Fourth Week Already!

This is the fourth week I have been here and the month of July has flown by. I thought time was going quickly when I was working for a University, however I feel that my time here is moving faster. Maybe because my life isn't surrounded with just work and food anymore! Speaking of food, the food is delicious at my house, and because of this I am gaining so much weight! I seriously eat ONLY carbs now! My breakfast meals include pancakes, cereal, eggs and granola with fruit. Lunch is usually our largest meal for the day. It usually consists of some meat (fried chicken, some sort of beef - not really sure what it is, and rarely fish), carbs, sometime veggies, and more carbs. The bread here is unbelievable!! I have never had better bread anywhere!! Dinner is manly veggies and rice - never filling. I still find myself eating out a lot because I am hungry in between meals, or dinner wasn't enough. And of course on Sundays when we don't receive any meals.

I can't believe it has been 4 weeks already!!! The job is going really well! I really love teaching. It is nice to have the mornings free also. This week I dedicated my mornings to sleeping in until 8 or so, then studying Spanish at my house or a cafe. Since I didn't have Spanish class this week, it was up to myself to study. Soooo difficult!!
If anyone has any good ideas of how to study by yourself effectively, I would love to know. I am reading, trying to memorize vocab and verbs...but I need more help. :)

The other day I was searching for volunteer opportunities and weekend trips that I could take on Sundays so I could start traveling and seeing more of the country. With hurricane Agatha hitting only a couple of months ago, there are villages that still need help with building and repairing of homes and schools, digging out of mud, etc. I think this kind of help would be so rewarding. The other volunteer group that I am interested in joining assists in trail cleanup. Picking up trash or marking the trails more so Guatemalans and travelers can appreciate the walks. When I get involved I will start sharing those experiences.

I am searching (not real actively) for a job with an outdoor adventure company. I have been here long enough to know some of the better companies to start getting to know. I found one company that said they were in search of a trip leader on their website. I am pretty sure that advertisement was old. I went to talk with the owner that day, but unfortunately he wasn't around so I emailed him instead. Still haven't heard anything yet. I am not looking to start now, I don't want to leave the school. But my contract will be up in a year, and I would to start then! I have little experience in actual trip leading, but this particular company trains their staff for everything. I really hope that I can reach my goal of trip leading in one year!
Until then I will scout out more opportunities to lead trips and travel!

Happy Birthday to Antigua

This past week was a celebration for Antigua's birthday. All week long there was a book sale in Central Park (didn't buy anything). I already have enough books. I thought I was going to be reading all of the time, because I was going to have soooo much free time. Well, so far I haven't read any of them!! :) Other festivities took place during the weekend - and of course fireworks!! Someone told us that many people were down for the weekend from the city and other areas that all of the hotels and hostels were full. Now that is a lot of people, because there are like 20-30 hostels/hotels together.

Friday night, me and two other us teachers went to central park to watch and listen to a live band. The band played some apparently classic Spanish music and some 70s and 80s music that we know. They were entertaining, and so were the people dancing! We ate delicious street food that consisted of chile renios, some sort of delicious desert thing that was a platino stuffed with beans and sugar on top, and grilled corn with salt and lime! Yummy. We stayed out until about midnight, then decided to go home because we had work at 8am the next morning.

**Central Park is what I would call the center of town. It is a large "park" that is a block by a block in length (like a square). It use to be the main center when Antigua was the Capital. A little history lesson for you...
Antigua use to be the Capital of Central America...all the way down to Costa Rica. In the 1700's a massive earthquake hit and ruined most of Antigua's buildings so authorities decided to move the capital to what is now Guatemala City. Because of certain laws and regulations, people can't change the architecture. They are able to repair, but not tear down. Most buildings didn't start to get repaired for years and years after; therefore are falling apart now. But still the reason why Antigua is full of architecture, cobblestone roads, ruins and beauty. Central park is still so incredibly amazing though. There is a cathedral on one side of the park -4th avenida, central plazas on opposite sides- both 4th and 5th Calle (street), and cafes that line 5th avenida. In the middle there are benches, two smaller fountains, and one large fountain.
Like I said in an earlier post, most of Antigua is on a grid system. So the Avenidas (ave) run north - south, the Calles (streets) run east - west.

Anyway, back to my topic...Saturday after work was a girl's night out! Since there is only three of us...it was a small girl's night out. Walking home after work we saw a parade...parades here are quite different. This parade was a truck with music, and people either wearing masks that look like grandma and grandpa (cool, but a little scary) or large animal suits...and they do a special dance they all know behind the truck. I was so intrigued and glad to have crossed their path.
That night we went to a bar that had live music and played ALL 80's songs. We also ate street food that night. I had some of the same food as the night before, but also tried a pan tostado - which is basically a toastado (sp?) with beans, cheese, lettuce and hot sauce ...once again delicious!! (probably really bad for me since everything is fried...but I just can't help myself)

Sunday was our adventure day. I got up fairly early and went to a yummy crepe place for breakfast. Then Annie and I went to the Cerra de la Cruz. It is a large hill that sits on the edge of town. It looks as though it sits miles and miles away, but really it is only a 15 minute walk. On the top there sits a cross (la cruz). This place gives you the best views of Antigua! We spent a good while up there enjoying the view and the sunshine. Sunday was the ONLY day it didn't rain, it was a treat.
That night we had a goodbye dinner for a friend of a friend at a Peruvian restaurant in town. It was quite delicious! The owner is Peruvian so his food was REAL peruvian food!! If you have never had ceviche I suggest trying it. After dinner we made our way to the local fair and chanced our lives on some rides! I only rode two rides, the pirate ride, and the one that goes around and around, then eventually stops upside down at the top! And did bumper cars...and man my neck hurts! I got a little bit of whip lash! haha

Overall, a great weekend in Antigua!! Happy Birthday!

Older News

I have been struggling to write lately. I am not entirely sure why. I have had this blog post below for about a week now and haven't posted it until now. I guess I just needed some down time to sit and think before I wrote more. So this blog is a little outdated... I will post new stuff asap - a lot has been happening actually!

....Nobody believes me that I am 27 here...which I guess is a really good thing. I don't think I look that young, but I know I definitely don't act my age. :) And I guess people assume that I am young because a lot of English teachers come (have been coming) at a younger age than myself. I just never had the opportunity before, so now that I am older and wiser (ha) I have time...or I have made time. Soooo here I am!!

I came here for several reasons like I have talked about, one of them being getting to really know the culture and the people. I want to say that it has been a real struggle so far. I am not creating excuses, but I feel I haven't (or at least made time) time to sit and watch and enjoy the greatness around me enough. The other night, I was out with my friend Annie, and after walking around the town exploring hotels and a couple of art museums, we decided to sit and rest. Our feet had been hurting us and we were wanting to relax for a few before we had dinner. We stopped by a church and watched the children play tag and soccer, the parents were talking amongst themselves, the couples strolling by were holding hands, the food venders were selling delicious smelling meals - it was all so real.
Barely talking to each other, simply watching and enjoying our surroundings. It was the first time in a long time that I have just sat and watched people without looking at the time, or worrying about what the plan was next. I think we only sat for 15 minutes, but it felt like an hour. I wish that I would take more time to do this. I came with the thought that I was going to, that I would spend my mornings in the park or around various areas, watching people and learning how to just be and sit. I find myself now wrapped up and busy all of the time. In the mornings I spend my time studying Spanish, the afternoons I work, and I come home right away to eat or be at the house at night. I also am still having a hard time sitting still. I like to go, go, go...and I haven't quite figured out how to let that go yet. My mom says it will take a while...

My schedule has changed again since I have spoken with most of you...now I teach on Saturdays from 8am-5pm in 3 hour chunks. This past Saturday was my first full Saturday and it went really well I think. I was well prepared and the classes all thanked me for teaching them - I thought that was nice! I have three groups, 2 intermediate and 1 beginner class. I really enjoy teaching them all because they are so motivated to learn, and really enjoy doing work, and studying, and talking. It makes my job a lot easier, and truthfully the 3 hours goes by real quickly!

I mentioned in my other post that I saw a movie the other night in Spanish and I couldn't read the subtitles because of the two guys in my way...well, I wanted to try again. A couple of days ago we went to see another movie in Spanish, called Volver, and we got there early to sit close so that nobody for sure would be in our way. I was so excited that I was there early, I had a good seat, I was going to be able to read the sub titles this time. They dim the lights, the music to the movie begins and the movie starts. They begin speaking in Spanish, and as I go to read the first few sub titles I realize, oh crap, they are in Spanish!!!! So here I am again, at another Spanish movie with no way of knowing what they are saying!! It was so funny. :)
Of course because I like to see the good in everything...I enjoyed the film still -first, because it was good ...for what I know happened...second, because it was good to hear the words then be able to read them. Although I didn't know every word, it was good to hear the pronunciation and see the words at the same time. When I am around my coworkers and they are speaking Spanish, I wish they could have the words written out...I think I might learn a little faster! ha

Annie and I went exploring the city on Sunday afternoon and came upon an interesting looking hotel. We walked in and toured around. The hotels here are so unique and pretty because they are open. Like people can walk in and out of them all the time. The only thing closed off is your actual room. There is usually some open space with a garden and/or fountain. This particular hotel was two stories with access to the terrace. The view from the top was great!

Fireworks, every day there are fireworks!! :) One Saturday night after coming home from dinner, my roommate and I had the opportunity to watch them up close and personal. On our walk home, a group of people were shooting them off on our street. Such a simple thing can be so great at moments. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching and hearing the fireworks every night. I am like a little kid when I get to see them. It is like I forgot that I saw them the day before.

I packed sooo wrong for this move. I brought two pairs of nice pants, a couple of pairs of jeans, dresses, and NO jackets. I never would have imaged that I would be wishing I had a coat. In the mornings and evenings are quite chilly. During the day it is nice, but getting into the 60-70 is coooold! The rain is nice, but if it rains at night you must expect to be cold. Good weather to sleep in since there is no AC or fans!

All for now, must go study Spanish!

A volcano in my backyard

Seriously, I love it here. There are volcanoes so close I say it is like they are in my backyard! I am dying to hike them, but with my work schedule and the rain, I think I am going to have to wait until at least this Sunday, or the next!
The above pictures are taken right outside of my house one random morning. They are a little small on this blog, so just picture them larger!! And when you are here you can actually see the trees and the villages that are on the volcano. Sorry you can't tell from the pictures! The second picture is of my house...I live in the red door house!!

I broke my phone the other day and I haven't been bothered to get a new one. I think today will be the day I get one though. The one I had was cheap, about 20 US dollars.

I took some pictures the other day when the rain was really bad in Antigua...


The other night I said goodbye to one of my new friends as she headed back to the states to continue her summer at home and then back to school. The last night we hung out we had a great time. There was a bunch of us hanging out and we ended staying up pretty late. We decided to make a stop for food. The others that we were with knew of this hamburger place...OMG it was fantastic. Literally it was a window within a door, we ordered and about 20 minutes later each had a fried burger in our hand. I am not sure if I was that starving, but that burger was so yummy. The bread was delicious...it included lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup and mayo...we are still talking about that place!
This picture was taken in my kitchen.

Last night, I watched a movie, a Guatemalan movie more specifically. This movie was shown in a restaurant...Bagel Barn. This place holds about 25-35 people. It was very interesting. It actually would have been better, had I either know Spanish, or the couple of guys blocking the English subtitles weren't in my way!! haha I still knew what was going on. I caught a couple of words here and there, but my brain was fried so about half way through the movie, I'm pretty sure I made up my own words.

Breakfast for champions this morning...scrabbled eggs, beans, fried plantains, and bread!!! So delicious!

Here is my home...the last picture is our stairs to the roof.

A little Random

This blog is about a bunch of random topics!

----After a few days of arriving in Antigua I moved into my new residence - guesthouse (casa de huésped), and stayed the night there even though my parents were still in town. One of my favorite thing about Antigua is the beauty all around you...you can look in one direction and see Volcano Agua, in another you see multiple mountains and tiny villages... all of the houses are different colors, the streets are cobblestone, people are walking, riding their bikes or motorcycles, small tiendas (shops) open, and women everywhere are making tortillas. It really is so beautiful to me!
Our house is red with a black door...you walk inside and down a long hallway; the rooms are on the right hand side. If you continue down you will run into the dining room with the kitchen to the right. The dinning room has another entrance to the outside where there is the yard with a bathroom, a pila (what you can wash your clothes in) . There is another bedroom up the stairs directly outside of the dinning room as well. My bedroom is quite large with two beds, and a full bathroom. We also have stairs that will take you to the roof, where there are chairs to sit and relax. The roof is the best place to be after a large storm. If it is light outside you can see the clouds move across the mountains, like the mountains are smoking. If it is dark outside, the villages/homes in the distance look a lot like spaceships. :)

I don't normally get up until 7:15am -7:30am for breakfast, but because I am a light sleeper I am initially woken up around 5am-5:30am. The birds are very active in the morning and I hear them walk across our roof...I swear it sounds like a heard of sheep, or like a couple of dogs playing. It is like they are chasing each other around... I usually can fall back asleep, but it happens every morning!!!

One of the best sights in the morning is when I head to work, I walk out of our house, I turn directly around and see Aqua. She is beautiful!!! Most of the mornings it is totally clear so I can see the little villages on Agua, I can see the trees, and the very top of the volcano. By mid morning, afternoon, she is partly covered with clouds so the view is good, just different.

I walk to school on the sidewalk and cobblestone streets. The cars have the ride -a- way so you have to watch where you are crossing. Antigua is set up in a block system so it is really easy to figure your way around. And like most block systems, some roads are only one way. The streets aren't labeled well, so you must memorize a few major roads so you can learn your way around. My walk to work takes me 20-25 minutes depending on the route I go, and how fast I decide to walk that day!

---If it doesn't rain by the afternoon you can almost guarantee it will rain that evening. You learn to bring your rain coat with you all of the time, or decide to take the rain head on!

---I work with 4 other Americans at La Union and 4 Guatemalans. The Americans consist of 2 guys (Zak and Zach) and 2 girls (Vanessa and Annie)...all of whom I feel fairly close with already. I work with them all most days of the week. There is one guy (Zach) & girl (Annie) that work at La Union - the Spanish school and I don't see them but about a hour a day at the English school. I also live with Zach, and because I don't see him much at work, we usually hang out every night together. I am quickly becoming really close to the girls (Vanessa and Annie), they are close to me in age, and have the same interests as I do - I am soooo thankful to have females around me! Even Vanessa and I have been talking about getting an apartment together in the near future. She has her life here like I do now, so we might as well as live together forever...or at least for the time being!
Our guesthouse has two other people staying in it currently...both male. One is younger and from the states but is here in the meantime learning about the culture. He never comes out of his room but to eat...so I am not sure what he has been experiencing...but hey, I am not here to judge. The other man is from Canada and is here to learn Spanish and work with various volunteer groups. He seems to be an interesting man and really wants to be involved. He comes and goes a lot so I haven't had much time to talk with him.
We are suppose to have someone else stay here in a couple of days. We are not sure where she is from...so I will update you when I know.

---I think I experienced my first earthquake the other day. I am not sure if that is true because it happened around 3-4 in the morning so I could have been dreaming. I woke up to my bed shacking and the house shaking for about 3 seconds. Again, I am sure this happened, but I can't know 100%. I asked Zach whom I live with, but he said he is a hard sleeper and doesn't remember anything. Earthquakes are quite common here, but they tend to be fairly small. They also tend to be side to side earthquakes which usually don't do damage, as opposed to the up and down earthquakes. The houses and buildings here in Antigua as are customer designed to handle modest earthquakes. :)


---We (Zach, Vanessa, Annie and some of V's friends) have been hanging out at local cafes listening to live bands, or dancing. It has been so much fun and I have been staying out way too late. I feel like I am 19 again!! haha But it has been extremely fun getting to know the friends I work with and meeting people from Guate and other countries. Most recently I have meet people from Canada, and Europe.

Anniversary of 2 weeks

Tomorrow will be my two week anniversary of arriving in Gautemala. I have only been on my own for 9 days now and it has been wonderful. I have managed to find the best bagels (really, I am obsessed with Bagel Barn), Kolocheskis (a Texas breakfast item!!!...and I don't know how to spell that), how to lock a bathroom door properly (interesting fact: the lock is backwards. So to lock the door, the lock thingy goes parallel to the floor instead of perpendicular), chocolate churros, how to use my phone, how to walk to my work at least 10 different ways, how to ride my bike in the cobblestone streets, and the best cookie place in town. I really, really like to eat!! Soon I would like to try the Peruvian restaurant, the Thai restaurant, and the Sushi restaurant. Good thing I have found a friend that likes to eat as much as I do!! I also forgot to mention that in Antigua they have McDonalds, BK, Subway, and Domino's Pizza. (weird) My new friend is from PA and will be here in Guate for the next 6 months! I am pretty optimistic that we will find all sorts of delicious treats together.

In past ten days, I have worked 7 of them!!! It has been real easy and low stress, but I have been extremely tired. Today I finally took a nap...a four hour nap, it was lovely! This past week has been busy for me. It is funny to think about how I was wondering what I was going to do with my time...and now I don't have ANY free time. This is what my week has been:

Wednesday (June 30th): off
Thursday (July 1st): worked 8-12, 2-5pm
Friday (July 2nd): meeting from 10-12pm ( I didn't technically call this work)
Saturday (July 3rd): worked from 11-2pm
Sunday (July 4th): off
Monday (July 5th): Spanish class 10-12pm; worked 2-6pm
Tuesday (July 6th): Spanish class 10-12pm; worked 2-6pm
Wednesday (July 7th): Spanish class 10-12pm; worked 2-6pm
Thursday (July 8th): Spanish class 10-12pm; worked 2-6pm
Friday (Today): worked 8-12pm

I know right now looking at this, it really doesn't seem that bad, but let me walk you through it. I wake up around 7:15am, I have breakfast at 7:30am. After breakfast I get ready, plan for my english class, pack my bag, and maybe practice some spanish vocab - I leave my house at 9:25am. I arrive at my work (La Union) a little before 10am, because it takes me 20 minutes AT LEAST to walk there. I get one or two cups of coffee, have my lesson from 10-12. I walk back to my house, arrive around 12:30pm. I eat lunch at 12:45-1pm time (our cook is great!). I have a quick break and leave my house around 1:30pm to make sure I am at La Union before 2pm. I work from 2-6pm, then me and my friends walk home...I arrive around 6:30-6:45pm. Dinner has been prepared and left on the table for me to heat up and eat when I am ready. I do various activities in the evening, go to bed, and do it all over!

I have really been enjoying my days, but my mind is so full it wants to explode. I am learning 20-30 new words/verbs a day. I am trying to take in as much as I can, but by the end of the day I can't think. Most nights I spend talking with my housemates, watching Top Chef (which is in DC this season), practicing my spanish vocab, conjugating my verbs, planning for my english classes the following day, or out dancing because I need my brain to do nothing!!

The spanish classes are really helping though. I can already tell a difference from when I got here to now. I take class with my friend Zak (from Texas), whom is pretty good at spanish. He knows a lot of people here and speaks with them all the time, so I am learning a lot just having Zak in the room. He asks a lot of questions, and talks with our teacher - so I am catching new words left and right. Which I immediately have to write down or I will forget! My other friends speak english most of the time, but have lately been talking in spanish more to help me out. I really want to learn it fast, like in 3-4 months, so I spend all of my free time reading and studying, and asking questions. My new friend Vanessa came here with no knowledge of spanish and managed to learn it in 3 months. Granted she had an advantage bc her spanish classes were for 4 hours, and she lived with a family, and had Guatemalan friends - but....I still think I can do it!
Every time I am with my friends, and some of our other guate friends, I pick up new words, and really start to hear words. It takes a while for your ears to adjust to the language, especially others' accents. For example, in spanish the double ll sounds a lot like a y or j, and h is silent, d sounds like r or t, and j sounds like h.....it gets really confusing. But because I am around the same people, I am beginning to hear certain words they say over and over now! It is really fun practicing bc everyone messes up and the locals like it when you try.
None-the-less, my head wants to explode with all of this new vocab of another language.

Another interesting fact about Guate, is in regards to cell phones. I bought one when I arrived in Antigua for roughly 30 US dollars. It is not fancy, but I could care less, it is a phone. I was under the impression I would buy a phone, put on minutes and only use it in emergency. NOPE, not the case at all. I actually use it all of the time! There are three companies that you can purchase minutes (Saldo) from: Tigo - which I have, Claro!, or Monster (or something like that, I can't remember). What you do is you purchase Saldo, they give you card(s) with that amount of Q (Guate money) on them, then scratch off the phone number to text/call to get those Saldos on your phone. So think like you are scratching a lotto ticket. A lot of times they have great deals, like 3 for the price of one. So say I wanted 20 Q on my phone, I would pay for 20Q, but receive 60 Q. It is best to think of Qs as minutes...it is tough to explain through the internet. The catch is if you call on the day they are having a sale, it cost you X3 as much!! Here is the other great thing about their phones...incoming calls/texts don't cost you anything. For Tigo, when I call someone it cost my 1Q (8 Q=1 US dollar), when I text someone it costs me 1Q. When I call the US, supposedly it only costs me 1 or 2Q, but them nothing. I need to look into this further, but that was what I was told. Also, say I am out of minutes (Qs), someone can call me and I can answer, or they can text me and I will still receive it. This is all great, but here is the other catch...the minutes expire. So you can't buy 700 minutes and think you are set for months, because chances are they will expire over the next 30-45 days!!!!
I love learning all of the differences and trying to really understand them!

I will write more later about what the town looks like, what the hotels and gardens are like, and what else I have been doing with my free time (it isn't much!!)

Work has Begun

My parents left on Wednesday morning, I said goodbye as they got in the bus headed towards the city for the airport. I had been staying at my new place for the past two nights, learning about the guys I was living with. Not to fear, they are really cool!
As I made my walk back to the other side of town that morning I couldn't help but smile. My parents had just left, I was all by myself in this great town... I had finally did this! Yes, with a little help, but I was here now, on my own. It was an incredible feeling that I can't even describe. I have been wanting to be here for a while now, (I know I keep saying this, but each day it gets more and more real)... and now I unpack!!!

I hung around my house most of the day, and eventually made it out to the store. I needed a few bathroom items and wanted to get them before it got dark or the rain began. It was really fun walking to the store by myself, purchasing items by myself - in Spanish, and returning to my new home by myself!! I really like the area that I am living in. It is pretty close to Central Park and that is basically where everything you will ever need is located. My school is on the other side of town, about a 20 minute walk. I plan to start riding my bike to work this upcoming week, so that will reduce my time!

That night I ate dinner with one of my roommates and ended up talking to him most of the night! The next morning was my first day on the job. I was suppose to go through training and learn about my schedule and expectations...

Thursday was a good day. I learned a ton about the program, my school, and what I would be getting involved in. I would have my first real day on Saturday from 11am-2pm. I spent most of the day at work, watching others teach and helping where I could. I received all supplies that I would need and began to work out a teaching agenda.
That night I went out dancing with some friends (coworkers and their friends) and had a great night!! Friday was not an early rise for me, I had to be at work for a meeting at 10am. I had the rest of the day off. Nothing was planned for Friday expect to stop at the laundry mat to get some clothes washed!

I am looking forward to teaching on Saturday but a little nervous. I will give an update soon about what that was like!

First Few Days

Since I have been in Guatemala I haven't had a chance to write everything down that my parents and I have done, so I will do my best to remember (or at least the best moments). Saturday morning we ate at Bagel Barn, our favorite place to have breakfast because we are obsessed with bagels, and my dad swears they make the best strawberry smoothies ever. On a side note, we ate there every day - yep, we are pathetic. We decided it would be best to walk around that morning trying to get our barrings; the last time we were in Antigua (which was about 2 months ago) we stayed on the other side of town. We managed, pretty quickly actually, to find my school that I would soon be teaching at. I spoke with several people there and made a plan to return on Monday so I could move into my new place!!! The rest of the day is a blur really, I am pretty sure we just walked around all day. I do remember being out that night, and since it was Saturday a lot of people were out. Multiple shops were open, the streets were lit - it was a really cool sight to see. I never remember walking down 5th avenida before or it being so busy and full of life.

Sunday we got picked up from our hotel and went to chichi (Chichicastenango) for the best known market in Guatemala. We spent between 4-5 hours there walking around, buying a few items, eating, and learning about the market. This market is enormous...it is only open on Thursdays and Sundays, and around 8,000 or so people travel to this market every time. It was great...it is filled with food/drinks, clothes, jewelry, tapestry...you name it - they have it! Like I said we got there by van...ridding on a bus/van is always the scariest thing, even before tropical storm Agatha hit. The roads are usually fine, but are extremely windy and the buses don't seem to mind or think best to slow down. I swear they are not fearful drivers, no matter what conditions! But because of Agatha the roads were torn apart (or gone completely), there was mud covering parts of the roads - at times, we would have to drive on the opposite side of road with oncoming traffic, then weave over to the correct side because of the condition of the roads...the driver didn't think twice though! The worst, but best part (and I say worst but best, because I like how they drive -they aren't scared) it was raining that day and foggy (of course); therefore, the driver could barely see out of his window. Thank god I wasn't in the front because I would have been sweating so much and possibly crying! I am not a happy driver/passenger in rain. It was an experience that is for sure! On the ride home we sat next to a lovely couple that quit their jobs, bought a sail boat and are sailing around the world for the next ... years (they said they aren't sure if they would go back yet.) I just think this is great! I got there card and may take a trip with them to Belize sometime! I have always wanted to be on a sailboat.

Monday, I moved into my room, went shopping for some small items and I think walked around more. It is funny how quickly I forget. I know we went shopping for a tool to fix my shower...and a tool for my bike. Which by the way, I didn't think I was going to get my bike here, but it happened. I love my place, I love my room and my bathroom, but if anyone comes to visit - they/you will hate the shower. It is really weird and I barely get any hot water...let me rephrase, you get hot, but with barely any water. The more I turn the knob to release more water, the cooler the water gets! I think it is funny and great, what do I care??

Since I found out that I didn't need to be at work until Thursday morning, I got to hang out with my parents on their last day in Guate. We took a tour of the town - which I highly recommend when you visit! I learned a lot from this tour and plan to revisit all of the museums and hotels again. We lucked out during our tour because it didn't rain. In case you don't/didn't read the weather reports or watch the news, since the time we were in Guate, tropical storm (at that time - and then hurricane) Alex was passing over us. We luckily just got the tail end of the storm - which was good, but that meant rain everyday, pretty much all day.

To make the rest of this short - my parents left the next morning and I hung out at my new place!! Work was in the morning!

My trip to Guatemala

I was really excited to head out of town to see my Grandma and then move to Guatemala. I said all of my goodbyes (which were very difficult - even though I know I never showed any emotion- sorry.), packed my stuff in the Budget truck, attached my car, and headed to KY to see my Grandma. She doesn't live there, we were meeting in the middle, as she was heading to PA to see family. The drive took two days to get there - mom, dad, and myself piled into a truck with barely any leg room - it was interesting! The first night in KY we saw an outdoor dinner show about a family who just lost their father/husband, and him returning in spirit to say goodbye - think Ghost with Demi Moore. It was actually pretty funny! Then next day we spent time in a Shaker Village - we do weird things on vacation, don't ask. I have to admit it was interesting to see how the Shakers lived their lives and how advanced they were for their time. That took up most of our day so we just headed to dinner and a night full of card games (secretly my favorite thing to do).
The very next (early) morning we drove to AL to my parent's home to hang out until it was time for us to fly to Guatemala. We dropped off the truck, did a little shopping for items I would/might need in Guate, packed my belongings (again), and just hung out.
That Friday we drove to Atlanta to fly to Guatemala where I would be unpacking my belongs FOR GOOD! I have been several times before, but always for a short stint of time, but this trip was different, this was a trip for me to get settled in my new home. That still sounds soooo....hmmm, great! We arrived Friday night and picked up a ride to Antigua getting us there around 10:30pm. Time for bed!!
The next couple of days were about getting my life organized!! I couldn't wait!