Don’t blink, you’ll miss it. A mantra of living in the moment. I certainly tried to live in every minute of my trip to Morocco and Spain. However, almost five months after returning, living in the moment has distracted me from really reflecting. It feels like a dream. Did I really ride a camel? Did I really drink the best mint tea from tiny glasses? How is it that I could have just gone back to normal so easily?
Time flew by fast. It is the end of September and I cannot believe that we returned from the Guatemala study abroad program four months ago. It will soon be a year and I will fail to recall many things that that we did, but there were certain things that I will forever retain. On the day before we were to leave Guatemala on our way to Antigua we played a reflection activity. This activity was not about what we learned academically but what we learned about each other and ourselves. It stirred us emotionally and brought us all closer to each other. Personally my learning was that I realized I like being surrounded by people, be it friends, acquaintances or even strangers. I feel strong and can give my best when I am connected to people and not pursuing things in solitude. I realized that as long as I am humble in my approach I could surely break the ice with anyone. It was the Guatemalans that also made me feel that sense of belonging through their conduct of respect and humility with us.
At the start of the program as we were boarding the plane from Phoenix, I was stressing out on the fact that in just two weeks I would have to work with everyone and write down a report on our experience. The fact that made anxious was that will I be able to enjoy at all or just be working all the time. By the time we landed in Guatemala City and got into our bus, everyone in the group got to know each other and since then, I felt this nervousness slowly decreasing. I realized that it is people with whom I am going to work and have fun too, so I do not need to worry and just go with the flow. As days proceeded, everyone knew everyone in the group and got to know each other’s fun side that helped in breaking the ice. The first eight days of the program were a mix of intense work and relaxation and the anxiety I felt initially was long gone by then.
“Chocola” in Spanish literally translates to “chocolate” in English. Eating chocolate gives me immense joy and happiness, so Chocola, the next city we visited, got me excited just by hearing the name. The hotel we stayed at was like a mini-rainforest, lush trees all around and a small stream flowing, packed by a gazillion critters. It was pouring rain most of the time we were there and was a great relief from the heat we experienced in Zacapa.
Well, well, well! We are finally here in Guatemala. Nine o’clock Guatemala time we landed in Guatemala City on May 18. As we snacked through the dark and empty streets of the city ironically the only flashing and blinking lights (not traffic lights) I saw were the neon boards of American fast food joints. We travelled late night through the smooth, sleek roads of Guatemala City to the bumpy cobblestone roads of Antigua, which was going to be our first base for groundwork.
To be happy or not to be, that is the question. Shakespeare’s words just missed that one critical word that I believe everyone has a choice to be. Being here in Guatemala and trying to understand how people are happy is good a way to self reflect on our own happiness.
Hola amigos, cómo estás? (Hello friends, how are you?).
No hablo español muy bien (I do not speak Spanish very well).
Habla usted Inglés? (Do you speak English?)
I guess this will be the only amount of Spanish I may end up speaking in Guatemala. Staying in the United States for the last nine months has made me a mono-linguist compared to India where I used to speak in almost three languages. I know so far that the Hispanic culture is expressive enough and that a language barrier will probably not impede my attempt to understand the Guatemalans.
