Email: Audrey Burnett

Dear Friends,

A couple of years ago, I gave my mom a wooden sign that said, “Live, Laugh, Love.” What a great mantra! Here in Guatemala I have been doing a little bit of each of these things, with one important addition: Learn!

Living

The lifestyle here is very different than what I am used to. The first major adjustment I had to make was in my living arrangements. At home I live with three other people, my parents and one brother. My first host family here consisted of 11 people. Of the nine children, the oldest was 26 and the youngest was 11, and they all lived at home. It was overwhelming at first, but as I got to know them and became more comfortable there I really started to enjoy it. There was always someone to practice my Spanish with, hang out with, and eat with. I learned quite a bit about the culture and the general lifestyle of Guatemalans with this family. The hospitality they provided was incredible. They always invited me to their family events, made sure I was comfortable at all times, and even took care of me with herbal remedies when I was sick.

Transportation has been another interesting adjustment. The different forms that I have experienced have included very crowded microbuses (12-15 passenger vans), the beds of pickup trucks, and brightly colored chicken buses (very similar to a school bus, with more color!) Using the transportation, at least when it is too far to walk, has made me feel connected to the people here. Not only does it give me a glimpse of how they go about their daily routines, but it makes me feel like a part of the city and the culture.

Laughing

If there is anything I have learned about adjusting to another culture, it is learning how to laugh at myself. Sometimes funny things just happen! On the front of one of the chicken buses that we rode on was written, exactly like this, “Jesus die 4 you.” Well, you can imagine that this became our motto. One reason it is funny, aside from the obvious, is that I know my Spanish has sounded worse than that, and probably still does sometimes!

Aside from the language, I had some very funny and interesting animal encounters at my first house here. A rabbit appeared out of nowhere and almost scared me to death (because I thought it was stuffed), a bird flew in the window while I was eating breakfast (it tried several closed windows before it finally discovered a way out), and they provided a temporary home for a squirrel. It later escaped. I hope that it escaped while the cage was outside, but I was afraid to ask details about that one. My favorite funny moment was the four of us YAVs trying to cook a dinner together for our teachers. Our only excuse for the disaster is that ingredients here all are in a different language. To make a long story short, we made ketchup spaghetti!

Loving

I have thought a lot about love lately in the different ways we experience and express it. Love is present in friendship, relationships, families, people that you have the briefest of encounters with, in spirituality, and in the way that you act and live in the world. I have discovered a love for this country and its people, but also a spiritual love for God and the way He is working in my life. He is not just working in my life but in the lives of the people around me daily. It is liberating for me to see people that are totally different from me in culture and in almost every other aspect who are trying to do the same thing that most everyone else in the world wants to do—find meaning and purpose in their lives. We are all connected. Finding love, in all its various forms, is both easy and difficult and helps me to see the interconnectedness of the world more clearly.

Learning

I have been studying Spanish off and on for the past eight years and I still struggle with it. I can make myself understood but is often an embarrassing and humbling process. The amount of frustration I feel is sometimes overwhelming. Our orientation included five weeks of language school, which helped me review everything I’ve learned about Spanish and also taught me several new things. Though even after these classes, mastering the language is a constant battle. Learning to laugh at myself and brush off my mistakes has been very important to my internal progress! I have also learned quite a bit about the culture of Guatemala, as well as about the sad and complicated history of this country. I have so much respect and admiration for what they have lived through.

The Mayan culture is a big part of the country and really adds another element of beauty. We had the opportunity to participate in a Mayan ceremony, which was interesting, strange, and beautiful all at once. It was performed in a Mayan language, Quiche, and included offerings and candles and much more. It would be impossible to capture the whole experience with words. After the ceremony, I talked to a Mayan about his beliefs and experiences with the culture and its religious beliefs. I was struck with a sense of awe in all the different ways and methods each person in the world has of connecting to faith and expressing themselves through their beliefs.

In conclusion, I am living, laughing, loving, and learning a lot here in Guatemala and I hope this helps to show you what I have been experiencing. Please keep the people here in your prayers. Go in peace!

Audrey