Rockin’ the Guat 2009: Episode 8.5

TIME, TUK TUKS, AND TACO BELL

Since the last post was getting kind of long, I didn’t get a chance to add some other things we’ve discovered while living in Guatemala.

First, the concept of time. Very different from that in the States. Americans are very gogogo–on the clock and always moving. But life in a developing country does not obey the clock as we do. Jeanette and Juan Carlos don’t even have a clock in their house. So when someone says we’re going to meet at noon, odds are it will happen…later. I’m OK with this, but Elise is very time and detail-oriented, so she has trouble sometimes.

Still, I’ve lost track of the days. I didn’t even realize we are almost in July. Time goes by a lot slower. So while we’ve only been here for less than two weeks, it feels a lot longer.

The other thing we’ve noticed is the driving. There are road signs and speed limits, but no one really obeys them. Turn signals are optional, if not discouraged. Come to think of it, that sounds just like the entire state of Illinois. Still, even when it seems like total anarchy on the road, it ends up looking like an intricate ballet choreography, where every car swerves and accelerates in perfect if not treacherous unison with the others. 

 

It's a bumpy ride.

 

Along with regular cars, there are lots of small, golf cart-like taxis called Tuk Tuks, especially in Antigua. Lots of motorcycles and Mopeds too. This makes for interesting driving along Antigua’s bumpy cobblestone roads. A lot of those are used for food delivery from pizza joints and even McDonald’s. Taco Bell, though, does not deliver, which is something I’ve hoped for in the States for a long time.

Rockin’ the Guat 2009: Episode 8

ROJO, RUINS, AND REHAB

Hello, readers, thanks for stopping by. We’ve had quite the eventful weekend. But first, some belated pictures from last week’s excursion to Chiquimullia with Denis and Alvira. Elise and I helped them with their presentation while mom and Jeanette talked to the village midwives.

Elise leading in the memory verse activity.

In more recent news, we went to the three-day ExploMusicFest at Juan Carlos and Jeanette’s megachurch, Fraternidad Cristiana de Guatemala. Some big names in Latin American music were there–Rojo the worship rockers, Alternativa the ska band, and Funky the rapper. The great thing was that Jeanette recruited me to be a part of the official photography team, so I got an all-access pass to take pictures with a really nice camera all weekend.

As people were waiting for the concert to start, I would walk around taking crowd shots, and soon people would be clamoring to be in a picture.

This was a typical crowd picture.

With lots of people screaming for me to take their picture–plus the fact that I was pretty much the tallest, whitest, most redheaded person at the festival–I kind of stood out. I didn’t care, though, because during the show, I got to go wherever I wanted to get some cool shots. Here are a few of them.

Those pyrotechnics were really hard to catch on camera. Nailed it!

During last night’s show, though, one security guard who didn’t already know who I was tried to tell me I couldn’t go into one area I had frequented the night before. I tried reasoning with him by pointing to my nametag that said “Total Access” but he just shook his head and pointed me away. I kept at him, though I realized later that, because of the blaring music and the language barrier, I might as well have been speaking Klingon. I was ticked off that this random guy was trying to keep me away from doing my job, so I found the head photographer and she talked to him. Yeah, take that dude.

Today Denis and Alvira accompanied us and Jeanette and Juan Carlos to the Iximche Mayan ruins in Tecpan. We were only there for about 20 minutes because of rain, but it was still really cool to see real pieces of antiquity.

After that, we visited a rehabilitation center for alcoholics and drug addicts. Elise and I were expecting an actual house, but instead we discovered that it was four walls with no roof and lots of junk lying around. Still, the center’s director told us of his plans for the new facility, which will be a great thing to have.

Mom is leaving tomorrow after 6 weeks in Guate. She’s pretty sad about it and will be going through withdrawal for a while. Once she gets back she’ll email me lots of good photos that I didn’t take on our camera, so look out for those. Once mom leaves, Elise and I will head back to Antigua for two weeks, helping Hector in the villages and taking a week’s worth of Spanish lessons.

Until then, hasta luego!

Next time: livin’ it up in Antigua, and more work with cute kids

Rockin the Guat 2009: Episode 7

DRAMAS, DISEASE, AND (TERRENTIAL) DOWNPOUR

Hey readers, sorry for the lack of updating. I have caught some form of sickness and was too weary. I´m still sick with some diarrhea and aching, but hopefully it will pass.

We have had a pretty cool last few days. We´ve been working with a middle school/high school group from Charleston, South Carolina, in visiting some villages, building homes, and hanging out with the kids. Since the kids tag along with us wherever we go, we share our lunches with them. The group has also performed some dramas and Hector does the teaching.

A word about Hector: we received a calling from God to serve the needy kids in the very poor villages around Guatemala, so he works tirelessly every day leading mission trips and making sure everything that needs to get done gets done. It´s a very hard life–added to that a strange skin infection that makes him allergic to the sun. He needs all the prayers he can get because his job is a demanding one but an important one.

That said, it´s been raining every day here pretty hard as it is the rainy season. The many mountains that we drive around every day are quite green.

I´m still really tired from being sick and riding in bumpy vans all day, so I´m sorry if this post lacks the depth or wit I´ve used before. Hopefully I will get better soon. Until then, ¡hasta luego!

Next time: (hopefully) full recovery, and attending a large music festival in Guate.

Rockin´ the Guat 2009: Episode 6

CUTE KIDS, CLOTHES, AND CANCIONES

Hola, readers! We´ve had a pretty cool last few days.

Yesterday we had lunch with Juan Carlos´family after church. His brother, Alejandro, is the lead singer of the Guatemalan Christian band Vertical. Apparently they´re the Guatemalan equivalent of the Newsboys or something like that. We ate Domino´s pizza and ice cream. Ah, fatty foods.

After lunch we went down to Chiquimullia and stayed with our friends Denis and Alvira overnight. They run a camp-like ministry for the kids in that area, so today we visited a village and did a program for them. The theme that Denis and Alvira are doing now is obedience, so Elise and I helped them in different skits and games and songs that involved that theme. We got pictures but I can´t put them up now. Don´t worry, though, they´re full of hilarity.

While we did the presentation, mom and Jeanette talked to the village midwives. You could hardly call them midwives officially, though, because the only reason they had that title was because they had had children before and would theoretically know something about the birthing process. It was dismaying, then, for mom to find out how much they didn´t know. Apparently lots of moms feed their newborn babies coffee, olive oil, honey, and soda among other things. It´s why malnutrition is so widespread down here.

Regardless, the midwives were really curious and asked a lot of questions. Meanwhile, Elise and I along with Denis and Alvira handed out clothes, shoes, and toys to the kids. It was humbling to see barefooted kids receive what may have been their first pair of shoes. One little boy–no more than 2–was waiting silently as the other kids scrambled for toys. He just looked up blankfaced at Elise, but when she gave him a little beanie baby, he smiled and started to show off his toy to others, including mom.

We´ll be seeing lots more situations like that because Elise and I are staying with Denis and Alvira for two weeks sometime this summer. Which will be interesting because they speak zero English. Talk about immersion.  They have a really cool house, though, which you´ll see once we can upload pictures again.

Until then, ¡hasta luego!

Next time: meeting the famous Hector, and doing some good old fashioned labor.

Rockin’ the Guat 2009: Episode 5

SUSHI, SHOPPING, AND SURPRISES

Today we visited a local indoor market in the city. It was full of trinkets and clothes and fresh food and lots of people. Since it was indoors all the vendors are packed in like sardines, so claustrophobes may have a tough time. Still, it’s an adventure in itself to walk around and bargain down prices. When you pass a vendor most likely they will say something like “Very good price for you, special discount.” You have to get used to saying “No gracias” and keep walking.

I didn’t buy anything today, but mom did. Things are much cheaper here than in Antigua, which is full of tourists. If you have any special requests for items you want from Guatemala, let me know and I’ll see what we can do.

After the going to the market, we went to the downtown mall. Talk about yin and yang. It felt strange going from a dank basement filled with handmade products made by families just trying to get by to a shiny, fast food-filled box with lots of affectionate teenagers groping each other and drinking lattes from & Cafe. Jeanette told us that only about the wealthiest 2 percent of Guatemala shop at the malls like the one we went to. The income disparity in America is startling, but it’s nothing like that in Guate.

Preparing the donations. That's Jeanette on the left. Elise is center and mom is at right.

We headed home and prepared the donated clothes and toys that we’re going to give the kids in the villages this week. A lot of the clothes and shoes are in really bad shape, but the kids who will be receiving them have next to nothing, so to them they will be brand new. Some have never even owned a pair of shoes. It will be quite the experience to minister to these kids.

Jeanette prepared yet another fabulous dinner. Tonight was sushi with shrimp. I’ve never had sushi before, so it seems strange that I’ll be having my first one in Central America. We’ve been doing a lot of touristy things anyway, so I guess it doesn’t matter.

Makin' suuuushiiiii....

Jeanette has been quite the entertainment for us here. She likes to make random noises and faces. It’s best when she’s tired because she becomes really slap-happy. My favorite line of hers so far was when she was talking about her beloved coffee maker. “If you break this,” she tells me, “you’re going to pay…with pain.”

Anyway, tomorrow we’re heading to Chiquimulilla to meet with our future host family and Hector, the guy who does the kids ministry in the villages. Then we’ll be off to Antigua for the week, before coming back here on Friday to help with a huge concert event at Jeanette and Juan Carlos’ church. I’m not sure we’ll have an Internet connection in Chiqui, but hopefully we will in Antigua, so look for some updates in the next few days. Thanks to those of you keeping up with our adventure!

Next time: how time slows down in Guatemala, and the Chiqui heat.

Rockin’ the Guat 2009: Episode 4

NICKNAMES, NOT UNDERSTANDING, AND REALLY NOT UNDERSTANDING

Yesterday was day 2 in Guatemala City. We’ve mostly just stayed in our host family’s home preparing for last night’s event. Juan Carlos and Jeanette hosted an all-night praise and prayer session with about 10 of their neighbors and friends.

Rellenitos. They're Guatemalan grease balls of goodness.

Jeanette prepared a humble feast of authentic Guatemalan tostadas made with fresh guacamole, salsa, onions and parsley. Elise and I helped make rellenitos, an indigenous dessert made of plantains, black beans, sugar, and cinnamon.

After dinner, we played a quick icebreaker game that helped to loosen things up, but once the Spanish songs started, we struggled to keep up. It was the first time I think Elise and I felt completely out of place. Jeanette translated for us as best she could, but there’s only so much she can do. Those who have traveled to Latino countries know how fast the people talk, which makes comprehension a beast. It’s like being riddled by a machine gun.

Still, it was an interesting night. I led one song in Spanish. Luckily everyone knew it, so I didn’t have to fear screwing it up. After an extended prayer time, the night was capped off with roasted marshmallows in their fireplace and a showing of August Rush.

This is my typical outfit.

In other news, I’ve got a new name. Jeanette said that when we start to visit villages and meet with kids, it might be hard for them to say my name because the “a” in Chad is pronounced “ah” in Spanish. So Jeanette has christened me Chacho—a common name here that is short for Eduardo.

When last night’s visitors learned this, one of them quickly rechristened me “Chacho Libre” like the film Nacho Libre. And the name stuck. So from now on, Chacho and Chacho Libre have been added to the list of nicknames I already have. I suppose I should try to find a cape and mask like Jack Black. Also, Elise has become “Elisa.” But my name is way cooler.

Speaking of cooler, it’s the rainy season here in Guate, so we’ve been holding steady in the 70s with spots of rain every day. Guatemala City rests at 5,500 feet above sea level, so it’s naturally cooler here in the mountains that closer to the coasts. When we visit Chiquimalia, which is a few hours south, temperature can break past 100 degrees. So we’re enjoying not sweating right now.

Today we’re venturing into the city market. It’s always fun bartering with the vendors. We’ll be sure to get some pictures of that.

Next time: how to survive a chaotic market, and buying random things just because you can.

Rockin’ the Guat 2009: Episode 3, Picturefied!

PAN DULCE, (UN)PACKING, AND PELICULAS

Estamos en Guatemala! But it took a long time to get here. We had to wake up at 3:30am for a 6am flight. Luckily we had a friend in Chicago who was willing to drive us to O’Hare at that time. Our whole reason for the early flight time was to avoid the lines and save money; we saved lots of money but met lots of lines. Apparently our strategy was not unique. We saw at least three different high school groups in brightly colored t-shirts, probably on mission trips. Oh, the good old days when adult chaperones took care of all the busy work that travel requires.

After a connection in Fort Lauderdale, we finally made it to Guatemala City, where mom and our local friend Jeanette were there to pick us up. It’s a surreal thing arriving at the Guatemala City airport. Outside the doors hoardes of locals wait for their loved ones. We had to walk through the crowd as the only gringos in sight. Driving through the city, the cultural immersion takes effect immediately. The city rests in a beautiful verdant valley, so as we wind around curvy mountainside roads we pass beautiful homes in gated communities and then makeshift huts of corrugated tin and found trash. This is Guatemala.

The view from our homestay.

But we won’t be able to start serving until next week. Right now we’re just settling in and enjoying some downtime. The house we’re staying in right now is very nice. Definitely not like what rural houses look like.

Some important things that one discovers while living in Guatemala:

1. You can’t drink the water. Only severe diarrhea and upset stomach await those foreigners who drink the water or eat any of the food that is not processed, cooked, or boiled. This means no brushing teeth from the tap, no buying vegetables or watered fruit from the market, and extreme caution when taking a shower. Which leads to lesson #2…
2. Depending on where you’re staying, you may have to take a bucket shower. Music festival goers may know what I’m talking about. I took one just this morning since our house is currently lacking hot water. All you do is boil some water on the stove, put it in a bucket, bring it in the shower, scoop the water with a cup, and go to town. I’ve learned that all you really need to clean is your head and your arms and you feel clean. But getting the other essentials, especially by pouring hot water on them, is an adventure in itself.
3. You can’t put the toilet paper down the toilet. The plumbing in Guate is not very good, so no paper products are allowed. There are waste baskets next to every toilet, so after you wipe you toss it in the basket. Talk about culture shock.
4. Most people are really friendly here, which means that when you enter a room, you give a cheek-kiss as a greeting, even to perfect strangers. This happened today when we visiting a local water birth clinic. Some clients came in as we were talking to the nurse and just jumped right in with kisses. It’s as automatic as a handshake. Again, something that will need some getting used to.

After I hit up the ATM for some cashola (the currency down here is the quetzal–which is also the national bird–and the current exchange rate is 8 quetzales to one dollar. In other words, very favorable), Elise, Mom, Jeanette, her husband JuanCarlos, I went to see Up in the theater here — in Spanish. I was curious to see how the movie would hold up in another language and was relieved to find out that the storytelling survives beyond the language barrier. Cheers to Pixar for that.

Pan dulce. The greatest thing in the world.

We had some pan dulce (sweet bread) at dinner tonight, which so far has been the highlight of my stay (alumni from my last Guatemala trip know what I’m talking about).Tomorrow night from 6pm to 6am our host family is hosting an all-night worship session for a local group. Jeanette is bringing a guitar on which I can play my newly learned Spanish songs. More on that later.

Next time: playing Spanish songs and pulling an all-nighter?

Rockin’ the Guat 2009: Episode 2

TARGET RUNS, TIGHT FITS, AND TOOTHPASTE

If only it were a hoverBOARD. That would be killer.

Our bus to O’Hare leaves tomorrow from the Memorial Union at 11:30am, so tonight was Pack Night. I’ve got my trusty small blue backpack for a carry-on as well as my Eagle Creek Hovercraft 22, which is really a suitcase but is small enough to be a carry-on — super sweet. All my family members have one. I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a spacious suitcase that can be used for anything from weekend getaways to drug cartels–I mean…flower carriers.

Today I’ve been to and from places more often than not: a few trips to Target for gifts for our homestay families, clothes, accessories, etc.; to Best Buy for one accessory Target did not have (I know, how is that possible?); to the library to get some last minute CDs to add to my iPod (Josh Ritter is a must-have for any music lover); and later tonight to Walmart for some returns and ponchos. Sorry for the carbon emissions, Al Gore.

A few of my parents’ friends came over tonight to help with packing. They were in Guatemala with my mom last January, so they were a great help with packing tips and weighing the checked baggage and tips for life in the Guat. We’ve got bags full of travel-size toothpaste we’re going to donate to the kids there, but they were all in boxes which was hindering our packing abilities. So they all gathered around to unpack the hundreds of bottles of toothpaste from their boxes.

Just picture that psychedelic dinosaur as a suitcase.

It was a tedious job, but I was struck at the sight of a bunch of people doing this boring task simply because they wanted to serve in some way. They wouldn’t be seeing the kids that will receive the toothpaste, but they helped anyway. I hope the whole trip will be full of blessings like this.

But after a few loads of laundry and some arduous strain, we finally got the bags zipped up and ready to go. We’ve got one checked bag (which my family has dubbed “Bagasaurus”) full of donations: medication, hats, toothpaste, a soccer ball and pump, medical equipment, a camera, and anything else my sister and I will part with at the end of our journey. It’s about 47 lbs. — three shy of the limit. Thinking of the shoulder pain that I will experience on my trip down to Guatemala, I’m reminded of lyrics from the Beatles’ “Carry That Weight”:

Boy, you’re gonna carry that weight / Carry that weight for a long time.

Thanks for reminding me, Paul.

On the next episode of ROCKIN’ THE GUAT 2009: 4am wake-up calls and dealing with Customs.

Rockin’ the Guat 2009: Episode 1

TWEETY BIRD, TYPHOID, AND ‘TE ALABARE’

I’m going to Guatemala this summer with my sister Elise and my mom. My mom has been down there already for weeks now, having led a group of nursing students from Edgewood College on a mission trip to Guatemalan clinics and hospitals. Elise went down to the Guat in January with another one of mom’s groups and decided she wanted to go back to volunteer and become fluent in Spanish.

With this vaccination, I am now literally invincible.

I decided to go because, having been to Guatemala five years ago on a high school mission trip, I knew there was lots of stuff to do in terms of volunteer and missions work. I didn’t know I was going until a few weeks ago. I was planning on working at Lake Waubesa Bible Camp again having worked there for three summers in a row and loving every second of it, but I thought it would be good to change things up a bit.

So today we’re T-minus three days away from arrival in Guatemala. My dad bought me some killer hiking shoes from The Shoe Box and some lightweight, easy-to-dry shirts and pants from REI. We’ll be packing light since my mom, who has been down in Guatemala for weeks now, has stashed lots of mini detergeant bottles so we can wash our clothes once in a while. Of course, “packing light” means something completely different to my sister, who will no doubt have trouble fitting all of her “essentials” into two carry-ons.

I picked up some medications for malaria and diarrhea and got a typhoid booster shot with a Tweety Bird bandage. When I first saw it I thought, What am I, six? Then I realized Tweety Bird is awesome.

My primary role this summer will probably be with kids ministry. Hector, one of my mom’s Guatemalan contacts, goes around to rural villages and performs for the kids and does meal ministry for hungry kids and stuff like that. I’m hoping to be able to go with him and serve the very needy kids there as much as I can, so I’ve got to get some songs and games ready just in case.

A common position in Malaki Tengue.

I’ve been trying to memorize some Spanish worship songs to play. I remember two from my last trip to the Guat: “Casa de Dios” (which is the Spanish equivalent to “Better is One Day”) and “Te Alabare.” I’ve also learned “Abre Mis Ojos” ( same as “Open the Eyes of My Heart”) and “Vengo a Adorarte” (same as “Here I am to Worship”).

A game I learned in Guatemala five years ago is called “Malaki Tengue” and it’s great because, since the title is just gibberish, it can be played with kids in any language. So: get the kids in a circle and start walking around and say: “Malaki tengue tengue tengue, malaki tengue tengue tengue, malaki tengue tengue, malaki TEN!” And on TEN, stop and point at a kid. They make some sort of funny face or motion and then the whole group mimics that motion or face as they say the words and start walking.

The best is when you get a shy kid. When you point at them they try to hide their face in their shoulder, so you just take the same position and continue. You can play that game forever.

Anyway, it should be good times whatever happens. I’ll most likely be gone until mid-August until I have to come back for RA training at North Central. I have something resembling an itinerary for the trip, but really I have no idea what I will be doing, which is exactly what want — to be able to do whatever is needed and whatever what I want. In the least selfish way, of course.

Next time: packing fun and how to entertain children in foreign languages.