Students delve into Guatemala for lessons in humanity ... and humility

By David Myers

Southwest Kansas Register

On May 17, Dodge City resident Holly Stein, a senior at Newman University in Wichita, boarded a plane with seven other students and a professor for what was supposed to be a six-week Spanish language immersion experience.

What she garnered from the experience was not only an improvement in her Spanish, but a lesson in humility and humanity -- an insight into the feelings and experiences of a multitude of immigrants struggling within America’s borders.

“Now that I’ve spent time in a foreign country, I have a lot more understanding of what it’s like to be different,” Stein, 20, wrote in her journal. “It’s difficult to be the minority. Before now, I never actually realized how different the United States is from the rest of the world.… It’s really hard at times to be the foreigner, but I think everyone should have that experience in order to gain understanding and even tolerance.

The trip wasn’t an easy one. She saw poverty like she’d never seen before: “There were people with no indoor plumbing. People in the mountains lived in shacks. A few people at the top have money, but the majority of people are considered to be in extreme poverty.”

And simply getting from one place to another wasn’t without its difficulties, especially when there are few road rules: “Walking places is a challenge. There have been numerous times when I’m not paying attention and I almost stepped into traffic.”

In fact, Stein admitted that she had considered turning back soon after she arrived.

“It’s also hard when I know exactly what I want to say, but I don’t know how in Spanish. When I don’t understand something, I sometimes feel like I am being judged. Sometimes I think that because I don’t know a lot of Spanish, people here think I’m stupid.

“When I first got here I was kind of in shock and part of me just wanted to go back home right away,” she said. “I’m really glad that I didn’t give up, though. I would have missed out on a life-changing experience.”

During her stay she and the other students were each housed with a different local family. They each attended five hours of one-on-one Spanish instruction, five days per week. The school offered the group further immersion experiences, taking the students to different locations, such as the Mayan ruins, where they could study and admire the history and architecture of the region.

“Bright colors are commonly used on buildings in Guatemala,” she wrote. “I was surprised to see bright colors used even on churches. I like to see different types of design and architecture. I feel like art and aesthetics are a very important part of all cultures worldwide.

“Even though the definition of beauty is very different in every country, it is something that can be appreciated universally.”

While the celebration of Mass is very similar to the Spanish Masses held at her home parish of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe, she said that the appearance of the churches is much different.

“There are neon lights in the churches,” she said, smiling. “And they always have Jesus in a clear casket surrounded by Christmas lights.” She described the people as being deeply devout people who place Christ at the center of numerous colorful fiestas held throughout the year.

It wasn’t easy for Stein to overcome her fear of going to Guatemala, not to mention her fear of staying. Upon her arrival back in the United States, she said she had not only improved her language skills (“I feel like I can finally carry on a conversation in Spanish, which is awesome!”) but she gained a deeper understanding of the struggles of people in other countries.

“I used to truly believe that it was better to remain ignorant and continue to live without thinking about the problems in the world,” she wrote in her journal. “I don’t know exactly what I am going to do about the suffering that takes place every day, but learning about it is the first step.

“I feel like there is so much that I should be doing to help these people, but I don’t know how one person like me can actually make a difference in the world. I definitely want to share my knowledge with others, though, and some day, maybe I will find a way to change the course of history for the better.”