A trip into the mountains

I have felt like going back and forth between two extremely different worlds is like submerging myself into a pool of water. At first you think you can’t breathe and hold your breath remembering your other world. After a while necessity comes and you have to breathe. It is then that you remember you can live in both worlds. I guess this trip down I really wanted to dive deeply into that pool. I wanted to hear the sound of life in the land of the Ixil. After I finished with two sets of project meetings I took a seven day walk to visit six different villages. The purpose was to look at the water needs in three villages, promote personal gardens another one and veiw the completed water project in Illom our final destanation. For the first five of those days we did cross a road. The following are photos from the first two days.

Here is Manuel Ramirez our program director and Gaspar one of our four guides from the village of Xecon O’ that lead us back to the village. They left the village at 12 midnight to come out and meet us. We are at the upper end of the village Chel

A little ways up the valley we made this nice river crossing. The journey had all the makings of a fine walk in the park. The prime purpose of the visit to the first two villages was to take a firsthand look at the water needs. The mules were loaded with vitamins, clothing, school supplies and some stuffed animals

I have decided to start learning Ixil and here Manuel is teaching two phrases that come in handy on a trip like this. Va Vitz, the ridgelines that separate the vatz vitz or face of the mountains. Cunash pa mik vatz vitz. Which translates into Lets go slowly Michael it’s a climb. I think this is called the inductive study method.

And climb we did. Up through a beautiful forest. My other word for the day was “Mam Xoq’ol” A lot of mud.

Twice in this journey we ran into a Ixil traffic jam. This time as we were heading up the grade and 15 mules were being driven down it

This is a hard life but for two days I listened to my companions talking about how poorly these animals were respected by their drivers. The drivers were from a plantation 10 hour away and would overburden the animals for three to four years and then sell them. With 200 pounds of spice on the mule’s back I wonder if the spice will be sold under a fair-trade label

This owner is acting as a human anchor holding the tail the whole way down the grade to slow the animal’s decent.

An amazing sight to watch and a chance to learn another ixil word “mam cho qol” A lot of mud

One more decent to go in this part of the trail. I would like to stress that this is not typical treatment of animals here but abuse for profit. The drivers charged $20 to haul each bag and the value of the cargamomo was around $320 each. Most of the farmers do not have a mule and if they did by loading it with only 100 pound it would take them four hard days to make the round trips needed to delivery. On a happier note I meant to tell my grandson Caden that two days after this event a mule put his head through the doorway to join us for breakfast and all we did was laugh, say hi and share some tortillas with him. All kinds of things happen in Guatemala!

Finally after six hours we arrive in Xecon O´. Xecon O’ is only two years old. TRE has waited this long to visit to see if the people would be able to make it. This like so many other sites is where people tried to hide during the war. Now there is a “homesteading” program that these 15 families are working onto receive around 40 acres each . This is their future. So much of the problem of poverty in Guatemala is related to access to land. TRE would like to helppromote this opportunity for land  in these villages in two ways. 1.) Provide clean drinking water and 2.) Help seed these mountains with the food needed to feed these families with a healthy diet. The first year the fields were cleared by hatched and now one family has a chain saw as evidence by the boarded house. It takes a month to build this type of home and during the first year the women and children had to leave often because there was no food. Now the family I stayed with was acting like chefs with a variety of vegetables grown in the fields. The day I was there (except for one family) all the women and children had gone out to registrar for a national program.

The town center.

In a good town meeting there is talking

and listening high up in the mountains

For drinking waterthe community has two catch basins like this.

A few more like this.

And two for washing clothes like this.

This is their spring. 2,800 meters away. We will receive both raining and dry seasons measurements with the hope of bring water to one small holding tank and a community spigot. The water is dirty when I took the photo becuase we were clearing brush from the site.

Yes I really was there. I am not wearing brown pant but have fallen in the mud twice so have mud up to my hips. I also learned a new trick to get mud out of you boots with a matchete.

The children of the forest. The reason we keep working in places like this is for the people. We are working so that the future of these children is more secure with the basic needs of food and water.

We distributed some vitamins and toys and will return this trip with

vegetable seeds and blankets.

They are asking for water.

Day two.

After a magical visit to this mountain community it was time to head to Alguna Caba and Caba, two sister villages.

Packing up.

Loading our vitamins, toys and school suppliest.



We had three new guides for this trip( one in not in this photo). The Alcade is in the center of this picture and soon he was in the lead with me trying to keep up. I asked his name using the Ixil phrase three times but he would only tell me he was ¨Älcade Authrizado Central de aldea Caba¨ After three times he added ¨¨respecta¨¨ and I realizedthat for this year of service as leader his name was his title. We laughed all day as we used his full title as we hiked through the mud. Caba and Alguna Caba were both reestablished 14 years ago after being abandoned during the war.

The new word for the day  Mas  Xoq’ol , more mud. Two and a half days were like this and I was surprised how much easier it was to hike after we left the mud. Each step acted like a suction cup.

Descending into Caba. This is on the edge of the municipality of Chajul and in the distance is the district of Uspantan. There is a lot of space for people to live in.

Entering the two villages. Hear there are two schools and a clinic. With a much more developed village. This village water meeting took place in one of the schools. Afterwards we went to visit the spring.

This spring could yield 60 gallons a minute with a new collection tank,

During our meeting and visit to the spring the school children and their mothers had gathered to seek help and receive a gift of school supplies, hats and stuffed toys

.

They had been waiting for almost two hours in eager anticipation.

I have been told often I am like a village father who brings gifts to his kids after a long journey. Others say we bring Christmas. However you describe it  is a blessing to help make someone’s day special.

 

Two of the kids who don’t attend school who came in from working in the fields to late to receive a gift. I reached into my pack and found a new flashlight and marbles that made their day brighter.

After we gave out all the supplies I visited with Marcos the village medic. He has received 18 months medical training and is the medic for the two villages. We left him a copy of where there is no doctor (in Spanish). Each copy cost $30 and we are looking to put a copy in 7 villages. It is a great medical tool as well as a guide to community development. Donations for these will be greatly appreciated.

The next morning it happened. That magical moment arrived as we ate breakfast and I learned a new phrase. “Atin tzitza xola va mic” I am here among friends. As I looked into the face of each of the dozen or so people in the room and the phrase keep rolling off my tongue our eyes meet, we all burst into laughter and I knew it was true. I was breathing yet fully submersed again in the land of the Ixil. I was here among friends. It is amazing how connected I can feel with these people who open their home and hearts to me. After such a short time our good byes felt deep and profound.

We said our goodbyes and were given a new set of porters and headed up the trail to the next village. All this and more in just two days, life feels full.

    I know we can help these people with your continued support. Their life doesn’t need to be so hard if we will share a little of ours. “Ma’ t in”  I am going now. Adios.