What an amazing trip. And it didn't fly by, either, because we were working hard each day. But I wasn't ready to come home - quite the opposite, actually. As our plane took off from Guatemala City, I was ready to sign my life away to Habitat for Humanity. Because in light of the work we did and the people that we helped, my life in Michigan feels pretty purposeless and inane. But, because there were no life-signing-away documents at hand, here I sit.
We spent our first night in Antigua, a beautiful old city with cobblestone streets. You can't swing a Guatemalan street dog without hitting a tourist. But the abundance of tourists meant that there were nice little restaurants and shops, so it was a nice way to ease in to (and out of) the trip.
Yeah, that's a volcano in the background.
After our first night in Antigua, we spent our first full day in Guatemala hiking up Picaya, another local volcano. The few people who I have told about this trip have not really been impressed by the volcano hike, but I assure you, it was insanely difficult. It was an hour hike, I think, and it was uphill the entire way (obviously). I was panting like an asthmatic donkey. No, panting is too mild of a verb. I was heaving, or choking, or something equally as painful sounding.
But I made it. And it was worth it. Once we got as high as we were allowed to go, we climbed over piles of hardened lava so that we could get right up to the lava flow. It looked like the end of the world, with the crags of sharp black rock completely surrounding us, the gray sky and the rain. I got right up to the lava flow and poked at it with a large stick, and it was probably one of the coolest things I have done.
We drove to Escuintla after that, and the next day we started building. There is no way that I can explain the experience of building a house with my own hands that will soon shelter a family and become their home. It gave me a satisfaction that I honestly didn't believe I would ever feel. And I won't ever forget the people I met and the things that I saw.
I couldn't really ask for more out of a trip. I made some new friends, had a lot of laughs, and did some very meaningful work. But it's hard to come back to everything that I have. It doesn't feel right. I know that I can't help the fact that I was born in America and that I don't want for anything. But I don't want to be selfish anymore, and I don't want to lose the perspective that I gained.
Time to get back to work. Only 2 more hours in the day.
This will sound heavy-handed... but when I let myself think about what we did last week and the people who were so grateful for our help, my heart aches and I feel like my chest is about to burst. So I have to get through the day and only let my memories of last week come to me in bits. Our team leaders warned us a little about this feeling... and when they did, I knew it would hit me as soon as I got back.
-JZ
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