Winfrey asked me to write a guest post on his blog about my recent trip to Guatemala to visit him. It was truly a trip of a lifetime for me! of course, the best part of the trip was spending time with Winfrey as it had been nine months since I had seen him. He looked great and is doing well but he didn't want me to offer to buy him a plane ticket home with me (which I did immediately upon my arrival!). He and some of the other PC volunteers that I met who have been there as long as he are wondering if they can make it another six months to the end of their service.
I was anxious about my trip for many reasons but the safety and security issues were my greatest concern. Thanks to all of you who prayed for my safety and please continue to pray for Winfrey's safety and good health. Winfrey had told me that he would try to be at the airport when I arrived in Guatemala City on Monday, October 3rd, but he couldn't guarantee it because of the unreliable transportation. He instructed me to follow the crowd outside to look for him and wait if necessary. Thankfully, the woman who sat beside me on the flight from Atlanta to Guatemala City was born and grew up in Guatemala, moving to Huntsville, Alabama in 1997. She assured me that she and her boyfriend would wait with me until I found Winfrey. She was a God-send and Winfrey was there waiting when I emerged from the airport terminal. What a "sight for sore eyes"! We took a taxi from the airport to a bus station and got there in time to get on a bus that does not stop along the route from Guatemala City to Coban. That proved to be a true blessing because the other bus that left at the same going the same route to Coban that stops along the way was attacked. A passenger on our bus received a text message that the bus driver on the other bus was killed and the passengers robbed by someone that got on the bus one of the times it stopped. Winfrey tried to confirm that report with the security person for the Peace Corps. He was able to confirm the attack on the other bus but not the details. That was a disconcerting way to start the trip! That bus ride to Coban took about five hours. There had been numerous (probably 20) landslides along the road causing one lane of the road to be closed where they had cleared a lane for traffic to pass. There was one occasion when the road was covered in mud, rain was falling and our bus was sliding but thankfully the driver got it back under control. Needless to say, I was very thankful to reach Coban safely and get checked into a small, quaint hotel. Dinner that night was memorable with Winfrey, Evan (a Peace Corps Volunteer) and Fife (a former PCV who is now working for a Non-Governmental Organization there). We dined at a Cuban restaurant with great food, a wonderful atmosphere and delicious mojitos. I was even serenaded on the street corner that night by a Mariachi band on the way back to the hotel. An exciting ending to an exciting day!
Tuesday morning began with a delicious breakfast with Winfrey's good friend and grandmotherly figure, Martita. She prepared huevos fried in cream, refried beans, tortillas, plantains, and coffee with hot milk. She spoke very little English and I spoke very little Spanish but we shared a good conversation (along with a few tears) with me telling her how much I appreciated her caring for Winfrey and her telling me what a fine son I had. Following breakfast, we made a brief trip to a shopping center and Wal-Mart owned store, Pariz, and then took a taxi from Coban to Chicoj, the community where Winfrey lives and works. We first visited the school and it was so much fun to see how excited the children were to see "Willy" as they call him. I was able to go into several classrooms and meet teachers and the principal. I even got to see the toothbrushes that Tommy had donated for the school and that Winfrey had taught them how to use. They remain at the school and are used there to assure that the students brush their teeth. Unfortunately after hugging lots of children, we learned that there was an outbreak of head lice at the school. But visiting the school was a special part of the trip for me! When we left the school, we walked to Winfrey's site at the coffee co-op where I was given a personal tour by Gloria, a Guatemalan employee of the co-op. She did a fantastic job and it was very interesting! Part of the tour includes a zip line with four legs which I reluctantly did but thoroughly enjoyed once I was able to take the first step off of the stand. Following that excitement, we had lunch at the co-op with Gloria, Herly and Raul (Winfrey's counterpart). The meal consisted of traditional Guatemalan food and was very tasty. I also was honored to get to meet the president of the co-op and visit with him for a few minutes. After shopping in the store at the co-op for a few souvenirs and gifts to bring home, Winfrey and I walked to the home of the host family where he lived for the first three months after arriving at his assigned site. The host parents were not home but three of the four children were there. It was heartbreaking to think that Winfrey had lived there for three months. Although I had seen pictures, I was not prepared for the living conditions. We took a taxi back to Coban and checked into a different hotel, La Posada, which was also a quaint, small hotel with a beautiful courtyard and a fireplace in the room. I felt a slight earthquake/tremor while resting on the bed before dinner. Another one of those things we don't think about so much here. We had a wonderful dinner that night at Casa De Acuna to end one of my favorite days of the trip!
I loved this post! I have a better understanding of "Willy's" lifestyle there! Miss you "Willy"
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