Exception to the Rule

As a tourist, I have a tendency to be the exception to the rule in many scenarios whether on the bus, at a restaurant, in a hotel, on the beach, on a tour-the rules are a bit more flexible. It's not because I do something manipulative or bad, but it's mainly because I treat people with kindness, love, and respect.  I empathize with their job, talk about their life, identify with their feelings, learn about their family, and their daily routine.  I let them know that I am also a human rather than just a tourist. It is my goal to make them feel good and leave my presence feeling satisfied.

When you extend yourself to people, they naturally do the same in return, which leads some rules to break and exceptions to be made.  For example, everyone needs to sit in their assigned seat, but I end up switching my seat and sitting in the front.  The tourists stay on the bus while I use the driver's family home's personal bathroom. Beach privileges for towels and drinks. Room discounts and privileges. Coach buses have even dropped me off directly at my location. It's a fun relationship where I am making them laugh and smile. We share our food with each other and share our cultures with each other. I am fitting in as if I was a local or part of the staff. It makes my traveling so much more rewarding having this interaction. 

As for other tourists, they can also chime in with the laughs and enjoy the entertainment. They can be annoyed with  it and not understand it. On the whole, they don't mind and find my behavior funny. They usually want to talk to me and learn more about my travels. It attracts them when they see someone outside the normal travel box. Many travelers are comfortable in their safety zone, but there are others who want to interact with locals and learn from them. They just need a little push, a little motivation, or a person to show them "They don't bite, they are just like me and you." There is always an opportunity to speak, to learn, to listen, and to grow:)

40 B4 30

I am about to hit 40 countries and I am about to hit 30. My concern about turning 30 has decreased with my traveling, which is a good thing. ..

As a human being, I have always believed I had a special potential. It's the way I have the ability to fill a room with my/his spirit. The successful therapy performed with all populations. The miraculous work with the Special needs. The ability to hear stories that are their secrets and shared just with me. This special quality is something innate that I build upon my self growth and constant learning to be the best I can be. I have grand expectations of myself, which leads my accomplishments to never be enough. I had a father who told me that I would never be good enough. This is my genetic feeling of the need for accomplishment and success. When it comes to environment, I always feel this overdose of  pressure to succeed in the US.  While this can make people competitive, productive, and motivated, it can also make one compare themselves to others success instead of focusing on their own. One can get wrapped up in never having, doing, or being enough. 

This pressure can make you fly or the pressure can make you fall. 

 Although, I have not accomplished everything I wanted by 30, I still want to fly and now I raise my expectations for success as I move into a new decade.  With the past decade of experience, education, living, writing, giving, observing, studying-it creates a perfect platform to fly high into the sky. It's such stimulation to the brain that now is the time to put it all into action.  All those ideas, theories, beliefs, experiences are going to be put into business, profit, and success.
This amazing amount of knowledge and ideas that I learn has committed to my being. Instead of being tied to one career, I am tired to a dedicated lifetime service to people through writing, education, missions, consultation, therapy, life coaching, and listening. All of these skills and experience will be combined into something great that can have a label. A label is what people need to connect success with work and experience. 


While I have not taken the marriage and children path,  there has been significant time spent learning about myself.  The self is someone that people do not spend enough time building to encourage growth and change. People jump into relationships to reach that feeling of love and commitment to a person. You can love and commit to yourself and if you want a ring to prove this- then get a ring for yourself. It doesn't make me a failure or a sad case for not settling down.  There has been opportunity to do that and I chose myself. I chose building up my career and then maybe love will come along. 

When you live a blessed life, you don't live with this fear of being alone. Someone is always keeping an eye on you and sending people to comfort, listen, assist, encourage, support, and love you.  Sometimes there are difficult days or days of uncertainty or days that you wonder what you should be by 30.

At the end of the day, I have studied my thoughts, behaviors, actions, reasoning, personality for years and years. I know myself better than anyone and  better yet I know what I am capable of and it is grand. There is such potential within my being and it took me time to grow into it, nourish it, and realize it.  This will never get old with age yet the growth of self coming from experience will continue for a lifetime.
 

God bless all the wonderful things I have done for people all around the world

God bless my true supporters who believe in me no matter what the age

God bless my writing towards books

God bless living to serve others

God bless my travels

God bless turning 30

Spiritual Exploration

When you make a stop at a tourist destination, it may take anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour and a half. There may be a famous statue or landmark, waterfalls, a volcano, a flower garden etc.  When you are just starting to enjoy it, the tour guide will usually say, "Okay guys you got five minutes." Once you take the individual photos and tourist shots, you only have about five minutes to actually take in the beauty of the site and surroundings. You may be in a beautiful Rose garden and there are butterflies in that area you overlooked or did not get time to see.  You are at a waterfall and you just take a shot of the waterfall and some silly photo in front.  You missed the beautiful path that lead to the waterfall. You had no time to truly explore behind it, around, and what's next to it. 

With those tourist stops, I find myself wondering behind and wanting so much more. "Priscilla, come on the bus is leaving." I hear that often if I do take a tour.  It's just not enough to stop at a volcano for 20 minutes at a volcano when I want that time to sit near it and take in my surroundings. It always feels like just when you are starting to enjoy it, you have to leave. This is problematic towards getting to the real part of traveling.  You are missing out on the real beauty of that site or landmark listening to the tour guides words, taking pictures, and then leaving. 

Where is the connection to the site, where is the time spent reading the excerpts, where is the time spent with the nature, and where is the imagination? While this is not true all the time, it is true a majority of the time. There is something that is missing and that missing component is spiritual exploration- truly allowing your body and five senses to take in a site. 

People are getting the talk from the guide, the photos with the site, the time to see what was recommended, but where is the spiritual exploration time? It's there to leave an impact on a human being. That experience can improve their being as it resonates with them.  It's not happening enough with short tourist stops at significant sites. 

And he smiled.....

Mission Accomplished with Mr. Grumpy. 
As I spent a few days in this Hotel in Masaya, I spent some time getting to know the owner-Mr. Grumpy.  He was so serious and professional with not one smile on his face. He would interact with his family in a serious manner. When I sat down and spent some time getting to know him(difficult conversation as he spoke some funky Spanish), I tried to smile as much as I could. "A smile is contagious." I shared with him some of travel questions that I don't understand like "Why do people hurdle together with no direction?" "Why do they speak Spanish so quickly in Honduras?" He loved the story of me jumping off the bus at 1am to switch.

After this first conversation, that smile just kept reappearing.  He felt comfortable to make his own jokes and he called me the "Spanish Indian." He would pat me on the back so hard I felt like it could be effective as a choking maneuver.  When I would sit in the rocking chair in the front, I would see him check on me from the inside.   A couple times I came back after my curfew and he said he was going to have me sleep with the dog in back. He always had these tough love ways of expressing himself and I was happy to see him happy. (Ce La Vie). 

One day, I was walking towards the hotel and he says, "Hey, hey." I look to my left and he just arrived back in his mini red geo.  It was the smallest most compact car and he sat their waiving and smiling-moments that I just adore people. 

 It was difficult parting ways because I kind of saw him as a father type. It was nice being part of a family again. This is why I just love the accommodation run by a family-it's a great way to  get to know the culture. 

He was one of those people who wanted to smile, but he was trying to portray a serious and grumpy image.  That didn't last long with Priscilla coming to the rescue.   

Masaya

Everyone one I encountered, tourist or local, told me that I could not miss out on the Masaya volcano and the old/new markets. It was something that just could not be missed. This was on my plan to stop in Masaya for one day, but of course one day turned into three because this city is overflowing with culture.  If I could make a comparison, it would be like a Chefchaouen of Morocco. People are clearly proud of their place, their culture, their creativity, their churches, their markets, their hospitality, and their neighborhoods.



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When you walk pass the houses, they always have the door opened so you can see how they are living. It usually appears modestly with a table and chairs, a row of rocking chairs, and a TV. Sometimes the beds are not seperated from the room and are sitting in the living room. The outside of the homes have different colors, green, pink, yellow, blue, and they have small decorated gates. Big gardens depending on the house. Many homes are turned into bodegas selling drinks, snacks, eggs, bread, and some fruits and vegetables.

                It's impossible Jesus does not Exist..... 

 

People ride the bikes with someone sitting on the handlebars, it's not a couple people rather it's completely the norm. Men are cleaning shoes in the park and for lunch locals eat a beef stew with potatoes. There is amazing $1 dollar pizza in the town square where you sit near the fountain and watch the birds. It's it's own little Central park, but much more authentic.  

Something about it just takes me back in time like I am sitting in a totally different era. The people have such pure hearts and are kind towards you. Of course, every city has it's bad apples and theft is a problem in the area.  But when I walk down these streets, I stop into these bodegas and I see human people trying to make a living. They just love the rocking chair, especially the older men. The kids are always finding a way to entertain themselves and they try to put three on a bike.
It's just a representation of real community and how people should treat one another. We just don't see this very often and people may just label this as a dangerous city.  

City and Church Photos

Friday night church concert 

The Hardest Part

  

     

  

The Hardest part is not the work, but the hardest part is saying good bye. It's a short time you build connections, you make people feel good, you listen to them, you challenge them, you empower them, and then you leave. It's why organizations encourage you to volunteer for longer periods of time. Sometimes you can be "hurting" rather than "helping" a community when you come for such short time with no goals and just a strong desire to "help people." This is not enough to make an organization grow rather it's just temporary work to satisfy your own self rather than benefit the actual organization. 

As a clinical therapist for years, social worker, life coach- I am aware of the positives and negatives with working short term in an organization. With hard work and dedication to making a difference, there can also be amazing seeds planted for the community or even for new volunteers.

As a human being, I made the choice to make the most impact possible per organization.  With a short time of 2 weeks per organization in each country, I made a community and or clinical assessment on what needed to be done and I did it.  Instead of just "volunteering", I made a commitment to leave something permanent at each organization whether full behavioral reports, rewards systems, power point trainings, and full efforts with staff and clients working to my potential  . It was me leaving something useful for them rather than just playing with some kids and walking out the door like many volunteers.

With these short term connections, it becomes difficult to leave. When you are working with preschoolers and young children, it becomes even more difficult to leave. With the preschoolers, they don't always understand why I am leaving and they look at me funny. You get the questions, "Where are you going?" "Why are you leaving?" One student even said, "Can I come with you?" I joke that I will just take everyone with me and we will all take a big bus together and travel through Guatemala.  I will feed them fruit and lots of ice cream.  We will all be content with each others company not in need of another intellectual to give us their directives.  It's just a dream I mentioned and the teachers absolutely love this idea. There is no harm in a perfect dream.  

In reality, I have to leave to go to the next project, which was organized ahead of time. It's not an option to stay longer when I made a commitment to another NGO.  Organizations like Mayan Families with clients and a community who touch my heart-saying goodbye is the hardest part.  While the teacher did make an announcement, many children don't actually comprehend what is happening and leaving my favorite clients is difficult.  

In my case, the teacher made an announcement and many kids ran up to say Goodbye. My favorite client and my little learner, Angel, looked surprised to hear me leaving and he didn't look content. It made me sad to see his little brown eyes look like a puppy dog. Me encanta el!  This little munchkin was walking to the door waving his little hand. It continued to waive out the door as he was walking with his father. We just kept waiving at each other until distance was lost- difficult, but life keeps moving and more clients keep coming.

The teachers were so sweet and thankful saying I was the best of everyone in Mayan Families. It is so sweet that they recognize my work and my commitment to people-that's a wonderful connection.  It was truly a blessed experience and I would definitely consider visiting again and potentially working with the indigenous community. 

With beautiful communities comes people who carry your heart into a distance, which brings you closer to a better tomorrow .  -PRIS- 

Sonrisa, Sonrisa

"Sonrisa" in Spanish means "Smile." When Guatemala Smiles, it is magical.  Some people light up your heart and spirits connect making it a pure experience between two humans.  Often I will encounter those with their top teeth missing and just one on each side.  There smile is just as beautiful as a person who did have teeth  because the spirit shines.  The spirit is within the self and it is not reflected in external beauty. Often people will comment on my beauty and after time I realized that they are not commenting on how I look rather they are commenting on my spirit.  It is my God given spirit, which shines through my smile.  For these Guatemalans who are Mayans, there is a spiritual energy that is coming through their being.  It is being transmitted from the sky, moon, stars to the person.  Many Mayan people are full believers in astrology and their spirituality is present in life form, but also the structures they create especially the Mayan ruins. 

The Mayan population does not just shine through their smile, but they shine from what God gave up them up above in his own nature.  

Keep Smiling My Local friends, students, teachers, street vendors, hotel workers-everyone keep smiling=)

First Encounter

The first encounter with everyone at Mayan Families was really positive. I was introduced to everyone and within a few days, it was like I had been part of the family. One of the Family Coordinators even commented on how she thought I was an Employee as I had the "Aura" of someone working there for sometime. 

While I am not too fond in taking lunch hours, I enjoyed taking this lunch hour to go speak with locals.  I went to the local restaurant behind the pre-school to have some soup with tortillas.  They have this amazing soup with avocado, noodles, carrots, vegetables, and a light broth.  It costs $1 and its amazing.  As I sit and chat it up with a mother and her daughter, I notice they are sharing a plate of food.  I offer my tortillas and some salad.  The mother is so appreciative and takes the tortillas and puts them in her purse.  In restaurants in Guatemala, they will give you 8 to 12 tortillas for one simple meal.  It does not make any sense to me why one person would need that much unless they are serving a family that would make more sense. 



The woman is asking me about my life in US and how I like Guatemala,.  I told her the truth that I don't love US, but I love new cultures and I love Guatemala.  While I look around, I notice that there are all locals around me.  Not one of the staff from Mayan would ever eat there as they are sticking to their American diet and the tourist restaurants.  It's too bad most of them miss out on some great local food, but its my tradition to sit with the locals and learn about their customs and ways of living-Reason for Traveling Not Overpriced Tourist Restaurants. In their defense, you might get tired of eating the same Guatemalan food everyday.  

After my lunch, I saw a boy playing soccer by himself against the wall. I started playing and he was actually really good.  We had a nice little game going back and forth and I could tell he enjoyed it. After that I picked up some cantaloupe slices for .20 cents each and went on my way.

Back in the office, there were children to meet with who were having behavioral problems and I worked on my plan for the teachers and classroom.

Most things kept confidential for the organization.  

Pizza Anyone?

Walking back from the Nature Reserve, I came across a young boy and girl carrying a pizza box. They stopped and turned towards me saying, “Pizza?” with a big smile. I acted hesitantly as they quickly opened up the box.  They had a small blanket covering the top part and they lifted the blanket.  There were slices individually wrapped in saran-cheese with a slice of ham on top. They did not look so bad.  He said he would give me a slice for 5 Quetzal because I am a nice lady.  Everyone else pays 7 Quetzal. 

I was very happy to see that they had pizza in the box and not something else….

I knew I could never eat a slice so I bought one for mi amigo, Nicholas, at my hotel.  I decided that if there was something I wanted to buy from kids and I didn’t want to eat it(most things), I would give it to my hardworking, little friend. 

With the price of 5, I had to ask about their daily routine and profit.  They said the business is good, but they don’t make much profit.  I praised them for their good, business idea and told them to keep up the great work.  As incentive, I gave them 5 quetzals, which is about 75 cents US.

I remember in India when I used to give the street kids $1, they would put their hand out for more.

You may wonder, what did these kids do?

They smiled big saying, “Muchas gracias” and the girl was waiving the 5 quetzal in the air.  She held it crisply in her hand and she moved her hands back and forth with joy.  Oh these Guatemalan kids can be so cute.  Keep up the pizza delivery kids! 

      Pris stamp of approval!

La Cabesa

While traveling, one of my favorite traditions is placing items on top of the head.  It's quite special with the women of Guatemala as they use nothing to hold it onto the head rather than their own balance.  

In Panajachel, everything goes on the head, jewelry, clothing, food- on the head. The weight can be anywhere from 15 to 30 pounds. In the market, I asked one of my friends, Ana, if I could try it( This is really where the video camera would come in if I brought it).  I had everyone laughing as I thought I could do it, but it turns out I only made it a few steps.  I was definitely better at it in India, but clearly I had no skills this time.  No points scored for American on that one.  It proves to be a hard task and a laborious one for the women of Guatemala who are older in their 50s and 60s.  They are selling all day from 7am to 8 or 9 pm no matter how tired they get.  
One day I had an encounter with a very tired Mayan women. . The sun was setting with not many people around except the boat that had just docked. She had her basket off her head and she presented a bracelet in front of me lazily. It was clearly that it was the end of the day for her and she was tired. She said that the basket is too heavy.  

All the people were leaving the boat and I encouraged her to get out there and sell. It was her last sell for the day and then she could go home. She said, "Okay" and headed down to the dock. I sat above giving her some positive encouragement. 

Unfortunately, I could not carry her stuff on my head, but some encouragement at least got her up to bat in the last inning.  

There is unlimited beauty in acknowledgement, encouragement, and empowerment. PRIS