2017-03 Philippines Visit to Lovely

My visit started with a little mix up.  Children International KC had told me to arrange my own transportation to the office by 10 AM (due to the time with traffic), but the local office intended to pick me up at 9 AM.  I had left at 8 and made it by 9:30, then received the most thorough tour ever - I even met my fellow accounting people!  Then, we were off for some shopping.

The family priority was a new, thicker foam folding mattress (about $40 on sale).  I offered a second one, but was told no by Rosa, the staff person.  I thought it was a concern about the cost, but learned otherwise later; however, she did have a paper where the local staff had accounted for the $200 visit fee - it was nice to see how conscientious they were about it.  Even though the 2nd mattress didn't work, I insisted they get groceries as well and replace the 12 kg rice with 25 kg.  We followed up with clothes shopping, where I gave the thumbs up to clothes for the family too.  In total, they went over about $50.

We had the opposite problem everywhere else.  I learned McDonald's serves fried chicken with a packet of rice and gravy or spaghetti over here - a favorite and cheap!  We then headed to the family home, where I learned why two mattresses wouldn't work - they wouldn't fit.  I had assumed that Lovely was able to go to college because the family was better off than my others; however, if they are, they sink it all into education!

I didn't take many photos of the home because Lovely looked embarrassed when she told me which home was theirs.  In the photo, it is the metal part only - the concrete block home is the neighbor.  I had expected something more like that because that's what most of my kids have had.  The floor is plywood being supported by plywood stuck in the rocks on the creek edge.

The family still happily showed me the storage cupboard and fan that my EGs had funded, but I realized that food and clothing may have been the top items because there wasn't space for anything else - the kitchen is a pot outside that you'd have to squat to cook on even.  I decided to treat everyone and asked Lovely if her younger sister, Jenalyn, wanted to join and her niece.  The little neighbor girl (also sponsored) playing with her got confused and changed into her nice clothes with everyone else, so I could hardly refuse!  Lovely's oldest sister, Yolanda, also joined us. 

Despite this, we didn't spend much at the EcoPark (they gave us a discount) and I'm not sure the others had eaten, so a "snack" was proposed.  Those of us who already ate ordered something smaller than before, but the others had a meal.  There were still funds left, so sundaes were added for the kids and a dinner for Lovely's father and Yolanda's son, who'd been in school when I showed up.  As many other sponsors have mentioned, fried chicken is a huge hit!

All-in-all, it was a great day.  Like with other visits, I was shown well-worn letters and pristine photos and postcards that I'd sent.  Lovely even asked about my sister, who'd originally sponsored her.  Mom, Milagros, teared up when thanking me as we said our good -byes and her, Lovely and Yolanda all hugged me.  I was on the fence about sponsoring here in the future, since so many people seem to like the letters in English (so Filipino kids get sponsored relatively easily), but I really liked the staff, how excited they are about Into Employment and hiring former CI kids, it's quite affordable to vacation here and the people are so warm and genuine!

On a practical note, I learned tonight that you can hear EVERYTHING in the hall at my hotel.  Other than that, it's been a good choice to stay near the airport.  Don't use shuttles via the airlines though - mine was about $25 and the hotel shuttle is half that.  Even better, my Uber back is quoted at about $3.50 & the hotel and CI staff said it's safe.

2015 Guatemala Trip Day Five - Visiting Keisy, Edy and Katherine

The day of my final visit started off wonderfully with meeting the families at the center and passing out gifts.  My family hand-painted Christmas ornaments when we were kids and just this last year started doing it again and painting larger ceramic animals.  I decided to bring one for each of my kids this visit since they’re “family” as well.  The kids today seemed to especially find them interesting.  The families also loved the photo books I'd made for each family from the last trip.

Everyone also loved the baby clothes for Keisy’s nephew, Jenier, who is 17 months old and Katherine & Edy’s niece, Jacquelin, who is 9 months old.  Both babies are kind of special to me since Jenier was born right before my nephew, Zach, and Jacquelin was born the same month as my second nephew, Sean, and on my sister’s birthday!  Juan also shares my sister’s birthday (same sister even – the youngest), so with him graduating, Jacquelin was for sure joining my CI family in 2016 when Keisy graduates the program!

Edy had told me previously that the zoo is one of his favorite places, so I thought it was a good choice for his graduation trip.  It was actually interesting for me as well since this zoo had a lot of baby animals that were very playful and animals I’ve never seen before at the local zoo.

I'm a big fan of candid shots when the opportunity presents itself.  In the last photo, Juana's not looking so sure about those snakes!

Of course, there were some great planned photos with the families as well!  I look like a giant with Juana, Edy & Katherine (I'm 5'7" for reference!).  Keisy's almost as tall as me here though.  It was great to see Edy & Katherine wearing the jacket & sweater I bought them last time . . . although Keisy's mom was quick to tell me that Keisy grew out of hers and Sharelyn used it now!

The penguins were a big hit with everyone.  We took some photos here and the families all thought it was hilarious when I said “sonrisa” (smile) in a sing-song voice like the staff, getting me a great photo!

Even though both Katherine and Edy are pretty shy, I thought it was great this trip that Katherine sat by me every time we were in the van.  I learned from the staff that it is fairly uncommon for young people to change boyfriends or girlfriends often as they generally get to know each other well first.  Edy looked embarrassed when I asked about his girlfriend, Paola, but his mom, Juana, happily told me that she was also in school at the same school as Edy.  Keisy was also surprised that I remembered her boyfriend, Ricardo, and asked about him.  I was happy to hear Norma say that she prefers to only let Keisy see him at her house because she wants to make sure Keisy stays out of trouble because of her age!  Having learned that teen pregnancy is a big issue in Guatemala right now, that was good news to hear.  I escaped with no mosquito bites again, so that would be me=5, mosquitoes=0 for this trip.  

Before we left, we'd received two free tickets for the big slide, so all of the teens wanted to try it out for the first time.  They were scared at the top though.  The moms finally had to yell at Edy to "be a man" essentially and go first lol.

Fortunately, this trip the kids picked Pollo Campero and not McDonalds.  During lunch, I was sitting with Norma, Keisy’s mom and I learned that our families have even more in common with our moms both being teen parents.  Unlike many Guatemalan families, the oldest son does not have the highest education – Keisy does.  Norma had a tough family life after her mom passed away, so she got married and had Kevin at 15; however, this led to her life being very hard and she really doesn’t want that for her daughters.  Keisy has been attending a Catholic school with no tuition, but her mother told us she’d been worried that Keisy would have to quit school without finishing her final year because the family had no way to afford the expenses that year.  Norma said I'd been an answer to prayer, and the families, of course, thanked me for the assistance.  I made sure to thank them in turn for actually doing the real work of going to school, keeping up their grades and making the best of the opportunities they were given.  I really liked Norma’s comment afterward that it truly was a partnership between the parents and the sponsor working together that would help the kids succeed.  It truly is wonderful seeing how close the families are here.  These two are nearly inseparable!

The last thing we did before returning to the center was go shopping!  Again, each teen could pick out any four items of clothing and/or shoes they needed.  While we were shopping, I happened to glance down and notice that one of the mothers could really use new shoes as well and wondered why it hadn’t occurred to me before to offer something for them!  Since both mothers work, I asked the staff to tell the mothers that I wanted to thank them for taking the day off work for the visit with a gift of their choice . . . and they both picked shoes.  All three teens made sure to pick black dress shoes that would work for school.  Even public school in Guatemala requires a uniform and proper shoes, so that was a big priority for them.

2015 Guatemala Trip Day Four - Visiting Juan

Juan's family is a lot of fun to visit with, in part because Juan shows a lot of interest and curiosity about me, and in part because his niece, Damaris, is my biggest fan.  Ever.  Followed closely by Javiar, his nephew.  Both kids had wanted to stay home from school to see, but because school is out at noon (!) they were home just in time anyway.  I wish I'd thought ahead to invite them to join us for the horses and bikes - they would have loved it!

We met Juan and his mom, Ana, at the community center as usual, where they had the whole upstairs decorated.  Little Javiar is a Super Mario fan, hence the drawing.

We were then off to Finca La Loma again!  It is one of the few activities to do in the area and a great deal as it was about $10 for both of us to ride horses and bikes and about $2.50 to park.  Fortunately, having been on a horse last year, I managed a very smooth mount this time that didn't involve me laying on the horse and nearly falling off the other side like in 2013!  Similarly to how I wasn't as nervous in Guatemala this time, I found riding the horse to be much more comfortable as well.

After our horse ride, we rode around on bikes for awhile and chatted about his schooling and work, most of which I understood in Spanish!

We then went to the mall for shopping and lunch.  The store the staff take you to is very reasonable and for two jeans and two dress shirts, it cost about $50.  As we were leaving, we could see Fuego with a larger cloud above it than normal.  I noticed that after I'd been there about three days I had a sore throat that only went away when I was inside for awhile.  You could still see small amounts of ash on cars as well.

We then went back to the house and while I consider this family to be a little more "well off" than my other families, I noticed that they had rusted sheet metal and had patched areas (see behind me) with cardboard - like HALF THE WALL.  I did like their cute Christmas tree though.  Juan had remembered my favorite color is blue and picked out a scarf for me, then Ana gave me a blue and gold shawl from her.  They also remembered I wrote my favorite drink was Rosa de Jamaica and tamales on my last visit, so they had a little of both for me!  The families really are so amazingly generous and appreciative.  

Juan brought out his certificate of graduation from the vocational program and high school, which was really neat.  They also showed me all sorts of family photos going back to when Juan and his siblings were babies.  I also quickly learned that since the father is Juan that Juan is actually called by his middle name, Alberto, normally.  Oops!  Juan (the father) then asked if they could do a prayer blessing for me.  I always accept because I know it is an important part of the culture.

We then went outside where it was a receiving line of hugs from every member of the family before the drive back to Guatemala City!

Why Sponsoring? Why Children International? Why Guatemala?

Not travel-related, but definitely sponsorship related!  I'm often asked questions about sponsoring, so I thought I'd post a quick blog about the experience.

Why Sponsoring?
I've sponsored with Children International for over 10 years now and I've been the sponsor of one of my current children, Katherine, for 9 of those years.  I believe that CI has a good model - people are more likely to make, and keep, a monthly commitment to a charity when there is a personal connection.  I don't know if I would even make the monthly contribution that I do regularly if there wasn't an individual child, with whom I have a relationship, attached to each part of my donation.  When I first started sponsoring, CI partnered with existing charities in the area; however, now they largely (or perhaps totally) have their own centers to provide benefits.  The general sponsorship amount provides a child with medical care, dental care, school supplies, a library, computer access and many other things.  There are programs for school scholarships, employment assistance and similar help for teens and even cooking classes to teach the parents how to make nutrious meals with locally available foods.  It's a good model and I've seen it work during my time sponsoring.

Why Children International?
Out of the child sponsorship groups, I chose CI because they consistently have good ratings from groups who review charities.  I also don't agree with forced conversion and CI has no religious affliation nor do they require children to convert to any religion at any age in order to continue receiving benefits.  They also allow their sponsors to do a great many "extras."  If you want to assist your children in going to a better school or with tuition costs for grades that aren't free (like after 6th grade in Guatemala) or tutoring, CI will let you do that or community projects.  For other projects that help the child, like housing improvements, the project can be done with a 10% fee for the administrative cost of getting quotes, getting supplies and checking that the work is complete (with photos for the sponsor when it is).  If you write your child back, you'll typically get at least 4 letters per year rather than just 2 letters as well.  They will also allow you to visit and meet your child, visit the child's community center and visit the child's home (if safe to do so).  They also have a GREAT social media site for sponsors to connect with each other if they wish.

Why Guatemala?
Well, I don't only sponsor in Guatemala - I have two kids in the Dominican Republic (siblings) and one in the Philippines (gift sponsorship for my sister) and one child in Ecuador (sponsorship in honor of my friend's father passing) . . . but most of my kids are in Guatemala.  Having visited there, I really love the people, the culture and the climate.  My original reasons for sponsoring primarily there though were:

• At the time, Guatemalan kids waited the longest to be selected for sponsorship (US kids were the shortest).
• I speak a little Spanish (more then) and wanted a country where I could speak to the kids directly to an extent, so I was interested in a Spanish-speaking country
• Guatemala has the lowest literacy rate out of the Spanish-speaking countries
• Guate has the highest poverty rate out of the Spanish-speaking countries
• School was only free through 6th grade (this just recently has started to improve)
• Guate has the highest levels of child malnutrition and infant mortality in the Spanish-speaking countries

"But they don't look like 'poor kids!'" And a few other side notes on Guatemala and sponsoring . . .

When it was first suggested that I combine a visit with all 3 kids in Guatemala City, I wasn't sure how it would go, so I was happy it went great!  I hadn't previously told my kids that I sponsored other kids.  I actually still haven't mentioned ALL the kids I sponsor because I want each of the kids to feel special to me . . . and I'm not sure how to bring up, "so, there are actually NINE of you in total" because I really try not to emphasize the perception of "rich American" since I'm far from rich for the US.  Sending $28/month to sponsor a child really isn't a financial hardship for me, but there's no good way to explain that to kids where the family income is $131-326 USD per month.

While I'd assumed, probably like most Americans, that the money went further in Guatemala with the cost of living, I was surprised by how expensive many things actually were.  A full outfit (shirt, sweater, pants & shoes) cost between $50-$100 per child - it cost me ~$300 to buy outfits for 4 kids.  Clothes were cheaper in Guate than the US, but an outfit for one kid could easily cost a full month's income for these families!  I admit I was stunned when I saw prices for simple things like cold medicine, bottled water (tap water isn't safe to drink) and even simple groceries at a local small market.  While most things were less expensive than at home, the cost difference wasn't nearly as big as I'd expected, which really highlighted for me how remarkable it is that the families do as much for their kids as they do.

As an interesting side note, one of my friends mentioned that my kids weren't dressed like "poor kids" with the implication that they perhaps weren't really in need of help.  Having seen the conditions most of my kids live in, I'd say the clothes are misleading.  The children treat sponsor visits like a special holiday and wear their best.  They also receive clothing from the program and I send "special needs gifts" to provide additional clothing, food and educational assistance for my kids, so I'm happy to see that they're taking good care of the clothing!  I also feel if my kids look like "poor kids" that will only increase the discrimination they already face coming from their neighborhoods, so I'm happy my kids take pride in a neat appearance.  I believe it will be easier for them to find jobs and be successful in the future if they look the part.

2013 Guatemala Trip Day Five - Last Child Visit, a "walk" and mosquitoes!

So far in my trip, I'd managed to avoid getting bitten by any mosquitoes.  While malaria isn't present in Guatemala City, they do have dengue fever, which I was surprised to learn is spread by daytime biting mosquitoes.  I didn't have any particular issues with getting bitten, even though I usually get eaten alive; however, on the fifth day I went to an amusement park where there was standing water and I did get bitten during the day.  Fortunately, I didn't get dengue fever!

The day started with me meeting my kids at their community center.  I couldn't visit the homes of these three because they live in a "red zone" in Guatemala.  In the red zones, the gangs are so strong and well-armed that the police don't even go in and Children International relies in part on resident volunteer parents to help communicate with the families.  The first two pictures are with the siblings I sponsor, Edy and Katherine, who have matching fantastic smiles!  I also met Keisy on the same visit since they all lived in the same area.

Since they were all teens, the staff had recommended a day at the amusement park Mundo Petapa Irtra, so we were off!  The kids had never been to an amusement park before, so they wanted to start with something tame - bouncing kangeroos.

Then, it was on to the log ride - the kids wanted to take turns riding with me, so it was Edy and Katherine's turn:

Fortunately, the two families seemed to like each other!  You can see where the siblings get their smile as their mom has one to match.  I love it that their mom wears traditional Mayan clothing also!

While my teens all seemed more comfortable with a virtual stranger showing up to see them, there were differences.  Edy & Katherine were both rather shy, but they smiled a lot and showed a lot of interest in what I was saying . . . they just didn't talk much themselves.  I noticed that the staff seemed concerned that I'd be put off by the kids not talking and were pushing them a little and reminding them I'd come a LONG way to see them (helps to speak some Spanish & know what they're saying lol), so I reassured them that I understood and I wasn't offended at all.  I hope that the concern hasn't been triggered by past sponsors who WERE offended, but I know some sponsors visit and post that they didn't feel a connection to the kid(s).  I suspect there have been sponsors who visited and ended up not continuing with a sponsorship, which is a sad thought . . . and it bothered me a little - not that the staff were concerned, but that they felt there was anything to be concerned about.  Having been a shy child myself, I can only imagine the pressure to be "likeable" so your sponsor stays your sponsor!  Keisy, on the other hand, was peppering me with questions so fast that I couldn't keep up with her.  She wanted to know everything about how we celebrate Christmas, what we normally eat, did I drive a car, what are houses like in the US, etc.

One thing I noticed WAS consistent is that all of the kids wanted American food.  Out in the rural areas, there wasn't fast food, but the kids wanted hamburgers still, while I ordered a native dish.  Juan wanted pizza and my kids today were DYING for some McDonalds.  The staff does a great job of trying to keep things simple by having everyone order the same thing (since we were a HUGE group), but it was funny that when I tried to order from a different place to get something local, they were going to have everyone eat there . . . so I had McDonalds also.

Despite eating fruit, coffee cake and coffee at the homes of my kids, the only day I was sick after eating was within hours of eating at McDonalds - boo.  Of course, hard to say exactly where I picked up a bug at, but I did find it ironic.  Having said that, it was just an upset stomach, so I avoided any major issues during my whole trip.  I did have to soak my toothbrush in iodine water after accidentally rinsing it in the sink though!

More great pics of the families from the end of the day:

I also had my only "unsafe" feeling moment after returning to my bed & breakfast.  The B&B staff suggested it was safe enough to walk to a small market a few blocks away.  I felt fine the first couple of blocks, but was waiting for a break in traffic to cross, when I heard four "rough" looking guys talking about the gringa across the street.  Fortunately, I understand enough Spanish to realize that if I didn't want to lose my possessions, I should come up with a plan quickly.  I was in front of stores, so I went inside one to browse until the men left.  I went promptly back to my B&B and decided that walking around alone, even a short distance, wasn't a good idea in Guatemala City.

2013 Guatemala Trip Day Four - First Teen Visit

I wouldn't have thought it possible, but Juan's family was even MORE affectionate.  When I arrived, the family had purchased a small gift of three handmade cloth napkins and had lovely sign that Juan had made for me.

We first went to enjoy our activity at Finca La Loma, which I would highly recommend for kids from Chimaltenango!  There is a little museum of antiques from the original owner of the farm (current owner's abuelita or grandmother) that everyone enjoyed seeing.  For all 6 of us to go in the museum and for Juan and I to ride both bikes and horses, along with parking, was about $25.  Having ridden only once before when I was 7, I made a rather undignified mount of the horse, which the kind CI people captured on film; however, I count it as a success that I managed not to fall off the other side!  Juan managed much more smoothly despite it being his first time and we were off for a fun ride!

We rode the bikes after until Juan got cold (in 72 degree weather with a puffy coat ).  We then headed to the mall to do a little shopping.  When Juan found out he could buy more than just one pair of roughly $10 jeans, he promptly told me that me visiting was the best gift of all and he was thankful for my kindness and asked if he could give me another hug.  This was NOT the traditional hug (half hug w/ kiss on cheek) - it was a full-on bear hug.  We left shortly after with a couple pairs of jeans, shirt, sweater, socks, small toys for the bonus kids (niece & nephew) and a pair of high quality dress shoes for Juan's job hunt and went into the food court, where I expected fried chicken, but instead Juan wanted pizza.  I didn't have the heart to tell him I'm allergic to dairy, so I ate two small slices and hoped for the best.  Normally, having butter on something and not realizing it will make me sick, but the patron saint of sponsors must have protected me because I was fine 

 After the pizza, we were off to visit Juan's home where nearly every member of his extended family had come also (they all live very close together).  Their home was the largest I saw while there, but the entire family lived in one "compound" that was gated closed.  Inside was a front area, a kitchen/dining room and then 3 bedrooms for a grandma, parents, Juan, his brother, sister and her family.  First, we saw their chicken and bunny pets.  I had been forewarned by Juan that I had a major fan in little Damaris (7 years old) who had been asking Juan repeatedly when I was coming.  So, after seeing the pets, I was properly prepared to offer her a doll and glow-in-the-dark bracelet (you can get 5 for $1 at Dollar Tree and ALL of the kids loved them).  I also had small toy cars and a bracelet for his nephew, Javier.

I was again surprised when the family offered me carrot cake and coffee.  The families are so generous despite having relatively little themselves.  After eating our delicious snack, cooked by sister Karen, it was time for a group photo.  Even though I met Osvin, Juan's older brother, he managed to vanish when photos started.  I was really happy I picked up some last minute toys for the kids because they refused to let go of them, which was really cute!

Photo with mom Ana, grandma, sister Karen, me, Juan and niece Damaris & Nephew Javiar.

Sadly, it was then time to leave . . . but not before Juan said his speech about how he never expected to see his sponsor or even receive letters (he had one prior long-time sponsor who never wrote) and he was so happy and blessed I came, ending with him saying he wished I never had to leave (so cute).  I say "speech" because sweet Ana (mom) was reminding him of what to say next when he paused occasionally -it was super cute.  Below - me with my "I am super embarrassed right now" face.  Note: adorable Javier photo bomb!  I'm hoping when Juan graduates in 2015 that I might be able to add little Javier to my sponsorship family & keep this lovely family part of my "family!"

Sadly, it was then time to go!  At the van, the family all gave me very enthusiastic hugs, which was a fantastic way to end the day. 

It's interesting that younger kids find it easier to get sponsored because it is easier in my experience to have a rich relationship with the teens, at least in Guatemala.  I've found it much easier to connect with my kids once they were at least old enough to write their own letters.  Of course, there are upsides to sponsoring kids from the earliest possible age too!  I'm hoping to keep a mix of ages and both genders going forward since there are unique things to enjoy with all of the groups.