To leave it all behind... for now

I have now spent the last week with my family outside of Cancun in a fishing village called Puerto Morelos. "Fishing Village" is somewhat of a misnomer, as I am overlooking a beautiful pool and 50 yards beyond the pool is a pristine ocean with three shades of green water and white sands. Rather luxurious for a fishing village. But a fishing village I read it was so a fishing village it shall be labeled. A bit different than my jungle accommodations, in Puerto Morelos we stayed in a beautiful condo and Chistoph - my personal doctor from Ak'Tenamit - even met us here for the past couple days.

Highlights? I could say Tulum - the beachside ruins. The weather hasn't really gone above 82 degrees and there is a constant breeze off the ocean. Parasailing too, would be an understandable answer as yesterday Christoph and I soared well over 100 feet up in the air in Playa del Carmen for 20 minutes. With its aqua-colored water, I can understand why so many flock there, but part of the reason I have loved Morelos is that it hasn't been taken over by foreign tourism. Many of the tourists are Mexican. While some of the waiters and shop owners speak a some English, it isn't something thrown in your face or even something that physically pursues you as it does in Playa. I digress. Even with great seafood and now penny-pinching as I may have done throughout a year in Guatemala, by far and a way, the highlight of this trip has been seeing my sister and my parents after another five months. I am truly privileged to have such a supportive, empathic, uplifting and comical family. So in part, I must give thanks that my mom is turning ** years old :) and my family decided that this trip made sense.

Anyway, I hope folks have gotten something out of these past few months of blogging. I know I have gotten an immeasurable amount including even more documented memories and the wonderful support friends, family and relative strangers have left as posts along the way. Not knowing exactly how my next three months will be at home, I won't say how they will be on the blog. But check back come the end of November to see what we can do at the new Ak'Tenamit school.

Love to you all. To a better world.

Jesse

Travel Extremes

On the final leg of this year's travels, I have seen every extreme of the travel spectrum. From two beautiful boat rides leaving Guatemala for Belize, to a 'puddle jumper' north traveling up Belize overlooking the clear waters of the baby neighbor of Guatemala, the sweet has been just that. But I have also tasted my fair share of the sour. Finishing off the Belizean journey by bus, I was the only passenger forced to stay on foot although I paid full share. That same bus delayed two hours at both the Belizean and Mexican borders, enough so to deny me the opportunity to catch my connection bus to Cancun. From a border town I blog, waiting 10 hours or so until I can take an overnight bus up to meet my parents and sister on Saturday in Cancun. That's just life down here. I'd say the highlight was standing in line at one immigration office, waiting a solid 45 minutes while one customs agent processed our passports. When it seemed the lunch break of his co-workers ended, three other agents returned to their posts and we silently rejoiced thinking the process would be greatly expedited. And it would have been had the woman at the desk not have stared at us, put up a hand to say 'where to you think you're going?' and proceeded to do her make-up and read her magazine. I get that your break might not have ended... but is it necessary to taunt us? Really? I think not.

A week from tomorrow - hopefully after a long resting vacation with the family - I will be back in the States. Regarding posts of late, I have since accepted the job with Ak'Tenamit to oversee the opening of the new education center in Cancuen, Guatemala. The challenge will be great, long (two years,) but made easier by the three month break they have given me. So homeward bound. Three months in the States, most certainly traveling madly from city-to-city trying to see all the family I can. Preliminary itinerary is as follows: stops in Boston, New York, Chicago, Burlington, possibly DC and Atlanta. If you are in one of these cities, please let me know because after this trip home, it'll probably be another two years before opportunity rises again for us to see each other - unless of course you decide you're ready for a break and pop down to Guatemala.

I hope each of you is safe, healthy and well.]

To a better world,
Jesse

Dengue Fever!! That is all...