Photos

During my recent trip to Guatemala, I spent some time on a coffee farm in the western highlands run collectively by former Mayan guerrillas. Life on the farm is colored by so many different emotions from the struggle of poverty, the difficulties of collective living, to the hope that the children on the farm will be able to carry the community forward while still maintaining the history, tradition and identity of Mayans.

This girl is one of the many kids on the farm who helped me understand that there is a lot of hope in the world. It is easy to visit places like this and get overwhelmed by the feelings of despair that poverty pushes to the surface. Yes, it is not fair, but it is also not useful to dwell on the unfairness in the world because that is not what fuels change.

Clearly helping a soul searching gringa is no easy task, even for someone as young as her! Any place at any time offers a suitable location for a quick catnap for refueling. It is very much the way of life on the farm in the hazy afternoon heat to succumb to the heaviness of your eyelids, and just rest.