Snazzy Video of the Trashcan Project
TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2011
A Final Goodbye
by: Kat Mueller, Country Director
Dear A-Team,
I’ve been mulling over this entry for days now, unable to come to terms with the fact that once I’m finished, this will officially conclude the first ever spring break trip to Guatemala. But after hours of thought, Huds convinced me that there was no better way to capture what I want to say than through a thank you note. So, on behalf of both of us, here goes…Thank you for brightening our days with your laughter, jokes, and positive attitudes (in spite of the cold showers, broken door handles, and stomach issues). Thank you for being nice to GWL. And AS. Thank you for being creative in your “she’s perfect but…”s, and your MFKs… they never got old (even after the sixteenth time I asked about the wagon). Thank you for teaching me how to Douggie. Thanks for the music, both then and now (and Hos- thanks for creating a band in my honor. Huds can’t keep a secret). Thank you for the cuarenta and kings, the roses, thorns, and buds, and the T(insert letter here)Ms. Thank you for earning the title of A-Team. You each made this week a joy, one of our best yet.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about and genuinely understand why each of us in this house has dedicated a year of our lives to getting to know the people of Chaquijyá, learning about their values, trials and tribulations, and doing what we can to make their community stronger. Thank you for doing it too. Thank you for thinking critically about your experiences, poverty, and our role in community development. You are all brilliant and it was a delight to watch you take so much away after each day in the community. Thank you for opening your minds and hearts to the people we have come to love. You made it easy to trust you with the reputation we have worked so hard to build. Your interactions with the students, teachers, and community leaders not only upheld that reputation, they strengthened it. Thank you for being incredible. I can’t think of better people with whom to share this special place in my life.
You all better keep in touch. We miss you already.
A-Team Love,
StreetKat & Hudstar
_______________________________________________________________________MONDAY, MARCH 14, 2011
Tears at the Airport
by: Allie Voss
This is our last blog post! We just want everyone to know how much our experience in Guatemala has meant to all of us. It would be an understatement to say that this week was one of the best weeks of all of our entire lives. The moment we landed in Nashville we received an email from Kat and Hudson that nearly brought everyone on the plane to tears. It was so nice to hear about how much our work in Guatemala had made such an impact.
I think of the many aspects that we took from this trip some of the biggest things were that we can help make changes in communities no matter how small those changes they may be. Although we were only in Guatemala for a week, we were able to see our immediate impact in the community through our trash can project. I think one of the most rewarding experiences of the trip was the presentation to the community for our project; to see how appreciative the families were of our work was so meaningful. To see women with their children sitting in the community room listening to what we had to say about our project meant so much.
Another thing that I think that a lot of people took from the trip was how real poverty is. We had multiple discussions throughout the week about Guatemalan culture and their economic situation. I was astonished to learn that only about 15 years ago there was a civil war in Guatemala and that many of the older generations had lived through that time. I was also intrigued to learn that the largest percentage of income coming into the country as “imports” came from money made by Guatemalans working in America that was sent home to their families. To think that Guatemalan workers are willing to leave their families in their communities to be able to provide the best for their families is so meaningful.
As a team we were also able to see how deep poverty is and how you can’t “change the world” in a couple of days and not even in a couple of years. It is the relationships you make with people and the little changes that you are able to make in a community that can make the most difference. Through working with Kat and Hudson, we were able to see some of the struggles that they have gone through to be accepted by the community. The relationships that we were able to make in just a week with the kids and the families in the community really were able to show us how important those relationships are in life. It was so cool to hear all the kids at the school yelling “Utz, Utz, Utz” (which means “Good” in their native tribal language) for Hudson and “Katie” for Kate. The teachers and students really have made such connections with Kat and Hudson and Manna’s impact in Guatemala can really been seen through their work.
I would like to close in saying that through this entire experience, the relationships and impact that we were able to make in the community and with each other was the most important thing we were able to take from this trip. As cliché as it might be to say this, I know I am not the only one who thinks that this experience has been life changing. We have seen how much of an impact we can have on a community and the ways in which our relationships can change people’s live. We are all so grateful to have had the opportunity to go on this Manna Spring Break Trip and I think that our memories and relationships that have been made will stay with us forever.
Manna Love Always,
Allie Voss and the A-Team
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FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2011
Pillow Talk
by: Back of the Bus
3:00 AM: Dog named Gay-Wolf-Love thrown into Plan B’s room. Courtesy of Amanda, Streeter, and Hudson.
5:00 AM: Menendez runs 6 miles. Delivers a baby on the road. Saves stray cats. Buys a scarf for 100Q.
7:00 AM: MFK. Pillow Talk begins - (i.e. she’s perfect but…she has wheels instead of feet).
9:30 AM: Last cold shower.
10:00 AM: Truck to Pana. No hands.
11:00 AM: Scenic boat ride to San Pedro. Seeds are spit. Hos gets soaked.
12:00 - 3:00 PM: Longest lunch of all time. No pesto. No cream cheese. Hos buys a drum. Pure cactus.
4:00 - 6:45 PM: Pool party at Zoola. Befriend Israeli hippies. Hula hooped. Canon ball. No dessert.
7:00 PM: Massive plates of spaghetti. Limeaid. No we would not like a scarf. No gracias.
8:00 PM: Alegra bar. Create our own playlist. Teach me how to dougie.
10:00 PM: Buddha Bar. Rooftop. No I do not speak French. Stage 5 Pink Floyd.
9 - Midnight: Aggressive Sierra
12:15 AM: Two taco stands. Neighborhood watch. Protecting my ladies.
Late Night: Hos in the Hammocks. Drew and Gwen Stefani. Bongo Drums. Want a Whatacatch?
9AM: Mustache Mario. No Bloody Mary’s. Bongos in boxers.
Noon: Bus. Too hot to blog, sorry for the deliberate phrases. On to Antigua.
_______________________________________________________________________THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2011
Last Day in Chaquijya
by: Lia Wertheimer
Utz a wach, followers!!
Utz a wach, followers!!
We started the day at la escuela with Hudson and Kat teaching third through sixth grade students some English numbers and fruits; and in turn we learned a little K’aqchikel, the local dialect (hence our greeting). After saying goodbye to our friends at the elementary school, we took a very scenic walk on the way back to Solola. Always looking forward to our crazy pickup truck rides into Panajachel, we took one into town to meet with Robin and Yolanda from Mayan Traditions.
We miss and love our parents and family!
Mannamor,
A-team
_______________________________________________________________________WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011
Chapter Three: Booty Dance Bonanza
by: Drew Taylor
From catching aquarium fish barehanded to bartering in a local market, the third day of our Guatemalan adventure was filled with exciting new experiences. The gang (not Tuktuks, Tyler) got off to somewhat of a sluggish start to the day as a couple people fell to Montezuma's revenge and the rest of us battled fatigue from hard work and play in the local village. Upon arrival, David and Drew took a preemptive break at the neighborhood tienda while everyone else began work.
Once well rested, they caught up with the rest of the team to give a presentation to the local school PTA. After playing with kids as we waited for our turn, Tyler, Alex, Ali, and Amanda outlined the logistics and long-term sustainable benefits of the community trash initiative. Their Spanish was impeccable and the crowd was impressed by both their eloquence and their height. David's photo slide show and smooth transitions, were equally impressive (Watch the presentation at the end of this post!).
For the remainder of the morning, the gang taught third and sixth grade English classes before heading back to the hostel for lunch. Following lunch, Hudson, Amanda, Streeter, and Lia went to Pana (a nearby town situated on the lake, popular to backpackers and tourists) to meet with Mayan Traditions to pick out items to be sold in the Vanderbilt Bookstore in a fair trade initiative. (Though Drew was eager to help, the girls decided that due to his lack of fashion sense it would be better if he sat this one out.) At the hostel, the rest of the gang came to the realization that it was our last day before the other Manna group arrived and lamented that the week was moving too fast. We then headed down to Pana in the back of a pick up truck and enjoyed the breathtaking views, fresh air, and John's heroic photo-shoot.
David, Drew, Kat, Leigh, and Allie walked through the streets for an afternoon filled with shopping. The men and women reversed roles as David and Drew ravaged the shopping, buying belts, shirts, and baby shoes as the girls walked along and assisted with fashion advice. With Waites doing the talking and Drew providing the silent but strong intimidation, the pair made quite a formidable bartering duo and made bargain after bargain. Following the extensive shopping spree, the group reunited and relaxed at a local restaurant to discuss the cultural differences of poverty, the difficulties of community development, and the complications of defining happiness. Afterwards, a friend of Hudson and Kat's offered to give us salsa-dancing lessons. Despite extreme whiteness and stiff hips, the guys managed to keep up and the girls managed to remain patient. Drew was voted Most Improved Dancer and had many convinced that he was actually of Latin descent.
After working up quite an appetite, the gang headed to a local steakhouse to have our first Guatemalan restaurant experience. It turned out to be quite interesting. Following our meal of burritos, pizza, and chicken cordon bleu (where was that for the scavenger hunt?) another group of students from the University of Vermont gathered around a fish tank where one girl was preparing to catch a large fish from the aquarium with her hands. Our interest was obviously piqued but as we watched her melodramatic attempt, we decided that it was time to show Vermont how we do it down South. Two minutes later, Streeter was standing victoriously over the tank with fish in hand, smiling proudly at the crowd as the restaurant waiters laughed at our antics.
Tired from the day's activities, the whole group packed into another truck and began the ascent back to our hostel, loudly singing in merriment. However, during the second verse of Justin Bieber's hit "Baby," our truck rolled to a stop. Apparently the ancient truck couldn't quite handle the incline and we had to get out and push until it could get started again. Despite the inconvenience, the A-Team spirits couldn't be dampened and soon were playing Guatemalan card games on the hostel balcony. Tomorrow, the two Manna groups will be united and the outcome is sure to be epic. Whether or not Guatemala is prepared for such a combination remains unknown.TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2011
TNM: Total Nugget Move
by: "S"treeter Nolan
Hola! Greetings from Guat!
Today started off with a bang again, as both Hos and Drew were awoken by their favorite canine companion in each of their beds. We had a great breakfast of curious, potentially vanilla flavored milk with frosted flakes—necessary sugar rush—with toast and our favorite watered down, pre-sweetened, albeit very tasty coffee, bright and early before we headed into the community. We got the privilege of witnessing the last day of the epic Carnival festival, which was highlighted by dancing to a 4-song playlist of Enrique, Pit Bull, and No Speak Americano, getting pelted by countless eggs filled with flour, confetti, and glitter, and the nugget party.
If only y’all could have met Lester, our favorite little nugget of joy who sported sweet shades and rockin’ dance moves most of the day—aka Tyler’s little nug and my new “novio” (boyfriend…see, I’m catching on to this whole Spanish thing). Hudson and Kat judged a dance competition, costume contest, and pageant, in which we were all wildly entertained but mildly disappointed when our favorites, the melon girl and the “terrorist” didn’t take home the gold. The whole school loved the Carnival festivities, especially dousing us with the confetti and glitter, which are still in most of our hair, and chasing John up the basketball hoop.
In addition to the festival, we completed the spray paint work on our trash can project lining the main street, and filmed a video about our project starring our favorite 15-year-old third grader, Ramiro. The trash cans look awesome, and we were thrilled to see members of the community already throwing their trash into our new additions.
After we left the school, shortly after Hudson almost got run over by a truck while trying to take the group picture in front of one of the trash cans, we came back to the hostel to attempt to clean off the glitter and eat an awesome lunch. A little jam sesh took place on the balcony, and then we were off to town for our uber competitive scavenger hunt in the market. Once we were split into three teams, we were sent out into the market to take pictures of everything from the funniest American t-shirt being sported by a Guatemalan—with no chance that they understood the saying—to the grossest dried fish, to the best failed attempt at an American knock-off brand. Claws came out immediately as we embarked on this serious mission, relying on our groups’ Spanish skills, and often natural born schmoozing skills, to get the pictures we needed from the locals. Highlights of the scavenger hunt include: Yummy Donuts, “Pooo” backpacks, Hos eating a moderately large dried fish, balancing baskets on our heads, “Fist Pumping Politicians”, and the inspiration of Man taming Nature. Also, Amanda and I got attacked by a pack of local boys who pelted us with flour…thanks Hudson.
But in the end, it was my team, the Boisterous Assassins, being Amanda, Hos, Drew and myself that came out victorious as the Program Directors judged our photos. Honorable Mention goes to Tyler for being awkward and tall in each of his group’s pictures. Afterwards, we hung out on the balcony as the sun went down, discussed what we look for in fashion models and great hair, enjoyed a great spaghetti dinner full of nicknames, expertise, TLM’s, great stories and aggression, and then planned our day for tomorrow, including our presentation to the community on our project and our continued nugget party.
Fun fact: Tyler, the ultimate claustrophobe, got stuck in the tiny bathroom for a solid 20 minutes. Good times. Well it’s time for me to learn some traditional Guatemalan card games and continue our A-Team bonding. It’s been real, until tomorrow!
Adios, y’all! Lots of love, Streeter and the rest of the A-Team
_______________________________________________________________________
Hola! Greetings from Guat!
 |
| The one and only Lester. |
If only y’all could have met Lester, our favorite little nugget of joy who sported sweet shades and rockin’ dance moves most of the day—aka Tyler’s little nug and my new “novio” (boyfriend…see, I’m catching on to this whole Spanish thing). Hudson and Kat judged a dance competition, costume contest, and pageant, in which we were all wildly entertained but mildly disappointed when our favorites, the melon girl and the “terrorist” didn’t take home the gold. The whole school loved the Carnival festivities, especially dousing us with the confetti and glitter, which are still in most of our hair, and chasing John up the basketball hoop.
In addition to the festival, we completed the spray paint work on our trash can project lining the main street, and filmed a video about our project starring our favorite 15-year-old third grader, Ramiro. The trash cans look awesome, and we were thrilled to see members of the community already throwing their trash into our new additions.
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| Chaquijyá's brand new trashcan |
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| "It's really not that bad, just try it." |
But in the end, it was my team, the Boisterous Assassins, being Amanda, Hos, Drew and myself that came out victorious as the Program Directors judged our photos. Honorable Mention goes to Tyler for being awkward and tall in each of his group’s pictures. Afterwards, we hung out on the balcony as the sun went down, discussed what we look for in fashion models and great hair, enjoyed a great spaghetti dinner full of nicknames, expertise, TLM’s, great stories and aggression, and then planned our day for tomorrow, including our presentation to the community on our project and our continued nugget party.
Fun fact: Tyler, the ultimate claustrophobe, got stuck in the tiny bathroom for a solid 20 minutes. Good times. Well it’s time for me to learn some traditional Guatemalan card games and continue our A-Team bonding. It’s been real, until tomorrow!
Adios, y’all! Lots of love, Streeter and the rest of the A-Team
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MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2011
Breaking Ground
by: The Dinner Table
Hello family, friends and followers!
Today is our second day in Guatemala! The day started off abruptly with Drew being woken up by a giant German shepherd licking his face, and it was all uphill from there. The owners of the hostel served us a delicious breakfast of giant pancakes and some of the freshest fruit we have tasted in months. A few of the boys went to the community early with Hudson to meet the mayor and learn how to mix cement, and the rest of the group got a little more time to relax in the morning. On our way to the community, we were caught in a giant Carnival parade full of adorable little kids in costumes (Pictures to come). There were a few scary masks, but most of the kids looked pretty cute. After making it to the community in a VERY full microbus (so full that a little man wearing a cowboy hat had to practically sit on John’s lap the entire way), we headed to the school to start our service for the day.
Our plan was to start installing trashcans all along a newly paved road that runs through the city in order to encourage throwing away trash rather than littering. The bottles will then be used in a new project the community is starting which will use them and the trash as building materials. Before getting to the project, we played with the kids at the school during their recess. The kids were very excited to see us, and decided to show this by throwing glitter, confetti and eggshells at us in the spirit of the Carnival holiday. Things got a little awkward when a little girl poured glitter down Allie’s shirt and a boy brought out scissors to cut Amanda’s hair off, but a quick game of basketball and soccer smoothed things out.
As the day went on, we made incredible progress installing the trashcans, and created a great stencil to decorate them tomorrow. As the boys were finishing up with some of the trashcans, the girls headed back to Sololá to run some errands, including getting all the fresh ingredients to make Guacamole from the market. We tried some delicious soy ice cream, and totally demolished the Guacamole once we made it back at the hostel. We are definitely not going hungry on this trip. The boys played a few games of soccer (which they want you all to know that they won) against the boys in the village, and then headed back to finish the Guac and take a nap. The hostel is cooking dinner for us—hope it's good! We are headed there now. Miss you all!
(PS. anything that may have concerned you in the last blog was a joke, we promise! Tyler thought it was funny. No gunshots or anything!)
Hasta luegooooooo,
The group!
_______________________________________________________________________SUNDAY, MARCH 6, 2011
Breaking the Iceby: Tyler Lohse, again
Hello Guatemala!
Hello Guatemala!
What a long journey, filled with windy roads, chicken buses, false taxes, many averted crises, and ice breaking banter. Almost missing our flight because of breakfast, hard-to-kidnap elderly ladies, misplaced seats in Houston, wrong baggage claim/missing luggage, and shotguns at gas station. Well, we finally arrived in Sololá around 5:30, settled into our hostel, and then made ourselves at home at the 3 story Manna house. Delicious homemade pasta and garlic butter hamburger buns. We are about to have a "safety talk" led by our fearless leaders Kat and Hud. Textbook Waites refusing to do the blog, and then jumping at the opportunity to help the ladies with paperwork. Can't wait for tomorrow early morning.
We'll update tomorrow evening with our first days adventures (and planned emergencies).
Buenas noches,
Tyler & the Vandy A-team
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THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2011
Almost Here - Vandy Team
THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2011
Almost Here - Vandy Team
by: Tyler Lohse, Site Leader
Hey y'all!
I am the first to update our trip blog, and obviously we don't leave until Sunday. So, I figured I'd ramble a little on what preparations we've done, and how freaking exciting we are to get down and get dirty. This past weekend, we helped out a local non-profit, called the Nashville Mobile Market, which offers healthy alternatives in Nashville's food deserts. As a group, we went to Kroger and recorded all their price, so that NBB can compare and publish its prices versus Kroger's. Then, we ate lunch at an authentic Guatemalan restaurant called La Antigua. At first glance, actually even at last glance, it was not ideal -- not in the best neighborhood, barred windows, and empty tables. However, although it was slow, we loved every minute of it. The owners were so gracious, and the food was delicious. It just aggravated our excitement for our trip.
We are meeting this weekend to go over final details, then its off to the airport at the butt crack of dawn on Sunday. Did I mention how pumped we are? Pray for safe travels.
Abrazos fuertes,
Tyler
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TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2011
Pre-Arrival Prep In Guatemala
by: Hudson Baird
Hey ya'll, welcome to the Vandy Spring Break blog. My name's Hudson, and Kat and I will be leading the trip while the group is in Guatemala. Kat and I got here this past July and work in the aldea of Chaquijya, a rural Maya community of roughly 4,000 residents. We, along with our four co-workers, teach English classes, run health programs, encourage small business development, and lead a recycling program - a little bit of everything.
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| Kat and I in Nicaragua on Spring Break four years ago. |
The idea is holistic development, and we only work in areas where there are community organizations already tackling the issue, groups that we can work alongside. We're thrilled the Vandy group has decided to come work alongside us for the week, residents are eagerly awaiting the trash cans that they'll install along the main road in town. This road was just paved in November and is already littered with chip wrappers and plastic bottles. After the project is finished, they'll have a place to put their trash, and a nearby elementary school will empty them each week. Then, instead of burning the trash, we'll stuff it into plastic bottles, creating eco-blocks that we'll use next year to build an addition to the school.
Our hope is to create a culture that's more environmentally friendly on the community side. For our volunteers, we hope to create the experience of a lifetime - one where they can give back in a measurable way while learning more about life outside the United States. We invite you to stay tuned throughout the week as we update you on our progress.
Truly,
Hudson and Kat
