Home

We recently got back from a visit back home.  It was really nice to see family and friends and to catch up on everyone's lives.  Though Skype has been great, being home in the presence of loved ones is truly something special.  It was one of the best vacations we've had because we had more time to just be with people.

We thought that maybe the kids would be struck by things they saw in the US that were different from Guatemala, but we were surprised that they really didn't notice a lot. Christopher commented about a toy that we saw in a store, "Who would pay $300.00 for a toy?" Julianne wondered why there were so many cars.  Jennifer was struck by how good the infrastructure is in the US -- good roads, drains, sidewalks, fire hydrants.... things we take for granted in the US that just aren't present in other places.

It was interesting that when we were in the US and we would talk about Guatemala, we would say, "At home....," meaning "in Santiago" which means that we must now consider Santiago Atitlan home.

While we are very grateful for running water, an indoor toilet, and pretty reliable electricity in Santiago, upon our return we were reminded how much we miss hot running water, water pressure, and just how light everything is in the US.  However, after being back, we realize how good it feels to have the chance to use less resources just by the very fact that we are here.