What is truth? Well, it´s raining...

As I walked along next to the river that had formed in the street of our school, a car drove past, and because the sidewalks here are directly next to the traffic, it splashed and drenched my feet. I have a feeling that my feet won´t have many dry moments this weekend. Streets have become small rivers, and to get anywhere from my apartment, I must walk at least a few blocks and cross a few of these new rivers. Our group was supposed to go to Chichicastenango this weekend, but we cannot because of landslides. The highways are too dangerous. It has been raining so much today. And it´s supposed to continue all weekend.

Today concluded our first week of classes! I survived! Haha, I need to get through most of my novel this weekend though...and begin my analysis paper...and work on a presentation. I have nothing to complain about though; many of my fellow students have been giving a presentation or writing a composition every day.

This week we heard two very different perspectives of Guatemala. On Wednesday, we visted with a colonel of the Guatemalan army. He told us his view of what happened from the 1960 until 1996, the years of violence here in Guatemala. It was interesting because the accounts we have heard were ones of massacre and torture, committed by the Guatemalan military. When this issue was addressed, he mentioned that even though unjust acts occurred, there were never mandated by the ¨"institution." Then on Thursday, we had a conference with two people from villages that lived during the combat. Their loved ones and other people from their village were murdered in the years of violence. "Institutionally mandated" or not, there is no excuse for the violence that occurred, and the deaths that resulted. But there are accounts of policies that were instituted by people of higher power to wipe out entire indigenous villages. Two conflicting perspectives. But which is the truth?

I´ve been reading about the concept of truth in one of my religion books. The author suggests that truth is a process. No one every knows the truth, but people make "truth-claims." The author speaks in regard to God and claims about divine truth, but I think that these two opposing views about the recent history of Guatemala can both be called truth-claims. The books and articles written by victims of the Guatemalan civil war can be called truth-claims. The novel and short stories that I read for class and that reflect Central American life during violent times can be called truth-claims. Even extensly researched reports put out by the United Nations can be called truth-claims. The past is the past. And everyone´s past is different. Which one is truth? All of them. Everyone´s past is their reality.

Please pray for our group as we learn about these conflicting views of a totally separate culture than our own. Pray for those who are affected by the massive amounts of rain and landslides. This is unstable ground. But we will continue trekking upon it.

Te envio mi amor.