Likes, dislikes about Pana, US

So, as mentioned previously, a friend asked me to compile a list of what we look forward to about returning to the US, what we dread about returning, and what we will miss and won't miss about Panajachel. Here is my list:

What will we miss about Pana:

·      The knowledge that we have the PRIVILEGE of living the most EXTRA-ORDINARY life possible for us. And that in doing so, we are also making Jehovah’s heart glad … and we are showing our grandchildren and others what is POSSIBLE,

·      The people - the brothers. The spirit of willingness, of reaching out. The extraordinary brothers we’ve met here. I can’t emphasize this enough. It is amazing, thrilling to be in our own congregation or in a circuit assembly with people from ALL OVER THE WORLD who have chosen to live a simpler life to show love for Jehovah and people. This is an AMAZING group of people! 

·      Related to the brothers here… learning from others’ strengths, and learning how to love even when it is difficult. A growing experience. 

·      The people of Guatemala. Humble, friendly, kind. Relaxed, easy-going. Ready to smile, greet. 

·      Traje tipico. (Mayan dress on women and men)

·      Beautiful, beautiful children. 

·      The excitement about finding a favorite old brand from the US. Appreciating that something is special, rather than routine. (“Woohoo, a big bag of Fritos!”)

·      Fresh fruit and veggies from the mercado. 

·      The “perfect” climate, of 72 degrees plus/minus 5 degrees – year round!

·      We regret we didn’t tour more of Guatemala. The jungle, ruins, Rio Dulce, etc. There is a lot to see. 

·      Tuk-tuks. Walking. 

·      Having a tailor who fixes things for $2

·      Walking on our cool tile in my bare feet. Somehow that is what calls to me when I'm away, visiting the US. It connects me, grounds me literally, physically. 

·      I'll miss the smell of the wood in our closet. (Weird)

·      Bird calls.

·      Open air restaurants amid gardens, hummingbirds, classical music.

·      Mangoes, papaya, pitaya, pineapple, platanos. 

·      We will miss the love and kindness shown to us by our friends here. 

·      Our apartment. Adobe. Love how it holds heat and cool to make our house always moderated. Plus, it's literally of the earth. How cool is that? And the artistic touches in our apt. 

·      Of course, this will continue, but we have loved seeing living examples of Jehovahs care for us, for others. Seeing angelic direction over and over and over. Knowing how real Jehovah is. 'Seeing' angels in action. 

·      The abundant variety of creation here. Flowers, vegetation that seems to explode. Water! We will miss crossing the lake to preach. What an amazing ‘commute’.

What will we NOT miss about Panajachel?

·      Dog poop everywhere, roads that are hard to walk on. Chicken bus smoke and noise (buses: “soloLA soloLA” calling people to get on the bus and whistles and honks) outside our windows. 

·      Living next to a gas station. (Noise, smells)

·      Having a near constant low level of fear. Like, being nervous driving to Xela, being careful about getting home before dark whenever possible. Being aware we are guests (foreigners) here and have few rights. And, that we could be targeted. Just a constant awareness of vulnerability. 

·      Multitudes of mosquitos, fear of dengue or chikungunya. 

·      Worry about getting parasites. Wondering where it is safe to eat. 

·      Abject poveerty. Many crippled and blind beggars. Sad. 

·      Children selling trinkets to tourists, or shining shoes for $0.62 or less to support their families. Child labor - sad. 

·      People begging or scamming. On the other hand, it shows the desperation of people (unless it's a scam). Not a bad reminder of the reality of life for many here, and the need for God's kingdom. Better than insulated life in wealthy suburbs where people already have their paradise. 

·      Going to El Salvador for regional conventions! Though we also had a great time traveling and seeing so many from other places.

·      Having to drink only bottled water.

Looking forward to, in the US:

·      Family and old friends! Being near our granddaughters.

·      There will be a large congregation with a lot of variety - many of whom will be encouraging, friendships. And there are many people we’ve known for 30-40 years. It will be wonderful to see these faithful ones and laugh over old times. (Plus we won’t be among the oldest ones around anymore! haha)

·      Grocery store… being able to just go get what you want or need.

·      Restaurants: Chipotle, Olive Garden, craft beers, Tex-Mex, BBQ, Thai, Chinese.

·      Car radio - like NPR, oldies

·      Cars. Good roads. (Roads that aren’t blocked by chicken buses, landslides, broken-down cars)

·      Good medical care, and cheap courtesy of Medicare. Knowing we can call “911”. And hope we don’t need to! 

·      Being able to drop toilet paper in the toilet. (Down here, you need to throw it in the trash as all sewage goes directly in the lake… so so sad)

·      Knowing that one dollar equals one dollar (not having to do exchange rates in my head)

·      Going to a meat section in the grocery store and knowing what the cuts are. 

·      Drinking water out of a faucet - without worrying about parasites

·      Three letters - D, V, R! And… fast internet! Power outages are rare! Woo hoo!

·      We would like to settle in for a bit, get re-acclimated… then look around for where we might be able to serve next. Probably near home base of Kansas City, but who knows? Portuguese? Russian? A small farm town? What’s next? Exciting! 

·      Seasons. Fall colors, spring blooms, cycle of flowers each year. 

·      Growing my own tomatoes, peppers, herbs in pots on patio.

Dreading about going to US:

·      Life not being extraordinary. Life will be … predictable. Instead of amazing variety - there will be … grass, Bradford pears, oak trees, dandelions, tulips, roses - but not aretes, collar de la reina, bird of paradise, and so many with unknown names.  Instead of tortilleria (slap, slap, slap, pinch, pinch of the women…) there will be Wendys. Instead of fruit and chicken stands, there will be… McDonalds. Ugh. Instead of massive volcanos framing a huge lake… there are… cornfields. Suburbs. We will find beauty in Kansas too, but it is not extraordinary.

·      Traffic

·      Meetings – there are so many in attendance that we can’t comment more than once or twice. 

·      Stress, anxiety 

·      American lifestyle focusing on material things. 

·      Cardboard tomatoes. sour pineapples. etc. 

·      Violence and crime common (drive-by shootings, home invasion threats, robbery). (This is ironic, since people associate Guatemala with high crime. But we never felt like we were in imminent danger, and we read of many problems in the US.)

·      Crazy Americans, self-absorbed, demanding, insisting. Ready for a fight. Angry.

·      Long distances between destinations

·      Being lulled into a sense of complacency by all the material wealth and choices; we are afraid of losing the "need-greater" spirit