A change of plans

As any good travel plans are made, they are also changed! I am quite excited about my changes though. I traveled from Xela to Guatemala City today so that i could buy my ticket to my destination (which I had set as Panama) only to find out that I had to go to another office in another part of the city to purchase the ticket. Hold on, let me back up. I don´t know if I have filled everyone in on how this trip came to be. Last year, I was bumped off a flight so in return, TACA gave me a 250 dollar travel ticket. It expires March 15. So, use it or lose it, right? So, I got settled in Xela and decided it would be fun to take a quick trip to somewhere I haven´t been to finish up my SCUBA, learn to surf, and just relax for a couple of days. My desitination was Panama but that flight was full. So, I will be going to Costa Rica instead! I am very excited about this and can´t wait to get down there. I have heard so many great things about this country. I have also heard that it is full of tourist but I can handle that for a few days!

So, tomorrow morning (Feb. 25) I will be leaving at 8:05 and getting to the beautiful CR by 9:20! Hopefully I will be on a beach somewhere by noon! That´s my goal! I probably won´t have internet access so be looking for an update on my quick trip late this weekend or early next week! Please pray for my safe travels! Love you guys!

Viva La Vida!

Liz

words from a friend

I have met a few people in my short stay here thus far and one of them guided me to the blog that he and his friends have been writing. As I was reading this morning, I ran across this explanation of the desire to travel and it wraps up the overall feeling so well. Below is an excerpt from this beautifully written piece.

"Meeting other travelers is easy. We all have one thing in common: the simple fact that we are far away from home and full of a desire to explore what is unknown to us. The initial conversations generally begin the same way. Where are you from? What do you do? How long are you traveling for? Where are you coming from? Where are you heading? And then, they evolve into something more personal. Within minutes, the chuckles begin and they too grow into something more substantial. The bond is formed, and before we know it, our social group has expanded. We say and do things in front of each other that only our closest friends usually witness. We need this connection.

Gaining new friends from differing cultures is a wonderful thing. Most of us travel because we want to expand our perspective on everything around us. What better way to do this than by conversing endlessly with people from different corners of the globe? It´s entertaining; it´s interesting; it´s humbling beyond belief.

We are better people because of them. We are inspired to try new things, go new places, and look at the world in a different light. And we get to be the ambassadors for our own culture, one that is often shadowed by unfair stereotypes (what culture isn´t?). It becomes our responsibility to show by example that not all Americans are loud, ignorant drunks, destined for return trips to Cancún for the chicks, beach, and booze. We too come from a beautiful place that we can take pride in, full of amazing people who are doing great things." (Taken from http://milesformastatal.wordpress.com/2009/02/06/where-my-peeps-at/)

So the question that I ask; why isn't it like this when we are home as well? Shouldn't we be able to shed these notions in any situation. This is what I aim for. And this is what I believe I have found in my new friends in Enid. Thank you for that. And thank you for my friends in Xela as well for pulling me out of my comfort zone and putting me in situations that are real and inspiring. I only wish that I could take this perspective to everyone I meet and be this person that is real and genuine.

Just something to think about....

Welcome Back to Guatemala!

I've been back for four days and things have been wonderful! As far as I know, I didn't forget anything that was essential. I was greeted with open arms and great friends. My trip from Guatemala City to Xela was the best that I have ever had. I was in the front seat and didn't get sick at all! Praise God! I was so fortunate! I got into Xela at a responsible time Wednesday night and McNabb picked me up at the terminal. The girls had cooked dinner so I was able to catch up with them and head to bed (actually I've been sleeping on the couch so I guess I should say, head to couch) early and slept in the next morning. I went to my favorite coffee shop to see old friend Thursday morning and then bought an avacodo from my avacodo guy and headed to the school to eat lucnh and hang out. We all went out Thursday night and had an enjoyable night. We got up early Friday morning and headed to Irtra for the staff retreat. It was incredible and I couldn't have asked for a better way to start this spring. We went to a water park and played Sand Volley ball. Later, we returned to the resort. We were able to just hang out and enjoy the company. On Saturday, McNabb and I had great intentions of playing Tennis but all the courts were booked. Instead, I booked a message and relaxed the rest of the day. It was an incredible weekend!

As for this week, I started thinking and I remembered that I have a free flight on TACA (Take A Chance Airlines). Since this ticket expires in March, I need to use it now. So, I decided that I am going to the airport on Tuesday and seeing where I can go. I have looked at Panama, Costa Rica, or Mexico! I'll let you know how it ends up and where I end up! If anyone has been to Panama or Costa Rica, I would love any information that you may have! You can send it to liz.cromwell@gmail.com!

Until then, here are a few pictures from this week thus far!

1. My new living room! We have comfortable furniture! I'm so excited about this!
2. The four girls (Lorrie, Me, Danielle, and Randi). These girls are the ones I hang out with the most. I am taking Danielle's teaching position when baby Zoe comes!
   

Viva la Vida!

Liz

Playlist:

I forgot to keep track but I did listen to 'Gray or Blue' by Jaymay on repeat for a little while!

Last few days in Enid

So, I thought I would update everyone on my last few days in Enid, but since I can't figure out how to write this without it being underlined (which is driving me crazy), I'm just going to include two pictures. The first is of my friend Carie and I. She is a Kappa pledge sister who moved to Enid this year to teach Spanish. It has been such a blessing to have her around. We have developed a great group of friends and I was sad to leave them but I know they will be around when I return in June. The second picture is of Carie, Andrew and I. This was my last night in Enid and we had a little going away/Carie's bday dinner. It was great fun! I'll try to update on my first few days here as well! Love to you all!

One more time...

For those of you that don't know, I'm going back to Guatemala...in 36 hours. Sorry if I haven't seen/talked to you. It's been an interesting couple of months (in a really good way) and I just haven't had time to keep up with this. I will recap my time in Enid and the last few days once I get back to my favorite coffee shop! Be looking for a lot more action on this site in the next couple months! Thanks for reading!!!

liz