Trip:Koliber, July 8th - The Village of Tzununa

Tzununa Across the Lake

As I sit at Tere's home, I am noticing a few things that remind me of my own grandparents' and great grand parents' homes. The furniture and placemats are actually very similar in style to what my great grandmother would have kept. I recognized that Tere, Ricardo's mom, is very similar to her in certain ways; the way they carry themselves with elegance; a calm confidence. Gran Margie would never leave the house without putting on her lipstick, it was an important part of who she was and how she presented herself to the world. For the family reunion, Tere dressed up, a beautiful skirt, sweater, and was sure to put in nice earrings before we left. Even the style of clothing reminds me of Gran Margie's. Such class these women have! 

On a political note: good news, Zury is OUT! I mean, who was she trying to fool anyway. She has been disallowed to run for president by the Constitutional Court. Some one important must have read my blog. ;)

Taking the boat to San Pedro, across the river

They do not like their photo taken, I was trying to be respectful but really wanted to capture their beauty!

Yesterday, we went to the market in San Pedro to meet Maria Mendez, our supplier at Lake Atitlán. Maria is different than Sonia. Sonia is a business woman from the city, a "middle-woman," she is not making the clothing. Maria, on the other hand, is, she makes the skirts and shorts. The fabric in her store hangs from ceiling to floor covering every inch of wall. Her son was sitting in the back of the shop watching TV. To try on the clothes I had to go to the very back behind a curtain. There were stairs that went somewhere, I assume a little place to sleep perhaps? Every time I put on a new article I came out: "Ricardo!!" and then we would assess it. I think it was a good day for her. We bought all of the skirts she had and all of her hammocks. I almost felt guilty when I turned down some of the skirts or shorts, I did not want to offend her beautiful work! But, hey, this is my job. I want good product to sell for her and for us. Establishing these relationships is very important and I believe constructive feedback is going to be key. Eventually we will need standardize some things, quality control, size standards, fabric standards, etc. Right now, every single item is unique, and I don't mean just a little unique- I mean, completely different. Putting them online will be a little tricky and very time consuming, but it is worth it. 

Maria Mendez

Marias shop from the back

I'm so excited to bring this product to the store! We talked to Maria a little bit about the school and industrial sewing machine that we are going to bring. She either didn't seem interested, or was maybe confused about the concept. We will see how that goes next time we come. Mario, Ricardo's friend in Houston who is a tailor by profession, is going to come help train us and others on how to use the industrial sewing machine. This is required for good quality clothing that will last! 

After that we took a little look around the rest of the shops. We came across a very organized shoe store. We started to look closely and realized the soles of the shoes are made from old tires! We met the owner of the business and learned a bit more about the products. They are very well made, sturdy, and use all recycled fabric and rubber. Designers in New York and Australia have already commissioned them to produce their designs. I bought a pair of flip flops to test the durability. 

So, we finished our business and were feeling pretty accomplished. The day was waning, the storm was coming. The weather pattern seemed to be consistent both days that we were in the town; clear and warm in the evening, rainy and foggy in afternoon. 

We began to approach the boat to return to Panajachel (the town where we were staying) when I saw a beautiful woman perched at the front of the ship, soaking in some sunshine. Her son was next to her playing, looking over the edge of the boat. We started to converse after mistaking her son for a daughter. He was dressed in bright colors and wore a hat with flowers. I appreciate a parent who allows their child to explore different expressions regardless of socially determined gender association. We soon learned that Kimberley was an artist, a clothing designer and has her own line of clothing online. She also speaks Hebrew, Spanish, English and is learning XX(one of the Mayan Dialects around the lake).  My brain immediately thought "Ding ding ding" perfect person to help us (of course, if she is interested). She has been living on the lake for years and has her son. Furthermore, we mentioned that Ricardo owned some property on Tzununa coincidentally* she was standing on his property earlier that same day thinking to herself "I wonder who owns this place."

*There are no coincidences.  

I was having a field day on the boat ride. I was the annoying photographer for the whole trip. Every thing was so picturesque, I couldn't resist. 

One of the Adobe brick cabins on R's land in Tzununa

Banana tree at R's Cabin

The next day, we started off working a bit in the morning, running some numbers, calculating our orders, how much we are spending, etc. We didn't have time to stop by R's cabin the day before, so we did it today. First we checked and found out that the person hired to take care of the place has not been doing a great job. He has worked for R for 20 years, and in my opinion he must have become complacent. He allowed the political party to tag his wall, left trash around, let the roof of the home fall apart and has not landscaped the place at all. 

Coffee plant at R's Cabin

 So we went to his home to talk to him about it, he was not there. His family was though, we met his wife, his daughter and two little boys. His daughter, now 14, came out of the house very excited, "Ricardo!!" and gave him a big hug and then gave me one too. Ricardo asked her if she was in school she replied no. Why not? "No se" She didn't have a real reason, just because she prefers to stay around the house. Why don't your parents make you go? "No se."

Balance

The neighborhood in Tzununa

Education is important, but if the parents don't even see the importance of education, what can you do? Influence influence, lead by example. I think that is the first step, show options, start the brain to think about what they want in life. One of the little boys (probably 3 years old) came out, laid his eyes on me, and didn't come unglued until we left. His eyes were very glossy, R said this is possibly due to conjunctivitis. There is a clinic right in their village! 

 Kind of sad. It is not my intention to highlight the negative parts or exploit peoples' emotions like those horrible infomercials. I do want to highlight that education and health is important.  Not to impose or belittle a culture or their beliefs; but to help with health and education and to at least open someone's eyes! Hey! You can have a different kind of life if you want to, oh and eating off of the floor is not healthy. Just sayin'! I want to make it a point to see that girl when I return next time. She's at a crossroads right now, I would like to offer some kind of guidance or influence. Ripple effect.

Dad wasn't home, he went to town. So we didn't get to talk with him, but Ricardo gave him a very serious phone call. 

Today, we had a beat. You know-- one of those moments in time when you see clearly the past, you can't see the details of the future; but you're at the top of the mountain. Things aligned, you made it to the destination, things are in sync, and change is happening. It is time.

Now we get to make our way back home! Taking the Galgos today (the Greyhound) to Tapachula where we will stay the night so we can wake early for our 10am flight to Matamoros. Then we will leave Mexico by cab and fly home in the private plane!!