Its' July 2, 2012. I'm on a flight back home, and the Beatles "In My Life" my proverbial 'fat lady,' is blaring through my headphones. My last week in Guatemala went by as swiftly as my whole trip. it seems like a week ago when Father Bernie picked us up in his "Rotario" white truck and started talking about how we would for sure experience a major earthquake while we were here. Now, with several hours of traveling to reflect upon my experience (Guatemala-Houston-Chicago-Minneapolis), I'm mystified by all the questions my trip answered that I hadn't even asked in the first place.
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| Atop Tajumulco |
After saying farewell to Connor, I headed into Antigua to join the HELPS Cascade medical mission team for their free, tourist-y days. In all the days I had visited Antigua in the past, I had never taken a walking tour or really enjoyed the market as a tourist. Since I had plenty of homecoming gifts to buy for my family, it worked perfectly. A quirky, eccentric young lady named Amiee Hart had previously offered to let me stay in on the floor of her hotel room at Santo Domingo. This was the first time any team member had ever outwardly offered this to me, and I was elated to accept. Little did I know what kind of deal was in store for me by staying there.
As soon as I arrived at the hotel, Aimee saw me and said, "Get your stuff in the room! I'll have a Moza (my favorite Guatemalan beer) waiting for you!" What a treat! When I returned I met Megan, Aimee's roommate. We hung out for a bit and conversed before Aimee announced, "Welp, let's go get a steak dinner!" Ugh… I'll be ordering the salad, I thought…. "I'm paying, so no worries!" As if she read my mind! We walked down the street to a place called "Fa-Fee Fi-Foo" or something like that.. an Argentinian steak restaurant. I proceeded to have the best filet minion I've ever had, washed down with an ice cold Heineken beer. It didn't stop there. We returned to the hotel room for a few drinks from Aimee's Red Label and enjoyed the whirlpool before heading out to Antigua's only irish bar, Riley's. There I enjoyed two fine Guinness beers (not on tap, but Guinness… in Guatemala? A miracle!), paid for by Aimee again. I tried several times to return the favor, but was politely refused. She appreciated my volunteer history, and I promised her that I would "pay it forward" as soon as I was able.
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| Thank you Aimee for everything! |
I woke the next day on the floor of our hotel room (wrapped up in Aimee's spare sleeping bag). Instead of taking breakfast, I wrongfully choose to join some of the medical team members for a walking tour sponsored by Antigua's "House of Jade." Connor had told me good things about it, and I was looking forward to seeing some interesting things about this historic city. As it turned out, however, the walking tour was a glorified sales pitch. Within the first hour of leaving the hotel, we went to the House of Jade and spent a good hour wandering around their swanky jewelry stands. Unlike my Economic professors taught me, I chose to pay stake into sunk costs. Finally after leaving the House of Jade, our tour guide was telling us about an old church we were in front of when her phone rang… and she answered it! "I'm out!" I said aloud. I left with Kendra, another young girl from the team that was also fed up with the antics of the tour. We later joined Aimee for a meal at the Sky Café (yes, there IS such thing as a free lunch!). I spend the remaining hours of the day wandering through the endless markets examining trinkets for loved ones.
The HELPS banquet was another splendid experience. Food was phenomenal as usual, and I had the great pleasure of sitting next to a lot of old friends from past trips. I made a mini-speech to the group about how thankful I was for my experience, and a special thanks to the HELPS Guatemalan workers that make these events their lives. For the first time, I took a number for the raffle that was offered by the Godforesaken House of Jade… and won! I won a keychain made of Jade that is about a square inch wide, says "HELPS International: Guatemala" on it. While I was disappointed I couldn't regift what I thought would be some jade jewelry item to good-looking' girl in the States, I was happy to have a little memento for my experience.
After enjoying a wonderful night with my last medical mission team, I returned to Ceci's house on Wednesday, and stayed through Thursday. I did the usual; hung out, caught up with the blog, talked with Pepé, and played with Fobos, their overly friendly doberman. On Thursday, I received a message from Michael "Pedey" Pederson, a fellow johnnie. I had completely forgotten that he was staying in Antigua for the next few weeks, so at the last minute I made plans to visit him for my last weekend in Guatemala.
We went out both nights and had a blast. I was able to stay in Pedey's room, and we even met up with Justin on Saturday after he finished administering his 'Habitat for Humanity' group. We walked up to the cross that faces Antigua's valley, reminisced about good times and mused over those to come. Before I knew it however, I was back at Ceci's house, Sunday night before my flight.
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| Flooding in Puerto Barrios |
"What have you learned? What was your favorite part of Guatemala? Will you go back?" I can feel the questions coming before I even dismount from the plane in Minnesota. What can I say? It's been one hell of year. I learned a language, made several dozen new close friends, and explored another part of the world. I real have nothing profound to say about it.. it is what it is. Traveling is experience that I find invaluable, and for some reason more so than others do. Every time I leave the country, I come back with some new awareness about the world but also, more significantly, myself. I find myself looking at the world map as a checklist of enlightenment… every new place has a new lesson to be learned, and new people to love.
Last night (the night before I left Guatemala), I watched "180 Degrees South" with my Guatemalan family. It is a documentary detailing a young man's trans-continental journey to the Patagonia Conservation Area in Chile, where Yvon Chouinard (founder of Patagonia Co.) and Doug Tompkins (founder of North Face Co.) reside with their wives. In this movie, Chouinard says, "Books are great, but it's nothing like going there."
I can't stop this mentality from infecting my mind. The values of travel are too much to pass up in my life right now. For this reason I have chosen to take up a teaching position at Southwest University in Chongqing, China for the next ten months, starting in September. I will be joining past travel partner, John Murray (featured in "www.tomasinireland.blogspot.com" as he explores his second year in China; my first. The travel bug's got me. I don't know where I'll end up… but that's the best part.
" The best journeys answer questions that in the beginning you didn't even think to answer."
-Jeff Johnson, 180 Degrees South
