¡Hola!
This past week has been full of exciting new ideas and projects for the garden! Going into this project, there was a lot unknown about gardening, planting, and building (I know that I`ve never built a fence before). The first part of the week after settling in to our homestays was all about deconstructing and building a new fence surrounding the garden. While this task tested our patience working alongside locals, it `s exciting to see the kind of person that comes out when given a difficult task and I think by the end of the week, we felt we grew closer because of it. Luckily, we had help from the Edgars and Emily on Monday, who showed us how to go about revamping parts of the garden. We were taught where and how to plant various medicinal and natural dying plants as well as how to build bamboo fences!
Yeana working on making the bamboo fences
We decided to take the leniency and use it to our advantage! Using the various things we could find available in the garden, we used it to create new pathways and structures. Seeing the difference in the garden before and after our work made all of the sunburns, mosquito bites, and intense heat, worth it!
Otherwise, apart from being one with nature, we have had so much fun interacting with our host families and getting to know them better. Experiencing natural healing, dancing with the kids, and observing the art of backstrap weaving has been an amazing way to connect with our families, despite the language barrier. We have continually been working on promotional videos as well and have been videoing our host mothers backstrap weaving. In the end, we hope to create a video showing all the steps and the hard work that is behind the products that are sold. This has brought out a new appreciation for textiles and products made by these talented women.
We will be returning back to Panajachel in just a few days and as we transition back to the hustle and bustle, we will all soak up the tranquility of the beautiful San Juan La Laguna. Well, that`s it for this week! I look forward to the delicious food and amazing adventures to come in these final weeks! Hasta luego!
Claire