Driving in Guatemala Pt. 2

For the first 6 months in Guatemala, every time you pass a police truck on the side of the road, you instinctively take your foot off the brake and slow down, anticipating a speed trap. Then you gently chide yourself as you remember that the Guatemalans don't have radar guns, or even care about traffic safety (this is for everywhere except Guatemala City, where traffic cops are a whole different post). We asked some 30 year veteran missionaries why, if nobody cared, were there police stopped on the side of the road. They explained that they were just waiting for an accident to happen.

Well, we soon realized that the police do more than just sit around or drive slowly so that you can pass them. Sometimes they get hungry! When they get hungry they set up a checkpoint. These checkpoints can be for just about anything. They always ask for your driver's license and circulation card (Guatemalan registration). If you have both of those things, they move on. Next they ask if you have drugs or guns. Of course, the answer is no. I'm not sure who would have drugs or guns and answer yes. Unlike in the States, they don't ask for permission here and will start to open your doors and look around for themselves. There are two things that might happen,

One, they find something they want. This is usually something like bottles of water or coke, or sometimes food items like chips or snacks. If they find this, they will show it to you, ask you questions about it, and tell you how much they like it.

Actual conversation: Police-"So you have a package of water bottles back here." Jimmy- "Yes, there is a group of doctors here and they need to have lots of water in this heat." P- "Well we need water too. We really like water." J- "Well everybody needs water." P- "Yes, and in this heat we REALLY need water. Alot. And we are really thirsty... So, we need to check your paperwork again and can you pop the hood?" J, getting tired of sitting around- "Hey ya know what? Why don't you take the water?" P, handing back my license- "Really, well thanks a lot. Have a nice day!"

That same scenario has happened several times with different outcomes. One time I lost a couple of recently bought cokes, over the threat that they were going to take my truck apart and look for drugs.

Scenario number two can be a little more expensive. They don't find something they want. If this happens they are going to do their best to get some money from you. They will comb through your passport and look under the hood, desperate to break you. This will turn into a battle of wills, them hoping you will just offer money, and you hoping they will just let you go. Usually you will be able to go, unless they find something wrong. If you don't have your passport, or somebody with you doesn't or whatever, Q100 will get you back on the road. It will also get you the cop's phone number in case you ever need anything. Police Xela, Police Guate, and Police San Benito are three different entries in my phone. If I get in trouble in any of those places, I can call that number and know that for Q100 I can get out of it.

Something that has helped recently is being friends with somebody the police know. Close to New Horizon (a community of ex-guerrillas) I can say that I am headed there or that I work there and they will let me go, usually out of fear. When we have other gringos with us, I tell them that they are staying at a certain hotel (which they are) that is owned by a certain family that owns the police department in our part of Petén. This is almost as fun as playing a Get Out of Jail Free Card in Monopoly (or Bancopoly).

The Caves of Santa Elena

Most people fly up, go to Tikal, and fly back to Guate that evening or the next morning. Tikal is great, and after going 12 times, I'm still not tired of it, but you really can see everything you need to in 4 hours with the right guide.

If you've got a few days, there are a lot of activities in Petén that are a lot of fun, but most tourists don't know about. A couple weeks ago I took 21 people from our two villages to Santa Elena for a trip out. It was for people in our Bible Studies who have been doing their homework, memorizing verses and bringing their Bibles. We wanted to have an incentive for those people who are committed. First we ate at Pollo Campero. Not only is it inexpensive and air conditioned, but not a single person had ever eaten there.

A tuk tuk can get you there (Q5/person.) You will see a store that sells bottled water, and it is there you pay. All the people laying around are part of the same family that gets paid to watch the cave for the government. Admission is Q20/person. You'll also want a flashlight (Q7) and a guide. It is great that once you enter the temperature drops down to what Peteneros call cold.

The formations are natural and the guide will show you around the semi-lighted area for Q50. After you are done you exit where you came in. This part is huge and worth it, however, for real fun, you can pay the guide and extra Q100 to take you to the other side. Make sure you have fresh batteries, as it can take 1.5-2 hours to make the 1.5 kilometer trip. The cave is muddy, slippery, and full of bats. There are a couple places you have to crawl on your belly, and if you have a back pack you won't fit. Other places you slide downhill on your nalgas.

Once you come out you will be filthy and the guide will take you up over the hill you climbed under. There is a place to rinse off your hands, but good luck getting a tuk tuk back. If you do get one to pull over, make sure he has plastic covering the seat and pay him double so that it is worth the cleaning he'll have to do later. If you like walking, it is only about 3 miles from Flores and is a pretty safe walk, so go for it. You'll probably get a lot of strange looks from the people in the market.

Now everybody play "¿Where's Gringo?" Only the guys in the group wanted to make the trip all the way through.

Who Wants a Better Stick?

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to visit Spanish Lookout in Belize. It is a community of Mennonites, who have a marvelous story that shows you what can be possible with hard work and the desire to be better.

52 years ago 40 families moved to Belize to start a new life, away from the damaging cultural trends and influences they saw in the States and Canada. Unfortunately, once they arrived they lost literally everything they had. The way to grow food and survive in hot wet Belize was very different from what they had been taught. They spent the first rainy season living under tarps in the jungle. They had less than their poor Belizean neighbors and lost all their children to Malaria.

Their neighbors showed them how to plant corn by burning off the land, then using a stick to poke a hole in the land, bending over and dropping some seeds in the dirt and moving on. This back breaking work gave results and they had enough food their second year to survive.

The next year somebody came up with the idea to put a foot pedal on the stick so that instead of forcing the stick into the ground, they could step on it to make the hole. This greatly reduced blisters and made the work a little bit easier.

The next year somebody else decided to make the stick hollow so that they could drop the seed down through the hole without having to bend over. Once again, the work was easier and they got more done.

The next year a hopper was designed that would automatically dispense the seeds down the stick.

Now, 52 years later, Spanish Lookout is responsible for 82% of all produce in the country of Belize. Instead of sticks, they use tractors, combines and airplanes. The man who showed us around is personally responsible for 96% of all rice consumed in and exported from Belize.

At their 50 year anniversary celebration, they invited all the men who helped them when they first arrived. They were sharing memories and talking about where they came from. When asked how the Belizeans were planting their corn they replied, "We poke a stick into the ground."

What is it about the US mentality that makes one yearn to have better, to figure out how to work half as much and earn double? Dando vuelta a la tortilla (flipping around the tortilla), what is it about the Guatemalan mindset where they are content do things the same way it's always been done, without ever questioning why or if there's a better way?

Driving in Guatemala Pt. 1

One thing many people note about third world countries is their lack of traffic laws. You'll generally see it in your first taxi ride from the airport. There is usually some dummy that will cut you off or your taxi himself will create a third turn lane where there is only one.

In the mountains, with the chicken buses darting in and out on those mountain roads with no guard rails, a persons life expectancy considerably drops. We found out with great surprise that many of those road hazards disappeared once we got to Petén. Of course, we have very few roads that are paved, but our highways are generally straight, in great condition, and with good paint, reflectors and signs. Also, chicken buses were replaced with Tuk Tuks, and since I'm 4 times their size (just by myself, let alone in my pickup) I don't let them bully me.

However, when you still have uninhibited drunk driving, cows, horses, pigs, dogs and motorcycles (none of which have taillights) all over the roads, not to mention people, who have never driven and thus have no respect for a vehicle or how fast it can or cannot stop, driving here can be unnerving for first timers. Add to that no regulated speed limit, the vast amount of people without licenses, and a general attitude of selfishness that permeates all aspects of society here, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Therefore, I propose the question, "Why don't we see more accidents?" We saw about the same amount of accidents in the States, traveling around for 11 months (and 55,000 miles) as we have in Guatemala. I know accidents do happen, and when they do they are often tragic, but there are very few fender benders. I've had a couple of my own, but I was a green driver and I'll share those in a later post.

I propose that Guatemalans, for all of their aforementioned problems, are safer drivers than those in the States. Here, if you stop on the highway, nobody will hit you. People are always watching for road hazards, because they happen so frequently. There is no cruise control that lulls people into unconscious driving. Nobody here reads while driving, does their make-up, or even yell at their kids (mainly because their kids are in the back of the truck). Anybody who does not drive defensively, dies (about the same as dogs that don't cross highways defensively).

Driving is just another part of cultural adaptation one has to get accustomed to. You may never enjoy it, but you understand it and can survive it. It is scary at first, but after a while it becomes far scarier for observers and passengers than it is for the driver.

In Part 2 I'll write about the Police...

Funny Things You Might See at Medical Clinics

We have been involved in six different medical clinics in our almost three years here now. The first one all we did was translate while another missionary hosted in the mountains. Then we hosted one in the mountains. We have hosted 2 large medical groups work with us in Petén and twice we just went with a doctor where we didn't have much involvement in the actual medical process at all, but we were there for support, transportation and liaison between our Kekchi friends and the doctor. When you offer medical care to people who don't have access to it, you get to see a wide array of problems. Here are a few of the more memorable incidents.

A lady came with her symptoms card my wife had filled out for her. It said, "Milk coming out of armpit." After answering several clarifying questions and frustrated that the doctor and I weren't exactly understanding, she lifted up her shirt, squeezed her armpit, and sure enough, milk came out!

In one village in the mountains of Huehuetenango we were surprised that our first day only a few people came. Usually we have long lines of people and work all day. The doctors were frustrated and we had a second day scheduled to come back to the village. Everybody was asking if it was even worth the long, bumpy, 4x4 only trip to get there. We came back a second day and found a long line waiting for us. They told us that the people who went the first day were the guinea pigs to see if anybody died. A few years before the government announced that they would be giving free vaccinations sponsored by the Mormon church. However, "Latter Day Saints" translated to "Saints of the Last Days." These people (for whom spanish is a second language if spoken at all) understood that the government was coming out to euthanize them all. For that reason the government is never allowed to come into their village and our medical clinic was ill attended. After seeing that people who took our medicine did not die overnight, the people gave us their confidence.

An elderly man of about 50 came up to us and said he had had a bad operation on a hernia seven years ago and it was still giving him problems. Sounds easy enough. Then he dropped his pants and there were parts of him that should have been inside, hanging out for us to see! Then he showed us the bag that collected his urine that he had to empty out a couple times a day. He said after his surgery, he couldn't find his doctor and had been waiting until he came back to get it fixed. Thankfully, the doctors there took him to a hospital and performed the surgery at no cost.

We went to a village, again in Huehuetenango that was located at over 10,000 feet elevation. For this reason it was very cold, all year long. We kept seeing child after child with skin rashes all over themselves. The doctor told me to ask if they had pets in the house. "Oh no, no pets in the house." Ok, do you have animals in the house? "No, no animals in the house...oh, well, the pigs sleep inside at night." Pigs in the house? "Yes, to keep warm." I'm not sure whether she meant to keep her kids or the pigs warm. We had a very similar situation with the next family using sheep at night to keep warm. Instead of an electric wool blanket, you have a self heating, still on the sheep blanket. Unfortunately, it's a great way to spread scabies.

People are very worried that they will say something wrong when the come to a clinic and be denied medicine. Therefore people in line ask questions to those walking out to find out what the magic words were to get their medicine. If you ask somebody if they have a headache, the answer will be yes. If you ask if their right ear hurts when they lift their left leg, the answer will be yes. We caution our doctors to only ask "either or" questions like, "when does your head hurt most?" We learned this lesson after a day where every single lady in a village had severe yeast infections and the doctors were very concerned. Unfortunately, I now know the color, smell, consistency and itchiness factor of the discharge of every woman in Santiago, Huehuetenango.

Update on Water Situation

Today I finally had the time to finish my rain collection project. Up until now our only water collection consisted of a bucket under our window air conditioner. Just a little insight into our humidity here. Our 8000 BTU window unit running only at night will fill a 5 gallon jug in two nights. Doesn't sound like much water until you realize it's 3-4 flushes, something we highly value around here.

Quincho was here chopping the grass (with a machete), so after he was done we went to the hardware store. I bought one 4" drainage pipe at Q100 for a six meter tube, two elbows at Q35 each, an end cap at Q20, and a half yard of screen for Q10. There is only one place here that sells tubes with a line down one side. That made it a lot easier to cut straight. It took about 15 minutes with a PVC saw to cut it on one side. After that it was pretty straight forward. We slid it on the metal roof end and then used some left over bailing wire I had laying around to tie it tight on both ends. The weight of the elbowed end was enough to cause a slope so the water ran towards that side

and the cap kept anything else from flowing out the other end. I cut part of the screen and put it over the final tube to create a rough filter to keep large bugs and leaves and sticks and avocados out of my cistern. I didn't glue it so that it should just pop off when I want to clean it, but it had be forced on so hard that I'm hoping if it gets a little clogged it won't fall off and defeat the purpose. So another $25 to our water total and now we wait for rain.

It's kinda funny to me that since the pump broke for our town, it hasn't rained either. This has been the driest, rainy season of the three we've been here for. Today the big truck across the street was packing up and I went to find out what was going on. Supposedly they fixed the pump and we would have water now. I asked if they would turn it on to try it and they said not until tomorrow.

It was noon, so I suggested that they turn it on just to give water for a little while. They explained that that didn't make sense, since it was already noon and the water shuts off at 2 usually (when the generator runs out of gas.) So obviously people who haven't had water in 8 days wouldn't want it, even for 2 hours. Go figure.

They reassured me that it would be my side of the street tomorrow, but the time I tried to bribe/ask politely for them to turn it on our side for an hour they asked 3 times whether it was my day to have it or not. On the same note as above, whoever would have had 2 hours of water today, but didn't get it because the water guy couldn't be bothered to hang out another 2 hours won't have it tomorrow either and will have to wait until Thursday. Also, since they didn't check it (no generator ever started up, they are just taking for granted that since they replaced a part/of course it will work) there is still a pretty good chance something else is wrong and nobody will have water tomorrow either.

So we pray for rain...during the rainy season.

What's the Gringo Price?

A teen in one of our villages recently asked me to buy him some shoes the next time I was in the city. He was very specific about what he wanted and told me he would pay me for them when I brought them. He said, "They cost Q30." I mentioned slightly jokingly, "What if they charge me more for having a white face?" He said under no circumstance was I to pay more than Q30.

I found said shoes in a store in the center of the market. When I found the right size I asked how much out of curiosity instead of just handing him Q30. If you know the right price and don't want to fight about it, you should just pay the person rather than ask how much. I use this same tactic when I forget to verify the price of a Tuk Tuk before getting on board.

50, he told me. I set the shoes down and walked out of his area. I then turned around and said, "Oh, I was told 30, but I guess I have to pay more because I'm white and you want to take advantage." His response, "30 then." He then put the shoes in a bag, I gave him the money and not another word was spoken.

I like to think that I played some small part in helping to stop the rampant discrimination against foreigners, or at least proved to him that I wasn't as stupid as I looked, but the reality is probably far removed from either of those.

Free Gift with Prayer

We have a personal policy to never give anything away. The main reason for this is for personal effectiveness in reaching our goals. As missionaries it would be very easy for us to walk into a village with suitcases full of clothes/medicine/candy/school supplies and have everybody repeat a prayer after us before we give them anything and tell our supporters in the States of the thousands we have saved every month. We know you can do it because lots of other people do. We just read about somebody in another Central American country that held a medical clinic, but before they let people see the doctor, they gave them the plan of salvation and asked who wanted pray with them. They were amazed by the high percentage of people who were so "open to the gospel." In the States we would never think of making a statement of faith just to get something for free, but here there are a lot of cultural things that make it ok.

First of all, you never tell somebody no in Guatemala because you don't want to offend them. A typical conversation I have: "Are you coming tonight?" "Yeah, we're on our way now." "Are you just saying that to be nice or are you really coming?" laugh laugh "No, I'm really coming." End result, they don't come. Why lie? Because Guatemalans are extremely sensitive. If you catch somebody stealing something and then tell them they stole something, you are the bad guy and rejected by that entire family for hurting their feelings.

Secondly, they are used to a religion where they repeat a prayer after somebody. They don't know what anything means, but they can repeat words. In fact, that is how they are taught in school. You repeat. Want to learn english? Write "See Spot run." 30 times tonight for homework. Want to learn math? Write "2+2=4" 30 times tonight. No story problems. No logic. No thinking for yourself. Just repeat after me. So when you give somebody here the option to repeat, they are already pre-programmed for it.

Another reason we can't give stuff away is that after we start we won't be able to stop. People don't understand that we have a limited cash flow. If we give something to one person, in their minds we should be able to give that same thing to everyone. Then when we say no, we would be accused of playing favorites, or "buying people" (That's a real reason people used to try and get us kicked out of a village once.)

The final reason is for our own benefit. If we give stuff or money to somebody, and then that person does accept Christ, or becomes a faithful attendee to our Bible Studies, what are we to think of their decision. Unfortunately it would taint our thoughts about that person, always wondering if they were there or said the things they said because of what they received or what they wanted in the future. Although we have had people come who were only looking to get something from the Gringos, eventually they leave when they realize it's not going to happen. At this point we know that the people who come, do so because they genuinely want to know more about God and His book, and not because of a free hand-out.

We of course do things to help the people here. We provide services. We don't hand out clothes but we have painted their schools and refinished their desks. We gave away school supplies, but not pens and pencils and paper for the kids, but instead boxes full of stuff for the teachers to use and keep.

At our first medical clinic we were faced with the dilemma of wanting to tell people the gospel and why these doctors came, but also wanting to avoid false decisions. We came up with this idea: We charged people Q1 ($.13) to come through the clinic. This prevents people from going through and is the same price the government charges. However, when announcing door to door we told people that if they asked, Jimmy would pay it for them. My wife was in charge of registration (filling out a card for them with their name and symptoms.) We had two stamps, one in black ink that said "Cancelado", translated to Paid in Full, and another in red ink that said, "Cancelado por Jimmy" or Paid by Jimmy. Every time somebody tried to pay, my wife would say, "If you ask, Jimmy will pay for it." Most people would go ahead and ask, however some would say, "That's ok, I'll pay for it myself." After seeing the doctor and receiving their vitamins, medicines and parasite medicine, we prayed with each person before they left. Not in a repeat after me make an eternal decision right now prayer, but instead a prayer asking God to use the medicine to make them feel better. Then we would follow up. In a personal way afterwards, with nothing available for them to receive we could make the parallel between asking God to pay their debt of sin and Jimmy paying their debt for the clinic visit. They didn't have to pay, but it was their choice whether they did or not.

How much would YOU pay for water?

Of course it is a basic necessity. Water. Without it my life is pretty miserable. Ignore the obvious like not bathing or flushing the toilet, but my wife is the kind that relieves stress by cleaning, and is adversely affected by not. Therefore I try really hard to make sure we always have water.

When we first looked at the house we're in, there was no water. After talking to a plumber in the city, it appeared to be an easy solution: Buy a pump, buy a pressure tank, and buy a tinaco (cistern). Not realizing how much water the average person uses every day, I bought what appeared to be huge at 1100 liters. I also bought a 1 hp pump and a pressure tank as requested. There are NO plumbers in El Chal, as we soon found out when inspecting the plumbing in the house. I brought one with me who works for the government in Santa Elena. The downside to this is he only had a week of vacation and as most government employees from any country, extremely slow.

We soon found out that the water is only on here every other day from 7am to around 2pm. I say around because turning the water on involves turning on the pump with a large diesel generator. The guy from the town brings a couple gas cans full of diesel and lets it run until it runs out of gas. Then the water shuts off. Everybody, no matter how much water they use, pays $2.50/month for water. They have a little book with people's addresses in it. I waited for 6 months for a bill before I found out how it worked and then paid my overdue 6 months and the next 12 months. So a year and half of water for only $45. Pretty neat, huh?

Another problem is that the town pump does not pump water high enough for it to reach chest level, let alone shower head level. It would basically only reach your knees. Therefore the plumber had to dig a hole to put the cistern in. After spending a day digging the hole in the rock he finally got everything connected, we waited for our day for water and then tried out the system. It was then we realized whoever installed the plumbing in the house didn't use glue. Every time we'd glue a pipe another would pop apart. For our first 6 months we ran out of water a few times, but mainly because of the shower faucet that wouldn't turn off.

For the next 6 months we never ran out of water. The only time we had that problem was when the electricity was off and therefore the pump couldn't turn on. Then one day we came home to the hose and the pipe it was connected to laying about 15 feet away from where it once was connected. This wouldn't have been a problem except that our pump emptied all of our water and the only way to fix the pipe was to break a chunk of concrete foundation to glue on new connectors. $5

Then one fateful day we came home to a disaster. Apparently a small animal hid behind the blocks that were cleverly stacked to hide our pump from preying eyes and our dogs knocked them all down to get to it. I never found a dead animal in our yard, so apparently the only successful thing they did was to break every tube on every side of our pump, once again emptying our cistern. The next day was not our day for water, but I bought new pipes and connectors and had everything ready for when it finally was. $10

Recently we had two girls come visit us. This had us running our dishwasher every day and doing several loads of laundry. It was then I figured out that the average person uses 80 to 100 gallons per day. So with all the flushing and drinking and hand washing, we drained our cistern a couple times. If you catch it, it doesn't hurt the pump that much, unfortunately we were close and one fateful flush in the middle of the night used the last of the water. The pump ran all night long and by morning it was complete burned out. So the next day I went and found a 1/2 hp pump that I think will save me electricity and replaced it. $120

This week the generator our town uses broke. Fortunately we knew when it broke and started the "When it's yellow let it mellow. When it's brown flush it down." Emergency water saving plan. That combined with no laundry, dish washing, and 1 minute showers has allowed us to have water. Even today 5 days later, our 1100 liters still was about 25% full. Unfortunately, the average stress level in the house was rising at an exponential rate to that of how many dishes were on the counter in direct correlation to the amount of clothes spilling out of the top of the hamper.

I've been meaning to buy a secondary cistern since we found out one was not enough for four people and with twins my wife will be doing significantly more laundry. So yesterday I went and bought one. Being at the start of the rainy season we are going to use it to collect rain water and then after the rainy season we'll work something out to put it on our roof as an extra reservoir we'll fill up on water days. After setting up the new cistern and hooking it up to a hose, I called the voluntary firemen. $120

For $20 the firemen will bring you a truck full of water. 8000 liters to be exact. Of course, our distance from the city added a $30 fuel surcharge, but I thought $50 to be a small price to pay when compared to how much I love my wife and only long for her happiness. We only needed 2200 liters, but I'm not going to let the firemen get away with that much water I'd already paid for, so my wife went with them door to door filling up our neighbor's pilas and barrels. The remaining water was enough for 9 households to also have water. 2 people said thank you. 7 people took it for granted that even though we'd never spoken before and they refuse to wave at us, of course the gringos would buy them water. Oh well, at least I have clean underwear.

So, two months, $305. At least now maybe it's all fixed, unless this generator thing doesn't get resolved soon.

Beware the Cold Night Air!

A country-wide superstition in Guatemala is that anything cold will kill you. I would imagine this started in the mountains and gradually migrated north to Petén. We were told about this, but our first encounter with it was during the first medical clinic we were a part of:

An old grandmother brought her two granddaughters with this complaint: "My granddaughters wake up early in the morning before I do and drink ice-cold water and now look how skinny they are!" Of course, they were skinny because of the parasites and amoebas in the water, but she wanted the doctor to tell the girls to stop drinking cold water.

This irrational fear of anything cold presents itself in conversation several times each month. Parents won't let their children ride in the cab of the truck because of the air conditioning. When I got Dengue Fever I was cautioned to not turn on the air in the truck, and Shelley was told that she had to open the fridge for me because if I stood in front of the fridge with a fever I would die.

It is easy to think that this thinking would be limited only to those uneducated living in small villages, but recently we have had stupid conversations with a whole different class. Keep in mind that on a regular basis the temperature here is over 100 degrees in the afternoon, but because of our concrete walls and roof it will still be over 90 in our house until 2 am.

A few weekends ago I went to a wedding. The reception was held at one of the most expensive restaurant here with over 200 in attendance. At least $10,000 was spent on this wedding, so we are talking about a very wealthy upper class family. They live on the border of Belize and Guatemala and went to Belizean schools, therefore the family speaks English. While almost everybody was dancing (except for the lone gringo who bowed out with the accurate generalization that white boys can't dance) a recent mother was telling me about how well she was raising her 4 month old. She said, "I give her a drink of cold water every morning so that she will develop immunity. Isn't that right Jimmy, a child can develop immunity to things like that if you give it to them when they're young?" She went on to say that it was Salvavidas pure water, so I told her that she was correct in that when her daughter grows up cold water won't hurt her.

This past week we sat next to a lady who owns our favorite hotel in Petén and was the owner of our house when we lived in Santa Elena. She was giving advice on how to raise our twins after they are born. She said that we need to put a fan in their room as soon as we get them home so that they will develop immunity to the fan. Her kids always had a fan, so they had no problem, but whenever her sister's kids sleep with a fan in their room they get the flu, therefore you have to start early. We of course did not open the can of worms of telling her our plans to have an air conditioner in our kids' room.

I do remember when my grandmother used to tell my mother to get her kids out of the bad night air, so this superstition is not too far removed from the States, but how many years ago did we discover germs? Has that information just not made it yet?

The consequences of Illegal Immigrations

The illegal immigration debate comes up frequently in US politics, but severely lacking is the focus on the consequences for the countries illegal immigrants come from. Here are some of our experiences:

The plan is pretty consistent during many conversations with men wanting to go to the US: Pay a Coyote Q40,000 ($5,000). Arrive in the States. Immediately find a job. Stay for 10 years during which time you have built yourself a house, bought a bunch of land, put your kids through school and of course, paid back all the family members that loaned you the Q40,000. After you've made enough you turn yourself in and get a free plane ticket to come home and live the rest of your days as a retired rich guy.

10 years is a long time for a man to be by himself. During one medical clinic a mother brought her 10 year old son. His problem was accidental BMs during class at school. He wouldn't even realize it until his "friends" started making fun of him once they smelled it. The doctors immediately thought it was a psychological problem and asked when it started. "Right after his dad called and told him he had a new family in the States and wouldn't be coming home." Men who go to the States leave behind children who grow up without the benefit of a father figure. Their sons grow up spoiled and their daughters grow up to be sluts. Their wives many times have more kids. If the guy actually does return after becoming accustomed to things like reliable plumbing and electricity, not to mention fast food, they come back to a family that doesn't even know who they are. The entire family structure here is breaking down.

San Benito, Petén is the second most violent city in Guatemala (number one is solidly Guatemala City). The reason is the high percentage of men in the States. Their kids don't have to get jobs like other teens their age, so they have lots of free time on their hands (even if a teen goes to school, it is only in session from 1pm-5:30pm). They have money because of their fathers (so they buy guns which are cheaper than video games). They form gangs of gun wielding vandals who shoot Tuk Tuk drivers for fun and steal motorcycles for joy rides. I know this for a fact here in Petén and would be interested to know the profile of a gang member in Guate City.

In the department of San Marcos there is a town called San Martin Chili Verde. In 5 years land prices increased 100 times. The reason was that a number of the men went to the States together. Once they got jobs there was a rush to see who could buy the most land. It destroyed the fair market value for land. The men that stayed (and did not break the law or abandon their families) cannot afford to buy land because their job doesn't pay them enough.

We live currently in the town of El Chal. El Chal is a dirty, horrible little town full of ignorant people and the only place in all of Guatemala where nobody waves at anybody else. The majority of the men here are either in the States or worked for the narcos. The only claim to fame here is a water park built buy the narco family and the highway runs straight through the middle of town about 40 minutes from Flores. A 50m x 50m sized piece of land here without electricity, water or title costs Q100,000.

The town of San Francisco is 12 minutes from Flores. It is a beautiful, well kept town populated by the doctors, lawyers, engineers and school teachers who work in the Flores/Santa Elena/San Benito area, but wanted to get away from the violence. The new mayor is a medical doctor. Without the vast inflation caused by immigrants, land is actually affordable. A 50m x 50m piece of land, here with electricity, water and title costs between Q35,000-Q50,000.

By allowing illegal immigration to continue, the US is destroying any chance Guatemala has of improving itself. By removing male influence, separating families, increasing violence and gross inflation, Guatemala is destroying yet another generation and raising the next one in an environment where the only option they are presented with is to leave.