and Chris at a National League Soccer Game

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Kari at the National Palace

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Us at the National Plaza

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Kari at the Zoo