Last day of work at Pampojila. We went to the market before hand to bring fruit to give to our family, papaya, pineaple and mandarins. When we got to Pampojila there was lots of greeting, laughter, picture taking of the 11 stoves which by the end of the day were all finished. Some of us went where the woman were preparing a final celebratory lunch. We tried our hands at tortilla making - aiy yai yai yai - it was so hard and the woman do it so easily. The Guatemala women are phenomenal, strong, joyful people. The children are beautiful sponges, loving to engage in all things. After completing the 11 stoves some groups began cutting blocks, sifting sand for a couple of stoves to be completed by the masons next week. 
The lunch celebration was wonderful, magnificent, full of mayan traditional colors, flavors, tastes and families. There was eating, dancing, laughing, pinatas and game playing. Then we ceremoniously gave each woman a simple gift from our hearts of one pot and a spoon for her new stove and they a surprise for us. A few tears, lots of ¨adios amigos¨ and we were on the road again in the truck back to San Lucas Toliman for a final evening before leaving for Antigua Saturday morning.
The lunch celebration was wonderful, magnificent, full of mayan traditional colors, flavors, tastes and families. There was eating, dancing, laughing, pinatas and game playing. Then we ceremoniously gave each woman a simple gift from our hearts of one pot and a spoon for her new stove and they a surprise for us. A few tears, lots of ¨adios amigos¨ and we were on the road again in the truck back to San Lucas Toliman for a final evening before leaving for Antigua Saturday morning.
Doug Pederson
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