Final thoughts on Xela/Guatemala

As we sit here in an internet cafe rewriting our last post in frustration due to somehow loosing it moments before... (deep breath...). We can't help but think that our last week has flown by faster than you can say "tiempo vuela".

We decided that it would be a great idea to take a couple extra Spanish classes during our final week. It did not seem to effect Tom as much but by Friday Melissa was definitely burnt (actually I think I was burnt by Tuesday morning). Tuesday was spent completing a 10 hour day of class and surprisingly we had enough energy after to play cards for a couple hours with Gene and Dorothy (our housemates) a fantastic couple from Kentucky.

On Wednesday we decided to cut our study days a little shorter so we could go to a futbol game. Melissa studied for 7.5 and Tom for 5 since his teacher jumped at the chance to join us for the game. We arrived at 5:30 for the game as we were advised that we should get there early since Xelaju was playing Municipalidad, a really good team from Guatemala City. However, probably due to the team playing poorly as of late, there was no line and the stadium didn't begin to fill until 15 minutes before the game kicked off (8:00). We learned that several of the players play for professional soccer teams as well in the U.S. , thus for those of you baseball fans it had the make up of a Twins vs Yankees game (when the Twins haven't been playing well). Before the game began we were told that we would learn words and phrases that we won't repeat here, however we will tell you that many of them we have also heard and seen written about our president due to his recent arrival. The atmosphere around the game was exhilarating and somewhat excentric with impressive fireworks, fans also shooting them towards the inflatable Pepsi sign in effort to lite it on fire, and a band that sounded more like a car alarm with brass. When Xela won 2-0 we couldn't help but think we had seen a game that would be remembered for a long time.

Thursday was another long day for Melissa as she started off her day with participating in a march with about 1,000 other women from Xela, celebrating International Women’s Day. She was able to be in the front of the march holding a banner with 2 other Guatemaltecan women. ¨It was a really great experice that excites me to start working with the women in El Salvador.¨ After the march Melissa went off to class while Tom finished up class and then did some errands we had before leaving on Saturday. After dinner we went over to Edna and Braulio’s (our previous family) to say goodbye. As we didn’t have much time to spend, we sat around talking about us leaving, our improvement in Spanish and Tom’s amoeba’s (which always make their way into conversation). As we were ready to leave, Braulio, Edna and Sintia offered to have a prayer, so we gathered in a circle in their living room while they chanted individually about prayers for us, our families and a variety of other prayers that we couldn’t understand (for several minutes). We left there that night with tears in our eyes and a gift in our hand.

Friday we finished with classes and were surprised and delighted that Teresa’s mom and dad (Teresa and Pablo) were going to join us (Tom, Melissa, Dorothy and Gene) for lunch. Pablo brought along some wine to share a few cheers. A lot of positive words were exchanged as both sides had a great experience with each other. After lunch Pablo offered to drive us (Melissa, Tom, Dorothy and Gene) up to Bauhl. We had previously been up to Bauhl, however could not turn down the offer to ride in Pablo’s car. We all piled in the car and took off for the short 20 minute drive up to Bauhl. Once there were able to smell the trees and pine, just enough to leave us yearning to go camping!! Friday evening we invited the family, Dorothy and Gene and Oscar to supper at Giuseppe’s dining on pizza and saying our goodbyes.

As we are excited to meet Jeanne, Tedde, Javier and Barb (who is travelling down from the office in Boston), we can’t help but to be sad to leave this place we had just begun to call home.
-posted by Melissa and Tom (twice)

Everything Changes... (soon)

It's funny that feeling you get about being comfortable somewhere just before you leave. When I was in the city today I couldn´t help thinking as ¨I have often walked down this street before¨ (for all you fans of My Fair Lady) and that so much has become familiar to me. From the parks and cafes that we have read and studied in, the small tienda that we have invested a good amount of Quetzals in for snacks between classes, to the families and friends that we will soon be leaving; I couldn´t help but feel a sense of sadness as well as nervousness for the unknown.

Being extremely busy as of late I would like to use the words of the great Inigo Montoya (the spanerd from famed movie ¨Princess Bride¨): ¨let me explain, ah there is too much let me sum up¨. Our vacation was a blast with highlights being viewing the towering magesty of Tikal (left), climbing the active volcano Pacaya (below), and chocolate brownies (perhaps better than any we've eaten in the states). Resting was great and the break from our studies was just what we needed. At the point that we left Xela we were fried from our intensive studies and definately need some down time. Although we did and saw some amazing things during our vacation some of the best moments involved not doing much at all. We did get to watch a little TV (including the superbowl), went canoeing a couple of times, enjoyed some great foods, listened to live music that I know my dad would have been dancing too, and viewed sights that will hopefully soon be available in our albums for all interested to see.

Upon arriving back in Xela we had just spoken with CRISPAZ and finalized our dates of arrival to El Salvador, the 12th of March. Since that time we have been in contact with CRISPAZ much more frequently through email, even writing to them in Spanish which has come with much more ease than I could ever have claimed before. With today already being the first of March we've only got a little more than a week left in Xela and have decided to double up with some studies next week. That is to say we will study both in the morning and afternoon 10 hours a day to get the most out of our remaing time. By the weekend of the 10-11 we will travel down towards Guatemala city (as with construction that route now takes close to 8 hours by bus), and then will leave Guatemala behind (at least for now) and finially meet Jeanne, Teddie, Javier, Barb, and others working with CRISPAZ. So much change will happen soon but as for now we are trying to take one moment at a time and indeed cherish all that we have learned and gained from our time here in this wonderful country.
-posted by Tom

Our new family

Well, I would like to start out by saying, I hope Tom didn´t scare to many of you with his previous blog. Unfortunately, it is one of the precautions we have to take here as ¨gringos¨and need to be wary of who to trust or believe.


On a positive note we want to share information about our new family. Tom and I moved the week before vacation, so have not had a lot of time to get to know them, but thus far they are fabulous. Upon arrival Tom and I were thrilled with our new habitation, we had no idea life could be this good. We have a large room, almost twice the size of the other room, a full size bed, a linoleum floor, and lots of shelf space. We were so excited about this room that we immediately jumped up and down and took some pictures. Teresa (our mom) is a fantastic cook!!! She firmly believes in eating healthy, therefore no strange pieces of fat have showed up on either of our plates. Teresa has two kids, Roberto; 4, and Andrea; 7, they are similar to other kids these ages, as they have a lot of energy.....and it seems either one or both cry at least a couple times a day. The first day Tom and I were at our new house, Tom and I finished lunch and went to our room, after we opened the door Andrea wandered in and started bouncing on the bed, and then proceeded to rummage through some of our items on the desk (this all happened within 10 seconds). Since Tom and I did not have the correct grammer to stay ¨You need to ask before touching our things and before coming in¨, I could only say ¨no, no, no¨which only worked for so long. Thankfully, Marge gave us tons of stickers which became the perfect distraction, I brought out the sticker book and lured Andrea outside of our room to oogle over the many stickers we have. We continue to get questioned about the stickers, daily... which has developed into fun and cute situations such as when they knocked on door wearing the stickers over one eye saying ¨¡Somos piratas!¨ (we are pirates) leaving Tom and I laughing allong with them. Although we happily give them each one, sometimes two stickers most days, we also try to interact with them in other ways. Needless to say Tom and I are very happy with our new family.

Don't Worry about it... We're on vacation

Although my stomach isn't at 100%, I still have periodic waves of sickness or shall I say stomach pain as they usually don't amount to anything more than that, I thank the heavens that I no longer am taking that medicine. Additionally, the head cold and cronic runny nose that I had in Xela has dissapated into nothing most likely due to warmer whether and lack of volcanic dust from the active volcano behind Santa Maria. Here's a warm thought for all you that really worry about Melissa and I, I was talking with one of my Maestros named Julio and he told me that currently all of the active volcanos in Guatemala are more active as of late. In reguards to this there was a conference in Guatemala city with a team of scientists asking if Guatemala is ready for another big earthquake. If all of the volcanos become active at once (with this there is a small chance but nevertheless a chance) there would be an earthquake much like the one in 2002 (I believe that was the year) which would cause tremoudous damage. Julio told me that although the chances are small we should live each day like it could be your last, hense we are on vacation.

Now that I've probably worried our parents, I'll pause to tell you that living on a fault line within Guatemala these chances always exist but really only 2 tremendously damaging earthquakes have happened in that last 30 years or so. And perhaps the most positive part of all this was that my spanish has become so much better that I could understand and respond to the details of conversations like this rather than nodding and replying ¨Si¨or ¨No entiendo¨.

We have a TON of pictures that will keep us busy downloading upon the return from our vacation (a view from our hotel balcony of Lake Atitlan) but while we are now here relaxing in Antigua let me say that we've had a great time, thus far. We've probably spoken more english than we could have during our trip with each other but the break was most likely needed as well. Initially we went to Lake Atitlan and then briefly to Guatemala City where flew to Tikal. I'll write more on the places themselve later but first something more to worry you all...

Returning from Panajachel by ¨chicken bus¨(dubbed the name by the great possiblity that other animals who didn´t have to pay may enter or be walking around the bus) we sat on a near empty bus with some other travelers (one of which looked Guatemalatecan) who spoke English as well. After striking up a conversation with them we heard the consistant warning about watch out for robbers as they frequently enter these buses and being gringos we would always be targets. Later in the small town of Solola (only 20 minutes or so from Pana) those same two individuals came up to the front of the bus to talk to the driver and conductor. The then turned to us to whisper that two men in the back of the bus where acting strangely and they did not feel comfortable and wanted to switch buses. They invited us to switch with them and where going to ask for some of the money back. We decided to switch as well however the bus wasn't stopping any time soon and we had Melissa's big pack on the top of the bus. The other two individuals got off the bus leaving us to try and haggle with the bus driver about getting our lugage off the bus. He paid us little attention seemingly intent on leaving the crowded streets of Solola behind him.

The conductor was out on the streets and later climbed onto the bus so Melissa and I were left standing near the enterance of bus sidestepping new comers to the bus. If we would have left the bus there was a 100% chance that our pack with all of our supplies would have sped off with the bus to Guatemala City and we would have needed to add a lot of shopping to our plans. Not knowing what else to do Melissa and I sat back down exchanging nervous and confused looks occasionaly at each other (but trying to look like nothing was wrong even though we had thousands of questions swirling through our heads). Not more than 10 Kilos outside of Solola (although with all of nerves of confusion it felt like hours) the bus came to a stop on the roadside and the bus driver and conductor left the bus, and a police officer stepped on and greeted us and slowly walked down the row. He asked the man Melissa was sitting next to to get up and patted him down and looked through his bags. The man looked very nervous but was allowed to sit back down. The two other men that the orginal English speaking travelers (who left the bus in Solola) had decribed were led off the back of the bus and there belongings were looked through on the side of the road. Now those two men distinctly looked different as they had some ¨bling, bling¨jewelery on, a couple golden teeth and some darker clothes. One of the officers re-entered the bus and asked us all if we knew any other information and a couple of the passengers spoke to say they didn´t. He also asked if any of us lived in Pana, (as I believe the other two said they did) but no one spoke up to that. He described several other things that I couldn't make out and then the driver and conductor later entered the bus and we were on our way without the other two men.

I don't know if they found anthing with those two men or just singled them out due to stereo-typing which is quite commun here. Nonetheless it seemed very strange that our bus trip started with the two travelors who seemed weary of thieves (in fact the man stated that 50 out of 100 buses get held up by theives, a fact that seemed LARGELY exagerated as we had heard from other travelers that risks were small), and later they had either saved us all on the bus or created a stir for nothing. Missy and I still aren't really sure what to make of all that but honestly I felt myself feeling a little bit safer that the police had come onto the bus (and later checked the bus in Los Encuentros again) . Knowing the police and government system is largely corrupt as well I can't help but have mixed feelings about those two men that were pulled off the bus... were they discriminated against or was it justified? What about those origanal two travelors... were they to be trusted...or were they nuttier than squirrel shit? So many questions and I´m sure that will not be the last of our encounters with these events...

With all this said, when the taxi driver that was taking us to the bus stop Friday night in Guatemala City (after returning from Tikal) offered to take us to Antigua we bartered with him for a little bit but in the end were very greatful that we could avoid the most crowded and dangerous bus terminal on a very very busy last Friday night.

-posted by Tom