The Joys of the third world money systems!

So, a lot has happened this week…and it’s not quite over yet…I guess we can see how this weekend goes! From the ‘Flouring’ event on Tuesday to a run around the city of Xela on Wednesday and then, tonight, I was able to test my American test system on how I can get information that I need…details to follow…

Let’s start with Wednesday. To be honest, Wednesday was a crappy day. My kids were a little crazy and they weren’t listening at all…it seemed that my patience had totally worn out. And that bad thing was that it was gone by 8:15 am! By the time they went home, I was totally worn out and I had all of my afternoon kids to work with. I was quite relieved when I was reminded that it was Wednesday and we had female staff Bible Study. We met at this cute café in the center of town and talked for a couple of hours. One of the girls was interrupted by a phone call that seemed to be rather important. The expression on her face soon turned to panic and she hung up. She said that it was one of our Guatemalan friends who called and he called to let us know that the bank we used was crashing. Are you kidding me? A bank can just ‘crash’ and take all your money? Well, I (luckly) had cashed my first paycheck so I didn’t have any money in my account at all but everyone else did. I covered the tab while everyone ran out to get there bank card and get as much money out as they could. Two of the girls went straight to the ATM’s while two of the other ones had to run home (a good 10 minute walk). By the time I had made it back to our apartments, I had pasted two of the girls I had been meeting with (both running through the cobblestone streets of Xela) and one of the other girls (who had been taken by surprise by the news and ran out of the house bra-less!) It was quite a site to see all this gringas (white girls) running around like chickens with their heads cut off! Seriously, where is FDIC in a situation like this. At this moment, I realized how many times I have taken the USA for granted. I mean, we don’t have to worry about our money just disappearing and dissolving into the bank owners hands…anyway, by the time I got back up to my apartment, my roommate was on her way out so I offered to go with her for moral support. We caught up with the other girls and found that they could only take out a certain amount of money per day. We still weren’t sure how legitimate the sources were about the bank rumors but we figured it was better be safe than sorry! By the time all the fiasco was over and all the girls had taken all the money out that they could (and they were now prime targets to be help up!), it was dark and we all needed to head home. One of the girls, Danielle, lives on the other side of town so Stef and I volunteered to walk her home. It was a nice walk. On the way back, we were walking along a very narrow road with narrow sidewalks (probably 2-3 feet) when a large moving truck was coming down the road. At the same time, Stef and I both flattened against the wall we were walking next too because not only was there a huge truck but the truck had huge mirrors that would have taken us out…we both looked at each other and laughed. Of course something like this would happen…I mean, we do live in Guatemala! Something else that I don’t think I have mentioned yet is the ‘logical’ place the Guatemalans keep their dogs. It is nothing to be surprised at to see a huge Huskey or German Shepard on the roof of a house. Yes, that is right, you may be walking down the road and hear a ferocious bark and have no idea where it is coming from only to realize that the dog is above you! It’s a little strange but it has become something that is now ‘normal.’

Today was actually a pretty good day, of course it was only good until I turned into a complete idiot (Thank you Sarah Shenold and Cory Bigham for helping me clean up my mess!) But more on that in a little bit. My day at school went well. It was a typical Friday that was survived by the knowledge that it was Friday if that makes any sense at all. I went to the Mennonite Bake Shop after school (ohmygoodness, SOOOO good!) and headed to Dos Tejanos with the girls to wind down after a hectic week. After we left, we thought that a movie sounded like a great idea so we headed to the ‘mall’ and watched 27 dresses (very cute for a chick flick). We caught a taxi on the way home and by the time I reached into my purse to pull my keys out to unlock my door, I realized that my purse was a little lighter than it should have been! Crap! My wallet had fallen out when I paid for the taxi. This sent me into a fury of activity of calling people in the states to get phone numbers to the card companies that I had in my wallet (thanks Sarah for looking these numbers up!) and making all the calls I could from an international country. When I called Bank of America, the guy that was helping me must have been bored because he started up a conversation with me about what Guatemala was like and what vaccinations you needed to come down there. I was seriously laughing and Randi (one of the 6 girls) was cracking up because here I was, trying to protect my ‘life savings’ and this guy just wanted someone to chat with! By the time I had 2 out of 3 cancelled, I couldn’t get the other number to go through (sorry to all of you who I called but thank you to Cory Bigham for actually answering and helping out a TON!). Cory helped me out and made a local call or two and I think we have it all figured out now. So this is how I became an idiot this week…I have never lost my wallet before. I don’t know why I thought that doing it in a foreign country would be a good time to do it but I now have the training. Hopefully I won’t have to do that ever again!

(And Dad, do you really think that you could have a daughter go to another country and not lose something! At least it wasn’t my passport!)

So, now, looking ahead to my once clear weekend, I see visions of wallet shopping now on my list of things to do. As well as make a copy of everything that goes into my new wallet.

I hope that you all are doing well and that life in the states is treating you well! I have gotten a few updates and to those that are sick, I hope you and your family gets well soon and if any of you have been effected by the weather, I hope it is getting better for you! Take care and Find your own adventure where you are!

Playlist:
I know what I know by Paul Simon
Juicy Fruit by Jimmy Buffet
Your Love Is Amazing by Caleb Carruth
Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta by Carter Falco (country version, you should check it out! It’s hilarious!)
Babylon 2 by David Gray
Summersong by The Decemberist
Shout Out Loud by Amos Lee
Mmmbop by Hanson
You Are Not Alone by Michael Jackson
Twisted Logic by Cold Play
First Breath After Coma by Explosions in the Sky
Great Is Thy Faithfulness by Leona Mitchell