Help Us Create a New Library in Parramos!

Our first major project here is creating a new library in Parramos, which is a small city where the illiteracy rate is high and the economic conditions are poor. The purpose of the library is to provide a comfortable, multi-purpose environment where students in the AOJ School and the general public can have free access to reading material. The intent is to promote and encourage the habit of reading in the local community, which is necessary for further educational development. The ultimate objective of the library is to benefit and develop the whole community of Parramos and not just the students of the AOJ School.

The AOJ School has been operating since 2001, when it started with 35 children in grades one to three. In 2007, the school grew to 450 students in grades one to six. There is currently an inadequate supply of reading material to encourage reading amongst the students given the exponential growth. There are approximately 200 books currently servicing 450 students at the AOJ School and the majority of these books are in English as they are usually donated by teams and churches that visit the school and see the need. The picture above shows the current state of the library. As you can see, we are in desperate need of more books and some furniture to have a comfortable environment for the children!

In a country where the literacy rate is only 69%, there is an essential need to obtain Spanish language books so that students are encouraged to read at an early age and to instill the habit of self-development. We have just completed the construction of a room that can accommodate at least 3000 books, including space for learning centres to facilitate specialized activities and computers for internet research. If the library grows as planned, it will become the only such facility in the entire region servicing 1500 students in the public school system in addition to the students attending the AOJ School.

We are calling this project 'Leer Para Crecer' (Read to Grow) and have determined that we need to raise $10,000 US to start. If you want to receive more information about this project, including specific reading material required, please contact Steve Tharakan at tharakan.steve@gmail.com. Please note that all financial contributions are eligible for income tax receipts. With your help, we can make a difference by giving the simple gift of reading to a community that is starving for this opportunity!

Adventures on the "Chicken Bus"

It is halfway through the our first full week at work and getting there has been somewhat of an adventure. Every morning, we catch the local bus from the main bus terminal. Most buses here are converted school buses that are painted with bright colours. We have been warned about the buses here in Guatemala, nicknamed "chicken buses", because commuters bring whatever they can, such as laundry, plants, tires, bicycles and yes, sometimes chickens! But the one thing that we always heard, and what worried us the most, was how fast these buses go (nothing like our tame buses back home in Canada).

The first morning, we boarded the bus with our now fellow Guatemantecos. The bus was half empty so we had plenty of space...and there were no chickens! We thought this was a good start. The bus also travelled at a slow pace, trudging along as it picked up stray passengers on the way. This seemed like it was going to be a breeze for us and we sat back to enjoy the scenes of Antigua as they slowly passed us by. Perhaps what we heard about Guatemalan buses were just rumours. But as the driver picked up more passengers, the bus started to get pretty full. Pretty soon, the bus was jammed with people standing in the aisles and baskets of food spilling from the over-head compartments. A large man decided that the tiny 2-seat bench that we were sitting on can really fit 3 people. As Steve's new "friend"squeezed in and the bus became jammed to capacity, the driver suddenly kicked into a higher gear. All of a sudden, we started racing through the streets of Antigua, narrowly missing pedestrians, cars and the odd tuk-tuk!

Our bus ride suddenly became a rollar coaster and Sandra firmly gripped the handle bars with both hands. Steve decided to make a snide remark, which he regretted when the bus leaped over a bump and he shot up a couple of feet in the air! To top it off, the bus was so full that we couldn't see where we had to get off. Steve reached for the bell but Sandra reminded him that he was no longer in Canada. Since there are really no bus stops, we made a guess and told the driver where we wanted to get off. The bus came to a "rolling stop"and we had to leap off before the bus sped off to its next destination. Unfortunately, when we looked around, we guessed wrong and ended up walking 30 min to our work...what a great start to our first day of work!

If that adventure wasn't enough, the next day Sandra had to go to a meeting but the bus was so full that she couldn't get a seat. In fact, she couldn't even get inside the bus so she had to hang off the second step! She always wanted the wind in her hair but she never imagined it would happen while riding off the side of a chicken bus!

We feel relieved and exhilarated when we come home after our chicken bus adventures. One day, as we got off the bus feeling kind of whoozy, one elderly Guatemalan gentleman, who probably felt sorry for us, gave us a warm smile. We smiled back, admiring his shirt that said "World's Best Grandma". And so ends another day in Guatemala.

Settling In Our New "Home"Country

We had no problem with our flight from Ottawa to Miami to Guatemala City, despite warnings that our luggage might get lost. It was great to arrive under sunny skies with a temperature around 24 C, especially considering we left Ottawa when it was -15 C! After arriving in Antigua, where we will be staying, we spent the last couple of days checking in our temporary accommodations (a guest house in the centre of Antigua) and visiting the staff in Parramos, where we will be working.

When we visited the school where most of our projects will take place, the staff gave us a very warm welcome. It was very touching to see the smiles on the children again, especially how they each ran up to us and gave us huge hugs! We couldn't of asked for a better welcome to Guatemala!

There is a lot to do here. Our first job is to create a library where people of all ages (kids to teens to adults) can have a safe place to go and enjoy the gift of reading. If you or your school is interested in contributing to growing this libary, please contact us by email.

We will also create programs for students to learn skills such as sewing, hair-dressing, and basic computer operations. These courses will be housed in the newly created trade school. And that's just to start! Stay tuned for progress on these projects and the new ones we will be staring shortly.