Today was definitely one of the weirdest days here yet, and I am glad to currently be resting at the school, getting ready for tonight’s cena. It’s the students’ turn to cook the supper, but since we had no time we are making popcorn with M&M’s. Yep. Back to earlier today, the strange feelings began this morning when I shut my alarm off without remembering doing so, and slept til about 7:55. I was having dreams about being back in high school and when I woke up I thought that I was legitimately still 16 and in my house. Needless to say, there were about 5 minutes of major confusion before I realized where I was and why. Then I had to eat hot cocoa krispies in two seconds and run off to school. Somehow the dream I had made me really homesick and I did not want to be in class at all at first. I eventually got over these feeling and my teacher and I had a fun time talking about business possibilities here in Xela. Then after lunch I went for a tour of a finca where this lady suggested that I volunteer. After getting lost at both ‘bus stops’ which actually don’t exist here it’s just where the buses decide to stop, I finally made it to the small pueblo 30 minutes late. I then waited for the owner of the finca to meet up with me at the catholic church there and he took me to his farm. At first I thought it was just this small and cute little garden, and then we continued to walk and walk this steep muddy mountain side. We both fell several times on the slippery land and the thorny plants hanging over the ‘pathway’ got me a few times as well. We later reached a small river at the base of the hill that was completely brown and full of trash. I slipped on the first rock I stepped on there, and fell right onto my tailbone/bottom area. Definitely have some significant injuries from that. There were also rabid dogs walking the river searching the trash, as well as numerous vultures overhead circling in the fog. It then began to rain and we continued to walk and slip, and walk and slip. Eventually we made our way back to solid even leveled ground, and the farm owner explained how with the tour a donation is expected, 20Q, so I paid him for the horrifying experience we had together (granted it wasn’t much). He also asked if I’d like to see the beehive he had, and I said, seeing how my luck is so far, no thank you, I’d like to go home now. Luckily there was a ‘camioneta’ that took me back close to our house and eventually found my way back to the house, cleaned my wounds, and recovered my composure more or less. I am still in a lot of pain, especially trying to sit in the hard school chairs, but I will be alright. It was for sure an experience I will never forget, and unfortunately I have no photos because bringing my camera there, would not have worked. I am very excited to make my way to Atitlan tomorrow which is sure to be much more beautiful and calm.

Spending time here makes me realize more with everyday how I good I have it. As is true with many in the U.S. Our petty worries sometimes cannot compare to the chronic problems here. It helps me to put my issues in perspective: 

When I am complaining about being hungry; I will be grateful that food is always readily provided.

When I am thirsty; I will be grateful that I can drink safe water from many sources.

When I worry about the future; I will be grateful that I will have definite opportunities to have a career.

When I stress and complain about school; I will be grateful to have an opportunity to go to college.

When I am bored in class; I will be grateful that the teachers here care enough to come to class everyday (not always true here).

When I don’t want to walk far to a given place; I will be grateful that I can walk the streets in safety.

When I do not want to go to work; I will be grateful for a fair wage.

When I argue with my parents; I will be grateful that they are still alive and are supportive.

When I worry about issues of ‘love’; I will be grateful to be free to date anyone no matter what race either person is, as well as to have found someone of good moral quality.

When I want to complain about our government; I will be grateful that they are effective in many ways.

When I think that things are hard; I will know that I live a blessed life. 

In Guatemala, many are fated to live with much less.

Because the school internet is not currently working on my own computer, I formulated a blog with only words, and tomorrow will be more pictures!

I made a list of cultural differences that I have noticed thus far that I hope is at least slightly interesting =)

1. You cannot flush toilet paper. It goes in the trash only. This was difficult to remember the first few days.

2. Walking the streets there are always:

-tiny sidewalks with many steps accompanied with too many people

-cars driving way too fast that do not stop for anyone

-dangers that make it so that you should not walk alone too often and especially not at night

3. Public transportation = Chicken buses. Chicken buses = old school buses that have been refinished to look super shiny and souped up

4. Internet is only available at schools & cafes and is never reliable

5. Everyone uses the same 3 phone companies that are all ´pay as you go´

6. You can always find nearly anything you need within a mile of your house, there are vendors and stores everywhere. Some come door to door daily with pan or tortillas.

7. White skin = cat calls. White skin + blonde hair = horn honks & cat calls almost once every block.

8. People eat the same food groups for basically every meal every day: tortillas, rice, beans, eggs, crumbled cheese, and chicken. There is never ever a fault for coffee. I probably drink 6-7 cups a day :O, nearly every snack is coffee and pan (sweet bread).

9. Nearly everything is cheap and many vendors sell the exact same things.

10. The self-esteem of the people here is rather low and it is very sad. They think that because they have less that they are not as valuable as people, nor are their skills. They feel very much below the “gringos” or people from more “1st world countries”. I hate seeing them feel that way and would like for that to change.

Example of this: my friend and classmate Joy asked two young Mayan girls what they want to be when they grew up, and they responded ¨Gringas¨. Que triste.

Soo, this morning, I was supposed to wake up at 5am to go to Chicobal, this volcano with a large lake at the top with the rest of the class at Pop Wuj. I would’ve had to walk the 27+ blocks at 6-6:30 in the morning to be on time for the trip. What actuallyy happened was that I didn’t wake up because I was so tired from last night’s school dinner! Every friday night at PLQ, there is a dinner where all the teachers and students are invited. Every other week they switch off with students bringing drinks and teachers making food, and the opposite. Luckily we don’t have to make the food ‘til next week! Anyway, they play music for a while before starting dinner, and we dance and sing with the teachers leading, it’s pretty fun! Then we sit at the table and all those students whose last day it is “graduate”. They can give a little speech, sing a song, recite a poem, really do whatever they want but you are obliged to do something. I am legitimately considering singing the Friday song in Spanish just to be a goof. People like to do funny things. There was also a pinata last night that one student brought so it was pretty funny to watch people try and hit that :P. We stayed there pretty late and met a lot of the other students, it was a great time! I’ll have to find another trip to Chicobal during another weekend! Instead of that today, Ashley and I are gonna chill in our favorite cafe and make a list of all the things we want to do here in Xela with our remaining three weeks. We’re also going to find a cool place to eat lunch in the parque central, and hopefully get to know the area really well so we know where we want to go! I’m excited for this next week to go on more trips and find volunteer work, I want to be busy! Haha. Ok, I’ll stop blabbin and show some picsss:

I was so bored for a 20 minute span yesterday that I had a staring contest with the paloma for that long hahaha. We’re friends now… and I won :)

My blindingly sweet new Mayan blanket I bought to stay warm!

The PLQ dinner music

The scary pinata hitting experience… hehehe, he almost got us!

Aren’t my titles creative? Haha, no worries I didn’t die in the drug wars yetserday, I’m still alive! My internet was working for a bit yesterday and then lost the signal. Of course it was just as I finished writing a huge long blog, so I will summarize it quickly. First off, we had our first class meeting on Tuesday night. It was good to see everyone and I miss hanging out with them. The school is far away from PLQE and on the other side of the “central park”. There do a lot more at their school, Pop Wuj, because volunteer work is part of their programs. Here, there are hardly opportunities. So, Ashley and I are going to try to find some volunteer work that we can do opposite of our classes. Ashley didn’t feel good yesterday or today and fainted both days at the same time around 11am in class. She went to the doctor yesterday and is going to go again soon. I hope that she is ok!! The highlight of my day yesterday was helping Catalina’s grandson to do his homework! He’s 6 years old and so cute, we worked on spelling and reading which I could do easily because in Spanish it’s all phonetic! It was funny how this little boy knew a lot less than I did but still spoke Spanish better so the dynamic was an interesting one haha. He was amazed by my mechanical pencils that he had never seen before so I gave him that and a mini Slinky that I brought. He was very happy with that! Finally, since I am starting to settle in here a bit I am missing home a bit. I mostly miss the comfort and safety of home that I feel nowhere here expcept a little in the school and my “house”. But that’s mostly safety and less comfort :P. I will get used to it though, and figure out how to get used to everything! Mas pictures later!

Today was our first day of class at the language school called P.L.Q. that stands for Proyecto Linguistico Quetzaltenco, which translates basically as Language Project of Quetzaltenango (another name for Xela). We have individual teachers who work with us from 8-1 every weekday. Today I had to take a little exam to test my abilities in espanol. I tested into Intermediate II, just before advanced I so not bad! I really like my maestra and we switch teachers every week that we are here. There are many school sponsored trips and we watch a lot of political documentaries. They want us to be informed of the politics of Guatemala so that we can teach others. This is also the second day with my host mama, and she is the sweetest 72 year old you will ever meet! Ashley and I walked to the Central Parque today to buy a towel for showering and explore a little. Walking the streets here is scary for a plethora of reasons including people that stare you down and the constant possibility of being mugged, the cars that travel soo fast and don’t care about pedestrians, there are many people who have been run over, and also the sidewalks are not even at all. You have to constantly watch your feet so that you don’t trip on the steps up and down.

Como se dicen en espanol, Mira: Look:

La escuela PLQ

An example of a step in the sidewalk, they’re everywhere

My blisters from walking to the central park today owwww :(

The dove who lives in our house, Catalina (madre) said it’s her little baby hahaha