Blog #3- A Day in the Life
Throughout my gap year, I am working with a non-profit organization called Porch de Salomon, based here in Panajachel, Guatemala. They provide humanitarian relief in many forms, with their primary method being employing local workers to build and construct homes for families in need, as well as organizing and operating various types of medical clinics, both locally and in surrounding communities. Furthermore, they work with families to ensure that their children are receiving proper education through offering scholarships. The organization also assists in the development of sustainability projects and micro businesses that will provide families with steady and reliable income.
From May through August, then again in October and November, Porch de Salomon hosts one week teams of volunteers from the States, who help to fund the house builds. The teams put in four days of physical labor on the job site, helping to speed up the building process. The most effective impact that the teams have on the families however boils down to one simple, yet powerful concept: the beauty of forming relationships. At every job site I have had the opportunity to work on so far, the family shares how much seeing people come to work on their house means to them. Forming relationships and working alongside them on their home is a truly beautiful and humbling experience.
During our seasons of hosting teams, I go to work with the teams, lead them to activities in the evenings, and offer any assistance/advice they might need during their time here. Right now, we are in our off season, so I spend my days working with the office staff to improve organization and efficiency around the office, as well as completing little projects for the organization. For example, all of the students in the scholarship program have written thank you letters to their sponsors, so I am currently helping to translate the letters before we send them to their sponsors. Additionally, I am attending Spanish school daily, in order to improve and practice my Spanish, which will help me to contribute more to the community and the work I am doing in the long run.
I am currently living in the residential area of Panajachel, looking after the house of the founders of the organization while they are in the States promoting the work that they do here in Guatemala.
I buy my produce fresh from the local open aired market, and my non perishable items from the local supermarket, called the Dispensa. I cook for myself daily, since I have access to a full kitchen, and with the help of some friends, am learning to cook some traditional Guatemalan dishes.
I have met many friends through the non-profit I am working with, and we like to spend our evenings grabbing coffee at local coffee shops and walking around town, usually ending up sitting on the docks of Lake Atitlan, named one of the top 10 most beautiful lakes in the world by National Geographic.
Life in Panajachel has definitely been an adjustment, with lots of growth involved already, which I am extremely thankful for. I am without a doubt in love with this town, this community, and the work I am able to be a part of through Porch de Salomon. An overwhelming majority of the people I come in contact with are extremely welcoming, genuine, and supportive. I truly feel at home in the community and love the pace in which life passes here. We joke that everyone here is on “Guatemalan time”, not pressured by the concept of time, taking things in as they come and dealing with them accordingly. I am looking forward to the rest of my time here, and am excited to see what this year holds! ❤
