Days Three and Four

Tuesday – 6/29/2010
Not much to say about Tuesday except that I must have jinxed myself when I posted that the skies were clear. The morning was beautiful while I was having my Spanish lessons but after lunch when I went back to the school to go on a group hike up to a look-out point called Cerro de la Cruz, it started raining, again! Everyone keeps saying that this is not normal weather for Antigua and that it usually rains for an hour or two in the afternoons but never ALL DAY LONG! Despite the rain, it was a good hike and beautiful views of the city, I’ll have to go back when it is really nice out and there are no clouds so that I can see more. I have some pictures and hopefully, I’ve figured out how to upload them correctly.

Here are some from the hike:




This is Jorge, the special activities director for Mundo Spanish School, where I’m taking my classes. He lead us on the hike and is really great about telling us interesting information about Antigua and the surrounding areas. My Spanish is still not quite up to par to understand everything he says but one question I asked him was about why all of the churches in Antigua were in ruins. He said that it was because of the earthquakes and because there were so many earthquakes in Antigua that ruined buildings and disrupted life, the government moved the capital from Antigua to Guatemala City. I might have to look that one up on Wikipedia to make sure I did, in fact, understand what he said.


la Cruz

Here are a few photos of where I am staying. I want to get a few pictures with the family as well but I don’t know if I will because it seems like staying with a host family is more like a boarding house than an actual host family. I don’t interact much with the family except the mother, Jacqueline and sometimes the father, Milton. Maybe it’s because I don’t know quite enough Spanish to carry on a good conversation but the three children seem to mostly ignore me.



My bedroom

Wednesday – 6/30/2010
I went running this morning around town at 5:45am. It was very quiet and not too hard to run through the streets. Although, it started raining AGAIN. I was supposed to run with another American guy, Adam, but we had said that we would meet in the central park at 5:30am IF it wasn’t raining. So, when I woke up this morning, I looked outside in the courtyard and it looked wet but it didn’t look like it had been raining. I proceeded to put on all of my running gear and headed out to meet up with Adam. I took one step outside the door of my house and realized that it was sprinkling. I contemplated going back inside and going back to sleep but then I figured, what the hell, I’m already awake, I’m already dressed and I already consumed a package of Shot Blocks for energy because I thought I would be running for about an hour and didn’t want to eat breakfast before running. So, I went to the central park and as expected, Adam did not show up because it was raining. I made a short loop around the town, about 2 miles, and went back home. I got pretty wet in the process but it was good to get out and do a bit of exercise. I might try again tomorrow morning.

Lessons went well today, but I’ve realized that if I am going to learn Spanish quickly, I am going to have to do more practicing and studying on my own after the lessons are done. We were doing exercises today and I had already forgotten some words that I learned on Monday. I guess this is how you learn a language though. It is how I learned German but over the course of six years as opposed to the two or three weeks I will be in classes here. My teacher keeps telling me “poco en poco”. At least, I think that’s what she’s saying.

With that, I am headed back home to do my homework and prepare for tomorrow’s classes. One exciting excursion…I get to climb a volcano tomorrow afternoon….maybe even stand near some hot lava. I’ll definitely post some pictures of that!

Day Two

Day Two – 6/28/2010
Good News!!! No more internet cafes for me…at least during the day. I can use free wi-fi at my school whenever it is open. So, hopefully, I’ll write about each day at the end of the day and post something every other day or every few days. Megan – once I start taking some pictures, I promise that I will post them. I haven’t taken any yet though. It’s a little rainy here so I might wait to see if the rain goes away and then take pictures when it is nicer out. Mom – no, my phone does not work here. There is another American guy here whose phone works abroad. He must have AT&T or something because Sprint doesn’t work, I know that for sure.

As I was posting yesterday’s blog and catching up on my e-mails, I overheard another woman who was talking to her boyfriend via Skype say that she is going to start the application process for Teach For America. So, of course, since I’m nosy and like to know everything about everyone (I have my father to thank for that trait :-) ), I went up to this woman and introduced myself, told her that I did Teach For America in Newark and that if she wanted to chat about it, I’d be more than happy to talk with her. She was just finishing up her internet stuff as well, so we left the internet café and walked/talked for a bit about TFA and med school, actually, because she is thinking about going to medical school as well. For all of my TFA peeps…I didn’t brainwash her about how wonderful TFA is but I did let her know that I had a great experience albeit very challenging and that she could very likely get placed in a much more difficult school than I did (Katia and Anna…I explained to her a few examples from your wonderful experiences, haha). After our short walk/conversation, I wrote down my name for her so that she could find me on Facebook, in case she wanted any more sage advice from a former TFA corps member.

We parted ways and I wandered around the town a bit more so that I could find a supermarket and buy myself something small to eat for dinner since all I had in my luggage was dried fruit strips and a bag of Twizzlers Nibs that I’ve had in my purse for the last week. Neither of those are particularly nutritious, haha. I picked out an apple, a ripe avocado, sliced cheese of some sort (I think maybe it was romano or parmesan) and some whole-wheat pita bread. I contemplated buying some sort of deli meat but only saw pre-packaged ham that was kind of expensive. I probably would have just had the avocado for dinner but thought it in my best interest to eat something from more than just one food group.

I made it back to my host family’s house without getting lost (insert relieved sigh)! But, I was pretty tired after getting back from exploring and then eating my avocado and cheese on pita bread. I decided to change into my pajamas, read a book for a bit and then since it was 9:30pm, I figured I’d turn in for the night. But I got to thinking, do I have the right time on my watch? I looked in my handy dandy Guatemala Guidebook (Thank you, Sarah Jones!) and discovered a new fun fact: Guatemala is in central time like Nebraska BUT they do not use daylight savings time here. So, I was walking around all day yesterday 1 hour ahead of everyone else and had said good night to my host family at 8:30pm, haha. They must think I was REALLY tired!

Back to today’s events: My host mother, Jacqueline, made me breakfast this morning, pancakes and fresh fruit, and lunch this afternoon, Chinese noodles with chicken, carrots, peppers and onions! Both meals were wonderful & definitely something I could get used to, haha. We talked a bit during breakfast but I couldn’t say much because of my lack of vocabulary.

At school, I met my teacher (mi maestra), Amanda. She is a lovely woman who lives in Antigua. I learned a lot today but I will definitely have to take the afternoon to review a few things before going back to the school for an orientation tour and then the school has a Salsa Dancing program tonight. However, at lunch I was speaking with Jacquiline again and was able to understand and speak a bit more than yesterday. I see progress already and it’s just the first day. Her three children, Marie Cruz, Paula and Alejandro, also at lunch with us. I had a really hard time understanding much of what they said but that’s probably because they were speaking quickly and because I do not know enough Spanish vocabulary yet. Hopefully, that will come with time.

8:50pm – All tuckered out!
I had forgotten how tiring it is to learn a new language. I have been concentrating so hard today trying to understand everything Amanda was saying to me and then everything that Jacqueline was saying at breakfast, lunch and dinner that I am pooped! I’ll probably turn in early again tonight, although not as early as last night, oops!

Recap of my evening:
Went on another tour of Antigua, this time with Jorge, the special programs director for the Spanish school. Jorge does not speak English. So, again, I had to turn on my brain and really pay attention to what he was saying. I understood almost everything until we got to a building where, I think, a bunch of people were killed in an earthquake in the 70s. Not quite sure though. I didn’t catch every detail of that story. I wanted to ask a bunch of questions but didn’t know how to do so in Spanish and my mind kept trying to form the questions in German. It doesn’t help that the students at Mundo are either American or German. So, the German language center in my brain keeps getting switched on and might be making it more confusing for me to learn Spanish. I have already met one woman from Berlin and another from Stuttgart. There are a few German men as well but I have not figured out where they are from. I’m getting off topic though…back to my evening. It rained ALL DAY today and the entire evening, which led to wet feet, wet shirts, wet jeans and wet hair during the tour. Apparently the rain is from the tropical storms near the Yucatan Peninsula. In the end, the tour was great except for the rain and I got to see a bit more of Antigua than the tour last night.

After the tour, I went with four other students from my school to a group salsa lesson at this woman’s house. I had a flashback to the SAGH Nicaragua Salsa Dance Party! We learned the same steps as that party but I think it sunk in more this time around. I did realize, though, that I am a much better salsa dancer when I have a good leader. I didn’t do too well when paired up with someone who didn’t quite know what he was doing. I had a good time and the 1-hour lesson flew by very quickly. The instructor gave us her contact information and another student and I might take more lessons in the next few weeks. I might be a contender for Dancing With The Stars…wait, that means I need to be a star first, right? Maybe I can get on the Bachelorette, find a husband (or at least a fiancé for a while, hehe) and THEN go on Dancing With The Stars. Eureka! Why didn’t I think of that before?? Anyone up for salsa dancing when I get back to Omaha?

Enough for tonight! Hasta luego, chicas y chicos!

Footnote: As I get ready to post this blog, the skies are blue and there is no rain this morning. Yeah!

Day One

Houston Airport – 9:40am. My flight leaves for Guatemala City at 11:25am and I have a bit of time.

Sitting in the waiting area outside my gate, I’ve been watching people walk by, thinking about where they might be headed and what their stories might entail. Are they headed home? Are they traveling far far away? Is this an annual family vacation that they are fortunate enough to take? Is there anyone like me?

I’m currently drinking my last cup of American coffee for the next four and a half weeks. Small regular brew with 2% milk and two Splenda packets. In an effort to conserve funds and more importantly, my precious time so that I could sit and write this blog while waiting for my next flight, I passed by the long Starbucks line and instead bellied up to the Little Creamery register and purchased a $1.40 small cup of coffee instead of Starbucks’ $1.79 tall cup. I probably couldn’t tell the difference anyway. So, why spend the extra 40 cents? Sticking it again to Starbucks Inc., I stole my Splenda packets from their counter because all the other restaurants only had Equal or Sweet & Lo. By the end of my trip, I might be singing a different tune about noticing a difference in types of coffee because I’ve heard so many things about the wonderful coffee in Guatemala. We’ll see how my opinion changes during the course of this trip.

What is the difference between this trip and the last time I flew to a strange country on my own? I have a computer to write a blog. In fact, it is my second computer since my first solo trip. I did not even own my own computer when I traveled to Germany to study abroad in 2003. I am carrying my cell phone because it might work at my destination, probably not but I’m willing to give it a shot. Plus, it has all of my important contact information. When I went to Germany, I was armed with a moleskin address book full of important phone numbers and addresses and an international calling card to reach friends and family once I arrived at my destination. I didn’t even bring the physical phone with me because I thought, what’s the use? Now, I can’t forget my phone because how would I contact anyone once I land back in the US? God forbid the use of landline phones or actually making plans with someone. This sounds pretty cliché, but it is really strange to reflect back on what I did seven years ago and how I’ve come to rely so much on technology.

What is the same since 2003? I’m still anxious about landing in a foreign country where I don’t quite know the language. Even though I knew a lot more German than I do Spanish, I was young in 2003 and not confident in my ability to actually speak the language that I had studied for more than six years. Now, I am confident that I will be able to speak Spanish, I just don’t have the vocabulary to do so. On the plane from Omaha to Houston, I was thinking about short phrases and strings of words that I could use when I land, if needed. No habla Espanol…Yo comprende un poquito Espanol…Me llamo Andrea…Como se dice (everything!!!). Of course all of the grammar is probably wrong and all of the blanks seem to be filled in with the German version of the words I don’t know in Spanish. That probably won’t help me much but maybe if I pepper the locals with the few Spanish words that I do know, they’ll get my gist and point me in the right direction. Ultimately, I shouldn’t need to do any of this because I will have Leonel Garcia picking me up from the airport an taking me directly to my host family in Antigua. How will I know who Leonel Garcia is? Supposedly he’s going to have a sign with the name of the language school, Mundo, and my name. How many times have I walked through the baggage claims area and imagined what it would be like if I were one of those people who was greeted by someone with a sign? Granted, I’m usually walking through the Newark Airport when I see the signs, and those people will be picked up by a town car and whisked away to some important business meeting in New York City. I will most likely be riding in a small sedan or a van/bus used by the language school to pick people up, and my important meeting will involve introductions to my host family. However, I still anticipate feeling special, and most likely very relieved, to see Leonel standing in the Guatemala City Airport with a sign that has my name written on it.

Antigua – 4:11pm. Arrived at the house of familia Garcia Marroquin.

After going through customs and exiting the airport, I saw that precious sign with my name on it and a very friendly Leonel attached to it. I was the last of the group to arrive outside the airport. Riding to Antigua with me was a Jewish man and his son as well as another woman, I’m guessing about my age or a bit younger. All of my companions were greeted by Leonel and after I arrived, we headed to the car and were on our way to Antigua. Of course, we listened to the Mexico vs. Argentina world cup soccer game on the way. I did not catch anything that the sports announcer was saying about the game except for the very obvious GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL that was scored by Mexico shortly after we left the airport. As for when I’ve heard other people speaking Spanish, I’ve understood more than I maybe thought I would upon arrival. I do, however, have a lot of Spanish to learn in the coming weeks.

Leonel dropped me off at the home of familia Garcia Marroquin and I am conveniently just around the corner from the Mundo Spanish School. It is about a two or three minute walk. The home is lovely and my room seems very comfortable. I have a large table to use as a desk and a double sized bed to myself. The house has an open center courtyard and many other rooms that I assume other students stay in. The mother of the household where I am staying showed me to my room and told me about a how things work in the house. She explained everything in a mix of Spanish and English. Here’s what I understood (we’ll see how many follow up questions I need to ask in the next few days, haha):

Meals included in the weekly fee are served Monday-Saturday. Sundays I am on my own for food. Breakfast is served at 7am because we start lessons at 8am. I forget when lunch is served and I think that dinner is served at 7:15pm. The bathroom with a shower is right outside my door and the shower has hot water. I think she also said that there is someone coming by to give me a tour of Antigua but I’m a little fuzzy on when that is going to happen.

Right now, I’m going to settle in and start warding off the mosquitos that have already started to feast on my apparent sweet blood.

5:45pm – Just got back from the tour of Antigua’s central square and surrounding streets. It seems very lively especially because of the world cup games going on. There are a lot of tourists and foreign students here studying. I’m excited to start classes tomorrow and see where the wind takes me.

That’s all I’ve got for now. I’m gonna go explore a bit even if it’s raining. Hopefully I don’t get lost :-)