Heading Home

So today is my last day in Guatemala for a while. It is an odd sort of think to think about something that was over a year in the making is now coming to an end. And what did I learn from my time here???? I am still trying to figure it out. Will things be different when I return to MN? Hmmm...time will tell. I guess the good thing is that I am ready to come home. I am ready to be back together with my family, carving out our routine for the coming fall. I am ready to begin to figure out just what God is going to have us do this next year at OSLC. I am anxious to check in with Jasmine and Brittany and see how they are doing. I am ready to hear about how college is going for the first year students and how their parents are coping....I am ready to worship with the friends and family I have been away from....

Along the way

I have met many interesting people along the way this summer. Being a "WOO", according to Strength Finders, everyone I meet is simply a friend I need to get to know. And it is true. I really enjoy hearing the stories of other people...especially why they choose to spend time in Guatemala. In Antigua, many people I met came there because the language instruction is one on one. Several people had been to Guatemala for some reason or another, and like me, were drawn back again and again. Elaine, whom I met on Wednesday, was originally from Colorado. When she turned 40, she looked at her husband and said "Let's go somewhere new" and they loaded up the car to head to Panama. They were near Lake Atitlan in Guatemala when their car had trouble so they decided to stay for a while and get to know the area. They fell in love with the Lake and with life here, so they purchased lakefront property and have now lived here for 3 years. What is most entertaining to me, is that she still cannot speak Spanish! She claims that she doesn't need to here, since there are so many gringos....

I also met Juan. He works at Villa Sumaya and he is able to understand English, even when I talk quickly...so that made me wonder about his life. He told me that when he was a teenage he moved to California and lived there for many years. But about a year ago, he returned to his hometown on Lake Atitlan because his father is quite old and he wants to spend some time with him. Juan has 20 brothers and sisters in the area, but he wanted to be the one to help care for his elderly father.

Even the family that owns Villa Sumaya has an interesting story....they visited here and loved it so much they decided to start this retreat center. Then when they divorced, the women kept this resort, while the husband began another one right next door. Their children were born here and they continue to embrace the wonder of Guatemala each and every day.

I hope that the next time I am in Guatemala my spanish is to the point that I can speak more freely with the native Guatemalans and hear their stories.

Two first names

Even in Guatemala my name is difficult. Karn is odd to them, although Karen is a bit more doable. At my language school in Antigua, I settled for Carmen..it was easier for my teacher. Here on Lake Atitlan, I have a new teacher, Pedro, and we were talking about my name. So I was explaining how even in the U.S. my name gives people problems. Not only Karn, but especially because my last name is Carroll. Pedro laughed, and then said he had the same issues...his last name is Juan...Pedro Juan...another person with two first names.

So it is like Deanine speaks of frequently...as soon as I begin to think how different things are in Guatemala from the United States, something reminds me of how much people have in common.

Internet...

I would never have thought until this summer that I depended on the internet. I mean, sure, I enjoy facebook and emails are essential for work...but this summer the internet has had new meaning for me. For example, right now I am at a fairly isolated retreat center on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. You can only access this place by boat (like most of the towns around here). There is no tv, one phone, no junk food...but there is internet access. So this morning I have talked to my mom via facebook, uploaded some pictures so my family can see where I am, checked on the status of Hurricane Bill, and am writing on my blog.

But I am struggling with whether or not this dependance on the internet is a good thing. I mean, "sabbatical" is time away...time a part from normal, daily routines. But I am not comfortable with being totally alone...isolated....a part. Hmmm....

And yet, when I was nervous on the boat ride, with choppy waves splashing over the sides, the internet was not helpful.... only other person I could talk to about my fear was God...and yes..I prayed the entire was across the lake!

Reality bites

Guatemala is an a amazing country. It is beautiful, it is full of variety, colorful, and every person I have met has been very nice. But the other day I heard a speaker from a non-profit group called Wings, that reminded me about the reality of being Guatemalan. In this country, 40% of children will flunk first grade and the average person only completes 5.5 years of school; chronic malnutrician is rampant resulting in an IQ that is estimated at 15 points lower that it should be; the political system is democratic, but weak and corrupt; the police mean well (mostly) but are outnumbered 3 to 1 by private security guards; drug trafficing in the Peten (northern region) is growing because of illegal airstips and its rainforest area being too difficult to be policed; 600 bus drivers have been killed recently because gangs expect bus drivers to pay them in order to stay alive; poor women (insert "indigineous") have on average 7 children; there are 20 native languages still spoken here; the number one source of income for Guatemala? The money immigrants in the U.S. send back to their families. This country has so much to offer....yet it can't seem to beat the corruption that keeps it divided and oppressed.

Consequetnly, it is hard to know what to do or what to even pray for. Guatemala does not need to be another "U.S." but the people are unable to reach their fullest potention because of the lack of basic neccesities like education and pure water. And the malnutician...well, that is simply poverty at work...since this country produces an amazing array of fruits and vegetables and beans....

The gap between the poor and the rich is one of the most offensive there is in the world....

And yet I have heard several people who gave up their lives in the U.S. in order to help those in need here. Non-profit organizations contine to provide for the people what the government fails to: healthcare, education, housing.

Please keep the poor and indigenous people of Guatemala in your prayers....

A Weekend in Tikal

Tikal National Park is located in the northern part of Guatemala known as the Peten. The Peten is jungle; hot and humid. Access to electricity and running water is not guarenteed. And it is here, in Tikal, that one of the largest Mayan ruins has been uncovered (well..only 35% uncovered..it is hard, tedious work to restore the ruins). The earliest structures are dated to be around 600 AD and there are 5 large temples and numurous other buildings and smaller temples. Of course, the first thing that I thought when I saw this area for the first time was how did people build these things over 1400 years ago? No machines, no steel..total manual labor. It is impressive. Then I began to wonder how did such a people, so advance in their constuction skills, their astology (they correctly predicted by their calendar a major astromical event on Dec 23, 2012...which happens once every 26,000 years), and even their irrigation and resevoir techniques for water, could disappear. We know a lot about them, but there still remains many unanswered mysteries.

For me, exploring the Mayan ruins gave me time to think about the ingenuity of humankind; the ritualism we crave and develop; the lengths we will go to in order to live. The Mayans were able to do amazing things with their hands and their minds....and people are still as creative today. How wonderful it is that God has given us our gifts of intelligence, perserverance, community...