The Weekend: Our first Campaign

Saturday morning we successfully sold 27 pairs of glasses, a rocket stove, and a water filter and gave over 70 people eye exams in Patzicia! It was a very successful campaign. The publicity we had done last weekend was very successful as people were there early holding the flyers we had given them the weekend before. A person would walk in, normally either an indigenous old woman, a child with her parent, or a working father, Katie would take down their names and give them a number. The asesoras (the people who help us who live in Guatemala and this is their job) were the ones who could most fluently speak to the people and made them feel comfortable when giving them an eye exam. The person would first come to one of us who would give them a far vision exam and then were told to wait in another line where they could get a near vision exam and there get prescribed which types of glasses were perfect for them.

Giving the far vision eye exams

We sold a stove! (bad blurry pic but important moment)

A satisfied customer with her new glasses.

Our asesora on the right was talking to a Mayan woman in her native language and was able to give her a vision exam.

A cool picture of the market in Patzicia near which we did our campaign 

We can not treat far vision problems and a lot of children would come in with far vision problems which can only be prescribed by a real doctor. Also, people would come in with cataracts and other serious eye issues that glasses could not fix and we would just give them the name of a doctor they could go to. It was so sad when they couldn't be helped but it was so great when just with a pair of glasses a person could read the bible or string a needle!

Also, during the campaign it was my job to advertise our other products. In my broken Spanish I would give people catalogs and show them the products we have and how they worked. This included water filters, seeds, solar power lights that also charge your cell phone, and our stoves.

After this we had the rest of the weekend to hang out in Antigua! We went to Bagel Barn for lunch then checked into a hotel. Gabby Whitney and I were in a room in Hotel Rustica where we had an outdoor patio connected to our room. We took our first nice long warm showers and I felt like a new person. We got ready and since I thought I could not wear anything semi normal I had to borrow Whitney's dress which I ended up wearing as a skirt underneath one of my large shirts...It was definitely a successful case of improv.

We went to SobreMesa for dinner where the owner of the restaurant told me "I have the face he had been looking for" asked for my number and said he "wanted to paint me". Other than that creepy comment dinner was delicious and so much fun!

At dinner!

Roomies for the night!

After dinner we went to MonoLoco for the end of the heat game and then went to two different bars. It was so much fun to be able to go out with everyone!

We slept pretty late then went to a cafe that is connected to the place we get the most amazing banana bread. We got banana bread for breakfast along with our meals that I really disliked. We visited the ruins of a Cathedral that was destroyed in an earthquake and hung out until we returned to our home stays.

At the Cathedral Ruins

For my last dinner at this home stay my mom brought me dinner in bed...A BEAN SANDWICH. ew. She sat with me in my bed as I ate it and talked and asked for my number so she could check up on me while I was gone for the next two weeks. I gave my family the chocolate I had brought and they were very thankful.

Tomorrow morning I leave for Nebaj for two weeks where I am going to have a different home stay family for two weeks. Just as I was getting used to this family and house I have to move! I am excited for a change in scenery but nervous for my new family.