Lake Atitlán, Guatemala.

This post is a result of finding my old journal from 2016 where I documented my study abroad experience in Guatemala.This post focuses on the second part of my trip in Lake Atitlán where we conducted focus groups and researching environmentalism. Read the first part of my trip here.

May 28

Well, after my first failed attempt at climbing a volcano I admit I wasn't really interested in the second one. The second time around our group split into two: one went on another volcano excursion and the other went to visit the pueblos. Guess where I went? That's right, the pueblos!

At first, I felt a little judged by my peers for not wanting to go to the volcano ... It seemed like some people were trying to peer pressure those of us who didn't want to go on the hike, but I had an amazing and stress-free day. It was something I definitely needed after two weeks feeling super anxious. So far, today has been the best day ever and I can't believe we're leaving in a week! Besides, I also wanted to take the opportunity to learn more about the country's peoples and it gave me some time to think about some questions I wanted to ask such as:

1. Would making eco-friendly soap more accessible help with keeping the lake clean?

2. Why don't women use the pila built for them? How can we change attitudes to increase their use?

3. How could the community respond if access to the lake was restricted? What if running water was more accessible?

After all, we were in the lake area to study how culture could be changed to become more eco-friendly.

May 29

The hardest thing about being in Guatemala is dealing with my own internal anxiety and pain around so many people at all times. Sometimes, I decide to distance myself from the group because I need my own space. This trip has been tough because all of my triggers have been present most of the time such as heat, humidity, sunlight, tight spaces, and people who aren't very much aware of how their behavior affects others.

I also didn't like the inconsistency of the schedule and some activities just weren't my thing. For example, I was really disappointed because the nature reserve was not what I expected. The waterfall was actually tiny and the lake wasn't so great. Today was one of the days when I just wanted to be home. While I do look forward to the rest of the week, I am feeling ready to go home.

Definitely my mood today lol.

But, to take my mind off things: why are trees green and the ocean blue?

The terrestrial world is green and the oceanic world is blue because humans have the necessary cones in their visual system to recognize those colors (side note: can you tell I was over it this day lol). If we didn't, the world would be a different color in our perception. I think it's col that the sky and the ocean are blue because they are reflecting each other. I don't think there is much other reason other than that's how the world and we were made.

May 30

The beading class we took today was so cool. At first, it was really hard. Eventually, I got the hang of it. I was frustrated while making it, but I was glad I didn't give up. It was a super cool experience because now we know what goes into making those bracelets we always buy.

Here's an example of what we made. Now, imagine putting tiny beads into tiny strings by hand and then trying to make them look cute.. it was tough.

Today we had some interviews too, which was really interesting. I was surprised that participants actually participated and they consulted each other for a better understanding. I was expecting our interviewees would be shy and reserved, but they proved to be the quite opposite. In addition, I was glad we had a translator just in case they preferred to speak their indigenous language since the most we (the interviewers) knew was English and Spanish. Although those were some positives, there were also some negatives. Some participants were extremely late and some actually never showed up at all. In addition, two people dominated the conversation while the others in the group remained pretty quiet. Overall, it was better than I expected and we will have more opportunities to course correct.

I'm not sure if I agree that the indigenous population have nothing to do with the pollution in Lake Atitlán. Regardless of income, humans are consumers and we produce little to help our ecosystem. For example, the indigenous women who wash clothes in the lake are polluting the lake with phosphates used in detergents. While their role may be small, it is something that we should focus on decreasing. In addition, I don't think tourism is to blame for Lake Atitlán's contamination.

A greater role for handling waste management should be placed on the government. In fact, the government plays the largest role because they have the resources to create more recycling systems, waste disposals, and sophisticated water treatment plants. Since these options aren't very accessible, people will continue to contaminate the water. Once better options for waste disposal become available, Lake Atitlán will begin to heal. The variable we don't have much control over is the amount of waste created, so we should focus on how to impact the disposal of said waste.

May 31

Some of the residents of Atitlán have invested their time into saving the lake because as they said, this is their home. They have grown up with the lake and they don't want to see it destroyed. Actually, a lake in Guatemala has already been destroyed because of overuse coupled with global warming causing extreme heat. Three priorities we should focus on in order to save the environment are:

1. Creating group cohesion throughout Maya groups given the language barriers preventing a more communal lifestyle

2. Increase governmental support

3. Create water treatment plants that do work at 100%

Unfortunately, the barrier to the above priorities is funding. All projects need money regardless of the number of volunteers available.

The data we collected today fit into the report we read prior to conducting our research in numerous ways. First, Figure 1 (a similar figure is included below in order to prevent you all from looking at my chicken scratch in my journal lol) is accurate because as water transparency decreases, do do oxygen levels. Our secchi disc data confirmed transparency at 9 meters while oxygen levels remained at 94% at the surface. 60 meters down, the oxygen level fell to 63.8% and dropped drastically at 350 meters to just 17.1%. This also implies that the lake is a dead zone given that despite being water-dwelling, creatures (including plants) still need oxygen to remain alive. In addition, we caught more cyanobacteria between 20 and 60 meters when compared to 0 and 20 meters. This information coincides with the information we were presented with in the report as well.

This is about Cyanobacteria in Ohio, which was contaminating the water with toxic waste similar to what was going on in Guatemala at the time.

June 1

I didn't really think I'd like the coking class, but I actually did! It was so much fun and nothing went wrong (thankfully). I actually liked today's class more than the beading one since I didn't need as much patience and felt less frustration overall.

Today's dish was really cool because we made one that used a combination of Guatemalan and Asian spices. We made samosas, which really had the blend with ginger and hot peppers. I'm glad we are eating plantains again because plantains are to Dominicans what tortillas are to Guatemalans!

SO GOOD.

I also really liked cooking today because it was one of the activities I really enjoyed before I got really sick last semester (I almost took 2 medical leaves, but that's a different story for a different day). It shows me just how much progress I've made to be able to do normal things like cooking again.

Over the last few days, I didn't journal anymore -- but, I made sure to take pictures. Check some of my faves below!

Yesterday was the day to fight like enemies // today is the day to play like friends -- featured on a soccer field.

Street art calling for environmentalism was quite common in Guat.

It's called environment because we have already ruined the other half -- medio ambiente directly translates to half ambient.

In a world not too far ...

We don't want a half ambient (environment), we want it complete.

Traveling, drinking with friends, taking classes, and interviewing locals with peers.

An experience I will never forget nor regret, I'll be back for you soon Guat.

Thank you to Professor Ashdown, my advisor in Psychology for convincing me to take this trip and supporting me while there. Thank you to my homestay family for making me feel at home and inviting me back into your home indefinitely. Thank you to my peers, Maryum and Lester especially, for making this a fun experience. Thank you to my Mami for always supporting my travel plans.