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!)