THE END IS NEAR!!!

Or so say the ancient Mayans, groups of extremely anxious doomsday sayers around the world, and of course, actor John Cusack. Unfortunately, you and I are going to be hearing a lot more about the END OF THE WORLD for two more years. That's right, folks, the world is going to end in December, 2012.

The ancient Mayans, of whom Guatemalans claim their ancestry, used a very unique and interesting way of counting days, and according to the cyclical Long Count Calendar, our days are up in 2012. Hollywood, in normal fashion, has

jumped all over the upcoming hysteria with the movie, '2012' (just as they did in the year 2000 - remember those duds?)
I'm not quite sure why human beings are so obsessed with the world ending, and especially why so many want it to end in such dramatic fashion (fireballs from space, flesh-eating locusts, etc. etc.). There seems to be, however, something in us that craves some sort of end or resolution to time - even the ancient Egyptians and more recently the ancient Maya had calendars that "ended."
Don't worry though, according to conversations I've had with people who read and understand the Popul Vuh (Mayan bible), the world isn't necessarily ending around Christmas 2012, it's just "starting over." Good luck to everyone! ; )

Or maybe it IS the end!? As you may have heard, 2012 started early in Guatemala. Several days ago Pacaya Volcana erupted, spewing inches of ash all over Guatemala City and the airport runway, killing 3 people (this is the volcano where Carey and I roasted marshmallows).

Then 3 days ago the rains started and haven't stopped yet (from Tropical Storm Agatha). In my village of Panjachel the lumber yard and a few homes couldn't withstand the force of the river. Mudslides and flooding have killed over 20.
The worst news came last night when I had to cancel the surgery team which was supposed to start work today. Now 80 people will not receive the operations they needed. I literally felt like crying as I made the calls to give them the bad news. Ugh - the poor just can't catch a break sometimes.

THE END IS NEAR!
Unfortunately for Carey and me the end really is near. With mixed emotions we leave Guatemala on July 18th. It has been an amazing and life-changing journey but the time has come to return to the States and jump back into our careers, bringing with us what we've learned and many cherished memories. It's not goodbye, though, just "see you later."

Peace,
Jay