Nicole touched on something in an earlier post that I wanted to piggy back on a little. She talked about a converstation she had where the fact that Nicole and I are two working non married woman who are able to travel freely was pointed out to her. Funny thing is it wasn’t until she shared her converstation with me that I even stopped to take pause about that simple fact that I clearly take for granted. If I allow myself to view my own situation from the vantage point of a typical Guatemalan woman or man…how insane that concept must seem. To be completely financially independent and to be free to do as I please is something I very much take for granted. Not to dismiss the fact that I work two jobs, but to their point the fact that I am able to find two jobs to have is something inconceivable to them. Access to education, that then gave me access to jobs (in a country with jobs), that then gave me freedom and independence. I don’t have to have a husband to survive or feed myself. I don’t require support. And because no one else is supporting me no one gets the right to dictate me either. If I choose to be with someone it is because I desire to be with him, not because I am just trying to survive. If I am in an unhealthy relationship I am free to go because I have the means to do so. I also have a huge support system in my life of family and friends that if I ever find myself in a situation I can’t manage on my own I know I have people willing to back me. It’s hard to place myself in the shoes of a “typical woman” here. Being in the outside towns and also at the clinic with Nicole the other day were great experience to help me grow my empathy, and the amount of empathy I feel is overwhelming. I also have a great deal of admiration for the hard work that living here requires. Nothing is easy here. Everything takes effort. We drove through other villages on our way to Pacaya and saw life outside of a very touristy Antigua. Watching the woman of the villages we passed having to walk down hills to the community water spouts and then lug the juggs of water back home, or carry their laundry to the community pila only to carry it home wet to hang. Women and men carring large heavy objects hanging from their heads. The quote “necessity is the mother of invention” is something you see in live living color here. They have created ways of doing things to help make life a little easier, all while, from my perspective, life is still far harder here. And yet kindness prevailes. People here are kind and genuine. Life is slower here and when you aren’t all self consumed (like we are most times in our society) you get to really engage with people. Experiences like this continue to reinforce my belief that to be human and to treat others not just with kindness but with empathy outside of our own understanding is the most coveted quality someone can possess.