I have officially been back in the good 'ol USA for three weeks now and it is finally starting to feel more 'normal'. I have had a busy three weeks as I have seen a bunch of different friends. I am still trying to figure out what is next but I am leaning towards traveling and taking some more time away. I have had lots of time to process and I have realized how little time I had allowed for this in the past months. Once I get something figured out for sure, I will fill everyone in. If anyone is interested in meeting me along the traveling road, please let me know!

I'm sorry I haven't kept everyone updated but I have had some fun adventures since I have been back so I will write about those soon! The picture to the left is a teaser to what is to come! I'll give you a hint that it happened in Louisiana!

I hope you all are having a great summer!

Last night in Guate!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be home tomorrow, Thursday June 5. I made it to Guatemala City and I'm currently at a bed and breakfast. I will wake up tomorrow and head to the airport! I will arrive in Oklahoma City around 7:30!

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone! I will continue to blog so check in periodically for my next adventures!

liz

The end has come...

I'm back at the new coffee shop that has been a constant in my daily schedule this last week. My classroom is closed for the summer and all my paperwork is done. My kids left last Wednesday with a smile on their faces, waving and saying "See you tomorrow, Miss Crom-Well (that's how they pronounce it) not understanding that I may never see them again. Most of my friends left yesterday and I sit listening to the rain pound the roof. This place is very different after my obligations at IAS are over.

I sit here a little choked up and glassy eyed as I think back on this semester. I couldn't have asked for a better way to start 2008 and I pray that what is ahead will be as rewarding as what I have experienced over the last five months. I know that with each different season we have friends that come and go and as the over-used quote says, "will leave footprints on your heart" but I know that the impact that these people have had on me will effect me daily from this moment on. A few things I have learned and will always remember about these wonderful people:

Carrie M.-A little southern charm never did anyone harm (potentially...haha). I have loved spending this spring with you and I feel so incredibly blessed to know you in another capacity outside of camp. You are apart of some of my absolute favorite memories over the years. I'm looking forward to traveling with you for many more years and road tripping with you this summer! (p.s. no one can pull off white trash like you and I! )



Soups-You are one of the most loyal people I know. You love people so well and it was obvious in the way your kids responded to your leaving. I would have never expected to be living with you at this point in my life but the amount I have learned from you is immeasurable. You have been a constant encouragement to me over the last seven years and always remember I love you, BAAAABBBBYYYY! haha!!!
Randi-Five months isn't a very long time in the grand sense of things but to see how you have made your way into my life and become a very dear friend in that amount of time is shocking. I have enjoyed 'living' with you and our many Caurtito afternoons. You have challenged me spiritually, intellectually, and well, with your mad dance moves! I'm looking forward to hashing out episodes of LOST with you and maybe we can even squeeze another showing of Step Up 2 in there somewhere! I'm going to miss you and keep those Pac boys in line for me! No way, Jose. Ha!
McNabb-From the 'erosion' method to 'just five more minutes' it is obvious that you are a quality time person and I'm so blessed to call you one of my best guy friends. You finally 'eroded' me down and got me to come to Guatemala and I hope that our paths will continue to cross throughout the years and that we have many more adventures ahead of us. You are an incredible guy! Snoop Dogg anyone?!?
The Macy's-From the green mohawk so many years ago to Flo Rida's Low, you both have been great friends to me and I will continue making you be my friend! Thanks for always looking out and being so including in all that you do! I love you guys and wish you the best in the rest of your stint at IAS!
The Schnyders'-Thanks for being such a wonderful example of what a marriage should look like that has a wonderful balance of being involved in the social community and having 'date nights' (whatever those might consist of...haha)! I am thankful for the time spent with you both and thanks again for teaching us hand and foot! It was a wonderful procrastination tool!

Well, as you can see below, it took me quite awhile to write this blog but due to the tropical storm that decided to grace us with it's presences, my plans have changed and Emily and I are cancelling our weekend trip so I will be back in the states this Thursday! I'm excited to be heading back but as you can tell, this semester has been wonderful and it's hard to leave such a wonderful place and such dear friends!

For all of you that are in Oklahoma, I will be there this weekend! Love you all and I'm looking forward to spending time with all of you!

Vive La Vida!

Liz



Playlist:

A Country Boy Can Survive by Hank
Holy Water by Big and Rich
When All is Said and Done by Tyrone Wells
Jump (for my love) by The Pointer Sisters
Always a Women to Me by Billy Joel
Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division
Intanbul (Not Constaninople) by They Might Be Giants
Writing to Reach You by Travis
The Long Way Home by Norah Jones
The Trouble With Love Is by Kelly Clarkson
Red Dirt Road by Brooks and Dun
Between the Lines by Sara Bareilles
My Oh My by David Gray
Bad by Micheal Jackson
Stay Beautiful by Taylor Swift
Angel by Aerosmith
Til Kingdom Come by Coldplay
Dig by Jars of Clay
Changes in Latitudes by Jimmy Buffett

Something new in a familiar place!

Right when you think you are an expert on a town/city, you find a new aspect of something you have been missing! Let me describe my haven of the day: A café with a patio feel. Bright yellow walls with a staircase that is accented in orange. Skylight material roof that allows the rain that is falling outside to sing a beautiful droning that is way too relaxing. The most comfortable chair I have sat in since I have been in Xela upholstered with typica fabric. A great friend working on encouragement notes for her students. A delicious cup of Chocolate con leche. To sum it up, a little slice of Heaven on a Sunday afternoon in Guatemala.

Writing this post has been something I have been thinking about for the last week. How can I capture the last two weeks in Guatemala? This has been the question that has been running across my mind as I contemplate this post. I have so much that I want to share and explain but I know that it will be much better explained when I can describe each of these things face to face. My hope for the next two weeks is to view this country with the same eyes that I saw it the first two weeks I was here. I have found recently that I have been slipping into a ‘cruse control’ mentality. This is not something that I want for my final days here. I have made the decision to nip this and to open my eyes to those things that have become normal. Let’s see, what else is going on…I have come down with what can only be described as bronchitis (hopefully). I have been trying to fight it off with my own strength (yeah right) and finally caved in to buying some medicine. Hopefully I will be able to get rid of it in the next few days. Wednesday is our last day of classes followed by Graduation on Friday. The majority of the teachers leave on Sunday so I will have a few days on my own until Emily (my wonderful sister) arrives on Thursday. I am still trying to figure out what I will do with that time. I will either stay in Xela a few extra days, go to the Lake, or head to Antigua. Whatever I end up doing, I know one thing is for sure, I will be doing a lot of processing and looking ahead to see what the future may hold.

Now some things that have happened recently!

Last weekend we had a cookout at our directors house with a White Trash theme. I went as a pregnant lady…I will attach some pictures! We had a wonderful time ‘tailgating’, listening to country music, and eating some goodies off the grill!

Today was the beginning of the Guatemalan Rugby Association’s playoffs (that sounds much more official than it actually is). My friend Josh Macy helped start this organization and the Xela team advanced to the finals today by beating a team from Guatemala City 40-3! It was a wonderful game and they have improved tremendously since I have been here this semester.

I know there is much more I could talk about but my words are running scarce and I have a little work I need to do! I will be home in two weeks so be looking for updates as I decide what may lie ahead as well as the readjusting process to the states!

Finishing STRONG!

Liz

Playlist:
Come Monday by Jimmy Buffett
What I Need To Do by Kenny Chesney
Will I see You With My Hair Down by Zach Winters
Vertigo by U2
King of the Road by Roger Miller
Such Great Heights by Postal Service

Closing in...

It’s official. 10 days of school left. My patience is wearing thin and I know that if I don’t take advantage of every moment here, I will regret it when I get home. So, it’s a combination that could potentially be dangerous in the sense of accomplishing those things that need to be done. I feel disconnected in a way that I am sure is due to my short stint of time here. We had a PTA dinner two nights ago at the Bonifaz (the nicest hotel in town, where they were playing Christmas music during dessert!) and it was incredible to see the reactions of the other teachers who were leaving versus my own. I feel like Guatemala has softened me in many ways but that night, I felt hard. I felt hard to the emotions that others were experiencing. I guess that’s just part of it.

The next few weeks are busy with end of the year festivities so that should keep us busy. My wonderful sister will be gracing me with her presence three weeks from today so I am more than excited about that! I think we are heading back to the lake to relax for a few days and just take it easy. We had such a wonderful time in China together, I’m sure this will be wonderful as well! I will officially be back in the states June 9!

It’s hard for me to think that this is the end of Guatemala for me. I honestly think that it isn’t the end. I know I will be back here some day to visit these kids and to experience the greatness of this country. I am excited to head back to the states for a few months and just be. My summers have been filled with camp, basketball, and horse shows since I can remember. The last memories of a free summer consisted of swimming at the country club everyday and jumping on the trampoline. I would imagine that this summer will be slightly different than the last free one but I wouldn’t mind squeezing some swimming and trampoling in there somewhere!

Enjoying the Adventure!
Liz

Playlist:
Dress Up in You by Belle and Sebastian
A Glance in My Direction by So Long Goodbyes
The Quick Escape by So Long Goodbyes
Till It Happens To You by Corinne Baily Rae
Trust Me by The Fray
Gumboots by Paul Simon
Follow Through by Gavin DeGraw
Picture to Burn by Taylor Swift
St. Apollonia by Beirut
Beauty School Drop-out by Frankie Avalon

Welcome to the Jungle!

The last few weeks have been filled with traveling and adventure! I have been able to see different areas of Guatemala that I had yet to see and I was blessed with the company of my mother and step-father for ten days. We went to Lago de Atitlan and Tikal.

My adventure started as I headed out to Atitlan for the weekend. I was able to leave school at noon to catch the bus. I headed to the bus terminal with a few things to do on the way. It took me an hour to get to the place that should have only taken me 20 minutes! I had to wait for a bus for a little while but when my bus finally got there (a chicken bus, of course!) I happily boarded knowing that I would see my mother soon! After we had traveled the long and windy road, I hopped off the bus knowing that I could find the hotel on my own since I had driven through Panajeche before (this is my stubborn, independence coming out in full force!) As I headed up a hill (to get ‘onto’ of the city to see where I needed to go), I began to realize that maybe I didn’t know where I was going. There is a certain amount of pride that comes into play when you are walking down a street and you realize that you are heading in the wrong direction because you have to decide if you are going to turn around and go back the way you came (this allows everyone that you just passed to know that you were wrong) or if you are going to make the block (so no one will know, but you end up walking an extra three blocks to get back to the place where you began!). I decided to suck up my pride and just turn around, but I did do the ‘cool’ thing and went down to the next intersection and looked both ways and acted surprised that I didn’t see what I was looking for. I’m sure that everyone on the street could see through this whole act! As I headed back towards the way that I came, I figured that I should ask. I found an official looking guy and asked him where the main street was and he started talking really fast and said a whole lot. My Spanish is still lacking so with this, I just nodded my head and smiled. He saw through this act and finally just said, “Pana?” I shook my head yes and he pointed back to the bus. I had gotten off 15 minutes early! Luckily, the bus I came one was still there so I jumped back on the bus to be greeted by a sly smile from a young Guatemalan guy that knew exactly what had happened to me! When I finally arrived in what was actually Pana, my friend turned around and nodded at me in a way that I knew he was still laughing at me. It was pretty entertaining. I was happy to finally make it to Pana and I did find my way to the hotel. I had a wonderful weekend with my mom and step-father. We toured the lake and three villages around the lake.

The next week was a three day week due to Guatemalan Labor Day so we were able to head to the city on Wednesday and catch a flight to Tikal on Thursday morning. We arrived to the Jungle of the Petan region of Guatemala at 7:30am and the humidity was already there to greet us. It was truly incredible to see the difference in climate and landscape. I didn’t feel like I was in Guatemala anymore.

When we got to the National Park, we dropped our stuff off at the hotel (which was conveniently located right next to the entrance) and headed out on a tour. Our guide was a man that was raised at Tikal. His father was one of the men who was involved in the archaeological dig. He was very informed and it was absolutely incredible to see this ancient civilization that disappeared 1100 years ago. When we finished our tour, we headed back to the hotel for lunch and to get settled in our room. We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging by the pool and watching the monkey’s swing overhead.

As we were going to sleep that night, we remembered that our guide had told us about the howling monkey’s and how they would probably wake us up in the night. Little did we know that not only would they wake up us but they would scare the mess out of us. I can’t remember a time that I was as frightened as I was that first night in the jungle. I knew that the noises I was hearing was only a monkey but all I could think of was something awful right outside my window just waiting to devour me and enjoy my mom as dessert! I had been told earlier that the monkey’s had been used as a the sound in Jurassic Park for the T-rex’s and I now believe it!

I had a 4:15am wake-up call (this consisted of someone coming and knocking on our door) for a sunrise tour from the top of Temple 4 (the largest standing temple in Central America) but just after the guy came and knocked on our door, the monkey’s started howling again. I was seriously considering just getting back into bed because I was terrified about what was in the trees right outside our little bungalow. However, I convinced myself that it was safe and if I did die, it would be a good way to go!

Needless to say, I survived the monkeys and the sunrise was breath taking. I’m so glad I was given the opportunity to visit Tikal and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the Mayan civilization or a jungle adventure!

The school year is coming to a close very quickly and I don’t know how often I will be updating my blog between now and then. I will update it when I get a chance with some of my final reflections and future plans!

Vive la vida!

Liz
Playlist:
River of Dreams by Billy Joel
Bad by Michael Jackson
Oklahoma Hills by hank Thomas
Merry Christmas From the Family by Robert Earl Keen
Sleeping To Dream by Jason Mraz
I’m A Mountain by Sarah Harmer
We Love You Jesus by Shane and Shane
Fell In Love With A Girl by The White Stripes
Shadow by Ashlee Simpson
Red Red Wine by UB40
Beat It by Michael Jackson
Be Careful by Patty Griffin
Don’t Forget to Remember Me by Carrie Underwood
Beloved by Caleb Carruth
Hello, Goodbye by The Beatles
In Da Club by 50 Cent
All You Need Is Love by Lynden Dale Hall

So, I just wanted to check in and let you all know that I am still alive...I've just been really busy! I got home from Tikal today with my mom. It was wonderful! I will update you all in more detail later! Hope everyone is well!