Aventuras agrícolas en Guatemala y mucho mas!: Digo Adios

This past week I have been saying "goodbye" to Bezaleel. The pastors included me in their Wednesday night service so I could officially say goodbye to the students. I showed a picture slideshow of the work we have done in the gardens these past 8 months. As I looked back through time in the faces of the students I have worked with each day, I realized how much they mean to me, how much I care for their lives. Even the ones who loafed around most of the time, oh how I wish they would challenge themselves! Many of the students were sad to see me go - even some of the complainers who repeatedly told me throughout the year that they could not wait for me to leave so that they would not have to work in the gardens! At the end of the Wednesday night service, Wilson stood up and publicly apologized for their misbehavior this past year.

"I think we have all failed to give you the respect that you deserve." he said. "We have spoken bad words and called you bad names when we should not have done so. Please raise your hand if you wish to ask Stefan's

forgiveness."

The students were laughing (I was as well) and practically everyone raised at least one hand!

"How touching," I thought, "but how easy to say now that we will not be working together any longer!"

The next day, Julio arranged a special farewell lunch for me with the school staff. I was impressed by his hard work to decorate the house for the meal and help with the preparations. Also, Ana, one of the school's cooks, stayed at the school over her day off and with her daughter, cooked the caldo for my meal. That was special.

The party!

Julio and Stefan

The cooks: Evelyn and Ana

I finished 2 projects at the school that I really wanted to accomplish before leaving. With the gardens full and nothing really to do besides pull weeds (I think everyone - the students and me too - were ready for a break from weeding) I decided to make clotheslines for the students. At least I can leave one improvement that will last longer than 2 months. I enjoy dabbling in carpentry and welding, so this gave me the opportunity to put those skills into practice. It was a bit of a challenge explain to the students what I was making, since I have never seen a actual "clothesline" here and do not even know what to call one! Here, clothes are strung on whatever is available: barbed wire fences, bushes, grass and sticks poked into the ground with one string extending from post to post. The washing areas are surrounded by mazes of these posts and strings. Anyway, after seeing the finished clotheslines, students and staff alike were impressed and a few students told me that they would make some for their mothers once they return home.

The guys from Tercero Basico did more goofing- off than working.

As a result, the poles were not set well, so I pulled them out and started over.

Isaias and Hector from Quinto did much better.

Marcos is a good worker as well, but is just a little photo shy!
These 3 planted the poles nicely.

Before my clothesline

After my clothesline
This was for the girls, so I had to do one for the guys as well.

The second project was leveling a courtyard area in-between various school buildings on the campus. This area looked like a relief map of Alta Verapaz: mountains and valleys with trash and burnt remnants of trash strewn about. Basically, it looked pathetic. Since I have a large supply of student labor, I decided to clean up the place and level it out nicely. What better way to celebrate my last 2 days of work with the students than to wear them out doing some landscaping? They can remember me from the blisters on their hands long after I have left the school! We almost got it done the way I would like it to be. I am hoping the staff will catch the same vision and take some pride in their institution, planning, organizing and working to make it better.

The area before my crew attacked it (this picture does not do the place justice, I neglected to get a really accurate picture of the mess).

Give it 2 months for the grass to grow and it should be very presentable. "Hey this would be a good place to play volleyball." one student observed. Sounds like a great idea to me.