Today I waited for our driver, Dario, to pull up at my home stay to take us to yet another school outside of Antigua to distribute school supplies. I watched several people walk by pulling goats and brightly dressed women with baskets on their heads. After awhile, I called Ann, who assured me that everything was okay, Dario was just on “Guatemalan time.” An hour later I saw a truck with dust in its tracks and I knew it was Dario. I jumped in the back of the truck and we were off. We took a different route today than we have for the other school visits, leading us down and out of the mountains. The vegetation became more tropical in a matter of minutes as we descended in altitude. One of the first things I noticed was that the temperature got warmer and there were a lot more insects! I saw a few green beetles buzz past us and I was shocked with how big they were. I made sure not to stick my head too far out of the back of the truck while we were going fast to avoid a head on collision with a flying specimen. It was extremely lush and green. Ann and I talked about how much we love driving through Guatemala in the back of the truck. There’s never a dull moment back there.
We came across an area where garbage was lining the streets and cars were stopped. I looked off to my right and saw a pickup truck upside down (it had been carrying the garbage). I hope no one was hurt. I notice here people pass each other around blind corners and do other dangerous things while driving quite frequently. The roads are never particularly safe, either, and accidents on the road seem to be a part of life here.
Ann told me about a section of road that has a river running through it. During the rainy season, once it starts to rain, people must get across the road or else they are stuck on one side. I couldn’t quite believe it until I saw it. We drove the truck through it. Ann said one time an entire bus was swept away with the current when it tried to pass!
The truck stopped next to an old looking barn. I was a bit confused and wondered if Dario was having truck issues (not unusual). I think I might have said, “What are we doing?” Ann told me that we were here and she pointed to the school, which was the barn of a building. The school had this structure for several grades and then one small building for another class (which a group from Avivara built). The teachers were really friendly and, of course, so were the kids. Ann gave the teachers supplies. Each teacher received a book for teaching all of the subjects. One teacher, Roberto, eagerly explained to me how the book was arranged. I could tell he was very pleased. Gustavo gave his normal speech to the teachers about how important their work is and how much we appreciate the hard work and sacrifice they put in day in and day out to make sure that these children receive an education. He also talked about how the supplies had come from donors in the U.S. that cared very much about supporting education for youth in Guatemala. It is so disheartening for me to see the schools in these conditions, but it warms my heart to meet teachers like these and to watch Ann and Gustavo show support for what these teachers are doing. The positivity and encouragement is quite amazing and I know it makes a difference.
We walked from the school through the village. Ann showed me a mural a community had painted in their town square about their history. Here’s a very simplistic explanation of the mural: In the early 80’s the town’s members started to “disappear.” If they asked about their loved ones, then they would “disappear” too. One day the government soldiers came in and burned their houses and tortured and killed many of the men, women, and children in the village. Everyone remaining in the village had to flee to Mexico where they lived as a community together for 10 years. In 1996 with the Peace Accords, the town was given land to move back to, which is where they painted the mural. Today the town has a commune and works together to support each other. I’ve only read about towns like this one in history books. I can’t imagine the pain and suffering these communities went through! I also think it is sad that most Americans know little about Guatemalan’s history and the U.S.’s role in it.
On my way back I saw a lady with a big box of chickens on her head! How she balanced them, I have no idea! That was just one of the pictures that stuck with me. This reminds me of a story that Gary told me when we were talking about the practice and skill it takes for women to carry things on their heads. He said that he gave a desk to a woman one time. She turned the desk upside down and put it on her head. Then she put her sack on top of the desk, all the while carrying her baby on her back. Gary saw her walk down the street balancing that desk and thought, “only in Guatemala.”
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