Everybody who trains, equips, and educates missionaries to go in the field warns you about certain things that are going to happen. When you're Stateside fundraising, reading books, and are super fired up about getting in the field, you can be tempted to think "that won't happen to me." Surely you are the missionary that won't experience all the burn out, doubt, exhaustion, homesickness that all of these people who know way more than you do keep telling you about. Because you are all in. Ask any member of the Shepherd family and I think you would get the same answer, we are here as long as God wants us here, doing what he wants us to do. We are on mission.
While we were preparing to go into the field, we noticed a trend that disturbed us a bit: several people/families we knew went into the field and came back before we even left. Often they would leave or make a decision to leave around this critical nine month mark.We thought to ourselves, what is going on? Is it really that hard? Is something not right with these ministries the people are going to work for? Was is a lack of planning and preparation? Did they not realize what they were getting into? It was difficult to understand from where we were sitting.
Now, here we are, almost nine months in, and we look at each other and say "Oh, now I totally get it." This is a difficult point to push through. At nine months, you're tired, realize your inadequacies, are confused about why the ministry you are doing is not at all what you thought you'd be doing, and you realize that God doesn't need YOU specifically on the mission field. He can get stuff done however he wants, and you just happen to be here and willing, but if you weren't, somebody else would be. And at this point, things can start to dry up financially as people lose touch and lose interest with what you're doing or don't see magnificent "results." So the grandparents start to worry about just how crazy you are, and if the grandkids are starving (they're not!). And we have legitimately seen that God sometimes uses your willingness to do this crazy missionary thing as preparation for something else he has for you to do. And it may not even be in another country. So it's easy to wonder, what is God up to?
Lest you think I am in a worse frame of mind than I really am, there are two really important things you need to know:
1) I love Guatemala. Living in another country certainly is not for the faint of heart. It is difficult legally, financially, logistically, emotionally, and linguistically. But this country and the people in it absolutely have my heart. Most days I wake up thankful to be here, drink in the beauty of my surroundings, and am completely overwhelmed by my love for this specific place. God is doing amazing work here, and I'm thankful to be any small part in that. Whether we are here for one year or twenty, I am so glad that God brought us here.
2) I totally trust God with my future. I've seen enough in my life to know that his plan is always better, and his timing is always perfect, no mater how frustrating it seems to me because I don't know the whole story. So I am not worried. I just don't know the whole story yet. Will things turn around financially allowing us to continue pursuing the original dreams that propelled us here? Will we have to downsize and refocus our ministry? Can we do both? Is there something else not on my radar that God is up to? Willingness and obedience have gotten us this far. God always shows up, always provides, and usually in some exciting unexpected way in our family's life. I figure nine months in our North American brains is kind of a cycle. A school year, a pregnancy, a gestational period of almost a year. And so, it's no wonder that people re-evaluate at this point. So pray for us as we hurdle this milestone and prink (pray and think) about where the future is taking us.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Friday, January 24, 2014
Compras (shopping)
How much time a week do you spend shopping? Food shopping, a pharmacy or convenience store run? A trip to Target? I probably used to go to Target at least once a week, Kroger two or three times a week, and maybe a trip to a mall-like place on the weekends. Raising a family, it seems like shopping is a constant activity, aside from being kind of a recreational sport. I knew what I was getting into. We all kind of know that shopping in other cultures is different. I even prepared by shopping ahead for a lot of necessities like toiletries and clothes in the next sizes for the kids. But reality is tough here when it comes to shopping. People are always asking what I miss from the States. And to be honest, as far as commerce goes I really only miss Target. One store where you can get anything you need in one place? Amazing. If only Target would expand to Central America.
It's not that we can't get American products here, or that we even want all American products: it's the price and inconsistency of retail stock that are the barriers. For instance, my $3 shampoo in the States is $8 a bottle here. (Thankfully my mom has stocked us up with months worth of Suave!) Peanut butter is about $7 for a small jar of Peter Pan. Things add up. Guatemalan brands of some products are perfectly fine, but sometimes the Guatemalan equivalent is a little weird or even non existent. And to the woe of ex-pat shoppers, what you find one place one week may not be there again the next week, or ever again. In the States, meal planning is its own industry! Here, you can make a list, but good luck finding everything you want. In a culture where many folks don't really know where their next meal is coming from, and most meals consist of vegetables, rice, and beans, maybe chicken or eggs, which are pretty affordable, meal planning as we know it is basically non existent.
We fortunately live very close to two grocery stores. It often takes a trip to both stores to find things I want or need during the week. The family usually decides what they would most like for the week, but everybody knows there's a good chance I'll come home with none of it. For two weeks, our local Paiz had cinnamon raisin bagels. Caleb was elated! Then there was a two month lapse before we ever saw them again. If you know me well at all, you know I love to cook. Cooking and adapting recipes is getting easier. Friends and family can bring us peanut butter, brown sugar, and chocolate chips, providing us some items we took for granted in our former life. And now I know weird things like that I find baking soda in the cleaning aisle. Thankfully, we really like Guatemalan food, and so I am learning to cook some things that are more local/traditional. (And local food is plentiful and inexpensive.) We also greatly enjoy the amazing fresh produce here. Avocados are the equivalent of 5or 6 for $1. The most delicious pineapples I've ever tasted I can get for less than 50 cents a piece. I can get a pound of cute little potatoes for about 30 cents. We can spend $10 or less and load up on delicious fruits and veggies.
We do have Walmart and Pricesmart (Costco). These help. We plan a trip about once a month to drive into the city and get things we need there. We're finding places where we can get clothes and shoes if we really need them, but for now, it's still a lot cheaper for me to shop online and wait until our next visitor can deliver our purchases. At least this forces me to plan ahead, so my Christmas shopping was finished in September! I've learned through much trial and error that there's no such thing as a quick shopping trip. I never plan more than one necessary errand or purchase per day. It's a trip to the hardware store, or the housewares store, or the craft store, or the bakery, or the pharmacy, or the soccer supply store, or Office Depot. You get the idea. This week, I would have been happy to find a pack of pencils at the grocery store. But no. Had to go to a little libreria to find pencils because I didn't have time to fight the traffic to get to the office store.
So, while I would love to park in one parking lot and walk around one store to several departments, buy everything I need and leave, I'm learning to navigate shopping here. And there is some really fun shopping here as well. Local markets, the Artisans market, specialty shops of all varieties make up some of the recreational shopping I was so used to. I spent 200q of my Christmas money (about $24) and enjoyed major retail therapy in Antigua. I bought some new pottery, a new scarf, and some pretty market baskets. I'm trying to let go of my American desire for efficiency and convenience above all else and embrace the Guatemalan lifestyle. And if all else fails, you'd be amazed what you can find at a neighborhood tienda! (There's gotta be a whole other post about that...)
It's not that we can't get American products here, or that we even want all American products: it's the price and inconsistency of retail stock that are the barriers. For instance, my $3 shampoo in the States is $8 a bottle here. (Thankfully my mom has stocked us up with months worth of Suave!) Peanut butter is about $7 for a small jar of Peter Pan. Things add up. Guatemalan brands of some products are perfectly fine, but sometimes the Guatemalan equivalent is a little weird or even non existent. And to the woe of ex-pat shoppers, what you find one place one week may not be there again the next week, or ever again. In the States, meal planning is its own industry! Here, you can make a list, but good luck finding everything you want. In a culture where many folks don't really know where their next meal is coming from, and most meals consist of vegetables, rice, and beans, maybe chicken or eggs, which are pretty affordable, meal planning as we know it is basically non existent.
We fortunately live very close to two grocery stores. It often takes a trip to both stores to find things I want or need during the week. The family usually decides what they would most like for the week, but everybody knows there's a good chance I'll come home with none of it. For two weeks, our local Paiz had cinnamon raisin bagels. Caleb was elated! Then there was a two month lapse before we ever saw them again. If you know me well at all, you know I love to cook. Cooking and adapting recipes is getting easier. Friends and family can bring us peanut butter, brown sugar, and chocolate chips, providing us some items we took for granted in our former life. And now I know weird things like that I find baking soda in the cleaning aisle. Thankfully, we really like Guatemalan food, and so I am learning to cook some things that are more local/traditional. (And local food is plentiful and inexpensive.) We also greatly enjoy the amazing fresh produce here. Avocados are the equivalent of 5or 6 for $1. The most delicious pineapples I've ever tasted I can get for less than 50 cents a piece. I can get a pound of cute little potatoes for about 30 cents. We can spend $10 or less and load up on delicious fruits and veggies.
We do have Walmart and Pricesmart (Costco). These help. We plan a trip about once a month to drive into the city and get things we need there. We're finding places where we can get clothes and shoes if we really need them, but for now, it's still a lot cheaper for me to shop online and wait until our next visitor can deliver our purchases. At least this forces me to plan ahead, so my Christmas shopping was finished in September! I've learned through much trial and error that there's no such thing as a quick shopping trip. I never plan more than one necessary errand or purchase per day. It's a trip to the hardware store, or the housewares store, or the craft store, or the bakery, or the pharmacy, or the soccer supply store, or Office Depot. You get the idea. This week, I would have been happy to find a pack of pencils at the grocery store. But no. Had to go to a little libreria to find pencils because I didn't have time to fight the traffic to get to the office store.
So, while I would love to park in one parking lot and walk around one store to several departments, buy everything I need and leave, I'm learning to navigate shopping here. And there is some really fun shopping here as well. Local markets, the Artisans market, specialty shops of all varieties make up some of the recreational shopping I was so used to. I spent 200q of my Christmas money (about $24) and enjoyed major retail therapy in Antigua. I bought some new pottery, a new scarf, and some pretty market baskets. I'm trying to let go of my American desire for efficiency and convenience above all else and embrace the Guatemalan lifestyle. And if all else fails, you'd be amazed what you can find at a neighborhood tienda! (There's gotta be a whole other post about that...)
Monday, January 13, 2014
A Guatemalan Commute
We recently moved from San Cristobal to San Lucas. It's about a 10 minute drive from one town to the other, or 15 all the way from home to school. I have likened it to moving from West Chester to Monroe. It's far less driving than I did in the States. Guatemalans, even some other missionaries, act like this commute is horrible. And most days I think it's really no big deal. But I certainly wasn't always this comfortable with driving here. If you know me, I'm an on-the-go kind of gal. I literally ran the wheels (and brakes) off my vehicles in the States. Before we moved, I was seriously upside down on miles of my leased vehicle. Surprisingly, the first six weeks we lived here, I would not get behind the wheel. It is a little crazy. Between the insanely dangerous chicken buses, pedestrians and animals all over the road, and a general lack of adherence to or enforcement of any traffic laws, I was terrified. At the time we were living in Antigua and could accomplish most anything on foot. But once we moved into the city, I realized quickly that I would have to suck it up and get behind the wheel if I wanted to feel even remotely as mobile and independent as I was used to.
The truth is even though I'm more comfortable driving here (I think of it as a video game: dodge the goat, swerve to miss a flock of 8 pedestrians), every time you get behind the wheel here, you assume a certain amount of risk. If my car breaks down, how will I handle it? If the police pull me over, will they be trustworthy or corrupt, expecting a bribe to let me go? There are numerous armed robberies on the roads here every day, especially in the city. What will I do if a motorcycle or suspicious vehicle gets too close? Aside from all this, my absolute worst fear is hitting a pedestrian. Only about 7% of Guatemalans own cars. Most have never driven. They have very little concept of the danger of proximity to a moving vehicle. Fatal accidents occur pretty much daily. What seems like public safety 101 to an American is simply an unfortunate matter of ignorance and is a fairly recent problem. So, it's a little noisy in my brain while I drive here.
My other greatest fear here is getting lost. Certain zones of the city would be very dangerous to be lost in. Roads aren't straight, Guatemalans give very vague directions, and half the time when I approach the place I'm looking for, I can't believe that this could actually be the right place (really? this muddy canyon is the road I'm supposed to turn down?). Fortunately we have Waze, which is a very accurate real time GPS and traffic app. Unfortunately, if I lose signal, I tend to panic. Unless absolutely necessary, I avoid venturing downtown by myself. So, if I stick to my familiar commute and my main commercial shopping areas, I'm pretty safe.The commute is gorgeous. It's all green mountain on one side and panoramic view of Guatemala City on the other. (Note to self: blog needs pictures.)I head up the mountain on one main road. If I can avoid the traffic at the major retornos (the turn around to get to the other side of the road. Intersections and traffic lights are RARE on main roads), and avoid getting pulled over at the two Puestos de Control (police traffic check points where you are pulled over and your vehicle searched), I can get home safely in 20 minutes. There are days when this is just not to be however. Today was the first day back for most schools, so the commute home was agonizingly double the normal time. (Note to self: car air conditioning needs repaired!) The longest it has taken is an hour when there was a major accident on the highway. And, even though it hasn't happened yet, when I do get pulled over, I have the American Embassy at the top of the contacts list of my phone.
The truth is even though I'm more comfortable driving here (I think of it as a video game: dodge the goat, swerve to miss a flock of 8 pedestrians), every time you get behind the wheel here, you assume a certain amount of risk. If my car breaks down, how will I handle it? If the police pull me over, will they be trustworthy or corrupt, expecting a bribe to let me go? There are numerous armed robberies on the roads here every day, especially in the city. What will I do if a motorcycle or suspicious vehicle gets too close? Aside from all this, my absolute worst fear is hitting a pedestrian. Only about 7% of Guatemalans own cars. Most have never driven. They have very little concept of the danger of proximity to a moving vehicle. Fatal accidents occur pretty much daily. What seems like public safety 101 to an American is simply an unfortunate matter of ignorance and is a fairly recent problem. So, it's a little noisy in my brain while I drive here.
My other greatest fear here is getting lost. Certain zones of the city would be very dangerous to be lost in. Roads aren't straight, Guatemalans give very vague directions, and half the time when I approach the place I'm looking for, I can't believe that this could actually be the right place (really? this muddy canyon is the road I'm supposed to turn down?). Fortunately we have Waze, which is a very accurate real time GPS and traffic app. Unfortunately, if I lose signal, I tend to panic. Unless absolutely necessary, I avoid venturing downtown by myself. So, if I stick to my familiar commute and my main commercial shopping areas, I'm pretty safe.The commute is gorgeous. It's all green mountain on one side and panoramic view of Guatemala City on the other. (Note to self: blog needs pictures.)I head up the mountain on one main road. If I can avoid the traffic at the major retornos (the turn around to get to the other side of the road. Intersections and traffic lights are RARE on main roads), and avoid getting pulled over at the two Puestos de Control (police traffic check points where you are pulled over and your vehicle searched), I can get home safely in 20 minutes. There are days when this is just not to be however. Today was the first day back for most schools, so the commute home was agonizingly double the normal time. (Note to self: car air conditioning needs repaired!) The longest it has taken is an hour when there was a major accident on the highway. And, even though it hasn't happened yet, when I do get pulled over, I have the American Embassy at the top of the contacts list of my phone.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Holiday Notes From a Hammock
If I were in the States today, I probably would be running around town, spending gift cards, making returns, and eating out after cleaning out the last of the Christmas leftovers. One of the nice things about being in Guatemala at this time of year is a slower pace of life. I slept in until 8, did some household chores, talked with Chad about some ministry/business related items and necessary property repairs, and then put on my big 'ole sun hat and sat in a hammock that my husband has ingeniously strung on our rooftop terrace. For an hour the intense sun warmed me as the chilly wind rocked me. Everyone has been curious about how our holidays have been so far away from "home." I would say like most things over the last six months, it has been good, if not a little bittersweet.
Part of the joy of the holidays is the comfort of the familiar. Going to my grandma's and to church on Christmas Eve (and then eating Chinese food at the Rohs!), or waking up to gifts and cinnamon rolls and leftover Christmas cookies on Christmas morning with our kids. And even though we have Skyped into several family gatherings, there have been times when I craved that familiar comfort. A few times I had a big lump in my throat and wanted to go pull the covers over my head and cry because I miss my mom, and because my nieces and nephews have grown so much in six months, and one has even been born who I haven't gotten to hold. But those moments were few and fleeting.
The joy of this year's holiday has been recognizing the friends around us who are like family that we can celebrate with, and learning that this adopted culture of ours really knows how to embrace celebration. After All Saint's Day on November 2, with no Thanksgiving to celebrate in between, it is time to start he Christmas partying! Beautiful displays of lights, delicious specialty foods, and you probably know what I'm going to say next…FIREWORKS. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I moved to the right place, because I love fireworks. And you just can't overstate how amazing the Christmas Eve fireworks are here. It is as if the entire city explodes for over an hour. It is awe inspiring. Guatemalans typically start the celebration late in the evening, eating tamales and ponche at midnight, enjoying the fireworks, then staying up late into the night or all night exchanging gifts, eating, and doing more fireworks throughout the night. We enjoyed a good time with great friends and a spectacular view of the city, but made it in bed by 1:30 and woke up to our usual gifts and cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. So, we truly enjoyed both traditions.
Having Mammaw Krena and Pappaw Tom here has really helped the kids enjoy the holiday without missing a beat. They've been loved on and spoiled as per usual. Even in the States, we tried to be conservative at Christmas, usually giving each child three gifts. And we tended to stick along the lines of "something I want, something I need, something to wear, something to read," or close to it. This year we prepared the kids to expect even less than usual, considering our major life transition and drastic changes in family finances. But, of course, the grandparents, aunts, and uncles stepped in, and they had one of the greatest Christmas hauls ever. I sat wrapping presents in my room crying because of everyone's love and generosity that was literally delivered in suitcases to our doorstep.
Our school vacation is a little longer here than in the States, and it has been a huge blessing to get to spend a lot of time at home relaxing. We've been able to show Chad's parents a lot of what we do here and do some fun tourist things as well. The New Year promises fun celebration as well, and of course more fireworks, and Sterling turns three this week! So we have a lot more cross cultural celebrating ahead. We thank everybody for all your love and well wishes from afar. We miss and love you. Hopefully, at some point we'll get to enjoy the holidays nearby, but you are welcome to come and stay with us and experience the beauty of Christmas in Guatemala.
Part of the joy of the holidays is the comfort of the familiar. Going to my grandma's and to church on Christmas Eve (and then eating Chinese food at the Rohs!), or waking up to gifts and cinnamon rolls and leftover Christmas cookies on Christmas morning with our kids. And even though we have Skyped into several family gatherings, there have been times when I craved that familiar comfort. A few times I had a big lump in my throat and wanted to go pull the covers over my head and cry because I miss my mom, and because my nieces and nephews have grown so much in six months, and one has even been born who I haven't gotten to hold. But those moments were few and fleeting.
The joy of this year's holiday has been recognizing the friends around us who are like family that we can celebrate with, and learning that this adopted culture of ours really knows how to embrace celebration. After All Saint's Day on November 2, with no Thanksgiving to celebrate in between, it is time to start he Christmas partying! Beautiful displays of lights, delicious specialty foods, and you probably know what I'm going to say next…FIREWORKS. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I moved to the right place, because I love fireworks. And you just can't overstate how amazing the Christmas Eve fireworks are here. It is as if the entire city explodes for over an hour. It is awe inspiring. Guatemalans typically start the celebration late in the evening, eating tamales and ponche at midnight, enjoying the fireworks, then staying up late into the night or all night exchanging gifts, eating, and doing more fireworks throughout the night. We enjoyed a good time with great friends and a spectacular view of the city, but made it in bed by 1:30 and woke up to our usual gifts and cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. So, we truly enjoyed both traditions.
Having Mammaw Krena and Pappaw Tom here has really helped the kids enjoy the holiday without missing a beat. They've been loved on and spoiled as per usual. Even in the States, we tried to be conservative at Christmas, usually giving each child three gifts. And we tended to stick along the lines of "something I want, something I need, something to wear, something to read," or close to it. This year we prepared the kids to expect even less than usual, considering our major life transition and drastic changes in family finances. But, of course, the grandparents, aunts, and uncles stepped in, and they had one of the greatest Christmas hauls ever. I sat wrapping presents in my room crying because of everyone's love and generosity that was literally delivered in suitcases to our doorstep.
Our school vacation is a little longer here than in the States, and it has been a huge blessing to get to spend a lot of time at home relaxing. We've been able to show Chad's parents a lot of what we do here and do some fun tourist things as well. The New Year promises fun celebration as well, and of course more fireworks, and Sterling turns three this week! So we have a lot more cross cultural celebrating ahead. We thank everybody for all your love and well wishes from afar. We miss and love you. Hopefully, at some point we'll get to enjoy the holidays nearby, but you are welcome to come and stay with us and experience the beauty of Christmas in Guatemala.
Monday, December 9, 2013
El Mol (The Mall)
I'm a schoolteacher-turned-missionary who cares deeply about the struggles of people around the globe who were born into political/economic/religious circumstances in which they have no say. I'm passionate enough about the orphan crisis to pretty much make it my life's work. And this is what's on my mind: the mall.
I have this illness that is difficult to live with. I spent almost 40 years as a typical American consumer. And although I've let go of a lot to lead this current lifestyle, it is absolutely sick how happy and normal going to the mall makes me feel. Let me explain a couple of important things.
#1 Guatemala has REALLY nice malls. That sounds understandably bizarre. Isn't Guatemala one of the world's poorest nations? Yep. Don't you work in indigenous villages where people have no electricity, running water, or furniture? Yep. So, what gives? We do live on the outskirts of a huge city. There does exist a concentration of Guatemala's wealthier people here, so there are parts of the city that have great entertainment. There are several nice malls, and the one that is closest to us, about 30 minutes away, is Centro Commercial Miraflores. Rumor has it that this was once the largest mall in Central America. I tend to believe it; it is by far the largest mall I have ever experienced. There are palm trees and fountains in this mall. It is gorgeous, not our familiar run-down hotspot-of-the-eighties. There is a carousel and other children's diversions. There are TWO food courts, multiple restaurants, hundreds of stores, and the piece de resistance: a great movie theater (more about that in a minute). It abounds with familiar American delicacies like Dairy Queen and Chili's. and lest I forget one of the most amazing parts, let me tell you about the parking garage. It is huge, clean, well-lit, the spaces are luxuriously large, the parking fee is minimal, and there are lights on each space that indicate whether the space is available, with a lit number at the end of the row indicating how many spaces are free. GENIUS, I tell you.
#2 I cannot afford to shop at this mall. As much as I love walking around, with a coffee/froyo/etc. in hand, window shopping, occasionally looking at a price tag for fun, I seriously couldn't buy something there if I wanted to for the most part. Most things are imported and even stores I would've occasionally shopped at in the States are out of reach for my current budget. And since this mall is a half hour drive into the city, I'm not wasteful enough to come here often just to walk around and eat fast food treats.
We usually go to the mall for the movie theater. One great thing about Guatemala is that movies are cheap! People have to able able to afford to go, right? It's about $5 per person. There's popcorn, which is also cheap. And even though our family can all go see a recent release in English for about$25, this is still a rare treat. Both kids chose to go to the movies with friends for their birthdays. In all, we've really only been three times since we moved here. Hopefully we will again soon, because we need to see Catching Fire!!
In the mall I feel more like my normal consumer self. It feels good. As long as I don't think too much. Because there is also guilt. These malls are built primarily through drug money, or mob money, and just generally by bad guys. And if I pull out of the posh garage and drive a couple of blocks I'll be right in a typical poor neighborhood. How can this extravagant wealth and this dire poverty coexist right next to each other? It's maddening. I would like to give you nice tidy closure here. A story about how I had a talk with God and he told me it he was cool with me going to the mall. Alas, no. Here's all the resolution I have. This mall employs thousands of Guatemalans. This mall provides some (relatively) safe and inexpensive entertainment for our family. And sometimes when you feel like you're a fish out of water, culturally speaking, it feels good to jump back in the water for a few minutes.
I have this illness that is difficult to live with. I spent almost 40 years as a typical American consumer. And although I've let go of a lot to lead this current lifestyle, it is absolutely sick how happy and normal going to the mall makes me feel. Let me explain a couple of important things.
#1 Guatemala has REALLY nice malls. That sounds understandably bizarre. Isn't Guatemala one of the world's poorest nations? Yep. Don't you work in indigenous villages where people have no electricity, running water, or furniture? Yep. So, what gives? We do live on the outskirts of a huge city. There does exist a concentration of Guatemala's wealthier people here, so there are parts of the city that have great entertainment. There are several nice malls, and the one that is closest to us, about 30 minutes away, is Centro Commercial Miraflores. Rumor has it that this was once the largest mall in Central America. I tend to believe it; it is by far the largest mall I have ever experienced. There are palm trees and fountains in this mall. It is gorgeous, not our familiar run-down hotspot-of-the-eighties. There is a carousel and other children's diversions. There are TWO food courts, multiple restaurants, hundreds of stores, and the piece de resistance: a great movie theater (more about that in a minute). It abounds with familiar American delicacies like Dairy Queen and Chili's. and lest I forget one of the most amazing parts, let me tell you about the parking garage. It is huge, clean, well-lit, the spaces are luxuriously large, the parking fee is minimal, and there are lights on each space that indicate whether the space is available, with a lit number at the end of the row indicating how many spaces are free. GENIUS, I tell you.
#2 I cannot afford to shop at this mall. As much as I love walking around, with a coffee/froyo/etc. in hand, window shopping, occasionally looking at a price tag for fun, I seriously couldn't buy something there if I wanted to for the most part. Most things are imported and even stores I would've occasionally shopped at in the States are out of reach for my current budget. And since this mall is a half hour drive into the city, I'm not wasteful enough to come here often just to walk around and eat fast food treats.
We usually go to the mall for the movie theater. One great thing about Guatemala is that movies are cheap! People have to able able to afford to go, right? It's about $5 per person. There's popcorn, which is also cheap. And even though our family can all go see a recent release in English for about$25, this is still a rare treat. Both kids chose to go to the movies with friends for their birthdays. In all, we've really only been three times since we moved here. Hopefully we will again soon, because we need to see Catching Fire!!
In the mall I feel more like my normal consumer self. It feels good. As long as I don't think too much. Because there is also guilt. These malls are built primarily through drug money, or mob money, and just generally by bad guys. And if I pull out of the posh garage and drive a couple of blocks I'll be right in a typical poor neighborhood. How can this extravagant wealth and this dire poverty coexist right next to each other? It's maddening. I would like to give you nice tidy closure here. A story about how I had a talk with God and he told me it he was cool with me going to the mall. Alas, no. Here's all the resolution I have. This mall employs thousands of Guatemalans. This mall provides some (relatively) safe and inexpensive entertainment for our family. And sometimes when you feel like you're a fish out of water, culturally speaking, it feels good to jump back in the water for a few minutes.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Gringogiving and a Visa Trip
In a culture with no Thanksgiving to celebrate in November, the celebration of Christmas is already in full swing. We've witnessed some amazing Christmas themed fireworks and seen some beautiful Christmas displays already. At first we were ambivalent about celebrating Thanksgiving because it seemed sort of like going backwards. Do we really need turkey? As it turns out, we will be out of town Thursday anyway (more about that in a minute) so we were even less inclined to celebrate since we won't be home. Interestingly, since there are a lot of gringos in the city, local merchants have figured out they can sell frozen butterballs, cranberry sauce, Stove Top, and canned pumpkin to a captive audience with little competition. Said Butterballs are quite expensive, however, which was another discouragement. But then, this week as I thought about the last year of our lives, my thoughts were how could we NOT celebrate Thanksgiving, whether we had turkey or not? Everything we have in our lives right now is just pure blessing. We definitely needed to take a time out and return some thanks in a specific way. In the end, I found a small budget friendly turkey breast, and today for Sunday dinner we enjoyed a few of our Thanksgiving favorites. We invited a couple of friends, and we prayed and ate and talked through a quiet afternoon. We even watched a little football this evening which seems fitting for Thanksgiving as well.
Our Thanksgiving ended up as kind of a holiday mash up as we decided to get a Christmas tree today. We went to Novex (our Lowe's like store) and bought a base model slightly better than Charlie Brown's and a few inexpensive decorations. So decorating and Christmas music accompanied our meager feast. Even though the weather hasn't changed much here and our Ohio brains aren't sure it's November, today helped put us all in holiday spirits.
For our first Thanksgiving outside the States, we will be on the road. I used to hear missionaries talk about "visa trips," and thought it seemed kind of inappropriate. Were they all taking vacations on credit cards? But now in my cultural education I have learned what a visa trip is. Every 180 days, we have to leave the country to renew our Guatemalan visas to be in the country. Eventually we will apply for residency which will alleviate this requirement. Long story short, if we're not planning a trip to the States, our closest choices are Mexico and Belize. So, we will be heading out Thursday morning to spend a few required nights out of the country in Belize. In know, poor us, we have to go check out the Caribbean. And for those of you who are familiar with our history of road trips in Guatemala, you will be relieved to hear that a Guatemalan friend who is a mechanic is driving us. So, here's wishing a Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and family, whether you're in Cincinnati or at the big parade in New York. We thank God for you all and how you've touched our lives. We thank you for all your love and support that sustain us here. Thank you to amazing friends here in Guatemala where after only six months we have awesome friends to take care of our dog, house, church, or anything else that needs taking care of. We love you all! And if you see a picture of us on the beach, we are not vacationing on our visa, but getting our 90 day visas stamped.
Our Thanksgiving ended up as kind of a holiday mash up as we decided to get a Christmas tree today. We went to Novex (our Lowe's like store) and bought a base model slightly better than Charlie Brown's and a few inexpensive decorations. So decorating and Christmas music accompanied our meager feast. Even though the weather hasn't changed much here and our Ohio brains aren't sure it's November, today helped put us all in holiday spirits.
For our first Thanksgiving outside the States, we will be on the road. I used to hear missionaries talk about "visa trips," and thought it seemed kind of inappropriate. Were they all taking vacations on credit cards? But now in my cultural education I have learned what a visa trip is. Every 180 days, we have to leave the country to renew our Guatemalan visas to be in the country. Eventually we will apply for residency which will alleviate this requirement. Long story short, if we're not planning a trip to the States, our closest choices are Mexico and Belize. So, we will be heading out Thursday morning to spend a few required nights out of the country in Belize. In know, poor us, we have to go check out the Caribbean. And for those of you who are familiar with our history of road trips in Guatemala, you will be relieved to hear that a Guatemalan friend who is a mechanic is driving us. So, here's wishing a Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and family, whether you're in Cincinnati or at the big parade in New York. We thank God for you all and how you've touched our lives. We thank you for all your love and support that sustain us here. Thank you to amazing friends here in Guatemala where after only six months we have awesome friends to take care of our dog, house, church, or anything else that needs taking care of. We love you all! And if you see a picture of us on the beach, we are not vacationing on our visa, but getting our 90 day visas stamped.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Those Crazy Kids
Most people's first concern when talking to us is the kids. We thought this would be a good experience for our kids, but in the back of my mind I could picture Caleb in his therapist's office saying "when I was 12, my parents sold everything we owned and moved us to another country..." I am happy to report that our kids are amazing. They are tough and resilient. Hiking across Antigua with backpacks to the grocery, living three different places, starting with zero Spanish, they have overcome some difficult circumstances and are thriving. They miss their grandparents, cousins, and friends, but rarely dwell on it, and are happy to talk to them as often as possible. Everyone has had a moment or two of homesickness or cultural frustration, but fortunately they've kind of taken turns which makes it manageable. Our pastoral care team, the Burgers, visited us a couple of months ago, and they said we appeared to be doing well, but that our kids seemed to be outshining even Chad and I in their ability to adapt to their new environment.
Here's a quick run-down:
Caleb, more than any of us I think, LOVES his new school. He is playing soccer and really sharpening his trumpet skills. He is active in youth group, enjoying learning Spanish, and has a lot of good friends. He is maturing into a teenager who I really like a lot.
Aleksandra has good grades, is playing the clarinet, has a beautiful Spanish accent, and has several good friends, including a fellow Russian adoptee! Her middle childness is somewhat appeased by being the new kid in school. If you know her at all, you know what I mean. She is loving life.
Sterling is growing so fast! She is talking all the time and really starting to pick up Spanish quickly. Recent additions to her vocabulary are "zapatos" (atta girl) and "No me gusta!"She goes to child care at school while I'm teaching, and she loves it. She looks forward to playing with her friends every day. She is also like the honorary CAG mascot. Everyone on campus adores her.
Visits from church friends and grandmother have helped along the way, and looking forward to more grandparents visiting (soon!) and more friends in the spring and summer help us all from getting too homesick. I'm pretty amazed when I see how well the kids are doing, even though there are times when life here can get intense and I know they see Chad and I under stress. But they are also seeing as God provides for us time and again, and they are developing servant hearts toward the people here. The education they are gaining in this cross-cultural-spiritual adventure is greater than anything I could possibly teach them, so I'm just grateful. For awesome kids, for their good transition, for the opportunity to be here. So thanks for making it possible because if you're reading this you are probably a part of it all in some way.
Here's a quick run-down:
Caleb, more than any of us I think, LOVES his new school. He is playing soccer and really sharpening his trumpet skills. He is active in youth group, enjoying learning Spanish, and has a lot of good friends. He is maturing into a teenager who I really like a lot.
Aleksandra has good grades, is playing the clarinet, has a beautiful Spanish accent, and has several good friends, including a fellow Russian adoptee! Her middle childness is somewhat appeased by being the new kid in school. If you know her at all, you know what I mean. She is loving life.
Sterling is growing so fast! She is talking all the time and really starting to pick up Spanish quickly. Recent additions to her vocabulary are "zapatos" (atta girl) and "No me gusta!"She goes to child care at school while I'm teaching, and she loves it. She looks forward to playing with her friends every day. She is also like the honorary CAG mascot. Everyone on campus adores her.
Visits from church friends and grandmother have helped along the way, and looking forward to more grandparents visiting (soon!) and more friends in the spring and summer help us all from getting too homesick. I'm pretty amazed when I see how well the kids are doing, even though there are times when life here can get intense and I know they see Chad and I under stress. But they are also seeing as God provides for us time and again, and they are developing servant hearts toward the people here. The education they are gaining in this cross-cultural-spiritual adventure is greater than anything I could possibly teach them, so I'm just grateful. For awesome kids, for their good transition, for the opportunity to be here. So thanks for making it possible because if you're reading this you are probably a part of it all in some way.
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