Click here for photos. My photos aren´t great so far but expect better when Ahmet arrives.
Saturday morning I went to the park near mi casa en Guatemala to catch bus with Maya´ch Tours. I bought the ticket the day before in the Plaza Central. On my ticket, they had clearly written the bus would arrive at 7:20am. Some of my readers may know that I am not an early riser. I did make it to the Park at the appointed hour and by 8:00am I thought I had the wrong day or time. No. Just as I was about to leave, the microbus pulled up packed with passengers and we were off to Lanquin and Semuc Champey. I was a little miffed at the tardiness (45 mins late) so I asked the attendant ¨"que paso?". He blew me off..what a silly question gringa. I complained later to other gringos and then said i was lucky it wasnt an hour and get used to it.
The microbus dropped me off in Lanquin at the popular El Retiro. This hotel of sorts is more like a summer camp for backpackers, made of small cabanitas or huts, situated on the fast-moving river. I stayed in the dormitory part of the grass hut and there were also lodgers in the loft part of the cabanita. I met some nice gringas there from california and also new york, so i was hard to leave once i arrived, since the place has a permanent chillout feel with the bar/cafe just down the hill on the grounds.
I wandered up to Lanquin trying to find a bus since I wasn´t part of a tour. I asked a couple in a big SUV where the bus was and they hop in with us. They looked like wealthy Guatemaltecos who probably wouldnt be interested in robbing me, so I got in. They had kid´s toys in the back which further boosted my confidence. I had a nice chat with the couple of the way over...Julio and Nuria. I made it through the first 10 mins in rough spanish, then julio told me he was a chemical engineer and i could try in english.
Arriving at Semuc Chapmey, I was awestruck by natural beauty. Semuc Chapmey is a national park with 7 pozas or pools where the water from the river pours down into limestone beds. Absolutely gorgeous. Aquamarine water fills the cascading limestone pools. It´s the rainy season here, so it rained most of the time I was there.
On the way home, I took a mini bus that was headed back to Lanquin. All the buses and microbuses have an attendent who hangs halfway out the door and takes the money for the bus fare. Usually it is young men. I asked my driver how old he was and he said 16. A majority of the children here do not attend school past 6th grade, so there is a good chance this chico was working on the bus full-time at 16.
A truck was stuck on the way back so we sat in the hot microbus. Then I noticed Julio and Nuria up ahead. I got out to chat and they offered me a beer. The truck situation was resolved more quickly than expected, clearing up the mountain road. So I had to get on with a Gallo beer in hand and the attendant clucked at me a bit but let me on anyway. The mayan lady was not as happy to see me again, in a bathing suit with beer in hand.
Dinner is served family style at El Retiro, so we had a big mexican buffet at the cafe with most of the 100 guests. After dinner, I played a game called, lets say poohead, on some Obama playing cards that a girl from Arizona had.
Had a rough night with some stomach issues which got worse in the morning. Spent most of Sunday lounging, napping, and talking. Decided to stay another night due to sickness but feel much better today. I took the bus this morning with 3 Israelis and an Australian. The Israelis told the Australian in Hebrew, they have a saying ¨It´s your vacation, fly on it¨. There were lots of Israelis at El Retiro--they said it´s common for them to travel after their military service.
That´s all for now. I have class and ´´volunteering´´ this week, then Friday I take the bus to Guatemala City to meet Ahmet.
P.S. I´ve been entertained by the sweet sounds of CCR during my time at this internet cafe. Most likely the choice of the young man attending the cafe.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
New things (nuevas cosas)
I think I had a soup last night with my host family from a plant called CHAYA. I read on wiki just now that the raw leaves are poisonous--I ate one leaf last night in front of Bertilia and she said it was fine. Who knows if I was really eating Chaya or something else. In any case, it´s pretty tasty and they said it´s good for your health.
In any case, here´s the plant on wiki: Chaya.
I´ve heard the word AHORITA a lot since I got here. Ahora means now and Ahorita means right now, exactly now. I hear it probably 20 times a day and back in Chicago at Cervantes, my Spanish school with teachers from Spain, I don´t ever remember hearing this.
I´ve seen little kids in the market walking around with wireless office phone. Big phones with big keypads, but totally wireless. I think people in the market who don´t have phones pay the kids for this service.
I mentioned in an earlier blog that I was confused about the relationships in my host family. I am fairly sure now that it is a boarding house with 6 boarders now, including me. Four are high school boys studying at a local technical school and the other is Luis, a traveling salesman or vendedor of clothing.
In any case, here´s the plant on wiki: Chaya.
I´ve heard the word AHORITA a lot since I got here. Ahora means now and Ahorita means right now, exactly now. I hear it probably 20 times a day and back in Chicago at Cervantes, my Spanish school with teachers from Spain, I don´t ever remember hearing this.
I´ve seen little kids in the market walking around with wireless office phone. Big phones with big keypads, but totally wireless. I think people in the market who don´t have phones pay the kids for this service.
I mentioned in an earlier blog that I was confused about the relationships in my host family. I am fairly sure now that it is a boarding house with 6 boarders now, including me. Four are high school boys studying at a local technical school and the other is Luis, a traveling salesman or vendedor of clothing.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
el tiempo
I`m getting into a schedule here now which I like. When someone here says ¨we start at 2pm` this could be mean 2:15, 2:30 or 2:45. This suits me since I am not know for punctuality but it´s also slightly confusing because you don´t exactly know what it means when someone names a specific time.
So, in the morning i go to my spanish class, then back to my host family for lunch. Most people in Coban do not pack a lunch, but go home for lunch every day. Bertilia is the mayan girl who is 18 and going to high school still, but works in the house all day long. I chided one of the high school boys yesterday staying at the house because instead of getting up to get more juice they just yell "Bertilia!". I saw her bedroom today and was a little shocked because it looks like Cinderella´s quarters. It is a small room off the kitchen with room only for a bed. It is connected to the kitchen so she sleeps away from all the other bedrooms.
in the afternoon, i go to an afterschool program for pobrecitos. they need a lot of things so i might try to write some letters to raise money when i get back to different non profits.
Snapped two photo of Alejandro and his little friend playing in the yard today: http://picasaweb.google.com/kuhnbaya/Guate
Will be posting more photos later in the same place.
So, in the morning i go to my spanish class, then back to my host family for lunch. Most people in Coban do not pack a lunch, but go home for lunch every day. Bertilia is the mayan girl who is 18 and going to high school still, but works in the house all day long. I chided one of the high school boys yesterday staying at the house because instead of getting up to get more juice they just yell "Bertilia!". I saw her bedroom today and was a little shocked because it looks like Cinderella´s quarters. It is a small room off the kitchen with room only for a bed. It is connected to the kitchen so she sleeps away from all the other bedrooms.
in the afternoon, i go to an afterschool program for pobrecitos. they need a lot of things so i might try to write some letters to raise money when i get back to different non profits.
Snapped two photo of Alejandro and his little friend playing in the yard today: http://picasaweb.google.com/kuhnbaya/Guate
Will be posting more photos later in the same place.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
2 photos
Near the place where I am ´´volunteering´´. More like getting a free Spanish lesson from the kids. Hoping to make myself useful at some point.
My house in Guatemala
Monday, June 23, 2008
La primera dia en coban
I arrived in guatemala city on saturday night. Victor from my hostel was there waiting when i arrived to allay my transportation fears. Not much to report from the hostel other than an avocado tree i found hanging over part of the hostel/garden. The line between indoor and outdoor is blurry here with gorgeous mild weather year round. Some windfall avocados lead me to the avocado tree, which was much taller than I thought it would be. A slightly annoying American girl who must have used the word ´´armenian´´ 30 times referring to her family kept me up a little late. I saw maybe 15 beer cans at her table and noise carries in these tile buildings. can´t believe i forgot to pack my ear plugs.
In Coban I met Nirma, the director of the small school I am attending. She said things are slow with the US economy in the dumps so I am the only school right now. The classrooms are part of her home so fortunately she doesn´t have to close the school if she has no students. Nimra, like all the guatemaltecos i´ve met so far, is laidback and good humored.
Then I met my host family. Hilda is the matriach and she has a lot of people living at her house. The relationships among these occupants I have yet to decipher. We had ten people at dinner last night..Hilda, her two daughters Maria and jesica, the son of Maria, Alejandro. Alejandro, age 6, talks my ear off in spanish and is really adorable. Will take some photos of him tonight.
Then there are the possible non family members...Luis a ´guest´ and two electronics students. Add to that at least two mayan women who do the cooking and laundry. My teacher has mayan domestic workers as well. Seems pretty common with the middle class around here.
I like the food so far. Mostly it seems to be frijoles y tortillas. Good though. They make everything from scratch. There are two cows across the street from my host family house and they said thats where they get the milk and the creme (this sour cream type spread) they serve at meals.
My teacher´s name is Nabila and she is from a small nearby town called Tictac. She said her mom is mayan and still wears traditional clothing. Her father is an spanish teacher also.
Guatemala´s mountains are cloaked in green now with the rainy season. It´s misty and the temperature is perfect altho the natives complain about too much rain (everyday now).
In Coban I met Nirma, the director of the small school I am attending. She said things are slow with the US economy in the dumps so I am the only school right now. The classrooms are part of her home so fortunately she doesn´t have to close the school if she has no students. Nimra, like all the guatemaltecos i´ve met so far, is laidback and good humored.
Then I met my host family. Hilda is the matriach and she has a lot of people living at her house. The relationships among these occupants I have yet to decipher. We had ten people at dinner last night..Hilda, her two daughters Maria and jesica, the son of Maria, Alejandro. Alejandro, age 6, talks my ear off in spanish and is really adorable. Will take some photos of him tonight.
Then there are the possible non family members...Luis a ´guest´ and two electronics students. Add to that at least two mayan women who do the cooking and laundry. My teacher has mayan domestic workers as well. Seems pretty common with the middle class around here.
I like the food so far. Mostly it seems to be frijoles y tortillas. Good though. They make everything from scratch. There are two cows across the street from my host family house and they said thats where they get the milk and the creme (this sour cream type spread) they serve at meals.
My teacher´s name is Nabila and she is from a small nearby town called Tictac. She said her mom is mayan and still wears traditional clothing. Her father is an spanish teacher also.
Guatemala´s mountains are cloaked in green now with the rainy season. It´s misty and the temperature is perfect altho the natives complain about too much rain (everyday now).
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Doing Well and Doing Good
Is it possible to do well and do some good? Members of Chicago professional organization Net Impact think so. Net Impact is a group of business professionals seeking to change the world through the power of business. The group hosted a sustainability discussion with representatives from the oil and chemical industries in March.
Scott Noesen, Director of Sustainability and Business Integration for Dow, said that, admittedly, sustainability for a chemical company means doing "less bad" and "more good". In 1984, a disaster occurred in Bhopal, India that would change the future of the Union Carbide company, later to become part of Dow Chemical. While the residents of Bhopal India slept, a pesticide plant leaked more than 40 tons of methyl isocyanate gas, immediately killing at least 3,800 people and causing injury and death to many thousands more. Estimates of deaths from the hospitals in the first week of disaster are said to be as high as 10,000 with eventual premature deaths at 15,000 to 20,000, according to a Columbia University study. The Union Carbide company attempted to avoid legal responsibility by blaming the Indian subsidiary for the incident, but eventually reached a settlement with the Indian courts for $470 million (U.S.).
With a tragedy like the Bhopal incident on its corporate conscience, presenting sustainability efforts is not an easy job. Noesen said after the Bhopal tragedy, the sustainability initiative was born out of necessity for Dow. The company set sustainability goals in 1996, spending 1 billion dollars, which over time saved the company 5 billion dollars. Noesen quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson in describing the birth of sustainability at Dow: "We learn geology the morning after the earthquake."
Noesen said the first challenge for Dow was to define sustainability. They invited advisors from many global non-profits including UNICEF and WWF. The advisors pushed them to think of sustainability in terms of the Millennium Development goals. The Millennium Development Goals include halving extreme poverty, halting the spread of HIV/AIDS, and ensuring universal primary education. In the end, Dow decided to define sustainability simply as their "relationship with the world".
For Charlie Curlee of Marathon Oil, another presenter at the Net Impact conference, the best definition of sustainability for his company came from the Brundtland Report Commission in Sweden. The report states that sustainability is "the ability to meet the needs of the present without sacrificing the needs of the future".
Marathon has concentrated on Corporate Social Responsibility in contrast to the Sustainability focus of Dow. Curlee gave examples of two Marathon projects: one in Equatorial Guineau and the other in the state of Wyoming. Marathon drills in Equatorial Guinea and decided to focus on the malaria problem there. To fight malaria, Marathon has focused on spraying indoor areas where the mosquitoes congregate and improving the health care management of the disease. Their goal was to eliminate malaria in 5 years and they have met this goal with some success. According to Marathon's website, the 1996 figures show that their efforts have resulted in a 44% decrease in malaria parasites in children and 95% reduction in malaria transmitting mosquitoes.
In Wyoming, reports show that 50% of field applicants were rejected for meth in their drug test results. Marathon decided to take action by introducing a drug awareness program in Wyoming schools after consulting with social workers, educators, and addiction specialists.
What does all this mean for corporate citizens, especially those in the oil and chemical industry? Many companies have been accused of "green-washing" as the demand for green business increases. The nature of the oil and chemical business is not eco-friendly; rather we could say that it is eco-extracting. Yet, much of our lives depend on these industries, so how can we ensure that these companies are environmentally responsible?
As Noesen put it, sustainability means having a positive relationship with the world. As an individual, one way we can communicate our concerns with companies is to interact with the company as an activist stockholder or to invest in Socially Responsible Funds. In principle, the company must answer to shareholders first. By becoming shareholders, individuals can voice humanitarian and environmental concerns to a company. As public understanding of climate change increases, it is important that as private citizens we are aware of the activity of chemical and petrochemical companies. The future depends on it.
Scott Noesen, Director of Sustainability and Business Integration for Dow, said that, admittedly, sustainability for a chemical company means doing "less bad" and "more good". In 1984, a disaster occurred in Bhopal, India that would change the future of the Union Carbide company, later to become part of Dow Chemical. While the residents of Bhopal India slept, a pesticide plant leaked more than 40 tons of methyl isocyanate gas, immediately killing at least 3,800 people and causing injury and death to many thousands more. Estimates of deaths from the hospitals in the first week of disaster are said to be as high as 10,000 with eventual premature deaths at 15,000 to 20,000, according to a Columbia University study. The Union Carbide company attempted to avoid legal responsibility by blaming the Indian subsidiary for the incident, but eventually reached a settlement with the Indian courts for $470 million (U.S.).
With a tragedy like the Bhopal incident on its corporate conscience, presenting sustainability efforts is not an easy job. Noesen said after the Bhopal tragedy, the sustainability initiative was born out of necessity for Dow. The company set sustainability goals in 1996, spending 1 billion dollars, which over time saved the company 5 billion dollars. Noesen quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson in describing the birth of sustainability at Dow: "We learn geology the morning after the earthquake."
Noesen said the first challenge for Dow was to define sustainability. They invited advisors from many global non-profits including UNICEF and WWF. The advisors pushed them to think of sustainability in terms of the Millennium Development goals. The Millennium Development Goals include halving extreme poverty, halting the spread of HIV/AIDS, and ensuring universal primary education. In the end, Dow decided to define sustainability simply as their "relationship with the world".
For Charlie Curlee of Marathon Oil, another presenter at the Net Impact conference, the best definition of sustainability for his company came from the Brundtland Report Commission in Sweden. The report states that sustainability is "the ability to meet the needs of the present without sacrificing the needs of the future".
Marathon has concentrated on Corporate Social Responsibility in contrast to the Sustainability focus of Dow. Curlee gave examples of two Marathon projects: one in Equatorial Guineau and the other in the state of Wyoming. Marathon drills in Equatorial Guinea and decided to focus on the malaria problem there. To fight malaria, Marathon has focused on spraying indoor areas where the mosquitoes congregate and improving the health care management of the disease. Their goal was to eliminate malaria in 5 years and they have met this goal with some success. According to Marathon's website, the 1996 figures show that their efforts have resulted in a 44% decrease in malaria parasites in children and 95% reduction in malaria transmitting mosquitoes.
In Wyoming, reports show that 50% of field applicants were rejected for meth in their drug test results. Marathon decided to take action by introducing a drug awareness program in Wyoming schools after consulting with social workers, educators, and addiction specialists.
What does all this mean for corporate citizens, especially those in the oil and chemical industry? Many companies have been accused of "green-washing" as the demand for green business increases. The nature of the oil and chemical business is not eco-friendly; rather we could say that it is eco-extracting. Yet, much of our lives depend on these industries, so how can we ensure that these companies are environmentally responsible?
As Noesen put it, sustainability means having a positive relationship with the world. As an individual, one way we can communicate our concerns with companies is to interact with the company as an activist stockholder or to invest in Socially Responsible Funds. In principle, the company must answer to shareholders first. By becoming shareholders, individuals can voice humanitarian and environmental concerns to a company. As public understanding of climate change increases, it is important that as private citizens we are aware of the activity of chemical and petrochemical companies. The future depends on it.
Monday, June 16, 2008
This salad is seriously good
I made this delicious Avocado and Watercress Salad over the weekend. It really captures the salad-at-a-sushi restaurant taste.
P.S. I am going to Guatemala on Saturday. More to follow.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Sedaris Alert
I heard David Sedaris on Fresh Air last night talking about his new book When You Are Engulfed in Flames. Interview here. He focuses on aspects of the body like boils and not cheating on his boyfriend.
Lula Alert
Eating vegetarian delights last night at Lula down the street in my neighborhood, I overheard some good local gossip from a boyfriend and boyfriend seated nearby. Lula in Logan Square will be expanding their brand of local seasonal food with a new restaurant in Pilsen this spring. You may have heard of Lula from Ira Glass--he's a regular. You can read more Lula news here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
