Gonna Make a Change

Support girls' and women's education in the developing world

2010-11-15T17:06:00.000-05:00

Looking for a great little holiday gift and a way to support some worthy charities?

Check out my new fundraiser:

Gonna Make a Change Candles

I have designed four hand-poured soy candles in unique tins that are perfect for holiday gift-giving!

One hundred percent of the net proceeds are donated to Mayan Families and Central Asia Institute.

Check out the website for more info!

URGENT UPDATE: Disaster in Guatemala

2010-05-30T22:13:00.000-04:00

Hi all, I know you have not heard from me in a long time. I have been so busy with being a new mom that I have not had time to update Gonna Make a Change in a while.

However, I did want to leave this note quickly.

Guatemala has seen several horrific natural disasters in the past week: a volcano erruption, earthquakes, and now Hurricane Agatha. The places that Michael and I traveled to have been hit very, very hard.

People who were struggling to survive have now lost everything.

If you have read and enjoyed my account of our trip to Guatemala, I ask you to please consider donating any amount to Mayan Families, the grassroots non-profit that Michael and I support there.

Here is an update for now from the orgaization:

Sharon has lost her back bathroom and storage area into the river. We have evacuated her house and the office. The rest of the office is still intact but we are concerned the building foundations have been compromised.

We will need to rent office space ASAP, as we will be inundated immediately with requests for help from desperate people who have lost their homes and possessions.

All the Mayan Families staff are safe, however a few have lost their homes and others are in danger of losing theirs.

There are many people in emergency shelters, lots of people have lost everything.

There is desperate need for food and shelter. Any financial help no matter how small which will help feed and shelter people would be greatly appreciated.

You may remember young Glendy who works for Mayan Families, who lost her mother last year has now lost her home as well. She and her 5 brothers are now homeless.

Mayan Families needs your support more than ever, as our offices have been damaged and are not functional.

Please, if you were considering donating this our hour of Need!!

Please send donations via general fund, so we can get our new office operational as soon as possible.

Thank you for your prayers and support.

http://www.mayanfamilies.org/DonateNow

Belated Mother's Day picture

2009-06-27T11:37:00.003-04:00

I got a photo from Mayan Families this week of the Mother's Day basket we sent to the Cumpar family.

Look at how much baby Antonio (the mother's baby) has grown! And Candelaria is looking more mature, herself.

Unfortunately, I have not had much time to devote to Guatemala this year, since we are expecting our first child and just moved from the city to a house in the suburbs.

But it is something I plan to go back to once we get settled into our new lives.

New blog!

2009-05-30T21:05:00.002-04:00

I am pleased to announce the launch of my new blog, Gonna Make a Change - Motherhood at gonnamakeachange-motherhood.blogspot.com.

Please check it out in the coming days and let me know what you think!

I will be including pictures, updates, what I'm reading, a list of my favorite pregnancy/childbirth/parenting blogs, some cool widgets, and more. Let me know if you have anything I should add!

Also, I would be extremely honored if you could add me to the blogs you follow. :-)

Finally blogging again

2009-05-27T22:24:00.000-04:00

It's been quite a month since my last post. We had to put our dog, Othello, down after his cognitive degeneration progessed. I had started to write a tribute to him that I was going to post here, but I didn't have a chance to finish it. I will at some point.

Thankfully, there have been a lot of positive things keeping us occupied.

For one, I am now 23 weeks pregnant. Three weeks ago, Michael and I found that we are having a boy. I am now very much showing, as you can see above. And last week I finally started feeling kicks! Now I feel them quite often. It turns out the placenta has been in the front, so it was acting as a cushion, preventing me from feeling movement sooner.

We are also getting ready to move out to the suburbs, if all goes as planned. While we love our cozy condo in Jersey City, it isn't where we want to raise kids. Both of us have been longing for a big backyard, and hopefully we will have one come mid-June. Fingers crossed till the closing, though!

I am trying to decide what I want to do about blogging. My life is in the process of changing immensely, and I will not be able to pursue one of the main themes of this blog -- adventure philanthropy/voluntourism -- for the time being. I do intend to pick it back up once our child/children is/are here and a bit older. However, right now, the adventure I'm about to embark on is that of becoming a parent, and I need to give that my full attention.

So, I am wondering whether I should continue this blog but with a different focus, or if I should put this blog on hold and start a new one. I do want to keep writing and taking pictures and sharing stories with you, my readers. If you have any thoughts or suggestions, please let me know!

Thank you again for reading! I still have some travel tales I haven't yet blogged, so whatever happens, I will be posting some new stories of my past journeys when I get a chance. As I have said so many times before, stay tuned....

Quick Guatemala Update

2009-04-22T21:27:00.003-04:00

Here's a picture of the Cumpar kids with their Easter/Semana Santa basket. Looks a lot healthier than last year's basket!

Back to the real world!

2009-04-12T21:56:00.000-04:00

Hi all, I'm sorry for the lag in communication! Things got crazy again with work, and then Michael and I took a much-needed vacation this past week to the Caribbean.

Our destination was the island of St Martin/Sint Maarten, which has both a French and a Dutch side, hence the two different names. We were on a bareboat yacht charter, which means that we rented a sailboat for a week, and Michael captained it. The crew was myself and two of our couple friends, Miles and Sarah and Kelly and Letham.

The boat was our floating hotel and our means of getting from place to place. In the end, we visited both sides of the island, the country/island of Anguilla and of St Barths.

Michael and I originally got together as the indirect result of a charter he organized for New Year's 2006 in the British Virgin Islands. This was our first time back on a boat together...and most likely our last major trip before the birth of our child. So it had lots of special significance.

Here are some of my favorite photos from our time there:

Local restaurant in Marigot, St Martin. Supposedly, our fave traveler, Anthony Bourdain, had eaten here and recommended it.

Palm Sunday procession in Marigot, St Martin.

The procession continues down the hill.

Marigot bay

A taste of the turquoise water yet to come on the trip.

View from a patisserie in Marigot.

Closer look at the architecture and boats.

Sunset in Grand Case, St Martin -- looking towards the ocean

And looking in towards the bay

Gorgeous views until it got completely dark

And then the lights...

Boat life

Michael taking a break on deck

Michael as captain

An unexpected sign in Orient Bay, St Martin

Me in Orient Bay

Little bird and bananas at a restaurant in Ille Pinel, St Martin. Early morning, before all the people arrived.

Peace and quiet before the crowds arrive

Dinghy dock and cafe in St Barths

Michael in St Barths, mega yachts behind him

Anglican church in St Barths

Michael and I on the deck of our boat

Santiago de Atitlan to Antigua: Sunday, December 14

2009-03-22T17:59:00.001-04:00

Dear Readers, Thank you so much for all of your well wishes on our pregnancy! I can't wait to blog all about it.

But I feel like there is some unfinished business to take care of before I move on to this exciting new stage: I have to finish the story of our December trip to Guatemala. I still haven't shown you some of the most beautiful scenes I saw during our travels. And there still are some stories to tell. So let me begin wrapping this up...

The following morning, we had breakfast in the lodge and, sadly, got ready to leave. This was such a relaxing place, and the physical beauty of the area was just astounding. I made sure to take some last pictures.

From our table in the lodge, we looked out onto the road to see people passing on foot, tuk-tuk, and in the backs of pickups.

I was glad I finally got a shot of the pickup means of transport that is so common around here.

I took a walk down to the Posada's lakefront property.

The scenes were just so majestically beautiful, the clouds just hovering over the mountains.

I wished we had time to stay for another dip in the pool.

Or to take a canoe around the lake...we hadn't had time for that.

The fishermen looked so peaceful and meditative in their solo boats.

Ahh, we will have to come back.

I took a last look at the lounge chairs and the little sauna hut.

And then one more time back to the lodge.

I decided to try shooting a video on my way up the path to our room, as I tried to catch my breath, due to the elevation.

We packed up, and our taxi was waiting to take us to Antigua.

We drove around Lake Atitlan, and we caught a glimpse of CFCA's Guatemala facility. When we were just about to leave the lake behind, we got this panoramic vista. It was too good to pass up -- we asked the driver to stop, so we could take some more pictures.

After that, we drove through unbelievably beautiful and little inhabited country to get to the main road. We traveled up and down steep inclines and saw meadows and streams. There was no real place to pull over and stop, and it was just a two-lane road, so I have no pictures of this part of our journey.

But I will never forget the beauty on that gloriously sunny day.

Slowly, we made our way to more and more populated areas and then to a small city, where a busy market was taking place. We started seeing signs for Antigua. And then we were back in the city that had marked the conclusion of our trip last April, as well.

Last time, we had had dinner at Casa Santo Domingo, an amazing hotel and museum that is a former convent. This time, in honor of our anniversary, we decided to splurge and get a room at the hotel. It still was a relative bargain, especially compared with the States.

Here's a tour of our room:

The Postcards from Antigua Guatemala I posted in January include pictures from that Sunday, as we walked around.

Here are two other photos from that afternoon:

The gate, ready to go from 2008 to 2009.

A beautiful courtyard from a small hotel where we stopped to check email.

That night, we thoroughly enjoyed the hot tubs and big pool in one of the hotel's courtyards and then had a gourmet meal by candlelight in the restaurant. Heaven!

Big news!

2009-03-21T11:18:00.002-04:00

There's another reason why I haven't been blogging that much the past few months: I have been too darn tired!!! Why? I'm pregnant!

More updates to follow!

Horseback Riding Above Lake Atitlan, Saturday, December 13

2009-03-15T19:40:00.000-04:00

It's been a few months since I left off with the tale of our trip to Guatemala in December. Work and life have gotten in the way, but looking at some of my favorite bloggers' posts about Guatemala, I am inspired to finish up our travelogue.

If you have not already, make sure you check out Rudy Girón's La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo, James and Beth's Teco/Teca, and now Dave and Danaya's Hand Up Tierra Linda for nostalgia and/or inspiration to travel to this amazing place.

Back to my tale...it was our second day in Santiago Atitlan at Posada de Santiago.

Saturday morning, we rose early for a hearty breakfast at the lodge. Particularly of note were the blue corn pancakes with macadamia syrup. Not your traditional pancake, but the taste grew on you.

Then Nancy Mattison came to pick us up. I had gotten in touch with Nancy through the Posada. She and her husband, Jim, offer all kinds of horseback riding and walking tours that are combined with gourmet dining.

As it turns out, we were joined by a young guy from New York, who was also going to be part of the ride.

Nancy drove us around the lake, past the memorial to the people who had been killed during the civil war, and by a private air strip, to their house and horse ranch.

We went in through the gate to their home and past their large pack of trained dogs. Inside their house, Nancy gave us coffee, hot chocolate, and homemade coffee cake, and we met her husband, Jim.

I knew this was not going to be your run of the mill horseback riding tour from the moment Jim introduced himself as a "libertarian anarchist." Born in the Baltics (Latvia, I believe), his life in Guatemala since the early 90s is just one of many extraordinary lives he has led. He had been a professor, run various successful businesses, been an adviser to US presidents, had made tons of money and then lost it all.

The Mattisons came to Guatemala when the civil war was still on, and Jim quickly developed a reputation as someone not to be messed with. He assured us he was the only one in the area who had never been robbed and warned, "Don't think I'm not armed in three places right now."

In parts of the country, Guatemala is still a lawless place where crime, from petty robberies to contract killing can take place. Jim likes living in his fortress he designed and built himself from polished stone. It's a good place for an anarchist.

There were no papers or waivers to sign. Liability law doesn't exist like it does in the US, and he told us cooly we were all responsible for our own selves. Alrighty then.

Off we went to get our horses.

Michael hadn't been on a horse since childhood, and only once then. I had been an avid rider in my young teens, but I had only been on a horse a few times in the last 10 years. And I had never ridden Western before.

The New Yorker who came with us had never ridden before, and he was quite unnerved by the whole thing.

After getting on our respective steeds, we set off down the road for about a quarter of a mile, which had me tense to start out. I know from experience how spooked horses can get from cars, and I was without the protective equipment I was accustomed to. But there was nothing to worry about. These horses were very used to the trek.

After the road, we went down into a coffee plantation, where we had to take a path that ran right along a stretch of low trees. We had to duck down and feel the branches scraping over our heads as we passed along. The New Yorker was quite tall, so this was difficult for him to do, and he started crying out in distress.

Immediately, that got me tense again, as I flashed back to various incidents from my earlier riding career when kids had gotten scared, started yelling, and spooked the horses, thus making the situation all the worse. But again, my fears were unfounded. These horses were unflappable.

Finally, we got out of the tree lined area and started ascending the mountain. The paths were very narrow, and you really had to just trust your horse; otherwise, you might tumble into a ditch. So I slowly started to let go and relax. I had to. I couldn't hold the reins closely, like in English riding. I had to trust.

All the while, Jim was leading us in conversations about literature and politics, quoting Aristotle and John F. Kennedy, Friedrich Nietzsche and Franz Kafka, Madison and de Tocqueville, all verbatim (and not infrequently citing page numbers in specific editions!). It was unlike anything I had expected. This man was so well read, and he could remember it all!

After about an hour and a quarter of riding, we finally found ourselves at the top of the mountain. We dismounted and stopped to rest.

Below is the view west to the Pacific Ocean. There was some haze in the sky, so we couldn't actually see the water. But on a clear day, Jim assured us, it was possible to gaze that far.

A closer look, though, yielded the piles of trash by the lookout point. Trash was an issue we had talked about on the ride. We saw it so often in the otherwise beautiful fields and greenery.

Jim told us that it's part of the local culture. They don't see trash the way we do. For them, trash is a sign of affluence. You must be doing well if you can buy things that produce trash. People from the north, "do-gooders," he said, come and try to beautify and take away the trash, but it doesn't work. The trash may get collected, but then it gets dumped somewhere, like here.

To the east was Lake Atitlan, looking gorgeous, as always.

But looking at our feet yielded a different story.

Here are burnt remnants of medical waste, likely from a humanitarian mission. Jim's problem with the "do-gooders" is that they don't think about all the possible impacts of their activities: everything from what happens to the garbage to what happens if one family suddenly has a lot more than most of their community (the answer, according to him: the family becomes a target).

He said, some people here are better off than you think. Just because they live simply does not mean they don't have money. Most Guatemalan families will make money in a number of different ways: through a job, having an animal whose products they can sell, side endeavors.

It was interesting to hear Jim's perspective. While I don't think any of this is a reason not to help, it is an important reminder of the impact we may have, intentionally and unintentionally. Not everything is as it seems, and we can't always take the rules and values and life views we have in our own country and apply them elsewhere.

We rode back down the mountain, along the hair-raising paths, and through the brush. This ride had been completely unlike what I had imagined, and I was so happy for that. I felt an unearthed burning in me to start reading again, to discuss literature and politics. It was as if I had gone back to university in this three-hour jaunt.

But I was saddle sore, so I was glad to hop off my mount and head in for some lunch.

We got a tour of the house as Linda finished up the preparations for our absolutely delicious lunch.

The sun was starting to get lower in the sky, and we had finished our meal. We said goodbye to Jim, and Linda drove us back to the Posada.

On our way, we saw coffee-weighing stations along the side of the road, and Linda told us how people wait there with their coffee to sell it to wholesalers. However, these are also spots where the lawless know they can rob people, or worse. It is a difficult life.

Michael and I went back to our cottage and tried to process all that we had experienced that day. We wanted to make some changes to our lives. At the very least, we were inspired to make reading a priority and set up a library in our living room, rather than having the computer as the centerpiece. We were reminded, more than anything, of how reading opens the doors to knowledge and understanding and lends a richness to life unlike anything else.

While we were still quite full from lunch, we stuffed ourselves with more gourmet delights for dinner at the lodge. Michael had his Ron Zacapa, and I had a huge margarita. And then we settled back in our cabin.

Michael built a fire in the fireplace, and we snuggled together on that cool night, our minds still awash in thoughts from the day.

Next up: Sunday, December 14 -- we take an incredible journey from Santiago Atitlan to Antigua and stay at the inimitable Casa Santo Domingo.

Giving on the streets of New York

2009-02-28T17:20:00.000-05:00

Hi all, I've missed blogging and keeping up with my favorite bloggers the past few weeks!

Soon after I wrote my last entry, I came down with a nasty cold, and then the operational tempo at work dramatically increased. My birthday was last week, and it happened to be the craziest day I have ever experienced at my current job. Thankfully, Michael was able to spirit me away at the end of day for some unbelievably delicious Indian food.

But the upshot of all this is that I have not been progressing towards my goal of finding ways to get involved in a charity locally.

However, I did have a small revelation yesterday that I wanted to share.

Yesterday, there was a hint of spring in the air. It was warm enough to walk around with my coat unbuttoned, so I decided to eat a quick lunch in Bryant Park, which is just around the corner from my office.

As I was starting to eat my sandwich, a scruffy, middle-aged man came up to my little table and asked, "Would you be able to help a combat veteran with some change? Anything would be a blessing."

I made a pained expression. I hate feeling cold hearted; however, panhandling is one of those tricky situations in any city.

First of all, you never know where your money is going to go. Will it be for alcohol or drugs? That's why it's usually better to give to an organization, instead.

Second of all, could this be a professional panhandler? There is a woman that stands at the corner of my building every morning with a "homeless" sign and has done so for the past few years. We're talking Fifth Avenue and lots of foot traffic, so this seems like more of a "job" for her.

Thirdly, pulling your wallet out on the street is never a good idea, safety-wise.

Most of the time when I have been approached, I have just given the person a sad look and said, "I'm sorry." Sometimes a particular situation has prompted me to go home and make a donation to an established charity.

But yesterday, I couldn't look away when the man asked me. There was something in his eyes, and I thought of the economic realities that are more dire than ever for anyone who needs help. The options quickly flashed through my mind: just say "sorry," open my purse and fumble for my wallet...nothing seemed right or a street-safe option. Then I looked down at the table and saw what I hadn't eaten of my lunch.

"Would you like half of my sandwich?" I asked. The man seemed taken aback. He said, "Aww. Really? Are you sure you don't want that?" I said, "No, please take it." He thanked me, took the sandwich, and then disappeared.

And then I was hit by the revelation. It was so simple, really. If you're unsure of giving money, then give food.

On my way back to the office, I thought of how my favorite Nature Valley granola bars have been such a godsend when I have been hungry while traveling, etc. So I bought a few to have in my purse, ready to give out if someone needy approaches me. At least I can give them something.

I know tons of people must have already figured this out, so this is nothing new. But I'm glad that I finally was able to realize a way to not feel paralyzed by the dilemma of giving on the streets of New York.

I want to know: what are your strategies when approached on the street?

The Challenges of Volunteering Locally

2009-02-09T12:00:00.001-05:00

One of my resolutions for the new year was to get actively involved in a local charity. So far, I have not made much progress on that.

What has been the issue? Well, for one, I've had very little non-work and non-recuperating from work time so far this year. But for the other, I'm a little daunted by the prospect.

Over the past year or so, I have tried to get involved in a handful of different organizations in the New York metro area, and have not had any luck. Usually it was because my emails saying, "I really like your organization, and I'd love to volunteer; what do I need to do to get involved?" never got answered. At least one place flat-out rejected my professional skills after I filled out a lengthy application.

It was very frustrating, to say the least, to search out organizations whose missions seemed up my alley, approach them, wanting to help, and then hear nothing back.

One national organization I did finally get accepted into, after an application, references, and a background check, turned out to be not very user-friendly for new volunteers. They had a website with all sorts of materials, but it was not really clear how exactly to get involved with a local group. And then I found out that there were no hands-on opportunities within my geographic area.

That's why Mayan Families has been such a godsend. With them, it's easy. You sponsor a child; you start getting information about that child; you can send them additional food, a stove, chickens, etc. You find out about all sorts of other needs of the organization, and can get involved in as many as you would like. And you are welcomed with open arms when you come down to Guatemala to visit.

Sisterly Shenanigans' Tricia and me getting ready to distribute toys in San Jorge, Guatemala.

I want to do similar kinds of good here in my local area, but I have found it very difficult to break through. VolunteerMatch.org has a clearinghouse of all sorts of volunteer opportunities, and I receive a weekly opportunity notice. Unfortunately, I have tried to get involved in some of these opportunties, but have received no word back.

I'm sure that most of these organizations would like to have the additional volunteer support, but are just so strapped for resources that they can't take advantage of the offers of help. After all, they would need someone to read the email and respond to it, and I'm sure many organizations get hundreds of emails a day.

It's just too bad, as I suspect I am far from the only person who has had this kind of disheartening experience. I wonder how many people have been discouraged from attempting to do something to make a change in their world. Why can it be so difficult to get involved?

But I am ready and willing to give it another try, and I plan to share my journey with you, so as to get more ideas and to pass along anything I learn.

I just found out today from VolunteerMatch about an action day called "Do One Thing." It is taking place next Saturday, Valentine's Day. The objective is for everyone to do one thing on this day to help homeless youth.

A participating organization is the Covenant House in New York, which is just a short distance from where I bus into the city. So the location is easy. What they ask is for donations of clothes and personal care items for the young people who come to them from the streets. Now that's easy, too.

So, I plan to collect some donations, bring them to Covenant House, and find out a little bit more about what they do and how to get involved. Ideally, I'll see if I can interview some people and get a tour, so I can blog about that. Something like this at least allows me to get my foot in the door.

I want to know: how have you gotten involved in volunteering locally? What challenges did you have to overcome, and how did you finally get your foot in the door?

A new friend in Kenya

2009-02-07T23:47:00.001-05:00

Hello, Friends. I'm sorry it has been a while since I last posted. As I mentioned in my last entry, work has consumed my life. But it's important to keep things in perspective and not forget about what truly matters.

I'd like to thank one of my readers (you know who you are!), whose kind words tonight reminded me of what I have been trying to do with this blog for the past 11 months. So I am reinvigorated, despite my fatigue, to get back down to business.

I have some news: Michael and I have a new sponsor child. Her name is Mwansiti, and she is an 11-year-old girl from Kenya. We're sponsoring through Christian Foundation for Children and Aging. As I had mentioned at the end of last year, I have really enjoyed their blog, and my mom has been a sponsor for a number of years.

A photo of Mwansiti. The scanner is buried, so I took a picture of the picture.

I thought it would be interesting to have a different kind of sponsor experience in addition to Mayan Families. For one, this is a different country. For another, this is a large, long-running organization. It doesn't offer the immediacy of contact you can have through Mayan Families (for example, getting photos emailed to your inbox of your sponsored kids receiving their school supplies, which is brilliant!). But it does focus on building a lifelong relationship with a person through letter writing.

As a child, I had a number of penpals, and I remember the unique joy of handwriting and sending and then receiving a letter. I fear this art will probably be lost by the time I have any children of penpal age. But CFCA uses this as the basis of the connection between sponsor and sponsored. It's intriguing...and soul-satisfying -- the idea of each getting to know the other as a person and a friend, that that is part and parcel of this relationship.

What's great is that the organization offers mission awareness trips to various countries that have programs. These trips are very reasonably priced, so they make it a very real possibility to visit your sponsored child, even in a place like Kenya. So, someday, Michael and I plan to go there!

But what I like even more is that the organization gives Americans who would never think of traveling to the developing world the opportunity and the motivation to do so. I can think of few things more exciting than that.

So, off we go with this new relationship!

I commissioned a card for my first letter to Mwansiti from a friend of mine who has a shop on Etsy: Lucky Sevens Card Design. Now I just have to write it and get it in the mail!

I want to know: what are some of your favorite sponsorship and/or penpal experiences?

Postcards from Antigua, Guatemala

2009-01-25T09:50:00.005-05:00

I'm just about to go off to a week of four simultaneous events for my job, so it is BUSY! But here's a look back at some of the beautiful and calming sights of Antigua in December.

Parque Central in the early morning.

Pointsettia (Pascua) flowers floating in an ancient stone tub at Casa Santo Domingo.

Rooftop view of Antigua.

We had come for the sunset; however, the clouds started to come in, obscuring any magnificent color.

But see how dramatic the volcano looks with the mantle of thickening clouds.

Enjoy your week, everyone! Here's to finding beauty and awe in ways different than you had expected.

Gotta slow down

2009-01-18T17:42:00.003-05:00

Sometimes you've got to take a breather. Things have been crazy at work, and they will just be getting busier and busier until at least the end of January.

So I still haven't finished the Guatemala entries. Rest assured, they will be coming. But this was a special weekend to relax and spend time with Michael.

But I wanted to post a picture...albeit one that is a few weeks old...of my fabulous friend, Rachel, and her new baby, Gideon. I have some readers who know and love Rachel but don't use Facebook, so they haven't seen the latest.

Isn't Gideon cute? You can already tell that he is a bright child who will have a big personality.

Here's to enjoying all the little moments of life right now!

December 2008 Guatemala Trip Roundup

2009-01-10T15:31:00.006-05:00

I still have three more days to write about in our Guatemala trip recap. Here's a taste of what's coming up: horseback riding above Lake Atitlan, the gorgeous drive to Antigua, staying at the legendary Casa Santo Domingo (!), and a coffee plantation tour with As Green As It Gets. Plus, Michael, still needs to do his guest post on the veterinary clinic in Solola.

For now, here's a summary of the posts I have already written:

Arrival in Guatemala -- Saturday, December 6

First Day of Volunteering -- Sunday, December 7 -- morning

Orphanage Christmas Party -- Sunday, December 7

Back to Sharon's -- Sunday, December 7

Distributing Donations and Meeting the Cumpar Family -- Monday, December 8

The Rest of Monday -- December 8

More Distributing and Sorting...and a Sunset -- Tuesday, December 9

San Jorge Christmas Party -- Wednesday, December 10

Chichicastenango and Mayan Families Party -- Thursday, December 11

Goodbye Panajachel, Hello Santiago Atitlan -- Friday, December 12

Horseback Riding Above Lake Atitlan -- Saturday, December 13

Santiago de Atitlan to Antigua -- Sunday, December 14

External Media:

Article in the Christian Science Monitor about our trip
Helping Mayan Families blog -- this includes a post I wrote about seeing our sponsor kids
Tricia's tribute video to Feed the Dream

December trip participants, I would love to link to your roundups on this page! Please send me your link, and I will post it here!

Christmas Photo Gallery

2009-01-07T21:13:00.001-05:00

It has been a CRAZY week already. Layoffs, stress, you name it.

So let me take a break and show some of my favorite photos from this Christmas in Pennsylvania. Michael gave me a new camera as a present. It's a Canon PowerShot, about eight generations more advanced than my previous (and still beloved) camera.

A rural route in Pennsylvania -- loneliness and comfort

Ice crystals on the blacktop driveway. I had never really paid them much attention before.

My Aunt Honey's welcome arrangement

The back of my aunt and uncle's house

My Uncle Charles

My Aunt Honey and Uncle Joe's collection of antiques, both inside the house and out, made for great still life shots.

I am fascinated by the blue light of winter's setting sun in this picture of their kitchen.

2009 Update -- Reading and Cleaning

2009-01-04T18:33:00.002-05:00

I wanted to finish writing about our Saturday in Santiago, when we went horseback riding in the mountains above Lake Atitlan. But this experience was so monumental, particularly because of the conversations we had with our guide, that I need to take some time to capture it fully. So please bear with me for a day or so.

Instead, here is an update on the first four days of 2009, particularly in regards to resolutions:

I am happy to say that I have started reading my first book of the new year! The novel is the English translation of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. I had read a few of Murakami's books and short stories translated into German a while back. There was something I really liked about his style: to-the-point, but yet elegant, at times glamourous and mysterious. Murakami is one of Japan's premiere writers.

I'm a bit intimidated by the fact that this book is, as the Washington Post says, "Murakami's most ambitious attempt yet to stuff all of modern Japan into a single fictional edifice." I'm not sure how much of the subtext I will be able to figure out, since my knowledge of Japan is fairly limited. But even if I only minimally grasp what this book is trying to achieve, I can enjoy Murakami's fantastic story-telling ability.

And in order to spend less time on the computer and more time reading, Michael and I finally got the computer out of the living room and into its own nook in the dining room (hey, we live in the New York metro area...at least we have a dining room!). We also bought two lamps for the living room, so it is a lot more cozy. I'm really looking forward to reading there!

We also organized and donated a lot of clothing and other things we don't need to the Salvation Army. And we had a maid service come in and give our apartment a thorough cleaning yesterday.

So I feel a lot more in control of our life and our stuff here. We finally have some more room to move around!

Now I'm off to cook dinner...and not order take-out!

***

10pm update

Dinner turned out great! I made four courses from scratch (except for the pasta) and modified some existing recipes to better fit what I had in the fridge!

Romaine Salad with Kalamata Olives and Lemon Vinaigrette
Baked Carrots with Cheese (served in tiny cast iron casserole dishes)
Spicy Ratatouille Farfalle (Michael helped kick it up a notch with Northwoods Fire)
Savory Orange Dessert Salad

Goodbye Panajachel, Hello Santiago Atitlan, Friday, December 12

2009-01-02T22:14:00.000-05:00

Friday morning, we awoke early for a last breakfast in Panajachel. We went to Deli Jasmin, a tranquil little place towards the end of Calle Santander, just before the waterfront.

Holly C., Morgan, Sarah, Tricia, Maureen, and Mary all came.

We had a scrumptious breakfast, and then it was time to say goodbye. It was hard to believe that the volunteering part of the week was over, and that we wouldn't see everyone for a while. They were such a fabulous group of ladies!

We left the Deli, and Michael and I walked down Calle Santander to get out some money before we departed for our next stop: Santiago Atitlan, which is across the lake from Panajachel.

I took a picture of one of my favorite murals. I love anything with the national bird, the quetzal.

We packed up our stuff at Dos Mundos. BTW, Michael proved once again what a gentleman he was by bringing me flowers from the market one day! You can see them on the nightstand.

Then it was time to head down to the waterfront. We made arrangements through the hotel for a private boat. Yes, it was far more expensive than taking a ferry or collectivo, but we figured our safety was worth the extra money, especially since a ferry had sunk recently in Lake Atitlan. In the end, it was less than $40.

So, someone from the hotel drove us down to the docks, and we got on our very sturdy little boat. There was a little confusion, since the teenage boy who was carrying our luggage stuck around the boat. I was trying to think of how to ask how to ask my question, and all of the sudden, I thought of "La Bamba." "Estas marinero?" I asked. Yes, it turned out he was the one who was in charge of the boat.

And we set off.

The boat was fast! We quickly approached the volcano that had seemed far away.

And then we arrived at the private dock of Posada de Santiago.

We quickly got checked in to our accommodations: a stone cottage by the name of Casita La Palma. You can see the palm tree carving on the front door.

The cottage was small, but very inviting. We had a working fireplace with wood all ready to go. There was also some interesting art on the walls.

Outside our casita, we had a little lawn.

We spied a gecko on the wall of the neighboring cottage. Thankfully, he didn't try to sell us car insurance.

We also had our very own hammock!

This was the path down to the lodge, which was the site of the restaurant, bar, and information desk.

We decided to jump right in and take the short walk down the road into the city of Santiago Atitlan. Friday is market day, so we didn't want to miss it.

We followed the pickup trucks into town and down the streets we believed would lead us to the market. And we were right. We suddenly found the sprawling warren of tented stalls selling clothing, shoes, and kitchen needs. There was only one gringa in the vicinity, and we had seen her coming out of building that seemed to house an NGO.

No one hassled us or tried to sell us anything. There were no children or women carrying tourist textiles. It was very different than Panajachel.

We found our way to the indoor food market. It was quite incredible to see all the different kinds of tomatoes and squash and tropical fruits, not to mention all the women in colorful traditional dress buying and selling. I would have loved to have taken pictures, but I knew that would have been a big faux pas in this setting. We were guests in their domain.

Michael bought some fresh cut fruit. I was wary of trying any, since the old traveler's wisdom cautions against that. So I missed out. But at least I knew I didn't have to worry about digestive problems.

We exited the building by the meat stands, with their cuts hanging from hooks or sitting on the counter. I thought about how people probably do not wash their hands after touching raw meat here. Then I promptly put it out of my mind.

We wanted to find the famous church in town, so we started walking in a direction we guessed it might be.

On the way, we saw the gorgeous carved doors of a missionary church, I believe.

Finally, we found the main church in Santiago. A missionary priest from Oklahoma had been killed here back during the war in the 1990s. The church was very simple, but it had a few nice tablets at the back telling the story of the church and the war.

Outside the church, a little boy found us and asked if we'd like to see Maximón. This is a Mayan deity who is worshipped in parts of the Western Highlands of Guatemala. Maximón has a special shrine in Santiago Atitlan that I had read about in a great article in National Geographic Traveler.

The shrine changes location every year and is watched over by members of a local Cofradia, or brotherhood. I was eager to see what this was all about. After agreeing on a price, the little boy took us down a street to an unassuming house. I peered in the window and saw a scene I had imagined. There was the statue of Maximón wrapped in ties and scarves with a man sitting watch on either side of him. Maximón had a cigar in his mouth, and there were offerings of alcohol, flowers, cigarettes, and money. Two people were knelt in prayer before the figure, and they chanted and burned incense.

It was all very bizarre. Taking a picture cost money, and we only had big bills left, so I have no photos from this experience. But pictures I have found online are very accurate.

We paid the little boy. I was considering going back to the market and buying him a shirt. His was badly torn. But when he demanded another quetzal more than our agreed price, I decided that would be his bonus. Plus, as Michael said, if we had done that, within a matter of minutes every little kid in town who gives Maximón "tours" would have been on top of us.

Michael and I found our way out of town. We saw a woman throw a rock at a street dog along the way, and it sadly reminded me of the way many people here treat dogs. The dog seemed ok, though.

Again, we were not hit up by any vendors. I think all the vendors must be down by the Santiago public dock. We didn't see that part of town at all. So we missed art galleries and shops there, which are supposed to be good. But, then again, we didn't get harrassed at all.

The walk out of town back to the Posada was beautiful.

A last glimpse of town.

People were washing clothing on the banks of the lake.

We got back to the Posada famished! Luckily, they have amazing food. We started our lunch at the Posada mirador with fresh guacamole and blue corn tortilla chips. These tortilla chips were the real deal: handmade blue corn tortillas folded in half and fried. The one thing I would have added was some jalapeno and cilantro to the guacamole. The Guatemalan variety is blander than the Mexican. And, yes, that bottle of Gallo was icy cold and dee-licious!

After lunch, we rested in the hammock and then went for a schwitz in their little sauna cabin. It was just big enough for the two of us, and it was very effective! After a while I got up the courage to jump in their big, but cold, swimming pool. It was oh so refreshing after the sauna! Then we enjoyed their mini hot tub.

After a nap, we went for dinner in the Posada lodge. Again, it was unbelievably tasty. We were still rather full from lunch, but we did our best to eat as much as we could! I know Michael had some of the best ribs of his life there. I had an exquisite Szechuan eggplant dish. This was accompanied by a gigantic margarita for me and some aged Guatemalan (and Cuban) rum for Michael.

Completely stuffed, we rolled back to our casita and caught the full moon above on our way. Michael made a fire, and we lit the candles that were provided in the room. It was very rustic and romantic! You'll see more pictures tomorrow!

2009 Resolutions

2009-01-01T19:09:00.000-05:00

I'm the kind of person who loves a fresh sheet of paper, a new sunrise, and any other chance to think about the future and define new goals and ways to get there.

On the other hand, this is the first time I'm sketching out my resolutions so publicly. So I'm a little afraid of not getting this right.

But I will take the plunge anyway! Here goes.

In 2009, I resolve to:

Find a local charity in which to become deeply involved. I want to be able to give back just as much to people in my geographic area as I do to those in other parts of the world. I should have a good idea of what that charity is by April.

That being said, continue my involvement with Mayan Families and ideally take an organizational role in a small part (teen pregnancy prevention, perhaps?). I've got a donation goal in my budget for this year, so I will monitor my progress against that. I should probably have some idea of the organizational goal by April.

Post here at least a few times a week and maintain friendships with my amazing blogger friends. Comment on my friends' blogs at least once a week.

That being said, not spend countless hours procrastinating online. Any more than an hour and a half per night on the internet is probably too much.

Start reading books again! One book a month is a modest goal. I was an ENGLISH MAJOR, for crying out loud! So, ideally, I should be reading much more. But baby steps first!

Spend more quality time with local friends. Particularly, have more dinners here at home with friends. How about at least one dinner per month?

Visit my parents and my friends in the Capital District. I haven't gone up since our wedding! We should definitely visit by springtime.

Keep up my German language skills. I feel like my fluency, at least as far as speaking, is starting to fade! Read the latest issue of Der Spiegel at least once a month and ideally go back to Berlin with Michael to visit friends.

Actually read the manual to my new digital camera and improve the clarity and composition of my photographs. I should have at least made some headway by February.

Those are the main ones so far. I'll amend this with any updates as we go along!

Chichicastenango and Mayan Families Party, Thursday, December 10

2008-12-31T17:47:00.004-05:00

Thursday was the transition day for Michael and me. We had finished four long days of volunteer work with Mayan Families, but we hadn't yet said our goodbyes.

Since we only had four full days during our April trip to Guatemala, we only saw a small part of the country. One of our objectives on the December trip was to see a bit more.

Our first destination was Chichicastenango for its world-famous market day. "Chichi," as it is called, is less than 20 miles away from Panajachel as the crow flies. However, because of the mountainous terrain, the trip by bus can take up to three hours.

We opted for a tourist mini bus and left a gloriously beautiful Panajachel at about 8am. The bus wound up the roads that had become so familiar: the turnoff to San Jorge, the city center of Solola, and the road that had taken us here on Saturday. But then we encountered new territory...in a whole different micro-climate, it seemed. The sun disappeared behind the clouds and fog started to descend.

We went through an agricultural checkpoint as we left the department of Solola and entered El Quiche. I noticed differences in the women's cortes (skirts) -- theirs had a horizontal band a few inches below the waist. Michael remarked that we would no longer be able to use our limited Kakchiquel we (or, rather, he) had picked up in Pana. The Quiche are a different people than the Kakchiquel and have a different language.

Finally, we arrive in Chichi. It had only taken us about two hours, thankfully. The weather was chillier than we had expected, but at least I had a scarf to wrap myself in. Michael and I dove into the crowds, looking for the center of the market.

There were hundreds of stalls lining the streets, selling primarily decorative items for tourists. We pressed ahead, knowing that the famous church and the local part of the market were awaiting us further in.

And finally we saw Santo Tomas, the church I had seen before in photos and paintings.

Amazingly, it looked very much like what I had expected. There were all sorts of vendors on the steps with flowers, and there were shamans burning incense.

A registered tour guide approached us and asked if we would like a tour of the church. Unfortunately, I did not get a shot of her. But we agreed, and she led us in the side entrance. The front door of the church is reserved for the shamans, she said.

Photography was not allowed inside the church, so I will have to describe it to you. Inside it was rather dark. There were no lights -- rather the illumination came from open doors by the steps and the side. This is a Catholic church, but the locals are allowed to practice their Mayan traditions on certain days. Thursday is Mayan. Sunday is a mix of Catholic and Mayan, and I believe the rest of the days are Catholic.

All down the aisle of the church were low stone slabs, about a foot off the floor, that are used for Mayan rituals. We saw people kneeling at the slabs lighting candles or arranging small bottles of alcohol wrapped in corn husks as offerings. Each slab was apparently dedicated to a different thing: good luck, health, marriage, etc.

The church is over 400 years old and was built on the site of a Mayan temple. So in order to convert the natives to Catholicism, the powers that be had to allow them to continue to practice some of their Mayan traditions. This is called "syncretism," and it's something I'm curious to learn more about.

Being a Catholic myself, it was very surprising to see a very different use of a church than I ever had before. There was something mysterious and fascinating about it, even if it did strike me as somewhat questionable from a religious perspective.

After the tour of the church, we asked our guide to take us to the food portion of the market. We really wanted to see the meal vendors and learn a bit more about local cuisine, but we had a miscommunication, so our guide led us to the fruit and vegetable market.

Then we decided we'd explore the rest on our own, so we paid the guide and set off.

While looking for food vendors, we found our way to the back end of the market and the famous Mayan Inn. We decided to stop there for a beverage and a brief rest.

The hotel was awash in Christmas decorations, which seemed a little incongruous with the lush gardens and parrots for someone like me, who has spent every Christmas in a cold weather climate.

If you look at the painting above the fireplace, that is a depiction of the Mayan candle-lighting ceremonies in Santo Tomas.

Outside the Mayan Inn, you could see a brightly colored cemetary in the distance.

Then we went back into the market. Michael bought one of these little orange bananas. The seller was very surprised that he wanted only one. I asked if I could take a photo, but he motioned that I could only take a photo of the fruit.

We also bought some delicious blue corn tortillas, fresh off the grill. When I asked to take her picture, the woman selling the tortillas asked me for more money, so we moved on.

There were so many possible things to buy. The huipiles, cortes, and belts (women's traditional dress) were so beautiful. But we reasoned it wouldn't be that practical to buy something for display. We have prints we bought a few years ago we still haven't framed...when would we get around to doing something creative with any of these?

The paths through the inner market were packed. One of the more bizarre traffic jams we encountered involved a man holding a large, live turkey!

But we wanted to buy a few souvenirs from our trip, so we made our way over to the more touristy area. There were so many textiles, wood carvings, and more. It was overwhelming.

We stopped at this stand and were admiring the handmade wall-hangings. Of course, the vendors always want to find out what price you would pay for their wares, so they can trap you into purchasing something! I gave my price, but the woman was not willing to go that low.

So Michael and I moved on and started walking down the narrow lane filled with vendors of similar items. But the woman would not let us go. She followed us and offered a price lower than she had originally said. I continued to state my price, and we walked on. The woman kept following us, and we said, "No, gracias." Finally, it looked like we had lost her. But then, and this had to have been at least a good half mile away from her stand, she reappeared and offered a price that was a few dollars away from mine.

Michael was reminded of his grandmother and how much time and effort her handicrafts took, so he said he felt bad about bargaining the woman down any more. The question was, did I want it? There were so many beautiful things at the market. It was really hard to decide. But after this woman had put so much work into this sale, I decided to go with her. So we went back and bought the wall-hanging she is holding with the blue peacocks and the quetzal (the elusive national bird of Guatemala) at the bottom.

Then we were done shopping. It's extremely tiring to shop, even when there are thousands of fantastic items, when everyone is clamoring for your money. Not only were there many vendors whose stalls we visited, but there were also plenty of roving vendors holding up bags or quilts or toys every few paces.

So we escaped to the second story restaurant, Los Cofrades, where we could eat in relative peace.

When it was time to meet up at 1:45 for the mini bus to take us back to Pana, we came upon a dreadful scene. The mini bus was already filled with tourists, and their luggage, who had not been on the bus on the trip there! It was an agonizing half hour or so while we waited to see what would happen and small children and old women tried to sell us things.

Finally, we were let onto the bus and most of the other people had to go to a different bus. And then we were off. I couldn't wait to leave the throngs in Chichi. The church was really worthwhile, but the rest I could have done without.

As we made our way to Solola, the skies cleared, and it became a gorgeous day.

We stopped briefly at the mirador or view point to look down at Lake Atitlan.

That's a view of Panajachel from above.

After we returned, Michael went to find Chico (who had been released back to the street after recovering from surgery), and I took a tuk-tuk over to Sharon's. When I got there, they were all done for the day, so I wound up taking the tuk-tuk right back with Tricia.

The girls and I decided to go down to the lakefront for the sunset.

After our walk, we embarked on a power shopping trip. We had seen the little beaded ornaments and keychains earlier on. They are gorgeous and in the shapes of things like quetzals, angels, fish, donkeys, lady bugs, stars, etc. I found a store with an enormous selection and lower starting prices than other vendors. So we all went to the store, and Mary told the shopkeeper that we all were going to spend a lot of money and asked what was the best price he could give us for the items.

Once the price was agreed upon, we charged! I bought over 30, which I later gave to my co-workers and my family. There were so many other great things, like beaded purses (our friend, Seth, likened them to wampum) and fabulous necklaces and bracelets.

In the end, I think together we spent over $200 at this one store, which made that shopkeeper one lucky guy! It was so much fun for all of us!

After the shopping spree, I met up with Michael and we went on the hunt for beer and wine to bring to that night's farewell party for the volunteers at Patty's house.

We took a mad tuk-tuk dash to a supermarket. Unfortunately, there were only cans (no bottles) of Gallo left. But we got them and a bottle of wine. As we found out, cans are more expensive than bottled beer. Strange. I'd prefer the bottled.

Anyway, we got back and just barely scraped together the 20 Quetzales for the round trip tuk-tuk ride. That was one of the banes of our existence down there! No one ever had change, and most things were too inexpensive to use a 100 Quetzales note (which is the only kind of note the ATM gave out). By the way, the exchange rate was around 7.5 Quetzales to the dollar, but that fluctuated a bit while we were there.

Then we were let in through Patty's front gate. I was amazed at how beautiful her home is. In fact, of all the homes I have seen in my life, hers is one of my absolute favorites. Patty has a courtyard, where tables were set up for our dinner. There are trees and paths to different parts of the house.

Inside, there is an incredibly warm and inviting kitchen and living room area with a big stone fireplace.

Michael and I sat across from the fireplace for a while with this street dog that had snuck in. Not Chico, though.

It was an absolutely wonderful evening. Almost all the volunteers were there, and by now, many of them were good friends. We had a delicious salad and pasta meal. In fact, it brought back memories of my friend, Tanja's cooking in Berlin. And if any of you remember my post about her cooking, you'll know what a poignant memory that was.

The evening was pure magic, and it was the perfect way to end our time in Pana. We said our goodbyes to the Mayan Families staff and fellow volunteers and our wishes to see everyone again next year.

Thankfully, it wasn't overwhelmingly sad at the end. We made plans to meet up with Tricia's group early the next day for one last breakfast together!

2008 Recap

2008-12-31T11:30:00.000-05:00

I interrupt the Guatemala coverage to give a quick recap of 2008.

This year has been filled with a number of great things:

Our first and second trip to Guatemala and getting involved with Mayan Families

My solo trip to Mexico

Visits to Michael's relatives in Minnesota and Florida

Hosting both Easter and Thanksgiving for my family

A fantastic Christmas in Pennsylvania

Purchasing our first home

The pregnancy and birth of our dear friends, Rachel and Seth's first child

The birth of this blog! As well as communicating with so many wonderful people through blogging

Reconnecting with a number of old friends through Facebook

Becoming a philanthropist -- even though I'm not giving millions (or even close!), I am giving more and giving with more purpose than ever before

There were many other things, but these are some of the highlights.

I'm looking forward to 2009, and I'll post some of my resolutions tomorrow. Already, I have something new to look forward to.

Today, I started sponsorship of a child in Kenya through the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging. I've really been enjoying their blog, which I have a link to on the right. My mom has been a long-time sponsor, and I've also been spurred on by Nikki, who has various sponsored kids around the globe.

May you all have a great end to 2008 and a wonderful start to 2009!

San Jorge Christmas Party, Wednesday, December 10

2008-12-30T21:48:00.001-05:00

By Wednesday, Michael and I needed to take a break from Hotel Dos Mundos' predictable morning fare. So we walked down Calle Santander to find another breakfast option. There weren't too many places open before 8am, but we finally found something

On the way back to the hotel, Michael spotted a dog who looked like Chico.

Hold on! It was indeed Chico! How could he be out on the street and not in Patty's truck?

Michael lured him back to Patty's with some bread, and we found out the story. Chico had been crying and barking for a good part of the night, so Patty finally let Chico out of the truck. Thankfully, we were able to find him again!

Michael put a leash on him, and then Chico suddenly got very scared and submissive.

Poor guy! He had no idea what was in store for him. But it was all for the best. There are far too many ownerless dogs on the streets of Panajachel, and the best way to control their population is through catch-neuter-release programs. By getting him neutered that day, the team prevented many possible litters of unwanted puppies from being born.

As we were waiting for our transportation that morning, a whole host of vendors descended upon our group. Again, I got off fairly easy. I only bought the chicken potholder this boy is holding.

Then our van came, and it was time for our group to head to the neighboring village of San Jorge for their women's group's Christmas party.

Michael and I had visited San Jorge in April, and we saw the community center being built. You can see pictures and read our account here.

Now, the community center is finished, and it was the site of our party.

Upon arrival, we saw the area outside completely decked out for the festivities. There were balloons and the traditional pine needles on the ground for a Christmas party.

A sound system was set up, and mothers were starting to gather with their children.

Once we brought in the toys and the baskets, the leader of the women's group spoke and thanked us. Sharon also gave a speech.

More and more families trickled in.

Then it was time for the kids to line up and play some games.

The Payasitos made their return.

While the kids were outside, the volunteers inside the community center organized the toys.

By the time the Payaso and Payasitos took the stage, quite a crowd had assembled. The clown amused us all with some contests, including a dance-off with some of the women paired up with some of the boys. Everyone got a good chuckle...and the winners got prizes, including plastic pitchers for the women and toys for the kids.

Then it was time to begin the distribution of the tamale baskets. These are just some of the baskets we handed out that day! In total, there were over 200.

The distribution process was quite time-consuming. First a family would come in and get on line. The kids would each pick out a toy from the table. We usually tried first to give a child a toy or offer them a choice of two, but often times the kids saw something they liked better on the table. Then the mother would receive the basket, and the whole family would pose with Santa, making sure they had their numbers (many of the kids are sponsored students) visibile.

Some of the kids brought drawings for their sponsors. More pictures were taken, and then the drawings were collected. The kids' hands had to be marked that they had received their toys, and the mothers received the ticket for the meat portion of the basket, which would be distributed a few days before Christmas (since no one has refrigeration).

Before we knew it, it was 2pm, and we still had many, many baskets to distribute. But everyone was famished, so we stopped for lunch.

A cooking group had been hard at work with the preparation of the meal.

Women lined up with small pots to receive the portion for their family.

Each one received some chicken and then a soup was poured over that into the bowl.

Contrast that with our meal: According to Sharon, the women knew that volunteers like us are often hesitant to eat the food that is prepared, since they are afraid of getting sick. So the women all contributed money so they could buy us a meal catered by a restaurant in Panajachel! That must have cost a fortune for them. I was absolutely blown away by the depth of their generosity and gratitude. This was the most humbling meal of my life.

First we had hibiscus punch in tall glasses.

Then we were served this feast: a huge chicken breast, mashed potatoes, a mushroom gravy, rice pilaf, and broccoli. All on nice china. Again, compare this to the little pails and pots in which the women were getting their own food. I gulped back tears in my eyes and chowed down.

Even though it was an enormous portion, I did my very best to finish my entire plate in gratitude for their sacrifice.

After lunch, we had to finish bringing down the rest of the tamale baskets, which were temporarily on the roof of the community center. While up there, I took a look around at the village.

I was reminded of how much we have in the States and how much we take for granted. But I also thought about how a great quantity of personal possesions does not guarantee happiness. These children were absolutely thrilled to receive one stuffed animal as a Christmas gift. How many kids in the US would be?

I looked down and saw the crowd was thinning. Lunch was over, and it was time to finish the distribution.

One of the tamale basket recipients was the grandmother of Julio, the Mayan Families staff member whom we had first met in April. Actually, both of Julio's grandmothers were present, as well as his mother.

As the toy piles started to dwindle, I searched for the stuffed animals that would be more appropriate for the older boys who were still waiting. It was tough, but I did find some.

And these boys were able to find something they liked.

For the girls, the dolls went very fast. In fact, I learned a new word: Muñeca, since so many girls asked for one.

Sarah's sponsored student lives in San Jorge, and she spent most of the day with us. She showed a great interest in photography, so Sarah let her use her camera.

Below is a portrait the little girl snapped with my camera:

Check out Aleeya, Sharon's daughter, in traditional dress, above center! She can rock both Western and Mayan looks with ease!

Finally, the task that had seemed impossible was done: we had distributed all of the tamale baskets and all of the toys. The sun was going down, and it was time to pack up the van and head back to Panajachel.

It was a very long day, and I couldn't have hacked it without all the support of my fellow volunteers and the people we served.

On our way back, Tricia and I spied this woman doing the traditional backstrap weaving in her home! It was intriguing to see this done for real and not in a tourist setting.

I stopped by the lone concession stand on the town square and bought tiny bags of popcorn and crispies. The vendor also had the small bags of cut fruit that had fascinated me in April.

Tricia paused for a minute, and I watched the fog start to roll down the mountain.

When we got back to town, I went to find Michael. Again, cell phones would be a good call next time! We finally found each other, and we went for dinner at Las Chinitas, where we heard Ezzy from the Mayan Families Healthy Pets group sing and play guitar.

Two young vendor girls came in and tried to sell us some knickknacks. I didn't want to buy, but I did have some food left over in my bowl. So I asked the girls if they wanted to eat that. They hungrily took the bowl and devoured the food at a nearby table. They brought the bowl back completely empty. Michael had a bit left on his plate, so we gave that to them, as well. I had taken his discarded shrimp tails off the plate, since I was afraid they would have eaten those, as well!

It was an experience. We went to bed that evening with quite a lot of food for thought.

More Distributing and Sorting...and a Sunset, Tuesday, December 9

2008-12-29T21:31:00.001-05:00

On Tuesday, Michael had the vet clinic in Solola, so he had to leave very early in the morning. I wound up meeting Cheri and Angela at breakfast, and Cheri asked me to write a post for their Helping Mayan Families blog.

So I took some time to do that and came over to Sharon's mid-morning. There, I helped some more with putting together tamale baskets and distributing toys and clothes.

Sharon showed me this little boy -- he weighed practically nothing!

Tricia got to meet her last sponsored student, Jennifer, as well as her brother, who had accompanied her to the house.

We saw the rarest of things: a man carrying a baby! This couple had twins, and the wife carried the girl, and the husband carried the boy.

Happy recipients of a basket.

This was a blind man who came in with his son.

The distribution ended in the early afternoon. After that, we had lunch prepared by the Mayan Families kitchen workers, and then it was time to get the toys ready for the San Jorge Christmas party that would take place the next day.

First a word about toys: Beanie Babies are one of the greatest inventions ever! They are perfect as gifts for just about any kids...except for older boys! The older boys were our Achilles heel. We searched through big garbage bags of toys, suitcases in the back of the house stuffed with assorted things, huge cardboard Medrano boxes, all in search of suitable toys to give boys over the age of 10 or so.

We found a few balls (soccer balls, of course, are the best gifts of all, but we couldn't find any of those), some balsa wood airplanes, a few action figures, and a toy vehicle or two, but it was slim pickings. Note for next time: stock up on the older boy toys before I go down!

Once we had the toys together, there wasn't much left to do. Tamale basket production had stopped, since we were waiting for the rest of the contents to be delivered to Sharon's, and that wouldn't be till the next day.

So I went back into Pana for the evening.

Here are some of the fried chicken street vendors. Yes, fried chicken is the ubiquitous street food.

I went down to Lake Atitlan and caught the sunset for the first time.

Of course, there were numerous roving vendors down by the water, but I got off easy. I was only arm-twisted into buying a hairband.

The sunset was gorgeous.

Then I met up with Michael at Dos Mundos' bar/cafe and got to hear about all the excitement from his day in Solola. He'll have to tell you all about it.

While we were having a drink, we met an exuberant young street dog, with whom Michael fell in love. "Chico" just walked right in the door and kept giving play bows. Michael said he would be a perfect candidate to be neutered the next day at the clinic. Meredith, the vet, was there, as well, and she agreed.

Some vendors came in, as well, and one little girl was just too cute to turn away. I bought this stuffed turtle from her.

Before we went off to dinner, we were able to find Patty, one of the co-founders of Mayan Families, who also lives next door to Dos Mundos. Chico was still hanging around, so Michael put him into the back of her pickup truck, so he'd be safe for the night.

Michael and I had wanted to go to dinner at Circus Bar, but unfortunately, they were closed that evening. Circus Bar is great for live music, and we had had dinner there back in April. Instead, we went to nearby Atlantis. It didn't have music, but the food was good.

Stay tuned for photos of Chico! The next day, the saga continued!

The Rest of Monday, December 8

2008-12-29T17:31:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday celebration! It's hard to get back into the swing of things, but at least my office is closed this week, so I can ease back gradually...AND finally finish the account of our trip to Guatemala earlier this month!

So where were we? Ah yes, it was that first Monday, right after I had met the Cumpar family. When they arrived at Sharon's at about 10 or 11am, Michael was at the vet clinic (which he will describe on his own), and Tricia was at the San Jorge pre-school party. So I asked the Cumpars if they could wait until both of them got there.

I went back into town with Anna to help organize sandwiches for the volunteers, and on the way I stopped by the vet clinic to let Michael know that the Cumpars had arrived. To say they were busy at the clinic was quite an understatement, and Michael already had tales to tell. He was going to come over once they broke for lunch.

Back at the house, the action continued, but everyone had a few moments to hold the little puppy!

When Michael got to the house, the Cumpar family immediately recognized him. While we were waiting, I had found out from the mother that the family had an urgent need for maize, the corn used for tortillas. That is the staple and often the only part of their diet. Michael and I went with the mother in a tuk-tuk to the Panajachel market and bought her a 100-pound bag of maize. You can read more here: http://helpingmayanfamilies.org/Blog.aspx?ID=17

Right as we were coming back from the market, Tricia and her group arrived from San Jorge! It was a joyous meeting as Tricia got to see three of her four sponsored girls for the first time. Her college pal, Mary, served as the much-needed interpreter.

Here we are with Glendy, Maritza, and Irma.

Then we had a few shots with the entire Cumpar family, Tricia, Michael, and myself before they picked up their tamale basket and left. I posted the best one with my holiday greetings last week. But this photo haunts me. The family is usually smiling in photos, but there is much we do not see behind the scenes. They live a hard life that is impossible for most of us to fully comprehend. I try to picture what they are doing right now, and my imagination fails me.

We said our goodbyes, and the Cumpars set off to take the 2 - 3 hour bus trip back to their village. After intersecting for a few hours that day, our lives were now far apart. But yet, I could not get them out of my head.

***

We helped with the distribution of more tamale baskets. As you can see above, many women wrapped the baskets up and carried them home on their heads, while they carried their babies on their backs.

I helped Morgan, Sarah, and Ismael give out more toys.

The lines outside the gate finally dissipated, and we finished for the evening.

It was quite a long and eventful day. Back in town, a group of us went down to the waterfront and ate at a restaurant called El Pescador. I had a tasty fish, even though I had to use a tortilla to cover its face -- it still had eyes! Now I know that's a delicacy, but I can't quite bring myself to look at it, let alone eat it.

Enough adventure for one day...it was time for bed!

Holiday Greetings from Gonna Make a Change!

2008-12-24T06:30:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from Michael and me to all of our readers!

I'll be back online by the end of the weekend. Wishing everyone a joyous time with their families and friends!

Distributing Donations and Meeting the Cumpar Family -- Monday, December 8

2008-12-22T21:43:00.001-05:00

On Monday morning, after breakfast, Michael and I went our separate ways. Michael went off to the vet clinic (which he will write about later on), and I hopped a tuk-tuk with Angela and Sarah H. to Sharon's.

We stopped for water before we got to the bridge, and I took the opportunity to snap a few up-close tuk-tuk shots.

And then we were back at Sharon's! First, we took all of the finished tamale baskets back out into the courtyard. They had been moved into the enclosed patio right outside her house overnight, so the dogs could be let out. Sharon has taken in about 20 stray dogs, which stay in enclosures during the day.

I unloaded a good portion of the donations we had taken down and brought them to the toy and clothing stations.

The members of the group helped sort through the piles of clothing.

And the young Mayan Families staff helped get ready for the onslaught of mothers and children.

After I had been there about an hour, I saw a familiar face coming in the gate! It was Juana and Candelaria's mother...followed by her children!

I wrote a lengthy guest blog post about our meeting for the Helping Mayan Families group site. Please check it out here: http://helpingmayanfamilies.org/Blog.aspx?ID=17

We had fun finding toys for the kids.

Rafael loved his large Beanie Baby cat.

Maritza had a cuddly teddy bear.

And Candelaria found a stuffed polar bear (the frog was for her little brother). By the way, the "X" on her hand means that she already picked out a toy, and the "Z" stood for Zapatos or shoes. With hundreds of children coming in each day, we had to have a way to mark who had already been served.

And I finally got to see Juana's baby!

Despite our worries during her pregnancy, little Edgar Antonio turned out a big baby!

Candelaria with the necklace I brought her.

The kids loved to pose with their toys.

A family portrait: mom, Candelaria, and Rafael.

Rafael and his big sister.

A self-portrait of me and the kids.

It was so wonderful to see them again. If you're new to my blog, you can read all about the first time we met.

Next post: the rest of Monday! This was just the morning!

Back to Sharon's -- Sunday, December 7

2008-12-21T18:51:00.001-05:00

We got back to Sharon's, and it was time to jump into the fray! The place was teeming with families waiting to receive toys, clothes, and shoes.

The shoe station was a place of joy and heartache. I had the opportunity to help distribute shoes the last time I was down in Guatemala and wrote about it earlier this year. Like last time, there simply were not enough shoes to fit all the people who wanted them. And everyone wanted them.

We had lots of tiny shoes for babies, but the middle sized shoes flew off the table as fast as we were able to find them. Oftentimes, we tried in vain to find the right shoe. Size was all that mattered. There were snow boots (how useful would those be in Guatemala?), flip flops, sneakers, fancy shoes in various states, from new to well-used. Boys vs. girls didn't matter as much, either. Given the state of many of the children's current shoes, anything that fit was a step up.

It was cause for a minor celebration each time we could make a good match.

Every once in a while, I looked up at the mountains around us to see the unbelievable beauty of the land.

Of course, there was overwhelming beauty in the people and their dress. The girl on the left was stunning with her green eyes and brown hair. There were only a few people I saw down there who did not have brown eyes and black hair, so they really stood out.

Here was one of the Mayan Families staff boys who helped us. I believe he is a sponsored student, as well. Some of the kids who work there receive salaries donated by their sponsors. Others volunteer with Sharon in gratitude for the help their families receive.

We couldn't always communicate that well in words with them. My Spanish is not that great. But we could always find a way to work really well together. Often, the US volunteers would help the children and mothers find clothes and shoes, and the staff kids would mark their hands to show who had already gotten their items.

The children had a lot of fun searching through the huge cardboard boxes filled with stuffed animals.

Here's Tricia with some of the women on line to go into the Mayan Families office to meet with a case worker.

Some grateful recipients of clothes.

It was a long day. We wrapped up around nightfall and then went back to our hotels.

Then many of the group met for dinner at El Bistro on Calle Santander. I had been very hungry for a while, since I hadn't eaten much of the chuchitos at lunch. But every time I felt a pang of hunger, I thought about the people here who often have to go much longer between each meal. I was very grateful for the meal at El Bistro.

After dinner, Michael and I got some bottle water at a tienda and then just crashed.

Orphanage Christmas Party -- Sunday, December 7

2008-12-21T17:56:00.001-05:00

Once at the orphanage, we all piled out of the pickup truck and van and collected everything to bring in.

Michael carried in our lunch -- a whole bunch of chuchitos that the kitchen staff had made at Sharon's. Chuchitos are cornmeal dumplings stuffed with meat (in this case, chicken) and wrapped in corn husks.

Upon walking in, we were immediately surrounded by new little friends.

There were 25 orphans ranging in age from about 4 to 16. Casa Hogar Feliz is a privately run orphanage, so we were happy to see the conditions were not miserable. However, the children all came from very difficult backgrounds, and none of them could be adopted because they don't have a relative who could approve the adoption. I found out later that each of these children had been abused prior to coming to the orphanage.

It was so hard to imagine that, seeing their sweet faces.

Once we all gathered, the children and the orphanage staff had a welcome and entertainment program prepared for us. First they each introduced themselves by name...

And then ran back to their seats. Most of them were very shy!

We were treated to a musical performance of Christmas songs on the marimba. The littlest one at the marimba was really quite a musician. He also played the guitar.

Michael took this great picture of the girls performing a traditional dance.

Then, we brought on the clown or Payaso. The kids loved him!

The Payaso performed with his three sons, the Payasitos!

There were various games, and the prizes were big, colorful lollipops!

Then it was lunch break! All of us, kids and volunteers, had the chuchitos (which I found quite heavy, but Michael loved), horchata (a milky-colored drink made of ground rice or seeds), and cake for dessert.

The kids were ready to get to the good stuff, though!

But before Santa could come, it was time for the pinatas!

First the girls had their pinata.

Once it was broken, they quickly collected their piles of candy.

Then the boys had theirs.

Take a good swing!

It didn't take long for Santa to be broken open!

The boys scrambled...and then quickly had their own piles, as well.

Finally, it was time for Santa to give each child a big bag full of presents.

Santa called each child up, but then they waited to open their presents until everyone had their bag.

And then it was time to rip in!

We found out that this little boy had recently arrived from the Guatemala City dump. He had never had a toy in his life.

I took a quick break to look at the beautiful landscape across from the orphanage.

And then it was back to wrapping up the party.

We had a wonderful time at the orphanage...but the day wasn't over! It was time to go back to Sharon's and help with the tamale baskets, clothing, and food distribution!

The day continues in the next post!

First Day of Volunteering -- Sunday, December 7 -- morning

2008-12-21T15:41:00.003-05:00

The following morning, Michael and I woke up to beautiful sunshine and headed to Hotel Dos Mundos' restaurant for the included breakfast.

The food was very basic -- a choice between a very light continental breakfast or the Chapin (local) with eggs, refried beans, a few plantains and some watermelon. But the coffee was good, and the setting was very cheery.

After breakfast, we had a little time, so we walked down to the shore of Lake Atitlan to take a few pictures.

It was so gorgeous! I know why Atitlan has been called the most beautiful lake in the world. And this time, there was no mist obscuring the volcanoes that surround it. (In April, we never got a completely unobstructed view.)

As we were taking it all in, someone called my name. In a twist of fate, it turned out that a former co-worker of mine, Rob, whom I had not seen or spoken with in over three years, just happened to be in town and recognized me. How random is that?

Rob took this picture of Michael and me.

Then we went back to Dos Mundos to meet up with the group. We watched the parade of tuk-tuks go by on Calle Santander.

And we saw the vendors starting to set up their stands.

Today was the day of the orphanage party (which I wrote about earlier this year). The first stop was to the shoe store to buy shoes for each of the children. However, there wasn't enough room for Michael and I to go along with Tricia's gang for this part, so we brought donations over to Sharon's, instead.

When we got to Sharon's, we found piles and piles of the fixings for the tamale baskets: oil, rice, cookies, chocolate, marshmallows, beans, raisins, chicken broth, bread, and more.

Julie, one of the Helping Mayan Families group members, was instrumental in coming up with a great assembly line, so we could zip through the baskets.

We worked side by side with the Guatemalan staff of Mayan Families to create a number of baskets. There are several young people who work at Mayan Families, and we were amazed at how strong and industrious they were.

Above, Michael works with Tracy to put the finishing touches on a basket.

Once each basket was done, someone put it outside, ready to be distributed.

Tricia's group came back from shoe shopping, and it was time for us to get the presents ready for the orphans.

These are just some of the toys on hand for the party and for distribution at other parties!

Back in the States, Tricia had put together a giant ziploc bag marked for each child with their name and photo. Each bag had a variety of items, including clothes, underwear, small games, and toys. We went into the house and wrapped the biggest present for each child and put together Christmas stockings, as well.

Sharon's younger daughter, Aleeya, was too adorable. She is always part of the action.

We got ready to head out to the orphanage. There were two pinatas -- a schoolgirl for the girls and a santa for the boys. Michael and I rode in the back of the pickup truck with the pinatas, the cake, Morgan, and some of the Mayan Families staff kids.

We drove to the orphanage, which was about 15 minutes away from Sharon's. The scenery en route was incredible.

And suddenly, there we were at the orphanage, with the kids ready to greet us!

Next post: the orphanage party!

Arrival in Guatemala -- Saturday, December 6

2008-12-20T21:54:00.003-05:00

Michael and I left for our second trip to Guatemala exactly two weeks ago. The plan was to spend four days volunteering with Mayan Families and four days on vacation. We were indeed able to do both, and it was fabulous!

On the trip down, we lucked out with both a non-stop flight AND first class seats, thanks to Michael's frequent flyer miles. Flying first class, we were able to easily bring down three very, very oversized pieces of luggage filled with donations!

Thank you so much to Carmen, Tricia, Kristine and Javi, and my Mom and Dad for helping to fill these suitcases.

Of course, we started the trip off on a heavy food note: we managed to have three breakfasts before 11am! One at home, one at the airport, and then one on the plane (for someone who always flies coach, how could I pass up a first class breakfast?!?).

What was interesting was that our flight was almost entirely filled with Guatemalan men in their 20s to 40s...I'm guessing workers flying home to see their families for the holidays. There as we waited to board in a sparkling wing of Newark Airport, I tried to imagine how it must be for them to live between two very different worlds.

Once on the plane, our 5 hour 20 minute flight to Guatemala City went by quickly. Maybe that's because I slept part of the way through. But I was awake for our descent, which showcased Guatemala's awesome natural beauty.

Aerial view of mountain passes

At the airport, we breezed through immigration (right before a huge plane full of other new arrivals descended) and picked up our bags without any problems.

When we exited the terminal, we were greeted by the sight we remembered so well from our first trip down: the masses of families waiting for their kin. You see a jumble of colors and textures -- different patterns and fabrics of traditional dress, as well as western clothes. Mothers carrying babies tied to their back with vibrant woven cloths, men wearing cowboy hats, young and old.

We saw a sign with my name on it and recognized the older gentleman who had accompanied the driver on our first trip to Guatemala. They brought the van over, and we loaded up. I was all ready to combat motion sickness this time, now that I had taken Bonine the past two days, and I was wearing my new accupressure bracelets.

Somehow, travel makes you hungry. So even though we had already eaten enough for an entire day, we felt compelled to grab some Pollo Campero on the road out of Guatemala City. We asked our driver and his co-pilot if they would like something, and they said yes. We kind of expected an order, but that was all we got from them. I realized we're so used to be picky Americans. So, Michael and I went in and decided to go for a Banquete Familiar of Pechugitas or fried chicken breast tenders.

They were so delicious! Pollo Campero has the McDonald's brand strategy down pat -- consistency of food and user experience wherever you go -- but yet retains a distinctive Latin American identity. Although it is a little bizarre, as Michael remarked the first time we went down, what other fast food chain has you EAT the mascot? Well, you only have enough time to think about that until you take a bite, and then you're just thinking mmm...juicy...crunchy...who cares what the mascot is!

If you're salivating thinking about Pollo Campero (like I am now), check this out. According to their website, the Guatemalan company has been aggressively expanding in the US market since 2002, and now there are over 38 locations in a number of states, including New York, Texas, and Virginia. Heck, now there's one 20 blocks up from our old apartment! We'll have to pay a visit.

Anyway, we shared our feast with our two compadres and headed off to Panajachel. Michael and I both recalled the journey very well, at least the first part. This time around, though, the weather was perfectly beautiful, not overcast. We journeyed through the country and made our way to a part of the road we had not traveled last time. This is the main road, but large rock faces next to it had been blasted away. You could see the residue of the dust and dirt on the surrounding trees.

The turns weren't as hairpin as the ones on our route in April, but we did come across a few accidents, including a truck that had turned over and spilled its load of oranges on the pavement. A group of people surrounded the truck, and I hoped the driver was ok.

As we got closer to Pana, we saw a number of roadside stands selling reindeers and other animals made of large sticks and twigs, as well as pointsettias, large oblong squash, and white calla lilies. We also saw roadside restaurants advertising Caldo de Gallina Criolla or Creole chicken stew. We looked forward to the signs of the holidays and the food we would taste on our trip.

After a while, we saw signs for Solola, the major city in the region, and we knew we were close. We recognized some of the streets and then the descent down the mountain, past San Jorge, which we visited last time, and Hotel Atitlan, where we stayed last time, and then found ourselves rolling onto Calle Santander just as it was starting to get dark (about 5:30pm).

The driver dropped us off at Hotel Dos Mundos, which is right in the middle of the action on the main tourist street. Michael and I got our room, settled in very briefly, and then headed out to the street to catch a tuk-tuk to la Casa de Sharon, otherwise known as Mayan Families headquarters.

The first driver we saw we hailed, and coincidently, it turned out it was Herman, someone who has a personal connection with Mayan Families. Herman drove us through town and across the bridge to Sharon's. When we got to the wall and gate of her home, I recognized it immediately. A boy came to the door and asked who we were. Once he relayed our names to inside, we were let in right away. And there we were, once again, at Mayan Families.

Sharon came and greeted us warmly, and we met her two daughters, Zoe and Aleeya, again. I saw the red and green cellophane wrapped tamale baskets sitting on the shelves, as well as the huge ziploc bags of toys, and all manner of supplies sitting on the ground. There was much work to be done! Sharon said she had a job for Michael and then disappeared. She brought back the tiniest little puppy for him to hold.

If you remember from our first trip, Michael had fallen in love with a tiny puppy named Pepa. That night, we got to see Pepa all grown up, and instead of being small (as we thought she would be), she was a medium sized dog, and almost unrecognizable from last time!

Then it was time for us to pile into a tuk-tuk and go back into town to meet everyone for dinner at Hotel Regis. Sharon had reserved the main room of the restaurant...and there were going to be a lot of us!

I was so nervous and excited to meet Tricia of Sisterly Shenanigans. We had been corresponding for most of the year, since we sponsor sisters in the same family, and I had become a die-hard fan of her blog. But we had never met in person! It was like waiting to meet a celebrity!

People started to flow in. I met so many from all over...a number of whom, unfortunately, I only really saw that first night, since they were working on other projects. But it was still so amazing to be in a community of like-minded volunteers.

And then Tricia's group came in! I got to meet her and Mary, Sarah, Morgan, Holly C., and Maureen. Such awesome ladies! I knew the week was going to be a lot of fun.

Tricia, Mary, and M.J.

So we had dinner and chatted and got to know people. Sharon made a speech thanking everyone for coming to help and introducing some of the Mayan Families staff.

Here I am with some of the group and my Gallo beer

Then it was off to (the very firm) bed at Hotel Dos Mundos. We made plans with Tricia's group to meet up in the morning for the orphanage party.

What a day! It was so wonderful to be back AND be with great people, new friends and old, AND be in a much warmer climate than New York in December.

Let the adventure begin, I thought as I started to fall asleep!

Back from Guatemala!

2008-12-17T22:10:00.003-05:00

Lots more to come this weekend!

Our sponsored girls

2008-11-30T16:46:00.005-05:00

It has been a crazy past few weeks! LOTS going on at work; Michael and I hosted Thanskgiving for my family; and we're getting ready to go to Guatemala soon.

However, I received some pictures today from Sharon at Mayan Families that I wanted to share with everyone.

Some very generous donors (you know who you are!) sent money for food for Juana's family after she had her baby. It took a while for the family to get the message that food was waiting for them at the Mayan Families headquarters, but they finally did, and they came this week.

Unfortunately, Sharon was not there when they came, so she did not get to speak with the family. But the staff did take photos...although not of the baby! I don't think the staff knew how many people are waiting to hear about the baby.

Juana already looks older to me. You can see she's got the sling for the baby knotted across her chest, like her mom does.

I'm hoping we'll get to see the family in person when we go down. We have bought them a tamale basket, and we'll also be bringing down some gifts for them. Among other things, my mom found cute hoodies for the two babies (Juana's and her baby brother).

We have renewed Candalaria's school sponsorship for next year. Unfortunately, Juana, as you know, is no longer going to school.

But Candelaria has passed to the next grade, as we saw from her report card. So that's good news! We'd love to see her raise some of those grades, though, next year.

The most important thing, however, is that she stays in school. We've learned this from experience.

Christmas Tamale Basket Drive

2008-11-18T19:00:00.001-05:00

If you're starting to get into the holiday spirit and looking for a Christmas charity, this might just be the ticket!

As I have mentioned, Michael and I will be going down to Guatemala next month to help with some of Mayan Families' service projects. One of the projects is putting together the Christmas Tamale Baskets.

The Guatemalan Christmas tradition is to have a special tamale meal at midnight. Unfortunately, there are a great many indigenous people who cannot afford to eat much of anything for Christmas. This year has made it even more difficult, now that food prices have risen 38% in Guatemala.

So one of Mayan Families' major projects is putting together baskets containing all the fixings for a traditional tamale meal and distributing them to needy families.

However, they can't do it without support! Mayan Families relies on donors to sponsor the estimated 800 baskets that are needed.

You can help! For $35 you can give a Christmas Tamale Basket and feed a family of 12 or more. The Christmas basket is made of plastic and will be used afterwards by the family to stack and wash dishes, hold food, etc. The food items will include: oil, 15 lbs of rice to make the tamales, a block of drinking chocolate (this is traditional to drink at midnight), a loaf of bread with which they eat the tamales at midnight, raisins for the tamales, grapes, apples, sugar for the tamales, 5lbs of meat, tomatoes, one pound of coffee, and leaves to wrap the tamales.

If you would like to donate, please follow this link: http://www.mayanfamilies.org/christmas.htm.

I will be posting tons of photos from our experience, so if you are able to contribute, you'll be able to see your money at work.

Sneak preview of Nicaragua/Panama

2008-11-17T19:00:00.001-05:00

Ok, I inadvertently lied in my post from Saturday. I said the next entry would start my adventure in Nicaragua and Panama in February 2005. In the meantime, I just had to post about a few other very important things.

But I'm back! To give you a taste of what's to come, here are some of my favorite pictures from this trip. That'll give you a hint of what's in store!

Horse-drawn utility vehicle in Granada, Nicaragua

The building that set my imagination spinning

Buying an alarm clock in Nicaragua

Chicken bus to Masaya

The incredible view of Panama City from Casco Viejo

There is so much more to come!

Don't miss this Charity Raffle!

2008-11-16T19:00:00.001-05:00

I want to give my blogger friend, Nikki, a plug here. Nikki is the one who did the graphical design of my blog, and I have featured her several times in my posts, primarily because of her fascinating and moving accounts of her volunteer work at home in Canada and abroad.

Nikki's a college student, and she's planning a trip to Ethiopia next year to do more volunteer work. To help fund her travels, she is now holding a raffle with lots of fantastic prizes, including gorgeous jewelry, various handmade items, as well as a blog makeover.

Half of the proceeds of the raffle will go to World Vision, a Christian relief organization through which she sponsors a child in Ethiopia, and half will go towards Nikki's trip.

Selfishly, I can't wait to read about Nikki's time in Ethiopia, so I've already bought raffle tickets!

Check it out! The drawing is November 20, so don't wait!

Race and politics

2008-11-16T08:18:00.001-05:00

I made a conscious decision not to talk about politics on this blog. Why? Politics give us reason to form prejudices about other people, make assumptions about who they are and what they believe. More often than not, they are divisive and take us far from our common humanity.

But I'm going to make one exception today.

Last night, Michael and I watched The Great Debaters, a movie based on a true story about a debate team at a small black college in the 1930s that went on to break the race barrier by competing against white institutions, all the way up to Harvard.

Now, the film is rather formulaic (some reviewers compared it to a traditional sports movie); however, there are a few scenes so powerful that made me understand racism in America like I never have before.

Growing up in liberal, northeast communities most of my whole life, racism has seen more abstract, and I have witnessed very few overt racist acts. More often than not, it is something that I speculated -- was that decision based at all upon the person's race? Is this person treating that person differently because of their race?

However, what this film allowed me to experience viscerally was the fear of being the victim of racial violence -- something that was a very real possibility even for educated middle class black families that seemed, color aside, a lot like mine.

I was amazed that things were like this in the South not even one hundred years ago. But at least they are different now, I thought last night. And now we even have a black President!

So imagine my utter disbelief and disgust finding this article in the news this morning: Election spurs 'hundreds' of race threats, crimes.

Politics are politics. If you voted against Obama because you don't agree with his policies, that does not make you a racist. A great many Americans saw beyond race when making their political decision, whether for a Democrat or a Republican.

While it was not the deciding factor for me in my vote, I am very happy that the race barrier has been broken for the highest office in the land. (Now we just need to see the gender barrier broken, as well!)

But it really disturbs me that there are people so hateful that they are hoping for the President's death and teaching their children that. How else would a schoolbus full of second- and third-graders be chanting "assasinate Obama"?

I wish all those people could see movies like The Great Debaters and realize the horror of their ways and the humanity of us all.

My past life as a solo traveler

2008-11-15T14:10:00.000-05:00

Long before I started this blog, I led quite a different life. I held a job where I only worked and slept, which resulted in two things: 1) I was single, and 2) I lived for my vacations.

I always wanted to share my travel photos and stories with the world, but I never really knew how I could do it back then. So, better late than never, I am going to start presenting some of these now, with the perspective of time.

Back before Michael and I got together, I loved the thrill of traveling solo. Why? There was nothing more exhilirating than being completely responsible for your own itinerary, from the planning stages all the way to getting off the airplane in a completely foreign country, knowing that thousands of doors were open to you. The success or failure of the journey lay firmly in my own hands.

I took three major trips back in that phase of my life, between when I came back from studying in Germany and when I started at my current place of work. They were:

Mexico, September 2003

Panama, February 2004

Nicaragua and Panama, February 2005

The February 2005 trip was the longest, most ambitious, and also the one where I had a digital camera! So I will start with this one.

Now, let me preface this series with the fact that I did not really know about voluntourism back then, and it had not occurred to me that I could give back during my travels. If I were to do it again, I would definitely look into non-profits I could help, at least a little, on my way.

However, in keeping with the theme of my blog, these are tales of change, in addition to travel. I learned about parts of the world I had never really considered before, and I became a self-sufficient solo traveler. When I look back on 2003 through 2005, these trips are among my greatest personal achievements.

So, for the armchair travelers out there, I'm writing this with you in mind, and I will do my best to give you the fullest sense of what it was like to make these journeys. And for those aspiring world travelers, particularly those who wonder what it would be like to travel solo, I am writing this for you, as well. It would be an honor to inspire your future journeys.

Here I am in Nicaragua in February 2005 with my backpack and camera, ready for the adventure to start.

In my next post, the journey begins!

Refugees

2008-11-12T19:47:00.002-05:00

I totally missed the Bloggers Unite day yesterday, which was focused on the plight of refugees.

However, I want to point you all in the direction of two great posts:

1) My friend, Kristine, who wrote about Iraqi refugees, as well as the various ways you can get involved.

2) My friend, Nikki, who is currently volunteering with refugees living in Canada.

Guatemala Update

2008-11-09T16:18:00.001-05:00

What a long and eventful week! We had our anniversary, Election Day, and lots and lots going on at work.

It's hard to believe that we will be traveling to Guatemala next month!

I've got an assortment of things already, including lots of stuffed animals from Tricia, hotel shampoos and soaps I've been collecting over the past six months, a backpack, and some small toys.

My mom has been diligently collecting some items, which she'll bring at Thanksgiving, and a few other people have offered to give us things to bring down. Thank you all very much for your efforts!

If you'd like to get involved, Michael and I still have room in our suitcases!

I know it's a difficult economic time, so I'm really only looking for things you might have lying around your home.

If you have any gently used items that you have no need for, we would be happy to take them down.

Here are some possibilties:
-Any kind of children's toys (small and light are best)
-Children's books in Spanish
-Puzzles and educational games in Spanish
-Babies' and children's clothing
-Sheets to fit a full-size bed
-Large suitcases (we actually need several to haul the donations down there that we can just leave in Guatemala)

In addition (unused items):
-Hotel or travel-sized toiletries, such as soap and shampoo
-Underwear and socks
-Medical supplies, such as first aid items, pain medications, and veterinary medications (even expired is ok, as long as expiration date is within a year)

If you have anything else you would like to donate, please let us know! You can email me at gonnamakeachange@gmail.com.

One Year

2008-11-03T21:07:00.002-05:00

Morocco Trip Recap

2008-10-29T22:27:00.003-04:00

It's time to wrap up my coverage of Michael's and my amazing honeymoon to Morocco last November. I hope you've enjoyed our photos and tales.

For those of you considering a trip to Morocco, I would highly recommend it. I think you'll find enough reason why in my blog posts these past two months.

Here's a recap:

Morocco Part I: Accommodations

Museum of Marrakesh

Ali Ben Youssef Medersa

Djemma el Fna by night

Journey to the Atlas Mountains

Road trip to Essaouira

Jardin Majorelle

Marrakesh Odds and Ends

Most things you can do in Marrakesh and the environs without prior reservations. In fact, not having a set itinerary can allow you to experience some of the details of life there, without the stress of being a tourist on a schedule.

One thing, however, I would recommend planning ahead: booking some time at Les Bains de Marrakech. This is a spa in the Medina where Michael and I were able to live like royalty. The highlight was the hammam (Moroccan bath) we experienced together. Normally, baths are segregated by the sexes. However, here we were able to have a private hammam. This consisted of sweating in a very hot room, being slathered down with herbal soap, scraped off with exfoliating mitts, doused with water, and then given a four-handed back massage.

The heat and sweating was quite intense, but it was all worth it. Afterwards, I felt more relaxed than I can ever remember being. We got to shower off the remains of the sweat and soap, and then wrapped ourselves in bathrobes, and retired to the soaring chill-out courtyard filled with comfortable low beds and decorated with candles, fountains, and rose petals. To top it off, we were served the most refreshing mint tea. It was heaven!

Check out the website (above) for a photo tour of the place. It's all the more amazing that this spa is tucked away in an alley so close to the dust and chaos of the crowded city.

And that's it for now. I hope you'll get to experience it one day! Feel free to leave a comment or drop me an email at gonnamakeachange@gmail.com if you have any questions or would like some advice on planning a trip to Morocco!

Marrakesh Odds and Ends

2008-10-28T20:47:00.008-04:00

As I wind down with my coverage of our trip to Morocco last November, here are some things I haven't yet shown you.

Marrakesh's famous landmark is the Koutoubia Mosque and its minaret, which, interestingly, has served as inspiration for church towers and buildings the world over. The minaret helps you find your direction in Marrakesh, as you can see it from many places in the city. It's a particularly impressive sight at nighttime.

Just imagine coming back from a night out at the Euro-style clubs in the new part of town, leaving the high-rises and gardens and wide avenues for the increasingly narrower streets and alleys lined by ancient buildings and filled with people and streets stands, your compass being this minaret. That was our journey home one night.

Michael and I took a cooking class one morning. La Maison Arabe is a famous Marrakesh hotel and restaurant that has a satellite location 15 minutes outside of the center of town where they have their swimming pool, special event facility, and cooking school. Behind very non-descript doors, you find an unbelievable oasis.

We're talking gardens, an 18 meter long swimming pool, and unbelievably gorgeous buildings. If money were no object, I would throw a soiree here in an instant! Want to daydream? Then you must check out their website here to see their kasbah salon.

Michael and I, after we suited up in our aprons, got a chance to wander around the grounds. We saw rosemary hedges, as pictured above with Michael. Moroccans do not use rosemary in their cooking, so instead, it functions as shrubbery. Michael was aghast (it's his favorite herb). Various other herbs, though, were cultivated for culinary use in the garden. There were also bushes of tiny red, yellow, and purple peppers -- pictured with me, above -- as well as olive trees.

Mohammed, a professor at the University, was our translator, and our instructor was a dada, or traditional Moroccan cook. The dada showed us what to do, and Mohammed translated and helped us. We learned how to make a roasted pepper appetizer and the classic chicken tagine with preserved lemon and olives. (Once we got home, we purchased a tagine of our own and now enjoy making Moroccan tagine dishes when we have the opportunity.)

Michael and I each prepared our own individual tagine. It was fun and interesting, and the best part was the beautiful surroundings. When our food was finished cooking, a waiter served it to us outside.

We wished we had brought our bathing suits, so we could have taken a dip in the beautiful pool. But it was November, and the pool was not heated, anyway. I put my hand in and found the water bone numbingly cold. So, nothing really lost there.

After a walk back through the garden, we were at the gate and piling into the shuttle van. Time to go back into the fray of Marrakesh.

Back in the new (French) part of Marrakesh, there was a very popular McDonald's. I had to take a picture of their local special: the McArabia. Note: we did not actually eat at McDonald's on the trip.

Here was the doorway to a mosque in the Medina. You almost wouldn't even notice it unless someone pointed it out, which someone did. The narrow streets of the Medina are packed with so many details, I could've taken a million photos.

I found the artwork on the back of this truck interesting. Also, that there are words in English and bald eagle heads. Hmmm.

This was the door to the house across from our hotel. Earlier in the week, we had seen cuts of meat being wheel-barrowed into the house. We had wondered what was up. As it turns out, the Saturday night we were at the hotel, there was a wedding here. From our roof, we saw across to their roof, where servant girls were looking down at the party in the courtyard. We also heard the noise till the early hours of the morning. But it was all good (we had just gotten married the week before, after all).

If only we could have gone across and taken a peek at the actual celebration. Unfortunately, it would have been a little obvious that we were crashing the wedding. So we just heard their music and imagined what must have been going on.

The Djemma el Fna by day is filled with various tourist traps, including the ubiquitous snake charmers.

Yes, we paid money to have snakes draped on us and have our picture taken.

Michael even kissed the snake, as part of some good luck ritual.

So there you have it. These are some of the highlights I hadn't yet featured here. We saw and did so much in seven short days in Morocco. Unfortunately, we weren't able to capture everything on film. But at least we got a lot of it. The rest is for our memories!

Jardin Majorelle

2008-10-27T17:00:00.001-04:00

One day in Marrakesh, we left the walls of the Medina behind us to find the famous gardens called Jardin Majorelle. It took us a while to find the place, despite our map. With all the dusty tan buildings in the newer part of the city it was hard to imagine that somewhere inside there was an oasis.

But find it we did. The gardens, previously owned by Yves Saint-Laurent, feature countless plant varieties, water features, and assorted fauna.

You could completely forget what is outside the walls!

The colors are absolutely brilliant. The blues and greens soothe, while the reds and yellows excite.

What a relaxing place to be!

What is this?

We took a closer look at the fountain.

I even made an unexpected new friend.

This is actually one of the few portraits of both of us on the honeymoon.

Can you believe the color saturation?

More color.

Turtles enjoy a pond.

I really don't have too much else to say about this site. It was beautiful and relaxing and the pictures tell the whole story!

Road trip to Essaouira...and my big life decision along the way

2008-10-26T10:40:00.004-04:00

The second day trip we took on our honeymoon last November was to the coastal town of Essaouira, about three hours away from Marrakesh.

We decided to economize by taking a comfortable bus, rather than a private car, to the town. That saved us at least a hundred dollars, and we probably didn't get any less of an experience. In fact, we got some experiences we probably wouldn't have had otherwise. But more on that later.

We departed the city of Marrakesh for a journey into the desert. For much of the drive, what we saw out the windows looked more like a moonscape than anything I had previously experienced on earth.

Occasionally, you would see some trees and buildings that indicated a farm of some sort. There were a few signs for argan oil producers -- in English for tourists.

We made one pit stop at a place that was all ready for us, with a cafe, restrooms, and shoe shine boys and a sort of Moroccan version of a mariachi band that descended upon us. Unfortunately, we didn't take any photos of the Moroccan tourist trap.

Our bus zipped down the two-lane road, overtaking smaller vehicles on its race to the coast. After the landscape had become more tree-lined, we had our first sight of Essaouira.

We were dropped off outside the castle-like walls of the old medina.

White-washed buildings alluded to Greece.

However, this was no Greek town -- check out the minaret.

Various cats and dogs walked through and slept on the street -- something we hadn't really seen as much in Marrakesh. Essaouira seemd to be a place where they could chill out in peace.

As we walked through the market, we saw many stores selling things similar to what we had seen in Marrakesh. We stopped at one shop that had decorative knives on display. The shopkeeper urged us to come in, and we decided to acquiesce.

When we didn't see anything that particularly interested us, he invited us to come to his back room. There he had us sit down on rugs, while he pulled out his treasure chest. Every Berber family has a chest in which they keep their most valuable things, he told us.

We were fascinated by this storyteller who showed us necklaces, one of which had seven charms to represent something having to do with marriage, so he told us. We had also previously told him that we were on our honeymoon. Hmmm.

Well, it was an experience, and we didn't feel bad paying for a memento of an experience, especially when it was a nice necklace. Unfortunately, I lost it the first time I wore it in the US, but such is the transient nature of life.

Anyway, when we did the usual bargaining for the price, he switched the game up. When we proposed a lower price, he asked, "What can you trade?" He wanted some artifact from the United States, which at this moment seemed very, very far away. We didn't have much with us. So he suggested Michael's jacket. Michael was willing to part with it, but I, being ever practical, didn't think it would be a good trade and wondered what he would do if he needed it before the end of the trip.

So I dug around in my bag and found a pen from a company meeting at the Princeton Club in New York City. Before I just valued it because it wrote pretty well for a cheap pen. But here in Morocco, it took on new meaning. With the Princeton seal and a New York address printed on it, it was a tangible piece of life in the U.S., here in the desert. The seller looked the pen over carefully, tried it to make sure it worked, and then declared it would be an acceptable trade. We agreed on a price, bought the necklace, and bid him farewell.

After we left, Michael remarked that we had probably gotten somewhat scammed and paid a far higher price than the necklace was worth. However, we did get a story...and a light went off in my head about what we should bring on future trips to the bargaining world: U.S. swag! Not only that, we got an exotic, romantic moment: sitting there in that back room with the rugs, watching intently as the seller took piece after piece out of his treasure chest. This was the Morocco we had hoped for!

After our shopping excursion, we walked along the austere waterfront.

We saw hundreds of small wooden fishing boats and a fish market right by the dock.

We finished our time at a cafe on the beach. There wasn't much sunbathing or swimming going on, this being Morocco and also in the fall. But it was still a nice place to relax.

Then we went to the bus station, where we wound up waiting an hour or so for a working bus to show up. While the bus in the morning had been quite new and clean, the one we got for the return trip was old and quite unappealing, with trash and chewed gum stuck to the back of the seats.

As it turns out, we spent a good deal of time in that bus, as our driver got caught speeding about two-thirds of the way into our journey. Speeding had not seemed a problem for tourist buses on the way out there. It seemed the biggest vehicle ruled the road, and that was us on the way out to Essaouira. We bypassed police checkpoints, where they had pulled over small cars.

However, no one was immune on the way home. When our bus got pulled over, the driver tried to negotiate with the police. He spent about an hour walking off with the police, coming back, talking to the Moroccan passengers, then going back to the cops. All the while, we waited in the bus or went outside for a little while. Michael and I talked to a European guy who spoke Arabic and told us what was going on. Apparently, the cops were demanding something like 400 dirhams (about US$50 -- a lot for a bus driver) to be paid on the spot for the speeding ticket.

It was getting dark, and I really did not want to be stuck on this desolate part of Morocco, just past the desert. I figured if every passenger chipped in, we could pay the ticket (or bribe, whatever it actually was). The driver continued to talk and smoke with the cops. Finally, he got back into the bus, and we were allowed to go. I don't know what transpired. But at that point, I didn't really care. We were moving. Finally!

It was on that long return trip, as the complete darkness of the desert transformed into a few lights here and there to groups of buildings by the road to small towns to the outskirts of Marrakesh to finally the heart of the bustling city itself, that I started to contemplate the world trip we wanted to undertake in 2008.

There were a few things that were gnawing at me. First of all, we had become acutely aware of how weak the U.S. dollar was. Even in Morocco, things were expensive for us! That did not bode well for a many month trip around the world. Second of all, I had this gut feeling that we needed to be making this trip for the right reasons. I had originally had the idea to go back when I was single. All doors were open then, and I was looking to see the world and let it help me decide my future. Then Michael and I got together, and it became our trip. But why? What did we want to accomplish on the trip? While we both wanted to see the world, the point was not going to be to decide our future. Our future was with each other.

I realized I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted out of the trip. The way I figured it, unlike some of our European friends, we really only had one shot in life to do a trip of this magnitude. I wanted to make sure I knew exactly what I wanted to get out of it. And something was telling me I wasn't quite certain at that point.

As it turns out, the economy in 2008 got even worse than we had imagined. Although the dollar has come back recently, it's not the economic climate in which I would want to just leave my job and hope for the best upon my return.

And it took the change in plans for me to realize in 2008 what I really want to do when we eventually take a world trip: find grassroots non-profit groups along the way, see how people are living, and how people like us can help make a difference.

It was the right decision to cancel the trip for 2008. I can't imagine coming back right about now to this economy. But it certainly was a difficult thing to discuss with Michael that evening, once we got back into Marrakesh. I'm glad, though, that that trip back from Essaouira gave me the clarity to think and listen to my gut.

Time is flying!

2008-10-19T12:11:00.003-04:00

Photo by Jason Specland

It's just two weeks till Michael's and my FIRST WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!

How much has happened in the past year?

Babies:

Lex and Erik's first
Tanja and Joerg's second
Jon and Joanne's second
Randi and Dave's first
Brian and Heather's second
Rachel and Seth's first is on the way
Barb and Kozak's first is on the way

Weddings:

Tanja and Joerg
Jess and Chris
Greg and Maggie's engagement
Lisa and David's engagement

New Homeowners:

Us
Don and Alex
Grace and Steve
Rachel and Seth became homeowners twice over!

And there are probably a ton more things that I am forgetting! What an exciting time in our lives.

Guatemala Preparation

2008-10-18T10:44:00.004-04:00

Michael and I are heading back to Guatemala in December to help with some great projects and do a little traveling.

There are about 30 people going down, and one of the groups has created a fantastic website, http://www.helpingmayanfamilies.org. Check it out to find out more about the different service projects: Medical Clinic, Veterinary Clinic, Tamale Baskets, and Office Support, as well as brief synopses of who will be taking part.

I can't wait! It'll be great to get back to Guatemala, and in addition, we'll get to meet all sorts of wonderful people and also see some places we missed last time.

Michael and I, thanks to the miracle of frequent flyer miles, will be flying down business class, so we will be able to bring down several suitcases each.

If you would like to help us fill our suitcases, please let me know! We could use any of the items listed here or toys, children's clothes, hotel toiletries, sheets for full-sized beds, kitchen supplies, and many other things. Just ask! Please email me at gonnamakeachange@gmail.com.

Long time no see!

2008-10-11T10:23:00.004-04:00

Hi all! What a week this has been with the financial meltdown and its impact all over the world.

I want to apologize for the lack of entries lately. My job has been keeping me busier than any other time in the past three years, and unfortunately, there hasn't been much left at the end of the day for blogging.

However, I haven't forgotten about you. I have been thinking about issues of poverty and hunger. My friend, Nikki, wrote a great post about the levels of poverty on her blog. And I just received a letter from one of the local charities I support, Community Foodbank of New Jersey, asking money for their Thanksgiving Appeal.

The President and CEO, Kathleen DiChiara, writes, "Many people in New Jersey don't realize the number of their neighbors who are struggling to feed themselves and their families. Community FoodBank of New Jersey provides food to more than 1,600 hunger-relief programs throughout 18 counties and distributes over 23 million pounds of food annually."

It's true -- I had no idea of the numbers. You assume everyone has food to eat. At least there are various programs that offer help here in the US, Canada, and other first world countries. In many poor parts of the world, there just isn't the same kind of help.

That is one thing that puts the whole financial crisis in perspective. No matter how bad we have it because of the markets, it still is nothing like the situations people face in places like Haiti or Guatemala.

Another thing that put the gloom and doom on Wall Street into perspective was watching a film this week called Rescue Dawn. This is based on a true story about a US Navy pilot who becomes a POW in the Vietnam War. If you want a reality check about how much you take for granted, including food, health, and just freedom of movement, it's a good movie to see.

On a happier note, the next installment of my Morocco coverage will be our road trip through the desert to a seaside town called Essaouira. Stay tuned!

Journey to the Atlas Mountains

2008-10-04T16:37:00.000-04:00

When in Marrakesh, Morocco, on our honeymoon last November, Michael and I took a day trip to the Atlas Mountains. It was only a few hours outside of the city, but what a difference!

While the city of Marrakesh was packed, noisy, and bustling, the road to the mountains was quiet and austere. We saw Berber villages that blended in with the earth around them and a smattering of scrubby green trees.

A Berber village on the drive from Marrakesh to the Atlas Mountains

On the way, our driver took us to Sir Richard Branson's Moroccan retreat, Kasbah Tamadot. While the surrounding area was unassuming, the hotel was truly an oasis.

The road by Sir Richard Branson's Kasbah Tamadot

The outer walls of Kasbah Tamadot

Check this out! It was a world of utter luxury, with beautiful carvings, magnificent fabrics, a glittering pool, all sunshine and greenery and tilework.

Inside Kasbah Tamadot

We got to look around and use their bathroom and imagine what it would be like to spend hundreds of Euros a night to stay here.

I looked out from the patio to observe who their neighbors were, and across an expanse of land was a small, simple Berber village -- you could barely make it out.

View of Berber villages from Kasbah Tamadot

The contrast between the Kasbah and the village was tremendous.

An outer building at Kasbah Tamadot

Another view of the surrounding area by Kasbah Tamadot

After our tour of the grounds and a nice tip for the hotel staff member who showed us around, we set out for the town of Imlil.

Road to the Atlas Mountains and the town of Imlil

It was autumn, after all, but I was almost surprised to see the colors of the foliage as we got closer to Imlil. Given the look of the trees we had seen up to that point, I had not thought there would be deciduous plant life.

On the way to Imlil

But there were. In fact, the foliage was more magnificent than what we had seen in Upstate New York on the day of our wedding. As it turned out, last year the leaves turned later in the season than they normally do. So we did not have as gloriously colorful a wedding as we had hoped. No matter!

Imlil, Morocco

We got to Imlil, a town that is used as a base for tourists to come in from Marrakesh and hike around. It had several restaurants and a number of people ready to give tours or offer donkey rides. But there was nothing really upscale there.

We were dropped off at a restaurant where we were to pre-order our lunch before setting out on a walking tour with a guide. It was all designed to separate us from our money, but it wasn't terribly expensive, and no one in the town seemed to be living in wealth.

View from the roof patio of the restaurant where we stopped

Our guide walked us up tiny pathways that were busy with locals, livestock, and tourists on donkeys all doing their best not to fall into the adjacent stream.

Michael and our guide on the path

Here we are at a small waterfall along the way

Path in Imlil

One thing I immediately noticed was how fresh and clean the air was. Marrakesh had been incredibly polluted, and at times I found it hard to breathe. Here I wanted to drink the air in.

More fall foliage

After we finished our tour, we went back to the restaurant for our lunch. I had the best vegetable tagine of our trip there. My theory is that meat is generally a luxury for the people who live in this area, so they are particularly good at making vegetarian food. In Marrakesh, most of the vegetable tagines I had seemed rather uninspired.

View from our lunch table

There was something about this town, the mountains, the low stone buildings, the clarity of the air, and just the sense of austerity that reminded me of China, particularly of my time in Longsheng in 2001.

There was some terraced agriculture in Imlil, but nothing like the Dragon's Backbone rice fields. It was more than that. It was that sense of being far away from home and high in altitude, knowing that this was a place that did not have the creature comforts or materialism I was used to. I admired the beauty but felt slightly uncomfortable, stripped of most of what I know.

It was the edges of culture shock. I was an observer, as I knew we would be driven back to the relative familiarity of urban life in Marrakesh. Had I stayed longer, I would have had to start opening myself up to the slow pace of life, the difference in plumbing and accommodations, the donkeys, the villagers, for whom the rest of the world seems but a fairy tale, and nature's harshness in the mountains.

I know that feeling of being far away from home and realizing you cannot get away easily. I know it from my times in Germany and from my longer travels, particularly in Vietnam and India. The deeper you feel it, the greater risk you are taking: the further away you are, the longer you will be there, the more foreign the locale. But of course, as with everything, the greater the risk, the greater the reward. While the initial sensation can be frightening, for a traveler it usually means you are on the right track.

Michael in Imlil

Waiting for lunch

Mother at age 14 in Guatemala

2008-09-28T17:10:00.002-04:00

This is a difficult entry to write. About two months ago, I got an email from Sharon, the head of Mayan Families, with some troubling news about our sponsored student, Juana.

Hi Holly,

I have some not very good news about Juana. Her mother came to see us this week with Juana and a few of the kids. It turns out that Juana is pregnant. She is nearly 6 months pregnant, I think. She has been keeping this hidden by tying her belt and corte [skirt] very, very tight. When she came she did not look pregnant. We sent her to the doctor; he examined her and said that the baby is very small and that she is doing damage tying her belt so tight to try and hide the pregnancy. He convinced her not to do that anymore.

Now according to the mother, the father of the baby is 18yrs old. He comes from a wealthy family, and when she went to them to ask for help, they refused and said that they don't want anything to do with Juana and do not want her to marry their son.

Apparently, from what I can gather Juana may have been working in the house of the baby's father.

So we have arranged to take legal action against the father. She is underage, and she may need a cesarian. We want him to take some financial responsibilty and have started the process......we now have to wait for the baby to be born before any more steps can be taken. I don't want to have the boy go to jail, but I would like the family to take some responsibility to help this new baby.

As you know the mother of the family barely has enough food for her own children. She was crying and saying how will they be able to feed this baby? She said that they are often only eating tortillas with salt.

Juana seems very disconnected from what is happening and doesn't seem to really realize the implications of what this will mean to her future. She is still in school at the moment but she will not be able to be for much longer.

Sorry this is not better news,
Sharon

When I found out, I sent money for medical care and food. I didn't publicize what was going on since this was a very sensitive situation, and I didn't know what was going to happen.

To those new to my blog, Michael and I have school sponsorships for two sisters, Juana, 14, and Candelaria, 12, whose pictures are featured at the top of this blog. The girls have a brother Rafael, 8, sister Maritza, 7, and infant brother, Antonio. The mother runs the family by herself, and says the father, an alcoholic, is "dead to her." The family live in the Lake Atitlan region of Guatemala, and they are extremely poor.

Here's a picture with Juana's mother, Antonio, Maritza, and Juana picking up the food in August:

I emailed Sharon at the beginning of this month trying to find out how Juana was doing. She had not heard from the family, but since Juana's mother usually comes when they need something, no news was probably good news.

Then I got an email from Sharon last week:

Hi Holly,

Well, co-incidence!!! Juana's mother came yesterday and told us that Juana had a baby boy a few days ago. He was 8lb or so she says...they don't really have a scale, so it is just a guess. But they are both healthy, she had the baby at home. We gave the mother clothes for the baby, and she received a blanket and some goodies for herself.

The mother said that they will come back in 20 days which is the customary time that mothers have to stay at home with newborns and then they leave the house after that.

Warmest regards,

Sharon

Here's a picture of Juana's mother that day:

I asked Sharon if she thought it would be a good idea for me to post about this on my blog, and she thought it was fine. She said, "If it brings help to the family, thank goodness because they are going to need it."

So that's why I wanted to let you, my readers, know. It's very difficult to be a 14 year old unwed mother anywhere, but even more so living in extreme poverty in rural Guatemala.

I am relieved that both mother and baby are healthy -- especially since the conditions of Juana's pregnancy were very far from ideal. But I'm sad that she will no longer be able to attend school, since she will have to take care of the baby. As Sharon said, "Her mother can't because she already has that little one that she is caring for, and she can't carry two of them on her back."

Without school, there will be little chance for Juana to break out of the cycle of poverty. I still hope that perhaps in a few years she will at least be able to have some skills training. One of the projects Mayan Families sponsors is a sewing program, where women learn to sew and support themselves that way. I would gladly sponsor her education through something like that, once there is an opportunity.

For now, though, she, her new baby, and the whole family need food to survive and be healthy. As I have written in earlier posts, food prices have gone up dramatically in Guatemala, as all over the world. And I'm not holding my breath for the father's family to pay or be forced to pay child support any time soon. Without assistance, this family normally subsists on tortillas and salt, when they have them, so any and all help is needed.

If you would like to contribute to food for the family, please go to http://www.mayanfamilies.org/food.htm, where you can donate through PayPal. They will send you a receipt via email, and the donation is US tax deductible. After donating, you just need to email personaldonation@mayanfamilies.org and say that the donation is for #603 Juana's family. (Otherwise the money will go into the general food fund.)

Any amount will help, and our combined contributions will help this family get the nutrition they need.

Mayan Families' mission is to provide a hand up for impoverished indigenous families in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. While food might seem like a "handout," these people have so little that they need to start from somewhere. Food donations give families like these the nutrition to be healthy, go to school and work, and to start on the path toward getting out of poverty. Without the right food, it is difficult to concentrate in school, work long hours or stave off illness. It truly is the basis for any hand up to work.

If anyone has any other ideas for how we could best help Juana and her baby, please let me know! Particularly if anyone has experience with assistance for teenage mothers in developing countries.

Thank you very much for reading and for your support. I'd greatly appreciate it if you could pass this entry along to any friends, family, or colleagues who might be interested or link to it on your blog.

Thank you, also, from Juana's mother. We met her, along with the rest of the family, when we went down to Guatemala in April. She was SO grateful -- I'll never forget how she said "gracias" for every single thing we gave her family. I can just imagine her thanking each of you now.

Juana is such a sweet girl with a beautiful smile. I'm very sorry she has had to grow up so quickly. Her birthday is in January, so she might have become pregnant before she even turned 14. Truly, I cannot imagine what it is like to be in her shoes, before the baby and now. But I'm glad that we are involved, and that this family is not alone.

I will be updating this blog with news and pictures of Juana and her baby as I get them.

Djemma el Fna by night

2008-09-27T21:50:00.000-04:00

My coverage of our honeymoon to Morocco last November continues. Michael helped write this post.

One of the unique draws of Marrakesh is the Djemma el Fna: the legendary square and market in the city's old medina quarter. Michael and I had been looking forward to visiting it right away, and despite our jet lag, it was our first stop after we arrived our first evening.

The Djemma is the center of activity every night for both tourists and locals. It features hundreds of food stalls and bright lights that are wheeled in by donkey carts in the late afternoon. Vendors tempt customers to stop and sit down for dinner with lavish meat and vegetable displays and touts who call you "my friend" and prevent you from walking any further.

The square is rimmed with cafes and restaurants featuring outdoor patios overlooking the show. Here's a picture we took from one such cafe.

The other section of the square hosts a dizzying variety of entertainers. You find small groups of Arab and Berber musicians, story tellers (interesting even when one doesn't understand their words), male bellydancers dressed in drag (female bellydancers would not be tolerated in a public space like this in Morocco), snake charmers, traditional dancers, and more. Each has a lantern and a large group of Moroccans and tourists around them.

Here's a view of this area from the same cafe:

Each entertainer has his own shtick. One sings with a chicken on his head or his instrument. Michael took a picture of me with the chicken man. Of course, this was in exchange for a number of dirhams. If anyone attempts to take a photo of an entertainer without paying up, said entertainer will make a spectacle of the photographer. We saw this happen with one particularly scary looking male bellydancer.

We had to work up the courage to actually eat at the Djemma. Well, let me correct that. I had to work up the courage. Michael would have eaten at a stall the very first night. But I wanted to go with something "safer" at the beginning of the honeymoon -- a well-known restaurant on the square called Cafe Argana. But later on in the week, we decided to try the stalls.

Here's Michael as we sat there at a stall, waiting for our food.

We had traditional Moroccan fare: I had a seven vegetable couscous, and Michael had some sort of meat dish. After that, we actually tried out a few more stalls. I got a freshly squeezed orange juice, and Michael tried a steaming bowl of snails!

Imagine the feel of a county fair, but with twenty times more food vendors and all of them right next to each other. Then imagine them with strange and exotic dishes, signs in Arabic script, and sounds of tribal-like drumming in the background. That's what it's like to be in the heart of the Djemma food stalls.

For more Djemma pictures, check out FXCuisine.com. This is a VERY accurate representation of what the Djemma looks like at night...including snails.

For some travel advice, check out this NYT article about Marrakesh that was published exactly when we were there!

Ali Ben Youssef Medersa

2008-09-22T19:00:00.002-04:00

Back to Morocco! I'm onsite at a conference right now, so I don't have much time. But here are some of the sights we saw at Ali Ben Youssef Medersa in Marrakesh, once the largest Koranic school in North Africa.

Now it is a historical site and a beautiful testament to Moroccan art. Consistent with Islamic tradition, there are no representations of humans or animals in the tilework and carvings. Instead, we see geometric shapes and inscriptions in Arabic script.

What amazing design!

Haiti update

2008-09-21T18:00:00.003-04:00

Through my job, I have had a good deal of contact with US and Canadian military service members who work as doctors, nurses, and medics. These are truly some of the most honorable and humbling people I have ever met. They care for all the catastrophic injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan, but they also do humanitarian work. I never see this covered in the mainstream media, so I thought I would post this article I just read. I thank all the Kearsarge troops and all the military medical professionals for their service.

Kearsarge Medics Begin Health Assessments in Haiti
American Forces Press Service

MORASE, Haiti, Sept. 19, 2008 – The amphibious ship USS Kearsarge expanded its assistance to disaster relief operations in Haiti on Sept. 17, dispatching medical teams to conduct health assessments of Haitian communities suffering in the aftermath of tropical storms Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Hurricane Ike.

Kearsarge medical teams were the first to arrive in the small village of Morase, quickly setting up operations to determine what services the population needed most. With malnutrition topping the list of concerns, the medical teams conducted health assessments of residents, especially children.

Medics from USS Kearsarge examine residents of Trois Ponts, Haiti, during a health assessment survey Sept. 18, 2008, to determine future relief operations. Kearsarge is providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief aid to Haiti after three tropical storms and a hurricane devastated the region. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class David Danals

The Kearsarge medical teams, which include partner-nation military medical personnel, are working in concert with the U.S. Agency for International Development and other multinational relief groups.

The medical personnel join Kearsarge's nearly two-week support to the relief efforts. Since Sept. 8, helicopters and landing craft from Kearsarge have delivered more than 980 metric tons of relief supplies and 26,000 gallons of water to devastated communities isolated by damaged roads and bridges.

"Today is a big day, because we are finally 'boots on the ground' with the medical part of the mission to see where the people are, and the needs that they have," Cmdr. Angelica Almonte, a Navy Nurse Corps officer, said.

Navy Lt. Hector Acevedo and Navy Cmdr. Angelica Almonte measure a child's arm circumference and height while gathering data to assess the health of the village. They embarked with USS Kearsarge, which is supporting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in Haiti after a series of tropical storms and Hurricane Ike devastated much of the country. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Apprentice Joshua Adam Nuzzo

Heavy rains and major flooding destroyed much of the region's crops, driving food prices higher than the villagers can afford. Medical personnel, concerned about malnutrition, began taking weight-for-height and mid-upper arm circumference measurements to conduct surveys to determine the village's current nutritional needs.

"We are trying to get a nutritional assessment of the children," said Capt. (Dr.) Tim Shope, a Navy pediatrician. "We are also sending a group of health officials into the community to test water and get a general sense of their food and water supply."

The Kearsarge medical team members said the overall health in Morase is good. However, there is a concern that, with difficulty of getting enough food to outlying areas due to washed-out roads and bridges, the population will begin to suffer from severe malnutrition that can impair the immune system, leaving children more vulnerable to diseases such as diarrhea, measles and tuberculosis.

Canadian army Lt. Stephanie Lavoie, embarked aboard USS Kearsarge, speaks with members of the Haitian Red Cross regarding medical care for Haitian residents who were displaced by recent storms. Kearsarge is using helicopters and amphibious landing craft to reach storm victims in areas of Haiti where the roads are inaccessible. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Ernest Scott

Additionally, an inadequate supply of fresh water could lead to disease outbreaks such as cholera, typhoid and Hepatitis A.

"From the initial assessment, it looks like the people are generally healthy," said Lt. Candace D'Aurora, a Navy Nurse Corps officer. "The main issue right now is the villagers are saying they don't have food or water. That is the biggest issue we must address."

The areas needing the most immediate assistance have been prioritized by USAID‘s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance.

Medical teams from Kearsarge will continue to meet with other agencies working in the country, such as the Centers for Disease Control, Doctors Without Borders and the Pan American Health Organization, to plan what services to provide after the initial assessments.

Kearsarge has about 150 military, Public Health Service and nongovernmental organization medical professionals aboard. The medical team was part of the ship's five-month Continuing Promise 2008 humanitarian deployment to the region.

(From a U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet news release.)

Related Articles: Special Report: Disaster Relief in Haiti

Hurricane update — relief in the US

2008-09-20T08:59:00.007-04:00

I got this email from the Red Cross on Thursday:

Dear Friend of the Red Cross,

Hurricane Ike crashed into Gulf Shore communities then up through the Midwest — leveling neighborhoods, submerging homes, and leaving many families and individuals with nothing except what they brought with them to disaster shelters.

Red Cross staff are working endlessly to ensure shelter residents — including children and the elderly — are receiving the food, water, and comfort they need while dealing with the changes in their lives caused by Ike’s powerful forces.

There’s also an uplifting spirit of help and camaraderie among Red Cross staff and hurricane victims, like young Raymond McGee from a shelter in San Antonio, TX. Thirteen year-old Raymond turned from victim to helper… his spirit of lending a hand in the midst of his hardships is inspiring.

The reality is, the Red Cross is still on the ground helping Hurricane Gustav victims on a huge scale. We have served more than 2.8 million meals and snacks to those impacted by Gustav — while thousands of our workers are serving Ike victims too.

You were quick with providing compassion through your recent donation to help disaster victims. Would you help in spreading the word about disaster relief needs to your friends and family?

PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE ON TO FRIENDS, CO-WORKERS AND FAMILY.

Gustav relief and assistance is expected to cost the Red Cross as much as $70 million, but we’ve raised only a fraction of that amount. And now, we know Ike will exceed Gustav’s cost for relief. All this while

We are looking at a very large, lengthy relief operation that could stretch into the coming months

We are just half-way through the season and Hurricanes Dolly, Fay, Hanna, Gustav and Ike have taken their toll on the country and on the American Red Cross.

Thank you for helping spread our message to your friends and family. Hurricane relief is badly needed by tens of thousands. Disaster relief truly relies on all of us.

Warm Regards,

Joe Becker, Senior Vice President, Disaster Services
American Red Cross

P.S. In the interim of these mass operations, our disaster relief fund is depleted and we’re borrowing money to cover the costs of the hurricanes of 2008. We have not cut any of our services to disaster victims and are committed to delivering the same level of service our clients have always relied on.

Museum of Marrakesh

2008-09-18T21:21:00.000-04:00

Ok, in order to do my story any kind of justice, I'm going to have to tell this out of chronological order. I will save the tale of the sensory overoad that was our first night in Marrakesh for this weekend, when I have more time to write.

On our first day in Morocco, we went to several different museums. The most impressive was the Museum of Marrakesh, housed in a former palace.

Wow! Check out that chandeliere. This is a room that just took my breath away.

I tested a lavish relaxing nook.

How's that for a chill-out area?

Can you believe all that tilework? This is the real deal, folks! How amazing would it be to have a house -- or even a room -- like that?

Thought of the day - Hurricane Ike and Haiti

2008-09-15T23:18:00.003-04:00

I read a really eye-opening article today:

Children in Servitude, the Poorest of Haiti’s Poor
By MARC LACEY
Published: September 13, 2008

GONAÏVES, Haiti — Thousands of desperate women pushed and shoved to get at the relief food being handed out on the outskirts of this flooded city last week. Off to the side were the restaveks, the really desperate ones.

As woman after woman hauled off a sack of rice, a bag of beans and a can of cooking oil, the restaveks, a Creole term used to describe Haiti’s child laborers, dropped to their knees to pick up the bits that were inadvertently dropped in the dirt....

Read the whole article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/world/americas/14haiti.html?ex=1379217600&en=26c06128aecbed45&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

***

Earlier this summer, I had become aware of the plight of poor Haitians through Nikki's blog. It's really hard to fathom the depths of despair now, especially for the children portrayed in this article.

Rebecca, I know UNICEF is doing some great work here, so I just made a donation.

Morocco Part I: Accommodations

2008-09-14T09:20:00.001-04:00

This has been quite a week. Last Friday, I was promoted to a new position, so my days have grown longer and more intense. As a result, I have not had as much time at night to write here. But I am going to do my best to get back into a rhythm! Now, as I promised last weekend, I am going to start coverage of Michael's and my trip to Morocco last November for our honeymoon.

Why Morocco for our honeymoon? "How did we come up with that crazy idea?" Michael and I take a moment to ponder. Well, we decided pretty quickly that we didn't want to go to any of the typical honeymoon destinations. We wanted to go some place exotic...but it also had to be relatively close (no more than one day of transit time). It also had to be some place that neither of us had been to before, which ruled out some options in Latin America and Europe.

I found a package trip online for a trip to Marrakesh, Morocco that looked very interesting. It included a stay in a riad (a traditional Moroccan house or palace that has interior courtyards or gardens), candlelight dinners on the rooftop overlooking the city, a daytrip to the nearby Atlas mountains, a visit to a fancy hamam (steam bath spa), and more. I showed it to Michael, and he said, "Let's go!"

Now, this was a rather expensive package, so we decided to put together our own trip, using the web and Lonely Planet. TripAdvisor led us to a French-owned riad, Dar Silsila. At that time, it was the #1 rated hotel in Marrakesh (it's since slipped to a still exceptional #4 out of 309 properties).

The hotel looked great, and it was very reasonably priced -- no small feat, we found out, in surprisingly pricey Marrakesh. The reviews were all glowing, and reviewers said that the best part of staying there was that the owner helped his guests put together their trips: making reservations at some of the best restaurants in town, planning daytrips, and recommending the most interesting things to see and do. Ah-hah! A hotel that can help us create our own package! And the top of the TripAdvisor list to boot!

I got in touch with Jean Patrick, the owner, via email, and we quickly made our reservation for the Junior Suite. When we went, Jean Patrick was just finishing up some additional guest rooms. Originally, the place had 4 rooms, but now there are several more to accommodate all the people who want to stay.

But enough with the description! Here are the pictures we took!

Our room, the Junior Suite -- not an actual suite, but it was very romantic and it did have a sitting area. We sometimes would return to our room and find red rose petals strewn on the bed.

The sitting area of our room -- the narrow doors are to closets

Tiles at the threshold of our room. The tilework everywhere was amazing!

One of the courtyard sitting areas. There were candles at night, and the sofas were very comfortable.

Looking down at the courtyard from our room -- water feature to the left and a table set for dinner to the right. We had dinner here twice.

Breakfast in the courtyard: coffee, fresh orange juice, local bread, fresh yogurt, honey, preserves, and butter were included in the room rate.

Dar Silsila is along a narrow, unassuming alley. You have no idea what beauty lies inside!

Next up: our first taste of Marrakesh!

Great news!

2008-09-09T21:19:00.003-04:00

After much uncertainty, it is now official: Michael and I will be going back to Guatemala in December!

We are very psyched to return and see more of the country AND be able to help in a larger capacity. We will be taking part in several different projects while we are down there, including Tricia's orphanage Christmas party, Mayan Families' Tamale Basket project, more Christmas parties for kids, a vet clinic, and computer support.

We have already started to get to know some of the people who will be going down, and we can't wait to meet everyone in person!

I will be blogging about our adventures, so you'll get to hear all about it.

Can't come down to Guatemala, but want to take part in the festivities? Michael and I will be looking for gently used or new toys to bring down as presents for the children. Let me know if you have anything you'd like us to bring down!

More info to come!

Happy Birthday, Michael!

2008-09-08T06:50:00.001-04:00

It's my wonderful hubbie's birthday today!

Catching up

2008-09-06T14:18:00.005-04:00

This has been a packed week, hence why I didn't have a chance to post the past few days. But I haven't forgotten about you!

First, I want to give a shout out to my friend, Kristine, at K's Apartment. Kristine writes delightful accounts of her travels and life in New York City. Kristine also features her friends, and the other day she wrote a really kind post about me! Thanks, Kristine!

Now, my plan for some upcoming posts: I realized that I haven't written anything about Michael and my honeymoon in Morocco last November. That was such a fabulous, different trip, and I'd love to share some of the highlights. Here's just a taste -- a photo I took at the Ali Ben Youssef Medersa in Marrakesh:

More tales from Arabian nights to come!

Making a change through handmade goods

2008-09-03T20:15:00.000-04:00

It's my pleasure to feature a guest blogger, Alex from Alexlady Designs. I asked Alex to write an article because she has made a change in her life: becoming an entrepreneur. Alex makes beautiful jewelry, and she has started a virtual business on an important website not everyone has heard of, Etsy. I've invited Alex to my blog to provide inspiration for starting something new and to give some ideas for shopping with a conscience. Here she is in her own words...

Making a change. Why does it seem so intimidating sometimes? All of those great, apropos clichés… The devil you know vs. the devil you don’t. The famed golden handcuffs. Time for a bit of wisdom from the Bhagavad-Gita: Action is superior to inaction.

I’m an actor with a day job that gives me great health insurance. It’s fairly flexible with hours. But the problem is that each day I find it harder to get excited about this job, even though it’s my paycheck. I need to feel rewarded by more than just a deposit slip, even though that’s obviously important. And I’ve always loved making jewelry.

I started years ago, doing pieces for friends as gifts. I can’t even really say what it was, but a few months ago it clicked… and alexlady designs http://www.alexladydesigns.etsy.com/ was born! Now I have a successful online store chock full of jewelry made by my own two hands, and an up-and-coming blog http://www.alexladydesigns.blogspot.com/ that features other handcrafters’ items as well as highlights of the New Jersey arts scene.

I originally chose to open up my virtual doors on http://www.etsy.com/ because I knew it was an amazing showcase for handmade items. Not only is it a much more shopper-friendly format than, say, eBay, but I have found that it’s also an inspiring artists’ community. I discover more about the community every day, whether it’s a thread full of information on doing home showcase sales, or the Street Teams… small groups of artisans that are a more personal group for support and promotion. I recently joined the EtsyNJ Team, and since then I’ve easily doubled my knowledge about starting a business, as well as met some very talented new artists.

Shopping with a Conscience

Check out a few ways that etsy is making a difference:

*On my honor* Take the Handmade Pledge at http://www.buyhandmade.org/. I’ve always preferred handcrafted gifts, but by signing up and posting this you encourage your friends to support artists as well. And I’ve developed a Favorites list that’s so extensive; no one can ever accuse me of being “hard to shop for” ever again!

*Right in My Backyard * Are you looking for an artist in Jersey City Heights ? The Shop Local link on the Buy page lets you search for etsy artisans in your very own town. What an excellent way to give back to the community! http://www.etsy.com/shop_local.php

*Boo on Carbon Footprints* If you’re Going Green, check out the “environmentally friendly” link http://www.etsy.com/gift-guides/environmentally-friendly/24 under the Gift Guides. http://www.etsy.com/gift-guides/ There you can scroll through tons of up-cycled, organic, and re-purposed offerings.

*Tis Better to Give* By entering ‘charity’ into the search bar, you can browse through items that shopkeepers are selling and donating some or all of the proceeds to a charity.

Making jewelry makes me feel like a better person. The process is exciting for me, full of problem-solving, experimenting with colors, and immersing myself in the creation of something beautiful. And joining etsy has been a wonderful way to gain exposure, as well as opening my eyes to a wealth of knowledge and local support. I haven’t quit my day job yet, but who knows where this will take me?

Come visit http://www.alexladydesigns.etsy.com/ and see what it’s all about! And join me on the blogosphere at http://www.alexladydesigns.blogspot.com/ for updates on the North Jersey Arts scene, as well as features on other local etsians, giveaways, and items that you just won’t believe. Jewelry made from octopus tentacles, anyone?

The allure of Antigua, Guatemala by night

2008-09-01T21:23:00.000-04:00

When I was downloading photos from yesterday, I realized there were a whole stash of Michael's pictures from Guatemala that I never posted.

For those of you who are new to my blog, my husband, Michael, and I went down to Guatemala for a short trip this past April. You can read all about our experiences in this recap.

I didn't get a chance to write much about our final stop, Antigua. Our time there was a whirlwind of sight-seeing before we flew back home. However, we did get to relax and enjoy our last evening there.

Here are some photos of dusk into evening in Antigua that have me longing to go back.

The Cathedral de Santiago on the central park

We were able to lay claim to a park bench and watch all the activity of that Sunday night as the sun was going down. The park is certainly the center of the town's social life. We saw families strolling, couples preening, and shoeshine boys looking hungrily for customers. Parishioners filed in and spilled out of the cathedral for evening Mass. As the sun set, the lights came on outside the cathedral, and we watched as they grew brighter in contrast to the darkening blue sky. You could sit here for hours and observe. Even the fountains were intriguing.

Of course, we still wanted to have dinner that evening, so as a special treat, we went to Casa Santo Domingo.

The concierge desk at Casa Santo Domingo

Imagine an ancient convent that has been transformed into a luxury hotel. Gregorian chant music is piped through stone walkways, and candles adorn every flat surface. There are fresh flowers and religious art as far as the eye can see. While the dining room has a roof, it is basically outdoors, and fire pits keep you warm. Endless secret nooks beckon you to explore their secrets. At Casa Santo Domingo, you are safe behind stone walls, but free to imagine all that has unfolded here over hundreds of years.

Michael and I had a delicious dinner, and we were left with the most seductive of memories. We have been to some exotic places -- especially during our honeymoon in Morocco -- but I dare say, this one took the cake.

An illuminated Antigua church

We walked back to our hotel from Casa Santo Domingo and encountered some fabulous architecture that was even more enticing with the backdrop of night. The ruins of one church were brilliantly lit up, and we were drawn in like moths to the sight of the glowing religious structure. If I could, I still would be standing there now, gorging myself on the shapes of the arches and the way the light falls.

Ah, Antigua. We cannot wait to go back!

Adventure in New York State

2008-08-31T21:18:00.005-04:00

Michael and I had an impromptu mini-day trip today to Orange and Rockland counties in New York State. Our goal was to cram in the summer experiences we didn't have this year, and it was a success!

We discovered some cute little towns: Nyack and Suffern, went to the Orchards of Concklin in Pomona and bought locally grown fruit, drove the alluringly titled Seven Lakes Parkway through Harriman State Park, and took a walk around Lake Sebago.

There's me out in nature!!! So refreshing for a city girl like myself. Even though it was only for a few hours, it definitely helped recharge my batteries.

Who knew that you could get to a state park in about an hour's drive from us? We'll definitely have to return sometime in the fall, hopefully for some apple and/or pumpkin picking to boot.

Michael and I had some tasty eats along the way. In Nyack, we had Lunch Part I at The Runcible Spoon Bakery. We saw how popular the place was (cyclists -- whom we had seen all along the beautiful drive up -- were spilling out of it), so we decided to give it a try. I had a positively scrumptious half wrap sandwich with black bean hummus, red onions, roasted red pepper, and lettuce, and Michael had an egg, cheese, and sausage sandwich on a fresh baked croissant.

Then, after building up an appetite from our walk along the lake, we found a restaurant for Lunch Part II: Doña Maria Mexican Bistro in Suffern. This was a narrow, old-fashioned diner that had been converted into a Mexican restaurant, complete with bold red walls, sombreros, colorful wall hangings, and more. We indulged in delicious brunch fare, including fiery chilaquiles. Mmmm.

It was a perfect day: almost cloudless skies, temperatures in the low 80s, and a buffer day ahead of us and behind us shielding us from work. Unfortunately, Michael is still on call; but thankfully, the pager did not ring.

Soldier update...and how you can help deployed service members

2008-08-30T10:30:00.006-04:00

You'll never believe the surprise I got yesterday! I found an email from Spc Timothy Roy, the generous soldier I featured in my last post. Here's what he wrote:

Holly,
I wanted to thank you for linking to the article about me in your blog. It is really neat that it was so well received by so many people. I never figured it would make front page on the DOD and army.mil web pages when they interviewed me. I googled it and it popped up on a handful of sites like yours :) I definitely plan on more volunteer work when I get back from this deployment. Well thanks again and keep up the good work yourself.
-Timothy

I'm constantly amazed at how the internet can bring people together. How great to hear from him!

This reminds me of a resource of which I want to make my readers aware. AnySoldier.com is a website where you can hear first-hand from service members abroad about their lives and what they and their units need.

Some of the entries are short, but other service members write lengthy accounts of what it is like to be over in Iraq (without giving away any security information, of course) and include photos of things like their units, celebrations, etc. It's really interesting stuff!

Here's how it works, according to the website:

We have volunteer Soldier "contacts" on the "Where to Send" page. Click through the names and select the one(s) you wish to support. They list what the folks they represent want and need. We even have a search capability so you can easily identify what the troops need most.

All the Soldiers involved in this effort are military volunteers stationed in areas that are in harm's way. You send your support (letters and/or packages) addressed to them and when they see the "Attn: Any Soldier" line in their address they put your letters and packages into the hands of Soldiers who don't get much or any mail first. Everything is shared.

We have "What to Send", "How to Send" and "FAQ" pages to help you properly send letters and packages, please read these. Be sure to also read our "New & Stuff" and "Success Stories" pages. This effort is 110% voluntary. You send your support, and maybe some stuff, directly to whatever unit or units you want, you don't send us anything.

Take a look! These men and women are working so hard for our country. Please try to remember them this Labor Day!

An inspiring story

2008-08-28T19:40:00.006-04:00

My friend, Kristine, recommended I feature this story on my blog. What a role model! I'm just amazed at the depth of this soldier's selflessness.

Face of Defense: Soldier Donates Money, R&R Time to Needy
By Army Spc. Evan D. Marcy
Special to American Forces Press Service

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, Aug. 27, 2008 – Whether it involves time with their families, their personal comforts or even their lives, the duty of soldiers eventually requires sacrifice. Certain soldiers, though, go beyond that call of duty and give more.

Army Spc. Timothy Roy of 5th Signal Command’s C Company, 44th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, has made it his personal endeavor to provide his time and money for those in need.

During his two-week rest and recuperation leave while serving a 15-month deployment in Iraq, Roy and his parents volunteered their time preparing and serving meals at a soup kitchen and shelter near their home in New Hampshire. He also donated $1,000 to the soup kitchen and convinced a large corporation to match his contribution.

“My parents always taught me to put others before myself,” Roy said.

He also became involved with the Make-A-Wish Foundation by donating $3,000 to grant a wish that was tied to his own interests in computers. His donation was matched with a 17-year-old girl afflicted with lupus, a life-threatening, inflammatory disease. She used the money to buy computer equipment, allowing her to continue her education from home.

“What Specialist Roy did was really remarkable, and shows how much of a good guy he really is,” Army 1st Sgt. John Willis, C Company, 44th ESB, said. “Soldiers usually take deployment money and spend it on themselves. I was surprised by how much money came out of his pocket.”

Roy said he hoped to set an example. “I figured if people saw me giving back, it would encourage them to do the same,” he said. “When they see a soldier trying to give back, when they are already selflessly serving their country, they want to be a part of it as well.”

The specialist said it simply feels good to give. “To know that you can make a profound difference in someone's life is a wonderful feeling,” said Roy. “I got a letter of thanks from the first child and her mother that I sponsored [through Make-A-Wish], and she said she was moved to tears by my kindness. There's no feeling like that; it's hard to put in words how that made me feel.”

[read the whole article here]

Your response is requested!

2008-08-27T19:03:00.002-04:00

I can't believe it, but this is my 100th post! I started this blog March 13th of this year in response to my involvement with the great organization, Mayan Families, and as a way to start making a change in my own life. And here I am now!

I would like to thank my readers very much for taking the time to peruse my posts and features. I really appreciate all of the comments and emails I have received. They have kept me going and encouraged me to be the best blogger I can be for you.

Now I'd like to take this opportunity to solicit your feedback. What do you like? What don't you like? What would you like to read here? As I get ready to start my next century of posts, I would really appreciate your thoughts, so I can better tailor the content to my readers' needs and desires.

Please leave me a comment or email me at gonnamakeachange@gmail.com. It would mean a great deal to me.

Thank you again for reading! I've got some exciting features in the works for the weeks ahead, and I can't wait to share them with you!

Feeding the hungry in Guatemala

2008-08-26T21:30:00.004-04:00

Ok, I thought I had wrapped up my Celebration of Food/raising awareness for hunger feature for the time being, but I just read some great news on my friend Tricia's blog.

For those of you who have been reading "Gonna Make a Change" for a while, you might remember my June post about Tricia and the Christmas party she is organizing for an orphanage in Guatemala this December.

Tricia's plans are full steam ahead for her Christmas goodwill tour, and you can check out her amazing itinerary here.

Today she posted this:

"Our December trip to Guatemala continues to grow & expand into exciting directions.

I am really excited to share about another organization called Feed The Dream.

Their mission is to establish and oversee nutrition programs that provide food, vitamins, health education, hygiene and enrichment to children under 5 years of age and women of reproductive age in impoverished rural Guatemala.

They have previously donated $10,000 to the feeding program of Mayan Families, and, how awesome is this....they have generously donated $5,000 to the annual Christmas Tamale Basket program, as well!"

How exciting is that?

I am really hoping Michael and I will be able to join Tricia in Guatemala for part of this trip. At this point, it just depends on whether I will be able to get the time off from work. I would so love to be part of this...and record my experiences here for all of you! I'll keep you posted.

Congratulations, Greg and Maggie!

2008-08-25T23:22:00.004-04:00

May you live happily ever after!

Celebration of Food recap

2008-08-24T21:00:00.001-04:00

To my faithful readers, thank you very much for following my Celebration of Food feature the past two weeks. To those who have just stumbled upon my blog, this is a recap of my posts celebrating the joy of food and raising awareness for the global food crisis.

Here are the links to my Celebration of Food posts.

My intro to the series:

A celebration of food...for the hungry

Stories about food:

Kellari Taverna -- let your imagination take flight

An airport food experience with CLASS!

Food dreams in New York

Tantalizing tapas -- the real experience

Flavors of Guatemala

An ode to bread

The August that changed my food life

Resources and tools about hunger:

How to find a hunger-related charity

Fighting hunger in the Philippines

Recommendations from friends

Recommended reading

If you haven't made a donation to your favorite hunger-related charity, it's not too late! While my series on this topic is ending for now, the food price crisis is not. Please remember that!

Kellari Taverna -- let your imagination take flight

2008-08-23T09:58:00.017-04:00

It's time for me to wrap up my Celebration of Food in honor of the hungry. The purpose of this feature was to celebrate food not as a commodity, but as a special joy of life -- something that helps us to stop and appreciate beauty and taste, relationships, and moments in time. Food is more than just sustenance; it is culture, family, and art. It is the stuff of lifelong memories.

Unfortunately, many people around the world can barely afford even the most basic foodstuffs because of the global food price crisis. My aim with this series was to raise awareness of that fact and encourage my readers to do what they can to help. Even if you only have a few dollars to give, that money can make a real difference, especially in the developing world.

For my final piece, I will tell you about one of my favorite restaurants in New York City, the Greek seafood restaurant, Kellari Taverna -- http://www.kellari.us/.

I believe it was fall 2005/winter 2006 that I first caught a glimpse of Kellari Taverna. I often would walk down 44th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues, on my way to work, as I liked to pass by the historic Algonquin, as well as the other fancy hotels on the block. At that time, I noticed a storefront past the hotels and closer to 5th Avenue was under construction.

As the days and weeks went by, details started to emerge. First there was the light-colored wood of the facade. Then the large windows started to reveal a black marble bar with blonde wood shelves and wooden wine casks overhead. I was fascintated. Just the hint of this place spirited my winter-weary mind to fantasies of a Mediterranean island.

A sign appeared: "Kellari Taverna," as well as gauzy white curtains at the windows, and a plaque above the door reading "Enter as strangers and leave as friends." When the restaurant finally opened, I passed by after work and saw it in action. I peeked in the door and saw candles, light wood, white walls and curtains receding into the back of the restaurant. At the bar were heaping trays of olives and cheese. I could just imagine the cool taste of a cocktail, sitting there at one of the bar stools.

Even before I ever ate there, Kellari Taverna was a feast for my mind. It was as if, when I passed this tiny pocket of New York, I was no longer even in the US, but rather in a dreamy state where you could imagine the sea and the pleasure of relaxing the evenings away with beautiful people speaking foreign tongues. On my way from Kellari to the bus, I would spend some time in this dream state and think about how I could plan a trip to the Greek islands.

I finally had my opportunity to dine at Kellari Taverna in March of 2006, when I took my Uncle Charles here for his birthday. I don't remember exactly what we had, but I do know that it was delicious. The meal started out with little snacks for the table, including olives, radishes, and a dip for bread. We had a prix fixe meal, and by the time dessert arrived, I could barely fit it in.

The owner came by and asked how we were enjoying our food. He gave us his card, asking us to please contact him if we ever needed anything.

At that time, the restaurant had recently opened, and it was relatively quiet that night. So my uncle and I took some time after we ate to walk around and look around the space in detail. I remember seeing the lavish display of fresh fish by the kitchen, the reds and silvers of their scales glistening on a bed of ice. Aside from the bright light here, everything in the restaurant was bathed in a cozy, yellowish glow. It was indeed that magical place I had imagined. If only I could stay on and on.

I have gone back for drinks and a few lunches since then, including one with my dad a few weeks ago. It was just as good as I had remembered. This time I had the delectable vegetable moussaka, and my father had an elegant salad with grilled shrimp. The only thing was, now this place has been discovered, and it is quite busy.

The prices make Kellari Taverna a special treat, rather than an everyday splurge. But that experience of walking by, peering in the windows, and letting your imagination take flight is both free and priceless.

***

If you enjoyed my Celebration of Food the past two weeks, I ask you to please consider making a donation of money or time to your favorite hunger-related charity. Thank you for reading!

An airport food experience with CLASS!

2008-08-21T21:23:00.004-04:00

Hi, all. Sorry I wasn't able to write a post yesterday. I had been in Detroit on a business trip, and I didn't get home until very late.

I'm planning on wrapping up the Celebration of Food focus soon, but I keep getting inspiration for food-related topics!

Last night, I was in the Detroit airport for over three hours. But guess what? It was probably one of the most pleasurable times I've ever spent en route.

Why? I came across a place in the terminal, post-security, called Vino Volo -- http://www.vinovolo.com/. This is a wine lounge featuring wine, small plates, and comfy leather chairs. It is the polar opposite of the typical airport fast food kind of place. Here is culture, beauty, relaxation -- through wine. To add to the experience, the lounge faces huge windows to the west. As I sat there, the sun came through in the most beautiful shades as it began to set.

First I enjoyed a "California Kings" wine flight. Three glasses were brought to me on a narrow metal tray, underneath each glass a description of the respective wine. I got to taste a very nice Merlot, Cabarnet Sauvignon, and Old Vine Zinfandel. With that, I had an order of their tasty ziti gratin, made with three cheeses and truffle oil -- grown up mac and cheese. Then I tried their Italian wine flight and a small chicken sandwich. Mmmm...Montepulciano.

All the while, I was able to sit back and relax, savor the wines, and pretty much forget I was in the airport...except for seeing the travelers gliding by on the moving walkways. I had a great phone conversation with my parents, and I was able to just enjoy the moment.

The atmosphere reminded me a tiny bit of my favorite Italian cafe/restaurant in Berlin, Artusia on Ernst-Reuter-Platz. Artusia was another part of that August of 2002 in Berlin. During the day, when I was researching at the Technische Universitaet library, I would take a break every once in a while at Artusia. They had just opened, so they had a number of wonderful special offers, including Caffe Machiato for 1 Euro. (And this was real Italian coffee -- not Starbucks attempts! Imagine that, priced perfectly for a student!) I met Tanja there sometimes, and occasionally, we would have a light lunch with a glass of wine and an amazingly fresh salad. There I learned the secret for simple, incredible dressing: high quality olive oil drizzled on, followed by balsamic vinegar (from Modena, of course), some salt, and fresh ground pepper. These ingredients were brought to you at the table, so you could dress the salad yourself.

Even though Vino Volo wasn't the same as Artusia, it brought back memories I had not thought of in years. And it was wonderful in its own right. There are branches in select airports around the country, so next time you travel, keep an eye out!