Back home with a new medium for my words

A number of people have been on my case to start writing a blog. I've always been nervous about having my thoughts and words out there for anyone to read. But, I've (finally) given in and here we go...

I've just returned home from 14 months in Guatemala. For the past month or so I have been preparing myself for repatriation. I anticipated reverse culture shock and I expected it to be strong. I imagined seeing familiar things and having them feel unfamiliar. Quite honestly, the strangest thing is how normal everything is. Maybe because I thought about it a lot. Or, as my brother said today, maybe it's because I lived for over 25 years in this place.

Don't get me wrong, things are different. But it isn't in a way that I find myself thinking, "that just doesn't make sense" or "that's such a strange way to do things." It's different because I've been living in a place where doing anything is a challenge: washing dishes, getting groceries, sending an email or keeping warm at night. It's peculiar that I already find myself expecting simplicity in everything and for infrastructure (like running water, electricity and roads) to work at all times. In Canada, it all seems so easy.

Before I moved to Guatemala I found myself increasingly unhappy with my life, with society and with people's lack of dedication to build a better world. I felt that the way that we live in countries like Canada was damaging the intrinsic nature of human beings, that we were abusing the gifts of the Earth and of human ingenuity at the expense of our planet and those who weren't given the same opportunities as first-world dwellers. Everyone is too busy living their lives to dedicate any real time to helping others. You see it in the way that 'do-gooders' run campaigns...tug on heart strings or moral obligations then ask for money, but never ask you to change your life or the way you live. That's too big of an ask.

I still feel that way, but I'm fortunate to have a new perspective based on experience. I find myself being able to appreciate the comforts that a country like Canada can offer its populace without being angry about it. I now understand why new-comers fall in-love with this country - things work, even when they don't.

I still firmly believe that we all have a duty to work towards ending poverty, achieving true sustainability (not just economic sustainability) and building a world where community and equality mean something tangible, but I now have a better understanding of the obstacles. I have seen the dire thirst for metamorphosis that exists in societies other than my own and how gruelling it is to work towards that. I want to figure out a way to blend ease of life and desire for change. 

I believe that Long Way Home is part of the solution. But I know that we're only a small group of highly dedicated individuals and that we can't do it alone. Each person needs to buy-in. While I believe that if everyone mimicked LWH's model that we could really make some waves, I know that it is easier said than done.

For tonight, I'm just going to relish in all the fantastically motivated people I have had the privileged to get to know and the experiences I have had the opportunity to live. To everyone in Comalapa, I miss and love you all. I've only been away for four days, but it seems like an eternity.