May 3rd news from Guatemala

May 3, 2009

Hello Family and Loved Ones,

This week we officially passed our six month mark. Amazing how fast it goes. While we were on the bus to Esquipulas yesterday I started making a list of interesting things I was observing along the way, or had noticed recently. I thought you might like a glimpse of my list.

1. Businesses with odd names:
a. Some of the Beauty Salons here have attempted to copy the American names—they are close, but not close enough. I know of at least three that have gigantic signs out front saying they are a “Saloon de Belleza (Beauty).” I wonder if they sell booze?
b. “Hotel Good Price”—looks sort of seedy on the outside, so maybe that is all they have going…
c. Clothing stores that make a point of letting you know all of their merchandise is new. That is because there are dozens of stores that receive huge bundles of used clothes from the states and proudly display them. There are rows of used clothing stores on 3a Calle. Just walking down the sidewalk you can smell the “used clothes smell.” 
d. A pet store called “Arca D’ Noe” I thought that was very creative—Noah’s Ark.
e. “Escuela Experimental” Of course it has been around for 20 years with the same experiment running. When asked what the experiment was, one student explained that they have teachers teach the same subject all day and the students move from class to class. It works, too!! Amazing idea.
f. We have a “Victoria’s Secrets” right across the street from the church, with the expected lingerie displayed.
2. Education is apparently pretty tough in the city (different in the aldeas, as Spencer explained). One of my students is in third grade here. She just moved here from the United States, where she has lived for the past four years. She is finding it difficult to catch up to where they are in several subjects. Most schools run two sessions. One from 7:00 AM to 12:30 PM and one from 12:30-6:00 PM. Some teachers teach both sessions for a larger salary. No breaks for meals for kids—just work straight thru.
3. “Free education” All kids are supposed to attend school until the age of 14. But many are unable to attend because of the costs of supplies and uniforms. They just join the workforce with their parents when they are about 6-7 y.o.—helping in the market or growing the produce, selling newspapers, shining shoes, etc.
4. You can teach the lower grades with just two years of education beyond high school. But you have to pass lots of tests to get into the program—so there is already a screening to find capable, bright teachers. However, teachers only make about Q900 a month--$125. That is definitely a middle class wage. They usually even can afford concrete floors in their houses instead of dirt.
5. Being an armed guard is a major form of employment—Spencer touched on that last week. I think it must be the most boring job in the world. Standing all day long holding a shotgun and not visiting with people. Sigh. Not my kind of excitement.
6. America is a “throw away” culture and mentality. Here, everything is repaired. That is because labor is so cheap. [And because Americans high labor costs probably reflect a little greed.]
a. Old school buses are sent down here (often as a donation) and Guatamaltecos keep them running for an additional 20 years or so.
b. Spencer has found a deaf/mute repairman who is a genius with electrical motors and can repair anything.
c. My shoes were getting really worn on the outside of the heels and I had them re-heeled and resoled for $5—labor and materials.
d. There are “sastrerias” (tailors/seamstresses) everywhere. You can get clothes repaired or made from scratch really inexpensively. Spencer has stocked up on dress pants and is getting a suit made now.
e. Shoe shines only cost Q6—about $0.80
7. Streets have no regulations. Spencer already told you about the traffic. But if you have a parade, a party, a business delivery or any other reason you just put up barricades to block the street. No permits required. If a street is blocked the traffic just reroutes itself—even if means going the wrong direction on one way streets. Not only that, but if you are building a cistern or an addition several floors to your house, you just have them delivery the rocks and sand in the street outside your building. The piles will remain for months while you are slowing doing your project. All cement is mixed by hand. Last week (I didn’t have a camera with me) we watched a bucket brigade sending five gallon buckets of cement up scaffolding that went up to the third floor. There were two guys in the street mixing it, two guys shoveling into the buckets and about eight on the scaffolding and roof. It was amazing how fast and efficiently they lifted those heavy buckets up and empty buckets down.
8. There aren’t many rules enforced anywhere. Last week the students in CUNORI had a demonstration because we have a new building we can’t use because of litigation between the construction company and the San Marcos University (our “mother” campus) so they blocked the traffic on the state highway by building big fires with old tires on the main highway in two different locations. It stopped the traffic for several hours. The police were there, but didn’t try to stop them. Even the paper indicated they were there to be certain no one got hurt. There was publicity—a picture and article in the national newspaper. But we still aren’t in the building. We will watch for future evernts.
9. Buses don’t follow schedules or routes.
a. We got on one of the regular “run around town” buses to go to Pradera and shop last week. It picked up a group of four passengers and they had a conversation with the driver. On the way to the shopping center the bus suddenly turned off the highway and went about ¾ miles back into an area that was truly a ghetto—even for Guatemala. We never knew it existed. He dropped off the passengers, picked up about five more (with bundles of corn husks) and returned to the highway and the “normal” route.
b. We decided to take a “big bus” (like a Greyhound) to Esquipulas Saturday. We went to their office and she said one was scheduled for 9:00 “mas o menos” (more or less). About 9:25 it drove down the street and didn’t even stop. Spencer had to chase after it to flag down the driver to stop, so we could bring our stuff and get on. Sigh. Why do they even have an office at the terminal if they don’t stop there? However, it was a great trip. We tried to catch the same bus to come back and in the Esquipulas office, the clerk said she didn’t think the bus would go into Chiquimula, it would just go on the highway, so we should take one of the smaller “chicken buses.” Great advertising—for the chicken buses.  But it was OK (this time).
10. Speaking of buses—when we were coming back from Zone Conference in Zacapa, we arrived at the terminal when a chicken bus and a big bus were both ready to leave for Chiquimula. Spencer was going to take the chicken bus—‘cause they go deeper into town (closer to home). I was speechless just standing there, I couldn’t believe we were even discussing it after the number of times we have wished our timing would work right to take the comfortable buses—however, we did travel in comfort. 
11. There are no “run around town” buses in Esquipulas. Everyone uses “moto-taxis”. You have see them to believe them. Check the blog for pictures. They are a little cart to haul people with a motor scooter front.
12. Guatemala is north of the equator, however they call it verano (summer) from November thru May and “invierno” (winter) from May-November. Basically, it is just winter when it rains and summer when it doesn’t. Nothing to do with the sun or the equinox or the equator or anything like that. It is just how it is in Guatemala.
13. I’m a little worried about the upcoming “winter.” We have had two rain storms this week and both times the city lost electrical power. I hope that won’t be the situation for the entire six months of invierno—when it rains everyday! The first time it happened it was during the night. The power went off while we were asleep and Spencer’s c-pap (which he uses for sleep apnea) machine, naturally, quit working. He woke up because he was fighting to get air thru the mask. Great way to learn you had no power. 
14. “Dry heat” is a relative term. We are accustomed to hearing it and saying it in Arizona. Last week when I commented on the heat, one of the bus drivers said, “At least it is a dry heat.” Every time I have checked the internet, our humidity has been at least 50%. I told him I thought it was humid—I sweat a lot here, and I never do in Arizona. He reassured me that it is a “dry heat” here in Chiquimula –nothing like Puerto Barrios and Livingstone (both are seaport towns, east of us). So I guess, compared to 90-95%, our 50% is a dry heat. But Arizona’s 12% is even drier!

That’s enough of the list of interesting things. I just have to tell you a couple of stories about our weekend in Esquipulas. I think we mentioned earlier that the Branch President has asked us to focus on families where the priesthood holder is not active. Saturday we went to the home of Sister Lidia. She is a nurse and has a teeny-tiny store front pharmacy. She has a little exam table and sees patients for injections, too. There is about 15” between the exam table and the ironing board. And the table doubles as a bed for her teenage son at night. We made an appointment to return that night after 6 PM when she expected her husband to be home. When we returned she was very distraught, because they rent their little quarters and they share the pila with several other families who rent and they all open to a common courtyard in the back. The pila is the only sink for all of them. They wash clothes, foods and dishes, get water for food preparation, etc from the pila. She is very clean—always uses chloro and cleans up after herself. But a lot of bad people live there and some of the ladies leave corn meal in the sink and everywhere. Saturday there was a confrontation and two of the ladies wanted to beat her up. She might be all of 4’ 6” tall. In the fracas, she was hurt on the inside of her knee—I don’t know if she got kicked or what. Her son had to call the police. So now she is afraid to use the pila because she knows these ladies want to hurt her. Spencer gave her a blessing to help her calm down. When we were visiting with her husband (who doesn’t attend because somewhere along the way he had his feelings hurt), he was very pleasant. [First I have to tell you that many people have commented on what a visionary people the Mayans are—many have dreams and warnings and personal revelations—it has helped many recognize the gospel]. Finally, he asked if God sent us because the night before he had a dream that God had an army and he was sending soldiers from his army of men and women to bring him back to Him. So he wanted to know if God had sent us. Spencer said he thought so—a prophet of God had called us to come to Guatemala and the Mission President (who is called of God) asked to come to Esquipulas to help the members, and the Branch President asked us to come see him. That is a lot of priesthood power, authorized by God that caused us to be there. He didn’t come to church today (he had to work), but he has invited us back into his home to meet with him, have prayer, share a message and sing some hymns. I hope, as one of the soldiers in God’s army, that I can do my part.

Then today after church, we went to see the Primary President. She wasn’t at church today. Her husband is also inactive. When we arrived, she was excited to see us, but her husband (who was lying sort of sideways on/off the couch) greeted us warmly, but didn’t get up. He only had on athletic shorts, and I noticed he had some blood stains by his right hip. Spencer asked about his work and he said now he doesn’t have a job since he was “injured.” We then learned that last Wednesday, he was shot in a random shooting and sustained a bullet wound to his hip—no wonder he didn’t get up to greet us! His wife stayed home to care for him today. He has been inactive so long he didn’t know what kind of priesthood he held (“the first one”). Spencer offered to give him a blessing and he seemed pleased. The first thing he did was ask his wife to get him a shirt to put on. I felt like that was a good sign—he has some spiritual flicker that reminded him that if he was to receive a blessing, he should be appropriately dressed.

We have been visiting and home teachers for a long time in the church, but never before have we been in one home one day where a little 50+ year old lady was in danger of being beaten up and the next day in a home where the husband had been shot. There are different challenges here than we are used to seeing at home. But the people we interact with are kind and sincere and love the Lord. More importantly, He loves them. That is why He has called us here to teach, encourage and support His children in this little corner of His vineyard. Our prayer is that we can do our part with faithful diligence and dedicated service.

At church today, I led the music in Sacrament Meeting and since I was already on the stand, I was the first one to bear my testimony. I am getting better at communicating in Spanish—not to the level I’d like, but so much better than on our last mission. Spencer ended up teaching the Gospel Doctrine Class. Fortunately I had read it from the Spanish SS manual to him the night before, to have some practice with Spanish, so he had some familiarity with it.

Speaking of my Spanish, the last two times we have been to the temple. I have used Spanish to go through the veil. It is really a challenge—because it has to be exact—and there is a lot to translate in my head. But I have done it! My goal is to be able to do it without a lot of help before we go home. Of course, that is only one of a multitude of goals I have in speaking Spanish. Today, we didn’t have anything to read on our bus ride home, so I had Spencer check me as I made sentences using all of the conjugations and tenses of “tener” (“to have” or “to have to”) that I could think of. I was even getting bored, so I can only guess how he felt!

I must close now, so you won’t be bored, too. (Spencer wants to know if this letter has a concordance and index—or maybe a few foot notes for cross referencing!)  I don’t want to make it that easy—you just have to read the whole thing!

Love,
Mom/Jeanine

PS. After reading the letter, Spencer is wondering about a title page and a dedication. But, I’ll leave all the rest off and just dedicate this letter to my patient, kind and tolerant companion, who actually enjoys my long letters, but is afraid to admit it, because it might encourage me. This epistle is thereby dedicated to Elder Spencer Brown.