Vocab Lesson

In light of my friends and family planning their AMAZING visits to Guatemala and to ME, I have composed a little bit of educational material to help you out. Don't worry, there is more to come!

Things you should know in Spanish before coming to visit me:

Hola (Oh-la) Hello
Buenos dias (Boo-oin-ohs Dee-us) Good morning
Buenas tardes (Boo-oin-us Tar-days) Good Afternoon
Buenas noches (Boo-oin-us No-chayz) Goodnight
Mucho gusto (Moo-ch-oh Goo-stow) Nice to meet you
Me llamo… (May Yah-mo) My name is…
Como se llama? (Coe-mow say yaw-maw) What is your name?
Gracias (Grah-see-us) Thank you
Por favor (Pour fah-vore) Please
Lo siento (Low see-en-toe) I am sorry
Disculpe (Disc-cool-pay) Excuse me
Como esta? (Coh-moh Ess-tah) How are you?
Yo soy ---- de Andrea (Yoh soy ---- day Awn-dre-ah) I am Andrea’s -----
Mama (Maw-maw) Mother
Papa (Paw-paw) Father
Hermano (Hair-mawn-oh) Brother
Amigo(a) (Ah-mi-go (gah)) Friend
Yo estoy perdido (Yoh ess-toy pear-dee-doh) I am lost
Me podria ayudar? (May poe-dree-ah ah-yoo-dar) Can you help me?
No hablo espanol (No ah-blow ess-pan-yol) I do not speak Spanish
Habla ingles? (Ha-blah een-glay-ss) Do you speak English?
Necesito llamar a mi --- (Ness-ess-ee-toe yah-marr ah me) I need to call my---
Amiga (Ah-me-gah) Friend
Hija (Hee-ha) Daughter
Hermana (Hair-mawn-ah) Sister
No entiendo (No en-tee-end-oh) I don’t understand
No me molesta (No may mow-lest-ess) Don’t bother me
No tomo (No toe-mow) I don’t drink

Market Day Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

2 cups lentils (soak overnight with some onion and garlic)
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
2 carrots
1 red pepper
4-5 small tomatoes
Any other vegetables you are a fan of (broccoli is good)
2 jalepeños
Salt
Pepper
Cumin
Curry powder

Put it all together, watch a movie while it cooks. Good for dinner + next day lunch + so much more.

Q 7.50 = $1.00

Snacks for 3AM bus trip: Q7
Getting up at 2:30AM to catch the bus: Lots of will power
Bus fare from Cabricàn to Santa Lucia: Q52
Chuchitos for Bfast in Cuatro Caminos: Q6
Imaginary fiancee in the US to deflect men: Lots of imagination
Taxi ride to the doctor's office: $36.50
Doctor who shares your birthday: free
Cheeseburger at McDonalds to reward myself: Q40
Pirated movies to last me the next few months: Q50
Night with Mel in Chimal: free
Chuchitos in Mel's site: Q3
Bus fare from Chimal to Cabricàn: Q45
Bus breaking down on the way home: free
New bus fare the rest of the way: Q5
Sitting next to the guy who was also on the 3AM bus: Free

Total two day trip cost: Q254.50
Falling in love with the world around you: Priceless

HU$TLER

Pop culture has arrived in Guatemala. We have all heard of this phenomenon called Globalization in which we are all connected and goods produced in or by one country can be relevant and available in other countries around the world.

The problem here is Guatemala is that pop culture has arrived without the education to handle it. It used to be that people in other countries were just a little behind stylistically than us in the up-to-date fashion world. Don't worry, we are still using a lot of 80's and early 90's haircuts around here. With the increase of technology and of influence in the forms of foreign brands of clothing, people here have begun to adopt a lot of American styles. Kids run around with gold chains and big jeans and there are even some punk kids running around here in Cabrican.

Somewhere along the line there was a disconnect in which people began to use these pop culture symbols we love so much without really knowing what they represent. Last week I went to a store where the lady owning it wore a black and silver hat that said "HU$tLER" across the front. This morning I ran into a friend's mother who had earring with the playboy bunny on them. I am sure the store owner liked the shiny colors of the hat and maybe even recognized the dollar sign, but I doubt she knows what a hustler is. I am positive that the church-going mother of my friend thought the rabbits on the earrings were cute but had no idea what playboy is.

It is really funny to walk into the store and see the old lady wearing such a ridiculously not right for her hat, I know. It is also kind of sad because they really have no idea. We throw all of our culture into people's lives without giving them a chance to understand it.

Lesson: Next time you are going to donate your HU$TLER hat or your playboy earrings to a charitable organization where it will then be resold in countries like Guatemala, think twice and maybe attach a note explaining the symbolism.

Reoccurring Dreams

I have reoccurring dreams about whether or not the post office is open. I suppose it is a good thing that the mail is the most worrisome thought that plagues my mind at night.

My English is slipping. I insertar words of Español even when I am hablaring with mí mamá. Life has become this weird mix of trying to speak Spanish to people who speak English and English to people who speak Spanish. My brain is having trouble figuring out who is who. I have got friends now and I think as I get more comfortable with them I feel like they should understand English because that is what I always speak with my friends….but they don’t and I am pretty sure I look like a crazy person most of the time. Last week I was giving a lesson and I started speaking English instead of Spanish in front of 25 third graders. Awkward.

I think I am the only one who loved the cat Reina got to kill the ratones. Her name is Micheli. Reina says she hasn’t been eating very much and I think it might be because I let her lick my cereal bowl.

I have realized being away from them that I have the best friends in the whole world. I miss you guys. I love living in Guatemala and I love my friends here but there is nothing that could ever beat a barbeque at the beach with you guys. I am starting to get a little U.S.-sick.

Things I miss about the U.S. (besides family and friends and other obvious things that might make me cry in the internet café)

1. Knowing what time to show up to things (everyone here seems so know exactly how late you should be except me. I am either way too early or way too late all the time)
2. The Mongolian Grill
3. Driving (not allowed here because of Peace Corps rules)
4. Costco (thanks to my brother who informed me he bought a huge pack of Australian toaster biscuits the other day)
5. Movies I can understand
6. Paved roads
7. Seattle
8. People who go outside in the rain (It rains here an everyone hides until it is over. Streets: totally empty)
9. Saying what you mean (here you say a trillion things to hint at what you really need or want but can’t ever come out and say it)
10. Laundry machines (have I already mentioned how long it takes to wash your clothes by hand?)
11. Affordable chocolate
12. Things that have prices (blonde hair seems to mean everything costs more here)
13. Concerts

Xelajuuuuuuu

I have got some complaints that I haven’t been up to date on my blog. It is mostly because not a whole lot is new but also because not a whole lot is going on. In any case, here is what has been going on lately for those of you who want to silly details.

1. Brian left a few weeks ago and I got new site mates last week. They are a married couple named Joe and Katy and I really like them. SO, now we are 4 gringos in town which is a lot for how small it is. It is alright though, I have 2 more people to help me eat the things I bake when I am bored or stressed out.
2. Last week I was in Antigua doing a training they give after 3 months called “Reconnect.” It was fun to see all my friends that live far away and I learned some good things in Spanish class. Staying in Antigua, however, was not so much fun and I have decided that Xela is 10 times better that Antigua.
3. I also got to go see my family in Alotenango while I was in the area. Christian is growing up and even saved me some candy from his piñata they had on his fifth birthday 2 weeks ago. Andreita is growing TONS and it SO tall now. She isn’t quite walking yet but is really close. She turned one year old a few weeks ago.
4. Last weekend I went to a soccer game in Xela. The team there is called Xelaju and is pretty popular. We played against Huehuetenango and won. There was a man behind us yelling obscenities the whole time, it was pretty comical. My friend happens to know the guy who is the mascot so I got a picture with him. He is a chiva, which I think it like a ram. I have included the picture for your viewing pleasure.

5. Things are winidng down at school. The year ends in October and in September we have a bunch of activities for Independence day (Sept. 15). So, I just have a few weeks left of work before summer break. I have lots of visits coming up so I am really excited. Andrea and Jeff and Jeff are coming as well as Keri and Nicole and my parents so I will be really busy showing people around.
6. Also, my birthday is coming up and I probably won’t have a party but I will be haunting the mailman waiting for the packages that I know you will send me. So you’d better get started. I am specifically longing music, movies, books, and chocolate.
7. I bought a toaster oven on a whim yesterday (it was on sale…) so today I will be baking cookies all day and I am going to try and make my next 10 meals in the toaster oven. I was going to go to school today but I showed up at my teacher’s house and her husband told me she had a training so she isn’t going to school. So, since the other teacher leaves earlier I had no way to get to school. This country drives me crazy sometimes.

Anyways, that is my life. Exciting and adventurous, I know. I really miss you guys! Hope you are enjoying the sunny days in the States. Eat some s’mores and hot dogs for me. Send me presents. Please.

Just some thoughts...

The Peace Corps is cracking down on safety issues associated with Volunteer blogs...so in the interest of being a rule-follower I vow to be culturally sensitive at all times and not reveal my precise location. So, if you hadn't already picked up on where I happen to be living, too bad. I am now finding and deleting all references to C***** in the interest of preserving my safety and that of those around me.

Sometimes when I get up to go to the bathroom at night I turn the light on and the rooster crows. I feel pretty bad for him, he really thinks it is morning. He probably feels really confused and thinks he is falling asleep on the watch. Poor guy.

I am going to the training center next week for Reconnect, a week long training they give us to clam our nerves after 3 months of pannicked isolation in site....just kidding. Really I get to take a few days of Spanish classes and they will give me advice on what I should do next...advice I probably need. It will be the longest I will have been out of site since I got here and to be honest I am a little wary of leaving....er...this town I live in. I think I will miss it.

Last week I got invited along with another volunteer to a dance in another town by two friends of mine who announced on the way to the dance they invited us to that they didn't dance. So, we spent the whole night watching their friends coerce each other into dancing with us. It was pretty fun, except for the part where the singer welcomed the "tourists from a faraway land" in front of the whole crowd. So much for being anonymous.

My family got a kitten in an effort to chase away the mice that are eating my bananas at night. She is really cute and I hope she eats the mice whole so I don't have to see anything die like that time one got burnt alive.

Thanks for tuning in. I will keep you updated on all my culturally sensitive, legal, non-location-specific, safe activities