Matt Tiegland

Sitting in a beautiful garden, our table secluded by large ferns and other greens from other patrons, I had my defining moment on this trip. I was listening to a pleasant conversation between Tefi, my main source Mayari, her daughter, and her friend/teacher of the school/presidential marimba player Noe. However, I didn't understand a lick of Spanish. I remember having the thought that at no point in my life before and few points going forward would I have the opportunity to have a moment like this, surrounded by people I had grown to care about, words I didn't understand, but memories I would hang on to forever. Because I wasn't just listening awkwardly to the conversation, we sat at that table for over 3 hours on that pleasant Saturday afternoon and I got to be a part of those people's lives.

For a long time I have felt like I need to be a participator with my ideas. Someone who drives the conversation forward into interesting places, and that's still something I like to do, but it struck me at this small garden restaurant that a lot of my life would be better served listening instead of speaking. I’ve had other chances to do this as well, from working in team environments to interviewing in general. This moment also showed me what Guatemala is. As someone so little travelled as myself I like to think that I approach most experiences outside of Minnesota with a wide eyed curiosity, but of course things like the media and preconceptions will influence my perspectives. I think seeing the plethora of different ideas from individuals has shown me that Guatemala, like anywhere else, is full of people with different experiences. I have met many different Guatemalans that view politics, society, and general happenings differently than others do. Even in my conversation in the garden I gleaned that the three of them felt a lot differently about the topics of conversation.

I also grasped the importance of the moment in the sense of the rarity of it. I remember thanking Tefi for translating as much as she did afterwards because without her I wouldn’t have been able to carry a relationship with Mayari. She laughed at some of my words in Spanish I’ve been learning and we connected as educators as well. We also have agreed to stay in touch after this trip to get her students pen pals in the United States, which improving the Spanish department at my school I am teaching at next semester was not something I was planning on doing while I was down here. Another pleasant moment was when the water jug was brought out in an emptied out liquor bottle, and Mayari and co. laughed at my concerned expression that I might have accidentally ordered something inappropriate for a work related outing.

Overall, the camaraderie, the relationships, and the opportunities to be a listener all came to a fruition during that lunch. I learned that these experiences are obtainable through patience and work, and that human connection is human connection no matter where you are. I learned that Guatemala is a complex society, not a single story an impoverished Latin American country with lots of drugs we see in American media. This trip has been great to widen my perspective and teach me these things about myself.