a belated post

So! The volcano! Yesterday morning I got up at 5am to catch the tourist van in time (which was 20 minutes late...nice to see that my ability to freak out over nothing still exists...I managed to wipe away my tears before the driver saw me though :p). The ride to the volcano was about an hour and a half, and the small landslides I saw and the crazy dirt road towards the end made me wonder about my future trip to Nebaj (where it takes a three(?) hour dirt road to reach the mountain town).

The climb was harder than I thought it would be, and I'm still sore today. An hour and a half of going uphill - it makes me want to go hike more and get in shape. Unfortunately, there was a fair amount of clouds that morning (which beat the rain in the afternoon...I'm glad I took the early trip), so we weren't able to see the other three volcanoes on the horizon. It didn't matter that much to me though - I was happy to be walking through a beautiful green forest, watching the dirt and rock types change the higher we got.

The first big change was when we reached an old lava flow from a couple years ago. A long river of volcanic rocks cut drastically across the green forest/grass and the sight made us remember that we weren't just climbing up an ordinary hill.


I'd hate to be under there!

We climbed further, walking over the river of rocks, seeing the very peak (which we would not be climbing up) in the near distance, but everything was still green. Our guide who was ahead of us, motioned to us to hurry up...and when we joined him at the edge of a small cliff, we saw an entire valley of volcanic rock. Our guide led us down into it (I was so happy to be wearing my thick and sturdy sneakers) and we scurried across the giant and oddly formed rocks like little goats.


Can't you just imagine this as lava? Or at least, cow shit?

We'd been going through the valley for about ten minutes or so when I felt a blast of warm air. I looked to my side and saw a large crack in the rocks that had turned white around the edges and was expelling extremely hot air. From then on, I couldn't stop smiling, really feeling as if the Earth was truly alive and breathing under me. The amount of vents increased (as did the heat - it became impossible to get too close to the vents), and our guide pointed out a very large vent that you could see a glowing red in. It was difficult to see, but I was estatic. My first view of lava! I felt like I could go home right then, the experience complete.


Can you see it?

A girl in a group on the way back across the valley heard our oohs and aahs and said, "Just wait - it gets better". Shocked that there could be more to see, we all started hurrying across the rocks, seeing more glowing vents here and there.

And then we came over a hill of rocks. I don't even know how to begin to explain what it's like to see a river of flowing lava. It was moving at the speed of maple syrup, and the contrasting red orange to the black rock was striking. I was viewing power, an absolute force of nature, the insides of Mother Earth spilling out of an open wound. Often when I reach the destination of a long hike, such as the view at the top of a mountain, I stop, appreciate the beauty, and move on. But I was paralyzed here - I never wanted to leave, never wanted to tear my eyes from this new element. I feel like I've failed here in writing about it, so here are some of the pictures I took. Again, I don't think they do it justice, but to give you an idea:








The climb down was nice - quick and easy. I slept nearly the entire way back to Antigua. Volcan Pacaya is a place and an experience I will never forget.

**

Here is a picture of the other students I've been staying with - Kanako, Erika, and Zack. This is the table we spent our meals at in Cesar's home. We had our last night together yesterday, all going out for dinner, and I'm actually going to miss them.


Alejandra joined us for lunch.

**

Today I leave for Monterrico, a small town on the Pacific Ocean. I'm extremely nervous about traveling so much by chicken bus, but seeing as I have all day to go about three hours, I think I'll be okay. I really hope there's some green coconuts there.

thar she blows

I'm incredibly tired, and I hope to write a more detailed post later but:

Today I climbed onto an active volcano. Not only did I see the hot air vents and paths of huge volcanic rocks, but I actually stood right next to a river of lava. Pictures to come.

Dancing makes me feel beautiful.

Tomorrow I leave for the beach.

it's all about the little things

While I was studying in a cafe yesterday morning, a woman placed a bunch of her handmade goods next to me to sell and set herself up to weave more. I'd never seen anything like it.


Certainly takes clothes making to a whole new level.

**

Though my teacher did give me a bunch of new words yesterday (reflexive verbs...wooo), we spent at least half of the class just sitting there talking to each other. The conversation was totally helpful (as she'd stop and correct me if I said something wrong) and a much more fun way to learn.

**

I sold my finished fiction (it was hard for me to part with both Capote and Vonnegut, but I just can't carry them around for the whole trip - I'll have to buy new copies after I get back) and bought 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' and 'Wicked'. Started 'Wicked' last night and looove it...really difficult to put down.

**

I was able to talk to Michael yesterday, via Skype (best computer program ever). We finally made some plans for when he comes down here and that made it possible for me to plan my next week. Today is my last day of classes, tonight I go out with the girls (reggatone at La Sin Ventura!), tomorrow eaaaarly I go trek up a live volcano, and Sunday I leave for a town on the Pacific Coast called Monterrico. I'm not quite sure how that town will be, as I've heard it can be kind of boring during the week, but I'm craving a green coconut like you wouldn't believe. Also, I read that this time of year the baby turtles hatch and do their run to the ocean...that would be so awesome to see.

If Monterrico is too boring or expensive (as I could only find one place in the guide book there that's in my budget), I'm going to move on to Xela. It's another big city, somewhat like Antigua but less white people. I have no real burning desire to go there, but it might be a nice time. Next Friday, Michael will be down here and we'll go to Lake Aitilan (sp?), a beautiful lake surrounded by two volcanoes with a lot of fun lakeside towns, and then up to Nebaj, a tiny village in the mountains. Should be a good couple weeks here.

**

After dinner last night, Cesar pulled out his guitar and played and sang some songs. There were a few Guatemalan songs (in which he taught us enough to sing the chorus along with him) and he ended by playing The Beatles 'Yesterday'. I had the biggest damn grin across my face and couldn't believe the luck I had in being placed in that house.

**

Kanako and I ended the night by sitting and talking on the patio for a good hour and a half - all in Spanish. We talked about everything under the sun, laughed like crazy, and invited each other to our respective countries to visit. I never thought that the first person I would connect so well with in Central America would be a Japanese girl. We only stopped talking and went to bed because Carmen (Cesar's wife) knocked on the window.

**

I couldn't be happier with life than I am right now.

mish mosh

I've been at school for only three days, and already I have a routine. I feel as if I've lived in Antigua for many years, studying and running my errands in the morning and attending classes in the afternoon. I wonder if my American life existed. I will be sad for ending my growth in Spanish when I have my last classes tomorrow, but I'm looking forward to moving on.

**

I finally figured out how to get hot water from the shower yesterday. Three days of ice cold showers are three days too many - though I suppose it is preparing me for more remote areas. I would just hope that when I put myself at risk with a contraption like this, with all these wires, that I would be rewarded with blistering hot water:


Don't go splashing that water!

**

I finished 'Cat's Cradle'. Not to sound like every damn person who waited until he died to pick up one of his books, but I'm in mad mad love with Kurt Vonnegut.

I am now out of fiction books, so today is a trip to the bookstore.

**

I was sitting in the park reading/people watching yesterday when I saw this traditionally dressed woman(I'm not sure what's the proper thing to call these women - Guatemalan, Mayan...) come by with two children - one 7-or-so-year-old boy and one 1-year-old daughter who was just barely toddling along. As they walked through the park, I never once saw the woman look back behind her...she just kept walking forward, keeping up the same pace, the boy at her side, and the baby girl trailing behind and occasionally even stopping to play with a flower or something. It wasn't until she reached the edge of the park that she turned to her boy and said something, at which point the boy went back and grabbed his sisters hand.

In the days of leashing children and using cell phones as location devices, it was odd to see such a young child left to do her own thing - but then, I wonder if it was even a possibility to snatch such a kid or if a protective swarm of other mothers would have emerged from the sidelines.

**

Last night I taught Kanako, a native Japanese girl who has a second language of rough English and is now trying to learn Spanish, how to play chess. I tried, with the help of a dictionary, to only use Spanish words to teach her. It was probably the most fun I've ever had playing the game - a completely new experience.

i could get used to this

Yesterday represented the kind of day I had originally hoped to have here in Antigua.

After I wrote my blog post yesterday morning, I went to a local cafe for a cup of some -awesome- coffee (screw it, I'm drinking caffeine down here...the coffee is way too delicious not to) and studied my lesson until I knew it like the back of my hand. While I was there, I met a girl from Boston who has been living in Antigua for over a year teaching English and she gave me a bunch of information about great places in Guatemala to visit. I now really want to visit this place called 'Semuc Champagne', where you swim through these caves with a light on your head and apparently has all these gorgeous natural pools. She gave me her email in case I had any questions, and I left the cafe.

Next was another delicious lunch, with carne asada and potatoes. I went to the school afterwards with my housemate Kanako (finally, her name is sticking! I felt so bad, I had to ask her something like 20 times) and studied a bit extra. My lesson went really well, and though I'm a bit overwhelmed at the amount of verbs I was given and that I'm learning some new stuff (demonstrative pronouns), I'm pleased that my teacher is putting me on such a fast track since she knows I only have one week to learn. I can't believe how much it's already helped my conversation skills...I end up playing translator a lot at the dinner table.

The tamale for dinner left something to be desired (it was all corn? it didn't have anything inside and the masa itself was pretty mushy..Mexico definitely wins that contest), but the conversation was great. Zack was out having dinner with some friends so it was only Cesar and us three girls; we just sat there after eating for a good hour, chatting about everything from types of bugs (where the comedic and animated Cesar acted out every bug, even pretending to be an ant, carrying a napkin on his head) to how a traditional Guatemalan funeral is conducted (unfortunately, the latter topic was very relevant, as Cesar was attending a service last night/this morning for a friend).

By 8:30pm or so, the three of us ladies were dressed and out on the town - there was lightening in the sky, but no rain, and the air was so warm. The drinks at Monoloco was even cheaper than I expected (Q3, or, 42 cents) for ladies night, and we all ended up with four rum and cokes each. The bar itself was really packed, but we did manage to find a table with a couple local boys who we practiced Spanish with for some time. The guys were nice, chatty, and wanted to dance, so after an hour or two, we went over to La Ventura. The bar was having their salsa night and the dance floor was packed and hot! It makes me regret having bangs a bit, because as soon as I start to sweat, they become wet and stick to my forehead as if I just got out of the shower. :p Erica danced with one of the guys, while Kanako and I took turns and danced simultaneously with the other, Diego. That girl is so adorable - you can't help but smile and laugh with everything she says.

We were there dancing until midnight, where I also danced with an ex-salsa teacher/current performer in a salsa band, Jose (who taught me a couple things beyond the basic move), and Manny, another local who though he couldn't dance as well was certainly enthusiastic. I felt like we left at a reasonable time and it made things easier to be out with other girls - I'm going to keep trying to do that in the future.

I already feel a world different than I did this past weekend. I'm comfortable, feel like I understand the city more, and best of all, I feel confident even in my Spanish. If this is what being here for a few days is like, I can't even imagine how I'm going to feel after a few weeks of traveling in Guatemala.

**

I'm still devouring books. 'In Cold Blood' is long finished, and I'm halfway through 'Cat's Cradle', my last pleasure book. There is a couple bookshops here that will trade along with a few extra Quetzals, and though I'm going to take advantage, I'm wondering if I shouldn't slow down a bit, both to keep my books for longer and to keep myself from reading so many English words.

dolor de cabeza

After yesterday's Spanish lesson, my head is swimming. It's been a long time since I've put 100% effort into learning something (haha, Mom, don't read that!) - sure I'd gather information from my lessons in college, but I certainly wasn't attempting to retain everything. However, my goal yesterday, as I sat across the sweet Ana Lucia, was to fully comprehend every new word she gave me and make it a part of my vocabulary. Easier said than done. She's a great teacher to have though, working less from the book and more with actual conversation. Also, it helps that a great deal of this is review (at least, the first day was), and I'm just finding myself attempting to tap into my junior year of high school. However, after I leave the internet here, I'm spending the rest of the morning going over flash cards and conjugating verbs...woooo, vacation!

Yesterday was otherwise uneventful. I got know the other students in the house a little better:

* Zack from Springfield, Illinois who is studying Spanish in Guatemala and Costa Rica until December.
* Erica from New Mexico, who is taking a break from working as a Physician's Assistant in Belize.
* Conseca(? I keep forgetting her name :( ) from Japan who is studying Spanish in Antigua for four months because "Spanish gives you the chance to express your emotions, unlike Japanese".

They're all really nice, though I can't help but feel this weird tension between Erica and I - I don't know if it's just an American attitude of needing to get to know a person first before being friendly (Zack was a bit standoffish on Sunday too, but now we've sat around and talked a lot more) or if we're stepping on each other's niche by being the adventurous young white American girl traveling alone. Tonight is ladies night at one of the local bars though, and us three girls have talked about going out, so hopefully any weirdness I'm experiencing/imagining will dissipate.

I'm being fed really well at the house, which I couldn't be happier about. My favorite meal yesterday was lunch, where we had a big piece of chicken that had been stewed with tomatoes, rice, a medley of green beans and bell peppers, and all the thick tortillas you could want. After this week, I'm definitely going to have to move to a smaller town so that I can keep eating like this without paying a lot in town. Antigua is very much the North Beach of Guatemala.

Cesar is really nice, as is his wife Carmen, and because the two make no attempt to speak English, it's great practice sitting around the dinner table with them. Cesar teaches guitar to kids in the town and it was so lovely to hear him playing and singing this morning as I was getting ready for the day - he also said that tonight he was going to perform for us after dinner.

I'm surprised at how much the four hours of class takes away from the rest of the day (between studying, homework, and trying to sleep it off), but unlike the rest of the people in the house, I'm going to try and find a balance between school and discovering Antigua - after all, though I want to know Spanish, I want to use it more.

slowly starting to get it

So, yesterday I left off about to meet the family I'd be staying with for the next week. There was nothing too remarkable about the experience - at first the only family member I met was one of the daughters (Sophia) who showed me my room and let me know what time the meals were (no meals Sundays, so I didn't have my first one until this morning). The room is cute, certainly not as colorful as the dorms, but it's nice to have my own space and a bigger bed.


I'm spoiling myself for the rest of the trip with privacy and comfort.


And check out the view from my bed! Please ignore my dirty feet.

The house itself is impressive, both in all the open spaces, and the amount of rooms (husband, his father, wife, five daughters, two other boarders besides me and room for two more). As I was exploring the little rooftop patio, I met a boarder who left yesterday, giving me confidence in the 'brilliance' (British, haha) of the family and the school. It wasn't too long later that I met Cesar, the husband/man of the house, who seemed to be enjoying his Sunday (he smelled of alcohol and introduced his name about three times but seemed really nice, haha). As the rest of the house seemed quiet, I decided to go out and spend my late afternoon in the park.

Sunday in the park was a different experience than the other days I spent there - everyone, their babies and their grandmother seemed to be out. I couldn't help but buy an ice cream cone (not even $1) from a vendor...much like the ones that push the carts in SF/Santa Cruz, only his had a big tub of ice cream with two mixed flavors and then he topped the cone with a sickly sweet sugary jam. Perhaps not the most delicious dessert I've ever had, but the sweet cool treat hit the spot. I found myself a bench so that I could continue devouring 'In Cold Blood' (probably will go see about trading it and 'Shopgirl' tomorrow), but it was easy to be distracted by all the people watching. The traditionally dressed women were all out too, selling their wares - one of them even sent up their chubby faced 1-year-old to me, tapping me on the knee, trying to sell me a necklace. As adorable as the gimmick was, the necklace was really a POS and with only enough quetzals left in my pocket for dinner (I figure, the less I carry, the less I will spend), I had to decline.

I was feeling really tired by about 6pm (I'm not used to all this walking around!), so I found the grocery store and bought a couple small snacks - I couldn't believe how much cheaper everything was there then in the shops by the park. I mean, duh, of course the touristy shops would be more expensive, but we're talking 70 cents for two liters of water compared to $1.50 for not even half. Little discoveries like this are going to make it easier for me to make my dollars stretch.

I spent the rest of the night reading and was asleep by 10pm...originally, I'd considered going out again, but thank goodness I didn't! Apparently, the alarm on my watch is worthless (sooo quiet), so getting up before breakfast was served was not an option - however, Cesar knocked on my door to wake up and I enjoyed a delicious meal of french toast (you all know it's my favorite!), bananas and cantelope. BTW, I am in fruit heaven down here. Anyways, it was nice to eat with the other boarders (one who has class in the afternoon as well) and Cesar (who I found out does all the cooking and cleaning).

And now I'm here! I found a cheap place with incredibly fast internet (I think it might even be DSL! hahaha), so it should be easy for me to keep up my blogging routine - though hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to share more interesting things than the price of bottled water. :p

***

Facing towards the South, you can see Volcan Agua in the distance. Apparently, the crater had filled with rain water and somehow erupted, causing a huge flood in the city. Crazy to think about, but such a pretty sight.


As seen walking down the street.


Gotta love that super zoom!

one is the lonliest number

I am mostly excited for the weeks to come, but I have had moments where I'm just wishing my trip was coming to a close so I could be back home with friends. The idea of being alone is a much more wonderful and freeing thought than actually being alone - watching the locals out with their friends or lovers, watching the tourists in their large groups or with a special companion they trust to spend many weeks with - it makes me second guess my choice to be by myself or at least the 'six week' aspect of my trip.

This fleeting thought came to me yesterday because of the way my night started: I wanted to go out to a hip place, have a few drinks, fall into conversation with like travelers, and share a few stories. No one was around at the hostel to meet, so I ended up going to dinner early...and what appeared to be too early. I searched for some time to find a cheap restaurant/bar filled with people, but because I couldn't, I settled on an empty place I thought had the potential of filling up - it didn't. After dinner, I tried a popular (according to the guide book) European traveler bar, and while it was packed, I might as well have been sitting in my room with my beer. Everyone was in their groups, and I felt like I was in some cliquey Santa Cruz bar where you only meet someone new if they're a friend of a friend.

I went back to the hostel to kill some time (so that I might have a better chance with a later crowd) and to gather myself. The shy girl was coming back in full force, and I felt myself retreating - it just takes so much energy to pull my strength out. I considered bed, but seeing as I'd set aside Saturday to be my night out, I didn't want to waste it. Off to Monoloco I went, another popular tourist bar, figuring at the least I'd just have another beer to make me tired enough to sleep.

I nursed the first half of my beer sitting by a group of young American girls who may as well have been back home than in Guatemala - I barely got a glance when I said hello. I was getting more frustrated and was having trouble following the futbol highlights and considered just downing the rest of my drink, when someone tapped me on the shoulder. It was this cute guy I'd noticed come into the bar with his friend about 20 minutes earlier, and he was asking if he could buy me a beer. Despite my whole point of being out there, my difficulty in accepting anything, especially from strangers, almost caused me to say no. But I didn't, and I joined him and what turned out to be his brother.

For the next hour and a half, the the two locals and I had a great time speaking horrible Spanglish (I would speak in Spanish, they would reply in English, and whenever any of us didn't know the right words, we'd slip back into our own language), laughing and sharing the basic getting-to-know-you stories. They told me some of their favorite cities to visit, which bars had happy hours on what nights, and the best places to dance (btw, looks like I will be going out for 60 cent shots and salsa dancing on Tuesday, haha). There was nothing very remarkable about either guy or the conversation, but it felt so nice to be out and meeting new people - a time better than I had originally hoped for and that I thought was not possible. Though offered more, I kept my drinks to the one free beer and went home at around midnight with a handshake and a hug.

Perhaps I was originally being impatient; I certainly can't expect to strike up a conversation with someone new every minute of every day. However, those two guys helped to remind me that if I keep trying, I will find a good time. I don't have to dig so deep for my power.

**

Today is the day I meet my family for my homestay - I had considered trying to join one of the volcano tours today (hiking up a live volcano!), but I think I'll save it for next weekend and just let myself get settled into this new house and Antigua a bit more. Also, thanks to the beautiful weather (no rain yesterday), I've been sitting out in the sun reading Truman Capote - finding my love for pleasure reading again is worth the cost of the trip alone.

I don't know how easy it will be to blog this week, as I wont have unlimited free internet access, but I will certainly try to keep updating. Miss you all.

can you see what i see?

So first off, you saw the company's picture of the backpack, but you didn't see me in it:


Don't I make the cutest turtle?

Michael had a hard time keeping from laughing as he was taking the picture. I haven't (and probably wont) actually worn my backpack that way...I either zip the day pack onto the bigger one (which gives me an even bigger shell), carry the day pack around in my hand, or my favorite, leave the big one behind at the hostel.

Speaking of the hostel, I'm staying at a place called the Yellow House. The guide book only talks about the hotel rooms, but it does have one dorm with six fairly comfortable beds.


It does look a lot nicer when the beds are all made.

It was interesting sharing a room with five other 20-something year olds, all from different countries - I only wish that I'd been more energetic yesterday to meet them all (I went to bed at 6pm last night!). I'm staying here again tonight and just found out that there's a nice porch/deck/rooftop to hang out on, so hopefully I'll be a bit more social.


It's hard to explore the rest of the city when you're staying here.

In case anyone was wondering about the included breakfast, I was pleased - nothing crazy, but oatmeal sweetened with bananas with giant chunks of coconut(!!) and tons of fresh fruit. Tasty and healthy...you all aren't going to know what to do with 'thin Lorelei' when I come back. :p

After breakfast today, I decided to explore Antigua a bit and try to find the Spanish school I'd be attending...unfortunately, the guide book apparently printed the wrong address, so I went up and down the same street for some time looking for it without success. I did run into a bunch of Guatemalan women selling their wares though, so that was cool:


I'm going to have to load up before I come home.

After a great deal of walking and a visit to the Saturday market (which might as well have been any flea market in California - although, the women with giant baskets of strawberries on their head carrying their own scales was a sight), I came back to the hotel to look up the school online and find the right address.

I'm really excited to start school on Monday...when I went, there were a few people in the courtyard practicing and everyone seems really friendly there. I was given my family homestay information (where I'll start staying tomorrow!) and paid for my week of classes.

After that was a lot more exploring and hanging out in Parque Central. Practiced my Spanish with someone who was practicing their English and enjoyed the nice hot sun (supposed to have more thunderstorms this afternoon).


There's a bunch of parks here, but this one is by far the best.


Nice fountain, eh? Innocent looking...


But wait! That chick is totally cupping her breasts!

I think I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon reading 'In Cold Blood' on the roof and then go out on the town tonight. Now that I'm starting to get a feel for this place, I'm getting overwhelmed again...I can do anything! I could go to a ton of cities all over Guatemala, I could just explore Antigua and the small cities around here (there are hot springs near by!), I could volunteer somewhere to save the rainforests or help the people or work on an avocado farm...this trip could be anything I want it to be and I'm not sure what it is I want yet - at least this week is set.

...and boy are my arms tired!

Where do I even start...

For the past few weeks, I had it in my head that I was going to be flying out on Friday, June 20th...and while that was true, my brain translated 1:35am Friday into 'Friday night' (as in, I would be in the US all of Friday day) rather than 'Thursday night'. So just as I was starting to get a buzz and go out to dinner with Michael at 6pm yesterday, my mom called up to wish me a good flight for that night! Once she said it, it was clear to me that I'd messed up my plans and instead of leaving in 30 hours, I was leaving in 6. It certainly freaked me out at first, but since I've been planning obsessively for the trip (except for, you know, making sure I knew how to read a boarding pass), I was already packed and ready to go.

The flight itself was fine...I slept for about four hours, at which point they woke everyone up for breakfast and Spiderman 3 - a movie that I thought I'd never watch again. It wasn't until the very end of the flight that my neighbors and I started chatting, one of them giving me advice on their favorite places in Guatemala, and the other sharing stories about being a Lit major from Kresge(!). The flight from El Salvador to Guatemala was so short I hardly read five pages out of Shopgirl - it's so nice to read for pleasure again, btw.

I don't know what the hell I was expecting when I landed, but the Guatemala City airport was not it. Large torn up rooms, no place to exchange money, and what seemed to be no walkable exit. My original plan involved walking to a nearby eatery and collecting my thoughts before finding a taxi, but seeing as I couldn't find how to leave the parking lot, I ended up talking to one of the mini shuttle guys who offered me a ride for $10. Pricey, but cheaper than the $35 that the Spanish school offered. It wasn't until we were way over by the shuttle (oh, there's the exit!) and they'd tossed my backpack in the back that I was told we couldn't leave until they had two more passengers and could I wait 20 minutes? Not feeling brave and having an odd loyalty to them for getting their hopes up, I sat outside the van reading Shopgirl while they went back to the terminal. About 30 minutes later I saw a chicken bus pull up and I couldn't believe my eyes - all those pictures Michael had of tiny tiny Guatemalan women in their bright textiles and the giant baskets on their head were true. It was such a trip seeing them all pile out of the bus, having their baskets tossed down from the top to them. It was at that point that I decided that I had no loyalty to anyone but myself - I wanted to get out there and experience Guatemala immediately. So I left and found a chatty taxi driver who charged me $5 to get to the bus station (which, considering the distance and taxis in SF, was absolutely nothing).

Even though I was now at the right cheapo bus, I had no quetzal's - Guatemalan dollars. The taxi driver had been nice enough to let me pay him in US dollars, but I knew I couldn't get away with that on the public transportation. It took me about an hour to find a bank that would exchange money, and in that time I learned:

* You can't carry a giant backpack further than the inside of the front door.
* All banks, car dealerships, and furniture stores have guards that are armed with a mean looking shotgun.
* Guatemala City not only has all of the basic fast food chain, but they also have a Hooters.
* Guatemala City smells like a mixture of gasoline, poop, and garbage.

Needless to say, when I had my $220 quetzal's in my pocket (aka $30US), I was extremely happy to bored the old Blue Bird school bus with the guy leaning out the door yelling "AntiguaAntiguaAntigua". There were some scary moments on the bus (I had no idea they could go that fast around corners!), but I was excited to just stare at the scenery that was getting more beautiful with every mile as we left the big city - everything is green here right now!

When we finally got to Antigua, I didn't recognize it...unlike the Metro buses, there's no announcer letting you know where the hell you are - so I tried to get off where I saw the most people walking around the street. Thankfully that worked out...I was still off the center by several blocks, but it inadvertently gave me a chance to explore. Funny how you can look at as many pictures before you go as you want and it doesn't do a damn thing. :p

The rest of my day has been fairly uneventful - bought a muffin so I could sit, gather my bearings and figure out where I wanted to stay - stepped in a mud puddle that shot dirty water all up my right leg - decided the to stay at the first place I came to ($7, dorm room, free internet, and free breakfast) - took the best shower of my life.

It's 2:30pm now, and I'm debating going out to run some errands (I need to exchange more money/buy a watch/find a rain poncho), going out to take pics (since I have only two of the airport right now), or taking a looooooooong nap. Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, it's been a beautiful, slightly overcast day...and it just started thundering hard but sprinkling. It's cooler here than it is in SF right now!

That's a long freaking post, but like I said, it's been an overwhelming 12 hours. Next time, I'll try for pics!

15 Days Until Take-Off

I. Am. So. Excited.

I can't believe how quickly the trip is approaching - I've had my ticket for months and going to Guatemala always seemed like such a faraway and novel idea, but now it's nearly here, becoming more and more of a reality. I've only done a little bit of traveling before - to Spain with my Spanish class in high school for two weeks and to Mexico with Michael for a week - so it's a bit nerve wracking to think that I'm about to embark on an adventure to a place that I don't know much about all by myself.

But I'm ready. I'm ready to spend this time alone with myself, start to get a clue of who I am and what I want out of life, and maybe have an adventure or two. I had cold feet recently where I was seriously considering selling my ticket, but sticking with this is the best graduation present I could ever give myself. Assuming all my stuff isn't stolen on Day 1, haha.

I bought this online yesterday, and it should be here tomorrow:



While I originally didn't want to spend the money for it, I feel like I made the right decision. I will feel better knowing that I have a good piece of luggage that I can rely on and use again in the future. Like the dork I am, I can't wait to start loading my things up into it - I'll probably spend my time packing and repacking instead of studying for finals, haha.

For those who want to know, I'm flying out of SFO on June 20th and will be back on August 1st. Don't bother trying to call me, as my phone will be turned off and still here in California. I will try to update this as often as I can (though I probably wont write again until I actually get down there now) and will also be reachable through email.

Wish me luck, send me love, and keep reading. :)