This past weekend, both Hudson and Dana had returned to the States to celebrate Labor Day with friends and family, and so Kat, Jared, Karen, and I remained at home. Per usual the sensible member of the group, Karen stayed at home in order to relax and prepare for her own upcoming trip to America. However, unexcited by the prospect of remaining in the house all weekend during the rainstorms, Jared, Kat, and I decided to spend our weekends exploring other areas of Guatemala. While Kat chose to visit Guatemala City with a local friend from Peace Corps, Jared and I made up our minds to travel to Xela, Guatemala’s second largest city and backpacker hotspot. All of us greatly enjoyed our trips, but the journeys to our destinations were somewhat of a different story.
Primarily, during her trip to Guatemala City, Kat’s chicken bus was forced to stop because of a landslide that had not yet been cleared from the road. Reluctant to wait for several hours until the bus could pass, Kat and her friend instead followed numerous other passengers and traversed the landslide on foot to where other buses were stationed on the other side. Little did they know, this landslide was the very same slide in the news that had crushed a bus and killed several passengers. While walking through the debris, Kat not only saw the crushed bus, but she also witnessed the removal of bodies from the vehicle. Powerless to help or even avoid the situation, Kat and her friend just continued their walk and tried to be grateful for their own safety.
Likewise, about an hour and a half through Jared and my journey to Xela (which is normally a two hour trip), our chicken bus also was stopped because of a landslide blocking the road. Having befriended two very sociable Guatemalan women, Jared and I followed our new friends and also decided to walk through the slide to the other side. Well, the “one” landslide that we needed to cross was actually four different landslides. After several kilometers of arduous walking, we finally arrived at the end of the wreckage and reached our destination in one piece, yet upon arrival, we learned that we had been even closer to disaster than we had realized. As it turns out, later that day, additional rocks and mud slid down the mountain and buried several men that had been clearing one of the landslides over which Jared and I had walked earlier. Only missing further tragedy by a few hours, I cannot help but feel as though something or someone must have been looking out for us.
As I ponder the past week’s events, I realize that death is an omnipresent factor in the lives of Guatemalans. Not only has the country recently emerged from a brutal Civil War, but the U.S. State Department lists Guatemala as one of the most dangerous countries in Latin America, with more than 25 murders committed every week in the capital city alone. Additionally, between the torrential rain, landslides, earthquakes, and volcanoes (there are 33 of them in Guatemala, 3 active) that frequently afflict the country, Guatemala truly seems to be the “Land of Natural Disasters.” I often wonder: how do these people cope with so many tragedies? How can Guatemalans retain their famous friendliness and optimism in the face of natural disasters and violence?
I believe that this resilience is the product of the common perceptions of life and death. Unlike in the United States where most people cope with the fear of their own mortality either by ignoring death or by overexposing it in video games, movies, or other media, Guatemalans accept and embrace death as a natural component of life. Instead of dismissing death, Guatemalans openly acknowledge their mortality and give thanks for the lives they have led. Instead of allowing fear to dictate their work schedule and personal lifestyles, Guatemalans continue with their lives despite rain or violence. Instead of paying thousands of dollars to spend their final days in the sterile and unfamiliar rooms of a hospital, most Guatemalans prefer to die at home, surrounded by family and friends. In fact, as they lay on their death bed, many Guatemalans even keep their coffin in the room with them. Yes, death is tragic and should be mourned, but it is the final destination of all humans. Perhaps, by only by accepting death, can a person truly live. As my time with MPI passes, I have come to admire this shared outlook, and I realize how much I can learn from the Guatemalans with whom I work.
To end this very lengthy blog on a humorous note (thank you for bearing with me), I experienced my own mini-adventure during my trek through the landslides. In the first slide, I stepped from the road onto the wreckage, and immediately sank up to my waist in thick mud. Luckily, Jared was able to pull me out, but I did lose both of my sandals that I had been wearing. And let me tell you, crossing landslides is one thing, crossing landslides barefoot is a different matter. Apparently, between my lack of shoes and the thick layer of grime covering my lower half, I was quite amusing to numerous members of the road team, who laughed and pointed at me throughout the whole trek. When we finally arrived in Xela three hours later, my shoe-less self and Jared had to negotiate the city until we could find a store in which I could buy another pair. How to make a good impression in a new country 101.
Once again, thank you so much for your support! I can’t wait to give you more updates next week! ¡Hasta pronto!
Peace
Ginny
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