The days were devoid of the rain that came daily at the beginning of our trip, and they lacked the intensity of prison visits, overnight stays with Mayan families and trash dump observations. Wrapping up our first week in Guatemala, Friday, Saturday and Sunday were certainly less mentally draining than the preceding days had been, but we stayed busy exploring and learning about city life and culture.

Friday represented a shift in the role we had been playing since our arrival. We took on more of the tourist perspective, first visiting a 3-D topographical map of Guatemala. The bluish-green relief map, one of the first and most accurate depictions of its kind in the world, allowed us to visualize our position in relation to the rest of the country. It showed us how large the volcanoes near Lake Atitlan are compared to others and how far the city is from the ocean.

Next, we visited a large square where pigeons rivaled humans for population density. There were people watchers on benches, couples kissing by the fountain and artists sketching the adjacent Cathedral. Below the huge Guatemalan flag whipping around in the wind, a man sold bird seed and a snow cone vendor pushed his cart around in search of customers.

As we continued exploring the city, we passed some of the many street vendors found throughout the city. We then entered an underground market reminiscent of Philadelphia’s Reading terminal, packed with food, produce, flowers and culturally relevant clothing and trinkets. Before heading to a different area, we visited the municipal arts building where a great deal of arts classes of various mediums are taught. We had lunch then visited a museum related to Mayan culture and history.

To finish off our city exploration, we drove past the wealthy area of Guatemala City. Many of Guatemala’s most wealthy citizens live in the many mansions on the hills overlooking the city. Still tired from the rest of the week, we took a siesta before heading out that night to see a band playing Spanish music.

Saturday we had some time to get a little extra sleep, without a full schedule characteristic of our trip. However, the day was filled with a great deal of work and planning for most of the members of our group.

To ensure they are adequately prepared for their work in La Limonada in the upcoming week, they spent most of the day working on lesson plans, preparing music and putting base coats on a to-be-created mural. Taking a break for awhile, we headed to McDonald’s for a meeting with the leader of one of Guatemala’s largest civic organizations, ¡Guate Amala! Circled up and confined to our own space, we listened intently to the organization’s director as she spoke about the organization’s intentions and hopes. She wore a blue shirt that many supporters of the organization sport reading “actitud positive,” positive attitude.

So far, the organization has reached 2.5 million people, and the e-mail mailing list is comprised of 70,000 citizens.

One of the main goals of ¡Guate Amala! is to promote many of Guatemala’s positive traits, instead of focusing on the country’s problems, such as gang violence and poverty.

Linda attributes much of the organization’s success to a younger generation interested in activism and social change.

After another restful night, we went to a service at a mega church just outside of the city. The service opened with several musical numbers.

The setup rivaled most concerts. The fog from the fog machine filled the stage lead as the singer walked from side to side. The colored lights rotated about, lighting up the stage and shining on the crowd. To the lead singer’s right, the band provided the source of the deep bass vibrating in our chests; to her left, there were six backup singers and a flutist in matching outfits.

The semicircular sanctuary was like an arena, with stadium-style seating and 30 or so ushers. Three cameramen were stationed throughout the room, providing the feed for the large screens beside the stage. Above the stage, large, gold print reads “Casa de Dios,” House of God. In the corners, monitors flashed the designated numbers of children whose parents needed to pick them up from the nursery. 

We listened to the sermon through our earpieces, as the translator convincingly conveyed the Pastor’s fervor. Following the service, we met with the church’s theatre group, CasaTeatro. We explained the reason for our visit and heard their mission. The group, comprised of performers that have attended or completed a program with “the country’s best teachers,” put on their shows not only for their own church but also throughout the community.

Returning to the hostel, we had a couple of hours of rest prior to our dinner. Around five, we dined with an archeologist, Margarita Cossich, whose work focused on the stitching methods and textile styles of the many the Mayan culture. She was the first in her field to suggest that the weaving characteristic of the Mayan community was not a job for women only, as others in her field have suggested. She also explained that the clothing of the indigenous people today are much more colorful than they had been, far surpassing the simplicity of the four colors used in patterns of the past.

Nearing bedtime Sunday night and reflecting on the past couple of days, there is far less to process. We learned a lot and remained fairly busy, but it was in a different manner. The more relaxed time provided adequate rest. Hopefully, we will be mentally and physically prepared for our week ahead in the slum.