Humbling, isn't it? I think that's the best word to describe our trip to the villages of Patzun, Guatemala. The people were humble and they loved with great abundance. It's so apparent that God is in the heart and soul of every person that crossed our path. You could feel God's presence each time we passed people on the streets and they greeted us with hearty welcomes and smiles. Seeing children take on the chores of adults, but they still had a childish innocence about them. It was all so amazing.
Saturday, when we arrived at the convent, we had the best guacamole in the world. Not even kidding. I think I ate three guacamole tostados. The avocados there are about the size of a softball. So yummy. After lunch, we set up our pharmacy and got ready for a clinic. I had the job of passing out the toys and candy Orant donated, it was a very rewarding job. Little girls loved getting hair clips and the glow-pads. And the little boys were thrilled when they saw the dinosaurs and sea creatures. Their faces would light up when we brought out the soccer balls.
This one girl, who was about 16, came up to me and asked me in Spanish to teach her words in English. Molly, Esteban and I tried to think of good words to teach her. We taught her easy words: brother, sister, cousin, mom, dad, baseball, soccer ball, shirt, hair, eyes, mouth. All easy words. She would say them back to me in Spanish, but I already knew the words I told her, so it was more a lesson for her. It was fun though, and a very interesting interaction.
One prominent observation I made was that language can be a barrier, but only if you let it stop you. There were so many people I was able to communicate with without actually saying anything (or at the least, very little) and still have a general understanding. A hug, a reassuring pat or smile, all so simple and taken for granted in our society, but I noticed the effect of the non-verbal more than I did the verbal.
Sunday we went to Mass and the sermon lasted about 45 minutes, in Spanish, while we stood the entire time. I tell you what, I don't ever want to hear anyone complain about the length of a Mass in my life. The crazy part was I loved the Mass, it was a feeling of home, even if I didn't understand the homily.
After Mass we made the long haul up and down the winding roads in the mountains to get to Lake Atitlan. It's a beautiful lake surrounded by three volcanoes. Check out my picture site for awesome scenery pictures. http://picasaweb.google.com/abigailrenee
The next five days were spent going out to the villages via trucks with all of our meds and packed lunches. We usually set up our "office" in old churches and made use of the space. Molly and I were in charge of vitals and got very use to saying certain phrases in Spanish. "Abajo de la lengua" (under your tongue, talking about taking their temperature) and along that same line, "cierra la boca" (close your mouth.) By the end of the trip I was reported as saying these phrases in my sleep. :)
Our first day in the villages, I fell in love with the kids. We colored, they all colored pictures for me, they are perfect!
One day, Molly and I were sitting outside with our two drivers waiting for more patients, when we noticed our driver's (his nickname is QuiQue) dry hands. We slathered his hands with lotion and when we turned around, there were about 6 kids wanting lotion on their hands. It was like watching a lotion commercial. Their skin soaked up the lotion so quickly, even the little boys liked having soft hands.
Throughout the day we would pass out toys to our patients, and by the end of the day, we would have about 20 kids standing around waiting for us to pass out toys to all of them. That was always entertaining. We were mobbed every time by the kids. It was cute.
When we were at the school in El Sitio, Mari and I went around to a few of the classes and had the teachers hold a singing contest, and the kids that sang the loudest in front of the class would get a toy. It was so cool to see the similarities between American kids and the kids we were with. They all act the same. :)
I could write a million words about my experience, (like I did in my journal I kept on the trip) but I think most people would stop reading. I have many more stories and observations, so I will try to write more later or periodically tell stories in other posts. But for now, check out my pictures. There are over a million words for you to see there. http://picasaweb.google.com/abigailrenee
To sum up my experience, it awakened my soul to the goodness that God has all around His world.
Peace,
Abby
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