Parramos

el 2 de julio 2011

We got up at 6:15 and got ready for the day. Amber headed over to the house a few minutes early to help Enrique get things ready since Elvira wasn’t going to be there. I read a bit and then I went over, too. We had frosted flakes and cocoa crispies with strawberries and bananas with milk and I had tea. We left for school a few minutes later than we should have. It really takes the full 20 minutes to walk there.

School the second day was not quite as good for me as the first day, but still good practice. I learned a few rules that I was lacking. However, Amber’s day was not good at all. Her teacher does not even look at her when she talks and she doesn’t correct her mistakes. She also does tons of worksheets from the book. During the break, we walked to the candy store (Dona Maria ______’s) and bought some candy for Bernabe’s family and a few things for us to try. While I was waiting to pay, Amber walked across the street and bought bread from Dona Luisa’s. We headed back to school a few minutes late, as usual, but our teachers were not waiting for us this time. Maybe they realized that we are always late! They came a minute later. I talked a lot about education in the U.S. and my travels with my teacher. I don’t have any homework for the weekend. Part of Amber’s homework is to look through the workbook and choose exercises to do next week! That is crazy!

After class, we wandered back to our house, going slightly out of our way. We went back to our room and tried some of the candy we bought. It was delicious. We got our stuff ready to go for the afternoon in Parramos and then it was time for lunch. We had chili with beans and meat in it and rice on the side. We had a small bowl of strawberries covered in sugar and some kind of thick, sweet cream on top. We talked for a while and then we headed out to start our afternoon. Amber wanted to go to an internet café before we headed to Parramos, but the one near our house was not open. It was threatening to rain, so since we didn’t encounter an internet place on our way to the bus station, we decided it would be better to find a bus first.

The open air bus station is located behind the huge market at the edge of town. We somehow ended up going through the market instead of around it. I had never been through the market before, and I was surprised at its size. There were hundreds of women selling vegetables and fruits, but you could also buy shoes, meat, toys, packaged food items, make-up, clothes, and just about anything else you could want. I think this market is as big (or possibly bigger) than the market near the bus terminal in Xela. We finally wove our way through the venders and found the exit to the bus station. We looked around for a bus to Parramos and finally found a bus assistant (ayudante) who told us that the buses to Parramos are in the second row. We squeezed between two parked buses, but we were behind them, another bus came and turned and we were literally trapped between four buses. It was a little bit scary, but we eventually made it safely around the buses and found the one for Parramos and got on.

The seats were nearly full when we got on, meaning we were the last two people to get a sit with only one other person. However, in Guatemala, just because there are two adults sitting on each seat of a school, that doesn’t mean that the bus is full. People kept climbing aboard until there three adults in each seat. I was squished between a young man and an old woman. I talked a bit with the woman and she gave me a lychee to eat! It was hard to understand here because it was loud in the bus. As the bus left Antigua, it started raining and pouring. The bus ride cost 3Q and took about 25 minutes to get to Parramos. We got off in the park, in the rain. I had my umbrella, so Amber and I shared. We went under a roof for the bus stop and looked at the map Jenny had drawn for us. We were trying to figure out which direction we needed to turn the map when a teenage boy who was also under the roof on a bike offered to help us. His name was Flavio. Together we looked at the map and figured out which way to turn it. He offered to accompany us to the church. Jenny is a good cartographer because we made it to the church (Iglesia de Dios Galilea) without any more problems. We saw Anderson as we walked down the street, but he went into the house before we got there. We rang the bell and Bernabe came to greet us. We said farewell to Flavio and went in to see the family. I was introduced to Nirma (the mom), Anderson (12 years old), Kayla (9 years old), and baby Nirma who is getting ready to turn one on July 14 (I think). We sat in the kitchen and talked for a long time. Then we gave them the candy and bread. I had brought a rubber toy mama goose with three babies for Nirma and a cool collapsible ball for Anderson and Kayla. They played with their new toys and then we took pictures with them. We heard a lot of baby Nirma’s story. I already knew most of it from Jenny, but it was somehow even more real hearing it from them in the environment of their house, which is very simple. Here is a summary of Nirma’s story:

Bernabe and Nirma (the mom) had three babies between Kayla and baby Nirma, all of which died about a week after their birth. The doctors didn’t know why because all of them had appeared to be healthy when they were born, but shortly after, they became sick. When the same thing happened with Nirma, about a week after her birth, they took her to a hospital in Guatemala City. For a while, the doctors could not figure out what was wrong with her. One doctor, in particular, took interest in her case, especially when he heard that they had lost three babies before her. After much testing and time in intensive care, this doctor figured out that she had Maple Syrup Urine Disease, a condition in which her body cannot process certain amino acids and proteins correctly. As a result, if she eats those things, they act as a poison to her and she would die in about a week. She had to have special formula that is only available in the U.S. The hospital could get it, but once she left the hospital, the family would have to provide this expensive, rare formula for her. She was in intensive care for about a month and in the hospital for three months in all. During this time, either Bernabe or Nirma had to be with her. They took shifts of two nights at home with their other kids and two nights in the hospital, which is more than an hour away by bus. Finally, a Guatemalan donated some of this special formula to the hospital to give to whoever needed it. I am not quite sure why or how this happened other than that God was answering prayers. They were able to leave the hospital and with the help of Jenny, they could get the milk sent from the U.S. It really is amazing that she is alive and doing so well!

They served us coffee (which I was kind of scared to drink since it was 4pm and surely had caffeine) and some of the raisin cinnamon bread we brought. Anderson has a puppy named Perla (Pearl) and they have two blue parakeets and two chickens squished in a small rabbit cage. We heard more of Nirma’s story and then we left a little after 5pm to get back to Antigua. We waited just about 5 minutes for the bus and actually found an empty seat together, although the bus was full. Amber started feeling carsick from the hills, curves, and generally crazy driving of the bus drivers here. Right as we got back to Antigua, it started to rain again. It was really cold. Why do I spend my summers in cold places??? I was sure it would be warm in Antigua like it was a year ago, but they said this cool weather is typical for this time of the year. We have worn jeans or capris every day since being here. If I would have know that it was not going to be hot here, I would not have brought five skirts with me! (Si yo hubiera sabido que no haria calor aqui, no habria traido cinco faldas!)

We wandered through the market again, trying to find the way out. Amber wanted to stop at the shoe stalls to look for dancing shoes, but we didn’t find any, which was probably a good thing since we only had a little bit of money on us. We then tried in earnest to find our way out, but alas we hit a dead-end and had to turn around. The venders were starting to pack up all their stuff. That is so much work for them to do every single day! Eventually, after about a half hour of trying to get out of the market, we made it out. We walked back to our house, where we went to the bathroom and I grabbed my flashdrive with my blog on it before heading to the internet café near our house. We stayed there a half hour. I posted several days of my blog and checked my email. Amber’s friend Lauren is coming on a bus tomorrow and Amber was trying to tell her somewhere to meet. We don’t know if she is coming on a chicken bus or a shuttle. Hopefully she will be able to find us without too much trouble! We are meeting her in a café off the park.

After the internet, we went back to the house and washed our hands. We walked over to the house with Alex. Sharon and Lara are gone traveling, so we had a small dinner with just Amber, Alex, Elvira, and me. Enrique was picking up Dorothy and Larry from the airport. They are from Canada and will be staying with E&E. I am 99% sure that they were here last year when I was here! We had spinach soup and nachos with chili on them. After we talked with Elvira and Alex for a while, we headed back to our room.

We wanted to go salsa dancing, so we got ready and took our first picture together. Then we headed out to find a discoteca that was listed in Jenny’s Guatemala book. The first one we came to was not playing salsa music, rather English music, which was not quite what we had in mind. We walked to another place, but it didn’t appear to be there. The third choice was on the edge of the city, El Torrero, but we really wanted to salsa dance, so we headed there. According to the Guatemala book, this is where the locals come to salsa dance. We had to cross the creepy market/bus station area to get there. When we arrived about 10pm, we paid 20Q to get in. Well, the guide book had one thing right: this is where the locals come. We were the only extranjeras (foreigners) there. But they weren’t playing salsa music either. We got a free drink with the entrance fee, but it was so loud that we could not hear what the waiter was saying, so we both got a bottle of water. We sat there and sipped our water and screamed in each other’s ears when we wanted to say something. After ten minutes or so, two Guatemalan guys came up and started talking to us. They asked us if we wanted to dance, but we didn’t really want to dance to the music that was playing, so Jose went to ask for them to play salsa music. Alejandro was the other guy. After a bit, they put on some music that was not actually salsa but kind of had a salsa-ish beat. I danced with Jose and he was not bad. His cousin, on the other hand only knew the basic step and one spin. After a few dances, we switched partners and never switched back. It was marginally enjoyable. We never really got to salsa dance, but we did a lot of merengue. Finally, around midnight, we decided to head back. Jose and Alejandro offered to accompany us. We said we’d be fine, but they insisted. We compromised by saying they could walk us to the main road. We talked about dancing on the way and Jose’s travels to Canada. They walked us farther than the main road. When we got to where we needed to turn, we thanked them for walking with us. Jose insisted that he wanted to walk us all the way to our door, but Alejandro persuaded him to head back to the discoteca since we didn’t want them to come with us. Jose is going to look for us on facebook and they told us that Tuesdays at No Sin Ventura is all salsa and merengue. We said we might see them there.

We walked the rest of the way home safely. One guy said hello and asked us to come with him to a discoteca, but when we said no and kept walking, he left us alone. We started talking on our way home and continued our conversation when we got back. We talked until 2am and then finally went to bed.

First Day of Spanish Class

el 1 de julio 2011

Today is the first day of July and our first day of class also. We got up at 6 (a great way to start the second half of this year!) and got ready for class. It was actually nice to have time to catch up on my blog before breakfast. We had breakfast at 7:15 which consisted of two large pancakes with syrup and banana slices and tea. Amber and I left for class a bit after 7:40 and we arrived a few minutes after 8. We paid for our classes and then were introduced to our teachers. My teacher is named Sara and Amber’s teacher is Amanda. The classes take place in a long open hallway lined with tables. I thought it might be distracting to learn in this environment, but I did not find it to be so.

Sara and I talked until the break at 10. I felt like my Spanish was really flowing and she let me do most of the talking. We each got a free Spanish textbook, a notebook, and a pen. However, we did not use the textbook at all. I talked a lot about my family, my mom’s volunteer work with the assistance dog training program in the prison, and my job. We also talked a bit about politics both U.S. and Guatemalan. During the break, Amber and I went for a walk. We walked to the central park and walked around a bit. We are still looking for a dance studio to take salsa classes. We had to turn back before too long. We got back to our school just in time at 10:30, but I had to go to the bathroom and there was a line, so my teacher was waiting for me at the table when I returned. I thought we might do some grammar work, but we continued the conversation. I guess she took me seriously when I said that I need to work on speaking more than anything! She would correct me as I spoke and I learned many new words. Sara has a seven month old baby named Karla Lucia. Before class ended, Sara and I went to the copy shop next door and she made three copies of papers for me to do as homework. I went back to the school and picked up my stuff and found Amber.

We walked around some more looking for dance studios. We stopped to ask in a gym and a girl from Holland said that she could take us to a dance studio run by her Guatemalan boyfriend. We went and talked with him. All the prices are the same, but they are more than what we would ideally like to pay. We thanked them and kept walking some more. Finally it was time for us to head back for lunch. We quickly stopped by our house to use the restroom and wash our hands before heading over to E&E’s for lunch.

We had spaghetti, lettuce/cucumber/tomato/onion salad, a canned pear, and bread for lunch. We stayed and talked a long time… almost two hours in total. Amber and I stayed for a while after the others left and continued talking. I love talking to Elvira and Enrique. They are fun, interesting people and are very good at correcting/assisting with our Spanish. We went back to our room and worked on homework around 3 for a while. Then we went out to look for a gift for Bernabe and Nirma (the family in Parramos) and to see a procession in the park. We went to a candy shop and waited in line for about 15 minutes, but we decided to come back tomorrow when there might not be such a long line and the candy would be fresher if we bought it tomorrow. Amber got some blackberry guanabana frozen yogurt and we walked to the central park for the procession. Today is the last day of the celebration of Corpus Christi in the Catholic Church which is why they were having this procession in the park. While we were sitting on a bench, several indigenous women tried to sell us things. We politely declined until the third woman came along with her daughter. The woman talked to Amber and showed her what she was selling and I chatted with the daughter. The daughter was six years old and her name is Damaris. I enjoyed talking with her. She wanted me to guess how old she was and then I made her guess how old I was. She counted up to 26 for me. When it started raining, I put up my umbrella and she came under it with me. I shared mine with Amber and Amber gave her umbrella to the woman. She is 24 and has this daughter and a 7 year old son. After talking with her for probably 20 minutes, Amber ended up buying a pretty scarf from her.

When they left, we left, too, because of the rain. We were going to stop at the internet café near our house, but it was closed probably due to the procession. We went to our room and journaled for a while and I took a shower. We headed over to dinner at 7. We had pureed black beans, scrambled eggs with tomato, fried plantains, and bread for dinner. We again stayed and talked for a long time, more than an hour and a half. It started raining heavily, so Enrique loaned us an umbrella to walk back to our house. The road was covered with water when we crossed the street. We were going to go to the park for the live music and dancing tonight or a discoteca, but we don’t want to walk in the rain. Amber finished her homework and rested and I wrote this blog. I read for a while after I finished. I woke Amber up at 10:15 to get ready for bed. We went to bed soon after.

Exploring Antigua

el 30 de junio 2011

We set our alarm for 7am for breakfast at 7:15. We had a beautiful fruit plate with bananas, papaya, oranges, and strawberries with strawberry yogurt in the middle. We again talked a lot to Elvira after the others had left. We headed back to our room to unpack our stuff. I also took a shower. There are two bathrooms up here. The first shower I tried started smoking a bit when I turned on the water so I went to the other one. I unpacked first and Amber read and then we switched and she unpacked while I talked to her and did some other stuff. We finished a little before 10. We headed out to look for a Spanish school. I had found one online that looked cheap and good. I had not written down the address, though, so after wandering around talking for about an hour, we stopped at an internet café for 15 minutes to check our email. I wrote down the address and we walked to the school. It is about a 20 minute walk from our house, which is about as far away as you can get in Antigua!

The man we spoke with was very nice. It is a decently large school, but it is run by his family with at least 4-5 family members working there. We went on a tour and talked about prices. We had wanted to take classes in the afternoon because they are cheaper and it always rains in the afternoon. However, they only have openings in the morning. We decided to do one week (5 days) of classes. We will do class Friday and Saturday and then three days next week. By the time we had signed our papers, it was time for us to get back for lunch. We walked quickly back to Elvira’s where we had soup with rice in it. She had a green chile from her garden chopped up for us to add to our soup, if we wanted. I tried the tiniest pieces I could and it was plenty! We also had watermelon and salpicon, which is chopped up meat with tomato and onion and some green stuff. We also had vegetables: corn on the cob, huisquil (which is kind of like a potato), and a cooked carrot.

After lunch, we went back to our room for a bit and then decided to take advantage of the sun and went out again. We wanted to find a place we could take salsa classes cheaply, but the only two places were found were charging $10 an hour. We continued looking for another school, but we never found the place. However, we saw several shoe stores and Amber is looking for good salsa-dancing shoes. We looked around but we couldn’t find what she was looking for. In one store, Asusana (sp?) was very helpful and kept bringing her shoes to try on. After trying on about ten pairs, she decided that they weren’t quite what she was looking for and we headed out. It looked like rain, so we started to look for a café. As we were looking, Julia and Liz from my school in Xela came around the corner. We said hi and then we dashed off because it was starting to rain. We backtracked half a block and went into a café (Kashta?) that we had seen earlier. We went up to the terrace which had sections under a roof. Amber had chai tea and I had a strawberry licuado. We talked a lot about school stuff and what we want to change for next year. We were there about two hours. When the rain stopped, a bunch of people started coming in so we left. Amber almost forgot to pay since we had been there so long!

We went to the internet café near our house and we called Bernabe, the pastor from Parramos. Amber spoke with him and we are going to go there and visit on Saturday after school. We then went back to our house. We studied Spanish together for about a half hour before dinner. Amber has a list of phrases such as at that moment, for once, by chance, etc. that I want to learn. I copied the list into my notebook and she put them on notecards. Soon it was time to go to dinner.

We had soup with chopped up green beans in it, chuchitos (which look about the size of a baked potato and I think are made of corn on the outside with meat and a certain kind of flower on the inside), guacamole, and bread. We again sat and talked for a long time. When we got back to our room, we talked some more and then gave each other shoulder massages. Amber was very tired again, so I decided to go to bed when she did and that I would get up early with her tomorrow and write my blog. We ended up going to bed around 10:30 in our fabulously comfortable beds in a very dark room. It is wonderful to sleep here!

Xela to Antigua

el 29 de junio 2011

I woke up super early today. It gets light here around 5, I think, and that is about when I woke up the first time. I dozed off and on until my alarm clock went off at 6:30. I got up, got ready, and packed up most of my stuff. I took my suitcase with me when I went up for breakfast because I had to leave all my stuff in Sandy’s apartment so I would not be charged for another day. It was annoying to have to carry my suitcase down one flight of stairs and up two. However, Juan Manuel, my Argentine neighbor, was leaving as I was making it down the stairs and he helped me carry it up to Sandy’s. There was yogurt and granola sitting out on the table for me, but when I opened the yogurt, it was moldy so I had milk on my granol instead. The granola here is very tiny and hard. It kind of reminds me of Grape Nuts a bit. I went downstairs and brought the rest of my stuff up and then I left for school.

I was early to school so I looked for some tea to wake me up, but there was not any. I was so tired that I could hardly keep my eyes open. I gave Ola the note that I had written to her and then I looked around for a place to put my handprint. My school, Sakribal, has a fun tradition that each student gets to put a handprint on a wall somewhere in the school. I decided to put mine outside my classroom door. I practiced my speech for the graduation lunch until Carolina came up. I gave her the blueberry ham I had brought and a card I was so tired it was hard to concentrate. We took a break about 9 so that I could got dfownstiars and get some tea. It didn’t help, so I had a cup of coffee after that. We worked on the imperfect subjunctive a little more and then we worked on the progressive tenses of the subjunctive and the future subjunctive that is only used in writing laws. We went to copy my lesson plans during the pausa so that I can take the lesson plans to my next school and show them what I have worked on recently so I don’t end up repeating the same things. After we went to the copy shop, we went to XelaPan because Carolina wanted a snack. They did have shecas with anise seed today so I got 3 of them, but I was disappointed because they tasted stale, which is very unlike XelaPan. When we went back, I checked my email and looked over my speech after getting more coffee. I wanted my handprint to be green so Carolina brought the green pain and tried to put in on my hand, but it was all dried up. I was going to wash my hand so we could use a different color, but Olga told us that there was more green in a cabinet. We got the other green and it worked just fine. I put my name next to my handprint and the year. If I come back again, I will add the year that I return. We continued with the subjunctive tenses and then we read the newspaper a bit. For the last twenty minutes, we played Bananagrams with the Scrabble tiles because I had not brought my Bananagrams game. When the bell rang to signal that class was over, I washed my cup, this time removing the masking tape label with my name on it. I went to the bathroom and had more trouble with the lock. It seems like I can never get out of the bathroom! Twice I have ripped the thumbnail on my left hand trying to get out. Today, I could tell that they were leaving for the restaurant and so I was trying to hurry and get out. However, when I shoved the lock to the side, somehow my knuckle got caught on the lock and my finger started bleeding.

We walked a few blocks toward the park and went to Andale, the taco place where Andrea had eaten gringas a week or so ago. I got vegetarian tacos because I wanted vegetables and a pineapple licuado. I sat next to William and Carolina. It took a while for the food to come and so we did the presentation of the diplomas and the speeches first. Olga spoke first and then Carolina gave me my diploma. Next, I gave my 13 sentence speech and it went well. We got our food and began to eat. An American man came into the restaurant and began to play his guitar and sing very near us. He spoke to us in English and Spanish and sang really loudly. It was kind of annoying because we trying to have conversations at our table. This went on for quite some time. Some of the teachers collected money to give to him at the end. He finally took the money and then he went around the table and started demanding that everyone give him money. Sander (from Hungary) and William didn’t want to give him money and he started yelling (in English) in this restaurant about how selfish Americans are and how America is going down because of people like all of us. He then started cursing and screaming. Sander and William tried to reason with him, especially about the fact that Sander is not American, but it just made him more irritated. This went on for almost five minutes. I was very relieved when the man finally stormed out. I could not tell what some of the teachers thought. Some of them said that he was very demanding and usually the people who play music in the restaurants ask quietly and nicely for coins, but that this man was very demanding. I think some of the others thought the boys should have just given a coin to him and not engaged in the confrontation. After we finished eating, I took pictures with Olga, Carolina, and Luis. Then I left.

I hurried to XelaPan (where you can always find someone begging) and gave a boy a banana that I was not going to have time to eat. Then I hustled back to Sandy’s apartment and finished arranging all of my stuff. I had to carry my suitcase, backpack, and other bag down three flights of stairs. I waited nervously by the front door, hoping that the shuttle would really appear. It finally did about 3:15 (it was supposed to come anytime after 3). I was the last person one from Xela. We had only four people in the shuttle, which was a very nice one. I knew it was too good to be true. I pulled out my laptop and started writing this journal entry (please excuse any typos). After about an hour of driving, we pulled into a gas station with another shuttle waiting. I thought they were going to get into our shuttle, but actually we had to get into theirs. As usual, it was a full shuttle. They had to put all of our luggage on the roof. I sat in the back next to some Israeli girls. I couldn’t understand what they were saying. Overall, it was a pleasant ride for the shuttle being as full as it was. The people spoke quietly or were silent. I had to go to the bathroom, so I was thankful when we took a rest break. We continued on and it started raining. I was worried that our stuff on the roof was getting wet because I had my Bible, my phone, and a bunch of books in my bags. We finally arrived in Antigua about 6:30 and began dropping people off. I was the second to last stop. I was excited to finally be at Elvira and Enrique’s. The man unloaded my stuff, which was very wet on the outside. I rang the doorbell and Enrique opened it and took me to my room in the white house across the street. Amber was not there yet. I had about five minutes before it was time for dinner.

At dinner, I met Alex, Sharon, and Lara, the other people who are staying with Elvira right now. We had chile rellenos, rice, bread, and cake in honor of Lara’s birthday. Amber arrived during dessert. I gave her a quick hug and then she went to put her stuff in our room. She came back and joined us at the table. We talked a lot to the other people and Elvira and Enrique. We continued talking to E&E after the others left. Finally we went back to our room and talked and unpacked a few things. Our room is small with two twin beds, a table, a wardrobe, a chair, and a bedside table. The floor space is quite limited. Amber was very tired. We ended up going to bed about 10:30, but it felt more like midnight.

Farewell, Andrea!

el 28 de junio 2011

It has been so long since this day that I can’t really remember all the details, so I will just write the highlights. I took my laundry to the lavanderia before class, and then I had class 8-1, and then I had lunch in Sandy’s apt. After lunch, I went to my room and tried to call Jenny and checked my email. I went to pick up my clothes at 2:30 and then I came back to my room for a few minutes before heading out to see Andrea at the hostel. She was sitting up in the room outside her bedroom when I got there. We talked for about a half hour. Ryan brought over a foam mattress pad for her to use for her last few nights there before she hadn’t slept well the night before because of the bed. I gave her and her mom the Karen Kingsbury book that I had finished reading so I don’t have to lug it back to the states. I said goodbye to Andrea and her mom, Lori, and I headed over to my place so she could take pictures from the terrace. After that, we went into the cathedral near the park. She wanted to buy Andrea some typical Mayan clothing, so I took her to a shop I had seen near the theater and I translated for her while she looked through everything. Finally we decided that it would be better if she would bring Andrea there the next day so she could get exactly what she wanted. We stopped for ice cream on the way back. I had a two-scoop waffle cone with Frutos del Bosque (vanilla and blackberry mixed together) and La Conga (which was my favorite flavor from last year). We walked back to the hostel and Andrea’s mom could not get the door unlocked. Finally Holly let us in, although she had a hard time getting the door open, too. I said goodbye again and walked back to my place. I talked to Jenny on the phone for a half hour and then it was time for me to go to salsa class at my school. There were fewer people there this week. I danced with William, a new guy from Washington, DC, the whole time. I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t get to dance with Luis, the instructor. William had never salsa-danced before. I also met a mom and 14 year old daughter who are here for 8 weeks taking classes. I headed back to Sandy’s for dinner. Sandy and I ate black beans and eggs. Then she wanted me to come into her room to talk. We had the longest and best conversation of the trip. She talked a lot about the past year and how difficult it has been but how good God has been. Gabby came back and I prayed for them. Then I headed downstairs to call Tammy. We talked for more then 2 hours. Gmail calling cut us off after 2 hours saying that our phone call was too long! I called her back, though, so it wasn’t a problem. At midnight, I worked on my speech for the next day and packed. I finally went to bed at 2am! Ahhhh!

Antigua with Amber!

I know I am skipping the past two days, but I wanted to let you all know that I arrived safely to Antigua last night. It has been great to see Elvira and Enrique again, and especially Amber. I will try to post when I can but it will not be as frequently as during the past two weeks.

TRAMA

el 27 de junio 2011

I got up at 7 today and took a shower. As I was getting ready, I started feeling really ill. I spent a great deal of the morning in the bathroom, but I managed to go up to Sandy's and have some bread. I was a few minutes late to school since I had spent so much time in the bathroom, which was embarrassing because on Monday morning, they always have a meeting in the school to introduce new people and go over the week's activities. Today they went to Salcaja (a town outside of Xela) in the afternoon but I didn't feel well enough to go.

Carolina and I talked a lot today and I reviewed clauses that require the subjunctive (things like unless, if, so that, in case that, for the purpose of, etc.). We talked a lot. I felt rather ill for most of the morning. I drank some tea and that warmed me up. During the break, I checked my email and made a to-do list of all the things I need to do before I leave Xela on Wednesday. It poured all morning due to the tropical depression. Carolina told me that it is supposed to rain most of the next 48 hours, which is basically the rest of my time in Xela! We ended the break late, which meant that we got out a few minutes late from class. I headed back to Sandy's and did my homework while I waited for lunch. We had salty mushroom soup, small potatoes covered in sesame seeds, and a seed of tomatoes, avocado, and onions. I ate my soup and some potatoes. I was feeling better than I was this morning. I checked my email, but I hadn't heard anything from Andrea. After lunch, I called Angela to wish her a happy birthday, and then I went to arrange a shuttle to get me and my stuff to Antigua. Surprisingly, it was not raining! I easily found the place I was looking for and I booked my shuttle for 3pm on Wednesday. I am so excited to see Amber!

Next, I finally made it to TRAMA, a women's textile cooperative. I never made it here last year and then I was going to go on Friday until I found out about Andrea being in the hospital. There were two women weaving with backstrap looms when I got there. The women sit on the ground and have their weaving tied to a post or a tree and then they hold the looms close to them by wearing a strap that goes around their waists. It is amazing to see how much work goes into making a scarf or anything else. I looked around at all the items they had for sale. It is a fair trade organization, comprised of 98% women. The women are part of 17 cooperatives from around Xela. Each cooperative chooses two women who can read, write, and speak Spanish to represent them (many of the women speak only Mayan languages). The women decide together on fair prices for their work. I bought several things before leaving.

I next went to visit a fair trade cafe that sells coffee and other organic, fair trade items. I found it with little trouble, but I did not have enough money with me to buy what I wanted. The man there was really nice and explained the different types of coffee to me and let me smell the ground coffees to help me decide. I went back to the apartment, did my homework, and checked my email. I had a facebook message from Andrea saying that she was back at the hostel. I got more money, went to the cafe, and then headed over to the hostel. I brought playing cards for them to use tonight. They had a few complications in paying for her surgery and hospital stay, as might be expected, but the cost was much less than they had anticipated. They had to leave her mom's passport at the hospital so that Andrea could leave without paying the full total. When I got there, they were getting ready to head to Cafe Baveria. I decided to go with them. I had spearmint tea and they ate dinner. We had an enjoyable time talking. Andrea is still in a lot of pain, but she looked better today. All too soon, it was time for me to head back for dinner. It still was not raining!

I got to Sandy's about 7:25 and we ate within a half hour. Kristin had spilled a bag of milk in the refrigerator and on the floor so I helped her clean it up. She made a pasta bake for dinner with bacon and canned asparagus. After dinner, I went up on the terrace and took pictures of the cathedral lit up.



I came back to my apartment and got ready for bed. I tried to call Tammy when she got home from Bible study, but for some reason my calls would not go through. After emailing, texting, and calling her multiple times, I decided it probably wasn't going to work tonight. For some reason, the internet has been spotty today, although my picture uploaded faster than ever. I wrote my blog and I will soon go to bed. Tomorrow will be a busy day! I am glad I am feeling better. I think I might have to blame that delicious corn that I bought on the street near the park! :(