Mid-week update

Four days of Spanish school behind me and one more for this week! My spanish is coming along better than I thought at this point but I did get a little frustrated today because I wasn't following my teacher very well. Oh well, such is life!

I have been spending my mornings (8-1) in school followed by lunch at 2 and then heading to a one of Xela's many charming coffee shops for the afternoon to do homework. I will be in Spanish school again next week and then I will take a two week break while my friend Carrie is here.

Since I haven't given many details about living with a family, I figured I would take a little time and do that! First of all, it's only Spanish, a tiempo! Right now, it's Letty (the house mom), her daughter (Jackie) who is getting married tomorrow, and another boarder (I can't remember her name!). They are all wonderful and help me with my Spanish. I feel bad that they have to speak so slowly and they often find me day dreaming because my brain hurts from concentrating so hard on the conversation. I have been surprised that I haven't eaten any black refried beans yet! I have had many servings of mystery meat (a substance that is similar to bologna) and a lot of tortillas! We have coffee and tea at every meal and it's normal for me to eat a sandwich for breakfast. Also, this is the first time in my life that I have been told that I eat like a bird. It's not like I don't like the food I'm being served (I really do, it taste good) I'm just not getting huge servings. When I told her I don't eat huge servings, she replied with, "But you are very big, you need to eat more." Ah, the honesty that comes along with Guatemalans!

My room is small and dark but it's somewhat charming. I live on the third floor and the bathroom up there doesn't always work. I have to take a shower early in the morning (burrrrr) and I have to pour a bucket of water in the toilet for it to flush. Like I said, quite charming!

On another note, I realized that I didn't bring any DVD's with me so I headed to the Democracia. I went to the same DVD stand that I went to so many times last spring and asked for Blackjack 21. After looking for a little while, we found it and I responded with the normal, "diez, verdad?" He looked at me and said, "No, quince." At this point, I again told him my offer and he refused it once again. It's not like I can't spend the extra 5 Q (about 70 cents), it's about principle at this point. I put the DVD down and walked away. He practically ran me down and sold me the DVD for 10 Q. Victory! Yes! This is just a small example of a culture where everything is negotiable. And I love it! There are so many unspoken variables in this culture, it's just finding the ones that you can cash in on.

Well, I know this was short but I just wanted to check in. I will try to include some pictures in the next post of my room and host family. I am attending the wedding tomorrow so that will be fun to go to a Guatemalan wedding. It's at a Chinese restuarant! You know there will be some good stories after that!

Viva la Vida!

Liz

Playlist:
Let Him Fly by Patty Griffin
Waiting for the Sun to Shine by Lee Ann Womack
You Don't Look the Same When You Are Leaving by Stephen Kellogg
Wedding Dress by Derek Webb

"Welcome Back," Guatemala said!

Back in my favorite cafe, writing this blog! I wish you all could experience this incredible place with me!

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."


Well, I'm here. It was a long hard trip but I finally made it in Wednesday night. I will try to describe my trip but I don't think I could ever do it justice. There is one thing that is for sure, Guatemala greeted me in fashion!

I started out in DC Wednesday morning at the airport at 5:45am. I had my backpack packed and I was ready to start this adventure. I checked in and headed to my gate. My first flight was wonderful. I slept most of the way and woke up in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. I had about an hour before my flight left for Guatemala City so I made a few last minute phone calls to say 'see ya later' and headed to my gate. I was immediately reminded of Guatemala because instead of forming a nice line and being orderly, everyone was standing very close to each other in a big herd. We were boarding by zones and I was in Zone One. I was quick to remember that I needed to push my way through the herd, otherwise, I wouldn't get through. So, as I pushed my way to the front with many 'perdons' and 'lo seintos', my heart was awakened once more to these beautiful people (it helps that I could see all of them since I'm a head taller than most of them!) I found my seat and conveniently stored my carry on in the compartment above me and settled in for the 2 1/2 hour flight. As we were pushing away from the gate, my stomach suddenly growled. I had forgotten to eat. In most situations, this would be fine. I could pick something up at the airport, on the plane, or on the way to my next destination. Well, the Guatemala airport doesn't have the best food selection. The airlines charge for all drinks and food (at least Spirit Air does) and since I'm being thrifty, I'm not going to spend 3 dollars on a bag of chips. And I had to get to the bus station as quickly as possible when I had passed immigration and customs. So, I was out of luck. I was sitting next to a pair of sisters and they were heading down for a mission trip and had lots of breakfast bars and they gave me one (thank God!). I eagerly ate it and fell asleep.

As we approached Guate, I could see 3 volcanoes and the mountain range was so green. I could tell that the rainy season was good to Central America. We landed at 11:35am and I jumped up out of my seat and walked briskly to immigration. I was happy to see that I was one of the first ones there and didn't have to wait. Everything was looking great for me to make the 12:30 bus to Xela. I would arrive around 5 and I could see everyone, have dinner, and play a game of cards. Well, that was the plan, and as most of you know that have been following my journey over the last year, my plans don't always work.

I didn't get my back until 12:15 and I still needed to get cash. I decided to give up on the early bus and just take a 2:30 bus. My friends were expecting me but I figured I would arrive in Guatemalan fashion and be a few hours late.

Well, the bus did leave at 2:30 but it wasn't totally full so the driver proceeded to drive around the City until the bus was full. My head was started to hurt due to not having my daily diet coke (yes, I've become one of those, dang it!) so I figured the best way to fight it off was to try to sleep. We finally filled the bus and headed out on the Guatemalan portion of the Pan-American highway. We were cruising along nicely (and by nicely I mean, we were taking corners at a speed that I wouldn't travel in my Honda Accord, and we were in a big charter bus!) and making good time. I was feeling okay by this time (thanks to the motion sickness patch that is ever so faithful!) and I could see the improvements that had been made on the highway. We passed beautiful fields that were growing huge vegetables in very straight rows. We passed land slides that had been cleaned up and we continued to pick people up and drop them off along this mountainous road. At five o'clock, we had made it far enough on the road that the pavement had run out and we were now on a dirt road. The traffic in front of us was stopped. I was okay with this for the first 20-30 minutes. You can always expect this to happen because of the construction. But when this turned into an hour, I was starting to get restless. We had traveled 1/2 mile in an hour. I was tempted to get my backpack, and start walking. I was starting to feel sick but was trying to fight it off due to the lack of bathroom on this bus. We continued this way for a total of 2 1/2 hours. The only way I can describe it is like this, A dirt road+burning rubber+violent brakes+Charter buses acting like off road vehicles+crazy driving+an ambulance or two+chicken buses cutting people off+Liz getting carsick=trip from hell.

I finally arrived in Xela at 9:30pm. I was close enough to walk to Michael's house (where I was suppose to meet everyone at 5) so I headed there to check in. I'm sure I had a nice greenish tint to my face when I got there but I was still fighting off getting sick (you know, to avoid the whole, hey, it's great to see you, can I go puke in your bathroom?) I ended up heading down to the girls' apartment and ran into a friend on the way down the hill (again, afraid that I was going to get sick in front of him, on the street, like all the drunks often do) and quickly headed on my way. I got to the girls house and was introduced to all the new girls and quickly headed to bed. I changed clothes, arranged my stuff, and brushed my teeth. I couldn't hold out any longer. I finally got sick and immediately felt so much better. I figured it was the perfect way to end this 'perfect' day. This is the same way that I arrived in Xela last January so I felt it was appropriate and even though I felt horrible, it was somewhat familiar.

I went up to the school yesterday and saw the rest of the staff and my incredible kiddos! They have all grown so much and their English has improved tremendously. I couldn't believe it! When I first saw them in the morning, they were really shy and just stared at me, but as the day went on, they got used to the idea that I was back.

We went to dinner last night with my close friends (The Macy's, The Schyder's, Randi, and Tank) and it was great to catch up with everyone. Everyone but Tank was here last year ( I know him from camp) so it was fun hearing stories and looking back at last spring. After dinner, Tank and I walked around for a little bit in search of an open ATM and an open grocery store. It's amazing what you take for granted in the states. He walked me back to the house and I headed to bed. I decided not to get up and go to the school today. I wanted to fill everyone in on what was going on so far and I need to enroll in Spanish school. I have found a lady to live with for the next two weeks. Her daughter is getting married this weekend and she doesn't want to be lonely so I will have the whole upstairs to myself and I will be in the Democracia (the vegetable market). The house is only a 2 minute walk to McNabb's and The Macy's so I will be close to everyone!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween. There is a big gathering tonight so I'm sure I will have updates about that in a few days! Keep in touch!

Viva La Vida!

Liz

Playlist:
Friends in Low Places by Garth Brooks
Crazy by Pat Green
Forgiven by Alanis Morissette
Piano Man by Elton John
All You Need Is Love by Lynden David Hall
Kiss Kiss by Chris Brown
Suffer By Among The Ashes
Stollen Car by Patty Griffin
Fireworks by Neighborhood
Summer Lovin' by Grease cast
Every Day by Rascal Flat
Yeah! by Usher
He Said She Said by Joe Purdy
High and Dry by Radiohead