There is so much that I appreciate and admire about Guatemalan culture. I love how warm and friendly the people are. I love the laid back atmosphere. I really enjoy the food, except the tomales! Have mercy! Please don’t make me eat anymore tamales or chuchitos!
But there are also things I saw that hurt my heart, and I wish would change.
It hurts me to see children working to support their families, instead of going to school. I saw young boys working on farms, climbing up the mountain to go to work in the morning. I saw little 6 and 7 year old children used as sales people for the food and trinkets their parents were selling. What does the future hold for the kids who never make it to school?
It hurts me to see people with university degrees working for 2 USD per hour. That happens here. In fact, a lot of Spanish teachers are paid roughly that amount. Yes, things are cheaper in Guate, but $2 is still not much to live on, and not an accurate reflection of the value they have to offer.
It breaks my heart to hear of people who struggle with alcoholism having been excommunicated from their churches. These are people who need love, not to be tossed out when they mess up. Jesus was known as a “friend of sinners”, and was even accused of being, “a glutton and a drunkard”, because of his association with people who have real problems. It pains me to see the hammer of empty religion come down on people who need to be lifted up by love.
It bothers me to see how out of whack supply and demand are in Guate. There are too many people selling the same stuff. There is such a glut of certain goods that prices are low, and people don’t get a fair return for their labour. And yet there are shortages of other things. I see people working SO HARD for their money, when it should in fact be a bit easier. Balancing all of this out is easier said than done.
It bothers me to know how expensive healthcare is, and see people suffer from inadequate care. There are public hospitals, which have almost no resources and thus cannot provide good care, and then there are private hospitals, which are beyond what most people can afford, but at least provide good care. Fortunately I had a couple of grand to pay the doctor and the hospital when I get sick. Most Guatemalans don’t have that luxury.
It disturbs me to know how much corruption exists. This has not affected me directly. I managed to spend 4 months in Guatemala without paying a single bribe, but I have done enough reading to get a glimpse of the problems that result from this. One local person who I will not name stated that, “we need a revolution!”, but the problem in my mind is that with so many people implicated, even if there were a revolution, most of the corruption would remain, because most of the same people would remain. Not only are government officials implicated, many others are as well. What is needed is a change of hearts and values, and that isn’t brought about through legislation or protests. That comes through spiritual awakening. Hopefully what happened in Almolonga will happen over a wider area, one day.
But despite these issues, Guatemala has won over my heart. It is my home away from home. I am in love with this land, and the people who live here also reside in my heart.
Traveling Matt Stories 