Back in the USA!

I am safely back in the US after a long day of travel (14 hours). I have written all about my trip in my journal, so when I get some time I will translate and type my entries about my trip. Hasta pronto!

Just Kidding!

Last night Lauren received a message from her family from La Ceiba and when she called her second cousin, Allan, he sent his driver over to pick us up ten minutes later. We went to a restaurant with his family and while we were there, plans were made to go to La Ceiba, leaving at 6:15 this morning. So... I will not be posting anything else for a while, maybe a week. We will be hanging out at Lauren´s family´s beach house near La Ceiba, so don´t worry if you don´t hear from me!

Honduras!

My blog is now incorrectly-titled because I am now in Honduras. We had a great time in Semuc Champey and actually ending up staying an extra day because we were having such a good time and Lauren was feeling a little sick and wanted to rest. I have been writing in my notebook, so eventually I should get around to posting the details. The short story is that we met many interesting people from all over the world and had a fantastic experience.

We left Semuc Champey on Tuesday and traveled through Rio Dulce as far as Puerto Barrios. We were not able to make it all the way to San Pedro Sula in one day, so we spent the night in Puerto Barrios, which according to Lonely Planet is an unfriendly town that most people try to leave as soon as possible! We had dinner in Pollo Campero where I made a new friend, 7 year old Maria, and had a delicious cheap breakfast the next day in a place called Dana´s. We made it to San Pedro Sula the next day using all public transportation (more details to come on that later). Lauren´s uncle picked us up at the bus station and today we went with her cousin Vicky to the beach. I was the only one who did not get burnt! Tomorrow we are heading to Tela, a beach town to the east with a unique tribe of people called the Garifuna. We will spend the night there and return on Saturday. Lauren´s uncle has internet in his house so I will probably be able to post short things off and on until we leave on Tuesday for Copán before I head back to Antigua to collect my suitcase and take my flight from Guatemala City. My travels are starting to wind down, but I am having a marvelous time with Amber and Lauren. I have also had a lot of time to think and journal, which has also been really refreshing for me. I am less stressed now than I have been in a long time, and I feel really good.

Heads Up... Honduras, Here I Come!

We are leaving tomorrow to travel to Semuc Champey (in Guatemala), and then we are going to Copàn, Honduras. After that, we are going to visit Lauren´s family in San Pedro Sula and maybe La Ceiba or another beach area. For this reason, I will not be posting daily blog entries. Don´t worry about me, I haven´t fallen off the face of the earth! I just will not have access to my computer or the internet. Time to resort to pen and paper! :)

Hermano Pedro

el 7 de julio 2011

We got up at 6:15, although I had been awake since 5am. I didn’t fall asleep for a long time last night, either. When I first got here, I was sleeping so well. I guess it’s time to move to a new location! We got ready and I wrote my blog from yesterday. Before breakfast, Dorothy and Lara were taking lots of pictures of everyone. We had fruit plates arranged in a spiral with pink yogurt in the middle, a sweet crunchy tostada, and tea/coffee. After breakfast, we came back to Amber and my room to make plans for the day. We decided to go to some ruins (Convento de las Capuchinas) on the way to a café to work on school stuff (for the first time!). We stopped on the way to get info about a trip to Volcan Pacaya tomorrow. When we got to the ruins, we saw that the entrance price was 40Q, and since we had not read up on the ruins in the book, we decided to possibly return another time. Instead we went to Dona Luisa’s, which is a fantastic café. We had a very cheap snack of ½ a loaf of banana bread to share (with 10 big pieces) and drinks. I had a watermelon licuado, Lauren had a pineapple licuado, and Amber had tea. We worked on school stuff for about three hours. I read my Math Stations book by Debbie Diller and took notes. Amber also shared some ideas with Lauren and me. A bit before one, we paid and walked home for lunch.

For lunch, we had soup (broth with rice), a cooked carrot, a potato, a piece of huisquil (similar to a potato), a piece of squash, chicharrones, and a piece of watermelon for dessert. We also had a pink lemonade type drink. After lunch, we headed back to our room to prepare for the afternoon. Lara decided to come to the hospital with us.

We brought our laundry along with us to drop off at the lavanderia, but we couldn’t find it. We stopped to ask at the school, but we realized we needed to get to the hospital since it was nearly three. We went to visit Hermano Pedro hospital where Amber and Jenny would come to volunteer four years old. When we arrived, we went to the volunteer office, but it was shut. There was a big group of tourists waiting in the hallway. They asked if we were there for the tour. We weren’t originally going to go on a tour, but it worked out well. We learned a lot about the hospital from our guide, Siomara. I didn’t realize that around 320 people are permanent residents. They also have normal hospital services except there is not an emergency room and they don’t have a maternity ward. The permanent residents are housed in seven different wards: elderly women who need physical help (“the grandmas”), a ward for women with psychological/mental disorders with similar wards for the men. There were also areas for teenagers and children. They have a daycare in the hospital, too. It is a very neat place. It made me think a lot of my friends in Hong Kong. Amber and I even saw a man that reminded us of Che Kin! It was sad because the guide told us that the area for woman with mental disorders has not had any foreign volunteers since the last one left three years ago. The ward is locked so the residents don’t leave, and she said that that scares some people. We met Wendy, a woman who came up to us and wanted to know our names. After we told her our names, she would either say “Me gusta,” if she liked the name (usually a Spanish name) or, “No me gusta!” if she didn’t approve. For one person’s name, she said that it was only a little bit bad! Then she wanted us to line up so she could count us. Amber saw Mercedes, a woman that she had worked with before. Throughout the whole hospital, I saw people who reminded me of Hong Kong. I wish I had more time to volunteer there! I definitely want to come back sometime and volunteer there!

The tour ran over and it finally finished at 4:10 and Amber and Lauren’s dance class was supposed to start at 4! I made sure Lara had some people from CSA that she knew to walk back with and I went back to the school and collected our laundry. The band from Pena del Sol was playing there! We are going to go there tomorrow. I went to look for the lavanderia, which happened to be next door to the dance studio! I turned in the laundry (Lauren’s two items and my laundry together weighed 5.25 pounds and Amber’s weighed 3 pounds). We each have a coupon for three free pounds of laundry. I went upstairs and practiced during their dance class. I also watched Lauren’s lesson and practiced what she was doing. During my lesson, I mostly danced with Frank again. We practiced the cross with a turn for the majority of the lesson. I was kind of dizzy to start out with, which is not the best for doing spins. However, after probably 100 more spins, my balance just kept getting worse and worse, I felt. By the time I left, I was super dizzy. Even now, nearly an hour later, if I close my eyes, the room is spinning. I came back to the room and worked on my blog. As I walked back, I saw Amber and Lauren in the internet café near our house.

For dinner, we had Pizza Guatemalteca, a new creation of Elvira’s which consisted of Tay-yuyu (which is beans rolled up in masa) with sauce and cheese on top. We also had broccoli and smooth vegetable soup made out of the same types of vegetables as we had for lunch. After dinner we talked for a while, and then headed back to our room for a while. Amber and Lauren went to Rainbow Café with a guy named Colin that we met at the hospital. I was still feeling slightly dizzy, so I decided that I would rather stay home. I started the process of sorting my stuff in preparation for packing tomorrow. I am going to leave my big suitcase here at E&E’s and just take my backpack and bag to travel. I also finished writing my blog and now I’m going to read before bed. We need to be ready tomorrow morning at 5:50 for the volcano tour!

Cerro de la Cruz

el 6 de julio 2011

We got up at 6:15. I showered with cold water (not my choice, in case you were wondering) and worked on the blog a bit. For breakfast, we had eggs and meat cooked on a tortilla with papaya and bread and tea/coffee. We were late, as usual, to school. Sara and I talked a lot during my class. We discussed healthcare and I learned lots of words related to pregnancy as Sara was talking about when she had her baby and about her experiences with Guatemalan healthcare. During the break, we talked to the secretary in the office and she called Mike, the salsa teacher, for us. We set up an appt to talk to him after class. Then we walked down the road and found a place that sells licuados. Amber had pineapple and Lauren had strawberry. We returned to class and continued our conversation. We also talked a little bit about the environment. When class was over, I bought the book written by the director that is filled with phrases and slang. Then we walked back to our apartment and got ready for the afternoon.

For lunch, we had spinach soup and enchiladas. The enchiladas here are different from enchiladas of other places. These enchiladas are on a crunchy tortilla with a big piece of lettuce on top. Then cooked beets and other chopped-up cooked vegetables are placed on top, then a scoop of meat (that is similar to chicken salad) and then some more beets and some cheese and parsley are placed on top. We also had bananas with crema on them for dessert. After lunch, we got directions from Elvira and Enrique (two different sets of directions, I might add) to climb Cerro de la Cruz (the hill that has a huge cross on it that overlooks Antigua). We stopped at Lauren’s house for her to change her shoes and then we walked to the foot of the hill. We easily found Elvira’s shortcut. The “hike” was not difficult as there were concrete stairs almost all the way up. It only took 15 minutes or so to make it to the top. We enjoyed the view and took pictures before heading back down. When we were about three blocks from our house, it started sprinkling. We decided to go back to our houses and rest. Amber and I both wrote and then I worked on the blog.

Lauren came over at 4:30 and we headed south to go to salsa class. Amber and Lauren took class first from 5-6, so I went to the internet café and caught up on some emails, posted my blog entries from the past few days, and talked to my mom! I went to the dance studio (Salsa Dreams) and watched the end of their lesson. We were able to buy a package of ten classes and share them between us. We paid and then Amber and Lauren left for the internet café. The plan was for me to meet them at dinner, since I was going to be a little late since my lesson was going to end at 7 and then I would have to walk home. I had my lesson with Frank. It was fun and I felt like I learned a lot, especially with ways to hold my hands when I am dancing. Too soon the lesson was over. I started walking briskly home and when I turned onto Primera Calle (1^st street), I could see Amber and Lauren ahead of me. It wasn’t long before I caught up to them and we walked the rest of the way together. The bad thing was that they were later than anticipated, so Elvira didn’t know where we were. We finally arrived at the house around 7:20 (20 minutes late). We had frijoles volteados (which appear to be refried black beans, but I learned that they are actually red beans), pasta with seasoning, and fried plantains (yum!). After dinner, we talked for a while about Spanish grammar and what E&E would change about Guatemala if they were the presidents. Elvira told us how corrupt the legal system is. She said that if a robber broke into her house and started beating her up and she punched him in the face, she could go to jail for violating his human rights, never mind the fact that he broke into her house and was hitting her first. Enrique told a story of a shop near the park where a robber entered, and the owner’s son caught him, tied him up, and called the police. However, when the police arrived, they put the son in jail for violating the thief’s human rights. There is also a huge problem with witnesses of crimes because the police won’t do anything to someone who has committed a crime (murder, for example), unless there is a witness. However, most of the time, even if people saw what happened, they refuse to tell the police because they fear the repercussions of the murderer’s friends or family coming to get them. After we finished talking, we headed to our houses. Amber and I read and then talked for quite a while. We probably turned off the light at 10:00 and talked for another half hour. I did not fall asleep quickly and a half hour later, Amber woke up and thought we were still in the middle of a conversation. She said “Sweet dreams,” and then a few seconds later she apologized for responding so slowly. I told her that we had said goodnight a half hour before and we both laughed, then went to bed.

Pueblos Tour

el 5 de julio 2011

The alarm went off at 6:15. I had not slept very well because I was thinking about what I am going to do in the rest of my time in Central America. Amber had been up for a while, just dozing in bed and she decided to go on a walk a few minutes after the alarm went off. I didn’t need an hour to get ready, so I went back to sleep until she returned about 6:35. I got ready and journaled/read. We had breakfast at 7:15, which consisted of oatmeal with bananas and cinnamon, tea, and bread. We left for school a few minutes late, as usual.

I talked with my teacher for the first hour and a half, but I don’t really remember what we talked about other than the day before. I learned how to say the ordinal numbers 11-100. During the break, Amber, Lauren, and I planned what we are going to do with the kids tonight at the church in Parramos. The second half of my class, we worked on a few grammar issues, although I still do not have a satisfactory answer to my question about “a menos que,” and I read a magazine article and the Mayan underworld and then discussed it with my teacher.

Amber, Lauren, and I walked back to our house talking about our plans for next week. The original plan had been that Amber and I were going to meet Lauren in Cobán on Saturday, but she decided to come to Antigua instead. Then we were thinking of leaving Friday from Antigua to go to Semuc Champey (or at least get to the town close to there), but now we think we will leave here on Saturday, as long as Elvira doesn´t need our room. The next part of the plan consisted of staying in Semuc Champey two days and then traveling to Copán, Honduras for two nights. Then I was going to come back to Antigua and Amber and Lauren were going to continue on to Lauren´s family in San Pedro Sula. However, there is really not any reason I cannot go with them. We will already be in Copán and it is not too much farther to get to San Pedro Sula. I have plenty of time because I don´t leave Guatemala to fly home until July 21. Lauren took a direct bus from San Pedro Sula to Antigua, so it would be easy for me to get back. We wrote down a tentative schedule of our travels before going to copy our passports.

For lunch, we had soup with vegetables in it and a delicious salad. It was the best salad I can remember. It had lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots, cheese, lime juice, finely shredded chicken, and dressing made out of yogurt, ketchup, and mustard. It was delicious! For dessert, we had mole (chocolate sauce) with plátanos. We left lunch right when we finished to walk to the school for the tour of the pueblos (towns) south of Antigua at 2. We arrived right at 2 and paid for the tour. Then we sat around for a half hour while we waited for the people to be ready. Thankfully, we had brought Lauren´s Central America book, so we spent time perusing the section on Honduras.

Finally, it was time to leave for the tour at 2:35. Manuel took us in a van. We were the only three people who came on the tour! We drove around to different places and were able to get out and take pictures. Manuel told us lots of interesting facts about the places, all in Spanish. The places were went were: El Calvario (a church built by Hermano Pedro). Hermano Pedro came from Spain to be a missionary in Antigua. He helped heal lots of people using plants. He planted a tree in 1657 that is still there. I have a picture of it, of course! Next, we drove to San Juan del Obispo and we saw a big church and an overlook of Antigua. Manuel told us that this town is famous for its chocolate and a yellow fruit called nispero, but we didn’t get to try either one. Next, we drove to San Pedro de Huertas and saw an orange church and a public tank (tanque) where the local women come to wash their clothes. Lauren told a story of one town where although the women have washing machines, they prefer to come to the community wash area and wash the clothes with their friends. The tank was very big and had sinks all around the edge. I took a few pictures, although I felt kind of bad about taking pictures of them doing their laundry. There was a stand selling typical sweets. We bought some rice crispy treat things made out of popcorn that were colored and some hard cream candy in chunks. It started raining about this time. We got in another van with Ruben and Manuel returned to the school. We ate the popcorn treats. The brown ones were not chocolate, as we thought, but rather had a burnt sugar taste (not my favorite). The green, yellow, and pink ones were sweeter. My favorite thing was the hard candy that was called “cocada.” It was very good and I wished we had bought more. We shared some with Ruben, too. We drove through San Miguel Escobar and saw a church and a school. Ruben told us that during the school day, that road is closed so the kids can use it as a playground. There are school buildings on both sides of the road. We did not get out here. The fifth pueblo we visited was Ciudad Vieja which was the second capital of Guatemala until it was destroyed by a landslide from the Volcan Agua. The people named it “Agua” because they thought that is was erupting water instead of lava, but it was really a mudslide. It killed most of the people in the town and when they rebuilt, they decided to move the capital to Antigua (which was the 3^rd capital of Guatemala before it was destroyed by an earthquake and the capital was moved to Guatemala City). At the edge of town, we saw how much higher the town is today than before the landslide. The town is probably 50-100 feet higher today because of all the earth that was dumped on the town. The next place we went was San Lorenzo el Cubo, which is a town famous for its wood furniture. The main road is known as the Carpentry Highway because nearly every man in the town is a carpenter. We did not get out here either. We then went to San Antonio Aguas Calientes which is famous for its textiles. This town has a tradition that when people get married, the bride and groom walk through the streets so the town can meet the new family. The weddings last all weekend with celebrations on Saturday in the bride’s family’s house and then on Sunday in the groom’s family’s house. Girls learn to weave here at the age of 7 and by the time they are 14, they have to make a weaving for their future mother-in-law. When she gets ready to wed, she gives this fabric to her mother-in-law and the mother-in-law puts it around her shoulders. However, if she takes it off, it is a sign of refusal that she does not approve of her son’s choice of wife. We stopped at an artesania market and saw some women weaving. We ended up buying some things from a woman. Then we went upstairs and saw a museum of traditional clothing in Guatemalan. On the way out, I saw a scarf like Amber wanted. She bartered for it, but the girl would not lower the price very much. Amber decided she still wanted it, but when she went to get her money, she found that she only had 37Q and the girl wanted 45Q. She went to check if that was okay, and when she returned, she said it was fine. It was funny because Amber gave her mostly bills and a handful of coins worth practically nothing. I had more money, but she didn’t need it. I guess that’s a good bartering technique because the girl never would have given her the scarf for even 40Q! After this, we took some pictures of the church and fountain in the park, then we got back in the van and headed back to Antigua.

By the time we arrived, it was after 5:30. The tour had lasted three hours (and they had told us two hours) plus we had left a half hour late. We had less than a half hour to grab dinner before heading to Parramos. We went to a restaurant recommended by Ruben. We decided to order two items and share. However, one of them was going to take 10 minutes to prepare. We decided to get it anyway. We got the caldo de gallina (soup with chicken, corn on the cob, carrots, huisquil, potato, and onions) right away. It came with peace juice, three tortillas, flavored rice, and limes for only 25Q (about $3). It was a lot of food. We ate it all and asked for the bill while we waited for the other food to arrive. However, when we got the bill, our second dish was not on there. We didn’t have time to eat it anyway, so it probably worked out for the best.

We walked to the bus terminal and got on the bus around 6:20. The church service in Parramos starts at 7 and the trip takes 20-25 minutes. We shouldn’t have had problems, except for the fact that the bus didn’t leave the terminal until nearly 7pm! We read Lauren’s Central America book while we waited. When we got to the church in Parramos, it was after 7:30 because the bus stopped for a long time at each stop, probably because it was the last bus of the evening. They were singing when we got there. Bernabe was sitting at the back and he greeted us and we apologized for being late. We went and sat down and a woman shared her hymnal with us. After another song and a prayer, they dismissed the children to come with us. We went to the Sunday School classroom. The Nirmas came, too.

First we reviewed names, sang some songs, and then we played some games (Guess the Leader and a voice recognition game which led into the message). Amber read about Jesus being the Good Shepherd and how his sheep know his voice and then asked the children questions. When we were done with the lesson, we split up into groups to pray. I prayed with Esmeralda and Jocelyn. When all the groups had finished, I led a game where one person gave clues about a Bible character and the others had to whisper their guess into someone’s ear. The children were familiar with lots of the Bible characters that we used. After that, the service was over and we said goodbye. Bernabe drove us back to Antigua since there aren’t any buses that late. We got to Antigua a little after 9. I didn’t want to say goodbye to Bernabe. He has a very special family.

We went back to our houses and quickly got ready to dance. Lauren came to our house and we walked to La Sin Ventura near Parque Central. It was all salsa music, but no one was dancing when we arrived. We sat at a table and waited. Soon several couples started to dance and we tried to watch from our table, but people kept blocking our view. We went and stood at the edge of the small dance floor. Before long, all of us were asked to dance. I danced with Antonio for about a half hour. He was very good and we had fun. After that I watched for a while and then talked and danced with Mike, the instructor from our salsa class the other night. It was getting really crowded by this time and super hot. I went and stood in the doorway to cool off and watch the dancers. There were lots of really good dancers there. It was interesting to notice how many gringa/guatemalteco couples there were. At 11:45, they stopped playing salsa music and we got ready to go. Amber and Lauren said goodbye to guys they had danced with and we left. We walked Lauren to her house and then we went home. We weren’t very sleepy so I started writing this super long blog entry about our busy day and Amber worked on Spanish flashcards. We ended up turning off the light at 1:15.

Happy Fourth of July!

el 4 de julio 2011

We got up at 6:15. I took a shower, talked to Lara, and worked on my blog from yesterday before breakfast! We ate at 7:15, as usual. I gave each person a mint in an American flag wrapper in honor of July 4^th. We had omelets for breakfast with lots of tomatoes and onions. We also had papaya and bread and tea/coffee. We left late for school, as always. Lauren came with us to register for classes and was able to start the same day. I talked with my teacher about the weekend and other things. I also asked her a few questions about grammar. I am confused because both my teacher in Xela and my teacher here told me the same thing about the phrase “a menos que,” but what they give me as examples is different from what the dictionary says and what I have learned earlier. I asked Elvira at lunch today and she agreed with me. It worries me that both my Spanish teachers were confused about this! During the break, we found Lauren and walked to the hospital Hermano Pedro where Amber and Jenny volunteered four years ago. I really wanted to go visit while we are here, although we won’t really have enough time to volunteer. We went to the volunteer office and talked with a woman. She said that we can come tomorrow and visit. I am excited! We went back to the school, used the bathroom, and talked for a while before returning to class a few minutes late. I don’t think we have been on time once, which is so not my usual style of doing things! There is a sign with facts about Guatemala outside the bathroom, and one of the facts on it is hard for me to believe. It says that the Happy Meal was invented in Guatemala and then spread to the rest of the world. I need to investigate this more. During the second part of my class, we talked some more about grammar and then I read a Mayan legend about the sun and the moon. When I finished reading it, I retold the whole story to Sara and then class was over.

We went to the internet café near the school because we get a free hour of internet there. We spent a half hour there (using one coupon each). I responded to emails and facebook messages and then I posted my blog. The time went quickly and soon it was time to leave. We walked to Elvira’s, just stopping at our house for a minute. For lunch, we had Pepian (a traditional food that is eaten for Corpus Christi) which is a kind of thick soup with meat and potatoes in it. Elvira told us it is a lot of work to make which is why most people only eat it on certain holidays and weddings, but she makes it more often. For dessert, we had cambray, which is similar to tamales only they are sweet with raisins and almonds and spices inside. It was very good. We talked for a long time after lunch. We were going to climb Cerro de la Cruz (a hill overlooking Antigua with a big cross up there), but when we went up to our room to get ready, we started talking to Lara and it was too late for us to go afterward. Lara showed us what she had bought in Chichicastenango and since Spanish is hard for her, she was talking to us in English. Elvira always says that she has ears in her house with which she can hear into the other house (where we live) so she will know if we are speaking English. Well, it might be true because this was really the only time that we have spoken English over here, and lo and behold, Elvira came walking in, scolding us! After she left, we continued our conversation in Spanish.

We decided to do a bit of sightseeing before salsa class. We went to La Merced (the big yellow church near our house) and went inside and looked around at the ruins. The church was originally built in the 1500s but was later damaged by the earthquake. Lauren and I took some pictures. It was sprinkling a bit but not too much. We were going to go to a free salsa class at one studio at 4 and then another class at 5. However, when we arrived at the 4pm free salsa place, the owner told us that they had moved the class to 5. Of course! All the dance studios have the same prices, packages, and times for free classes. We decided to go to Pollo Campero (which is kind of similar to KFC) for ice cream. The ice cream is vanilla, but you can choose a flavor to add and they swirl it in the vanilla. I had caramel, Lauren had chocolate, and Amber had plain vanilla. As we left Pollo Campero, some children who were selling gum followed us out the door and were begging us to buy them ice cream. They followed us down the road. We talked to them a little bit. We really need to break our large bills. I literally am down to only big bills. Amber didn’t have enough coins to buy gum from them, but she gave them a few small coins. We walked to the market and Amber and Lauren bought some scarves. Then it was time to head back for the 5pm salsa class. We had decided to split up and go to different dance studios to try out different instructors. Lauren and I headed to the one near our school. I couldn’t remember exactly where it was, but we went to the school and there was a group walking there.

The class was good, basic, but good. There were about 12 chicas and one chico taking the class. Fortunately, the dance studio supplied about 8 chicos to dance with us. The first half hour we learned merengue and the second half hour we learned salsa. We rotated partners every minute or so, which was nice because it was fair. After the class, we headed back toward the school and met the sole guy who attended the class. He goes to our school. His name is Sean. It was sprinkling again. Lauren and I headed back. However, I have not been paying close attention to how to get around Antigua because Amber knows where she is going and I am always with her. I didn’t turn where we were supposed to and we went way too far in one direction and not far enough in the other direction. We got really lost and I felt bad because she thought I knew where I was going. Whoops! We had a nice conversation, though, and we eventually made it back to the house an hour later, just in time for dinner.

We had an omelet-ish thing for dinner with egg, ham, cheese, and green leaves (not spinach) along with a corn and cheese and egg creation and rice. It was good, even if my description does not do it justice. After dinner, we talked for a long time with Dorothy and Larry, the couple from Canada about socialized medicine. Then we came back to our house. Lauren had forgotten shampoo and conditioner, so I gave her some of mine because I have plenty. Then she headed to her house. I washed my feet and got ready for bed. I wrote my blog. Amber is already in bed and it is 9:40. She has been sleeping an impressive amount here, for her. I am going to read my Bible and go to bed, too.

The Arrival of Lauren

el 3 de julio 2011

We slept in this morning until 8:30, which is the latest we’ve slept in. We got up and had a relaxing morning showering, reading, journaling, and talking. We finally ended up leaving around 10:45 to go to a breakfast buffet called Personajes de la Antigua. We got a discount with our card from the school. We had pineapple, strawberries, cantaloupe, an enormous omelet made just for us with cheese, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes, black beans, fried plantains, some kind of a tamale with leaves on it, and fresh pineapple juice. It was delicious. We sat and talked for a while and left around noon.

We headed back to our room where we made a list of everything we want to do before we leave Antigua and plugged our activities into a schedule for the week. Then we studied a little bit of Spanish before leaving around 1:30.

We went to La Merced, the big yellow Catholic church near our house and bought atol de elote, which is a thick, sweet drink made out of corn. It kind of had a flavor similar to creamed corn. It was hot and warmed us up; we had been cold wearing skirts for the first time here. We walked by the school to see if it was open to talk about classes for Lauren (it wasn’t) and searched for an internet café so we could check and see if we had any messages from Lauren, Amber’s friend who was going to arrive Sunday night. We finally found one and Amber quickly checked her email. Then we continued on toward the market where Amber continued the search for shoes to her liking. She found a cute pair of tan sandals (not for dancing), but the man was charging more than double what she wanted to pay. We finally made our way through the market and found the bus to Parramos about 3:15.

We sat together on the bus, which was not super crowded (meaning mostly two adults to a seat). We got to Parramos around 3:50 and walked to the church where they were already people. We went back to their house and talked to the family. Baby Nirma was wearing a tiny corte (the traditional skirt that the women wear). It was super cute and regrettably I did not get a picture right then. Later, after the church service, Mama Nirma had Baby Nirma tied to her back and you could no longer see the corte. We went into the service as it was starting. They sang lots of songs in Spanish, but we did not have a hymnal so we could not sing but we clapped along. After several prayers, more songs, offering, Communion (with bread and grape pop), and Scripture reading, they dismissed the children to Sunday school (about an hour after the service started) and we went with them to the other room.

Two teenage boys lead the class of 18 children. First the children went around and said their names. We learned all of their names! Then, we played Telephone with the message (Dios esta aqui/God is here) and then Hot Potato where the children (and us) passed around a glue bottle and Erick, one of the leaders, tapped the wall with a pencil and when he stopped, whoever had the glue bottle had to do something like sing a song, dance like a chicken, or make an animal noise. When we finished this, Walter gave the lesson about Naboth’s vineyard. The children worked on memorizing a verse from Proverbs. Then I prayed (in English, at the children’s urging, although I would have preferred Spanish) and it was over. We asked what time the last bus to Antigua would leave and some people said 7 and some said 7:30. It was a little after six. We went out in the courtyard of the church and ate crunchy tortillas with noodles on top. The noodles reminded me of fried noodles from Hong Kong. We also had atol de platano (a sweet drink made out of plaintains). We chatted with the people of the church. Mama Nirma was passing out invitations to Baby Nirma’s first birthday celebration. If I am in Antigua then, I will go. I am still not sure what I am doing. I might possibly travel longer with Amber and Lauren instead of returning so quickly to Antigua. We ended up leaving after 6:30. Bernabe walked us to the park to make sure we got on the bus okay. As we were approaching the park, we saw a bus pull up. I started walking quicker, but Bernabe said that we would never make it and that another bus would come. However, it stayed there for a long time, so as we got closer, we all began to run toward the bus. We made it with plenty of time to spare and found seats across from each other. We chatted on our way back to Antigua. It’s interesting that every time we go from Parramos to Antigua, my ears pop, but when we go from Antigua to Parramos, I don’t notice anything.

We got back to Antigua around 7:15. We walked back to our house and grabbed some school stuff to work on. The plan was to go to Café Condessa and work until Lauren arrived. However, when we got to the café around 8, they were starting to shut up shop. We decided to sit on a bench across from the café so we could watch for Lauren to appear. I read some of my math stations book while Amber worked on Spanish homework. It started to sprinkle. Finally, we saw Lauren wander up. She only brought a backpack (regular-sized) and a large purse bag. Pretty impressive for about 10 days in Guatemala! We walked back to our house where we met Elvira and Enrique. They walked us to Elvira’s cousin’s house where Lauren is going to stay. We went inside and met her and her white little dog. Elvira’s cousin had the honor of having special statues in her house that morning for the Corpus Christi procession. The priest came to her house and lit the candle in front of the statues. I have a picture to post later. We walked back home and journaled/read a bit and went to bed around 10:30.