The Land of Ever Lasting Spring
One of my most life changing moments was at the land of ever lasting spring. Out the jet window there are mountains and villages as far as the eye can see. On the drive to my familie’s village I passed through and from urban rush hour to old village forest area on a skinny little road only enough for 1 lane in each direction of the road. As always the weather is always good and sunny. We had to go so far in to the jungle and mountain area that we even had to get off the car to cross a river called the “MOTAGUA” by boat. After crossing the river my grandma “Mamachus”, my uncle “Yan”, and my auntie “Sofia” were waiting for me in an old jeep like truck . This was the first time I had met my family from my mom’s side. Ahead of us awaited 1 lonely road surrounded by jungle and mountains only enough for one car to pass by at a time. After a 45 minute ride up in to the mountain we were almost all the way to the top when we arrived at my auntie Sofia’s house. A house with some walls made out of fence instead of dry wall, since the weather was always so good here I guess they didn’t need real walls only roofs and barriers I guess. That was a momentary stop after a few minutes we continued up the road for about ten minutes when we finally got to the entrance of my grandma’s house. 2 big gates stood before a 200 yard entrance road that led up to a 70 foot hill where my grandma’s house stood. My grandma’s house was way bigger than my auntie’s house and there was a lot of room to play too. It was an old school Guatemala style farm with horses, pigs, cows, calves, chickens, ducks, dogs, and even a bull. The first night was my worst night there. In the night a bat snuck in to the room where I was sleeping at through a crack by the roof. All night as I lay there awake with the covers over my head due to the fact that the bat kept swooping down on my head trying to get a bit out of me, I thought to my self how can someone sleep so comfortable without sheets in a time like this and I am saying this because my cousin was sleeping on the bed right next to mines without covers fast asleep. As the first few roosters cocked my cousin was up and ready with his boots on waking me up to go get the cows, the sun had not even came out yet. Taking all 17 cows to the coral and starting off early on the milking is my cousins job. After a 30 minute head start it is already 6 in the morning and my uncle is awake and read to start milking. Milking is not as easy as it looks. After 2 hours of milking they are finished and my cousin is now loading the milk on to a horse to take it to the entrance of the house where the main road is and where it will be picked up and weighed every morning at 7 in the morning because after every month they add up all the milk and pay the suppliers which would be my family. After milking it’s break feast time and then back to work on other lands though. This is every day life in this part of town and can be rewarded with free milk, a couple pounds of muscle, and a quiet place to think or do whatever you feel like. The only times you left the village was when you needed to get more living supplies for everyday life. For this we went to “MORALES”, a shopping center with at least a 10 mile radius. So far the biggest shopping center I have ever been to, but it is not only a shopping center it is a place of business and banks too. I traveled here many times in my trip. After about a month in my village I wanted to explore more. So I traveled to cities, villages, and other mountains to visit more family. In my time here I went to one of the most holiest catholic church in all of Guatemala. I learned how to ride horses, work hard, respect people and nature, and raise my awareness of all the poverty in the world. It made me realize the real joys of life through an other perspective. Also I lost my passport almost as soon as I stepped in to Guatemala so I also learned the importance of responsibility.
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