La Cooperativa (and the city too)

Finally, the long awaited... much too anticipated, almost feared, NEW POST!

Personal) I have been trying for quite some time to sit down and transfer photos, and write some short snippets... and it had been eluding me for quite some time. I know what you've been thinking all this time in my absence: "no more excuses Mark, gimme now!" "I'm tired of hearing of how you saving the world is getting in the way of my blog-reading time," and "Oh well, I suppose he was kiddnapped by FARC and since I don't have the money to pay for his ransom, I'll just stop checking his blog..." And to that I say, come hither! No more shall you be left in the dark! No longer will you have to click the refresh button, only to realize I haven't actually posted anything since you just loaded the page 2 seconds ago... Now you will see, a vague little picture I might add, what I've been up to for the past month and a half or so...

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Project 1) Restoration of "Antigua Local": This is the name of the historic plantation house, a site where close to 100 years ago German immigrants made a little nook for themselves in Alta Verapaz to begin cultivating the land of the native Mayan people to grow coffee, cardamom, and among other things Tea - now known here as "Te Chirrepeco."

The house (or mansion... compared to the small shanties where the surrounding Mayans live) is made of some type of adobe/stone mixture, and used to be covered by clay tiled roofs.

The aritecture is very unique, including intricate designs of porch banisters (shown below).
Also a common practice was planting a quadrant of giant palm trees that reach to the skies above.



Some of the origional iron work on doors and furniture still stands the test of time.
And huge wells and pilas where water was gathered make this place come to life as if some German housekeeper was about to come gather the morning supply...



Project 2.) Visitors Center: I was able to lend suggesstions of this building when I first visited in March, and here the majority of the work has been completed. Since this picture was taken about two weeks ago, the rest of the walls have been built, including a section in the rear (which I had to practically beg for) to become a combination mini-museum, and gift shop.


Project 3.) Chirrepec Instituto Primeria: This is the view I see twice a week as I surmount the peak of a small mountain to get to the local elementary school.
Description: 5 teachers, 150-200 students (depending on which have to stay home to work the farm), 4 classrooms. - And I thought teaching at an inner-city school in the states was difficult!

Here I observe classes given by the teachers to become aquainted with the kids, who are ever so egar to run up to, stare, point at, tag, and sometimes shout "gringo!" and then giggle with their friends as I approach the school. It's a bit taxing at this point because I don't know enough language to communicate with them, and get to know their world. And until I can, I won't be able to get them organized enough to learn anything from me.




Rudy) One of my favorite little rascals at the Co-op, sometimes my guide through the forest trails, and all together a good person to know. Unfortunately, as is the case with many of these kids, he has almost just as many responsibilities for working the farm-land as the adults, with little time for an education (which he is very fortunate to receive). Too bad for me, he goes to school in a city close by, because the quality of teachers and education is higher outside of Chirrepec. This raises an immediate challenge for me to do something so that the brightest kids here don't have to seek for opportunities elsewhere...




Back to my house) It's banana harvesting time, and all the banana trees you see below my porch [pictured left] are going to be cut down for their fruit. It's a shame because now I can walk down and loose myself under the canopy of giant leaves with the fear in the back of my mind that a stegosaurus is about to stomp through any moment... and safe on my porch [pictured right], I am able to enjoy the closet of the banana trees along with the distant mountain ranges that contain wonders yet to be explored.





Random events) Candle light after the local medicine man or "cura" sancitified my host-families home - I was prohibited from taking photos of the actual cleansing, but this picture gives a little insight into how the Mayans here have adapted catholic norms into their own cultural context.




Feria [similar to a very small state fair] at Uspantan) Silly processions involving Guatemalans dressing up in full body star-trek costumes (among other types) in the middle of 90+ degree heat, and 'dancing' or more correctly described as swaying back and fourth and moving in the same square repetition for hours on end. For me the novelty wore off when I realized that Klignons hadn't actually landed in Guatemala... but for the locals this was a huge, huge hit. And yes - that is a tractor trailer filled with a homemade 16-set enormous stereo system!



My walk home, Coban) Tree wall - One of the coolest views on my walk back home from my friend Dan's place. As far as I can see, it has no contact with soil, but is doing comfortably well in concrete.

That's all for now. I already have the next
update mostly prepared, since my last post
was up for so long.... kinda owe you one...