Frente a mis miedos.

Happy almost-Halloween! We are getting ready for all of the end-of-October festivities here in Guatemala, but it is pretty different from the experiences I have had in the States. Everyone is saving up their energy for the following day, Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead, or All-Souls Day, on Nov. 1). My host family has told me to expect some kite festivals and a lot of food, especially the special ‘fiambre’ dish.

It seems like there is always something going on in Parque Central...yesterday, there was a body-building competition! 

The last week has been one of my busiest weeks in Guatemala, and every second has been a great challenge and adventure. I cannot believe that we wrap up all of our volunteering tomorrow; it has been an incredible experience. A lot of days were difficult, especially in the beginning --- feeling uncomfortable and awkward was the norm. But, as time has passed and I have built relationships with the people I see each week, I have become much more comfortable and found a lot of meaning in the work I am doing. I successfully completed an 18-page English manual for the police and gave it to them during a difficult good-bye last night. We finished up in the clinic this morning and are having a pizza party with the kids in the music class at PEILE this afternoon. I have learned a lot about myself over the last six weeks, and as tends to be the case with volunteering, I received more than I could ever give.

Niki and my last day at the clinic in Llano -- with Señora Zully and Doctora Mery!  

In the rural clinic last Thursday, I encountered one of those perception-shaping situations that have become pretty common here....

A little boy came in to see the doctor, and she quickly diagnosed him with Hepatitis. This is a pretty serious situation but can be resolved successfully with the right medication. The problem was that the small pharmacy in the clinic did not have the medicine, and the child’s single mother did not have the money to buy the medication at a private pharmacy. So the search continued…first at the Central Hospital and continuing all the way to Xela’s largest General Hospital. By the time we left that day, the doctor still had not found any medication in a city of over 200,000 people. I have come to realize that it is problems like this – having access to basic medications and resources – that prove most difficult when working to provide healthcare in developing countries like Guatemala. The difficulties can also lead to some great innovations and creativity, but many times at the cost of the outcomes patients can – and should – have.

This weekend was full of bus time: 25 hours from Friday through Sunday. If you’re wondering what could possibly make getting up at 5 AM on travel days and spending over 12 hours in a bus each way worth it, I’ve got two words: Semuc Champey. At first, my group and I were a little skeptical as well – but as soon as we pulled up to the hostel nestled by a river in the mountainous jungle, we realized it was definitely worth the trip. Semuc is full of ancient caves, jungles, and most famously, the turquoise-colored natural pools.

At the mirador looking down over the pools at Semuc Champey.

Semuc Champey became pretty special to me because it forced me to confront a big fear I have had over the last year. After getting hit by a large rock platform that fell when I jumped into a river in the Dominican Republic last summer, I have had a big aversion to jumping into water. I came to realize in the first few minutes at Semuc that I had a decision to make; half of the day involved swimming and jumping five to fifteen feet down waterfalls from pool to pool. I made the decision to go for it despite the fact that my stomach was turning with memories of the accident in the DR, and it turned out to be one of the best things I could have done. More than cautiously jumping a few feet here and there, it became about me looking a fear of mine in the eyes and going for it. That day turned out to be surprisingly empowering in this respect, and it made me realize the importance of not allowing our fears to hold us back. Whether it is jumping down waterfalls or pursuing a passion in spite of opposition, I think the difficulty of addressing our fears makes us stronger and enables us to experience our lives more fully.

The group at Semuc Champey!

Here’s to another week, and to jumping off the waterfalls that you are facing. ¡Te extraño y te quiero!

Paz,

Nico

Cada día es una bendición

¡Feliz martes! I am alive and doing well here in Guatemala ---- parasite-free for nearly a week! I am feeling much better, and it has been nice to get back into my routine this week. I have found myself more grateful for each moment and am enjoying the small things I had started to take for granted, like the peacefulness of Xela during 6 AM runs, the awkward jokes of the policemen during our English classes, and the fact that I have developed a real life here. 

A traditional dance in Parque Central for the month of their Patroness, Virgen del Rosario. 

Each day of volunteering continues to be an exciting, challenging experience. Although the schedule is the same each week, the experiences are so unique that it seems a lot more day-by-day than I expected. Time is flying; we have just over a week left at our sites. The police are making a lot of progress on their English, but it is still challenging to pick and choose what to teach them in the short amount of time we have left. The kids in the music class at PEILE are having a great time, and I hope the most important lesson they take away from our time together is a love for music. And, I have continued to see some great things at the clinic. We were busier than ever today, and Niki and I got to take charge of intakes! More than what I have seen though, the emotions I have felt and the vibes I have picked up on at the clinic will be what I take back with me to the States. I am realizing that healthcare is both uniquely personal and remarkably global, and I think that one of the greatest challenges I will face as a physician will be striking a balance between the two to bring the best care I can to the people I will serve around the world.

My walk back from PEILE after music class today. I taught the kids all by myself and we had a great time! 

Last weekend was one of the most random mixes of trips and events that I could have imagined...from teaching nutrition to kids in a rural mountain village in the morning to watching an Italian guitar concert to visiting the most crowded market I have ever seen. I am still recovering from the long travels and lack of sleep, but it was worth every second.

On Saturday, my group and I went to a rural village in a mountainous area called “Alaska” (which is presumably because it gets so cold there). We spent the morning teaching kids about nutrition with skits and art, and of course, we played a little fútbol as well.  When we got back to Xela that night, I ventured to my first concert: acoustic guitars and mandolins playing everything from 1800’s Spanish music to present-day Italian. It was an incredible event, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to go to something like that for the first time since I have been in Guatemala.

I woke up to another 6 AM alarm on Sunday morning and made my way to Chichicastenango (Chichi, for short) with a few girls in my group, for one of the largest and most-talked about markets in Guatemala. It lived up to all of the talk. Thousands of people and narrow streets filled with vendors made for a great half-day trip.

A taste of the market at Chichicastenango...

One of the things that struck me most this week happened during our trip to work with the kids in Alaska. The community is so rural that hardly anyone speaks Spanish; the main language is the Mayan “Quiche” dialect. I had an immediate flashback to my first weeks in Guatemala as I would say something to the kids in Spanish only to realize that they had no idea what I was saying; I might as well have been speaking in English. It was difficult, after months of hard work learning Spanish, to have that type of barrier become so prominent once again. I am in awe of the idea of ‘language’; it is such a beautiful, powerful thing. I also realized, though, that there is a great beauty in the raw simplicity of communication --- through expression, tone of voice, and gestures --- that I don’t think I will ever fully understand. Since moving to Guatemala, I have definitely had my share of both types of experiences, and I am always left in awe of the incredible power language holds.

Baking pumpkin cookies with the group! 

Another week awaits us. Vayamos con corazones y mentes abiertos para experimentar todo de lo que el mundo nos ofrece. ¡Te extraño mucho! 

Paz,

Nico

La importancia de los ensayos

¡Hola, todos! Although I have been in Guatemala for over three months, I feel like I have finally gotten ‘inducted’ into the Guatemalan life this week. It hasn’t been easy, and it involved a lot of firsts: my first so-crowded-and-hot-you-don’t-know-what-to-do chicken bus ride, visiting an orphanage to throw the kids a party, an earthquake, and needing to take cipro for the first time (to get rid of a parasite). It definitely has not been an easy week, but I won’t be forgetting it any time soon J.

Sunrise in the cemetery (beautiful colors!) on a morning run last Friday.

Volunteering has continued picking up, and I have found a rhythm with teaching classes and going to the clinic. The schedule is starting to become routine and the people I work with have started to become good friends. The clinic had some cool new cases last week and I got to spend a lot of time with the nurse and doctor. It is making me excited to start med school in the fall!

Teaching English classes to the police is a great experience; their attention spans are a little longer than the kids in the music class (although not much!) and it has been fun to watch them learn the language. It is also proving challenging since I only have two more weeks with them, and deciding what is most important for them to learn has been a lot of trial-and-error. They are all very open and give good feedback, though, which has helped me a lot.

We made our way to Guatemala's water park on Sunday - it was awesome! 

Now on to a little more detail on some of the stories from my first paragraph…

On Saturday, my group and I spent the day at Aldeas Infantiles orphanage in Xela to throw a party for the 60+ kids that live there. We had our hands full! My favorite part of the day was the piñatas that we broke open at the end; I have never seen anything like it. The best way to describe those few minutes is to picture an intense battle scene of the movie of your choice, only with kids and candy in place of soldiers and guns.

The girls' piñata at Aldeas Infantiles. All was calm...until the candy started falling out.

I also met Jonathan, a little boy around 2 years old, who made a big impact on me during our time at the orphanage. It was difficult to see the injustice of all of those children without parents, and it gave me a renewed sense of appreciation for my family while reminding me that life is a lot more complex than we often realize.

Snack time with Jonathan! 

The past weekend was full of great experiences, and at the same time, held some of my most challenging moments in Guatemala. I spent a few hours on a chicken bus traveling to and from the coast. Although I have done this several times, this weekend was a little different; I ended up standing on the bus for a couple of hours, squished between over 100 other people (who knew a school bus could fit that many?!), dripping sweat in the hot, humid coastal air because everyone’s windows were closed  to keep out the rain from a downpour. A few hours later, I got to know my host-family’s toilet more intimately than I ever hoped as my body reacted to some type of parasite. As I was lying on the bathroom floor, I felt I had reached a definite low point in my time here.

School-bus-turned-chicken-bus. Guatemalteco style. 

This week taught me a lot about challenge, about being uncomfortable. I had a couple moments where I was throwing a pretty raging pity-party, and as I look back on that, I realize that I will try looking at things through a different lens the next time I encounter some challenges both here in Guatemala and throughout the rest of my life. Things are not always going to be easy and fun, nor should they be. I think that challenges and discomfort make us stronger, give us the ability to empathize, and, when approached properly, broaden our perspective to something greater than ourselves and the ever-insistent idea of ‘me.’ As I look back on this week, I am thankful for the challenges. And, as I have heard some people say, you haven’t really lived in Guatemala until you have gotten a parasite. I guess that means I am working my way into the fold.

Here’s to another great week, to embracing the challenges life throws at us, and to finding a sense of peace in the uncomfortable. Te extraño, y cuídate.

Paz,

Nico 

Coincidencias en el mundo pequeño

¡Feliz martes, todos! It has been another exciting, chaotic, adventure-filled week in Guatemala. Things are picking up at the clinic, I am discovering some of the keys to teaching kids, and I am now officially scuba-certified.

A parade through Parque Central for "Dia de los Niños" (Children's Day). We need to start this up in the States!

Volunteering has been going great, and I am finally settling in to the routine of early mornings (most days before 6 AM! That’s quite a bit of progress for me…). It continues to be challenging but rewarding, and I am starting to realize how much energy it takes to teach classes a few days per week. This time is definitely helping me develop new relationships, learn a lot about Guatemala’s culture, and reflect deeply on my life and the ways in which I perceive the world.

 I think we discovered the secret for teaching a room-full of 8-12 year-olds this past week: fútbol. Last week, we took the kids outside to play for around 45 minutes, and it completely changed the dynamic once we went inside to learn some more about music. Who knew something as simple as this could be the key...

Fútbol in the street outside of the PEILE center .

Things at Llanos (the rural clinic) have been picking up, and as I get to know the doctor and nurse better I have been able to get some good hands-on experience. I am realizing more each day how large of a task the medical staff have at the rural clinics in Guatemala; in addition to trying to gain the confidence of the community (since many of the clinics have started up in the last few years), they also have to spend a lot of time and effort to help patients follow through with their treatments. It is a very different dynamic from the U.S., and it is good to see a different side of healthcare. We see more pregnant women than any other group of people, and I have gotten to listen to a few babies’ heartbeats in the last week --- so cool!

I'm working my way up at the clinic...they gave me my own jeep last week! (okay, not really...)

I woke up at 4:30 AM on Friday morning to meet up with a couple of the girls in my group, Vanessa and Katrina, to catch an early chicken-bus to Lago Atitlan to finish our scuba certifications that we started in Belize last month. It was a crazy few days: we spent around five hours in the water each day and another five or six in the classroom. It ended up being a really nice weekend away from the city, and we finished the certification! Watch out uncharted waters, here I come. 

My biggest realization this week was probably the least-expected thing I could imagine; it happened during our weekend trip to the lake. Before leaving for Guatemala, I remember talking with a few people in Residence Life at Creighton about a 2010 graduate, Laura, who was spending two years in Guatemala with the Peace Corps. However, I had completely forgotten about this until a girl came up to me at Lago Atitlan and asked if I went to Creighton…not something you hear every day down here. It hit me immediately that the girl I was talking with must be Laura, and sure enough, it was. We had a good talk and realized that we only live around an hour from each other. What are the odds?!

The sunrise on Lago Atitlan on Saturday morning before we got in the water for scuba training.

That encounter with Laura at the lake reminded me that, although the world is often a big, scary place – especially for a new college grad throwing himself out there for one of the first times – it really is smaller and more inviting than we give it credit for. Out of the 15 million people living in Guatemala, I happened to run into Laura. And, even though we don’t know much more about each other than names and where we live, it felt like I was seeing an old friend for the first time in years. I think that the more we are open to the world, the less intimidating and more inviting it can become. I am also convinced that even though there are billions of people sharing our planet, we are never too far from someone that we can connect with.

Middle of October, here we come! Here's to another week. Te extraño y te quiero. 

Paz,

Nico