Hey guys! I can’t believe that we are halfway through this program, time sure flies! It’s really difficult to get to ALL the many experiences I’ve had here in Guatemala, but I’ll try to at least get through some highlights!
The first weekend we were here, I stuck around Antigua, and didn’t do much except settle in and get comfortable. This was nice because it allowed me time to adjust to completely different surroundings than where I had been just a week before. As you all know, however, there was an awful eruption at Volcan de Fuego that Sunday. When the eruption occurred, I honestly thought little of what was happening, or how things looked outside. I had become accustomed to frequent popping noises outside, and given the dark skies and the fact that it had rained on a near-daily basis since we arrived, I figured it was just another storm. However, I quickly became wary when the “rain” hitting the roof sounded more like hail, and it was difficult to see outside my window. My homestay mother explained there was a volcanic eruption, and ash was raining down as a result. She didn’t seem too concerned with what was occurring though, so I was under the impression that it wasn’t that big of a deal and that I was in no immediate danger. I didn’t come to the full realization of how bad the eruption was until I saw international news reports coming out about it roughly six hours later.
While I sympathize with anyone who endures any natural disaster anywhere, I think that actually being near this disaster zone, and experiencing or suffering its repercussions, is entirely different. After the eruption occurred, I couldn’t help but think about what could have happened had I gone hiking up near Volcan de Fuego that weekend. Because of my proximity, I felt more impacted by this event than by other natural disasters that I see all the time on the news. I was grateful that I was situated where the volcano didn’t pose an immediate danger, and that I didn’t have to experience the trauma that so many others had to go through. I also felt more obligated to do something to help those who had suffered. I bought a couple of items (toothpaste, canned food) to send to those who were left much worse off from the volcano. I have to admit that if I had been in the United States when this happened, I may have done nothing to help (though I’m not a bad person, promise!). But this situation made me more likely to want to try to help people whenever and wherever they may be suffering, because obviously these kind of national disasters can happen to anyone at any time, even to me. And I would want people helping me!
Another highlight of this program was the trip we took to Lake Atitlan two weekends ago. There were so many different experiences I enjoyed during that trip!
While it may seem weird, one of my favorite parts of this trip was the beauty we came upon as we arrived to Panajachel and the surrounding areas. I think that areas with bodies of water are always beautiful (even though we were told that the water here was kind of gross!) and the view here did not disappoint! I also really liked the boat rides we took every day from Panajachel to different cities. While I was a little nervous on the boats at first (a subconscious fear of the boat sinking), that was soon replaced as I came to appreciate the feeling of not being able to predict what would happen while on the boat. It was fun to experience things that I didn’t expect –like the boat hitting a wave and causing it to jump mid-air for a few seconds! I also got a lot of enjoyment looking at the surrounding scenery while riding the boat. As someone who has lived in Austin her entire life, I don’t see massive mountains and volcanoes in the background of my city too much, so I find their grandeur to be simply awesome. It seems almost as if these towns and cities are at the mercy of these mountains and volcanoes as they display their true power, and at the mercy of the dominance of nature.
I also found I really appreciated the strong connections that these towns and the people we met (including in Antigua) have to their past. Back home in the United States, the hectic pace that life runs at makes it seem that the past is hardly thought about, and doesn’t especially impact our daily lives. I personally like to reminisce about the past, it gives me context for my life. It helps me to see what others have done in the past or what I’ve done in the past, and how far we’ve all come. I feel glad knowing that there are people and places that like me value their history. Here I’ve seen I’m not the only one who feels tied to the past, sees it as a part of who they are, and actively uses and learns from it as they move into the future.
