Another journey

I'm en route to Belize today. Melanie and I are renewing our Guatemalan visas, and the rules demand 72 hours across the border. Rugged mountain woman that I may be--don't expect me to argue a short beach vacation! I don't miss the traveling that this vacation involves... the buses, boats and taxi cabs could wear anyone out, but I have enjoyed this sights and sounds of the journey. I had not yet noticed the monotony of Pinalito... but this morning's reintroduction of black Caribbean culture, corn dogs, and jiggling bellies has reminded me of the world's variety and COLOR!

I'm writing this note on a pier overlooking a laggoon at the Belize-Guatemala border. There are about 15 other people waiting for a "water taxi," and the scene reminds me of a few things:

1)Poverty is widespread.
Although Belize is considered to be one of the wealthier countries in Central America, I am still staring at a clapboard house, and smelling tortillas cook on a wood fire. There is screen attached to the widows of this house-- which would signify great wealth in Pinalito, but this screen is ripped to shreads. And despite the toilet at the back of the house, there is a trail of muck that leaks from it's pipes and creates a moat around the yard. What's even stranger to me is the hint of south Alabama that I cannot help but associate with this place. (I am remembering the small town where my Mom grew up...) I know that I don't have to leave the U.S. to find this kind of poverty... I have seen clapboard houses, bad plumbing, and rotten teeth in small town Indiana, just outside of my bustling Miami University college town. My point is: the grasp of poverty is wide. My mind is knotted around its workings.
2) With that said, I never thought it possible to feel so connected to the strangers of the world. My experience in Pinalito has already created a compassion in me that is hard to contain. I am quick to give up my seat to a woman on the bus with me... I know that she has had a hard morning with her four hungry children. The nodding drunk hunched on the docks strikes a chord as well... he has opted out of his difficult life. Whereas I would have once judged his alcohol breath, now I pity his tired body. On another note, the strangers that have contacted me to encourage and support my work here have been incredible. I reiterate my thanks to them... I am finding new meaning in the term "family in Christ."
3) Depite such entertainment in this journey, I miss Pinalito. My mind races to think of all I could be doing right now. Upon leaving the mountain last Sunday, I discovered that my buddy and constant helper, Freddy, will be leaving Pinalito to start working on a farm near the coast of Guatemala. I am crushed. Freddy is about 15; his Mom is sick with chronic pneumonia, his sister counts on him for food. He needs to make money, but I fear this far-off "coast" will entail for him. At this point, I feel rushed to get more ACTIVITY established for the teenagers of Pinalito... I want to provide them with a little work if they need it, but mostly, I want to fill their brains with wisdom to make smart decisions. They have no reason to stay on the mountain, and they have no idea of what they will find below.

My return trip will take me through Guatemala city, the capitol, where Melanie and I will purchase some movies and computer software for the community center. I just want to provide my friends with SOMETHING TO DO... their brains crave it.