¡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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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
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