Fidel

At first glance, Fidel seems like a jolly, loving, and simple man. He constantly smiles and giggles. He thoroughly enjoys listening to others and learning about their lives. When I am around Fidel I can't help but smile. I found out today that this manl is one of the strongest and most amazing individuals I have ever met.

Fidel grew up in a rural, Mayan village in the highlands. His family was so poor that they very often had only a half of a tortilla for a meal. His mother sometimes didn't eat in order to feed her children the bare minimum she could provide. To help with his family, Fidel began working in the cornfields and shepherding the family's few sheep. He found on his own that the manure from the sheep fertilized the soil and made larger and more prosperous corn stalks. So, every morning as a young child, Fidel would wake up between 4 and 5 in the morning, put some manure in his backpack and work in the fields until it was time for school. After school he would come home and do his homework as the watched over the sheep, then start all over the next day.

At the age of 14, Fidel began secondary school. This was the first time in his life that Fidel wore shoes and socks. He said that he didn't even know how to put on the socks and ended up having them on crooked and inside out. Fidel had a very hard time at secondary school. Since he had grown up in an indigenous Mayan home, he only spoke his native language. No Spanish. He had to teach himself Spanish and the other children would tease him and hit him because he was different. Fidel had to work very hard to motivate himself to learn, but succeeded and was given the opportunity to travel to Minnesota for divinity school.

"I said I want to go to Minneapolis because the United States are Paradise. They said that they had all the foods, you know, you could go to the table and grab all the foods you want. It is Paradise. They said that the trees with the fruit, like the fruit trees, just had the fruits that you can pick and just eat. It is Paradise. They said that the monies were thrown in the streets so, you know, you can pick up the monies and have all the monies. It is Paradise."

After divinity school, Fidel returned to his community to teach the people about Jesus Christ to give them the hope that was desperately needed.

This afternoon we did an activity to experience this national poverty for ourselves. We were split into four groups and given one of the following topics; health and medicine, clothing, school and school supplies, and food. We learned that the average Guatemalan receives 50 quetzals (Q) per day, which is the equivalent of $6.25. Each of our groups was given the assignment to go out into the city and find out average prices for each aspect of life and the ability to live off of the minimum wage. 

I was in a group with Soo, Miguel, and Bri. Our topic was health and medicine, so we visited various pharmacies, clinics, and hospitals. We found that respiratory and stomach/intestinal related illnesses are the most prominent ailments in Guatemala. Antibiotics for such illnesses cost Q32-Q83, Pepto Bismol is Q23-Q27, and cough syrup is Q33-Q45. Just one small container of cough syrup can cost an entire day's salary. At the Clinics we found that medical tests range from Q15-Q40 and these test have to be taken to a doctor, which costs Q150-Q180. A hospital visit costs Q200-Q250. Basically, if someone gets sick, there is virtually no way they can get the treatment they need.

The other groups found that to send kids to school and provide them with the necessary supplies would cost Q357 per month for one child (most families have 3 or 4 kids). It costs about Q150 to feed a family of five per day (this is not counting meat). Finally, it costs Q40-Q500 for one article of clothing.

If a family has to spend at least Q50 on one basic need, then how is it possible for them to survive? Such circumstances lead to a life like Fidel's. He had to work as a child, he rarely had enough to eat, and wore clothes that we wouldn't even use as rags with which to clean our houses. 

I'm absolutely humbled by the people in this country.