Guatemala: Day 10 - Panajachel Part 3

January 18

Did I say Monday would be relaxing? Okay, okay. It was, for the most part.

I started the day lounging in bed and planning my day. After that, my first priority was to find something for my lingering cough and my problemas femininas. I went to a farmacia for these needs. Everything was in glass cases, so it was hard to find what I needed. I almost bought a pregnancy test because the box looked about the right size for tampons (which I was surprised by, because tampons are supposedly hard to find in Guatemala). Luckily I saw the image with little check boxes marking "si" or "no" and moved on to different products. I got what I needed, plus a pack of strawberry cream cough drops.

I walked to a cafe to enjoy a morning coffee. I strolled through town in hopes of finding something worth buying as a souvenir, which I did.

Me, and the lake, and my awesome new hand-stitched skirt

I continued to walk through town and somehow walked full-circle. I was not at all interested in being lost this time, so I caught a tuc-tuc to take me to the playa publica. My next goal was to figure out where I could actually dip my feet into the water. So I wandered about and continued to pass through shops and lake views.

One dog adopted me and started walking with me. I happened upon 2 more dogs who had their rear-ends touching and I tried to figure out what could possibly be going on in this position.

I knew better than to interfere with what might be a sensitive situation. The dog that was tagging along with me went over for a sniff and quickly got growled away. I had a good guess about what was happening, or had happened, but is this what normally happens? I don't think so. I waited for a while and then continued onward.

I found an entrance to the lake and dipped my feet in and took some pictures. A man came along to make small talk. I wasn't interested in conversation, so I headed back to find a new quiet spot. I sat on a nice little bench and knitted while looking at the water. Some women passing by showed a lot of interest in the knitting.

Then I went to find lunch. The attached dogs were separated and a new male was already expressing interest in the female, who was NOT in the mood. 

A little further along, I found myself a lake-front restaurant.

A few salespeople came through trying to convince me to buy bracelets and other trinkets. I had to say "no gracias" many many times. I accidentally said, "si" to one woman who asked if I might want something later. I instantly kicked myself for this, because I'd already learned that they will follow through. When Chris admired some goods outside the school earlier in the week, she told them that she'd come back another day. The woman asked which day and held Chris to it. In my case, I just repeated some more "no gracias" and she finally gave up on me.

As beautiful as the lake was, there wasn't an easy place to set up for the day, so I headed back to one of my wrong turns from the previous day to explore the Nature Preserve, which was about a mile and a half away. 

I paid my admission and took a look at the map. I decided to head for the monkeys first. After seeing the monkeys high up in the trees, I hoped to continue on the path to see the waterfall, some other stuff, and then end with the butterflies. To continue this hike, I had to cross a rickety bridge about 15 feet across. About 3-4 inches of space separated each plank, which meant that scaredy-cat Laura needed to carefully step on each plank of wood.

I approached another bridge and started walking before I realized what I was in for. By the time I realized that this bridge was at least three times as long, I was committed. I knew I should put away my tablet, which I had been using as a camera, but coordinating that action while on a rickety bridge seemed far too difficult. So I continued to carefully cross the scary bridge, clinging on to my belongings.

As I arrived at the middle of the bridge, my tablet slipped from my hand. Crap!

But it landed on the bridge inches in front of my feet. Thank God!

And bounced. Super Crap!

And gracefully dove between the wood planks to the ground 20 feet below. Super Duper Crap!!!

Suddenly, I had a reason to walk faster on the bridge. I got to the other end and scurried down the hill of dirt and branches to the ground. I climbed over a giant pile of other Lost Forever items before eyeing my bright orange tablet on the ground. I retrieved it, and climbed my way back up, thankful for the branches that I used to hoist myself up because flip flops are not the best hiking shoes.

And then I continued on. For about 10 feet. Until I arrived at another long, rickety bridge. Screw this, I said. I cut my losses, PUT MY TABLET IN MY BACKPACK, and then headed back across the 2 previous bridges. 

This turned out to be a good call, because when I got back to the monkey area, there were some new animals hanging out. I wasn't sure what they were, but when I approached one, it bolted away like a cat. So I was fairly certain it was harmless. This one was brave enough to continue to approach me. I couldn't get a still shot of him, because he moved like this.

Then I was off to sit in the butterfly sanctuary for a bit. I also happened to catch some peacocks. After that, I headed back to the beach to enjoy the sunset.

Don't mind us. We're just hanging out on our car.

At the beach, I found some concrete steps to sit and relax. Children came to play and 2 of the younger ones sheepishly stripped off most of their clothes to swim in the lake, giggling the entire time. I made small talk with a man collecting cans. A young girl selling trinkets admired my knitting and asked about it.
"Para usted?" she asked.
"Si," I responded.
"Para mi?" she asked.
"No."
Which prompted her to leave.

An older woman selling items sat next to me. We talked about my knitting and her beading. We talked about the sunset and the clouds. She pointed as a crane flew by and I asked her what it was called in Spanish.

"Grua," She replied. Soon after that she continued on her way.

At around 6:30, it began to get cold and the clouds had ended the sunset early. So I went to the public bathrooms, paid dos quetzales for my share of toilet paper, and then headed in the direction of my hostel. The streets that had been bustling with pedestrians and vendors had turned into a ghost town, so I flagged down a tuc tuc for a ride home.

I packed up, wound down, chatted with Craig, and got some sleep before my early morning shuttle to the airport.

My host sister, Daniella, liked to ask about English words and phrases that she saw on signs and TV. One phrase she asked about was THE END.

Guatemala: Day 9 - Panajachel Part 2

January 17th (Still)

At 1:30 on Sunday, I thought for sure I had made it to my destination, Panajachel. I was in the center of a city and caught sight of a few street signs. I looked for these signs on my map, but couldn't find them. I saw a sign pointing to the beach and decided to go for it.

By the time I realized that the city I was in probably WASN'T Panajachel, I was in too deep and walking on a road with no turnoffs. I could turn back, but that would require me to head back uphill and I figured it just couldn't be that far, right? But after some more walking, I saw a billboard advertising some place in Panajachel that was 5k away. I convinced myself that this would mean that the beginning of the city would be closer. So, I continued to walk on the side of a reasonably busy, winding road, with the occasional drainage that I could walk in for added protection. This wouldn't be so bad if:
a) Chicken buses weren't flying past every 10-15 minutes.
b) I wasn't walking in flip flops that had already taken me 3 miles to the bus that morning.
c) I wasn't battling a mild cold.
d) I weren't in the middle of some problemas femininas and in need of more, ahem, equipment.
e) It hadn't been 5 hours since I'd last peed.
f) There weren't random dead animals in my path.

dead snake

There were some silver linings: I was going DOWNhill. The weather was nice and it was daylight. Plus, I occasionally caught view of the lake.

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Eventually, I arrived at a little area with souvenir stands. I asked a man if taxis would stop there. He said yes. So I waited. I flagged a couple of taxis and the drivers looked at me, but didn't stop. After 15 minutes of this, I continue onward.

Finally, there was a turnoff! I headed down this road and saw children playing soccer and some roosters milling about. I saw a church and thought this was a good sign because it was probably the city center. I continued walking, determined to make it to the lake. I ended up at a dead end with a sign telling me I was on private property. I headed back UPhill to the church to look for signs that might tell me where I was. I learned from a man in the church that I was in Santa Cruz, which is so small that it doesn't even have road signs, not even on Google maps. There was a church, a bunch of guys playing soccer, some roosters, and a view of the lake that I couldn't seem to reach. 

I asked the man at the church if taxis would come to this area and he said yes. I asked how long and he said 10 minutes. So I waited. After 15 minutes a taxi passed by. I flagged the driver and he continued to drive. I even waited an extra 10 minutes in hopes that he would loop back around after dropping off a passenger. He did not.

So I continued to climb back UPhill to the main road again. After another hour of walking, I arrived at another turnoff. There were billboards for hotels, so I felt a bit more optimistic. There was also this sign:

But if I followed that sign, I would have had to continue on the main road. So instead, I walked down a quiet road, lined with small houses and people working on farms. I saw the lake, but again couldn't get to it. I passed a sign for Reserva Natural Atitlan, which would have been intriguing if I weren't so desperately in need of a bed (and a toilet). But I reached another dead end. So I turned around for the millionth time. At this point it was nearly 5 pm and I resigned myself to becoming a Guatemalan vagrant.

But on the way back, I passed a big fancy hotel and a tuc-tuc (aka mini taxi) pulled into the parking lot. I ran over and asked for a ride to my hostel. 

tuc tucs

And for 10 quetzales (less than $1.50), I received a ride to my hostel. When all was said and done, it turned out I was in the main city of Solala and walked 6-7 miles to the tuc tuc, which should have been a 10-minute chicken bus ride if I had known I needed to take one more bus.

My hike from Solala to Hotel Atitlan, with a 1 mile detour in Santa Cruz

The final stretch of less than 2 miles that I completed via tuc tuc.

Around 6 pm, I arrived at the hostel, relaxed for a little bit, and found some food. I also figured out that I could take a shuttle directly from the hostel to the airport on Tuesday. And I learned this from someone speaking English, so I was pretty sure it was true. I booked a second night in Panajachel, planning to have an exceptionally relaxing day on Monday. 

Guatemala: Day 9 - Panajachel Part 1

January 17

I left the house shortly after 9:00 am on Sunday. I had a bit of a walk to get to the bus station that would take me to Panajachel, Lake Atitlan, based on the conversation I had with one of the employees of the school. Of course, that means I had this conversation in Spanish, so all I knew for sure was that if I got to a specific spot on the map I had, there would be buses that could get me to Panajachel.

My family was surprised that I would be walking all the way there and offered to take me there on their moto. Riding on a motorcycle of any sort is not on my list of things to do, so I answered with a no gracias. I added, "Me gusta caminar" (I like to walk). I would be eating those words by the end of the day.

After making a couple of wrong turns, I was on the correct route to the bus station. I arrived at a main road and the first thing I noticed was lots of dogs everywhere along with their owners. Is this road a dog park? I asked and learned that this road was closed every Sunday until early afternoon. So people would take their dogs and go for runs and walks around the area. There was also a park where people were playing AMERICAN football.

Soon I arrived at the market that I knew was close to the bus station. This area was stuffed with people and fresh fruits and vegetables. I wasn't sure what street I was on and just pushed my way through. People were advertising their goods left and right. At one point I even passed a man leading his 3 goats down the road, weaving in and out of the crowds. When I made it through the market, I hit the end of the road and realized I would have to circle around to get to the buses. So close, yet so far, I thought. Finally I arrived at the road and saw nothing but Chicken Buses. Ugh! I thought I would be getting on one of the nice buses! I circled around once more just to make sure that I was in fact destined to take a Chicken Bus for my long trip to Panajachel.

Photo of chicken buses, courtesy of Chrissypants

Luckily, I took a couple of Chicken Bus trips during the week for our short trips with the school. Chicken Buses are refurbished repainted school buses from the United States. They are infamous for being a little crazy, a little unsafe, and quite the experience.

I walked through this street filled with dozens of Chicken Buses, people, and trash. As I strolled along the side of the street, I wondered why there was so much trash in this area. My thoughts were interrupted, and answered, when a Gatorade bottle came flying out of a bus window and almost hit me in the head.

I got on a bus that would supposedly take me to Panajachel and squeezed in with a lady. People walked through the aisles selling snacks and drinks, frequently entering through the front door and jumping out the emergency exit in the back. A woman carried her son, who had obvious disabilities, asking for money for a surgery her son needed (personally, I'm pretty sure there was no such surgery). I asked the lady next to me if this bus was going to Panajachel, just to get some reassurance, but she said this bus was only going to some city I didn't know.  I talked with the driver, but didn't understand much of the exchange and got off the bus. After a couple more failed interactions, I realized that there weren't any buses going directly to Panajachel on Sunday and I would have to change somewhere. So I settled into the very back of a 2nd bus with a man, where more salespeople came walking through, including the woman with her son.

A curvy woman with twice my hips and thrice my bosom came down the aisle. Where does she think she's going? I was sharing my seat with a man and the seat next to me contained a woman and her 3 children. I realized with slight horror that she was heading towards my seat. She asked if we could slide over, so we spared her a few inches. She wedged herself somewhat between my seat and the seat with the family of 4. She even managed to nap during the trip, which I found quite impressive. If I had attempted such a feat, I surely would have gone flying down the aisle. I talked with her for a little bit and learned that she was going to Panajachel because her father was ill and it looked bad for him. I frowned and said "lo siento", but inside I was giving myself a little pat on the back for understanding her.

Meanwhile, throughout the trip, a man walked up and down the bus to collect fares from everyone as they settled in. He jumped on and off the bus, even when it was moving. Within seconds of people boarding the bus, the driver ramped back up to full speed while the other man climbed through the emergency exit door and up to the roof to stow luggage. You know all those movies where people are climbing on moving trains and buses and cars and you think, "This is not at all realistic." Well, I now find these actions much more believable, because I saw it with my own eyes. This, by the way, is why I opted to keep my things crammed at my feet.

After a couple hours, I knew we should be close to my destination, so I asked the man how much farther to my change for Panajachel. He said, "Ahora! Aqui!" and ushered me quickly off the bus as it arrived at the stop. After I stepped off the bus the man quickly helped new people get on and stow luggage. As he was mid-transaction with a potential rider, the bus started to pull away. He gasped, ran, and jumped on the back of the bus as money flew out of his hand.

I got on my second bus, which was much more relaxing in comparison. I talked with a young woman next to me and learned she was a teacher. When she learned I was from Arizona, I caught the change in her facial expression, obviously aware of some of Arizona's lovely laws. Luckily she didn't judge me based on the opinions of my entire state, and we continued to converse. She also pointed out when I was supposed to get off the bus.

Around 1:30, I left the bus and I was in Panajachel. My adventures were over. Or so I thought. I was wrong.

Guatemala: Day 8 - Last Night in Xela

For my last night in Xela, Chris and I agreed it would be nice to treat our family to dinner and dessert. I mentioned that pizza was kind of a specialty dinner here and that Dominos was the popular place to go. Chris hasn't given up her NY snobbery about pizza and thought Dominos would be way lame.

However, I talked with Danilo and he instantly requested pizza (which he and the rest of the family all know to be his favorite food.) And followed up with saying to go to Dominos. "Told you!" I said to Chris. We tried to explain how people feel about Dominos in NY, but it didn't matter much.

Before dinner, Chris and I also got a bottle of wine,  a bottle of beer, a yummy-looking cake, and some other pastries.

We asked when they would like to have dinner and they said 7. We said that we would leave for pizza around 6:30, but Danilo added that Glendi could take Chris on the moto at 7. So dinner at 7 became go leave to get dinner at 7, which really means 7:15, which means when all is said and done dinner will be at 8. Ish.

But when we finally sat down for dinner, we had such a nice time chatting and eating. They enjoy kidding around and they seem to be an all-around happy family. Because of the restaurant, this was the only meal we all sat down to together other than the Chinese food on our first night. After pizza and beer, I brought out the treats, which were even yummier than they looked. The cake was called tres leches and the pastry was called mil hojas.

And after this began the vino challenge. When we bought the wine, I knew there was a chance the family wouldn't have a corkscrew. But I asked Danilo if they had anything and he said yes. Then he banged the bottle bottom on the wall a couple times. I thought he was being silly. He WAS being silly, but he was also showing me how he planned to open the wine. This didn't work, so we brainstormed some other methods.

I brought out my spork, my tweezers, and my knitting needles. We opted for the knitting needle. We hammered it into the cork, in hopes to create a hole. But then the needle was stuck. Like, super stuck. Like, so stuck that Danilo got his drill to pull it out. Which worked. And a little bit of wine came with it so we thought we had succeeded. Sadly no more wine came out. Danilo tried drilling into the cork with a drill bit, but finally we opted for using the hammer and another tool to push the cork into the wine. Which was perfectly fine and we enjoyed our well-earned beverage.

Drills, knitting needles, and wine.

The night turned into a nice little celebration. Danilo played his xylophone while Pablo played his child-size version. We also shared our facebook names (which was a good chance for me to see how much can be seen by people who have no real connection to me at all) and looked at photos. Glendi told me to tell mi esposo that I would be staying longer in Guatemala. At first I misunderstood and said, "si!"

We wound down around ten, with Cheetos the kitten cuddled into Chris's knee. Usually he sleeps in the garage type area with the dog, but he was so cute we let him stay. Until he decided it was time to play all over me at 2:30 in the morning.

I woke up, showered, and ate some more dessert for breakfast. Glendi made some coffee and gave me a pair of earrings she made. Soon after I was off to Panajachel, which is another adventure that I'll be saving to share for another day.

Adios, Xela! :-(

P.S.

Dear Mom and Dad,

Our Christine is safe and sound. We met lots of nice people at the school who will take good care of her. AND several of them will be heading to the mountain school at the same time as her! I believe I left her in good hands.

Guatemala: Days 6, 7, and 8

Today is Saturday, my last full day in Xela. I began the day by going to the restaurant, Gran Luna, with the family. Then I ran a quick errand to the school. There is a man, Amaro, who works with the school and he leads most of the trips. During these trips he also shares some history of Guatemala. There has been a lot of corruption and violence over the past century. Things are calm right now, but far from better. A new president just took office this week, which is a big deal. People feel hopeful, but also see that he is probably not much more than a puppet.

Amaro experienced a lot of this firsthand. He is in his fifties now, but as a child his father was captured and tortured. When he escaped, they went to Mexico to stay safe for awhile. Now Amaro and his father are back in Guatemala and Amaro stays very busy working as an activist. He sells shirts for the activist organization so that they can raise money. So I went to the school today to get one.

Then I returned to the restaurant for breakfast and a few games of Connectivo Cuatro. Pablo is still understanding the game, Daniela is a decent opponent for me, and Danilo is a tough competitor. I asked if he plays chess, which he does, because he is very good at seeing many moves into the future. He asked if I play too, but I said no because I can't think ahead.

Today is also a special day because there were two women at the restaurant making fresh tortillas. I asked Daniela, " Hacen las tortillas cado sabado?" "No," she said. " Hoy la primera vez!" So it was neat to watch them get set up and go through the process of making tortillas to sell.

Ahora, Chris is at the libreria, but I opted for sitting on the couch with the cat and Pablo as he watches Looney Toons in Espanol. The reason being: I am so sore! On Thursday, we had a nice trip to Zunil, which is where they have a special saint that likes to drink and smoke, so you pray to him by pouring rum in his throat and lighting a cigarette.

Church in Zunil

We saw one of the more popular churches and then went to a popular market. This is the place to go for fresh fruits and vegetables. I decided to ignore my mild allergies to avocados and buy a couple because they are a lot different here (don't worry, I made sure to only eat a little and share the rest, so I am still alive and well).

Market

River with a random sheep

I had a nice amount of energy on Thursday, so Spanish instruction went well. I simply cannot believe how much Spanish I have learned in a week and I MUST continue to improve in the states! My instructor is quite tough on me and I still know there is much to learn. But I like how I am at the point where I can go on tangents with her and discuss politics, schools, and of course my cats (all in Espanol).

After instruction I experienced one of the top highlights of my week: getting to play futbol! The school hosts a weekly game with students from the school and a few Guatemalans connected to the school. Chris only had leather, tough-soled boots, but I convinced her to join. We divided into three teams and cycled in and out. It was fun to play with the gringos and a few people who are really, really good at soccer. Chris held her own and she finally got to get me back for all the years I beat on her in childhood. We went head-to-head a couple time and she got me in the leg with her shoes. The bruises I have now don't do justice to how much it hurt that night! I also got to score a couple goals. Woo! Long story short, it was a blast, but my body is still not happy about it.

Yesterday went quickly. I wandered around the city, had my last day of Spanish, and participated in making dinner for that evening's community meal. I only did the first hour, where I helped prepare string beans and other veggies. That night's meal was chicken with rice and a special sauce, which apparently contained all the veggies: string beans, onions, garlic, cilantro, tomatoes, carrots, and probably more that I am forgetting. Kind of makes me realize that I am not taking advantage of my food processor enough. That night was the community meal and the graduation for those of us who are leaving.

It is bittersweet for me. I am excited to be back home with my Craig and my cats, but it will be hard to stay goodbye to the people I grew to know well in this short busy week. I am glad that I got to experience this with Chris because we will have these shared memories for the future. She pointed out that this was the first time we EVER went to the same school!

I hope to find time to talk more about the little things I have observed during this week. But for now, I am totally watching Back to the Future in Spanish. Adios!

Guatemala: Day 5

Everyone, I'm sure, has put themselves into situations that could have become much worse. Most of the time, everything turns out okay, but sometimes it doesn't. This ran through my mind on Wednesday when I realized I was lost in Xela.

Earlier in the week, my host mother Glendi asked if I wanted to run up the nearby mountain, so we decided to do this on Wednesday morning. Danilo joined us and we left at 6:30, mas o menos. The run was all uphill and it turned out that Danilo and Glendi were not as into running as I was hoping. They told me to just run ahead, so I did. I hadn't a clue what road I was on or if there was a well-marked end, and if so, how far it was. So I ran and ran and walked and ran some more. I was in a time crunch to go on a trip at 8:15, but I was determined to make it.

I crossed paths with many hardcore-looking runners, which was pretty neat. I made it to the top, eventually. Woo! I didn't have time to relax though, so I snapped some photos and was off back down the hill.

I rejoined with Danilo and Glendi. We ran and walked on and off for a little while, but since they knew I was in a bit of a rush, they sent me off to get home.

I immediately thought that this was probably not the smartest decision, but I knew that where the road up the mountain begins was not far from the house. So I flew down the mountain, or felt that way until I passed a man running faster up the road than I was running down. I got back into the city and was immediately on alert for landmarks to help me get home. At first everything was familiar and then suddenly it wasn't. So I backtracked, but that wasn't helping. I was lost.

I continued to run around the area in hopes of seeing something familiar, but it was a fruitless endeavor. I was now in a slight state of panic and telling myself that I'm not THAT lost and there are plenty of people around and it won't be the end of the world if I miss the trip.

But the other half of my brain screamed at me about how any of these people could be dangerous and I could be way farther than I think and the family will get home before me and think I was abducted and Chris won't know where I am and she might miss the trip too and it will be all my fault.

Breath, Laura, breath.

So I started asking people, "Donde esta dos Calle?" "Where is street 2?" This didn't help, because Chris informed me later that we live on segunda Calle... 2nd St. But all was not lost. I live close to a big supercado called La Torre. So I asked an adorable older woman "Donde esta La Torre?" And she explained the turns I needed to make.

The supermercado was in view within 5 minutes. I really wasn't THAT lost after all. I made it to our street, without a clue what time it was, and then saw Chris walking towards the house. It turned out the trip wasn't until 8:30 so when Chris saw no one was there yet she first headed to the restaurant, which was still closed, and then back home. So I had all of 5 minutes to get myself ready and head back to school for the trip.

The rest of the day was rough; after the run that turned out to be 6-7 miles, we went for a hike up to a sauna. My breakfast was a fun sized Milky Way and a granola bar. By lunch, tengo mucho hambre. I can't remember what I had (I think it was pollo quiche or Chile relleno), but I know it was delicious.

After desayuno, I went home to try to nap. Chris actually got to fall asleep, but I opted for cuddling with the kitten, which made sleeping impossible. Then we were rushing off to class at 2. Being exhausted BEFORE five hours of intensive 1:1 Spanish instruction is not a good sign. So I invited her to walk with me to get some treats. We visited the church and the government building nearby. Then I found a place to buy coca cola, m&ms and sour gummy worms. I also treated my maestra, Mariella, to a drink. We have an infinite supply of coffee at the school, but I drank so much of it on Tuesday that I desired an alternate source of caffeine.

With help for soda, dulces, and a walk, I made it through Spanish and forced myself to get a good night's sleep.

It is already Friday as I write this and there is much more to share. But for now I must go. Tengo hacer mi tirea!

Guatemala: Days 3 and 4

I have a correction to my previous post. Good news: my estimates for the ages of Daniela and Pablo WERE correct. Pablo just turned five and Daniela just turned eleven. Bad news: My ability to understand Spanish is suckier than I thought.

Today began at seven. Chris and I, who are sharing a room for the first time in twenty years by the way, lay in bed for a little while longer. Yesterday we had orientation at 8, but today there is no rush because our instruction is from 2 to 7. At orientation we learned about the program, the school, our families, and the history. In case you need another reason to despise corporate America, feel free to look into the history of the United Fruit Company and how badly it exploited Guatemala.

Chris took a shower first thing. Unfortunately that meant Danilo hadn't turned on the hot water yet. He explained to me the situation and encouraged me to "decirle ahora!" But I said for today esta bien and she would know for next time.

Pablo and Daniela slept in, Chris got herself ready, and Glendi and I walked to the restaurant. Their restaurant is very close, but we have to cross a very busy street to get there and I don't think there are crosswalks. So we cross as quickly and as cautiously as we can. People make a habit of honking their horns, often for no reason apparent to me. Danilo will do this when he passes us on his motorcycle. That's for fun or to scare us. If it were anyone else it would probably drive me nuts, but it's amusing to me here.

As Glendi and I walked to the restaurant, we talked a little. She asked if I would like to run and I think I agreed to run with her on the nearby mountain at six am one day this week. We arrived at the restaurant, which opens at 8, at 8:08.  I helped open the entrance,  set up things in the restaurant and clean las mesas. Chrissy arrived soon after and we enjoyed a breakfast of eggs, beans, rice, and tortillas. Yesterday we had this for dinner, but we shared because we weren't very hungry. Today tengo mucho hambre.

After breakfast I returned to the house to shower. The kids were on the couch watching TV. Pablo invited me to join but I explained I was about to shower. After I got myself ready, Pablo called "mira"!" I went to look and saw that he and the kitten were cuddled together on the couch and Cheetos was falling asleep on his arms with a blanket over him. Danilo then came by to take the kids to the restaurant. He returned not too long after that. We chatted a little about our past jobs. Before owning a restaurant, Danilo was a manager for Pepsi and Glendi worked at a shoe store ( I think). Danilo complimented our Espanol saying it was mucho mejor today. "Domingo, nada."

We walked to the school from home. The walk is less then 10 minutes and we pass lots of small shops on the way. Most shops are related to automotive, but there is also a big pool of water where women wash clothes and some shops with sewing machines. I am not sure if they sell the machines, rent out use of the machines, or sew stuff to sell.

Now I am sitting on top of the school, on the verrazo. There is a gorgeous view of las montagnas.

A Mayan Ceremony will begin in fifteen minutes that will be held by a Mayan priest. After that, we will have some time for lunch before our instruction time. I still have homework to do.

Mayan Ceremony

After class, we will head back to the restaurant for dinner, which closes at 8. Last night I convinced Daniela to let me work with her on her math, because she says it is her least favorite subject. I worked with her on making ten, which was a new concept for her. I explained that if she learned this skill, someday she could solve problems in her head. I showed her a more difficult problem, which Danilo was excited to solve. He also shared his knowledge of the tricks when multiplying by nine.

After practicing math, I taught Daniela some English, which she loves to learn. Last night was a late night. We all stayed up until close to eleven watching some TV. This appears to be typical. Danilo and Glendi stayed up after we went to bed and were still awake when I needed to get back up for the bathroom. I went to take out an earplug in case I needed to converse with them, and this is when I realized I had pushed one so deep in my ear canal that I couldn't reach it with my fingers. So began the unnerving experience of extracting an earplug with tweezers. It was a successful endeavor and after a bathroom break I fell asleep for the night.


Two notes: I noticed that they do not have much green space in the city streets, which means the dog must use the garage as her bathroom. Also, the kids go back to school next week. I am not sure of the school calendar here.

Adios!

Guatemala: Days 1 and 2

It's my fault I am still up at 10:15. At dinner, I wasn't eating much and I tried to explain that I was just tired. At the mall, I had my arms wrapped around myself and they asked if I was cold and I said no, just tired. And when I lost at Connect Four to Daniela, I said "estoy encansada. Uno mas manana." Maybe it's just culture, but our host mother brought us coffee at 7:30.  So, I will make use of my wakefulness...

I will admit right away that I am writing this more for me than you because I recently reread some of my entries from my Italy trip and I loved recalling the little things. So I want to do that again. You are welcome to follow along with me, but I give no apologies for spelling and grammar mistakes or just general typos because I am typing this on my tablet. And I'll probably ramble a lot too. Okay, here we go.

Day one was just a lot of traveling. I started the day at 4:15 am Phoenix time to make a train to the airport. The train was late, but luckily Craig was there to keep me warm and to fend off the crazies who tend to loiter around the light rail that early in the morning. I headed to the airport and went through the usual hassle of airport security - I got held up because a SPORK caused concern in the X-ray, so I had to wait in line to get my bag checked behind a guy who had tools and a giant bottle of lotion. Anyway, a one hour flight to LA -where I got to enjoy an empty seat next to me!, a 4 hour layover, and a 5 hour flight later I arrived in Guatemala City. Chrissy greeted me at the airport and we had a shuttle to our B&B, which had American classic rock on the radio. We got a good night's sleep and woke up at 6:15 to get ready to head to Xela. Side note: I didn't have to change my alarm setting from 4:15 because my phone is still on LA time, which is two hours earlier than here.

Now day two! More traveling! After a breakfast of toast, fruit, and coffee, we got a ride to a bus station and a bus ride to Xela. I could see from the airplane that it was hilly, and I knew it was hilly, but on a bus I fully experienced the hillyness in that I had to hold on to the "oh shit" bar most of the trip so that Chrissy and I didn't topple into the aisle. I also tied up my bag after it slid halfway across the bus. We got to bungle our way through a conversation with a man who plays soccer in Guatemala City, has a teacher wife, and family who lives in Canada. Muy frio! I was proud for knowing that phrase, though I don't know if I spelled it correctly.

We arrived in Xela at 11:15 and had time to wander around the city. We ate at a cafe and I forgot that I needed to specify I wanted leche in my cafe. Oops. And enchiladas were flat taco shells with purple vegetables - cabbage? That was not my cup of tea, so I ordered nachos, which were tortilla chips with cheese. Perfecto. We spent some time relaxing in the parque central. Chrissy knitted and I drew as we enjoyed the ambient noise - drummers, guitars, children, and what appeared to be an American spouting religious stuff in broken Spanish on a microphone. A few dogs wandered by and then we got picked on by some 5-year olds. They were touching our stuff, which we allowed. But then one kid ran off with Chrissy's knitting needles. And then he took my glasses. Luckily with a little bit of my teacher look and his realization that we weren't going to chase him ended the dispute quickly.

Soon after it was time to head to school. We met one of the people in charge and then waited around for our host family to come pick us up. At 2:30 we were introduced to a young man, Danilo, and his son, Pablo. We walked to the car -a yellow sporty Mazda, the little boy climbed in the front seat, and we were off. At home we met the mother, Glendy, and their daughter, Daniela.

This is about where my confusion about the size and ages of people began. I am generally pretty good with the ages of children. But I was sure that Pablo was no more than five, but he is in fact six. And I thought Daniela was at least eleven, but she is nine. Later on, I observed lots of adults walking around with their children. Adults are on the shorter side - I am taller than most of the women. But kids were often as tall as their parents. So I developed a hypothesis that children grow rapidly between the ages of 7 and 12 and then just stop growing completely. Maybe? Es possible?

Moving on. The family also has a cute little dog and an adorable kitten. I met the kitten while he dangled from Pablo's arms. Pablo turned on the TV to watch Nick Jr and the rest of us sat at the table. As soon as they realized our Spanish was pretty poor, they got out their laptop and connected my tablet to the internet. And so began our conversation guided by Google translate. The family was quite friendly and welcoming, hugs from the beginning. Daniela complimented my colored hair. After chatting for awhile, we went out to dinner.

Chinese food! I had Japanese when I was in Paris, so why not. I remembered not to get water, but I forgot not to use ice. So I had three ice cubes, which so far haven't killed me. Earlier in the day, at the bed and breakfast,  I used regular water to rinse my toothbrush. And, pretty much as I was there thinking about not throwing toilet paper in the toilet, I threw toilet paper in the toilet. I read the sign! But then my mind wandered and reflex took over.

We enjoyed large portions of Chinese food and a giant 2+ liter bottle of imitation Sprite. They got the whole bottle! Pablo got cranky, so I tried to distract him by stepping on floor tiles as we counted. We're both a little flaky on our numbers past doce though.

Daniela continued to admire my hair, so I joked, "no lo tienes cuando duermo!"

After, we went to the mall, spending a few minutes winding around the parking lot to find pretty much the very last spot. This is apparently where everyone in the city goes on Sunday evenings. We walked around, went into the attached Walmart, and then headed back to the car.

We stopped at a bread store before heading home. In Guatemala, it seems that seatbelts and Alto signs are both optional. At one point we used a stop sign as an opportunity to pass another car on the tight roads.

I was very happy to finally make it home. Pablo showed me his games and we played Connect Four while Nosi the dog and Cheetos the kitten used my leg as a shield to play with each other. Pablo did not know the rules, but I was able to teach him. I gave him hints by saying "tengo tres!" After, his dad challenged me and kicked my butt. Finally, I played Daniela, who won two games. So I gave up on that for the night and watched Chrissy and Pablo play some games as Cheetos fell asleep in my arms.

In short, I love my family even though I am older than my host mother, and I love my host kitten and I may just have to stay.

Week 5 - Back to Work

July 28- August 2

Tuesday: 3 miles with Running for Brews
Start Time: 7:15 pm
Starting temperature: 103
Post-run fuel: Strawberry beer and roasted veggies
Notes: Thank you, strawberry beer, for making it easier for me to strive for 5.

Wednesday: 7 miles up and down the cross-cut
Start Time: 7:00 pm
Starting Temperature: 98 
Post-run fuel: tortilla with peppers, beans, and cheese
Notes: Upping miles in marathon training combined with back-to-school teacher training is wearing on me. One of the joys of being a woman also decided to cramp my style 5 miles in. Thank goodness for my beloved running music. Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" still hasn't gotten old. In fact, my finger dancing choreography continues to evolve.

Yum!

Thursday: 3 miles around the lake
Start Time: 7:00 pm
Starting temperature: 103
Post-run fuel: tortilla with peppers, beans, and cheese AND ice cream
Notes: Today is no better. I am exhausted. I got home from Meet the Teacher night at 6:45 and was back out the door within 15 minutes because I knew if I sat down, I wouldn't get back up. These next few weeks are going to be rough.

Here is one of my favorite routes for short runs... in case you want to stalk me.

Saturday: 14 miles
Start Time: 6:30 am
Starting temperature: 82
Post-run fuel: so much cold water followed by cold coffee with coconut milk and chocolate syrup
Notes:  With the training plan I use,  I've done all the runs thus far, but I switch around a lot of the days. The plan calls for a pace run on Saturday and a long run on Sunday. I planned to make this the first week that I followed my training plan 100%. But, I woke up at 4:55, so I figured it would be good to take advantage of that and get my long run over and done with. So I did.

While running, I started thinking about how I'll get to see friends and family while I'm back in NY for the race. Then the song "Gone Til November" started playing in my head. I seriously don't think I've heard that song since it came out a decade or so ago, and I don't know any words to the song other than "I'll be gone till November". It amazes me that things like that are still hanging out in my brain.

Sunday: 7 mile pace run along the greenbelt
Start Time: 7:30 am
Starting temperature: 90
Post-run fuel: more cold water and a banana
Notes: Pace runs are tough. Running in the heat is tough. Running the day after a long run is tough. Let's do all three of those things at once! Who cares if I'm too sore to walk tomorrow, which happens to be the first day of school?