Estoy en Guatemala!

Hello Everyone!

So about two weeks ago now I arrived in Guatemala for langauge school. Time has flown, but it also seems like way longer since I have been in the states. So here is a brief summary of my life so far:

After a quick flight Tuesday night (August 24) from DC to Chicago, I met up with fellow Finca vol Deirdre. We had a quick 3 hour nap in an airport hotel then took off at 530 am fom Chicago to Houston, then after a quick layover we had our last flight into Guatemala City. Then, Hugo, from our school, picked us up at the airport and we then took a short 1 hour ride into Antigua. We arrived at the student house to find the lovely faces of our fellow vols Betsy and Amanda. In an effort to get adjusted to the time (only 2 hours off the east coast) and not just crash after travelng we ventured around the city, which is truly beautiful. It is full of traditional latin american colonial houses in red, yellow and white, beautiful churches every few blocks, sweet smelling panaderias, and street vendors with yummy tortillas. I will post some pictures as soon as I get a chance.

That night all the Finca vols who were here in town (9 of 10) went over to the apartment 4 vols are currently renting. We all got along instantly, and had a fun time sharing stories and getting to know one another. Then Deirdre and I, half asleep already, finally made it to bed. The next morning we started school bright and early at 8 AM. Our school works by setting each student up with a personal tutor. My tutor is a very nice guatemalteco whose name is Domingo. He has been a teacher for over 20 years now. Our first day we just spent chatting, he trying to figure out my level of spanish for lesson plans.

That afternoon myself, Betsy, Amanda, and Phil went out for a weekend excursion to the city of Lanquin. One of the most famous national parks in Guatemala is there, Semuc Champey. So Thursday afternoon we hopped on a small shuttle bus. After 8 hours of crazy turns and heavy rain and darkness for the last 2, which was quite entertaining, we arrived at our hostal in Lanquin. It was truly beautiful. It was set on the outskirts of town in the beautiful green mountains. It basically was a giant tree house with tons of hammocks outside and breathtaking views all around. Tired fom our long drive we fell asleep quickly.

The next morning we all hopped in the back of a pick up truck with 5 other travelers from Israel, and our awesome guide Otto and headed to Semuc Champey. We are pretty sure Otto has some special climbing and caving gene because he moved around the cave and the park like it was his natural habitat, and always managed to smile and make a joke in the mean time. When we arrived we went straight to the Cuevas de Maria. Here we had one of the most intense and amazing cave tours ever. We literally swam through the cave while holding a candle for light and watching out for rocks along the way. After climbing up several ladders next to mini waterfalls and crawling through tiny spaces, we reached the edge of the safe part for visits, and headed back. Two hours I will remember for a long time to come. After this we hiked up to the mirador, or look out, to see the entire park at once. It was truly breathtaking. There are over 50 different sized clear water pools, a very strong river, and green mountains all around. After this we treked down to the clear water pools to relax. It literally felt like we had entered Fern Gully. The water was so clear and the pools just flowed into one another. After eating our sandwiches and swimming around for a while we headed back to the truck and back to our hostal for some much needed showers. That night we ventured into town and ate some yummy street tacos.

The next morning we slept in a bit and then spent the morning reading and laying around in the hamocs. Then after lunch we went for what was supposed to be calm river tubing. But since the water was so high because of all the rain, it was actually a pretty strong current at points. In the end we all made it to shore safely, myself with the help of holding onto a tree. That night we hung out at the hostal and headed back early the next morning for Antigua. After another long 8 hours, but these in the light and only light rain, which was a true luxury, we arrived back in Antigua. Amanda and I went to mass at a local church, and I must say it was really exciting when I still remembered half of the responses in Spanish for mass. After that we headed over to the Hurts (other vols) house for a community dinner, which was full of wonderful people and food.

Then this past week I had my first full week in Anitgua and of school. It went very well. My teacher and I are getting along well. Each night I write a story, and then in the morning we edit it, and then review whatever areas of grammer I was having trouble with. Domingo and I also enjoy talking about food, every day I learn a new fruit I should try. During the afternoons I hang out with the other vols as we explore Antigua, or if its raining, as it did almost all last week, we like to hang out at The Bagel Barn, which has arguably the best hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls in town. The community is forming really well, and my Spanish is coming back very fast, both of which are very good things!

On Tuesday, I finally moved in with my host family, who live convienantly 1 block from the school. They are very kind, and have a very warm and welcoming home. The food is yummy, and they have orange juice every morning, which is just wonderful. Maudi and Francisco (aka Paco) are the grandparents, Diego and Andres are the adult sons who live in an apartment on the back of the house, Christina is the daughter, she lives there with her two adorable children Adrianna (7 years old) and Alejandro (2 years old), and lastly there is John (an Aussie who rents a room while he teaches English in a local school). I live in my room with fellow vol Deidre, and Nils, another vol, lives in the next room down. There are always people, and Adrianna and Alejandro are always entertaining.

This past weekend we all stayed in Antigua because with all the rain this past week several of the roads were shut down, and it was also fun to have a weekend here to hang out and explore. Some of you may have heard of the mud slides around Guatemala, but no worries, Antigua is very safe and unharmed, minus the fact that it rained like crazy on and off all of last week. But this weekend was beautiful. We went around taking pictures (I promise to post them all soon), went to the movies (Sherlock Holmes and Avatar), and had a nice community dinner on Sunday followed by an epic game of uno which started off with a draw 14.

So that is all I can think of right now. Sorry it is so long, but alot happened in the past two weeks. I promise shorter and more frequent posts in the future. Also, some of you have been asking for my address, mail is wonderful, but also takes a while to arrive, so please send it to the Finca in Honduras, and it can be there when I arrive October 1. The address is at the bottom of my blog so just scroll down and you will find it.

Wishing you all the best!

Mary Kate