Confessions from a Dorm Chapter 5

Inside the campus, there were many things we learned to do without. I am not simply talking about the clothes softener, or those trips to one’s kitchen to randomly snack on something when one is bored. When we had all decided to come to Bible school, we knew that they would be two years to learn as much as we could about the Bible and the ministry. We knew it was an opportunity to have some of our questions answered and use the tools of understanding to grow in our own faith. They would prove to be two very short years to me. 

Bible school meant leaving home, our families and friends. For those of us who came from abroad, it also meant leaving many commodities such as full time use to cell phones, TV, radio, and Internet. It was a separation during those four semesters which would help to alleviate distractions. But where those were impeded, many others would begin to grow in their place...

            We all were assigned to different volunteering departments on campus which branched out from simple, laborious, and complex tasks, from toilet scrubbing to translation and graphic design. In order to make the studies available to more people, our education fees were made as low as possible, but in return we all gave back a few hours of our day. 

Sometimes students with professional experience were asked to help under their fields of expertise, and we all learned that we had something to contribute. The institute owned a small butchery, bookstore and minimart, as well as coffee bean fields to help the running of the place which many students helped out with occasionaly. Students who paid all their fare such as myself were only required to work 3 hours during the week. Many international students studying on scholarship worked anywhere from 4-5 hours during the day. Many were onn scholarship to relieve the costly trips back home during breaks. 

There were trees everywhere on campus. It made a stark contrast from outside its walls. The neighboring community of Colonia Santa Fe seemed slightly arid so it made Bible school seem like a little island of paradise. The trees stoodtall with skinny trunks. They were generally green all year round and the many gardens were surrounded by green lawns and flowers that were always in bloom.

Guatemala has tropical weather and it brought my hair to life! At home it had been poofy and it couldn´t decide on whether it wanted to curl. The moisture in the Guatemalan air hydrated my curls naturally. I felt this was a great plus and was tempted to stay, of course not only for the positive effects on my hair, although that may have been one fof the contributing factors. Sometimes, at night we would be lulled to sleep by the showering rains which passed us like many waves. You could hear it from a distance as it came closer, until it was in front of us, over us, and finally passed over us. It was like a performance for our ears as we heard several curtains of rainshowers overhead. In the mornings when the rain cleared, birds sang, hidden in the foliage of the trees. Different aviary tunes could be heard everywhere.

Although the rain was beautiful, it was tiring as well. There were many months of rain. I come from California where currently we are experiencing the worst drought since the late 80's. We barely receive the minimum rainfall to keep us from being officially calles-a desert. So you may imagine how exhilarating it was for the first week. But then then that week became plural-WEEKS-to month and from month to months! I thought I was going to lose it for a while.

            “Will we ever see the sun again?” I would ask constantly during the rainy season. The spring season seemed endless, beginning in July(on my birthday! Ugh.) and lasting until December. Guatemala seemed to have only two seasons: spring and summer. I hadn’t known of this before. So when classes had started in January, I was naively prepared with a winter wardrobe. My first semester felt like I was boiling in my pew during class. That either perked me right up or seemed to lull me to sleep.

            “Why didn’t you warn me?” I yelled at William. He was sure to feel my wrath over the phone. 

While the rain made Guatemala a place of beauty and wonder, I also wondered when my clothes would ever dry. Sometimes, I would have to sacrifice buying my Crackets(Guatemalan version of Ritz crackers) I’d treat myself to on the weekends to buy tokens for the clothes dryer. All the humidity filled the dorms and the smell would permeate our clothes. Our tightly packed clothes that miraculously fit in our two feet wide lockers needed to be washed frequently to smell fresh.
And somehow I managed to fit all of this…and this in one top cabinet and one locker like this.

My first Guatemalan storm caught me off guard. I was in the cafeteria, as usual after 
working my hours, waiting for my friends to finish their work in the kitchen.

The lightning flashed brightly even in the afternoon amidst the grey skies. The thunder pierced my ears. I thought I would go deaf each time it roared. The strong vibrations were felt beneath my feet and up to my chest. It was frightening at first, but after my first year, I saw it not only as something dangerous, but beautiful as well and invigorating.