6 ferris wheels and my last blog in Guatemala

It is fair time in Comalapa. And there are currently 6 ferris wheels set up in the plaza...6!!!

Well, as you may or may not know, I am now 3 days into my last week in Guatemala. Tomorrow is my last day in Comalapa and then I’ll go on my last retreat with the girls and my supervisor to Panajachel. At about 3am on Sunday I’ll be on my way to Guatemala City for a 6am flight. And by 5pm eastern time on Sunday, I’ll be back in Pennsylvania. And that’ll be that. Another end. Another chapter closed.

This past week has been super busy! I translated again last Thursday and Friday morning. Then a lady from Cedepca came to Comalapa to put on a workshop at CEFORMA. The lady stayed at my house with me which was nice. But by Sunday evening, I was exhausted.

The workshop was called Project Alternatives to Violence. It was created in the U.S. by the Quakers. And it has been brought to many countries all over the world. It is entirely interactive and deals with how to deal with problems in your everyday life. Talking to some of the women afterward, I think it was really helpful. Not only that, but it gave the women a chance to really take some time for themselves. And that so rarely happens with women in a Guatemalan household. Though, they couldn’t take too much time, because they asked to end at noon on Sunday, instead of 3:30. Oh well, small steps. I hope that they take the initiative to bring in more workshops for women at CEFORMA. As a community-run school, I believe that providing these sorts of educational services to the mothers will help keep the school alive.

On another note, this is a week of goodbyes. I am terrible at goodbyes and usually brush over them, not giving them the full attention they deserve. But not this time. This time I am saying my goodbyes. A few each day. I began packing on Sunday. And it is now Tuesday and I am still not finished. My mom isn’t here to help me this time! I seem to have accumulated a whole suitcase full of Guatemalan fare. That just means that I will have to leave everything that doesn’t fit here. Hopefully my host family is OK with that!

I bought gifts and souvenirs for myself, but it seems that I didn’t need to because everyone keeps giving me things! It is really so unnecessary. But at the same time, I can’t refuse something that some wants to give. What a giving place this is. All year I have received little gifts. A necklace here, a pair of earrings or a little purse there. I’ve even been given 2 güipiles! And on top of the material gifts, the love and affection I’ve received is indescribable. People have invited this strange tall gringa into their homes and fed me and shared with me and made me feel at home. Words cannot express how grateful I am for having met the people of Comalapa. Especially the women. They have given me new insight into what it means to be a woman. What it means to be strong and maintain ones dignity in an oppressing society.

So, I am going through my goodbyes feeling excited to see my family and friends again, to discover what it is I have learned here and how it will change my life as a whole and how it has changed my day to day decisions. What will those changes look like? Will I shop differently? Will I consume less? And more importantly, will I treat people differently? I sure hope so! I sure hope I am strong enough to maintain these new values I have developed while living with a family in a small town in the mountains in Guatemala. So, I am hopeful for the future ahead of me, and ready to start the next chapter. Yet, of course, I’m sad to end this chapter in my life. I have had an uneasy feeling in my stomach all week. But, I can’t tell if that is from sadness or the parasites that I’m sure I have. Probably a little bit of both.

See you soon!!!!!