Basically, Surprise.

I am so sorry that I am so bad at this. But really it is a lot harder than I thought it would be.

A Field Trip to Guatemala City

In Guatemala there are people who live in the garbage dump. Yes, people live in corrugated tin houses close to the dump, but there are people who live in it, too. And there are even more people besides them whose whole life revolves around the garbage that goes into the dump. They line up behind the trucks to sift through the garbage that has already been sorted through once. It was even worse when we were reminded about how in Guatemala you do not flush your toilet paper; you put it in the garbage.

Las Chicas

Two Thursdays ago, we were expecting three boys from Little Rock to move in with us. In preparation, Jamie and I moved out of the room with three beds and into a little room downstairs. Cony offered to put another bed in that room, but in an reality there wasn’t room for one and the bed was pretty big so Jamie and I didn’t mind sharing for 10 days.

Jamie and I were so excited to get our new friends that we accompanied Luki to the school to get them. There we were, a happy Guatemalan family, expecting to get three more boys. Here, I would randomly like to insert a sentence about the growing popularity of ambiguous names. So after we collected our girls, we headed home to have them settle. After we got them to their room and had sufficiently bonded, Leidi came and took them away and gave us three different girls. After this emotional roller coaster I needed a snack so I ate some cookies.

I was really happy to have the girls here because it was new people to socialize with and socializing is something I like to do. Also, I do not know if this is a trend among all high-school girls, but those girls ate next to nothing. Sometimes they did not like the food, but even when they liked it they did not eat a lot. Cony serves our food onto plates for us and by the end of the week she was giving the girls half as much or less of the food she usually gives Jamie and I. It was a really sweet week where Jamie and I got to eat even more of the foods we love!

A Mini-trip to Semuc Champey

Two eight-hour rides in a 15 passenger van, rock-hard mattresses, spiders the size of your face, a cave that is full of bats, hours of walking through a forest. What on earth do we have here? If the bold heading didn’t tip you off, we went to Semuc Champey! Many of us had heard stories of this beautiful place, but a group trip wasn’t planned. Ten of us went through a travel agency and paid 50 dollars to have a three day trip to one of the Wonders of the Modern World.

The van ride was pretty rough, so every time we stopped Dana and I had to buy ice cream to make up for it. We stopped for lunch and McDonald's  but Dana and I ate the packed lunches our family gave us. As we unpacked our lunches, we both really liked the look of each other’s lunch and since we are in 4^th grade, we decided it would be appropriate to trade. After we finished our juice boxes, we decided to get the Strawberry-Oreo Blizzard that McDonald's was featuring (this might be illegal of them to do because obviously Jamie Bogert invented the ice cream-strawberry-oreo combination) and as if this amazing combination wasn’t enough, I smushed one of my bananas into it. Basically, it was awesome.

The seven of us who were no longer taking Spanish lessons arrived at our hostel around four and went to find some dinner. I guess now is the time to mention that, in preparation for the trip, Morgan, Dana, and I bought snacks that included, but wasn’t limited to, cookies. About one person in the group was full because she ate cookies and ice cream during the trip, but other people got burritos for dinner. It was dark when we got back and after a vicious game of UNO, Dana and I decided to sleep. Sometimes after we slept, the other three people of our group arrived (They left Antigua at 2 pm because they had Spanish lessons that morning. The rest of us left at 8 am).

The next morning the ten of us plus our guide and his wife and child piled into the back of a pickup truck and rode through some mountains for about an hour. We got out in a parking lot and our guide told us how this plant was used as paint by people a long time ago and it keeps mosquitoes away. He put this orange stuff all over our faces and said the mosquitoes would bother him but not us. First, I have never seen a mosquito in this country, even when we went to Tikal and people told us that the mosquitoes can give you malaria. Second…okay there isn’t a second but most of us are pretty sure that the guide just wanted us to look ridiculous and be able to know who was in his group.

First we hiked up and then back down a flippin’ mountain to see the nice view of the pools we would be swimming in. I thought this was cruel and unusual punishment, but some people really appreciated it.

Eventually we got the pools and were given an hour and a half to enjoy their splendorous and refreshing beauty. Dana and I noticed a group of people headed towards the far side of the pool where our guide said there were more pools. Naturally, we followed them. At first we were going to do what they did from a distance, but there were parts where we needed the help of the guide, like being pushed down the rock slide, so our cover was blown. Luckily, there was no way he knew whether or not we were in his group (-_-).

After we left the pools we took a lunch break and headed for the water caves. I have been in at least four different cave systems in the United States and realized pretty quickly that what we were doing would never be allowed there. For this cave tour you wear just your bathing suit and are given a candle to hold. We file into the cave and pretty quickly start swimming through the cave with our candles. I saw some people who were leaving as we were coming in; they had life jackets. We climb up and down ladders and slide all around to the back of the cave where we are then able to jump off a rock into a pool of water. You have to aim for where the light was because otherwise you hit rocks. This is Dana about to jump. She is thoroughly ticked about this picture, but I thought it was good because it shows the distance of the jump.

After people jumped, we head back out of the cave. We were about to climb up a ladder that leads towards the way out when one of our guides disappears into a little hole in the opposite direction. He tells a guy near us how to properly exit through the hole, but he missed some of the directions. This guy and Dana and I really wanted to go through the hole, so we start investigating. Inside the little hole is an even smaller hole with water gushing through it. We aren’t totally sure the proper method for surviving through the hole and are about to back out when the other guide comes and shows us what to do. So I shoot through that little hole which is actually a pretty small drop where you get drenched. In all reality, it was less scary that climbing up and down the ladders.

After the cave we were going tubing down the river. I walked down a path to where the wife of our guide was standing. I noticed the giant swing headed straight for the river and she told me to go. I am not impressionable or easily persuaded to do things so I ran and got the swing and was all ready to go when our guide came back and gave me very important instructions. I took off on that swing and basically it was the most terrifying part of the day. But it was really fun, too. Most of us belly-flopped really hard, but Kailee had perfect form.

So then we went tubing. Dana and I were taking pictures as we tubed so we quickly found ourselves in the back of the group. As we floated along and thought about catching up, a boy came and asked us if we were going to jump off the bridge. Of course we wanted to. He was walking toward it and when we got closer he told us to come to the shore and he would show us. After half a second of debating, we told our group we would catch up as we frantically paddled for the shore. Then we jumped off a bridge.

End Adventure.

Volunteering

With 6 weeks left, I still need a practicum. On the bright side, I found a place to volunteer my time that is not business-related, so it doesn’t count. Yay.

Casa Jackson currently is the home for 13 children who are malnourished. These children, for various reasons, were not given proper care by their parents or guardians. Until they are back to 100% body weight, they live in Casa Jackson. Casa Jackson does not charge anything for their services and operates completely from donations.

I go in the afternoons and hold the babies, feed the babies, and change the baby’s diapers. Feel free to keep your surprise to yourself when thinking about my history with babies (Manda).

Amigos

Justin and Geovany clean the school. Geovany is super nice and remembers everyone’s name. Also, he is super good at soccer. Justin dreams of going to the United States or Canada and starting an organization that uses the arts to help teens stay out of trouble. There would be a dance studio and places to paint and music. You have no idea how much I love that a 17 year-old boy has this dream.

We met Armando and Wilson when we played soccer through the school. They were random boys were just there and played with us, but now they are our friends. Armando owns a shop in Cuidad Vieja where he and his employees paint and fix cars; Wilson works there. 

Together, they coach a team of young soccer players. One of the funnier moments of my day is when Armando yells Wilson’s name. It is a bit like Castaway, but less sad.

Johana is Dana’s Spanish teacher. Dana switched to afternoon Spanish classes so she doesn’t almost fall asleep every day, but they are still very hard for her and she is quite sick of them. To lighten the burden I try to visit occasionally and chit-chat for a couple minutes. Johana is really funny, which is a characteristic of all the teachers at La Unión.

Raul. Oh Raul.

Delicious Food

As if the food in our house isn’t delicious enough, we have the opportunity to buy delicious food in the park every Sunday while the processions happen. And if you think this deal couldn’t get any sweeter, there is food every day this week because it is Semana Santa, the busiest week of the year in Antigua (but more about that next week. Ya know…after it actually happens).

Last night, Dana, Morgan, and I got food from like a block from their house. You can buy different meat that is grilled right there in front of you. There are empanadas and churros and chocolate-covered marshmallows and fruits! Yesterday Dana got a hollowed-out pineapple filled with smoothie! There is pizza and sandwiches and popcorn. It is exciting.

This week, people are walking around and selling chocobananos in the streets, making my mission that much easier. I don’t even have to go anywhere to get a chocobanano; they come to me.

For those of you who are insanely curious (Manda) a chocobanano is made my sticking a banana on a stick and then freezing it. When someone wants a chocobanano you take the frozen bananastick out of the freezer and cover it in chocolate (usually there is a crockpot filled with chocolate and it is spooned onto the banana). If someone wants a chocomania, you would, at this point, roll the chocobanano in chopped peanuts.

Today with our breakfast Cony made us strawberry-banana smoothies. They were delicious. Also, I made a banana-jelly sandwich.

I’m out peeps.

Love y’all.

Check out Dana's blog: http://guatemala2013.blogspot.com/

Those Were the Days

Sorry this took so long, peeps.

Field Trip #5: Tikal

On Sunday (three weeks ago) at 4:30 in the morning we left Antigua for Guatemala City where we got on a plane headed towards Flores City (This was a really small plane that was completely full and I was the last person to find a seat so I sat next to the flight attendant in a seat that faced everyone else! This was pretty exciting for me.). From there we had a short bus ride and met our tour guide for the day, Eddie. Before we arrived to Tikal National Park, Eddie was imparting all sorts of knowledge on us.

“[something educational about Tikal] Look at that pig! [more educational stuff]”

“Four corn tortillas have the same amount of calcium as a glass of milk. This is good for when you need to carry a refrigerator up a hill or something like that.”

Tikal was beautiful. It was so cool to imagine that at times there were so many people there. I could just picture them walking around in all the buildings, filling the courtyard-thing.

This trip ended in a way that nobody thought possible: a ride on a plane that was smaller than the first! It was basically a party. Everyone felt bad for the two people who were not in our group.

Más Español

My first week without Spanish was pretty weird. I was in the process of looking for an internship and my online class has not started so the only required event of that week was my class with Paul. By Tuesday I was super bored and I really missed having Spanish lessons. That being said, it was not a hard decision for me to decide to take more lessons. Unfortunately, Brenda had already received a new student that she would have for 10 weeks so she could not be my teacher. This made more than one person mildly sad, but with or without Brenda I wanted to take more lessons. My new teacher is Olga. At first she appeared to be the exact opposite of Brenda. This was not bad at all, just different. After a week of classes, Olga and I had really bonded. She is so sweet and I am glad I had the opportunity to be her student. I was really happy to be at La Unión every day and realized even more how addicting Spanish lessons can be. I never wanted to be done.

But, of course, this past Wednesday I finished my Spanish lessons again. Cony asked if we needed lunch the next day and I told her that I didn’t think so because I had plans with my ex-teacher. I guess this made everyone laugh, but Brenda is the one who referred to herself as that. After the laughter I did clarify that the plans were with my first ex-teacher. This made Cony laugh even more.

People Leaving

Compared to the majority, we are staying in Antigua for a long time. We have made friends with people from all over the world, and a few weeks ago we experienced the first wave of leavers. Jeff, Keely, and Tanner left. This was rather uneventful and I am completely secure that their lives will be awesome. Tanner will know when the guys on his baseball team are making fun of him and Jeff and Keely will be able to teach the children in the DR.

A little harder goodbye was the one to Rob. I legitimately might have not mentioned him before, but he had come to be a pretty sweet friend of some of us. Rob is from London and was in Antigua to learn more Spanish. From here he goes to Hong Kong to visit his cousin and eventually he will end up in Central America for a bit longer. The celebration of Rob leaving began during Spanish lessons. Some of us and our teachers watched a movie and ate pizza. The movie was preceded by short speeches by everyone. Jamie was first and touched our hearts by finishing with her Shakira voice. Ana went next and read the note she wrote Rob. Next were Dana and I, giving a joint speech, since Rob would expect nothing less. Since Dana refuses to practice her Spanish she said some words in English and we finished with the abridged version of My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion. The celebration continued into the night and concluded at an extremely reasonable hour and absolutely no tears were shed.

Note: After the celebration there was confusion in our household and we were locked out. Jamie boosted me up like a professional cheerleader and I was almost on the little ledge to where I could easily enter our house but I slipped and fell into the street. I knew I could make it if we tried a second time but the neighbors were looking out the window so we just went to Dana’s house and all three slept on her single bed.

Last Saturday we said goodbye to Paul and Barbara. In the slightly distant future they will join Jeff and Keely in the DR. Paul and Barbara became our friends at salsa lessons and we have always enjoyed talking with them at school. Many people at the school rave about what an awesome couple they are.

Chente didn’t have classes this past week, but he will be back in the afternoons this week. That was a close call.

One day after classes I bonded pretty well with Nat and Max from Canada. They are gone now and with them went a piece of my heart.

Other

Church is bilingual. Some Sundays the lead pastor speaks in English and a man translates to Spanish. Other Sundays another pastor speaks Spanish and a guy translates in to English. This Sunday was the latter. So this happened:

Pastor: “Estas frio?” (asking if we were cold)
Translator: “It’s a little nippy out, eh?”

I have a completely irrational fear of birds. There are birds everywhere here. We will be walking down the street and a bird will come at mebro and I jump because it is terrible and then Dana jumps because I jump and then people stare.

In the Presence of a Star

Last Friday Jamileh’s dad came! His name is Abrahim Attalah and he is previously known for his role as the voice of Gru in Despicable Me. Now, one of the most enjoyable parts of my day is watching Abrahim either attempt to talk to our family or practice his Salsa and Meringue. He usually does the latter whenever the feeling hits him (on the stairs, in Central Park, etc.) Usually Abrahim practices his Spanish with our family members. He decided to take four hours of Spanish lessons over two days. After day one he learned hor to have a basic 30-second conversation with someone. After practicing with Dana and then Austin, he was ready to practice with our family. The family really enjoyed their personal conversations with Abrahim. Outside of Spanish class, Abrahim learned how to say he like different things. Since he is a semi-professional chef, he always learns how to say different foods we eat. At dinner he told Cony and Jamie and I all the foods that he liked and concluded with the grand finale:

“Great! Now everything is me gusta’d.”

Field Trip #6: Monterrico. A Beach.

First of all, I just thought that it was going to be an average Saturday where I went to a black-sand beach in Guatemala, but I was so mistaken. I was preparing to leave my house for the daily activities of beaching it up when SPIDERMAN CAME TO VISIT! I even got a picture of him without his mask on. Sucker.

For at least the past two weeks I have been so excited to go to the beach. Although people tried to deter my excitement by saying the waves were crazy, they only made me more excited because I love crazy waves. So we get to the beach and Dana and I are running to the ocean and clothes are flying and I cartwheeled down the last hill. We hit the water and it was great. For lunch I had a fish, eyes included, but I decided to not eat the eyes.  Now it is one week later and my back “is peeling like a new born baby.” (This is how Morgan calls it. I don’t understand it either.)

Field Trip #7: Earth Lodge

The Sunday after Monterrico Beach we went to Earth Lodge. A van and a pick-up truck took us up one of the mountains around Antigua and after a short hike (down, which I thought to be counter-productive (or maybe part of the ride up was counterproductive))  we were outside of a little building where we could order lunch. There were hammocks and there was Americanafolk music and there were eggplant sandwiches. I will always refer to this place a Hippieland or ThemotherlandofCrystal.

Processions

In the weeks leading up to Easter there is a procession every Sunday. All the processions are a little bit different and are a really big deal in Antigua. I am still researching more about their significance, but our family always encourages us to watch them. The past Sunday we stumbled across the procession a couple times. I really enjoyed the band, so here is a VIDEO (!!!??:O!!) of the float and some of the band.

(my internet isn't good right now. but I will get this video up ASAP).

A Little Too Nice…

In recent days Cony has started being really nice to me. She says my name all friendly when I get home and she says “my pleasure” about all the things she offers to do for me. She wasn’t even fazed when I ran into the house, asked for dinner at 9 pm, and ran back out after she said it was her pleasure. At first I thought she was just warming up to me because I can talk to her a little more now, but in reality I know that she is trying to get me to make my bed.

17^th Anniversary

This past Wednesday La Unión celebrated its 17^th birthday. There was food and dancing and lots of people. This night was very special to me because basically all of our friends were there, even the ones who don’t attend La U anymore. There were lots of teachers and their families and other friends of the school. There was dancing and eating and more dancing. All I can say is “Thanks, Meme, thanks for the salsa.”

In the words of Dana,

Hasta.