23. February

After a full week away from the city it was time to settle back into Spanish class and host family stays. This week was focused on the Health and Education systems in Guatemala. First, we compared private to public health care. Then we went to a public elementary school and spent some time playing with the students. To finish the week we went to the University of San Carlos, the only public university in Guatemala, and toured some of the buildings.

After completing another week in Guatemala, I have come to the conclusion that I like living here very much. I have gotten used to the daily routine of waking up early to then embark on a two-hour commute by bus. A commute that a lot of people here are used to doing every day for work or school. Monday starts a fresh week, meaning I have 64 days left on this intercultural trip. 64 days means 64 opportunities. Opportunities that I am very grateful to have. Opportunities to learn and share a culture with the many wonderful friends I have made and have yet to make. I am so grateful that I have taken this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to come on this trip. However, even though this semester may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, that doesn’t mean the many memories, experiences, and friendships are gone once I step foot back on EMU campus.

-Malachi Cornelius

18. February

For much of this past week, we were at the Community Cloud Forest Conservation (CCFC) in the Coban area of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. Tuesday was a travel day with a long bus ride, arriving at CCFC later in the day. We spent Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday learning about the important work and programs that CCFC is carrying out, participated in some work, and did some fun activities. A very important program they have is called WALC, or Women in Agroecology Leadership for Conservation. This program allows young girls from villages around the area who may be facing various issues in their community or household to participate in this program to learn about ecology, agroecology, life, health, types of violence, leadership, and more. It can also provide many opportunities for their future education, work, and family life. Some of our work projects included digging, planting, and watering various plants, and working with composting and different parcels on the land. Some of the other fun activities we got to do included hiking to and exploring two caves, swimming in a stream, some people playing soccer, dancing with the girls from the villages, and also having some free time. The food there was also fresh and tasty. Saturday morning we left CCFC and then returned to our host families for the remainder of the weekend.

Simple Songs

This has been a wonderful trip, but I am lowkey looking forward to returning to the city tomorrow. Life out here is so much more peaceful, but I do miss flushing toilets and not so many mosquitos. The last two days have been a blast. I just have some highlights from my experience.

• Yesterday I had a blast problem-solving hooking up the hydroelectric power to the normally solar-powered batteries. I hope that doesn’t give them any trouble in the future.
• This morning the hike to the upper cave was so beautiful to take in, and it was so fun to explore the cave without a guide.
• Swimming in the river with Noah has probably been one of my favorite memories to date, just something crazy not everyone gets to do.
• Making homemade ice cream this afternoon was pretty fun, and the taste was a great reminder of home for me.
• Lastly, watching the documentary Finding Oscar was super impactful. It was so well made.

Meals the last few days have been good and fun, eating good food with the team at CCFC. They always pray before each meal either in Quiqche or Spanish, but one song has stood out to me. The song talks about giving thanks for the given item of food on the table. We sang it so many times, but it was a really simple yet meaningful way to thank God for the food we were about to eat. I really liked the last line, which thanks God for the love he shows us as his children, or something to that extent. That’s all for now…

-Caleb Metzler

10. Febrero

This week the theme was justice, violence, and peace in Guatemala. On Monday we visited the Survivors Foundation, which is a nonprofit that helps women and children who have experienced domestic violence to rebuild their lives. On Tuesday, we had a Zoom call with Robert Brenneman, an EMU and CASAS alumni. He is the author of the book, Homies and Hermanos which we are currently reading for our EMU class. Wednesday, we had two guest speakers who talked about their red-zone community. One was Yanet, the pastor of Roca de Salvacion in Zone 6. The other was Angelita, an ex-gang member who lives in Zone 6 and attends the same church. On Thursday, we had our weekly EMU class where we talked about everything we had experienced that week. Friday, we had our final exams for our Spanish classes in the morning, and then a free afternoon. Friday night we stayed at Semilla as a group before leaving on Saturday at 3:30 a.m. for the airport. We flew to Flores and spent the morning visiting Tikal. We went to our hotel in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day and Sunday there.

Time is flying by in Guatemala and we have already found ourselves halfway done with the host family stays. I find myself in the Peten region of Guatemala learning about the Mayan city of Tikal! The ruins are amazing and they cover a large area and even include a temple 70 meters tall! Something that I learned during this time is that they (The Mayans) actually were the reason that they had to leave the city of Tikal. Their exploitation of natural resources and excessive burning of wood caused a drought that left them exposed to invaders and without food.

It seems like a civilization that advanced would have figured out how to stay living where they built all of these structures. This draws parallels to our modern world, with our rising temperature and fluctuating temperatures. Some things have changed I guess. Humans are still the downfall of humans and we haven’t figured out how to save ourselves. This was a new side of history for me to see because we usually look back and romanticize the cultures of the past as being one with nature, but that simply isn’t true. I’m not sure humans will ever figure out how to coexist with our earth but we have to try for the sake of everything.

-Samuel Myers

3. Feb. 2025

After returning from the trip, this week was a chance to settle back into a regular routine. The theme of the afternoon class was human rights and we started with a trip to the OHDAG offices (Office of Human Rights of the Archbishop of Guatemala). The next day we watched a documentary called The Art of Political Murder. The group got some extra free time to rest up since one of the speakers was unable to meet with us. The group also had its second full weekend with host families. 

Personal Reflection: the  5 Senses Edition

My sense of smell is constantly engaged here. Maybe that’s because I have a weirdly sensitive sense of smell (thanks, Mom) or all of my senses are on overload all of the time and I just so happen to notice my nose. I smell exhaust, B.O., eucalyptus, tortillas, the shoes I wear every day, (yuck) my host mom’s laundry detergent, and rarely – fresh air.

My ears are on overdrive. Between the mix of languages, cars, idling bus engines as we inch along Calle Roosevelt, yowling cats, gospel music from taxi radios, the fruit/ice cream/pizza guys shouting their wares, the mourning doves with a different song. It feels weird when it is quiet here.  My eyes are overwhelmed with sights that are hard to process – the Terminal Market, Cayalá, more traffic than I’ve ever seen, electrical wires that are terrifyingly hung. My hands feel the stickiness of the bus and my host mom’s shoulder as she cries in church. My skin feels sweat, dirt, hugs from my host brother. I taste new foods – tamales that make me gag, rellenitos (of which I could eat hundreds), tortillas, caldo, (soup) caldo, y más caldo. These senses are what make this experience real. Proof that I’m here. Proof that I’m not dreaming.

-Esme Martin

27 January 2025

Week 2 in Guatemala was quite eventful. On Monday we visited Casa de la Memoria and learned about the history of Mayans in Guatemala. On Tuesday we visited the Palacio National de la Cultura. On Wednesday, we heard Ronaldo Similox talk about Mayan spirituality. On Thursday we departed from Semilla early in the morning and headed to Panajachel. On the way we stopped and visited Ruinas Iximche. There we learned more about Mayan history and culture. From Panajachel, we took a boat trip to Santiago Atitlan. We spent the afternoon at ANADESA learning more about Mayan culture by learning how to make tortillas and a traditional Mayan dance! We spent the evening with our host families. Friday, we spent the morning cooking a traditional Mayan meal. In the afternoon, we took a boat trip to San Juan. We spent the afternoon relaxing at the hotel and enjoying the lake. On Saturday, we spent the morning touring various businesses in the town of San Juan. We learned about the process of weaving, collecting honey from bees, and making chocolate. In the afternoon, we traveled back to Panajachel, and then from there we took a bus ride to Chichicastenango. We spent the evening visiting Ruth and Naomi, a project created to support local widows who lost their spouses during the civil war. On Sunday, we spent the morning visiting the local market before heading back to Semilla in the afternoon.

Mayan Spirituality

One thing we learned about this past week was the Mayan Calendar. This is a combination of many things like science, technology, philosophy, spirituality, astronomy, mathematics, etc. and this knowledge is used to live intimately linked to the history of the universe by the Mayan people. This calendar is made up of 20 energies called Nawal, as well as 13 energy levels (multiplying these gives 260 personality types). The 20 energies are B’atz’, Ee, Aj, Ix, Tz’ikin, Ajmak, No’j, Tijax, Kawok, Ajpu,  Imox, Iq’, Aj’ab’al, K’at, Kan, Kame, Kej, Q’anil, Toj, and Tz’i.

A person’s day of birth determines which Nawal they are. For example, my birthday is Feb. 29, and the Nawal for this day is Iq’. Iq’ is the Hummingbird. World, nature, altars, air, breath of life. Iq’ is the lightning, it is the storms. It is the day of the spirit of the air. [Mayans view] the heart of heaven as giving all living beings the air; food of life. It is a symbol of the commemoration of the end of the world, having done what is necessary for all living beings and completed the sky. Seen as the day of the Heart of Heaven, Heart of the Earth. It is the spiritual, mystical breath, vital principle, inspiration, ideas and actions. It is the essence of every living being. Day of the altars, of the air, sacred breath that gives strength and fills us with life.

Each Nawal has its own descriptions, strengths, weaknesses, and spiritual connections, but Iq’ is just one of those.  Getting to learn about this spiritual/important part of the Mayan culture was really interesting and meaningful.

-Emae Klompenhouwer