Third Goal

Kata Planting

Kata plants radish seed in her newly-tilled garden

Hiking with a Local Family

This is a picture taken fairly recently in the town of Santa Lucia Utatlan, Solola.  I went hiking with some of my students and their family up a mountain in my town to get a look at the Volcanoes (Volcan San Pedro and Volcan Atitlan) which both sit on Lago de Atitlan.  It was quite a site. 

My Kitchen

I loved my li wooden casita in the village of Cristo Rey. I did a lot of chores in that sink, overlooking the yard of my neighbors who owned the casita. I could throw food scraps to the chickens from that window as I washed dishes, catch a breeze from the Mayan Mountains as I scrubbed my clothes or spy a Toucan flying by as I brushed my teeth.

Art projects

I worked on a Jumpstart English program, with the goal of teaching preschool english to youth in my village. I collaborated with other volunteers and I took on the task of organizing art projects for the kids. I enjoyed coming up with new ideas and then seeing the kids experiement with the supplies I provided. In this particular project, we were trying out different stamping and printmaking supplies using tempera paint. I couldn't resist trying out a few things, too!

Jumpstart

For my secondary project, I taught preschool English to 4 and 5 year old Spanish-speaking children to prepare them for starting school in an English-speaking school system in Belize. I snapped this photo as they were listening to a tape recording of themselves singing or talking. I found that the kids enjoyed singing songs and talking into the recorder as a way to improve their English.

Horse Races

Residents of the town of Todos Santos Cuchumatan engage in a horse race every year. The only stipulation is that the contestants must be (very) drunk, per a tradition based on a legend that the first man brave enough to ride a horse in Guatemala was from this town and was drunk when he did it, thus disproving the Spaniards' warnings that if a Guatemalan tried to ride a horse, they would be met with instant death.

The San Marcos Market

Los Robles (The Oaks)

The Robles family's love radiated through their smiles and interactions. On holidays, we sometimes explored places off the beaten path. During a hike in La Montañona, it struck me that the family was as solid as a tree. In this portrait, I joined the Robles family with their cousin, the Oak. Valentin was a great organic farmer and counterpart. We collaborated on projects and complemented each others' work. I thank Mother Earth and the Peace Corps for uniting me with this family; they are lik...

The Culture of Hospitality

At home, the homeless are almost always strangers to be avoided, but in El Salvador, as is probably true of other developing countries, the homeless are friends and neighbors to be cared for. Whenever I walked the dirt paths of my community, I would often come across a frail elderly woman with a toddler. I was amazed that the toddler was made to walk so much, and that the woman spent little time at home. I assumed the lady liked to chotiar, visit her friends. One day, after expressi...

chocolate smiles

belizean music students enjoying a round of birthday cupcakes to celebrate a sunny december afternoon