Lake Atitlan

“At the water” is the meaning of Lake Atitlan.  Lake Atitlan is one of the deepest lakes in Central America with a depth of 1,120 feet. Amongst it’s beautiful waters lies various Lakeside communities including: Santa Marcos, Santiago, Panajachel, San Pedro, and Santa Cruz. When one first catches glance of the lake on a clear, sunny day-it stuns the eyes with it’s beauty.  The mountains surround it and literally lay on the top one another creating a picturesque wonderland.

It’s a Lake with a lot of spirituality that surrounds it’s waters. There are villages include the two main ones: Tz’utujil and Kaqchikel.  

The area of the villages is surrounded by beans, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, chile verde, strawberries, and pitahaya fruit (red with yellow spikes). There are avocado trees, mango trees, and coffee farms as well.  They are especially present in San Pedro. 

Unfortunately, this beautiful region suffered from Hurricane Stan in 2005.  Hurricane rains from Hurricane Stan caused extensive rain damage in 2005. A village Panabaj of 1,400 residents were killed by this massive landslide (Wikipedia). One can see trees in the water and some docks still floating. They definitely represent a resilient group of people. 

Some facts come from Wikipedia in this post. 

7 Polish Lawyers and a Pris

It was time to head off to my volunteer headquarters in Panajachel Lake Atitlan-what some say is one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. I was standing in front of my hostel and my name, "Prisciyaa"(Latin America pronunciation) was called.  I jump inside to see all men and just one Pris.  I sat in the backseat next to a friendly looking guy with glasses and a friendly face. 

We got to talking and it turns out they are 7 lawyers from Warsaw, Poland all on a trip together. He told me that Chicago has the second highest Polish population. We got to talking about our lives and traveling.  He seemed to be interested by my work and I was interested by his.  It would be fun to exchange careers for a day, a week, or a month.  I think its another fascinating job and my best friend always told me what a good lawyer I would make.

Anyways, it sounded like him and his friends were leading quite the bachelor lifestyle and I joked he could be the next Polish bachelor for ABC.  Some of his friends were a bit "stiff" and kind of nerdy.  They were not really into speaking English, but it was fun joking with my a couple of them and my new buddy Eric.
Unfortunately, we got separated mid-way and by a Guatemalan baby and her mother, but we exchanged contact information and parted ways:)  Another new travel friend(starting to see how this amazing process works?)

Let's Talk About Life

When it comes to my new found American friend, she stayed in the hostel a few years back and it was under different ownership, which usually can change everything.  It was not her fault for the lack of cleanliness. After all, it did have a beautiful rooftop with nice hammocks to escape to and stare at the stars.We had some good laughs about it and I had some good cries about taking a shower;)

When it came to meeting her, it was interesting how she was placed in my life at the beginning of my trip to set the tone.  She set the tone for confirmation. A confirmation that is okay to not live the socially constructed life rather to think and be beyond what you are supposed to do.  You can live and take any path you choose and the outcome of that path should be happiness and living off your gifts.  

While D did not hold any strong religious beliefs.  We seemed to have a good amount in common with our beliefs in life.  I discussed my belief with her in exploring your true self and finding your passion or calling and going with it. Even if this passion does not produce materialism, it does not mean you should abandon it or make yourself suffer with something you don't enjoy.  D was a Special Needs teacher for many years until she finally retired and decided to live in Guatemala. She bought a 3 bedroom house on Lake Atitlan for $250 a month-very possible when living abroad.

While she did work a full-time job until her retirement, her outlook was never the same as others. She believed in living simply and happily by making sure her basic needs of food, shelter, and basic needs were met. While her daughter was all of big real estate living and designers-she was more interested in saving up some extra money to visit a new place.  It truly is special when you meet people traveling who give you a sense of hope, determination, and content. What truly resonated with me was when she said, “It’s about how far you can afford to fall.” You can take risks in life, but you measure how fall you can afford to fall. You are not careless and reckless rather you know what you need and what you want.  You are not prioritizing superficial things over what is ultimately important. 

It is truly special when you meet these people traveling who give you an extra rev to your travel engine.  It was already ready to go, but they just made the sound of the engine a bit louder.  It's ready to race off into the travel world.  How far will it run til it runs out of gas? Do passionate travelers like D and myself ever run out of gas? Even if we're tired, we do have a reserve tank that we can rely on.  

We love traveling, but we also love living a life that does not rely on materialism rather it involves real communication and everyday learning from others in the pursuit of ultimate happiness. PRIS  

“For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness, but of power and love and discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 ASV 

Suicide Shower

This sounds so awful that I almost did not even want to write it as a post, but this is the Guatemalan terminology...

Coming back to the hostel chosen by my American friend. I had to face the reality.  The reality was that it was time for me to take a shower. It was time to take a shower in the hostel that I did not read reviews on or first do a thorough investigation on.  The time had come to walk in and see my fate....(All Animation sounds in place)

Instead of taking the plunge alone, my American friend decided to escort me into the bathroom.  There was a towel underneath the sink on the floor that was dripping wet, the toilet was relatively clean, and then their was the shower.  She slowly opened up the curtain and there it was "the suicide shower."  The sound of a horror movie was ringing through my head.

There was the shower head with  blue and white wires hanging from it and some paint chipping off the wall. The shower head was actually the least of it. It was the tub that was 9 feet deep and looked like a grave.  It was as if you were going to take a shower and then you were going to lay down and die.  After of about 1 minute of her explaining why there needs to be wires for heat, I quickly walked out of the bathroom and into the room.

  I guess it was more messy than clean, but with that being my first hostel bathroom after a long while- it was No Bueno!  If she was trying to scare me out of taking it shower it definitely worked. I couldn't believe this woman who was in her 60s would actually take a shower in something like that-it was kind of mind boggling.  Even if all the showers in Guatemala have wires hanging, they can still be spotless clean?

After that bathroom investigation, I decided to investigate all the different bathrooms within the hostel.  I found one decent one on the top floor, but even for me to use that one it really took a big push! I was sitting in the room obsessively reorganizing my bag to avoid taking a shower.  There were six girls upstairs and they were all using that shower. The one downstairs is only made for that one room, which makes it cleaned less.  More rooms using the bathroom=more likely it will be cleaned. Well. clearly that does not really apply in this hostel.  

To end this suicide saga, I took a shower in the upstairs bathroom, which was not a 9ft tub and had only a few wires hanging out. 

No suicide friends-still ALIVE:)  

The Beautiful Mind

I am immediately pulled in by an organic menu and some Tao/ Buddhist sounds coming from a tranquil restaurant. I sit on a bamboo looking bar stool and order a  wheat grass shot and a raw agave cacao ball with amarethe (it is a local seed of Guatemala with many health benefits). When I sat down the conversation just started flowing from the get go. Sometimes this happens with the right energy and the right brains colliding at the right time(Pris). 

It was an amazing encounter with this fellow great mind discussing philosophy, meditation, Mayan religion and some great psychologists such as Jung and Freud.  He shared with me some interesting facts about the chakras in the body along with we discussed the importance of eating healthy-one of my favorite topics.  We moved off the bar stools and he took me inside the cafe area to the book shelf. There he picked up some books that were by psychiatrists for psychedellic therapy- using LSD for therapeutic and spiritual benefits of treatment. He showed me pictures of all the different images that were produced. Then we went on discussing different psychological treatments. He said that he never studied psychology, but he just reads all the time. It was clear that this was a passion of his that he was sharing with me.  He also taught me all about the Mayans and their studies of astrology and the meaning of time. Time, not only space, holds value and meaning. He explained the duality that is present between the space. He asked me how I define time and he explained the Mayan use of the calendar. I defined time as "the distance between moments."

Talk about astrology and psychology, I think I met my new best friend.


There was some incredible art work that was done by a fellow traveler. He explained everything so clearly like a teacher would to a student.  The colors in the trees and the symbolic meaning of the shapes-art, psychology, astrology, and philosophy all in one- I felt quite satisfied with this new acquaintance. 

After our discussion, I took a seat in the Fred chair. That's right! They had the famous chair that Freud would have his patient lie down in for psychoanalysis. If you are ever in the area of Antigua check out Samba Vegan Café. 

Someone may look at Jorge and not give him the time of day and just sit with their expat friends. Amongst this one simple person lies a beautiful mind....PRIS

Some Kind of Charm

Sometimes you just know you will love a place before you even arrive.  You may google its history and images, hear it about it from a friend, read about in a book-there is something about that place that you just gravitate towards.  It's the place you envision in your head and it's exactly what you thought it would be and more.  This place for many tourists is the wonderful city of... Antigua. 

Antigua is a city that my American friend always raved about during our discussions about traveling.  It made me curious about Antigua and wonder why she felt so connected to in this city.  It turns out that Antigua was one of the colonial capitals of the Spanish empire in America from the 16th to 18th centuries.  The capital was moved to the location of Guatemala City, which left Antigua to be the remains of the "Old Guatemala."

Antigua has many buildings with Spanish Architecture in colors of yellow, coral, blue, white, red, and they seem to all have their own kind of character.  Amongst the cobblestone streets is a backdrop of green and white clouds of smoke from the volcano.  The cobblestone streets are quite nice, but these are poorly paved and very uneven.  It makes it difficult for pedestrians and bikes. 

On the other hand, it also makes it fun to watch people bounce up and down constantly when simply riding or driving. The main tourist destination is the Parque Central, which has a park, fountain, church, market and surrounding restaurants in a square form.  

The markets sell anything from food to authentic wood crafts to jewelry to colorful tribal skirts to ponchos.  It was surprising to see the wide variety of crafts that Guatemala has and how much skill is put into each and every piece. Surrounding the Parque Central are the streets filled with many restaurants and bars catered towards tourists.  Many students come to study Spanish, volunteers, and tourists visit Antigua making it an international hub.

While Antigua is fantastic, it can be a bit difficult to get around as the streets do not all have names and many shift and turn into different names. I was a bit confused when leaving my hostel and I walked down the street and hit a dead end with dogs barking. Clearly that was not the way so I asked two friendly men dressed traditionally in their Mayan tribal shirts. They provided some great directions and I was on my way in no time. There was just encounter after encounter where people were so kind and sometimes this kindness is what gives you courage and what gets you to your destination AND  to your next destination.   And my next destination just happened to be church. 

The Catedral de Santiago is near Parque Central, but this church was fairly close to my hostel and just full of locals only.   People appeared to be so present, thankful, and blessed.  The pastor was speaking slowly so I could understand pretty well.  After this I stopped at another local church nearby where it said, "No touristas", but I went in to pray not photograph everything.

My adventure continues to the next post with another beautiful interpersonal interaction......

2 Americans and One UK

Arriving and exiting the La Aurora, Airport in Guatemala was such a breeze.  The people were friendly and helpful-not pushy, I received my bag in 5 minutes, and I headed to the outside lobby to buy my bus ticket.  It was so nice having that peace when you first initially arrive. Many times, there are the taxis harassing you until you get into an actual car- no me gusta.  A friendly little women sold me a ten dollar ticket on the shuttle van to Antigua and off we went. The 2 Americans and the UK boy.

It was so nice with the three of us because we automatically connected and started talking about Guatemala and our travels.   The other American's name is D(confidentiality) and she is from San Francisco.  She has three kids and actually lives part time near Lake Atitlan(my destination).  Our other buddy was in his early 20s and he came to Guatemala to learn Spanish.  He did not seem to care about the time or money rather he was on a mission to go to a good school to learn Spanish.  He was well traveled as we chatted it up about Europe and Asia.  Bangkok being our food heaven and Europe being incredible and amazing, but too expensive for the budget friendly traveler. 

Amongst our discussion, we passed through Guatemala City, which did not seem very appealing.  There was a lot of industry, mechanical shops, run down buildings, and of course KFC, McDonalds, Burger King, and Pizza hut.  It irritates me when I see these establishments especially when Guatemala has fresh food, fish, vegetables. It even has Fried chicken and Fries as a typico(typical) food.

Anyways, the ride was splendid with my two new buddies.  It was so great for D and I that we decided, "Hey lets share a room." We were both heading to Lake Atitlan, but wanted to chill in Antigua for a night and take the shuttle in the morning. We decided to stay at a hostel in Antigua centre where we would share a room.

That is just an example of how traveling can work......

  Sometimes the unknown can lead you in a fun direction down an unexpected path....PRIS

One

One Soul

One Love

One God

One Passion

One Mission

One World

One Woman

PRIS

   

Cafe con Leche

Last summer, I was in Spain where the popular morning drink was Cafe con Leche. And this summer the drink of choice is the same Coffee with Milk. 

While I have been on No Caffeine for 2 years, I do have my moments of relapse especially when it comes to coffee in those countries which produce it. I have had the coffee in Costa Rica, which was outstanding so I had to give this one a try.

I tried it as Cafe con Leche and in espresso form- both were great. It's definitely coffee in its freshest form with coffee plants being all over Lake Atitlan and especially in Antigua. It's like Americans drinking Starbucks with all those fresh coffee farms around.

Bad analogy, but just referring to the amazing quality of coffee from its freshest roots rather than drinking Starbucks and considering that as the superior coffee. The quality of this coffee is so high, it must be difficult for an actual coffee drinker to take a step backwards. I guess you could bring it back with you in limited quantity or savor the memory and go home and buy a frappuccino because that's the same thing-not. 

*Random shout out to Spain- you're amazing! Abrasos y besos para ti 

Adonde Vas?

While my original plan was to volunteer at the World Cup in Brazil, the crowds and sky high prices changed my decision. It has always been on my travel itinerary to visit the amazing South America.  The spirit and soul is something that I crave as it is missing in the states.  While every country has it's charm, some of the great ones I would like to visit are a bit out of my budget. Another moment in time our paths will cross, and I'm sure it will be incredible. 

With some previous thought to the destination of Central America, I started my research and things all came together. Central America is easier to travel through.  It's full of great food, beautiful, nature, cultural traditions and festivals, unforgettable fruit, kind smiles, and good spirits. The only country I had visited in Central America was Costa Rica five years ago with my best friend/travel buddy Tanya. 


On this fantastic trip, I recall the beauty, the food, and the fantastic people. It was a magical trip and we knew that we would have to return one day.  If this country could be so beautiful, wouldn't the rest of Central America resemble this as well? 


My travel bug was curious and the people I spoke with prior to traveling made it easy. I spoke with many staff and Directors from various NGOs and those local organizations within the states. The Lonely planet travel book or  the travel brochures are not what made this trip happen. These people made it happen. It was clear as crystal that this is where I was suppose to go. 
These lovely, lovely passionate souls from abroad encouraged me, supported me, and assisted me.


The beauty of Costa Rica lead me to the beauty of four other countries.  A trip through Central America starting in Guatemala to Belize to Honduras to Nicaragua to Costa Rica ending in Panama. 

Sounds like the perfect summer to me=)

Take Your Travel Vow

Back in my Loyola days, I remember all my friends were going to study abroad and being a college student I also wanted to share the experience at Loyola University in Rome. I applied for my first passport and bought a new pink suitcase with black trim.  My finances were not great as I would have to take out an additional student loan to assist with the plane ticket.  Regardless of the finances, I  decided to go and make it work. 

After my decision, I then experience travelers DOUBTA-the initial excitement about your decision mixed with doubt and desire to seek approval from others(PRIS).  Therefore, I consulted my mother who immediately advised me against going abroad.  I also consulted two of my close friends who also said it was bad idea and too expensive.  It was a constant, downhill response from my environment and others around me.

As one could imagine, this lead me down one path “No.” Something I was so excited about doing and my adventurous spirit wanting to go abroad and my being and decision was held back by the environment. It is important to note the crowd can be your friends, parents, co-workers, or classmates-anyone in your immediate circle or environment.  These people in the crowd are not necessarily the most knowledgable people about new experiences, money, finance, or world travels yet you are taking your advice from them. 

This is a consistent problem I notice among travelers.  When you are taking advice from Barbara who has never left the country except on an Alaskan cruise or Terry who visits Las Vegas and says she travels far or Janet who travels to Cancun staying in the All inclusives. Houston we have a problem-a big problem.

Within the American culture, it is normal to have it's own Americanized version of travel.
A person may believe they are traveling, but there is a fine line between vacation  and travel.  It comes from not only the definition, but the ultimate interpretation of the overall experience (PRIS).  A person may have their yearly family vacation where they spend all their time with the family and have no interaction with culture.  Another person may travel to India by themselves hike up mountains, eat different kinds of food, stay in villages, and make friends with numerous locals. These are not the same thing and this may lead to someone in your environment steering you in the wrong direction.  The only person you can listen to is yourself. 
  

After my experience with studying abroad in Rome, I made a vow to be the only person who controls my travel.  I will not be influenced by those who have an American mindset to travel, which is built inside a certain standard and expectation for travel.  To sum it up, most Americans are afraid of real travel and they stay inside their comfort zones.  This is engrained in the culture and it is normal for people to respond in this manner or it is normal to respond with: fear.  People are afraid of truly exploring themselves, being vulnerable to a new culture, going off track, going the distance, getting rid of the electronics, staying in a place other than a hotel.  The idea of real adventure travel is foreign to many people and the idea of going away for such long periods of time is also foreign.

Who’s going to take care of my cat?

What is my job going to say?

How am I going to afford a long trip and pay my bills?

What if instead of answering to society or someone else. We just answered to ourselves? What about YOU?




Do you seek knowledge about yourself on a deeper level?



Do you want to learn about different philosophies and religions, but you never have the time.

Do you crave something new, different, adventurous, spontaneous?

Do you want to learn real geography without a world map or google maps?

Do you need to complete your sense of self utilizing the world’s tools for discovery?

It is not always about being responsible to others, but it is about being responsible to you.   By being aware to the importance of your own self over the importance of your job- you can take charge of your being and life.  You may not be floating in a world of materialism, but having a grasp of your identity and who you truly are and what your want out of life is more important that any pay check can provide.

Take charge of YOU and the rest will fall in place PRIS

Why 40 Before 30?

On August 17, I will celebrate my 30^th birthday.  


Always wanting to challenge myself, I thought about how I could end my 20s with meaning.  I planned on possibly running the marathon.  In the states, I had been running each day and taking part in smaller races for the past few months.  When I turned 27, I ran a half marathon and spent my birthday in Portland, Maine-quite nice.  While it is possible to do a marathon, it would possibly come in October-not August.  



With this said, I then thought about traveling and I made goal to reach 40 countries by 30.  There are some other travelers who actually have the same notion of hitting 40 before they turn 30 or 50 before 40.  For me, it was not about the pure number of 40 rather it was about the journey I have taken with my 20s, my career as a Therapist, Volunteer, Teacher, Social Worker, and cultural explorer.



Traveling has taken me to unforgettable experiences, new friends, life lessons, meaningful cultural exchanges, the best volunteer experiences or jobs, incredible nature, and connections with up above.  It is a total life changing experience.  So why not include by traveling in my journey, document it, learn and grow from it, and most important connect to people and help them grow!

Copyright

This writing belongs to Priscilla CL. Raj. All writing on this blog is produced by Ms. Raj unless otherwise specified by specific source or citation. Some ideas, theories, and quotes have PRIS next to them and others do not. Regardless, it is still her writing unless it has a clear citation next to it, at the top, or bottom of the page.

If one would be interested in discussing a psychological or behavioral theory, idea, belief, analysis, experience, or question further-

Priscilla would be more than happy to talk with you.

Send an email to:    

believeinyourpurpose@gmail.com

Dedication of Blog

And to that special friend……

 

To that friend who has demonstrated

Kindness, patience, and caring words

It breathes into my existence

To that person who reminds me of my worth

It makes me feel whole on days I feel like none

To that person who gives smiles and positivity

It gives me an inability to always respond, but the heart to know how meaningful

To that special person who has given me unconditional love and support

No matter what day or which hour

Thank you for believing in my purpose

And giving it a chance to shine to others.

You are an angel from up above

An angel of God’s love

With moments of his whispers

To encourage me to start again

And Keep the Faith in What Lies in the Skies Above me

Amen