Today was an appreciated non-demanding day. The groups went to the houses of different families and conversed with them. We obtained a great understanding of how they live as well as their senses of humor. We also visited the school that is used by children far and wide. The parents of the children were gathered at the school to retrieve their child's report card because the administration didn't trust the kids to give their report cards to their parents. We came back to El Faro for lunch and then promptly left in the back of a truck and spent the next hour or so exploring the Guatemalan countryside. When we drove the gates of El Faro we did not return to the office, but rather to the nearby ropes course. The majority of us got strapped into harnesses and proceeded to tempt fate as we maneuvered various obstacles situated uncomfortably high in the air. After that, a pick-up game of basketball was played for an hour while we awaited dinner. Dinner came and we all ate very quickly. To close the day, we watched a video in the chapel that showed pictures of our experiences throughout the week.

Friday in Guatemala-  Here are some pictures of our adventures

The last two (meaning Tuesday and Wednesday) days at camp have more or less been an American horror story of sorts. A storm wiped out all our power, thus forcing the crew to cope with Guatemala's unforgiving heat and humidity without fans or AC. That being said, we did not have a way to blog either. We ended up finishing the concrete floors for Antonio's family. The group actually decided to mix the concrete in the middle of the road the second day; a decision made without the consensus of my fellow workers and me, but it worked out alright. Mixing the concrete was rough but I think the task I least enjoyed was moving multiple barrels of about 160L of water from a freshwater spring at the bottom of a hill to the top. Initially, we carried the water up the hill separately, but we eventually spread a bunch of people along the trail so we could move more buckets in a more efficient manner. One of the group members names this formation the "bucket brigade", a name that sounds a little half-baked to me but that's okay. As one man worked with the trowel finishing laying down the new floor, I sat in the street with aforementioned Tito's older brother Josue. My broken, cringe-worthy ability to speak Spanish usually interfered with linguistic communication between me and him, but it worked out okay in the end; Josue would just pull me by the arm and point or give me an indicative look when I didn't understand something. I let him use my phone, which he seemed to really enjoy. He listened to some good tunes via Spotify including: "Stacy's Mom" by The Fountains of Wayne and "Never Going Back Again" by Fleetwood Mac. After the few people still working on the floor had finished, Tito ran into the wet concrete, but that was an easy fix. The mother of the family, Mayra, made us homemade ginger cookies and gave a brief yet vehement homily on how grateful she and her family was for the work we had done. I felt pretty sad leaving Tito and Josue behind but they have me a big hug and shook my hand. Quique, a Herculean black man who had worked with the crew, shook my hand and called me his brother, which was really moving. Nothing even similar has happened to me in the US. Seems to me that people here are much more genuine and congenial than at home. Yesterday (Thursday) was essentially a tourist day. Everyone from El Faro went up the Rio Dulce River, a boat ride that took about two hours, to a beautiful spring where near boiling temperature water, heated geothermically, met cool water from a creek. Josh and I jumped from the top of the steamy waterfall despite being told not to by Mr. and Mrs. Dean. There was a massive spider that was roughly four quarters in diameter, and for awhile people were flipped out about it. After the spring, we went to a restaurant called Rancho Mary. The restaurant's food was delicious; I ordered tilapia, which was very evidently fresh. After eating, Keith, the trip coordinator bought everyone ice cream and we headed back to the camp. -Noah Bennett

Thursday June 9th in Guatemala

On Tuesday, the group woke up bright and early to a plate of egg and bean sandwiches with a side of fried plantains. We then proceeded to Livingston where we spent the day mixing cement and using it to construct a sturdy floor for a family in need. During the work day we were offered a variety of distractions brought about by a boy named Tito who thoroughly enjoyed his "camion" as well as a poorly organized but very fun game of soccer in a nearby field. Regardless of some minor distractions we were able to establish a floor in the living room of the family's house. We returned to El Faro and had a relaxing afternoon consisting of swimming and napping.
On Wednesday, we woke up bright and early once again to a great breakfast. We then stumbled into the El Faro boats and made way to Livingston where we returned to the same house. By the end of the day, we were able to finish flooring in a secondary room as well as make a ramp at the entrance of the house. We played with Tito and his brother Josue throughout the day and were also introduced to a group of boys who were very passionate about soccer as well as the rapper Drake. Before we left, the mother of the household thanked us with a batch of freshly baked gingerbread cookies. We left El Faro with the bittersweet feeling of accomplishing our objective but having to leave the family that we grew to enjoy.
On Thursday we woke up especially early and once again were treated to a fantastic breakfast. We all piled into the boats and traveled up an intriguing and dramatic ravine, past a historic Spanish fort, and into a natural hot spring. we swam for a couple of hours and took in our wild surroundings. We then left the springs and ate lunch at a wonderful restaurant where the majority of the group ate heaps of fresh and delicious fish. After lunch, and a touch of ice cream, we sailed back to El Faro and spent the afternoon playing volleyball, swimming, and relaxing. We then closed the day by watching an insightful and well-made documentary about the struggle, the need, and the spirit of the Guatemalan people.

Hola from Guatemala! Today was our first day of "actual work". The squad woke up at the crack of dawn and took a twenty-minute boat ride to the small town of Livingston shortly after eating breakfast. The town is beautiful and exotic in a very different way that we'd see in the US. Nearly all homes are run down to some extent, which is really eye opening considering we never see a house made of cinder blocks and dirt floors in the states. The project my group was assigned was to replace the dirt floors of one family's hut with concrete because the seventy-eight-year-old grandpa, Antonio, who walked with two canes, could no longer make his way around the house. The heat was pretty rough and I ended up drinking five water bottles full within two hours or so but I could tell the family really appreciated the work that was being done. Despite my painfully deplorable attempts to communicate in a language I hardly know, it's very obvious that smiles, handshakes, and hugs are universal. Antonio thanked me as I sat next to him to rest, and I know this sounds melodramatic, but I could see in his eyes how genuinely thankful he was. His youngest grandson Tito is also the cutest little guy I've ever seen. Josh and I played with him as some of the more experienced people made concrete, and he seems to be content with his life, despite living with very few material things. Something I've noticed about the people of Guatemala is that they're so happy just to be alive. I think that says a lot about Americans as we have the highest rates of depression yet are generally considered one of the greatest countries in the world.
-Noah Bennett