Guatemala (in one fell swoop!!)

I have decided to revive my travel blog from Europe, in order to share a bit about other travels, as I realize few have heard reports of my recent travels to Guatemala.

Side note from Yma, the snow nurse: "I was unable to accompany Amy on her recent trip to Guatemala, not because I was not qualified (after all, it was a medical mission and I'm a snow NURSE), but because Amy flat out FORGOT to take me along!"
(For those not familiar with Yma, please read the first entry from this blog.)

So here goes: Guatemala in one fell swoop! This could be lengthy folks, so you might want to grab a snack and sit in a comfy chair! I'll try to pare things down a bit.

Background: I traveled with a group of 20 people, all from Wenatchee area, June 16-25. The team was led by Drs. Dave and Susan Weber, who have now led 5 teams to Guatemala. A large portion of the team had been there before and were excited to go back. I've wanted to join the team for several years now, but this year I made it a priority. Six members of our team worked on construction projects at a church and a school. The rest of us worked in medical clinics. We worked with and were well cared-for by a Guatemalan mission called La Mision. La Mision is led by a Guatemalan doctor, Tito, and his 4 amazing staff. They were wonderful to work with and their passion for their work is inspiring.

Day 1 (or "Hit the ground running"): We left Wenatchee early in the morning to make it to the airport in Seattle with plenty of time to check in. I dutifully set my alarm for 4:00, figuring that would give me 20 minutes to wake up and get ready, and settled in for a short night's sleep. Five hours later, I was awakened by a light knock on my front door. Sure enough, I'd set the alarm for 4:00 p.m. and my ride was wondering if they had the right house. Fortunately, I've perfected the ten-minute prep time in an effort to sleep as long as humanly possible when clocking in to work at 0630, and 10 minutes later I was out the door. The drive to Seattle and check in process went remarkably smooth for a group of 20 people and none of our huge checked suitcases full of dental and children's supplies were over the 50 pound limit.

Traveling through Dallas/Ft. Worth, we arrived in Guatemala City at 7:30 and were warmly welcomed by La Mision who had vans waiting to take us home. "Home" was Iglesia La Comunidad de Fe, a church in Guatemala City with bunk rooms, bathrooms, kitchen and living area. A delicious meal of baked spaghetti was waiting for us, lovingly prepared by Tito's wife, Brenda who did all our cooking while we stayed in Guatemala City.

First impressions of Guatemala: 1)They should make a video game of driving in other countries. While tamer than Vietnam or Naples, Italy; Guatemalan driving was a sight to see. I adapted one of my favorite Bible verses, Psalm 4:8, for driving in Guatemala--"I will sit down and ride in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." :) 2)I'd forgotten that it gets dark early year-round in the tropics so it was already full dark by 7:30. I missed long summer evenings. 3)Guatemala has NO mosquitoes! I love this country!!! 4) HUMID! Sticky skin. Rain, rain, rain. Rainy season was just beginning when we arrived. 5) "House plants" grow wild and huge here. I'm always amazed by that in tropical places.

The team enjoys our first meal in Guatemala. I never actually ate much Guatemalan food. They fed us well, but they fed us American and Italian for the most part.

In contrast to the title of this entry, I've decided to divide the posts up over some time, seeing as it's taken much longer than anticipated to write this one. So stay tuned for future postings!