Gun-toting men walking through busy streets, cars speeding past pedestrians at unchecked speeds, police officers accepting cash bribes, and abundant fruits of enormous proportions: welcome to Guatemala.

Campus custodian Jorge Solis shared his music and some Guatemalan culture with a student audience while visiting the Spanish III class on Oct. 24.

For Solis, gorwing up in Guatemala instilled in him a love for music and the Latin culture. His father, a professional musician, taught Solis how to play many different instruments, including the keyboard and guitar. This talent provided him with a means of making a living when he emigrated to the United States with his mother in 1981.

“”Life in the United States is very different from life in Guatemala,”” Solis said. “”The weather there is a lot more tropical, and the food is completely different. But, I like it very much here.””

Living in a secular world, Solis began playing his music in nightclubs to earn money. Eventually, he came to Christ, and now Solis glorifies God with his music, when he’s not working for the Peoples Church as a custodian and painter.

Students who witnessed Solis’ presentation appreciated the unique viewpoint he brought to the class.

“”The presentation from Jorge was a great learning experience,”” Victor Cabias, ’05, said. “”It gave us a chance to comprehend the differences between Guatemalan culutre and our upper-class, white society.””

Solis’ has put his music on cassette tape and CD over the last three years and local radio station, Nueve Vida 980 am, has picked up a few tunes from his Banidad albulm. The most played song is Perdoname. Solis’ CDs can be purchased by requesting one through the office.

For more information on Solis, see “”Janitor’s music primes lifestyle”” in The Feather online by clicking on The Feather icon at www.fresnochristian.com.

Anne Hierholzer also contributed to this article.