Q of D

"Don't go through life, grow through life."
   -Eric Butterworth

Household Name?

The world is indeed a big place.  And within big places live many different types of lives.  Por ejemplo, a world event can happen and receive headline news status, yet not quite reach the ears of the whole world.  And how does that happen?  Well, some people live life without the luxuries of technology, without the luxury of breaks in their day's schedule to relax and watch the news, or without the basic ability to read.  So, is there such as thing as a household name?  I'm brought to this questions based on my reflection of listening to a sport commentator communicating the significance of a star athlete's performance.  Most recently, I can recall a commentator saying, "Dirk Nowitski is a household name, folks.  Around the world people are sitting in their kitchen saying his name".

When I was studying Spanish for a month and learning to talk in casual conversations with my teacher, the subject of entertainment and fame came up.  In my Spanish book, I translated questions from English to Spanish, questions that used real life scenarios such as people's names.  Newsflash: my teacher did not know who Oprah was.  He did not even know who Elvis was.  I couldn't believe it, especially since my teacher wasn't even Mayan, he was Guatemalan but Ladino, meaning not of traditional descent so he has lived with having a television his whole life, having gone to school, and he occasionally visits an internet cafe to connect to the web.

What's the lesson here?  I don't know if there is one.  I just hope we don't live our lives in ignorance thinking there is equality in the world or that just because we've obtained the 'luxuries' means we are 'better' in comparison.  Some communities here may be ignorant of 'what the world has to offer', in terms of luxuries, but they certainly still comprehend how to live and live it respectfully.  They know how to live with what they have, which is something not often found in the States.

Above the Clouds

So, as we were driving to Xela the other week there was a stretch of road through the mountains that got up there in altitude.  It turned out to be the most beautiful sight imaginable.

In fact, we drove above the clouds.  Meaning, communities were housed above the clouds.  Now, from having come from the known to be flat land of Indiana, altitude is a sight to see to begin with.  But I was surprised at the ability to look down at the clouds.

Unfortunately, I was not able to get a quality photo because as I pulled out my camera quickly, the setting was on "sepia" without my knowledge, but here it is:

Travel Tips for Coming to Guatemala

This post is meant to be used as a guide for international traveling, specifically laying out details for Guatemala.  Information can be taken as advice for travelers, or could simply be read to become further informed of the culture in which we live.

First Advice:
-pack light, but bring layers (the day hours are nice 70's, but mornings and evening get chilly).  Some people wear scarves or winter hats, but usually a sweatshirt is enough.  Keep in mind that you'll likely want to buy some of the textiles sold on the street (sweaters, shirts).
-bring Cipro (which you get from your doctor's prescription to be taken when stomach sick from food virus)
-bring bug repellant

Is it safe there?
Panajachel has a very low crime rate.  Calle Santander is the main, heavily traveled street by tourists during both the day and night.  It is wise to practice standard prevention techniques by being cautious and aware of your surroundings, but there is no danger of being mugged or confronted in any form.  Community policing is very common, meaning that people look out for each other on the street, in terms of preventing theft.

How do I get to Panajachel from Guatemala City/the airport?
Panajachel is a 3 hour drive from the airport.  A van shuttle is recommended; both private and public options are available and both are arranged through tourist agencies and are safe, secure, and comfortable.  Per person for a private shuttle averages about $20 (one way) for the 3 hr drive.

Will I have email access?
Many hotels provide free wifi access, however not all.  Many cafes also have wifi and it is very accessible. Quality of equipment and speed of service is not equivalent to that experienced in the States.

Are the local buses, known as chicken buses, safe to ride?
Chicken buses are very common for the locals.  The buses are old school buses used in the States.  In fact, many of them still have the "Blue Bird Midwest" plaque and model information and stickers, such as "keeping your children safe is our business".  I rode a chicken bus last week to an outside village about an hour away and the bus plaque actually said it was made in 1979!!!  Now, most of the buses are from the 90's, but you never know what to expect.  The plaques also list the capacity information (i.e. 47), however Guatemalans have no concept of maximum capacity.  When in Xela, Jenny and I rode a public 12 passenger van to get to the movie theater, and they put 27 people in there, literally (only 3 young kids).  The chicken buses are great for short distances, and is a worthy cultural experience, but not to be considered for long-term or long-distance needs.

Do shops and restaurants accept U.S. dollars?
The exchange rate is about 7.5, so for every $1 you get 7.5 Q...so things are pretty cheap here.  An average  meal at a restaurant would be about 30 Q, or $4.  When you are shopping on the street from vendors, dollars are often accepted, but change is given back in Q.  More official stores, like the grocery, only accept Q.  Credit/Debit cards are also usually accepted, however not recommended because each charge comes with an international fee.  There are several secure ATM's.  We'd recommend bringing a good amount of dollars when leaving the States, but be sure to carry it securely (such as in a hidden pants wallet).

Is the food safe to eat?
Tourists are very common, so the local restaurants do very good at catering to the needs and desires of foreigners.  Eating salads and vegetables that are washed with tap water will make you sick, so typically meals like french fries, rice, beans, and meats are safest, but there are plenty of safe restaurants where you don't have to worry about how it was prepared.  Eating from street vendors is always at your own risk of getting sick, but over time your body would adapt.

How much are hotels?
You should be able to find a very nice hotel (hot water, breakfast, wifi) ranging from $30-50 per night.  Some get higher than that, but if you are on a budget then you can be within that range, possibly less.

What should I do there?
In Panajachel there are many day trip possibilities to neighboring villages across the lake.  You can hike a volcano, do an adventurous zip-line through a forest of trees, shop at the cultural market, take a class to learn how to weave textiles, volunteer at a local orphanage or NGO, learn how to make tortillas, visit with us, or just relax (find a hammock, walk on the shoreline).  Throughout the country you can take a coffee plantation tour, visit Mayan ruins, hike, tour caves (underwater), go to the ocean beach, and more, plus just relax.

If you have additionally questions then just comment and we can repost with new answers!

Weekend in the Big City

David and I took a trip this weekend to Xela, the second largest city in Guatemala. It's not really a "big city" by US standards: no skyscrapers, no public bus, no yellow taxis. But it seemed like a big city to us. After 3 months in rural towns and villages throughout the lake region, we found ourselves walking the streets of Xela, staring and pointing at glimpses of home. It was our first time in 3 months to see a traffic light, to enter a mall, to go into a Wal-Mart (yes, a real Wal-Mart), to eat ethnic food (how I've missed curry), or to eat at a McDonald's. The funny thing is, that when I was living in the states I pretty much tried to avoid many of these activities: I'm not a huge fan of Wal-Mart, I really don't like McDonald's that much, and I rarely enjoy a trip to a mall or huge shopping center. I don't know why I was so excited to take part in these activities in Guatemala. I guess it brought me back to a little bit of home, although seeing Mayan women dressed in traditional traje walking passed a GAP store was a very weird sight.

None-the-less, we took advantage of our time in the big city and even watched a movie in a real movie theater. The movie only cost $3.25, but the popcorn was way overpriced (just like home!). The mall food court had a Subway. I was so, so excited. It really did taste just like Subway back home, even with the Southwest Chipotle sauce. I was very impressed. And attached to the mall was a huge Wal-Mart. I walked in and was immediately struck by the huge-ness of the store and the aisles upon aisles of stuff. We have a Dispensa in Pana and it's actually owned by Wal-Mart. But it consists of 4 aisles and a fresh fruit section about the size of a walk-in closet. And that's big for Pana. So walking into the warehouse-sized Wal-Mart was surprisingly foreign to me (considering this is what I was used to back home).

Of course, it wouldn't be Guatemala without armed men standing around in the middle of the park, protecting something...

We enjoyed the Christmas decorations a lot. Wearing t-shirts and sandals does not feel like Christmas time for us Indiana folk, so seeing a huge Christmas tree in the central park helped.

Sunday we took a break from the mall and Wal-Mart and enjoyed reading in the Central Park...

We ate Xela's famous xeca con frijol (sweet bread with black beans in the middle - this picture is for you Carolyn!)

And we ended our time in Xela with lunch at McDonald's. It was expensive (compared to most of our meals for around $3 or $4). And David thought he ordered chicken strips, but it didn't really turn out that way...look of disappointment:

Notice how small the drink and fries are? We were like, what? Where's the biggie size?!?! ( : 

It was a fun trip with a few luxuries from the states, but it was good to get back home...

Q of D

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

       -Robert Brault

Happy Thanksgiving! (and Q of D)

Here we are, in Guatemala, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  


"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."  ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy


Enjoy your day and really soak in the moments of fellowship.


And as for the day after Thanksgiving, allow yourself to be free from the stress of shopping with millions of others by starting your Black Friday online with www.buy-it-forward.com, where the deals are and in alignment with the holiday spirit of giving.

Meet Santiago

We have been living in our current home for nearly 3 months.  It has had it's share of hardships (including: cold showers, mold, smelling water pipes, lack of insulation, no screens on windows), but there has always been one consistent thing that makes us happy to live in the home.  And that happy thing is the landlady's maintenance man, who works in our courtyard 4 days a week.

Can you tell why we like him so much?

He is the most friendly guy to interact with.  He has a positive attitude and is a very hard worker.  He only has a few teeth.  He doesn't speak Spanish fluently, but only his native tongue.  He is always very grateful and appreciative of Jenny and I.  We give him lunches from our kitchen several times a week.  One of the main reasons living in this home is difficult is because of our landlady.  She is very controlling and doesn't treat Santiago well.  When we give him lunch, he has to hide it from her because she considers him her work and doesn't need us to interact with him.

We have been able to locate a new place to live, starting early December.  It became a difficult decision (whether or not to move) solely because of Santiago.  We are currently working on arrangements with his schedule to work it out that we can still see him on a consistent basis.  But we feel that since our house was not very good quality, and because we didn't want to support our landlady for being disrespectful, that we needed to transition when we get the chance (plus we've been told that our landlady has a history of kicking tenants out with no warning...which actually happened last month with our Guatemalan neighbors with the two small children...we are now trying to support that family by having the mother do our laundry every week).

Here are pictures of those kids.  We miss them too.  Actually, when we decided to move here it was because of the closeness in community to the Guatemalans, so now that they have been taken away from us we feel our home is to be made elsewhere.

Full Immersion

As many of you may know, there is a Guatemalan family that Jenny and I have been connected to for several years now that has been of special interest to ours.  In the past year, especially, given the nature of their year-old daughter who suffers from severe dietary restraints and is now considered a 'miracle' surviver.  Anyway, we don't live close in proximity to the family, but we visited with them last weekend in their hometown and stayed the night at their parent's home...meaning we finally fully immersed!

It was great to visit with the family and see the baby:

We brought some games and played Phase 10, dice-style:

I got to practice my Spanish.  The visiting turned out to be quite the family reunion because most all of their  relatives live in the same area.  It was very comforting to be around multiple generations...there will never be any replacement of our own family, but it was very nice to be welcomed in and treated so nicely by this family:

Jenny learned how to make tortillas from scratch, which is the custom here for all the women:

And notice how we simply put a chair in front of the open flame oven to prevent the baby from approaching it!

This is a picture of the group gathered around the table in the kitchen.  It was fun to teach some of the adults some English words. The moms particularly asked us how to say "she is sleeping", because the daughter was sleeping on her mother's lap.  The food was filling, but not provided with the typical table manners as what would be expected in the States.  For instance, there was a jar of salt in the middle of the table and people would lick their fingers and dip them into the jar to consume the salt with their food (fyi keep in mind that for many impoverished families living in this part of the world, a typical meal is made up of only tortillas and salt).

The homes are most commonly built with cement blocks, so no insulation, etc.  Here's an image from above the homes.

The terrain is very mountainous and beautiful.  We went for a walk with the family to their old house.  Along the way we got to play with the younger kids and listen to the stories of the adults when they were kids.  When the family left their old home they abandoned it (didn't try to sell it or anything).  So when we stopped by it, they went in and, much to our surprise, there was still a lot of stuff inside!  The family actually took out some clothes to take to their current home.

The girls were just so cute!

  

We miss you all very much, and hope all is well with your current endeavors.  The first few months so far have been full of many great experiences and humble challenges.  We are thankful for the interactions we have here and are so glad we're able to stay connected to you all even when we're not close in proximity.

F of D

In 2004, a lab at a university in Texas received a $6 million federal grant to breed radioactive armadillos for possible use in warfare.

Technology: Everythings Amazing, Nobodys Happy

Check out this funny clip of a comedian's take on technology.

I love his humor, but his message can actually be taken very 'deep'.  What does make us happy?  

For another humorous resource, check out the White Whines list, which is a collection of "First-World Problems" (i.e. which cell phone to own, etc) that are pulled off of Twitter and Facebook posts.  The term "First-World" plays off of the "Third-World" problems (i.e. poverty, hunger, etc).  Read the site, it's hilarious...such as the comment by one person saying, "iPhones are so affordable poor people have them now...My phone is plain and common.  About ready to switch carriers."

...it sure is enlightening to compare those "problems" to  those experienced around the world, in the Third-World.

Happy Birthday David!

I'm a little late in posting, but wanted to share a little about David's birthday. First of all, the occasion brought us our first package in the mail - and it only took 8 days! I'm not going to lie, we were both really excited to unpack the goodies that David's parents had sent.

It was basically David's birthday and Christmas all at once. It was so fun getting little pieces of "home" sent to us. I was especially excited about the chocolate (M&Ms here cost $1.50 for a small bag) and David was most anxious to eat his fruit snacks (yep, he loves them). It was great to even get little things, like Jell-O and different types of tea and even Nutella (I won't even tell you how much Nutella costs here). David also got a great birthday card with pictures of autumn trees to remind us of the beauty you Indiana-folk are experiencing. Sigh, I miss fall. The birthday package was a wonderful gift for David (and me!) and we are portioning the goodies (or at least trying to, the M&Ms were gone in two days).

On a previous trip to Lake Atitlan, David and I had visited Santiago, a small Mayan village that we really enjoy. So, for David's birthday he wanted to go back for a weekend trip. We wanted to go on David's birthday weekend, but because of the flooding and being sick, we had to postpone the trip for the next weekend. I'm so glad that we did because the weather was perfect. It was so nice to walk around the market and do some touristy shopping in the sun, with no rain. We're definitely on a budget while living here in Guatemala, but we really wanted to stay in the Posada de Santiago because we had heard it's a great hotel with great food...and even a hot tub (in Guate?! Really?!). My parents put us up in the hotel for David's birthday gift and we enjoyed great food, real coffee (not instant!), the hot tub, and even canoeing. It was a wonderful get-away and we were fascinated by the beauty of the lake.

For David's gift from Santiago, he decided he wanted to get a traditional Mayan "traje" or clothing that the Mayan men wear. Each Mayan village has their own traje so that when someone is walking down the street you know where they come from by the color and/or design of their clothing. In Pana, you definitely see more women wearing traje than you see men. So when we were in Santiago it was such a treat to see so many men wearing traje. They were just so cute!

Now, just to clarify (in case there is any confusion) those are the Mayan men above. Then there is my 6'3" white, blonde husband below. Don't they look so similar?! We're still searching for the perfect hat. ( :

You may not be able to recognize David these days. Besides the Mayan traje, he's also growing out his hair and wearing it in a pony tail. It's weird for me to have David ask me for a hair tie in the mornings. I don't even know what to expect in the coming months!

Of course, we had no idea how to make the traje fit David, because the pants are actually quite huge. It's a one size fits all type of thing. Luckily there was a kind Mayan woman at the store who just wrapped her arms around David's waist and folded up the pants and tied the belt for him. We're still figuring out the belt part, but there are plenty of Mayan women around in case we need more tutoring.

We had a wonderful weekend experiencing a smaller village and the Mayan culture. The views of the lake were breath-taking, and we were reminded once again how privileged we are to be living here in Guatemala and experiencing a new way of life. I am so grateful for my wonderful husband and that we can celebrate life together!

S of D

Proverbs 14:12 "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."

The Economic Dream

Tuk-Tuks are the common taxi's worldwide...from India to Guatemala.  You may not know it by name, but I'm sure you've seen one at some point (whether in movies or the streets).

We've only be in Guate for 7ish weeks, but I've already been brainstorming of ways to boost the local economy.  At this point I'm at a loss, however I thought I was onto something...to own a Tuk-Tuk and have my neighbor or other impoverished family drive and profit from it.  I researched my options only to learn that the city is not allowing any additional Tuk-Tuk's because there are already too many.  But the problem for the current drivers is that the owners are the only one's to profit.  It was reported to me that all Tuk-Tuk drivers pay their owner 100 Q (or about $15) for each day they drive the Tuk-Tuk, and then keep the remaining as their earnings.  Somedays the drivers don't receive 100 Q from their customers and have to pay their owner out of their pocket (a one way fare to ride in a Tuk-Tuk is 5 Q).

Unfortunately, the time has not come for me to be a Tuk-Tuk owner (in which case I would not charge my driver so much), so I'm back to the drawing board and trying to develop other ideas to give jobs to local Guatemalans.  The Tuk-Tuk was a dream, but in reality not a good one because driving a Tuk Tuk is common, just as weaving, beading, washing clothes, gardening, and selling textiles; what Guatemala needs is something that everybody else in town isn't doing and that doesn't cost a lot (because there is not a lot of money to go around).  Any suggestions?

In some towns that I've visited, stories were told to me as I looked around and observed that 'all' (i.e. a hight percentage) of the villages men migrated to the States because they were farmers and they no longer have jobs.  This culture is stressed economically, but loyal and hard working; they don't want to leave their homes, they're just out of options.  Many laborers only earn $10-15 per week, which provides a meal consisting of tortillas and salt when supporting a family of 6, and women selling and making textiles (beautifully made) only earn about $2 per day.

Life @ the End of the Spear

End of the Spear is a very moving film, documenting the story of Christian American families evangelizing to Indigenous tribe peoples in Ecuador (beginning in the mid 1900s).  In summary, several families were on a mission to make contact with the Waodani tribe on the Amazon basin, whom were known to be very violent.  Ultimately, all the men who reached the tribe's land were killed by spears, tragically.  The families of the men later traveled to the same land and met with the tribe and lived amongst them over time.  Clearly the cultural differences presented issues, but throughout the test of time, the tribe and the American families made peace and were able to communicate the word of God.

During the process of building peace and understanding each other, a comment was made to a tribe warrior after he asked why the men did not shoot or fight back when the tribe attacked them.  The comment was:

"They came to tell you God has a son.  He was speared but did not spear back. [pause] So the people spearing him would one day live well."

At the end of the film, a warrior confronts the son of one of the men who was killed and confesses to be the one who used the spear to kill the son's father.  After the flow of emotion and decision not to take revenge, the son [Steve] explains to the warrior that:

"No one took my father's life.  He gave it."   He then narrates, "My father lost his life at the end of a spear. And it was at the end of a spear that we found ours [lives]."

The story provides enormous insight and inspiration, proving that love wins while also exemplifying God's way of life [ie non-violence].  The tribesmen were so entrenched in a cycle of violence, that they deemed it necessary in order to survive, protect themselves, and grow as a people group.  Those entrenched cycles still exist today, but they [the cycles] don't even have to be removed from the rest of society [whereas the Waodani tribe was removed from civilization].  We have urban gang culture invading neighborhoods; we have discrimination against foreigners or minorities on the streets, offices, and institutions; we have genocide that gets ignored or denied among nations; and we have cyclical political wars all around the world, demanding a certain way of life from others to benefit our own countries.  

If our mindset is to vote to benefit ourselves, how would we expect these cycles to end for others?  By vote I refer to everything from the names we support on a ballot to the daily decisions of each individual [ie choose to eat fast food, choose to ignore the domestic violence down the street, choose to support local farmers, choose to watch American Idol, choose to visit inappropriate sites], because everything we do stands for something, every time we pay for something we're essentially saying "I support this brand, from the advertisements to the materials used to make it to the way it was made and the people who made it."

Check out the movie website here where you can link to different videos or reviews, including updates on the tribe's life today!

As a side note, it is discouraging to me that even with such a beautiful motion picture, critiques or opinionated discussions chose to focus on the fact that the lead actor is openly gay, rather than discuss the epic story of love, forgiveness, and transformation found in the film.  To me even mentioning the sexuality of any actor is irrelevant and only reinforces the fractures of our society.  Nevertheless, the film is worth watching.

View of Simplicity / S of D

Simplicity is a difficult concept.  It’s not easy to define, nor is it easy to implement, which is ironic given the term “simple”.  So when attempting to answer what it looks like to ‘live simply’, as Jenny and I would say we’re attempting to do, it challenges us to look at every aspect of daily life. 

For starters, back in the states we’ve shopped to buy the cheapest stuff (ie cheap rugs, cheap sheets, cheap plates, cheap food, etc), so we’d save money.  But then we ended up having more money to buy more stuff.  Make sense?  But in reality, we could have gotten by without buying ‘everything’.  We could have put more money into the quality of the items, and been more concerned about where and how the items were made (especially food and textiles), because in reality, buying cheap ‘stuff’ probably means that we’re treating people and the earth “cheaply”. 

Instead of buying a bunch of cheap stuff, we could have identified our needs and searched only for those things.  Our needs are simple, our wants are complicated…because when we develop so many wants, it forces us to do so much more to acquire them (such as work 80 hour work weeks, etc).

So, now, here in Guatemala, we have an opportunity to ‘live with less’, and we hope to learn how we can maintain that simplicity in our own culture within the States further down the road in time.  We don’t need all the accessories or the technologies to get by here in Guatemala.

We have the opportunity to not need a fancy phone, for example, where in the past I had access to look at all sports scores or read all emails signaled by a blinking light…meaning a blinking light often controlled my day, and I didn’t know how to get by without it.  Here in Guate, if someone has a high-tech phone like that then they’re essentially putting themselves at risk because the phones are so outrageously expensive that it’s likely that someone would rob you if you had it.

But simplicity is beyond those physical aspects.  Simplicity is being content with less or overjoyed with the community, rather than with the “features”.  We understand that in order to achieve simplicity that it doesn’t require moving outside of the U.S., but we were presented with a passion and an opportunity that we are grateful for that could stretch us, challenge us, and strengthen us.

Our verse for simplicity is found in the book of Philippians.

Philippians 4:12 “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Verse 13 “I can do anything through Him who gives me strength.”

Q of D

“Satan prompts us to give importance to what has no importance.”

-Brennan Manning

Flooding Effects from Mexican Hurricanes

We woke up this morning and instantly noticed the unusual rain.  You see, this is the rainy season for Guatemala, but normally we never see rain in the morning hours.  This particular rain started yesterday afternoon and didn't stop until this afternoon.

History tells us there are many devastations to come, as much of the terrain throughout Guatemala is mountainous, and many villages are built into the mountains.  Here a few photos documenting the beginning of this current storm:

 This road is completely blocked by heavy mud (several feet deep) and large stones and trees.

 Family in his home needed help removing things to salvage from home before complete devastation.

 Everything was covered with mud.

 Even inside.  There's no way of keeping out the mud.

 This river runs to the lake, but is usually only a stream.

 A pile of trash gathers at edge of the lake.

This home fell into the river.  We could see the side of the land cave in in big chunks by the power of the water current.

We're safe and stocked up on pure water and gas for our stove, but when electricity goes out then everything is out (except the gas stove)...we'd have no flushing or faucet water.  So far so good, for us.  It's very sad to see the impoverished homes (typically built with sticks, rocks, and mud) completely washed out or flooded.

The town gymnasium is open as a "shelter".  I stopped by the gym this morning, but there were only 2 families...the kids were very happy and excited because they get to live in a gym!  We'll see how long that lasts...and I assume the gym with be full by this evening.

Continuous Learning

I have a few language school classes under my belt...actually I have completed 4 weeks, and I am no longer taking classes (I wish I could say is because I've mastered the language, however the true reason is to save some finances).  I'm hopeful to have learned Spanish well enough to be able to interact casually and comfortably with native speakers.

Continuous learning is a societal challenge, though.  We often get ourselves overwhelmed with our duties or responsibilities, leading us to the ever-so-easy ignorance of other situations, ways, or "learnings".  For example, if we spend a full day working, it's likely that we're not able to stop and think about the struggles and misfortunes around the world...because we can get comfortable with ourselves or our own needs (hence why we might work the full day) and forget about the rest of the world.

So how do we meet (or accomplish) our own needs, while also being presently aware of the needs and situations surrounding us?  Living in a foreign land is proving to be difficult to understand how I can best offer my assistance.  I'm still seeking to know how I can help this community.

I'm pleased to have the opportunity to speak with different words.  It's likely that I'll have the sentence structure or grammar of a 5 year old, but I think I'll at least be able to immerse myself better.  I hope to learn and teach.  I hope to listen, not judge.  I hope to accept, then be accepted.