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| Beautiful Guatemala |
Have you ever had a dream that somehow got buried over the
years…. A vision that got lost in the day-to-day realities of life?
That happened to me. Thirty-five
years ago, give or take, I left Guatemala, my home for almost 15 years, with my
husband, 2 young sons, a daughter on the way, and 7 boxes containing all our
worldly possessions.
We were fleeing the political violence that had overtaken
this beloved country, the genocide of the indigenous population that we were working
with as health educators, feeling the need to move to a more stable and safe
environment to raise our family. It was a painful decision, and I left with the
dream of one day returning to work with the traditional birth attendants I had
grown to love and admire so much.
My plan was to study midwifery so I could return and help
teach them how to deal with the obstetrical complications that took so many
lives. I did study midwifery, establishing my own home birth practice in rural
western Massachusetts for 7 years. I also studied and received my Masters
degree in health education.
But the dream of going back to Guatemala to live and work
faded over the years, as new opportunities and realities emerged and my family
settled into a new life in the US.
Well, the Universe works in mysterious ways. A couple of
weeks ago, almost thirty-five years later, I received an invitation from a dear
colleague and friend to join a team of medical volunteers who are going to
Chiapas this May, one of the poorest and most vulnerable regions in Mexico, to provide
simultaneous interpreting for skills-training for local medical providers,
including traditional birth attendants.
How perfect is that?
Needless to say, I am so excited to have this opportunity. It’s not exactly
what I imagined all those years ago as we left Guatemala behind, but it’s an
amazing chance to be back in that part of the world, putting my interpreting skills and my midwifery knowledge to
service.
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