It’s starting to get weird now since every day that goes by was our last of that day in Guatemala. (That may have been confusing, but I mean it in the sense that today is my last Tuesday in Guatemala). Monday, I relaxed for a bit after breakfast and then Aleia and I went to the market and Nim Pot (a little store) and I finally finished my Christmas shopping! Then, we had our last regular Core 400 class in the afternoon at Paul and Bev’s house as tomorrow we each are giving our presentations about the papers we wrote/are writing.
This morning, Aleia and I made our rounds around town. We stopped by a friend’s house to drop stuff off. I purchased my last tostada from the ladies who are in front of the school everyday. Went by the laundry mat and went to Parque Central to make a final ‘creative’ purchase to aid in my gift giving. Then, we went back to our house and listened to some worship music in Spanish while sitting on my bed and working on our little projects. Now, I’m at Paul’s house using the internet to post my blog updates and finish up stuff for my classes.
Only a few days left here in Guatemala and I’m going to make the most of them! Packing is difficult, not because I have so much stuff, but because I know it means the end is near. The end of something good, something great! I’m getting nervous about making the transition back to the states, but I know that everything will work out how it’s supposed to. It might take time and the reverse culture shock might be overwhelming at times, but I know I’ll get through it...I'm not quite ready yet, but I know God is preparing me.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Casi El Fin
Last week was quite wonderful! Monday and Tuesday I mainly spent relaxing, reading and waiting in great anticipation for Wednesday and Thursday…and the weekend! Wednesday, some of us went to a neighboring city, Ciudad Vieja, for a parade. There were tons of semis, floats, dancers, children, vendors, horses, and Barack Obamas…It was fun though. We were there for about two hours waiting for it to start, watching it, and waiting for traffic to clear so we could get back to Antigua. Wednesday night, there was also a ‘burning of the devil’ event here in Antigua. My roommates and I planned on going to it, but our host mom gave us dinner at the time we were going to leave (an hour and a half earlier than we normally eat). By the time we arrived, the devil had been burned and everyone was going home or staying to listen to some music and dance, so we just walked back home.
[there were lots of weird devil floats like this one]
[smurfs :) ]
[I got my picture with Barack and Michelle Obama...one couple out of many]
Thursday morning I read a bit and went to the school to use the internet before lunch. Then, after lunch two of my roommates and I went over to the Nemecek’s house early to help get ready for our Christmas party. We mixed some dough, cut out cookies and baked them before everyone arrived for the festivities. Then, we decorated the Christmas tree and some cookies before busting open a Santa Claus piñata. We recorded ourselves singing Feliz Navidad and put it on YouTube so we could be part of our Christmas chapel on campus (which was yesterday.) It was a great party and ended with bellies full of cookies and some Domino’s pizza. It was a fun last group celebration before we head home.
[Aleia, Jen and me baking up a storm]
[Piñata]
Here is the link to the Feliz Navidad video: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=592370550&sk=photos#!/photo.php?v=575892446543
Friday and Saturday were chill days. Saturday we just relaxed, hung out, went to the market, and enjoyed Antigua for our last Saturday. Sunday we had our last group meal :( It was a breakfast buffet with on a hill overlooking Antigua. We had a gorgeous view and were joined by Juan Carlos and his wife Suri (the daughter and son-in-law of my house mom). Juan Carlos is the director of our Spanish School, La Unión. We ate lots of food, watched volcano ‘eruptions’ and talked in Spanish and English. Quite a lovely last meal!
[Eruption!]
[there were lots of weird devil floats like this one]
[smurfs :) ][I got my picture with Barack and Michelle Obama...one couple out of many]Thursday morning I read a bit and went to the school to use the internet before lunch. Then, after lunch two of my roommates and I went over to the Nemecek’s house early to help get ready for our Christmas party. We mixed some dough, cut out cookies and baked them before everyone arrived for the festivities. Then, we decorated the Christmas tree and some cookies before busting open a Santa Claus piñata. We recorded ourselves singing Feliz Navidad and put it on YouTube so we could be part of our Christmas chapel on campus (which was yesterday.) It was a great party and ended with bellies full of cookies and some Domino’s pizza. It was a fun last group celebration before we head home.[Aleia, Jen and me baking up a storm]
[Piñata]Here is the link to the Feliz Navidad video: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=592370550&sk=photos#!/photo.php?v=575892446543Friday and Saturday were chill days. Saturday we just relaxed, hung out, went to the market, and enjoyed Antigua for our last Saturday. Sunday we had our last group meal :( It was a breakfast buffet with on a hill overlooking Antigua. We had a gorgeous view and were joined by Juan Carlos and his wife Suri (the daughter and son-in-law of my house mom). Juan Carlos is the director of our Spanish School, La Unión. We ate lots of food, watched volcano ‘eruptions’ and talked in Spanish and English. Quite a lovely last meal!
[Eruption!]
Monday, December 5, 2011
Luces!
Another amazing week has come and gone…Most of last week I spent relaxing, reading my Bible, reading for class, and reading for pleasure. (I’m really not a big reader, but it was nice to just relax a bit!) Most mornings I spent my reading time either sitting on my little balcony, on my bed or sitting in another bedroom with my legs sticking out on the roof below working on my tan. Monday and Wednesday afternoon I had one of my classes and then besides that had some free time.
Thursday I mixed things up a bit and went to La Unión to use the internet in the morning and then in the afternoon, Jen and I went to Sky Café and read on the roof up there. (More reading, yes!) The reading wasn’t as fun because it was for class, but at least I got my homework out of the way before the weekend began! Friday I made a morning dash to the market and made an impulse buy…I can’t say what I got yet as it is a Christmas gift for a family member. I just hope he likes it! Friday night we went to Parque Central for the lighting of the park. There was a big celebration of sorts with a stage, marimbas, fireworks, floating lights, cotton candy, people in costumes and lots of Christmas lights! There was a countdown and the whole city watched as the lights in Parque Central lit up all the trees in sight.
[Aleia and I in the pool =] We acted like we were 10 and got laughed at multiple times, but had a blast!]
Thursday I mixed things up a bit and went to La Unión to use the internet in the morning and then in the afternoon, Jen and I went to Sky Café and read on the roof up there. (More reading, yes!) The reading wasn’t as fun because it was for class, but at least I got my homework out of the way before the weekend began! Friday I made a morning dash to the market and made an impulse buy…I can’t say what I got yet as it is a Christmas gift for a family member. I just hope he likes it! Friday night we went to Parque Central for the lighting of the park. There was a big celebration of sorts with a stage, marimbas, fireworks, floating lights, cotton candy, people in costumes and lots of Christmas lights! There was a countdown and the whole city watched as the lights in Parque Central lit up all the trees in sight.
[Fireworks]
[Aleia and I eating some cotton candy!]
[Floating lantern being lit]
[The lights]
Saturday I went to a café with Aleia called, Y Tú Piña También. (Yes, that means ‘And Your Pineapple Too) I got to Skype with my family AND Google video chat with Andi Ruth! :) After lunch, our house went to the market to make a few small purchases and then my other two roommates when to a café, so Aleia and I went to the 24 hour prayer chapel I had stopped by to look at a few weeks ago. We spent a few hours there and it was really nice!
[The sidewalk leading to the prayer chapel]
Sunday, we had our group meal at Portal Antigua, a hotel near my home stay. Lunch was buffet style and included pool access. :) Best of both worlds?! Yes. Ate a hearty lunch and then laid out by the pool taking a break every so often to take a swim in the water, dry off in the sun and then snag a little more grub from the buffet. Then, time to repeat the process again. Our buffet time lasted until 4, so we sat down for an early dinner at 3:30 and tried not to stuff ourselves silly. It was a great day of food, sun, and company!Saturday I went to a café with Aleia called, Y Tú Piña También. (Yes, that means ‘And Your Pineapple Too) I got to Skype with my family AND Google video chat with Andi Ruth! :) After lunch, our house went to the market to make a few small purchases and then my other two roommates when to a café, so Aleia and I went to the 24 hour prayer chapel I had stopped by to look at a few weeks ago. We spent a few hours there and it was really nice![The sidewalk leading to the prayer chapel]
[Aleia and I in the pool =] We acted like we were 10 and got laughed at multiple times, but had a blast!]
Sunday, November 27, 2011
La Ciudad, Monterrico y THANKSGIVING!
I’ve had a great weekend! Thursday, we headed over to Paul and Bev’s house for a little birthday party/get together in honor of Thanksgiving. We ate cake and played some games. It was a good day. Friday, we went to the city in the afternoon. Some students wanted to watch the new Twilight movie, so those of us who wanted to go rode a bus to the city. I went to the post office with Jen and picked up her package then headed to the market for a bit and walked around while waiting for another student to buy her bridesmaid dresses. Then, we went back to the mall and hung out for a bit until the movie was over. On our way home we stopped by Pollo Campero and had some dinner. We made it home around 9 and had time to shower and go to bed by 10 in preparation for our beach day on Saturday!
Saturday, I woke up relatively early to get all of my stuff together for the beach and made sure everything was charged and ready to go. We met at 8:30 and were off to Monterrico. After a little over two hours in the bus, we arrived at our ‘hotel’ where we changed, ordered our lunch and then hit up the beach. I left time to lay my towel out and set my camera down before taking off my flip flops and making a break for the water. Sand is hot when the sun shines on it, but black sand is even hotter. I think the bottoms of my feet burned! We played in the waves for awhile…or rather, the waves played with us. Then we walked along the beach to dry off a bit before lunch. After lunch, you guessed it, we hit up the water again. After a few hours of being tossed and turned by the waves, I called it a day and showered off so I could lay out and dry off a bit before we headed back to Antigua. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so close to death before in my life. The Pacific Ocean is a beast and quite a fantastic adventure!! LOVED IT.
[Black Sand!]
Today, we had our Thanksgiving celebration and meal at Paul and Bev’s. It was delicious! This week, I’m not really sure what’s in store, but I’m sure it will be great. I hope to get to interact with my host family some more as I have been the past few days. It’s fun to just sit and talk with them. I’m going to miss nights like last night: being told I look like a tomato and talking about what I want to do with my life. These days are flying by and I don’t wanna miss a single moment!
Saturday, I woke up relatively early to get all of my stuff together for the beach and made sure everything was charged and ready to go. We met at 8:30 and were off to Monterrico. After a little over two hours in the bus, we arrived at our ‘hotel’ where we changed, ordered our lunch and then hit up the beach. I left time to lay my towel out and set my camera down before taking off my flip flops and making a break for the water. Sand is hot when the sun shines on it, but black sand is even hotter. I think the bottoms of my feet burned! We played in the waves for awhile…or rather, the waves played with us. Then we walked along the beach to dry off a bit before lunch. After lunch, you guessed it, we hit up the water again. After a few hours of being tossed and turned by the waves, I called it a day and showered off so I could lay out and dry off a bit before we headed back to Antigua. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so close to death before in my life. The Pacific Ocean is a beast and quite a fantastic adventure!! LOVED IT.
[Black Sand!]
Today, we had our Thanksgiving celebration and meal at Paul and Bev’s. It was delicious! This week, I’m not really sure what’s in store, but I’m sure it will be great. I hope to get to interact with my host family some more as I have been the past few days. It’s fun to just sit and talk with them. I’m going to miss nights like last night: being told I look like a tomato and talking about what I want to do with my life. These days are flying by and I don’t wanna miss a single moment!
Monday, November 21, 2011
La Ciudad, Canopy Tour and Earth Lodge!
Friday, I had the opportunity to go with a few of my roommates, Aleia and Jenna, to Guatemala City to visit Chad and Marlana Smith. We spent the day visiting AMG, shopping at Wal-Mart, eating at Taco Bell-where there were French fries, not nachos, and shopping at a Mega Pacas-giant thrift store…better than Goodwill! Then we went back to the Smith’s house for a bit before they brought us back to Antigua. It was an amazing day! It was fun to get out of Antigua and see some familiar faces and have a relaxing day of shopping, friends, and fun! It’s probably a good thing there aren’t Mega Pacas in Antigua…or else I’d have too much apparel and no room in my suitcases! Hopefully, we’ll get to go back again on Friday when we go to the city!
[It’s been a long time since I’ve had Taco Bell, but here was my amazing meal!- They need to get all the new desserts in the states!]
Saturday was another amazing day! We went on a zip line canopy tour :) It was pretty fantastic! There were seven different lines which got successively longer. It was so much fun!!
[It’s been a long time since I’ve had Taco Bell, but here was my amazing meal!- They need to get all the new desserts in the states!]
Saturday was another amazing day! We went on a zip line canopy tour :) It was pretty fantastic! There were seven different lines which got successively longer. It was so much fun!! [My wristband! - They wouldn't let us keep them :( ]
[A group of us before the longest one!-Jen, Jenna, me, Cassie] 
Yesterday, we went to Earth Lodge and had our Sunday meal there where we just got to sit around soaking up some sun and getting burnt while waiting for our burgers, guacamole and chips, and smoothies to be prepared. It was a beautiful place for a meal outside of Antigua with a great view! It was a bit of a drive and a little hike, but definitely worth it! My favorite part may have been the ride back to Antigua standing in the back of pick up truck riding down the mountain.
[A group of us before the longest one!-Jen, Jenna, me, Cassie] Yesterday, we went to Earth Lodge and had our Sunday meal there where we just got to sit around soaking up some sun and getting burnt while waiting for our burgers, guacamole and chips, and smoothies to be prepared. It was a beautiful place for a meal outside of Antigua with a great view! It was a bit of a drive and a little hike, but definitely worth it! My favorite part may have been the ride back to Antigua standing in the back of pick up truck riding down the mountain. [Sign...]
[Chairs to relax in...with an amazing view!]
[Volcano!!]
Meseros?!
What a week!
I had my last three days of Spanish Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. My lessons ended well. We worked on subjunctive more and just talked about random things in Spanish to practice. It was a great last few days! Wednesday, we went to Parque Central with a few other students and their teachers to watch a race of sorts. A bunch of waiters lined up in Central Park and had their trays loaded with a few unopened beverages and the race began. It was a little crazy and quite strange, but oddly enough, it fun to watch! Before I left class Wednesday I gave my teacher a card (with a tip) and she gave me a purse that she made. We said goodbye, but only until Monday (today) when we planned to meet again.
[Waiters all lined up]
[Waiting for the action to begin...me, Ashley and Cassie]
I had my last three days of Spanish Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. My lessons ended well. We worked on subjunctive more and just talked about random things in Spanish to practice. It was a great last few days! Wednesday, we went to Parque Central with a few other students and their teachers to watch a race of sorts. A bunch of waiters lined up in Central Park and had their trays loaded with a few unopened beverages and the race began. It was a little crazy and quite strange, but oddly enough, it fun to watch! Before I left class Wednesday I gave my teacher a card (with a tip) and she gave me a purse that she made. We said goodbye, but only until Monday (today) when we planned to meet again.
[Waiters all lined up]
[Waiting for the action to begin...me, Ashley and Cassie] [And they’re off!] 
[First place finsher at the finish line!] 
Thursday I was very productive and got a lot of work done! I did homework for Monday, did a P90X Kenpo workout, read my Bible and checked my email all before 11! It was weird to wake up just a few minutes before breakfast, but felt good to ‘sleep in’ a bit. I think I might be able to get used to having mornings free to do whatever I need to!
[First place finsher at the finish line!] Thursday I was very productive and got a lot of work done! I did homework for Monday, did a P90X Kenpo workout, read my Bible and checked my email all before 11! It was weird to wake up just a few minutes before breakfast, but felt good to ‘sleep in’ a bit. I think I might be able to get used to having mornings free to do whatever I need to! Sunday, November 13, 2011
Volcán Pacaya
Amigos! I hope everything is well with you all! This past week was great! I had my last FULL week of Spanish and I have three more days this week until I’m done. It’s a bitter-sweet moment…I’m going to miss Spanish and learning more of it, but I will enjoy having some free time in the mornings. This week in class was much more conversational although we did work on subjunctive! Thursday, my teacher and I had a little celebration with Cortney, another SAU student and her teacher at her teacher’s home. Her teacher, María Elsa, is actually a home stay mother as well of a few SAU students. We went over to her house and had a little “last week of Spanish” party. We made chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate covered bananas, popcorn with a little left over chocolate on some of it and also had ice cream with sparkling strawberry juice. It was fun! We played a little bananagrams and talked in Spanish. It was a blast! Friday, Delia and I worked on subjunctive some more and then played scrabble in Spanish with a few random students from La Unión.
Saturday, we had a little adventure on our own as some of us (apart from the University) decided to go through a travel agency and climb a volcano…Volcano Pacaya. This is the volcano that erupted a year and a half ago, in May 2010. It was an exciting experience to say the least! The climb up took about an hour and a half and then we were able to explore a little on our own for an hour towards the top. We weren’t allowed to go to the very top and see the crater, but we got pretty close! We saw lots and LOTS of volcanic rocks and got to go in some steam holes and such, so it was worth it. When we got to the top, a girl who hiked up with us, but was from a different group fell and she broke or cut her leg really deep, cut her head and hurt her hand, so we took a different way down the volcano. A more direct route, but it also happened to be a bit scarier and much steeper! I was stepping in volcanic rocks up to my mid-calf every step down the volcano at what was probably a 60 degree decline. It was crazy, but after I got the hang of it, it was kind of fun and not scary! All of the guys took turns carrying the injured girl down the volcano until we got to the ambulance. From there, we walked down the windy road to our bus at the bottom of the volcano. Then, we hopped in the bus and headed back to Antigua and we got home around 1:40 and ate lunch a little before 2.
[During the climb up the volcano..we could see other volcanoes in the distance, the ones that surround Antigua. This picture doesn't show them all as the others are off to the left]
[Me on the volcano!]
[the volcano...part of it anyway]
[The decline one our way down the volcano...this picture doesn't quite do it justice.]
Once we all had taken showers and cleaned the ash and dust off of ourselves, Aleia and I went to the market to do a little shopping and bartering before coming home a little bit before dinner. It was a great day! I’m definitely sore today, but I expected to be.
Today, we went to church and then out to lunch with the whole SAU gang. I’m excited to see what the remaining weeks have in store for me here! A little over a month left and there’s so much more I want to do. Hopefully, having mornings off starting Monday will allow me to have enough time to accomplish all of the things I want to do!
Saturday, we had a little adventure on our own as some of us (apart from the University) decided to go through a travel agency and climb a volcano…Volcano Pacaya. This is the volcano that erupted a year and a half ago, in May 2010. It was an exciting experience to say the least! The climb up took about an hour and a half and then we were able to explore a little on our own for an hour towards the top. We weren’t allowed to go to the very top and see the crater, but we got pretty close! We saw lots and LOTS of volcanic rocks and got to go in some steam holes and such, so it was worth it. When we got to the top, a girl who hiked up with us, but was from a different group fell and she broke or cut her leg really deep, cut her head and hurt her hand, so we took a different way down the volcano. A more direct route, but it also happened to be a bit scarier and much steeper! I was stepping in volcanic rocks up to my mid-calf every step down the volcano at what was probably a 60 degree decline. It was crazy, but after I got the hang of it, it was kind of fun and not scary! All of the guys took turns carrying the injured girl down the volcano until we got to the ambulance. From there, we walked down the windy road to our bus at the bottom of the volcano. Then, we hopped in the bus and headed back to Antigua and we got home around 1:40 and ate lunch a little before 2.
[During the climb up the volcano..we could see other volcanoes in the distance, the ones that surround Antigua. This picture doesn't show them all as the others are off to the left]
[Me on the volcano!][the volcano...part of it anyway][The decline one our way down the volcano...this picture doesn't quite do it justice.]Once we all had taken showers and cleaned the ash and dust off of ourselves, Aleia and I went to the market to do a little shopping and bartering before coming home a little bit before dinner. It was a great day! I’m definitely sore today, but I expected to be.Today, we went to church and then out to lunch with the whole SAU gang. I’m excited to see what the remaining weeks have in store for me here! A little over a month left and there’s so much more I want to do. Hopefully, having mornings off starting Monday will allow me to have enough time to accomplish all of the things I want to do!
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