11 hours of culture shock in Miami

"Why is the garbage can so far away from the toilet?"

"Why is no one smiling?"

"Where are the little corn tortillas?"

"Oh the joy! Oh the sweet joy of washing my hands in hot water!"

"Have all the roosters died?"

"I feel really short."

"I didn't have to remind my waiter 3 times to bring my drink?"

"Why does no one say 'pase' when I say 'con permiso?'

"Where are the diesel fumes? I thought Miami was a big city."

"It's 5:30 am, why isn't there a taxi across the street honking his horn for 20 minutes?"

"Um, I just downloaded a software update of 8.3 MB in 18 seconds?"

"There's a glass in the bathroom. As if I'm going to drink from the tap!!!"

"I don't have a cell phone on my hip and no keys in my pocket. Something bad has happened."

And 7 of these 11 hours have been asleep!

Aviones, Trenes, y Automobiles

Our plane was delayed coming out of Guatemala City this afternoon - about 80 minutes late. Add to that the 60 minutes it takes to go through the passport check, luggage collection, customs and finding the airline desk - we missed our connection to Montréal. So, I'm typing from a posh hotel room (with free wireless) in Miami after enjoying a bounteous meal, courtesy of American Airlines. We arrive in Montréal 18 hours after we intended to arrive there, so Amber's a bit choked as that was all her sister April time.

We took 7 hours yesterday to complete the usually 4-hour trip from Tactic to Antigua - this included 2 breaks, but it still felt really long. Construction caused the delays mostly. My friend Bernd rode with me all afternoon in the car and that gave us a chance to catch up and talk about all manner of things - personal and ministry related. Good stuff. The car is parked at a seminary while we're gone. Took a cab from there to the airport this morning.

Our travels these coming weeks include Montreal (Film Festival and friends and family), then New Brunswick. We'll hitch a ride with my father from Montreal to NB likely. The trip back to Montreal we plan on buying Via Rail tickets. Amber is very excited about taking a train. The only other time she took one was into NYC from upstate NY during spring break 2 years ago.

Blaise has been a really awesome traveller so far. He's been bucking his head though, giving me a bruised lip and lots of tears for the little guy. I joked that if he broke my sternum, I could sue the airline. It was funny at the time. Everything has been funny today. I'm so tired.

White Forest

In Poqomchí, zaak = white and che = forest. My name therefore means white forest.

Maybe birches in the wintertime? Hmmm? I did peel about 3 weeks ago after a good sunburn, like a birch, but I don't think anyone could have made a canoe with the skin bits.

Film Screenings

Strength and Honour is scheduled to screen at the National Film Board Cinema on Rue St. Denis in Montreal. Times are:

3:20 pm on Wednesday Thursday, Aug 31
5:30 pm on Sunday, Sept 3.

See you there.

Chauffering

I drive a van for the ministry when teams are here and occasionally for ministry errands. There are 2 vans - a Toyota Hiace and a Kia. The Kia incidentally has a wickedly annoying alarm system installed. I've had a mishap with both of the vans.

Mishap #1: Backing the Kia out of the Beerseba School, you must back it onto the street. On one of my attempts, the van was too close on the left to swing the van out. Anticipating this, I backed out halfway so that I could pull ahead further to the right to allow the van some room. When I went to pull ahead in first gear, I didn't do it fast enough (there was a vehicle ahead of me that I didn't want to crash into by gunning it) and the van rolled back crunching the driver mirror and front left fender. BONUS: Les, Rita, fellow teachers, and a team from Canada were all present to witness the spectacle.

Mishap #2: Driving home from the guest house in the Toyota through the northwest corner of the market in Tactic. It's a tight spot to begin with, but this time there were vehicles parked on the right-hand side of the street. I pulled the 15-passenger van up to the intersection and paused to check for pedestrians, cyclists, pick-up trucks and dogs, then swung the van to the left only to hear a big crunch. There are metal posts along the left-hand side of the street (for some unknown reason) and the ladder that sits on the left-hand side of the van caught one of these posts and ripped off.



This has amazed me for awhile. Instead of building a bridge across the river in Sayaxche, the town has decided that it is more profitable to keep the ferry running. The ferry holds about 10 vehicles at a time and crosses the small river in about 5 minutes, charging each vehicle between Q10 and Q25 ($1.50 and $3.75). The ferry is a barge propelled with two outboard motors.



Despite the mishaps, I've grown comfortable driving the vans. Driving my car, in contrast, makes me feel like I'm driving a Porsche boxster rather than a Kia Rio. I took this shot while driving of Mike taking a shot of the straight road that heads into the mountains.

Creatures of the Peten

Saw my first jaguar in Guatemala last week. Everything near tikal is either named after Tikal or Jaguars. The pelts of the jaguar were used by the Mayan kings of old. Now they are an endangered species.

There were a pair of them at this little island zoo in Lago Itza. I was surprised at their size, I expected wild cats the size of ocelots or bobcats. Instead they were tiger or leopard sized. I was very impressed at their regal movements.



While we walked through Tikal, the Red Willow group kept stopping to inspect the insects. I'm sure at least an hour was spent taking photos and filming the mites and their tunnels, the spiders and the beetles. This spider was huge, easily the size of my hand. There were three of them on three different webs that spanned three square metres. We watched as this spider spun a web around a captured fly, it was just like Shelob wrapping Frodo up.

The group appeared to be just as fascinated, if not moreso, with the strange and wonderful wildlife they saw while in and around Tikal as they were with the Tikal ruins itself. Personally, what strikes me the most about the ruins is that they are ruined. These huge rock structures were slowly taken apart and covered with vegetation. The gods of the Mayans are long gone, holding no majesty in this age. The God of creation however...

Red Willow in Guatemala

It is so awesome to have 16 people from our home church, Red Willow Community Church, here in Tactic with us. What an encouragement! It's really refreshing for me to be able to converse with people that I have a history with - not having to begin at square one with every team member.

The group is really awesome too - they're working hard and doing a great job in their children's ministry. I've enjoyed taking them to meet their old and new sponsor children. It's great to watch them react to Guatemala as well.



A huge thanks to everyone who contributed to the gifts we received with the team. They made us sit down the first night in Tactic and open everything right there in front of them. I was choked up as I took the entire Lord of the Rings extended DVD trilogy out of the bag (thanks Rick, you're awesome!). That night we added 29 DVDs to the collection we started after every single one of our 300 DVDs was stolen at the end of February. The count is now sitting at 106 (including the 24 home movies that are backed up and need to be duplicated back home in Red Deer). I was also given some clothes, chocolates, some music, and a couple great books. Blaise and Amber benefitted the most from the gifts, only natural since they're so gorgeous - and, when their happy, I'm happy!

In the Paper

In today's Edmonton Journal, my family and I are featured on page B3. Amber Shortt wrote an article about us living in Guatemala. She did a fine job. If you want to read the article, you can either buy a paper if you're local enough, or you can buy it online ($1) as the link directs you - you have 1 week to buy it before it becomes unavailable.

How did we end up in the paper? Sirdar tipped off Ms. Shortt at the Journal and she contacted me. Pretty cool. I've already had a couple people email me about it.

New Land

I've known about this for a while, but haven't had a good picture to fit with the story. Now I do.

Impact Ministries had been trying to purchase land for new schools for the past 6 years. The problem was that hardly any land was available and what was available wasn't really nice land or it was insanely expensive. Two pieces were purchased about 2 years ago - one in Chicoy, where our second school just started in January, and another large piece of land in Chijulhá where another school and other stuff will be built. Our goal however is to build 7 elementary schools and a high school - along with a Bible training centre and a medical clinic.

What's so cool about us not being able to buy land is that just in the past year, 3 very nice and substantially large tracts of land have been given - FREE - to the ministry by communities and towns. And another 2 are in the works (meaning they've given it to us, we just don't have the deeds yet). Pictured above is Erick and Les accepting the deed from the mayor of Tactic and a couple dignitaries. We plan on beginning construction on the clinic and high school this fall or early next year. Pretty fun watching this all unfold before our eyes.

Return to Pacaya

Climbed the volcano. Again. Went with a team from Merritt B.C. the day before they flew out. This time, because of extra activity, visitors aren't allowed to climb the volcano (well, like all things in Guatemala, it's more of a suggestion). What was more spectacular this time was a brand new river of lava that had formed in the two weeks before our visit. If I wanted to, which I didn't, I could have reached out and stuck my hand in red hot lava.

I bought a walking stick (32 cents) for the climb with every intention of sticking it into the lava, but forgot half-way up the mountain when I got something out of my pack. Bummer. Rocks don't ignite the same way as wood. The river actually moves too, which is pretty awesome.

Shout out to Isaias from New Mexico who climbed the volcano with me.

This is my son.

What? I'm not picking this stuff up.

Photoshooting

A book for the ministry has been commissioned so they can use it for promotion in Canada this fall. We discussed what photos to use and came up with a list of 25 specific shots we need. I get to take those photos. So, I've been cruising around the countryside - when I get a minute or two - and snapping away. Last Tuesday, my handy little 1GB USB memory stick fell out of my pocket while on a photocapade. I retraced some of my steps, but alas, did not find my green lovely (the stick was green). I've noticed also that Guatemalans have a hard time posing for photos. They prefer to look very serious rather than with a look of joy. Smiling with teeth showing is also very difficult - they end up grimacing when they try. I wonder what makes a culture photogenic.

I was very fortunate this morning at 7 am to find a girl in grade 6 walking with her 2 little brothers to school. They were in uniform and so I asked them if they would mind if I took their picture. They were very gracious and followed instructions very well. They even walked really slowly for me and walked the same stretch of dirt road 3 times for me.

I was rather UNfortunate this afternoon when I checked the photos of the Peters family that I took earlier today. Johnny has his eyes crossed in 3 shots and carries a very toothy smile in a host of others, leaving me with about 5 other photos to work with - some of which have closed eyes and other portrait blemishes. Thanks Johnny.

Amber with me

Six years ago today. On a Sunday, like today. It was one of the hottest days of the summer in Smithers, BC. We had friends and family travel from very far (everywhere is very far from Smithers, except Hazelton I guess). We wed under the sun in the yard behind her house. It was a day of joy.

Today. My wife still brings me joy. She is so giving and bright and beautiful. I'm in wonder of her and that she's mine and I'm hers. I'm definitely institutionalized. Here are some things we've done together since August 2000:

led a youth group in St Albert
led a mission trip to Guatemala
cycled across Canada
worked at a school in Montreal
drove across North America
hatched a little Blaise
traveled across North America with a newborn
moved to Guatemala
served the Poqomchí­

Looking forward to the next ninety years.

Apple Jeep Mania

It's true. True Blue!

Amber says I got too much sun today. She's a wino. Or the opposite of a wino. Exhale.

Giggle.

Spotted

I've lived in 15 communities (5 provinces & 3 countries) since I was born. That's an average of moving to a new town every 2 years. Because of these frequent migrations, I have had to be very proactive in maintaining contact with my close friends. This blog and my website are one way to keep in touch - it's always there if anyone wants to see what I'm up to or contact me.

Sometimes, it can be quite difficult to track down friends. Friends who move and don't forward their addresses. Friends who don't answer their phone. Friends who never check their email.



I managed to get a quick glimpse of this friend through Matt, a guy who was passing through Tactic and loaded his photos on my computer to free up space on his digital camera.

Anyway. Tey, you can run, but you can't hide. Others are much better at hiding, Kris for example.

si no se cae en el rio

I was biking home from the office and decided to try a short-cut that I had taken once before by vehicle. I took the wrong road and ended up at a dead end where you can take a through-path for pedestrians through a gate. The path continues through a beautiful meadow and ends up on the highway, not too far from where I live. There were 2 young girls, probably 7 and 10, standing at the fence and I asked them if it was possible to pass though on a bike, thinking more of the narrow passage between the barbed wire fences.

The older girl answered "si." Then without missing a beat, followed it with "if you don't fall in the river." I looked down the path a little way and saw the river and the log that stretched over it to connect the foot path. I replied that I would be taking the other road. The girl raised her eyebrows and let a smile curl on her lips. She got me good.

Broken Legs

This morning at Beerseba, I was just about to head home after teaching some classes when one of our students was hit by a truck. Hugo, the little guy at the bottom right hand of this photo, was playing with his friends where he wasn't supposed to be playing and an older man in a red pick-up truck drove right over his right leg, snapping the bones. I didn't have a clue what happened when it did happen. I was just a few feet away and Walter, the vice-principal, ran over. I went into the school, not having a clue.

When I came out again, I saw Hugo on one leg being supported by his teacher. He was carried into his classroom and I sat with him for a little while. His friends were out telling every passing stranger and the neighbours what had happened. Hugo just cried. I had some tylenol and water brought for him and checked out his leg - I could see it was a clean break. I asked his classmates to come around him and pray for him - and pray they did. Three of them burst into tears after they started praying. Hugo is 8 years old (I think). I offered to drive him to Coban hospital, but it was decided that an ambulance would get him quicker attention once he arrived at the hospital. While we waited for the ambulance (los bomberos), Hugo lay in his teacher's arms, weeping. His uncle, Gualberto, (a grade 10 student) went along with his mother to translate from Poqomchí to Spanish and vice-versa.

The team that was here from Stony Plain, AB, visited Hugo a couple times. His sponsors, Bob and Grace, fell in love with the little guy. Actually, everyone who meets Hugo falls in love with him. He's got such a great smile.

Hugo is home again. He has a cast and some pain-killers.



A woman from this Stony Plain team twisted her ankles very badly on a visit to Xi'ixim last week. Both of her feet swelled up and she was on crutches for most of her 14 days in Guatemala. It turns out that her ankles, both of them, were in fact broken the entire time. Vange is a trooper! She actually didn't miss out of too much while she was here, she had us carry her or she hobbled along or she took a tuk-tuk (3-wheeled taxi) in Antigua.

Posting

I'm sending my Projection DVD Copy to the Montreal World Film Festival via a friend (Charles) from Stony Plain who is here on a short term team. I don't trust the Guatemalan couriers for timing. They are very expensive too. A regular manilla envelope (8 1/2" X 11") under 1 lb would cost about $60 and arrive approximately 2 weeks later in Canada. I checked into it when I was with Les who had to courier some exams to Canada.

Salomé, one of my lovely sisters, mailed me a hefty birthday package. It arrived in Guatemala City about 6 weeks later and I was sent a telegram (which took 9 days to arrive at my home) which notified me that I should either pick up the package in person or pay a tramitador to pick it up for me with a signed letter from me and a photocopy of my passport. We picked it up at the end of May in the palace which is the head post office of the country.

My Projection DVD has French subtitles now. I got the final translated bits on Tuesday from Claudine in Montreal. She did a fabulous job. I hope that many francophones enjoy the show at the festival as a result.

Eutichus abides

This little chap (nicknamed Poncho) reminded me of Eutychus last night during our discipleship class. Some longwinded sharers. Good times though.

The End is Nigh

This article from ABC News talks about two Canadian lawyers (one of them is former MP David Kilgour of Edmonton) investigating allegations that imprisoned Falun Gong members are used as organ donors. Falun Gong is a recent religion, 1992, a variation of Buddhism. The founder, Li Hongzhi has claimed the following supernatural powers: invisibility, being able to control other people's movements by his thoughts, and to move himself anywhere he wanted to by thought as well. Falun Gong was declared illegal to practice in China seven years ago.

This is an exerpt from the article citing Kilgour's investigation:

One call, made on June 8, was to a Mr. Li in the Mishan City Detention Center in Heilongjiang province, according to the transcript.

"Do you have Falun Gong (organ) suppliers?" Li was asked.

"We used to have, yes," he replied.

"What about now?"

"Yes," Li replied.

"Can we come to select, or you provide directly to us?"

"We provide them to you," Li said, adding that price would be discussed when the caller arrived. He said he had "quite a few" Falun Gong males under age 40 from whom organs could be taken.

Kilgour released the transcript of an interview he conducted with a woman who said her former husband, a surgeon, had taken corneas from 2,000 people over two years. She said the victims would first be given an injection that would cause heart failure.

Amber and I watched The Manchurian Candidate a week ago. Her comment was that it was hard to believe that people could be so cruel. Not so hard to believe after reading this article.

It is interesting that one of the focuses of Falun Gong is a coming apocalypse, an end to civilization because of moral depravity. Not a new concept, really, but forever relevant.

Another thing that interests me is what the world will do to save a 30-year-old Chinese man, imprisoned for his beliefs, only to be murdered for his organs. My guess is a lot less would be done than for a 30-year-old Canadian man serving in a foreign country were to be robbed and killed. That is too bad. I should rethink that, probably not a lot would be done if the Canadian were killed either. I haven't done anything about the medical team from MSF and their guides who were killed in Afghanistan. My buddy Carl sent me a film today with a team from Stony Plain. Beyond the Gates of Splendor is about missionaries killed in Ecuador and how redemption comes to this tribe.

We can hope our End will serve a purpose greater than we are.

Rite of Passage: The Gifts

Blaise achieves his first year on the 13th of July. I walk around a store today wondering what to buy him. I think: a pocketknife. I think every father wants to buy his son a pocketknife. I don't think Blaise has the strength yet to open a pocketknife. So, the knife idea is out. I buy a toy Austin Mini, big enough so he won't choke on it - safety first, that's my motto.

As I walk around I have an epiphany: I'll buy Blaise a great gift each year and when he becomes a man at age 13, he'll receive the 12 gifts that I've been storing up for him. Stuff every man should have. I really want Blaise to experience a rite of passage when he turns 13 - hike the Appalachian Trail or memorization task (book of John?) for examples. Then I can present him with tools for life as a symbol of recognition as a man.

So... I need a list of 12 items. Here's what I have so far:

1. Leatherbound Pocket Bible
2. Swiss Army Knife, sheath, belt
3. Zippo Lighter
4. Compass
5. Sleeping Bag
6. Hard Cover set of The Lord of the Rings
7. Musical Instrument (his choice)
8. Toolbox full of tools
9. Watch
10. Easel with drawing/ painting implements
11. Camera
12. Leatherbound Journal with really nice pens
13. Detailed family tree chart
14. Shaving Kit
15. Wallet, Bank Account
16. Map of the World
17. Cribbage board and 2 decks of cards
18. Basic Chemistry, Biology, and Physics texts
19. Video Camera
20. Weights
21. Collection of 100 essential songs
22. Collection of 10 essential films
23. Recipe book, Pot, Spoon
24. Paddle for Canoeing
25. The Journal his parents kept about him for his first years

If you have some ideas for the essentials list, I'd love to hear them. I don't want to buy electronic stuff that will be out of date in 2018 and incompatible with computers of that age - iPods and cell phones are out. Just good old fashioned survival / edifying stuff.

I'm in.

The Montréal International Film Festival has officially accepted my film into competition. For me this is a huge step. It means that I will continue to make films. It means that they will be really good, if not half decent. It means the door is open to growth in an talent that for the past 5 years I have been frightened to think of the possibilities and frightened that it is too late to pursue success. I have several goals (#29, 43, 69, 71) that involve film making and this film opens the way. I am very grateful for the opportunity to have made it, and for it to be shared in festival, and for people to purchase it on DVD, and enjoy it (I hope). Most people in the world don't have these opportunities.

My first film acceptance letter:

Dear Mr. Robichaud,

We are pleased to confirm that we wish to present « STRENGTH AND HONOUR : CYCLING CANADA COAST TO COAST », in the Documentaries of the World section at the World Film Festival which will be held from August 24th to September 4th 2006, in Montreal.

...[some words about what I do next]...

Waiting for your confirmation, we wish to congratulate you again for this great production.

Best regards,
Danièle C.
Vice-President

What have you always wanted to do, but have been doubtful of its success?

Papillon - Mariposa - Butterfly

We were in Honduras on the weekend (2 nights so we can spend another 90 days in Guatemala). The only thing we did besides walk around Copán Ruinas, eat in good restaurants, sleep, read, and watch movies in our hotel room (namely "I am David" and "Shawshank Redemption") was visit the Enchanted Wings Butterfly House.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Lots of different butterflies flying around in a little mesh covered garden. I saw a butterfly with wet wings climbing up a styrofoam wall - oh the struggle. The flora was breathtaking and so was the humidity. They also have a greenhouse filled with hundreds of orchids. Sadly only 3 or 4 of the orchids were presenting flowers at this time. Blaise really enjoyed it. Oddly enough, he doesn't get much opportunity to play outside - kind of dangerous with all the broken glass, dog poop, rubbish, and his penchant for stuffing diseased objects into his mouth with lightning speed arm jerks. This was a nice, controlled environment for him to relish. We let him eat a few flower petals (they're safe, right?).

Boy

I'm watching my son mature from a baby into a little boy. It is remarkable how he changes from day to day. I remember when it hit me that each day, he does something new, realizes something new, and that soon he'll be able to tickle me harder than I tickle him. His most recent endeavor is his addictive laugh - something like a giggle, but deeper.

He's not a baby anymore. He can almost walk on his own now and talking is around the corner. His desire for independence drives his every step. His desire to get what he wants drives his every sound. Hopefully, his desire to not wear a diaper will start kicking in soon.

Mud on the Highway

Rain = Mud on the highway.

Doesn't "Mud on the Highway" sound like it should be a song or something? Maybe I'll write one? Or maybe Alan Kydd should write one as penance for not starting his blog!