“We aeronauts of the spirit! All those brave birds which fly out into the distance, into the farthest distance – it is certain! Somewhere or other they will be unable to go on and will perch down on a mast or a bare cliff-face… But who could venture to infer from them that, that there was not an immense open space before them, that they had flown as far as one could fly! All our great teachers and predecessors have at last come to a stop… Other birds will fly farther! This insight and faith of our vies with them in flying up and away, it rises above our heads and above our impotence into the heights and from there surveys the distance and sees before it the flocks of birds which, far stronger than we, still strive wither we have striven, and where everything is sea, sea, sea!” – Dawn  


I am confident that we will come back with a greater knowledge of our research but I feel there is no end to our findings. We are learning something new every day and it inspires me to continue to search and never settle with what I know now, but apply and share what I can, when I can. Every experience and every member, within Peña Blanca alone, has thus far left an impression on me, and I can´t help but imagine the billions of people living diverse lives in similar, or worse, conditions. My curiosity is already asking what solutions and strategies, both formal and informal, others have found when I am only peeling back the initial layer of that which stands before me.

My wandering mind now attracts the unknown, the weight of the world and the cries of those who carry it. Others have taken the initiative. It is important that we make the effort and venture out from the norm to bring back and share the knowledge and experiences available to us, perpetuating the cycle and continuing the search. Every adventure inspires the next, and in the end, I believe that if we find ourselves without the answers we seek, there will be new questions that will drive us deeper into the heart of our endeavors, a new beginning now stirs. 

"Perhaps it´s not possible to solve the problem entirely.” – Rigoberta Menchú

No solutions are permanent, but we have been successful in finding those that apply today. We are finding inspiring stories of individual struggle, people who are finding microfinance a reliable instrument for getting back on their feet. Yesterday, Zach and Chris ventured out to Tierra Linda, without the cameras, to select microfinance borrowers willing to answer questions over the course of the next month and a half. Tierra Linda was recently hit with mudslides, and it was inspiring to have made some progress in our research to those who needed the services the most, to hear a bit of their stories, and to begin unpacking the importance of microfinance and its local benefits.  

“All good you do must come from your own initiative.” – Popul Vuh

Where am I? Am I not in Guatemala? Have I gone insane? This is a revelation. I am not in a familiar world. I look to my hands and see them as a waving mirage. Am I dreaming? Somehow I find control. Am I in control of my dreams? I awake with shivers down my spine. I had a dream, others walked with empty souls, and I chose to be, control without control. I find myself trying seeking consciousness in dreams but often when awake I have the desire to create through instinct and intuition. I strive for what I cannot have. I chase what is always out of reach. The struggle always seems to worth it in the end but the end is only another beginning.  

“Your thoughts are not your experiences; they are an echo and after-effect of your experiences.” – Zarathustra

We are without unnecessary wants and desires and the longer we are without them, the further we separate ourselves from the routine thoughts that give them their power. We begin to see more clearly necessary needs, not getting lost in those thoughts that influence false desires. Slowly we are peeling off layers and finding the deepest of them, one we will never lose, to experience the will of desire.

“In the field I have almost everything still to learn” – Dawn


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Justartison
6/25/2010 05:07:20 pm

Wow... you have done a beautiful thing.
finding and learning new things everyday is something to look forward to! wonderful quotes that fit in very well. you write very well. Keep you hopes up and head high!
~Nat justartison

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5/10/2012 01:37:20 pm

The post is absolutely fantastic! Lots of great information and inspiration, both of which we all need! Also like to admire the time and effort you put into your blog and detailed information you offer! I will bookmark your blog and have my children check up here often.

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