The People who "Don't Belong"

Another bus, another trip.  Thank goodness the destinations always changed or this would’ve been really boring :)

View of a snow-capped mountain
from our bus window

We had only just begun our 14 hour overnight ride to the capital when the bus slowed and came to an unexpected stop.  It was dark out, I remember, because the bus driver suddenly turned on the overhead lights, momentarily blinding us.  I squinted, looking at the front of the bus to see what was up.  Two police officers came on board—it was merely a drug checkpoint after all.  Rachel and I quickly got out our American passports, those little blue flags of unrestricted traveling freedom that we so take for granted.  The officers walked down the aisle, checking documents and asking a few questions.  We were barely given a second glance.  And then they made an announcement, quick and short, saying everything looked fine.  And then as they left, they motioned for three bus passengers to follow along behind them.  The three men quietly gathered their belongings and obediently followed, no questions asked.  We then continued on.

I have no solid explanation for why those men were detained.  We weren’t told.  The other passengers around us were also surprised, though they offered us no explanation either.  We continued on, pretending as if it didn’t happen.  The only theory Rachel and I came up with was that they were Central Americans illegally traveling north through Mexico.  They had no papers to prove their right to be there.  And so they were taken.

We here in the states have our prejudices against those who illegally immigrate from the south.  In our minds, we categorize them mainly as Mexicans.  Well, guess what?  The Mexicans also have their own prejudices about illegal immigrants from countries south of their border.  Ironic, isn’t it?

While Rachel and I were in the City, we stumbled upon an awareness campaign for Mexico’s illegal immigrants.  For those whose voices have been lost or covered up in the Mexican justice system.   For those who have gone unnoticed, forgotten, silenced.  The campaign sought to give them a voice and to shed light on the many various reasons they leave their home countries.  Pictures and stories covered city walls, giving a living human face to this “faceless” problem.  It truly was a sight to see.

Playing the guitar with an
Armonia scholarship student

While in Mexico City, Rachel and I had the privilege to stay in a community home owned by the organization Armonía (http://armoniaus.wordpress.com/armonia-ministries-in-mexico/).  Armonía is an organization deeply involved in the community with a heavy emphasis on education.  They have schools and scholarship programs set up mainly for people of indigenous roots to attend school and eventually college.  With this scholarship program, Armonía is hoping to provide an education to a population heavy at risk for immigration to the north—they really want to keep their people in their own country.  Immigration is not an acceptable solution for them.  

The house we stayed in was a frat house of sorts where scholarship students could stay while attending the universities downtown.  There were 15 college students there in all, all of them coming from small indigenous pueblos in Southern Mexico near Oaxaca.  Our conversations were so exciting since they were spoken in both of our second languages (Rachel and I are English speakers and the others grew up speaking a variety of indigenous languages).  It truly was a joy just to be with them—play guitar together, decorate the Christmas tree, cook meals, chat, have devotions together.  I swear, I just can’t get used to this kind of hospitality!

And I could talk forever about our time there.  Stay tuned as I talk more about our time in the City!

Fireworks and Music

With our backpacks on our back and a sense of adventure on our minds, we set off.  This would be the first time on our trip where we had no friends to meet us at our overnight stop in San Cristóbal de las casas, Mexico.  Rather than being frightened, Rachel and I were excited as we trekked through new territory, crossing the Guatemalan border into Southern Mexico. 

What hit me most about crossing the Guatemala/Mexico border is that there is no visible difference once you cross that line.  There are green mountains before you cross; there are green mountains after you cross.  There are women wearing traditional huipil clothing before you cross; there are women wearing traditional huipil clothing after you cross.  Both sides speak Spanish.  Both sides have darker skin, black hair, and a short stature.  Both sides are beautiful.

Virgen de Guadalupe pilgrims
at the border

We were surprised by another thing that linked the two sides: a pilgrimage to celebrate the Virgin of Guadalupe.  Pilgrims from Southern Mexico were paying homage to their Sacred Lady by traveling in large caravans across the border and down into Antigua, Guatemala.  Trucks carrying the pilgrims were decked out in flowers and images of the Virgin, and one lucky person always ran out in front of the truck carrying a burning torch.  Truck after truck passed our bus as we traveled north.  What a sight!

With no guide to greet us, we were dropped off in a strange town: San Cristóbal, one of the many tourist destinations of Southern Mexico.  Rachel and I had come up with a plan though: we would find the first hotel we came across and (1) either stay there for the night OR (2) if we hated it (or couldn’t afford it), one person would stay with the bags in the lobby while the other would go find a place to stay.  The first place we walked into happened to be one of the nicest hotels I’ve ever been to!  With a glint in her eye, Rachel said we might as well look at a room and see what they have to offer.  So we got the tour of the place and basically fell in love.  And then our jaws dropped when we heard the extremely affordable price for a night—we were sold!

View from a church overlooking the city below

With that first hurdle out of the way, we were free to wander the gorgeous streets of San Cristóbal, sample some cuisine, sip some local wine, and enjoy the evening.  Cobblestone streets, savory aromas, lit-up cathedrals, people walking and talking everywhere—could it get any better?

The following morning we were tourists to a T.  Our bus didn’t leave until nightfall and so we had a whole day to enjoy.  And enjoy we did!  Celebrations were going on all over town in the name of the Virgin of Guadalupe, complete with street fireworks, raucous music, street food, and banners waving in the wind.  Rachel and I had stumbled onto one of the most exciting times of the year!

I LOVED my time in San Cristóbal.  Yes, it was touristy.  Yes, it was gimmicky.  And yes, it was crawling with tourists.  But it was also full of life :)  And Catholic celebrations.  And amazingly tasty Mexican food.

Our next destination would take us to a dream location for me: Mexico City. 

Stay tuned!

Xela

The next stop on our great trek home was the beautiful Guatemalan city of Xela (pronounced Shay-la).  Xela is 5 hours north of Guatemala City, a bit higher in altitude, and beautiful as all get-out.  And cold too.  Rachel and I were not quite prepared for that and so, for four days, we basically wore the same clothes (as in all our clothes) just to stay warm. 

In Xela, we stayed with Nate Bacon and his wife Myra in their beautiful home.  Nate is in the same Master’s program Rachel and I are in and so we took advantage of the moment and had our first class orientation (Jim DeBorst was also there with us).  Nate has a very fascinating story, growing up Lutheran and now filling the role as a Deacon in the Catholic Church.  He works with an organization called InnerChange, a community of missionaries that live in marginalized areas and do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly.  They’re an amazing organization that serves all over the world.  Curious?  Please check them out!  http://www.innerchange.org/

We also had the opportunity to visit an organization that worked with young kids, mainly boys, who lived on the streets.  Many of these boys earned money by shoe shining.  It’s not a glorious job and you don’t earn a ton of money but it was enough for them.  And there were enough tourists and rich folk around for them to meet a “need”.   The organization we visited brought them in, gave them a temporary home and sought to get them back into school and/or to give them job training.  Sadly, many boys don’t stay very long as some are addicted to drugs or to sniffing glue, are caught up with gangs, or get picked up by the police.  In fact, shoe shining without a license (a.k.a. these little boys’ job) is illegal.  While we were there, some police raided the park and caught two of the boys, throwing them into group homes in the city.  It was all caught on tape and as I watched one little boy fight back with tears streaming down his face, saying how he didn’t do anything wrong, my heart broke.  Thankfully, this organization is working with these children so that being picked up in a raid doesn’t have to be a part of their future. 

In Xela, we also had our final goodbye dinner with Jim.  We had amazing artisanal pizzas (who knew?) and shared stories and jokes of our time working and learning together.  Though bittersweet, it was a great moment of connection and of closure.  After that meal, I officially felt “done” with Casa Adobe.  I was now moving on to the next chapter in my life. 

But first, a few more days of traveling and being a tourist.

Next stop: Mexico!

Stay tuned :)

The City of Zones

Guatemala City drapes its urban self over ridges and valleys, hills and ravines.  The city is divided into Zones, all numbered in a spiral-like formation.  Certain zones carry certain connotations: some are rich, some are poor, some are dangerous, some are home to the expats, etc.  Art and architecture are appreciated everywhere with colonial buildings rubbing shoulders with cathedrals and sculptures and modern abstract pieces.  Parks and streets are dedicated to historical beings and moments, green space and open areas everywhere.  In the center of the city, there’s a huge trash dump, ignored by most, a source of living for many.  Traffic is horrendous.  Mega-malls are everywhere.  People are everywhere too, with many women wearing the traditional huipil clothing.  Markets selling every kind of trinket, textile, and touristy gift are seemingly on every corner.  Color, noise, smells, food, people, cars—it truly is a chaotic metropolis.

Rachel and I with a community leader who runs
a children's feeding program

I met up with Rachel at the airport, both of us eager to visit and experience this new place.  For our week in the city, we stayed in a total of three different places: two homes and one Mennonite conference center.  The CRWM partner organization Center for Transforming Mission (http://www.ctmnet.org/) graciously hosted us and showed us their various community missions in their city.  Their mission is “to mobilize and nurture missional communities of grassroots leaders who serve high-risk populations in hard places.”  They do this by identifying and mapping the hurt, the hope and the heart of their city and the communities they serve with.  With this level of understanding and respect for the areas they are in, they are able to work alongside each other and work towards the empowerment of their communities.

A church baptism

Rachel and I participated in several Bible studies, learned of the missions and visions of several child development and food projects, played with a bunch of adorable kids, walked the streets of those who live next to the trash dump, visited a gang-ridden neighborhood where school are changing lives, went to a baptism service, and heard may many stories from those who live and serve in these difficult areas.  I won’t lie—it was hard.  It was hard for me to see the harsh lives of many people, to learn of their struggles, to witness their poverty.  And yet, there was always hope.  These different projects, programs, and missions in each of these communities were changing lives.  These leaders were living and serving in their home neighborhoods, not dependent on mission trips or outside expertise to “do it for them”.  Seeing their passion for what they were doing inspired me to be passionate for my home and my community.

In all, Guatemala City showed me that where there are people, there is suffering.  And where there is suffering, there is opportunity.  And where there is opportunity, there is hope.

If you want to watch a great movie about Guatemala City, I highly recommend you check out the documentary Reparando (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1664825/).     

The next stop for Rachel and I lied just to the north, a 5 hour bus ride, to the absolutely gorgeous city of Xela (pronounced Shay-la).  Stay tuned to hear more about it!

The Beginning

The first part of my ginormous, crazy, huge, super-duper long voyage home I flew solo, my first time ever in Central America.  And so, as I waited to board that first plane in San José, my heart fluttered in anticipation.  I tried to play it cool, sitting there sipping my free Café Britt coffee and reading a book.  Inside, though, I was a mess of emotions.

The night before I had said goodbye to a family I had come to love and leaving them behind felt like I was jumping off a cliff—a few quick thoughts, some mixed emotions, a fast fall, and then a face-full of shocking cold water that hurts everywhere it touches.  And then it’s over and, looking back, you realize you lived through it (a.k.a. you didn’t die) and *gasp* you might even do it all over again :)

The plane ride dragged on forever, me thinking way too much at 6 in the morning when I should be napping.  In reality, it was only a short flight and landing in San Salvador was uneventful—apparently flying alone to a new and scary airport is not such a big deal.  There are plenty of signs everywhere to guide you like a sheep to the place where you pay the tourist fee (a healthy $10) and eventually to the exit.  Easy peasey.   

Jeannie, Me and Ethel at Tazumal

I spent a total of 4 days in the capital, bunking with some friends in their spare room.  I ate way more pupusas than I can count (the famous food of El Salvador) though I never did get sick of them.  I also had the amazing opportunity to explore Mayan ruins at Tazumal, a dream of mine since I was a little girl.  I met several old friends, some new ones, participated in a Bible Study, saw a volcano, went to a mall and a museum, drank hot chocolate and coke and beer, ate looking out over a majestic lake, and basically had a blast.  Needless to say, I was sad to wave it goodbye.

The next morning, I traveled alone once again though this time by bus (only a 5 hour jaunt).  It was my first time crossing at the El Salvador/Guatemala border and so I had no idea what to do or expect.  Thankfully, the woman sitting next to me turned out to be a pro at crossing that particular border and so she took good care of me.  And shared some of her food with me too :)  Good times.

Next stop: Guatemala, the one Central American country I hadn’t been to before.  I wonder what could happen next?

Stay tuned!  

Dreams

Well, it finally happened.  Almost three months after leaving Casa Adobe behind, two months after leaving Central America behind, 6 weeks being in my home…

I finally dreamed of Costa Rica.

Greeted by a sunset of dazzling warm reds and oranges, my Casa Adobe family surrounded me.  It was a place I’ve never been to, with a sandy beach on the horizon and green forests along the coastline—everything that I clearly miss while being stuck here in a wintery snow globe.  However, that was not the focus of the dream.  The scenery, though beautiful, is not what I miss most.  What I remember most vividly of the dream are the people sitting by my side: Ruth stroking my hair, Tali leaning on my shoulder, and everyone else playing and laughing and telling stories and just being there with me.  

I hardly remember my dreams.  This one was a rarity, a fluke that I remembered it at all.

And I’m glad it finally happened.  It means that now I want to remember, to look back, to reminisce. 

Now, I can (and want to) share my story with you.

Stay tuned to hear more!