I'm heading home for Clark's Fork today. Exactly one season away from home. (I left the day after Winter Solstice, returning, the first day of Spring)
For those of you who just like pictures, this is the place to see what I saw this year in Guatemala.
Ken's Picassa Web Album
For those you who would like to hear about some of the experiences check out some of the other posts on this blog. (If you have not already)
Peace
Ken
Monday, March 21, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
The good, the bad and the ugly
Well, I'm back now. Was going to say back "home" but many of you know that for me "home is where I hang my hat." I'm in Seattle now, I just came back from helping with a flat tire incident, my hat is soaking wet and I am cold. Still happy to be here with my Seattle family, I get to see Rhianna and family this weekend-----everything is peachy.
What's this about the good, bad and ugly?
Those of you who have been following this blog may know what I'm referring to, but since the posts go from the most recent and then into the past some of you don't know that my dear family in Guatemala was torn apart by an extortionist.
I will post three entries here simultaneously. This one I will be my good old proactive, (Pollyanna) keep things on the bright side self.
The next one will be a quick recap of Brigitte's trauma and current situation.
The last ( "the UGLY" ) is a news clip that aired on PBS last week. My sister shared it with me, it deals with violence in Guatemala, in particular violence against women.
I stayed with Clara her husband Axel and their two kids Brigittette, and Alex for two weeks after the rest of the family had to flee to Holland.
I am at this moment a bit torn between the tranquil lifestyle I had for four weeks in Guatemala and the abundance that I have around me here. A few hours ago I was sitting at my office (Starbucks) waiting for a tire to be fixed. The place was full of people doing lots of important things.
At one table in front of me there were two people very busy multi tasking. All at once they were -talking to each other - each of them had laptop computers they were working on- (Macs by the way) - and they both had iPhones they were fondling- (at times even using them as phones.) Oh yeah, there was a newspaper that was being read from time to time. I looked on despairingly. Then I realized what I was doing -- Having a cup of coffee, while a tire was being fixed for me, while I listened to a podcast, while I checked my e-mail and facebook on my iPod. (If I had a phone there would have been a phone call or two in there too.) --- MY GOD, I'M BEING SUCKED INTO THE ABYSS. Three days ago I was in heaven simply sitting on the veranda having a cup of coffee! Now I'm back to the world of multi tasking.
What's this about the good, bad and ugly?
Those of you who have been following this blog may know what I'm referring to, but since the posts go from the most recent and then into the past some of you don't know that my dear family in Guatemala was torn apart by an extortionist.
 |
| Beautiful Thunderhead |
The next one will be a quick recap of Brigitte's trauma and current situation.
 |
| Same thunderhead with the "Guatemalan" touch (It's behind bars) |
I stayed with Clara her husband Axel and their two kids Brigittette, and Alex for two weeks after the rest of the family had to flee to Holland.
 | |
| Alex, Axel, little Brigitte and Clara |
I am at this moment a bit torn between the tranquil lifestyle I had for four weeks in Guatemala and the abundance that I have around me here. A few hours ago I was sitting at my office (Starbucks) waiting for a tire to be fixed. The place was full of people doing lots of important things.
At one table in front of me there were two people very busy multi tasking. All at once they were -talking to each other - each of them had laptop computers they were working on- (Macs by the way) - and they both had iPhones they were fondling- (at times even using them as phones.) Oh yeah, there was a newspaper that was being read from time to time. I looked on despairingly. Then I realized what I was doing -- Having a cup of coffee, while a tire was being fixed for me, while I listened to a podcast, while I checked my e-mail and facebook on my iPod. (If I had a phone there would have been a phone call or two in there too.) --- MY GOD, I'M BEING SUCKED INTO THE ABYSS. Three days ago I was in heaven simply sitting on the veranda having a cup of coffee! Now I'm back to the world of multi tasking.
The Bad
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| The house from up on the mountain. photo courtesy of Jacques |
Everyone was there except Brigitte who was working in Guatemala City that day. The note was addressed to Brigitte, and said: (I'm summarizing) "We know who you are, we know what kind of car you drive, we know your husband (ex husband actually) lives out of the country and we know where your son Joris goes to school. You will pay us 30,000 Quetzales (about $3,900) or you son will die"
Brigitte did not return home. Jacques, Joris and I packed essential things and took a taxi to Guatemala City where we hooked up with Brigitte and a colleague who put us up in his house. (A beautiful house he owned with his sister in a gated and guarded community not far from the city.)
Brigitte made a report to the police, and with the help of a friend of a friend (who has contacts high up) cut through enough bureaucratic bullshit to get the attention of Guatemala's Attorney General. None the less, it was agreed that Brigitte, Joris and Jacques should leave the county immediately, which they did three. (Brigitte told me on the phone how strange it was to be "exiled" in her own county.) Can you imagine going to work in the morning and not being able to return to your home that evening?
Friday I went to Antigua and got a room for a few days. Sunday I returned with Jacques and helped him gather up a few more things, said goodbye to him there and stayed on with Clara and Family for the rest of my time in Guatemala. I did not feel in any danger. The times that I was available for a hug, or had a lap for one of the kids to sit on made the rest of my time in Guatemala totally worthwhile.
I can not close this portion without interjecting my personal view.
My friend Brigitte is a caring, resourceful and proactive person. I feel very lucky to have met her. (I owe that to a group called Servas that we both belong to. It is an international service group dedicate to world peace. You can check that out here: Servas.org )
Brigitte is a fair skinned woman from Holland, who has lived in Guatemala most of her adult life, she was married to a Honduran man, but she has been raising their son alone for many years. Add to this, she has adopted and is supporting an indigenous family and building a house and working and traveling throughout Central America promoting fair trade and labor practices.... and the list can go on. I think Brigitte could be considered one in a million in regards to being a female living in a Latin American culture.
With all this in mind, it is my feeling (I'm not alone) that the lowlife who has caused all this suffering is one of the workers she had helping her build her house. There are times when they stole from her, times when they flat assed took her money and did no work. They charged for materials that never made it to her house, and
Brigitte pretty much carried on, accepting this as "the way things are done in Guatemala"
Brigitte pretty much carried on, accepting this as "the way things are done in Guatemala"
I feel the culprit is one (or more) of those "machismo" men who got their pretty little Latin egos bruised by my friend who could stand face to face with any of them and say what was on her mind.
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| photo courtesy of Jacques |
OK, I have said my piece. Every moment in our lives is a turning point. I witnessed a major turning point in the lives of two families I care for. I have witnessed how strong these people are and I have no doubt that down the road life has many more treasures to offer them.
Right Joris?
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| I agree with Ken!! |
The Ugly
Specifically this has nothing to do with Brigitte, Clara and families, but it does give the context of what is happening around them.
Below a ink to a video:
PBS News piece on violence in Guatemala
I do have a little story regarding violence here in Guatemala. How I got this story is actually pretty humorous. After dinner one evening, we are struggling to have a little conversation about what I'm going to do when I get home. Remember, at this time, there's me, who speaks little Spanish and Clara, and Axel and family who speak very little English. I (feeling pretty proud) explained that I was going to fly to San Diego to see my 92 year old mom who has lived by herself since my dad died several years ago.
Axel explained to me that his mom has also lived alone since his dad died 28 years ago. He also explained that it was not a "bad" thing, because his mother was physically abused by his dad, and after he died (alcohol related) she chose to live alone and wanted to have nothing to do with men.
By the way I was humbled a bit when I learned that Axel's mom is 105 years old, and that she has 11 children ------- Yikes!!
Below a ink to a video:
PBS News piece on violence in Guatemala
I do have a little story regarding violence here in Guatemala. How I got this story is actually pretty humorous. After dinner one evening, we are struggling to have a little conversation about what I'm going to do when I get home. Remember, at this time, there's me, who speaks little Spanish and Clara, and Axel and family who speak very little English. I (feeling pretty proud) explained that I was going to fly to San Diego to see my 92 year old mom who has lived by herself since my dad died several years ago.
Axel explained to me that his mom has also lived alone since his dad died 28 years ago. He also explained that it was not a "bad" thing, because his mother was physically abused by his dad, and after he died (alcohol related) she chose to live alone and wanted to have nothing to do with men.
By the way I was humbled a bit when I learned that Axel's mom is 105 years old, and that she has 11 children ------- Yikes!!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Ignorance is Bliss??? Bliss is pure attention.
The recuring theme for me on this trip has been "Ignorance is Bliss." I am not sure why, and I am fairly certian this is not a "trueism."
It first came to me at a concert I was attending with Brigitte and family. The opening group was a fantastic accoustic trio (guitar, violin and drummer extraordinaire) I was pretty much captivated by this group as were most of the other 800 or so people there. Directly in front of me there was an ugly conflict unfolding. It was a bit of a distraction, but frankly the music was so captivating I was not disturbed. Well it got to the point where Brigitte's friend had to summons the police, and about then I got to thinking that due to the language barrier, ignorance was bliss for me
Widening the scope of that thought I have many times on this trip been brought back to the fact that Suffering exists and there is no shortage of it. The hard part for me (being the "happiness junkie" I am, is knowing when is the right time for me to let the suffering in?
I am just thinking out loud, I have no answer.
Is it when I have something to offer to alleviate some suffering? Is it only when I feel strong enough to accept the reality of how much suffering there is? Or is it totally out of my hands, going back to the "ignorance is Bliss" theory.
Like I said, I have no answers at this, time, it has been a totally humbling experience to me, living here this past month. The contrast is almost overwhelming. Such a beautiful native population, living for the most part in extreme poverty, yet you see that they are for the most part living their lives in joy. Then there is the corrupt side, which I think is really not much different than the corruption in my country. It is just that the corruption here and in other third world countries is just much more visible, in your face so to speak. The type of corruption we experience in the US is behind so many closed doors we are fooled (I believe) into a cocoon of faux safety.
That's enough rambling for now, let´s see if I can find some nice pictures to make this more palatable, in case there are other "happiness junkies" reading this.
 |
| Alex Goofing Off |
It first came to me at a concert I was attending with Brigitte and family. The opening group was a fantastic accoustic trio (guitar, violin and drummer extraordinaire) I was pretty much captivated by this group as were most of the other 800 or so people there. Directly in front of me there was an ugly conflict unfolding. It was a bit of a distraction, but frankly the music was so captivating I was not disturbed. Well it got to the point where Brigitte's friend had to summons the police, and about then I got to thinking that due to the language barrier, ignorance was bliss for me
Widening the scope of that thought I have many times on this trip been brought back to the fact that Suffering exists and there is no shortage of it. The hard part for me (being the "happiness junkie" I am, is knowing when is the right time for me to let the suffering in?
I am just thinking out loud, I have no answer.
Is it when I have something to offer to alleviate some suffering? Is it only when I feel strong enough to accept the reality of how much suffering there is? Or is it totally out of my hands, going back to the "ignorance is Bliss" theory.
 |
| Yoga Antigua Studio |
Like I said, I have no answers at this, time, it has been a totally humbling experience to me, living here this past month. The contrast is almost overwhelming. Such a beautiful native population, living for the most part in extreme poverty, yet you see that they are for the most part living their lives in joy. Then there is the corrupt side, which I think is really not much different than the corruption in my country. It is just that the corruption here and in other third world countries is just much more visible, in your face so to speak. The type of corruption we experience in the US is behind so many closed doors we are fooled (I believe) into a cocoon of faux safety.
That's enough rambling for now, let´s see if I can find some nice pictures to make this more palatable, in case there are other "happiness junkies" reading this.
 |
| The view from the Yoga Studio |
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