Mi último blog de Guatemala.

Wow – ya estoy escribiendo mi último blog de mis experiences aquí en Guatemala. Hielo (frost/ice) is starting to make a regular appearance on the grass here in the mornings, Christmas celebrations are in full swing, and we just got back from our weekend trip to Antigua…which means, although I can hardly believe it, my time in Guatemala is coming to an end. A week from now, I will have arrived in Ecuador to visit one of my best friends, Mike, for a few days before heading home for Christmas. I am really excited to go to Ecuador, and to see my family and friends back in the States, but at the same time it is going to be very difficult to leave the place I have come to call home.

Practicing our salsa dance before the big show tomorrow night!

Things are coming around full circle in the school. My teacher this week, Vilma, is one of the only maestras who has had all of the Creighton grads at some point (myself and Becca this year, as well as Rachel a year ago). She is great to talk with and I am learning a lot! We have a graduation ceremony on Friday, complete with our host families, diplomas, and a reception. It should be fun!

 Making pumpkin pancakes at the school after our final exam! Yummm. 

The parties here haven’t let up a bit; we had Sergio’s (my host dad) birthday party last Thursday. After some convincing from my host family, I decided to try making my mom’s tuna casserole for what I though would be a small family lunch. The guest list grew quite a bit, so I ended up doubling the recipe. But, the casserole and brownies turned out great (thankfully!) and it was really fun to have everyone together again. I am getting used to a few large family gatherings per week now!

My host mom, Carolina, and I with our tuna casserole. 

This weekend, we packed ourselves into the microbus one last time for a group trip to Antigua, a small tourist town between Xela and Guatemala City. Although the town was a little touristy, we had a great time together exploring church ruins and a chocolate museum (yum!), as well as finishing up last-minute shopping before heading home. We stayed at a hostel in the mountains twenty minutes outside of the city, and it was gorgeous! It is going to be hard to leave the landscapes of Guatemala, where seeing active volcanoes and beautiful lakes has become normal. Throughout the weekend, we had a lot of time to enjoy each others’ company and reflect on our personal experiences here in Guatemala as well as how we have bonded as a group.

In case you were curious, here is how we pack into the microbus for our trips...sometimes for 12 hours or more at a time..

When I arrived in Guatemala nearly six months ago, the program coordinators asked us to set some goals for our time here. I remember my first goal being to ‘have a very difficult time leaving this place and the people I have developed relationships with.’ It sounds a little weird, and maybe even a little backward at first, but the idea is that the more something has become a part of who we are – and the more positive the experience has been – the harder it will be to leave. My time in Guatemala has, in one way or another, touched and affected nearly every part of my being. Learning about this country’s history and current affairs has challenged me to become more informed about global concerns. Living with a host family has demonstrated the true depths and meaning of ‘hospitality.’ Traveling throughout Central America has opened my eyes to a world I had never experienced and ignited a passion to continue exploring the world. And getting to know a group of twelve amazing people who are passionate about medicine has, in addition to giving me faith in the next generation of health care professionals, reaffirmed my passion and desire to pursue medicine.

So, as I sit here now after six of the most exciting, challenging, and formative months of my life, I am happy to say that leaving will indeed be a very challenging experience.

I was able to take my host family out to their first Italian restaurant last night as a thank-you for the last six months.
We loved it! 

Thank you so much for joining me throughout this experience. Thank you for your thoughts, and thank you for your prayers. I still have a lot of changes coming my way in the coming weeks and months before heading off to medical school at Georgetown, with a trip to Ecuador next week and moving to Fort Collins, CO, after spending the holidays at home, and so I am going to continue with the blog every couple of weeks.

Until next time, espero que todo esté bien y que tengas una buena navidad. ¡Nos vemos pronto!

Paz,

Nico

Fiestas, Despedidas, y la Navidad

Hola todos, y ¡feliz diciembre! The nights are starting to get cold here in Xela, my host family and the Spanish school have their Christmas trees up, and all of the cafes are playing Christmas music. It is a really exciting time here, and also pretty busy (and sad) with the program starting to wrap up. My family just got back from a wedding in Guatemala City, and I have spent a lot of the day wrapping up my thesis over the Affordable Care Act in the States. Good news is, I’m done! (with the first draft, anyway)

With Andreita, packing sweets for the kids in San Marcos, Guatemala (hit hard by an earthquake in November).

As for class--- this week, I am finishing up Avanzado II, and we are working on imperfect subjunctive (things like ‘I would have bought the house if I had had the money.’). My teacher is Claudia, a hilarious, middle-aged woman that somehow manages to work gossip and chistes (or jokes, usually about me) into every example.

The last week has been a week of fiestas y despedidas. Late last week, my host family and I said goodbye to Lisette, the niece who came from Houston to visit for a couple of weeks. It was probably the best party I have been to in Guatemala, filled with plenty of food, drinks and dancing. I realized that night just how comfortable I have become here with my new family. You really can make a home wherever you’re at in the world.

Lisette's despedida, with all of the cousins!

Last night, my friend Vanessa and I were invited to Doctora Mery’s house for a Christmas party. We worked with the doctora during our volunteer time at Puesto de Salud (a rural clinic), and we were thrilled to have worked our way up enough to be invited to her family’s party where they turn on the Christmas tree lights for the first time. We ended up staying for hours, eating dinner, and having some great conversations about everything from traditional medicine and cultural differences to our families back in the States. I also met what may be one of the most adorable girls in Guatemala (or the world)…there’s a picture below J.

Dra. Mery's Christmas party.

This weekend was our last free weekend in Xela – when did that happen?!? It could not have been a better weekend, though. On Saturday, we ended up at La Pradera, where we found Santa (!) and watched a concert for the ‘Luces de Campero’. Sunday was pretty relaxed, with brunch and a Xelaju game. All in all, it was a great, relaxing last weekend here in Xela.

We found Santa!

The biggest part of the last week was definitely the whole Spanish thesis thing. Although the days leading up to my presentation on Thursday were a little stressful – including a 9-hour café day to finish it on Wednesday – the presentation went really well! I presented for nearly an hour about health care systems and answered questions from the people in my group, all without any major problems (although I may have used a couple words of Spanglish --- oops!).

This week, between talking with people casually at the parties and my thesis presentation, I was really struck by how much I have learned in the past six months. Sure, I still have days where my brain hurts and the Spanish doesn’t come out like it should. However, never in my wildest dreams would I have been able to give an hour-long presentation – in Spanish, over a topic that is hard to explain in English – before starting this program. I don’t know exactly when it happened, but sometime in the last few months things ‘clicked,’ and I have been able to achieve a dream: talk, listen, laugh, cry…communicate…in Spanish. A door that I never thought would crack is now open, and I now have the base I need to continue learning and working on Spanish fluency. There have been a lot of long, difficult days. And every one of them was absolutely worth it. I could not be more thankful.

One of the concerts at Luces de Campero on Saturday night. Impressive, Xela!
('Campero' is short for 'Pollo Campero', a fast-food place here with a chicken mascot -- hence the huge chicken in the picture, haha) 

I have ten more full days in Guatemala. With a group retreat, salsa performance, several goodbye dinners, and my host dad’s birthday to go, the rest of my time here definitely won’t be slow. Here’s to living each day to the fullest, and to appreciating the little things that make life great. ¡Hasta pronto!

Paz,

Nico

Día de Gracias y un Hospitalidad Increíble.

Púchica, it’s the last Tuesday in November already! I hope everyone survived Black Friday.J It blows my mind that I have only got two blog posts left before the end of the program. I thought the last week would be a little slower-paced since we are back in full-time classes, but I couldn’t have been more wrong…my host family and I had our very own Guatemalan Thanksgiving, I hiked up a volcano and visited some hot springs with my group, and got surprised with a second birthday party here in Guatemala from my family.

Saying goodbye to my church choir friends on Sunday since they only sing the last two Sundays of each month. I have never played the guitar for them, but for some reason they insisted I hold it for this picture... :)

I had my first Spanish exam in almost three months yesterday --- I haven’t missed those a lot! I think it went well though, and it is nice to get back into the groove with classes. Rocky is my maestro this week; he is an older, extremely knowledgeable guy with some great stories. Some good news: I am making a lot of headway on my thesis! I am researching the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare), its significance, and how it can be improved by taking pieces from other health care systems around the world. I have my 20-minute presentation on Thursday (in Spanish), so I think I will need to be a bit of a hermit for the next couple of days…

I was not quite sure what Thanksgiving would end up being like here, especially being my first Thanksgiving away from home. I was surprised and incredibly excited when the night before, my host family’s niece arrived from the States…with a turkey in tow (apparently you can take just about anything into Guatemala, but not out). She decided to make a huge, American-style Thanksgiving feast and invite all of the family over for dinner. It was incredible! Better than the food was the company; all twenty of us went around the table and said what we were thankful for, and I got the opportunity to meet a lot of the extended family for the first time.

Thanksgiving dinner with my Guatemalan family! 

On Saturday morning, we dragged ourselves out of bed at 1 AM to start hiking up one of Guatemala’s tallest volcanoes, Santa Maria. The four-hour hike was tough, but we made it to the top just in time to watch the sunrise over Guatemala’s unique landscape. Absolutely worth it! We spent the next day relaxing at Fuentes Georginas, some natural hot springs outside of Xela.

Made it to the top! Enjoying the sunrise from Volcan Santa Maria.

Last night my family surprised me with a traditional Guatemalan birthday party since I was in El Salvador over my actual birthday: all of the extended family, cohetes (firecrackers), paches (a typical Guatemalan dish, one of my favorites), an English-Spanish mix of “Happy Birthday,” and a cake! It is tradition here to take a bite out of the cake after blowing out the candles, knowing that someone beside you is going to shove your face down into it. All I have to say about that tradition is…yumm!

My 'mordita' of birthday cake. Yumm!

Between Thanksgiving and my second birthday party, this week got me thinking a lot about the idea of hospitality. Here I am, thousands of miles from home living with people I had never met until five months ago, and now I feel like a part of their family. We have laughed together, shared in the loss of loved ones, had our misunderstandings, been frustrated with each other, watched movies and cooked meals together, and, most importantly, shared who we are with each other. Here in Guatemala, I have learned that hospitality is the difference between feeling like a pensionista (boarder) and a member of the family. And, there really is no greater gift I could have received during my time here. My Guatemalan host-family’s hospitality has given me a new lens for looking at the world and the people I meet: the immigrant that has just arrived in a new country, the hitchhiker or couch-surfer making his way across the world, and the sick that I will be working with as a physician. I am now convinced that simple hospitality can be the difference between an incredibly meaningful experience and one that is easily forgotten.

The Christmas trees are up and the marching bands are playing Christmas music here in Xela, which has definitely decreased how much I get done in a day but made the time studying much more enjoyable. Espero que tengas una buena semana, y te quiero! Hasta próxima vez.

El arbol de la Navidad in Parque Central. 

Paz,

Nico

Ventitres Años.

¡Feliz martes, todos! We made it back to Guatemala after finishing up our El Salvador trip with some incredible experiences (I now have a new-found appreciation for beans -- more on this later) and have started up our last month of full-time classes. I am also officially a year older, so I may have magically gotten more insightful…or forgetful. Vamos a ver. J

A diplomat from El Salvador's FMLN political party, who happened to share my birthday!

We started up classes again yesterday, and it has been a great change of pace! My maestro this week is Marvin, an energetic guy in his late 20’s who loves teaching. Spanish as a whole is going great, which is a good feeling as I begin working on my final 12-page Spanish thesis. My ability to comprehend everything and respond quickly is still far from perfect, but I have begun to really enjoy speaking in Spanish. Sometimes when I am speaking English with people, I run into the problem of knowing what I want to say in Spanish but can’t seem to find the words in my native language. Not a bad problem to have – I think that means I am making some progress!

It seems like something is always going on in Parque -- and because there is no Thanksgiving here to keep us from starting the celebraciones de la Navidad early, there was a huge Christmas parade on Sunday!

The rest of last week in El Salvador was just as influential as the first. We got to spend more time talking with political leaders as well as visit the University of Central America, the Jesuit university where six Jesuits were martyred during the civil war in 1989. It felt great being back on a college campus, which I am going to take as a good sign for being ready to start up with med school in a few months. We even ate at the cafeteria – not bad! 

I realized once again how great of a group we have down here and how close we have become last Wednesday on my birthday. I was a little nervous about how things would be since we were away from our home, but we had a great time together! Strawberry cheesecake, drinks, and a party. Perfect way to join the ranks of 23-year-olds.

PASTEL DE CUMPLE!

During our last day in El Salvador, we traveled to another rural community, but this time with a slightly different purpose: to help paint a mural with an anti-mining message and immerse ourselves in the everyday life of the community members. I started off the day hiking to a field to help some of the farmers pick frijoles, or beans. Before this experience, I had assumed that beans were usually picked by some type of machine…wow, was I wrong. We spent a few hours unraveling the weed-like plants from corn stalks and piling them in large groups. It was back-breaking work in the hot sun, but I was honored to have the opportunity to take part in the community’s life in this way, even if only for a few hours.

Picking frijoles! 

After picking beans, I spent the afternoon helping finish the mural. It turned out great! Who knew that a bunch of pre-meds would have some artistic abilities…we even made it on the local news for our work!

Our group getting interviewed by Canal 9...I'm thankful that it was a local channel broadcasting live, because I butchered the Spanish that day...

I was talking with a few of my friends here about something I have been noticing in my life the last few years --- as soon as I start getting really comfortable somewhere, it seems like it is time to leave. The Dominican Republic last summer. College graduation. And, now, Guatemala and Central America. I am extremely grateful and humbled to be as comfortable as I am here now. Catching a microbus is second-nature. I know just how far to turn the knob on the shower to get hot water. I have discovered the best fruit vendors in the jam-packed markets. I now get asked, “Where were you last week?” if I don’t show up to sing in the church choir. And I can finally understand everything Suzanna says (she lives in my house, and may be the fastest talker in Xela). My time here has not always been easy, but I have already learned and experienced more than I could have asked for or expected. With just one late-night volcano hike, a salsa performance, a horseback ride through the mountains, a group retreat and a 12-page thesis in Spanish separating me from the end of the program, I am being sure to live each day to the fullest and make the every moment count.

Here’s to enjoying the small things this week and taking advantage of the opportunities we find ourselves presented with. Te extraño, te quiero, y nos vemos pronto!

Paz,

Nico