August 4th-14th, 2006
By Friday, we had traveled around quite a bit, made some new friends, and seen SO MUCH of the truly amazing scenery that they have here. I was a little overwhelmed and very ready to go back to my host family. We had visited Santiago, Atitlan, Chichicastenango, and Chinautla, all very long car rides filled with a lot of laughs and a few problems along the way, dealing with each others flaws and pet peeves.
While in TN2 I had the privilege of staying with a former delegate of Tierra Nueva Dos, Maximina Orozco de Rivera, and her wonderful family. She and her husband, Julio Rivera, have five kids (Elizabeth, Alba, Marleny, Julio, and Jerson) that showed us what it is to love your family. I come from a family where love is very important and babies are simply adored, but my visit here has taught me what the communities that I have grown up in are in need of- more love. Claire and I made a new game where we would stick our heads out of the windows of the speeding van and scream "HOLAA" at all of the kids that we passed. Instead of the typical Minnesotan reaction that I would give (look at them like they were insane and then wave half-heartedly) the kids would just BEAM at us and scream right back. I'm serious when I say that the smiles of the children here can heal anything. They are the most beautiful kids I have ever seen and my mind is set that my kids are going to be Guatemalan.. well, half I guess.
Before my visit, I told some of my close friends where I was going, and the only responses that I got were that I was going to go and help this impoverished country with all of the money that we have. But, the one lesson that will always stick in my mind is that we are the ones that are actually needing some help. The people here have a kind of love for one another throughout their community and also for other communities that I could never explain to you with words- maybe with one of the hugs that I learned how to give here. Money cannot buy you love- I now know that this is very true.
The sickness part of the trip was a little challenging at times, but when mixed with the friendships in TN2, the VERY handy first-aid kit that we brought along, Doctóra Maximina with her chamomile tea, and the newly acquired sickness lingo we all have now as a normal part of our vocabulary, the almost throwing up and terrible stomach aches became not-so-bad.
Today was the goodbye. Except for we were told that we were not allowed to call it that… it's just a farewell. But to tell you the truth, a farewell has never seemed more like a goodbye to me in my life. At the end of my new beginning, saying goodbye to all of my new friends was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. After many hugs (stress on the MANY) and the car ride back to the Sister Parish Center, which had some nice water works going on, we talked about our many adventures of this wonderful experience that God blessed us with.
The last hug I made was with a brother of nine other kids, nineteen years old, Juan Lopez, one of the kids that is part of the scholarship project and currently paints houses. Juan and I formed a really incredible relationship (because of the five hour drive to Santiago, Atitlán) while talking about family, friends, sports, jobs, and a lot about las vejigas (the bladders) of everyone else in the car. We were supposed to stay very hydrated while also on a road trip - bad idea. Juan is currently on a break from school, where he is studying to be an accountant, because he is working to support both himself and also his family, while paying for the remainder of his school. I really have no idea what it would be like supporting seven other kids and not being able to just go to school and not worry about anything but not failing Spanish class. And I also don't understand how people with this many struggles can be this loving and happy.
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