A Blue House in Guatemala, the Birth of a Dream

Going to Guatemala during the Christmas vacations of 2024 was a total impulse. I wanted to celebrate the end of my postdoctoral fellowship, the launch of my palliative and End-of-Life care consulting business, and, above all, to take some time for myself. After 10 years of higher education and the birth of 2 of my 4 children, this break was well deserved.

Guatemala seemed like the ideal place: not too far to travel, only an hour's time difference, and a new place never explored before. Once the destination was chosen, I started looking for a place to stay on Airbnb. Until I came across a blue house. This blue house in the middle of the jungle—I had to get there no matter what. It was calling me!

When I landed in the village of Jaibalito after a short boat trip, I fell in love with the village. There are no roads, just a few tuktuks. Lake Attitlan, surrounded by volcanoes. It's known by the Mayans as a place where energy comes out, a place that inspires and brings us back to life.

On December 31, as I was leaving after 4 very inspiring nights spent in my little blue house, I approached the person renting the house next door to mine to offer her what I had left of the food. We started chatting. She was a 75-year-old American woman, Rachel, without children, who traveled around the lake and elsewhere in Central America several months a year, certainly for the love of the place but also to save money, as her pension didn't allow her to have a dignified life in the United States. Weakened by severe epilepsy, she now had some cognitive problems. When I asked her about her wishes in the event of a serious illness, she said she had never thought of them. After exchanging contact details and saying hello, I had a real epiphany: I had to create a living and end-of-life environment for Rachel, as well as a stable and respectful workplace for the Mayan women of the village and surrounding area! And so, ever since, I've been working day and night to make this vision a reality!