Semana Numero Uno en Guatemala

A few days have passed here in Guatemala since we arrived. They have been very hectic but I have loved every minute of it! My self and 14 others arrived in Guatemala City on Monday at various times, we were all pretty wiped from traveling so we just relaxed once we got there; since then though we have been on the go non-stop. We only spent one night there and part of Tuesday afternoon. We spent one night in Antigua (the old colonial capital) and finally made the 4 and a half hour trek up the mountains to Quetzaltenango or Xela as the locals refer to it (pronounced Shayla). Xela will be home for the next 5 weeks. Currently we are living in a hostel, but on Sunday night we move in with our host families that are located around the city. We have only been in Xela for two days but it seems to be a vibrant city, with a great deal of hustle bustle, restaurants, coffee houses and bars on every street corner. There is a good mix of the native people and tourists here; there are a few restaurants that cater to us “gringas” as they call us here.

Though our classes technically do not begin until Monday, we have had guest speakers come talk to us about Guatemala’s bumpy history with its recent civil war, and the affects that are still very much a part of daily life in Guatemala. Guatemala had a new president take office on January 14th, this man happens to be an ex-general of the Guatemalan Military. A military that is infamous as being one of the most brutal militias in Latin America. This man is openly known to have carried out multiple massacres throughout different communities during the war. As one could imagine this presents an interesting dynamic for many people of the country.  As one of the speakers said peace accords were signed in this country 15 years ago to stop the civil war that was ragging; yet nothing seems to have really changed fundamentally. He said, “They may not kill us with bullets anymore but they kill us politically and economically”.  I cannot even begin to touch upon on or understand all the affects that this is going to have on the people of Guatemala. Guatemala has seen such turmoil and chaos in its years, yet its people are some of the most beautiful, resilient people I have ever met. As we travel and learn, the problems that are daunting this region seem almost impossible to solve. I hope however that I am able to reflect upon what I see as the flaws here, and return to my own country with a more critical eye for not only foreign policy but the flaws within my own country.  A famous quote keeps ringing in my ear:

“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I refuse to do the something that I can do.”

                                                                                    --Edward Everett

Until we meet again!