The blogging adventure will continue again once I have moved to Hereford, end September 2022: Change ~ Time

Don't forget that if you receive this blog as an e-mail the blog is BEST viewed from within my blog itself, click on the title of this post to go there AND also by clicking on a picture you can view it in a bigger size!

The Jade Palm - unfortunately comes with a £40 price tag!

Trumpet Tree in my garden

Orchids and bromiliads in my Garden

This week I have been thinking about “change” and “time” - the new president of Guatemala was sworn into office on the 14^th of January and of course was promising great “change” (didn’t another President win on this mantra?) .

“Change” is necessary and “time” is running out!

A fact that cannot be avoided is that Guatemala has deep seated social problems, being a mainly rural country, many poverty, domestic violence and other problems remain hidden and to a large extent ignored. And in the towns and cities drug trafficking is a huge problem or is it industry! Guatemala has one of the highest murder rates in the world and only 4% of murders are solved. Last year nearly 600 women were murdered in acts of domestic violence. This is a statistic that certainly needs to “change”.

Read this BBC news report:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-16669818

President Perez Molina – is for “change” ~ he is ex-military and has promised a crack down on crime and violence, it will be interesting to see how well he does, nobody ois holding their breath.

Sitting in privileged Antigua many of the problems of Guatemala are a world away ~ Antigua is after all a country within a country; international, glitzy, fascinating, relatively liberal and definitely expensive. Somebody described it as the New York of Guatemala. But it only take a short bus ride out of town in any direction to find small pueblos of grinding poverty, with people eeking out a living from the verdant soil. The “change” brings you up short!

I have to question the role of the Catholic Church in proclaiming every child born a “gift from God” and families with 10 children are sadly very common! The problem as one friend put it to me was “no television” (or other diverting entertainment) and long dark nights! The attitude towards contraception needs to “change”.

Students and poarents queuing to sign contracts!

The scholarship students class of 2012!

Volunteers and Foreign Donors!

Last Sunday was the day the scholarship students (Becas) signed their contracts with CasaSito in order to receive support for educational activities. This year over 200 students will receive help and obtain an extra opportunity to “change” the cycle of poverty within their own families.

Boys of El Plan Infinito

The Girls of El Plan Infinito

Prof. Chris teaching the Choir of El Plan Infinito!

The current co-ordinator Jaime.

After a week of thinking I am no further forward in knowing exactly what work I shall do in CasaSito ~ the project in Santiago Zamora which I have been invited to coordinate, (El Plan Infinito) would be a great challenge but in many ways it should be in the hands of Guatemalan not another “gringo [foreigner]” ~ without some degree of self-determination I think it hard for “change” to take place. Maybe my role would be better in supporting and mentoring a local coordinator and also in involving myself in specific projects with a few organisations as opposed to full time with one project! But, this is just speculation, CasaSito will decide and really I feel that as I am a CasaSito volunteer I will do what they ask of me. Mother knows best? Within a sensible amount of time per week.

Update: they definitely want me to run the project and would like a two year commitment ~ the small “honorarium” will be most welcome! So I start next week for 2 days a week and see how it goes and switch to 4 days a week after Easter.

Personal Change

I am also coming to terms with “change” ~ the reality of being “early retired” is only now starting to hit me. I have time and I have an income, plenty of time and just sufficient income to live. I am overspending on my budget at the moment, but feel sure that I will spend less once I have set the house up and got it to my liking so that I can then just spend time in my newly acquired hammock simply “being!”

I have been asked if I would like to teach English to a Korean guy, 20 hours a week for a month a two, whilst he studies for his TOEFL English exam, which is a necessary part of entrance qualifications to study in the USA or UK. Nice to earn a little extra, but it also robs me of yet more of my retirement time. I could be in apposition of not having any time between CasaSito and teaching …… is that what I want? No idea at the moment.

And I keep coming back to my mantra of not accepting responsibility except for myself ~ do I want the pressure and stress of running a project, or trying to get a person through tough exams ….. or do I simply want to take it easy, do a little good and maintain the house and garden, grow vegetables, orchids and generally chill out?

I also have developed some very good friendships (and a potential relationship is in the air)~ again “change” and again the need for “time”, I need to be able to devote time and effort to myself in the midst of all this.

There is a limit to how much one can do and maybe at the moment having only been here barely three months as yet I need to have more “time” to think and more “time” to adjust to the “change” ……

Changing (extending) my visa:

Chicken Bus Interior!

Travel in rush hour to know why a "Chicken Bus"

Yesterday (Monday) I went to the city to extend my visa, it is possible as a tourist to extend the 90 visa by a further 90 days without leaving the country and re-entering. After 180 days you must leave for a minimum of 3 days then you can come in again and get another extendable 90 days visa. I had read horror stories on the inetrnet about the process, so armed with a Guatemalan friend for morale support found the office of “the director for migration” and wow, so much had changed, nice bright office, ticket system, I was given the correct form I had all the relevant documents and within 20 minutes had been seen and paid my fee, my documents had been checked and a receipt issued. So efficient and then the killer blow, “please return to collect your visa in 8 days” ……….. it is interesting that you are required to have your passport with you at all times in Guatemala, just as nationals must carry their id card. Except, apparently, when your passport is tied up in a system for 8 days! But hey, I was cool, just said thank you and a cheery “Hasta proxima semana” (see you next week).

Pre-customisation chicken bus!

Chicken Bus

A return taxi to the city would cost around $35 (US) or Q.280. Return by “chicken bus” and various city buses total Q.22. Well pleased! But my loathing of the city has not changed and I was glad to be in and out within 2 hours and my total round trip from home and back was 4.5 hours. (I have yet of course to see the historical centre of Guatemala, which is supposed to be charming!) The rest is simply appalling and completely confusing with the city divied into zones and each zone into “avenidas” and “calles” - so an address of Avenida 1 and Calle 1 is useless unless you know which of the 20+ zones you need to be in!

All food for thought!

This weeks “extra” gallery is a pleasant couple of hours spent in the ruins of San Francisco Church and Franciscan Monastery, I went with my young friend Jossefet.