After a few days in Xela I have started to get my bearings. It’s been a lot of fun so far getting to know everyone and finding my way around the city. Luckily, we were able to have a walk around the city as a group yesterday but all that really did was make me realize how large the city truly is; the zone where we live and go to classes in is actually pretty small. I like it though, I prefer being able to walk everywhere and it’s a much more interesting experience to see, hear, and smell everything that is going on around you.
I’ve been really excited to learn more about the history of Guatemala, especially the civil war. We watched When the Mountain Trembles today and it talked a lot about the war and how it started. The most surprising thing about it to me was how involved the United States was in the war by providing money to the militant regime. This was not something that I had learned about in previous history classes about the United States or the world; the fact that I only learned about our messy involvement now, as a senior in college, is something that truly saddened me.
History books tend to avoid the failures and mistakes of the countries who write them. An unfortunate truth about history is that is written by the winners. This creates a situation where the truth can be distorted or lost, especially when it concerns a powerful country writing about a powerless one. This approach to history is undoubtedly problematic, but it is a problem that is only perpetuated when children are taught incomplete facts about the world. It is a process that creates narrow-minded and unicentric point of view. I hope to not fall victim to this.
Nick in Guatemala 