“I heard a nice little story the other day,” Morrie says. He closes his eyes for a moment and I wait.

“Okay. The story is about a little wave, bobbing along in the ocean, having a grand old time. He’s enjoying the wind and the fresh air, until he notices the other waves in front of him, crashing against the shore.
‘My god, this is terrible,’ the wave says. ‘Look what’s going to happen to me!’

“Then along comes another wave. It sees the first wave, looking grim, and it says to him, ‘Why do you look so sad?’

“The first wave says, ‘You don’t understand! We’re all going to crash! All of us waves are going to be nothing! Isn’t it terrible?’

“The second wave says, ‘No, you don’t understand. You’re not a wave, you’re part of the ocean.’ ”

I smile. Morrie closes his eyes again.

“Part of the ocean,” he says, “part of the ocean.” I watch him breathe, in and out, in and out.

- Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom

waves.jpg

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:


“When each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises.” 

- The Alchemist, by Paulo Coehlo

If you look for beauty, you will find it.  If you look for hatred, you will find it.  Be careful what you look for.

 

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.

javier.jpg

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.

panahachel.jpg

panahachel1.jpg

panahachel2.jpg

panahachel3.jpg

panahachel4.jpg

panahachel5.jpg


Esta historia es sobre el amor. Pero, escúchame. Porque inmediatamente piensa que el amor es romantico. Con flores y estrellas y noches en la cama. Pero no. Este amor es diferente, porque este es el amor de todo el mundo. El presente y el pasado y el futuro. Esta historia del amor abarcará todas las varias formas del amor. Y diré esta historia en partes diferentes. Porque amor viene en partes diferentes tambíen.

This is a story about love. But, listen to me closely. Because immediately you begin to think of romantic love. With flowers, stars, and wild nights in the bedroom. But no. This love is different, because this is the love of the world. The present, the past, and the future. This story of love will encompass all of the various forms of love. And I will tell this story in different parts. Why? Because love comes in different parts as well.

girl_looking_in_mirror_op_548×800.jpg

Parte I:

Amor Para Mia

El espejo le da miedo. No le importa a Mia qué espejo, porque el reflejo era casi el mismo. Y, en el mente de ella, el reflejo era feo siempre, porque, en el mente de ella, ella era fea siempre. Y, tristemente, nadie le había dicho jamás que ella era hermosa.

The mirror frightened her the most. It didn´t matter to Mia which mirror, because the reflection was almost always the same. And, in her mind, the reflection was always ugly, because, in her mind, she was always ugly.

A veces, muy tarde por la noche, Mia apagaría las luces en el cuarto de baño. Ella esperaría dos o tres minutos. Ella se pararía sola en la oscuridad y esperaría. Ella se imaginaría su cara diferente. Ella se vería los labios más rojos, ojos más claros, una nariz más pequeña y piel menos imperfecta. Mia pensaría muy, muy fuerte e incluso oraría a Dios por estos cambios. Y después de dos o tres o a veces cuatro minutos, ella  encendería las luces para ver estos cambios. Pero no. Nada. Nunca. Ella parecería la misma, y poco a poco, las lágrimas caerían por las mejillas. “Quizá otro día,” ella se diría, y secaría lentamente las lágrimas de sus ojos como ella apagaría las luces una vez más.

Sometimes, very late at night, Mia would turn off the lights in the bathroom. She would wait 2, maybe three minutes. She would stand alone in the dark and wait. She would imagine her face different. She would see redder lips, lighter eyes, a smaller nose, and skin that is less imperfect. Mia would think very, very hard and even pray to God to help her with these changes. And after two, three, sometimes even four minutes, she would turn on the lights and look to see these changes occur on her face. But no. Nothing. Never. She would look exactly the same, and little by little, tears would slide down her face as her legs grew weak. “Another dia,” she would tell herself as she wiped the tears from her eyes and turned off the light one final time.

En realidad, no sólo era la cara que no le gustaba

 Continuará…

To be continued…

 

I am grateful.

All throughout the world there are different types of people. Some who are optimistic, who see life as a blessing, and who view it as a giant cup that’s perpetually half full. These people wake up in the morning, take a deep breath, and thank whichever god they believe in for the opportunity to be who they are, and where they are.

Then there are others. People who are afraid to embrace life because they are internally unhappy. Maybe they’re disappointed with a relationship they’re in, or with the profession they’ve chosen. And because of this, their world is not a beautiful place. Each day they wake up, and ever so slowly prepare themselves for another mediocre, disappointing day.

But I’m grateful. I’m grateful because I have met people along my life’s path that continue to inspire me. Their positivity and perspective on life pushes me to, in some way, mimic them. Today I received an e-mail from two of my closest and dearest friends, Nick and Erin, who are currently teaching in Cartagena, Colombia. They’ve begun a newsletter of their experiences, and as I was reading it I couldn’t help but become inspired. They are truly loving life, loving each other, and spreading that love as they go.

And it just forced me to reflect about how fortunate I am to have friendships like these. I’ve posted a picture of them at the bottom, along with a link to their site with the hope that they’re love, energy, and positivity continues to inspire others as well, as it inspires me.

The Glab Gazette!!

p1000092.png

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:


don’t open up
it’s safer this way

don’t expose yourself
because some will disagree

some might even criticize

don’t let your words flow
like rivers

which can be dirty,
and foul

rivers can flood and destroy
like words

be safe

take shelter

close your eyes

your mouth

your mind

then you’ll never offend

hurt

or humiliate

yourself

or others.

and

most of all

believe

everything

you’re

told.

** Anarchy and all-out obedience are both dangerous. We cannot be so afraid that we never speak up, yet we must not be so brash and emboldened and even prideful that we never stop to listen. Extremes are harmful to us all. **