22. Friday morning

Guatemala City is surrounded by volcanoes. Here is a view from our apartment window, on a clear day, of the Agua and Fuego volcanoes.
Below the Pacaya, which last night within a few hours spewed thousands of tons of lava sand on to Guatemala City.

Today, however, there is no view, clouds are drifting by our windows. The volcano is quiet again, and people are trying to clean up the sand, draining swimming pools, shoveling driveways.



The streets are still a mess, no sign of any cleanup in our area. Maybe the government will start cleaning up at night. Most people stay at home, traffic is light, schools are closed and businesses are empty.
The government has declared a state of emergency, army personnel is posted on the streets, brandishing machine guns. Villages close to the volcano have been evacuated. Reports on fatalities start coming in, fortunately there a only a few until now.
The extent of the damage is still not known.














This is the pool of our apartment building as it looked this morning.

The children in the building were the first to start cleaning up, later all joined in.


The pool must be drained completely and the sand scooped out. If not it will plug the drains completely.

















All flights out of Guatemala are canceled, presumably until next Monday or Tuesday. But I am not losing hope of flying out on time to meet my rotary appointments in the US.
We are checking the possibility to fly out of el Salvador.

This is another example of the problems that befall this country, together with earthquakes, civil wars, hurricanes, drug trade and violence. And it is the poor who usually lose everything.
That is why help is needed so much.

The Trans America ride is a small effort to change the lives of poor Maya children for the better. During my trip I will speak about the importance of educational projects like Ak Tenamit, and especially girl´s education, and its connection to illegal immigration in the United States.


YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE TRANS AMERICA RIDE!!

The target of the ride is to raise $10.00 for each mile of the ride.

I you decide to support this ride, you may:

1. Buy miles: Buy one or more miles at $10.00 per mile. There are 3,500 miles to be sold.
2. Sponsor a local event when I am in your area (a ride, a barbecue) for a $200.00 minimum.
3. Become a Student Sponsor at Ak´Tenamit for $30.00 (one month) or $360.00 per year
4. Become a Health Care Partner for $10.00 or $120.00 per year.

All funds should end up in the GUATEMALA TOMORROW FUND in the United States.

If you would like to sponsor a child, become a Health Care partner or simply want to buy one of the 3500 miles of the ride , just go to http://guatfund.org/

Tick the box ¨Trans America ride¨and authorize a charge to your credit card.

If you prefer to not to use a credit card, just see Chapter 5 of this Blog on how to donate.

LIFE IS GREAT, ENJOY THE RIDE!
JEAN , THE RIDING DUTCHMAN

transamerica.tenamit@gmail.com