Hammie Guatemala Video

Opportunity is the word that describes this summer. I remember the excitement that first night in New York I saw Jemalyn and Nadvia after one year. This summer has been full of stories: everything from getting lost on the subway that first day of work to frantically rearranging luggage at Newark Airport to meet the 50 pound embargo. My internship at the New-York Historical Society introduced me to the fields of marketing, communications, and research and enhanced my appreciation for cultural institutions.

After getting immersed into the speed and culture of New York City, Guatemala City was a 180 degree rotation. I recall that drive from the airport to Home Base, noticing influences of American lifestyle: the occasional fast food chains and glances at gas prices. I realized that even though my surroundings had not changed, I was noticing more attributes about Guatemala City – everything from the political graffiti statements to the sidewalk stores. I grew to appreciate the slower, relaxed lifestyle, to take the time to reflect on the surroundings. This week was an introduction to the people and culture of Guatemala - there is still much to learn.

Don Bosco provides vocational training for about 80 boys between the ages of 12-22 in carpentry, welding, computers, metal work, etc. By the end of the week, the initial tensions and limited communication became memories of laughter and tears of joy. I will always remember those two and half hours I spent with Edwin Balan when he handed me a tool and showed me how he makes his metal crosses. The next few days, he continued to show me his work– he helped me understand the meaning of patience and attention to detail. I remember the moment when he pointed to my name tag, pulled out his, and we both started laughing about the similarities in our last names. Or the time when it took me 15 minutes to understand a simple statement he said in Spanish. The one conclusion I can make is that there is a universal language: joy.

If there is anything I have learned it is that with traveling comes a responsibility to take action for what is witnessed. This week put into perspective what it means to give. I will never forget the boys at Don Bosco, the welcoming people of Guatemala and Cross Cultural Solutions, and my class of Hammie’s. And even though we may not see each other for the next year or two, the memories from Seattle and Guatemala have bound us together. As for the summer which has concluded in a blink of an eye – I dream of never forgetting.

“In the Market”

(Dedicated to Kayla Aldridge)

I grip the handles of the wheelchair

And push her through the flowing market

Each bump in the pavement

Traveling through the wheels and

Seeping into her body and

Along the handles and

Meeting my palms

Like some shared potent energy

And here is a family

And fish

And coffee

And lilies

And here we are

Traversing through a plentiful world

On soles and on rims

I grip the handles of her wheelchair

As she pulls me through the flowing market

——-

“The Fourth State of Water”

(“In the Fountain”)

Water leaps from the fountain,

Its limbs bending and stretching like yoga.

Its arches are like bridges

Of aquatic architecture.

The people venture into this forest

Darting between thick, spraying trunks,

As each liquid rope

Frays on the pavement

Exhales into mist

And evaporates into happiness—

—the fourth state of water.

For it is here,

At this fountain of youth and old,

That the push and pull of the universe

Bring a diversity of people,

Each in his or her bare feet.

When I flew back east to South Carolina, I gained 3 hours and a lifetime of new experiences and connections (plus lots and lots of inside jokes). I went home not only with the sloppily folded luggage in my suitcase, but with the luggage of new thoughts and perspectives.

I’m a firm believer that it is the people who make a place or program special. I had read each person’s biography beforehand, and after arriving in Seattle, I was relieved that everyone was actually human. Thanks to the close-knit size of our group, it was easy to build close friendships with each other. I am still in a stupor at all the amazing things we did. Among them, of course, were managing to churn out a PDP (Lily’s acronym for personal development plan), finding the lone black bead (thanks to Ramon), having a collective panic attack about debt, avoiding the middle shower, and taking Intro to Yoga 101. We encountered the former mayor, Roland Strong’s protein structure, Helen Thayer’s polar-bear-fighting dog, Garth Stein’s talking dog, not to mention our very own Alexander Hamilton look-alike. The most amazing part for me was being able to listen to other people’s personal stories. In fact, the interactions that took place on schedule and off-schedule made me muse that maybe we could have done it all by ourselves. If the twenty-five of us had simply gathered together in a room, that itself would have made an amazing experience.

Still, the program would not have been nearly as phenomenal without our truly incredible staff, particularly the Cox family, Joslin, Bill and Evan. It humbles me to realize that I am part of the reason for all their dedicated efforts. I liked Evan’s nonchalant shrug when I remarked about his decision to donate a week of his time.

I felt especially empowered when Mr. Cox, after listening to our “When Life Throws You a Curve” discussion, declared: “We’re going to be all right.” I think it’s always important for all of us to believe in that. On a lighter note, that was the same way Kem and I felt about our first gulps of Starbucks Mochas after wandering around Pike’s Market in the hot afternoon. We finally quenched our thirsts and thought, “we’re going to be all right.”

A weeklong academy and a 4 year program are real evidence that Mr. Cox doesn’t settle for thinking small. The Hamilton Program is fortunate for being well-funded; let’s keep it that way. I urge all of us to help raise money and awareness at our high schools and local organizations. The Hamilton Program is making impressive strides every year, and we have to help in any way we can. After all, we can’t let the Aaron Burr Friends Association outdo us.

For now, Facebook may be the only coping method for our Leaders Academy withdrawal symptoms. Remember, we may be future presidents, future doctors, or future politicians in the next seven years, but look at who we have already become in the present. We are driven scholars, unique personalities, and inspired leaders. We are teenagers ablaze. We are twenty-first century Hamiltonians.

Looking forward to Guatemala,

John Chen