Just as promised we took off on our 14 hour journey at 5:30 am. While the journey was followed by total exhaustion, it was an incredible introduction to the country. We drove through farmland, rolling hills, urban sprawl, and cozy towns tucked away in the mountains. We traversed a peak at 11,000 feet then fell back down to 3,000 feet before driving right back up another mountain. Some of the way was paved road, but it soon gave way to gravel and dirt, or sometimes cobblestone.
Much of Guatemala’s infrastructure is centered around Guatemala City and does not extend far into rural areas. If we were on a well built highway, the drive probably would have taken four hours, but the conditions and lack of routes, really lengthened the the trek. There was one point where a huge truck was having road problems right on a tight corner. No one on either side was able to pass around them so we waited basically motionless for 40 minutes! There was a nother point where we were traversing a steep slope, when we drove by a huge cross on the side of the highway. Marco told me that this was an entire bus of 36 people who slipped of the cliff to their death about ten years ago. Those buses are many people’s main access to transportation.
While for me, it was the longest drive I’d ever experienced, Marco told me that in his 15 years living in Barillas, he had done the drive around 300 times! He told me that it is hard at first, but it eventually becomes routine. Looking back, I think the most daunting part was the thought of 14 hours on a bumpy road. The drive itself passed reasonably smoothly. Plus, Marco and I made good use of the time. We probably spent 70% of the trip recording Spanish words and phrases that I did not know. IT WAS ENDLESS. I know I have about 10 pages in my journal filled with shaky Spanish writing hopefully it was worth it, and I will be able to read it tomorrow!
We also conversed some about our lives. Marco was born in San Marco and Mimi his wife in San Pedro two neighboring towns. He lived in Barillas for two years before moving to the United States for a year and a half to get his degree at Everett Community college while staying with HFPF’s previous executive director Pete Kinch. The Kinch’s played a huge role in his young life, providing a home and financial support for his time at school. He still very close with them today. So close even, that his eight year old son son Alan refers to them as his third grandparents. In the short span of 1.5 years, he was able to finish school in a second language while still finding time travel here and there including multiple greyhound bus rides from Seattle to San Diego! Through his time in school and as Global Director for HFPF, he thinks he has seen a total of about 10 different US. states.
Around dusk at 6:45, we were turning the corner on a hill, when we saw below a vast sprawl of lights in the valley. “We can finally see Barillas, there is hope!” Marco gave a small chuckled and I laughed a long mostly out of genuine relief.
We made our way down the hillside to a warm welcome from Mimi and Alan. Mimi had prepared a delicious chicken soup dinner and homemade tortillas which really hit the spot after such a long day. We made a little small conversation, before heading off to bed before church tomorrow. I was happy to see that I could understand Alan and Mimi reasonably well and they could pick up scattered Spanish. I still got easily lost when they spoke quickly to each other, but I was glad that there was hope for the future!
After dinner, Mimi showed me to the Mission house were I would stay. HFPF’s entire headquarters is on one property including their house. It was nice to see that I had good caring people a door knock away. After Mimi left, I did not waste any time before collapsing on my bed and calling it a night.