SSC_Newsletter_FEB_MARCH_2019_2

Sasha Guzman Texas A&M University-San Antonio

Meeting and helping the wonderful people in the village of El Amatillo has been a most rewarding experience, more than I had hoped for. Not only did I connect with the adults and children alike, but also with the similar cultural roots of my ancestors, as I am Native American. The process of drilling the well was amazing, because the gift of clean water lasts for decades to come and will serve multiple generations. When we first entered the village, we were greeted by the children with banners welcoming us with open arms. I loved the gesture, but what was to come I loved much more. The children were so full of life and excitement upon getting to know them better. Interacting with them through gymnastics, singing, music, fútbol, making balloons, and lectures, was the most fun of the entire trip for me. When the team was getting ready to leave, on our last day in the village, one of the little girls, Ashley, gave me a letter. I did not realize until the moment that she handed me the letter, how much the children had touched my heart. It brought a few tears to my eyes. I will carry the memories that we shared with me forever. The women and men of the village were very hospitable. We ate good meals, which the women made fresh from scratch and the men shoveled mud and dug irrigation paths, I was impressed. What stuck out to me is the interest and effort that the community put into the project. It made me happy to see what the well meant to them. Their spirits lifted my spirit. The mayor was actively involved for the duration of our stay. It gave me faith that the well would be taken care of after our departure. I hold all of the people who helped make this project happen in high regard. I felt in touch with my cultural roots while in Guatemala. I am Native American, of the Esto’k Gna tribe of southern Texas and northern Mexico. However, my Grandmother Marisela, who is passed

and who I could not find any ancestral records on, held many of the same practices as the people there. It surprised me that I kept coming across so many similarities. It brought back pleasant childhood memories. For example, the Pepián soup tasted the same as what she would cook for me as a child, she would give us worry dolls to play with, her pet, a Yellow-headed Parrot named Paco, was the same as the birds that I saw there, and her religious table was the same as the people have in their homes in Guatemala. The Mayan culture warmed my heart. In conclusion, I am grateful for the opportunity that I had to work with the Living Water team and its associates. We are lucky to have such concerned and apathetic people who want to make a

difference. I am also very grateful that I have clean water, and that I am so privileged in my lifestyle here in America. The lack of clean water in other countries is a basic necessity, and I am sad that many people in the world do not have this basic need. I would like to continue community service projects such as this one, when time and money permit, to help in what way my humble person can. In my daily life I ammore conscience of the amount of water that I am using. I conserved water before but am even more aware now of opportunities to preserve this precious resource. I notice that when I turn on the faucet, that I think of the children of El Amatillo and so many others like them and remember that I must be responsible.

All of the students’ reflections from the 2018 Save Water | Give Life rip have been shared but more will be on the way as we plan 2019. July 21-27th SSC will team up with Weathermatic for a 4th year to sponsor students to serve a community El Salvador. This year, two students from Lake Sumter State College and one student and one parent from Bastrop ISD will be joining students from Texas A&M and Teas A&M International University in this amazing opportunity. We can’t wait to hear the stories they will have to share with us.

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SSC | SERVICE SOLUTIONS | NEWSLETTER | JULY 2018