Guatemala Blog (Eagle's Nest Orphanage) December 29, 2013

The road that snakes its way down led us to Sololá -- ”City of the Overview,” as it is called, and that rightly so, because from different points of view one can behold the lake and its tranquility with the impressive volcanoes that rise farther, across it, sleeping.

We had left Guatemala City by maybe around a quarter to ten. We were riding on an old school bus that is no longer used for that purpose. Orphanage “Nido del Águila.” That was where we were heading to. “Living means accumulating future memories,” says one character of Ernesto Sábato (the Argentinean writer). I read that in my youth, and I’ve always remembered it since. Well, I was carrying my share of memories of the place where we were going with me; the weather, the experiences. Obviously, I would have new experiences there and another layer would be added to the sediment.

When we arrived, Pedro welcomed us. He helps run this place. When talking to him, I learned that he is Mexican, and he was raised in the United States. He married an American whose father bought this place (which used to be a restaurant and a recreational site) to turn it into what is now.

He gave us a tour of the place, stopping here and there to speak with details about what this project was, what it is, and what he expects to accomplish with it. I felt admiration for him, his wife and the good that has been done here.