A Wet Unforgettable Adventure In Coban

This past week we embarked on a grand adventure. This included hiking through the cloud forest, exploring caves, swimming in a river, and becoming very well acquainted with mud. We got to hike down a mountain to get to church and then hike back up the mountain, thankfully the hike back up was after a delicious meal served to us by the village. Several of the guys on our site got to demonstrate their great strength by chopping down massive trees with an axe. A number of us, including myself, got to wield machetes and chop the bark off of the fallen trees. Then the majority of our group carried those trees out of the forest. This task required not only great strength but excellent teamwork. 

Hiking through the cloud forest

Rob teaching us about the program.

During our time in Coban we were led by Rob Cahill. Rob and his family live in Guatemala and run an organization called Community Cloud Forest Conservation. They work to protect the cloud forest and provide the communities that live in and around the could forest with better ways to earn a living without destroying the cloud forest. They also offer a 25 day program to Indigenous girls teaching them about better ways to use the land. This program not only educates the girls about agriculture and reforestation but also provides them with a scholarship that allows them to continue school ing past grade 6, which is the highest grade the small villages offer. I mentioned that we chopped down a few trees, which may not make sense seeing as Rob is all about saving the cloud forest. We chopped down eucalyptus trees which are forgien trees so that trees indigenous to Guatemala can be planted in the future.  Our host Rob is a very passionate and energetic man and we really enjoyed our time with him.  

After 2 days of backbreaking work we headed off to our Kek’chi village homestays. This included a long drive and a longer hike. We finally arrived at the village and were warmly welcomed. We then met our host families and in group of 3, headed off to their houses. We immediately noticed the differences between the houses in the village of Seselche what we were used to in Canada. For one, most of us had a long walk to get to the houses we stayed at; for many this walk was up a very muddy hill. The houses were very simple, with wood walls, tin roofs, and dirt floors. Turning on the light meant lighting a candle and making supper required building a fire. However primitive these conditions may have been the Kek’chi people who welcomed us seemed stronger because of it. I can’t begin to describe how blessed I felt by my host family. I counted 4 beds in a family of 7 people, and for the 3 nights we stayed with them they gave us 2 of those beds. Around the fire there where 3 or 4 chairs, all 3 of us girls got a chair. Not only did they sacrifice some of their own comfort for us, they also made us a part of their family. In my house, and I know in many others, we got to help them make tortillas for supper one day. Although some of us were told our tortillas looked like a map of Mexico (which is apparently a tad bit insulting) the women gladly let us participate in their lives. These are only some of the ways that I felt blessed by my host family, and I know others have many more stories.

Playing with our host family.

Our time in Seselche included 2 group lunches, some tree planting, sitting in on a Passing Of The Gift Ceremony, and a lot of waiting out the rain. The village we stayed in was partnered with the organization led by our host Rob Cahill. They had originally provided a few families with animals such as rabbits, sheep, and turkeys. Those families raised the animals and then passed them on to a few more families teaching them how to raise the animals along the way. In the ceremony we watched a few sheep being passed on to new families. After our second group lunch we were given the opportunity to buy bags and hammocks made by the women in the village. The second lunch was held at the house I was staying at and so that morning the three of us girls staying at the house got to help prepare lunch. We helped make something called ‘poch’ which is basically a corn dumpling wrapped in a leaf. Although we were laughed at a bit, apparently our technique wasn’t perfect, we had a lot of fun and felt very welcomed by the kitchen full of Kek’chi women.   We all spent a lot of time with our host families, and communicating was interesting. I learned that being able to laugh at yourself is key. Despite the rain and cold weather we had an amazing time during our Kek’chi homestays. We left on a bright note as the sun finally came out, which meant a much warmer truck ride back to our hotel near Coban.

Planting trees to prevent wind damage to the precious fruit trees.

This past week was incredibly full of adventures and learning experiences. Our prayer as a group, and perhaps  what could become your prayer for us, is that we would continue to be impacted by our Coban experience. We hope to not walk away with only the thought that “Wow, I’m so glad that my life easier than that.” We don’t want to feel blessed by what we have so much as we want to feel blessed by what the Kek’chi families gave us, open arms and open doors.

- Kelsey