After Guatemala, Arizona to Montana
It’s crazy to think that it has already been nearly two months since the Guatemala study abroad course ended. Since the experience, I have traveled two extra weeks in Guatemala and moved from Arizona – where I resided for the last two years in order to complete my masters program – to Montana. Since arriving in Montana, I have been extremely busy with guiding rafting tours on a picturesque river that floats from Yellowstone north past Bozeman. The impact of my Guatemala experience finds ways to embed itself throughout my raft guiding life in Montana.
Water issues were my focus during the study abroad and cruising on the surface of this element allows me to reflect on this massive global issue that Guatemala exemplifies. I left the program with determination to help repair our broken relationship with natural resources – like water – a critical side of sustainable development.
How great it was to be involved not only through hands-on application but also academic thinking in a field where I desire to work – sustainable international community development. It was strenuous at times, but the moments that one would imagine to be more difficult were not, like administering household surveys in Spanish. And the hard times emerged unexpectedly. For example, participating in walkthroughs at several of the NGOs was the most arduous – not physically, but mentally. It was an exhausting challenge trying to somehow grasp the approaches taken by many of the NGOs. Their approaches were at times grossly unholistic – a perspective someone in sustainability can all too easily take regarding the work of many institutions.
Although those experiences were difficult, they were also powerful in helping communicate the challenge of tackling issues like family health, childhood education, water contamination in a comprehensive manner. Ultimately, it seems like this wild and complex network of some 1,500 Guatemalan NGOs must find ways to create partnerships with others to approach the issues that are often intertwined like the three mentioned above. As they continue to work separately, their heroic efforts seem to suffer from a lack of understanding, resources and unnecessary synergies.
Both these positive and negative experiences of the Guatemala study abroad amount to a trip I have found myself reflecting on constantly as I float down the Gallatin River with my rafting guests. Times allow for two forms of self-reflection – the quiet moments brought on by the tranquility of the setting and the ones prompted by conversations in the boat. Education is a topic brought up by many of my rafters. I tell my guests about where I see important work to be done in sustainability – where I fit into the picture. I am also happy when I can tell them that I am an official Arizona State University graduate as of this summer! I am only graduating this summer, and not already a graduate, because I wished to end my program with an intensive international experience. The Guatemala trip provided just that, I got my hands dirty working with the people – something I imagine myself doing in the future. What a great two weeks to end a two-year ASU experience that I have thought immensely about over the last two months. I am now excited about my sustainability career down the line, Montana and beyond. Thanks!