Where are you Miss Keri?

Christmas in Guatemala = Tamales + More Tamales + Unsafe Firecrackers + Fruit Punch

Also equals a visit from Keri which despite several fiascos and illnesses was really fun. Here are some highlights of what we did!

Here are the firecrackers we lit at Christmas. I know they don't look like much, but they cause sparks and noises that send you running for your life. Unfortunately Donald didn't tell us that we would have to run AND take over so there was a pretty close call but we escaped with all our limbs.

A day or two after...or was it before...Christmas we went on a hike down to the wooden bridge at the river. Donald made us run across it and I think maybe the expression speaks for how scared I was and how stable that wooden bridge they installed in the 70's feels today.

After Christmas we went to Panajachel where Keri and I got a zipline in before we got ragingly ill (probably from the raw vegetables I forgot to warn her about...) and went home early.

It was ok though beacause we were well in time for Donald and Abner to take us to the ruins in Zaculeu and to the Hot Springs. The ruins were fun, although the plaster-job that the United Fruit Company did in the 40's ruins all illusion of authenticity that might have remained. All the same, they were fun to climb and we had a nice picnic lunch.
All in all, it was a memorable visit and a memorable Christmas for both of us. She was a good sport about everything, even though she was sick almost the whole time. In a time when I should have been REALLY depressed missing friends and family, she came and saved me!

The Un-ill Side of My Vacation

So, here are some photo highlights of my trip to Mexico with Andrea and Jeff and Jeff and a few days with the Skjonsby's in Guate beforehand. Look, I wasn't ragingly ill the WHOLE time....

We started off with a short run to Panajachel, a beautiful town by one of the most amazing volcanic lakes in the WHOLE world. Donald met us there and tried to learn how to fish.

After a quick review of one of Guatemala's most amazing sites, it was off to Cancùn for some more traditional relaxation, where we met up with the other Jeff. There was lots of good food, games, beach time, and general silliness.

We also got to take a kayak trip out to the second biggest coral reef in the world and I took this nice underwater shot.

Lions, Cows, and Their Anitbiotics

Disclaimer: All medical decisions made in the following stories were made me myself and me alone without the consult, advice, or premission of the marvelous and amazing Peace Corps health staff.

Ok, so I promised information, so here some is. I know you were incredibly enticed by my juicy preview so I will try to tell a few stories. I am waiting on most of Mexico until probably tomorrow when I can put some pictures in there too and quit using these ones I found on the internet to make my blog interesting.

So here is the good news. When I got back from the vacation I have yet to tell you about, I finally got to take my Kitten home. That obviously isn't a real picture of him/her but that you get the idea. My friends are all forming armies around whether it is a boy or girl and there are people that are pretty sure in both camps. I know nothing about animals but how so many reasonable people can get opposite answers from the same kitty's belly is beyond me. The jury is still out on the sex, but its name is Aslan and it is REALLY cute. It is a little whiney right now but that might have to do with tearing it away from its mother and tying it up at my house until it gets used to me and won't run away. I promise, it isn't as cruel as it sounds, animal lovers. I left the rope really long so he/she can frolic.

Speaking of animals....

Cows. I have this nameless Guatemalan friend. Actually, its a friend of a friend...Actually its just a guy I heard of once from a friend of a friend....well, he hurt his foot playing soccer and it was something like sprained. So, after a few weeks of not healing all the way, a friend suggested he use this magical ointment. Now, although it was an ointment for COWS it was rumored to work wonders on human bodies. It actually when used resulted in the worst allergic rash I have ever seen. The obvious moral story I got out of the experience with this aquaintance of a friend's friend was that ANIMAL MEDICINE SHOULD NOT BE USED ON HUMANS. I thought this unnamed guy who used cow ointment was silly.

Ok....skip to Mexico. So, I felt a little ill when we arrived, but since when does air travel NOT make you feel slightly queasy? So, fast forward to ragin illness the first night in the most beautiful 5 start resort you have ever seen. So, the next morning, I felt bad enough to open my wallet and go see the resort doctor they charge you for (not in any way associated with the wonderful Peace Corps medical staff) He was really nice, prescribed me medicine, and took my $150 with a smile. He gave me 4 medecines, one of which I only took for a day because it was liquid and thick and minty. If it sounds like drinking toothpaste, you are right, it felt just like that and I could barely force it down. So, I only took it for one of the two prescribed days.

Fast forward again to Guatemala, where the wonderful Peace Corps nurse looked up the medications I took (just out of curiousity). They all checked out.....except for the toothpastey one which turned out to be an animal antibiotic that is banned in the USA by the FDA. Thanks Mexican doctor!

I don't know if it was Karma for laughing a little at my friend with the cow ointment or what, but I am lucky not to have any adverse side effects. It just goes to show that you can't always trust really nice doctors that work at five star resorts. Let that be a lesson to you. I am telling you, that medicine was gross, I am not even sure my lion/kitten should take it.

Still sorry...

So, I am STILL a really lazy blogger, but I promise a new one this week although the internet is almost closed for Christmas (I know...you wish you were in a country with severely extended holidays too).

News to look forward too: Photos and stories from Mexico, raging illness, kittens, cow udder allergies, how airport x-rays can affect your pregnancy, and third world prescription of minty animal anitbiotics. All this and more is coming and that is BEFORE the holidays, so keep checking in.

Stay tuned.

Advertisement: Christmas presents can be sent with Kerianne who is the best friend EVER for spending Christmas with me and helping me eat the enormous food gift Guatemalan families are preparing for me.

I also love you.

Sorry...

Ok, so I know what you are thinking...I am a really horrible blogger. It isn't that I forgot about you or I don't like you, I just haven't really had anything exciting to report.

School is still out for the summer. I am teaching english classes to 25 nine to thirteen year olds in the library which isn't my favorite thing in the world, but I did get them to practice pronouns by listening to Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer" which I thought was pretty cool of me.

While you all were celebrating that great-excuse-for-dress-up holiday called Halloween, I was celebrating All Saints Day which is kind of like the Day of the Dead in Mexico. The festivities incluse painting graves and depositing flowers and wreaths on the graves of family members. Although my lack of relatives in the cemetery and my fear of being named a gawker prevented me from touring the graveyard, I enjoyed watching the steady flow of people and flowers headed through town to the cemetery and the flowers for sale in the market were a nice and pretty change.

I am also learning how to communicate to Guatemalans just how important things are in order to get them to work more quickly. In one of my schools, we are trying to get a grant to pave a basketball court. I have spent the last few weeks, together with my teachers, chasing down signatures and price quotes and masons. One thing that the Peace Corps is teaching me is definitely patience. Things just don't always move every quickly here and to hold on to your sanity sometimes you just need to relax and let things take awhile. You can only say "me urge" (its urgent) so many times before you want to give it up alltogether. The good news is, the paperwork is in and the comittee will give us an answer this week. I am also getting some scholarships together for some sixth graders to go to middle school. I think I am finally starting to feel like I am getting some work done here.

Anyways, thanks for tuning in. I will try to write again soon if not before Thanksgiving then after since I am going with my best friends to Mexico to spend the holiday! I am SO lucky.

Update

So, I have gotten some complaints that I have been ignoring my blog. So, here is a quick life-update to get us back on track!

The school year here just ended. That means the rainy season is also ending, which is good news. I know I said I really loved the rain but it will be nice for my clothes to actually dry for a change. So, I have been tying up some loose ends at school and looking forward to summer break. I am planning on teaching an English class at the library, relaxing a little, and getting some traveling done.

I also just moved into a new house. I loved living with Reina and they are a great family but I started to get a little tired of having to be home by 8:30 and feeling weird with my friends over so I thought I should opt for a little privacy. So the last few weeks I have been cleaning up my new house, painting, and arranging things which you all know I love to do. I will put up some before and after pictures in a few weeks when I get everything done.

I also went to church for the first time last week. There was a special service for Doña Lucy’s birthday and the family invited me so I thought I should go. I was really nervous to go. That seems kind of silly since I grew up in the United States going to church all the time and I have been to lots of different churches over the year. I was mostly nervous because the evangelical church here always seems kind of intense and I had heard it was really conservative. Also, I knew that when I went I would really stand out like I always do and I am uncomfortable with that much attention. I should also be used to the attention because I stand out almost everywhere I go around here. So, I went and it was actually pretty nice. I wore a skirt because I wasn’t sure how I should dress but not everyone was dressed up and some girls were wearing pants. They only announced my presence in the service once and didn’t call me up front or anything. The music was a little different than I am used to. It was just a piano and sometimes a bass guitar with the pastor singing hymns that I couldn’t understand very well. They also gave an opportunity for members of the congregation to go up front and sing a song dedicated to God. This week they had invited a trio of singers to come play as a gift to Doña Lucy and they were really good. They all played the guitar and sang religious songs but it was kind of a Mariachi-style. I really enjoyed it. Afterward, we all ate paches (kind of tamales…rice with chicken and tomato sauce wrapper up and steamed in a leaf) that Doña Lucy’s family had gotten up at 2am to make everyone. All in all, it was a good experience. I think I will probably go back someday. It is just one of the many things that are very very different in Guatemala.

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