I also definitely had a bout of homesickness this morning (especially after chatting with my parents!). Also, everyone else in the group went home to the States either yesterday or today, we had closure from the trip, and I would have happily gone home as well!
Instead, I mustered up my will-power, got a cab to the bus station, and hopped on the 6 hour bus ride to Rio Dulce, feeling a bit apprehensive. As luck would have it, though, I sat next to a very nice Guatemalan pediatrician, Eleana, who looked after me at the bus stops, and was interesting to talk with- she has been to the States many times, including to New Orleans post-Katrina.
We passed a lot of previous mudslides near our highway- this has been one of the rainiest seasons for Guatemala on record- and Eleana thinks this is pretty good evidence of global warming and extreme weather. I thought I had a heightened sense of my own mortality due to the recent dump tour as I was thinking about dangerous roads, situations, and mudslides, but even Eleana pointed out the emergency exit and said that she likes to sit on the right side of the bus, because it is further from the oncoming traffic. She would like the government to use dynamite on some of the cliffs overhanging the highway, and it does seem like these roads could be made a bit safer.
All this being said, it has not rained at all today, and our driver was great. I have safely arrived in Rio Dulce; I am staying with Edgar and Auri from the church, and am geared up for a good week. The surroundings are beautiful, and it is going to be interesting to see how they treat a lot of the same conditions that we have been seeing the last two weeks. Plus, I can tell that my Spanish has gotten a lot better since I arrived, and it will be good to see patients here for another week.
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