My story in the Indy Star

(Elizabeth Crites with Manuela at Casa Guatemala)

When I was at Casa Guatemala, an orphanage and self-sustained village, I met a volunteer from Indianapolis. I interviewed her and, upon my return, pitched the piece to the Indy Star. They ran it in and a pair of my photos on the front page of yesterday's Travel section.

READ: Hoosier aids needy Guatemalan Kids

I was happy with the layout of the story, but I was a little diappointed that they took out the contact info for Casa Guatemala. The Sunday Indy Star goes out to about 300,000 readers and I was hoping the orphanage might receive some donations from my story.

If you want to learn more about Casa Guatemala visit my July 2005 archive or www.casa-guatemala.org .

Casa Guatemala

After a flat tire, multiple mini-buses (seating capacity 15) crammed full, at times with approximately 27 people and ten chickens, I made it to Guatemala.

Norma Love from Mocoron told me to come here and visit her sister who is the head of an orphanage with over 250 kids in it. Over the next few days I will be helping out where I can, mostly taking care of a 23 year old man whose body has been ravaged with Polio. It´s sad, but his personality is very positive. My short time here pales in comparison to the other volunteers who dedicate from a few months to nearly a year to the orphange.

The orphange is its own village reached only by boat. Its self-sufficiency is quite impressive. To learn more about Casa Guatemala visit: http://www.casa-guatemala.org/

This is a great place for tourists wanting to do something a little different. Each visitor can make a difference.

FLOODED!

My friends at the Casa Guatemala orphanage are in the midst of a terrible flood. I help them write letters to their English donors on a regular basis. Here is the letter I worked-up today about the flood. If you’ve got some extra loot lying around, send it to ‘em. I guarantee it will be put to good use. DONATE HERE.

Dear Friends,

The Rio Dulce provides so much for us here at the Casa Guatemala Orphans’ Village. It’s our highway and our playground. Unfortunately, living so close to a river in the tropics has one big drawback – rivers flood.

The Rio Dulce has jumped its banks and flooded our entire village. The school, the farm, the clinic, the pig pens, the children’s dwellings, are all under water. Normal life has come to a halt as we deal with this disaster.

Our immediate concern is with the health of our 250 children and 150 adult workers and volunteers. We are struggling to provide them with a sanitary place to live. Our wells have flooded and the drinking water is contaminated.

Long after the waters have subsided we will be dealing with their adverse effects. Buildings will have to be repaired and crops will have to be replanted.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Any donations that you are kind enough to make will be put to immediate use dealing with this crisis. Your kindness will allow us to get back to doing what we do best: raising and educating our children into responsible citizens.

Posers

I’m working on another letter for Casa Guatemala. This one is trying to get donations to send their older students to boarding schools. To brief me on the situation, Angie, the orphanage’s director, sent me a few pics.

I recognized a few faces from my trip last year, but what really stood out was all of the posing going on. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me? When I think of orphans in places like Guatemala, I usually don’t think “High Fashion.” But put a camera in front of girls like these and look out because here comes the steely, ice cold stairs, and the perfect premeditated hand placement.

It just goes to show that a teenage girl is a teenage girl regardless if she is wearing Gap or hand-me-downs from some relief organization.

In Transitions Abroad

I have a piece on volunteering at Casa Guatemala in the Nov/Dec issue of Transitions Abroad. TA is a handsome glossy chalk-a-block full of content. I’m not just saying that. You can go page after page without running into an ad. Good for the reader, not so good for the writer – the pay ain’t great. Even so, I’m happy to be a part of this issue.

The issue is titled the Responsible Travel Issue, which almost makes me feel like I’m something greater than a culture trippin’ Touron. Almost.

Here’s a passage from the Editor’s letter:

Travel has the potential to bring much-needed economic benefits to developing countries and to foster cross-cultural awareness, dialogue, and understanding—all of which make for the conditions of world peace.

I’m just doing my part to promote world peace. I also fight crime, rescue kittens from trees, and help old ladies cross the street. My Karma cup runneth over.

Travelin' Touron - Episode 3

A Living Lesson, Casa Guatemala, Pogostickin' world records

Spaghetti, a Guatemalan delicacy

Manuela a resident of Casa Guatemala shovels it in