by Keli Shipley
Intern at Porch de Salomon, Guatemala
"therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. each day has enough trouble of its own." -matthew 6:34
what a wise reference to hear from my father tonight, as i make my final preparations for tomorrow. after waking up at the bright & early hour of 4 a.m., i will be heading to the chattanooga airport to travel to atlanta, ga & then guatemala. i will begin my roughly 7 week long internship at a christian ministry known as porch de salomon [more details to come, but check out their website: http://www.porchdesalomon.org/] which is located in the "hippie town" of panajachel, commonly referred to as "pana." for those of you who have chosen to read my blog this summer, i will be tracking [whenever possible] my experiences and focusing particularly on the misconceptions of my trip this summer.
there are some immediate reactions to the question "what are you doing this summer?"... with my simple response of "guatemala," people quickly assume that
Intern at Porch de Salomon, Guatemala
"therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. each day has enough trouble of its own." -matthew 6:34
what a wise reference to hear from my father tonight, as i make my final preparations for tomorrow. after waking up at the bright & early hour of 4 a.m., i will be heading to the chattanooga airport to travel to atlanta, ga & then guatemala. i will begin my roughly 7 week long internship at a christian ministry known as porch de salomon [more details to come, but check out their website: http://www.porchdesalomon.org/] which is located in the "hippie town" of panajachel, commonly referred to as "pana." for those of you who have chosen to read my blog this summer, i will be tracking [whenever possible] my experiences and focusing particularly on the misconceptions of my trip this summer.
there are some immediate reactions to the question "what are you doing this summer?"... with my simple response of "guatemala," people quickly assume that
- i am going on a one to two week mission trip
- i will get really tan because it is 100+ degrees
- i will have a great time and it will be an amazing experience
- i will be travelling with a large group of people [specifically, a church]
- etc.
as you will come to read, some of these assumptions hold more truth than
the others, as i will learn along the way. it will be interesting to
see how this trip pans out & i am anxious, but know to take things
day by day. being the "type a" person that i am, it is difficult
not knowing the details of each day, but that just may be what i need
from this summer. summer is not only a time of relaxation, but also a
time for new experiences, adventure, fun, mistakes, and gaining a
greater understanding of not only myself, but others as well. the only
things i know are what my host family (the monroes) have told my about
pana and what i will be doing, and the lovely pictures which the handy
"google images" provided.
yes, i will miss my friends, boyfriend, family, and most importantly, my
dogs [slightly kidding...], but 7 weeks is not long, as i have
discussed with many people. i have been so blessed to see those people
who have been so important in my life in the past week & in the
grand scheme of things, 7 weeks is only a short amount of time. the only
trouble is... packing. thanks to the help of my awesome friend,
marie pardi, we purchased a new osprey backpack at rock creek and
crammed as much as we could [our parents have taught us how to pack
well]. my thanks to her not only for being my awesome shopping buddy,
but also keeping me calm on a day that i expected to be much more
hectic.
i have been advised to bring as little as possible and leave all
valuable behind. through the process, it has not only made me realize
how blessed i truly am, but how little i actually need.... crazy that i
can pack everything in these bags, and i can't help but remind myself
that i can buy things in guatemala [which is in fact, not another
planet].
little fun fact: pana's weather forecast consists of 70 degree
weather and daily rain showers. who would have thought? ... hope these
rain boots hold up to the rainy streets [no storm drains...]
probably about that time that i should try and fit in a couple hours of
rest before my long day of travelling tomorrow. i will hopefully be
posting soon enough about the beginning of my trip [but part of the
adventure is finding how accessible internet is...]. but nothing to
worry about just yet... must only focus on what i can control &
prepare as well as i am able. as my wonderful friend tarah hawley
always says, "everything will be fine."