I have been home for less than 48 hours and I have to say it all seems a bit surreal.
Normally when I travel internationally I arrive in Vancouver and make my way to the CMA to catch a flight to the Valley, but on Wed morning I was thrilled to have Mark there to greet me as I came out of the secure area. The smile on his face was worth the three months of missing him!
I am pretty tired and find that sleeping 8 - 10 hours a night is what I need (I was sleeping less that 6 most nights in Guatemala) even though I am not doing a whole lot physically. My life here seems to be very accessible - the strangest things are drinking water right out of the tap and flushing toilet paper rather than throwing it in to a basket beside the toilet. It great to have spring here with the warm sun, the smell of the sap and lots of spring wild flowers blooming in our yard.
Lots of people have talked to me about reverse culture shock and of course I have read alot about it. I have also been wondering about what I can do to mitigate and cope with it. The liteature says time to debrief is really important, and that combined with some patience, given that it can take up to six months for those who have been away a long time, seems to be the key to adjusting.
I have been doing a fair amount of writing over the last couple of weeks in addition to my daily diarizing and my blogs. I am wondering if this attempt to capture some of my thinking and my understanding will help. During the next couple of weeks I will be in contact with some folks in Guatemala as they review my writing which I suspect will also help me with my reentry.
I am off to a team pot luck tonight. I am the last to arrive home and it was kind of them to give me a couple of days to get my body and mind back on Canadian soil before the get together. Some of the folks have been home for other a month so it will be interesting to compare notes on how their reentry has been.
I am also looking forward to beginning the process of working through my 4000+ photos with a view to preparing a couple of presentations as well as finding some photos to create cards and some special gifts as well. I hope that a 30 minute slide presentation will provide me with some ways to share what I have learned with others - and help me find another way to be back here.
I'll do some more reflecting on the reentry over the next couple of weeks. Suffice to say that this first week is mostly about getting some rest, connecting with friends and family and doing some practical things like seeing my dentist and getting my hair cut.
Back to you in a few days
Colleen
LIFE School
These doors open to the school office and library.
Chalking
On my last day I did a school assembly on Canada. I capped the 45 minute lesson with an activity near and dear to the hearts of most kids in Canada in the spring - drawing with chalk on the sidewalk.
A LIFE School Classroom
Not nearly as high tech as most of the classrooms in Canada and full of us much learning and excitement as any I have been in.
Guatemala
Department of Solala
Like a province or state, the department is the regional political entity. Santiago Atitlan and Panajachel are located on opposite sides of Lago Atitlan
Garden Gate
on the lowlands of Santiago Atitlan
Statue of Christ on the cross
The statue has been cleaned, tied to the cross which is raised at the front of the church.
The casket as it begins the procession.
Sixty men, each with a tag on his shoulder noting his place move the casket along the route. A second team of sixty men take over at the half way point, about 7 to 8 hours after the procession begins.
Statue of Mary
Mary's statue follows the casket on the first part of the procession.
Santiago
Saint James as he follows Mary and the casket of Christ on the church Plaza
Building the Alfombra #1
The pattern elements are chalked on to the cobblestone and the first strips of carpet are laid.
Alfombras #2
The stencils are placed on the sections of coloured sawdust to build layers of contrasting colours.
Alfombra #3
A section of the completed carpet laid in the church plaza.
Catholic Church of Santiago
Friday evening - all is quiet
Photo for Mom
For Kate
A photo she would take
Local Transport
Pickup (notice the bar in the centre for balance) from a tuc tuc
Towards Santiago Atitlan
Strip market gardens roll down to the Lake
Vista Dorado
View from our front steps
Microscopia Amigos
Two grade six students study an onion skin slide with the microscopes we donated to the schools.
Soccer is Serious Play in Guatemala
This is one of a number of games played during a week devoted to basketball and soccer tournaments. Thats the Chacaya Lower School Junior Team in the blue jerseys donated by a league in the Comox Valley.
Dental Lessons
Prior to the arrival of our team dentist many of us were engaged with supporting dental lessons for about 500 kids who live in villages around the Lake. Kids learned the importance of brushing their teeth and had a practical lesson in how to do it.
Water
At Chukamuk Uno the women have to come here to get their water. This settlement built after Hurricane Stan as no water in its pipes because the well water is full of sulfer. The water in this cistern is pumped directly from Lago Atitlan and trucked to the settlement.
Astronomy Lesson
Pedro shows his primary students how the earth (a ball used to play soccer) rotates on its axis.
Coffee Berries
The berries are picked by men who are paid about $7 for a 100 lb sack. The seed is what becomes the coffee bean.
Hauling the Soil for the Garden
A group of boys went with Nicholas and hauled this very rich soil from for spots on the mountain. Then the students used a variety of innovative techniques to get the soil up from the road to the garden plots - about a 50 foot rise.
Working on the Garden
One of the few pictures of me - working with the kids to plant the garden
Stove project - after
This stove, modified to minimize the amount of wood used as well as the amount of smoke generated provides families with a relatively smoke free environment and a place to warm up in the rainy season.
Stove Project - before
Women cook on open fires with minimal ventilation. Kids are often straped to their backs meaning both Mom and baby breathe in the fire smoke
I know what is healthy food
Food groups a la Guatemala
Mother and daughter in tipico ropas
The huipile (embroidered blouse) and corte (wrap around skirt) are typical clothing for women in Guatemala.
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