Bad News

So as everyone is aware my article was published last week in the Daily Universe, well today I went to Google and searched my name to find the article and see if it was the first thing to pop up. Well, turns out there’s a criminal in Arizona whose name also happens to be Dustin Draper, needless to say I was appalled! This imposter is hogging all the potential fame I could be getting each time Dustin Draper is typed into Google! So I need each of you to type my name into google and go click on my news article. I figure that if each one of us does this five times… a day, then I will shortly be on top. In fact why don’t each of you just set my article link as your homepage! Yes that way every time you get on the internet you can join the effort to depose this so called “Dustin Draper.” Thank you, thank you very much.

May 24, 2007

Today was a very good day for me! I really liked it in fact! I woke up really early and went to this absolutely beautiful overlook of the Lake Atitlan! We are a five minute walk from so many beautiful views of that lake, which is the largest lake in Guatemala, I would say it’s probably a little bit larger than Utah Lake? I’m not sure though, but it’s magnificent, especially surrounded by so many volcanoes.
I came back extremely tired. I tried to work on the reading I wanted to get done for the day but everything seemed to take much longer than normal just because I had woken up so early (I woke up at five). I did get to go to the internet and check out a few things, like the letter that Rachel’s mother wrote me!!!!!! It was such a good letter, she thanked me for the “best thank you note I (Jean) have ever read!” Ha ha! Eat it Pace!! Even so, I was still a little bummed out because my Jazz are down two games to none to the Spurs. So I tried to work all day long but everything just took way too long! Then I was going through my papers and I realized that there were two more books that I forgot to bring with me!! It’s so annoying! This realization lead me to start thinking about the prudence of coming all the way to this country way out of my way to do some type of study I’m not even sure about. “Oh man, maybe I just shouldn’t have come here,” I thought. Similar thoughts ensued such as, “Why couldn’t you just graduate the normal easy way like all the other students? What about all your friends who are making all this money this summer doing who knows what?” I think everything was intensified by how much I miss Rachel. Nevertheless I made myself just continue to work, and stay as focused as I could.
Later in the afternoon my little brothers came home, Omar, and Sergio. I noticed that our mom was hauling these jugs of water from down the street to our house because we ran out of water, so I went to help her out, and Sergio followed. Carrying so much water was really good for me, the exercise refreshed me. Then after that I bought some cookies and I came home and told my lil’ brothers that if they would brush their teeth twice a day and floss every day I would give them a treat (today I gave them cookies, but from now on, it’s sugar free gum). That was really good! They were really excited, except that they still don’t really know what flossing is or how it works, but we’re going to practice everyday. So there you go mom, don’t worry about me flossing, I’m all over it. All of this while probably boring to you made things go a little better and then Miguel came home.
I had been studying my K’iche and I have this system set up where I split up my K’iche study into three segments and he was curious so I explained. He stopped me midway through my explanation to call his older son into the room, then he began the typical dad talk, “you see son, you need to …” Then he said to me, “You’re really smart.” Not wanting to mislead him I was quickly to explain, “No not really, but I’ve learned pretty well how to work hard, and that’s what has helped me the most.” So from here our conversation ended up being a inquiry session on my philosophy in life, which sounded a lot like a missionary discussion. I extemporaneously explained the way I did things, I told him that I still have a long way to go but I try to be humble, pray for God’s help in everything I do, and then work, work, work. It was funny because less than an hour before I pitied what I considered my own sad state was and now here I was an upstart motivational speaker! I don’t think what I said was anything overly profound but while explaining it I started realizing why it was such a good idea to come here. This family has such good children but they are so poor, I think the mother is illiterate, and I know the father didn’t make it past the third grade. This is a good place where I am, and I feel like what I’m doing here really does matter!.

Sweet new anouncement!

Hey I don't know if any of you checked out the daily universe lately but they published an article I wrote to the Daily Universe last thursday!! Oh you don't get the daily universe well you can probably just google me and it will pop up, or go to byunewsnet.com

Act Local Think Global

Well last fall I took a Developmental Economics class last fall, and now here I am living with the people who the class was focused on. It’s funny but everything I learned in that class kind of takes on a different meaning being here with this family. It’s no longer some abstract calculus equation to be derived, but it’s the reality that the great majority of humanity deals with each day. The family is so curious about all the “amazing” technological things that I have. My computer that has always been too slow for me, my camera cell phone that I always complain about not having all the features I wish it had, and my camera, the one that I settled on because I couldn’t afford more megapixels. I kind of wish I could hide it all from everyone here, and maybe it would have been better had I left everything behind. I feel bad about ever complaining about everything I ever had. I have never seen a family living in such humble circumstances than this family of whom I am now apart of. A four room home to house a mother, father, and four sons, no shower just a tuj, which is a primitive kind of sauna, and a latrine is what they have here in their home. The father commented to me yesterday that he has never driven before and he would like to learn how. Wow, I feel really guilty.
Why is it that by crossing a small strip of land we call the border and we are opened up to so many more opportunities to earn so much more economically? It’s almost immoral that we are born into so much more and we work so little for what we have while people here have to work their whole life just to get by, is it that we understand how to use capitalism to our advantage? Is it that the economic rules we have set up function better? Is it the repressive effects of Globalization? Or perhaps that Protestant work ethic? I’ve always been interested in economic development in third world countries but I think being in these circumstances brings new gravity to the subject.
Therefore, yesterday I began to think about what way I could make a meaningful contribution to this family and to the community, a way to reciprocate the help that they are giving me with my studies and research. I don’t want to just throw money at the issue to ease my conscience I want to give something which will actually help the people out. I tried to remember all I had learned in Macyntire’s Developmental Economics class. The problem is that when you closely study the history of Economic Development you are faced with so many failed attempts to help third world countries, sprinkled with a few treasured successes, the German and Japanese Miracles, and a few Asian economies. I’m not sure if we have found any simple magical solution we can simply apply then add water. Maybe my contribution could be some material things, increasing the capital of the family, maybe what is needed is a development of human capital, by means of me teaching them something which would help them out. The only problem with both of these ideas is that being a young student I don’t really have the means to give what I would consider a necessary material donation, also my small amount of knowledge concerning the universe consists mostly of information revolving around literature and the humanities, hardly anything which would help this family or the community in the way I would like to. I guess I’m still not sure, any suggestions? (dj_draper05@yahoo.com), one thing that I realize though is how meaningless all the material things we have are. There is a beauty in the simplicity of life here that escapes most of American society. This family is happy, and they are not always thinking about the fastest way they can get ahead in life, they don’t have a lot but they enjoy each day and they enjoy each other, and that is something to be admired, something I need to learn how to do better, because it’s really not that easy and my experience tells me it takes work, the art of being happy, I guess in the end that’s what we’re all about. Well that’s all I’ve got for now I hope you enjoyed. Next step, listen to Jack Johnson, Gone.

May 22, Santa Clara de la Laguna

Well here's my first entry from Guatemala I hope you enjoy:

Guatemala is such a beautiful country. Yesterday I made it to the little village where I will be staying. It was a beautiful experience coming here! This place is enchanted! The road which comes to the town winds through these steep canyon walls. The mountains are covered in many different types of trees. It reminds me of Jurassic Park, its beautiful! I know that I was impressed with Xela last week, but Santa Clara where I live surpasses all previous impressions I have had of Guatemala. I’m not sure exactly what it is about this place. It isn’t only the land itself but also the people, I have never seen a more humble people, the town seems almost untouched by foreigners. When we walk through the streets, this is very much apparent; everyone stares at us as if we were aliens. The people are not completely cut off from visitors from other countries since the village is located off a road which connects the Pan American Highway with the Lake Atitlan and the pacific coast in western Guatemala. I doubt I will soon forget how it was I felt coming and meeting my family. Miguel is my father and I have four brothers! Ha! What I always wanted brothers! And the family really treats me like family. They were very emphatic insisting that I was their brother, when I asked the father how many children he had, he said, “I had four, now I have five!” My mother is a sweet little K’iche woman who doesn’t know any Spanish any better than many Americans know Spanish (A few words here and there is all, plus words k'iche has borrowed from spanish)! K’iche is the primary language spoken here, although there are people who also speak Caqchikel, and Tzutujil. There is a little river which separates Santa Clara from Santa Maria La Visitacion where there are three other BYU students.
There aren’t any missionaries nearby, which surprises me because the church could easily have a decent branch or two in these communities and within a few years a chapel as well! I don’t know though maybe we’re going to be laying some groundwork here in our studies. Although we are strictly prohibited from preaching or anything, people are certainly going to find out that we’re LDS, which may be very beneficial when the missionaries do come. Quick comment on Guatemala and religion, there are a lot of Evangelical Churches here! Much different from Mexico, in Mexico it seemed like there were about the same amount of Evangelicals, Mormons, and JW’s; however, in Guatemala there are a lot more Evangelical churches although they are small, there is also a large LDS population here and JW’s? I still haven’t seen any, interesting.
Ok so I’m writing this on my laptop in my room, there aren’t any lights in this room and the only light that I have is from my computer, and a bug just crawled across my computer which kind of makes me feel uneasy (We've heard some pretty gross stories about bugs here) so I’ll make sure to put on plenty of repellant before I go to bed. My dad Miguel is going to get a light put in here this week which will be really nice. My family is so cool, my brothers are 8, 11, 14, and 16 years old. They are so cool! Everything in this home is so simple, it’s humbling to see but I think there is a beauty to it that escapes American society. Next to the home is a Corn Mill that Miguel owns. It’s a simple operation but it brings in enough money for the family to get by. The second oldest son drives around a “tuk tuk,” which is like this three wheeled covered motorcycle it's way cool, they’re used as taxis here. This brings in a little extra income for the family and he’s still able to fit in school. The mom takes care of the house and cooks and helps when she’s needed in the Mill. Also we don’t have a shower! Which might get really annoying later! Instead this family like many others in the community use a “tuj” I won’t explain anything more than saying that it’s a simple type of sauna (look it up online if you want to know anything else). I still haven’t used it yet but I will tomorrow, as well as twice a week for the duration of the next three months! I think this will give me a new appreciation for showers! We also just have a little wood burning stove to cook food on! It’s great, wood-fired meals taste good! Especially wood fired tortillas! I kind of feel like I’m going to be camping out the next three months, which sounds like fun, right? I hope it works out alright!
The people here are very curious to see these white people in their communities. They are very surprised when they see us walking down the street and even more surprised when we say, “Xeq’ij,” good afternoon in K’iche. I love it here! I know it’s not going to be easy living here and that there are going to be challenges but I think that this will be an experience unlike any I have ever had before and something which few people unfortunately never do! In America we sometimes think that we are so superior to people in other countries and cultures that we think of any travel abroad as a service we do for those people we visit as if we are there to grace another country with our presence while recognizing how much superior our own country, our own paradigm, and our own way of life is. Oh how shortsighted this self conception is. We, yes us great Americans have so much to learn from our brothers here in Guatemala and in all sorts of other places around the world. If only we would broaden our perspective a little more and if only we could see ourselves as members of a greater international family. We like to say God Bless America, but why can’t we sometimes say, “God Bless the World!”