Guatemala: Eternal Spring

Back in July my husband and I were invited by a good friend, who is now a Professor at Cairin University, to go to Guatemala for 10 days. I went with his class of 14 students (as chaperone and translator ) who are in a cohort program studying Urban Studies. As an "unofficial" student, I still learned and was challenged through out the whole trip. As you can imagine it was hard adjusting back to my world here in the states. After being expose to what we all did in ten days, how can my life ever be the same? The students focused on three ares of the country, their school systems, health system and criminal justice. It's really hard to put into words what I took back from this trip, but I know GOD has a plan for everything and purpose. Just one topic alone can take hours to write about and I don't think i'll last that long. One thing I can honestly say is that traveling outside the US always made me appreciate everything I have and not take things for granted. It also makes me realize what is important in life. What we may at times make a big deal out of is really trivial. Can we stop complaining if our coffee is cold, and just be thankful to have coffee. Can we stop complaining about not having anything to wear, and be thankful for having clothes. Can we stop complaining about our homes being messy, and be thankful for having walls, flushing toilet and running water. Can we stop complaining about having to do homework, and be thankful for the opportunity for  higher learning.

Aside from all the obvious hardship and lack of resource there was beauty everywhere. My visual sense went bananas as I had fun exploring all the colors and textures. It was good revisiting Guatemala and of course seeing Antigua again. Part of my heart reminds there and always will. I know i'll be back someday.

Signing off..oxoxCoke Stains and Cupcakes..oxox Painthead™

Enchanted Land

I've been blessed to have had the opportunity to travel to Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Peru and cross country three times. I have a strap book I started in High School filled with photos, postcards, stickers and anything I found worth keeping from each country I've visited. Each trip had it's own story and certain moments stand out more then others, but somehow Peru seem to be the most magical of them all. I went with my church on a missions trip and the duration of the trip was a month. We helped clear out a camp, made a soccer field, cleared path ways with a machete, yes a machete, I felt like a superhero!  We slept in huts with sleeping bags on the floor and once in a while we had those giant flying bugs land on our hair..eeek! But everything was so beautiful, the stars lit up the night skies and the moon illuminated everything. I was not in need of a flashlight, for I had the moon to guide me.

During a weekend we went to the capital, Lima. Right away I saw a great influence from the Spainsh Empire that once took over the Incas. The churches, cobble stone streets, rustic lanterns and the crosses all remain as a time machine into the past.  And of course you cannot visit Peru without hiking for days to Machu Picchu. That was the cherry on top of the whole trip. I was left alone on the hiking trails because the tour guy needed to take back two people from our group due to asthma. And the leader needed to go as well because she was a nurse. The tour guy tells me "Just keep going straight until you find the end, you will find other people" He forgot to mention it would take two hours, an important part that was left out- Ya' think!  Was I scared? Yes, I was only a teen and I thought I was going to die, but I made it and found the others from my group. The very next morning we hiked a bit more, then out of nowhere there it was , MACHU PICCHU *heavens open*

I could not believe I was there, a magical place you only read of or only hope to be in, but there I was. In person, standing on history, wonder and beauty. I was breathless , but amazed at how something so beautiful can exist. Now you can only imagine the feeling I felt when I saw these photos from French Vogue, April 2013. Everything came back to me. I can only reminisce, but not for long because I know I will return..xoxo

Signing off..Coke Stains and Cupcakes..oxox Painthead™