Lessons Learned

Well, that was 9 days of a lot of lessons learned.

Food.  We take food for granted in the United States.  When we go to Guatemala we are spoiled.  We have fruits, veggies, and American style food, while combined with the Central American flavors.  In Belize, we had fryjacks for breakfast (which I cannot eat because they are batter fried in grease and minus a gallbladder wouldnt be good), rice/red beans/small scoop of chicken for lunch, and tortillas and refried beans or cheese for dinner, every single day.  These poor kids have to live on this and have no variety of food.  I was explaining to them a typical day of food for me and their mouths were watering.

Water.  We also take water for granted.  I had to walk to get water because we need to drink purified water there so we do not get sick.  In 100+ degree weather, trying to carry those jugs down the road is quite a task.  I do not know how people in Africa walk miles upon miles with the water on their heads.  I give people so much credit for doing as much work as they do to get their basic needs.  We also have the luxury of bathing in clean water.  Their water comes straight from god knows where.  It is so dry and stinks....

Sanitation.  When they go to the bathroom and flush the toilet, it drains in a pipe into the trench on the side of the road.  Talk about a smell when you are trying to walk on the side of the road....Then the toilet kept breaking and I had to google how to fix a toilet in the middle of the night so I could go to the bathroom.  (dont even suggest going outside, because I would have had big bug bite problems then)

Bugs.  While I have no fear of bugs here, I had a fear of bugs there.  They were everywhere.  They literally ate me alive.

Sleeping.  We are so blessed to have a comfortable bed with no bugs in it to sleep in.  Every night the bugs would eat me alive because the screens on my windows didnt match up, or they crawl in.  It was 90+ degrees in my room every night and I am one who cannot sleep when they are hot.  I would have to drug myself to even get 2-3 hours of sleep a night.

Support.  When you are in a country where you know NOONE and are alone with negatives up against you, it sucks.  There is no nice way to put it.  Thank god they had wi-fi and I could stay in contact back home.  There were a few people who really got me through one of the hardest times of my life.  I truly feel bad for those people who have zero support in their lives.  I dont know how they do it.

Police.  While people complain about our police in the United States, at least they care.  The police in Belize will turn their eye if they dont want to deal with something.  This is why so many people get raped and hurt there.  The police were downright nasty to me when I asked for help with directions.

Belongings.  The children had no sense of working for your belongings.  I had on a cheap $5.00 watch and many of them kept asking for it.  I explained multiple times I needed it to know what time it was and that I worked for my money to buy it, we dont just give things to everyone.  Anything that I ever had they just wanted.  I was brought up that you have to work for what you get.  These children get a lot of handouts from the groups that come it and that does not teach them anything but greed.  It was very apparent my morning that I left.  They were swarming me asking for everything and anything I had.  In Guatemala, the kids would never ask you for anything.

Manners.  Are not taught.  I brought out snacks one day for the kids and 1 of the 46 said thank you.  If they want something from someone they just rip it out of their hands or shove them to the ground.  They never say please or thank you (well maybe 5 out of the 46 do) and they always tell you what to do.  Many of the younger kids are bullied by the high schoolers.  They make the younger kids do everything for them and still talk down to them and that is not right.  I truly feel bad for some of them.  They will grow up never knowing how to stand up for themselves.

Be smart.  Everyone kept lecturing me on my safety and to be smart.  I have a smart head on my shoulders and know when a situation is bad for me.  I never went out after dark, because I didnt know my way or the people.  I didnt wander around trying to find anything, I only went where I knew I was comfortable going.

In all, this trip was a learning experience.  While I did not get to spend the 16 days there I thought I would, it all happened for a reason.  For once in my life, instead of trying to stick something out I realized it was failing and made the decision to come home.  In my past I would have never done that, and tried to stick it out.  Now that I am 30 and more grown up with life experiences, I know when my limits are being pushed.  I know I have physical health limitations and I cannot risk them in a country with limited medical attention.  I know I have a support system of family and friends at home that I can always call on and I am so thankful for that.  I know my mission trip days are done.  While I know Guatemala is safe, I have also come home sick from there twice.  I need to focus on my life and achieving some of the goals I really want to achieve instead of focusing so much on those in underdeveloped countries.  I can still help by donating money to the teams that are going twice a year from Michigan to Guatemala.  I can get involved in helping with adoption agencies.  I can make a difference, and I will!