Hace Un Mez

So its been a month. A month of learning. Learning Honduran spanish. Learning the way the community here functions. Learning how to limit my time on the internet. Learning how to attempt to keep my blog going. Learning patience. Learning humility. Learning how to keep going when you are super tired. Learning all about Amigos.
We started tutoring. We shadowed all of the workers and the volunteer jobs to see where we could find our niche...oddly enough, i am going to be working in Health, who knew :). I am also going to be doing work with Social work as well, which will be awesome. I am pretty excited.
Its pretty awesome to be apart of this Hogar. In one converstation, i am asked why the planets exist and why we cant breathe up there--and in the same breath begged for a carrot. I love turning around during MOnday and TUesday nights when we have free nights with the boys and see a frisbee coming from one direction and a soccer ball the next. Its fun to prestar (loan) things to the boys, like my rings or necklaces and tell them my story. I cherish the moments when I get to listen to their thoughts and what they love to do.
In one minute I am laughing and joking with one, another gives my an impression of Harry Potter, and a third wants to show me las pulseras he made for his padrinos in the States.
Yes the language is still a struggle. Yes, Im still pretty unsure of punishments and how to take care of boys who are coming off of the street and from horrible life situations, but all in all, I know that in as much I can give them, I am recieving from the boys here ten fold. Somehow I landed the blessing to live here for the next 14 months, and I will take each day and embrace the trials, the joys, the exhaustion and the excitement.
To all those at home, I miss you, I love you, and know you are in my thoughts. You have played a huge role in my being here. I could not do this without your love and support. WIthout you I am nothing.
God Bless

First Impressions

We spent the night in Copan Ruinas, about 2 hours outside of the hogar with the Current volunteer community before arriving at the Hogar. The drive was long, however, when we were all told to start looking for the cross, it was a pretty incredable feeling. I was so excited. Of course, Kate spotted the cross first, and apparently she wins L 5, but I am not sure if she will get it. And then we were there. Father Dennis was there to greet us, along with boys, everywhere. It was pretty awesome. We drove straight to the volunteer house where we were greeted with open arms and lots of yelling. The Hogar itself is pretty beautiful. I can not wait to make this place feel like home. I was welcomed and fed, but walking around was pretty intense. The Volunteer house is pretty cool, the comedor and the homes for the boys are really pretty, and the cross, I guess I hope you can come and see it while I am here. My first thought was I am glad I came. There is not place I would rather be right now.
I know this next year is going to be tough, from the boys´ stories, to living away from the states, from learning to eat meat, to living in community, however, I know there is no place else I am supposed to be.
Interestingly enough, our first night was full of Piñatas, belayadas, and Micheal Jackson. I will never cease to be surprised when I hear little Hondurans singing Thriller or Billy Jean and dancing as though they were on stage at a concert. Its pretty fabulous. Our first night at the Hogar was indescribable, and I couldnt wait to see what else was in store.

Xelajooooooo

Visiting Xela as you know, was a blast. This blog is long over due, but hopefully I will be able to capture my last few weeks there. I went to two Quinceaños and one wonderful soccer game. I can not remember those times without a huge smile on my face. IT makes me forget all about the cold and the rain that we lived through there. I believe my last two weeks there, I sounded like a frog and could not stop coughing. However, I made it through. My six weeks there were full of adventure and the start of many great friendships, both with those in my AMIGOS family, and those in Xela. I hope to return there soon. Perhaps not before I finish my exciting year at the Hogar, but soon after. I loved every minute of this.
Being a guest at a Quniceaños feels as though I was part royalty. The guests (mostly family) dress to the nines and the food, dancing, and music is top noch. It is a passing from being a little niña, to being an adolecent. The girls leave behind their dolls and playthings and move onto charting their own path. A move marked by a huge celebration, and a long night of dancing. It was wonderful. However, the whole time I remembered my own 15th birthday party, and in no way would I trade the amazingness that was Hawaiian and Mama Pelstring´s cake for the world. So with all of the tradition, I become more and more appreciative of my own memories that marked my growing up...if thats what you call it.
Then, of course, I could not miss my opportunity to see a famed soccer game in Xela....XELAWHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Well needless to say, I choked on smoke, watched a tee shirt get set on fire, and enjoyed one too many gallo (which is pretty nasty) all while getting absolutely DRENCHED. Probably the cause of my illness the rest of the time. But it was wonderful. Xela won 1-0, and of course there was much celebration after. IT was so wonderful. I highly reccomend enjoying a futbol game if possible on your visit.
Time came for us to leave, and it was rather sad. I wanted to stay, longer, and make Xela more my home. I loved everything about it. Language school, was school, but such a great way to learn! MY host family. Fed me, supported me when I lost my things, and made me feel so much a part of their life. AND..i climbed a mountain, soaked in hot springs, ate my way through with amazing food, AND DANCED alot. Xela was one stop on my way to Honduras, but hopefully i have not said a final goodbye.

Big Lessons

We had an opportunity to take a great adventure the seven of us. Waking up bright and early on saturday morning we all met in a great spot to start our journey to Antigua.
We had quite an excursion. Our first bus got into a little fender bender with a small car infront, and after about 45 min to an hour we were all ushered off the bus and onto another one (suprisingly after gettting our money back!!!) where we all sat in the isles because it was totally full. On buckets. The trip in total was pretty long and we changed buses about 25 minutes outside of the city and that trip of course took much longer than we had anticipated as well. We were all exhausted after getting up super early and trying to figure out hiking a volcano or no....(yes another).
We had a very chill day, but it was soo much warmer than i was expecting or hoping! I love Xela, but I could definately use un poco màs sol! Too much rain and too much cold!
Antigua is amazing. I could spend hours wandering around. We went to Mass in the beautiful cathedral, and it was incredable. I could have spent hours in there. However, hunger pains are quite hard to ignore. We figured our way around the city slowly and found a really amazing restaruant, with an band who plays modern andean music. It was fabulous. The mix of the old sounds with the new was so wonderful and made me so happy! I could have stayed there forever. The autmosphere of the restaruant and the food was perfect. It was a little oasis away from all of the tiredness of language school and travelling. We all ate amazing and delicioso comida!
I also got my desire to wander around the city forever. Tom, Chris, Emily, and I took a walking tour of the city, and it was amazing. We got some history, some stories about daily life, and a lot of amazing photos. I could not be more thankful. Rita, Erica, and Kate wandered up an active volcano with real hot lava. Their photos are amazing. We had such a great time!
Yet with all of the wonderfulness of our journey, there are lessons to be learned. For example. Guard your money and your wallet with your life. Theives will cut into your purse and take your stuff while sitting next to you..and you being completely oblivious, have no clue until after you are off the bus...Bienvendios a Guate!! All happiness becuase I was safe and was able to cancel my credit card before it was used. Rita and Tom suffered the same fate as I. How fun no? lessons learned. vulnerablity acheived...interesting. Learning to live on a budget was another lesson this nurse had to learn as well. Good lesson though. Good many lessons. Ay. Que interestante...

Ahhhh Guate....

I know that I want to have an adventure, yet it seems each day, I need to take a minute to remember what an adventure I am living here in Xela...I live in a house that is over 100 years old, and my room used to be a hallway connecting whatever parts of the house existed. I am living somewhere people lived 100 years ago. Thinking about Xela in year 1909 makes me happy. What an honor. To be so taken care of and welcomed home. I love it.
The other day, I went to one of my favorite places in Xela (Perhaps was lead is a better way to describe it...) Doña Poncha Chocolateria!!!! HA. QUE PERFECTO. Primero, the Doña named her buisness after her abuelita (grandmother) which I think will lead to good luck all of her life because Grandmas and Grandpas are the best in the world...(I am pretty sure Grandpas are good, but I dont quite know first hand). Anyway, she demonstrated all of the wonderful things the Mayan culture (los mayas) used to make chocolate generations ago. Today, her house is more modernly equipped, but what a treasure to discover. Once again, warm chocolate puro has made life bearable...if only we had such a treat in the states. I supposed I can bring some home no? Perhaps...
Last week was also a week of me to learn more about the war here in Guatemala. Particularly entre Los Altos...the mountains where the campesinos live. Anyway, we had a session about the causes of the civil war here that lasted 36 years. 36 years of living in fear, your own government sponsoring the disapperance and death of family and friends, as well as ordering the holocaust of many Mayan pueblos. Destroying the Mayan Puelos was a way of cutting of the guerrillos during the war because they were a refuge for them. Killing innocent people, makes sense to me.
We watched a movie about Oscar Romero (I think he is my priest crush...). It was incredably powerful and moving. It focused on his transformation from avoiding the problems to when he began working first hand for peace in El Salvador. Although we are not living in El Salvador, the stories are very similar amoung most Latin American countries. It is pretty overwhelming. It reminds me that despite all my problems with our government, we are allowed to lead our own lives, to disagree or not, and hopefully not be discriminated against in our culture...(we may still have a ways to go with this issue, but its much better in the states than it is elsewhere).
Anyway, off my crazy soap box, but this past week was pretty incredable for me and really reinforced my lessons from Nica in 2005 and Mexico in 2006. It reminded me of my call. I know that is still a work in progress, but I am learning each day about living in compassion among people, not for them.
The lessons started here in Guate will be most powerful to remember while I work the next many months among those who have not been given the opportunities I have accessed. Thank you Guate...Thank you for being at the start of my journey.

Way Up High...

Two weeks ago tomorrow was monumental. I went exploring. Albeit, with a large group of friends, 3 gringo guides, 1 guatemalan guide, and three 12 year old niñas from Xela, however, it was quite an experience for me. My Amigo friends and I climbed the highest point in Central America. I do not have words to explain how amazing it was, because there is nothing in English worthy, nor do I speak enough Spanish to do justice to my trip. The view from the peak gave me goosebumps and I lost my breath. (That of course could be attributed to the below freezing temperatures and the fact we had woken up at 330 am to hike to the peak from camp in order to watch the sunrise...).
I do have words however to express the incredable pain I was in during and after the hours and hours of hiking that we did. I of course held up the caboose of the gang, somebody needed to make the sacrifice of course. I was a great contribution to our team! I can support...the keeping up though, a completely different story. In Xela, we are already at a pretty high altitude, so even stepping off of the bus at 900 on Saturday morning I was floored at the base of the volcano with the view. We could see for miles and miles beautiful mountains and green green earth. We started hiking, and I was out of breath in less than 10 steps. (If anything, this climb is why I have made a habit of going to Yoga more than three times a week!!!) And yet, whispering to myself, VALE LA PENA I somehow made my way up the mountain. VALE LA PENA means the end will be worth the pain suffered. (Very applicable towards my adventure).
I could not believe that when I needed to stop and breathe (every 5 min or soooo) I was surrounded by scenes from Last of the Mohicans, Sound of Music, and Lord of the Rings. I just wish I had the soundtracks to all three movies in my head (however an Ipod would have ruined the trek). After about 7 hours of hiking on Saturday, (we had woken up at 400 am that morning to begin the trip), we made camp on the summit just below the peak. It was already foggy and freezing. However, setting up the tents after that journey was so statisfying.
Suprisingly, I did not want food. At all. I could have curled up and gone to sleep right away and chilled. I just wished I had my journal and a book. And yet...with the words CHOCOLATE CALIENTE...i suddenly had a great appetite! We ate, we laughed, we did YOGA (our guide is a yoga instructor), and went to bed at the late hour of 1900!!! Luckily we were 6 in a tent and curled up tight together and most of my friends slept decently...I on the other hand maybe rested for only about 2 hours. I got a lot of pondering done.
Making up the last hour and thirty minute incline of all rocks and gravel was the worst part of the hike for me, but curling up in my sleeping bag and watching the sunrise over the mountains in the distance made me so happy to be alive.
My time in Guatemala is changed forever, since I climbed way up high...higher than the bluebirds fly!!!

El pasado

Everyday I spend here makes me appreciate time and love a little more. I suppose one way to look at this adventure is a way to examine what I desire to accomplish, who I want to become, and how I can be transformed. Thankfully, there is no demand to figure out what anything means right now, unless it is what the waiter is trying to tell me or my teacher is attempting to get through my already confused and twisted brain...
For example, today was a history lesson. Yesterday was a walk in the past.
Ayer, (yesterday) we wandered amoung the old cemetery in the western part of town. I find cemeteries rather bizzare. No matter what country I explore. I become pretty morbid and try to find the oldest and the youngest person (memorial or tomb) there. I hate to admit, I saw 2 months. ¡Que horrible! In Xela, in the ´old cemetery´ the graves have been built above ground, not unlike the cemetaries in New Orleans. It is as though the massive tombs are a way for the wealthy to immortalize themselves even in death. The cemetery has broken statues, unkept graves, and built in rows and rows so it looks as though it is a ghost town (pueblo fantasma if you will). A mix of the continual fight against being forgotten. I am fasinated. I thought about all the people who buried loved ones. Who spent time in the cemetery, not as a tourist, but as a widow, a mourning mother, or missing a friend. There was an Italian family here, some German plots there, and a sprinkling of French. Even the live flowers seem to clash with the dried flowers...
This afternoon I walked with mi maestra around Central Park. Downtown Xela is a mix of Spanish stucco and believe it or not, Italian arcitecture. (of course, not all of the buildings have that much character throughout town. I am reminded of that the farther away from Parque Centrale I walk). In the early 1900s, Manuel Estrada Cabrera, was the president and he originated from Xela. He was fascinated with the arts and culture of Europe and tried to transfrom Guatemala. He intivited artisans from all over to design buildings, paint, and sculpt during this era. The municipal building and the theater in town are in the Greco-Roman style. Some of the houses built then take up entire blocks of the city. They have all been turned into government offices, cultural centers, and banks.
I loved it. Futhermore, I got to teach mi maestra about our history. There was actually an exhibit on Lincoln in the municipal building, so we chatted about the civil war. Then she asked about the rest of American history, and I attempted to tell her about Jamestown, the Revolutionary War, and whatever else I could come up with. Attempting to remember my own country´s history in English, translating it into Spanish, and then remembering that English does not translate directly word for word into Spanish was rather...difficult. It could not have been more fun. As it is, I think she understood my attempt at the preterite and imperfect tenses and a mumble of the vocabulary I attempted to use.
I love this. I am not good at Spanish. I look forward to a day when I am. But I am enjoying the process to get there. In a place where the past and the present clash pretty beautifully. A place that is allowing me to learn a little more about me each day.

Tranquila

For me, there something almost magical about Xela. It is not by any means a Venizia or the country side of Ireland, but it is welcoming and comfortable. Through all of the stress and nerves of learning a new language, I have found myself some places to decompress and relax. Por tranquila. My favorite local outing with the school thus far was Fuentas Georginas, a natural spa with pools of water so warm and relaxing, just thinking about it puts me back in my relaxed place. The scenary surrounding the spa was just as rich as the water itself. It felt otherworldly. Mom and Sarah, a place not unlike what Ann McCaffery could imagine for Pern. It was, as my teacher would say, un lugar que es muy rica! My second home away from home, is a quaint coffee bar-wine bar that is a little whole in the wall. El Cuartito. The decor is random. There are chairs on the wall. I can barely walk around becuasue at any time of day it is full of people...well the 15 people who would be able to fit in there at any given time. I treated my self to a mango mojito for my birthday. (One day late becuase my stomach was fighting with me at the time).
In the time I have been here (suprisingly only about 2 weeks) I feel like I know pieces of Xela well. I feel like I have a home. My host family is such an integral part of my experience in language school. I have been taken care of as more than a guest, and almost family. The mamá of my house, Marta, is such a wonderful guide (guía) and has such a generous heart! She took care of me when I got ill this past weekend. I attended my first primera communión of the hija de mi casa, Virginia. She looked like a princess. In her mind, I think she was trying to look like Snow White on her wedding day, and in my opinion she was a success. I hope to maybe have a dress that pretty for my wedding...but probably not!!! Her family had a huge party that afternoon, and it was fun (rather exhausting as well) to be surrounded by family that were celebrating such an important day.
We chose to come to Xela during their rainy season. Every morning the skies are clear and the sun is shining. By afternoon it gets dark, and rain pours down. Some days I am a little grumpy with the rain, but all I have to do is look up and I see the mountains surrounding Xela that look greener every time it rains and find an amazing reason to smile. We are so high up, but there are mountains even higher surrounding us! I did find an umbrella in the mercado for Q10! (10 quetzales...a little more than a dollar...not to shabby no?)
Some days I hope that the time flies by so I can make it to the Hogar, but there are other days, like today, when I realize, taking time to soak up the culture of Xela, is an experience unlike many I have had. A first in what I hope to be many adventures to come! Tomorrow will bring 5 more hours of spanish, more rice and eggs than I care to admit, and rain, but without a doubt, I will find... tranquila.

Huevos, arroz, y chocolate puro...

Pues, yo completo mi primero semana! So, I have finished my first week!! It has been quite an experience. So far, my diet has pretty much consisted of eggs (huevos) arroz (arroz) and of course beans and tortillas...its been pretty awsome. NOt much has changed in the respect that my day revolves around food! I don´t really miss much of American food yet, but maybe after week 2? I´ll let you know.

My spanish is tolerable. I can get my point across in a loopy insane sort of way. It only makes sense in my head, and eventually my listener understands. However, i am pretty sure i am getting a lot of smiles and nods which hopefully means that I can actually communicate, but its hard to tell. My grammer is awful. I can not do it in English, let alone Spanish!!! I am having a good time. Learning a language is not easy. Anyone who says differently can meet me somewhere and explain. Everyday I want to trade my brain in for a new one. One that is able to understand all languages all over the world. But for now, I will take the hard way and just keep doing my home work (mi Tarea).

I have now met a teacher from Cali (Nick), a couple from seattle (Katie and Jeff), a couple from Ohio (Margot and Will), a guy who is a gringo but teaching in Mexico (Lewis). It has been awesome. It still shocks me to walk down the street and see other gringos! I love it. Jeff, Katie, Nick, and Lewis are all students with us in Sakribal...(amazing school...i´ll get into that later), and after our dinner in the school last night, we all went to La Luna, a cafe that has chocolate drinks. I still hold that chocolate puro is the best....Pure liquid dark chocolate...It makes me think about Chocolat with Jonny Depp! It was perfect!

I have seen the oldest church in Central America, drank some alcohol not sold in stores, and have made multiple trips to visit a friend needing some IVF and antibiotics after getting Montezumas revenge pretty badly!!! All is okay now!!

So I have had some pretty awesome interactive classes that were unexpected and unplanned, but is that not the way things go?

Overall, I have loved my time here. My favorite thing to do is wander (in daylight) and figure out where all the unique spots are! Of course, i found a used bookstore that you can exchange books for more books. For the next 5 weeks i am anticipating visiting that store pretty often! Where else would you find me!?

I don´t know what this weekend holds for me, but I can´t wait to find out!

Bienvenidos Gringos!!

Getting up at 4am does not allow one to say a proper good bye to the family at the airport. I could barely hug them without thinking...'Please don't leave me here!' Tearfully, we said good-bye and I started the first leg of a very stressful, exhausting, but rather wonderful adventure.

Making it to Guatemala city by 12 pm Guate time was easy. (it was about 230 in VA). Meeting up with Tom and Kate was a piece of cake in an airport that I barely remember from 5 years ago. Meeting a security guard who abandoned his post to talk to me in broken English and I to him in horrendous Spanish was fabulous.

Making it to Quetzaltenango (Xela) was nauseating/hilly/noisy and everything in between. We were even awesome about getting a cab from the airport to the bus station...The Alamo...For our comminication abilities I thought this feat was pretty profound. The bus ride was about 4 hours, and the three of us were ready to be there, in fresh air, and walking. I had the name and address of a Pension Andina, where according to our language school was super close to Sakribal. I took their word for it. However, having a cabbie who knows his way around this city would have been more comforting. I think we stopped about 6 time for him to ask about the location, and I began to believe it didn't exist. It does. We slept there last night.

Now, who would have thought making a phone call would have turned out to be the most difficult and frustrating part of a day. A day in which we travelled mucho miles to a city we have never been, in a country whose language I can sort of get by, after getting up before the roosters!? NOT ME!!!

After wandering Xela (pronounced Shae-laa) and eating a great dinner, we could not find a tienda (store) open to purchase a movie star card, the ones from the U.S. of course did not work, and ended up begging for help from the Pension worker. He was our guardian angel. He ended up running out around 9 pm to buy us a card, putting it to use on our phone, and THEN dialing for us. Here's the kicker. Our brains were not working well at all to be able to actually dial. We forgot about country codes...so after dialing about 5 or 6 times...We finally remembered to ask the right question...que es el code (thats English) del pias los Estados Unidos? (its 001 if you need to know). Finally got us on a phone line out of Guatemala. It was rather hilarious. Our night cap was each of us talking to the parentals and laying in bed unable to function. I kinda liked it.

I could not think of a better welcome than this. I am so happy to be here. I will have to update more about my host mama, Marta, her beautiful daughters, and the great Dia 2 Kate, Tom, and I have had in Xela.

Nos Vemos!