Congratulations Marie Berkenkamp, Shared Beat Board President
on receiving the Graceann Durr Humanitarian Award sponsored by
Methodist Healthcare Systems!
Thanks for all of your Hard Work!
Your Friends at Shared Beat
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Shared Beat Hill Country Crawfish Boil
Live Auction
Lab Puppy
Condo in St Augustine Florida
Condo in Steamboat Springs Colorado
Tapas cocktail Party for 20
Native Texas Landscape
Chagall Print- "The Bible"
Silent Auction
Guatemalan Items
Gift Basket for all occassions
I-Touch
Camera
Personal Shredding by Ranger Shredding
Massages, Mani/Pedi, Home decor and more!
Restaurant Raffle- $10 for a chance to win $900+ restaurant gift certificates!
We always have great fun! Visit our website or e-mail us info@sharedbeat.org to join us!
Feliz Dia!
Jenny
Guatemalan Thoughts from February
After a most fulfilling trip to Guatemala this February with a great team from all over the place…Maine, Texas, points East, West and North..what could be more striking in the contrasts you experience upon coming home than, for us Mainers, the 24++ inches of snow on the ground and the temps that differ dramatically from there in Antigua! Much as we like to brag about how “tough” you have to be to live in a Northern clime (or just plain crazy??), the contrasts really pale in comparison to our lives at home compared to our friends in Guatemala.
Friends at home here say to me how sad the for the folks there…the Guatemala City dump, lack of health care, malnutrition, and the list goes on. But the people you meet in Guatemala are by and large a pretty friendly bunch! They cope and they make do…they work very hard and endure much for their loved ones, and desire much of what we desire. Yes, there is sadness, but I’m not sure if you asked someone there if they’re sad if they would respond that way. There is a desire to get ahead, but a system that makes this very, very hard. Someone this trip said to me “…so much unrealized talent in Guatemala” which I thought summed it up. We can’t really impact much on the socio-political climate…but if a place like Safe Passage can raise even just a few kids to become Nurses, Doctors, Accountants..and they come back to contribute to their community, and if more and more women learn to read, in a generation or two maybe we visiting teams will have worked ourselves out of a job. I think that’s called sustainability.
Until then, I look forward working with my friend and fellow vision specialist Don Bisett, and the aspiring Nurse student Astrid (in her second year of study!) to see faces light up after many “mas major” or ‘mas menor” as we fit a new pair of glasses to a Mom who just learned to read the newspaper she fished out of the dump! Now that’s contrast!
Mark, South Freeport, Maine
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Volunteers
We've been home now one week in our comfy beds, without fleas or bedbugs. Our clean water comes from the tap and our healthy food does not require a clorox bath before consuming. There's so much extra time when you don't have to worry about cleanliness or safety. Who in there right mind would want to leave the security of their own environments.
I am always in awe of the volunteers who venture on these trips from the "seasoned veterans" like Wright & Marie who've been on every trip; those who are working on making it a habit like Don, Sarah, Kathy & Sonia; the few who've had a taste like Mark, Laura, Jim & Rick and then all of those first timers like Lisa, Gayle, Bev, Bunny, Nancy and Linda. It takes a special person to use vacation to serve others, to go out on a limb to make a difference.
I'd like to thank all of the volunteers who share themselves without thought of their own personal comforts. Your time, compassion and special talents are greatly appreciated!
Feliz Dia
Jenny
I am always in awe of the volunteers who venture on these trips from the "seasoned veterans" like Wright & Marie who've been on every trip; those who are working on making it a habit like Don, Sarah, Kathy & Sonia; the few who've had a taste like Mark, Laura, Jim & Rick and then all of those first timers like Lisa, Gayle, Bev, Bunny, Nancy and Linda. It takes a special person to use vacation to serve others, to go out on a limb to make a difference.
I'd like to thank all of the volunteers who share themselves without thought of their own personal comforts. Your time, compassion and special talents are greatly appreciated!
Feliz Dia
Jenny
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Lost in Translation
Little late in posting, but nonetheless I'll leave a few thoughts.
2 weeks and 4 days ago I left for Guatemala...for two weeks rather than 1 week. The extra week was inserted for a long overdue Medical Spanish course at one the numerous Spanish Language schools, La Union near the Iglesia San Francisco in Antigua, Guatemala. Per Rick, Mark, and Beverly (all from the cold climes of Maine), I had more fun than they as I drew stick figures and labelled body parts on them. Beverly, I really was learning (yo hablo espanol por example). I also jogged on the cobblestones in the mornings and that presented its own unique challeges as well as dodging the chicken buses and more to the point the fumes they generate. All said though, waking surrounded by the landscape of lush green on the backdrop of 3 volcanoes is by itself a reason to make the trip.
The second week was a work week with daily trips to Guatemala City or San Miguel Milapas Alta. The kids in the dump area and more rural area are no different than other children, excepting the clothing they wear. They seem just as happy and all have plans to be nurses, teachers, doctors, accountants, chefs, or lawyers. That question was my favorite one to ask while obtaining the "social history". The week of the medical mission was busy....the oldest peron was 85, the youngest I evaluated was 3 months. We rode in a van, a bus, and the back of a pick-up truck (the latter was the most fun particularly if you stand up as its moving along less than straight, hilly Guatemalan highways/roads). All patients and their families were appreciative. I learned that even an excellent dermatologist ("Dr Nancy") can be flummoxed by skin disorders. I also learned the meaning of a firm bed(cama) is more like a box (caja). Days were long but the team gathered made the work seem fun. I'm looking forward to the next trip in July. Buenas tarde. Yo gusta Guatemala.
2 weeks and 4 days ago I left for Guatemala...for two weeks rather than 1 week. The extra week was inserted for a long overdue Medical Spanish course at one the numerous Spanish Language schools, La Union near the Iglesia San Francisco in Antigua, Guatemala. Per Rick, Mark, and Beverly (all from the cold climes of Maine), I had more fun than they as I drew stick figures and labelled body parts on them. Beverly, I really was learning (yo hablo espanol por example). I also jogged on the cobblestones in the mornings and that presented its own unique challeges as well as dodging the chicken buses and more to the point the fumes they generate. All said though, waking surrounded by the landscape of lush green on the backdrop of 3 volcanoes is by itself a reason to make the trip.
The second week was a work week with daily trips to Guatemala City or San Miguel Milapas Alta. The kids in the dump area and more rural area are no different than other children, excepting the clothing they wear. They seem just as happy and all have plans to be nurses, teachers, doctors, accountants, chefs, or lawyers. That question was my favorite one to ask while obtaining the "social history". The week of the medical mission was busy....the oldest peron was 85, the youngest I evaluated was 3 months. We rode in a van, a bus, and the back of a pick-up truck (the latter was the most fun particularly if you stand up as its moving along less than straight, hilly Guatemalan highways/roads). All patients and their families were appreciative. I learned that even an excellent dermatologist ("Dr Nancy") can be flummoxed by skin disorders. I also learned the meaning of a firm bed(cama) is more like a box (caja). Days were long but the team gathered made the work seem fun. I'm looking forward to the next trip in July. Buenas tarde. Yo gusta Guatemala.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Home
What an incredible, busy, productive week our team had in Guatemala! It's always amazing how quickly time flies and what wonderful new friends we've all made by the end of the week. Sorry we didn't post much during our trip. At the end of the day exhaustion and complete blankness took over. After they get settled in, our team members should be posting some of their weeks highlights.
It's good to be home! Back to a place where I don't worry about the whether the water or food is clean, I can put toilet paper in the toilet, healthcare is accessable and where I live, there's no pollution.
Feliz Dia!
Jenny
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