Hiking Volcan Acatenango

Hiking a volcano is definitely a thing to do in Guatemala, and I couldn’t believe my luck when I had the opportunity to do it within my first month thanks to NPH! The home organized a trip to hike Volcan Acatenango as a youth ministry activity. The adventure started a few days before we left with preparing the first aid kits (los botiquines). I was in charge of them, but boy, let me tell you there was a lot of external input on and verification of those bad boys. At one point, we had multiple foil blankets, a neck brace, sutures, and a bajillion and one ACE bandages. (I thought this was a first aid kit, not a mini-hospital…) Eventually, I whittled everything down to a reasonable amount and variety of supplies and got the official stamp of approval on them.

First aid mockery, complete with neck brace.

The volcano hike had been the main topic of conversation all week. Whenever I told someone I was going on it, I generally got comments about how steep it was, how people got robbed, how someone almost froze to death, and so on. You know, real uppers. I figured it would certainly be tough, but it couldn’t be that bad if teenagers from the home were going on it. Even still, I was a little nervous when we left NPH bright and early at 4 AM on Saturday morning. Tía Rosa from the clinic sent Kyra (the other clinic volunteer) and me away on the hike with one of her rosaries though so I was hoping for the best! The reggaeton was of course blaring on the bus when we left- so much for sleeping on the way there. I had to laugh hearing all the boys belting out the lyrics to songs though. We started climbing around 5:45 AM.

Provisions.

At the beginning of the hike. Not bad, right?

The hike definitely was quite challenging, but it wasn’t impossible. It took 6 hours to finally reach the peak and it was very much an uphill climb. It was really neat to see the vegetation change as we went up, up, and up some more. First there were corn fields, then jungle, then grass, and then a very arid environment. The temperature also changed quite drastically as well. At the bottom of the volcano, I was sweating through my athletic t-shirt. By the time I reached the top, I was still pretty cold in four layers- the wind was freezing and fiercely strong at 13,000 feet. We were in the clouds! Kyra and I had packed avocadoes to eat on top of the volcano. We ripped them open with our hands (just like we had learned to do in the clinic) and ate them with what else but tongue depressors from the clinic! It would was a pretty dang good avocado, I have to say. On top of the crater, we got a motivational talk about how climbing Volcan Acatenango is similar to overcoming challenges in life. Awesome views, awesome time.

Funny moment when we thought this was the top. Nope, still another two and a half hours!

THE CRATER!!!

Victory avocados and Tía Rosa's rosary :)

Just casually IN THE CLOUDS. TOO COOL.

Here I am being cold and whatnot.

And now I'm trying to act like I'm not cold, yaaay!

Surfing and sliding the whole time down, we finally reached the buses again after another 3 hours. I was pretty beat- my leg muscles were shaking even just standing still. There’s a phrase in Spanish called “vale la pena” (“worth the pain”). Although I was completely exhausted by the end of the day, hiking Volcan Acatenango was definitely vale la pena. It was a wonderful life experience. So, what did you do this weekend? ;)

When It Rains, It Pours

When a few of us left for Antigua on Saturday, the sun was shining and the sky was clear. However, the decision to leave my rain jacket behind turned out to be a very bad one. All too quickly, dark clouds rolled in and a few raindrops here and there turned into a torrential downpour. Among the 5 of us, we had 1 umbrella and 0 rain jackets. (I’m glad we were so prepared for the elements…) Seeking shelter, we wandered deeper into the parts of a market with a roof. Eventually, we realized we would just have to make a run for the camioneta (bus) back to NPH. When the rain seemed like it had let up a teensy bit, we started speed walking/running to the buses. Apparently the weather was just being a tease though because about two seconds after the point of no return, the rain started pouring again. Once we got to the buses, for reasons I will never know THEY WOULDN’T LET US ON and there was no where else to go. At one point in the history of life on Saturday, there were 5 soaked American girls huddled and screaming under a single umbrella in the midst of a storm in front of a bus in Guatemala. Absolutely ridiculous, I know. Best one liner from the whole experience from one of our girls: “tan incómodo” (so uncomfortable).

Things didn’t exactly get better once we were finally on the bus. When I went to pay for my bus fare, I realized I had been pick pocketed in the market womp womp womp. (Everything was/is fine, don’t worry!) Then, we arrived back at NPH only to find a very clogged and disgusting toilet. An hour later, the power went out leaving us in the dark. You know what, though? It’s all good. Am I happy somebody robbed me? No, definitely not, but I’m going to assume they really, really needed the money. The scene of screaming girls in front of the bus? Pretty comical now (and let’s be honest, even when it was happening too). I think I’ll probably remember that for the rest of my life. Did I look like a hot mess getting on the bus? Oh yes, but at least I was able to make a few Guatemalans smile, even if it was at my own expense. The nastiness of the toilet gave the group something to bond over, and scrambling to find flashlights in the dark was fun too. No matter where you go in life there are going to be challenges- what matters is how you deal with them. Positivity is a big thing here at NPHG, so I’m keeping a smile on my face and laughing. Keep it coming, life.

Casas, Sections, Harry Potter, and Tarantulas

After two long weeks, orientation is finally done! At times, it felt like an information overload but I know it was all in an effort to thoroughly prepare us for the upcoming year. This week brought some big news breaks in my little volunteer mini world. First came the housing announcements to finally let us know what volunteer houses we’ll be moving into and who our housemates are going to be. Details on this will come soon! Then, even more excitingly, we also finally picked our section of kids. After a lot of unnecessary stress and deliberation on my part, I settled on the Santiago section. That means I’ll be spending a lot of time this year with 22 boys 13-15 years old. I’m sure my boys will definitely make this year even more of an adventure, and I like that they are the same age as my brother. It’s really, really nice to know both where I am going to live and what my section is!

Overall, the week was pretty quiet and low-key. Thank goodness one of the other volunteers brought several Harry Potter movies to fill our evenings with. We were good volunteers and watched them dubbed in Spanish, which actually turned out to be pretty hilarious at points. In case you’re wondering, “swish and flick” only translates to “swish y flick”. One night during the week, we had a little visitor on the front porch in the form of a BIG, FAT, HAIRY TARANTULA. (Ironically enough, this was during the second Harry Potter movie, which involves lots of spiders.) I’ve seen tarantulas in the desert at home before, but it was still kind of creepy to watch it crawl. Apparently, it’s pretty uncommon to see these so hopefully our spider friend will just keep moving on. Everything starts for real on Monday- full time in the clinic, spending time with my section, and more. I’m looking forward to finally beginning!

A little Harry Potter action. Really exciting night.

Group freak out. It was a good bonding moment.

Itsy bitsy spider... Sick.

Brownies for Breakfast? Well Sure!

During lunch one day in the clinic last week, the nurses asked Kyra (the other new volunteer in the clinic with me- love her!) and me what our favorite foods were. This eventually led to the topic of brownies. Kyra and I were aghast that the nurses had never heard of them! The nurses suggested we bring them to the desayuno de despedida (goodbye breakfast) for the old clinic volunteers on Tuesday morning. Kyra and I started to explain that brownies weren’t exactly breakfast food, but as soon as we saw the nurses’ disappointed faces (we had REALLY talked up brownies) we immediately agreed to bring them. Kyra and I picked up a box of brownie mix in Antigua over the weekend and were BEYOND excited to start baking Monday night. However, baking brownies turned out to be a little harder than either of us remembered…

Struggle #1- Turning on the oven. The instructions on the box said to heat the oven to 177 °C. Right, easy enough… Except for the fact that the oven only had a temperature range of 210-290 °C. Hmmmmm. (Me: “I just graduated from the UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME. I can figure this out. Think, Jess.”) After fiddling with the knob for a minute, I consulted with Kyra (also freshly graduated) who was equally stumped. During this process, we also realized that we would have to light the gas oven ourselves with a match. #oldschool (Me, again: “Um, what?”). Not that it’s that hard to do, but neither of us had ever used anything but an automatic stove/oven before. To top everything off, we couldn’t find matches anywhere. :(

Ovens, man. They can be trickier than you think.

Feeling a little overwhelmed, we sought out the help of Kim (one of the old clinic volunteers- the brownies were in her honor!) from a different house. Her older, wiser, more experienced volunteer self saved the day. She brought the matches, showed us how to light the oven, and told us to use a higher temperature since the ovens don’t get that hot. GREAT! Check, check, and check. We were back in baking business. Gracias, Kim! (I was also thinking that if I was doing this in America, the brownies would probably have already been baked and in my stomach by now.)

Struggle #2- Kitchen supplies, which were non-existent. Scrummaging in the cupboards, we made do with what we had and eyeballed all the measurements.

Improvising. Feel free to call me Betty Crocker.

Struggle #3- Baking the brownies. The oven didn’t have a shelf, so about halfway through we realized the bottom was burning. What followed was a delicate game of sliding another pan under the brownie pan to raise it off the bottom of the oven. (Look at us, putting our degrees to use!) After a long time of shooting questionable looks at the pan, we decided to call the brownies done when the knife came out sort of clean.

The next morning in the clinic, it ended up being just fine that Kyra and I brought brownies for breakfast. Most of the food was a little strange to eat for breakfast (at least in my culture), but all of it was certainly delicious! After we finished eating, all the nurses gave little farewell speeches to the old volunteers. It was definitely heartwarming to hear, and I think Kyra and I both felt fortunate to be joining the clinic family. This year, I’m looking forward to mastering baking brownies in the oven and making just as great of an impact as the old volunteers did!

A breakfast of plantains, nachos and guac, eggs, brownies, pan dulce, and hot chocolate. YUM.

I even got a little snuggle time in with this piece of heaven named Alejandro (4 months).

Old-New Clinic Crew!

The Little Things

This past Friday night was busy. After a yummy volunteer dinner in Antigua, I got to have my first experience in the discotecas, which were… something. I’m definitely going to need to learn to love the reggaeton music! It was a fun but late night. Saturday was another full day of playing tour guide in Antigua for some of the other volunteers. Call me a grandma, but by the time Saturday night came around, all I wanted to do was hang out around the house.

That evening back at NPH, I decided it was time to break into my emergency stash of Oreos with some of the other volunteers. It was a good call. (Have Oreos always been that delicious?) I was also super pumped about my purchase of a little bracelet for about $1.25 USD (bartering is the best!) in Antigua that day. It’s just like one of my favorite bracelets from Bali that I love! The rest of the night was filled with games of Skip Bo, blogging, journaling, and listening to the rain fall on the roof. Sunday was lazy and I did my first loads of laundry. I was stoked to be able to line dry my clothes. I was also able to Skype the family and send a few emails to friends. The second half of the weekend was quiet and chill, but just what I needed. It’s funny how the little things and aspects of normal life can be so comforting sometimes.

Oreos, Skip Bo, and a new bracelet. It doesn't take too much to make me happy.

Saving the planet, one load of laundry at a time.

NPHG Casa

NPHG is BIG, like super grande big. They have a clinic, farm, greenhouse, elementary school, a Montessori school, playgrounds, volunteer houses, workshops, kitchens, all the housing for the children, and oh so much more! I was definitely pleasantly surprised by how large and well maintained the home (collectively referred to as “la casa”) is. We’re lucky that la casa is only a 15 minute walk to the town of Parramos and just a short bus ride to either Antigua or Chimaltenango. Especially considering I’m in Guatemala, this is a great place to be for a year. I am a lucky girl! I'll stop talking now and just show you some pictures. (They're posted roughly in the order you would see things if you were walking through the home.) If you want to see more, I guess you're just going to have to come and visit me! :)

Ooo, garden feature from the street.

Gotta love the 24/7 security guard. Air high five for safety!

Place, places, places. Mostly school buildings.

Just a view with "el comedor" (the cafeteria) in the background.

Volunteer houses, yay! :)

The Montessori school for the little little kiddos.

Orientation, Week 1

The first half of orientation at NPHG is done-zo! Considering we have people from Spain, Germany, Austria, Holland, and the United States, it’s been quite an international melting pot. Orientation kicked off Sunday night with a delicious dinner with the old volunteers at a restaurant in nearby Parramos- I had the best carne asada of my life. After that, we were in high gear for the rest of the week, which was full of presentations, discussions, and visits. We met tons and tons of the staff. There is absolutely no way I’m going to remember all their names or what they do, but it was a good introduction. All I can say is that there are A LOT of people doing a million different things to keep this place running and make it so special.

So far, some highlights from orientation include:

• Hearing testimonials from some of the older pequeños about how important the volunteers are
• Finding out the national director of the home is a ND grad (YES!)
• Having the Montessori preschoolers sing songs to us and sound out our names that we wrote on the board- SO CUTE
• FINALLY seeing the inside of the clinic and meeting some of my coworkers
• Getting to love on a puppy named Jessie taken in from the streets
• Oh, and of course I can’t forget receiving this pretty flower from a little girl when we toured the school!

Thank you, sweet little girl! <3 Also, check out my awesome "pulcera" (bracelet) from Antigua!

Right now, it feels like a big limbo. We’ve only been allowed to shadow our jobs, we’re living in temporary housing until the old volunteers leave, and we really aren’t interacting with the kids yet. That will all change soon though! By the end of next week, I’ll know what section of kids I’ll have, where and with whom I’ll be living, and I’ll officially be starting my job the next Monday. I cannot wait to really begin with EVERYTHING here at NPHG once orientation ends. One week of orientation down, one more to go. BRING. IT ON.

Learning Spanish, poco a poco

Learning another language es un poco difícil. There is a wide range of Spanish levels in our group of volunteers, so making small talk when we all arrived wasn’t the easiest. There was A LOT of awkward silence for the first day or two. Very quickly, we exhausted the basic (and easy to ask in Spanish!) questions about family, age, nationality, and our jobs this year. Things started to improve once we got into orientation and had something else to talk about. Fortunately for me, everyone understands English mildly well so our volunteer coordinator, Erika (from Switzerland), would generally translate the essential stuff from Spanish to English after she talked. (I’m so impressed and jealous of all the Europeans’ multilingual-ness! I wish there was a better system for learning foreign languages in the States.)

At times, the Spanish can be very frustrating. I generally feel like I can understand the gist of almost everything, but it’s so much harder to talk on my own. (Lets just forget about the few times where the topic involved more exotic vocabulary or the person spoke quickly and my comprehension went out the window…) Expressing your personality is tough, and it’s hard to really get to know someone. I think most of the volunteers would reach a point in the day where we simply could not absorb any more Spanish. It’s tiring stuff, man. Thank goodness for body language and Erika’s translations! In the midst of all the brain-melting Spanish, there were definitely some funny moments too. For example, once during lunch the conversation actually got somewhat animated and at one point I was surrounded by three languages (English, Spanish, and German). My brain was overloaded with languages. Also, I had to laugh when I caught myself intensely concentrating to understand what Laurenz (a German) was saying in Spanish until I realized he was speaking German. Duh, Jess. Just because it doesn’t sound like English doesn’t mean it’s Spanish. :)

The old volunteers have told us they were all in the same position with Spanish when they arrived. It’s incredible to watch someone who didn’t speak any Spanish when she started converse fluently in it a year later. I definitely hope I’m lucky enough to have that happen to me too! If I’m in Guatemala for a year, I definitely sure as heck better master Spanish by the end of it or I'm going to be mad at myself. Now, when the old volunteers talk to us in Spanish and translate to English, they mix up the languages. (Ex: They do things como painting and drawing… They have to compartir everything…) The phrase the old volunteers use a lot is “poco a poco”, or “little by little”. Although I wish I could just learn everything right away, I know that poco a poco it will come. Hopefully in a few months, I’ll be mixing up my languages too!

Language School- All Done!

After 40 hours of instruction (8 hours/day, Monday-Friday), I am now officially done with language school! A typical day consisted of 4 hours of studying in the morning, a 2-hour lunch (and mental) break, and 4 more hours of studying in the afternoon. My days ended at 6 PM. It was definitely an intensive experience, but I am so happy that I did it! While I appreciated the opportunity language school gave me to check out Antigua for a week, more importantly it allowed me to “break and then rebuild” my Spanish as one of my professors said. Improving my Spanish will only make things easier at NPH, and I’m grateful for this chance to really dive into the language.

I’m not sure what exactly I had in mind for language school, but it was not at all what I expected. There really wasn’t a lot of “textbook time”, which I appreciated because that is something I can do on my own. The majority of the time was spent in conversation with my professors, and I also got to take a few awesome excursions with them. I really enjoyed the complex topics we got into this week. Some good ones included corruption in government, legalization of marijuana, Catholic social teaching, faith and God, social issues of Guatemala, and oh so much more! It was much more exciting and stimulating than discussing what I had for breakfast or my favorite types of movies, which is what a lot of my previous Spanish conversations consisted of. There were a few moments where I thought, “Wow, I cannot believe I am talking about this in Spanish right now.” For example, I had that thought when one of my professors asked me to explain why God allows bad things to happen in the world. As if that’s easy to talk about in English, let alone in Spanish! Here’s a rough breakdown of my progress through language school:

• Monday- I didn’t say much besides “Sí!” and nod my head fervently during conversations.
• Tuesday- I felt like I could express my personality a bit more in the afternoon.
• Wednesday- Caught myself actually initiating conversation with my professor in the morning! (*GASP*)
• Thursday- Regressed a bit, definitely frustrated. All the verbs were a mess in my head. Grammar overload. In the afternoon, Humberto and I just took a walk.
• Friday- Realized it’s all gonna be good and had a great last day at school, including some awesome excursions!

I had two different professors for the week: one for the mornings and one for the afternoons. In the mornings, I worked with Francisco. Francisco has a really interesting background. He is very politically active and participated in lots of protests when he was younger. He has fought extensively for the rights of the Indigenous people of Guatemala. Francisco told me all about the awful social situation they are in, how many Guatemalans are actually unaware of this issue, and the dirty details of the social classes. If you want to know more, ask me and I’ll tell you! Even though the topics were very heavy, I am so glad I got to learn about the “real Guatemala” and not just what is displayed in some glossy tourist brochure. Some highlights from my time with Francisco:

• “Jesús es un verbo, no es un sustantivo.”= “Jesus is a verb, not a noun.”
• Watching a documentary about how the monoculture African palm is wrecking the environment and the Indigenous people’s lives. The extremely rich of Guatemala (<1% of the population) own 80% of the cultivatable land, which is one of highest rates of land concentration in the world. SOCIAL ISSUES, MAN, SOCIAL ISSUES.
• “No hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver.”= “There is no worse blind man than the one who doesn’t want to see.”
• Drinking wine from native Guatemalan fruits!
• Discovering Francisco dabbles in the art of bonsai and that he has a baby pineapple tree, whaaat?

Wine tasting. Best language school excursion ever? I think so.

Not that I didn't already think Francisco's whole bonsai thing was cool, but it went to a whole new level when I saw the baby pineapples. Too cute! Or as Carolyn Bates would say, TMTH (too much to handle).

In the afternoons, I worked with Humberto. As much as Francisco engaged me at a social concerns level, Humberto pushed me in matters of faith. He loved hearing about the Catholic Worker and we swapped stories of faith in the real world. He also has some rather creepy ghost stories up his sleeve! I loved that Humberto said that I “saque el jugo” (take out the juice from him, think squeezing an orange) meaning that I push and engage him as an instructor. He said he greatly enjoyed the depth and topics of our conversations. In turn, he said he was going to make sure he took the juice out of me as his student! Some highlights from my time with Humberto:

• Hearing about his work in orphanages and other social service agencies, and the prominent role faith plays in his life. What an awesome man, seriously!
• Hearing about his training for a half-marathon in two weeks. YOU GOT THIS, HUMBERTO!
• His affirmation of my Spanish abilities at a time when I needed to hear some praise. Thanks, bud.
• Learning a ton of Guatemala proverbs! “Camarón que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente.”= “Shrimp that fall asleep are carried away by the current.”
• Visiting Cerro de La Cruz with him.

Cerro de la Cruz. Sweet vantage point for Antigua and an awesome break from Spanish grammar.

At Cerro de la Cruz, I met this kiddo named Kevin and got to pet his adorable puppy! It felt great to finally interact with a kid.

Both of my professors were models of patience. I definitely made a lot of mistakes when I talked this whole week, and I know I will continue to do so for a long, long time. I tried to remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day and that this was definitely helping me. At a minimum, it felt great to know that I had engaged in conversation at a high level for 8 hours for a day! It wasn’t perfect, but hey, I got by and people knew what I was trying to say. Sounds like a win to me! (Even when I speak English, I’ve noticed that I now use my hands A TON. I can only imagine the extreme facial expressions I must have haha.)

Both of my professors said that it was very evident that I had a strong desire to simply learn, not only about Spanish but also about Guatemala. It meant a lot to me that they could see that, because it’s true! I feel like somebody was watching out for me when He (catch that?) paired me up with Francisco and Humberto this week. I cannot think of a better pair of instructors for me to have had! I’d like to thank all the staff of Academia de Español Continental that made my language school experience so spectacular. Even after just one week of essentially being a tourist, I feel like I already have been changed for the better (and definitely have a lot of things to think about this year). My time in Antigua has been wonderful, but I can’t wait leave for the NPH orphanage today and continue to learn more about Spanish and LIFE!

Humberto giving me my diploma. I'm at a level "advancado", woohoo! :)

Happy Birthday, America!

While I was a little sad to be away for the Fourth of July, celebrating it in Antigua wasn’t bad! At school that day, Sister Cecelia bought some pan dulces (sweet bread) for everbody and wrote a cute little sign that said “Happy Birthday, America”.

Pan dulces! :)

Also, there were three students/teachers living in the house by this point in the week- Matt (American), Karen (Norwegian), and me. As traveling will do to a group of people, we had all become pretty fast friends. I think we would have been friends anyways though since Karen and Matt were both awesome! Anyways, Matt and I definitely wanted to celebrate America's special day, and Karen was game to go out with us. So, that night we wandered down to a local bar and had a drink in honor of America. We were even lucky enough to catch a few "bombas" (fireworks) in the sky on the way back. Thank goodness Antigua has a significant expat population!

"Gallo", a Guatemalan beer. I liked it, especially because every sip I took was for liberty and justice for all.

Bomba/firework! And checkout the backsides of Matt and Karen- looking good, guys.

Spanish Mass

If you didn’t know this about me, I’m Catholic and I enjoy going to Mass. I had wandered through some beautiful catholic churches during my exploration time on Sunday, and I had particularly loved la Iglesia de la Merced. The exterior was gorgeous and the inside was equally as stunning. Also, I loved that it was hundreds of years old! Originally built in 1546, la Iglesia de Merced has undergone a series of destructions (from earthquakes) and reconstructions since then. It was cool to think back on the thousands of people who have spent a few moments with God in this really old place, and that now I was part of that history too. I decided I wanted to experience Mass in there before I left Antigua, and luckily it was only about 5 minutes from the house I was staying in.

By Tuesday, I was feeling comfortable enough with my surroundings (and ready to have something to do at night) to take on this adventure. So, that evening after dinner, I ventured out to catch the 7 P.M. service. It was a good experience and I’m glad I went. I think I was a little tired and “Spanished-out” after 8 hours of class that day, so I’ll admit I caught myself zoning out a bit during the service. When I managed to make myself focus, I was able to get the gist of what was being said. (I love that Mass has the same format wherever you go in the world!) Aside from the long day of school, a few other things distracted me during the service. First of all, they had these cute little kids being altar boys. Like me, the boys also seemed a little disengaged and they were making me laugh with their fidgeting. Additionally, the lady in front of me was singing the Mass parts with full heart and voice (any of my Domers catch that Father Rocca shoutout?) but she was so off key! That also made me smile, but only because I thought it was awesome that she was singing with such gusto. Finally, during communion the altar boys kept sticking these silver plates on sticks under people's mouth. I was so confused by them at first, but eventually I realized that they must be doing that to catch the Host in case it drops. That was another difference- the norm was to have the priest put the Host directly in your mouth rather than your hands. So overall, Mass is unsurprisingly the same here in Guatemala but there were a few differences to keep it interesting and make me laugh. I need to learn some Spanish hymns!

Hopefully I make it back for another Mass that I’m a bit more attentive in, but I’m glad I got to go at least one time. I’m looking forward to experiencing Mass at NPH with the kiddos!

La Iglesia de Merced. PRETTY.

Oooo, very nice inside too!

One of many spots for candles before a devotion to a saint.

No Hay Agua- The First Morning

This post needs to start with a background story. By the time I arrived in Antigua on Sunday after all the traveling, I was pretty grimy and ready for a shower. Flor (my hostess) had explained to me which shower knob to turn and in which direction (an emphatic “A LA IZQUIERDA!”) to get hot water. Also, fun fact: hot water was only available from 6 P.M.-9 A.M. A few hours later, I was ENTIRELY ALONE IN THE HOUSE FOR THE NIGHT (scary business) and ready to take my first shower in Guatemala. This turned out to be easier said than done.

The adventure began as soon as I undressed and grabbed the towel I had been given. It was so tiny- I would probably use it to swaddle an infant. It really didn’t cover everything that a towel should cover, but since I was alone I just scurried over to the bathroom and figured I could air dry a little if I needed. In the shower, I followed the instructions exactly, turning the left knob all the way to the left. I expected a nice stream of hot water to come pouring out. You know, standard business. Nah-ah, my friend, nah-ah. What I got instead was a dribble of freezing cold water. I started fiddling with the right knob hoping I had heard the directions wrong. I was able to get a volume of water that was almost semi-decent, but was still so cold. After standing there shivering for a few minutes, I gave up and washed up as best I could. I was going to have to man up fast (or just be really smelly) if this was the norm for showering. Wishing I had savored a little more in America what was possibly my last hot shower for a long time, I got out of the shower with my mini-towel. I was semi-clean and semi-dry, but still totally okay with life as I climbed into bed to catch up on sleep after traveling. It was all good, I could deal.

The next morning, I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I turned the faucet tap on the sink, but no water came out! Since turning the sink on is so hard, I figured I might have done something wrong and tried again. Still nothing. I tried the shower. Nada. I tried the toiled. Zip. I tried other bathrooms. Zilch. (My thoughts: “Guatemala, I don’t play these games. Knock it off.”) Feeling entirely silly, I asked the maid, Rosaria, if she knew why there wasn’t water. She just said sometimes that happens and that it will be back in a few hours. Alrightyyyyy then, sounds good- gracias Rosaria! All I could do was smile and shake my head- this was so different than home. And hey, it wasn’t going to last forever. I know a lack of running water is not something to laugh at, but in the moment the difference between home and here was kind of fun, just a new little part of the journey.

Rosaria was spot on with her prediction- the water did come back in a few hours. Even better, I think my awful shower situation the previous night was tied up with the water issues the following morning. I tried the shower again tonight and was able to get a decent stream of hot water- YES! I don’t really know what the deal with the water was but I’m glad it worked itself out. Not that I couldn’t have handled it if I had to go without hot showers for a year, but I won’t lie that I’m grateful that I don’t have to. Also, as I was getting dressed that morning I couldn’t help but realize the irony of one of my favorite ND t-shirts. It says, “1 in 6 people in the world don’t have access to clean drinking water.” Luckily, I do have drinking water and the shortage on running water was only a few hours, but I know there are many people who are not as fortunate as I am. I had never felt closer to being a part of that statistic than I did that morning. Anyways, say a little prayer of gratitude next time you turn your sink on because you never know when it might just take a break for a bit!

¡Un milagro! Never again will I take this for granted :)

First Steps in a New World- Exploring Antigua

Once I got the tour of the home, I sensed Flor (my hostess) encouraging me to go out and explore. She gave me a map and some safety tips and then kind of left me to do my own thing, which was great. I realized that this Sunday was probably going to be my only day to check out Antigua since I would have 8 hours of class a day for the rest of the week and it’s not safe to be out at night. So, I set off in the mid-afternoon to see what I could find!

Yeah, that's right. I stomped on those uneven cobblestones.

I was really struck by how old this city is- you can definitely tell that some parts are actually hundreds of years old. For example, I just walked by some ruins of colonial buildings three minutes from the house, no big deal. I eventually hit the plaza square where a bunch of shops were. I met a tour guide named Louis who was excited to be what he thought was my first friend in Antigua. (I didn’t burst his bubble by telling him about Flor and Hugo who I was already BFFs with…) Eventually, a live band started playing and couples began dancing on the sidewalk (too sweet!). Horses pulled carriages around the plaza, which had this big, attractive fountain centerpiece. I could tell I was in a touristy area since I could still hear lots of English around me, but I was using my Spanish so I was happy!

Ruins. Casual.

Everything was all really cool, but the one thing I had associated with Antigua (thank you, college Spanish class) and wanted to see was El Arco de Santa Catalina. I was just thinking about asking for directions when I turned a corner and there it was in all its historical and architectural glory! Apart from being visually beautifully, the arch is neat because it allowed nuns to cross the street without being seen back in the 1600s and 1700s. I was elated that I had unexpectedly stumbled upon the crown jewel of Antigua. I couldn’t resist splurging on a beautiful little watercolor of El Arco painted by a street artist as a souvenir. I love it so much and I can’t stop looking at it. It’s going to look great on my bedroom wall this year!

EL ARCO DE SANTA CATALINA!!!

Still riding my “I love traveling” high, I decided to sample some local cuisine. I had this FANTASTIC roasted corn on the cob served with a lime slice and salt (which I also think was flavored with lime). I had forgotten to eat lunch that day, so I basically devoured it. I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering into shops, exploring old churches, and snapping a few pictures. It was a bit of a surreal feeling to be so “off the grid”. I didn’t have a phone, no one knew anything about me, and no one in the world knew where I was. For a few hours, I was responsible for just me, myself, and I. I definitely savored the moment knowing that soon enough A LOT more responsibility will be coming my way, which I can’t wait for! I think I was just acknowledging and appreciating this personal time before things really kick into gear.

Before.

After. I was just a little starving.

I know today probably won’t be representative of my year with NPH. I doubt I will be traveling and exploring all the time like I did today, and that’s okay.  That’s not what my time with NPH is supposed to be about. This isn’t another semester of study abroad, it’s a year of service to the kids. All that being said, I’m glad I got a little independent adventure Jess time in before many hours of language school this week. That also doesn’t mean I won’t whip out my Nalgene and boots (AKA “adventure gear”) as soon as I get the chance again either! (BOTH OF THEM WERE SO WORTH PURCHASING- check ‘em out!)

Boots+Nalgene=Happy Jess :)

The "Getting There" Part

I love everything about traveling except the actual traveling. I’m talking about the part where you’re hauling around more over packed bags than you have arms for and all the waiting that generally has to occur. While I couldn’t wait to get to Guatemala, I was definitely a little grim-faced when I departed for the Las Vegas airport Saturday night. I felt like I was preparing for a personal war with airports- they could not break me, I would not get stressed. Really though, I could not have asked for a smother travel experience. My first flight was a little delayed. However, that left time for a conversation with a slightly inebriated man from Texas who kissed my hand in farewell. I was definitely going in for the handshake but oooooh well, it was an experience! All that matters is I made it to Guatemala and I am so grateful my luggage arrived, customs and immigration were a breeze, and finding my ride was as easy as walking outside!

My super nice driver’s name was Hugo, and he was in charge of delivering me to my language school in Antigua. We didn’t talk too much during the hour drive from Guatemala City to Antigua, but I didn’t mind. I kind of just wanted to watch out the window and take in the country that is going to be my new home for this year. First impressions:

• Very green and lush. I immediately thought of the Jurassic Park movies and would have been relatively unphased if some dinosaurs just happened to pop out alongside the road.
• Hilly and mountainous. Hugo said standard transmission is preferred here because of the terrain. Not that I’m planning on driving much, but I’m so pumped I learned how to drive stick before I left just in case!
• Definitely a “developing” country, about on par with Bali and Fiji. Lots of tin roofs.
• Stray dogs all over the place. The dog lover in me is going to have a hard time not wanting to pet them this year.
• Presence of military/security forces evident. I saw a fair amount of intimidating men with big guns just chilling on the side of the road.
• Cultural! I saw ladies in indigenous garb balancing massive baskets of who knows what on their heads just casually walk on the street. HOW COOL IS THAT?
• When I inevitably get tired of beans, rice, and tortillas, it will be okay. There were lots of American fast food chains to turn to in times of craving crises.

I had no idea how Hugo knew where he was going because street signage didn’t really exist off the main highway, but he certainly knew his way around. Once we reached Antigua, he weaved deeper into the local streets. I started to get SUPER nervous about my lodgings- I had no idea what to expect. We finally stopped in front of “Casa Bella”, and it is actually the cutest thing and perfect! I’ve got my own room, it’s clean, and there’s plenty of drinking water. What more could I ask for? To top all my good fortune off, my hostess, Flor, is so sweet and nice to me.

I also really like the layout of the house, which is quite different from any residential home I’ve seen in the United States. What makes it so unique is the third floor, which is really just a rooftop patio/terrace kind of situation. The third floor has a large skylight in it, except there is no covering! So, the second floor has this fenced off area where the skylight drops down through it, and on the first floor there is a cement area with plants underneath the skylight opening. The whole thing gives the house a very open feeling, lets in tons of light to all stories, and brings the outdoors in. I’m looking forward to the rain so I can just sit in the living room and have it fall down through the skylight. Oh, I forgot to mention three volcanoes ring the area and I can see them from the roof! I’m a happy camper to be safely settled in such a great place.

Third floor/terrace

Second floor- my room is the farthest door!

First floor