If you have been creeping on my facebook you know that I woke up to the pleasant sound of the Guatemalan National Cathedral and fireworks…a very rude awakening, but the beginning of a very great day.
I began with the largest breakfast I have ever ingested (minus brunches at Nony's). After a small orientation meeting we walked to APROFAM, a youth health clinic. Here we talked about sex, sexual abuse, oppression of women, illegal abortion, and the national ignorance of contraception and safe sex. Here are some stats from Guatemala that shocked me a bit: there are 14,000 teen mothers between the ages of 12 and 19, 70,000 illegal abortions per year, 27,000 of which are induced abortions, it costs 5,000 to 6,000 quetzales ($400) for abortions and those who can't pay often use clothes hangers, parts of a bike or umbrella, or even crochet needles to "interrupt their pregnancy". The scary thing is that the constitution opposes the work of organizations like APROFAM because, according to the constitution, it is the parents' job to educate their children on sex. The lack of conversation and knowledge of sex ends up being harmful for the community through abuse, STDs, unplanned pregnancy, and the fatalities due to each of them.
After that visit we walked to the central plaza and saw the Palace and National Cathedral. There were pigeons, goats, and children everywhere. The goats were laying in the shade as their milk was being sold not 100 yards away.
After lunch we drove through the city where we saw the rich part of town where rent for an apartment is $1,800 per month and it's common to see expensive cars like Porche, Lexus, and Mercedes Benz. The atmosphere quickly changed as we drove to the city dump. Here we visited a center for children to save them from spending a life working in the dump. In communities around the dump, families live in rundown apartments in trash-filled streets where dogs run free. The smell is overwhelming and you can feel the dirt hitting your body as the wind blows. It is here that countless people spend their lives digging through trash to find materials to sell. The organization we visited educates children and gets them jobs in the city with hopes that they will do something more with their lives and leave the dump behind.
One of the apartment buildings across from the dump.
From there we drove to Antigua, a beautiful area with a much lower crime rate. Our hotel is gorgeous and even has a polite parrot who likes to repeat "Hola" over and over again.
Our final speaker of the day (I can't tell you his name) really effected me. He went through a lot during the war. His father was tortured, his brothers disappeared, and his sister was killed. This man has every reason to be bitter and angry at the world. However, the war made him even more loving, kind, and determined to spread peace. He explained that there was never a real end to the war. Yeah, the politicians signed a piece of paper that declared peace, rights, and other terms that paint a pretty picture. The reality is quite different. There is still hatred and violence running rampant in this country. He said that in situations, like the one in Guatemala, it is easy to want to blame God and question why He would let such awful things happen, but it is a human problem that humans must solve. The problem, in this situation, is that people aren't able to talk about and express their pain. They keep it all bottled up inside, which can often cause more violence or alcoholism. Such behavior is expected in this culture because the citizens of Guatemala are sons and daughters of war. They don't have the capacity to resolve conflict in a civil and peaceful manner because they have never experienced that, so the pain and suffering continues.
The part that hit me the hardest and kind of rocked my world a little bit was what he said next. He talked about how nonprofits and nonprofit workers from other countries come in and throw money, clothes, or food at the problem, but this isn't what they need. All they need is for someone to really see them, listen to them, and understand their pain…ok, i get it, but my life goal is to have a nonprofit in Central or South America. Is he saying that my dream is invalid? That I have no place here? That I can't provide what the people need? I felt all of a sudden as if the rug had been pulled out from under me. After the lecture I spoke to the man and this is what he told me, "The only resolution to poverty and despair is to open your heart. No matter what situation you find yourself in in the future, you can only do what you are capable of doing. You don't need affirmation from anyone but yourself. Do what you know you are meant to do as long as you do it with happiness and know that your passions are not your own. They come from the universe and all that is around you."….wow….that is a lot to think about and process.
One more thing he said that I loved is that humans are the only animal that have lost their heart. The wealthy think of themselves and forget the poor. They forget their brothers whereas the most wild of animals share their kill, or their food with their fellow species and are conscious of one another…isn't that kind of depressing?
Time to stop now. I need some rest so my brain will slow down for a second.
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