Day 6: Sismos (Earthquakes)

Olivia: This morning our team was quite literally shaken out of bed. At first, all I heard was the panes of the window in my hotel room rattling loudly inside its frame, and then my mind slowly registered that my entire bed was rocking back and forth and the water inside my water bottle was twirling around on my nightstand. Fighting through the grogginess of sleep, my brain finally identified this rocking motion as an earthquake. With toe warmers taped to the bottom of my socks, I awkwardly tiptoed my way to stand inside the doorframe of my room.

What I found outside in the hallway was the rest of my teammates in various levels of dress and undress looking just as confused and bedraggled as I felt. We all looked at each other and asked "Did you feel that?" just to make sure we weren't imagining the quaking of the building. Within seconds the earthquake stopped.

Later, we discovered that the epicenter of the 6.9 earthquake was in San Jose, Guatemala​. All day long I couldn't help but think of all the families we've met thus far who've mentioned earthquakes in their stories. "The earthquake cracked my house" or "I don't feel safe sleeping in my home because I'm afraid the walls will fall on me when I sleep" are common themes among the families we serve here in Sibinal. I especially thought of Don Jose, a man and his family we met only yesterday. Don Jose lives in a beautiful, old adobe (dirt brick) home. Unfortunately, one of the more recent earthquakes significantly damaged his home, so much so that Don Jose could push some of his walls with only his fingers and they would sway back and forth like a teetering Jenga tower. I hope he and home are safe and sound following this morning's quake.

Over breakfast our host family brushed off the earthquake like it was nothing, saying that one earthquake a week was typical here in Sibinal. I am continually amazed by the things and situations that people can become accustomed to. If I learn nothing else on these trips to Sibinal, it's that the power of human resiliency and adaption is truly incredible. Despite the ever-looming possibility of dangerous earthquakes and impoverished conditions, the people of Sibinal continue on. Seeing their resiliency is a humble reminder that the small bumps and quakes I've encountered thus far in my own privileged life are nothing I can't overcome.

Franco: As our humanitarian assessment campaign draws close to an end in Sibinal, San Marcos, Guatemala, I can feel the mental and physical exhaustion begin to settle. I used to believe I could "train" and prepare myself for Sibinal by spending hours cross training at the gym or hiking for miles with a weighted back pack. In my experience this far, it is not the physical exhaustion, but the rawness of extreme poverty that slowly chips away my emotional resilience.

In the short time we have been in Sibinal, we have visited more than 25 families. When we visit a family for the first time all my senses feel magnified. I’m assessing everything about the home and the people living in it. As a team, we must come to a final decision that could potentially shift the lives of human beings living in extreme poverty. For me, the decision making process is utterly important. During the interviews with the families I put myself in their position. What if it were me working out in the fields all day? What if I could only feed my children tamales or tortillas once a day? What if my wife or husband left me with seven children without child support or work to care for them?

I find comfort in knowing that I am not alone in the decision making process. Our team of volunteers from the U.S. and Guatemala are here to support the selection process. Over the past several years, I have learned to trust our teammates. In the past, when I used to come to Guatemala alone I would get physically sick from the overwhelming responsibility I felt toward the families. Now, with a team of six selfless volunteers and Generacion Magnificat, I can share that responsibility. 

Emily: Today started off with a strong earthquake that woke up the whole team. I tell ya, i'm not quite used to the earthquakes. This one was a 6.8 and a huge boulder crushed a house over here in Sibinal.

There was multiple houses that we visited that cracked by the earthquake in 2014. One in particular is Doña Elena. When the earthquake happened, her whole family had to run outside of the house. The crack unleveled the house and it looked dangerous. Everyone keeps insisting that it's normal, but it's still so bizarre to me.

The whole team got to see what Jasen, Michelle, and Olivia do with their pilot project, Foto Voice. I gave Jasen my camera and showed him how to use it. He's definitely got the hang of it and his pictures are really good! I told him he found his calling! He was afraid at first but I ensured him that it'll be okay. Michelle doesn't give enough credit to herself. She's really good at analyzing families and speaking Spanish! She's able to jump into interviews and explanations with families with no problem. Olivia was the person to introduce Foto Voice and I believe it wouldn't be where it is without her. She definitely knows the concept and even though they all keep saying that they're afraid of the process, I think it's an amazing project that they are achieving well. Tomorrow is the presentation and final product of Foto Voice and I couldn't be any more proud for them! I'm excited to see it!

We are also having a meeting with a group of women who started an embroidery group to encourage women empowerment and education. I'm really excited for this part because I can apply my knowledge of business and actually put my studies to work as an international business major. I can't wait to blog about that tomorrow!

There's so many things that happened today that I can't explain in one blog post. We all have a big day tomorrow and would have to hit the hay sooner because we will be hiking at 4.00am Saturday morning. Tomorrow is the last blog until Sunday. Por lo tanto nos vemos.