Hospital Pictures

Here are few pictures of our last week working on the hospital.

Sorry its been so long

We know it has been a LONG while since we have posted a blog, but it has been an amazing two weeks. Two weeks ago we took a week long trip to Xela (Quetzaltenago) and went on a whirlwind tour of six coffee fincas (farms). It was a very eye opening experience for us, and we could write a book about our experiences. We did learn a lot about how coffee goes from the farms to us and we will now appreciate our delicious cup even more. We will of course tell you much much more in person.
This past week we have been moving very fast on the hospital in Uspantan. Don Amato built us an amazing structure to put the two tanks on at the hospital. Only one problem that is was two big to fit in the first truck they got, and the second truck just barely made it thru the streets (we only hit one truck and one man). The install at the hospital has gone well and will be done just in time.

This is a picture of riding in the back of a pick-up truck on our way back to Uspantan.

We have a pretty busy last couple of weeks planned, so this may or may not be the last blog. On Thursday we plan to leave Uspantan (we are very sad to leave) and go back to Xela for the weekend. We will follow up with a few contacts from the farms and get ready because we are enrolled in the Escula de La Montana. A spanish language school located on a coffee finca about an hour outside of Xela. This will definatly put us pretty far away from any computer for the week. For the last 3 days of the trip we are going to venture down to the coast to see the volcanic beaches on pacific coast. So if this is the last time we post a blog its not because we don´t want to, but we can´t.

Miss you all and we will be home in just three weeks

Hearing Dona Maria´s Story

Time is really flying by for us in Uspantan, the past week has been a whirlwind couple of days. Last wednesday, Laura offered to take us to La Chimel for the day to visit Dona Maria and a great little hike in the mountians with a great mirador (view) and an awesome rope swing. So 11 of us pile into a 8 passenger suv and go for an hour and half bumpy ride through the mountians.






The view was breathtaking and we all spent over an hour swing high into the treetops, with the boys and laura trying to outdo each others tricks. The most amazing part was lunch at Dona Maria´s house, where Laura asked her to tell her story of what happened to her, her family, and village during the civil conflict which just ended in 1994, and had lasted over 10 years and involved a scorch and burn operation that destroyed most of the villages in the mountains where most of the Mayans live. Her story was incredible story of struggle and hope for a new beginning. Her village was forced to live in the mountians for months on whatever they could find. While her and her father had been taken by the army into prison, so many bad things happened to her its hard to retail and give it any justice. It was very moving and made me want to learn a lot more about the history of Guatemala and it people during the civil conflict. The after noon will be one of my favorite memories of Uspantan.



We also found this flower called Flor de un dia (flower of one day) which only blooms one day!




Then just yesterday was michael´s birthday in which we surprised with a pinata and fireworks on the futbol field. It was a blast to see him blindfolded and swing at a little paper penguin. I think he enjoyed his Guatemalan birthday even though he says he doesn´t like a lot of attention and stuff.

Kane comes in three days and plan to start the travels around to all the coffee farms, and unfortunalty the hospital has been pushed back again but we will eventually get to start that. We are having some difficulties getting materials in town to build the platforms we need for the water tanks. There is plenty of time to finish though and none of our plans are set in stone.


Miss you all
much love marla and aaron