Let's go!

Whoever would think planning field trips is easy needs to think again. I was one of these misinformed souls until I tried. From losing forms to losing money we easily could have thrown our hands up in defeat, but whoever would think the trouble is not worth it is also mistaken. To begin, the educational trips were possible through Kids to Kids http://www.kidstokids.org/ an organization that connects classrooms that raise money for projects in developing countries. Initially the upper division would go on three trips to see two Maya sites, two institutions of higher learning, and I thought we'd see a few other things in Punta Gorda as well. Plans changes, imagine that. Since the school year was getting away from us, we decided two trips would be better, one for the upper division and one for the lower, this way every student would benefit. Our first trip was postponed because the form wouldn't be handed in on time so we did better the second time around, getting it to the manager only to be misplaced. I'm not sure why those planning the trip have to personally wait for the signature, then take it to the education office to be signed by the district officer. I then learned when planning the lower division trip this second signature is just as important to be waited for as well. What makes this hard is catching those you need while they are in their office-hardly ever, and even when they are ask, "Do you need this right away?" Ay yi yi! I think for each trip the form was filled out 2-3 times and that's besides it needing to be done in triplicate. Enough about the form, let's move on to money. I almost forgot the trouble of getting the MoneyGram itself. It had to be resent becasue Mr. Chub was unable to pick it up the first time, him being a teaching principal and all and not having the chance to just go to town during the week. As with the forms, the only thing I can think is give us village people a break! Which is exactly what happened. Luckily, the man in charge of sending the money for K2K is a kind soul, understanding the situation. Sadly, this wasn't the end of the money troubles. A few days before the trip Mr. Chub brought the money to the school to pass on to me to pay for the bus in advance and refund the money spent on snacks. When he checked the drawer to then hand me the $550 it was gone. A sad sad day in Santa Teresa. The standard VI boys were the only ones suspected so we had a meeting that evening with the alcalde and their parents. Testimonies were in Q'eqchi, but after the meeting Mr. Chub claimed the clues were there, the stories not lining up, some boys blaming each other, but no further investigation was had. Honestly, that night was my lowest of low of my Peace Corps experience, crying "living tears" with Mr. Chub, not for the money, but the idea of someone stealing from the school then Mr. Chub going on to state the lack of support from the village, claiming they didn't deserve a volunteer, basically telling me to go home, "cancel the trip, cancel TFABB, cancel Peace Corps." Heart. Broken. (I almost didn't want to share this because it still makes me a little sad and honestly don't want you to think badly of anyone here because maybe some parents don't support the school but no villager has ever made me feel they don't want me here.) Luckily, Joanna and Beth were here at that time. They gave me the support I needed, which translates into a long group hug and the strength to get the weekend as planned. I wanted them to see Blue Creek cave and Machacon Falls. The following day Mr. Chub had great news for me. A woman in town, Ms. Dorla Bowman from Socio-Economic Outreach heard the story and donated an amazing $200. Also, there happened to be a check from a tourist group led by Mr. Mas, my host father, for $200. He wanted the money to be used for the trip and told Mr. Chub if the village leaders had anything to say to take it up with him. That was enough to pay for the bus, so... the trip was back on! And I was all smiles! Our first stop was ITVET a technical high school for students interested in learning different trades. We saw the automotive, electrical, and woodworking departments, also took a look at their chickens and goats. Every time they were asked what they wanted to be when they grew up, blank stares, but I keep telling myself that maybe now it's something they will think about. We then went to Lubaantun followed by Nim Li Punit, with a free lunch in between. A school group canceled their trip, so the residence who had prepared lunch for them invited us. Mr. Chub and I couldn't believe the blessings kept coming, we were supposed to go on that trip. The last stop was a lodge that housed two jaguars, a highlight for us all. The trip was such a success we did basically the same thing for the lower division, but instead only saw one Maya site and two lodges. This time when we saw the jaguars we got to climb the ramp and see from above. The mothers were so cute, being more afraid then their children. Some of the little boys saw the ruins as an adventure, so I was a little overwhelmed, but boys will be boys. Our last stop was the Lodge at Big Falls, but before going there we stopped for lunch. I really enjoyed our picnic-like feast outside the bus. With the grant I was able to buy some food for snacks, knowing not all the children would bring their own. The highlight of the Lodge tour was their swimming pool - raxi ha - all of them being surprised to see such blue water. My favorite part was the girl out sunbathing. I wanted to act as their guide saying, "And this is what you call a tourist..." I was surprised noone fell in the water. We made it back to Santa Teresa by 3pm, so our half-day turned into a whole day which had some students tuckered out. A fun-filled day for sure! Loves and hugs!