Week 1... A Dive into Guatemalan Culture

August 29, 2011

Exactly a week has passed since my arrival here, and as cliche as it sounds, it seems like much longer than that. I have gotten used to communicating in broken Spanish, and my ability to speak the language has improved greatly. As I look forward to this new week, I cannot predict what I will be doing (recall that time is not structured here as it is in the States). I can, however, say that if this week is similar to the week past, I know that this trip will be incredibly rewarding. The following entries are LONG… but I promise they will get shorter as I go on. I want to cover 1-2 paragraphs every 1-2 days.. we'll see how this goes..

8/22 Monday

As you may recall, I arrived in Guatemala City on Monday at around 1:30p.m. The Flight was easy, and our arrival was welcomed by Padre Bernie's old Toyota Pick-up. The ride to Coban (about a 4 hour drive) was eye-opening. Along the way, Fr. Bernie showed us several fault lines that exist along the Central American and North American plates. 

Bernie turned and said, "I think we'll probably have an earthquake this year," going on to explain that the last major earthquake occurred 35 years ago, and that Guatemala is overdue. "WHAT?!" I think. I found out later (after asking a few other monks and friends) that I might take this with a grain of salt. Still, however, a disheartening notification on the first day.

View from Back of Truck... travelling to Coban Day 1

We stopped for lunch along the road. My first meal in Guatemala included black bean soup, tortillas, and "Gallo" beer. After another hour in the car, Fr. Bernie offered us Ice Cream at another pit stop for dessert. The trip to Coban was certainly an indication of the way time is viewed here: no rush.

As mentioned before, the ride to Coban was riddled with things I've never seen before. I asked Bernie what the most bizarre thing he has seen on this road. 

"Well I saw a guy hanging on barbed wire once… that's probably the most bizarre thing I've seen." This matter-of-fact way of talking about somber events is common for Bernie. I feel like it's a combination of desensitization and a way of coping with the "cheapness of life" in Guatemala. On the way in to Coban, Bernie pointed out several "narcos" houses, and the stories behind them. Bernie has a way of being very general and simplistic about explaining things here, which Justin and I have come to appreciate. After arriving at the monastery, we shared a whiskey drink with Fr. Bernie's friend Raul. Raul (as is the case with most of Bernie's friends) speaks only Spanish, so this was my first experience in working on my Spanish. While rough at first, a few glasses of whiskey gave me the liquid confidence to explore my Spanish vocabulary.

8/23 Tuesday

Our first full day at the monastery was rather uneventful. We learned the prayer schedule (Prayer at 6am, 12pm, 5:30pm, Mass 6pm) and the eating schedule (7am, 12:30pm, 7:15pm). We got a tour of the whole monastery. During the afternoon, we drilled two holes in the ceiling to string ethernet cables into our room for internet access at our desk. Mass was great: San Marco's Church is reminiscent of a small version of St. Therese's Church of Minnetonka and St. John the Baptist's Church of Excelsior. At night, we had another whiskey session with more of Bernie's friends, who we are finding out to be the most distinguished people of Coban.

8/24 Wednesday

Today we experienced the complete schedule, as we actually got up for 6am prayer (brutal at the time). After napping through breakfast, we went out to work with Hermano Juan, one of the monks. The morning was used for organizing an unkempt stack of sheets (las sevanas), bed covers (las bolsas), and pillowcases (las sobrefundas) for an old folk's home. In the afternoon, we took a trip into town to help a few students pick up some batteries and supplies. Justin and I purchased FRay Ban and FOakley sunglasses for 45 Quetzales (6 bucks). After mass, it was raining hard, and the monks put their hoods up as they returned to the monastery. The procession looked like a bunch of Jedi Master's moving swiftly through the dark, rainy night. A night cap included a few Budweisers while watching "Limitless" (shout-out Jacob Reiter, Tom Loonan, David Kiesner).

8/25 Thursday 

We began our first Thursday here by leaving at 8am for an aldea (village) about an hour away. We piled in a pick-up truck with a few villagers and about 50 water filter containers. As we rode through the streets of Coban and out to the country highway, I was snapping pics with a my new Nikon D3100 like a typical tourist. When we arrived at the "road" at to the aldea, we climbed a rocky washed-out pathway through the jungle for about 15 minutes. We were greeted by about 20 hombres (men from the village) who shook our hands and helped move the filters out to the local school/community center. 

Playing Futbol with Ninos

In the small cement community center, we were greeted with a hot refresco (juice drink)  Hermano Juan explained who we were and what we were doing. Justin and I introduced ourselves and received a round of applause (a very moving experience). As we all sat down, Hermano Juan began to explain the water filters to the villagers. This lasted awhile, and after about 20 minutes Hermano Juan took us aside and asked us if we wanted to play with the little ninos outside. Recess was in session for the kids, and as we went outside and took pictures, all the kids laughed playfully and ran away. All the girls were very shy, but through a little convincing and coaxing, we were able to play futbol (soccer) with their measly soccer ball (about the size of a small soft dodgeball). One nino with a LEGO shirt was the confident one who approached us first. After taking pictures and videos  and showing the kids (an amazing thing for them to see), we went back inside for lunch, which consisted of chicken legs in chicken soup. In only having a spoon (no napkins), I succeeded in making a complete mess of myself. Afterwards, I stated "estoy muy sucio!" which got a few laughs out of the villagers. 

Showing them the Camera

After lunch, further explanations of the filters were in order. We proceeded to pass out the filters and many pictures were taken and smiles exchanged. Eventually we gave our goodbyes, and the little ninos were clearly sad to see us go. Our truck had been taken on some other mission, so Jermano Juan, Santiago (another native), Justin and I walked all the way back to the main highway (hour and a half walk). From here, were picked up by a local cabby who had about 14 people in his Guatemalan equivalent of a EURO Van. As we were squeezed tightly in on our way back, a little nino in front of me had only enough room to stand. His knees continued to buckle and he fell asleep standing up, and I remember thinking, "My God, someone get this poor kid a place to lay down!" Finally we arrived at the main travel hub in the city, and got a taxi to the monastery. 

Being tired from our journey, we came back, showered, and took naps. After becoming well-rested, more work was in order. Just before dinner, we loaded six boxes into Allan's truck. Allan is a successful coffee plantation owner who helps the local schools. In finishing this task, Fr. Bernie took us up to the Gringo Room where we enjoyed a Budweisers with Allan.

Dinners on Thursday are with members of the local community, so we enjoyed a wonderful meal of chicken and noodles, polished off with an Oreo Ice Cream dessert. The rest of the evening consisted of relaxing and watching the Sopranos with Fr. Bernie.

8/26 Friday

We began Friday with a mass celebration at 7am with the Caramelite nuns down the road. Caramelite nuns remain in the convent for all of their lives in strict discipline, and only exit for medical emergencies. Fr. Bernie celebrates Mass with them everyday, and it was an enlightening experience to observe these women. All of them wore traditional habits, and attended mass through a room separated by an old barred gate to the left of the altar. During mass, Fr. Bernie beckoned us up to the altar, and we introduced ourselves to the smiling nuns. 

Upon returning to the monastery, we were greeted by Hermano Juan. "Quieres a ir un otro aldea?" "Si, sin duda!" Off to another aldea.

This aldea, named Santo Tomas, wasn't as far away. Prior to gathering for the water filter exchange, we were given a pre-lunch meal of chicken leg and soup, with the best cacao (chocolate) drink I've ever had.

Meal at Santo Tomas

The water filter session took two hours (as this aldea had never used water filters before). As we sat patiently, Justin and I got used to the constant stares and brief stare-to-runaway/hide from the little kids. One young guy our age took about 50 pictures of Justin during our whole trip. As with Inupal, we helped to hand out the filters after the instructional session, for which the villagers were very grateful.

Handing out Filters at Santo Tomas

One particular entertaining thing for us are the shirts which some of the villagers and kids wear. So far, we've got a Jonas Brothers shirt, Roseville football shirt, and a "Real Friends Don't Let Friends Be Packer Fans" shirt. Had to take a picture of this one for David Forster..

"Real Friends Don't Let Friends Be Packer Fans"

Our stay at the aldea was concluded by yet another meal, with (of course) chicken soup and chicken leg. "Thank God I've got the pills for 'Montezuma's 

Revenge from Dr. Maus" I thought. Our return to the monastery was easy yet rainy, and we rested and washed up. I called my parents and blogged a bit, before going to dinner. Dinner was a pleasant surprise: PIZZA! I stiffed myself full of pizza before knowing that Bernie was taking us to another friend's house for dinner. Opps! And I thought I was going to lose weight in Guatemala.

We visited Dr. Luis, a well-educated psychiatrist. Dr. Luis spoke fluent English, which was very refreshing. After whiskey, a dinner of roast beef, and a delicious ice cream dessert, we continued to talk politics until a power outage caused the lights to go out (Whoah? What's going on??). This seemed to be our cue to head off home for bed. Whilst nervous when stepping out into the darkened street, we hopped in Bernie's old dilapidated Suzuki Jeep and arrived home safely.

8/27 Saturday

For the weekends, Justin and I concluded that we would skip morning prayer. I was thankful for this on Saturday, as I felt much more refreshed for a 7am breakfast. The morning's focus was on donated deliveries to the newly erected old-folk's home. Deliveries included sheets, chairs, walkers, canes, etc. After our work session, Bernie took us out for a driving lesson on the manual drive Suzuki. Because Justin has a bad foot, I was elected the first apprentice. I gave myself a C+. I did just fine with gears 2-5, but shifting into first always yielded a whiplashing stall, which caused us to sit in front of not one, not two, but three green lights at one intersection. Damn.. I gotta figure out the slow shift timing on that beast of a car. 

During the afternoon, we were left to our own devices. Justin and I took a tour around the city, picking up a few necessities. I was able to find a nice black "Fernandez" guitar with a  low-cut neck. I hope to improve my guitar skills further on this trip!

After mass at night, we picked up the visiting Bishop of Alta Verapaz and headed back over to Dr. Luis's place for a wonderful spaghetti dinner. I discovered my new favorite dessert at this gathering: Rum and Raisin Ice Cream. While I usually like neither, I couldn't get over how good this ice cream. was. The fathering was pleasant riddled with several colorful conversations and laughs. Afterwards, we dropped off the Bishop at his lodgings and headed home for bed.