La Ciudad de Guatemala

What a great weekend so far! Friday was the end of my second week of one-on-one Spanish lessons. Of course, that meant another test. Don’t worry though…after studying hard and almost 2 hours of testing I passed with only a few minor mistakes. :) To make the end of my second week even better, I got a free t-shirt from La Unión! It’s sweet!

Friday after Spanish was over, we went back to our homes to pack for a night in Guatemala City. Chiqui gave us some sack lunches and we headed to our meeting spot so we could depart at 1. The drive to Guatemala City was much faster than the last one (for the soccer game). Our first stop was the museum! We visited the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. It was a blast! I took tons of pictures (some of which can be seen below and more are on facebook). We got some really fun shots by the fountain, on a bench, and on the steps outside…and got to see lots of really ancient art and sculptures. Seeing how I’m missing out on Art Prize back home in Grand Rapids :( it was nice to experience and appreciate other artwork, which is much older.
[Aleia and me with some ancient art]
[Had a little fun with the headless statues...]

[the awkward fountain picture...we couldn't decide what to do]

For dinner Friday night we went to Kacao to celebrate three birthdays (two which are today and one that was yesterday). It was an amazing restaurant with some typical Guatemalan foods as well as other options. We shared an assortment of appetizers and I tried a little bit of everything. My main course was amazing! I had a chicken and shrimp kabob with pineapple, rice and veggies. Delicious!! For dessert, because I had to get something, I decided to go simple with strawberry ice cream. They added a little flare and put raisins on top of each scoop and some kind of caramel sauce. I had a pineapple fruit shake to drink, which was monstrous! After we were stuffed beyond what should be humanly possible, we returned to our hotel for the night where we got to take warm showers, play cards, and watch Pride and Prejudice in English before going to bed.
[Dinner at Kacao's]

[Me, Ashley, and Aleia...enjoying the restaurant?!]

[These are the candles at the restaurant...the white stuff they are sitting on is wax. So cool!]

[Me and my dinner]

This morning we got a tour of the former Presidential Palace across from Guatemala City’s Central Park. There were lots of really neat things there to see and admire. The building itself was beautiful. It was full of paintings, stained glass, chandeliers, and amazing architecture. After the tour, we got to see the National Cathedral. We then walked to Pollo Campero for lunch before heading to the market where we got to spend 45 minutes looking, bartering, and buying. However, I was one of the people who just did the looking. I figure I’ll have enough time to buy gifts for everybody in the next 13 weeks…
[Front of the palace]
[Inside the courtyard...so pretty]

[The hands are holding a white rose which represents peace in Guatemala]

[The front of the National Cathedral]

[Inside the building...]

Second Week

The past few days have been amazing like the rest of my experience thus far. Saturday night after the Museo del Café, our host mom, Chiqui, had a surprise birthday party for her daughter, Lisa, that my roommates and I attended. We discovered it last minute and it turned out that is where we would get our dinner. It was just a party in our little yard that connects the three houses, but once it started to rain we went inside Lisa’s house and continued the party. We mostly hung out with and interacted with the children as the party with the adults was a bit awkward, but it was still pretty fun. I saw lots and lots of Chiqui’s family and I definitely don’t I even know who everyone was.
[the table set up before the rain]
[decorations...]

Sunday I went to the church that Paul and Bev (our coordinators) attend with my roommates and afterwards we had lunch at La Canoa [the Canoe]. We had a certain amount to spend per person, so while staying in our budget we shared 2 appetizers between the four of us girls at my table: onion rings and jalapeño pepper poppers. We all got our own quesadillas for the main course and also got dessert! I had vanilla ice cream with chocolate and strawberries and two of the girls at my table got coffee cake, which was also delicious! To drink, I had a strawberry banana smoothie type thing with yogurt. It was scrumptious! The entire meal was amazing!!

After lunch we went over to Paul and Bev’s house to hang out. We played games and watched Nacho Libre (with Spanish subtitles) because it was supposed to be in Spanish. Then we went back to our house and I studied for my Spanish test like crazy and finished my reading for Core 400 before going to bed.
[the view from the roof of the restaurant]
[appetizer...]
[Quesadillas]
[Dessert]

Monday was a pretty busy day of studying, Spanish test/lesson, homework, class and more homework. I finished the assigned reading for my class Friday (because the book is good: My Name Is Asher Lev.) I also experienced my first earthquake while sitting on what my roommates and I call our “van seat couch” (as it is literally a van seat used as a couch.) Horizontal quakes are quite an experience…I looked straight ahead of me and everything appeared to be moving side to side. I thought my couch was just a little tippy at first, but that was not the case. That was probably my big exciting event of the day!

Today was a more relaxing day. After an awesome Spanish lesson (I LOVE MY TEACHER!), we ate lunch and then I headed to a café called Y Tu Peña where I used the internet for a bit after purchasing a creamsicle drink and was able to Skype with my family (minus Kelvin). After a few hours I got some delicious ice cream on a stick from a little tienda across the street before heading home. It was strawberry yogurt dipped in chocolate and it had REAL strawberries in it. Amazing! Now, we’ve finished an awesome dinner: super good sandwich/sub thing with ham, avocado, cheese, lettuce, and onion, along with amazing potatoes. One of my favorite dinners so far! :)

[the creamsicle]

Now, it’s time to finish the day with some relaxation…reviewing my Spanish for a bit and then watching Despicable Me with my roomies and Alison, another student living with our host mother. What great way to end my second full week in the beautiful country of Guatemala!

Museo del Café

Today I had the privilege of meeting up with missionaries and a few other people from my church and joining them on their tour of a coffee museum. I took tons of pictures!! They gave us a free cup of coffee and I drank it (even though I’m not a huge coffee fan). I thought it tasted pretty good with a little cream and sugar. The tour was all in Spanish and I understood most of what the guide was saying, but because it was with other people who were all Spanish speakers, so he spoke pretty fast! We were able to see how coffee was grown and prepared for us back in the US. Apparently the place we visited ships about 60% of their harvest to Starbucks…Starbucks drinkers, don’t fear! Your coffee is well taken care of and only the best is harvested. Haha…We also had the chance to look at a little music museum located next door before I had to be back at my house for lunch. Now that I’ve updated you all on my week, I’ve got to start doing some tarea [homework] for Monday!

[The sign]
[My coffee :) ]
[Coffee beans]
[Coffee growing!]

Cerro de la Cruz

The last day of my first full week of Spanish classes was yesterday (Friday)! Most of the students had tests, but my test will be on Monday of the things I’ve learned and reviewed this first week here. The test will be mainly new vocabulary, reflexive verbs, and then a little conversational speaking as part of my oral grade. We have class from 8-10 and then get a 30 minute break before resuming class at 10:30 til noon. After the break yesterday I watched a movie with some other students and our teachers called “Voces Inocentes” [Innocent Voices] about the war in El Salvador. It was a depressing movie, but it was good –as in informative and well done.

As if this week didn’t include enough adventures, I went yesterday afternoon with the school to Cerro de la Cruz [Hill of the Cross]. Two of my roommates along with some other students and workers at La Unión went with us. We walked from La Unión to the top and it was a beautiful day for a hike! The view from the top was incredible (as you can see from the pictures)! The sun was shining and for the most part it was a clear day minus a few clouds above the top part of Volcano Agua. You get an incredible view of Antigua! We’ll be going back there later this semester with our entire SAU crew, but figured we might as well go since it was free and a beautiful Friday afternoon. Definitely worth the adventure!

[The Cross]
[Me standing in front of the cross with Antigua and Volcano Agua in the background]
[Aleia and I with our host sister (Sofie) and the daughter of another man who lives at our house]

[Jennifer, Aleia, and I]
[The view from the top witht the cross, city, and volcano]

Independencia: Desfile y Fiesta

Thursday is el Día de Independencia in Guatemala! I had Spanish class for about 30 minutes before my teacher and I walked to el Parque Central [Central Park] for the desfile [parade]. The parade was really neat! There were lots of children from all of the schools in Antigua who performed: played instruments, danced, or twirled batons and flags. I took tons of pictures of all the groups (until my camera died). The parade lasted a long time, but I think it was only because they walked so slow :) After the parade was over, we went back to the school and had the remaining hour and a half of Spanish.

[Students carrying flags from their school or Guatemala, etc]

[Super adorable kids in the parade]
[Peace]

[Quetal!]

[These students danced for at least 10 minutes. It was so cool! They get my vote for best outfits!]

I feel like I learn so much every day in Spanish class. It goes from 8 to noon. I realize four hours is a long time, but the one-on-one definitely allows me to learn more at a time! Every day after class I spend at least an hour studying all the new vocabulary and words I learned that day. I feel like I’ve improved a lot so far and it’s only been a week, so that’s a good sign!

Along with watching the parade in the morning, we also attended another celebration for Independence Day. The neighborhood where our professors live had a celebration that they wanted us (the whole SAU group) to be a part of. We helped set up some chairs and took pictures before the festivities began. During the celebration we sang the national hymn, listened to some music playing and a man singing songs in Spanish. We also ate some corn with salt and lime or lemon juice and some kind of corn soup. There were some crazy drinks too. Not my favorite, but good enough to satisfy my thirst :) All part of enjoying and welcoming the Guatemalan culture!
[The National Hymn of Guatemala...real long!]

[The sign at the party]

[My friend Heide and me with our corn]

[The view of Volcano Agua from the street]

Independencia: Antorcha y Fútbol

So much has happened the past few days! I’ve been so busy with different activities in Antigua, classes and homework that I haven’t had time to update my blog. Lo siento, amigos! I’m going to try and post a few separate blogs today about the past few days.

For those of you who don’t know, September 15th is Independence Day for Guatemala. It has been a really fun experience to be here to partake in the festivities and watch the parades in celebration of Independence Day! Wednesday during my Spanish lesson my teacher asked me if I wanted to participate in an excursion La Unión (my Spanish language school) was going on called “Antorcha de la Libertad” [Torch of Liberty]. And of course, because I want to experience as much culture as I can, I said I would love to go. Little did I know that this trip would take us on a 45 minute drive to Parramos (a little village) to watch a small children’s parade and then receive the Antorcha (torch). Once the torch was in our hands and lit, the journey began…as a run back to our school, La Unión (about 12.5 miles away). It was an interesting experience. No, I did not run the whole way, but I did run when we got closer to Antigua. It was a blast! (This all happens the day before their Independence Day.)

[Picture one: running back to school with the torch (about 4 blocks away)]
[Picture two: the torch after we made it to La Unión]

In addition to the Antorcha de Libertad, a few of us went to Guatemala City for un partido de fúbol [soccer game]. La Unión took us there for just Q200 [about 25 US dollars]. For dinner we ate Domino’s pizza at the game. The entire event was quite an experience. It took a little over 3.5 hours to get to the game and we arrived right on time. Traffic was INSANE! There were many unpleasant fumes that we inhaled on the rides there and back as well as while watching the game: exhaust, smoke, puke, etc. I feel like I should explain the “puke” part. While on our way there we traveled with students from La Unión who are from all over the world. There was a girl from Iceland that sat in the third row of the van and apparently she gets car sick. She said she wasn’t feeling well so we offered to stop so she could move up front, but she said she’d be okay…turns out that was not the case! She ended up puking into a grocery bag she brought with her less than 15 minutes later. That wouldn’t have been bad, but the bag she puked in had a hole in it. The remainder of the ride I had to keep my feet up off the ground because the puke was flowing all over the floor of the van. Needless to say, it was quite the experience :) We arrived back to our home at midnight. Just in time to sleep a little before class Thursday morning!
[Picture one: the traffic on the way to the game]
[Picture two: the soccer field before the game]
[Picture three: the six of us girls from SAU who went to the game]

El Primer Día

Well, today began the first day of my one-on-one Spanish lessons at Lá Unión. Once we had all arrived, the school brought us to a place near the back and we all stood in a circle alternating: teacher, student, and so on. Everyone introduced themselves by saying their name, where they were from, and something they enjoy doing (in Spanish).

Por ejemplo, “Mi nombre es Kylie. Soy de Michigan. Me gusta jugar el voleibol.”

After everyone had introduced themselves, Juan Carlos paired up each student with their instructor and we were sent away and put to work immediately. My instructor’s name is Delia. She is awesome! We conversed in Spanish for a little bit as she asked me about my life: where I’m from, how old I am, my family, etc. and I asked her questions as well (not her age though, don’t worry!) After awhile, we jumped into vocabulary, verb conjugations, and writing sentences.

Yes, I messed up several times, but Delia was very patient with me! (And she will probably need to be patient many more weeks, I’m sure!) I’m very excited to see how much I will be able to remember and learn in the weeks to come. This is going to be an amazing semester!

~Kylie

PS. I forgot to take a picture of my teacher and me today, so I will try to do that soon!

Mi Casa Es Tu Casa

Well, I’ve arrived in Guatemala and have been living in the country now for over 70 hours and I absolutely LOVE it! My home stay family is awesome! I live with three other girls from Spring Arbor University (SAU). We actually have a small apartment with two rooms, a bathroom, a small living room area and small kitchen (that we don’t use except to store our empty suitcases) that is separate from our mother’s house. That said, there are three homes really close together in our area including our host mother’s.

*Picture below from left to right: our apartment, a daughter’s home, and our host mother’s home.

Upon our arrival we went to La Unión where we were greeted by and introduced to our host mothers. Then, they walked us and our massive amount of luggage down the cobblestone streets to our new homes for 100 days! I live with 3 other girls: Jennifer, Aleia and Jenna. I share a room with Jennifer and the other two girls share the other room. It’s a cute little set up (as you’ll see in the following pictures)! The first picture is actually a sign (one of many) that were in our apartment that the kids and our mom used as decorations to welcome us.

Over the past few days, we have been touring lots of really neat places all over Antigua. It has been an amazing experience! Our visits have included convents, churches, a cathedral, and many ruins. This place is full of such beauty and history. I’m glad I have a whole semester to take it in and not just three weeks! Below are some pictures of sights we have seen and there are more on facebook as well (hopefully)…
**Pictures of different sights we’ve seen.

Things are definitely different here, but a good kind of different. I’m thrilled about the opportunity God has given me to be here! I know it was the right decision, that God was directing my path as Japan didn’t work out. It was because he wanted me here. As Jenna’s Dove wrapper said “You are exactly where you are supposed to be.” I truly believe this is where I was meant to be!

Tomorrow we are going to church with Paul and Bev (our leaders) and eating lunch at their house. They are also taking us out to dinner. Should be an interesting experience! :) Monday, we all start our Spanish classes and I am ready! It's been fun chatting with our host mom during meals and practicing my Spanish, but I'm very excited to start the one-on-one stuff!

~Kylie