Monday August 4, 2008 2:46pm

Dear Journal,

I am on the plane home from Dallas. And, as much fun as I had on this trip and as awesome and amazing as it was, I am really glad to be going back! And what a trip it has been! I can't even begin to count everything that I gained from this experience, but I will try to hit the major parts... One of the things I gained from this experience was an understanding of how little I know about politics, how ignorant I am and always have been about the things my own country is doing in the world and the influence it has in the global market. I always knew the U.S. was powerful, but I never realized just how powerful it really is, and what an influence it has. I will definately make it an issue to actually look at when I vote, and keep up on it in the coming years, because I am part of my country and sometimes my country doesn't do the right thing-at least what I feel is right. Like with Guatemala, we are totally exploiting them and taking advantage of them and many other countries in Central America, and in my mind that's not okay. Another thing I gained from this experience was a global perspective. I really got to see how another culture lives. And, though they are different from us in many ways, they are very similar to us. They are still people, wonderful people, who deserve respect and deserve a chance. Another thing I gained was the realization that we don't have a lot of control over our lives and that things do-and should-change. But, these changes have a purpose. Life is not random; things happen for a reason. We are meant to learn and grow through these changes. And, sometimes, we can affect changes; sometimes we have to take control of our lives. But, through these changes, we need to have hope. Hope guides us, it is the only thing that can get us through anything. The Guatemalans had hope for 36 years through a war, one where people were dying left and right, one that looked hopeless. But, they pulled through with hope, and even though things have a long way to go, they continue to have hope for the future. Hope gets you through anything. Another thing I gained was an appreciation and pride in being a woman. I've never been terribly excited to be a woman. For me, it hasn't exactly been a burden, but it's mostly been bothersome. But, this trip showed me how strong women are and can be. We met so many women that have done amazing things, without the help of men. Also, being a group of all women turned out to be a real blessing. It was amazing and I met some fantastic women. One last thing I will touch on was what I gained in my personal life. I changed and grew through this trip, mostly from being away from my everyday life. Another thing that changed in my personal life is I gained a better appreciation of what I have. I truly have been so blessed in my own life. Seeing the Guatemalans, I realized just how blessed I have been. I really do have a great life. I don't need things to make me happy, I have everything I need to be happy. And I am happy and satisfied, very satisfied. I have love in my life, and hope. I am complete. It's going to be challenging going back to my everyday life for many reasons. I have grown and changed from this experience, not significantly, but enough that it will be challenging. But, I'm glad to be going home. And I look forward, with hope, to the future. So, that was my trip to Guatemala. What a journey it was! ¡Adios!