Rio Dulce/Livingston!

This is the beautiful Rio Dulce/Livingston. Definitely one of my favorite places in Guatemala so far--its the tip of Guatemala that is touching the ocean, where to the left across the water is Belize and to the right across the water is Honduras. You have to take a boat down a long river in order to get to this point--no land access!
So from the view from our hotel deck, gazing out at the ocean, you can potentially "see" (after miles and miles of ocean) Belize, Honduras, and more miles and miles of ocean. Very. Cool.

The green jungle shot was taken while on the river. It is pure jungle. Surrounded by mountains. It is breathtaking. How does such a place exist naturally in this world??

Also shown here are my two infamous amigas y yo :) These girls, Lexie and Laura, from Notre Dame, have been my besties for the 2 months that we've been here, and now they have to leave August 1st!! :( I don't know what I am going to without them. Be very sad, thats for sure!

Oh yeah and here's me in a cave. Hahaha we explored caves that were along the river. Also very cool. Overall, it was just a place of breathtaking beauty and I am so happy to have gone!

Guatemalan Army?

As I was sitting in the park just now, just silently observing life, along marched this flood of young Guatemalan men dressed in blue army suits. Embarassingly enough, it took me QUITE a while to figure out who they were. I knew they had to be either like pilots or sailors or army or police or SOMEthing, cause they had the typical outfit with the little sailor hat and name badges...but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out WHAT they were! After about seriously 5 minutes of pondering, I realized DUH--they ARE the army.
What threw me for a loop was the fact that they weren't wearing green and brown camo, like the U.S. army. That is why I automatically ruled out that they couldn't be the army, and since they were wearing blue I figured they HAD to be part of the navy or something. Because blue = water = navy.
Hahah DUHHH BRIANNA please try to shake your U.S. mentality here. They were dressed in light and dark blue because Guatemala's colors are baby blue and white.
Anyways. After I finally came to this realization, my whole body got this eerie chill. All of my research came flooding back to me, and as I stared these young identical specimens in the face, I automatically was horrified, thinking of what they have been taught.
I know that the war ended over 10 years ago, but the members of the Guatemalan army who inflicted the massacres during the 90's are still very much alive, and probably many of them are still not older than 40. Which means they are probably still existant in the army, teaching the young soldiers their ways. Which is enough to give me CHILLS.
I know that I can't hold anything against the young men who were standing in front of me, because they were not part of the war. They're too young. But. Just thinking about what they are being taught from the veterans? Creeps me out. The Guatemalan army is still highly corrupt.
And I know these boys have normal faces and mannerisms of any other Guatemalan boys that I know, but its something about the uniform that gets me. I don't know what it is. When I look at the uniform, I can imagine only harshness and brutality.
Eek. How disturbing was my first encounter with the Guatemalan army.

The misfortunes of a Guatemalan traveler

Just when I thought I had the stomach of a Guatemalan--apparently no dice.
Smoothie stands + 90 degree weather + milk + outside= not good for the stomach.
Here are the ¨highlights¨of the trip to Rio Dulce/ Livingston:
1) Someone stole Laura´s phone
2) Lexie lost her glasses
3) I threw up out the window of a moving car (twice)
4) Lexie´s amoebas caused her to have an... accident in her pants
5) I threw up (countless times) in front of a group of old men while waiting for two hours for road construction to be done. (In Guatemala, they don´t have alternative routes. And when they have to work on a road, allllll traffic must stop. Apparently for 2 hours.)

Yes. Everyone be jealous that these things don´t happen in the states, please.
Also, please hold your laughter. Right now, the issues are still sensitive. Haha.
I will be back with the REAL highlights from Rio Dulce and Livingston later :) It was actually a really beautiful place, despite all of the misfortunes.
Count your blessings, everyone :)

Mid-Week Thoughts

1) Traveling is addicting. Seeing Karsten in Paris is KILLLLLING ME, and really really ¨fueling the fire¨ so to speak, to travel Europe and even places like Africa and the Middle East. Guatemala is not enough. Traveling is so addicting! I just want to keep seeing different parts of the world and how the people live there.
At the same time, I also kind of like being able to communicate in the places that I travel to. I am spoiled because all of the countries I have been to for more than 4 hours (ok, lets face it, only Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico) I have been able to communicate just fine. Aaand then if I traveled to Africa, I would probably except that ease and confidence of being bilingual. And it would DEFINITELY be frustrating. I would feel like one of those stupid toursists that I always laugh at here, in the grocery store line, struggling to understand the cashier, (when I understand perfectly) So that selfish reason, nothing else, is what makes me lean towards traveling to spanish-speaking countries. However, how COOL would it be to experience Africa? India? I would looove to go to India. Until you have actually been to a country, all you can do is have this pre-conceived notion in your head about what you THINK it would be like--from George of the Jungle or whatever else movie that portrays some sterotypical picture.
So. That being said. Here are my (current) top travel destinations outside of Central Ameria for sometime in my life: (in no particular order) 1) Colombia 2) India 3) Africa 4) Italy 5) Spain

2) Moving right along... Second. At lunch today, we had an extremely stimulating conversation. The kind that reminds me of poli sci classes at school and makes me MISS COLLEGE. It´s only been a few months since I have been out of school, and it could be easily just summer vacation, but the fact that I will not be going back to such stimulating conversations at the end of August is quite startling. Quiiiite startling. Makes me think I am not done with school yet. My mind just feels so alive and enlightened when it is challenged to think about big issues like that...I love it!
So what did we talk about, si quieren saber? Half poverty politics, half religion and God and the afterlife. Jeff, our strategic planner, Ali, our almost-doctor resident Doctor, Shelly my coworker, and I had quite the good conversation. Most of it was done by Doctor Ali and Jeff...but it was just so refreshening, even to listen to and pipe in on. I loved it. Absolutely. I will spare everyone the details of our slightly controversial conversation, but the bottom line is; I walked away better being able to define my thoughts on religion and the afterlife. Its always a topic I struggle with, but as I see and hear and discuss different things with different people, it seems to become a little easier each time to discover where I stand. Just to throw some food for thought out there: Does God exist? Does he exist as a person, a spirit, an all-knowing presence?
God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and compassionate. But is God benevolent? Think about the ratio of bad things that happen in this world compared to the good. (Also, is God really in charge of these things in the first place?) Or did he give all humans the gift of free will, and then we slowly are turning this world into what it is today?
Some famous philosopher holds that all men are born inherently evil. (Who it is escapes me; wish I had my political theory books down here..haha) (Jonathan Liedl, a little help here please?)
Anyways...the statement sounds harsh, but is it true? Are we born ¨evil¨, so to speak, to want the best for ourselves only, and then have to condition ourselves to be benevolent? Does being ¨evil¨ necessarily equate to survival of the fittest?

Now I am getting waaaaay farther into this than even I intended! Sometimes one question just leads to another.... (is it obvious my brain was stimulated today haha)
Ok thats enough heavy stuff. Those are the thoughts I have been having today :)
Happy Wednesday! Noche de salsa! <3

Blog Changes....Life Changes!

As you can see, my blog has undergone some style changes. All that black background? It was killing me. It was fun to pick bright colors to write in, but the gothic black is so not my style. Everytime I signed in to write, it was like, instant doom. So! Now I have a different layout. :)

Also it was brought to my attention that the old title of my blog (not that anyone ever reads the title anyways) (well except for now, since its big and huge and staring you in the face,) had negative connotations...Round 2 I guess oftentimes implies a fight and etc, and even though I meant it solely to be ¨my second time around in Guatemala¨ everytime I look at it since then I cant help but think negatively! The new and improved title is a common phrase here, it means something along the lines of ¨ehh, thats life!¨ In a HIGHLY positive manner :)

So, enjoy this nice new beautiful blog design. And don´t worry, its the same product; only the packaging has changed. (Or whatever it is that they always advertise. ¨New look, same great taste!¨) Mm. Quaker oats.

Perhaps the pot of coffee that Shelly and I shared this morning at work is affecting my blogging. Slight possibility.

As for the life changes: I went to a yoga class yesterday, and loved it. Yoga is, without a doubt, my new favorite thing. I plan to go for the next couple of Thursdays. And then after that maybe I will be ready to enter the Olympic gymnastics because I will be so flexible.
Highly likely.
On a more serious note, (not that my Olympic abilities aren´t serious, because they are of the highest importance,) BUT. I would highly recommend yoga to my overly-busy-and-sometimes-overly-stressed-out parents. Dad, it is like a combination of stretching and biofeedback....two of your favorites! ;) And Mom, I was sooo relaxed when I left that place, I didn´t even want to talk because I thought the sound of my own voice would ruin my peace and calmness. (Reality check: After exiting the building and walking two steps onto the Guatemalan street, all sense of peace and tranquility abruptly left.) (The Guatemalan streets are not exactly the place for continuing one´s recently-acheived peace and calmness)
But anyways. Definitely calming, relaxing, and good for the body. Ahem. Mom and Dad.

:)

On a Slightly more materialistic note...

I have already started a list of things for Mom and Dad and Karsten to bring me when they come visit :) (Or anyone else, for that matter, but I wouldnt demand of other people besides them to actually buy me this stuff!)

1) Uncrustables (Smuckers) (please dont laugh at my classiness...or complete lack thereof)
2) Quaker chewy granola bars (I had one the other day that my vision team brought, and it TOTALLY hit the spot)
3) A HAIR STRAIGHTENER ($15 at target...pay you back :))
4) My curling iron
5) Dove chocolates
6) Some of my shorts
7) Those 2 for $5 flip flops from Old Navy (Karsten, you should probably get those NOW, during summer time.)

That is all I can think of for now :) I just had to write those things down somewhere so I wouldn´t forget....

First Vision Team, here and gone!

Today my team left--8:00am Saturday, and there I was at work to see them off! I am actually sad to see them go--we had a great time together. In addition to doing some really awesome things, they also made some really good friendships and connections and I am 100% confident that all of their lives have changed, at least minimally. I have heard from more than one of them that they have plans to come back someday, and either volunteer again, or do what I do.
(Shown above is the whole team plus a few staff members at our final farewell, Friday afternoon.)

They were a perfect first vision team--I learned a lot from them, and they learned a lot from me! And now we are all going to be ´facebook friends´so they can make fun of my Minnesotan accent whenever they want. Right guys :)

That was definitely another interesting aspect to the week--we spent much time at dinner and in downtime trying to perfect the other accent. Apparently my New York accent is quite laugh-worthy, although they don´t sound much better trying to be Minnesotan! It was pretty cool :)

What my group has accomplished this week:
* They built a house from start to finish in Santa Ana (my neighborhood!!)
* They went to three different elementary schools and helped out in the classroom
* They visited our satellite site, San Rafael, the highest level of poverty that we work with, and did some activities with the children.
* They did a recipe exchange with Guatemalan teenagers at the project
* Tie-dye activity with the Common Hope Youth Group--kids who are at risk of dropping out of school. Tie-dye was something the Guatemalans had never done
* Music activity with the pre-school/daycare here at Common Hope--one kid, Tyler, even brought a roll-up keyboard all the way from New York!
*They went on numerous social work visits into the community to experience a slice of life of our families living in poverty

To the left is the finished house and the family which we built it for :)
(Click on the pictures to see them larger)

I am so proud of these guys--at both of our reflection sessions, many of them really seemed to ¨get it¨. When we asked whats the best way to break out of poverty, they came up with education as the answer. (Right on). When I asked what they can do individually to help, they got it right again--starting small, on an individual level. The answers that I pulled out of many of these kids were exactly on the right track with where I would want them to be after seeing the things they did here and after learning about our philosophy here at Common Hope. I honestly think it was a successful trip and that it made an impact on their lives. I am so excited that they had the opportunity to do this at such a young age--because now, when they are graduating high school and thinking about the rest of their lives, hopefully they will think differently than they would have before.

First Vision Team: West Islip High School, Long Island

They are finally here! My first team who I am completely in charge of by myself. Aside from me being sick the first day, everything has been a breeze so far. These kids are great--really energetic and fun, and I always feel like I fit right in, since I sort of still think of myself as a high schooler. (kinda)
Sunday we took a tour of Antigua and then had some time to shop and explore in Antigua--which was really fun, seeing these kids just go absolutely crazy in the artisan market. It was also fun exploring some old church ruins with them, we found some really beautiful ones in the church of San Francisco and accidentally missed mass because we were having such a great time exploring.
Monday their work week started--and my work load lessened. All I have to do is send them off to their activities, and then I have more downtime. Oftentimes when they are on site for the activities, I will be around taking pictures for the online photo diary and helping out in translation, but on mornings like this, when they are all off site at various schools, social work visits, and construction sites, I have more time. They have been having a great time so far--but its hard to tell yet if the poverty has really affected them much--they don´t talk about it much. This could be because they all haven´t yet been exposed to it...but either way, tonight at our first reflection session, we will see. Hopefully I can get them talking about some deeper stuff than just kidding around with each other all the time.

But that is really about all for now, they are busy little bees, and I am just sitting back and directing people where to go! Haha. This afternoon I will go on a social work visit with one girl though, so she doesnt have to go alone, and then tomorrow I might go along for some construction too.

I love the group, and I love being in charge of them all by myself. It really is a wonderful job, and really not that hard at all. (And, tonight, we get to go eat at a delicious restaurant, so that is definitely one of the perks of the job ;))

First round of sickness...

But it wasn´t food induced! It was just the plain old flu/fever/sorethroat combo that knocked me on my back for 2 full days. I have no idea how I got this terrible fever, but perhaps from being out in the rain and being run-down without enough sleep? (Plus maybe the stress of my group coming, I don´t know) In any case, I was realll sick. It was the first time I found myself wishing I lived with someone else. Nevertheless, I am better now, and the only real downfall was not being able to pick up my Vision Team at the airport on Saturday night. My boss had to go for me--thank god for bosses who are willing to work on Saturday nights :)

Gotta influence them while they´re young...

Comment in the evaluations from the last vision team:

¨I´d love to come back someday as a volunteer, like Brianna, who was an amazing influence on me.¨
(Meghan, sophmore in college)

(That´s the good thing about being a young vision team coordinator, I will (hopefully) inspire more kids to come do the same thing as me)

Gotta get ´em while they´re young and impressionable! :)