It’s week two and the Interns are back and ready to get their hands dirty…quite literally. We started off our first full week in Guatemala by splitting into two groups, Rachel, Emily, and Claire worked in the medicinal herb garden first and Yeana and I (Amber) learned the art of back strap weaving. Halfway through the week we switched and the first group back strap weaved while we worked in the garden. Fun, however, was had by all.
First of all, back strap weaving is hard! Well, at least it was for me. Thank goodness for my instructor, Aura, who is an artisan with Maya Traditions, or else there is no way I would have made it through. The process of weaving is very intricate, precise, and tiring! Traditionally, the women back strap weave while on their knees, which can seriously tire your back. I also learned that I’m a total wimp with no arm strength, which, if you did not know is a definite requirement in order to split and turn over the thread during the weaving process. But that’s when teamwork between me and Aura came in (AKA she took over for me).
However, all of the ibuprofen and frustration was worth it in the end. Not only did we gain a unique appreciation of the weaving process that has been practiced by the Maya women for centuries, we also made our own wall hangings to take home. Which, I will say, we did a great job at!
Next up was the Medicinal Herb Garden. This Garden is tucked away into a corner of Panajachel and is built into the side of a mountain. It’s also insanely beautiful with over 40 species of plant life that gets turned into various teas, tinctures, and soaps. The first day in the garden we learned the rules, daily tasks of the garden, and the medical attributes of many of the plant species by Edgar and Edgar. Yes, you read that right; two of the garden’s main volunteers are both named Edgar. It can get confusing but we learned to refer to them as Edgar Uno and Edgar Dos. This first day we also harvested some Menta Blanca (White Mint). The process of harvesting is actually really interesting! It involves picking the plant from the ground, cutting it into centimeter long pieces, disinfecting it, and drying it. Typically the harvested plants are dried for up to a week and a half and then they’re good to be turned into teas and tinctures.
Additionally, May 11th was World Fair Trade day and the Maya Traditions office had a little Fiesta! Maya Traditions had a garden party in order to showcase the many fair trade products produced by the cooperatives they work with. Not only were there representatives from every single Co-Op but there were also women demonstrating the art of back strap weaving, natural dying workshops, and garland making. Us interns helped to prepare for the party but we also joined in on the fun! We feasted on the homemade bread, pesto, and cookies (all made using plants found within the medicinal herb garden), enjoyed some awesome live music and, of course, indulged in some fair trade retail therapy.
Well, that’s all I’ve got for this week!
Amber Smith