| International Outreach: Guatemala, Heart of the Americas |
| Field report from First Medicines Founder Timothy L. Trujillo |
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| Guatemala, the land of eternal spring, is nestled in the center of the Americas. Here the meeting of the North American and Caribbean continental plates has given rise to volcanic ranges rich with luscious growth, inhabited by a people rich with history and culture. Still recovering from a long and brutal civil war, their greatest treasure is their smiling, enduring spirit. My guide Jeff Neff and I were greeted at the Guatemala City airport by Lorenzo Gottschammer. I first met Lorenzo and his wife Emilia in Geneva in 2002 when they were honored with the Medaille d�Excellence for thirty years of work cultivating rapid yielding, genetically diverse macadamia trees. To date they have provided over 150,000 of these hearty trees to the people of Guatemala in a sustainable agriculture and reforestation program that Lorenzo charges with the zeal of Noah. Jeff and I were given our Guatemala orientation as we raced from the capitol to Antigua, then the Valhalla Experimental Station Macadamia Farm. After a delightful breakfast of local coffee, macadamia pancakes with macadamia butter, blueberry jam, and fresh honey, I was beginning to understand Lorenzo�s passion. Before breakfast had ended a group arrived to tour the farm and experience Lorenzo�s ecology and oil salesmanship. The student group leader, a dear friend of the Gottschammers�, came into the kitchen to take a break. He excused wearing a cap indoors, then lifted it to reveal a bump on his head with black marks around it. He reported that he was receiving radiation treatments for a brain tumor. Upon further discussion, he informed me that he had suffered fatigue after his treatments, so I offered my services to teach him some relaxation and inner strengthening techniques. Emilia set up a special place in her Airstream trailer; I gathered my flute, and within hours of touching down my work was underway. We spent several days with the Gottschammers, during which time we were well educated on the Gautemalan and Mayan cultures, and well fed. We met John Mann, another American expatriot, who facilitates donation and delivery of medical equipment from the US to Guatemala through a program called MESSAGES. John is also a Rotarian and founding member of the Antigua Gaming Society. He proved to be a valuable resource in networking with other active expats, including Jay and Mary Lou Ridinger who have spent the last thirty years revitalizing the mystique and esthetic of Mayan Jade. John also connnected us with La Casa de San Jose, a children�s AIDS hospital, where Psych Dept. director Mario Hernandez enthusiastically welcomed my offer to conduct training in hypnosis and Reiki to his volunteers and Jeff�s partnership in developing resources to continue San Jose�s services. |
| Valhalla Experimental Station Organic Macadamia Farm |