Esquintla, Esquintla!

Que onda amigos,

So, this past Thursday we packed our things and headed to Esquintla, a city about an hour west of Antigua, so we could collect information on some of the organizations located there. It was also conveniently on the way to the beach, an added bonus, since we eventually ended up in Monterrico, an awesome black sand beach on the Pacific coast -- but more on that later :).

Aesthetically, Esquintla looks like a Guatemalan Bridgeport (for those of you familiar with Connecticut). However, unlike Bridgeport, it has obviously experienced some growth in the past few years, which makes for an interesting fusion between the globalization era and vestiges of old Guatemala. Tall buildings and electronics stores are juxtaposed with live-chicken vendors and fruit stands. The sidewalks are cluttered with traveling merchants selling plastic wares, mango slices, and fried chicken. The cracked and tattered streets are filled with speeding chicken buses, motorcycles, pedestrians, trash and enough black smoke and car fumes to make Justin forget he quit smoking last month.

As our standard procedure has become, we researched which NGO's operate in Esquintla and compiled a list of the organizations we hoped to visit that day--some with addresses, some without. New cities can be difficult, and as we were the only two Gringos wandering the streets, it was our first time outside of the tourist-town bubble. After an hour of searching for addresses that apparently don't exist, we began to ask locals if they were familiar with any NGOs in the area.

Our Spanish skills are improving, yet it is still difficult to explain who we are, why we are here, and why we don't have a specific name/address of the NGO we are looking for. Mind you, Guatemalans are some of the friendliest people either of us have ever met. Everyone we asked took the time to talk with us, and one woman walked us five blocks to the NGO she had recommended (even kissing us goodbye :), instead of just pointing and brushing us off.

Yet, even with the help of locals, finding what organizations were in Esquintla and where we could find them was difficult. Many were unaware of organizations in the area, or didn't know specific addresses. We ended up finding about ten organizations and surveyed five, only one of which can be found on any current online NGO database that we have come across. Point being, collecting this information is sure to be a trying experience, one we are sure we will get better at with practice and assistance, yet the needs for and potential benefits of MEOG are showing up left and right.


Hasta Pronto,

Maura and Justin