Lake Atitlan

Sorry faithful blog followers life has been a bit loco these days. I have been avidly searching and applying for jobs in hopes that I might be able to make some “real” money when I get back to the States. But between job applications and attempting to teach University students English (when they actually show up) I have been busy travelling! Yup that’s right! Semana Santa granted us 10 childfree days to do as we please in Central America. Ah what to do with such free time you may ask, naturally the response is to go to the biggest Semana Santa Festival in all of Central America. So the 5 of us gringas made plans to spend some time relaxing at beautiful lago Atitlan. We rushed home from school on Friday (3/30/12) to pile into a truck, 7 of us to be exact, and we jetted off to spend the night in Copan. After a brief stop in La Entrada as we pondered whether to attempt the chicken bus or pay extra for the driver to take us all the way to Copan. After a few minutes of waiting and watching as the herd for the bus grew bigger and bigger it was decided the driver would be best. Again we piled into the truck this time I took the risk of riding Honduran style in the back. It was a beautiful drive and we watched as the sun set over the beautiful mountains and the wind whipped at our hair.  We had a great meal and called it an early night seeing as our bus was to leave at 6:00 am in the next morning.

Sleepy eyed but ready for our adventure we again piled into a shuttle van, yes I realize I use the word piled quite often but you must understand we literally pile on top of each other in most circumstances.  No surprise at all but there were not enough seats for the number of people travelling.  Unfortunately I was the one to bear the brunt of this one, he was definitely in my personal bubble and I prepared myself for the next 6-7 hours of travelling. The trip was mostly uneventful minus the ridiculous traffic jam that occurred and our driver’s hour long detour. Then came Guatemala City….. imagine any  large city with smog and a bit of stop and go traffic, factor in a terrible headache, hot sweatiness, and brute force of break s followed by rapid acceleration, I couldn’t keep my watermelon licuado down, fortunately I have become a bit of a bag lady and had a spare bag on hand.  We made it to Antigua where we needed to catch another bus to the lake. My saving grace Kate had Dramamine on hand meaning most of the last bus ride was a groggy haze for me, that is until the impromptu band begin jamming in the back of the bus. I mean who doesn’t bring a guitar along on a bus ride. I couldn’t help but smile sleepily as the band rocked the bus in both English and Spanish. Finally, we arrived at the lake and my stomach was settled enough to eat Greek food, yup, Greek food. I ate possibly the most delicious Falafel ever, maybe it was because it was something different than chicken and veggies that made it so yummy, or maybe it was truly great cooking, we may never really know.

Sunday we set off to explore the adorable town of San Marcos La Laguna. We may have gone a bit shopping crazy but we had a good time. Then there was the brilliant idea of kayaking across the lake. This was definitely one of those instances where judge of distance was lacking as was the wind and pending  stormish weather accounted for. The trip across was a bit of a challenge but Kate and I entertained ourselves with notions of trying out for Amazing Race.  Once across, an hour later, we were told that we would have to pay to park our kayaks. None of us fancied the idea of paying children ranging from probably 7-12 to watch our kayaks as we meandered around town. We decided to row back across the lake, this time against the wind and waves. Another hour later we found ourselves arguing with the man in charge of the kayaks. You see, we had paid for 3 hours but only used up 2 hours of kayaking time. Things began to get a bit heated and we had to search out the man who initially rented us the kayaks. After much debating, we reached a happy medium and settled on him paying us back half an hours worth. With dead arms and soggy clothes we headed back to our hostel for some nourishment. 

Monday was spent lounging around reading and of course more shopping.  A much needed uneventful day.

Continuing along the lines of brilliant ideas, Tuesday morning we had scheduled a sun rise volcano hike. What they failed to tell you is that it takes 4 hours to hike up the volcano, the tour guides estimated a mere 2 and a half hour hike. Even leaving at 3 am we missed the sun rise, and my stomach issues continued to cause me quite some pain. I was having a major case of indigestion despite the 6 tums and 2 pepto previously taken. In between stops for breathing and water intake, I was shoving my finger down my throat in attempts that I would feel better if I could get it out. Thanks to our adorable little tour guide man who wouldn’t take no for an answer, I reached the top with the rest of the girls. The view was amazing and I was so happy to say I made it. Then began the 3 hour trek back down. When we got back we ate some breakfast, showered, and took a siesta.

Wednesday was time to head off to Antigua to check out what else Guatemala had to offer.

Better late than never

I am so incredibly far behind on blogs…..Let me take a trip back to a little over a month ago when my man and his cousin came for a visit to Honduras.

Friday (3/9)  I set off to the airport to pick up Wrenn and TJ from the airport. Luckily I had a friend drive me to the airport to avoid bus travels. I got to the airport and only had to wait about 45 minutes for their plane to arrive. Just enough time for the nerves to build up a bit. I hadn’t seen Wrenn since my visit to Dallas at the beginning of January. I anxiously stood by the door waiting for it to open and them to pop out. Unfortunately,  the doors are part clear and part frosted glass, so I could see them taking a rather long time talking to immigration. I stood helplessly on the other side of the doors peeking through the parts that I could see through. After a few minutes they finally came through the door. We grabbed a quick bite and then caught a Hedman Alas bus to Copan. The bus trip was quite interesting with all the twists and turns and not without some suffering did we make it to Copan. After a long day for all of us we turned on MTV in English and went to bed. Saturday we went to check out the ruins, and I served as a guide for us. Later that afternoon we went to hang out with Kate and her Mom, Georgeanne, along with Magdiel and Carlos. We spent a great deal hanging out and chatting. Then we went out for a lovely dinner and called it a night. Sunday we crammed into Magdiel’s truck, 6 of us in one truck….4 guys and 2 girls, you can only imagine how squished we were.  After a quick stop in Santa Rosa for some groceries we were Gracias bound. I think Wrenn and TJ were quite surprised by all of Honduras and felt even more grateful for everything they have in the United States.

Monday set me off to work, with Wrenn and TJ promising to come a little bit later. My kids were beyond excited and went bonkers when they saw them. The kiddos absolutely adored them and were climbing on Wrenn like he was a human jungle gym. They played a lot of great games like futbol, duck duck goose, and volleyball. TJ came bearing gifts and gave each of my kiddos a box of colored pencils.  My students didn’t want them to ever leave (I felt the same). We spent our afternoons hanging out and checking out the town. Thursday morning the boys headed out and I had to face my kiddos alone. The students were sad, as was I, but we had all had a great time. It was so good to Wrenn again, and I am looking forward to spending more time with him J

Take a seat....

On Friday, the students had a half day while many of the teachers had to prepare to move their classroom to a new school. Fortunately for some of us there is not enough room at the school and therefore we don't have to move. Technically we should have stayed to help the other teachers which we found out later, and I apologize for not helping, but the opportunity presented itself to go back to El Salvador. Kate, Jenna, and myself boarded a bus and began our adventure towards El Salvador. Along the way, we run into a truck that has been "decapitated" from its trailer. The trailer is laying in the middle of the road making it impossible for either side to pass. With an efficiency that we had never before seen in Honduras the trailer was moved upright and vehicles were again able to move through. This process only took about 45 minutes! Which is ludicrous speed for Hondurans. We continued on our way and couldn't believe our luck that when we got to the border town  we had a taxi offer to take us all the way to La Palma. The only problem was crossing the border.....On the Honduran side they had pulled out a slip of paper which is crucial to pass into El Salvador. We arrived at the El Salvadoran immigration where they examined our passports over and over, took them to their bosses, and then we were pulled into a room where they offered us plastic chairs and told us to "Take a seat" My heart was racing at this point and I was unsure what was going to happen. We are finally informed that we have to go back to the Honduran Immigration and ask for that slip of paper back.  The Hondurans tell us we need to bring the paper back but the El Salvadorans tell us they can't take this piece of paper, we had no idea who to believe but in the interest of time we did not return these papers. We got to La Palma and found a nice little hotel with a TV including HBO family, all in Spanish of course, but who doesn't love Scooby doo no matter what language. We spent Saturday meandering around, enjoying their coffees, licuados, and yummy food. There might have even been some more Spanish TV and a nap thrown in there. Needless to say it was a relaxing vacation with a nice change of scenery. Sunday arrived  all too soon and we had to head to back to Gracias. The trip started off a little rocky....the first bus passing was so crammed full of people that they were hanging out of the doors....and then came border crossing yet again. Apparently they don't get many gringas passing through because the man immediately recognized us and began hounding us and asking why we hadn't brought our papers back. I try to respond but he continues lecturing us and finally I become heated and had probably my first argument in Spanish. We go back and forth for a while and we unwillingly hand him our slips of paper and they finally give us a new one. It felt much like a troll who will not let people pass through his bridge. We finally continuefd on and had smooth sailing all the way back to Gracias. Never a dull a moment....

As promised...

I am having hard time deciding where to even begin this blog on catching up for the last month and a half. To save you all and myself the hassle I will give you the highlights:
December: Marked the ending of 2nd partial which means that students get tested over the material covered in class, yours truly gets to write all of the tests so you can imagine how much fun that can be. With the end of this partial there was also the Christmas Chow and parade (yes that is how they pronounce show here) Primary teachers had to work together with Honduran teachers to create what was supposed to be Santa's Workshop but really ended up being Christmas threw up on a truck with "Santa" tied to the top. I joke but it actually ended up looking mostly decent. Along with the parade and float, primary teachers were responsible for teaching our students a song and dance. No song screams Christmas Dance like "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas" because truly what child does not want a hippo for Christmas? I mean no crocodiles or rhinoceruses, we only like hippopotamuses. Two botched attempts during practice and I was garuanteed to look like the jack ass of teachers, but my awesome students did a terrific job, and I am fairly certain many people walked away humming I want a hippopotamus for Christmas....
Christmas show ended and the next day I was Portland bound to visit my amazing family and friends! I was able to surprise my brothers, sisters in law, my niece, and my Grandmas! I was also able to spend time with my terrific friends and coworkers, meet a new baby, and rub the baby bellies of some dear friends. Which let me put on record how happy I am for all my friends and family because they are truly tremendously wonderful people. I am so blessed in life!

January:After about 2 1/2 weeks I was Texas bound to see an amazing man that I met on a chance encounter in Miami. We had spent only a matter of hours together before we parted ways, him heading to Dallas and myself en route to Honduras. We had been skyping for 5 months everyday, morning and night. It was so amazing to see him and spend time with him, face to face. He spoiled me rotten and I can't say that I minded too much :)  I am so looking forward to his visit down to Honduras to see me! Who would have ever thought.....
It was hard leaving Texas to head back to Honduras...but luckily I was meeting 2 great friends at the airport in Houston....definitely helped dry a few tears. We were so excited to see each other and share stories about our time at home. With great dismay but a blessing in disguise we were not seated next to each other. Close to arriving in Honduras the captain comes on and says that there was a plane with a flat tire on the single runway in San Pedro...meaning we can't land. He informed us that we would circle around for a little while but did not have enough fuel to make it long (so reasssuring, I know) Well the runway wasn't cleared and we had to stop in El Salvador to refuel. Needless to say it was getting quite late and we were more than hesitant about traveling on late busses especially with all of our luggage. Jenna was so lucky to be sitting next to missionaries who offered us a ride to Santa Rosa which is the closest city to Gracias. We couldn't have been more thankful! We stayed the night in Santa Rosa and finally made our way back to Gracias on Sunday morning. We truly are some lucky ladies...I love that life always has a way of working out!
My heart is full and I am eager and excited to see what the next few months of this crazy adventure bring! I am so lucky to have this opportunity and will continue to learn and grow everyday! I can never say thank you enough to all the people who love and support me on this voyage! Les quiero!

Kate! The cups are red!!!!

I apologize to my faithful followers as it has been quite some time since I have posted a blog. I will fill you all in of the past few weeks in a future blog, but for now this must be mentioned before my awesome memory fails me.....

This morning while walking to school with my good friend Kate I had quite the episode with a member of the livestock family. As we were walking, yes uphill please don't forget, on a main road in Gracias, I happen to spot a cow trotting down the hill with I am assuming his owner lagging a few feet behind me. Now, I have nothing against cows and have become quite accustomed to seeing them in the neighbor hood and streets of our quaint little town but I must have sensed something in this particular moo friend. Kate decided to cross the street (towards the cow) as we normally do every morning while walking to school. I had a moment of brief hesitation but followed along mas or menos obligingly (sp) (is it even a word?  I am not sure but sounds so fitting)  We continue walking,  yes stilll uphill, when the cow begins to venture in our direction....I definitely started to panic at this moment when yes that darn cow continued coming towards us. My faithful friend Kate runs and hides behind a tree, she definitely did not have my back on this one.  The cow comes closer and closer. In a moment of sheer panic I realize that our "coffee" cups are red and that this might anger the cow.  I turn to Kate, who is already safely hiding behind a tree, when I shout to her, "KATE!! Our coffee cups are red!" Still he inches closer. I lose all control of sanity and dignity and begin shouting "ayudame! ayudame! ayudame!" Which of course means, Help me! Help me! Help me! Said cow's owner comes leisurely trotting along as I stand frozen in panic. I dare not move in case this cow decides to disembowel me and my red cup. Kate stands behind the tree with great tears of laughter forming....The cow just a few feet from my frozen trance then continues to trot along apparently deciding my red cup wasn't so intimidating after all. Kate and I both burst into laughter. Tears were streaming down my face and I am rather uncertain if they were tears from laughing or if I was actually crying from my close encounter. Either way the world may never know....One thing can definitely be said, there is rarely a dull day in Gracias.

30 days of Thanks

I was inspired by those who were doing the 30 days of Thanks but I decided to save everybody's news feed and I wrote them in my journal instead. There are an abundance of things that I am thankful for this year and I am more aware of them now more than ever. The list could go on but these are the things that I thought of on each particular day.

1. The ability to work with children - they are the most awesome people on the planet
2. Having internet because it is my greatest means of communication
3. For my mama and her sending me awesome packages!
4. Caramel candies after a delicious pizza dinner
5. Being placed in a situation where I am forced to learn, grow, and push myself
6. My amazing and quirky family who I love dearly and with all of my heart
7. The strength, courage, and support to follow my dreams
8. Awesome friends who make me laugh till I cry and appreciate who I am, eccentricities and all
9. Good health- having a sound mind and body
10. Beautiful sunsets and scenery plus the time to stop and appreciate them
11. Delicious coffee and sweet treats : )
12. Experiencing the history that has contributed to making the world what it is now- the good and the bad
13. A comfy bed which I will be able to enjoy in a few weeks + sleeping in on cold gray day
14. Music of all types- they have the power to fit and/or improve your mood
15. Books, especially ones that make you think, laugh, or cry
16. Accessories - they have the power to change your wardrobe (especially if your wardrobe is limited)
17. Freshly sharpened pencils
18. Comedies- especially of the Will Ferrel sort- always good for a laugh
19. Planners and to do lists- help stay organized not to mention the satisfaction of crossing something off!
20. Honduran Thanksgiving and Honduran family- they have truly made this experience incredible!
21. The crazy beautiful unpredictableness of life
22. Every person who loves, loved, or hurt me- I could never be who I am or where I am without all them
23. For all teachers who truly care about students and want to change the life of at least one child
24. The way people / strangers can come together and share in unforgettable moments in life
25. Waterfalls and their serenity in nature
26. Meeting people from all walks of life and realizing that there is a lesson to learn from each person
27. Buses with good jams that make traveling much more enjoyable
28. People with big hearts that help and inspire others to help as well. I am so thankful for the people who make a difference.
29. Each and every good or bad experience I have ever had that has lead me to this point in my life. I am exactly where I need to be
30. My fantastic and amazing kiddos who make me laugh each and everyday and who teach me life lessons

The list could go on and some may seem vain and silly but the reality is that you have to appreciate even the small things in life. Thank you to all the people who care enough to read my blogs and stay involved in my life. I love each and all of you! Words will never be able to express enough gratitude to all the people in my life who have helped me become the person I am. THANK YOU!

Rewind....

I apologize to all because I have been terrible about keeping up to date with my blog....Let me see if I can review noteworthy events that have happened in the last month.  My dear friend Tiffany came to visit and we met in Copan where we were able to enjoy the ruins and catch up on what has been happening in the last few years. I hadn't seen Tiffany since we graduated with our Bachelor's in 2008. She came back with me to Gracias and was awesome, teaching my kiddos how to make snowflakes and reading stories to them. They adored her. We went to a futbol game but didn't stay long because there was absolutely nowhere to sit. Also, the crowd was a little strange because they were practically silent until a goal was almost made. Not quite what I had pictured for a soccer game in a Latin country. The next day we went to a nearby town called La Campa. Though the town was beautiful it felt like something much out of a horror movie because of the lack of the people. We saw maybe 5 people in the whole town. There was some very cool pottery and bought some fun things to take home back to the states. Bright and early Sunday morning Tiffany had to leave and we said our "see you laters" knowing that our paths will cross again someday.
Later that day, teachers from Minerva and the other bilingual school, plus a few missionaries all gathered together for a Thanksgiving meal. I have truly never been so grateful for so many things in my life. It was a gathering of awesome food and even more awesome food. It will definitely be a Thanksgiving to remember!
A story that I must include but can't remember when it actually happened was a few weeks ago when I was sitting on our patio, enjoying my usual breakfast of corn flakes and waiting to skype when I hear a very loud pop! pop! pop! and see sparks shooting out. My first thought was gun shots but quickly realized that it was one of the cables that runs ridiculously close to our house.  When I say close I mean  perhaps 3 feet from our railing. The internet goes out instantly as well as the lights. I continue eating and then 3 more pops! and more sparks. I continued to sit there eating until I hear our neighbor shouting "fuego! fuego! fuego!" I run to the railing and see 2 small fires on the wires. My first and only thought was to grab water....I know many of you are thinking water is a terrible idea because it was an electrical fire.....irregardless we had nothing else to put out the fire with and yes the water worked and I am clearly still alive to tell this tale. Never a dull moment in Gracias.

On to Jenna and Kristin take on El Salvador.... After leaving Wednesday after school and arriving to our final destination Thursday about 8 pm we were more than thrilled to be stationary for a bit. (We did stay the night at a border town) After setting our things doing and preparing ourselves to explore the town for some food we leave our room to find some English speaking people hanging out in the patio area. They offered us a beer and we knew we had made some immediate friends. We had perhaps one of the most memorable Thanksgiving dinners either of us will ever experience. Our make shift El Salvodorean family consisted of a couple from Australia, 2 men from LA, and a half El Salvodorean. We enjoyed our meal immensely and of course indulged in some pie, it was Thanksgiving after all. The next day we went on a waterfall tour where it was Jenna, myself, our tour guide Duglas, and his 5 dogs. We were out in pristine nature where it appeared that only few tend to travel. We were hiking in and out of the river and waterfalls, where we actually had to repel ourselves down the waterfall. It was such an incredible experience! We were then able to sunbathe in the base of a waterfall, yup couldn't imagine a better trip. We explored the town and even had a little lounge time before hitting the night market and rabbit tacos in a nearby town. Saturday, we spent hitting the market in Juajua and found some good steals. With our bags and goodies loaded we headed to La Palma, a super adorable town much closer to the border of Honduras. Sunday we were able to check the bright colorful murals painted all over the town and check out all the artisan shops. After one last zapote licuado, we headed back home to Gracias. We had a blast on our trip and are very much in love with El Salvador!