Return to Guatemala City 4/20

I am back in Guatemala City at the Princess hotel. It is nice to be here, I ordered room service having an South American steak with an Argentine sausage, all very fancy along with a martini. Yes, I enjoy a martini - one is all.

The trip went very well, staying and working in a large, yet rustic town of Santa Cruz del Quiche. Think Latin western town, even with the occasional Latin horseman "caballero". Last night was a celebration for some departing staff members at a local house. It was so much fun, but most of the time I just sat, smiled and tried to follow the conversation and laughter. Latin's are very big on ceremony, so there was a time of giving gifts and speeches. I think that I surprised a few there by giving my own speech of thanks and expressing gratitude and friendliness towards them and Guatemala. I asked later of my host if it was inappropriate, but I was told it was timely and well received. I like taking chances.

The next morning we held our final report meeting where I verbally gave them my assessment and described their project strengths and risks. They decided to take 5 sets of PDA's of the 8 that I brought with me, pre-ordered for this trip to save shipping costs. They are all very excited about the project and asked for me to return the last quarter of this year to help with implementation. Their project is the Multi Year Assistance Program (MYAP) follow-on to their DAP program. The advantage here is that they are finalizing the development of their program indicators (thankfully following the Results Framework), which will define the data requirements, so they are able to integrate PDA data collection early on.

Also, they have three staff members who are fluent in MSAcess and developing normalized databases (Whoopee!). I explained that converting from a paper-based survey process to PDA forms is actually developing a database. You work backawards from the data repository through the deployment process which yields the PDA forms. In that way, you are ensured of adherence to the program indicators and final deposition into the database.

So, I have a free day tomorrow to go shopping at the tourist market, higher prices but a wealth of items from the country, especially the brightly woven fabrics. I already have the two woolen blankets from the interior. You'll love them. Then, I will board the plane at 8:40 AM Sunday and route through Dallas-Fort Worth (for immigration/customs) for my flight to Seattle. I hope they honor my request for upgrades since it will make for a more enjoyable flight, even though it will cost me some of my frequent flier miles.

Next county - Haiti.....a return trip

In Santa Cruz Del Quiche - Guatemala Save the Children field office

I am in my 6th day here in Guatemala as a consultant for the non-governmental organization (NGO) Save the Children, whom I began as a volunteer in between college quarters while search for a post-Boeing career as a mid-fifties male.

It is warm here, but not at all unpleaseant for my constitution and health, since my Geographic Positioning System (GPS) has informed me that we are at approximately 6,600 feet here in the tropics (N15, W91).

My hosts at Save the Children asked if I wanted to eat at the local fast food locale (Pollo Campero) when I first arrived. I said that I can eat fried chicken at a fast food in the U.s., rather could we eat the local fare. To my delight, the arranged breakfast and lunch at a house of the aunt of a lady owrker at the Save the Children office. What a delight! Each time we entered the shaded courtyard to sit for a meal (each meal has been different each time), I am delighted ot great the elderly granmother sitting in the courtyard. She is perhaps 80 or so years old, and responds with a few words of Spanish from her beautiful bronzed, lined, face.

Even though I have made 6 trips to Latin American countries (16 in all globally), taken a semester class in Spanish, my language capabilities are terrible. i am unsure if I am just being lazy or lack the cognitive skills in adopting a new language. (I think both!). Yet, I always seem to be able to communicate by adding gestures smiles and hopefully genuine interest in their lives.

TO wrap up, I love traveling, always requesting window seat to gaze out upon even the mindless North Pacific for hours at a time. It is the people though, and i strive to be a traveler, and not a tourist....

A return to Washington state in the United States for a short while, then onto Haiti, Bangladesh, Uganda, and Vietnam,