In reply to eric.

Hey Eric,
Do I personally believe in burning devil effigies? Mmm, not really. It's more just a fun, symbolic tradition for Guatemalans, but it's very widely celebrated. In Guatemala city they have trouble with all the fires and the pollution from what people are burning, like when they decide to burn tires. It's more of a cleaning ritual than anything. The people who participate in this tradition are mostly Catholic and Evangelical Christians; I don't know if this particular tradition comes from any sort of Mayan celebration or not?

As for how many people we've helped in Guatemala or in the world...I have no idea. I don't even know what you mean by help, exactly? But I think it's not something you can really know. Sometimes people are listening when you think no one is. Sometimes no one is listening when you hope they are. Sometimes just being someone's friend and inviting them into your house for coffee brings up something that's helpful to a person. For example, if I asked you "How many people have you helped in your life?" could you really count them? Even though you're young, I'm sure you've done something good for some one somewhere along the line...but how do you know? I don't know if you've ever seen the movie It's a Wonderful Life or not. The basis of the film is a man who wants to commit suicide because he feels like he's become a total failure and accomplished nothing in his life. An angel appears and shows the man all the positive things that have happened as a result of him being a hard working, nice guy. He even saved some people's lives without realizing it.
I think the film is cheezy, really cheezy. But I also think the message is pertinent. Just be as good a person as you can be, conscientious and hard working and you have a chance to positively affect a lot of people you meet throughout your life. I know that some of the people who've influenced me have been other travelers I've met in my life while on vacation; they were there for a very short time then gone. We had some interesting conversations during a night at a hotel, and what they had to say made me look at the world a little differently. I have no idea who all I've helped, or how I've helped them. Likewise, I don't know how many people I've annoyed or made angry in my life either. I just try to do the best I can, and I certainly fall short of the mark from time to time.

emily