On this Friday morning were were woken up to the sound of rain pounding on our roof. What a comforting noise for us!
Once again, we headed to La Asociacion Nuestros Ahijados (ANA) at 8:00am. Every Friday families from the community line up to take home handfuls of green beans, carrots and bread. We were told on our tour the first day that the ANA offers classes to mothers such as lessons on eating healthy and educating their children. For each class they attend, they are given a stipend as to how much food they can take home with them. These were the mothers we served this morning.
We were dumbfounded with the amount of food we found there! I had never seen that many sugar peas at one time ever in my life! We created an assembly line and passed down dozens of baskets filled with peas, green beans and carrots. We then split up into our various positions: passing out peas, beans, carrots, bread, berries, tomatoes, and leeks OR we had the job to refill the baskets each time they became empty.
Mothers arrived with two or three bags and left with them filled with vegetable all the way to the top. Noticing this, I reflected on my shopping experience back at home. I often find myself choosing a cart opposed to a basket knowing that it will be heavy once I get to the checkout. I admire the mothers I saw today knowing that they would have to carry these heavy bags back to their homes, perhaps even in far away villages outside of Antigua, for this week's meals. I am constantly surprised how strong - physically and in other ways - the women of Guatemala are.
Though it was hard work distributing all of those vegetables, we accomplished a lot with all fourteen of us working together. All we left with is some dirt under our fingernails.
Piles and piles of vegetables
Sugar peas and leeks
Distribution team
Refilling empty baskets
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