Reconnecting with Guatemala Alongside My Mother

My mother and I went back to Guatemala, my birth country, a few years ago. We traveled all across the country and did many things but what I enjoyed most about going to Guatemala was just seeing a whole country of people who looked like me. I felt like I could relate to them, in a sense. I also liked trying different foods that Guatemalans actually eat. Yes, they do eat tamales and tortillas, but they don’t have tacos every night as some people think. Most of the food that they eat is different than what we Americans are used to. For example, in one area we visited they drank a lot of coffee, but they would cook it all day by their fire and then drink it when it was ready; no coffee pots or Keurig’s. One of the other things that was so great there was the architecture. We visited Paseo Cayala in Guatemala City and some of the buildings we were in were very detailed and not really something that you would see in other parts of Guatemala or even here in the United States. The volcanoes were also very beautiful. We got to swim in a lake that had a volcano right on its shore. That was so cool! But there were some sad things too. It crushed me to see poor children with no food. I’ve always wondered what would have happened if I wasn’t adopted in the right time frame. Would that have been me? I am thankful that I did get adopted into a wonderful, loving family. Going to Guatemala was a great experience for my Mom and me, and I cannot wait to go back!