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!