Si era independiente...

Reflecting back on the past week's activities, I can see how we are finally starting to develop a routine, and for that, I am finally starting to feel like I live here and am not just visiting.

Hard to believe I lasted so long without, but I rode my first chicken bus Friday after school. It was quite possibly the funniest experience I have had in Guatemala to this day. I became one of those people I mentioned in the last post that were packed in all the way until hanging out the door of the bus...yeah, that was us. Only we were somewhere in the middle, not out the door. It was loud, noisy, crowded, and surprisingly funny, particularly the way all the Americans towered over the Guatemalans who were also standing in the aisle (at least a head taller in all cases), or the way the people at the back of the bus either yelled to keep the bus stopped as they wove their way to the front door or just opened the emergency exit back door to hop out. My favorite moment on the chicken bus was when the loud salsa music popped on randomly at one point during the ride. It was so loud it sounded like we were on a party bus in the States, the kind you have to rent out to have such loud music and so many people on it, standing/dancing while driving down the street. And to think I got all that for less than 15 cents!

I went to church for the first time on Sunday. The church was called "Palabras en Accion" (words in action). The three Guatemalan ladies who work as the business managers and secretary for the school all go to this church. One of them invited me and another girl; she picked us up and took us there with her family. As soon as we walked in the door, a lighter skinned boy (not quite white though) beelined straight for us, introduced himself, and then offered to translate the sermon for us...he would just run and get headsets so we could listen. Yes, that happens everywhere we go...it takes less than five seconds to be identified as the Americans. At least at church we weren't talked at rudely and called "mamacitas" (as we are while walking down the street).

The most difficult part of living here right now is not adjusting to the culture, or making friends, or even the whole job aspect. Although I had expected all of those to take a little time to adjust, the worst adjustment for me is living with a family again. I am used to being on my own time schedule, eating when I want to, sleeping when I want to, having a TV, being able to dictate when and where I can go and how, at my own whim. All of a sudden, I have set mealtimes in which you have to be home or you have to spend money and eat out. Not a bad option, except I've already paid for meals at the house, so essentially I'm paying twice for the same meal when I eat out! Several of the other girls living with families express similar difficulties, and are already moving out to an apartment. I'm trying to stay strong, afterall I wanted to live with a family to improve my Spanish skills, however, it's difficult to think about how much money I would be saving by living in an apartment with other teachers.

I am once again the last teacher left at school. Perhaps it's the perfectionist in me, or the fact that science requires more prep and planning for each class (and I'm teaching 5) than other subjects because there is both lecture and lab to prepare, or maybe I am the biggest rookie to teaching in the group (also true). Whatever the case, I am usually the last one to leave, and it is time to do that now.

WOW

Yes, wow is definitely the word of the day, or really, the week. I have been in Xela for 9 days now, incredible to write that seeing as I feel as if it's been about 9 weeks (maybe a little exaggeration).

Many things have happened in this first week:

1. I have learned to use the public transportation very effectively. It cost about 15 cents to ride a minivan type vehicle that sits 15 people (yes, 15 people in a minivan), but can actually hold at least 20 (as I found out yesterday while going to the supermarket). There are also school buses that are very brightly painted and go everywhere you need to go as well. They're called chicken buses...probably because you have to sit 4 people to a seat and people will squish all the way down the aisle until they're hanging out the door.

2. I have survived my first earthquake...ever. It just so happened, unbeknownst to me, that we had an earthquake last Saturday night. Apparent everything shook enough that you could feel it pretty good: things rattled, you could see things moving, etc. Well, I believe I had just gone to sleep about 20 minutes before the earthquake happened, and did not even know about it until at least the next evening (For anyone who knows how I sleep, this should not be shocking). My host family had a nice laugh at the shock on my face when they told me there was an earthquake.

3. And of course, I have survived my first XelaJu futbol game. Not only did I survive it, but I learned several new words that I can never use...the inappropriate kind...and we won! The stadium here is not as big as the one in Uruguay, so the fence is someone in the way. You can see through it, but it is annoying to me.

4. Montezuma has not yet visited me. This one stands alone.

5. I survived my first experimentation with street food without seeing Montezuma (see number 4). We tried a local dish called Ceviche from one of the guy's favorite places. It is basically finely chopped pico de gallo (American style with onions, tomatoes, and lots of cilantro) served with boiled shrimp. It's a cold dish, and you eat it with tostadas. We were told to be careful because not all seafood is safe, but Oohh boy is it good! I'll be going back for more.

I guess those are the highlights of my first week. We're really busy getting ready for school. For me, that means I am really busy trying to figure out how in the world to write a lesson plan, plan out my entire year in each of the 5 classes I'm teaching, how to not smile the first few days of class (because according to grandma, that's how it's done right)--basically, how to be a teacher.

The returning teachers are coming to Xela tonight, so it'll be cool to get to meet them all. Pray for sanity...school starts in 1 week!

Empieza the adventure

So, I arrived with little to no hitches in Guatemala City Saturday afternoon after spending Friday night at a hotel in Chicago. My bags all made it on my flight, which was great because one of my fellow new teachers wasn´t quite so fortunate. I walked out of the airport not knowing how exactly I was going to find the men from my school who were supposed to pick me up. I assumed they would have my name or theirs on a card so I exited the airport, scanning the crowd and pushing my luggage cart very, very slowly so I could read all the name. I was almost to the end of the line, to the parking lot, and still no sign of them when someone called my name. They could somehow tell it was me, the fact that I looked lost, was American, had way too much luggage, and was scanning very intently into the crowds probably gave me away.

Mr. Brodbeck, the director of the school, Michael, the new principal, and myself were the only ones who arrived Saturday. So we spent the night at a nice hotel, the Best Western. And then picked up everyone else Sunday morning. We then drove, in the pouring down rain for 4 hours to reach Xela (pronounced Chaylah). We didn´t get here until night time so we couldn´t see anything of the city or the two volcanoes surrounding the city. They immediately dropped us off at our houses, and then left!

My house mom is Luisa and her family: Allan (her son), Alberto (her nephew), and Cesar (her husband). They are very lively energetic people, and we actually laughed a lot my first night. The whole language thing makes me uncomfortable, but it was for that reason that I chose to live with a family instead of in an apartment, like most of the other new teachers did.

I unpacked my things and settled my room, it is small but comfortable. They actually have a very nice house compared to the houses I went in last time I was in Guatemala. There is a living room, a kitchen, three other small bedrooms, and one bathroom. I am about to be late for lunch so I will write more later!

The Dawning of a New Day

I am recently returned from Colorado where I have spent a wonderful, however short, summer working at Trek. My heart remains there as I am now in the Homeland (Nashville) getting ready for my big move to Guatemala.

It has been difficult already to say goodbye to people who I've shared the last six months and the last 5 summers with, however I am excited for the next chapter in my life..."adult life". Although some may not yet call my life the real adult life, I maintain that it is. I have just chosen to begin my real adult life differently than most. I choose to spend it teaching and learning in Guatemala rather than working or continuing on in school in the US. And while the past week has already been difficult (and tearful) enough, the next few days look to be even more so as I say goodbye to my friends in Nashville, my family, and move on to a strange, yet exciting mission in Guatemala.

For my own personal benefit, and for anyone else who chooses to read, I hope to document and record the many workings of God in my life and the wonderful (and not so wonderful) experiences I will have this year in Guatemala in this blog. So welcome, and keep in touch.