More New Starts!

This week’s blog comes with videos (in Spanish) BUT I hope you will watch them as they have a message beyond the language barrier!  You will not be able to view these videos if you get my blog as an email so click the blog title and you should be taken to to my blog proper!  If not click HERE

Don't forget that by clicking any picture you can see the foto in a large size (from the blog)! 

I THINK I HAVE CHANGED THE SETTINGS TO ENABLE COMMENTS! Sorry if you have been trying ~ technology getting the better of me again.

 

No, this is not my new role .......... yet!

Starting to Develop a Role for Myself

Having decided on my radical change of direction, thanks again to “The man from the Pru”  and having decided on Antigua, it was through research that I happened upon CasaSito which, I hope will be a fruitful relationship.

It is also through the internet that I found “my lovely little yellow house with the big garden” .   as you will see it is also through the internetthat I have found a potentially interesting new project!

Last Friday I went with Paulo to visit three of the organisations associated to CasaSito with a view to finding mutually beneficial projects for me to be involved in. So that we get a three way win/win/win situation.

1. CasaSito provides the means – me! 

2. I provide my abilities and

3. The organisation develops some new activities or project. 

I visited Lavosi, and met with their team of managers and teachers.  Lavosi is a school for the deaf, recognised by the government but without “one Quetzal” of financial support from the government; so it relies on donations and help and support from CasaSito.  It has great plans and provides a much needed service as there is no provision for children with disabilities within the public education system.  So we are looking at ways in which we might introduce music as both an activity and a therapy – providing a new means of expression!

The same ideas are running through my mind with the second organisation I visited “Brillo del Sol” – again a charity school for children with many different forms of mental disability or dysfunction but also including children from violent and abusive homes who have mental problems as a result.  So music as therapy again I think.

The third organisation “Educarte” was just as amazing, offering community support and education (and food) to many poor children and also other projects, but all utilising “art” as a means of expression. 

But, my dilemma is that I have decided that 3.5 days a week is what I will offer, so will probably spend 1 day a week in two organisations and the rest of the time will be devoted to working with the CasaSito scholarship student clubs, devising and Spoken English programme and other projects yet to be determined!   Sadly one organisation will have to be on my list for next year or I will only work with them in an ad hoc manner.

Phewy!   I am going to be busy!

"Hissing Sid finds a new home"

 

The Colours of the Garden

I have been pottering in the garden and yesterday I thought I would just take a few shots of the colours in the garden, it is part of my plan to attract (even) more birds, I am especially keen to attract MORE hummingbirds!  The other great attraction is to watch the lizards, some of which are iridescent chameleons, scuttling around the garden catching insects.  

My Old Life ….. and New Opportunities!

To return to the 3.5 days I will have for myself.   Apart from developing the garden, decorating the inside of my house and generally enjoying the slow pace of life in Antigua, I still want to “keep my hand in” as far as consultancy is concerned as hey presto good old serendipity has stepped in again!

Well, as you know, I am maintaining my connections with Eurochambres, and hope this year to participate in the Latin American Academy to be held in Brazil just after Easter.  But, I do also hanker for a little consultancy work on a paid/unpaid basis depending on the situation.

Well, serendipitously  (in Spanish ~ descubrimiento fortuito de algo muy bello + {amente   = the “ly” bit!})  so I think we will stick with serendipitously for now I was looking to make a trip this week before I start work for CasaSito and my time is limited, I wanted to see a) some real countryside and b) experience some real Mayan culture……. Well;  I have started using Facebook as another means of communication and between that and Google I happened upon ….. Chahal Paraiso Natural Guatemala I signed up to this page and eventually found myself talking to the guy behind this site who it turns out also has a Hotel and is developing an Eco Hotel on land immediately next to the Las Conchas National Park …….  

To cut a LONG story short, I am off to the region of Alta Verapaz on Thursday for a few days to see this guys projects and there is a possibility of providing a little consultancy!  What is even better is that my host is of “Mayan” decent and I am promised an introduction to Mayan Culture and Food and even a little bit of “Kekchi” a Mayan language spoken by some half million people in Guatemala!

Coban is the main city of Alta Verapaz and the staring point for  my trip!

 And let’s not forget that Chocolate originally came from what is now Guatemala! 

I am so excited. I need a break from Antigua and this is going to be so different!  And with my new camera!   Just deciding on whether to wear my cowboy hat or not!!  (Alta Verapaz is nearer to Mexico …….   that’s my excuse!)

When I get back I have to do battle with the City of Guatemala as I need to visit to get my Visa renewed for a further 90 days!  A lengthy process, which is “odd” as the first visa takes 5 seconds on arrival at the airport!  The alternative is to leave Guatemala for 3 days and re-enter – but you have to go to Belize or Mexico (6 hours by bus) or as far away as Costa Rica (24 hours by bus) as there is an agreement between Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua and these four countries share visa requirements! So south Costa Rica is the first “foreign country”!

Hasta proxima semana, amigos!  (next week)