"....and a river runs through it..", the dump, that is. On February 3, Tim and I took our home stay mom, Rebeca, for a ride in our car. Who knows when she was last in a vehicle?? She didn't know how to use the seatbelt!! We were on a brand new carratera (highway) into the countryside. We passed a pueblito (village) where the local dump covered both banks of the river. The urge to 'clean' here is almost overwhelming at times. No one seems to care that trash is blowing everywhere.On the main streets of Antigua, we see men with trash bags and long barbecue tongs picking up the major pieces, but gum wrappers, beer bottle tops and and bits of plastic litter the streets. Empty lots become mini dumps, with coffee cups and plastic bottles crowding out the grass and bushes.

Dust is everywhere. The streets are cobblestone, but the stones are just set into dirt. Some areas have been cemented down, but not all. We are in the dry season now, so we don't have the settling effects of the rain to keep things washed down. We've been watching a vine slowly turn dry and wither in the constant 25+ degree heat.

Exhaust fumes are only partially cleared by the occasional breeze - no pollution controls here! The city is even worse than Antigua. It's all part of a country that is rebuilding after 30 years of civil war. The money just isn't there to solve all the woes - pollution, poverty, education and health care issues - all at once.

Little by little, though, things ARE improving. It's exciting to be a part of the positive changes, even if our contribution is small. All small things add up!!!