Guatemala

Guatemala impacted me in more ways than I imagined. Many of the ways were good---I now love to listen to Spanish music, and eagerly translate parent-teacher conferences at my new school. Other ways were not so good---I have trouble falling asleep at night.

Guatemala taught me to fear the night. Night was when evil happened---gunshots in the street, broken windows, and men wandering the street toward the local house of prostitution. Needless to say, you didn't go out at night.

I'm still glad I went to Guatemala. I may have come back with a few scars, but I also returned with a new knowledge of our world. My worldview was unalterably changed. I no longer view the US as a place of all things good---learning how your country sponsored a faction that wiped out entire indigenous villages will do that to you. I met many kind people, and learned more than I ever thought possible about the Mayan religion.