As my time in Nebaj quickly comes to an end – just 4 short days until I leave – I’m left forced to think about the upcoming transition back into my old life. Call it reverse culture-shock or what you will, many basic things will be substantially different that what I’ve grown accustomed to.

So I’ve been reminiscing about my Guatemalan life, the positives and negatives – those things I’ve enjoyed and those I haven’t. I think I can do my best to distill the differences that exist between my lives in Guatemala and New Hampshire into three main categories: things I will definitely miss about Nebaj/Guatemala, things that I will be more than happy to do without, and things that I am still unsure about. Without further ado, I present my list.

Things I will miss: Corn tortillas – Without having spent time in Central America, I don’t think that it’s possible to grasp how much a part of the diet tortillas are. I eat probably 5 per day, but god, they’re so good. And it’s a safe bet that the flour tortillas of the pseudo-Mexican restaurants of Keene, New Hampshire (sorry Armadillo’s, Margarita’s) will not be able to fill the corn tortillas void sure to exist in my stomach and heart.

Things I will miss: My Guatemalan family – As an only child, it remained something of a personal test to see if I could successfully assimilate into a family of 8. Resoundingly, I can. Hands down, there is nothing in this country that I could possibly miss more than Helen, Fredi, Jacinto, Vicente, Maria, Rosa, Catarina, and Elena.

Things I’m happy to do without: Chuchos – Guatemalan street dogs. For starters, they fight outside my room all night. Moreover, they’re generally just crazy. The other day I was as close to attacked as I had been in six-plus months in Guatemala. A group of chuchos dodged my arsenal of rocks and it took a shout on my part to faze them long enough so that I could get away. So yeah, the American notion of dogs as pets doesn’t sound too shabby.

Things I’m happy to do without: Tiny dinners – Ricardo thinks I’m absolutely crazy on this point. “Why would you eat a lot in the night if you’re just going to sleep?” he’s asked multiple times when I mention the American custom of having dinner as the day’s largest meal. I don’t know man, because my body wants some food. Also, swapping some fresh vegetables and some protein in place of the small plate of black beans I get here will seem quite refreshing.

Things I haven’t yet decided about: Guatemalan transportation – The camionetas and 15-seater micro buses (15 seats does NOT mean 15 people, mind you) are overcrowded, dangerous, and tend to contain body odors that my pre-Guatemalan self would have had trouble believing existed. That said, they are dirt cheap (US$1 per hour of driving is usually about right), super efficient (you can get pretty much anywhere you would want with just a little planning), and at least somewhat environmentally friendly (when you ignore the giant clouds of black smoke and realize that the drivers are moving a whole bunch of people on a relatively small amount of energy). So it remains to be seen.

Things I will miss: Amazing cell phone system – For starters, my cell phone works anywhere in Guatemala, which I definitely can’t say about my old cell in New Hampshire. Second, in Guatemala you pay for neither incoming calls nor texts, which is certainly preferable to having to dish out every time some idiot forwards you some chain text. Finally: triple days – so good. As the name suggests, on a triple days your 50 quetzales becomes Q150 like magic. Magic I say!

Things I’m happy to do without: Purifying water – Upon arriving in the States, I certainly don’t expect to be complaining about the ability to drink water straight from the faucet without fear of gastro-parasites.

Things I’m happy to do without: Guatemalan music – Not to say that there isn’t some incredible Latin music… It just doesn’t come from Guatemala. If I never again hear a marimba, no complaints. Oh, also the Mexican banda music that the bus drivers blast, wow. Supposedly it has roots in polka. Now, its roots are firmly planted in being untalented and as clichéd as possible. No, really.

Things I will miss: Q10 haircuts – That’s a haircut for $1.25. They aren’t incredible cuts, surely, but who cares?

Things I will miss: El Descanso – A touristy restaurant in Nebaj – known by Rough Guide as the only place in town with even a “vaguely cosmopolitan” atmosphere. But I’ve spent a whole lot of hours on those couches working on lesson plans, sending emails, and socializing with the wait-staff, the semi-permanent Nebaj NGO workers, and random tourists passing through.

Things I haven’t yet decided about: Guatemalan plumbing – Not so much that I haven’t decided about it as that I know it’s going to feel really (I mean REALLY) strange putting toilet paper in the toilet for a change.

Things I’m happy to do without: Lack of pedestrian right of way – I’m actually quite excited to be able to step out into the road and actually expect drivers to stop for me. Here, not so much.

Things I will miss: Waking up to serene mountain setting – There is nothing like being surrounded by 360 degrees of impressively lush mountains reaching towards the heavens.

Things I will miss: Licuados – Absolutely delicious fruit smoothies. Super fresh, very inexpensive.

Things I will miss: Boxboles – A traditional dish of the Ixil region in which the leaves of the huiskil vegetable are rolled up with ground maiz inside and then boiled and served with a pair of sauces. I fail at describing them, but they’re like nothing else I’ve ever eaten, so yummy, so good.

Things I’m happy to do without: Middle of the night earthquakes – Actually, any earthquakes. The worst part comes after the earthquake when I can never bring myself to fall asleep because of some deep-rooted paranoia that another tremor is just seconds away.

Things I will miss: The chuu – A traditional Mayan sweat lodge. Basically it’s a small room with a fire and hot water that you use to clean yourself. But ten times better than I make it sound. Plus, do it and then you sleep like a baby all night long.

Things I haven’t yet decided about: Cortes – Very impressive red skirts worn by Ixil women. To a degree, they suggest that the traditional culture is very alive. At the same time, the cortes are not truly “traditional,” but were forced on the population by the Spaniards, who needed an easy way to identify who they owned. As pretty as they are, I do like the notion of people exercising some degree of self-expression through their personal appearance, so this one’s a tossup.

Things I’m happy to do without: Bolos –Drunks. Though drinking is not socially accepted in Nebaj, the majority of alcohol consumption occurs in the street and not behind closed doors. So I look forward to not having to deal with drunks at two in the afternoon on a Tuesday and not having to see them rolling around and moaning in the street all day.

Things I’m happy to do without: Pila-washed clothes – My clothes expand every time they’re washed. So no complaints when I can use the washer/dryer.

Things I’m happy to do without: Always feeling dirty – Something about Guatemala never lets me feel completely clean.

Things I’m happy to do without: Burning trash – My guess is that I’ve done some permanent respiratory damage with the plastic fumes I’ve inhaled.

Things I’m happy to do without: Roosters – The whole thing about roosters crowing at day break is sheer myth. They go at it all night and day long.

Things I haven’t yet decided about: Fried chicken – For whatever reason, it’s insanely popular here and, though I’d never been a fan back home, it is much less sketchy than other meat products one can eat

Things I’m happy to do without: Hair gel – The guys wear it, a whole lot of it. Always. Why?

Things I’m happy to do without: Firecrackers – So unnecessary, so loud. Again, why?

And so, I come to the end of my list. I’m quite sure I’ve left out some very important things, but I’ve certainly touched on a good deal of my Nebaj experience and with that – I leave to my tiny black bean dinner and Mayan sweat lodge.

Not a doubt in the world, my Spanish language abilities have improved dramatically since arriving in Guatemala a little over five months ago. But occasionally, I still think “god, I’ve been in this country for so long, yet there are so many words I simply don’t know.”

Yesterday, though, I headed out with Ricardo, the host brother of Zuleika and regional coordinator for SolCom, to a campaign (free eye exams, reading glasses, and a couple other products) in a rural aldea called Quisis. I left the house a little before 6AM to catch a bus to another large (relative) town called Cotzal. While waiting in Cotzal for another bus, Ricardo asked me “what do you think about rights for homosexuals?”

When Guatemalans ask me the very common “so are you Catholic or Evangelical?” I hide my agnosticism in a “well, I’m kind of both.” Mainly, I don’t want to upset people not accustomed to someone so strange as to not have a religion. Secondarily, I don’t feel comfortable enough with my Spanish to adequately describe my reasons for opting to do without a religion.

So what do I think about gay rights? Well I told Ricardo…in detail. I explained my sentiments that sexual orientation is simply not a choice. And who would have thought, but Ricardo agreed wholeheartedly. Apparently he has many gay friends and believes gays should have the rights of straight couples…with the exception of marriage.

But that’s when I dropped Spanish like a pro, making the case for same-sex marriage due to hospital visitation rights, taxation, and adoption purposes. And hot damn, I just might have even turned Ricardo into a supporter of gay marriage.
Though short-lived, it was a moment I could point to and say “wow…there’s no way I could have even begun to say that when I got here.” So while I remain very hesitant to call myself a fluent Spanish speaker, I’ve gotten better. Perhaps good enough to start to throw in a “no tengo una religión, porque soy agnóstico” and even explain myself.

Ed-u-ca-tion (noun) – the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.

Studying in school does not make a person “educated.” As Laura mentioned this week, the Guatemalan government doesn’t care about the education of students other than that kids are physically in school and it only values this for the political benefit. Teachers leave class at will and talk on their cell phones while “teaching.” Ultimately, if students learn absolutely nothing, no one is held accountable. Sure, teachers deserve some blame for the wastefulness in schools, but honestly, if you knew you could do just the bare minimum of work and still receive a decent salary without fear of losing your job, you’d probably slack off a bit too. Inefficient schools should be blamed on the federal government, which does nothing to oversee the education system.

Historically, in Guatemala, the preferred teaching method is something of a “repeat-after-me” format. Teachers say something and students repeat it; teachers write something and expect it written down in students’ notebooks word-for-word. The notion of critical thinking or problem solving simply doesn’t exist. Even in secondary school mathematics classes, there are scarcely problems that require analytical reasoning.

If the government does, as I believe, consciously prevent the education system from evolving, one would not be hard pressed to find a good reason to do this. Why teach and encourage critical thinking, the powers of reasoning and judgment that make up a dictionary-defined “education,” when the government has a history it so strongly doesn’t want its citizens to think critically about? During the Guatemalan Civil War, the Nebaj region faced incredible destruction. One-sixth of the Ixil ethnic group was massacred and the vast majority of these atrocities were perpetrated by government soldiers. Why encourage the population, therefore, to develop the powers of reasoning and judgment when a reasonable person would react angrily to the government? (As something of a side note, schools in Nebaj don’t offer history classes for the same reason.)

I named my class Exploración de carreras, Career Exploration. Introduced as a means through which high school freshman can be helped to think about their own futures, the class really intends more broadly to encourage critical thinking and self reflection. Asking students to define what makes an “adult,” to define themselves with a symbol, to identify the most important things in their lives.

Students in the school have acquired “general knowledge,” but I hope to bestow some semblance of “the powers of reasoning and judgment” so that one day some of my students can be truly educated.

Of all the possible skills I thought I might be able to learn while living in Guatemala, using an espresso machine never ranked very high. But that is where expectations could be deceiving.

Helen, another volunteer with Soluciones Comunitarias in Nebaj, brought a small espresso machine back from the States so that El Descanso, a small restaurant and favorite hangout place of gringos passing through town, could improve its coffee options (currently, they fill a big container of instant coffee).

What better way to get tourists to stay in Nebaj a little longer and put more money into the local economy than by offering quality coffee – there’s no shortage of it growing here.

That said, the majority of the highest quality coffee is sent directly for export. So, needless to say, the first three blends we’ve experimented with have come out less than ideal. But, we’re still hopeful to find something incredible and then teach the meseros in the restaurant how to make our favorite lattes, cappuccinos, and espressos.

So, even if the coffee we’ve made has been less than superb, Shreya (another volunteer, pictured) and I are already stellar espresso machine users. Ultra important life skills for the win.

Of all the possible skills I thought I might be able to learn while living in Guatemala, using an espresso machine never ranked very high. But that is where expectations could be deceiving.Helen, another volunteer with Soluciones Comunitarias in Nebaj, brought a small espresso machine back from the States so that El Descanso, a small restaurant and favorite hangout place of gringos passing through town, could improve its coffee options (currently, they fill a big container of instant coffee).What better way to get tourists to stay in Nebaj a little longer and put more money into the local economy than by offering quality coffee – there’s no shortage of it growing here.That said, the majority of the highest quality coffee is sent directly for export. So, needless to say, the first three blends we’ve experimented with have come out less than ideal. But, we’re still hopeful to find something incredible and then teach the meseros in the restaurant how to make our favorite lattes, cappuccinos, and espressos.So, even if the coffee we’ve made has been less than superb, Shreya (another volunteer, pictured) and I are already stellar espresso machine users. Ultra important life skills for the win.

This post by Fellow, Ian Zimmermann has been cross-posted from the Current TV News Blog.

Q: What are you first impressions? How does your new home compare to where you live in the US?
What an amazing place! I grew up in a small New England town, so in terms of the number of people here, it’s certainly nothing too overwhelmingly different; that said, it can be impossible to find certain things here. Want to buy some peanuts? Too bad – you have to travel an hour and a half to find any. I honestly had no idea that there exist people this friendly! Everyone wants to say buenos dias to you and start a conversation. One huge pro of there being very little to actually do here is that human relationships end up being valued above all else.

Q: What are some of the local issues facing the community you’re in?
Lack of educational opportunities must be the most pressing concern here. Only last year did Nebaj – a community of over 20,000 – open its doors to the first free public basico (roughly junior high). If a student decides to go on for a diversificado (high school diversification), the options that exist are limited to three professions: a banker (impractical because there are only two banks in the city), a college track (impractical to most because there are no universities within an hour), or a teacher (the only profession in which it is possible to find work).

Looking outside of Nebaj into the surrounding communities, one of the biggest problems is malnutrition. Beans, rice, and tortillas are great and all – but they frankly don’t make up a balanced diet. In an attempt to raise awareness to this issue, one of our projects is to begin a vegetable garden with kids at a community center called El Centro Explorativo in La Pista. We hope this project will lead families to start their own vegetable gardens as a means for which to improve the local diet.

Q: How are those issues indicative of bigger global challenges or trends?
Lack of access to education is definitely one of the biggest barriers to self empowerment in developing countries. Specifically in Guatemala, one of the major problems is the lack of government spending on education caused directly by the very limited tax base in the country – the majority of industry takes place under the table. Malnutrition certainly plagues many developing countries and one of the large problems is that most people don’t actually know that they are malnourished because they have no idea of the concept of a “balanced diet.”

Q: How does what happens in this community affect the folks back home in the US? And the other way around – how do lives and decisions in the US affect the community you’re in now?
Directly, what happens in this community affects the States because of how many Guatemalans are, in fact, living there. Both my host family’s father and oldest son have lived in Miami for three and four years, respectively. Simultaneously, the families with relatives in the States need the money those relatives earn to subsist. The recent economic crisis has definitely affected the families here because it means, simply, that there is less money to be had.

This post by Fellow, Ian Zimmermann has been cross-posted from the Current TV News Blog.

Q: What are you first impressions? How does your new home compare to where you live in the US?
What an amazing place! I grew up in a small New England town, so in terms of the number of people here, it’s certainly nothing too overwhelmingly different; that said, it can be impossible to find certain things here. Want to buy some peanuts? Too bad – you have to travel an hour and a half to find any. I honestly had no idea that there exist people this friendly! Everyone wants to say buenos dias to you and start a conversation. One huge pro of there being very little to actually do here is that human relationships end up being valued above all else.

Q: What are some of the local issues facing the community you’re in?
Lack of educational opportunities must be the most pressing concern here. Only last year did Nebaj – a community of over 20,000 – open its doors to the first free public basico (roughly junior high). If a student decides to go on for a diversificado (high school diversification), the options that exist are limited to three professions: a banker (impractical because there are only two banks in the city), a college track (impractical to most because there are no universities within an hour), or a teacher (the only profession in which it is possible to find work).

Looking outside of Nebaj into the surrounding communities, one of the biggest problems is malnutrition. Beans, rice, and tortillas are great and all – but they frankly don’t make up a balanced diet. In an attempt to raise awareness to this issue, one of our projects is to begin a vegetable garden with kids at a community center called El Centro Explorativo in La Pista. We hope this project will lead families to start their own vegetable gardens as a means for which to improve the local diet.

Q: How are those issues indicative of bigger global challenges or trends?
Lack of access to education is definitely one of the biggest barriers to self empowerment in developing countries. Specifically in Guatemala, one of the major problems is the lack of government spending on education caused directly by the very limited tax base in the country – the majority of industry takes place under the table. Malnutrition certainly plagues many developing countries and one of the large problems is that most people don’t actually know that they are malnourished because they have no idea of the concept of a “balanced diet.”

Q: How does what happens in this community affect the folks back home in the US? And the other way around – how do lives and decisions in the US affect the community you’re in now?
Directly, what happens in this community affects the States because of how many Guatemalans are, in fact, living there. Both my host family’s father and oldest son have lived in Miami for three and four years, respectively. Simultaneously, the families with relatives in the States need the money those relatives earn to subsist. The recent economic crisis has definitely affected the families here because it means, simply, that there is less money to be had.

One of our major projects in Guatemala is to support Soluciones Comunitarias, an NGO which trains Guatemalans to sell health related products such as reading glasses, water purifiers, and vegetable seeds. This week, we spent two (long) days traveling around northern Quiche and I produced the following video to document our journey:

One of our major projects in Guatemala is to support Soluciones Comunitarias, an NGO which trains Guatemalans to sell health related products such as reading glasses, water purifiers, and vegetable seeds. This week, we spent two (long) days traveling around northern Quiche and I produced the following video to document our journey:

Complimenting Zuleika’s blog post from last week, we spent this Monday in a town passed Vi Chibala called Santa Averina doing publicity for a campaign for Soluciones Comunitarias (we do publicity a few days before returning for a campaign when we bring the water purifiers, reading glasses, and other health products for sale). Usually, we just walk around town and hand out fliers describing the event; the free eye exams and such. In Santa Averina, however, we did our whole publicity in the market, where hundreds of women shopped in their traditional garb.

Following this, we found out that the town has a waterfall: “do you want to go?” My initial thought went something like “mehh, waterfall…” But, realizing it would probably be my only opportunity, I agreed to check it out.

After we walked fifteen minutes or so, we began to hear the roar of tumbling water. Turning a corner, I about lost my breath. Expecting the falls to be 20 feet or so, I was beyond shocked to see the picturesque falls stretching high into the sky in a microclimate rainforest – absolutely gorgeous. Moving closer, the falls simply appeared more and more magnificent.

I suppose the moral is to never turn down an opportunity to see cataratas?

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