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Escuela de la Montana We visited La Escuela de la Montana in February 1998 and were impressed by what we saw. This is a small, non-profit project that gives students the opportunity to participate in what most travelers do not: the daily life of some of the poorest people of Guatemala. The project also gives much-needed economic assistance and logistical support to the neighboring village of Nuevo San Jose. THE VILLAGE. La Escuela works with the coffee producing village of Nuevo San Jose, a community of 25 families. Four years aga, the families left the plantation where they had lived and worked for generations and collectively purchased their own land. Now they have more control over their lives and livilihoods,. They continue to work as wage-laborers on the large plantations, but also maintain several hectares of coffee that they organically farm. EATING WITH THE FAMILIES. Spanish school students sleep in the school, but eat their meals with families in the village. Because the families are very poor, a typical meal may consist of only coooked carrots, tortillas, and sugar water. The income that the families earn by hosting students enables the villagers to purchase foods that they would not normally be able to afford. They are now able to eat meat once a week. Eating with the families is an amazing experience because by being in their homes one can better understand the difficult conditions in which the people live. The house walls are made of salvaged, corrugated sheet metal. The floors are dirt. The chairs are often old tree stumps, polished smooth from years of use. There is no electricity. A cooking fire is always burning. The women, men, and children collect firewood from far away and must carry it on their backs. STUDYING AT THE SCHOOL. Student receive 4 hours of one-on-one Spanish instruction daily by experienced teachers. The school organizes weekly trips to nearby villages and holds round table discussions about various topics of importance in Guatemala. Students can spend their free time working in the medicinal garden, picking coffee, playing with the village children, reading books from the resource library, or relaxing in this beautiful and peaceful place. A SISTER RELATIONSHIP. Escuela de la Montana has forged a relationship with the community that appears to be mutually beneficial, a form of cultural exchange that is rare, one that is direct and reciprocal. The community of Nuevo San Jose and the school have the vision of a sustained and expanding partnership in which both gropus make decisions collectively and sensitively. In order to minimize the impact on the village, enrollment is limited to six students. QUPQUGIAQ TRAVEL CENTER & LA ESCUELA DE LA MONTANA: Our long term vision is to cultivate reciprocal and enduring relationships with a few grassroots organizations abroad. La Escuela de la Montana is a project which we would like to support and develop a stronger tiew with. If you are thinking about visiting la escuela please stop by the school office and talk to us about ways that we can build as stronger relationsihyip with the peple of guatemala. Can we deepen our understanding of human struggles through sustained coopeartation? Can we then act on that understanding in some tangible way? APPLYING TO THE SCHOOL. For more information write, fax, or call La Hermandad Educativa: U.S. Office: La Hermandad Educativa. 915 Cole Street, # 363. San Francisco, CA 94117.
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Send mail to qupq@alaska.net with questions
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