Contolini Family and Geography Blog

The Sistine Chapel

2012-01-15T15:47:00.005-07:00

The Sistine Chapel is a building within Vatican city (in Rome, Italy), which is famous for the incredible paintings and frescos by many Renaissance artists, including Michelangelo, Botticelli and Raphael.

The Vatican has now a webpage on which you can move around and get a close up look at all the paintings.

Click on the picture below to view this beautiful masterpiece. Use your mouse to move around and get closer to the paintings. Don't forget to look at the ceiling. Enjoy.

Geography nuggets - Basics of GPS

2012-01-09T05:43:00.006-07:00

Here is a video explaining the basics of how GPS systems work.

While a GPS is a useful tool in many situations and jobs, they are often overused preventing people from interacting, analyzing and enjoying the environment around them, understanding where they are, etc...

Are your school, church and grocery store located north, east, south or west of your house?

Which highway takes you to your neighboring state (or country) to the north?

Have fun with the GLP, if you own one, but don't forget to explore the world around you with your senses and using your mind. It is a wonderful tool that God has given us.

Geography nuggets - Country Series - North Korea

2011-12-31T07:53:00.003-07:00

Here is a little bit about the history and current situation of North Korea. Enjoy. As usual, all videos are uploaded on my website: www.geokid.org

What is North Korea like?

2011-12-23T14:45:00.009-07:00

North Korea was not on top of my blogging priorities, but the recent death (December 17) of its leader Kim Jong-il, changed that.

North Korea is a communist country of which very little is known, so when I found this great 15 minutes BBC documentary about it, I thought it would be worth sharing it my readers. I may blog at a different time about the history of this secretive and poor country and how it has become what it is right now. In the meanwhile, I have added a Wikipedia map, to the picture below showing the location of North Korea.
Click on the picture to watch the "interesting" 15 minutes documentary.

Glimpses of real North Korean life behind the facade

Geography nuggets - Country Series - Israel

2011-12-18T13:43:00.003-07:00

As part of my Geography education program, I am going to start a series of videos about individual countries. It will not cover things like capital, longest river or highest peak but rather focus on history and current situation of each featured country. With Christmas approaching, it seems appropriate for the first video to talk about Israel, the land where Jesus was born and lived. After all, it is his birth that we celebrate every year on December 25. If Jesus had not been born and impacted so many lives throughout history, this special holiday would not exist on our calendar.
Of course, not everything about a country can be covered in 10 minutes, but I hope my videos will spur your interest to go find out more about places you might not know much about.
In the meanwhile, let me know which countries you would like me to talk about in my future videos and, once you have watched this first one, try to find out in which of the three occupied territories in Palestine is Bethlehem located. Let me know.

Geography nuggets - Where on earth are you? (part 2)

2011-12-10T20:56:00.004-07:00

I hope you enjoyed my first video about how to determine our position on the planet earth. This is part 2. It explains a little more about degrees of Latitude and Longitude and their divisions: minutes and seconds.

A future video will cover how GPS devices use and display this information.

What are the coordinates of your city?

Geography nuggets - Where on earth are you? (part 1)

2011-12-06T07:12:00.004-07:00

Simple video about how to determine our position on the earth.

What are Latitude and Longitude and how do they work?

The explanation takes a while, if you are not familiar with the subject, so I broke this lesson up in more than one part.

The second part will be uploaded later. Let me know if you have any questions.

7 Billion people - A problem or a blessing?

2011-12-03T08:17:00.026-07:00

If you watched or listened to the news in the past month, chances are you have heard about the earth population reaching 7 billion sometime before the end of 2011.

Population is an important aspect of Geography, so for today's blog, I am presenting four very different perspectives about the birth of the 7 billionth person. Click on each picture below to read the articles.

(watch the video embedded halfway down the page in the article)

The BBC video points out that, if all 7 billion people lived in a city with the same density of Paris, we would all fit within the country of France, which is slightly smaller than the state Texas, with room to spare.

The CNN writer, on the other hand, asks the question: What does this mean for the environment?

My hope this Christmas season is that more people will come to realize that every single person on earth is an asset bringing his/her own unique gifts to this world, not just consuming the earth resources.

Here are a few examples: Benjamin Franklin was the 8th child of 17 children his father had.

Celine Dion is the youngest of 14 children. Queen Victoria of England had 9 children.

Wilma Rudolph, who was considered the fastest woman in the world in the 1960s and competed in two Olympic Games, was born prematurely at 4.5 lbs. , the 20th of 21 other brothers and sisters.

Geography nuggets - Why we have seasons

2011-11-30T18:14:00.003-07:00

Brief introduction to why there are seasons. A lot more can be said about "tilt of the earth axis", "distance from the sun", "equinox", "solstice", etc. Still, this should help you get a good basic idea of why we have seasons. It's my first Geography video lessons. Stay tuned for many more to come.

The video will also be available on my educational website: www.geokid.org

World countries and their debt...

2011-11-27T12:39:00.026-07:00

Preface
The locations of Italy and Greece, referenced in my notes below, are shown here

###########################

I recently ran into the following graph on the BBC news website. Click on the image (or link) below to read the short interactive article that clearly and concisely illustrates the basics behind the current debt problem of Greece and Italy along with other European countries, Japan and the United States.

Regular link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15748696

It would surely be interesting to see such a graph for developing countries, so I did some research. While I could not locate one, I did find out some interesting information. See the links at the end of this post, if you want to read more about it.

Reading about the debt crisis currently faced by so many nations brought about some questions that are not easy to answer, like:

Why are so many European countries that have been considered wealthy for a long time in such financial strain?

What are the causes of debt of the developing countries? What can be done to relieve their debt which often cripples their ability to improve their economy?

Why is there more concern about rescuing the economy of Greece and Italy than that of Somalia, for example?

While there is debate about the reasons as to why so many developing countries are buried under the weight of foreign debt, here are a few causes to consider:

Legacy of colonialism, debt accumulated during periods of war and political instability after their independence from their original colonial power, lack of natural and human resources (often a result of colonialism as well), lack of education, nutrition and infrastructure as a result of years of civil war.

Whatever the reason(s), I think it is hard to argue that the attention currently given to struggling developed countries versus struggling developing countries is very different.

A thought came to mind. All of us have been given a second chance at one point or another during our lifetime: maybe we did something wrong as a child, or at work or we may have hurt our spouse, and have been forgiven...

Shouldn't we give a second change to others as well?

If so, how can we relieve the pain of those struggling nearby or far away?

###############################

For more in depth analysis, see for example:

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/ns00161.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_external_debt

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debt_of_developing_countries

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_public_debt

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09162.pdf

A world without boundaries

2011-11-17T20:32:00.016-07:00

The video below was put together using a collection of photos taken from the International Space Station (ISS). It was assembled by an online newspaper. So forgive me for the 15 seconds advertisement at the beginning....

All the videos are courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center, and the music is Chopin's Nocturne No. 2 in E Flat Major, Op. 55, from the public domain music resource Musopen. Other videos are available for free download from this website (http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/Videos/CrewEarthObservationsVideos/).

Are you interested in seeing the international space station when it passes over your house? Follow this link:http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/

What locations do you recognize on the video?

City lights appear white, yellow or orange depending on intensity and concentration, so what are those red dots that are visible in some areas?

A couple of things strike me every time I look at images of the earth from space, especially at night. Although there is no clear boundary separating earth’s atmosphere and outer space, the Kármán line which lies at an altitude of 100 kilometers (62 mi) above sea level, is commonly used to define this boundary. Our lives depend on this thin layer of gases containing the air we breathe. Amazing!

The second, even more striking thing is that political lines disappear when we look at the world from space. City lights of the same color dot the landscape in North America as well as in Africa and Asia. Rivers flow from mountains to oceans crossing international boundaries without passports. Snow is visible on top of mountains in both the northern and southern hemisphere and thunderstorm clouds move over lands and seas without following predefined flight paths over "friendly skies".

The world is one smooth continuum of wonderful places. We humans are the ones that have divided it up with boundaries that are so familiar to us on our colorful political maps. We are the ones who directly or indirectly contribute to radically different standard of living in countries far apart from each other, or in bordering cities like El Paso, TX and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico:

View Larger Map

Or Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip:

View Larger Map

Watching the world go by at night makes those flat maps come alive. It gives us a different prospective of cities and highways, of populated places and remote locations, of vast oceans and long rivers. If we take some time to reflect about it, it gives us a better understanding of how people and places fit together and how we are all connected. The ISS takes only about 90 minutes to travel around the earth. During that time, it flies over rich countries, city slums, people at war and people on vacation. So little time, so few miles, yet such striking differences.

How do I study Geography?

2011-11-15T06:54:00.005-07:00

People often ask me: "How do you study Geography? There is so much to know and read about... It's overwhelming . Where do I start? How do I get a child interested in such a broad subject?"

As my wife often tells me: "Your first response to practically any question is to grab an Atlas..." When studying geography, you don't necessarily have to follow a set order. Start by looking up a locations of interest, possible vacation destinations, states or countries where friends live, etc. As you look at a map you will start noticing things like rivers, historical landmarks, funny names of locations. Look them up online, read and find pictures about them. Slowly but surely, you will start to make connections.
You read about Silicon Valley, but never thought about why it has such an unusual name. You heard about lake Okeechobee but never realized that its funny name, like many others in that area (Okefenokee, Seminole, etc.) are Indian names, given by the tribes that lived there.

Another important way to learn Geography is to make it a part of our daily life. A few days ago, I blogged about looking up the country of origin of the clothes in my closet. Below, is another simple way to learn about places. Check out the departure and arrival screens at your local airport. You may discover some interesting places. And, if you are from one of those cities I mispronounces the name of, please forgive me.

As we make connections, discover interesting and fun facts and associate names with events and pictures, we start to get a global understanding of the world around us. Give it a try, you may be surprised at what you will discover...

If I were born somewhere else... Part 2

2011-11-11T17:50:00.004-07:00

What would I do if I were born in a Central American country, or in rural Africa without a job and the opportunity to support myself and my family? I often wonder about that...

As you ponder about what your life would be like "if you were born somewhere else", take some quiet time to watch this touching documentary, which follows the journey of a few young people leaving El Salvador in search for a better future.

Across Mexico: Chasing an impossible dream - Risking it all - Al Jazeera English

If you don't know where El Salvador is, an interactive Google Map is provided below:

View Larger Map

If I was born somewhere else... - part 1

2011-11-09T13:17:00.003-07:00

Have you ever stopped to consider what your life would be like if you had been born in another country? Not just another state (if you live in the USA), but another COUNTRY.

Last week, I went to visit a friend who came to Colorado from Mexico. He and his wife just had their fourth child. Their family has struggled to make ends meet since they arrived several years ago. They live in a poor neighborhood, in an old house with only very basic furniture. Yet, he works longer hours than most people I know.

As it often happens when I am exposed to people who were born and grew up in developing countries, I stopped to think about what my life would have been like if I had been born in a poor village of Mexico instead of the town of Verona- Italy, if my parents had been migrant farmers instead of working in a bank, if I had had to work in the fields every day instead of attending private school and being able to go to college.

In the end, a lot of what we have is a result of the country, environment and family into which we were born. What if we had been born in a place and family which had no running water or regular food or would not have been able to send us to school? Our life would, likely, be drastically different.

It is a sobering realization, but there are millions of smart children and adults around the world that will never be able to achieve their full potential because of the circumstances they are in, for no fault of theirs. What contributions could these persons provide if they had the opportunity? Find a cure for a disease? Negotiate a peace agreement in a war-torn area? Win the world cup of soccer? Or simply teach at an elementary school and empower children to strive for a better future….

There is a simple but interesting website that gives a glimpse into what our life would have been like if we lived in any other place around the globe. Just pick any country you are thinking about and check out the few simple statistics presented. Here it is: http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/

So, what should be thankful for today? Why have I been blessed to have hot water, a warm house and a job that allows me to have enough money to feed my children?

I will post a video-story about this subject in a few days. Stay tuned. :-)

Countries in my closet

2011-11-05T19:34:00.005-06:00

I spent some time looking at the tags of all shirt, T-shirts, sweaters and pants in my closet and recorded the country in which they were made and then generated the graph below using Microsoft Excel. It was an interesting exercise which I recommend trying. If you have children, it’s a fun educational activity to include them in. It will spur some interesting conversations.

What does this graph tell us?

Probably that I have too many clothes in my closet.

The next thing that comes to mind is that I bought all these clothes in the United States, yet only about 10% of them were manufactured in this country. That means that it is cheaper for American companies to have the product manufactured abroad and then shipped over here, rather than making it in the US.

Factory workers in developing countries, like Honduras, Bangladesh and Thailand are paid only a few dollars a day. This makes our goods cheaper, but it does not improve the financial situation of these workers, nor does it help US factories which cannot compete with developing countries waves.

My quick research on clothing labels also helps us to understand how connected our economy is with that with that of Asian and Central American countries, most of which are considered developing nations. These countries have a high percentage of people living under the poverty level, a poor infrastructure and might be governed by unstable or unfriendly governments. So, when any of them faces a natural disaster or political crisis, our economy and that of many other nations can be affected as well.

Geography affects our everyday lives in more ways that we realize.

How did Geography affect your life today?

Do you remember a situation in which Geography significantly affected your life? I will share a few of mine in a future post.

P.S. Two of the names shown on the graph above are not, officially, independent countries.

A New Start. - Geography nuggets. -

2011-11-03T07:37:00.008-06:00

After coaching my daughter Isabella for 3 years for the National Geographic Bee, in which she placed in the top 20 nationally in both 2010 and 2011, I felt “depressed” by the poor level of geographic knowledge of most US students and educated adults, so I decided to do "a little something" about it... Using this blog and my website (www.geokid.org) I will deliver short, geography nuggets, in both written and video form.

But wait: isn't learning geography boring and useless?
I am asking you to give me the benefit of the doubt and let's find out together:
Japan Tourism Agency is thinking about offering free roundtrip flights to Japan to promote tourism, which has been very badly affected by the devastating earthquake of 2011. The final decision has not been made yet, but, if I were you, I would enter my name to be notified. To find out more follow this link: http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/topics/2011/free_flights.html

So you may be lucky enough to visit Japan for free. But what do you know about it?

Video obtained using Google Earth

Japan is an island on the opposite side of the Pacific Ocean than California.

It is about a 12 hours flight from Dallas, TX to Tokyo, the capital of Japan.
Japan has an emperor who for centuries was venerated as a God.

What else do you know about Japan? Try the following:
What is the tallest mountain of Japan, which is also a volcano?
Approximately how many people, do you think, live in the Tokyo metropolitan area? 2 million, 15 million, 35 million?
Did you know that Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world but also one of the fastest aging populations in the world? In 2009, about 23 percent of the population was over 65, and by 2050 almost 40 percent of the population will be over 65. Why is that relevant?

There are other geography blogs and websites out there, some of which I visit daily to learn new things. Here is what will make my offer different:

• Fun, Interesting and simple geography tidbits, focusing on useful and applicable information.

• Reader-driven content. Please submit suggestions and requests for geographic subjects to cover. Which foreign countries have you visited? Which ones would you like to visit and why? Have you ever completed a mission trip overseas? Do you support any nonprofit organization in developing countries? Do you speak a foreign language?

• And… starting soon, if readers like the idea, I plan to offer the opportunity for regular, geography live chats. Let me know what you would like to talk about. Maybe your social studies homework? Send me an email: info (at) geokid (dot) org and I will provide you with my Skype ID, for the weekly geo-chat sessions.

Looking forward to your feedback.

The Pope in Assisi

2011-10-28T20:32:00.003-06:00

This past week Pope Benedict XVI, leader of the Roman Catholic Church, convened in Assisi, Italy with the leaders of most world religions to reflect and pray about peace. The event did not make the first (or even third) page of the main news media, at least in the United States. It is not the first time that this event took place. 25 years ago, Pope John Paul II called a similar event. It happened just three years before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

This week, in his closing message, Benedict XVI reminded all people (http://tinyurl.com/3ch5w9h)
that while religion is (and was) often used as an excuse to wave violence against others, this is not the true nature of religion. Its goal is instead goodwill and love for all people. Many today reject religion on the base of mistakes/scandals brought about by religious people or by the fact that it limits our freedoms. Sure, religious people and religions have made mistakes in the past and still do today, but that is because even religious people are human.
Assisi in central Italy is famous as the hometown of Saint Francis of Assisi. Here is his most famous, and my favorite, prayer.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.

Which statement best applies to your life?
Have you ever observed (or studied) the life of a deeply religious person?
What makes (or made) this person special?
Use the comment link below of my Facebook page to post your replies.

Abandoned in Guatemala: The Failure of International Adoption Policies

2011-10-14T22:30:00.002-06:00

This is one of the main reasons why we don't support UNICEF:

Why Geography is important (part 2)

2011-09-07T16:37:00.006-06:00

I am only now following up a previous post (12/16/2011): why Geography is important. But instead of listing a bunch of boring reasons, I thought I would express a few considerations. The world is becoming smaller and smaller. Ease of communications and travel, imports and exports as well as tourism are making each country more and more dependent on other nations. First question: “how many countries are there in the world today?”

An economical, political and even environmental crisis in one country has repercussions all over the world. Prices of food and goods fluctuate, travel restrictions affect the ability of companies to buy or sell goods and, as a result, people can lose their jobs... It may not always be easy to see, but our dependence on each other is growing. Here are a few simple examples: the price of oil goes up when producing countries in the Middle East are affected by internal instability or just decide to limit production. This drives up the cost of goods, including gasoline for cars (which in turn affects transportation costs and therefore food costs) and other things like natural gas for heating houses and workplaces.

When a volcano erupted in Iceland two years ago (“do you remember that?” “Can you pronounce its name?”) it disrupted air travel across Europe. This not only affected tourists, but also business travel as well as goods shipped across the globe. Airlines lost a lot of money, as probably did many other firms that rely on quick and frequent air connections.

As our children grow up, this interdependence will only increase. That is why it is important for them to know where places are located, but also to understand other people, languages and cultures. Geography helps increase mutual awareness , better understanding and acceptance which hopefully leads to a better and more peaceful world. Yet, Geography is often overlooked in today's schools and the results show: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/07/most_us_students_lack_proficie.html,

http://nationsreportcard.gov/geography_2010/summary.asp

When we see pictures of starving children in the "Horn of Africa" (who knows which countries that part of the world include?) or of destroyed schools in Afghanistan, we feel sad and many of us are compelled to donate money. Often though, one tragedy follows another and soon we become immune even to the disturbing images that reach us from poor, faraway places. Instead, we should care for those people. Why? Here is one reason: A friend who grew up in Pakistan once told me: "Going to these countries with 21 century weapons to try and eradicate extremists will not solve US or world problems. There are thousands of people without jobs standing at street corners in those countries that would accept to strap a bomb around their chest in exchange for money that will feed their family.” The future of these countries and the people living there will deeply affect the world our children will live in as adults. We, who have the means, are called to help, if not out of compassion, at least out of concern for the world future. Education, mutual understanding and access to an acceptable lifestyle are some of the goals what we need to help them achieve. And, once we learn more about the children and the people living in Asia, Africa and South America, we will realize, that most of them are not so different from us and that, like us, all they strive for is to have a safe home for their children and some food on their table. Does anybody know approximately how many people in the world live on less than $2 a day? If you don’t, you have not been paying attention (to our video from December 16, 2010)

Learning geography will open our prospective to these realities and many more. Yes, because through geography we can learn about stuff that is fun too, like precipitation, different food and customs, history, weather and… if our GPS ever runs out of batteries, we may still be able to read a map and reach our destination. What does GPS stand for, anyway? Anybody?

Enrico at approx. 39N, 105W
www.geokid.org

Best shots of Italy trip - summer 2011

2011-08-16T14:36:00.014-06:00

Lonato's castle
Lonato's cathedral

Verona - Tomb of one of the Scaligeri family members

Verona, San Zeno

Assisi

Lake Garda

Assisi

Assisi- Santa Chiara

lots of flowers

Pasticcieria in Val di Fassa

Morning moisture

Mini Truck called "ape" (bee)

Rosengarten

Bolzano

Assisi

2011-08-04T13:43:00.008-06:00

Vacanze estive

on the way to Assisi. Italian beach :-)

Franciscan Friars

Old Olive Tree

San Damiano (http://www.bellaumbria.net/Assisi/san-damiano_eng.htm)

our agriturismo - www.malvarina.it

The Convent

Assisi

"Rosone" St. Francis balisica

St. Francis Basilica

We visited Assisi, in the Umbria region of Italy. Assisi is the hometonw of the famous Saint Francis of Assisi. We spent three days touring important religious sites, visiting medioeval churches, eating "gelato", walking cobblestone streets 4 feet wide build 1000+ years ago and sleeping in an "agriturismo" an italian style of bed and breakfast. Look up http://www.malvarina.it/

We had our dose of adventure as well, as Emma injured a finger at a pool and had to go to an emeergency room, where she was given four stitches. She was very brave-.

Finally, it was very hard to rent a vehicle that would fit our family of 6. We handed up with a 9 passanger Mercedes van built as a delivery truck that was as tall as a camper. Problem is that it did not fit in most of Assisi parking lots and small hilly streets... We felt like a bull in a china shop.

More Dolomites Pictures

2011-07-30T12:56:00.004-06:00

We spent our first week in the Dolomites (Val di Fassa). It is a wonderful mountain valley in the heart of the Eastern Alps. Here are some more pictures of it. To learn more you can check out: http://www.fassa.com/

first days in Italy

2011-07-26T09:34:00.003-06:00

We are having a great time and eating amazing pizza and gelato. Internet connection is a problem to find and you have to pay for it by the minute, but that is good. Weather has been cold in the mountains where we are. We have met old friends and the children are trying to speak some Italian and learn magic tricks.

Drought and tragedy in East Africa.

2011-07-16T16:43:00.004-06:00

I follow the news online on the BBC. I find them more global, more balanced and less commercialized than that of the main US news channels. The BBC has been talking about the devastating drought affecting approximately 10 million people in East Africa.

Honestly how many of you living in the US had heard about it? Let me know using the comment button.

Here is a video and article from the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14174893

And one from Al Jezeera English: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/07/201171671748257707.html

Reflections on a trip: VA, D.C., OH

2011-06-23T11:51:00.009-06:00

Here are a few brief bullet points abut our trip. I will try to expand of them, as time permits, but for now, I don't want to lose the wonderful memory of them:

We spent ten days travelling across Virginia, D.C. and northern Ohio. Isabella competed at the National Geographic Bee in D.C. May 24. She was eliminated during the Tie-breaker round and so placed 11th.. So close to the top ten, but not there yet. She accepted the "defeat" with incredible maturity and comforted her room mate from Delaware.

Late that evening, she told me: "You know dad, I think God told me today: 'be patient Isabella, this is not your year.' Remember that bible passage that says: "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."? I think God told me that today, after I lost...' 'I will have to try and come back again next year. I was 13th last year, I was 11th, this year. Next year, maybe I can take it all'
It was a great lesson for all of us. A lesson in spiritual maturity. We are blessed for that.

We visited Williamsburg and Jamestown in southern Virginia and drove across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel. Wow! Jamestown was wonderful and surely worth a visit.

We walked around Mount Vernon. What a great place

We spent time with great and generous friends Maureen and Lisa in D.C.

We then drove to Cleveland to show our children where Norine and I were married and to thank the people that were such an important part of our lives during that blessed time: Fr. Tony S., Fr. Tony Fortunato, Ronnie, Peggy, Ellie, Dough and Roe...

We met new friends: Sofia M. from DE - Marlene K. and family in Wooster, OH

We have so many wonderful memories. We wish we did not leave so far away.

Geographic Travels: Donate Shoes for Afghan Girls

2011-06-21T08:07:00.000-06:00

We have an internet friend who just came back from Afghanistan and he is helping to organize a drive of new and used shoes for Afghan girls. If you want to help, please email us and we will provide you with the contact information to send the shoes to.
Geographic Travels: Donate Shoes for Afghan Girls

I am speechless - God is good

2011-04-13T13:53:00.004-06:00

It has been an emotial time. Isabella has studied hard daily for the past 9 months and once again, on April 1st, won the Colorado State Geography Bee. I wondered may times during the past few months, whether the time and effort we put into this endevor was worthy it... We received many positive encouragements along they way and so we endured. Now I know. Thank you Lord for being faithful and answering our prayers. You see, it is not just about the Geography Bee. We are hoping that this effort will open some door to help us teach other children/students/schools about the importance of geography. Learning about the world will teach students about other people and cultures, will teach students about the almost 3 billion people around the world that live on $2/day or less. It will teach them that there is a lot that can be done to help and even children can do their part. For example: sponsoring a child (see our earlier post about this). We have many ideas on how to make to idea come to fruition, but for now we are heading to D.C. for the National Bee. See you in Washington on May 24th!

Why is Geography important

2010-12-16T20:57:00.002-07:00

What do you think? I will write more about this in a future post.

Impact a life - Sponsor a child

2010-11-04T13:48:00.003-06:00

I realize I have not blogged for a while. Not that I don't like to, just that there always seems to be so much to do. We try to keep our life simple and limit activities, but still.

This past month we finally took the plunge and sponsored a child in Guatemala. After trying without sucess to adopt another child in the past few years, we decided we could still help somebody who needed it.

She is a young girl of 4, one of 5 siblings, who lives in a rural village and does not have a father. Her life is pretty simple and marked by the poverty that is typical of so many people around the world. I read recently that 3 billion people around the world live on less than US $2 a day.

For only $30 a month we can assure our young new friend will have some food to eat every day (even when the seasonal work of her mother dries up) and be able to attend school.
We are sending her toothbrushes and coloring books for Christmas and we hope to go visit her someday too. She lives close to where we visited in Guatemala last December (see our blog entries below).

We used the organization called: Christian Fuoundation for Children and Aging (www.cfcausa.org), because we know the founder and because 94.8% of all donations go directly to the sponsored person. Only 5.2% is used for all other activities. You won't find a better one.

Think about sponsoring a child. You can make a huge difference in the life of somebody that really needs it for the cost of a simple dinner for 2 every month. After all, you have been blessed to be born in a developed country. This website shows what your life would be like, if you were born in another country: www.ifitweremyhome.com
Enjoy...

Enrico

A trip to the RainForest

2010-08-20T14:06:00.004-06:00

with friends in Seattle

Kalaloch Beach, WA

Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, OR

Our family took a week vacation in the NorthWest. What a wonderful place. So much to see. the nature is absolute stunning there and for us leaving in a dry climate, it as a treat to see, feel and experience the ocean and the moisture.

We all loved and will be back.

Our route: Flew into Portland, OR, teh drove to cannon Beah, Or, then up the coast (highway 101) to WA state and all teh way around Olympic National Park to Port Angeles, WA, then Tacoma and Seattle and back down to Portland.

Isabella in D.C. and other reflections....

2010-06-04T13:27:00.007-06:00

I am finally here!!!!!

Thanks for your sacrifice. We pray this never happens again.

Isabella with Mr. South Carolina

I thought it was bigger...

Isabella and Daddy with Eistein

Isabella and "Mr. Kansas" (4th place overall)

Will try again next year

Isabella and I flew to D.C. to participate in the National Geography Bee. We were there for 4 days during the last week of May. 54 children participated in this competition. The winner of each state + the winner for D.C., the winner for the US caribbean islands, Pacific US territories and Department of Defense. Overall there where 53 boys and one girl (Isabella). A preliminary round of 9 questions (different for each child) narrowed the field down to 10 children. Isabella missed two questions (one of which was "unfair" in my opinion, but I am a biased parent of course). 12 children did better than her, so she did not qualify for the final.

Still, a wonderful achievement. As we were flying back home, I thought: "this country is reall big!!" It's amazing that Isabella was in the top 20 students nationally!

I, as a parent, feel as proud as if she had won an Olympic medal and in a way she did. Of course, I wish she would have won, but...s he was part of a very elite group of children participating in a National competition in which about 12 thousand schools take part each year. Wow!

It was wonderful to see her interact with other children, who are so very smart and who have similar interest and yet so very diverse background from ours.

It was very interesting to notice how many of these children have some foreign connections. Many of them were indians (from India), at least four had one or two european parent, two had chinese background...

The experience brought about so many emotions that are hard to convey, but that I hope I'll never forget. It left me speechless. Isabella worked very hard for this and deserved it so much... She wa sso close to make it to the top. That part is a little difficult to accept. More for me than for her, it seems. She receovered so quickly and was back to her hours of reading and music as soon as we got on the plane... She is still so much a child. That is so great and I cannot but be glad for that.

I feel blessed to have helped her achieve this goal. I also feel blessed that I have had the time and energy to dedicate to her. On our return, we have learned about the disaster and death caused by volcano Pacaya and tropical storm Agatha in Guatemala. We were just there 6 months ago. We climbed that volcano, we visited some of those villaged now covered in mud... We wonder why those people have to suffer so much. Their life is so often delicately balanced between life and death. They will never know what the Geography Bee is or even what a good school is like... Why are we blessed with so much and can spend our energy studying geography while they have to struggle to survive every day?

Please have mercy on them Lord. Please help us not waist our gifts, let us use them for your glory and for the good of others.

An Amazing Day.. Isabella wins the State Geography Bee

2010-04-15T13:06:00.002-06:00

Third time is the charm for geography bee champ

Good friday Reflection

2010-04-02T08:54:00.002-06:00

Matt Maher - The Journey of Alive Again: Restoration (4 of 4)

The world wonders why there is suffering, why there is death and where is God amidst all of this. As Matt says in the video above: "God is on the cross". He shares our pain and suffering and it shows us the way. He showed it is not the end and the Resurrection comes after death.

Fasting - a way of getting closer to the poor

2010-03-23T17:35:00.004-06:00

During the past few weeks, I took a couple of opportunities for doing a little fasting.

The idea came from a website: http://www.e5men.org/ which invites men to pray for their wifes (or girlfriends/daughters/sisters, etc.) . By doing so, we join Christ's suffering and we intercede for grace for our wifes. I thought the idea was great + decided I could use some grace myself.

So, on two separate days I only had water and a few slices of bread from early morning till dinner time. Because I had so little too eat, I savored each slice of bread and took a long time to chew each bite (instaed of just stuffing it down to get to the next bite). It made realize how hard it must be for all the millions of people that struggle for food each day. It helped me realize, yet one more time, how privileged we are for the variety and quantity of food we enjoy every single day. Our refrigerator is full and all we have to do is open it...

Even though this was not why I decided to fast, I surely have already received some grace from it.

Enrico

Reflections about the poor

2010-01-08T19:54:00.004-07:00

While in Guatemala we met Bob Hentzen. He is the president of CFCA (http://www.cfcausa.org/). Its organization provides sponsorships to thousands of poor children and aging around the world.
He is a wonderful man and we feel blessed to have met him. He is now walking from Guatemala to Chile over a 16th months period. (http://www.walk2gether.org/) Why? Well, the best way is to listen to his own words.

Why I Walk from CFCA

We could not agree more.

It is time to get back to our life, or is it?

2010-01-06T15:24:00.004-07:00

We have been back home for a week now and it has been hard. It is very difficult to reconcile our "easy" life with all the things we have lived and experienced in Guatemala.
Why were we born here? Why were we given an opportunity to grow up healthy, go to school, have a good paying job and a nice, large and warm house and so many people throughout the world have not and never will?
I am not sure if we will ever be able to answer this question during our life on earth, but we do know that Jesus said: "The poor will always be with you", and "To those to whom much has been given, much will be expected". There is no doubt then, that we are called to share what we have with those less fortunate.
So, hopefully this is only the first of many trips we will take. For now, there are people to help and share with right here at home: our children, our neighbors, etc.
Happy New Year.

Day 21 - last full day

2009-12-28T20:39:00.005-07:00

Lake Atitlan - the most beautiful lake in the world

As we prepare our suitcases, my heart is flooded with thoughts and emotions. I will need time to digest and reflect upon all the experiences we had here. Among other things it may be hard to reconcile our "cushioned" middle class american lifestyle with many of the things we have lived and witnessed here in Guatemala. In that regard, I want to remember what David Alvarez told us when we met him, the other day: "We could not do what we do here in Guatemala, without what you do for us up there in the United States." Surely, what we do is a drop in the ocean, but it still needs to be done. Its' interesting, because, in the end, this is the same message we felt was so appropriate when we adopted Paolo. You can read about that reflection here (click on DETAILS, under the slideshow): http://www.realestateshows.com/show.php?id=17244

Day 20 - Climbing Volcano Pacaya - Wow!

2009-12-27T20:31:00.013-07:00

part 1: riding up on a horse through the forest

Part 2: Climbing the old lava field with Alan

where is the lava?

flowing lava

What to do when you run out of numbers...

We did something really Guatemalan today. We climbed Vulcan Pacaya. It is not really like a national park in the US. There is very little organization and control. As soon as you park the car in a dusty parking lot, you get assaulted by various people, including children that want to sell you a hiking stick or a horse ride to the observation point, which is otherwise a good 45-min. hike and so difficult that many of us "gringos" will soon be happy to be riding a horse, regardless of the cost. We decided to take 2 horses from the start, so the kids could save their energy during the first part of the climb. We reached the obesrvation point and where sorrounded by clouds. So we decided to proceed on the old lava field. We were not sure how far we would get, but little by little we made it all the way to where the lava was flowing... wow!

Driving in Guatemala is an adventure on its own. We drove a lot during this vacation and we went from being really scared at first to start laughing about all the crazy things that happen and that you see along the way. Here are just a few of the things we saw during our 1 1/2 drive to the volcano and back.

1. The sign above at a gas station along the highway. Do you see anyting wrong with the numbers?

2. The same gas station accepted credit crad for payment, but only on pump 1 and 3... Not clear why.

3. We drove by the secondary garbage dump in Guatemala City. Vultures were flying all over and the smell was hard to describe.

4. In one of the villages we drove through cars destroyed during accidents were lined along the road. Our guide, Alan, explained to us that they were lined in front of the local police station. They will stay there during the investigation period or something... again, not clear.

5. We were driving up the highway on a steep road and there was a nice, tin-and-cinderblock wall. Just up the curve, we were surprised to see that a part of the wall was all smashed from a car driving through it...

6. There was an accident on the road. One truck was parked in Lane 1 and the accident was in Lane 3. We drove around it, but about 100 yards ahead were 2 black police trucks, watching traffic and doing absolutely nothing about the accident in their midst.

7. We were climbing down the volcano and there were some naive American tourist groups who were just starting their climb up. Apparently there are "night tours" where they climb up and see the lava in the dark. They are very dangerous because you can easily get lost in the fields of pumice and they do not tell you to carry flashlights or anything.

8. A pickup truck with 6 people covered with blankets in the bed of the truck. All driving home from work.

You can easily tell who the tourists are. There are the wealthy American middle-aged couples. The husband is jolly and jokes with everyone. He is rather large around the middle. He wears khaki shorts and Hawaiian-print shirts and has a fancy Nikon of Canon camera around his neck. The wife is also rather large and smiling, and wears stretch capris and sandals and T-shirts from previous vacations that read Puetro Vallarta or Alaska or something like that.

Then there are the wealthy American families with 2 kids: the teenage daughter who is always texting or listening to her iPod and the 9 or 10 year old boy who is always playing on a DS and asking "Are we there yet". The mother and father obviously have next to no knowledge about Guatemala and are reading from guidebooks. The mother wears perfect makeup and has huge stylish aviator sunglasses. The father keeps urging the family on. Of course, there are general stereotypes but they seem pretty relevant so that is what I will use.

Isabella

Almost time to go home - Christmas Day and the day after

2009-12-26T08:44:00.004-07:00

Guatemalan art

Christmas Midnight crazyness

Isabella distributing blankets on 12-26-2009

We are headed for the final stretch of our trip. Christmas time has brought a slow down to our service activities in order to take the time to celebrate and because the country practically shuts down here and everybody is on the roads, which makes them even more dangerous. We had a regular turkey dinner yesterday along with our friends' family and another missionary family. It is very refreshing to see so many peole serving in so many ministries here: feeding centers, bible translations, christian video and radio productions are just the latest we have learned about. Isabella and Gregory went back to the village today for another blanket distribution. The people that ca afford it, pay $2 for the blankets, the others are given out for free. In the meanwhile, Norinen and I and the other children met with David Alvarez and his wife. They head another ministry that we support. They provide breakfast, education and some medical care to children in their poor neiborhood in Guatemala City along with several remote villages (in the jungle with no water and electricity) located along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of Guatemala for a total of about 1600 children. Yes 1600! Wow! All of this through donations from the USA and Europe. They also have a simple sponsorship program of $30 a month to suport one of the children direvctly. They have now started a school program in some of these remote village, with the goal to have local village teachers graduate by 2017. The goal is for these persons the be able to teach their own people and help break the cycle of poverty in these remote areas, by enpowering the locals. We love this concept. If you are interested to know more about their efforts, I can FW you their monthly email newsletter.

As for the firework picture you see above, well, Guatemala is very interesting. Along with all sorts of small and large fireworks, they sell "bombas" here, which are practically explosives wrapped in newspaper which sound like real bombs. Midnight on Christmas night felt like being under a bombing atack in Iraq. Another round happens at 12 noon on Christmas day. If you are taken by surprise by it, it is quite scary.

Thye kids are now quite ready to go home. Isabella is starting to miss her friends. Emanuela is missing Rosie (the dog). Pietro says he could stay, because going home means going back to school, while Paolo really does not care... Mommy and Daddy need some time to digest all these experiences and some prayer and quite time to try and understand what we are called to do next. In other words we need a vacation now :-)

Mission work and life is hard, not just physically, but also, and probably even more emotionally. So many questions and so few answers.

Here is a song we wrote for our friends for Christmas day: (jingle bells tune)

"Driving through the dust

in an open pick up truck

bumping over stones

and bracing our sore butts.

Patterned skirts and shirts

babies ties on backs

strapping food and clothes

ontop their aching heads

Oh... bang, bang, boom

bang, bang, boom

fireworks fill the sky

1 slap, 2 slap

3 slap, 4

mas tortillas por favor (repeat)

There are many babies here

without their moms and dads

faces without teeth

looking very sad.

The work the missions do

is vital to Mayan's lives

their presence like a light

shining in their eyes."

Shoe shining again (75 cents this time)

Day 16 - Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T05:15:00.005-07:00

second visit to Amor del Nino orphanage (http://www.lovethechild.com/)

drying bibs at Amor del Nino

We wish you all a very Merry and Holy Christmas from a place that has helped us to understand the mystery of His incarnation and the poverty God placed himself in.

Christ was born in a manger among animals and dung, on a cold winter night - without running water or light. We have seen the local Mayan people live just like this, (just 20 minutes from this house) in corrugated metal shacks, with chickens and pigs roaming, dirt floors, no water or food, heat or electricity. Never before had we experienced Christmas so closely.

Christ loved children, welcomed their presence and told us we need to become simple and pure like them if we want to be saved. There are scores of children in the Mayan villages we have visited. They are dirty, but also curious and have the nicest and purest smiles we have ever seen. These simple people welcome children, because they represent hope for a better future, help in the fields and support in their old age. Life is prized in the hearts of the poor.

Christ was rejected by the wise, wealthy and educated people of his time. It is not much different for the Mayan people, that are refused care and mistreated at the local hospitals.

Even our American/western wealthy society is now distancing itself from the meaning of the mystery of Christmas and God's design to reign among the poor and rejected. We cannot say Merry Christmas anymore in the same way... Happy Holidays tastes like vinegar, now, because it is all about Christ in the WAY he deciced to come. If Christ had not come, there would be no hope amidst these brutal conditions. Our Faith is bonified and a small layer of the mystery of God has been peeled away this trip. Our prayer is that more of humanity will discover that God wants us to love one another as HE HAS LOVED US.

Some of us will be distributing blankets at one of the villages todays, while Norine will be here at home preparing the Christmas dinner. It's an interesting and somewhat uncomfortable dicothomy.
They tell us there will be hundreds of fireworks here tonight - like being in a war zone... Norine and I are not so sure how we feels about all of this. How do we bridge such vast inequities about how securely and happily we live when all of God's suffering children surround us? More layers of the the mysterious "onion of faith" needs to be peeled away. To be continued in the years to come...

Day 14 - Various degrees of poverty

2009-12-22T11:50:00.006-07:00

In front of San Lucas Toliman Parish

Water pipes. We don't drink the water from the tap here for obvious reasons... see what Emma said below about one certain man...

Second house we visited today (more like a tin shack) - our clubhouse is better!!! :(

on the way to the first house- the roads were TERRIBLE.

This morning we spent a couple of hours delivering a little food (eggs, oil, flour) to three poor families. It's was painful and very humbling. I don't cry very often at all, but I did shed some tears today. The three familes all had big needs but the same time suffer from different degrees of poverty. (Enrico)

One family lives in a cinderblock house with 2 rooms which they rent for a little money. She was a woman with five children. The lady cannot work anymore because her arthritis has caused her hands to be "shriveled". Her oldest daughter is 19 and our friend Anita has paid for her to go to school for the past 3 years so that she could learn to be a teacher. She does not work yet, though. The lady's skin is so sensitive that it can get bruised by a very light grasp. Her right arm was all red from that, so we will buy her some antibiotic cream and bandages today. It made me feel so sad to see all of these things. This was the one house that was somewhat nice. It had five beds in one tiny room, a kitchen with a hotel-sized refrigerator, a blender, and the smallest oven that you could ever imagine.

Another of these houses was a one in a little compound of a lot of little shacks. It was sad because the woman was blind and they only had 2 beds. One bed for the parents and one for the children: 4 girls + 2 boys. They were filthy. It was also sad because they had absolutely no food so we gave them some eggs and a few other goods for Christams. Oh yeah, there is no running water so this famiy wears their clothes until they are so dirty that they burn them. The husband works unloading buses - one of those men we saw while in Chimaltenango who was climbing onto the bus roof while the vehicle was moving. Because his wife is blind, she cannot work. (Emma)

The last house we went to was again, a shack with two rooms. The elderly mother can hardly see. She goes to the market almost every morning and sits on the street begging for money. Anything helps! The money for the food we gave today came from a family in, TX.

For some of these families it is hard to know what to do. The children of the blind lady cannot go to school, because the family does not have a physical address and they have to move often. So, even if we sponsored one of the children, they could not go to school, until they have a permanent or semi-permanent address. Even if you gave every poor person in the country some firewood and food, they would use it all and be in the same predicament again. What can we do for this kind of situation? Any idea, Blog readers? We really feel small and numb. The needs are so overwhelming.

It is hard for me to know what to say other than what my parents have already stated.

It was all very saddening for sure. Our dog Rosie lives better than many of these people. She always has food in her bowl, a warm place to sleep at night, attention and love... I can't describe it all here. The only way that you will ever know what this is like is to come here yourselves. And I can't help saying that this has been a wonderful experience for all of us. And that anybody and everybody who lives in the U.S. or any other wealthy country would benefit from a trip like this. It makes you realize how very much we have and how very wealthy we are as Americans, or gringoes as they call us white people here. You could not imagine all the different levels of poverty there are. It is... well, it is... It's up to you to fill in the ____________.

(Isabella Marie Contolini)

Age almost 12

Oh, another thought from Isabella: Our names change a little bit here. I am not Isabella, I am Isabel Maria.

Emma is not Emanuela , she is Manuela Maria.

Pietro is Pedro.

Paolo is Pablito, which means Little Pablo.

Emma: --> Also when we were going to the first lady's house we saw a guy pee by the road! Gross!

Yesterday we came back to San Lucas Sacatepequez. It was a three hour drive because of bad road conditions. It would have taken an hour and a half back in the U.S. Before we left, Pietro got his shoes shined by two boys which was only two queztals which is twenty five cents in American money. That's really cheap compared to the US. Mom and dad felt a little uncomfortable because everyone was crowding around us waching. But, they were quite good. It is also very cheap compared to DIA services because over there it costs forty dollars.

This afternoon we are going to meet with the lawyer that helped with Paolo's adoption 4 years ago... We are going to Pollo Campero, the local fast food chain. They have a play area there. Joy. More dirt.

day 13 - travel day

2009-12-21T19:39:00.004-07:00

San Lucas Toliman Church

Tuk-tuk

working in the fields

Lago Atitlan

our kids with the shoe-shiners and other local passerbys

We made it back to our friends' house near Guatemala City. Even a travel day can be an interesting day in Guatemala. While waiting for our ride to pick us up, two small children wanted us to let them shine our shoes, we said no several times but finally agreed to have Pietro's shined. It costed 25 cents, but by the time they were done about 15 children were surrounding us asking for money. Considering that and considering the expensive (for Guatemala) hotel where we stayed by Lake Atitlan for the past 4 days, we really felt like British colonists in India. Last night we ate at the hotel's restaurant. For the 6 of us and a lot of food (vegetable properly sanitized, they assured us) we spent $50 dollars. Not so many Guatemalans could afford that, but still the hotel has a heliport. Apparently wealthy Guatemalans come over from Guatemala City o weekends to eat here in helicopter...
On the way back today we had a great TIG (see earlier posts) moment. Looking for a bathroom we stopped in a small town. The only small restaurant we could find does not have a bathroom. We found one behind the main square but, ... you have to pay to use it. And... the price depends on what you need it for: number 1 or number 2? Number 2 costs more because you have to buy the toilet paper... There is more, but this is enough information for the blog. :)
Then in the middle of Chimaltenango, a typical chicken bus is in front of us. The helper is on the roof while the bus is moving and while we film him, we notice he is stealing two pieces of fruit from a basket of one of the passangers... This will end up on YOUTUBE, when we get back to a faster computer.
To top the day, when we arrive home our friend Anita had to leave on an international trip due to a family emergency. She won't be here for Christmas and won't be back until after we return to the States. It will surely be a different Christmas and without Anita, and away from home it may feel somewhat sad. One thing for sure. It will be the simplest Christmas we have ever had and because of that it may actually be the most meaninful Christmas of all. It will make us feel closer to the very first Christmas. We don't have gifts, the Christmas tree is a small fake tree and the house is cold without heat. It is usually 75 degrees this time of year in Guatemala, but this year it has been cold and rainy. It will be a time of sharing and reflecting about the reality of what Christmas is for so many people.

Day 12 - Sunday, miscellaneous short thoughts

2009-12-20T10:49:00.004-07:00

As we celebrate the 4th Sunday of Advent, several thoughts crowd my mind this Sunday morning. It has been a wonderful and, at the same time, tough experience here in Guatemala so far. It is difficult to transmit the emotions that fill our minds and the things we see. Here are a few scattered thoughts from the last few days.

1. There are Christmas lights and (fake) Christmas trees here. Even if their abodes are humble and often very poor, people hang some Christmas lights and small lit Christmas trees or wreaths. We saw one that was hung between two windows over a street and held up with two ropes...

2. A great Christmas tradition in Central America during Chritmas time is Las Posadas. People gather on the street with candles and guitars (and fireworks) and a statue of the nativity which they carry from house to house looking for a place to stay, remembering what Mary and Joseph did on their way to Bethelem. They do this every nights for ten days before Christmas. We participated for a bit, last night.

3. It is not easy to stay relaxed here, when you need/want to remind your children to wash their hands and/or use hand sanitizer every 10 minutes and not drink tap water or water from bottles once the cap has fallen on the ground... I may be a little too concerned about it, but at the same time we still hope to avoid any major "intestinal problems". Everybody has warned us about them very strongly. For my friends at work: " we can only use bottles with crew-type caps here, which reminds me of the importance of the tortous path concept :-) "
Oh, you also need to watch for cars. There are no pedestrian crossings here and cars do NOT yield to pedestrians....

4. We are learning more patience. People are not in a hurry and they hang out by the church, on the street, on the steps on their small houses. It seems like everytime someone goes by, somebody peeks out and checks out what is going on.

5. It´s pouring rain now. Very unsual for december/dry season. The street we are on is a river with water flowing toward the lake. Clearly there is not much of a drainage system. In fact, as I look out the window, I cannot locate any water drains on the street.... There are also no trash cans, which means a lot of the garbage gets thrown on the ground, making for a dirty mess. Still, S. Lucas Toliman seems cleaner than the capital city, the other San Lucas where we have been and the poor villages in the mountains where the clinic is. Trash collection happens in the main towns, but enviromental concerns are surely NOT on the top of the priorities of central american countries. People here struggle to feed themselves...

6. The atmosphere at church was wonderfully simple and humble this morning. The church is an old stucco structure with sad looking statues along the aisle. Emma says they are scary looking. I tend to agree. Father walks down the aisle shaking hands with everybody and hugging chidren. A marimba, two guitars, a bass and a mandolin play church latin music. Father sits in the first row with the people, not on the altar. People are dressed in simple clothes, women in their Mayan outfits with babies strapped around their backs.

7. They had a piñata "party" in front of church yesterday afternoon. Dozens of children tried to break it, then attached it... Wrapped and unwrapped candies poured out. They disappear from the ground in a few seconds, even the unwrapped ones.

8. People stare timidly at us when we walk by. We clearly stand out. Apparently the local indegenous people feel white people are superior to them. "How wrong they are", I think. If you smile at them, the smile back and greet you. They are very warm and the sense of community is visible here, far from Guatemala City. It´s a community that revolves around the parish life and the many projects that the church offers. Overall, the projects employs about 400 people.

Day 11

2009-12-19T17:56:00.007-07:00

Reforestation program supervisor in S. Lucas Toliman

weaving

Tuk-Tuk time

We are enjoying our time in San Lucas Toliman. Fr. Greg is all set up for visitors-volunteers from all over. He is a happy priest who loves children, community and the Guatemalans, themselves, very much. He has empowered the people here, making them the leaders of the programs he guided into existence. He is a special, humble, servant of the Lord - a real gift, whom we are privileged to meet.

We also had the opportunity to meet the founder of the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA). This is a child and aging sponsorship program that promotes interpersonal relationship betweem the children and their sponsors. Touring CFCA headquarters here in San Lucas was great. Hopefully, it will open an opportunity for Enrico and I to work more closely with those value FAMILY and the social teachings of the Catholic Church. A great aside for the kids was cages of animals: Huge county fair sized pigs, goats, turkeys, bunnys and donkeys with velvety noses.

It was a petting zoo experience!

On the lighter side, we all crammed into a tuk-tuk, which is the public mode of transportation here in SL-Toliman... Something like being stuffed into a moving photo booth. The kids were squealing with laughter.

The three volcanoes surrounding Lake Atilan have been shrouded in clouds. We have not seen much of the mountains here, but we hear the crowing and chirping of the birds every morning at 5AM. Also, the roosters serve as an alarm clock, actually worse than an alarm clock ringing on a Monday morning. Norine

Day 9 and 10 - We are in San Lucas Toliman

2009-12-18T19:33:00.002-07:00

This town is located on lake Atitlan which is considered the most wonderful lake in the world. There are 7 vulcanos around it. We are visiting a catholic mission church where Fr. Gregory from MN has lived and served since 1963. They have started incredible projects for the community: reforestation, a small hospital, a women center, a water project to eventually provide clean water to the town, a garden, a coffee plantation, honey production. Wow! it is an amazing place. All these projects are managed by Guatemalans. The objective of the mission is to enpower and teach to the locals how tro sustain themselves.
We washed dishes... we pulled weeds...
pictures tomorrow. Hotel computer is slow

Day 8 - feeding center and orphanage

2009-12-16T20:12:00.004-07:00

Helping to serve lunch

We went to visit a feeding center today, located 3 miles past the clinic, but due to the dirt road conditions it takes an additional 20 minutes to get there. This center was also built by an american couple with the support of their church in Washington state. About 250 children are fed for lunch every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

In the afternoon we visited an orphanage we regularly suport that hosts about 55 children. It was heart breaking to think about these children and their future. They are in good hands and well treated, but what will their future be now that adoptions in Guatemala are closed? There are 200 recognized orphanages in Guatemala.

Life is tough here. Poverty, poor government control, broken down roads, disorganization, dirt, etc. are continous reminders that life is not easy for those that live here.

sorry we did not write much today, but we are really tired tonight. Please keep praying for us.

WE WILL NOW TRAVEL TO SAN LUCAS TOLIMAN TOMORROW AND WILL BE BACK HERE MONDAY. I AM NOT SURE IF WE WILL HAVE INTERNET ACCESS THERE.

Day 7 - clinic day, sad stories, TIG (this is Guatemala)

2009-12-15T14:49:00.003-07:00

waiting at the door of the clinic

Front desk "staff"

Wiped out at the end of the day

Paolo delivering antibiotics

A full house

It was a clinic day today and so many things happened that it is hard to write them all down. Isabella helps in her own words.

When we were about to leave this morning the newer of the three trucks did not start. After several attempts we called Darby (Maria's son). He is another Guatemalan who helps Gregory and Anita when a need arises. He is not employed full time but he is available without notice to drive people places, go buy tools, do minor repairs, etc. To work for Americans here means higher wages, and better treatment... Guatemalan's are habituated to this kind of life. The Americans call with a need and they jump. It did take G&A many years to find reliable people that would actually work hard and not steal.

Going to the city to get the truck repaired is not an option today, since government workers have blocked streets in protest this morning (TIG). So Darby will try to repair it here.

So, we cram in Darby's small honda to get to the clinic. When we arrive, there are about 70 patients lined outside, not including the children who come along with their mothers. It is busy. Within the first 30 minutes an emergency shows up. A 21 year-old mom has a 4 year old that she holds on her back. The mother walked 3 miles to come to the clinic. The girl only weighs 18 pounds. They have nicknamed her Crystal because her bones are so fragile they break very very easily. Her real name is Olga. She appears to have a genetic disease that causes early osteoperosis. Gregory takes the mother, the daughter, the 2 year-old sister and the 2 weeks-old sister to the hospital in Antigua. They will be back at the end of the day. The doctor thinks she won't live long. She also has scoliosis and the doctor believes her bones will eventually crush her lungs.

In the meanwhile, Norine is grossed out by some severe lice cases. A boy has scabbed eggs and sores all over his head. It takes two hours to wash, cut and pick out his and his brother's heads...We also applied antibiotic cream all over the scalp. In the end, we just shaved their heads. We tried to explain to the mother that they need to wash hair every day, but they have no running water. The mother seems somewhat overwhelmed by it all and not very responsive.

Today's lesson: mission work also means cleaning dirty floors, chairs, counters, washing hands every 5 minutes and driving a beat-up truck without a guatemalan license ("just speak English if they stop you")

Today, I tried to help with the lice, but I was too grossed out. I wasn't supposed to make any faces on account of that would hurt the kid's feelings but ooooooooooo, eeeeeeeewwwwwwww!!!!! So I did nebulizers and "popped pills" and made crafts and helped Anita in the prenatal room all day. Oh, and I also sanitized my hands, washed them a MILLION BAZILLION times, ate lunch... you get the picture. Being in the prenatal room with Anita is my FAVORITE thing to do at the clinic. It is AMAZING!!!!! Today, I got to do 2 pregnancy tests, both negative:(, use the ultrasound... it was soooooooo COOL!!!!!! Anita said that if I was a little older she would let me give a shot but today she taught me how to do it. I am SO PROUD to be helping these people who really need it. It feels amazingly GOOD.

Nebulizing is when someone has a bad cough from sleeping on the dirt floor or something and you put on a special mask with medicine in it for them to breathe. For babies, the mothers just hold a little spray gun type thing in front of the sleeping babies' noses. I got to see some REALLY cute babies this way. Oooooooooooooo, they were sooooooo CUTE!!!!!!! My heart just MELTED when I saw them! Isabella M. Contolini, age almost 12. (Do NOT!!!! forget the "almost"!!!! Because that IS my REAL age.)

Day 6 - quite/rest day

2009-12-14T13:24:00.007-07:00

Market colors

We were supposed to climb Vulcan Pacaya today, but we decided for a quiet day at home instead. It is an hour away + a 2 hours climb and we thought it would be too hard and strenuous for the children. I think it was the right decision. It gave everybody an opportunity to rest and to reflect on our first week in Guatemala.

We went to the local market in San Lucas and bought vegetable and fruits. Then we stopped at the more contemporary, local grocery store. Going to a store and even a market here makes us realize how fortunate and spoiled we are as Americans. Both Norine and I feel guilty that we can fill our cart with food and products we need, practically without having to worry about it. It is not our fault, of course, that we are so well off, but the difference between how well we live vs. everybody around us is painful... Maria, who cooks and cleans for Gregory and Anita, instead pauses and thinks everytime she needs to buy something for the house, even when spending 50 cents for a couple of apples.

So, my realization for today is that being on a mission trip is not just handing out green bananas to the poor or building a woodenbed frame, but also observing the differences in all the small daily things we do and how dramatically differently people function here. We had a choice of two grocery stores in town, and Maria adviced us to go to "La Torre", because you don't have to pay for plastic bags there. Back from the store, we started unpacking. A plastic bag had a knot tight and I could not open it easily, so I ripped it. Maria was quick to repremand me. "Why did you do that? We reuse everything here!" We ate tostadas with guacamole for lunch. We paid 70 cents for 3 avocados. Maria told us that most Guatemalans only eat guacamole on special occasions, because it is expensive. She also told us she has to bring some food to a family with 6 children. The wife is blind. The husband and 2 boys (16 and 14) have no education and work at a bus stop helping to unload the freight packed on top of the roofs. A whole day's labor is worth about 30 Q or about $5 per day IF they are lucky enough to even find work on a given day. One sad story follows another here. Suffering is woven into everyday of their lives.

Also,being here exposes us to how different we are from most people in the world. Here, if the children are naughty, their mother whaps them over the head with a plate. This is pretty much the only way they can keep 7+ children in line in the midst of their poverty, but even seeing this does not make me disrespect the people. Rather, I have great respect for how they survive the brutal conditions.

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do" for the rest of the trip. And here, everything is a LOT cheaper. 1 Quetzal is about $0.13 in America. I am glad about this because it means I can buy more, but at the same time it is also part of the reason for all this poverty. It think it would be a good experience for any 1st world person to do a trip like this. No words or National Geographic article, or documentary, for that matter can really reveal how priveledged we are, or, ironically, how dignified the poor are.

Another thing that amazes us is the juxtaposition of the poor and the rich in Guatemala. Today, for example, we went to the large shopping center in town, definitely directed toward the wealthy, and standing right there, was a ragged little boy, maybe 9 or 10 years old, asking to shine shine people's shoes.

These are all such sad, but meaningful messages. Isabella Contolini

Day 5 - Antigua

2009-12-13T19:59:00.002-07:00

Enrico with Gregory and Anita

Isabella and Norine dressed in their Guatemalan outfits. Isabella bought a flute which she is playing in the picture.

Volcan Agua. It is called that because there is a lake at the top of the mountain and it exploded water and drowned the whole town.

Ronald McDonald with Emma, Pietro, Paolo, and Isabella. Emma and Isabella on
the right, Paolo and Pietro on the left.

We went to Antigua for Mass. This beautiful old town used to be the capital, until it was destroyed by an earthquake. It is most of a tourist town with regular stores and a craft market. Robbers know it's where rich people tour so they go there. You have to be really careful not to leave anything in the car that is valuble to you like money, necklaces and bracelets. It was really fun there. We went out to eat in Antigua and we went to McDonald and it was so beautiful. There was a courtyard and a beautiful view. Some of the pictures that are on this blog day are from McDonald. We went to get some ice cream and the ice cream was sooooo good. Emma

It is striking to note the great desparities in this central american country. In Antigua you can see people dying of starvation, right next to a fancy hotel. The McDonald there is considered the most beautiful in the world, with a court yard with a fountain and flowers, internet, coffee shop, etc. People save money to go eat there. Still, at the local market, you can buy souvenirs and handcrafted clothing (worth dozens of hours of work) for just a few $. Crazy.

Day 4 - at the zoo for the first time

2009-12-12T17:52:00.007-07:00

local colors

Emma at school

Our room. Two kids down, two kids up and us parents on the other bed

"Puedo tocar una foto?"

Police/military patrolling the streets. Many stores (like McDonald's) also have their own private armed guard.

Crowded central american town streets. I wish you could hear the noise and smell the pollution...

Guatemala City main artery

At the zoo

Public restroom at the zoo. The sign says: "Urinate here". Water flows down the wall to flush

It is a first class zoo (Pepsi sponsored)

American school buses turned into public transportation. There are thousands, everywhere...

getting ready to leave the house in the morning

Today is the first day I have the brain power for writing and not just for absorbing... The impact of the poverty is indescribeable, particularly in the village where Gregory and Anita have their clinic. The clinic itself is like an oasis of white walls and tile amidst a forsaken village. Hands of Hope (the name of the clinic) is such an appropriate name. For surely that spot brings dignity to the tragic lives of these Mayan Indians - God's poorest of the poor.

As I was attempting to sleep last night, I kept scrolling through the filth and dirt and horses stall like conditions these people live in, wondering how God can stand it, how they can stand it, how generations have gone on and on like this. My heart ached, and at the same time I felt numb over the impact of it all. I knew there was no answer or way of understanding God's wisdom amidst such horrid conditions. And then, a reflection passed over my thoughts, like a gossamer, and I realized that Christ, our Lord, was actually born in filth, near a horses stall and set in a trough instead of a cradle, with no heat, running water or a "proper roof", much like one little Mayan baby we saw rolled around in a rusted, broken down wheel barrow, or the newborn baby we visited in one of the many shacks. WOW. He dwelt among us! He dwells among "them/us" even in our most wretched states. I thought, "If our Savior and Lord chose that to be his entry into this world, then he does intimately love the poorest of the poor." In other words, they are not forgotten or forsaken, no matter how bad it looks. They're dignified by the way Christ became incarnate and chose to live His life - by the Christmas story itself.

The next day, day #4, I was able to look at the Mayan men, woman and children in a different light. I felt less pain. I was able to observe their individuality, their smiles and simplicity as we bumped along together on a crammed school bus going to the Guatemala City Zoo. Norine

(more about that tomorrow)

In fact, our friends organized this bus trip for 56 children, who had never left their remote village. Guatemala City is surrounded by mountains. It is loaded with roars of old engines and bus horns and crowded streets. You can see and smell the smog very distintively.

Our friends live in San Lucas, 45 minutes away (when there is no traffic). This is the last town, on this side of the city with regular stores and some acceptable houses. Our friends' clinic is in a village about 30 minutes from there. Until last year it took an hour or more, but the road has been paved most of the way there now. The roads go up and down hills which are probably 20% incline. The population is completely Mayan. Latinos consider them like 3rd class citizens, so most people are scared to leave their village. Apart from having clothing, a light bulb in their shack and possibly running (cold) water that reaches one faucet, they are really still living like their ancestors did 1000 years ago: muddy streets, ceramic pots, cooking on wood, often sleeping on the floor etc.

Norine's reflection's above about the similarities of their circumstances with how Jesus was born 2000 years ago is surely the most important lesson we have learned so far and one that, at least for me, has never really been possible to grasp. We have never felt so close to Bethlehem.

Day 3 - bed platforms and lice

2009-12-11T17:14:00.005-07:00

Making friends

we delivered a bed platform here. The shack was smaller than our clubhouse and the access road difficult to describe. It's unbelievable people live like this, but it's not all this bad.

learning to balance baskets on the head

Washing lice (pidocchi" in italiano) out of hair. Norine did a good job, Isabella even better; when it was really bad on a couple of children, our nurse friend Anita took care of those cases. The local girls felt like they were in a beauty salon... hardly.

Building a wooden bed frame in the clinic.

Day 2 - Our first day at the clinic

2009-12-10T15:18:00.005-07:00

Road in S. Rafael in front of clinic where we work

Patient in line

Isabella handing out bananas to the locals

Emma with local girls visiting the clinic

Driving a truck full of bananas down a steep really DIRTY road. About 50 kids surrounded us. It felt like being Santa Claus

So many sad and unbelievable stories today that it is impossible to write them down. Here is a quick one-> we visited a family with 4 children in a shack the size of a livingroom. The husband got disabled after a bus ran over him. He just sits in a corner on the dirt near a small firepit now and stares and can't move or talk. The wife collects leftover corn stalks to cook for the children. They have no other food. We bought them some eggs from a truck going by which was selling them. Still, she has no pan, or oil or spoon to cook them with. We also left some green bananas donated by Chichita which could not sell a container.

Please leave a comment if you visit. It's taking a long time to upload photos here, and we want to make sure people are watching :)

I can only add a few pictures a day here, so you can see additional photos of today at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/16840732@N03/

Hi Everybody,

Emma writing: We are at a one hour difference from Colorado. The main fruits are papaya, watermelon, bananas, oranges, avacado things like that. Today we went to the clinic for the first time. It ws a lot of fun. Anita helped with pre-natal and I watched. It was cool. We also went to a poor village and delivered bananas. I have never seen anyone so happy about just plain old bananas. Green too. It was weird. G said that they would eat anything if it was free. But if you said pizza. They would think....."What in the world are they saying?" but in spanish. On Saturday we will be going to the zoo and we will be bringing about 50 kids who have never been out of their small village and we have to make sandwitches for them all. Their favorite kind is black bean. They also have no idea what an elephant or giraffe is.

At the clinic, we did earwashes but everybody's ears were so clogged that they needed drops to get all the stuff out.

The roads are really bad in the village and they are all bumpy and rutty and dirty with a TON of trash.

One more thing. I get to ride in the back of the pickup truck. Aren't I lucky?

more about day one

2009-12-10T04:59:00.003-07:00

Emma writing: Wow that is really cold. Yesterday we went to a market, It was really different there. For example: Kids were using knifes and the meat was hanging. The little kids were so adorable I wish I could take one home. Now for Davis's question. Our friends names are Gregory and Anita and how we know these people is when we adoped Paolo, Gregory e-mailed my dad and they kept in touch. They moved to Colorado for two years and we saw each other and became friends. Then they moved back to Guatemala because Anita and her daughter were not happy so now they are here and they are hosting us. My dad will try to post pictures. We went to the top of G and A's roof and pulled some flowers off of a beautiful tree also we get to ride in the back of G and A's truck. It was a lot of fun. They have no seatbelts here so it probably is just as safe as inside. That is all for now I have to get breakfast before we go to the clinic that A works at.

-Emma Contolini
P.S. The G and A letters stand for Gregory and Anita.

Day 1 - San Lucas Market + driving

2009-12-09T19:34:00.006-07:00

Typical street in Guatemala City

Tired feet

Working at the market

washing clothes at the market square

covered market

This is how they drive here. :)

We did too, but not holding metal rods on a busy road.

Here are a few shots from today. We visited the local town market, then had to drive to the city to visit Paolo's foster mom before we brought him home. Her husband is dying and she could not come to visit us. It was a very humbling but enriching experience to visit in her tiny 2 room house.

The picture of the house we show today, is where we are staying. Our american friends have a small house for US standards, but quite a palace for most of the population here. Tomorrrow is our first day at the clinic in the mountains.

Travel day

2009-12-09T07:07:00.004-07:00

We made it to Guatemala after a long travel day. It was nice,warm and humid at the airport. We made it to our friends house by about 10PM, so we have no day pictures to show yet. Internet is very slow.........The first thing to notice here and have to remember is that we cannot flush toilet paper into the toilet. Sewer system does not work well here....

It's 8AM now. Sunny outside, but chilly in the house.

Emma Contolini: It is very green here and humid. The houses are painted bright colors like pink, yellow, green orange lime green, colors like that. We also have to be very careful with the water, we cannot put the toothbrush in the water and then put it in your mouth. Also the toilets are bad so you cannot put toilet paper in the toilet you have to throw the paper away when you are done with it. Fun....

-Emma Contolini

Leaving for Guatemala

2009-12-07T20:51:00.002-07:00

So, tomorrow we are finally leaving for Guatemala on our 3 weeks family mission trip. The emotions are various and difficult to describe. We have been praying, fundraising and preparing for this trip for almost 3 years and now it is here, upon us. And outside it is snowing... We will not have a white Christmas at our house this year...

Of all the things that have struck me as we have prepared for this trip, the one that stands out is the unexpected loving response from so many people that have donated money, clothing, stuffed animals for the orphans, that have offered prayers, time and support, brought us Christmas gifts, offered their help with our dog and house and transportation. It has been a great testimony and an encouragment for me and Norine. We praise God for all the grace He has already shown to us, even before our departure and we entrust our trip, health and safety to Him.

Guatemala, Paolo's homeland: here we come!

A weekend in Silverthorne, Colorado

2009-11-08T18:03:00.003-07:00

We spent a weekend in the mountains. Even though most of the snow form last wek was gone, we had a great time

Snow Day.

2009-10-29T20:30:00.002-06:00

October snow storm. Everybody was home from school and work. Yeah!

October in Colorado

2009-10-28T16:32:00.003-06:00

The two pictures above were taken two days from each other. That is October in Colorado. The first "real" snow, just fell today.

Colorado's Fall

2009-10-13T13:16:00.004-06:00

Dead leaves or God's great imagination?

Colorado is not New England, but the colors are still pretty and worth paying attention to

Another Fall post

2009-10-08T21:20:00.003-06:00

Now that I learned how to make the pictures larger, I am going to try and have some fun posting... This picture of my son was taken during a hike last Sunday. Today we had our first snow here in Colorado. It was wonderful to see red maple trees with snow falling on them. Will try to post about that tomorrow.

Blog Opening

2009-10-01T21:57:00.002-06:00

I am starting this Blog with a fall picture. Fall is here. I love this time of year, because of the smell and color of leaves, because the world is changing and you can notice it everyday. It helps me appreciate my life and those I love more. Happy Fall.