finding balance...

A good way to start out: "Flying rubber chickens sold here!!"

Well, the honeymoon is over. I find myself irritated much of the time, complaining to myself and to Kent (the only ones who will listen) about lots of things: the garbage problem, the looseness of direction and lack of follow-through at school, how sick I am of tortillas, how I miss my friends and family, how I would like to step out into my garden instead of a dirt patch, how I would give my right arm for a piece of rich chocolate cake. (You have to promise to keep reading; I swear I am not stuck here!!)

Anyway, all that to say that I think this is a normal progression. You arrive somewhere and it’s all new and shiny and different and interesting and all those things. And then reality hits; you know, people are people, there are problems like anywhere, and you go through periods of longing for home. Normal. I think I understand that the next step in the progression is to find something like a balance, learning who you can really trust, remembering what is good, flexing with the culture and accepting the times of wishing you were home. Now if I could just take care of that chocolate cake…

But as for balance, if I look, it’s not too hard to find. It comes mostly when I think of the kids. Most of them come from large families where there is hardly enough money to feed everyone let alone send them to a private school where they have to pay 60 Quetzales (about $7.50) a month.
You see them in school in their uniforms and forget that they might have had just a cup of coffee and a couple of tortillas and beans for the day. Or that that uniform is the only one they have. Or that their mother just died of probably preventable complications from diabetes (which happened to 2 of my students just the other day). Reminds you to look past the surface (and try not to complain about not having chocolate cake!).
Marleny, whose mother died just days after this photo was taken...







The other day, the 9th grade class put on what is called an “Acto Civico.” They led the school in the national hymn, did an interpretive dance, presented the flags and danced a traditional balet folklorico. I hadn’t seen them preparing at all – apparently they did it all on their own time, taking seriously their charge to exemplify leadership.

And then in our Science classes, we decided to pick up garbage around the campus. We talked about leadership and contributing to the community, handed out plastic bags and went for it. Those who I most expected to complain led the pack.

We pulled nasty things out of the dirt, attacked piles of garbage and when we were done, threw everything into the burn pit, plastic, cloth, paper and unknowns. Of course the issue is now to keep things clean which is hard when the accepted way of disposing of little bags and such is to just let them go in the wind to blow away to some other place.


This week is kind of a statewide Olympics for soccer and basketball. So there are no classes and the focus in all of the secondary schools is on sports. Last year the Colegio Bethel girls’ soccer team went to the equivalent of the state competition so hopes are high for this year. The Panyebar soccer field is kind of funny. Kids have to run uphill and down, through big ditches and dust bowls, and try to anticipate which way the terrain is going to send the ball rolling. The basketball court also has its quirks: on one side, if the ball goes out-of-bounds, chances are that it goes flying off down the hill, onlookers chasing after it. (Update: the girls lost their 3rd match so they won't be going to State...)
And finally, the bano… As it neared completion, it was the kids’ job to paint it and paint they did. Okay, paint everywhere, on the floor, on them, on us, but after cleaning, look at that shiny new bathroom which will be ready for use next week. The best part was tearing down the “provisional” bathroom and burning it!















So, finding a balance doesn’t have to be so very difficult. It involves remembering why we are here, not worrying so very much when I am bothered, emailing to keep in contact with family and friends and eating the locally-made chocolate that Kent brings up from San Pedro so I don’t have to think too much about chocolate cake!