My new Motto:

 

Life's Dirty. Get busy making it look pretty. 

It Only Takes One Arm To Shoot a Man

Dear Jenny, 

My friend, housewife, live-in guru, bodyguard, badass wingman, shit kicking hilarious i-can-count-on-you roomie...I missed you. It's too bad I got in so late. The empty champagne bottle on the kitchen table was the perfect welcome home gift for when I stumbled in from a 5 hour layover in Houston.

It started with the best movie of all time, Roadhouse. Now, we're savin up all our change for a "Dirty 30" birthday bash while watching every worthwhile western under the sun. Before I left for Central America, we knocked off The G,B and Ugly, Unforgiven, The Lonesome Dove series, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and ok we slipped in a couple of others like Easy Rider. I can't even think of them all. Perfect. 

When I saw this cowboy on the wall of an orphange in Sampango, Guatemala, I thought of you. None of the kids would admit to tearing this cowboy's arm off. Maybe it was an act of God. Regardless, it reminded me, "it only takes one arm to shoot a man." 

So good to be home. xo, Miriam

Day One - Ak Tenamit

Ak Tenamit is a community development project sponsored in part by Rotary. This was one of our feature projects on assignment. The goal is to support the indigenous Q’eqchi’ Maya by providing schools, medical care and vocational training geared towards tourism while preserving their language and culture. 

 

Jungle gear. Canon Eos digital system, PCM d50 .wav file recorder. Moleskin writers notebook, mosquito bandannas, A sig, two Pepsi's and a Patagonia nano-puff.

 

Staff Photographer, Monik Lee shoots the kids on their way to school at the main Ak Tenamit site.

  

Ak Tenamit accessable only by boat.  

Kids arrive at the main dock. 

Path into the community. 

Kids prune the pineapple fields. We had these for lunch. Delish. 

 

On the way to deliver water filters to a small village of about nine families, we try to find a narrow place to cross. 

Nope. 

Better but No.

Perfect.

 

Village peeps. Pretty happy to see us. 

Angel face.

 

Brother and Sister.

A group of Rotarians haul the filters over and explain how to maintain them and why clean water is important. Dehyration/Diareah is a major contributor to infant mortality especially without access to healthcare. 

Monik gets a grip on the edge of an incline and goes for the scene-setter.

 

Working together with the Q’eqchi’ to assemble and test the filters is important for sustaining the use of the filter.

Back to Ak Tenamit to build a library.

 

What is your "Rotary Footprint?"

Rotary Jane got a pedi just in time to look jungle glam. 

 

Raising the tresses on a library they set out to build in two weeks including pouring a concrete foundation. 

Founder of Ak Tenamit, Rotarian Steven Dudenhoefer. Nothing gets to this guy. They call him: "Angel de Rio," Angel of the River.

 

Day one wrap. Back to Livingston..a bit of a ride but everyone is happy. 

The Rio Dulce River: Lifesource of the Q’eqchi’ Maya.