A Belated Xmas Story from Guatemala

As most of you know by now, I have developed a special relationship with a homeless shelter in Guatemala after volunteering there in 2014. A return trip each December to bring donations and throw a Xmas party has unexpectedly become an annual event; one that I thoroughly look forward to and enjoy.

What I do not enjoy; however, is asking for money, even if it is for a good cause. I always worry that people will feel obligated to give year after year, to a group that I care about very much, but who they don’t even know. With that in mind I decided not to ask for donations this year and to just do my own thing; to have a Xmas party and buy some basic supplies. Well that was the plan anyway…

What ended up happening, and what I did not at all expect, was that knowing I was going to Guatemala, friends, family and co-workers started passing on donations for the shelter. A whopping $1100 was donated, again, without me even asking! The compassion and generosity shown to my homeless friends continues to amaze me year after year and I am so thankful, as are they. I wish that you could meet them and see for yourself, but given that is unlikely to happen, I wanted to write and share about my experience. I hope that by writing about the people helped and about what exactly we did with the funds, that you donors will feel more than good about your contribution as the result was huge! My other hope is that the stories of my Guatemalan friends will ignite some karuna (compassion) in all of you readers; for the homeless, those struggling with addictions, mental health issues etc. etc. This quote says it all..”how we walk with the broken speaks louder than how we sit with the great.” On that note, I hope that you enjoy my story 

Arriving in Antigua is always such a treat..leaving wintery Winnipeg behind and arriving to a sunny, warm, colonial little city with volcanoes towering over it, coloured buildings, and cobblestone streets. Strolling around that first day I always run into my homeless friends before I even reach the shelter in the evening, and when I do, it is always so special seeing everyone after a year.

The good news is that the parent organization, Nuestros Ahijados (God’s Child Project), is doing better funding wise this year which means that the shelter is now open 7 days a week compared to only 3 nights in past years. It’s such a blessing for the people that would otherwise be sleeping on the street the other days, and a bonus for me because I can go every night while in Antigua and spend more time with my people. The downside to being open everyday is that they need more supplies, which the Project doesn’t always have. So when I arrived and learnt that they were now open everyday, I knew that the $1100 was going to be very much needed.

I quickly noticed that there had been some improvements to the shelter since the last year. Sadly though, they came about as a result of a national tragedy. I’m sure you have heard that in June 2018 there was a massive volcano eruption right outside of Antigua (you can see the volcano from the shelter). Several hundred people were killed and over 3000 were evacuated, many left homeless.

This TV is more popular than me :(

To help during this crisis, Nuestros Ahijados opened up the shelter to dozens of families, which meant that ‘the regulars were forced to stay full time on the street. It changed into a 24 hour operation with the staff now caring for traumatized men, women and children who had lost everything, including family members. Donations poured in for the victims who were jam packed into this small space with nothing to do. Items that ended up staying after they were re-housed, were TVs and water coolers, two things that were very much welcomed by the regulars when they eventually returned.

Our youngest shelter visitor

Katarina and Miguel

Goofin around 

Most go to sleep 8ish but there are always the late TV watchers

Some of my peeps

Here are some pictures of the destruction from the eruption, where a whole hotel, roads and villages were wiped out. 

This area looks like another planet now after the volcano came through and wiped everything out

The shelter is just to the right

The volcano, appropriately named Fuego (Fire) still blows smoke pretty much daily, which was so commonplace and not at all a concern before. However, returning this year after such a tragedy, the anxiety around the volcano’s activity was obvious.

Now back to the shelter...This year there were a lot of new faces, but it never takes long before I have new friends (which by the way is how I end up with stalkers lol). Well it’s time to introduce you to some new folks, as well as share some updates on some of those you have heard about over the years.

My decorators, Rudy and Juan

Juan anxiously awaiting dinner 

Let’s start with Juan, my new buddy, kinda like a teddy bear with a wide, childlike grin. I suspect he has some mild delay or perhaps effects from past substance abuse, which he shared about openly. He is sober now after spending 1.5 years in rehab, and works in the market helping out an elderly, disabled man (who also stays at the shelter) at his fruit stand. That says a lot about him right there...Juan has a huge appetite and stays close to the food line so he can wolf down his food and get seconds, thirds, and sometimes fourths! He seemed to love helping me decorate for Xmas, taking great pride in putting the stickers up on the wall. Super cute..

Maria Maria…I have written about her for years. She’s the queen of recycling and infamous in Antigua, always wearing different donated outfits, sometimes shirts with cartoon characters, other times fancy blazers and skirts with a broach to match lol. It just amazes me the things she gets. Because her home base is Parque Central (Central Park) she is usually one of the first people that I see when I arrive. But strangely this time I couldn’t find her for days and I was worried as her life is rough and so anything could have happened to her.

Finally, the day before I was leaving I found her in her usual spot with an older man named, Oscar. Oscar dominated our conversation and seemed controlling and overbearing. I didn’t like him at all. I learnt that I hadn’t seen Maria as she had been in the hospital for about 10 days due to her seizure disorder, which she says medication isn’t helping so much anymore. Sadly, she doesn’t come to the shelter anymore either, as Oscar maintains that they can’t keep their recyclables there. He got quite agitated as I tried to reinforce that this was not the case and it was obvious that there was no changing his mind which means that Maria won’t be returning. She just sat and smiled as we, or rather he, talked. I can’t blame her for associating with such a jerk as she’s so vulnerable on the street alone, and some protection is better than none. Her strong fighting spirit and smile remain as you will see in this annual photo of us. I made sure to tell her that my friends and family always want to know how she is, and then said goodbye for another year (and good riddance, hopefully, to ol’ Oscar).

Another old friend that some of you may remember is Papa Nacho…a super cute, nearly blind man in his 80s who used to stay with us. I will always remember talking to him in the street one day as he worked guarding motorcycles (which never made sense given him being nearly blind lol) and me asking him why he wouldn’t consider a nursing home?? The poor guy could barely make it to the shelter on his own with his bad eyes, and he was sleeping on the street when the shelter was closed, if you can imagine at that age! He was also being taken advantage of by nasty young women who were taking the money that he was earning. Well Papa Nacho humorously explained to me that he wasn’t interested in the nursing home as there were no chicas (girls) there lol When I responded that sure there were, he said “pero no como las chicas de la calle (but not like the girls from the street).” What a guy! Well, thankfully he did end up going to a nursing home for the last couple years of his life and passed away there late last year. Descanse en paz (rest in peace) Papa Nacho…it was a pleasure knowing you! 

Now on to Rudy, who is officially my new favourite person at the shelter. Rudy has such a fun, animated personality, probably because her can’t hear or speak. I’m not so great at understanding his gestures but thankfully I excel at facial expressions and so we tease eachother a lot with smiles and mad faces lol

Rudy has a job guarding motorbikes (a common job for the elderly and disabled in Antigua who are appointed these jobs so they have a means of support). Despite having a job many still can’t afford housing and so utilize the shelter instead, as Rudy does. One of the highlights of my trip was Rudy winning a door prize at the Xmas party, a red hat. He had the biggest smile after winning and thinking of it still makes me want to cry. Such a sweetheart...

Next an update on Manolo...a friend that I have written about for years who went from being homeless to finding healing and purpose through a foreign run ministry. He was doing so well, living at the ministry, working as a truck driver, re-connecting with his children and family, and trying to help others. Then sadly he was in an accident while working, miraculously living, but losing an eye. Although still with the ministry, not surprisingly the years since have been tough for him, with him at times coping by drinking, and even wanting to take his own life. Manolo has a strong drive to move forward though and I’m happy to report that he was in good spirits this visit. I met up with him at a car park where he has worked on weekends since his days of being homeless. He has a prosthetic eye now which looks amazing. You wouldn’t even know it’s not a real eye, which I think has really helped him psychologically. I dropped by with his favourite cake, tres leches, as it happened to be his birthday, and knowing that the day would otherwise not be so special. I’m proud of him for persevering despite all that has come his way. I guess we will see next year how life progresses for him…

Now onto one of my all time favourites, Victor. Out of everyone, he and I have the most special relationship; mutual “carino” (affection) that just is. Victor is about 70, and is a binge drinker who can go months with not drinking at all, during which he stays at the shelter, works guarding motorcycles, is clean and in good shape. When sober he is such a lovely man, and we get along famously, like a father-daughter connection. He can also go for weeks or months of binging during which he is MIA from the shelter and in rough rough shape. Every year that I come it’s a crapshoot as to how he will be.

When I arrived this year and asked about him, the response I got was “tomando” (drinking) which meant that I wouldn’t be seeing him at the shelter as we don’t allow people in even if they smell of alcohol or drugs. Knowing that the word would get out that I was in town I hoped that he would be able to sober up and come by to see me, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. There was no way I could leave without seeing him though so I asked around as to where he hung out and went looking for him one day. I eventually saw a man sleeping (at least I hoped so) at the entrance of a building basically on the sidewalk. I crouched down to see if it was him and it sure didn’t look like it but it was, and sadly he was again in rough shape. When I called out his name, he opened his eyes and took my hand, kissing it over and over. He smelled so bad of urine and was so dirty..ugh, it was just an awful sight. Surprisingly he was sober but it was obvious that he had been drinking for a long time given how he smelled and looked. He was emotional saying that he didn’t think he would be around long as he has some problems with his kidneys. I worked really hard at encouraging him to return home to the coast where his family is, or to come back to the shelter where he could shower, wash his clothes, eat, and just get some support. It was obvious that he was ashamed of his state and didn’t want to face anyone in his condition.

Knowing that he probably hadn’t eaten for who knows how long, I told him I was taking him for lunch. So we slowly made our way to the market which I am sure was quite a sight, with the gringa (white girl) walking with the (in their eyes), dirty, smelly, old, homeless drunk. Little do they know how much I love this man. It wasn’t the easiest being near his smelly self but we sat down at one of the market kitchens and he had some soup. After a chat I left him there hoping that he wasn’t right, and that I would see him again next time, and in better shape. I’ve since received a picture of him from my friend and shelter staff Thelma, and sure enough he is back on the wagon and looking good. I hope he keeps it up...

In a bad state but still in good spirits

Another person that you may remember reading about is Americo who uses a wheelchair after being in an accident years ago. The first year I was there, his 2 boys, who he was single parenting, were apprehended from him. At the time he was working in Antigua, away from his home on the coast, with his young boys with him. They would stay at the shelter when it was open but were forced to sleep on the street when it wasn’t. The equivalent of CFS (called the PGN in Guatemala) apprehended the boys for that reason, particularly as Americo was carrying a weapon for protection. Well Americo fought hard for those boys and got them back soon after. He continued to work in Antigua in one of the most lucrative spots for guarding motorcycles, while paying someone to care for his boys. He would go home every few weeks with his earnings, clothes, food etc. and took great pride in his ability to care for his boys. 

Well then a love story happened and Americo met Blanca, who I have also written about. When I met her she was in her 20s, much younger than Americo who is in his 50s, and she was a really lost soul who grew up in an orphanage, struggling to survive after a failed relationship, and with an infant daughter who was living with her at the shelter. 

Well Blanca needed someone to care for her, and Americo turned out to be that guy. They have been together for a number of years now with her having another child with him. She lives in his home on the coast with Americo’s boys who are now teens, her daughter (who was a baby at the Xmas party years ago), and their daughter together. Americo works everyday from morning till night with contraptions rigged up to keep himself out of the sun and rain, and often with a decorated wheelchair as well lol 

Americo showing off the dress he bought for his daughter

He is such a proud man, sharing about how he is providing for his family, often pulling out princess dresses that he has bought for his daughters, or jeans and shoes for his boys. 

Americo giving out his gift

Proud Americo

He is known for taking such good care of his family and is well respected for it. He often shows up with a donation for the shelter as well, like toilet paper, as he appreciates the help and wants to give back. The day of the Xmas party he actually brought a wrapped Xmas gift that he wanted to give as a prize, and was so proud to be able to do so. 

Daniel won Americo's gift and I have never seen him so happy!

He is just simply a very good man. I often think of him as I walk through Antigua and see people begging for money, particularly people with disabilities. As here is this man in a wheelchair who has found a way to work and support a family of 5, even if it means living apart from them. Mad respect for this man honestly…

On the topic of the PGN (CFS), many of you may remember Kenia who had her kids apprehended from her while I was living there the first year. If you haven’t, you will find many stories about her fight to get her kids back in my blog (crysee3@blogspot.com). Because Antigua is a small place I have heard that her kids were returned to her, and that they are still together, but sadly I have never run into her again. If I ever do, a McDonalds lunch is in order, as I always promised her this when she got her kids back. I’m just so happy to know they have been reunited.

So those are some updates and stories...now on to the Xmas party which is always the highlight of my December trip. Because we have had a party 4 times now during my visits, people have caught on to the ritual, and so there is great anticipation after I arrive as to when it is going to be. It’s a serious secret though as we of course don’t want all of Antigua showing up because they have heard about it lol Honestly this stresses me out the most, as I never know how many people are going to show up, and of course I want to have gifts for everyone. I try and gauge numbers, sexes, kids etc from the time I get there and hope I get it right!

Planning for a Guatemalan Xmas starts early, even Boxing Week the year before when all the Xmas stuff goes on sale (I am a true Ukrainian obviously). Every year I bring more and more decorations to make the shelter festive which is a lot of fun to do. People are anxious to help, totally getting into it, climbing ladders, sticking things on walls..whatever needs to be done. It so changes the vibe of the shelter and I love it…

The front of shelter, added on to for the volcano victims

Fransisco, shelter staff with the new decoration

The biggest project though would be the Xmas stockings that everyone gets as a gift at the party. I’m always striving to make them better year after year as who doesn’t love a great stocking!? So for months I was on the hunt for good deals on the old faithful’s and as always, for new ideas too. In the process Costco has become my best friend, this year producing great socks, cute undies for the ladies, and a box of 52 men’s razors that made me almost skip out of the store with glee when I saw them on sale! I should also have shares in Dollarama by now after multiple trips for decorations, gift bags, candy, deodorant etc. I can’t even tell you how many times I have had to go back for yet one more thing that I needed.

Trying to think of novel ideas, this year I got suckered into a deal at the Lindt Factory store when they had 100 truffles on sale for $35. I thought perfect, I’ll take 50 for the stockings and keep 50 here for “guests and such.” Well folks, apart from about 10 that I put in a gift bag, I ate about 40 in a few days. Dear God! I have since unsubscribed from this devil of a store’s daily reminders of their stellar offers that no doubt added a couple inches to my ass. Anyway, apart from that Debbie Downer note, my friends did get a lovely holiday flavoured Lindt truffle in their stocking which I am sure they quite enjoyed 

I swear I have more fun with these stockings than they do…Another new idea this year was a rice krispie square, holiday themed of course. Light, festive, cheap and something new for them..perfect! So 50 of them came stuffed in every crevice of my suitcase as well. All in all, this year’s stockings were jammed full and the best ever. 54 were made with 35 being for the men, 10 for women and 4 for kids. The men got boxers, socks, a razor, packets of shampoo, an apple, Xmas candies, a Lindt truffle and rice krispie treat. The women got basically all that and as well better shampoo/conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste/toothbrush, a sewing/nail care kit and some random jewelry and/or makeup. The kids got mainly candy and treats but also kids toothbrushes/toothpaste and a travel towelette. Every night once people were settling in at the shelter I would go and put the stockings together..lots of work but I can safely say that everyone was happy :)  

We always have the party on a Wednesday when a local high end restaurant/hotel called Meson Panza Verde graciously donates a hearty, Guatemalan meal (by the way please consider supporting them if you ever come to Antigua as a result)! We add to the meal a dessert made by Thelma’s son Patricio who happens to be a pasty chef, and hot chocolate, both of which are always big hits.

Unfortunately the Santa hats I had brought years before disappeared with the volcano victims, but thankfully I had a few new things with me, one being Xmas light necklaces that everyone loved and wanted for themselves.

Ruben, a new shelter staff

Apart from the stockings which were basically ready to go, the only thing we had to do was give everyone a number when they arrived. This year I was determined to have some door prizes which I thought would be fun and so I made little cards with Xmas stickers and a number to use for a draw. I brought a couple hats, a T-shirt, and had a plan to try and get gift certificates for food places which I thought everyone would enjoy. Well I went to every place I could think of in Antigua...McDonalds, Wendy’s, Burger King, the local grocery store, Little Caesar’s Pizza..you name it. And apparently gift certificates aren’t a thing there :( Well, in the end my buddy Alex (who you may remember from the shelter and who sadly is no longer with us), came with me to Pollo Campero which is a KFC-like institution in Guatemala. With his help I was able to get 3 gift certificates for a chicken dinner. I was so frickin excited you have no idea!

Best staff ever, Alex, and his wife Glendy (notice the Jets shirt??)

So with Latin Xmas songs pumping and Xmas light necklaces blinking, we welcomed our shelter friends to our 4^th Xmas party, handing them a secret number as they entered. Alex and his wife came which was awesome, Thelma’s son, grandson and all the staff. There’s always so much excitement...

The door prizes were the best part for me, with Rudy winning the red hat, and Juan winning one of the gift certificates. Then this 70 something hipster won a gift certificate..isn’t he cool?! Love the Korn hat.. what a rockstar lol! 

After dinner and dessert came the gifts..who doesn’t love playing Santa?! Heartwarming for sure. Here are some pictures...

Our annual dessert maker Patricio doling out this year's treat

I love being Santa :)

Do you remember Johnathan? He has been around off and on since the first year..

Thelma and her grandson

This lovely lady must have kissed and thanked me 10 times

My new buddy Rina

Thelma getting hugs from Miguel

Sure miss this guy at the shelter :(

Alex is missed by all..

All the kids with their loot bags 

So what did we do with all that money?? Every year I ask the staff what is needed in order to plan how to spend the money, and every year they seem bashful to tell me, like they are asking for too much. These are staff that when they are without certain supplies (because the Project has none to dole out) they will buy things like detergent out of their own salaries. And as you can imagine, it’s not like they make a lot.

Anyway, it was obvious that with the shelter being open daily now that they were going to need a lot of basic supplies. So one day Thelma and I made our annual shopping trip to La Bodegona, my favourite multi purpose store in Antigua for an epic shop. We bought almost $500 worth of stuff to last months and months..toilet paper, laundry detergent to wash the blankets, and for people to wash their clothes, dish soap, hand soap, disinfectant, floor wax, coffee and sugar (for Wednesdays during the cold season), garbage bags, soap for showering etc.. 

Thelma signing thank you as we prepared to stand in line for half a year

It took a couple hours and was quite trying in the end with the cashier not knowing how to ring in so much stuff (a true test of my patience). We got so much stuff that Thelma had to arrange a pickup truck to take it all back to the shelter. It was such a jalopy and more like a toy truck that I wasn’t sure it was going to make it lol Thelma had to ride in the back with the boxes as I barely fit in the front with the driver. Once we were at the shelter as usual everyone came to help unload. They always show their appreciation and help without even being asked. It is really special as it is clear how much they value their only home.

Apart from the massive shop, we bought 2 dozen more blankets to add to the ones bought previous years. 

We also replaced all the hot water heaters in the 7 showers with me going to buy the heaters myself, and then having an electrician install them. I include this detail as I want the donors especially to know that their money truly does go to the shelter and not to the Project to do with it as they fit. I am there and know what is needed so I would never just hand over the money. In fact I have always made it clear that what is bought needs to stay at the shelter rather than being returned to the Project to be doled out elsewhere (as they have a school, a hospital, a vocational centre etc).

I did leave money for New Years Eve when the Project is closed and there is no dinner. Thelma, bless her heart, was going to be working that night and offered to make dinner with her giving me an itemized list down to how many cents it would cost for garlic. This woman is incredible. She planned to have dinner, dessert, a bonfire, and some little gifts that night. She sent me pictures and a report saying that they stayed up until 4 a.m. and had a great time :)

As always I also left money for tortillas for the nights when the Project only sends soup or beans (which is often). It just isn’t enough to fill them up plus Guatemalans don’t eat anything without tortillas. Thankfully they are cheap enough that even if people can’t afford much more, tortillas will fend off hunger which is not so uncommon in this country. The Project sadly has a hospital for malnourished children as a result. 

By doing this I am also helping a lovely tortilla vendor who I have developed a relationship with over the years; the only person we buy from for the shelter. Every single day without a day off she spends several hours making hundreds of tortillas at home and then comes to her post outside of Pollo Campero for 6:00 to sell them all. As people go in to eat their chicken dinners they stop to buy some tortillas to go with. When they sell at 4 for 1 quetzal (5.5 quetzales make $1) it takes a long time to sell them, so she is typically there until about 10:30.

When I’m in town, each night I buy tortillas for everyone at the shelter which means a big sale for her of 15-25 quetzales ($3-5). Not a big amount for me but it’s huge for her sales and greatly appreciated by my shelter friends. They will often specifically thank me for the tortillas because that is how integral they are to their meals. The day of the Xmas party (also the night that I left), I saw that she was gone early thanks to our big purchase that night, and that made me smile. Being in her 60s I’m sure, there is no retirement for her, and with a big family to support there is no other option but to work everyday. So the money I leave for the months to come helps her as well which is awesome as she is lovely. Here she is with some chocolates that I bring her every year as a thank you for her hard work..

And so folks, I think we did pretty good with the donations this year..I hope that you agree. I can’t tell you enough how lucky we are to have what we have, to live in the country we do, and to be able to help others who don’t have the same opportunities or safety net that we have here. I care about these people so much and feel the same from them when I am there. They are so deserving and so appreciative.

A very special thanks to those who donated to this special group! I am so sorry this took so long to post!

And thank you all for taking the time to read my story. Until next time...