Hasta luego mi querida Guatemala

I vividly remember sitting in my dorm room last spring telling myself “Ok, only a few more months until I get to go to Guatemala. Just get through this round of midterms. Just get through these next few weeks.” Now here I am sitting in the Guatemala airport with tears streaming down my face in disbelief that the internship is already over. I thought I knew what to expect from this internship since I’ve worked with Porch de Salomon multiple times. Little did I know it would exceed my expectations in every way.

This summer I finally came to truly understand why these trips are so important: yes, we helped build a home for Marta Julia, Wendy, and Sandra who were in desperate need. Yes, I helped get Marta Julia started on learning to read. Yes, I bought food, clothes, and books for those in need. But those things are not the main reasons why me and the other interns spent 6 weeks in Guatemala. More importantly, we helped renew the faith that Marta Julia, Wendy, Sandra, Jorge, Lazaro and Hilda, among others, have in God. We helped them to not abandon hope for a better life. We showed them that the amount of quetzales you have, the years of schooling you’ve completed and the clothes you wear don’t determine your self worth or make you better or worse than someone else. We laughed with them. We cried with them. We joked with them. We showed them unconditional love.

Saying goodbye to our family, foremen, and translator was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I will never forget the sound of Marta struggling to get words out between her sobs, Wendy holding a tight grip on me and refusing to let go, and Sandra wiping the tears from my face as we left. I won’t forget Jorge singing songs in his adorable high pitched voice, Lazaro’s jokes, and Hilda’s big heart for her country. It’s absolutely heartbreaking to leave such a big piece of my heart in Guatemala, but this reminds me of how lucky I am to love and be loved by people so far away.

Without a doubt I got just as much, if not more, out of this internship than I gave. I came in nervous to live with people with backgrounds so different than mine that I’ve never met before. I left with 10 new best friends. I came in anxious to meet Genia and was initially intimidated by her strong background in faith. I left with an insurmountable amount of wisdom from her and a second mother figure that I will forever be an inspiration to me. I came in with a basic understanding of Panajachel and Guatemala as a whole. I left with newfound appreciation for the country’s history and its Mayan population, and came to know our neighborhood like the back of my hand. I came in with little understanding of what it means to be Christian. While I still have a lot to learn, I left with a newfound understanding of what it means to serve. I came in full of uncertainty and anxiety about my future. I left with the inspiration, courage, and support I need to reach for the stars and follow my dreams.

I can never thank Genia, Jennifer, the other interns, Hilda, our family, foremen, and so many more sweet souls for everything they’ve done for me and for how full they’ve made my heart this summer. I will definitely not be going home the same person and I look forward to soon making serving in Panajachel a more integral part of my life.

No es adios, solo es hasta luego mi querida Guatemala.

-Alex Ciullo 2017 Para Servir Intern