In early March, 2011, I spent a week helping to build a school in the highlands of Guatemala west of the capital for the indigenous people. My stepfather-with a lot of help from my Mother (CFO) and my ex-pat step brother, created a charity to build schools http://siennaproject.org/ to help the indigenous people of the area…without going too far into the politics, the US government is part of a long list that oppressed these folks so it’s nice that we Americans can do some good down there.
For 4 of the days we helped to build a 3 room concrete school in a village in the highlands west of Guatemala City. (full disclosure…I built and maintain the website).
By helping to build the school…working with the village men to create something they needed it felt like we really connected with these people…despite my limited Spanish (and far more limited Quiche’, their native Mayan tongue). Really hard for me to describe, but we truly felt by the end of the week all of us felt we were connecting with these people and especially with the children. I know helping people build a school hardly seems like a vacation, but it was quite special. In reality, most of the work we did the villagers could have done, but by working with them we were able to connect in a way that a monetary donation never would. Honestly, I was surprised.
On the first day we played tourist in the highland Market town of Chichicastenango and on the we were in the colonial capital of Antigua (old) Guatemala which was destroyed by an earthquake in the 1770s, languished for a couple of centuries and is now a tourist town with an interesting twist—many of the churches wrecked by the earthquake left largely as they fell.
Of course lots of the fun was a good group of people that we went down with, good food and drink and the great job my folks did as tour organizers.
Building Schools In Guatemala
 Chichicastenengo. Built on a hill, this arch is an underpass. Photos by TOM HART
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 Market, chichicastenengo. Photos by TOM HART
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 Eddie and Tom, Chichicastenengo cemetary.
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 Cemetery, Chichicastenengo from hotel Pop Wuj roof. One of the members of our group swore he had read that Chichicastenengo was on the of the best places to die due to this beautiful cometary. Photos by TOM HART
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 Juxtaposition on the pan american highway on the way to Palanquix. Photos by TOM HART
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 Flipped truck on the road up to Chichi. The road in and out of Chichi goes up and down thru a canyon with 30' turn radius at a 30 percent slope...We thank Victor for his safe driving. Photos by TOM HART
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 Welcome from the children. Sienna Project 2011 Guatemala trip to help build school in Palanquix, Solala, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 Opening ceremony. Sienna Project 2011 Guatemala trip to help build school in Palanquix, Solala, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 Children at opening ceremony, Sienna Project 2011 Guatemala trip to help build school in Palanquix, Solala, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 Children at opening ceremony, Sienna Project 2011 Guatemala trip to help build school in Palanquix, Solala, Guatemala. . Photos by TOM HART
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 6 and 7 year old children at opening ceremony Sienna Project 2011 Guatemala trip to help build school in Palanquix, Solala, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 Opening ceremony, Sienna Project 2011 Guatemala trip to help build school in Palanquix, Solala, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 Older children at opening ceremony, Sienna Project 2011 Guatemala trip to help build school in Palanquix, Solala, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 6 and 7 year old children dancing at opening ceremony Sienna Project 2011 Guatemala trip to help build school in Palanquix, Solala, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 3 Gringos carrying concrete slabs. Gringo loco...Ira, Dave, Jason.Photos by TOM HART
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 Dave had just explained to the boys what the T-shirt said. (la camiseta dice "Estoy con estúpido"). Dr. Fletcher, PhD, thinks this is very funny. Photos by TOM HART
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 Jason in the break room. Sienna Project 2011 Guatemala trip to help build school in Palanquix, Solala, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 Jason helping steady a column. Jason is a big guy in the states, but here....One of the villagers called 5'3" Ira 'muy alto' (very tall). Photos by TOM HART
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 Edaurdo holding court..S Photos by TOM HART
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 Impromptu harmonica concert by Dave.Photos by TOM HART
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 These kids will climb on anything! Photos by TOM HART
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 Marielle, Adella et. al.on ladders at jobsite.Photos by TOM HART
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 Caroline (Tom's mother) painting beams. Photos by TOM HART
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 Loyce and Caroline painting beams. Sienna Project 2011 Guatemala trip to help build school in Palanquix, Solala, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 Derek (Tom's step brother) welding. Photos by TOM HART
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 View of Volcan Aqua from the worksite, S Photos by TOM HART
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 Path down the valley above the village. Villagers walked quite a ways to farm.Photos by TOM HART
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 School from hillside above and to the left (south) of worksite.Photos by TOM HART
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 View of school (center) Sienna Project 2011 Guatemala trip to help build school in Palanquix, Solala, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 Women on hillside near neighboring town, Sienna Project 2011 Guatemala trip to help build school in Palanquix, Solala, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 Women in field in next town. Palanquix, Solala, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 Children in the next village. Jason and I had gone on a walk and were lost in the maze of the village trying to find our way out to the road, feeling somewhere between intrusive and nervous,when all these kids appeared in a window. Photos by TOM HART
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 Adella and Marielle.Guatemala trip to help build school in Palanquix, Solala, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 Juan getting eggs out of the culvert...he was totally in the culver by a foot or 2 and pulled out more then a dozen eggs. Photos by TOM HART
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 Ira and Laura using teamwork for the final details. Photos by TOM HART
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 Jason of Guatamala relaxing, Susan, Marty (blue arm in back) and Victor, our driver, back right, working. Sienna Project 2011 Guatemala trip to help build school in Palanquix, Solala, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 Erica, Derek and Erica's son. Erica is the daughter of a friend of Derek's who helped Laura, Derek's wife, with the cooking on the job site. Photos by TOM HART
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 Jason (checked hat at top center) showing the pictures he took to dozens of children. Photos by TOM HART
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 Second bottle launching during closing ceremonies. First one suprised everyone. I nearly dropped my camera and Marty and Dave nearly fell of the ladder where they were adding the logo, both saved by Dave grabbing Marty to save himself he admits as to save Marty.Photos by TOM HART
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 Closing ceremonies. Sienna Project 2011 Guatemala trip to help build school in Palanquix, Solala, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 Closing ceremonies. Sienna Project 2011 Guatemala trip to help build school in Palanquix, Solala, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 Manual, town elder, and Marty at the closing ceremonies. Photos by TOM HART
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 Marielle saying goodbye. Photo taken from inside the van as we waited for Dave by TOM HART
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 Adella saying goodbye. Photo taken from inside the van as we waited for Dave by TOM HART
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 Dave sprinting for the Chicken bus. Either Betsy knows there's always another one or she isn't as quick as he is. Photos by TOM HART
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 Caroline and Marty at view point. Photos by TOM HART
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 First Sienna Project Guatemala school in Aqua Vita Canton, Guatemala (rear) and addition at left. Our van at left and Ira at center. Sienna Project 2011 Guatemala trip to help build school in Palanquix, Solala, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 Susan, Eddie and Marty reflected in the windows from the first Sienna Project school in Aqua Viva Canton, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 Aqua Viva school complex. the first school built by the Sienna Project is at left (not shown). The success of the school has attracted more students and now they need more rooms still. Photos by TOM HART
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 Washed out section of road on the Pan Am Highway. There were a muber of these, as the highway is cut into steep clay hillsides in most places. Photos by TOM HART
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 Street scene in Antigua with Vulcan Aqua, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 Eddie trying to play the flute on street in Antigua. The vendors wander around making quite beautiful music, or at least a few beautiful notes. Eddie was able to get it to squeek. Photos by TOM HART
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 Eddie explaining to the vendor that his skills are not suffecient for the flute. Loyce and Susan in background.Photos by TOM HART
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 Ruins of the Church of San Francisco, Antigua, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 Ruins of the Churh of San Francisco, Antigua, Guatemala. . Photos by TOM HART
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 Ruins of the Churh of San Francisco, Eddie and Caroline, Antigua, Guatemala.. Photos by TOM HART
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 Central Square, Antigua fountain with Volcán de Agua, jacaranda tree. Photos by TOM HART
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 Flowers in Central Square, Antigua. Photos by TOM HART
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 Central Square, Antigua. Photos by TOM HART
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 Volcán de Agua and early morning Antigua street scene. Photos by TOM HART..
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 Volcán de Agua with bird and flowers. Photos by TOM HART
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 Central Square, Antigua.Sorry for obsessing on this fountain, but it is interesting. Photos by TOM HART
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 Central Square Antigua, street scene with Vulcan Aqua. Yes, this was photoshopped a bit. Photos by TOM HART. .note this is the only picture with significant photoshopping (to burn in the volcano which was a lot hazier).
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 Central Square, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 Arriving for work. Photos by TOM HART
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 Ruined church and jacaranda tree the roof of our hotel, Antique.Photos by TOM HART
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 Sunset from our hotel roof, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 Central Square in the morning looking towards Volcán de Agua, Guatemala. Photos by TOM HART
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 50's british 3 speeds with rod brakes....note that I once owned one and it really rode horibly. Comfortable at a pedistrian pace, but a wet noodle if pushed at all. Photos by TOM HART
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 Flowers on the table of the final fancy place we had breakfast. Photos by TOM HART
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 Final day breakfast spot. Ira, Eddie, Derek, Susan, Lara, Caroline, Marty. Photos by TOM HART
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 The contrast between the countryside and the crowded and polluted city is extreme. Photos by TOM HART
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 Leaving at the airport with 3rd world pa system...megaphone strapped to desk in very new and modern (looking) Gautamala City airport. As garbled as a subway announcement. Photos by TOM HART
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