Coban, Guatemala... Painting a Picture

August 28, 2011

As with any such recording of incredible life-changing events, I have a difficult time finding the motivation to put into words what I've experienced thus far. My setting is perfect: rain drizzles slowly outside of my simple room in the monastery. I have fresh coffee on my desk, and my trusty sidekick J. Rose is trying to get a wink of shuteye in leu of boisterous thunder rolling overhead and Van Morrison's version of "Crazy Love" playing softly from my computer speakers. Still, I have a hard time getting started with the important, "set the scene" entry. Here goes nothing…

I live in a simple monastery in the middle of Coban. This community has the square footage of about a football field. The monastery includes about 8 structures in total, but it is hard to differentiate one building from another. The main structure, built in 1800's of old Khaki-colored cement block and sturdy wood, houses our room (bathroom attached), Fr. Bernie's muddled living quarters (bathroom, "video editing / radio" room, bedroom), the Gringo room (walls of old VHS videos, random boxes with various electronic equipment and cords, computers, TV's, and a projector perfect for a nightly movie or episode of "The Sopranos"), guest rooms, and long deck outfitted with aged chairs and a worn hammock; this being the second floor. The first floor includes Faith formation rooms, a laundry room, and the parish office. Across from the building includes several buildings connected with awnings- the chapel, kitchen, Bernie's "Computer office" (filled with obsolete computer equipment), the Dining hall, and a plaza with a beautiful garden in the middle, surrounded by rooms which house all the monks.

The Gringo Room

Several other buildings compose the rest of the monastery. Three newly built cement buildings, also used for faith formation, hold most of what I will be working on this year (deliveries of donated books, blankets, computers, clothes, etc.).  A large grass area and cement basketball court lie in front of the deck which my room is connected to, and the community church is a two minute walk down two large cement walkways which reach out to one of four big black gates that lead to the outside bustle of Coban's streets. All the other parts of the monastery are composed of rough grass, old trucks,  electronic satellites, and several unkempt cement monuments and structures. The whole monastery is surrounded by a 15 foot wall adorned with broken bottles glued to the top of it. I expect most of you to just look at the pictures for this kind of thing, but if you've read this far… well… too late.

(Entry to the Gringo Room)

Through the Front Gate

Our ride into Coban was quite eye-opening. From the perspective of a naive native of Suburban Minnesota, I have never seen people in such squalor. As Bernie said on the way in, "Life is Cheap here," and it certainly is. Passing the roads through Guatemala is best described by these next few points..

-Starved Dogs

-Bumpy, washed out roads

-Political ads.. EVERYWHERE (posters on EVERY telephone post, paint on every rock and most cement houses)

-Speed bumps

-Barbed wire fences

-Old trucks (few cars) and dirt bikes

-Stick-bundle carriers (much like Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti album cover)

-cheap roadside stops

-beautiful, green, lush mountainsides

People (especially children ages 3 and up) wander aimlessly along any roadside with a doldrum-like look on their faces. This description is adequate for all of Guatemala. For the cities (the major cities I've seen are only Coban and Guatemala City), add electronic and skilled trade shops, amateur clothing venders, uniformed school children, beggars, trash (everywhere), worn fast-food joints, noisy speakerphones preaching political motives.The city itself is a combination of sturdy and weak structures, with a majority being cement, one-story buildings with the occasional tin roof.  Aside from political ads, the most common brands painted on the sides of building and ruffled tin roofs are Orange Crush, 7UP, and Fanta.  I could go on and on, but I'll let the photos do the talking (see slideshow).

The city of Coban is surrounded by the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen. These mountains are constantly home to "los nubes," clouds  which creep lazily across lower-lying peaks. I have a perfect view of said mountains from my bedroom window. Justin and I have discussed what an interesting dichotomy it is: the beautiful mountains and the miserable state of living. This is something we will struggle to make sense of as we continue our adventures here.

Village Near Coban

The Streets of Coban

Much has occurred in the week that I have been here, but I wanted to just set the scene for you. I'll goal for an update later this week… for now, I just wanted to try and paint the picture of where I'm living. I will upload some great photos soon (unfortunately my brand new SLR digital camera didn't come with a USB connector. I know… ridiculous, right?) More pics and vids to come.