Culture shock...todavia and an explanation

Back in the US-for 1 week now and still feeling the effects of traveling for 9 weeks.

But I've procrastinated long enough in posting, this my last post about Guatemala. It's almost heart-wrenching to write as I have to admit to myself that my time in Guatemala is over and it was a life-changing journey for me. The warmness I feel for the people will never leave me.

So, about my last week. It wasn't my original intention to spend it in Antigua where I had already spent the majority of my trip but I felt drawn there, it was like coming home. I met with my Spanish teacher, Mayra, whom I adore. She has so much energy and is so fun. I had many heartfelt discussions with my host mother, Maritza, who invited me over for lunch, the big meal of the day, and she thanked me graciously for accepting her invitation. When I left, she was crying and saying you are a part of my family and I love you!! I know this has something to do with the Ladino culture but she was like a Mom to me, a great listener and encourager, even in my broken Spanish and her limited English. She encouraged me to do what I knew I must upon returning home, even as she had gone through something similar and more painful. Antigua and the Guatemalan travel world is so small that I kept running into people I knew from the various portions of my trip. Like Jennie from New York, Molly from California, Marjolein from Holland, Marcel from Lichtenstein, Freddy from Germany and more. I created this community. Me, the girl who doesn't want to place roots anywhere. It was difficult to leave to say the least. On my flight home, I couldn't tear myself away from glancing at those volcanoes like I would never see them again!

On the flip side, there are some things I won't miss such as:

being afraid to eat
scarcity of hot showers
throwing toilet paper in the trash, not the toilet
brushing my teeth with bottled water
never walking by myself at night

And, yes, I had my fair share of stomach problems for which I am still getting over. I had a parasite my last week which hopefully has been fully treated with the antibiotics that I took. Even with all of this and the difficulty traveling throughout the country due to their infrastructure and my motion sickness, I adore Guatemala. And am forever grateful to Ryan and my employer for giving me the chance to explore myself by myself for an extended time. The intention of this trip was a sort of marriage sabbatical/realize my dreams of speaking another language while living in a foreign country to see if I'd one day like to be an ex-pat. What I found out instead was my deep love for travel (yeah, I know, everyone already knows this about me but I don't want to just do it for vacation, it needs to be a focus of my life somehow) and meeting local people and hearing everyone's stories as well as who I am as a person. All of this made me realize I could not go back to my past life for many reasons which are entirely too personal for this blog. And believe me, I know, it was a good life with great friends and family who I will more than likely hurt in this process. Suffice it to say, many changes are in store for me. I'm incredibly excited in some ways but fearful as I do not know what my future holds but this is the first time in my life I've felt free and open to whatever life has to offer. So, to quote my friend Kim: Buckle up, girlfriend and enjoy the ride!!!!!!!!!!!! With a helmet and seat belt, of course!

Abrazos fuertes y muchos besos

No mas

Another week of Spanish school and I’m so relieved it’s my last!! I chose the school, Celas Maya, because it advertised great activities in the afternoon and I’m all about the activities. We visited a local weaving cooperative benefiting Mayan women, toured the local important historical buildings in and around Xela via a trolley, and visited the largest outdoor market in Central America not geared towards tourists. So I got to see how most Guatemalans shop for their goods: spices, dried stinky fish, clothes, purses, cloth, animals (pigs, cows, you name it and it was for sale), and even chicken claws! The ride to the market was by chicken bus, a very “fun” experience as you are always squished between people while the driver blares Guatemalan hip-hop music. I was even asked by an adorable girl for a dollar. My teacher was with me and told the girl sternly this was a bad thing to do, yikes. To further add to the uncomfortability level of the situation, there are always people coming on board while we’re stopped to sell food or ask for money. Out of everything I’ve seen and done here, riding the chicken buses are the most authentic Guatemalan experiences. I just want to see a chicken on one of them!

In general, Xela attracts a more humane crowd of people and this was apparent immediately. Students and locals here are more likely to volunteer and more into social justice as opposed to partying, although there’s still a fair share of that going on. There are ample opportunities to support organizations such as women dealing with domestic violence. My original plans were to teach Mayan children English but they require a longer stay than 1 week for this.

Unfortunately, Xela is not a pretty town and this combined with just an ok teacher and a bad homestay family has me leaving tomorrow to go back near Antigua. My favorite thing about Xela was my visit to Fuentes Georginas (hot springs) and hanging out with my friend Becky and 2 new friends, Amy and Marjolein, as well as others from the school. This whole experience of traveling has been a great way to meet people from different countries and see how differently people live. Last night, for instance, I attended my first soccer game (or futbol game to the rest of the world) with a whole group from the school. We really stuck out, a big group of western looking people who didn’t know the team’s cheers, etc. But we sure did learn them in a hurry! Well, really we just yelled Juego! when the other team kicked the ball, except when my friend yelled Jugo (juice) instead at one point!! It’s a good thing we can laugh at ourselves, there have been a number of times when I’m not quite saying the right thing and the local will look at me like I’m crazy while I think I’m saying it correctly. Anyway, Xela’s team was pretty horrible, they lost 3-0. What might have been the weirdest part of the experience was we couldn’t take in water bottles yet fireworks were allowed and were constantly going off during the game and there was even a fire from all the paper confetti at the end. Another cultural experience!

One of the more interesting things I’ve done on this trip was to visit a professor of Mayan culture and have my stars read according to the Mayan calendar!! This next paragraph is long and if you’re not into my psychology, please read no further. I went with Becky and Amy, and thank goodness I did, because Becky helped translate the parts of Spanish that I didn’t understand. Overall, it was on target and explained a few things. The color that most describes me and that will protect me is Lila, a purple/lilac color (the same color of my bridesmaid dresses, dining room wall in Guam, and current color of our second bedroom!). This color symbolizes happiness and sweetness, sweet, huh? I was very strong (the highest number, 13) in the nurturing area and family life, the downfall of this is that because I support others so much I do not always take care of myself. True of so many women, huh? So perhaps a family is in my future after all…. I am also a good judge of character, a visionary, I feel bad if I don’t have all the answers, it’s important for me to share with others, I worry a lot about others (part of the nurturing aspect, I think, and from my mother, love you, mom!), and I will have 4 earth-shattering changes in my life. The animal that most describes me is the crocodile, I’m going to have to do more research on this part as I didn’t understand this explanation. Also Mother Earth is very important to me, which I think also relates to my earth sign, Taurus. My negative energy, or character flaws are that I am very flexible to the point where I do not listen enough to myself. The trouble that I have is with my feet, a metaphor to explain that I’m having difficulty making decisions with my life right now, I’m stuck, can’t move forward or backward. Hmmm, perhaps the reason for this extended trip where I have the chance to figure things out for myself… I’m going to take this problem with my feet literally and go get a foot massage or reflexology!! In addition, money and jobs will not be hard to come by, yes! I also have frustration with losing things, whether it be friends, money or keys, not sure I buy this one. Interesting enough I need to live by water whether it be rivers or the ocean in order to recharge my energy (Seattle couldn’t be a more perfect place, especially living right by Green Lake!) and flowers and water are important for my home space. What a great excuse to buy myself flowers! Professions that suit me are social communicators, sociologists, lawyers or those working for just causes. Interesting enough, I had already come to the decision during this trip that I need to change the direction my career is going. I aim to find a job with a non-profit using my RD and CHES, if possible. So this reading was not a bad way to spend a few hours, some money and practice my Spanish….

So tomorrow morning I take the bus in to Antigua and will stay there until my plane leaves this coming Saturday!! I’m staying at a place outside of Antigua for 2 or 3 nights to just relax, study Spanish with a private tutor, hike near the volcanoes, and maybe do some yoga. Then I’m off to see the biggest touristy market in Chichicastenango and just hang out with friends in Antigua for my last 2 days!!!

Abrazos fuertes y besos

Y mas fotos....

These pictures are still from my time in Antigua. The first is from one of the many famous processions during Semana Santa (Holy Week), everyone involved in the procession was wearing these purple costumes and the incense literally filled the city, they also carried these heavy wooden altars while somber music played. The second is of a typical architectural style of lamp of Atingua overlooks Parque Central, where I loved to spend time and people watch. The third is of the Merced Church on Palm Sunday, I lived only a block from this church. And the last is a typical alfombra or rug, made of dyed sawdust and fruits, vegetables, and bread which are given as offerings. The typical alfombra takes as much as 8 hours to make and they are swept up or the procession stomps all over the rug so all that time spent making it of course, takes no time to destroy. But it is clearly a religious ritual.

More volcano pictures....

So these pictures are from my hike of Volcan Pacaya near Guatemala City. I went on a sunset hike and it was gorgeous!! The lava was very hot as you'd imagine and what a great view....

Finalmente....Fotos!

So finally, here are some pictures from Antigua. The first is the classic picture which everyone takes of the arch where the nuns used to cross so men could not see them with Volcan Agua in the background. The second is of Volcan Fuego, a very active volcano, which goes off almost every day and night. I have a really awesome video of it in action....

So my excuse for the delay in posting pictures is the length of time it takes to upload these pictures from my computer with the slow wifi connection and I have more than 1,000 of them so I'm having difficulty choosing which ones to post. These are from the beginning of my trip and I plan on posting more shortly. Enjoy!

Earthquake in Guatemala

So....just in case anyone has heard anything about it, there was a 6.1 earthquake last night on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala and I could feel the tremors here in Xela!! I did not know what it was, at first I thought someone was on the roof of my room, very scary. At least I did not scream!! Anyway, all is well here...... No power outages, etc.....

Adios for now!

Transportation

I thought I had seen it all in Guatemala until my trip from Rio Dulce to Coban, this the day I got off the catamaran. The bus from Rio Dulce was plush with air conditioning and even a bus attendant and snacks. Then it got sketchy as we were dropped off in El Rancho, a.k.a. El Rauncho, a tiny town where a hustler greeted us and grabbed Becky’s wheeled suitcase showing us where the “bus” transfer was to our next destination, Coban. I didn’t trust this guy so asked a woman where to go and sure enough it was the same place the slimy guy was taking us. (I just assume people are trying to take advantage of me, I feel like I am a walking quetzal, the local currency, most of the time.) The bus turned out to be a mini shuttle bus with a broken window and the employees were 2 shirtless guys, one the driver and the other the money-taker/guy who lets the driver know there’s someone on the side of the road. I had not felt more vulnerable than at that time when Becky and I had to figure out if it was safe to take this transport. We decided to because there were other women on the van. I was so glad to be traveling with someone else at this point. We literally stopped for anyone on the side of the road. At one point, there were 25 people on this tiny van. The best part was getting left on the side of the road once we reached Coban. The locals were super helpful, though, as the employees didn’t even tell us where we were but we found a taxi almost right away and made it safely to our hostel. I guess I shouldn’t have expected more as we only paid 25 quetzales, about $3.

So we quickly figure out that Coban is not a heavily touristed area and transportation to this area is infrequent and chaotic so decide to immediately figure out how we’re getting out of there. We had planned to travel to Semuc Champey the following day and stay there for a few nights then head to Xela but we did not want a repeat of our fun trip to Coban so wanted to take a direct shuttle. Our only option was to leave Coban a full day earlier than we’d planned as the next shuttle wasn’t until the following Tuesday. So we ended up doing a 1 day trip to the Semuc Champey area. Our tour included transport (a fun, bumpy, unpaved road), entrance fee to the park, a guide (who was mostly useless and this is a generous statement), lunch, etc. We met some great people: 2 French girls, 1 with an infected tooth who had to be dropped off at the hospital, and an Australian couple with a disgusting worm story. There was a hike up to a great lookout of the limestone pools and we also swam in the pools. A gorgeous place. What got lost in translation was a trip to a cave, as we had no idea this was part of the tour. It was sort of cool at first but then the guide started hunting for spiders so half of us went back early. The cave had super slippery rocks and was really creepy and dirty. I could’ve done without this part but am continually reminded of how fluid this place is. Things are never fully explained even when asked directly and you don’t know for sure what you’re going to get. Hmmm, sort of like life…..

So, the next day’s trip to Quetzaltenango, or Xela, as the locals call it after a Mayan name, was by far even worse than the trip to Coban. It took more than 8 hours in a mini-bus with half of that time on unpaved and extremely curvy roads. Guatemala has to be one of the most difficult countries to travel around with its’ hills/mountains and crazy curvy roads. There was construction in many parts as they were paving a brand new road, wonderful for future travelers and locals alike. We tried to distract ourselves with games and thankfully, the couple we were traveling with was interesting and willing to play our famous person, word association and story games. They and the bus driver thought we were fun and appreciated the distractions!!

Xela greeted us with rain and very cool weather, which I find refreshing after 2 weeks of sweating. It’s also back to city life. Xela is Guatemala’s 2nd largest city and it feels so strange to be in one, really since Seattle. Actual traffic lights look so odd. I’m so glad to be in 1 place after traveling around for 3 weeks. So now I’m back to school for my last 2 weeks!!!!

Adios mis amigos!

Back on dry land

And it´s nice. A real toilet that flushes, no pumping necessary. And cold water to drink, how refreshing! I did learn that I have the ability to live a full week onboard a tiny boat with a misogynist as well as no toilets or showers. Did I already mention the showers are just fresh water bottles, sorry there is no question mark on this keyboard!! Anyway, it was quite an experience. It was a good relaxing group with many laughs and even tears. There truly was no privacy. But this has been my life in Guatemala.

So on the boat we sailed quite a bit and there were rough choppy moments. Overall, though, there was a great breeze. Probably the toughest part was finding shade. My poor back has a burn on top of a burn as well as sun blisters, which I´ve never had before. Crazy enough I was super vigilant about applying and reapplying sunscreen but you shouldn´t feel sorry for me.....

The snorkeling was pretty good. They definitely saved the best spot for last. I saw manta rays, there was a shark feeding on the fish corpses, a moray eel, and many colorful fish and plants. I was too scared to go in the water with the sharks and eel though, creepy. I have to say though, aside from the last stop in Belize, Guam had better snorkeling overall. But now I have a live aboard experience!!

So we ate on deck and slept underneath in little caverns. The food was great! Freshly caught seafood and dessert every night! Last night we had pasta with conch shell meat and it was the birthday of one of the passengers so they made chocolate cake!! We had great breakfasts of pancakes, sometimes beans, eggs, and plantains. I had a positive experience overall, this being said, the computer monitor is moving.....

I´m off to continue my travels with Becky to Semuc Champey, in the middle of Guatemala. It´s not an overly touristy place but is reported to have gorgeous natural beauty in the form of limestone pools and caves. I´m dreading the bus ride though, 3 hours then we change buses in El Rancho and from there I don´t know how much further it is. We might not make it all the way to Lanquin-Semuc Champey tonight.

Life on a Catamaran

Well, it´s certainly interesting. We were taken only 3 at a time in a tiny tippy looking wooden canoe with our luggage. I got soaked sitting in the front and was wearing a white tanktop, not the smartest thing I´ve ever done. There were some choppy times on the river, I´m glad I have my sea bands to help with the motion sickness, also ginger candy and dramamine. So there are 7 other passengers on board: an older guy from Poland, a young party guy from Connecticut, an Asian Doctor from London, a young couple from California, a young girl from Cali, and my friend Becky, also young and from Cali. So I´m feeling old at the age of 31. There are 3 crew members, all who speak Spanish so I will get to practice! However, all the initial directions were given in Spanish and I couldn´t understand all of them, I definitely need to hit the books while on board. Plus, there seems to be a lot of free time. The problem with the directions in Spanish was with the bathroom. There´s no shower on board, only a toilet and sink with water from the river so ok for hands but not brushing teeth. The toilet is the most interesting, it needs to be pumped 8 times then wait for a minute and check to see if it all went down. Yikes, I haven´t figured out how to lock the door, etc. Privacy as in all other times when traveling, in Guatemala at least, is hard to come by. Last night, we docked around dinner time and the sunset was fabulous. The food was good too. Sleeping was ok actually, I have a sort of bed/room thing with a fan and you just hop down into it throught this port-hole sort of thing. So my room shares a wall/curtain with the kitchen so I´m up early and trying not to think about bugs, etc. from the kitchen.....

I´m now in Livingston, our last stop in Guatemala. The crew is going through immigration for us so we have a chance to run errands, use real toilets, and buy any last minute things. I´m buying ibuprofen and praying my ankle is strong enough to go snorkeling probably tomorrow when we´re in Belize. I hope I develop sea legs soon!!

Adios and wish me luck....

Tikal!!

Waking up at 3 in the morning is never fun, however, I am so glad I did it! We were supposed to see sunrise in Tikal National Park but the clouds were not participating. What I did see was a few howler monkeys and heard many scary jungle sounds. I would've been scared to death had we not been in a huge tour group with 2 security guards. The sound from the howler monkey was like that of a ferocious dog gobbling up its prey. I can not even describe to the extent of how scary this was!! But I'm safe aside from the incident of the monkey chasing me and causing me to fall. I now have a sprained ankle but unfortunately, it was not from a monkey chasing me. Just my own unsure footing walking down steep steps of the pyramids we climbed. What a fantastic experience though! I imagine it would have been even more spiritual with less people. The other great thing about the timing was we avoided the brunt of the heat. This is weather like the rainforest, very hot and humid, which the parts of Guatemala I've traveled to thus far have not been as they've been pretty high up in elevation. There were some super tall pyramids I climbed via a staircase and so tall I was afraid to look down but I didn't let my fear of heights nor my ankle hold me back..... The pictures turned out well, I can't wait to share.....

So....I'm taking the plunge and am about to spend 7 days 6 nights on a catamaran to the Belizean cayes! We leave in an hour and will spend this afternoon on Rio Dulce and Lago de Izabal. If you're interested in checking out my trip, the website is www.sailing-diving-guatemala.com
I feel sort of guilty as this is a trip I'd love to take with Ryan. I am definitely living this one up. I'm making up for it though in the hotels and hostels I've been staying at. Definitely going for the cheapest but safest options. Let me just say, I'm glad I never saw the movie Hostel!!

What is cool about this trip is I keep running into former housemates and other travelers I've met along the way. I'm loving communicating in another language even in my limited vocabulary I'm able to get my point across and then some. I love to hear about others' stories and there's a definite theme in that everyone hates their job and most are traveling for far longer than I am. I have come to a number of realizations on this trip which I'll get into at a later time but suffice it to say traveling is a wonderful way to get to know yourself better. I appreciate what I have so much more and I can not wait to eventually not worry about what I'm eating or be able to brush my teeth without bottled purified water!!

Well, I'm off... Muchos abrazos

Guatemalan Jungle

I survived 2 nights in the jungle, can you believe it. For this bug-phobic girl, this is a true accomplishment. The sounds at night are scary even with my saving grace: earplugs. Our adventure started with a 6 hour bus ride from Antigua to Rio Dulce, a cool, Caribbean town. From there, we took an hour boat ride to this quaint little place called El Hotelito Perdito, lost hotel, and they weren´t kidding. It is absolutely out in the middle of nowhere. We stayed in a romantic little bungalow with a private bathroom, a complete luxury in these parts. I was so happy to have mosquito netting and I am still really bit up!! The worst were the bugs, a cockroach was in our bathroom the last night and all kinds of exotic bugs around especially at night. The worst though might have been the beetle that fell from the ceiling and landed on my friend Becky. She was in the hammock and flew from it so quickly. Not a problem, though, as the dog (clean and well taken care of, a rarity) ate it with a resounding crunch. This is why we left that little place and are now in Livingston, a Caribbean town with Garifuna culture and different types of food. Coconut bread and tapado stew, yum!!

Even with this bug issue, this has been my favorite area of Guatemala so far. It has truly stunning natural beauty. We kayaked through a manatee reserve and did not see any manatees, though the birds and flora were so nice and tranquil to be around. I only screamed a few times when Becky almost tipped the kayak! I am most certainly not the most comfortable person around water! It was so relaxing and much needed after the hustle and bustle of life in Antigua.

Not sure what our plans are for the near future. We are definitely headed the ruins of Tikal. But a trip on a catamaran through the Belizean cayes might be in the foreseeable future. If this is the case, I won´t have internet for a week or so!

Mucho cariño

Famoso Esposo

Ryan has been exposed to the real Guatemala and is not too keen on it. I will say we are back in Antigua for one night and the hotel is divine, I took my first hot shower in over a month. And not the kind I've become so accustomed to where it might start out warm but then all of a sudden goes frigidly cold: it was hot the whole time. I didn't even realize I had missed that. Ok, maybe I'm not a true undeveloped country sort of traveler, then again I've been without for 5 weeks!!

So, I got to show Ryan where I've been living for a month and he got to meet my teacher, Mayra and my friends and roommates I've been hanging out with. Then we took a shuttle through very windy not so good roads for 2-3 hours to Lake Atitlan. The village we stayed at was called San Marcos and was really small but had tons of yoga studios and massage places. There was even a moon and sun course place where you could study astronomy and the like, very new age-y. Our first hotel was right in the center of this village and I couldn't sleep at night with the wild dogs barking at all hours and you could literally hear the conversations next door through the possibly mortar or stucco walls with big gaps. So we moved right outside the village and seemed to have the place to ourselves: a gorgeous lakeside view with a restaurant on the premises. I had my first Thai food here, weird, huh, but it was ok. Glad to be back in Antigua for a day more to enjoy the conveniences a touristy town has to offer.

Also experienced a scorpion in our room, a huge spider, no door on the bathroom and no curtains to the bathroom window. Unfortunately, the place was owned by a foreigner (possibly German) who was really rude and took offense that we told him about no door on the bathroom. Oh well, Guatemala is very similar to Guam in a lot of respects. It can be raw and beautiful at the same time with a lot of poverty mixed in.

So off to my next adventure and Ryan goes back to Seattle. He's certainly seen enough!!

Hasta luego!

Cuaresma and Semana Santa

Lent and holy week, thank goodness they are over!! This past week has been a much different Antigua. Hordes of tourists descended on this tiny town. I have become annoyed with them, which I don’t consider myself, ha, I like to think of myself more as a traveler and observe the culture, which I hope I do most of the time. Seriously, I have met so many obnoxious Americans, the sort that only takes pictures and moves on and somehow manages to be the center of attention, in a bad way. My sanity has been exploring Antigua most mornings when the city feels deserted and I enjoy it so much more. It´s way more relaxing and enjoyable than fighting for space in this tiny town. Antigua is magical without the tourists.

So I escaped Antigua with a friend last weekend to a working coffee farm. It had great views of the surrounding area and a canopy zip line, although I didn´t want to shell out the big bucks for that. I flagged the hummer type vehicle down and managed to get free transportation there and back, a bonus for speaking Spanish, I think! We felt like exploring the grounds after a leisurely brunch and went on a tour by mule!! The workers there asked where we were from and were happy they didn’t have to explain the difference between Democrats and Republicans in the US. So, you know where this is going of course, we rode the Democrats. Out came a white mule named Hillary, so I immediately volunteered for her! Yes, I have thought of every single possible joke imaginable during that ride. She was temperamental, she didn’t like the other girl mules, and absolutely had a mind of her own, the whole nine yards. She kept going off the trail, I was so happy to be finished with the hour ride and grateful we didn’t sign up for longer. I learned the words for stop, right, left, etc. muy rapidamente! So…now my vote goes to Obama….

Sorry to disappoint on the picture end, I have been lazy about finding the time to do it..... And I know I won´t get to it in the next 2 weeks because.....

Ryan gets in to Guatemala tomorrow night then we´re off to Lake Atitlan, an area with volcanic lakes and a bunch of traditional Mayan villages. Can´t wait to just relax!! After Ryan leaves this Sunday, I´m off to explore other parts of Guatemala with a friend I met here from the US (not of the obnoxious type)! We don´t have a set itinerary which I´m excited about. First, we´ll go to Rio Dulce and Livingston to experience the Garifuna culture near the Caribbean then we´ll see the big Mayan site of Tikal. "Tikal is to Guatemala what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris", I must´ve read this a thousand times. It´s true though, it´s on their license plates and on every touristy literature piece. The plan is then to end up in Quetzaltenango for more school. But after my experience with the school in Antigua, I don´t want to reserve a space beforehand, I prefer to check it out for myself before signing up.

I´m so ready for a new place and a new adventure!!

Adios, mis amigos!!

Live life in the present (tense): Learn Spanish!

Another week in Antigua and if it weren't for Easter and the popularity of Semana Santa (Holy Week), I would move on but I must resist. I will be here for another 2 weeks until just after Easter. Cuaresma (lent) is a huge deal here with people visiting from all over the world to see processions in the street, really parades with people dressed in purple robes carrying crosses, etc. on their backs all to music and incense that completely clouds over the volcanoes. So I've decided to stay on plus Ryan has decided to visit for almost a week just after spending Easter with his family in San Antonio!!

So my Spanish is certainly improving, however, not as quickly as I'd like. I'm sure it doesn't help that I ask my teacher not to give me homework!!! In my defense, I'm always participating in the activities and I've taken up yoga here. One class was only in Spanish, a great way to learn new words such as breathe deep!! The deal is there are so many foreigners in Antigua that it's difficult to not speak English. It gets frustrating when you're only able to communicate in basic sentences. Learning another language is very humbling for me as I'm such a communicator. I can understand quite a lot but speaking it is a whole other matter..... I've moved on to other tenses besides the present which is a huge step for me! Another student wants to sell t-shirts saying:

Live life in the present (tense)
Learn Spanish!

You can certainly tell an amateur speaker (like me) when they only speak in the present tense!!

This past weekend I went out of the country: to Honduras!! A country I never thought I'd ever visit.... Really just the border town to visit the Copan Ruins, my first Mayan site. The town was really small and quaint but super friendly people and less English was spoken! It was beautiful to see the vast changes in the landscape traveling through Guatemala through the desert and lush landscapes with palm trees, etc. The shuttle to Honduras was not fun at all though, it picked myself and a friend up at 4 am!! And we were the last ones on the shuttle so got stuck with jump seats for 6 hours through winding roads and crazy drivers!! Not to mention an unfriendly crowd except for a chico from England and a chica from Japan who we ended up splitting the cost of a tour guide and hanging out for meals together! It's amazing how fast you make friends when traveling. In the US, you'd never just meet someone and then hang out all weekend.....

I promise I'll stop writing so much and post pictures next!!

Que tengas buen dia, mis amigos!!

Food, Drink Y Volcano

The food situation has dramatically improved. The “mother” in my new house is a much better cook. She makes pupusas which are these incredible melted cheese filled corn tortillas served warm with an excellent homemade salsa. There’s also pepian, a spicy chicken stew with cilantro and pumpkin seeds, which sounds weird but is really yummy. Then I had the best chile rellenos of my life at a typical Guatemalan restaurant, different from the Mexican version as there was no cheese. And the best part is every day fresh corn tortillas are delivered to the house so every lunch is filled with the awesome smell of warm tortillas! No beans at this house, you would rather share a room with me here than my last place!! The fruits here are amazing too, many I don’t know the names of. Papayas, mangos, and coconuts are common and Maritza makes fresh juices with them. So no more hot dogs and beans for this girl—yay!!

My Spanish teacher, Mayra, took me to this huge Mercado and told me all the names of the fruits and vegetables but of course, I can’t remember them all. I have so much to learn. I’ve been taking naps each afternoon b/c my head hurts from all the learning!

I can’t believe I forgot to mention the coffee. They are understandably as into their coffee as Seattleites, maybe more so as there’s a lot of pride in their product. There are good coffee shops everywhere! Starbucks would never make it here. Other non-caffeinated beverages I like are horchata, a sweet rice drink with cinnamon and Rosa de Jamaica, which tastes like fruit punch and is made from hibiscus flowers. And for you beer lovers, the Guatemalan brand is Gallo, as in rooster. Sangria, mojitos, and pina coladas do not taste the same as in the US but I’ll continue to give them a try!

This past Friday, I climbed an active volcano called Volcan Pacaya. I went with 3 other students from the school and others from Australia and Chile driving in a shuttle to the volcano, a fun group. The drive took about 1 ½ hours from Antigua up and down windy roads into the “real” Guatemala. I realized how wealthy Antigua really is upon leaving, where it’s not uncommon to see Hummers and BMWs. As soon as we arrived at the entrance to the national park, there were young kids, maybe 4 or 5 years old, begging us to buy walking sticks. I bought one and was glad I did, the terrain was rocky and jagged. I was also hoping to mess with the hot molten lava (is this what it’s called, or magma?) with the stick but was too chicken to get that close. Other young kids were trying to get us to take a “taxi” up the trail—a horse!!! They kept saying “taxi, taxi, you need taxi.” And on the way down, they all said “light for me, light for me”-they wanted us to donate our flashlights so they could sell them to the next bunch of gringos. Sad to see such young kids basically begging. Anyway, the trip was up the trail to see the sunset and volcano and was dark and dangerous by the time we climbed down! We had a guide, although he wasn’t too helpful. But what a beautiful view of the surrounding valleys and up close of the volcano. It was amazing the heat it gave off! I tore up my shoes a bit but at least they didn’t melt, as other students’ shoes did. It was a surreal place, kept feeling like I was in a Lord of the Rings movie.

Mas to come....

Una semana en Antigua

So it’s been a week that I’ve been living on my own in Guatemala. And, although I still haven’t been able to fully process it, I’ve found I really like the routine and have met more people in 1 week here than in the 6 months I’ve lived in Seattle. This is why…..

My typical day consists of breakfast with the mother of my family, perhaps some other family members and 2 other students who speak English. Then I walk 5 or 10 minutes to my school where classes begin at 8. We work on grammar for 2 hours then take a break for 30 minutes in which I talk to other students, regrettably mostly in English, then go back to conversation with my teacher for another 1 ½ hours. By this time, my mind is completely full of Spanish words and rules that I am grateful the day’s lesson is over. And actually this process is more fun than it sounds, there’s a lot of laughter and misunderstanding which is quite amusing. Then I meander back to my family’s house for lunch at 1 and Spanish is typically spoken at least half of the time. Well, mostly I just listen as my house mother speaks so fast I only understand a few words here and there. My sentences are so basic, choppy and fragmented. Meals thus far have been beans, beans, and more beans. My poor stomach is not cooperating all that well and I’ve been fairly careful. No fresh fruits and vegetables unless it has a very hard skin such as bananas. Salads are pretty much out of the question.

Besides homework each day, I spend my afternoon participating in the school’s free activities. These are awesome because I meet the other students and, of course, see more of Antigua. I toured the local rococo style church and its’ ruins, and took a bicycle tour around Antigua—quite the feat as the streets are made of cobblestone. Typically, I “study” with the students after the activities in a café. The activities have served to distract me from my studies, which I’m not taking super seriously. I feel better by telling myself that my brain can only take so much each day! I’m realizing I care more about immersing myself in the culture and connecting with people (who think like me, are from all over the world and all have really interesting life stories) than spending my time solely studying Spanish. Antigua is a great city to study Spanish in with its’ gorgeous scenery with the volcano in the distance, hills on all sides, and colonial architecture. Not to mention the availability of coffee shops, shopping, and many restaurants. Antigua is a great mix of Spanish, indigenous Mayan people and expats from all over the world plus the tourists and foreigners studying Spanish in the many schools.

What I’ve not enjoyed entirely is the living situation. At first, it wasn’t that bad but as more time passed I realized it was so noisy because it’s on the crazy chicken bus route and the house itself is really more like a boarding house with so many students and family members living there. However, the deal tipper to move is that the house is full of animals. The first few days I lived with my family, I thought how nice that they always greet me with an Hola! It was not until two days later that I noticed it was a parrot greeting me!! You would think I would have noticed that the hola! was immediately following the door closing and not when I entered the inner courtyard of the house. There are also 4 dogs (which I’m allergic to) and a handful of other birds. What was almost worse were the noises and smells from next door. The roosters crowing at all hours of the day and night did not seem bad when compared to the smell from the leather factory next door. Ugghhhh. Thus, I’ve moved to another family’s house. The house was off the tourist path and I did not feel safe walking alone at night so always placed a curfew on myself. Because of this, my nights consisted of eating dinner with the family at 7 and then either talking to the other students or studying. Although I’m not the biggest partier, I hated to feel so restricted and wanted the choice to go out as it presented itself. Maybe this makes me sound like a spoiled brat but I’m much happier now that I’ve moved.

My new house is much closer to the center of Antigua and my school and is weirdly quieter. (I say this and I just heard a round of fireworks go off and now it sounds like a band playing). There’s another American couple, and an American girl living here too. We all share 2 bathrooms. The house mother is again named Maritza, I’m assuming this is a form of Mary with all of the catholic influence here. She doesn’t actually live here but is here most of the day either preparing meals for us and tidying up the house or conversing with us in Spanish. My room is much larger and is decorated cutely with yellow walls and has a desk and a bedside table with a lamp, the latter is a luxury I didn’t have in my last house.

Well, I’m off to wander some more around Antigua and try to find a place to do yoga….

Spanglish

Hola! Well, I have survived 3 days of classes thus far. My teacher is super patient and knows some English, which is helpful as I keep having to ask "como se dice?" This is getting less and less, though. Yay, I{ve made some progress. But this may not be a good thing as now I can not seem to speak either language, can not think of words in English as well. Perhaps this is a good sign that my mind is shifting to español?? I{ve met a lot of students by participating in each of the afternoon activities. Although this limits my study time I want to learn as much of the culture as I can. There are students from all over the world studying: New Zealand, Germany, Switzerland, France, Canada and most are from the US.

I had my first salsa lesson, very fun! And visited a macadamia nut farm which didn{t live up to the hype as it turned out to be a way to get tourists out to the farm and buy their products. The gardens on the grounds were beautiful, though. But it was totally worth it for the ride on the chicken bus!! Have you heard of these? I guess in smaller villages there are actually chickens on the bus but not in a big city like Antigua. They{re old US school buses that are super colorful on the outside and crammed with people inside. I will never again complain about the buses being crowded in Seattle! There were 3 of us sitting on a seat made for 2, really just half of a butt cheek for me. The turns are crazy, you stop for anyone on the side of the street and there are vendors and preachers that are on the buses, a real Guatemalan experience!!

I{m still loving to walk around the city and explore but I absolutely have to watch every step I take with the cobblestone streets and the buses, cars, motorbikes, and tuk tuks (3 wheeled "taxis") or I{ll certainly get hit. The city itself is very colorful but only 6 colors are allowed on the houses: orange, yellow, white, black, red, and blue but it seems like so many more. It{s also pretty hot here, for me at least, in the 60s or more in the sun but night it cools off. Nightlife has been non-existent, however. After dinner which is at 7 pm, I just talk with the 2 other students and my host family and then study as I end up socializing during the day.

Meals have been pretty basic. Mostly beans at every meal and sometimes a stew. One day we had hot dogs cut up in beans, not for me but Ryan was jealous, ha. I supplement the meals with fun pastries and a coffee in the afternoon, my new routine.

And I did get to see the Oscars in español, quite a good way to learn some Spanish. However, I did not get any of the jokes as John Stewart was dubbed over entirely. Quite fun!

Hasta luego

Hola from Guatemala!

I made it safely and had a fairly uneventful trip (the best kind) to Guatemala. Flight got in an hour late to Guat. City but the driver was still there waiting for me and migration and customs was really easy, don´t know why I worried about it. The drive to Antigua was another story. Lanes don´t seem to mean anything and let me tell you about the wild dogs traveling together at night, reminded me a bit of south San Antonio. I just looked away most of the time. The driver didn´t speak any English: a good hint for what to expect with my host family. They are really nice but no English, what I expected but it´s quite another thing to have to rely on my paltry Spanish, very humbling. Thank goodness for another student who was translating for me. The father of the family asked what my profession was and all I could do was stare blankly. Dietiteca? Nutritionista? I said both and his response had to be translated loosely for me as now we won´t get fat, or so I think that´s what he said.

There´s the same routine every day except Sunday. Breakfast at 7, lunch (biggest meal of the day) at 1 pm and dinner at 7 pm. Today, I was looking all over for a cell phone, pay as you go thing, and finally bought one but have absolutely no idea how to use it as the directions are en español, of course. This is going to be interesting. At least I was finally able to call Ryan from it.

My first impression of Antigua is its natural beauty. There are cobblestone streets everywhere, purple flowers on the trees, hills surrounding the city and a huge volcanic mountain which has been my landmark to find my way to the central park, etc. The colonial architecture is another stunner.

So...life in Guatemala thus far has been frustrating with the communication but more motivation to learn Spanish faster. The living situation is simple and easy. I have a basic room with 2 beds, small desk to write and do homework, and a wire type closet thing. 2 bathrooms are shared with all of us but does not seem to be an issue thus far: a sink is on the outside. Oh, and if you remember anything of my European bathroom episodes, you´ll know how interested I am in them! Toilet paper is not flushed down the toilet, other than that, just like the US. Their house is pretty large for Guatemalan standards with an open courtyard sort of thing with lots of plants, no one has yards, houses are butted up against one another and the only grass I´ve seen is in the park and church grounds. Fairly simple but pleasant living.

The rest of my weekend I plan on wondering the streets and getting my bearings. Í´m looking forward to it....

Adios

Last thoughts

24 hours to go before my departure for Guatemala! I've been so excited this week as I'm realizing that I'm actually following one of my dreams and not letting any circumstances hold me back. I think I was so busy working, throwing a party for myself, and spending 1 last weekend with Ryan in Vancouver that I hadn't been able to fully take it in until now. A lot of people have said they're too chicken to do something like this or wish they could do it too. I say, join me then! Or make it happen for yourself at another time or place. This is our one shot at living and I fully intend to make mine count!

As a procrastinator, I still have plenty of last minute things to do: fit all my stuff into 1 carry-on size backpack (like I did for Europe) for starters. And it's a good thing I've done that before or I'd be lost, 2 months is a long time to pack for. My pack is only 1/4-1/2 full of clothing, the rest is meds for just in case traveler's diarrhea, etc and contact solution, stuff I'm not sure they'll have down there, and books too. I'm sure I'm even overpacking with this but don't know they'll have everything I think I need. So, interested in the nitty gritty details? 4 pairs of pants (1 I'll wear on the plane and 2 are lightweight hiking pants that are convertible to shorts), 6 or so shirts, 5 pairs of socks/underwear, and only 2 pairs of shoes!! Can you believe the last one? 1 pair of cross-trainers and my Teva flip-flops. I figure if I bring everything I need, I won't have an excuse to go shopping!!

Excited to learn espanol as well. I hope my high school and college courses come back to me. I have been listening to Spanish soap operas on tv just to hear the language. The school sounds awesome! I will go to "class"--really just 4 hours in the morning of 1 on 1 (!) instruction and conversation. It's suggested to not spend more than 4-5 hours per day when learning a new language. As I'll be staying with a host family that only speaks Spanish, I will be forced to practice at home too!! Additionally, at the market, restaurants, movies or whatever, I'll be forced to use my new-found language skills. No pressure. The afternoons are free to do your own thing or participate in various activities they offer such as cooking, salsa and merengue classes, etc. There are even movie and culture nights. Even for me, I don't think I'll get bored. Many trips/tours can be planned through them too, which really excites me. Sounds like there's a big traveler's network so there will be plenty of people to travel with over the weekends!! If interested, here's the website for the school: http://www.spanishacademyantiguena.com

Many of you have expressed concern for my safety. Please know I am an aware traveler but will take extra caution making sure I'm never alone or out late at night or frequent unsafe areas. I plan on registering with the US Embassy (something I've never done on any other trips). And if all else fails, I can use my newly acquired self defense techniques. Look out, potentail assailants! Better yet, I'll just yell Fuego! or act crazy if I'm approached by aliens.

So my flight leaves Seattle Friday at 11:25 am, arrives in Houston around 5 pm, only have an hour or so layover, then arrive in Guatemala City at 10 pm. Thankfully, I don't need to stay in Guat. City by myself that first night, a shuttle arranged by the school will be picking me up for the short drive to Antigua! And I'll stay with my host family that first night. These trip details have all fallen into place so nicely, it's been one of the least stressful trips to plan for, in that regard.

That is as much as I know about my plans as I've intentionally kept my itinerary open. If I like Antigua/the school/my host family I might hang out there through Semana Santa (Holy Week), 4 weeks, and then potentially move on. I've never traveled spontaneously like this before so stay tuned.....

And don't be a stranger, let me know what's going on in your lives. I bought a lightweight computer from a friend so will have access to email and plan to keep blogging.

Hasta luego, amigos!!

Vancouver

I'm not sure what all the fuss is over Vancouver. Sure it's gorgeous with the ocean and the mountains are closer than they are in Seattle, it's more built up and tons of glass buildings, it's more cosmopolitan, and easier to get around with their mass transit system plus the downtown area where we stayed was very walkable. Everyone had just raved about it so maybe that was the problem. But after looking at the pictures, you can see it was an easy trip on the eyes. We caught an early train and the ride itself was right along the water. Train was cool too in that we didn't have to worry about the border crossing just hit customs at the train station. We were fortunate enough to have clear sunny weather....not a raindrop in sight, didn't really think that through when planning a weekend in Canada in the winter.

Our hotel (a simple YWCA with pink floral bedding that Ryan loved:-) was right across from the Canucks hockey stadium, they're nuts over their hockey. We went to a Costco there too and their first display is of hockey sticks. We mostly did the touristy things as it was our first time there: the Harbour Centre (love the spelling, french influence I'm guessing) lookout, rented bikes along Stanley Park--6 mile loop along the water--gorgeous but freezing!, and Chinatown. We ate at a Chinese restaurant where we were the only non-Asians, I was in heaven. Except that I ordered the red hot wontons and my mouth and tongue were on fire for hours!! That and I'm not entirely sure what I ordered, oh well, it was good. It's a foodie town so we ate very well: Indian, sushi, crepes, yummy.

Almost Famous??

Unlikely, however I submitted this picture (from our glacial ice hike in Norway last summer) to an REI contest and they picked it to use for their marketing campaign!! I don't get any money for it and had to sign a bunch of legal releases for them to use it. But they don't have to let me know when they use it or for what, so if you see it anywhere, please let me know!! REI adventure trips? REI.com? I haven't seen it anywhere yet......

I'm sure it doesn't hurt that I have the REI logo across my jacket and am sporting their oh so fashionable pants. An REI member through and through....or a sucker? Anyway, if you haven't heard of REI--I hadn't until a few years ago, they're an uber sports store/coop, you can rent equipment there too. The flagship store is downtown Seattle and was a must for me when we first visited Seattle last year. I even climbed the pinnacle a few months ago (fake rock climbing tower you can see from I-5), really fun!

Politics & Parties

Hope you all had a happy Valentine's Day. Have to say we didn't do anything romantic, we did go out for Malaysian food the night before though. And I did buy Ryan a chocolate bar with bacon, sounds gross, huh? I'm throwing myself a sort of bon voyage party tonight so was prepping for that last night instead. My theme is Mexican food as I'm not exactly sure what Guatemalan food is, other than beans and rice, which I'm sure is not entirely accurate either. I'm about to find out though....only 1 week and I'm off.

Warning: if you're not interested in politics, you might want to skip this paragraph. I'm now a Washington resident so last Saturday was my first time participating in a caucus, which was the only way my minority vote would count. The majority around here is for Obama, he won out in delegates 2 to 1. The caucus seems like such an inefficient system....the neighborhood precinct leader didn't even know where the Democratic National Convention was...and the whole purpose of this caucus (which I didn't know beforehand) was to vote for your delegates to send to Denver. Anyway, I was so frustrated with the disorganization I had to speak up when she was going to make us (90 people) go from one side of the stage to the other...I suggested just sitting down when our names were called. It was still hard to hear over the other precincts and people's yelling and clapping. The consolation to the disorg. is the interest so many people have this election and their passion about their views which is so awesome as most of us have been so apathetic with the current administration. My vote went to Hillary for 2 reasons: I really want a female president and can not imagine a smarter, more results oriented candidate as well as her health care plan. I actually dragged Ryan to see her at a rally in Seattle. She was over an hour late and we were so packed in this cruise terminal (Washington was not a planned stop, Bill was supposed to come instead), people were getting hot and ended up leaving and the fire alarms were going off but it was worth it. I knew she'd be articulate and polished but wasn't sure she'd enliven the crowd and she did at times, she really awakened a sense of hope I hadn't been feeling for a long time! And really catered to the environmental crowd, saying Seattle's leading the way in green technology, etc. I would have loved to hear Obama as well but his rally was during a work day and was closed off hours before he got there, 20,000 plus crowd!! I can't wait to see who the candidate will be, much drama!

Happy President's Day as well...to those of you who have a 3 day weekend! We're going down to Vancouver, Canada by train early tomorrow morning, can't wait. My last day of work was yesterday so when I get back Monday night, I'll have 3 days to focus on preparing/packing for my Guatemala trip. Hasta luego!

Gung Hay Fat Choy!!

Any chance you believe I've decided to take up Chinese instead of Spanish? No, okay then, I'll just wish you "best wishes and have a prosperous and happy new year!"

It's the year of the rat and they celebrate it with a force here. I bought moon pies from a Chinese bakery in the International District (more than just Chinatown with its' Vietnamese influence and I'm sure many other cultures I'm not yet aware of) today. One made with red bean and the other with lotus. They are tiny but so heavy, let you know the verdict....

Fat & Super Tuesday

What's not to love? A day dedicated to eating your heart out and mucho political drama!! My kind of day. So, my vote in a few weeks as a Washington resident may not make much difference depending on what happens today. Still undecided....want a female president but at the same time think Obama might be the breath of fresh air this country needs. Health care is the most important factor for me...especially after seeing how insurance companies work now that I don't have socialized...oh I mean military...medicine. What are your thoughts??

Much paint, paint, and more paint going on this past weekend. Not my favorite of activities, however, I love the finished look. Our bedroom is a calming, light blue color...not pastel easter egg blue, more sophisticated and I love it! What a difference a color you love makes, instead of that ugly brown color I thought I could live with. After years of talking about buying bedroom furniture...finally did it...online from Costco: a king size platform bed with clean, simple lines. I won't get to see it before I leave though:-( Now am looking at bedding and curtains to continue the calming theme.

The second bedroom was a lot more fun to paint...smaller with less complicated walls. Well, it could've been easier had I not decided to paint the ceiling (and myself in the process). What a workout! My arms were so sore, reaching at all angles to cover everything. I thought the color was a little lighter, which is why I thought I'd paint the ceiling to give the appearance that it's a bigger room. It's still a light purplish brown, I love it, Ryan's on the fence. Still have to touch it up a bit and move furniture in there and put up curtains for the final effect. Now we can clear out the breakfast nook which is where we stashed the bedroom stuff. Can't wait to get this place clutter-free so I can enjoy Seattle for my remaining weeks and pack!

I'm off to make a Mardi Gras King cake for a Fat Tuesday party. This year, I've decided to not give anything up for Lent but to make positive changes in my life. Here's my first: 40 days of reconnecting to people, both here and in Guatemala. Here's to 40 days of change!

CA scenery & snow-shoeiing pictures

My attempt at making these pictures smaller has failed. So here you have it: huge pictures of us. The first three are from the Monterey area: 17 mile drive, Carmel, and Big Sur. There really were so many good pictures, it was hard to choose which ones to post (I highly recommend the camera I have--Canon Sureshot, it's virtually fool-proof aside from the occasional finger).

The last is of snow-shoeiing!! I've wanted to do this for years now and was so excited to go with a friend from work, Sirima. She organized a group of her friends--some of which had climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro along with her husband, a former Air Force special forces guy--so knew we'd be in safe hands avoiding those avalanches. What she failed to tell me is that it was her birthday---one of her friends actually carried a cake he had made, surprising her with it and sang happy birthday. What nice friends she has! All this while eating lunch under a tree well (shown in the picture) atop a bench formed with their shovels, so clever. I had a blast and did not want to go back to the car. I discovered that snow-shoeiing is nothing more than walking/hiking in the snow. The only gear we needed were the actual snow shoes, which we rented from REI. Just 45 minutes out of Seattle, it was a wintry wonderland: snow on the mountains and a ski resort. It was recommended to have chains on your tires close to where we snow-shoed and currently I-90 is closed in Snoqualmie Pass (locale of our fun). It was snowing and cold but you work up quite a sweat until you stop and get cold again. What fun to tromp through the snow, this is one sport I definitely want to take up while living here.....

Back in urban Seattle, it's been on the cold side (30s) but clear and even, gasp, ....sunny. Work has kept me busy...no more low census days. This is allowing me to save even more money for my trip.....only 3 more weeks until my departure!

Hasta luego, amigos!!

Una semana

So....it's been a while since I've last blogged and quite a lot has happened in one month. I will get into why I posted in Spanish at the end....

Holidays in Nebraska were frigidly cold, in the teens. Of course, it was great to catch up with family and eat and talk, etc. Although it did not snow on Christmas day, I still say we had a white Christmas as there was plenty of the white stuff as ground cover. Some highlights: I danced to the Trans-Siberian orchestra soundtrack and cracked my family up; helped prepare Christmas dinner with my Mom for my grandparents, aunt, and a couple friend of my parents'; shopped some--Steve and Barry's carries Sarah Jessica Parker's new line, Bitten, I bought jeans for $8.95!; and had long conversations with family--especially my Dad as the other members of the family gambled away their money, we just talked; and went to the bar with my brother.

After Nebraska, we flew to San Jose, CA to visit friends from Guam now living in Monterey over New Years'. We sure planned that well, the weather couldn't be better: sunny and in the 60s during the day. We soaked up the sun at the beach in Carmel-by-the-sea (although too cold to swim), drove through a bit of Big Sur, did the scenic 17-mile drive, and visited the Monterey Bay aquarium. All this with Christy 8 months pregnant. So we got to spend lots of time with our godson, Aiden, and what a smart kid! When they picked us up at the airport, Aiden had earphones on and was watching a documentary: Deep Ocean or the like, he's totally into marine life! At the aquarium, he was pointing out the 7 gilled shark and striped bass!! Now, I'd be saying look at that fish and shark. This is definitely a future marine biologist!! Christy might kill me for saying this but I even helped Aiden after an accident: wiping a kid's butt and it did not phase me, well it did smell. Maybe I could handle this mom stuff.....someday....far off.....

Since our arrival back to Seattle, I've been busy working and working on the house. It's been quite the chore to paint the bedrooms. I just finished priming the master bedroom walls with a second coat. The texture of the walls is rough so I needed the expert advice of Lowe's on which roller to use. I'm happy to report that with the correct equipment painting is much easier! Now if I could just figure out how to clean everything (paintbrushes and roller) I'll be set. Also found a desk last weekend for free on the corner and preceded to stain it without knowing what I was doing. Well, it still smells of the stain and probably requires a lot more work. This house stuff sure does take up a lot of time!

So....on to my use of Spanish for the title of this post....is that even how you say one month? I don't know and that's what I hope to find out. Anyway, my intention was to say one month in Spanish and update you all quickly on what I've been up to this past month and share my big news:

I'm going to Guatemala for 2 months on my own to learn Spanish!!!!

Here's the dirt on why I'm doing this. Uno, I've always wanted to study abroad and as I've missed that chance as a traditional student, I am entirely too young to have a big regret like this already. Dos, I've always wanted to be an ex-pat....somewhere. So, here's my chance to see if it's all that. By going for an extended time, (and if I had my way, I'd be there for much longer but I am married and I plan to stay that way) I'll have a better chance to live like a local and feel the frustration of being a foreigner as well. As a tourist, I've never been able to get a feel for what it would really be like to live in that place. Tres, one of my life goals is to be fluent in many languages and at 31, I came to the realization that I'm not getting very far on this goal. So, I narrowed down my search of countries and even languages to Central America and Spanish, then considered cost and safety and Antigua, Guatemala is what I came up with!!! One major consideration: the dollar is weak in so many parts of the world but not Central America. For one days' pay at my hospital job, I can attend language courses and live with a host family in Guatemala, including meals, for a week.

My next step is to enroll in a language school in Antigua, which seems to be the epicenter of language immersion courses. Courses are individualized and intense running 4 hours minimum per day Monday-Friday. There are also other fun options such as cooking, dancing, and lectures about the culture. I plan to take full advantage of the hiking opportunities as well as visiting the Mayan ruins, another life's goal. I will be living with a host family (speaking only Spanish) and they provide me with guidance and 3 meals per day plus typical outings they do such as going to the market, etc,. Thus, I won't be hearing much, if any, English and should in theory learn Spanish much faster.

Although Ryan's not thrilled about my leaving he understands I have major wanderlust and hopes this will do the trick to get it out of me!!! Also, I'm up to date on my immunizations and will exercise extreme caution in all circumstances, so please, don't worry about me. As my Dr. said (who also spent 2 months in Antigua), living with a host family and taking courses provides safety and structure. She said her host family was wonderful and even provided her with safe water. Internet access is everywhere...including the schools so I plan to be in full contact via the web.

So....here's an open invite for anyone to join me. I'll be there from Feb. 22 through April 26th. You can take courses or not. I plan to travel around on the weekends, if not a week out of my two months there. I've been reading up on Guatemala and the Mayan ruins, they sound amazing! If you know of anyone who's done this sort of thing, I'd love to hear it....