Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
ALEC Abroad

Rewarding Experiences

By Christy Jones

What an amazing day we had on the last day of 2012!

We started our morning off by hiking to a local farmer’s property and helped him plant his crop of beans. Young coffee plants were already growing and we planted six to seven rows of beans in between. We poked a hole in the ground with a stick and placed three beans in the hole.

We were told that there were three reasons for planting the beans in with the coffee. One reason was to add nitrogen to the ground. Beans are a legumes and which are filled with nitrogen, which the coffee beans benefit from. The second and third were  to prevent erosion with a cover crop and to keep the weeds under control. We only did half of the field at first. As a whole we decided to continue and plant the rest of the half-acre. What would take the farmer two or three days to plant we planted in two hours.

ALEC students planting beans for a local farmer.

It was a lot of hard work but one of the most rewarding experiences I have had thus far. Selfless service is my favorite of the core values. And it was an amazing feeling to know we worked together as a team and helped this farmer. This country has been such an eye opening experience for me.

That evening we all got ready to go to La Fortuna to ring in the New Year with the locals at block party with music, food and dance. It was amazing. My favorite part of the evening was dancing with an older gentleman. I love to dance and it allowed me to feel like I was back in my element. He had to teach me a little of the steps, but I caught on quick. The fireworks at midnight were beautiful. The last day of 2012 was one of my favorite days out of the whole year as far as memories and friendships go. I can’t wait to see what the rest of this trip has in store for us!

HIKE OF DEATH = beautiful discovery

By Jules Henry

Word to the wise: Exercise on a treadmill with a 30 degree incline setting! This was the warning given to us by Dr. Strong to prepare for our study abroad in Costa Rica.  A majority of us should have taken that advice more seriously.

I wish I had. Hmm…best way to describe it … MUD MUD MUUUUD! Add in steep hills and you got yourself a death hike.

However, I must say this was one of the most rewarding experiences  I have ever been able to experince.  I saw a…A LEGEN…wait for it…DARY waterfall!!!  (Hehe, a reference for fellow How I Met Your Mother).

¿Que Pasa?

by Gary Wingenbach

The pace is slower.

It takes a few days to realize it, but the pace is definitely slower in Guatemala. It has not changed from when I lived this pace 25 years ago as a Peace Corps Volunteer, first in San Rafael Las Flores, Santa Rosa, and then in Quezaltepeque, Chiquimula. My month-long return to this land of “Eternal Spring” with 10 Aggie students, two faculty members, and a 10-year old daughter in tow, is an experience I never would have imagined as a young man.

As I look around the cabin this morning while we listen to Marelino explain sustainable agricultural practices in the Chajul region, it hits me…these students weren’t born the last time I spent this much time in Guatemala.

Dang, I suddenly feel old! Good thing I don’t “feel” old, otherwise I might consider joining the whining sessions about missing the comforts of home in Texas.

It’s a surreal experience to watch the wonderment of learning about Guatemalan life in these Aggies’ faces. I see genuine interest in their expressions. I hear them talk about Guatemalan life with compassion in their voices. These Aggies are the real deal!

I wish I could find another 90 just like them to bring to Chajul. It would make a huge impact in our service-learning projects. Right. I know, poco a poco, little by little; slow down Gary, the pace is a bit slower, and that’s okay.

Twenty-five years can change many things in Guatemala. I see cell phones now where only telegram offices once existed. I’ve used wifi in the highlands where computer technology would have been considered Star Trek nonsense 25 years ago. Yes, I know some of you will not know what the original Star Trek series was, but trust me, it was a classic, and you really missed a cultural phenomenon!

Some things did not change in the past 25 years. Poverty, malnutrition, pollution, lack of resources, illiteracy, and respiratory and intestinal diseases still exist, most likely with the same intensity as they did in the mid-1980s.

It’s easy to become depressed by these societal challenges. It could be easy to turn away from these issues and never think about them again. It would be so easy to concern ourselves with the next release of the iPhone or the next idiotic vampire movie debut.

But, for 13 Aggie students and faculty members, and one future Aggie, we won’t walk away. We’re here to make a difference!

Just now, on Saturday morning, Aggies and Chajul agriculturists are working side-by-side to design a new vermiculture system to produce organic fertilizer for a local school garden.  Gig ’em Ags! 

I am hopeful to contribute a few more reflections, from the prof’s perspective, to this blog. Oh yeah, that’s one more thing that didn’t exist 25 years ago…blogging! I’m very happy to make this post, my first ever, on a topic near and dear to my heart.

Vamos adelante Aggies!

Peace,

Gary

Howdy!

by Josh Hardcastle

Welcome to our blog!

This summer students from the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Science Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications (ALEC) will be studying abroad in two great countries:  Guatemala and Namibia!

Through this blog, we hope to share with you our experiences – our thoughts and fears, the lesson we learn, the sights we see, and the life-changing moments that fill our travels.

It’s about time for us to spread our wings and leave College Station, and we hope you come along for the ride!

Our flights our books, our passports are waiting, and in June we head to Central America! Please join us then for a Guatemalan good time!