Day 7 Plus - Our Last Post

This is going to be a long posting because we had planned for it to be two entries covering our last work/fun day and our farewell thoughts. But like so many plans, we had to be flexible. Access to the web cannot always be assured even in a big modern city like Guatemala City. Let me start with our farewell to Panajachel and our visit to the old capital before arriving in the current capital of Guatemala City.

TUESDAY'S TRANSITION

As we have come to appreciate and respect, "Don" Jorge offered us another intriguing glimpse into this magical land today.

We were all up earlier than we may have wanted to be to load the van and be on the road by 630AM. We were unevenly divided between two vans with Jon, Wilma, Jim, Cheryl and me with one driver and the rest of the team with another. The trip seemed like it was straight up from the lake to the crest of the mountain rim. It went quickly. A little too quickly for some.

As the drivers played tag with each other and the many cars, trucks, tuk tuks, motorcycles, bikes, dogs and people on the switch-backed ascent, the coolness of the day higher in the mountains became apparent. We were a little worried because Jorge started the day in shorts and a thin shirt. The rest of us were a little less comfortable with the mist in the air than he seemed to be.

After about 75 minutes though we made our first stop. Jorge offered us a brief side trip to IXIMCHE, the second great capital of the Mayan Empire.

We learned that the Mayans had the largest empire in the new world for close to 1500 years. Today it is mostly lost to history but it had a presence to rival Rome. We visited the site only briefly and were able to quietly witness two native Mayan ceremonies near the ruins of a high temple.

Jorge asked us to step softly and not take pictures. He explained that one gathering appeared to be a family and their young child and the second an older man probably seeking health advice.

The following video report from Judi gives you a view of the central court of IXIMCHE. Notice the structure in the background of the last frame with a huge leafy tree growing out from the top. It is similar to the temple we saw where the ceremonies were being preformed.




The race to Guatemala City picked up where it had paused. Our drivers were trying to get us to the official Rotary farewell with the Guatemalan national club in the capital by 1PM. Fortunately, it was close to the hotel where we were staying, but it was a trip. Between the construction, the check points, the traffic, the winding roads and the diesel fumes, motion can have it's effect. I'll leave that part of the story to each team member to tell in their own way in there own time. Nothing bad really. I guess you'd say though I would be a good one to offer empathy from earlier in the week.

We made it time, of course. Time enough to refresh and make new acquaintances. Judi and Jon were invited to the head table pictured below. Judi also spoke to the club on behalf of the team and did an excellent job.



How do I know she did and excellent job? Well, let me tell you. Each club has its own personality. Any Rotarian knows that. The GC club is no different. They pack in a full program for most meetings and often run over an hour. While listening to the presenter, any presenter, the members talk and carry-on until someone taps their water glass with a clang or two to hush the murmur for the moment. This seems to go on constantly. Of the the five or six speakers at today's meeting (including the club's President), Judi was the only one who didn't require the clanging of the proverbial glass to re-establish decorum. It was (quiet) impressive.

Another of the more charming rituals of the GC club was to hold a brief nine square bingo contest to encourage attendance and promote fellowship. The big winner today happen to be our Theresa. Pictured here with her booty - a bottle of 12 year old Johnny Walker, a club mug (made in Kentucky) and 200 Quetzal (1 Q equals about 12 cents).



After the luncheon, some of us went to visit Juan Carlos' home and water filter factory. In a staging area just outside his front door, the team was delighted to see several hundred filters ready of shipping. Jon and Jorge soon turned the conversation to their next trip to Lago de Atitlan early next year and how best to handle the next shipment of filters.

This evening, Jorge treated us to a most pleasant meal. After visiting with Juan Carlos and a few other dignitaries, we sat sharing some final thoughts. We each shared in turn our perspectives, our laughs, our hopes. Jon said it quite well. He said he hoped that this experience had been not only worthwhile for us, but in a very real sense transformational. He hoped that we were able to see how just a little money and even in less time, we could see how we could change the world for the people near Lago de Atitlan.


OUR FAREWELL TO YOU

Reflecting on these days, I wonder if the next Mayan Empire, that some say will reemerge in 2012, will come to the aid of America 500 or 1000 years from now? Of course some will say that this is frivolous conjecture, but it raises an interesting point.

If we do not help our neighbors in Guatemala and elsewhere within America and across the world today, who will help us in our future need? Are we planting the seeds of "social capital" among the world's communities, the better angels of our nature guided by reciprocal trust and respect? Only time will tell.

However, if history has taught us one thing, it is that no empire lasts forever. Only the compassion of humanity is eternal. If we loss sight of that promise, anarchy and the tyranny of despair and fear prevail. Of course, that future history is not written yet. Groups like HHI and Rotary along with many compassionate people like Jon and Jorge are standing firm. But this cause, their cause, needs our help.

On Wednesday, we headed back to our corn flakes, and mini-vans, and 9 to 5 routines. By the time of this posting, I trust we will all be safely home.

The big question seems to be, "Has this experience changed us?" If you polled the team today, the answer would most likely be yes. Dan has already expressed an interest in going back for a third time. Andrea is heading for India and would like to spend more time there. Scott and Anthony worked in India last year. Jim was in the Peace Corp. I could go on about this team.

We all have been touched by this effort and want to do more. I'm sure we all will in our way. But how about a month, or year from now? We can not say for sure except we know that Heart to Heart International and Rotary will still be pushing the simple premise of "Service Above Self."

We will tell you that we feel differently about the world today. We have learned a lot. My understanding of a proud and good people has increased tremendously. Our hope is that they will flourish. But we wonder about the change? We hope you are wondering too.

GOODBYE

I asked the team to suggest our final, farewell photo. There are two that I like. The first was taken on our first day at the boat launch. We are pointing into the future for our trip to Cerro de Oro. It was a good day.










Jorge suggested the following photo and the team agreed. So, from the back row: Dan, Scott, Anthony, Judi, Theresa, Jim, Jon; and the front: Cheryl, Wilma, "Don" Jorge, Ted and Michael (me). "We thank you for traveling with us. Paz"










Post Script: We had hundreds of stories we could have told. These few give a sampling of our thoughts and hopes for Heart to Heart International, Rotary and Guatemala. Ask use anytime. Join Rotary, get your club to do more. Volunteer to Heart to Heart International. Make a difference to the next child you seek.

Thank you.