GUATEMALA - DAY 2
Today is DAY TWO!
Isabella and Rob
Sleep is a wonderful thing! The alarm went off at 5am but compared to our travel day - it felt like sleeping in!! Janice and I woke up excited for the day. We went to Santiago Atitlan - where the young men’s transition home (Hope Community) will be! This endeavor has its own God sized story - so make sure to check that out from an earlier post.
Giovanni determines the problem
Ruth and Giovanni met us at the hotel at 6:30am. To our pleasant surprise they brought Isa (Short for Isabella) with them. Isa lived in the Girls Home in Mazatenango and has remained connected to HRI ever since. This beautiful young woman, now 18 years old, is one of our scholars and will be a difference maker in her family and community.
We loaded up and began the 3+ hour drive to Santiago Atitlan. The group chatted happily, enjoying the warm breeze through the windows, UNTIL an unusual odor started wafting in! We all assumed the smell of burning rubber was coming from one of the many vehicles careening around us. However, Giovanni knew something was up, so he pulled into a gas station and determined that our brake pad was stuck to the rotor and was the source of the very bad smell.
So began a common experience in Guatemala - hanging out waiting for assistance or alternative transportation. Transportation in Guatemala is very different from what we see in the United States. There are many similarities, of course, people speeding, horns honking - but the differences are actually quite startling. About an hour later, Ruth and Giovanni secured a replacement van and we were on the road again.
Motorcycles
As we began our journey, the amount of motorcycles (or scooters as they are often referred to) is incredible. They are everywhere! Weaving in and out of traffic, sidling up between lanes of stopped cars and buses. And if that was not frightening enough, many times there are multiple people on one bike. I am not talking about a Honda Goldwing with a sidecar - I am talking about a small motorcycle carrying an entire family. Dad, Mom with a baby strapped to her and a toddler or two strategically placed between or in front of them! The mom in me, the former church safety director in me cringed. My only option was to say a quick prayer and try to put the terrible possibilities out of my head! These families are not riding like this for a joy ride or a Saturday afternoon jaunt - this is their way to get where they need to go to provide for themselves. Later in the drive we passed one of the bikes with a couple of guys on it - as we looked over two of us gasped out “That guy is asleep!” at the same time. Sure enough the guy on the back of the bike was sound asleep as his buddy zipped in and out of traffic! How that man did not fall to his death is beyond me! Again necessity makes a person take risks that I have never had to evaluate.
Chicken Buses
As my brain tried to file that away, I was struck by the number of brightly colored buses. Rob nonchalantly says “Oh those are the Chicken Buses.” WHAT?? A “Chicken” bus - what does that mean? I learned they are quite infamous in Guatemala. The Chicken Bus has been a staple of low cost transportation for local Guatemalans. People are picked up wherever they may be alongside the road and ride - it does not seem to matter how full the bus is. Janice and Rob shared that they have seen buses so full that people were literally hanging outside of the bus! People crammed inside like sardines and luggage and other items stored on top of the bus. Often this includes baskets of, you guessed it… CHICKENS! Zipping along the roads of Guatemala, careening around curves, bouncing over the many speed bumps, these buses are colorful and beautiful yet terrifying to drive near! One of our group said “This takes tailgating to a whole new level! I will never complain about tailgaters in the US again!” There was a stretch of road where the same Chicken Bus passed us several times. The driver would practically kiss the back of our van, swerve out and around us to accelerate away and then stop a minute later to pick up another passenger. We would swing out and around the bus and within no time at all that same bus would be barreling up behind us and we would go through the same dance again. Ruth shared that one time she and a friend were taking local transportation and her friend gasped at one of the many close calls they had and everyone on the bus just looked at her in surprise. This is normal in Guatemala, not the exception.
Random police stop
As we continued our journey to Atitlan we came upon what Rob and Giovanni called a “cultural experience”. At a police checkpoint we were waved over to the side for a check? For an inspection for drugs or human trafficking? I didn’t know. The heavily armed policeman approaches our vehicle and “waits”. There was a moment of awkward silence, the policeman making very pointed eye contact with Giovanni. The police finally asked what our business was. Giovanni told him we are with a nonprofit, showed him his identity then he let us go. As we pulled away, Giovanni said to Rob “lunch money”. Rob did not understand what he meant, so Giovanni explained that police at these stops will pull over cars that look like they might be filled with people representing a wealthy business and who might be intimidated enough to pass over a few Quetzales (Guatemalan currency) to keep moving along. I guess once Giovanni told him we were with a nonprofit he knew there was no money to be had.
This is through the front window of the van - it was hard to get a picture without gawking an people! Sorry for the blurriness!
We continued on toward Santiago, passing through beautiful country and quaint villages. Some of the small communities posted toll booths at the edge of town to collect a small fee for passing through their town. Another woman on our team, who grew up in Guatemala and has lived in the United States for the past 20 years, shared that this allowed these communities to maintain their roads and provide for other needs of the community. These areas are poor by US standards, but I was struck by the similarity to the many small towns in the US. People work hard, watch out for their neighbors, raise their kids, love and laugh, experience loss and hardship and wake up the next day and do it again. We drove past men working on the side of the road, hammering on large rocks, breaking them into smaller pieces to be sold to build retaining walls to prevent erosion. We passed people walking up the steep sides of the road carrying firewood bundles so large and heavy that they were stooped over. We passed sugar cane fields where the work to maintain, harvest, and produce the delicious white crystals I purchase so very cheaply in the US reminded me of the stories I heard from my father of his childhood, picking cotton in the south for a penny a pound.
Our bumpy, enlightening and sometimes scary ride finally ended as we pulled into Atitlan. The town streets were lined with small shops filled with items tourists may want to purchase as souvenirs and gifts when they return to their own homes. Our new friend who grew up in Guatemala had told us about the unbelievable amount of extortion in Guatemala City and other areas. Ruth and Giovanni shared their own experience of extortion that caused them to shut down their own restaurant they had recently owned. (That's a story for another day) We learned why there were armed guards (not police) stationed outside of the many businesses in Guatemala City, at the toll booths, really near any type of potentially successful establishment - necessary because larceny was as common as the Chicken Buses - again just a reality to be dealt with. YET here in Atitlan I did not see any guards and in fact saw many shops that would be unable to secure at night and asked the group how could that be safe for these business owners. Ruth shared that in these areas where tourism was the primary source of income the locals banded together to deal with issues that would jeopardize their livelihoods. She said that thieves, if caught, were dealt with harshly as an example and a deterrent to others who might be tempted to do the same. I asked, so what does that mean? She said there have been cases (not a lot because it doesn’t take many to get the word out) of criminals being burned. My midwestern, suburban self has no way to completely process this. Life is different in Guatemala.
Meeting Dani
We parked our new van, and were met by Dani, ready to take us to the Hope Renewed property across Lake Atitlan. Dani is the agriculturist that uses the HRI land to produce vegetables that he sells in Atitlan. Dani and his family had been farming this particular plot of land for many years (Another story I am anxious to share). The joy on Janice and Rob’s faces when seeing their friend was shared by Dani. He has been a vital team member to us and is familia. He happily welcomed the rest of the team, embracing us in greeting and led us to the boat that would take us the remainder of the way to the land.
As we approached the dock, Janice pointed over to a small group of VERY tiny, wooden canoes and shared that the last time she had crossed over to the property, Dani had rowed her and another Board Member over there in one of those. Oh my! I was immediately grateful for the low bottomed motor boat with its tattered life jackets that moments before I had eyed with skepticism.
Hope Community
We arrived on the property. This project started with excitement, purchasing the land, multiple mission teams traveling over to begin the preparation of the land, teams building the palapa hut, other teams digging the foundation of the first dwelling, building retaining walls - hundreds of hours of volunteer time! Rob shared the excitement of CrossRoads to give toward the dream of providing an opportunity for young men aging out of the orphanage system to become the men God intended them to be and to escape the all too common fate of these boys who join gangs, enter a life of crime and/or drugs and are lost in the ongoing cycle of poverty and abuse.
We toured the narrow strip of land, careful to avoid stepping on Dani’s crops, and my own excitement and passion for this future ministry was kindled. I could see why CrossRoads, despite the ongoing setbacks, remains committed to seeing this project become a reality. When I later heard Dani’s story and the impact of God on his life through Hope Renewed I could only imagine what God will do in the lives of so many young men in the future. I thought about Dani being there to help guide them in learning skills that will provide for them and their future families, helping them learn about the God who sees them, loves them and wants a personal relationship with them. Oh the difference one changed life can make! Please join us in praying that now that Covid restrictions are lifting and teams are returning, that the plans for the Boy’s Transition Home called Hope Community can progress quickly!
Lunch and the return to Guatemala City
After a short rain shower, we returned to Santiago-Atitlan for lunch at Dani’s friend’s restaurant, fully vetted by Dani to be safe for us to eat. What a wonderful time of fellowship! We lamented with Dani about the loss of his beloved father just two months prior. We laughed and shared with one another in a mix of English and Spanish, enjoyed the delicious food and deepened our connections to one another. Again I felt included into the circle of friendship previously created with Dani.
After lunch we walked up the hill to browse some of the shops and again I was amazed at the different modes of transportation here in Guatemala AND the lack of safety protocols that are expected and required in the states. Here, small taxi-like motorbikes called Tuk Tuks zipped up and down the cobblestone street, ferrying locals and tourists as needed. These drivers were obviously once Chicken Bus drivers because they were quick, efficient and scary!
Examples of the beautiful Mayan tapestries
Exhausted, we returned to the van ready to begin our journey back to our hotel. Once again as we approached the dock (where our van was parked) we were surrounded by women and children imploring us to purchase their goods. Some of them were exquisitely made tapestries and embroidered table runners, pillow shams, dresses, shirts. Others thrust intricately woven bracelets and other trinkets such as magnets toward us. The sheer volume of individuals vying for our attention and dollars totally paralyzed me, keeping me from purchasing anything. I politely said “No Gracious” over and over - agonizing on what was better, to purchase a tapestry I did not need, that must have taken this elderly Guatemalan woman hours to complete, for a pittance, or to decline and escape? The competition between the vendors and their intense persistence was difficult for me - though I was relieved to see that as the group would walk away from us they were obviously enjoying each other, chatting amicably as they waited for the next tourist to appear.
I have to share one story of ingenious marketing though - we passed one man’s small booth who stepped out in front of us holding a pen. Saying, in English, that he could embroider any name we wanted on the color wrapping around the writing utensil. He persistently thrust this pen in front of us to show us the intricate design he had created. I finally focused on what the pen he had said - and embroidered in the colors of the Ukrainian flag were the words F* (though let me say there was NOT an asterisk) Putin! Talk about knowing your audience!
Finally the exhausted group loaded into our van and Giovanni began the arduous journey back to Guatemala City - though this time in the dark and fog. God bless him and Ruth for spending so many hours shuttling us around, giving up time with their two young children!
The journey back to the hotel was LONG and equally as unsettling - so much so that eventually I just surrendered to the possible risks and tried to put together my thoughts on the day. So many things to process, so many differences between my life and the lives of the people of Guatemala and yet SO MANY similarities.
I will share more reflections as the week goes on… but Day 3 is here and we will be heading to Zone 3 to see the Sewing Center and go to church. Did I mention that Giovanni and Ruth have started a church? This young couple is serving God in so many ways! I am grateful that God has allowed me and Hope Renewed International to be a part of their lives and ministry. I hope you will consider joining us - prayerfully, financially and, though I never thought I would be saying this, physically too!
If you want more information about Hope Renewed - check out our website hoperenewed.org
If you would like to talk to someone about sending a mission team or just more information about missions - please email our Mission Team Coordinator at megan.twadell@hoperenewed.org
If you feel God is leading you to support HRI financially - please click here or go through the website to donate.
I will post pictures and updates from Guatemala. Watch for our blog posts.