I also worked at the hospital where I held, fed and played with the babies. A heartbreaking and rewarding place to spend time, this hospital is one of last resort for the people who have no money, no where to go, and often have the greatest needs. The babies here are riddled with problems, mostly caused from malnutrition. This day, the baby boy I spent most of my time with was blind and mentally challenged from a lack of nutrition. Another sweet baby had a severe harelip that distorted his little face, but he appeared more lively and content than the others. The most difficult to see was a beautiful little girl that was sitting up playing with her feet in the crib when I approached. She looked as though she were two years old. When she looked up at me, I noticed her eyes were crossed. When I asked the nurse what this girl was up against, I was told she was actually six years old and her condition was critical due to severe malnutrition. This little girl broke me. The gravity of her starvation was so real, I felt like my mind was unable to process what my eyes were seeing.  

These children will remain in this hospital their entire lives. Angels….that is what the women and men are who come here everyday to provide around the clock care for these babies, along with the many severely challenged children and adults who have been left here. On days there are no volunteers, the workload must seem overwhelming. There were three of us volunteering for the first time this day and we all struggled to maintain composure upon understanding the situation. We found ourselves together on another day, having returned, and we plan on returning throughout our stay. The hospital is in great need of volunteers with only three nurses to care for 15 babies.    

With the people struggling to survive, most dogs are certainly on their own. Appearing on the edge of life, they still come wagging their tails with an amazing spirit that I cannot comprehend. The dog below followed me to the park one day. We ended up at Campero (the KFC of Antigua) to have lunch complete with fries....many of the children from the park joined us!   

Also this week was a trip with my family to the Pacific Coast of Guatemala for a day at the beach. The night before we left, the entire family was in the kitchen preparing an incredible amount of food to bring along. The excitement among the kids and adults in anticipation of the trip to the beach made apparent that this was a special event. After gathering all the bags, we left the house the next morning at 6:30am. On the way to the chicken bus, Rosalinda explained this was an event that many of the same families from Antigua participate in each year. Sure enough, when we got to the bus, I was the only gringa in site! I got a little concerned when all the people made the sign of the cross when we started to roll. Maybe this was going to be more adventurous than I had anticipated.



The trip was long. We stopped at a McDonald´s with Acatenango and Fuego (volcanoes) in the background. We exited the bus, sat on the ground around the McDonald´s parking lot and ate a breakfast of black bean paste and pan. I picked up several rounds of coffee which were split among the adults. Again we were off. 

Hours later, after passing repeating scenes of poverty, we came to what appeared to be a river or canal. To my shock and horror, this entire bus was loaded onto a small, very small barge. There was about two feet of boat around the entire bus. I asked if we were going to get off the bus as we crossed and the answer was an emphatic no; like, how crazy are you! I was horrified to the point that all I could do was laugh. There was a crucifix mounted to the windshield of the bus. Jesus seems always to be present! My only thought was, if this thing goes down, (I am very sorry Jesus, but) I am going to rip that crucifix off that windshield to bust my way out of here! I tried to watch the pigs play onshore in the mud, but that seemed to drive home the idea that I was no longer in Kansas. The moment was surreal.







By time our little boat slammed into the shore carrying the gigantic chicken bus, backward down this river, I was sweating from the nervous laughter that had consumed me. After backing the bus off the boat up a steep dirt hill, the people joyously informed me, we had to come back this same way! 

Once we finally reached the little town at the beach, as the others were buying orange soda, I took a stroll to see the waves. Like the Big Island of Hawaii, the volcanoes create beautiful black sand beaches. Here, there was no wind making the sand stifling hot. The beach was very wide with a steep drop off into a powerful, swirling white water. The waves were mesmerizing. They were closeout waves with so much energy and size, that when they broke, the ground seemed to shake. The sets were like clockwork and easily identifiable with an impressive wall of water forming unmatched by the previous few waves. One look and I knew this was not a day for surfing! 







I could only go into the ocean to my thighs. There was so much water hitting the beach the outward flow was incredible with rip currents visible. Two young men unaware of the danger ventured in and we all watched for twenty minutes as they were pummeled by the waves and almost drown. No one could help them and everyone was relieved when they finally crawled ashore.

I couldn't help but think....wow, even the ocean seems to bear down hard on these people. After a few minutes playing with one child at a time in water up to their knees, we headed up the shore to a local hotel that had two pools. Unbeknown to me, this is where we were coming to spend the day.



After three hours at the pool, we got back on the bus and began the long journey home. Again, we had an uneventful crossing at the canal which I was very grateful for. The kids were exhausted and slept most the ride home. We returned to the house at 8pm and once again the house was full of excitement as the family shared the events of the day. A marvelous day at the beach! I was thrilled to experience their experience.

Until next time,
cathy