Yesterday we hiked the Santa Maria volcano, the highest volcano in Guatemala. I was super bummed upon arriving to find out that my camera was dead. So those pictures I promised to take? Yeah they don't exist. It was so incredibly beautiful and difficult. The city of Xela is at about 7500 feet above sea level, and the volcano sits a good 8000 ft higher. We left Xela around 5:30 am and started trekking at 6, making it to the peak around 9:30. I've never experienced the lack of oxygen, and because of it, I felt like someone was grabbing onto my lungs so that little air could be let in. It was SO COLD.. probably around 35 degrees when the wind blew, but you could see for about 100 miles. When the clouds cleared, the view reached to the Pacific Ocean and into Mexico! A volcano that was right next to Santa Maria erupted around 10 am, and the ash cloud kept us from seeing a lot of the time but it was still worth it. On the way down I started to feel really woozy and nauseous, and I ended up getting altitude sickness which can only be cured by... not being at a high altitude. So the hike down was pretty terrible and I feel so sick, and ended up taking it easy the rest of the day.
But today has been great! We finally finished up our orientation week (so hard to believe we've only been here a week), and moved in with our host families! A lot of us were extremely nervous (definitely including me); not just for the language barrier but also for being separated from one another and entering into the home of complete strangers. But my family is so sweet! I was quite relieved upon meeting them.. My host mom is Lorena, an elementary school teacher, and she has twin daughters, Debora and Dorca, who are 17. The girls are so cute, and Lorena is extremely welcoming and warm... So I can't wait to get to know them more! They're also extremely patient with my lack of Spanish skills, so that's greatly appreciated.
Alright well I'm signing off.. not much else to do around here so I'm gonna take a nap. Spanish starts tomorrow! Super pumped for that.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
First Days in Xela
Our first days in Xela (pronounced Shey-la) have been so many things. First off, it's a beautiful mountain town, and every morning the clouds are just laying in the peaks of the mountains and it's breathtaking. The city has tiny little streets, many of them cobblestone, and some as hilly as streets in San Francisco. We explored the markets yesterday, partly on our own and partly doing an exercise on the socio-economic conditions of Xela, and it was both interesting and incredibly eye-opening. For our exercise, Fidel, who is the director of the program in Guatemala, gave groups of three 50 Quetzales (about 5 US dollars) which is about what the average Guatemalan makes in a day, and had us go to the market and attempt to buy different items for a family of five. My group consisted of Charles, Anna, and myself, were supposed to buy food, and with the 50 Q, we were only able to buy enough food for one meal... 1 tomato, 1 onion, a pound of rice, a pound of salt, a pound of corn flour, a package of chicken, and 3 avocados. Other groups bought clothing, school supplies, and medical supplies/expenses. After returning from the market we met up to share what we bought, but also to analyze the economic situation that most Guatemalans face... If you're the sole worker in your family earning only 50 or 60 Q a day, imagine trying to provide for an entire family when we could only buy enough food for one meal! And to think if there were a medical emergency, when a trip to a doctor is 200 Q. It was definitely the first major shock I had that made me realize how lucky most Americans are to have such expendable income. Ten bucks at the grocery store is nothing, and much of the time, it's easy to just throw away money.
The people are something else also. They are always presented so well, even if they have nothing, and are incredibly respectful to each other and especially to us. Guatemalans are VERY quiet, and a lot of the time would rather be passive than to say anything. For example when we were in Antigua, at dinner we bought some wine which we have to pay outside of our budgeted food from the school, and we walked out completely forgetting to pay for it. The next day we gave our guide the money to pay, and she told us that it probably came out of the waiter's wage. If that were the case in America, someone would have run after us to (rudely) remind us that we didn't pay. We had several interactions with the server, and he didn't mention it once. However when they do speak, they always have a smile and are so polite.
Last night we had dinner on our own for the first time (so we didn't have Ruth or Joe with us, the two program facilitators who are basically mom and dad) and ordering was hilarious. Rachel, Dylan, Maggie, Charles, Eric, and I found this little place with pretty basic Guatemalan food, and when ordering really realized how bad most of us are at speaking. The waitress laughed with us, especially at Dylan who has had no Spanish instruction at all. Someone always has to whisper what to say in his ear, and then translated to his own words usually comes out about half right. The food is ridiculously cheap, with my dinner of two enchiladas being only about $1.70, and beer about $2. After eating we walked to the town square and went to this bar, meeting up with the other half of the group, and pretty much all got completely hammered. A liter of good sangria is only about $13! I'm sure that we were obnoxious and loud Americans, taking tequila shots and drinking way too much beer, and the stumbling back to our hotel. We all went up on the roof, doing god-knows-what, and then Georgia, Eric, and I had the inkling to come back down to my room to listen to the Charlie Brown Christmas CD. Don't ask me why. We went back up to the roof and stood in a huddle for probably about 30 minutes, confessing our love for one another, until a hotel worker came up and told us to go to bed. Rachel, Maggie, and I went back to our room and were all in bed talking in laughing when Georgia and Evy came down to tell us that they could hear us upstairs with their door closed. Needless to say it was a good night.
Today we're learning more about life in Xela, and then get to tour our school for the first time. Tomorrow we get to climb one of the largest volcanoes in the country! So excited and I'll definitely post pictures.
Ciao
The people are something else also. They are always presented so well, even if they have nothing, and are incredibly respectful to each other and especially to us. Guatemalans are VERY quiet, and a lot of the time would rather be passive than to say anything. For example when we were in Antigua, at dinner we bought some wine which we have to pay outside of our budgeted food from the school, and we walked out completely forgetting to pay for it. The next day we gave our guide the money to pay, and she told us that it probably came out of the waiter's wage. If that were the case in America, someone would have run after us to (rudely) remind us that we didn't pay. We had several interactions with the server, and he didn't mention it once. However when they do speak, they always have a smile and are so polite.
Last night we had dinner on our own for the first time (so we didn't have Ruth or Joe with us, the two program facilitators who are basically mom and dad) and ordering was hilarious. Rachel, Dylan, Maggie, Charles, Eric, and I found this little place with pretty basic Guatemalan food, and when ordering really realized how bad most of us are at speaking. The waitress laughed with us, especially at Dylan who has had no Spanish instruction at all. Someone always has to whisper what to say in his ear, and then translated to his own words usually comes out about half right. The food is ridiculously cheap, with my dinner of two enchiladas being only about $1.70, and beer about $2. After eating we walked to the town square and went to this bar, meeting up with the other half of the group, and pretty much all got completely hammered. A liter of good sangria is only about $13! I'm sure that we were obnoxious and loud Americans, taking tequila shots and drinking way too much beer, and the stumbling back to our hotel. We all went up on the roof, doing god-knows-what, and then Georgia, Eric, and I had the inkling to come back down to my room to listen to the Charlie Brown Christmas CD. Don't ask me why. We went back up to the roof and stood in a huddle for probably about 30 minutes, confessing our love for one another, until a hotel worker came up and told us to go to bed. Rachel, Maggie, and I went back to our room and were all in bed talking in laughing when Georgia and Evy came down to tell us that they could hear us upstairs with their door closed. Needless to say it was a good night.
Today we're learning more about life in Xela, and then get to tour our school for the first time. Tomorrow we get to climb one of the largest volcanoes in the country! So excited and I'll definitely post pictures.
Ciao
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
From Guatemala City, to Antigua, and finally in Quetzeltenago
Hola!!! It's been a couple days since I've had the opportunity to update, but it's been a busy journey already! We left Guatemala City yesterday after touring the central plaza and visiting a school in the municipal garbage dump (one of the most famous in the world) that attempts to take children out of working in the dump and offering them an education. The woman who runs it was so motivated and kind-hearted, and it was great to have a first look into the social and political situations of Guatemala. We headed to the colonial city of Antigua, which was breathtaking with its cobble streets and 17th century architecture. We had the afternoon free to explore on our own, and then met up with the group for dinner at an Italian restaurant... in Guatemala. Dinner was followed by a talk with a Guatemalan man who was arrested and exiled during the civil war, and it was incredibly interesting to really begin to analyze and question the factors that led to such a brutal war for 36 years. With the United States' civil war so long ago, it's hard to imagine living in a country where there were civil conflicts happening in our own lifetime, much of which was horribly corrupted and disgustingly violent.
On a lighter note, the group ended the night by experiencing the night life in Antigua, which is a rather popular tourist spot. The exchange rate for money is about 7.7 quetzales for one American dollar, and we were getting drinks for about 50 cents! Definitely lent itself well for a fun night. We bar hopped to a couple different places, most of which were filled with American and European tourists, but it was awesome just to bond with the other kids in the program. There's only 13 of us, and we've already started to mesh so well! I feel really comfortable with everyone (I don't know if it's out of necessity or just because everyone is so great) but it's been such a great experience so far.
We made it to Quetzeltenago where we'll be staying for the next month, and the town is absolutely beautiful. We're at about 6000 feet above sea level, so the temperature is like the most perfect fall day. The drive wound us through the lush mountains that were filled with the most adorable little villages and farming communities. We currently have our first downtime in a while, so I've decided to chill in the room while it's raining outside.
Talk again soon!
Becca
On a lighter note, the group ended the night by experiencing the night life in Antigua, which is a rather popular tourist spot. The exchange rate for money is about 7.7 quetzales for one American dollar, and we were getting drinks for about 50 cents! Definitely lent itself well for a fun night. We bar hopped to a couple different places, most of which were filled with American and European tourists, but it was awesome just to bond with the other kids in the program. There's only 13 of us, and we've already started to mesh so well! I feel really comfortable with everyone (I don't know if it's out of necessity or just because everyone is so great) but it's been such a great experience so far.
We made it to Quetzeltenago where we'll be staying for the next month, and the town is absolutely beautiful. We're at about 6000 feet above sea level, so the temperature is like the most perfect fall day. The drive wound us through the lush mountains that were filled with the most adorable little villages and farming communities. We currently have our first downtime in a while, so I've decided to chill in the room while it's raining outside.
Talk again soon!
Becca
Monday, August 22, 2011
Hola para Guatemala City!!
I MADE IT! I´ve arrived at the guest house that we´re staying in tonight, and it´s absolutely beautiful. It has a courtyard full of lush flowers and plants, which is pretty much how the entire city is. Guatemala City is much nicer than I expected! I guess I had poor expectations, but it´s very much like any American city. The infrastructure is definitely the main difference, with roads being in poorer conditions and most housing a little dilapidated, but in general it´s really beautiful. It´s also not unusual to see men standing outside of certain buildings with rifles. We arrived right when it starts raining in the afternoon (as it does everyday during the rainy season) and I´ve never seen a storm like that! But it only lasts about an hour and a half and then clears up again. It definitely lends itself well to all of the vegetation, as everything is soooooo beautifully green. Flying in was gorgeous, as the area is so mountainous with rigid peaks.
All of the natives have been very welcoming, and it´s interesting recognizing the major cultural differences. One of the first things I noticed is that Guatemala has an upcoming presidential election taking place on September 11th, and there are campaign materials EVERYWHERE, with the candidates face taking up the majority of the poster. I noticed probably 6 or 7 presidential candidates, which is already a large difference from American politics. Also, the public transportation is starkly different from any in the US. Most of the public buses are old school buses that have been painted in rich colors and designs, with each bus having it´s own feel. Something that the US should definitely adopt.
All of the natives have been very welcoming, and it´s interesting recognizing the major cultural differences. One of the first things I noticed is that Guatemala has an upcoming presidential election taking place on September 11th, and there are campaign materials EVERYWHERE, with the candidates face taking up the majority of the poster. I noticed probably 6 or 7 presidential candidates, which is already a large difference from American politics. Also, the public transportation is starkly different from any in the US. Most of the public buses are old school buses that have been painted in rich colors and designs, with each bus having it´s own feel. Something that the US should definitely adopt.
There are about 8 students here at the moment, three of whom were on my connecting flight from Houston. Everyone is already so friendly, and I can tell I´ll be making some great friendships. There are 4 boys and 7 or 8 girls, but not everyone will be arriving until later on tonight. Today is our only night in Guatemala City, and tomorrow we´ll spend the first half of the day touring, and then heading to the colonial town of Antigua for the night. Then on Wednesday we travel to Quetzeltenago (with the colloquial name of Shela), where we´ll be staying the rest of the time in Guatemala. We have orientation for the week, and then on Sunday we are introduced to our host families, where we´ll be living for 3 weeks. I´m already so excited for the experiences, because it seems we´ll be doing so much cool stuff! This Saturday we´re hiking a volcano that is one of the tallest peaks in Central America.
Hopefully I´ll be taking some pictures soon, and posting them up here!
Hast luego,
becca
Sunday, August 21, 2011
pre-travel
Welcome to the home where I will record most of my time spent in Latin America for the coming semester. I haven't actually left yet (about 30 hours left in the United States), but I figured it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and get started. My bag has yet to be packed, with all of my stuff sitting in the middle of my floor, and I doubt all of it is going to fit into one dufflebag. But how am I supposed to know how to pack for four months of my life? Not to mention I'll be in two differing climates (the cooler highlands in Guatemala wheres high temperatures hover around 60 degrees, and then 80s in El Salvador and Nicaragua). It's unusual imagining my everyday clothes and personal items in such a completely different culture... Here, I blend into in the heterogeneous American culture; just a typical white, educated, somewhat-alternative girl. I have no idea how I'm going to react to being so easily recognized as American, and in turn, how that's going to affect my return to the United States after the trip. There are so many things I can't fathom at the moment (most namely the language barrier), but I've decided that it's nothing I can come up with out of thin air. So for the remainder of my time at home, I'm going about my daily life until I sit down on that plane headed south. I apologize if this post doesn't have much to it, but I thought it would be interesting to journal some of my thoughts before I actually begin on this one-of-a-kind journey.
I'll write again via Guatemala!!
I'll write again via Guatemala!!
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