I have been having many conversations about the definition of home. I find that when I travel I meet many more people who have their own idea of home.
My thoughts of what and where home is and can be have changed. Right now I consider Antigua, Guatemala my home. At least for five months. It is where I sleep. It is where I eat. It is where I have classes. It is where I have many new friends whom I consider family. I shop with the locals and take my laundry to the “lavandaria”.
It is surprising how comfortable I feel here in a third world country. This place draws one here and then holds on tight. The pattern seems to be to visit once, return again and again, extend your stay each time, and then move here. It’s a little scary how much I fit this pattern. This is my fourth time in three years, and my time here is longer every trip.
The cliché’ “Home is where the heart is” comes to mind. It fits with my philosophy of life. The whole “Be Here Now” thing. Live in the moment.
I know I bring up Burning Man a lot, but it has had a big impact on who I am and what I do. As weird as it may sound, Guatemala is very much a Burning Man feel. Here I have a community of people I live with, eat with, and have become fast friends with. It is a place of many healers. It is brimming with creative folk. And, the happiness quotient seems to be a lot higher even though the country is poor and they don’t have many possessions. To read about it is one thing, but to witness it is a whole other game.
Another way it feels like Burning Man is that it is a very transient community. Many people come and go and it's hard to see them leave.
I want to share mini-bios of some of the people I have met so far. They are all so interesting in their own way. All seem to be following their dream.
Julie, 44, from San Diego. Here learning Spanish and doing a little soul-searching, too. She used to be a professional photographer for UpBeat Magazine, and Rolling Stone.com. She has traveled the world and has been to about 40 countries.
Anna, 55, from outside of Toronto, Canada. A retired school teacher visiting just to have fun this time. It's her fourth time here and on her last trip she organized a group of teacher to come and do some teacher training in the indigenous communities. She is headed for Bhutan in February to teach elementary school for ten months.
Chris, 61, now lives here after many visits. He just completed his paperwork and should be a resident next month. He has been a volunteer teacher in a nearby public school. He teaches English and absolutely loves it. He also has a teenage boy he sponsors whom he calls his Godson. He is close with family and gets lots of Spanish practice. AND, he has decided to start a school for the deaf here in Antigua. He has a big heart and is incredibly nice. He lives here at the same guesthouse.
Yannick, 40, from Montreal. Well, he was born in Belgium, lived in France, and is now Canadian. He is a pilot who was recently laid off from Zoom Air and is now taking his 750 cc motorcycle from Montreal to Tierra del fuego at the bottom of South America.
Nikki,38, from Florida. A bartender here for only a week. She has travelled the world and has lived in many different countries, including South Africa. She has great stories about her adventures. She says she was born without the “fear” gene. She just got back from el Salvadore where she learned to surf. Mind you, in an area known for sharks. That’s Nikki!
I could go on with the bios, but I think you get the point. So many people with so many interesting things to talk about.
My home here is one room with a bathroom connected. I can stand in the middle and see everything I own. I have creature comforts such as internet access, hot water, my iPod, and my laptop. I feel physically, mentally, emotionally,and spiritually lighter than ever. It was definitely the right choice for me.
My thoughts of what and where home is and can be have changed. Right now I consider Antigua, Guatemala my home. At least for five months. It is where I sleep. It is where I eat. It is where I have classes. It is where I have many new friends whom I consider family. I shop with the locals and take my laundry to the “lavandaria”.
It is surprising how comfortable I feel here in a third world country. This place draws one here and then holds on tight. The pattern seems to be to visit once, return again and again, extend your stay each time, and then move here. It’s a little scary how much I fit this pattern. This is my fourth time in three years, and my time here is longer every trip.
The cliché’ “Home is where the heart is” comes to mind. It fits with my philosophy of life. The whole “Be Here Now” thing. Live in the moment.
I know I bring up Burning Man a lot, but it has had a big impact on who I am and what I do. As weird as it may sound, Guatemala is very much a Burning Man feel. Here I have a community of people I live with, eat with, and have become fast friends with. It is a place of many healers. It is brimming with creative folk. And, the happiness quotient seems to be a lot higher even though the country is poor and they don’t have many possessions. To read about it is one thing, but to witness it is a whole other game.
Another way it feels like Burning Man is that it is a very transient community. Many people come and go and it's hard to see them leave.
I want to share mini-bios of some of the people I have met so far. They are all so interesting in their own way. All seem to be following their dream.
Julie, 44, from San Diego. Here learning Spanish and doing a little soul-searching, too. She used to be a professional photographer for UpBeat Magazine, and Rolling Stone.com. She has traveled the world and has been to about 40 countries.
Anna, 55, from outside of Toronto, Canada. A retired school teacher visiting just to have fun this time. It's her fourth time here and on her last trip she organized a group of teacher to come and do some teacher training in the indigenous communities. She is headed for Bhutan in February to teach elementary school for ten months.
Chris, 61, now lives here after many visits. He just completed his paperwork and should be a resident next month. He has been a volunteer teacher in a nearby public school. He teaches English and absolutely loves it. He also has a teenage boy he sponsors whom he calls his Godson. He is close with family and gets lots of Spanish practice. AND, he has decided to start a school for the deaf here in Antigua. He has a big heart and is incredibly nice. He lives here at the same guesthouse.
Yannick, 40, from Montreal. Well, he was born in Belgium, lived in France, and is now Canadian. He is a pilot who was recently laid off from Zoom Air and is now taking his 750 cc motorcycle from Montreal to Tierra del fuego at the bottom of South America.
Nikki,38, from Florida. A bartender here for only a week. She has travelled the world and has lived in many different countries, including South Africa. She has great stories about her adventures. She says she was born without the “fear” gene. She just got back from el Salvadore where she learned to surf. Mind you, in an area known for sharks. That’s Nikki!
I could go on with the bios, but I think you get the point. So many people with so many interesting things to talk about.
My home here is one room with a bathroom connected. I can stand in the middle and see everything I own. I have creature comforts such as internet access, hot water, my iPod, and my laptop. I feel physically, mentally, emotionally,and spiritually lighter than ever. It was definitely the right choice for me.
To Friends At Home
TO friends at home, the lone, the admired, the lostThe gracious old, the lovely young, to MayThe fair, December the beloved,These from my blue horizon and green isles,These from this pinnacle of distances I,The unforgetful, dedicate.
by Robert Louis Stevenson
