We deal with rain in Austin, and we dealt with rain in Guatemala. Yet, weather there seemed so much more impactful. With “two” seasons–the rainy season and the dry season–that seem to be less predictable as climate change impacts Central America, hearing devastating stories about how the rains washed away homes, crops, and livelihoods in a matter of minutes, or seeing streets become creeks before my very eyes makes development issues that much more real.
There seemed to be two very incompatible things going on: an abundance of water (bad) and a shortage of water (also bad). The former relates to deluges of water being able to flood vulnerable areas or giving way to mass wasting. The latter refers to lack of rains during planting seasons, letting crops dry out and leaving families with no income or food supply and increasing the cost of foods all around, and lack of potable water. Now, drinking water issues were something our group became very acquainted with. Taps, drinking fountains, and random restaurant ice were out the question. Despite relying on filtered water for drinking and teeth-brushing out of caution, a lot of us came down with parasites and bacterial infections that are waterborne. We were a group of wealthy (relative to the population of Guatemala) 20-somethings with the money to buy bottled water, access to filtered water dispensers, and access to running water, period.
All of this is to say, 1) even in our privileged positions, we were still subject to the realities of a less-than-stellar water source, something I didn’t realize was a luxury until I got to Guatemala, and 2) we were still (mostly) insulated from the legitimate dangers of rain events. We all know that these shouldn’t be issues, but they are, either because of lack of government funds, lack of legitimate power, or any other one of the issues facing Guatemala. In Austin, we have entire departments dedicated to water issues, one being Austin Water, who as of 7/1 is hiring for the position of director because the last one allowed for the city to go without a safe water source for a few days, and the Watershed Protection Department, whose entire mission is to protect against flooding, erosion, and to protect the health of the city’s waterways.
I know the official educational purpose of the program is to study ancient and colonial history in Latin America, but what impacted me most were these contemporary issues. Some are the consequence of colonialism, imperialism, and bungled international aid efforts, but that doesn’t take away the urgency or need of the common people. My homestay mom, Doña Dilia, told the story of her petitioning local government officials to improve Antigua’s stormwater infrastructure, with a team of engineers and watershed experts standing by her side. The way she told it, it was Doña Dilia against the world. She petitioned again and again, yet nothing ever got done, or what did get done were vanity projects that didn’t fully address the issue. This has been her fight for nearly 20 years! Yet, the image on this post was right outside her doorstep, with several drainage inlets lining the streets, unable to handle a brief downpour.
