Last Friday we had an awesome day walking more than 6 kilometers with our students from Monte Cristo in a march against smoking.
We started off the day at the town hall with speeches from the mayor of Chimaltenango and the head of the Dept. of Education for our region. They reminded our students in the physical dangers of smoking and to fight the social pressure to start smoking at their age.
The whole walk took us about an hour and a half with over 100 students and faculty members.
Thankfully, everyone made it in one piece to enjoy a quick snack and then finish out our day with a talk by the school’s doctor. He taught us about theĀ general health risks and high percentages of carcinogens related to smoking.
Since coming to Guatemala, I’ve recognized how many parts of our American culture are subtly dangerous: our overly processed foods, lack of fresh air in daily life, and over dependence on transportation instead of walking. Our day against smoking at CEMOC was a blast and we all learned alot about how to lead a healthier lifestyle.