Field Based Training --Katie
Fue bien! Bien alegre! So I went to a volunteers site very close to Guatemala. Our fearless leader 4X4 us into the site up, up, and up crossing rivers as we went. The views were amazing and of course that meant a lot of walking. We walked an hour to one of her two schools where we taught English and of course that was just the tip of the walking we did during the 4 days. In the mornings we walked straight up15 minutes just get to the main street of the canton.
While I was there we helped teach two English classes about fruit and vegetables one with children and one with adults. We helped teach a lumbriculture class and after the class we made smors they were a big hit with the locals and us. We put on a recycling class were we made homemade paper out of old newspapers. Also we took a group of kids out on a trash detail and had them separate it all afterwards and then gave them sugar cookies we made the night before for their efforts.
Attended a charla on proper pruning of fruit trees and learned how to make a bamboo drip system, and he showed us his fields with soil conservation techniques. We checked out a rabbit project. Asked about the cheeses they make and how and to top it off we milked a cow. Then we went to a chicken farm….. that was interesting. For fun we took a biodiversity hike to a waterfall and a very cool large rock for an amazing view with some of her community.
To get to that amazing view from the rock we basically walked in trench that was overgrown with vegetation… and I saw some of the strangest insects I have ever seen in my life. One landed on my back unkown to me but another aspirante said hold up you have a friend and I told him I did not want to know…. ignorance is bliss. During the hike the dogs were always keeping their eyes on us running from one end of the party to the other and in a trench with overgrown vegetation this often meant they squeezed passed you when you needed your balance the most. It was very sweet of them to keep track of us and all but……. Vale la pena! I really did enjoy all of it the flowers, the strange insects, the hike, the view todo! Ok maybe not the plants that attacked me but everything else.
We would be very lucky to get a site like hers. Her community is highly motivated and participatory. The community and class sizes are small and I enjoyed these aspects very much and I enjoyed the fact the exercise is built in to your day no need to make time it just is!
While I was there we helped teach two English classes about fruit and vegetables one with children and one with adults. We helped teach a lumbriculture class and after the class we made smors they were a big hit with the locals and us. We put on a recycling class were we made homemade paper out of old newspapers. Also we took a group of kids out on a trash detail and had them separate it all afterwards and then gave them sugar cookies we made the night before for their efforts.
Attended a charla on proper pruning of fruit trees and learned how to make a bamboo drip system, and he showed us his fields with soil conservation techniques. We checked out a rabbit project. Asked about the cheeses they make and how and to top it off we milked a cow. Then we went to a chicken farm….. that was interesting. For fun we took a biodiversity hike to a waterfall and a very cool large rock for an amazing view with some of her community.
To get to that amazing view from the rock we basically walked in trench that was overgrown with vegetation… and I saw some of the strangest insects I have ever seen in my life. One landed on my back unkown to me but another aspirante said hold up you have a friend and I told him I did not want to know…. ignorance is bliss. During the hike the dogs were always keeping their eyes on us running from one end of the party to the other and in a trench with overgrown vegetation this often meant they squeezed passed you when you needed your balance the most. It was very sweet of them to keep track of us and all but……. Vale la pena! I really did enjoy all of it the flowers, the strange insects, the hike, the view todo! Ok maybe not the plants that attacked me but everything else.
We would be very lucky to get a site like hers. Her community is highly motivated and participatory. The community and class sizes are small and I enjoyed these aspects very much and I enjoyed the fact the exercise is built in to your day no need to make time it just is!
posted by Jon & Katie | 7:31 AM
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