IBEX Clean Your Green 2006 to 2009 - Why?

Building a Habitat house in Guatemala was amazing, but the work is just as important and rewarding here at home as well. Here's a You Tube video created by my hubby, Darryl, about the work done by IBEX Payroll to clean our green space, raise money for Habitat for Humanity and build homes for deserving Winnipeg families. Watch the video and you'll understand why we do it.

Roasting Marshmallows on the Volcano

About the volcano, I have two important additions:

1. Yes, we did see actual lava flowing out of the mountain. It was very cool. Actually, it was very hot, but it was cool to see. We were about 5 feet away. Getting any closer just seemed too risky for any of us. As it was, we were nervous being that close. The rock under our feet was very warm to the touch and it sounded hollow. Not knowing much about the geology of newly formed lava rock, we decided to err on the side of caution and limit our stay.
2. Yes, we roasted marshmallows on the volcano. Our sticks were a little too short to reach the actual lava flow, but we did find a steam vent (white hot hole in the ground) that provided just the right amount of heat. Our marshmallows roasted in no time at all and were the best marshmallows we've ever tasted.

With or without marshmallows seeing the birth of rock was pretty amazing. And Aidan is pretty impressed with having a five day old rock in his collection.

The Trip Home

It's 5:00 am, time to start the long journey home. I fly from Guatemala City to Miami to Chicago to Winnipeg. I'm due to arrive at 10:30 pm. It's going to be a long day.

I am reminded of how much I dislike airports. The minute we touch down we are herded like cattle into shoots where all visitors are fingerprinted and interrogated. It seems as though we're all presumed guilty until proven innocent.

The cold harsh reality of international travel today becomes even more evident with the recurring warnings of the terrorist attack threat levels over the intercom, repeated security lines and signs posted throughout the airport encouraging everyone to report any suspicious activity.

Ironically, I feel less safe than ever before.

I'm also reminded of our crazy North American life styles. Barbie is everywhere - tucked, nipped and high heeled with pumped up lips and breasts, she's stylin' with her Gucci bag and Manolo high heeled shoes. Classy business execs are also in abundance with their high tech gear that's plugged into every available outlet. I pass a restaurant where three, twenty year olds are having dinner together, except they aren't talking to each other, they're each texting someone else on their hand held "thingies". Hmm, what a great life we live!

My head is still in an altruistic state thinking about the plight and welfare of people across the globe. It's hard to process these two images -excessive wealth versus excessive need- that are floating around in my head.

I have a lot of time to contemplate this dilemma as I don't arrive in Winnipeg until 11:30 pm. When I finally pass through the last checkpoint, my thoughts are washed away by the sight of my family. Their embrace is all I really needed.

Saying Goodbye

Early Monday morning the first of our team depart. It's hard to say good-bye. We've only known each other for nine days, but we've experienced so much together that it seems like saying good-bye to life long friends.

Our plans vary. Some of us are eager and ready to go home and rejoin our friends and family.

Some aren't ready to go quite yet, they have more exploring to do. Several members are touring the sights of Guatemala - Lake Atitlan, the Pacific Coast and maybe even Tikal in the north. Two others are staying in Antigua to take Spanish lessons and immerse themselves in the culture even more.

No matter which direction we go, one thing's for sure - we've had an amazing adventure that will stay with us for a lifetime.

Pacaya - Volcana Adventure of a Lifetime

Today was one of the best days of my life. Today, I climbed 1,000 meters to end up 2500 meters above sea level on a lava flowing crater of Mount Pacaya about 1 hour from Antigua.

It was extra special because every step of the way, my family was with me. I couldn't have done it without them! They are my rock.

I woke up and all I could think was "It's a great day to climb a mountain." a phrase inspired by Darryl and the IBEX Herd. While Darryl and I often use this phrase figuratively, today, it was 100% literal. It was a clear sunny, warm (23 degrees) day - a great day to climb a mountain. I thought of Darryl every step of the way.

Aidan, my 8 year old son was with me every step of the way as well. I know how much he loves nature and how much he would have loved seeing the plumes of smoke coming out of Pacaya and the volcano Feugo off in the distance, which also sent regular plumes of smoke into the air. I know he also would have loved the gigantic grub/caterpillar we saw. It was yellow with a black head and a transparent rear end. It was as thick as my thumb and at least 4 inches long. Can't wait to show you the pictures. And, I thought of Aidan's recommendation not to go to the smoking vent at the top and look over the edge. So, I didn't.

Melanie, my 6 year old daughter was with me too. When the going got tough, and it got pretty tough, I thought of Melanie.

It was a tough climb. I was wheezing like crazy and stopped frequently to catch my breath. I swear we went up a 60 degree angle, as Darlene put it, it was worse than a level 12 on a Stairmaster in the gym! The terrain consisted of loose, sliding rock which made it difficult to get a good footing. The path was tricky with people above and below and people going up and coming down. There were hot air vents to avoid and heat cracks with white coals to jump over. The rock itself was like pummice further down but towards the top it was incredibly sharp edges that cut my hands any time I had to steady myself. It was hard. But Melanie saw me through it - I kept thinking of the song she sings whenever she encounters something difficult - "Keep on going, keep, keep going, keep on going every day."

I also remembered Melanie distinctly telling me not to slip and hurt my knee. So I didn't. Although, we did see some nasty cuts as people came down the mountain. There were a few scratches and scrapes that we had to disinfect on our team too.

It was a surreal experience. I felt connected to the power of Mother Nature and to my family like never before. I can't wait to see them, hug them and share my stories with them in person.

A True Guatemalan Adventure

Our 5 hour trip back from Coban to Antigua turned into a nasty 9 hour adventure. The good news is we weren't in a crowded "chicken bus", we weren't kidnapped or hijacked in any way, and no one got really sick.

Our journey took us through one final journey through the streets of Coban where once again we saw hundreds of little stores lined along the streets - people trying to earn a little something by selling just about anything along the streets. Coban is not a tourist town, so they're not just selling to tourists, this is simply the local economy and way of doing business.

We continue through the winding highway through the mountainous terrain of the province (Department) of Alta Verapaz. We cringe as we see drivers passing on blind corners and driving in a manner that seems to far surpass the quality and ability of their vehicles. But, we did not see any accidents. We pass pick up trucks with built up walls carrying loads of people in the back - they are standing so tight there is no room for them to move.

We also pass and/or are passed by the "chicken buses" so named because everyone and their chickens ride on these buses. The tops of these buses are packed with possessions, inside there are 5 people per seat with another 30 jammed into the aisles. We followed one bus that also had one person hanging out the front door. These buses are old school buses that come to Guatemala from Canada and the US. They get them because they don't meet emission requirements in our country. This does not come as a surprise to us as we are suffocated by the black exhaust of a brightly coloured bus we're unfortunate enough to follow for a few hours. We are torn between closing the windows and baking to death (25 degrees and sunny today) or dying from exhaust. We chose death by exhaust fumes - we figured it was a slower death!

We also pass an army truck with 20 soldiers carrying heavy duty guns (sorry, I didn't get the make and model, but they looked pretty scary). We decided against taking a photo out the side of the bus. Seeing security guards with sawed off shot guns at banks, gas stations and other fine establishments is not so shocking to us anymore. Nor is seeing the glass shard security system on top of the walls surrounding properties. Imagine broken glass bottles cemented into the top of a 4 inch wide wall with the poky ends sticking straight up. The other line of defence for those with more money seems to be razor wire. Razor wire is one step up from simple barbed wire. There are literally razor like edges on this wire.

We did get to stop at a bioreserve (protected forest) for a 1.5km hike up a mountain. Wow, altitude really does affect breathing. I haven't wheezed like that in a long time. For all the amazing plants we saw, I was perplexed and surprised that we did not see any bugs - none, not a one, not even one lonely little ground leech! Apparently the altitude is to blame. After much searching, I did find one spider and one beautiful butterfly -hmph!

Once we hit Guatemala City the ride turned into a nightmare. We were sandwiched between trailers and chicken buses emitting clouds of black in the traffic jam of all traffic jams. It seemed like we moved 2 feet per hour. We later found out the delay was due to the annual Christmas parade and possibly an accident. Death by fumes seemed eminent. We're amazed by the vendors and people lining the streets who survive this hell on a daily basis.

Finally our Habitat Interpreter convinced our driver to take a detour. After much manouvering, we ended up seeing the "rich" part of Guatemala City - the Department of Defence (a high walled compound with watch tower turrets lined with holes for guns. We can only imagine the history these walls have seen. We also went by the US embassy, bank towers and other fancy buildings.

Stopping for lunch was another interesting adventure. The armed guards of a shopping mall (we were headed to the food court for a quick bite) refused to let our van/bus enter. We ended up at a "On the Run" shop at an Esso station. Nothing but the finest for us!

After more delays and line ups we finally hobbled down the cobblestone streets of Antigua. It felt so good to stop moving and reach our hotel - Los Bucaros. Our oasis!

What an adventure.

Tomorrow we head to the volcano. Whoo Hoo!

A final farewell to our families and masons

Today was our last day on the build sites. It is a bittersweet moment for all of us. We have come to know and love our families and masons. When you only have a short time, you get real close real fast. We will miss them.

When we came there was only a foundation. Today, the houses are two rows short of the gable ends and the roofs. We all wish we could see the final result, but the masons have two more weeks of work to do.

Throughout the week we wondered if we were actually helping or if we were just in the way of the professionals. Today, we knew we made a difference and were actually helping. We knew we made a difference as we formed the "bucket brigade" to send "mescela" or mortar from one end of the build site to the top of the scaffolding where the head mason poured it into the walls. We knew we made a difference when we formed another brigade to move a pile of gravel. We knew we made a difference as we moved the last block out of the yard and into the house. We knew we made a difference when we saw a pile of rebar ribs ready for the masons to use while we were gone. We knew we made a difference when we turned in our work gloves and trowels for our masons to use long after we´ve gone. We knew we made a difference when we turned in 6 garbage bags full of clothes, a box of shoes and several boxes of children´s toys and craft supplies to Habitat Guatemala. Yes, our work here made a difference.

The closing ceremonies where the families, the masons and Habitat Guatemala expressed their gratitude also showed us that we made a difference in these families' lives. Their gratitude was expressed with gifts, prayers, tears and food for all of us.

As much as we tried - and boy did we try with our own words and prayers - , I don't think we succeeded in expressing how much we appreciated being here, how much we are taking away from this experience and what an honour it was to be a part of building a home for these families.

It was a day of blessings for all.

Why Do You Come Here?

As the days go by we are getting to know the Guatemalan masons on our worksite. They are hard working, great guys who are as curious and interested in us as we are in them. Today, with the help of our interpreter, we shared some basic information about our age, family status, work, etc. We also talked a lot about the Canadian climate which they are fascinated by.

One question they raised was why do you come here? A thought provoking question for sure to which we responded:

We have come to show you that we care about you and the people of Guatemala. We want to share our good fortune and many blessings with you. We want to help create a caring global community. We want to learn more about you, your people and your country.

In another conversation the mother of one of the home owners simply says "Thank you for your sacrifice in coming here". We respond "It is not a sacrifice, it is our pleasure and honour."

I can´t believe how much French I know!

Just when you think you´re on a roll with speaking a little Spanish in sneaks a French word. Sil vous plais, merci, tres grand, pardon, etc. are frequently heard from us Canadians. Who knew we knew that much French!

The Ants Go Marching

Today, at the coffee plantation, we saw a line of leaf cutter ants. It was right out of a National Geographic special. Imagine a two inch path at least 100 feet long running through the forest underbrush. The dried leaves, twigs, rocks and other debris were cleared away and all that you could see as far as you could look was a row of ants each carrying a small piece of leaf on their back. Wow. Sadly, we couldn´t follow the path to its final destination, but we were all thoroughly impressed.

Apparently, the plantation owners are OK with having them as they attract a certain fungus that they like having on their property.

A very cool thing to see.

A Zippy Surprise

What an amazing day!

I´m feeling a little guilty - we´re having a lot of fun! Our team has formed an instant tight bond where we share everything from bowel movements to food concerns to favourite music. Hey, when you share a hole to pee in, modesty goes out the window real quick!

Anyway, after a half day of work moving more bricks and bending more rebar, we took the afternoon off and toured a coffee plantation. This cooperative employs 1200 people year round. The building infrastructure is minimal, but the number of plants is grand - we can only imagine how many people and how many hours it must take to pick all those beautiful coffee beans. At this plantation they grow high altitude, Bourbon and Courto (?) coffee beans that are a mix of sun and shade beans. They dry the beans but send them out to be roasted.

The property also included a tree reserve made up of tall North American pines, Guatemalan bamboo, and other trees. The biggest surprise of all were the four Zip lines that were part of the forest. Imagine me zipping over the tops of coffee plants, water ponds and bush. What a thrill. I know my son Aidan would love it. The finale of the tour was a taste of coffee back at the main office. Simply amazing and certainly an unexpected treat.

The weather continues to be a little rainy at nights and early morning but warms up to hover around 20 degrees. The evenings require a sweater.

Now, for all you Canadians - how would you explain the difference between the use of Hey and eh? We had a lengthy discussion on this topic with our Habitat Guatemala volunteers who happen to be American. Go ahead try and come up with an explanation and examples of each.

Today´s build also included a very special ceremony. We are about half way up and decided that we should burry some Canadian toonies in the building for good luck. So, we pulled out some Canadian coins. Our Guatemalan builders were very interested in seeing our coins and the strange animals on them. We never could figure out how to say beaver, but the charades were pretty impressive. Finally, we put one twoonie on each side of the entranceway. This way, a piece of us will always remain with these families in Guatemala.

Wouldn´t you say that´s a great day - building a home for a deserving family, creating lifetime friendships and trying something new and exciting for the first time?

Build Day Two

Day two at the build started off with lots of rain. Luckily it stopped after a while and we were able to dry off. We were tieing rebar together for earthquake protection - an added layer of rebar in the middle of the house. We´re on row 5 of 11 rows of cinder block before we do the gable for the roof.

The build is really well organized and our Master Mason is super at giving us jobs to do. He doesn't speak English, but he gets his message across. He always has a smile. I think the mason team has fun at our expense - crazy gringos.

Went out for dinner tonight at a restaurant filled with orchids.

Amazing to see the conditions people can actually live in. We have such a great country.

Gotta go, long line up for computer, just a short blog tonight!

The Work Begins

Today was our first day of building. We have two families and two homes to build. They are 500 square feet cinder block construction. They are a square with four rooms equally divided. In the back, the deluxe models have a bathroom and a kitchen.

Our work included: cutting rebar, sifting sand to separate out the rocks, moving cinder blocks, mixing mortar, chiseling cinder blocks into U shapes (without busting them!), putting mortar between the cinder blocks that the professional masons had placed into position on the walls and twisting rebar. We finished two rows today. It was tiring, repetitive work - most of our backs and shoulders are quite sore. But, it was great to feel useful and to actually build a house. The families are so appreciative.

The families and builders do not speak English. We (thirteen Canadian volunteers) speak very little Spanish. Communicating is tough, so we mostly point, smile and do whatever they show us. It seems to be working just fine and everyone is still smiling.

The chefs at our hotel are very concerned about feeding us Canadian food - we had spaghetti and meat sauce for supper. We´re trying to encourage them to feed us more traditional food. We had ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch. Although they were sitting outside all day - we are definitely taking some food risks!

The commraderie amongst the volunteers is awesome. After supper we´ve been sharing some wine and playing cards and chit chatting. Although tonight will be another early night - we´re all exhausted.

The line up for this computer is growing, it´s time to sign off.

All the best.

Arriving in Coban Meeting Our Families

What a day! We drove for 5 hours in a shuttle van to Coban, a city north of Guatemala City. We drove through amazing countryside. Lots of hills/small mountains. One area was quite dry with lots of cactus. As we got higher we saw pine trees mixed in with the palms, banana and plantains.

Corn crops are everywhere, but they are nothing like Manitoba fields. The fields are the size of a garden and are on the edge of cliffs with plants growing in between the rocks. Obviously everything is planted and harvested by hand - no machine could ever go where these crops are.

Food has been good - chicken, corn tortillas, tamale (corn paste wrapped and heated in corn husks), beans, salsa and rolled deep fried tortillas seem to be some of the staples. Cerveza, soda lemonade and bottled water are the key beverages. So far only one person has had tummy issues.

I have seen no bugs, leeches or scorpions. I hope it stays that way.

Our hotel in Coban is great - much better than I ever imagined. I am sharing a room with one other lady. We have our own bathroom with shower. It has a medieval feeling to it.

We met our Habitat families this afternoon. Everyone was very shy - our Spanish is no better than their English. But the smiles and nods say tons.

Our hotel has a computer with internet. I´ll write again soon. Tomorrow is the first day of the Build. We´ll be building 2 homes, the walls have been started , the goal is that the roof will be put on this weekend. The masons seem eager to make us work hard!

Until later,
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Made It!

I am here safe and sound. I landed in Guatemala City as expected at 6:30 am. No problemo. No sleepo.

Some Habitat representatives met us and shuttled us (no chickens on this swanky van-bus) to Antigua, Guatemala where we will be spending the night before going to Coban.

The weather is amazing. Sunny and about 25 ish.

My first cup of coffee at the airport this morning cost 23 quetzals. Yikes, that takes some getting used to. Really that´s less than $4 for an airport latte - not too bad.

Antigua is a lovely, small community with narrow cobblestone (very rough) streets and even narrower sidewalks. ´Since we came in early we´ve had a chance to explore and have our first meal. I had pollo piento or something like that. Reminded me of a chicken curry - very good.

Antigua is very touristy. The old colonial style means that the streets are lined with white washed stucco walls (painted vibrant colours) with about 2 or 3 doors per block. There are small signs saying what´s inside. Once through you find yourself in a shop, restaurant, bank, internet cafe, hotel, etc. usually with an open air court yard. Any plants are inside in the court yard. The streets are just walls, sidewalk and cobblestone, no plants.

The city center plaza has a lovely fountain with all sorts of flowers, plants and trees. There are several old cathedrals. We saw a wedding in progress in one of them this morning. We got to see the bride walk down the aisle (seemed very typical to a Canadian wedding).

We can see the volcanoes in the backdrop to the city. We also see small mountains with a lot of greenery.

Our Hotel is nice. There are 4 beds and a TV in my room, I´m sharing with one other person. It is an old Villa turned into a hotel. There are several courtyards (10 ftx 10ft) inside with plants and a rooftop patio.

Everyone has been super friendly and patient with my limited Spanish.

Freakiest thing so far is seeing armed guards at gas stations and the bank.

I'm not sure when I'll get to make my next entry. Until then take care.

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Ready to Go

I can't believe this day has finally come. I'm nervous and excited.

My bags are packed. I managed to fit everything in one big suitcase and one backpack. Have I forgotten anything? Only time will tell.

I'm going to miss my kids. I'm going to miss my friends. I'm going to miss my husband. But, I'm confident that going on my own is the right thing to do - this time! Who knows what I will discover about myself. And really, it's only 11 days.

The forecast in Coban is 25, 26, 26, 20 with a 20% chance of rain each day. Night time lows are around 15. There are no hurricanes in sight and the WHO has no reports of disease outbreaks. A perfect time to go to Guatemala.

I hope to find internet access somewhere so I can fill you in on all the latest while I'm travelling. If not, I've got my old fashioned paper journal so I can post information later.

That's all for now. Talk to you from Guatemala!

Best Friends Give the Best Advice

I have the best friends! Last night they had a surprise bon voyage party for me. Along with some toys and arts and craft supplies for the kids in Coban, they gave me some really great travelling advice. Here are their words of wisdom:

1. Watch out for leeches! (Luckily, there are no huge, blood sucking ground leeches)

2. Goat meat can be yummy if done right.

3. Pedestrians never ever have the right of way.

4. Gravol, gravol and more gravol with a dash of Immodium.

5. Immodium and plenty of it - Quick Dissolve placed under the tongue.

6. Never ever fly on Friday the 13th. (Seeing my flight plan, they quickly crossed this one out!)

Aren't they great!

Weather in Coban, Guatemala

It's 21 C with scattered clouds and the possibility of rain in Coban, Guatemala right now. The forecast is 20-25 C with chance of rain for the next 7 days. The overnight lows are between 15-19 C. Not too bad considering we're at 1 to 8 C here with overnight lows in the minus numbers.

The time is Central Standard Time, so it's the same time there as it is right here in Winnipeg.

I've learned that Coban has a population of 70,000 people - that's slightly bigger than Brandon (Manitoba's 2nd largest city). It's not as touristy as some of the more southern locations like Antigua, Guatemala. Our two days of R and R will be in Antigua where shopping and volcano visiting will be the highlights.

Just over one week to go.

H1N1 Vaccination

Another vaccination? Do I really have to? Isn't it enough that I already got the typhoid, Hep A, Hep B, tetanus, and malaria vaccinations? I'm really not that fond of needles and was not interested in getting any more. So, for a moment I hesitated at getting the H1N1 flu shot. Will I really be at greater risk in Guatemala than I will in Winnipeg? What's the worst that could happen? - Again, don't answer that!

My health professional friends reminded me that it's not just about me. Did I consider the fact that without the shot I might be the infector - the one introducing the virus to a highly vulnerable population? Did I consider the fact that I'd be on a plane for 5-6 hours with limited air circulation? Did I consider what might happen if I did get seriously ill in Guatemala? Uh, no I didn't think about that.

So, today, I got the H1N1 vaccination. Just like with the tetanus shot, the needle didn't hurt, but the lingering ache in my arm reminds me of the times my big brother used to pummel my upper arm - oh what fond memories! I haven't thought of my big brother this much for a long time.

It's hard to know what's right, but in this case - for me, it felt like the right thing to do.

Mis Amigos

I just met my fellow Habitat Guatemala build team - on paper anyway. There are 13 of us from across Canada. We range in age from 15 to 55+. Out of the 13 there are 4 males. Some of us are experienced with Habitat and developing countries and some of us are not. We have a wide range of careers ranging from finances to computers to insurance to raising families and volunteering in the community. None of us are professional home builders, but all of us are willing volunteers eager for the opportunity to share a little of ourselves.

I am thrilled to be part of this amazing team and look forward to meeting everyone in Guatemala.

Twenty five days to go

Time is ticking, in twenty-five days I'll be heading to Guatemala. It's an exciting time for me and my family who are expressing various worries.

• My daughter Melanie is concerned that I might slip and hurt my knee.
• My son Aidan is worried I'll fall into a volcano.
• My parents are just plain worried.
• My husband is worried that I'll worry about my family and not enjoy myself.

As for me, I'm adopting a "no worries" attitude, after all what's the worst that could happen?

Please, don't answer that!!!

Doing the Impossible - Harvesting Grapes in Manitoba

It is possible to do the impossible! I love when people challenge what's always been done and discover new realities. My brother in-law and his brother have done that by challenging the myth that you can't grow grapes for the purpose of wine production in Manitoba, Canada. They've proven that you can and they're doing it. Check out this video for the 2009 Manitoba Grape Harvest at Tobacco Creek Vineyards http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Btrq_SamXX8 or go to You Tube and enter Manitoba Grape Harvest.

The Global Village program challenges the myth that there's nothing we can do to help the world become a better place. If we can make grapes grow in Manitoba, certainly we can make a difference in the world.

Habitat Day at Tim Hortons - Oct 1

Here's a delicious way to help support Habitat for Humanity.

Timothy’s World Coffee will be celebrating the 4^th annual LatteBené Day Oct 1^st 2009. All proceeds from the sale of every LatteBené will be donated to Habitat for Humanity Canada for use with their Global Village Program. Please come out to support your local Timothy’s on LatteBené Day Oct 1^st.

Paid Up and Ready to Go

My daughter is counting down her birthday (43 days), I'm counting down Guatemala (45 days). My vaccines are in order. My passport is up to date. My ticket is booked. My final payment has been made. My Spanish lessons are - well let's just say we're still working on it. Officially, I'm good to go.

Stickers in My House

This is what happens when kids help parents learn a new language! Melanie, my five year old, had far too much fun decorating my house with Spanish word stickers. Now, I can't help but turn on la lampara en mi sala while sitting on mi silla reading un libro.

Spanish lessons

Hola!

It turns out simply having the Spanish tutorial and CD is not enough to become fluent! I re-read the instructions this morning and it suggested reading the book, completing the lessons and listening to the CD. Ohhh, now I get it.

All I can do is try.

Ground Leaches

My friend has done the research and assures me that I don't have to worry about ground leaches where I'll be going.

That makes me happy.

What Makes a House a Home?

“What makes a house a home?”

An interesting question that always helps me put things back into perspective, especially when I become obsessed about the things inside my house instead of focussing on what truly matters. So what does truly matter?

I believe, what’s important is having a space that provides a sense of safety, belonging, freedom, community, permanency and acceptance for me and my family. A space where you can feel safe from the elements whether they be natural or man-made. A space where you belong – even on your worst days. A space where you can let your guard down and just be yourself. A space that’s part of a bigger community that you can become a part of. A space that you know will always be there for you. A space that gives you confidence and a feeling of pride.

That’s what I believe makes a house a home. And, that’s what inspires me to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity here in Winnipeg and soon in Guatemala. What an honour and a privilege to build a house for a family so that they can build a home.

Vaccinations

Travelling to certain countries requires certain safety precautions. In my case, it requires vaccinations. So today, I talked to my Doctor about Hepatitis A & B, tetanus, typhoid, malaria, diarrhea and even yellow fever.

I walked out with a tetanus shot in one arm and the first of three combined Hep A&B shots in the other arm. I also came away with a number to a travel clinic for more information about the current situation and need for preventative treatment for typhoid, malaria and yellow fever in the part of Guatemala that I'll be travelling to.

My doc also mentioned giving me a prescription for a "just in case" antibiotic.

Despite all this, I'm still eager to go.

The Rainy Season

Have I mentioned that November is part of the rainy season in Guatemala? Can you say, drip dry polyester!

Back to School Time

It's back to school time here in Winnipeg. I wonder if it's back to school time in Guatemala. While I'm sure the children and parents share some of the excitement and anxieties of going to school, I suspect the details are different.

Another topic for discussion with the families that I'm so looking forward to meeting.

My Ticket is Booked

I just booked my ticket to Guatemala City. United and Taca airlines take me from Winnipeg to Chicago to Guatemala City. I'll be leaving Winnipeg at 5 pm and arriving in Guatemala at 6 am the next morning. Nothing like getting an early morning start on things! I may not be well rested, but I'll be raring to go.

A little geography

This is the backdrop of our build site - the department of Alta Verapaz. Wow!

Here's what I've learned about the area:

• a varied terrain ranging from mountains to lowlands
  
• humid forests
• home to orchids, white monkeys and the quetzal - Guatemala's beautiful emerald green national bird
  
• locals grow mostly corn, beans, coffee, and broccoli
• cardamum is an important crop for export
  
• the climate in November is cool and wet

We will be working with the Habitat affiliate out of Coban, a 5 hour scenic bus ride from Quatemala City. Coban is the capital city of Alta Verapaz and is about 1,300 m or 4,290 ft above sea level.

Aidan, my 8 year old science & nature guy, wants to know what kind of bugs & snakes I'll find and if there are any berries to pick. Unless you know, I'll have to get back to him on that.

Habitat in Armenia

Habitat for Humanity works around the world giving deserving families the opportunity to get decent, safe and affordable housing. To me, the following story is a perfect illustration of what Habitat is all about.


A Decent Home in Armenia

Sargsyan Hrach (50) and his wife, Susan (48) have raised their family of four in very dire conditions in the mountainous village of Khachik. Their home did not have a kitchen and a decent bathroom.

After decades of bearing the heavy snowfalls and the long wet months, the roof of their home could serve them no more and allowed water to leak into the rooms.

Only after their two girls got married, and the two sons, Artak (22) and Arthur (18), started helping out their parents with the work in their fields, could the family start improving their home. With the help the Sargssyan’s received from Habitat for Humanity Armenia, the family now has a decent toilet and a kitchen, and more importantly, thanks to the new roof, is looking forward to spending a dry winter indoors.

“Finally we have a decent home. We hope Habitat will be able to help each and every Armenian family in need for better housing conditions,” Hrach said.

To join in the battle against substandard housing in Armenia, join the Global Village trip going to Armenia October 18—31, 2009, being led by Murray and Jan Coates. For more information and to apply, please visit http://habitat.ca/tripschedulec235.php?PJID=134 or contact the Coates at m.coates@shaw.ca.

How to get to Guatemala?

Today's challenge... figuring out how to get to Guatemala. Apparently there are no direct flights from Winnipeg to Guatemala City - hmmm.

There's No Place Like Home

Why is it that as good as a vacation is, coming home is even better? After all, vacation is a pretty sweet deal - no cleaning, no cooking, no mowing the lawn, no house repairs, no phones, no computers, no meetings, no work demands just sitting around, going to the pool, being entertained and hanging out with friends and family.

What is it about coming home that feels so good?

Is it the routine? Is it the sense of being in control once again (not saying I have control issues!!)? Is it the security of all things familiar? Is it being surrounded by all your possessions? Is it simply being in a space you can call your own?

Whatever it is - I love the feeling of coming home. Perhaps that's another reason why building houses for others is so appealing.

Vacation?

Does this trip to Guatemala count as a vacation?

If a vacation is about relaxing in every way - physically, emotionally, spiritually. Then I'm not sure a Global Village build could be considered a vacation. I suspect I will be physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted by this trip.

But if vacation is about travel, adventure and experiencing new things - by golly Guatemala counts.

There is no doubt however, that my next two weeks can definitely be considered vacation. One week at family camp (Camp Wasaga in Riding Mountain National Park,the most amazing place!)where everything is taken care for us - food, lodging, entertainment, etc. The most exhausting thing we'll do is play Volleyball in the afternoons. Then, one week in Disneyland to celebrate Grandpa's 70th birthday. The extreme opposite experience of a Guatemala build.

So, it's off on vacation I go. Have a great two weeks.

Collect the Whole Set

I just got my Global Village Habitat T-shirt. Woo Hoo!

So far we have several white ones from previous builds here in Winnipeg, a red one from Darryl's adventure as team leader this year and now, a green one.

Blue is usually for the homeowners so we won't be getting one of those, but there's still yellow, orange, purple, pink etc. I wonder what we'd have to do to add those to our collection?

After all, it's really all about the T-shirts!

Coffee

An alarming thought just raced through my mind - will I get my morning cup of coffee in Guatemala?

Of course, you coffee aficionados (how's that for using Spanish!) know that Guatemala produces some very fine Arabica beans. But, growing and picking them is a long way off from roasting and brewing them. Reminds me of life back on the farm, just because we grew barley doesn't mean we drank a lot of beer. (Ok, we did drink our share, but there was no "producer discount").

So the question remains - Do Guatemalans drink coffee?

According to the June 2009 Coffee Report of the International Coffee Organization, the per capita consumption of coffee in 2008 in Guatemala was 1.3kg. At the same time it was 5.8kg in Canada. In other words, we consume about five times more coffee!

Perhaps I should begin weaning myself to one cup a day.

Here are some other interesting coffee facts:
* There is a world coffee crisis - the supply of coffee far exceeds the demand. While this doesn't seem to affect the price of coffee at Starbucks or Tim Horton's, it greatly affects producers, especially the small, family owned coffee farms in coffee producing countries like Guatemala.
* We pay more for one cup of coffee than a producer receives for a pound of coffee beans ($1.19/lb). Some farmers receive even less - they're at the mercy of the "coyotes" the middlemen between farmer and trader.
* Fair trade coffee buyers work directly with the producer thereby cutting out the middleman and paying producers their fair share.
* It takes 1 to 3 years for a coffee tree to produce 2000 cherries needed to make 1 lb of roasted coffee.
* The International Coffee Organization, in its effort to combat the coffee crisis, offers a "Step by Step Guide to Promote Coffee Consumption in Producing Countries". One step in the guide includes disseminating positive health-related information on coffee to potential consumers.

My Spanish Name

From what I can decipher from my handy dandy Spanish book, here's the phonetic translation of my name. (By the way, don't you find the spelling of phonics just a little ironic?!)

Anyway, here's my Spanish name:

Getty = heh-eh-tt-ee

Just sneeze and you've got it!

Want to know your Spanish name? Send me your name and I'll see what I can do. A fun way to learn the Spanish alphabet.

Telling Friends and Family & Being Clear about Why

My friends and family are excited and very supportive of this trip. Mom and dad were, of course, very concerned about my safety and a little baffled about why I feel the need to do this. Couldn't I just volunteer in my own community?

My own community is very important to me and I do whatever I can to help it thrive. In fact, I believe a strong community that gives people a sense of belonging and gives them the opportunity to lead a good life is critical. And, while things certainly aren't perfect, I think we do that pretty well here in Canada - at least in comparison to other places in the world.

I'll keep doing my part at home, but I also want to help create that opportunity for others around the world and show them they are a part of a bigger community that cares about them. Helping others get good, safe housing that they can call their own, is my way of doing that.

Quiet frankly, I also want an opportunity to learn more about our world. More than just sight seeing, I want to connect with people and learn about their lives.

Learning Spanish - Day 1

My Spanish lessons start today courtesy of some good friends who delivered a "Spanish in 10 minutes a day" learning kit. (I have the best friends!)

One of my first phrases - Hola. Yo quiero un cafe, por favor. Gracias

Can you guess?

How much humble pie will I eat?

This morning, wearing my Dry Weave shirt and Running Room shorts, I laced up my arch supporting, gel cushioned Asics, my high tech Mountain Equipment fanny pack, plugged in my iPod and went for a leisurely jog along the freshly groomed path following the flat, meandering Red River.

As I struggled with the burden of my 500ml water bottle, I wondered how this compares to the lives of the women in Guatemala.

I expect I will be humbled in many ways.

Now, off to a nice refreshing shower!

Why Guatemala?

Considering all the places in the world, why choose Guatemala?

The fact is, I didn't really know where I wanted to go. Until one day...

I read about Healthy Horizons Honduras run by a Winnipeg couple who have been helping an orphanage in Honduras . As I read the article, I wondered if this could be the way to fulfill my mission. I visited their website and was so impressed by their work that I emailed Steve and Sharon about the potential of joining their trip.

They replied and said there was an opening.

That's when it hit me - I could actually do this.

That's also when reality kicked in and I got scared. Suddenly going to a developing country in the throws of a political coup with a small, independent group of people didn't sound so good.

So, Honduras was out. But my curiosity about Central America and my desire to go was at an all time high. I just needed to find a place that was somewhat more politically stable and a project with a larger organization that has a lot of experience and connections should anything go wrong.

Meanwhile, Darryl (my husband) and I were making plans to once again volunteer for the Building Blitz for Habitat for Humanity here in Winnipeg.

You see where this is going, right!

Just like you, I put two and two together, checked out Habitat's Global Village program, submitted my application and two days later was contacted by my team leader Greig about going to Guatemala.

And that's how Guatemala became my destination.

You're Going Where?!

I've always known that one day I would travel to a developing country to offer my help in some way. But that was all I knew. I didn't know when it would be, what it would be, where it would be or how it would happen.

Now I know. This November I'm going on a Global Village Build with Habitat for Humanity to Guatemala. I'll be going on my own with a team of people from across Canada for one week.

That's all I know - for now. When I think about it, there are still a lot of things I don't know:

I don't know anything about Guatemala. (I admit, I had to look it up.)
I don't know Spanish. (Will that matter?) (How quickly can someone learn Spanish?)
I don't know how to build houses. (How important is that for a house build anyway?)
I don't know how to tell my mom I'm going to a developing country. (Yes, I'm 40 years old and still concerned about what my mom will say!)

Despite the unkown, I am really looking forward to going. And, I'm looking forward to sharing my journey in this blog.