Category Archive

Divorce is taboo here in Guatemala. It’s not only shameful to get a divorce, but it’s also somewhat disgraceful to even bring it up. So today, when one of my students asked a question about my family, and it somewhat led into a discussion about my parents separating, she came up to me and apologized after class. And it caught me off guard a little, because I had forgotten how unacceptable divorce was.

In the U.S. whenever I would tell my students about my family, and about my parents getting a divorce, more than half of my students would raise their hands to share a similar story. “I live with my grandparents now,” one of them would say, “because my parents split up, and now neither of them are responsible enough to take care of me.” Or another student might chime in: “That’s nothing.  I’ve watched my mom get married AND divorced three times already.” I could go on and on, not just about the stories they tell, but how freely they share them as well.

And this is just one incident of cultural differences that I’ve experienced in Guatemala. Another one that still shocks me, is how common it is for a girl of 16, 17, or 18 to be with a man who is 25, 26, or even 30. While divorce is surely something to shun, a girl dating a man much older is completely acceptable.

In this U.S., it’s exactly the opposite.  Not only is this illegal, but it’s taboo as well. Rarely would parents, friends, or a community be accepting of a teenage girl dating a man in his twenties.

But I am not saying one is right and the other is wrong. Not at all. It just goes to show that who we are, and how we think is influenced a great deal by the culture in which we are raised.  Our culture often determines our religion, our taste in music and food, our daily activities, the sports we play, and even the type of people we’re interested in.

This is one reason I love to travel so much. I’m able to look at aspects of a culture, stand back, and decide for myself what kind of culture I want to create for myself. I can take bits and pieces from all that I’ve seen and become a sort of cultural mutt.

It is so true though: What we believe is largely what our culture has enabled us to believe.

“I want the cultures of all the lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any.”

- Mahatma Gandhi

My favorite videos to produce are ones where students get to display their talents and artistic abilities. Maybe that’s why I had so much fun making CAG Idol. It focuses on the musical gifts of students from my school and demonstrates how freakin’ good some of them are. Children rock! Literally.

Oh, and congratulations to the first ever CAG Idol, Javier B!!!!

Surrounded by two volcanoes, and a series of small towns, sits the most beautiful lake I’ve ever seen. This weekend my friend Amanda and I went to Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, and we were both in awe of its size and the amount of breathtaking views it possesses.  The more I see of Guatemala, the more I’m amazed that this country still has such a violent and dangerous stereotype.  Throughout my first three months here I’ve continued to fall in love with the people and the geography of Guatemala.

While we were in Santa Catarina (a small town next to Panahachel on Lake Atitlan) Amanda and I stayed at a bed and breakfast called Nimajay.  The owners, Joe and Kerry, not only guided us into town late at night over the phone, but they completely took care of us the entire time we were there.  We went on a boat tour around the lake, ate at some great restaurants, and relaxed.

Below are some pictures of the bed and breakfast and the lake.

He escrito sobre la perspectiva en el pasado. Pero estoy perdiendo perspectiva. ¿Por que? ¿Cómo? Es fácil. Cada día me despierto y tengo un apartamento muy bonito. Vivo en un apartamento con dos niveles, una buena vista, y en un lugar muy seguro. Despues, voy a mi colegio que es magnifico. Los estudiantes son los mejores en Guatemala, el campus está manteniendo perfectamente, y hay muchas personas que puede ayudarme y los estudiantes.

Y, cuando estoy en cualquier lugar, la gente me da respeta y las personas son amables porque yo tengo piel blanco, ojos claros, y pelo rubio.

Entonces estoy perdiendo perspectiva un poco. Pero, hoy, tengo mi pura perspectiva otra vez.

¿Por que? Porque ví una película se llama Recylced Life. La película es sobre la pobreza de Guatemala. Mas specificamente, la película muestra imagines de la personas que viven en el basurero. La gente tiene el nombre de Guajeros porque ellos recogen la basura y toma la basura a sus casas o ellos venden la basura.

Mi perspectiva se cambia por la mejor, porque yo estoy suerte. Yo estoy en una posición muy raro y necesito estar feliz que tengo todas las cosas yo necesito.

Ahora, recuerdo porque estoy aquí!

Car horns are wailing. People are sprinting up and down the streets screaming. Fireworks are exploding. And last time I checked Guatemala did not have a Super Bowl, nor a World Series.

So why all the commotion and ruckus?

Carlos Peña, that’s why! A Puro Chapin! A native of Guatemala City! And he has beaten Ricardo Caballero to become the new Latin American Idol! I completely understand that for some people this appears to be a ridiculous thing to be exuberant over, but if you were here, in Guatemala City, you’d understand.

There’s overwhelming pride, and even though I’m not from Guatemala, even though I’ve only been living here for a couple months, I feel it too. It’s powerful. His face was just on my shirt earlier today as I walked around campus sporting a black Carlos Peña t-shirt and now people are honking their horns to show their support for his victory. (And I’m blogging about him.)

But this is all because he wasn’t just singing for himself. He was singing for an entire country. He was representing Guatemala, and even now as I type this people are outside screaming his name in unison because he has shed positive light on his country.

And I think we forget this sometimes. We fail to realize that we are not independent of our families, friends, countries, jobs, etc. How we carry ourselves, and how we act does end up representing our ethnicity, age, gender, country and so much more. If only we’d realize this more often, and truly understand how powerful and impacting our actions can be we might alter them a bit.

I even wonder if we’d act differently knowing a whole country was supporting us? And I wonder if we’d act differently if our actions supported an entire country?

Yo apoyo Guatemala y Carlos Peña!

If you hadn’t noticed, the world changes every day. It spins, it rotates, it gets colder, cloudier, dirtier, cleaner, wetter, and even drier. And the people…oh the people get happier, sadder, healthier, and fatter.

So who are you to think that you can’t change it? Who are you to sit on your $100 pair of jeans and think that you have no say in what happens with this place? Well wake up! because we change the world, and we change it daily.  For the better, for the worse.  For the long-term and the short.  Yet we IRREFUTABLY and INCESSANTLY change it!

Then yesterday, as my world was changing, and I was helping to alter it, my students and I were discussing this. So one, very profound young man at just thirteen years old, standing much taller than I, said this…and I will never forget it:

“I set out to change the world, but realized the world was too big and I couldn’t change it by myself. Then I set out to change my country, but realized my country was also too big and I couldn’t change it by myself. Then I tried to change my community, but my community was too big and I couldn’t change it by myself. After that, I tried to change my family, but realized my family was too big and I couldn’t change it by myself. So finally, I set out to change myself and by changing myself I slowly changed my family, my community, my country, and even the world.”

Like I said, the world keeps on changing, and whether you’re willing to admit it or not, you’re changing it too.

Every morning I get to school around 6:30. The campus is calm, there are very few teachers and no students. But there are birds, hundreds of them. And every morning, around 6:45 or 7:00, not longer after I’ve opened my door, one or two birds will come hopping through my door into my classroom. They do this habitually and routinely. They never miss a day, and I wonder if they miss me on Saturday or Sunday.

It’s the most fascinating thing too, because they’ll come in, hop up and down on their two fragile legs, bobbing their heads forward and back, looking for food. Every once in a great while they’ll even be brave and nudge somewhat close to me. And although I’ve never done it, I’m always a little tempted to close the door with them inside to see what will happen. This might sound cruel, but it’s just the curious side of me that wonders what they’d do. Would they attack me and peck my face? Or would the sit at the door and wait like a dog until I let them out for their daily pee on the tree?

More than likely they’d probably fly around the room until I opened the door, but relax, I would never do this because I like their company in the morning, and I’d hate to scare them away.

Guatemala…the land of eternal spring and visits from birds in the morning.

¿Has tratado aprender una idioma nueva? ¿Tu sabes cómo defícil lo es? Todo es defícil. No es solamente las palabras. Puedo aprender verbos y sustantivos y adjectivos y preposiciones. Esos son faciles. No, que es horible es cuando estoy usando las palabras y no las puedo pronunciar o cambiar.

Y a veces me siento mejor cuando aprendo nuevas palabras cada día, pero despues yo recuerdo que hay miles mas que no conozco. Por ejemblo, cuando estoy hablando con una persona de Guatemala y está hablando en español yo solo sé unas pocas palabras que usa. Y muchas veces necesito decir, “Otra vez” o “Lo siento, no entiendo.”

Tengo frustracion. Tengo verguenza. Pero, es vale la pena. Voy a aprender porque yo entiendo que es normal para sufrir un poco cuando estamos aprendiendo cualquier cosa.

It’s a yearly thing I do. I have students set goals for themselves because I believe it’s important to have a plan, a quest even. And yet, while I do set goals for myself all the time, I rarely write them down the same way I have my students do it. And you know…that just ain’t right, is it?

So here goes. Over the next two years while I’m in Guatemala, I want to set some goals: short-term, long-term, specific, general, fun, serious, professional, personal, and just plain crazy goals. Here goes:

1. Become Fluent in Spanish:
a. By fluent I mean I’ll be able to carry on a conversation with someone in Spanish without using a dictionary, without saying, “Que?” and without nodding my head and smiling, pretending I had any clue what was just said to me.
b. And how will I do this? Well…easy. I’ll have to actually speak the language once in a while. I’ll have to open a book and study some Spanish verbs. And, this is wild, but I’ll have to stop hanging out with Gringos so much and immerse myself in the culture of Guatemala.

2. Travel throughout Central and South America:
a. By the time I leave Guatemala, my goal is to have visited every country in Central America (I’ve been to Mexico and Belize, but there’s also Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama, and Costa Rica). I also want to travel to at least three countries in South America. Preferably Colombia, Brazil, and Chile or Argentina.

3. Help ALL of my Students Improve their English:
a. This is a very general, broad goal, but by improve I hope they can speak better, read better, and write a little bit better by the time they leave my class. The best way to do this is by making class engaging and interesting.

4. Learn to Cook at least 10 different meals:
a. This is more specific, because it needs to be. I am 26 years old, and damn it, I should know how to cook more than a few different dishes. So, with the help of friends, my maid, and the Internet, I hope to learn how to cook.

5. Climb a Volcano:
a. Guatemala has volcanoes like California has sign twirlers. It seems like every time I turn my head I see another one. So, it would be a shame if I never went to the top of one. This goal I should be able to accomplish soon.

6. Write EVERY Day:
a. One time I read that people who journal, or who simply write on a regular basis are healthier, and get sick far less often than those who don’t. This is only one reason why I want to write every day though. The main reason is to capture this experience so I can fully appreciate it now and later. Each time I write I’m forced to focus on specific details throughout the day, which in turn forces me to be more aware of each day. So much can get lost if we don’t stop and reflect.
b. A sub goal for this would be to write in Spanish at least twice a week. Es un poco deficil ahora, pero voy a mejorar y vamos a ver si puedo escribir mejor tambien.

7. Read at least THREE books in Spanish.

8. Win a basketball tournament.

9. Learn to Scuba Dive.

10. Make a film about my experience here.

11. Fall in love and get married. (Maybe not in the next two years…but sometime soon would be nice.)

As you can see, now I’m starting to stretch my goals a bit.

I’ve always felt that it takes about one month to get comfortable with anything. Whether it’s a new job, a new relationship, or even a new country, I think a month is the perfect amount of time to start getting settled in.

And after one month in Guatemala, I am finally there. Here’s why:

• I’ve moved in to my apartment, met my neighbors, and even memorized my new address.
• I’ve set up my classroom, I know all of my students’ names, and I feel as though this is now my school.
• I’ve met new people and gotten to the point where I can already refer to many of them close friends.
• I’ve opened a bank account.
• I’ve cooked in my own apartment…not very well…but I cooked.
• I’ve established a routine.
• I have a maid coming on a regular basis…this is still a bit weird for me…nice…but weird.
• I’ve played basketball.
• I’ve done a little traveling.
• I’ve been to the grocery store several times, and been confused by products several times. What’s with this sweet milk not being cold anyway? I’ve never heard of warm milk…but it works I suppose.
• I feel at home.

Now, here are a few pictures of my classroom, my school, and my apartment.

I need to begin by saying I loved teaching in Southern California for three years. I made friendships with colleagues and students that will no doubt last a lifetime. I improved as a teacher while I was there. And I would do it all again without hesitation.

However, I knew all along that the school system in California did not value the education of the children. Nor did it value the working environment for its teacher or administrators or staff. Michael Moore recently made a film about the inequities and injustices of the US health care system. I wish he would do the same for education.

The fact of the matter is, if we truly valued the learning environment of our children, we would do things differently. We would have more schools, more rooms, more teachers, more counselors, more administrators, and fewer students per school. Never has this been more evident to me than it is now, because I’m at a new school.

And so I want to point out the differences between what I experienced in California, to what I’m experiencing here in Guatemala.

• Teacher to Student Ratio:
  • California: 60 teachers for 1500 students
  • Guatemala: 200 teachers for 1450 students
• Class size:
  • California: 32 students per class on average
  • Guatemala: 22 students per class on average
• Teaching load:
  • California: I taught 25 periods per week and got 5 periods off
  • Guatemala: I now teach 14 periods per week with 10 periods off
• Custodial Services:
  • California: Three custodians at one time, who take out the trash every night, but only vacuum twice a week.
  • Guatemala: More than 20-30 custodians at one time, who dust the entire room, mop the floor, and even wipe down desks EVERY DAY.
• Collaboration:
  • California: Collaboration was supposed to take place among team members during the one free period we had each day.
  • Guatemala: Collaboration takes place at a designated time every week during the school day and does not interfere with free periods.
• Administration:
  • California: Three administrators for 1500 students
  • Guatemala: Six administrators for 1450 students
• Extra-curricular Activities:
  • California: We had basketball, soccer, video productions, anime, tutoringand a bible study group. Most of the teachers who did these activities were either volunteers or were paid by an outside organization.
  • Guatemala: We have basketball, soccer, swimming, track, cheer leading, tutoring, homework help, for elementary, middle school, and high school boys and girls. And the coaches or tutors are ALWAYS paid. I’m sure I’m forgetting quite a few activities we have as well.
• Curriculum:
  • California: Standards based with a ton of testing and the elimination of arts for some students, and technology or music for others.
  • Guatemala: Skills based with opportunities to do projects. Students also take art, a THIRD language, life skills, AND technology! Notice I didn’t say OR.

One of the main reasons I decided to teach overseas was exactly so that I could see a different education system. I wanted to be able to compare my first experiences with something else. All along I knew that the school system in America was unjust, but I needed to have something to compare it to.

The argument can easily be made that this is a private school, and my other school was public. At the same time though, if we truly valued education the way we say we do, then we would find the money and the resources to create more schools, hire more teachers and staff, and eliminate the overwhelming stupidity of standardized tests. If we can suddenly uncover a gold mine for a war in Iraq, then we should be quite capable of uncovering one for education.

Today was the beginning of my fourth year teaching, and even after four years I was still filled with a bit of anxiety and a lot of excitement.  Beginning the year as a brand new teacher in Guatemala probably didn’t help any.  Nor did the fact that I’m teaching at one of the top schools in Guatemala.  Nor did the fact that I am still living in a hotel, I have none of the supplies I shipped from the U.S.  Nor did the fact that I’ve gotten very little sleep over the last few days.

But honestly, I loved every minute of it.  These students have so much personality and they’re completely full of life.  And the energy they give off is contagious.  Nothing is more motivating than a 13-year-old student giving you a high five, or shaking your hand and saying thank you in a genuine way.  Even their laughter is energizing.

Don’t get me wrong though, I miss my students from last year and the years before immensely.  But kids are kids no matter where you’re at in the world, and I’m just excited to be back in the classroom doing what I love.

Facts, factoids, and just plain observations about Guatemala:

1. The money used in Guatemala is the quetzal. Two or more of them are quetzales.

2. Most of the things you buy have two prices. One is the local, Guatemalan price. The other is the gringo price. I think you can figure out which one is higher.

3. If you have 7.5 quetzales, that is equivalent to one dollar. If you have 800 quetzales at one time, or $100.00 that is equivalent to stupidity.

4. Guatemalans love blonde-haired people.

5. Many Guatemalans speak English, yet they are always happy to help others with their Spanish.

6. For all the negative media Guatemala gets, I´ve loved almost all of the ones I have met.

7. With that said, there are only a few zonas in Guatemala City which are safe to walk in alone. Luckily I will be living in one of them. Phew.

8. The water is not safe to drink, but it seems to be all right if you want to brush your teeth with it.

9. $650 for an apartment goes a long, long ways.

10. If you want to say Sexy in Spanish, you just say Sexy.

11. Smog checks haven´t really taken effect quite yet.

12. I feel tall here, and I´m only 5´10 or 5´11 depending on the shoes I´m wearing. The people are vertically challenged.

13. Gallo is a far more popular beer here than Budweiser is in America.

14. There is an Applebee´s, a TGIFriday´s, a Holiday Inn, and a McDonald´s not far from the hotel I´m in. Naturally, I´ve stayed away from all four.

15. If you are from Guatemala, and you´ve lived here your whole life, you are referred to as a Puro Chapin.

16.  There are fountains with women carved carefully into them, and water is pouring out of their chests.  (Remember, this is just an observation…oh, and the picture above provides proof.)

17. I´m sure there will be more to come.

Lyrics:

Well I walked over the bridge
Into the city where I live,
And I saw my old landlord.
Well we both said hello,
There was nowhere else to go,
‘cuz his rent I couldn’t afford.

Well relationships change,
Oh I think it’s kinda strange,
How money makes a man grow.
Some people they claim,
If you get enough fame,
You live over the rainbow.
Over the rainbow.

But the people on the street,
Out on buses or on feet,
We all got the same blood flow.
Oh, in society,
Every dollar got a deed,
We all need a place so we can go,
And feel over the rainbow.

But sometimes,
We forget what we got,
Who we are.
Oh who are are not.
I think we gotta chance,
To make it right.
Keep it loose,
Keep it tight.
Keep it tight.

I’m in love with a girl,
Who’s in love with the world,
Though I can’t help but follow.
Though I know some day,
She is bound to go away,
And stay over the rainbow.
Gotta learn how to let her go.
Over the rainbow.

Sometimes we forget who we got,
Who they are.
Oh, who they are not.
There is so much more in love,
Than black and white.
Keep it loose child,
Gotta keep it tight.
Keep it loose child,
Keep it tight.

Message:

There is definitely more than one message in this song, and what draws me to it is how much different it begins than ends.  Amos Lee starts by describing people in general…who we are, what makes us similar. Then in the last verse he’s describing a woman he must let go of.  When the song is broken down though, it’s easier to grasp some of the messages. Here are some lyrics I can relate to.

• “But the people on the street, out on buses or on feet, we all got the same blood flow.”

  • Now that I’m in Guatemala and clearly a foreigner in this country, I’m reminded of how I’m different daily. My hair, my skin, my gringo use of the language. Yet it helps to remind myself that I do have things in common with Guatemalans and that people all over the world are more similar than we think.

• “We all need a place where we can go, and feel over the rainbow.”

  • It’s difficult right now because I don’t have this place. Well, at least not a physical place anyway, so I’ve had to turn to writing to make me feel more comfortable and at ease. Music helps a lot too if I just need to relax. And of course conversations with people I’m close to make me feel more at home.

• “Sometimes we forget what we got. Who we are, and who we are not.”

  • Taking things for granted and losing perspective. These should both be added to the seven deadly sins. It’s easy to forget this sometimes in a completely different culture.

• “I’m in love with a girl who’s in love with the world.”

  • Well…not in love exactly…but I haven’t felt this way for someone in a long time.

• “There is so much more in love than black and white.”

  • Enough said.

I’m convinced that one of the most difficult things to do in life is learn a second language, especially once you’re over the age of…oh…about 14. Not because we can’t do it, but because we’re so afraid of doing it. More than anything, we’re afraid of making mistakes and seeming unintelligent as we get older. We all have this idea about who we are, and I guarantee that very few us envision ourselves as blubbering idiots trying to conjugate an easy verb like “querer” into its different forms.

That’s exactly what happens though with a second language. We make mistakes, we feel foolish, and really…who wants that? Very few people are brave enough to make mistake after mistake after mistake and still keep going. Very few people have enough courage to continue trying something after being laughed at and ridiculed.

With that said, there is one thing I absolutely love about learning a second language.

I love how the struggle of learning reveals so much about my character. Am I able to keep trying to speak Spanish even though I make mistakes virtually every time I open my mouth? Or do I get so embarrassed that I stay silent? Do I laugh at my errors and learn from them? Or do I become angry and frustrated?

I’m forced to answer questions like these about myself and it helps me reflect so much. Doing things that are simple and basic reveal nothing about my own character or anyone else’s for that matter. Yet learning a language opens the door wide open.

Quiero aprender mas!

Angtigua, Guatemala es una ciudad piqueño mas o menos 45 minutos fuera de la capital. Hay dos volcanes grandes y uno se llama Pacaya. Los dos volcanes son activados. La ciudas es muy bonita y tranquila y hay muchos extranjeros que estudiar español en este lugar. Hay las escuelas maravillosas a través de la ciudad.

Tengo fotos abajo.

After only two days as a teacher at the American School of Guatemala (Colegio Americano de Guatemala) I have begun taking pictures. I by no means captured everything. I haven’t yet gotten up the courage to take pictures of the three guards who stand at the front gate of the school. And I haven’t had time to take detailed pictures of my classroom or of the campus’s subtleties. But with the few photos below, I have tried to capture some of the natural beauty and landscaping of the school. This is easily one of the most beautiful school environments I’ve ever seen. In every way, it reminds me of a college campus.

This is one of the entrances to the school which leads to the library. Everything is completely wide open which allows nature to flood into the classrooms and the courtyards.

Teachers playing frisbie in the courtyard during one of our breaks. Open spaces like this are common throughout the campus.

This picture was taken from the top of the library and some of the elementary classrooms are on the right.

This is the back of the library.

One of the many long walks along the campus.

I will be disappointed with myself if at any point in the next two years I take any of this for granted. This is exactly the type of environment I was looking for. Natural, open, green, and well kept. There is such a level of respect for the school and I hope the students have this same amount of respect for it once they arrive.

My goal has always been to write at least one thing a day, no matter how long or deep or interesting. In college I was able to maintain this. Sometimes I wrote in the morning before going to class, sometimes I wrote after drinking a bit too much, and sometimes I stopped in the middle of a long day and just released my thoughts through writing.

The reason is simple: the more frequently I write, the more detail I’ll end up capturing. And the opposite is true: if my writing is sporadic then so much gets lost.

That’s what’s happening now. Since I last wrote anything, back on August 3rd, I’ve become much more intimate with someone, I’ve moved to Guatemala, worked for a day at my new school here, and met some amazing people from all over the world. But the details are getting lost now. The little things like kicking my sandals off and playing a little basketball on the courts at my new school fade away into one large overstatement like, “The school I’ll be teaching at for the next two years is more beautiful and breathtaking than I could’ve imagined.” I make blanket statements rather than focusing in on the details.

And I think we all do this. We want the BIG MOMENTS like traveling to a new country, but forget the little ones like hearing a song on the radio that reminds us of an old friend. The new romance in our lives gets far more attention than the drink of water we take after being a little dehydrated.

Yet the small details of our lives are so important, and if we don’t slow down to recognize them and APPRECIATE them, then they race on by just like the days and the weeks and the months.

So one reason I write is to remind myself to focus in on certain aspects of life which might otherwise elude me.  And I need to make a pact with myself that I will write each day and at least capture one moment, no matter how significant, no matter how unimportant.  The objective will be to simply FOCUS IN ON THE DETAILS AND THE NUANCES OF LIFE.

One of my favorite books I’ve ever read is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. The main idea of the story is that each one of us has the opportunity in life to follow our dreams and our destiny. The sad thing though, is that most of us don’t. We give up on our dreams, we lose ambition as we get older, and we settle. Whether it’s a career or even a significant other, we settle for what’s convenient, average, or “okay.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked a friend how his job is going and he’ll say, “Oh, it’s okay” or “It pays the bills” or my favorite: “It sucks, but it’s a job, it’s not supposed to be fun.”

This is settling. This is giving up. And in my opinion, this is sad and pathetic.

So why do people give up on their dreams or their Personal Legends as Paulo Coelho refers to them? Because pursuing a passion is terribly difficult and requires so much sacrifice. Right now I’m seeing this happen. My dream has always been to teach internationally, but in order to achieve this dream I’ve had to sacrifice so much. I gave up a job I loved in California. I’ve said goodbye to students and friends I’ve loved as well. And in less than two weeks I will have to leave my family and even a young woman I am becoming more intimate with to go live in a country for two years where I know virtually no one.

But I’m doing it despite the challenges and obstacles because it feels right. The more I reflect, and the more I question what it is I’m doing, the more confident I feel about my decision. And the people who truly believe in me and care about me, will support me regardless of where I end up in this world, whether it’s Guatemala, France, California, or anywhere else.

If you follow your Personal Legend, if you pursue your dreams, not only will you be happier and more fulfilled, but the world will be far better off as well!