A Long Day of Driving

It has been a little less than two weeks since we returned from Guatemala and I have been slowly going through my journal and reliving some of the great moments I had while on the Mission Trip.  I have found it extremely hard, when people ask me about the trip, not to blurt out answers and memories at 200words per second.  I am hoping that as people read this that they gain an appreciation for the situation in Guatemala and for the way in which God can work through us if we let him.  This blog segement contains my journal entry from day two of our Mission adventure.  The night before we arrived in Guatemala City and now faced a long drive to Nebaj, the last major outpost before we head to Villa Hortencia II the next day.  We would spend roughly 8hours on the road with mainly sunny weather.  When I wrote this entry I was sitting in my hotel room in Nebaj and wrote that I had felt stressed, uncomfortable, but humorous through most of the day.  The stress was from the driving but read the journal entry below for more.

This would be the first day in which I would get to know our in country support leader, Domingo Perez, and he would prove to be a valuable person in our travels and work efforts.  It was great getting to know Domingo throughout the trip and I want to thank him personally for all he did for us throughout our Mission trip.

The first thing I noticed this morning was the different birds.  I wasn't in New Brunswick anymore.  Clouds hung around the mountains, the remnants of the storm the night before.  We worked quickly and quietly packing the Food For the Hungry Guatemala van and headed out for Nebaj.

I was completely unprepared for the driving in Guatemala.  There were cars and people everywhere.  No rules, passing at anytime or anywhere even on hairpin turns.  I had a white knuckle grip and a tight stomach for atleast the first hour and by the end of the third hour had to pee so bad it didn't matter.  Regardless of the driving, the scenery around us was amazing.  I was blown away by the incredible topography and how the local people made the most of all of it.  They seem to crop any ground here no matter what the slope is or if it has topsoil.

The people here are attractive with big, brown, expressive eyes, dark hair, and dark complexion.  Big broad smiles that often seemed supressed but once expressed you feel welcome despite not knowing their language.

As the drive continues I notice a disturbing reality, the air quality seems poor.  This is oxymoronic to me with the vast greenery that surrounds us but as I look at the homes, many have smoke rolling out of them, add to this the numerous vehicles that are driving in disrepair, garbage burning on the side of the road next to dead animals, and the irony is lost.  The air was poor enough that it slightly tortured my stomach and added to my stress level.

At lunch we stop in a small community and eat at a cozy restaurant with walls made of firewood, complete with windows.  It was a very nice place that paid attention to small details, especially in their outdoor surroundings.  Their meal presentation, landscaping, and rock and wood work were all elegantly done and I have a feeling this may be a recurring theme on this trip as most places I've seen have made what little they have look great.  To me that indicates a prideful people and I highly respect that.  At the restaurant it provided a warm and cozy atmosphere that alleviated my earlier stress, well that, and I got to go to the washroom.

The view as we approach Nebaj, it provides a slight indication

 of the type of terrain we drove over throughout the day.

With all the attention to detail another thing I noted today, especially after checking into our rooms in Nebaj and going out for supper, is the way the effortlessly bring the outdoors in, or maybe more appropriately, the indoors out.  Most buildings or properties have a center court that is open to the natural air and all the rooms lead into it.  When you wake in the morning you have to go outside to get to breakfast.  As someone who loves the outdoors this style of architecture really appealed to me.

A fountain at the restaurant where we had supper in Nebaj.