One
woman said sometimes there is no money for food and all they have is
water which is not purified. Together we tried to brainstorm other
items they could make that would sell well in the US. We all had a good
laugh when Ethelyn suggested they make dog sweaters. First of all dogs
are not valued here like they are in the US. and they have a much
warmer climate. What impressed us the most is how grateful they all
are and how willing they are to be trained to do or make anything. All
they want is to be able to work to help feed and educate their
children. They do not want handouts or charity but only want to help
their families survive and learn. Currently, if they can afford it,
girls are only allowed to go to few years of primary school and if they
have the money, boys get to complete more years of schooling. Last
month, eight of the women rode a bus 11 hours to attend a conference
about marketing and design ideas. This was huge because the women had
never had the opportunity to leave their village in the past. Even
though our English had to first be translated to Spanish and then to
the two different native languages of the women in the group so we
could communicate, we shared many laughs, smiles and our hearts were
connected. We left determined to explore other possibilities, so these
women’s dreams come true. Possibly, if they had a few sewing machines,
the women could make other more marketable products with their weavings.
One
of the group members, Olivia, invited us to her home to see a
demonstration of her weaving. She lived in a very clean, humble one
room shanty with dirt floors and metal walls and ceiling which she
shared with her husband and three children. Since we are the first
group of Americans to stay in their village, (which explains why we
received so much attention when we walked around the streets) she was
honored that we expressed an interest in her and their group. Olivia is
a vibrant woman with a great, contagious laugh which she shared often.
She was grateful that we cared enough about her as a person and wanted
to spend time with her. Of course, we benefited far more from our
interaction with her.
Eulalia, the president of the group,
served us with love 3 delicious, authentic meals, 2 in her home which
she shares with her 5 children and husband who travels several hours to
Guatemala City to sell their crafts in a tent. She also knows Spanish
and the two native languages, Quejchi and Poquomchi, so she and Diana
served as our interpreters. She speaks Spanish in their home so her
children learn it and they learn the other two languages in school. In
addition, Candy her delightful 4th grade daughter is also learning some
English from a church. We tried to learn some of the words in their
languages from Candy and we had fun laughing at our attempts at
pronunciation. In the US most of us only know one language and many do
not speak or write it well! Eulalia is very beautiful on the inside and
out. She shared her food, her home, her children, her struggles, her
dreams, her knowledge and her heart with us. Yet she expressed many
words and expressions of gratitude and told us how special it was for
us to spend time with her and listen to her and the other members of
her group. What she doesn’t realize is that the love and gentle spirit
she shared with us were precious gifts that will never be forgotten.
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