Road Trip

The past weekend was full of new experiences all around. It began with visiting the 2nd site of ancient ruins since I have been to in Guatemala. Iximche. While not as huge as Tikal, the place was packed with history. Iximche was the first capital of Guatemala, which is pretty cool considering that is Mayan ruins as opposed to a Spanish settlement.

Then we went to volcanic hot springs in Las Fuentes Georginas. Enough said.

I was really intrigued by a co-op glassblowing factory we visited on the way back to Antigua. The workers are paid by piece produced and the pieces are shipped out over the entire country. They also use a system of recycling that allows for minimal waste and maximum art.

Last but not least we visited Lake Atitlan. The lake used to be a volcano but imploded on itself long ago. Katie and I were able kayak and swim in the morning. We stayed in an Eco lodge tucked into the side of a mountain sitting 15 feet above the lake. It was a very relaxing trip, a great way to begin approaching the end of the semester.

From Food Poisoning to Genocide

Last week, Katie and I both experience the joys of food poisoning.

I was awakened on a Monday morning to a queezyness in my stomach with the thought, "man...it would suck if I was sick and had to throw up".  Sure enough within minutes I was re-experiencing the amazing food we had at a restaurant the night before.  Nevertheless once everything was out of my system, I re-cooperated by the end of the day. [Note to self: don't order the side salad again]

However, Katie was having a bit more trouble getting rid of it.  After five or six hours had passed, she was still sick and couldn't even keep water down.  We decided to take her to the hospital and get her checked out.  We called our friend Crystal to take us to the hospital and within minutes we were with a doctor.  Some fluids and antibiotics was all Katie needed and she was feeling much better within an hour once she was being taken care of.

This experience opened my eyes up to a couple of things.

First off, this was the first time I ever had to take Katie to the hospital for something I couldn't help her with myself.  Even though her treatment was moderate, we definitely needed to get fluids in her body asap.  I would guess that every spouse or parent goes through a similar situation at one point in time and I couldn't help but think about what my Mom and Dad had to experience with my brother spending the first 2 1/2 years of his life in a hospital with severe heart problems. In addition, having this experience in Guatemala where even the doctors do not speak English is very difficult to endure. (Crystal spoke Spanish and translated for us)

Secondly, I realized how fortunate I am to live in a country such as the U.S. that is over-supplied with medical equipment.  Even though we were at a very nice private hospital that is close to Antigua, there were still a few situations that were surreal to me.  For example, there were only a few bottles of pedialyte available for me to purchase at the pharmacy.  It was hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that a hospital wouldn't have something as basic as pedialyte stocked up to the ceiling.

However this is the simple reality that Guatemalans and many others have to live with.  In fact, there are many aspects of their lives that they "just have to live with".  This is not to say that there are not individuals standing up for their civil liberties and basic human rights.  In fact, right around the time that I entered Guatemala, some protesters on the other side of the country were shot and killed for wanting better sewer/water systems from the government in their local areas.

Water.

Not religious freedom, gay marriage, or political corruption justice.

Water.

People were killed for wanting the ability to cook a meal, wash the dishes, and maybe take a shower at the end of the day.

Nevertheless, during this shooting the police who acted so brutally were punished; something that is rather taboo in Guatemala.  Guatemalan officials have had a long history of being exempt from any punishment based on their acts during their civil duties.  However that attitude, with much resistance, seems to be changing within the culture here.

Rios Montt, a former general of the Guatemalan army, is under prosecution right now for ordering the deaths of thousands of Guatemalans during the 36-year civil war.  This "war" has been deemed a genocide by the U.N. and you can read more about the trial here.

With this man being now in his late 80s, he has limited political power, but this case is a huge step forward for Guatemala in its ability to utilize a democratic system.  Of course these systems can be manipulated like any other; but these systems can be used for the good of all people.


Okay, I went from food poisoning to genocide...a great example of a "tangent", kids.

Thanks for reading!

Faith the size of a mustard seed...or was it a coconut?

One of the most frustrating things in life is a feeling of powerlessness.  This can happen in the workplace, in a political setting, and even in the church.  We visited La Casa de Dios (The House of God) church today which is the largest in Guatemala.  If I am completely honest, I felt sick by the end of the service.  Not because I ate some bad food the night before, but because I believe Jesus was terribly misrepresented.

La Casa de Dios is considered a mega-church and an average of 22,000 people attend its services weekly.  People travel from all over the city, many by "chicken" buses, to attend.  Let me be clear that I have nothing against mega-churches themselves.  If anything, they have a vast network of resources to help out the community in ways that smaller churches might not be able to.  Furthermore, the people I interacted with before the service started were very friendly and watching them worship made me feel very humbled because of their passion.  Guatemalans tend to be a very loyal and dedicated population; especially when religion is involved.  The church itself was beautiful with awesome lighting, ambiance, and it was a very comfortable place to be.

But while the people were vibrant, the message was very dark and narrow.  The pastor mainly focused on the technique of the "prosperity gospel", meaning that he relates dedication to God to financial prosperity.  This method of preaching can still be seen in the United States even though it has certainly decreased in the last 30 years or so.  The pastor used the parable of the "faith of a mustard seed" to suggest that life cannot get better unless you "just have faith"...and throw $10 in the offering plate.  It probably doesn't help that the pastor's nickname is "Cash" (something that was adopted before his ministry started).  It is very hard to put into words my frustration without sounding judgmental but perhaps an example will help.

For his sermon, Cash used the story of the women in the gospels who had been "bleeding" for almost her whole life, and after seeing numerous "doctors", she saw Jesus as her final hope. "If I could just touch his robe", the woman thought, "then I would be healed".  She does so and in fact is miraculously healed.  It is my favorite story in the bible because if she hadn't been healed, she would have been put to death because her illness did not allow her to touch anyone, let alone a rabbi.

Similarly, a woman, full of tears and bent over with some sort of physical disability, approached Cash during the second round of collecting offering, and told him that she could not handle the agony of being disabled anymore.  She seemed so desperate as she place a few dollars on the offering plate.  Her presence moved me to tears as this reminded me so much of the woman who had been bleeding for many years and whose hope was dwindling.

As Cash approached this woman she told her that she needed to "stop crying", and instead focus on the, "fact that she was going to be healed".  This enraged me simply because of how unsympathetic he was being with her.  It made me think of how Jesus wept with Lazarus'  family as they were grieving his loss.  Who was Cash to deny her these very human emotions.  Nevertheless, after a few moments Cash began to pray for this women to be healed.

However she was not healed that day.  No miracle, no heavenly spirit, not a thing.  

Cash seemed to be caught in his own lie.  He had just spent the last hour telling his followers that faith the size of a mustard seed could solve all of our problems.  However, the truth is that God is not some jester we can call on whenever we feel like it.  Therefore in order to remove the blame from himself, he then began to explain how this women just doesn't have enough faith, and that this was the thing keeping her from being healed: never mind the fact that Cash had just mentioned that faith as small as a mustard seed could perform miracles, so then her faith must have been super-tiny.

Jesus never promised us happy and healthy lives.  He never promised us prosperity.  It is not because Jesus was a party-pooper; it is because he knew that simply being healthy and wealthy never produces joy.  Instead, things like community, tolerance, forgiveness, growth, children, ideas, stories, family, and simply relying on other for the good of the whole would bring us a peace and make us more like God.  And then, if someone becomes wealthy, everyone is able to enjoy the abundance instead of a select few.  

As we left the church, I asked the question, "what do we do with a church like this?".  In other words, how do we teach people that following Jesus is more about giving than receiving?  I then realized that the religious atmosphere in Jesus' time was almost exactly the same.  Devotion to the temple and its priests was the only path to God.  If the priests did not find your offering worthy enough, you would become an outcast.  Therefore I suppose the answer to my question is to continue studying the behaviors of Jesus and continually pursue a life of love, empathy, and transformation.  

Star Wars

Over the weekend we had the chance to take a weekend trip to Tikal which is one of the most famous site for ancient ruins in all of Guatemala.  It is located in the northern part of Guatemala very close to the border of Belize.  At Tikal, we were able to see numerous ruins constructed by the ancient Mayan peoples from over 1000 years ago.

Many of the structures resembled the building pictured here.  The main purpose of these structures varied, but the typical use was for ceremonial purposes such as giving sacrifices to the Mayan Gods.  The sacrifice (sometimes human) would first be killed on the circular stones as seen in front of these pillars, and then be burnt atop the monument as an offering.

This is a picture of Katie standing atop the tallest ruin within Tikal which was used in the movie Star Wars: A New Hope (I didn't know that either)

Pictured to the left is a tree.  What kind of tree? I'm so glad you asked.  This Ceiba tree is native to Central America and the Mayans considered it sacred since it represents the 3 spiritual levels of our world.  The roots of the tree represent what we would consider to be hell or the underworld, the trunk represents the physical world around us, and the top branches represent the gods and heaven.  This tree is at least 60 feet high and its roots can reach several hundred feet.

We got really lucky in seeing wildlife.  There were plenty of parrots, monkeys, and these guys pictured to the left (I forgot the name but they are a member of the raccoon family) and it was awesome to see!




Thanks for reading!

It Took Me Over 45 Minutes to get Mcdonald's Breakfast This Morning

And when I got home I realized I didn't get my hashbrown...the prince of breakfast foods.

I have ran into many of these "first-world problems" while abroad in Guatemala as I do every time I travel to countries that do not have the accessibility to daily resources that the US has.  For instance, I have to walk everywhere I want to get to; there are hardly any street signs, and nothing is labeled with a price.

For those who've not become accustomed to such norms, frustration and ethnocentrism can easily surface.  However, I have learned over time to find the beauty in these instances where everything I want isn't at my finger-tips.  It allows me to step in the shoes of the billions of people around the world who go this routine every single day.  As a Christian, I believe that this is an essential realization to be like Jesus.  After all, Jesus lived the life of a common man, and one that was certainly not easy.

To be honest, despite all of the amazing advances in information, technology, and transportation over the millenia, one important question needs to guide their purpose which is: Do they bring us joy?

I believe this question to be of the utmost importance because if we are using something to bring us joy when it in fact will never do that, we are living a lifestyle that of a psychopath; someone who expects different results despite performing the same act over and over.

Nevertheless, I do not despise new technologies and for some reason consider them inherently evil.
One of my fondest memories growing up was sitting in a movie theater with a bucket of popcorn with my siblings at the $1 show.  However if I am going to truly enjoy such technology as going to the theater I must remember that the community I experience with my siblings is what gives me joy.  Seeing the movie certainly gives me happiness, but the existence of community is an essential part of becoming joyful.

At this point I should probably wrap this back into my trip here...and I promise it does.  I notice that those with less here in Guatemala seem to always have their close friends and family with them.  In order to get groceries, a mother needs her daughter in order to carry them all home.  If a family wants Mcdonald's for dinner, then they all have to go and eat together since there are no drive-thrus here.  These small occurrences bring people together because for the majority here in Guatemala, community is key to survival.

I believe that one of the reasons Jesus calls us to live simple lifestyles (financially) is so that we never become too self sufficient.  After all, if we are supposed to rely on God for our needs, how will we know how that works if we only rely on ourselves?


Gracias para leyendo! (Thanks for reading!)

The Beginnings of My Career

I am almost 10% through my internship at the God's Child Project (GCP) and I would consider this the start of my career as a Social Worker.

As with any new position, things are exciting and fresh and I certainly feel this way at GCP.  My main roles as an intern will be assisting volunteers as they pass through on a daily basis, a lot of research assistance, and I hope to work with children or young adults in the near future.   Typically, the social workers here perform home visits around ten days out of each month to check up on families to see if GCP can offer them any assistance in order to keep their children in school and the family financially stable.

I have to say that it feels great finally being able to use the knowledge and resources I have stored up over the years for an organization like GCP.  Additionally, I am quite thankful for all of the classes that I dreaded taking during my undergraduate (research design...ahem).

Having this opportunity to study abroad, let alone travel abroad, is a huge blessing and is one that I hope never to take advantage of by putting my needs before others.

On the more recreational side of things, our group was able to visit the town of San Antonio in order to visit a home where a group of Guatemalan women showed us some traditional Mayan customs.  These included weaving, grinding coffee, making tortillas, and getting married, the last of which Katie and I were fortunate enough to experience.

Basket-head-carrying race!

Mine and Katie's second marriage

My attempt at the old-school way of
grinding coffee beans

Around 50% of the population in Guatemala is considered of Mayan descent and it is amazing to see so many natives in a country with so much Western Influence.  The United States only has about 1% of the population that can be considered Native American so it is certainly a rare occurence that there is still such a large emphasis on Mayan culture in Guatemala.

That's all for now...thanks for reading!

Many "news"

Lots of "news" for this past week.

Last week Friday the rest of the semester group arrived and settled into their host homes.  All of the students for this semester are staying with host families provided by the Spanish school, La Union, that where we are all studying.  These families either have a room available for students or they rent a small apartment complex to house numerous people.

Today marked the first day for my second Spanish class, Intermediate Spanish.  I will have class Monday through Friday, for the next three weeks, and should be able to speak at an intermediate level by then which is pretty cool!

Today also marked the first day that I worked with the God's Child Project. After my Spanish class and a quick lunch, I headed over to GCP which is about a 40 minute walk one-way but goes by rather fast.  Once there, I met with another social worker and his coworker and was told that we were going to do five home-visits to the parents of some of the new students in GCP's elementary school.

These visits allow GCP to understand how the parents of the children are doing financially, physically, and emotionally.  Besides supplying their children with basic school supplies, families only need to pay $2/month for their child to continue their education.  Many of these children are at risk of being pulled out of school in order to sell souvenirs in the street in order to make money.  Therefore, it is very important for the parents of the children to understand that GCP is there as a resource for keeping their children in school.

The children GCP supports mainly come from the poorer areas of Antigua where a person may not make more than $5 a day.  Since I was obviously not able to take photos for our home visits, I do not have any but I will be sure to post some of GCP next week.

After the home visits, I was offered to work as a volunteer coordinator since their office has been lacking a lot of assistance.  This would entail setting up appointments, tours, and assisting new volunteers in any way through GCP.

Thanks for reading!

Hasta luego!

Expectations

I have officially been in Guatemala for three weeks now which is considered the minimal amount of time it takes to be "immersed" in a culture.  Even though, the past three weeks have been very relaxing and I have had very little difficulty living here in Antigua.

One of the most important components in this transition has been to not have overwhelming expectations.  A person can only be disappointed if the outcome of a situation did not match their perceived expectation.  Therefore by relieving oneself of what I hope an experience to be like, I try to have the mindset that whatever happens throughout my day has a unique significance.

A portion of La Union Spanish School where I attend
five days a week from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m

With that said, this has been a very useful trait to have during the final week of my first of two Spanish classes.  The first week seemed to fly by for me as most of it was review of what I had previously learned in high school.  However the second week proved to be much more intensive and I was finding myself very challenged to memorize the numerous rules and conditions that the Spanish language contains.

More of the school!

Nevertheless, Antigua has to be one of the easiest environments to study in for me because it is never too warm or too cold, and coffee is no farther than 10 feet in every direction (maybe a bit of a stretch but oh well).

In fact, Guatemalan blends are my favorite so as a coffee lover, trying out all of the cafes could take you months!

 One of our favorite places to hang out and eat is the Sky Cafe which sits on the mid-eastern border of Antigua and offers stunning views of the surrounding mountains.

Almost all of Antigua relies on the tourism industry as I have met people all over the world from Quebec to Australia.

Tomorrow we have a meeting with one of the directors of the God's Child Project in order to set up our internship so stay posted!

Settling In

This past week I have felt much more grounded than the week before; especially after passing the half-way mark for the first of my two Spanish classes.  I am taking two classes of Spanish while I am here in Antigua, each lasting three weeks, which occur Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m..

In a typical morning I'll wake up around 7 a.m., get dressed, eat breakfast provided by my host family (usually a bowl of fruit and coffee), and then head off for class. My class is one-on-one with a Guatemalan Spanish teacher at La Union language school here in Antigua. Maco, my professor, has been teaching at La Union for several years and is a very patient and fun person.

Not only do these Spanish lessons provide me with university credits, but it is also essential for me to know the language for the internship I will be completing here. I'm sure I will have much more to say when my internship actually begins some time next week, but I will be working with the organization God's Child Project that is based in the outskirts of Antigua. Their mission statement from their website states that, "The GOD’S CHILD Project (GCP) is an educational development organization dedicated to breaking the chains of poverty through education and formation". Although education for children is the main focus, the organization also extends assistance to the children's families through various efforts.

Other than attending my Spanish classes and preparing for my internship, these past couple of weeks have been someof the most relaxing in my life.

I definitely needed a break from the business back in the states. I find myself reading much more now that I am not required to read other books for classes I might otherwise be taking.  One in particular is I have thoroughly enjoyed so far is titled, The Value of Nothing which describes the reasoning and history behind the US's financial crisis in 2008 and how society's "leaders" compound the problem.


Other than relaxing, Antigua offers numerous excursions, with one of them being able to visit an active volcano.  

I hate posing for pictures so I am trying to look
like a dork on purpose

The one I visited is named Volcano Pacaya, and reaches an elevation of over 8,000 feet.  Standing less than 200 yards away from it and gazing over a layer of clouds in the sunset was simply amazing and is something I am very fortunate to be a part of.  Really all of my travelings are a gift that I try to not take for granted.  There are plenty of people in Guatemala who don't even have enough money to travel within their own country let alone outside it.

My wife, Katie...she is a much better model than I

Thanks so much for reading!

One week down

Hola!

This past week has been a very smooth transition for me as I have settled into my homestay and started Spanish lessons.  My host family includes Mr. Elder Marino, and his wife, Marina Marino.  They are both retired from their previous careers and now manage the complex I am staying in.  Elder and Marina cook us three meals a day and I can honestly say that the meals they prepare are better than any restaurant I have been to here in Antigua.

Mine and Katie's room for the semester. Very cozy.

I have also had the pleasure of meeting some others who are currently staying in Elder's complex who are from the United States but live in Holland and work for a company called Global Players.  The focus of the organization is to encourage collegiate athletes in the United States to study abroad.  Global Players makes sure that the path to studying abroad for American collegiate athletes is as smooth as possible.  Check out their website if you think anyone would be interested!

The streets of Antigua all look very similar
to this one and can take a while to memorize

Other than relaxing at my homestay, exploring the city has been great and I find a new coffee shop, restaurant, or  artisan's shop every time I go out.  My professor here, Paul, explained it as the "Ann Arbor of Michigan", which I would have to agree with.  Antigua is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, Spanish colony still standing in all of Central America which was established in the early 18th century and features a myriad of cultural sights and sounds.

In the picture below, the yellow building is one of the many long-standing traditions Antigua has held onto.  The structure is called a "pila", and is essentially a small pool of water where people can come to wash their clothes.

South-facing street in Guatemala featuring the volcan de agua
(don't worry it's inactive)

Getting adjusted with my new surroundings has been surprisingly easy for me as I enjoy the simplistic and quiet surroundings I am blessed to experience.

That's all for now,

hasta lluego! (see you later!)