The World's Friendliest Shop and more....
Trip Start
May 26, 2008
1
14
23
Trip End
Sep 27, 2008
Flores, Guatemala
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Like the lake above whose crystal clear waters San Anreas is situated, Volunteer El Peten has a transient tranquility. The water of the lake laps gently upon the shore of San Andreas before gently disappating. Every week brings a new wave of volunteers, some staying, some passing through. Inevitably what arrives must leave and so the waves of volunteers disapate as people move onto to new destinations or return to their homes. This week Julie, Emanol, Hang and San have all bid their farewells.
Part of the project's allure is that optimistic transience. It is always sad to see people leave, however I feel lucky to have met them in the first place and in such a setting. The setting opens people up, as they are determined to make the most of their brief stay. In all cases when people leave I feel I have known them for far longer than I have, looking back that was true of all volunteer projects in Ecuador, and for me is what makes volunteering a great way to travel. Almost everyday is an excuse for a party as somebody is either leaving or arriving.
The World's Frindliest Tienda
Craving cold sugary liquid, I stopped at the first tienda on my path home. Hear I indulged my taste buds with a bottle of product whose name I am not allowed to specify for commercial reasons. With the product in a returnable glass bottle, I sat in the shade of the tienda and fell into to conversation with the proprietor of the tienda. Our conversation suffered from the barrier of my Spanish and his non existent English, but language is no barrier where patience and enthuasiasm abound and the keeper of the tienda radiated these qualities. From that day forward, it became a post park tradition to visit the tienda and when ever possible take a new volunteer to meet the shop keeper. Our conversations spanned from explaining that Denmark and England were not part of the US to discussing Mayan mythology and stories of human transformation into monkeys or serpants. It seems that if I as an outsider were to sleep with a Mayan women, I would be turned into a snake. With that as a deterent I think I will steer well clear, how would I play football without my legs?
The Warmth of San Andreas.
The friendliness of the shop keeper, was typical of the people of San Andreas. In the month I spent with the project I gained a feel for a community that is at ease with itself and the presence of volunteers in their midst. The community is undeniably poor and there are problems, but everything is tackled with enthusiasm, positivity and an unquestioning friendliness. Where we would often treat a stranger with slight mistrust and suspision, the first instinct here is to make friendly conversation and try to help, even if you do not know the solution to the question.
