On Thursday, 10/14, I flew to GUATEMALA. An amazing trip! I traveled to that country to celebrate a wedding for a deaf couple from Chicago. The groom, ERIC BALCAREL, was born in Guatemala.
Flying into Guatemala, I was amazed at the scenery. The country is very mountainous. Even in Guatemala City itself, there are deep ravines, and high mountains, and several volcanos!(GUATEMALA has 22 "Departments" - similar to our "States"; and Guatemala City has 27 "zones" - similar to wards or neighborhoods.) Eric's father met me at the airport(Guatenmala City) and drove me to the family home. The traffic was crazy, worse than Mexico! That afternoon, we had a big reunion at the house: Eric's family; his brother and wife, JUAN & JOANNE BALCAREL and daughter KAROLINA; JULIAN, a deaf friend who now lives in Canada. The home is very small by American standards, but the food and hospitality were wonderful.
Even the smallest Guatemalan homes have a roof or small porch. Every roof has a big barrel (or several barrels) to collect rain. Water is a real problem in Guatemala (it does not rain from October till June!). The plumbing is very old, and often does not work in the entire country.
That evening,we had the wedding rehearsal at the small neighborhood church. The church is located in an area that must have guards with guns to protect the homes. Afterwards, we went back to the home. More deaf joined us, including BRENDA FAJARDO, a deaf young woman I met in Miami eight years ago, and her husband SERGIO. BRENDA teaches at the School for the Deaf in Guatemala City. Guatemalan sign-language is very different, but we were able to communicate. I had a long discussion with Brenda re: education for deaf students in Guatemala. The Guatemalan government does nothing for the deaf! The school for the deaf is funded by money from SPAIN! In general, education for deaf students and opportunities are improving, but still very limited.Brenda explained that what complicates deaf education is the situation of the deaf who come from native tribes. In Guatemala(more in part 2), there are about twenty different tribes. (The strongest is the Mayans). Each tribe has their own dialect (language). So, deaf chidlren growing up in the tribal areas, learn a sign-language that is more gesture than sign. So, education and communication for them is a problem. Even though we were all crowded into a tiny kitchen, the home-cooked food was excellent: meat (Guatemalas eat a lot of meat!), black beans, delicious breads and tortillas, fresh vegetables and potatoes. I finally got to bed at the home of one of the priests. He was very welcoming and hospitable.I fell asleep immediately.. More in Part 2.