WHO IS AJMAQVENTURER?

AJMAQVENTURER is Nicholas Rogers, better known as Nick, or amongst friends in Honduras, Nico or Nicolatis.

I am from Birmingham in the United Kingdom, raised in Hall Green, close to where JRR Tolkien also spent part of his misspent youth. I am a journalist by profession, although I have held a zeal and desire for writing and storytelling long before I ever thought of it as a career.

I have lived in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, since 2011. Many Hondurans may cringe or sneer at these words, but I very much identify and feel like an adopted Catracho. I have never been one to demonstrate much patriotism about my country of birth unless the football is on, but Honduras, the culture and the people are and always will be very dear to me. The warmth, kindness and sense of humor of the people have made me feel loved, part of the jigsaw and left me in hysterics over the years, making it a loving and happy home. Likewise, the culture has rewarded me many profound experiences, and the nature has given me a sense of wanderlust to explore through the jungles, forests, beaches, towns and cities, and just keep learning. There have been heartbreaks along the way, but it has all been “vale la pena” – worth the pain.

I originally arrived in Honduras as a volunteer working at Casa Alianza, an organization that cares for vulnerable and at-risk youths living in the streets in Honduras. I have worked at schools, academies, magazines, and sports corporations, such as ESPN and Fox Sports Australia. I am now the Director of Communications of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos International, a vocation and an organization very close to my heart.

To read more about my career and experience, take a look at my CV on LinkedIn. My portfolio is currently under construction.

WHY “AJMAQVENTURER”?

“Nothing is a coincidence – everything is connected.” A cliché, maybe, but I have been told this many-a-time by many-a-folk from all walks of life, only paraphrased differently or told in a different language. A dear friend reminded me of this when I told her the story about how I came upon this name. Whether it be the law of attraction or the Gods at work (it this case, most probably the Mayan), it set me on a new path of self-discovery and to start a project to mark my journey through life.

In early to mid-March of 2023, I went on a work trip to Guatemala with NPH International. After a week of meetings, presentations and workshops, Richard Kafie (who helped me design this website) and I were treated to day out to the town of Panajachel on Lake Atitlán, courtesy of another friend and colleague, Thomas Hartig, a German native but now an adopted Chapine.

While browsing through the dozens of tourist shops, I came across a more upmarket and refined jewelry store, that I can’t remember the name of right now, but it sat on the corner of a side road. While in the shop, I was looking through some Mayan keyrings which had beautiful symbols with leather. One in particular caught my eye. I’m not sure why: something about the square shape and the pattern, maybe. At that moment, a softly spoken shop assistant with an equally soft smile and gentle indigenous features approached me and talked me through the meanings of the symbols.

She told me that the glyph in my hand was called Ajmaq, which is one of the 20-day signs in the Mayan Tzolk’in calendar. Each sign in the Tzolk’in has its own unique energy, symbolism, and characteristics. Ajmaq is often associated with concepts of forgiveness, reconciliation, and the quest for truth.

In Mayan cosmology, each day sign is linked to particular energies, animals, and elements. Ajmaq is often represented by the bat, symbolizing the ability to navigate in the dark or unseen realms. This is metaphorically connected to the idea of uncovering hidden truths and seeking spiritual understanding.

This screamed at me. In the previous 6 months up to that date, I had lost my father and I was going through a divorce, which had left me in an acutely vulnerable state with my head lost amongst the trees. I then read a pamphlet that the woman gave me, that people born under the Ajmaq day sign are thought to possess qualities associated with forgiveness and the ability to heal relationships. They may be drawn to seeking harmony and resolution in conflicts, which was a voice I really needed to hear to resolve my own inner conflict more than anything.

The lady then pulled out a huge book noting all the days that the Mayan symbols fell on. Lo and behold, and I doubt you need any spoilers to guess what happened, day of the Ajmaq fell on my birthday, 21 November 1979. (If you really want to know my age, do the maths). Around most of the world, I’m persecuted for being a Scorpio, but the Ajmaq gave me a slightly new dimension, a sense of hope.

Suffice to say, I bought the key ring, and I carry it everywhere I go.

VALUES AND MISSION

Much to my mother’s disappointment, I don’t really have many values. If I do, I’m not clear on what they are and I’m still learning them along the way. Therefore, this is what the website is about: my venture of self-discovery.

My mission is simple: to entertain, educate, inform, and provoke thought and emotion, through my adventures, or worse still, misadventures. I do this through stories, articles, essays, poetry, photos, doodles, and, maybe in the future, videos. I impart my experiences of my travels, thoughts and philosophies, and things I learn in everyday life that may be of use to others. You may find current affairs, cultural observations, book reviews, satirical humour and my attempts to answer life’s difficult questions. I am not an expert, but just another soul navigating through life with a sense of humour.

I start each post by greeting my audience by saying “Dear readers”. Much more than being a formal salutation within a letter, I do this as I feel blessed to have each and every one of you reading my very words. In a previous job, I had a couple of students who used to read at my former blog, where I would also address my readers with dear, and they told me it was cute and quirky. So it stuck. And it’s sticking with AJMAQVENTURER as well. I am very much an introvert in my personal life. I am not one to get up on stage and perform a song or act in a play; more so because I possess zero musical skills and I would forgot my lines in a play. Nonetheless, this is where I perform, in a medium of the written word, rather than musical or spoken. You can visit my former blog, Nick El Catracho Rogers, but over time I shall be moving a lot of my work on to AJMAQVENTURER.

Most of what I write will be in English, although there may be times I revert to Spanish, particularly “caliche”, Honduran slang, as I find it an amusing source of great inspiration.

I may say and write things that you love, like, dislike or even hate. You have a right to judge and vent whatever you like. Feel free to leave a comment. If it is hateful, you will simply be ignored.

I hope that during your time navigating the AJMAQVENTURER website that you learn, laugh, feel inspired and you are moved in some way. For my own an egotistical thirst, this is a creative output to demonstrate my work. I simply do this out of enjoyment and for a deep cathartic need.