"We must love one another or die..."

We woke up at 5:30 this morning so that we could go climb a volcano! So fun. We were originally supposed to climb Volcano Santa Maria, however the weather here has been really unusual (cold and rainy!). So instead we went to see La Laguna Chicabal. The lagoon is located at the top of the Chicabal Volcano which is about 2,700 meters above see level. The hike up the volcano took a little over 2 hours and to get there we walked through the town of San Martin which is inhabited primarily by indigenous people from the Mam tribe. The lagoon is now a sacred site for Mayan rituals and other religious groups also use the beautiful space for meditation or worship. Here are some pictures from our trip:

Just made it to the top!

The lagoon from above.

So scenic. The other mountains and volcanoes were so beautiful!

We walked down 600 steps to the lagoon where we got to spend time learning from ex-guerrillas about what it was like to live in the mountains during the war and about the current education system in Guatemala. 

On our way back down, while walking back through San Martin, we saw a crowd of people in the street with this dead cow. We found out that the community has been working together for years to raise enough money and gather the necessary resources to install a clean water system. Tomorrow they finally get to have that installed! To celebrate, everyone in the community pitched in some money so that they could buy a cow for their party! It was gross. But I think there's a lot our communities in the States could learn from the people of San Martin.

Reflecting on what I saw and learned from that community, I thought of an excerpt from a poem by W.H. Auden which reads:

...All I have is a voice

To undo the folded lie,

The romantic lie in the brain

Of the sensual man-in-the-street

And the lie of Authority

Whose buildings grope the sky:

There is no such thing as the State

And no one exists alone;

Hunger allows no choice

To the citizen or the police;

We must love one another or die...

"What society needs are not people who know a lot, but people who can use what they know to change their reality."

So far this experience has been pretty overwhelming. I've learned a lot about the history and culture of Guatemala. I've had a lot of beautiful conversations. I've seen and heard a lot of difficult things. I've met wonderful, compassionate people. There's so much more I could share. But for now, I'm going to share with you what has had the most impact on me so far. And what I think is most important for you to know.

I Want Mud in My Eyes

In John 9, there is a story about Jesus healing a man who was born blind. Jesus approached the man, spit into the dirt to make mud, then rubbed that mud onto the man's eyes. He then instructed the man to wash the mud off in Siloam. After the man did this, he was able to see.

On Monday I am leaving to go to Central America where I will spend the next 16 weeks. I don't know what to expect. I don't want to have expectations. 

I'm afraid. Though I honestly don't know what of. 

And I'm excited. I'm excited to be in a new place with new people. I'm excited to improve my Spanish. I'm excited to take Liberation Theology again. 

I was trying to decide what to title this blog which will be the place where I share my experiences in Central America. While thinking about what I hope to gain from my semester abroad, I realized that more than anything else, I want my eyes to be opened. And I want that even if that means that Jesus has to rub some mud in them first. I no longer want to be blind to the injustices around me. I don't want to be blind to the fact that my humanity is tied up with over 7 billion other human beings. I don't want to be blind to the ways in which I am an oppressor. 

It's funny that Jesus uses mud. It's as if he's showing us that, in some ways, it's probably easier to be blind. Or at least less dirty. But I've taken the clean, easy way out for a long time. So maybe some dirt is what I need to really change. To really have new eyes. 

"He replied, 'The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.'" John 9:11