Canada Day

Today is Canada Day. At first, I thought, well I won’t be going to a parade, a pancake breakfast, a BBQ or fireworks to celebrate this Canada day. But then I started thinking, what does it mean to celebrate being Canadian especially since I’m living in a different country, one that has a much different history than ‘the true north strong and free’. And what does it mean that I’m a Canadian in today’s world.

I would like to start with a comparison of 2 very different celebrations. Now comparisons are not always fair as there are so many cultural, historical and other issues that are so different and need to be taken into account. Having said that the first celebration is obviously Canada Day, the day that we as Canadians celebrate the forming of our nation. There was no big war, in fact it was the signing of paper to unite 3 colonies into one country within the British Empire. (I’ll admit, I had to look up some of the details to refresh my memory :)) So 145 years ago, a paper was signed and the country of Canada came into existence. To be honest, now it seems like Canada Day is a day to say yeah I’m Canadian and I get a long weekend! It’s a bit more about the party, at least that’s how it seems to me as I reflect today.

Now in contrast to this celebration, there was a celebration here in Guatemala yesterday. The special day was the day of the army, it’s a national holiday and quite a big deal. Now when I look at this celebration I get a mixed feeling about it. From talking with people, and seeing a bit on the news last night, there is a sense of national pride in the army, or at least that’s what is portrayed. However I can’t help but think that this is the same army which during the civil war here in Guatemala, of which the peace treaty was only signed in 1996, committed great atrocities against there own people. Killing entire villages just because of their heritage. Some of the leaders have been convicted of war crimes. http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/03/6060-year-prison-norm-some-guatemalan-war-criminals/49812/ People’s lives were torn apart and some were even living a lie without knowing it. Here’s a link to a podcast of a story of what happened at one of the massacre sites with personal accounts of those involved and where they are now. WARNING: this might be a bit graphic for some. http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/465/what-happened-at-dos-erres

Sometimes I have a hard time putting into perspective such varying differences. Especially when it seems so unfair that I had the privilege to be born into a country such as Canada. It seems so random. But what I can do, is be aware that my way of living, is not the only one in the world. There are so many other perspectives and stories. I can bring my experience and learn from others to hopefully create a more fair world. One where everyone has what they need because people see the value of a human life and the value of sharing with those who might not have what they do.

To my Canadian friends, Happy Canada Day! I hope that you take a moment to think what the celebration means for you. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Canadian Thanksgiving in Guatemala

Well my Canadian friends, this weekend is Thanksgiving. A time to get together with family and friends and eat a ton of food and be thankful for the people in our lives, where we live, what we have, a good harvest, and the list goes on. What are you thankful for this year? Do you take time to think about that this weekend or is it just about the food:)? How do you show your thankfulness?

Well here in Guatemala there is not ‘Thanksgiving’ per say, but Mick & Debora, the founders of the Integral Heart Foundation, both have their birthdays in October. We are hoping to get a 100, $5 donations in honor of this so that we can give gifts to the children in our programs. If you would like to give some of your thanks to these children here in Guatemala, go here for more information http://www.integralheartfoundation.org/birthday.donors.htm

So what am I thankful for? I am thankful that I am able to live in a beautiful country and be doing work that is actually changing lives. I’m thankful for the friends and family here in Guatemala, in Canada, and in other parts of the world. I'm thankful for the kids we get to work with, they are inspiring as they work so hard to have what comes so easily for people in other parts of the world. I'm thankful that I don't have to be in snow this winter!

Even though there is no official Thanksgiving, I will be celebrating with some friends here in Guatemala. We will be representing Canada, US, Germany, and the Philippines (kind of:)). We too are looking forward to an evening of good food, good company and good conversation. I’m going to try to do the turkey dinner thing on Monday, but we’ll see what the market has to offer for our meal:).

So enjoy your turkey, ham or whatever you will be eating. And if you are able, pass on some of that goodness to those who won’t be eating a big celebratory meal this weekend or maybe not eating at all.

"No one has every become poor by giving"  Anne Frank ~Diary of a Young Girl

Walking for Guatemala

Hello friends,

Today I'd like to draw your attention to a friend of mine, her name is Tanya Hughes and she's from Vancouver BC. She has committed to walking 500km from August 15th to the end of September in order to raise funds and awareness for us, The Integral Heart Foundation as well as her Spanish teacher. I met Tanya here in Guatemala and she has returned to Canada and is now helping on the home front! She has already raised $1890!! Go Tanya! Here is her blog giving details about her goals and the story and how you can sponsor her in her efforts, http://walkforguatemala.wordpress.com/

The Art of Writing a Letter

I used to be a good letter writer, as in consistent (even while working at summer camp!) and I actually enjoyed it both for getting them and sending but more for getting them back :). I have received some good letters. One time a friend of mine typed a 2 page letter and then cut it up so I had to put it together before I could read it. It was kind of frustrating but hilarious at the same time! But there’s something about receiving a letter from a friend in their handwriting that is personal. When I was a kid, and didn’t get junk mail:), it was always fun to have something come in the mail, just for me. That personal aspect of communication is somewhat lost in the electronic age. However, I love that while I am living so far away from family and friends, I don’t have to wait months to receive a letter, the convenience of electronic communication is amazing! I’ve been thinking about my job/role here with the Integral Heart Foundation as Sponsor Liaison. My job is to be the intermediary between these beautiful children and the wonderful people who are willing to give to help these children have a chance at a better future. So in the spirit of the theme of this post, I will use the electronic communication to write a letter to convey my thoughts and my heart on this role/responsibility (you’ll have to imagine my handwriting:)).

·      Dear Friend,

Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve written so I’ll do my best to not make it a book:). How are you doing? What’s going on in your world these days? I’d love to hear an update when you have a chance!

Life in Guatemala, where do I start?! I’m happy to be here, I’m frustrated by it, sometimes it’s hard, I’m content, you know the opposing feelings, but overall I love living here and I am enjoying the work I do. So more details on all of these. Well, my job title with Integral Heart Foundation is Sponsor Liaison. So what that means in a nutshell, is that I am the person in between our sponsors and their sponsored kids. One thing I really love is that we are really trying to foster a personal relationship between the sponsor and the children. We have done some skype chats between sponsor and child and always with a positive response along the lines of “it makes it so much more real, they are actually a person and not just a photo!” The kids are usually quite shy the first time, but they love it:). We give the sponsors a picture to put up on their fridge when they sign up. We have started collecting pictures from the sponsors along with a personal note form the sponsor to the child and framing them and giving them to the kids! It’s great because both parties get to have pictures and think about each other and the future that now is possible for this child because of the generosity of a stranger. This is a good part! A hard part is seeing a parent who can’t dream for their children and doesn’t seem to want a better life for their kids than they have. Sometimes it seems like they are throwing away possibly the only opportunity that they might get to make a change for the future. Or seeing a child who chooses to not accept the amazing gift given to them. Or feeling helpless in certain situations. But then, you see families, parents and children who are working so hard and are so thankful for what they are receiving and are now able to accomplish. I’m looking forward to seeing the kids in a few years and being able to have some success stories!

Life for me personally is different here. I don’t have a car, so I need to walk or take public transportation, usually a combination of both. Which adds commuting time to my day and sometimes I need to plan well because there are buses that only go at certain times to certain areas. I am washing laundry by hand, which adds time, there’s no throwing a load in and doing something else in the mean time:). I have to carry all my groceries, so that usually means going once a week. But the fresh produce at the market is great!

Another part of my role is to be a voice for these kids. Sometimes, as I mentioned that’s hard. But where I can speak for them is with you. These kids need help, so many of them could have a future so bright and so much better than the life they are living right now. But they need people like you and your friends to know that they exist and to know how you can become involved. So that’s where I come in:). Here’s our website; http://www.integralheartfoundation.org/index.html, where there is more information on what we are doing here in Guatemala and how you can be a part of a child’s future. You can take a look at the children that already have sponsors and those that are ready to be sponsored. Maybe there will be a face or a story that tugs at your heart or you can relate to in some way and you would like to help. Or maybe you would like to host a small virtual fundraiser at your house. Maybe an appetizer or dessert evening where I could skype in and we could catch up and I could give you some more information on the Integral Heart Foundation. Or maybe you have another idea of how you would like to be involved. We are always looking for creative ideas and partnerships to help in the work that we are doing. Let me know if any of these seem like something you would like to do. I know there are lots of organizations that are doing good and are vying for your support. So I thank you, as my friend, for taking the time to read about what I’m doing here. If you can, please pass on our information to your family and friends.

Well this turned into more of a book than I intended:). But thanks again for reading and for caring about me. I appreciate your friendship and look forward to hearing about what’s going on in your life.

Enjoy your day my friend!

Love Liz