Visiting Santiago Atitlan
March 29 2021
Our first day of service on this trip included a jaunt across the lake! We were picked up by Jose Miguel from the dock in Panajachel and had an enjoyable boat ride to the dock in Santiago Bay. What a beautiful city on a beautiful lake! I don’t think I would ever tire of volcano views!
Getting there…
Tammi and Patti sat up front in the sun and got increased opportunities for perfect lake shots. I stayed back with my family and mom under cover and enjoyed the view from a different vantage point.
OSDIFGUA: Helping Guatemalan Families
Upon our arrival, we were taken to the place where Jose Miguel and Maritza have been teaching English classes and interacting with students and mothers from the community. Jose Miguel had prepared a short presentation for our travel team members describing the projects that he and Maritza had accomplished — many with funding from donors to Guatemala Service Projects.
Then we got to tour their greenhouse and see the vegetables and herbs that they have growing.
After we had some time to spend with Jose Miguel and Maritza alone, they guided us to Colegio Alfa y Omega, a school we’ve supported with a library, RACHEL server and playground equipment.
Colegio Alfa y Omega, Santiago Atitlan
The school had prepared a lovely morning filled with a schedule of activities that gave us an opportunity to witness the impact of various donations. We started with an assembly outside on the patio, where the students sat on the steps and we sat in a row of chairs prepared for us. Jose Miguel did a juggling and clown act that got the kids (and teachers!) excited, and our team had the opportunity to introduce ourselves and greet the kids.
Samuel, the director of the school, unfortunately could not be present but his staff did a great job leading the day’s events. We had the opportunity to visit a tech-enabled classroom where the kids demonstrated their use of the RACHEL server to complete an activity on their devices that were connected to it. Then we went to the library where one of the teachers read a story from the collection of books we brought with us this time.
Reading is Fundamental
Even the kids were given the opportunity to read to us! This activity was very special for my mom, who traveled with us, because she saw how her efforts in collecting those books were appreciated by the kids in the classroom. The kids delighted in being paired with members of our travel group and getting the opportunity to read aloud to us. After reading the Spanish text shown, one of the boys that read at my side was super excited to ask me the English words for the items pictured in the book. He seemed very excited to improve his English vocabulary too!
We wrapped up our fun day at the school with a friendly soccer match with teachers and staff. We split sides fairly so all the (Guatemalan) talent was not on the same team, ha ha!
The perfect end to a lovely morning…
Before leaving Santiago, we had the pleasure of sharing time at the home of Paul and Georgia, friends of Jose Miguel and Maritza. Maritza prepped for hours to treat us to a delicious caldo de gallina for lunch. Yum! What a treat! I wish I would have thought to take a picture of our hosts or our lunch, but this lovely picture of Chef Maritza will suffice. We sure did appreciate everything that was done to make our day extra special!
The “right” opportunity arose when I learned about a travel opportunity for adoptive families which would include volunteer work and cultural sightseeing. Being members of that team had a profound impact on me, Lillian and Andrew. Not only were we able to make a real connection to our son’s birthplace, but we met incredibly warm and generous people, all of whom we now consider to be a part of our “family.” In addition to the volunteer work I shared with the Team, I also was able to “give back” by performing as my alter ego, “Farfel the Clown” at a barbecue for children of The Backyard School. It will remain one the proudest and happiest memories of my life.