this was originally sent 11/19/05. the picture is of some Mayan Indians standing where their houses used to be on the slopes of Volcan Santa Maria. The smiles on their faces need to be addressed. These people had very little, they lost their HOMES. gone, no insurance nor money/supplies to rebuild yet they smile and laugh when 2 crazed gringos come on a motorcycle to take pictures and be amazed at their misfortune.
This contagious and genuine happiness is present everywhere I have traveled in Latin America. I dont know what it is but there is a different attitude there. On more than one occasion people have said to me that their lives may be poor but they do not need money for happiness. now everyone has heard that saying a million times but its usually people who are financially stable saying it. Of course, the upper class in LA trump most Americans in the materialism and vanity categories but what can you do? Of course its not all flowers and sunshine, there are little kids huffing glue and drinking rubbing alcohol all over, and i am sure the depression that accompanies extreme poverty affects many... yet still something is different. Life is consumed as i feel it should be with a strong focus on family and passion... anyway enough bs, here is the old email.
Hello friends and family, sorry about no emails as of late but things here have been crazy to put it lightly. Guatemala was hit by a hurricane last week. Rains continued for almost a week nonstop and created massive flooding and landslides which have crippled life as it was known here. Roads out or
in are sparse if any, and the majority of people in heavily affected areas are stuck. Xela, the city I am in, was only hit very hard in the low areas. 6 teachers at my old spanish school lost their houses in zona 2. As soon as volunteers could get near zona 2 and out to the surrounding towns, they did. I tried to get a couple of pictures but things were sensitive and there was lots of work to be done. During the hurricane, I went down with a friend of mine to the higher parts of zone 2 and took some video and pictures which i cannot get online due to the size, after that, days later, when the rain slowed we headed to zone 2 and other parts near zone 5 to do whatever we could, this involved a lot of moving ruined things, bricks, beds clothes, dead pets and anything else you can think of out. I am kind of overwhelmed at how to write about this but i feel like i need to,
The worst thing I witnessed in real time was helping this old lady with her stuck front door and as she walked in watching her face as she saw her "house" and stuff for the first time. She started crying and I was able to, with the help of another volunteer, remove her 2 dogs from a tree in her backyard, they were starting to smell and were definitely a health hazard, not to mention that it was very sad seeing them both upside down in a tree, we put them in garbage bags and just walked them to the street, hopefully she thinks they just escaped...
Sorry about the somber email, but Its amazing, if not just a little disheartening, the lack of media coverage this got in the states, personally i am glad though because if not, (those of you who know my mom know this is possible) my mother might have chartered a helicopter and a megaphone and flown over xela screaming my full name(ok maybe a slight exaggeration, but she would have been extremely worried is the point.)
I am trying to upload some pictures but its slow going due to the insanely slow internet post storm. www.trekshare.com/members/veritas
Everyone be safe, I will email again shortly with my plans and what i have been up to for the past 2 months. Much love,
james
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