Doña Chula

Even before setting foot in Guatemala I had thoughts of spending my days in Central America with a dog at my side. Having grown up with the most incredible dog in the world (RIP Snoopy), I was eager after a long hiatus from pet-ownership to get back on the wagon. Figuring I'd have a bit more extra time on my hands in a new country before knowing the lay of the land, I figured a new pup would be the perfect companion to explore my new life and country together.

Casually strolling down the main street that runs along the west end of Antigua, Avenida Santa Lucia, I stumbled across a pet store one day. Otherwise easy to miss among the other knick-knack stores and cafes along the street, this tienda jumped out at me as 3 cages of puppies were prominently displayed in the door way making it nearly impossible to ignore the tiny critters cuddling up among each other and competing for attention from passersby.

Here I spotted a a 4 month old dachshund that reminded me of my loving Snoopy were it not for her brown/red coat (where as Snoop Dogg sported the black and tan look). I affectionately named her Maní (peanut) and visited her nearly every day over the course of 2 weeks hoping I'd soon save up the money and buy her love.

Maní

Well this story doesn't have much of a happy ending for Maní, at least that I know of. As it would turn out another perrita would storm her way into my heart.

As I made my way early one Saturday morning on a walk to the vista overlooking the city of Antigua, I came across a neighbor holding a puppy that caught my eye. I felt particularly social that morning and decided to chat the man up to know more about his puppy and steal a pet or two. As you would have it, the man tells me he is selling said puppy as well as 2 others. After showing off his lot to me and some jabs from his friends ("This one looks like the daddy! (points to man selling the puppy), I decided I was in the market for a puppy. After the man told me the price, I was definitely in the market for a new puppy.

Chula

The price of a value meal at McDonald's. Yes, that is how much I paid for this precious perrita. Count it: $3 dollars. I couldn't help but evaluate every purchase I made for the next few days: "A liter of beer in town Saturday night...that cost me 2 Chulas," "The bag of dog food that weighs as much as the dog itself...that will be 1.5 Chulas," or  "Three cans of Mt. Dew from the local importer...that will be 1 Chula."

Given her name means cute, adorable, pretty I think we can all agree I got a bargain of a deal.

Real Building

A week or two ago I was fortunate enough to go out into “the field” to take part in a Habitat build with one of our volunteer groups. For those of you who have been curious to know a bit more about the building process and what I do for Habitat for Humanity, your wait is over!

In a nutshell (and in a perfect world) the process is quite simple:

1) A team decides it wants to partake in a Habitat building activity in Guatemala. Teams can be young, old, mixed, youth groups, school trips, previous volunteers who want to return as a leader of their own group, etc. The sky is the limit pretty much.

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      2) The team leader is put in touch with our office here in Guatemala and when we find a date and location that fit the team they have the great pleasure of working with me. I help organize/coordinate their work/travel itinerary, budget for paying for this awesome trip they are about to embark on, hotel arrangements, transport, etc.

      3) The team arrives in country ready to rock ‘n roll and one of our Field Coordinators joins them out into the field to accompany them on their trip/build. Traditionally I don’t partake in this part, but rather pass them on to another Habitat member who reaps the benefits of living like a Rock Star out on the road.

(Worksite, notice the beefcake in green surveying the land)

(Laying brick on a traditional Habitat House)

Anyhow, this past week we had a particularly large group come to Guatemala to partake in a build out in Zacapa, a municipality out in the eastern part of Guatemala near the Honduran border locally renowned for their particularly tasty hard dry cheese and hand crafted cigars. While I didn't have the pleasure in partaking in either, or seeing much beyond our hotel and the work site for that matter, my lasting memory of Zacapa was the heat. However, I had a great time getting out into the field with my first Habitat group and getting my hands dirty as I took part each day in doing some building. Unfortunately, I had a bad spill one day running around the hotel pool, another incident fording a local river which nearly knocked out my digital camera for good, and my work phone didn’t make it out of the town alive, but all in all it was a great experience. 

(Nearly finished Habitat House)

("Cultural Night" @ the hotel in Zacapa)

(Zacapa morning commute)