Guatemala something really different

Gautemala 

An incredible place to be

and 

here we want to do something

 really different

Something Different

like

TRANSICIONES

(transitions)

 
La construccion de la esperanza

Building Hope.

To construct a safely built home in Guatemala is about the cost of buying a used car in Canada or the US. Add in a small parcel of land and we are looking at purchasing a fairly decent new car. Being cost effective, maybe it is better to build more than one home. Maybe for the price of a small used car lot, we can build a small village.

A small village can be put together complete with a school, water collection system, sewage and waste collection and recycling, solar power for very little funding.

grande sueño
Dream Big.

Join me in a dream to build a village.

We are in the process of putting together a non government organization (NGO) that will provide homes for those in dire need of a place to call home. A home that provides basis shelter and safety. 

There are many well known organizations that do this yes, but a candidate for a home often needs to own their own land first. It is that collateral for the bank loan.

What happens to those people that have no land? 
Who will help them? 
Who will care and love them enough to give them a home. 

We want to

Please join in this first step by sharing this dream. 
Please help to make it a reality.
Tell a friend, tell ten people, tell the world.

Guatemala sits on eight fault lines. Guatemala suffers its fair share of seismic activity or earthquakes. Guatemala is constantly moving, shifting. Most earthquakes are minor but some do take their toll on property and the loss of human life. 

The earthquake that hit Haiti was felt in Guatemala as they both share that same fault line. Aftershocks were many and intense. 

To construct a home in such conditions means a shift in present day building methods. To do this effectively without incurring too much added cost means thinking smarter. 

It is very possible to build housing using the same building materials that are presently used today in Guatemala. Homes that are built in a way that makes them safe for most seismic activity.

Using present day construction materials keeps costs down. We just have to use them a little differently. There are many different ways of construction that are affordable, strong and safe. Some experimental housing has been done using large shipping containers, rubber tires, rammed earth, earth bags, etc.

What we also have to look at aside from affordability and structural integrity is that people want to live in a house that looks just like their neighbours, not something from outer space. 

Purchasing land for a single home is expensive. That is why our plan calls for a village. To keep costs down we will build on raw land. Each house will have its own small tract of land for micro-farming. If in an area not near a power grid, we can use photvoltiac energy. Solar power is already in use in remote villages.

Water will be collected from ground source and treated using UV sterilaization. Waste water from washing can be recycled for irrigation use. Black water treated in a septic system in conjunction with either ozone or ultra violet light.  

We are always looking for people who know a better way. We are looking for people that want to assist in any way what-so-ever. Join us.

 It is all possible... so... 

Get involved.
Lets build a village together. 
Lets build hope

Únete a mí

Construir un pueblo en conjunto
la esperanza.

Please help 

To preserve and to create dignity, this project will not involve charity. Using a system of low non-interest payments each family will pay back the cost of their home over a fixed period. When the loan is paid in full the house and land will be freehold. Monies collected will be for the ongoing maintenance, further building expansion, local management, etc.

A common building structure will also be constructed that will provide for schooling for children as well as for adults. It will also be used for group gatherings and meetings. Education for adults will include micro-farming, sustainable business ventures, computers, first aid, carpentry, welding, hairdressing, beautician, etc.

The dream is no longer just a dream it is real. There are many people involved now and that number is growing. It is such an exciting time.

An NGO needs at least seven people to begin its journey. There are several Guatemalan people already involved. Volunteers will be needed. Fund raising will come from both private business ventures and private sources. I personally have many ideas on how to accomplish this. But I am no longer alone in this project.

We want your ideas. 

We want your help.

Join us, help us to build a village.

Help us to help the people. 

You can Contact me personally for any additional information... 
Gavin (Gavino) Jones

Quetzaltenango (Xela)
Guatemala.

gavjonessm@gmail.com

 

 

Immigration "GET TO CANADA NOW"

 Immigration to Canada.

Update: In Canada we have a new prime minister. With this new liberal government a lot of changes have happened. A lot of changes have happened for people wanting to immigrate into Canada.

While the process is much more simpler now, the only real hurdle to overcome is the economy of Canada. With the drop in oil prices, our dollar has also dropped in value. A drop in the value of the Canadian dollar, means several things. In some areas of Canada it has produced unemployment that is very high.

Yes we recently allowed 25,000 Syrian refugees entry into Canada. This was a wonderful humanitarian gesture. More projects like this will follow. But there are many Canadians already living in Canada that have no work. The problem is always the same. The trade unions will stop or try to stop new immigrants from coming to Canada. They are protecting the people already here. 

So people wishing to come to Canada Now, have to have the patience to wait. To wait until the economy of Canada is better. 

You can do all of this by yourself. You not need me. 

Good luck and please have patience.

RETIRE in Guatemala, Never so Affordable and...

Retirement in Guatemala was never so affordable.

It is a renters and yes most certainly a buyers market. 

Not to mention yes that the food is so fresh and good and plentiful and so very inexpensive. 

Living in Guatemala means a diet that rarely is composed of any packaged or pre-prepared foods. No more boxed food.

Transportation options are there for you to take advantage of and so easy to acquire and yes varied. 

Travel between major destinations can be had for very little. You can take tourist shuttle buses, collectivos or even rent your own private shuttle bus. First class buses (like those used in Europe) are a pure luxury way for you to travel  Pullmans are buses that are still very comfortable and were probably old greyhound buses at one time. Pullman buses travel from one city destination to another city and do not pick anyone up along the route. They do have washrooms, but these are usually locked up.

Chicken buses are the least expensive and usually cost about a third of the price of a pullman bus. Chicken buses are old school buses from the USA that are painted in garish colours and have lots of chrome. 

I would recommend everyone should take at least one (short destination) trip on a Chicken bus. You will be crammed in with three people on a seat that is designed to carry children, but most Guatemalan people are small so they fit in quite well. Sometimes there will be three people on each seat and on the isle one person will straddle across the aisle.

There will be loud music blared from speakers in the bus 
some latin tune and the driver will think he is some gran prix racer as the bus careens along mountain roads. It is that one experience you should have.   

The people here are the friendliest in Latin America. 

Crime of course it happens but no matter what people may say, well crime here is very low. I have never ever once felt threatened.

I came here in 2010 to learn a language. 

Instead I found my heart. My plan was to study some Spanish for a month and then I would travel down to Nicaragua to work volunteering with children. It was all set up and in place. 

Well, I never left Guatemala for Nicaragua. I am still here in Xela. My heart will always be here, no matter where other journeys take me. 

Aside from living in an incredible friendly place, living costs are unbelievable cheap. Renting an apartment close to the centre of the city, or a small house is easy and is so incredible affordable. You can rent a small house in Xela for as little as $2400 a year. 

Yes thats a year! 

Try and do that anywhere else. Electricity is very inexpensive and should run for about $10 to $15 a month. 

People often ask me what I do each day in Guatemala? 

Well that is easy to answer. I help people. 

Finding my heart, I found that I really like to help people.

ayudar a las personas

I do this help in a variety of ways. I do not belong to a registered volunteer group, preferring to help and to assist in other ways. I have no allusions that in a few shorts weeks I will change a people.... but....

"I do it my way."

I have helped support a family here (a long term) and I am telling you this not to pat myself on the back, but just to explain how satisfying that can be. A simple gift of understanding and love and giving.

I have also help a local theatre group in planning and promotion.

I find people that need help or connections or assistance and I find ways to help them or connect them to other people that can help them better.

I write this blog to try and get people like you interested in being here and thus supporting the local communities.

I just started writing another blog... which you can check out if you want. It features the most interesting thing to experience while in Xela, Guatemala....

http://www.experiencemyxela.blogspot.com

I assist local people that want a to have a new life in Canada... I do this with information.

I am also in the planning stages to build a village. It is a village for people that have no land or hope.While there are many groups that will assist someone to build a house, they will only do so if a person has land. Some of these organizations appear to help the helpless, but their true intentions hide behind the guise of charity when looking closer you will discover a business instead. A well known group comes to mind. If your thinking what I think you are thinking, you are very right. 

I am helping with promotion and awareness for the only Montessori school in Xela, the second in Guatemala.

Below is a little about that school...

Mi Casita Montessori 

Two years ago in Guatemala I met a pretty young woman. I spoke little Spanish and she spoke no English. I was in Guatemala on a temporary basis and any thoughts of moving that meeting into any form of any type of friendship were far from my mind. 

Shirley worked in a small cafe called El Cuartito Cafe in Xela, Guatemala. elcuartitocafe.blogspot.com  
Shirley often served me food and beverages. I never forgot her sparkling smile and her beautiful eyes. 

Surprisingly, I later met Shirley online by accident and since then I have become friends with her. On my first trip to Guatemala that language barrier prevented me from finding out who the real Shirley was, beyond the smiles.

I learned later that Shirley had trained in university in Guatemala and was a psychologist. She also taught the Spanish language. Shirley was far more than the woman I knew in that little cafe in Xela, Guatemala.

Shirley has also recently started up the first Montessori school in Xela. It is called Mi Casita Montessori and is the second such official Montessori school in all of Guatemala.  

Montessori is a different way of learning through practical experience. Each child learning through their own developmental needs. The teacher learning through the child. 

Through the good work and efforts of others that believed in Shirley and her dream, money was donated and generated for this project. Her training, the supplies needed for the school as well as the construction material to build the school where all through the efforts of volunteers. Shirley is now a fully qualified Montessori teacher operating an authentic Montessori experience.

Help is still needed.

Help for Mi Casita Montessori is ongoing.

Shirley wanted give back and to help her people, especially the children. 

Take a look at her website and learn more about this incredible young woman. 

A woman with a dream to help others.

Shirley is very special. 
Someone I consider a very special person and friend.

http://www.micasitamontessori.wordpress.com/author/micasitamontessori/ 

SO ...

So if you are thinking of retiring? Why not look at Guatemala as an option. I am certainly glad I did.

When you get here, if you want, allow me to show you around... If you're open to helping others, help me build a village and give hope and a new life to people who have no hope, who have nothing.

Help me to help the people

Open your heart

it is such a wonderful experience. 

&

If you....

Need a place to live? I can show you where are the best places are. Whether you are going rent or purchase or construct a home. 

You need to know people you can trust. I know the people.

Need a guide? I can get you a reliable person or company.

Need to know where to stay when travelling? Ask me.

Buying food or exploring a market place, getting a sumptuous meal in a great restaurant, travel tips, just ask.

Helping people is what I do... why not join me. 

 ****************

Where I live when I am in Guatemala, a city called Quetzaltenango or Xela (shay-la)... In Xela you will experience cool nights and warm days, no humidity and no BUGS!!!! It is an awesome place to be. I couldn't think of living anywhere else....

So see you soon 

Guatemala, Dad and God

When you wake up early or even late and you have this thought in your head, some idea, well you really need to get it down. Get it down on paper, or as we do in today's world, capture it in some form of electronic media.

I woke up thinking about my being here in Guatemala, my dad and God. Yes all these thoughts they are all connected. My dad was good man and a man of God. I was born the son of a Presbyterian minister. My dad was truly, in all senses of the word a man of God. His humanity was intact in that he had doubts. It is in those doubts he had, that I hold him in great awe.

I did not then, nor now share his religious beliefs. What my dad and I did/do share is that connection to something far greater than man alone can be. The existence of God within.

Many faiths introduce their children to their beliefs at an early age. The children are conditioned to believe in something that they have no capacity to understand decide or otherwise. 

This is conditioning. 

They grow up as adults believing what they where told to believe and do so without question. They have been conditioned to believe.

But have they traveled down that road of  uncertainty? 
Have they questioned what has been told to them?
Have they come to their own conclusions? 

The rote system of learning has conditioned them not to do this, not to question. The have been indoctrinated.

My personal experience of God is that God is within me. 
To get to this personal conclusion I struggled.
I went through doubts. 
I questioned.
I challenged.
I disbelieved.


My belief in God is recent. 
It is also beautiful, pure and free of other thoughts. 

I feel a connection to God. 
I need no church or edifice to worship or connect with God. 
I need no priest or minister to be that middle person.

My father shared this great connection as well. 
He also had his doubts, his period of disbelief.
It was within his journey that he needed to share this experience with others. He did what he believed in and became what he was, a teacher in the ministry of God. He was really good in what he did.


I came to Guatemala to learn a language and that is ongoing. What happened on my journey, my quest, was that I found my heart. What I also found was a greater connection. A greater connection to God. 

I would like to share a short personal story to illustrate what I mean.


In 1997, when I was still placing paint to canvas I had this uncontrollable urge to paint some pyramid shape with small box like structures in the foreground. I could not get it out of my mind. 

So as I always did, I built a frame and over it I stretched a canvas. 

I had this painting table I had built. I am tall and like to paint a canvas standing up where the canvas lays semi flat. I prefer it that way as I liked lots of washes and I could could control the flows easily.

I sized the canvas with a mix of white paint and glue. If you paint you know this makes the canvas tight, just like a drum. It also gives you something to paint against. Otherwise bare canvas will suck your paint away, lines undefined blotched irregular.


I had made some sketches of this shape that I wanted to produce. 

My usual condition when painting something new was that I would stare at a canvas waiting for something to happen. It was like a sculpture waiting to be released from the stone.

This time this was very different. 
This time the shape had captivated my being, my very existence. 

I had made some sketches to follow, but used none of them. It was like something else was in control, something greater was placing the paint to canvas. The whole thing was completed so very quickly. It was finished without changes. 

When I finished it I felt relieved and I put it somewhere and forgot about it entirely.

**********

In 2010 on my first visit to Guatemala I thought I was coming to learn a language. Guatemala being the least expensive and easiest place to learn Spanish all I needed to do was find the right location and the right school. I chose Quetzaltenango or Xela (Shay-la) because of its elevation (2330 metres) and because it was that cradle of culture. That focus on learning and a large population of indigenous people where all factors I felt I somehow needed and where important.


I remember sitting in a bar within Pasaje Enrique, enjoying a cervesa and reviewing some of the pictures I had taken on my tiny point and shoot digital camera. 

I remember one that made me say "what's that?" 

I remember moving the frames backward to see it again. 

The image startled me beyond reason. 

There captured in the tiny frame was something totally impossible. There captured was my picture, the one I had painted some 13 years before.

I remember saying out-loud to myself feelings the shivers running down my spine, "this can't be." I was visible shocked.


When I painted that picture back in 1979, I had absolutely no knowledge of Guatemala, except it was some place on a map.

I had never seen any picture of the Volcan Santa Maria before.

Yet there it was on my camera and there is was somewhere in Canada as a painting I had done some 13 years before. 

This was truly impossible. 
Yet now it was very real and yes very possible.
It happened.

So what does this all mean? 
Well whatever your conclusions are, I believe that I was meant to come here. I believe that the seed was sown within me back in 1997. It was a hint from something greater. My connection to God was now becoming very real. It was scary.


What I do here in Guatemala is help people. I do not belong to any organized group to do that. I have several projects on many different levels and that seems to be expanding.

I prefer to find the people that I feel need assistance in some other way. Something far greater than I am is guiding me.

I was meant to come here to do this. Not to save souls but something far greater.

Now I know. 
God is within me and so is my dad.