Peace Procession

Last night, from 7pm to about 10pm there were a couple hundred people of all ages crowded between a pickup truck carrying giant speakers and a cart carrying a well decorated white float with the Virgin Mary. The procession walked, chanted, prayed, and sung between each of the four points of the town.

My host mom, two sisters and younger brother took me out on the street behind our house to join the procession near the end of the journey. It was a wonderful experience. Most people had two or three white balloons or a white candle. Some had attached their balloons to the top of their umbrellas or sticks to get them higher in the air.      

Many of you maybe surprised to hear that right now in Guatemala it is cold. It is a very humid, chilling cold.      Last night, everyone was wrapped up well. Women covered their heads with scarfs or shawls and men with hats. There was a group of children in the middle with people crowded around, I assume, keeping them a little bit warmer. The hot wax dripping on the hands of the women and children, looked almost welcomed adorning their hands with the color of peace. I wore my puffy jacket, three shirts, long pants and my tennis shoes, and I was chilled.

In preparation for the walk, the town had adorned the streets with white ribbons and each of the four crosses at each corner of town, and the cross in front of the Catholic Church wore white ribbons.  The float that followed the procession was at head level adorned with doves, red flowers, white ribbons and paint, and a statue of the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus. A group of adults with their white candles surrounded the float.

The procession stopped at each cross and had a small responsive prayer which everyone in the crowd, but me seemed to know like the back of their hands. In between crosses there was chanting. "No more violence in our homes, in our families, in our town." And "Paz," Peace in Spanish among other phrases.

The procession ended in front of the Catholic Church in a circle around the concrete cross. Here we had one last responsive prayer and one last petition to the Virgin Mary to inspire peace in the life of all Guatemalans. One last time of giving thanks for the open mind and open heart of God and the Virgin Mary and how they shared this gift with us.

Mass Email... Just in case I missed someone!

Hi Everyone, 
     Its really hard to believe that I have been in Guatemala for six and a half weeks now and I have met my fundraising goal! Many thanks to all of you for your support--financial and otherwise!

     The first five weeks were spent in language/culture studies in Antigua and in a small town outside of Xela called Pachaj. Every minute here has been an adventure. I think I am finally getting a grasp on Spanish, and am now settling in to my permanent location. 

     This year I am living and working about a 30 minute bus ride outside of Antigua in a town called San Miguel Dueñas. Monday through Friday I work at the Open Windows Foundation in the center of town--about a 10 minute walk from my house. The OWF is essentially a children`s library with other educational resources such as a computer lab, daily learning activities, and classes.

     Friday was the last day of school until January. The equivalent of the US summer break is from mid-Oct to mid-Jan here. In January the students will change grades. During school vacation, the OWF has more activities and classes for the kids. Right now I teach English, Math, Sports, and Sewing during the week. 

     To follow me in my work and life in Guatemala this year, check outwww.caustinlangley.blogspot.com. And I always love to hear from friends and family in email, blog comments, and with Facebook! 

     I look forward to hearing from all of you soon! Many thanks to all of you for your wonderful and much needed support, Austin

Experiencing the Highlands

Last week was fantastic. All weeks here are fantastic, but last week during a week of immersion in a small town outside and well above Xela, the opportunity to participate in a Mayan spiritual service was offered. There were three participants and the Mayan priest.  Normally, the entire service would be in Quiche--one of the twenty two Mayan languages still spoken in Guatemala. Since only one other person in the service understood Quiche, the priest kindly translated between each part of the service. Here traditional clothing has almost entirely fallen from use amoung men and now is only frequently worn by women. The mayan priest wore regular western wear except his head covering--a piece of red cloth doubled over and tied in the back.

I was aware before that Mayans love colors--particularly bright colors, but when the priest began organizing all the different items including the candles of brillant red, blue, green, black, white, beige, and yellow, I had sufficient evidence to back up that knowledge.

The priest dug a flat square into the side of the steep hill revealing the muddy effects of the rainy season. He covered the bottom of the square with dry dirt. Then he drew a large circle divided into 4 parts with sugar on the dry ground. In each part of the circle he put a spot of sugar. On his lines of sugar he placed balls of pine resin. After, he filled in the entire circle with the pine resin balls. Chocolates and Candies were added for the ancestors believed to be in the woods with us, candles to represent the cardinal points, and the movement of the sun. In the center were candles of blue and green for God and the land--the two most important factors in Mayan Spirituality.

Each of the participants were handed six candles to represent themselves which we held for a large portion of the service. We were blessed with them, and after we gave our candles a kiss, they were thrown into the fire. We faced each point of the sun and prayed for health, prosperity, love, and peace each time counting to thirteen to represent the thirteenth day of the Mayan 20 day month-- The Day of the Woman.

We were handed two pieces of pine wood to rub over our body to cleanse us of our sin. These pieces were then were thrown into the fire in the shape of an X. Nearing the end of the service, the priest sprinkled us with a piney smelling liquid. We threw in a handful of sesame seeds to represent love and money.  The distinct crackling sound of the burning seeds filled the air as the service continued.

The enitre service lasted about and hour and a half. Through the whole service I wore a smile and held a great sense of peace within myself knowing that my God heard my prayers.

On Commuting

I am immersed in differences here in this beautiful country. One of the major ones I named in the last post...noise. But, another one that has caused me to reflect on my life in the States is the idea of commuting to work. In the states, I often complained about a long commute even though I secretly loved having my space to sing as loud as I wanted to my radio. Here a commute is done because a person has to. No other choices. Period. And it is not easy. Nor is it a time for personal space or reflection. The bus only cost a little more than a piece of candy, but it is packed full. These buses are often called "chicken buses" in the states although they clearly do not carry chickens. They are painted in bright colors and often have pictures of the virgin Mary and Jesus on the inside. People crowd in often three to a seat and people standing in the aisles. The attendant stands on the bottom steps and hangs out to call the stops. The bus makes ninety degree turns on narrow streets and pass other massive truck going the opposite direction at what feels like a million miles an hour, but is probably more like 30mph. Usually I am full of anxiety about who I am going to be smushed up against next on these buses, but yesterday I open my eyes and found peace in my environment. I was amazed by the people I saw and their patience at being sat on and stepped on. Their acceptance and understanding of the situation that everyone is just trying to get to or from work, to or from friends and family is astounding. I found peace in knowing that I too fit that bill,simply trying to get from school to the comfort of my room.

Music of Life Taken for Granted

I have only been in Guatemala for five days and I can already list pages of things I took for granted in the States. The element in my daily life that has changed the most is sound. It is NEVER quiet in Guatemala. There is music playing everywhere. Listening to the music of the streets, children, buses, cars, and pedestrians, I am often overwhelmed by the consistent presence of people. Windows and doors stay open to keep a breeze through the insides of hotels, homes, and stores. Coming in with the breeze is the sound of the trash truck and the neighboring hostel's radio or the restaurant's background music. The melting pot of sounds really emphasizes the way in which community is so highly valued in this country. It has hit me that I am entirely out of a comfort zone. And it is wonderful. Observing the physical differences that cause the change in this Music of Guatemalan life, has amazed me. Cars flying over cobbled streets, huge colorfully painted school buses as transportation overwhelm all of my senses. As I had hoped, I am completely removed from my standard way of life. Nothing resembles it. The closest I have been to something from home was in church this morning singing "How Great is Our God" in Spanish. It has been a wonderful five days and I look forward to more sensory overload and further adaptation.

Angels and Airplanes!

My first little circle of light joyfully showed itself last Monday as I was tearfully leaving North Carolina. Walking away from my beautiful, naturally perfect dog was hard enough. Then, leaving my parents at the airport, my tears flowed even more freely. As I boarded the plane I managed to get my tears under control, but they were there--barely under the surface. A very kind gentleman, Bill offered to let me put one of my bags under the seat in front of him, to keep me from having to check my larger carry-on. Before the plane even began to roll, I had already started with my tears. Bill on one side and Travis on the other talked with me the whole trip. They asked me questions about my year, told me a little about their lives and let me talk about my family and friends. It was remarkably healing. As I was disembarking the plane between the two of them, I realized that God himself had put his hand out and held me tight when I just couldn't make it on my own. He sent me two wonderful angels, Bill and Travis, to bring me comfort and remind me why I was leaving all the things I love most behind.

Orientation this week (extended due to Hurricane Irene) has been a life-changing experience in itself. I can't wait to see what the year brings! Thank you all for your loving support and prayers!

Hey, my new blog!

This is my blog about my YAV year in Guatemala!