Guatemala - The First Week (and a bit!)

I've been in Guatemala for 12 days now! Time has gone by so fast! Now, how to summarize the last week and a half...
After saying many sad goodbyes at the SALT/IVEP Orientation, I had a good flight (with only a few kinks) to Guatemala City. Aaron (the SALTer serving in Guatemala) and I were greeted at the airport by our MCC Guatemala/El Salavador Representatives: Irma and Antony, who have been living and serving here in Guatemala, along with their 2 daughters, for 8 years now! I actually met them briefly 5 years ago, when I came to Guatemala with a group from my church, on an MCC Work and Learn Team.
It's good to be back in Guatemala again, although the city is much bigger and more Americanized than I had remembered...I lost track of how many McDonald's I had seen already, after the first day. For the first week, I was living in an MCC apartment just a couple blocks away from the biggest & nicest (but maybe too nice) mall I have ever seen (yet not big enough apparently, as it is under construction and they are adding another huge addition!) Not sure what else they need, they seem to have everything already: Payless, Lacoste, and even a few "McCafe's"! Guatemala City is definitely a city of contrasts...there is huge wealth (evident in the malls, cemeteries, and Mega-churches) but it's in the hands of only a very few. Also, did I mention that right beside this gigantic mall, there is another huge mall, with a roller coaster inside?!
Even though I've been struggling with all this consumerism and the inequalities...I have to admit, I've enjoyed a few trips to the mall, where I have discovered a delicious bakery that has (among many other yummy baked goods) dulce de leche pastries, and pan dulce (sweet bread - my new favourite food in Guatemala!), as well as a Cafe, where I've been getting Iced Lattes, that have served as my comfort food during the first week! The Cafe is a chain, but not one that I recognized from Canada or the US at least, so that makes me feel slightly better about myself...
And speaking of food, for those who have been worrying that I would be eating black beans & tortillas for breakfast, lunch, and supper every day…don’t worry any longer! For the most part, I have really enjoyed the food (although I’ve been eating a bit more meat than I am accustomed to). I have been enjoying lots of chicken, beef, rice, yummy vegetable soups, potatoes, delicious fresh fruit, and even (to my surprise!) some pretty tasty black beans & tortillas!
Anyways, enough about food and malls...most importantly, this past week and a half I have met many kind and hospitable people, both from Guatemala and abroad, that have made my transition into Guatemalan life much smoother, and more meaningful. Through more MCC orientation, as well as interesting conversations, tours of the city, cramming into already packed city buses, and a visit to a museum, I have begun to learn about the current Guatemalan context, and the country’s history and people. I am slowly learning of both the strengths and the hardships of the Guatemalan people, and in doing so, am becoming saddened yet also inspired. This past week I have had numerous reminders (from both Canada and Guatemala), that life is short, and that I should take advantage of every opportunity, and live life to the fullest. 
One such reminder was last week, when we took a break from orientation in the MCC office, and travelled to Santiago Atitlan to drop off a short-term MCC volunteer. The magnificent views alone, of the lake and volcanoes, were worth the long trip. But even more important, were the faces and stories of the 24 hours I spent there. When we first arrived, we were warmly greeted by the director of the organization MCC partners with in this area of the country, and given a delicious lunch. After learning a bit more about the organization, we helped out with children's activities. The kids were adorable, and it was a lot of fun, but also a challenge since in this indigenous village, their first language is Tz'utujil, and not all the children (as well as many of the women) speak Spanish.
Later that evening, the director of the organization (who's only 30 years old) told us about the town's experience of the civil war. I won't be able to do his story justice (I got chills listening to him, imagining what it would have been like growing up during this time, and the pain that many people suffered) but I want to tell an overview of the story anyways. In 1980, the day he was born, soldiers (sent by the military government) came to the town, wanting to "protect" the town from guerilla groups. Being a peaceful group, the indigenous people did not want armed men in their community, but of course they couldn't do anything about it. Unfortunately, due to misunderstandings or miscommunications from their different cultures and languages, over the years that the soldiers were staying in the town, innocent civilians were killed, in the name of protecting the people from the guerillas. In 1990, after another such incident, hundreds of people from the community met outside the Catholic Church to discuss what they could do to make the soldiers leave. They gathered more people, and the next night, with lamps, thousands of people from the community and surrounding rural areas walked from the Catholic Church to the downtown area, creating a peaceful protest or march. The soldiers wanted them to leave, but nobody moved, and in the process, soldiers shot and killed 13 unarmed peaceful civilians, including women and children. Devastated and outraged from this tragedy, the civilians sent petitions to the government to shut down the army base in Panabaj (a village in the municipality of Santiago Atitlan) and a couple days later, due to international media attention, the Guatemalan government was forced to shut down the base, and declared the area a "military-free zone", six years before the civil war in the country ended. This is a great story of pacifism and communities coming together. Although the deaths of the 13 men, women and children is a huge tragedy, they did not die in vain - they were buried in a cemetery called the Peace Park, and still today, people gather for mass at this park once every month to remember these victims of war. 
I can't imagine losing a family member or friend this way, or growing up in this context of violence and fear. And often times I forget that even right now, there are children growing up in unjust contexts similar to this one. It is even harder to think about how our lives of comfort and wealth in North America are possibly interconnected, or even a cause, of the unjust suffering in other countries. But that is for another day and another post...
At the same time, it is exciting to see what is coming out of this community, specifically in regards to ANADESA, MCC's partner organization, and the work they are doing with women, children, education, and community and economic development. Despite all the hardships they have faced, including more deaths due to mudslides in 2005 from Hurricane Stan, the people that I met really do live life to the fullest, and I have so much to learn from them. It was a day I will not soon forget, and I hope to visit the town again this year, as this is where the other SALTER's placement will be.
I'm not trying to sound cliche... but to quote the late Jack Layton:
“Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair.”
There is a lot of anger, fear and despair here in Guatemala (as in many places in the world), but there are also many people living their lives out of love, hope and optimism, as the people of Panabaj have definitely demonstrated. I hope to put these ideas into action this year, and in order to do this, a big part will have to do with living my life in Guatemala (and later on El Salvador) to the fullest, and truly being in the moment, because I think when you are living in the past or thinking about the future, it is easy to become angry, fearful or pesimistic about things.
Although I am very excited to start working with ANADES in El Salvador next month, my goal is to stay focused on the present, and take advantage of the wonderful opportunity I have to study Spanish and learn more about Guatemala, while living in this beautiful and diverse country. On Monday morning, I began my Spanish classes and moved in with my Guatemalan host family. The first two days have been really good, but that is for another blog post!
Check back again soon though - I'm planning on posting some photos, as soon as I figure out how!