Tu querida presencia

Beautiful artwork in the bar Cien Puertas in Guatemala City of the revolutionary, Che Guevera. 

I have been spending the last two nights in a lovely bar called Cien Puertas, 100 doors, which is a radically leftist bar which must have amazing stories. You can usually tell the story of a place by its walls. Well, Cien Puertas is full of graffiti in many languages, has been frequented by Palestinian activists, lovers, dreamers, people affected by tragedy who have seen the worst and only hope for the best. One of the phrases on the wall which really struck me was, You must stop crying or you will never see the stars. It's true. It really is. You can't let people get you down. If Guatemalan did that there would be none left now. For there is probably not one house untouched by the horror which these peoples have endured.

I was with a bunch of photographers and journalists and I mentioned to a young reporter friend about how intrigued I was that they use tubs of soap for washing dishes instead of liquid stuff. She told me that in some places they use sand to wash dishes. It's a special sand but yet still sand. Not very hygienic, right?

After speaking with a friend of mine from Baja Verapaz, in northern Guatemala, I learned that she cannot go to university because she is not able to get a job to raise 60 dollars for tuition and books and other stuff for the term. I mean, it's like 350 dollars for a year. I decided to coordinate with our other friend to get her that money so she can go to school. It all comes back to education...If you can't get it for a better job. What do you do? maquilas (sweatshops) or god knows what else. And there goes your dreams with such a small sum of money for most developed countries. And such is the American or western dream...Destroy others when you can. So do not be fooled by this statement. I am not low in spirits, not depressed. Just absorbing to make myself stronger to become a better advocate of those who won't have their voice heard otherwise. Remember my phrase from before....If you don't stop crying you won't see the stars...... :*

PS. The moon was so beautiful tonight. Half full...and low on the horizon around 1 AM Guate time. A Swiss friend once told me, the moon is a woman, she is a liar. When she is getting bigger (crecer (Spanish) o croitre (French)) she looks like a D, when she is getting smaller (descrecer (Spanish) o descroitre (French)) she looks like a C. It's true...