Day Three

Today was my last day so I wanted to go to visit all the other members of the group while they were working. I really liked helping run the stores, making and seeing the beautiful and cute handicrafts.  I also liked weaving sheets, but thought that it was very hard work. Now I will think of the this time I spent helping make sheets when go home and lay down on my bed. My favorite place I saw today was watching and helping the farmer, raise animals. Today was a great day and I learned a lot about what women in Guatemala do to make money. For me this trip was filled with lots of emotion especially when I realized how hard some people work to make money and are still happy.

*emotion

Day Two

Today Gregoria and I are going to work. I am going to help her make her make her beautiful sweatshirts. After waking up and having some breakfast that we had bought at the market the day before we got ready to work. The meal she made smelled and tasted so good. She had dedicated a part of her house as her sweatshirt making factory. When we got into her little factory she pointed out the exact fabrics that she had bought with the loan from Kiva. The colors of the fabric really lit up the room. 
  

The sweatshirts felt so soft when I touched them. The first I did was, watch her show me the steps, then I got a chance to try. We talked for a while and before we knew it, it was almost dinner. It was fun to get to talk to her and get to practice my Spanish and let her practice her English. It was a great experience to see how she works so hard. Right after we were done working she offered me a sweatshirt. I took it and insisted on paying her. I also bought another one for my sister and my S0cial Studies teacher John, because when I was looking for someone to fund and showed him the Superaction group he said he wanted one.

      *smell

      *touch

      *people

      *souvenir

Day One

Today I get to actually meet Gregoria Mercedes Pec Mejia and the rest of the Superaction Group. their names are Isabel Osorio Tuy De Chan, Antonia Cux Elias, Paula Ajin Tecum De Mejia, Santos Estebana Mejia Chay De Pec, Catarina Ulin Choz, Santa Cite Renoj, Santos Petrona Xic Ajin De Mejia, Santa Mejia Tecum De Xec, Ana Felipa Ulin Juarez De Chay, Marta Chay Juarez, Petrona Mejia Ajin, Maria Victoriana Cosinero Chan , Francisca Victoriana Chan Vicente, Juana Chan Osorio De Renoj, Macaria Santos Cosinero Chan, Sebastiana Chay Ulin and Maria Angelina Marroquin Urbina.





As soon as we got settled and I had a chance to meet each and every one of them, they took me to the food market. We even got to see a few of the stores that some of the women own. We saw a variety of different foods including vegetables, chills, bananas, and other fruits. I tried a little of everything. Some things were delicious, others were sweet, spicy and plain.


There was also clothing, flowers, handicrafts and people playing music. The sound of the fun spanish style music made me want to dance! 




    




*Sound and Taste

Introduction on Superaction Group

Today I get to meet Superaction Group. This is a group of women in Totonicapan, Guatemala who make sweatshirt, make handicrafts from clay, weave sheets, raise animals and run stores. The lady who founded it and is in charge of the group is named Gregoria Mercedes. She is only 20 years old and is single. She went to school from age seven to fourteen, which is called 'education primaria'. She has six years experience, so that means right after graduating 'education primaria' she started working. She makes sweatshirts and with the money I lent her she is going to improve her sweatshirt production. She hope that in the future she will have a large business and will be able to hire workers, I hope so too. 

 

Currency

$1 is 7.73 Guatemalan Quetzal (GTQ)

Communication

Ten phrases I want to know in Guatemalan Spanish:  Diez frases que quiero saber en el español de Guatemala:


My name is Deryn. ----Mi nombre es Deryn
Hello--- ¡Hola!
Thank you--- Gracias
Please--- Por favor
Where is the bathroom?--- ¿Dónde está el baño?
How do I get there?--- ¿Cómo llegar?
friends--- amigos 
I live in the United States. ---Yo vivo en los Estados Unidos.
restaurant--- restaurante
Do you speak English?---¿Hablas Inglés?

Transportation to Guatemala

I get to go to Totonicapan, Guatemala. I am going to get there by plane. I was lucky that there was a plane to Guatemala. Although after I arrive there I have to take a taxi to Totonicapan. The airport that I arrive to is called, La Aurora International Airport. It is about 98 km from Totonicapan.