Drums of War

Drums. Banging Drums. Many banging drums. And then... the National Anthem.

Waking up in Guatemala can be such an odd experience. As the fog of sleep slowly lifted, I ambled over to the window. (Who needs the t.v. news when your apartment faces the National Palace?)

Down in Central Park a sizeable number of soldiers had gathered. “Hmm”, I thought “too large for a casual gathering, but too small for a coup d´etat.” Then I remembered: today is June 30th... Army Day.

In years past, El Dia del Ejercito was a sight to behold. A scary sight to behold. The armed forces would put on a staggering display of, well, arms and forces. Tanks, trucks, guns galore, and thousands of soldiers marching in lock-step. Basically, weapons of mass destruction on parade. I even seem to remember cannons shooting off, and these very same windows trembling in their frames from the blasts.

But those were the days of the armed conflict in Guatemala. These are the days of peace... well... days without war, anyway. And the army is the midst of a long-ovedue process of troop reductions and base-closings.

So by the time I stepped out of the shower, the commotion of the commemoration was over. In fact the only sign that today was different than any other day was... the silence. Today is still a national holiday, and darn near everyone (except my co-workers and I, apparently) had the day off.

So instead of the drums of war, the streets were filled with the un-sound of an entire city sleeping in.

And that’s as good a definition of “progress” as you’re likely to find!