




From May 21st 2008 until June 3rd 2008, a group of 13 Western New England College students, headed by Bruce Clemens, an assistant professor of management, and Steven Northrop, an associate professor of electrical engineering, will be in San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala, enhancing the town's sustainability by improving its water distribution system and by working on other infrastructure projects.
We all woke up to a wonderful storm still encompassing the country. Fears of mudslides along the highway on the coast forced us to take the three-hour trip from Xela to Guatemala City early rather than at 3 am. We went to the Agua del Pueblo at 9 am and learned more about the operations there. We also watched the ceremony for the new director. Amanda Aceto presented a check to the group and a photo is posted below. We had lunch at the hotel consisting of burgers or fajitas and then continued onto Guatemala City at 3 pm. It was a 5 hour trip. We stopped at a steak house along the way. Upon arrival to the city we got to a new hotel. We had trouble getting the van through the garage and had to all sit in the back to put weight on the rear tires. A picture is posted below. We stayed there the night and woke up to breakfast. We headed to the market for some last minute shopping and are now at the airport boarding the plane. Everyone except a few of us will be heading back to the United States. A group of four will be heading to the Mayan ruins in Tikal and the city of Flores until Sunday. The blog will still be continued until we return.
Today the group was woken up at 7:30 AM by firecrackers and a mariachi band in celebration of Ben Schwartz’s and Becca Raymond’s 20th birthdays. After cake and breakfast, we took a tour of the towns surrounding Xela and visited a small artifacts museum near the Laguna de Chicabal. Due to a tropical storm in the region, we were unable to visit the lake itself. We ended up visiting a museum dedicated to the Mayan ceremony of the lake. On the way back to Xela, we stopped at the market and picked up some fruit which are indigenous to Guatemala. We went to Albamar for lunch and some fun on the slides. Before dinner, the group went to the artisans market to peruse a variety of handmade goods. We had dinner and are all taking it easy on our last night here. The pictures below are of the Mariachi wakening, Bruce Clemens riding the slide and of the group at Andre's house.
With help from Taylor DiNicola, Keira Duffy, and Ben Schwartz.
We started the day with a typical breakfast consisting of oatmeal, baked beans and bread. We went off to work at 9 AM. Today’s project was to work at the Reforestation Station. We didn’t do too much work, but we learned a lot about the trees and medicinal plants. We also ventured to an ancient Mayan alter which overlooked all of San Lucas Toliman. We returned for lunch consisting of bread, tortillas and beef along with rice. We are having a talk with a Guatemalan cook to hear her perspective on the Finca as a woman. Later tonight we will probably do our usual activities of Catch Phrase and maybe head to the pub. Today’s weather was temperate. It was nice to have a cooler breeze especially with everyone’s burns from yesterday.
With Help from Anthony Deming and Amanda Aceto