Environmental Projects Coordinator Mary Gramiak finished her 3 months of intensive volunteering at Pop Wuj on April 7.
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General Projects Coordinator Emily Rempel and Mary celebrate a successful day of stove construction! You can read more about their experience flying solo here. (Photo by Señor Sales, Safe Stove Project participant)
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Three months of laughs later, and the time has come for me to say goodbye to Pop Wuj.
Interning as Environmental Projects Coordinator with Pop Wuj has been such a wild ride. From stove construction to translating in the clinics, from scholarship meetings to Timmy brigades, these three months offered an opportunity to test skills I didn’t even know I had.
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| Mary carefully negotiates moving one of the Family Support Center's cabinets alongside Pop Wuj students and Director of the Medical Program Roney Alvarado. You can read more about moving the FSC here. (Photo by Elizabeth Barnes) |
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| Mary helps sort recycyling to be weighed at the private recycling center outside Salcajá in March. You can read a little more about recent recycling work here. (Photo by Elizabeth Barnes) |
While I focused on safe stoves, something which was awesome about Pop Wuj was the diversity of projects I was able to lend a hand in. Working with the clinics was a personal favorite. Whether it was translating consults, helping out in pharmacy, or weighing babies with Dr. Herman, there was always something new to be done.
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| Mary helps sort recycyling to be weighed at the private recycling center outside Salcajá in March. You can read a little more about recent recycling work here. (Photo by Elizabeth Barnes) |
Above all, working in the communities around Xela was the most rewarding part of the internship. While three months isn’t an exceptionally long time, it was long enough to get to know some of the women, children, and families, who participate in the programs. After a couple weeks, faces in Xecaracoj and Llanos del Pinal started to look a lot more familiar, and we were regularly greeted with kisses on the cheek.
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| Mary leads a Nutrition Program presentation about indoor air pollution in Llanos del Pinal in January a couple weeks after starting her internship. You can read more about Mary's experience with this presentation here. (Photo by Elise Lynch) |
What really struck me was how easy I settled in at Pop Wuj and in Xela. Even the chicken bus felt totally normal after a couple of rides, and I had to remind myself when we had volunteers that this was a totally new experience for them. That feeling of comfort and normality, even in an environment which is so different than what I was accustomed to, is completely attributable to the community which Pop Wuj has built, and I will miss it very much.
So thank you Pop Wuj and thank you Xela! You will always have a very special place in my heart and I am so grateful for the time we were able to spend together.
Mary has returned to Canada to complete her Bachelor of Arts Honours in Global Politics at Carleton University. ¡Te deseamos todo lo mejor, Mary! Que te vayas bien.
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| Mary hefts a bag of clay into a Safe Stove Project paricipant's home. You can read about our Safe Stove Project "compra," or materials shopping and delivery day, here. (Photo by Emily Rempel) |
You can read more blog posts written by Mary or spotlighting her by clicking here.
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