When was the last time you held your sister’s or your mother’s hand? When was the last time you wrapped your arm around your brother’s or your dad’s shoulders? Was it during a time of sadness, comfort, or despair? In American culture it is quite common to leave a bubble of personal space around us nearly all the time. We may hug our relatives in greeting or departure if the time apart will be great; we may break the personal bubble to comfort one another. I want to know why we leave physical contact to these bleak, passing moments. While walking the streets of Guatemala, I consistently saw women of all ages holding hands with their family or friends walking next to them and frequently saw men walking with arms around each other in affable embrace.

Our American personal space is a negative one: it is put there to keep people out and to keep our distance from everyone, even the people we love. The Guatemalan personal space is a positive one: it is inviting, welcoming and forthcoming with love and acceptance. When seeing a Guatemalan woman again after our first meeting, I would be immediately welcomed with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. The children whom I could not even communicate with because they spoke only Ixil would still huddle around me, holding onto my arm, grasping my hand, tugging on my shirt, because they were not afraid to be in my so-called personal space and did not feel uncomfortable by having me in theirs. They were simply trusting, and they just wanted to be friends. Why is that so hard for us Americans to wrap our heads around?

Although I could not expect everyone who reads this to try to make personal changes based on my experience in Guatemala, I do hope that everyone takes a moment to open their minds to the possibility of being a little less selfish with our personal space. The Guatemalan culture is very people and relationship based and as such is a very happy, friendly, genuine culture. As a light-skinned foreigner in the land of Mayan descendants, I was welcomed nearly everywhere I went. I was welcomed with greetings of “Hola!” from the children, with curious smiles from the women, and with the occasional wolf whistle and “como te llamas” from the men. If you were to see a traditionally-dressed, Guatemalan family walking down the street in America would you welcome them as warmly? Would you acknowledge them at all? The only places I’ve been to in America that were that open and friendly to strangers were small towns, and they are a quickly-dying breed.

If I have learned nothing else from my experience in Guatemala, I hope I am able to teach to others and incorporate into my own life the openness and friendliness of the Guatemalan people. After all, strangers are friends you just have not met yet, so why not start meeting a few more? I would say one of the reasons we shy from talking to strangers is part of a defense mechanism to keep us safe from bad people, but the reality of the matter is that the vast majority of people are good and would reciprocate friendliness if given the chance. Humans are social creatures, and social interaction is meant to be organic, not technologic. Thus, I challenge you to put down your phone, put away your laptops and iPads, and speak to the person next to you. Give someone a compliment and make their day. What have you got to lose?

All pictures credit to Hannah Boyer, taken with a Canon EOS Rebel T1i.

1) Always pack your flexibility. And toilet paper

2) Never take anything for granted, especially the simplest things. Even warm showers are a luxury.

3) There is nothing like standing in front of a raging waterfall and feeling fearless

4) The longest, hardest, toughest hikes lead to the most beautiful places

5) Never pass up the chance to learn something new. Not everyone has that opportunity

6) People are going to notice your differences. Give them something else to remember you by

7) You can wear dirty clothes a lot longer than you think

8) Make the most of your day, every day. It’s how you make the best memories

9) Someone always has it worse than you

10) Always take the time to explore. You never know what you’ll find

11) You’re stronger than you think you are. A lot stronger. You can do anything if you believe it

12) Go ahead and dance, even though you’re not good at it

13) Work for a good cause, and it won’t feel like work

14) No one has all the answers. Always ask questions, even stupid ones.

15) Be kind and sincere to others, and you’ll receive the same in return. A smile goes a long way

16) It’s always a good time for fireworks, but earthquakes are best left as surprises

17) There is beauty all around you. You just have to open your eyes and see it

18) The electricity goes out sometimes, but the show must go on

19) A little rain never hurt anyone

20) Marching bands practice at 4 in the morning and roosters crow all the time. You’ll get used to it

21) Learn the local language. It’s fun

22) Always help others. Even just being there can make a difference

23) Talk to people. You’ll be surprised how much they’ll share with you

24) Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. That applies to worms, cow poop, and paint as well

25) Home is where your heart is, friends are the family you chose, and life is what you make of it

Kyle Field. Those two simple words in their own right bring an incredible image to mind that many Aggies are proud to be a part of, as well as many memories of attending games and other events. To us it does not seem like that BIG of a deal other than a place that encompasses tradition, unity among our alumni, a roaring sound so loud that it can be heard all over town, and just an all-around amazing thing to witness. “From the outside looking in you can’t understand it, and from the inside looking out you can’t explain it.” This quote suddenly took on a different meaning for me when we were showing a slideshow of Kyle Field at Texas A&M to the students at Philanthropies in Chajul. Not only did you hear a gasp from everyone in the room looking at how massive our Kyle Field is, but also that each deck and section was covered in a sea of maroon colors.

Never once since attending A&M have I had to attempt to explain any of the traditions ofour great college to anyone from another country, and I certainly did not think I would meet people that had never heard of Aggieland. After speaking with the students for just a minute I realized that they were not taken a back by the maroon shirts that filled the stands or the perfectly snapped pictures of our campus. They were fascinated with how extremely large and nice our stadium was. I am sure this is because they have never seen this many people in one place, ever; let alone seeing a gathering this large just for some Saturday football.

While I could go on to say how this lead me to some sort of personal soul searching to ultimately realize how fortunate I am; I believe that the most powerful realization I came to is that I was able to share just a small piece of my life with a group of students who have never seen or heard of such a thing. While it may not seem like a big deal in comparison to giving the students my time, money or wisdom I feel that sharing with them something as amazing as Kyle Field showed them that there are so many more things out there in the world to see. I hope that one day they are able to travel somewhere and experience many of the great cultures that the world has to offer; as well as share their unique perspective on life with others, and not feel as though they are stuck in their current living situations.

 

A few mornings ago, I cried because I am currently ineligible to order my Aggie ring due to my pending grades for this abroad trip. I was under the impression that I would be late to register for a time slot for Aggie Ring Day. A late slot time meant the absence of my mom and family on my Ring Day. I continued to express my dilemma with my professor and host guides. They couldn’t understand why it was such a big deal. In their perspective, the situation was out of my control, so no need in crying over spilled milk and it is only a ring. To me it was like the end of the world (in that moment).
I later found out that registration for time slots isn’t until a few months from now. The deadlines I’m faced with only concern sizing my ring and making the payment for it. I was instantly overjoyed. Then I sat there for a moment and realized how crazy I was. I began to think about why I cried and what everything meant on a greater scale.
Whether I got, what I perceived as, a good time slot or not, I was still getting my ring. Yes, it would be unfortunate if my mother couldn’t make it, but I knew deep down that she would make a way, so why was I crying. I was crying more so because I felt inconvenienced. “How prissy is that!” I thought. I had fallen victim to the ring obsession, not focusing on what the ring symbolizes, or what it is the precursor to. Graduating is the goal. Education is the bigger picture. I’m at least fortunate enough to have the opportunity to pursue and receive my education.
I think back to my encounters with the children of Chajul and the many children who cannot afford to go to school, but desperately want to seek an education. They are heartbroken because they have a thirst for knowledge that cannot be quenched due to various circumstances, but more so the fact that it is not easily accessible. I’m humbled.
I now place caution on what I take and place value on. I have to make a conscious effort to not worry so much, because often times I’m worried about the wrong thing. This time spent away in a different culture has helped me learn about myself and opened my eyes to focus on the bigger issues in life. We often times get caught up in the material things. It is part of our culture as Americans to need more; it is no longer a want for things, things that are not necessities in life. We are a task driven nation and we want to be efficient and effective at all times. We have no time for inconvenience. This experience has brought many things to my attention and I am so grateful to see things in a new light.

Something that very much interests me is the Guatemalans’ perceptions of the United States. Of course, we came to Guatemala with many preconceived notions about what the country was going to be like, which is inevitable. Although, we got our expectations from classes, books, the Internet, etc. Many Guatemalans, especially those in rural areas, do not have access to any of these resources, so their perceptions may come solely from what they hear from others, or see from travellers

Lizzie Baliozian got the opportunity to speak to one man about what he thought America was like. He explained America to be a place of the future, a place he could never imagine to be real. When asked to describe it in one word, he chose “incredible” – hearing that, gave me the chills. He said he would love the opportunity to go to America simply to see if it really exists.

This perspective is vastly different from the women we spoke to last week at the Mesoamerican Permaculture Institute. One woman heard that the United States is who supplied the guns that killed many people during the Guatemalan civil war. She also knows that in the United States people have a freedom to marry and divorce. She almostseemed a bit resentful of this, because of how unfaithful herhusband was, but she also disagreed with our customs, because of her religion. She wanted to make it very clear though that she does have a lot of respect for us. It is truly amazing, yet slightly concerning, how these two are on such different sides of the spectrum.

Today, I also spoke with a Limitless Horizons Ixil worker who actually visited America. I asked her what came as the most shock to her and I have to admit, her answer was not the first one I was expeting. I come to Guatemala and the first thing I notice is the difference in living conditions and the poverty. To her, it was the family dynamic. She was shocked to see couples that did not have any children. What a perfect example of how relationship-oriented people truly are here.

Let’s start off with the differences between Chajul and Panachajel. In Panachajel, I am able to take hot showers instead of avoiding the ice cold showers at all costs in Chajul. In Panachajel, I am able to walk the streets without having to watch where my feet land, while in Chajul it was a necessary precaution unless you wanted to end up with your shoe crevices filled with excrement. In Panachajel the streets are even and lined with touristy shops filled with colorful souvenirs compared to the Chajul market which included raw chicken, fresh fruit, and an abundance of flies. Although there are many amazing things about Panachajel and despite the many tourists and locals roaming around, I feel emptiness and longing for Chajul.

No matter where I turned in Chajul I would see a dozen smiling faces and was greeted by holas from every neighborhood kid who happened to be outside at the moment. The women and girls were dressed in their traditional skirts and often seen at the pilas (their version of a washing machine done by hand) or trying to sell some of their weavings. The corn tortillas were always fresh and in abundance, the students always ready to learn, and Philanthropiece and Limitless Horizons always cooking up a new program or activity. This is why I loved Chajul. Chajul has a culture that is unshakeable (sometimes a good thing, sometimes a bad thing), and a community that is willing to take matters into their own hands to protect their town. The rawness of Chajul made others in the group ready to leave when the time came, but as for myself, I was wishing I could spend another week, month, or year residing and living among side these amazing people. Having the opportunity to learn about these people’s struggles, experience their daily life, and spending quality time with them through dancing, reading, and singing made me become attached to these people and the way they live. Chajul and its people inspired and kindled a passion in me. I not only want to continue helping them on the problems they face, but also continue to learn from the perseverance and ambition that so many of them have. On the way out of Chajul and on the way to Panachajel I could not help but daydream about the day I will be able to return to Chajul.

 

A city like Panachajel is great, but it’s not Chajul. It is configured and molded into a destination that would please those who came from all over the world to see the beautiful Guatemala instead of the real Guatemala. It is a place where the locals are ready to sell, not to learn, teach and expand. Personally I would take a cultured, raw town like Chajul over a tourist town any day, but obviously my opinion is a bit biased.

Between Antigua, San Lucas Toliman and Chajul there has been no shortage of hearing the word ‘hola’ from the un-expectedly friendly locals we have encountered thus far.

For the past 11 days, each day begins on the rugged streets of Chajul that are full of character! Whether it is the chickens running around, the numerous dogs in search of scraps of food, or the trash that seems to never end, it is always an adventure!

Photo by Hannah Boyer

Whenever we are out, whether that be in the morning, afternoon, or night the locals are not shy in greeting us in an attempt to catch our attention.
“Dias,” “tardes,”or “noches” with the added “buenos” before to match the current time of day, is heard from more than a handful of people on any given day.
One morning, when we walked no more than ten minutes from our hotel to our next location, I counted seven separate morning greetings that I personally made eye contact with the greeter.  This number does not include the greetings that other members of my group might have received as well.
The majority of these greetings are from the local children. Some of the children of Chajul were actually the first to greet us upon our arrival into the city. They jumped playfully onto the back bumper of our bus almost as if they were exclusively escorting us into their community. The children here are consistently seen carelessly running and playing in the streets.  Children and toddlers do basically whatever they please, without a parent in sight.

These children who welcome us with so much excitement do not know anything about us besides the fact that we are different from them. We are merely the ‘Gringos’ who are visiting their city.
I bring up these positive greetings to compare to the dwindling tradition of the “howdy” greeting spoken on campus by our student body. As students at A&M, we are connected by the given title, Aggies, however we hardly ever greet each other in passing.
Why?
Being solely a visitor here and having no established relationship with the people here in Guatemala, I have noticed that the children are still not too shy to exhibit their friendliness to complete strangers. I then ask myself, “Why are we so hesitant to say “howdy” to our fellow Aggies whom we do have a mutual connection with?” 
Photo by Hannah Boyer

Occasionally a group of curious kids will start following our group in passing for their own amusement. Although we are the ones trying to observe and develop an idea that could positively impact the Chajulenses’ lives for the better, we find ourselves to be the ones being observed and end up learning something new in our daily interactions with them.

Ultimately, I find myself expressing the same friendliness and curiosity they have exhibited to me. I hope to continue to express this when I return home and to Aggieland.  The experiences I have encountered on this trip from the enthusiastic “hola’s” from the local children, to working with scholarship students of Philanthropiece in our service project with LHI (Limitless Horizons Ixil);  I feel as if these positive encounters have contributed significantly to my perception and outlook of life.
I will truly miss every single Chajulense that I have come in contact with, regardless of the lack of communication due to my slowly growing Spanish vocabulary. I really hope to someday return and show the people of Chajul some true Texas hospitality.

Just to go ahead and answer everyone’s questions, yes I did get my nails done for this trip! Shocking I know but having perfectly white fingernails somehow makes me feel so much better. With that being said I also found it to be a unique way to connect with some of the scholarship students that we worked with in Chajul. How do incredibly expensive manicures and a very poor community connect? It’s actually a lot simpler than one might think; every girl loves to feel pretty.

A quick glance around the streets of Chajul and you will see a beautiful red skirt worn by practically every female as well as intricately woven “huipile” for their tops. Each one is individually handmade to stand out from the rest, from the color of the fabric itself down to the animals and color of thread used to make them. Just like in America the women also enjoy creating extravagant earrings, necklaces, and many hair accessories.

While this all may seem a bit irrelevant considering that it is such a broad way to link to very opposite worlds together; I soon realized that the connection ran much deeper. Not only did the women wear beautiful clothing but they also did hard labor in them without getting dirty or ruining their outfits! It is a running joke in our group that I have been known as a “doll” who refused to get my clothes dirty OR mess up my nails throughout this whole trip, but I still participated in all of the hands on activities. I found it quite funny to look around and see that even though the girls looked as though they were going out in their nice outfits they were standing right along beside me doing manual work to construct a composting bin for their school. Isn’t it amazing to think that women can do just as much as men and still looking amazingly beautiful at the same time? While many of my classmates (mainly my teacher) had preconceptions about the amount of participation I was going to be accountable for; they soon realized that the old saying “you can’t judge a book by its cover” is way more than accurate!

 

 

More importantly isn’t that what all humans want? To be given the opportunity to show how great we can be at something? I believe this experience has given me more of an insight into a completely opposite culture, but also showed me that in the end we are all have some sort of common ground on which we can build a relationship and understanding of each other, even if we come from totally different backgrounds.

I speak English and they speak Spanish… and I’m supposed to stay with them for a whole night? This should be interesting. Last night I had the opportunity to stay with one of the families in Chajul. When first entering into the house, I already had my doubts. It’s not like your typical American house, but after about five minutes of communicating with the family I felt right in. It was a lot of fun we got to help make dinner and the whole family sat in the kitchen while the mother finished preparing supper. I kept thinking of back home in Texas, counting all the times I sat in the kitchen for hours waiting on mom to finish dinner and I could only recall a few and that was because I was forced. The culture is centered around relationships and the families are very close; which I admire and will definitely bring this bond back home. My stay ended up being one of the best moments on this trip. I loved sharing part of my culture with theirs and learning Spanish and Ixel and teaching them English. Gracias, Tantiuxh, and Thank you!!!

A device I used to use 24/7; hasn’t even been taken out of my purse except maybe once or twice… My phone. It’s a blessing and a hassle that I can’t text, call, snap chat, or Facebook whenever I want. I’ve kind of grown accustomed to not talking to my friends and family all day or sending random snap chats because I’m bored. Instead, I’m reading a book, talking with group members, walking around the town, or working on school papers. I never realized how much we rely on our cell phones on a daily basis just to look up the randomness stuff. Not being able to use my phone has allowed me to stay more in the present and notice everything that is happening around me. It’s a shame that technology has changed our lives so much and people have grown accustomed to having conversations over texting instead of face to face. I feel like we lose a lot of the meaning and emotion behind our conversations and with the world in general because we are glued to our electronics. I realize the minute I hit U.S. soil I will be texing, calling, snapchatting, and Facebooking for hours, but having this break has definitely opened my eyes to this new culture here in Guatemala and I hope to try and stay in the present more after I travel back home to Texas.

This past week we have been working with some of the LHI scholars and Philanthropiece students on a huge compost bin WITHOUT any electric tools. We sawed boards in half, hammered posts together, dug holes, and measured and leveled everything out… manually. It took us about 4 mornings to finish this project. I kept saying how much easier it would be if we had electric tools especially when measuring everything out. However, seeing everyone take a turn sawing and “hacking” the wood was pretty entertaining. The LHI and Philanthropiece students kept saying “Cuidado, Cuidado!” “Be careful!” every time we handled the machetes or saws. This past week, with these students, has been a lot of fun and we learned a lot from each other as we combined some of our Texan skills with their Guatemalan skills.

Visiting IMAP  (The Mesoamerican Permaculture Institute) and seeing how they work was probably one of the most intriguing and awe-inspiring activities we’ve participated in. Not only were we able to observe the composting, recycling, and water systems there, we were also able to learn a lot more about “cosmic vision”, which has influenced and shaped the lives of almost everyone in the indigenous Guatemalan society.  Knowing our place in the universe and observing the daily behaviors of plants and animals are some of the cornerstones of cosmic vision. It’s really amazing how people here have taken the time to not only learn from their ancestors, but also from each other to keep finding new innovative ways of accomplishing their task.

“There is no waste in nature.” – Ronnie

[Using old tires for farming rather than risking them ending up in local lakes]

If you really ponder that quote, it makes a lot of sense. From the birth to the death of every life on this planet, waste is something that we’ve created through the lack of understanding the full use and recycling capabilities of those products. By coming up with new innovative ways to recycle and reuse most household waste, many families have been able to reduce the amount of trash they output, which would otherwise end up on the streets and/or the local water source.  Although it was very different and somewhat “weird” to the most of us, using sawdust in the bathrooms instead of water seemed to be an extremely effective way to make sure that the sewer doesn’t contaminate the nearby lake. The knowledge of compost creation has allowed them to produce about 1,200 pounds of compost that can be used in IMAP crop fields each year. There were many safety precautions taken to kill the pathogens and microbes in the raw materials for compost, a process that can take months to complete but if done right saves a ton of money for this poverty-stricken society. The concept here was to not only have a temporary solution for this permanent problem, but to find a permanent and sustainable solution that could be used continuously by future generations.

“There is no straight line in nature”-Goyo

 [Method to prevent flooding and sitting water during heavy rainfall] 

While observing everything around us, like Ronnie said, everything in nature goes counter clock wise. Tornados, vines, the natural path of water, and dogs before they sleep are some of the examples. IMAP has incorporated these concepts throughout their gardens to more effectively make use of the space and the resources available. Furthermore, the fact that cold wind from the north during the day cools the planet and the south wind from the south at night warms the planet is another example of how our planet balances its internal temperature. This is only a small-scale example on Earth. On a bigger scale, we frequently notice the effects the moon has on our planet. Using this knowledge and more, Mayans have been able to understand the complexity of our planet, solar systems and the stars in our night sky.