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
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
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
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
Thursday, February 21, 2008
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!!
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.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
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!
Friday, February 15, 2008
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!
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!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
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....
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....
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
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!
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!
Friday, February 1, 2008
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!!
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