Excursion Day #2: Berhorst

16 de junio 2010

Excursion Day #2: Berhorst

Today the entire group traveled to el campo (countryside) to visit an indigenous Mayan village with an organization called Berhorst. Rolando and Darvy, our esteemed drivers, gave us a 2 hour roller coaster tour of the winding mountainsides, mud roads, and cobblestone streets that led us to the village of Xetzitzl in the Patzun region of Chimaltenango where the children and others welcomed us at their school with speeches and applause. Through translation—at times from Catchiquel, to Spanish, to English--they expressed their gratitude and excitement for having us visit their isolated village. They also told us of the hopes they have of expanding an improving their school in an effort to meet the needs of every child in the village. Then, in order to see some of the improvements that have been made in the village already, the Berhorst staff took us on a tour of some of the homes.

This organization helps families in the campo improve their quality of life in four main areas. The first improvement we saw was a stove that reduces the amount of smoke that is released in the house and reduces the amount of wood needed to cook. This helps the environment by decreasing the amount of deforestation and helps improve quality of life by reducing the amount of time needed to carry firewood from one location to another. Then we saw a gray water purification system that cleans the drainage water so that grease and other contaminants do not destroy the ecosystem. Next, we learned about the improvements they made to the latrine system. By adding a pipe to exhaust the fumes from the hole-in-the-ground latrine, people are more apt to use it instead of contaminating other areas of the farmland. They also showed us the “green gardens” that the people of the village have learned to plant in order to supply their families with more nutritious food.

We were served lunch by the women of the village at their community center. In this building, women gather to learn about embroidering, providing nutritious meals for their children, and family planning. The meal consisted of Incaparina, an enriched formula drink, chicken, carrots, salsa, and homemade tortillas. We were very honored and grateful for this meal and hospitality, but struck with their eagerness to thank us for what seemed to us to be very minor donations. After lunch we got the chance to interact with some of the children from the village. Although very shy, the children enjoyed having their pictures taken and seeing themselves on our cameras. They showed us off with smiles, blowing kisses, and freshly picked flowers.

After our visit to el campo, we toured the Mayan ruins of Iximche which was once the capital city of the Catchiquel Mayans. We saw the remains of the plazas, temples, and a ball court which was the site of the first ever organized sport. In the very back of the ruins, candles were still burning from rituals performed by indigenous people earlier that day.

Our day concluded with a wonderful dinner out at a restaurant in Antigua called Epicure. We each had a delicious dinner and a fabulous dessert along with great company. Today we saw a slice of real life for the majority of Guatemalans. They are a beautiful, hospitable people and we are incredibly grateful to share a day with them.

--Haley (estudiante) and Joan (terapista)