Long Time no Talk

Hello all,
Sorry about the lack of updates, the last few days have been very busy. Over the last couple of days we have met with many organizations and started our work with Natate (an organization based out of San Cristobal). On Tuesday (Feb 8) we went to a presentation by a human rights organization called Frayba that operates out of San Cristobal. This organization is really busy so we didn't have a presentation specifically for our group, we had to sit in on one where they were training international observers. It was really informative but we couldn't get involved much since the presentation was not intended for us.
In the afternoon we met with Natate and got a presentation from them about their organization and about what we will be doing while we are volunteering with them for the next few days. We also got to meet a bunch of their volunteers and a couple of the people that we will be working with on our projects. It turns out that there are three projects they are currently working on: renovating the Mayan Medicine Museum, planting a botanical garden and working at an educational park. I am working at the educational park.
The next morning we went to our respective job sites to meet the locals working with us and to get an idea of what we will be doing. The park is a conservation area that covers 16 hectares. There is a zoo, walking trails and a bike path. Overall, it is a very nice place. After seeing where we will all be working we met up with the larger group and had a meeting with staff from the Canadian Embassy who were in town for other reasons. It was a good chance to network and meet people who work at the embassy.
This morning (Feb 10) we started our work at the park. Our job for the day was picking up garbage along the bike path. I should also mention that the terrain of the park is mountainous and that it was raining this morning. However, in spite of the rain and hills, it was a good time and we all got a really good workout hiking through beautiful paths in the mountains. It felt good to put in some labour and get out of the classroom. Anyways, I will update you guys again soon.
Scott