Voy a intentarlo.

Hola, todos! I am well into my second full week in Guatemala, and the days seem to be flying by. The last week has held some great challenges, triumphs, and plenty of opportunities to learn more about the language, culture, and myself. Here are a few updates and reflections from my adventures in Xela --- as always, feel free to check out Facebook for picture updates if you need a break from reading! 

I went to my first fútbol game this week - the crowd was insane. Go SUPER CHIVOS!

I feel like I am starting to get a great routine going here, which is a really exciting realization. My mornings usually start out by joining some friends at a track or trail to go running and/or yoga at a small, incense-filled place titled “Yoga House.” Getting up before 6 AM for this has been a big change from my college lifestyle, where that was all-too-often an acceptable time to go to bed (mom, you will be happy to know that I am going to be earlier and getting plenty of sleep J).

The title of this post, “Voy a intentarlo,” means “I am going to try it.” That has become my mantra for everything-Spanish over the past week, and I hope to keep it going in the future. I have - and continue to - make a ton of mistakes, but I am learning quickly. We had our first exam yesterday, which entailed a half-hour oral and one-hour written component. Even just a couple weeks ago, the idea of that kind of exam would have sent me packing; but, it went really well! I have a new maestra for the next two weeks (Doris), and I absolutely love her.

We're getting used to the public transportation. Here's a typical microbus!

This past weekend, we took our first group trip: the finca. This farm community, which grows everything from coffee to corn to medicinal plants, was a two-hour trip in a packed microbus and the back of a truck through some windy dirt roads. It was absolutely beautiful! I found the break from the city very refreshing, and it reminded me of the campos in the Dominican Republic a lot. While there, we learned how to grow and harvest coffee (which is an incredibly difficult, exhaustive process), make honey, create corn tortillas, and use plants for medicinal purposes. Fascinating.

A banana straight from the tree on the finca! Delicious.

The time in the finca was a great dose of perspective for my journey in Guatemala. In Xela, although it is much different than a city in the U.S., life is pretty --- ummm --- comfortable. I sleep in a warm bed, have a warm shower in the morning, enjoy going out for a drink, and am able to stay connected via the Internet. If I were living in the finca I spent the weekend at, none of these things would be part of my life.

That got me thinking a lot about the difference between ‘wants’ and ‘needs.’ It is a much more sensitive subject than most people would like to admit, especially with the sense of entitlement that is quickly becoming a hallmark of my generation. When it comes down to it, there is a short list of basic human needs (food, water, shelter, companionship), and that is the reality that those in the finca live each day. I do not say this to endorse the idea that we all need to go sell everything and stop doing the hobbies we enjoy, because many of those gifts are important and bring true joy. However, I think the concept of the finca offers some unique perspective that can shape the ways in which we think and live our lives, and I challenge you to take some time for that thought this week. If possible, find some time in life to visit a place like the fincas in Guatemala or the campos of the Dominican Republic. Nowhere else have I found such genuinely happy people, and the perspective that I continue to gain from those experiences has helped shape who I am and how I see myself contributing to the world. 

We spent some time helping the finca community crack macadamia nuts...a great time to think about our time here so far.

And with that, here goes another week! Me haces falta.

Paz,

Nico