Ideas about Identities

Invariably, one of the most rewarding and challenging elements of traveling is interacting with those around you. Sometimes they are locals, sometimes they are just passing through, sometimes they are lost souls, sometimes they're a version of you. Regardless, they offer a different perspective-- and there is always a lesson.

In one of my most recent interactions in Guatemala, I had the chance to talk to a Bolivian man, living in Guatemala, who attended university in Germany. Certainly, we had some similarities in our relatively cosmopolitan lives.... I also am living in Guatemala, but have been schooled in Hong Kong, and am, by nationality, American. But it was at this point, when he asked how I identify myself, that I realized just how malleable identity might be. he urged me to answer if I believed the future of America will be to align itself with Latin America, or if we might continue to align ourselves with Europe. I tried my best to explain that the concept of America is beyond that of who we align ourselves with; America is made up of different people, with different ethnicities, and different goals for the future. And that is what makes an American-- that is our identity.

Unbeknownst to him, this complete stranger elucidated one of the most magical elements of this experience. Here we are, ten women from across the U.S., with different backgrounds, with different ideas, with different homes, with different identities. And yet, we have come together on the premise of ideals. That our identities are so varied doesn't change the commonality that is most relevant during our time here-- a commitment to cooperation and a commitment to service. And so long as we continue to identify ourselves like this, the rest really doesn't matter.

- Alli, MPIG Summer Intern Supervisor

When blog post stop being polite, and start getting real:

Though I commend the sweet, earnest blog posts before me (and the sentiments behind them), I'm also a  pragmatist. As such, I would like to bring things back to reality for just a minute...

- We have a limited amount of water each day. There are ten girls living here. We are all accustomed to daily showers, grooming, primping, prettying, etc. Somedays here, we don't have enough water to flush the toilets, let alone get ten showers. Props to those who have taken this in stride, and gotten in touch with their crunchier sides. Literally and figuratively.

- This is a developing country. We are lucky enough to live better than most of the locals around us. But this too has limits. Case in point: the city-wide, planned power outage yesterday. Apparently, we missed the memo.

- For anyone who has been to Central America, you know you don't put toilet paper in the toilet. For anyone who has lived in America their entire lives, this is a hard habit to break. The result: two clogged toilets and an adventure in breaking up clogs with caustic powder (the local remedy).

- We don't exactly blend in. Ten white girls? In a Mayan community? Its basically Gringas on Parade whenever we go anywhere. Plus side of this: we have perfected our Miss America-style waves.

- As if the adults' reactions weren't enough, you can imagine what the kids in Chaq think of us while we are teaching lessons. Fascinated by the white girls, recess is prone to becoming a giant game of "touch the gringa." This is what happens when you let a seven year old do your hair:

Next big trend? 

- Let's talk food for a minute. And by food, I mean the Guatemalan staples: corn and beans. Granted, they are in various forms. But at this point, we've got starch coming out of our ears.

Corn soup with potatoes and corn tamalitos

All things considered, these just add to the experience. From my previous experiences traveling, the best stories to recount aren't the ones about the nice hotels or the five-star Western meals-- they are the ones about stuffing 27 people into a shuttle van, or needing to hitchike down a mountain because bus service was cancelled for the afternoon. So long as we have our humor and each other, we are all blessed to have this opportunity to add to our anecdote arsenal.

- Alli, Summer Intern Supervisor