Our Trip Back to the U.S.

Waking up the next morning at 7 was not the easiest thing for most of us, but we all got up and were ready to depart. Once we arrived at the airport, we stood in the line to get our passports and bags checked. Then we headed to the food court to get a snack. I had not been feeling particularly well and I thought I was just hungry. After eating two bites of a chocolate chip muffin, I felt horrible. Then, I got that feeling that you get when you just ate a big meal and went on a big roller coaster. I bolted for the bathroom at the other end of the food court, the only problem was that all three stalls were occupied. My stomach couldn't hold it any longer and I tried to cover my mouth with my jacket, but it was too late and I pretty much heaved everything in my stomach all over the floor. It was everywhere, my jeans, my favorite jacket, and my hair. After five minutes sitting in the bathroom, I decided it was over and we walked to the gate. We were originally seated in Business Class, but thankfully we got moved up to First Class where I slept the entire way home. I was disappointed because I wanted to look outside and see the land from the plane which I couldn't do on the way in since we flew in at night. Overall, the trip was great (despite the airport incident). Everyone had a great time and it was an experience of a lifetime. After our trip, the Stanhope Society would like to encourage you to look into going on a mission trip because it opens your eyes to a new degree of poverty that people are faced to live with. It really helps you realize how much you have and helps you learn to appreciate what you have, because sadly there are people who don't have anything more than the clothes off their backs. In society in America, it seems that people always need thing to keep them happy such as HDTV, gaming systems, expensive cars, computers, etc. but in the big picture, these mean nothing. Sure they are all nice and fun to show off, but people need to realize that the gift of life ultimately gives us the most happiness and that we don't need anything more than life to live up to our fullest potential as a human and enjoy life to its greatest extent. 

Lunch and More Shopping in Antigua

The hotel we had lunch at was very accommodating and had a great environment. Although the service seemed exceptional, it soon deteriorated to a long wait for many of us. My mother and I ordered chicken with some local marinade. Out the 28 people traveling with us, it seemed as though only four of us got our meal every 10 minutes. As the number of people who were without a meal decreased, it became like game where you had to figure out the odds of your meal being delivered next. Finally after about half of the table had already finished we got our meal. Then we had another crisis when it came time to pay for our meals individually when our orders got mixed up, and once we had already paid, they wanted to give us each a 10% discount for the trouble. Good thing we all agreed not to repeat the process again, but then it took another few minutes to get the correct credit cards back. After that ordeal, we went back to the same shopping area we were at before and continued to shop. I remember that there were some shops in a courtyard that were very nice but once you left the courtyard, there was a building with aisles of shop owners. The aisles were about half the size of the ones you would find at your local grocery store which made it very hard to shop. The people were so desperate to get you to buy one of their products they basically pleaded you which made it hard to say no and walk away. After venturing there two times, my dad asked me to show him around the cramped area. I knew this wouldn't end well but he insisted. We were walking towards the back when this t-shirt store owner approached us and kept pressuring us into looking at his products. We said we would look a little later, I guess what we meant to say was "no thanks". As we were leaving to go meet the rest of the gang, the same man stopped us and insisted we look at his little shop. After minutes of persuasion and laughs, my dad finally bought another Gallo (the name of a popular beer company in Guatemala) for almost half the price of where he bought the first one. After our adventure, we returned to the bus and since we didn't have time to visit the Central Market (due to the incident at lunch), we went back to the hotel and got ready to depart the next morning. 

Visit to Mi Hogar in Antigua

Antigua was just an amazing town. Everything about it was old-fashioned and the streets were incredibly clean. Before going to the the bigger, government run all-girls orphanage called Mi Hogar, we were allowed to shop in Antigua for an hour. Not being much of a shopper I walked around with my dad and occasionally told my mother how to say helpful phrases in Spanish and translating their words for her. After shopping we loaded up and headed for Mi Hogar. As you can see, this orphanage was a lot nicer than the other two, mostly because it was funded by the government. The orphanage was surrounded by hills on one side and the street on the other. The only thing that wasn't beautiful about the scenery from inside the orphanage was the barbed wire that surrounded the walls of Mi Hogar, but I guess it is necessary to ensure the safety and security of the girls. There were about 125 girls living in the orphanage. The orphanage had dormitories that housed about 16 girls each. Also, there was a separate room for the girls who had babies called the mother's room. There were also children who had mental disabilities who had their own quarters and courtyard. The orphanage even had a few classrooms including a computer/arts and crafts room outfitted with many computers including one with Windows Vista. After dropping off our suitcases filled with jeans and other clothes, we said our good byes and set off for lunch at a nice hotel in Antigua. 

Drive Back to the Hotel and Dinner

As we drove back down the hill we had climbed only about two hours ago, we were had mixed feelings about whether or not the weather had cleared enough for us to overlook the city. Turns out that as we got to lower altitude, the rainy weather we had experienced before had lifted and we had a crystal clear view. Although I didn't leave the bus to experience the panoramic view (thanks to my splitting headache), I was able to picture the scene through all the pictures that were taken. Before heading back to the hotel, we went to stop at one of the oldest churches in Guatemala City. It was quite a site with many statues and paintings. After departing from the Church, we headed back to the hotel where we found that our Cowboys were being blown out by the Eagles. Anyway, while my parents headed down to the restaurant for dinner with the rest of the adults, I decided to stay in the room, have some room service, and try and ease my headache by watching television in Spanish. With our next (and busiest) day to look forward to, I got to bed early in order to be well rested for our trip to Antigua and the Central Market. 

The Drive to Fundaninos and Handing Out Presents

As you can see, it wasn't the best day to travel by bus to an orphanage located around small patches of farms. We had some logistical miscalculations and ended up driving around a small city looking for the only road that would lead us to Fundaninos. I remember driving around for about 15 minutes or so and passing the same lady outside her shop three times. The first time we passed her she smiled, the second time she looked confused, and the third time, she was laughing and waving as we passed by. Also, the first time we passed her there were some dogs on the roof of a building just down the road. It was a great photo op, but the next two times we went by, they were gone. Anyways, we found this narrow road (literally only about one car width wide) that eventually got us to Fundaninos. We were shocked that we didn't hit any of the locals who were walking along the side of the road, literally within arms reach if the bus window was open. Once we arrived, we went to the cafeteria and awaited the children's arrival. Once they arrived, we handed out presents as their name was called. The gifts ranged from scooters, cars, remote-control cars, dolls, carriages, and even interactive learning laptops. They were so thrilled to have them and once again, it was hard to leave. 

Dinner and More Time at Luz

Wow, it has been a long time since the last post thanks to school... Anyway that night, we went to dinner at a nice restaurant. The only downside was that some people got their food earlier than the others while the rest (including us) waited a long time to get our food. The next morning, we went to the same orphanages as the previous day. At Luz, we played with the children, made cookies, and before we left (because it was time for their nap), we gave them Christmas presents. First we gave them small bouncy balls. They were so happy to have the balls and immediately started kicking and throwing them around. Then, they sat in a line of chairs and awaited their other presents. Each one was called by name, and ran up to get them. Most of them didn't get the idea since they never received presents and didn't know to tear off the wrapping paper. Many of the girls got dolls and the boys got cars. They also received a play table and two scooters which they pushed with their legs. Gisella kept watching intently as one of the scooters was being put together and she was determined to ride it the minute it was completed. Martin got the other one and was so thrilled to have it. I remember seeing him fall off it once, but he bounced right back with a big smile on his face. One of the nurses informed us that as a child Martin was sexually abused and currently goes to a psychiatrist twice a week. By his personality, you would never guess that because he was so sweet and loving, but the nurse said that he was too trusting of strangers which is in some ways a problem. As we started leaving Luz for the last time, Martin sat down near the front entrance with his truck and just started crying. It was really sad to leave all of them and I'm sure they were sad as well. They never get anyone to play with them and those two days were a great experience for them. After being pried from Luz, we headed off to the other orphanage, Fundaninos, to join our other group and hand out Christmas presents to the older children who lived there. 

Shout Out Time!!!

This is a shout out for our favorite eucharistic ministering, wave riding, fast walking, veteran Wii player... Pat!!!! During one of our stops, we went to a man-made relief map of Guatemala. As we walked around the map, we noticed a town called "Patch Chakan". We had no clue where that was but it was the nickname of our favorite Xerox saleswoman, Pat! From all down here in Texas, we wish you a safe trip as you venture from the warm confines of Ocean Villas (we aren't sure if this is the right name) to frozen tundra of Concord, Mass. 

Seeing the Sights

After departing from Luz, we went to a Burger King for lunch. Forgetting the change in currency from dollars to quetzales (about 7 quetzales are equivalent to a dollar), I was puzzled as I looked at the menu which had a whopper at 21.00. I thought to myself, "$21 for a whopper!?!?! That is ridiculous!". But then I realized the change in currency. After having lunch, we went to get some oil at a gas station which overlooked a deep gorge which was home to "squatters". The squatters illegally move into the gorges in the city from their life in the country in hope of a better life. Many of their homes are made of pieces of scrap metal and almost all of them had no source of clean water. The strange thing is that the Guatemalan government provides the squatters with electricity and basically anyone who can find land to build a house is allowed to. Afterwards we went to the infamous "dump" of Guatemala City. In order to avoid getting attacked by the vultures who scavenge for scraps in the dump, we observed from a cemetery which was high above the dump. I was surprised we could fit our bus through the narrow streets of the cemetery, but we somehow managed. The cemetery reminded me of a grocery store in the sense that there were these huge aisles of walls that housed coffins or urns. There were some too high to reach so there were ladders to help them. As we walked towards the edge of the cemetery, there was a horrible stench and tons of flies bombarding us. Looking over the scene, we could see vultures in the trees above  us and even on graves. Many trucks would pull in and unload trash and in the distance we could see a man scavenging and fighting off a pack of vultures to get some scraps. After seeing the dump, we decided to visit some more famous sites. 

Making New Friends

After lunch time, I was already tired and decided to take a break and sit next to my mom who was busy feeding pizza to Juan Carlos (9 months). At first, she was a little nervous about feeding him pizza since he only had two little teeth, but one of the nurses assured her that he loves pizza... and he did. Watching the scene of children running around and playing, I decided to pick up a basketball and spin it on my finger just for fun. Well, that caught the attention of a little boy named Martin (pronounced Marteen since I have no clue how to insert accent marks into a blog). He just sat in my lap and held on to the ball for dear life. Then he started throwing it out in the play area, running to get it, and then came right back and sat in my lap. After a few minutes of doing this, my dad came over and put his sunglasses on Martin. Martin absolutely loved them! The little boy in the orange shirt next to my knee was named Manuel. At first my mom and I didn't know why he kept hanging around us, but we later learned that he was the older brother of Juan Carlos (the one my mom is holding). Both Manuel and Carlos were abandoned on the street and picked up by the orphanage. Towards the end of our visit to Luz for the day, Martin took my hand and wanted to play with me in their movie room (a small room with a television that was very outdated). I told him that we should stay out in the courtyard and so we did. He also found a piece of pizza on the ground and attempted to eat it but I managed to convince him to spit it out. Then he said that he had to go to the bathroom. I had no clue where the bathroom was so I kept asking around. He insisted on me waiting outside the bathroom until he was done, but he came out and pointed to the toilet which hadn't been flushed along with remnants of something brown that I don't want to get into. Martin refused to use the bathroom until the water was completely clean which took a few flushes since they didn't have the best plumbing system as you can imagine. Once he was done it was time for us to leave, and I said my good byes and was eager to come back the next day for another visit. Now, it was off for a little tour of Guatemala City!

Lunch Time!!!

For the children of Luz de Maria, today was a special day. Normally, they had soup for five days out of the week and two times a week, they would have meat as a source of protein. But today, they were having pizza which was a rare treat. The girl about, named Gisella, is a special needs girl. Luckily, she was able to be put up for adoption before the law that put an end to adoption in Guatemala was put into effect. Later this year, she will be adopted by a family into the United States. She was a character too! While most kids had only one piece, Gisella kept saying "más" which means more. She had two pieces and quite a few refills of orange soda. The thing that really amazed us was when the children learned that it was lunch time, they all took the tables and chairs, set them up and sat pateintly for their pizza without being told to. They all had great manners and were so gracious to have someone to play with. After lunch, the children put their tables and chairs back, once again without being told to, and it was time for more fun!

Infant Room at Luz de Maria

As we walked up to the infant room, we could still hear a baby crying from before. The room was very small and often there were two babies to a crib. The cribs weren't very big either so they were very cramped. Immediately, everyone picked up a baby and just held them because we learned that they rarely got held due to the small number of employees. Many of them were sick and crying, but we wanted to comfort them. I remember one, Angel Gabriel, who was quite older than the others (I think 8 months), compared to the other babies who were probably less than 6 months. He just looked up at you with those big, brown eyes and wouldn't look anywhere else. Everyone held him, but as many people started to leave, I was holding him and he started to get very heavy. I finally convinced Mark to put the baby he was holding back and take Gabriel for a while. Another thing I recall in the infant's room were two babies in the same crib, no more than two months old, and next to them were their name tags were, the sign said "Bebe sin Nombre" which translates into "baby without a name". These were the babies that were found on the street and didn't have a name since the courts who give them names had closed for the break. After spending a long time in the infant's room, I was one of the last to leave to see what the older kids were doing and help out with lunch time. 

Luz de Maria

Luz de Maria was only a short ride, but I observed many things on our way to the orphanage. Every two houses, if not every house, was protected by barbed-wire, iron bars, or in some cases, glass shards on the fences. This just goes to show how much crime goes on in the city. Even the little stores that sold just bags of chips looked like small jail cells in order to prevent stealing. Pulling up to the orphanage, we could hear a little baby crying and the sound of children playing. Little did we know how small the facility would be. The picture above is basically the children's only place to play  except for a small room to watch television. Most of the walkers were made of wood, which I never knew existed. Some were even missing wheels. None of this seemed to bother the children as they simply embraced our presence right away. After taking a very brief tour since the facility is so small, the nurses took us up to the infant's room. We were led by two of the employees, and we had no clue what to expect as we walked up the stairs. 

Our First Mission in Guatemala

  For our first official task in Guatemala, we wrapped Christmas presents for the children at the two main orphanages we were dealing with, Luz de Maria and Fundaniños. Waking up at 8:00 is not my speciality, but I was eager to see what activities were planned for the day. Breakfast was surprisingly good, we had cold (but good) waffles and very good orange juice. The only bad part about breakfast was the milk. I thought any type of milk would be delicious, but when I went to eat my cereal, I was wrong. Anyways, I was put to the test early, translating to the waitress that my dad wanted hotter coffee. After breakfast, we gathered in a room with many toys and luggage we had donated. After wrapping presents for about an hour, we had a meeting about what would take place during the day. We gathered in a circle and met our tour guides, Joaqium, his mother Claudia, his father Bernardo, and his sister Beatrice or Tish. After they educated us about Guatemala, we were split into groups, one group to Fundaniños, a larger orphanage funded by a wealthy family, and a smaller group to Luz de Maria, a small orphanage in the city without any funding. We chose to go to Luz de Maria with a group of about nine people. As we loaded into the bus, we were all eager to see the city and visit the orphanage.