Home again, Personal musings

Every three months one is required to step outside of Guatemala for a few days, although I’m hearing more and more ways to get around this. However my tickets were bought when I came to Guate in Septemember.
Visiting California after three months in Guate was very interesting.
First, on the bus ride from Sacramento to Chico, I was struck by how grey and barren the fields are, in contrast to Guatemala’s still-green lushness. Then I am surprised by the relaxed warmth of Chico culture, taken for granted when I live here. And Raley’s supermarket! Wow………spaciousness and bright vegetables piled high, and so many choices.
And of course visiting with so many friends, one way or another, and that warmth….so treasured.
After a few days here, I get into winter: the wind, the barrenness, the rain.

And after a very short ten days of family warmth and good friendships, and seeing some old clients, it’s time to leave again.

Extranjeros
On the plane down from Dallas there were at least 20 young Mormon men, on their way to do a two-year Mission in Guatemala. I was surprised to learn that their ONLY mission was to “preach the gospel,” because most church groups come down here to build houses or latrines or do some other specific, needed project. Naturally I was their first victim, though I usually enjoy talking to people about the heart of their faith. These guys were SO earnest, and so excited that I was listening…….it was really pretty sweet, until of course I did NOT want to accept the Book of Mormon. Then the guy I was sitting with asked to pray for me. I resisted, not wanting some sort of scene, but he persisted, I relented and it was pretty simple.
He COULDN’T believe he was finally actually in Guatemala – very excited and quite scared. Reminded me of my first flight.
Finally, I reached what has become my home to find my alleyway festooned with cutout paper streamers. I suspect this is for Navidad, only two weeks away, or perhaps el dia de Guadelupe, not for my homecoming, but it felt welcoming anyway. The house next door has palm fronds tacked to its walls and door. I think this has something to do with the tradition of Mary & Joseph going house to house, looking for shelter….La Posada; the tradition I saw enacted by the Montessori school children in Chico during this trip. I don’t know how the traditional response of the householder goes…. But I’ll learn before then, I’m sure.

Cultural differences
My first morning back, I go to the Bodegona to pick up supplies. On my way back, in the middle of the street is a tiny procession: a shiny pink casket held high by two walking men, the light color in stark contrast to the dark shabby clothing of the people following it….only a few women and children, one man, all looking pretty miserable. I want to respond in some way to the upwelling of feeling I have for them, but don’t know what is acceptable. Feeling a little inept, I stand at the curb for the few moments it takes them to pass.

And the first Saturday that I am back I go to the Mercado on Saturday morning later than usual and encounter a huge crowd (muchadumbre en Espanol) in which I manage to get pickpocketed!
I am distraught, running back and forth between the last stall where I purchased vegetables and the next one where I found I had no money. I had placed my small billfold in an outer pocket of my large market bag, which has a flap, but not enough to deter this determined person. What a drag. I lost my drivers’ license, my credit card, and my ATM card, so not only do I HAVE no money, but I have no way to get any. That was a big mistake; I'll never carry all those things together in one place again.
I go straight home, mad at Guatemala, mad at myself, and slightly shakey. I know the routine, since I lost my wallet some time ago, myself, but this certainly spoiled a beautiful morning and my joy at being back here.

Later I go to a party at BJ’s and look at her gorgeous apartment which she will be leaving, soon, and which I consider for myself briefly, as it is closer to the Mercado and cheaper, but hearing bad things about the landlady and her dog, I decide I can do better. But it is quite lovely except for that, although colder than this house! The entire kitchen and dining room are open-aired.
At this party, I meet Fred, who walks with me to one of the musical events available this evening, AND pays for me because I realize I have no cash. As we walk, he talks to me about volunteering for a Brain Gym-based program here. This is the first time someone has really WANTED me, with my current level of Spanish. Which turns out to be is as good as his, if not better, and he thinks his is fine, and he has been here for more than a year! He just has more confidence than I so he uses his with Guatemaltecos! So I am going to take a training with those folks and see if I have something to contribute.

Volunteering
12/19/06: Today I meet with Fred and Mercedes at Familias de Esperanza and Fred tells me they also need someone to work in the nursery school there. So I will see about that after the training is over (2nd week Jan.) So suddenly, after such a long and frustrating wait, there is some movement! Or at least so it seems. My good friend in Chico, Kathy, is VERY enthusiastic about Brain Gym, and I become so, too, after reading about the exercises and seeing the video.

It’s back to the hospital tomorrow morning. I had the most amazing several moments with Sergio yesterday, after two weeks away. He’s all trussed up so he can’t touch his scab from his cleft palate surgery, (Finally! Why did he have to wait so many months?) and has a tube in his nose, so I can’t lift him, but I leaned over his crib for a long time and got my face closer to his than I usually have done and he just looked at me fully for the longest time. Something very sweet there.

Wednesday and another morning with Sergio, with several of the children who have CP, and with a volunteer from Germany who is as angry as I am – or more – with the nurses who work with the babies. One – actually the cleaning person, not a nurse – is really sweet and loving with them, but most sit around and chat with each other while the babies get nothing but minimum physical care.
There is a tiny one, brand new to the ward, who starts crying for food about 10 am each morning I’ve been there. She’s there for malnutrition, but she has to wait til after 11 for her “pacha” (bottle,) even tho we volunteers start asking when it’s obvious what she wants. And then there’s the practice of feeding the ones who aren’t hungry yet, but that’s a more subtle error.
So out of this came a new fantasy: 1) get some questions answered – what areas do these babies come from? Are there babies whose parents DON’T bring them to the hospital because they’re afraid they won’t see them for the next six months? How do the babies do who ARE returned, five-to-eight months later? Are there some serious or even minor problems down the line due to low stimulation/ non-attachment? Why does it take so long to get their surgeries? 2) If the results seem in line with my hypothesis, I would want to develop a program to help prevent malnutrition in the first place, and for the cleft palate babies, help the babies return home quickly.
1) get money for surgeries quicker
2) nutrition prevention programs
3) followup help, social and nursing, so the babies can return home safely and soon.

I could become very passionate about that.
But as usual, unless I find people interested in the same thing who do speak Spanish better than I, I have to get better at Spanish. I need to talk to that woman I met at Deet’s before much longer. She works at the hospital with the older kids, but is a neonatal specialist, she said.
At least I had one successful spanish interchange w/ a nurse today, where I got her to do something I thought important, though also one unsuccessful one

But now I won’t see them again for a week, because my son Michael is coming to visit for Christmas.
Sergio won’t go home for Xmas. But at least there is one nurse there who spoke to him really sweetly today (besides the cleaning girl) and he responded very strongly to her. So that feels better.