What a week...

To try to describe the last 7 days is definitely the hardest thing I’ve had to do since starting this blog. I should probably start by telling you that I am writing this entry from seat 10F on an airplane heading from Charlotte back to Guatemala.

As I think many of you know, my Grandpa Ben passed away this past Saturday after a long battle with several health issues. I have spent the last 5 days in Minneapolis with family and friends and even now as I think about it, it all feels like a blurry dream.

I’m really not too sure how to write this entry but I do know that I want to try and capture what the last week has been like since it has definitely had an impact on the journey. I also want to use this entry as my official farewell to Guatemala because starting tomorrow, I will be beginning my next teaching project in Honduras.

So I guess I’ll start there…saying goodbye to Antigua.

It all started last Thursday. I had just etched my name into my final stove in Santa Maria de Jesus and was trekking back to the school. What was waiting for me was amazing. All of the kids (all 100+ of them!) were waiting in a line to say one final goodbye to me. Many of them had crayon drawings, picked flowers, made paper airplanes and other priceless kid gifts for me to say goodbye and thank you.

I made each of them a card with a picture of me and each of them individually as just a little thank you from me. If they only knew how much each of them had taught me over the past 7 weeks, I think they might stop calling me the teacher!
As I hugged each one of them, it was hard not to let the thought that I will most likely never see these kids again enter my mind. These kids that I have taught, learned from, played with, laughed with and fallen in love with will probably only now exist for me in photos and through this blog’s memories. But I tried not to think about it as much as I could and just hugged each kid, fought back the tears and just tried to really take in the moment as much as I could.

Picking which pictures to put here was so hard because every kid is just so amazing but just to give you an idea, here are a few (and a video!)…

Friday was yet another incredible day. At Santa Maria they had Planacientos, which is a day to honor the elderly in the community. All of the grandparents of the kids came to the school to be honored. It was so incredible to see the wrinkled faces and tired eyes of almost 80 men and women who came to see us.
We started by thanking all of them for coming and for supporting their kids coming to school. And then, several of them stood up one by one to thank us for our work. It was amazing! (seriously…the English language has got to come up with more words for “amazing” and “incredible”…I just feel like I’m using those words too much!)

Often in these very poor communities, what little the families have goes to the children. So many times, the elderly are left with very little food. So at this celebration, we gave each grandparent a bag with the “basics”…flour, sugar, pasta, oil, soap. We called each of their names individually to come and get their bags. It really felt like we gave each person the honor and respect they deserved and didn’t feel like a simple handout.
After these couple intense days up at the project, it was time to have a little fun! Friday nights are barbeques for the GVI crew where they welcome new volunteers and say goodbye to us who are leaving. The BBQ was fabulous and afterwards, we hit the town with our dancing shoes on and tequila shots in hand. Even the dance clubs are built into ruins around here!

To all of the kids and families in Santa Maria, to my host family and to the other volunteers…what can I say? You have honestly made the past 7 weeks wonderful. When I left on this journey, I wasn’t so sure what I’d find on the other side but I could never ever have imagined I’d be greeted with such amazing people. Thank you all for making my first leg of my journey one I will never, ever forget.


Ok…Saturday morning. I went to the internet café and got the news of my grandfather. My family and friends had been trying to get a hold of me for the past two days but the internet was down and my phone was out of credit. I know that all of that happened for a reason because the last thing my grandpa would have wanted was for me to miss any part of my goodbye to Antigua. To be honest, a lot of Saturday seems like a blur. A lot of travel arrangements and calls to home. Packing up and trying to just focus on getting back to Minnesota.

I got home on Sunday night where my best friend Rachel picked me up from the airport…quite possibly the best hug ever. It was hard to balance all of the mixed emotions. Sad because of the situation, excited to see everyone, not wanting to leave Guatemala, happy to be home...even it only for a few days.

The next few days were overwhelming to say the least. It really was good to spend some quality time with my family, even under the circumstances and so good to see my friends from home.

I know it sounds strange but the whole week felt more like a tribute and celebration of my grandpa than a funeral and shiva. Every person that came and every word that was said was such an honor to him and I was just so proud to be one of his granddaughters.

I need to take a minute to thank everyone who was there for me this week. Everyone from Dom and Doreen here in Guatemala who made sure I got home to every single friend and family member who welcomed me back with open arms and ears. I honestly am not sure I would be back on this plane without all of your support. I love you all more than words could ever say.

As I continue on this journey, I know that I am doing exactly what my grandpa would have wanted…doing my tiny part to make this world just a little better. Teaching a little, learning a lot and laughing as much as possible.

xoxo,
Debra