Oh, how enriching!

If I told you all the things I've done in the past two weeks, you might not believe me. In fact, I find it quite astounding myself. After leaving San Pedro, I went on a sojourn. A mission, more like it. In my five weeks in Guatemala, I had really only explored two cities. And, with just over two weeks remaining, I was ready to explore.

Goodbye Lake Atitlan

Goodbye San Pedro La Laguna

I took a bus up toward Coban. Just South, there is the Biotopo del Quetzal. The Quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala. Both the currency and the second city, Quetzaltenango (tenango just means "place of" - there are many in Guatemala), are named after it. The bird is highly elusive, brilliantly colored, and plays a significant role in the legends & stories of Mesoamerica. If I discuss it here, this blog will quickly reach epic proportions. If your curiosity remains, many places on the internet can elighten you. Anyway, basically everyone I encountered, including many text resources, assured me that seeing one for myself would be next to impossible. Thus, it became my next mission. Truth be told, one day I was talking to my maestra in Xela about tattoos. I told her if I was lucky enough to see a Quetzal, I would commit it to my body in ink. Mi proximo tatuaje. Sorry, dad - maybe it'll be the last one? So, I arrived at the Biotopo after dark. Not a thing was open, and one of the only two accommodations around was pitch black and obscured by a threatening gate. It was really creepy actually. So, I strolled down to the other, fingers crossed, and encountered a lovely mother and daughter who came out to welcome me.

If I rose early the next morning, she said, we'd go Quetzal sighting on their vast & beautiful property. What about the Biotopo, I inquired? She said, "No hay Quetzales alli." Oh - that's deceiving isn't it. So, with low hopes and high spirits, I dutifully arose the next morning at 5:30 and met Andrea, the 8-year-old daughter, and my tour guide.

Next thing I knew, she was educating me about the landscape, while patiently keeping her ear out for movement. At the drop of a hat, she yelled "Corre!" and we ran through the forest together, cameras in hand. And, sure enough.. quetzales! I was so thrilled. And managed to get a few photos too. Once perched, they stay perfectly still indefinitely, and thus, even with their vibrant colors, they can be next to impossible to spot in the trees. Fortunately, I was with a professional, apparently. They're funny looking, huh?

Okay, I'm never going to transcribe my experiences up until this point at this rate. But, honestly, seeing a Quetzal was really exciting for me. Plenty of Guatemalans have never even seen a Quetzal. I asked them.

So, that same day, I packed up and walked to the road. Literally within two minutes of hitting the street, a microbus stopped for me. These shuttles have become quite popular, and entail comparable rates to chicken buses (though with a bit more comfort). That being said, they still cram people on like crazy. So, I was on my way to Lanquin, a small town North of Coban. Basically, any traveler that goes to Lanquin has their sights set on Semuc Champey. This natural wonder totally blew my mind. Well, it was a full day of activity, really.

First, we entered the cuevas, underground caves (that's redundant isn't it?) with water flowing through. In my excitement for the day, I failed to consider that I am mildly claustrophobic. But, I took the plunge (literally), and did my best to ignore my psychological aversions. It wasn't too hard either. Some parts were so deep, we had to swim. Holding our candles above the water, and trying not to bang our knees on hidden rocks. Then there was rope and ladder climbing, and even "cliff" jumping inside the cave. The cliffs were only about 2.5 meters high, but in the dark, without my glasses, it was pretty thrilling. Anyway, I don't have photos obviously, but my friends, Jarrod & Alesha, had an underwater camera, so I look forward to seeing those photos.

Then, there was rope swinging, inner tubing, and even bridge jumping!


Hard to see when it's small, but the expression on my face is really hilarious -
I swear it was higher than it looks here :)

So much action, and it wasn't even noon yet! Then, we hiked to Semuc Champey. We didn't see the water itself until we had hiked the steep trail to the Mirador, which made for quite a surprise.

Walking up on the overlook was captivating. What lie below simply didn't look real.

Ohh, but it was! And then we got to swim in it!

So, Semuc Champey ("Sacred Water") is basically a naturally formed bridge. It's an incredibly beautiful & quite serene collection of limestone pools that mask the raging Cahabaon River below.

Here's the start of the river going underneath -
three people have died in the last 15 years by falling in and getting sucked under the bridge.
It's a 300 meter trap, and the bodies take days to turn up at the other end.

I felt so calm and happy there, I could have stayed indefinitely. But alas, all good things come to an end. And the bad ones too, mind you.

After a few nights in a lovely hostel on the same river, I again traveled North to Flores, a quaint town that is technically a very tiny island. The town itself is enjoyable, but it's also the gateway to Tikal, a very large Mayan ruin. Fascinating.

And wildlife! Howler Monkeys are super loud, baby Spider Monkeys are adorable, Coati are fearless, Tarantulas are super soft, and Toucans are absolutely stunning.



Templo IV is the tallest in all of Tikal - I felt like I could see for miles & miles

After a couple days in Flores, I started heading South again. By the way, I've been the jungle this whole time, and still have the mosquito scars on my legs to prove it. The beauty of the jungle, however, far superceded the physical trauma. I'm just glad I'm not sick from dengue or dead from malaria.

My next stop was Rio Dulce (formerly, Fronteras), a small fishing village in far East Guatemala.

Castillo de San Felipe, just West of Rio Dulces - built in the 16th century to ward off Pirates

Part of Lake Izabal, the river itself it really beautiful, and I took a boat further East to reach Livingston.

All those white things are lovely flowers growing from lily pads

The ride alone was a joy, but when we came upon Livingston, I realized why it is such a popular tourist attraction. Livingston is also a very small town, right on the Carribean Sea. It contains an eclectic mix of Afro-Carribean and Ladino folks. When our boat pulled up at the dock, a bunch of young black men ran over to us, pressuring us to check out their hotels and restaurants. One of them said, "Welcome to Africa," which was really funny because, racially, it really is quite different from everywhere else is Guatemala. Yet, it's still part of the country, and they all speak Spanish (as well as Q'eqchi' and Garifuna). Above all else, the Carribean Sea is beautiful.

So now I've finally made it to Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage site and Guatemala's most famous city. Being the most expensive city in Guatemala & due to its proximity to La Ciudad's airport, I decided it was a good ending point. It's definitely interesting here. And not like any other place I've visited in Guatemala. The streets are all cobblestone, the older buildings display stunning architecture, the colors are vibrant, the stray dogs prevalent in other cities are mysteriously absent, the city is incredibly diverse (with lots of tourists no doubt, but plenty of natives as well), and overall, the unique beauty of the town is coveted. I do quite like it.

World's largest rosary

And now, my return to Austin is impending. I have had a number of thoughts about how this trip has impacted me, and as I work to make sense of it all, I continue to feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity I've had. I'm returning to Austin with a number of newfound understandings about myself and the world around me, and perhaps at some point, I'll be able to articulate them here. I've struggled at points to understand what the point of making this web log was. I suppose on the most fundamental level, it's fun to recount my experiences. I hope they're also at least mildly entertaining to read. Plus, now you don't have to feel obliged to ask me about my trip :) But also, I'd like to feel like I've illustrated the tiniest shred of evidence that this world we have is full of beauty and wonder. And is ripe for exploration. Travelling doesn't have to be an expensive or time consuming endeavor. Indeed, there's something quaintly satisfying about being in a foreign place and doing absolutely nothing all day. (And by that I mean reading a book, or taking a walk, or sitting outside someplace & people-watching.) And otherwise, many opportunities are available for exploring the unknown in an affordable fashion. I highly recommend it, as I feel that exposure to new people and new places and new experiences is something that sparks enthusiasm and creativity and genuine happiness in all of us. That is, if we're willing to open ourselves to the possibilities.

Victim of Complacency

Hola amigos,

Welcome to San Pedro La Laguna, a moderately-sized pueblo on the edge of Lago de Atitlan!

San Pedro himself in the newly renovated Parque Central

Taken from my hotel roof.

Two things about roofs: you can almost always get on top of them & the rebar is usually left exposed

Well, first things first, the hike here was EPIC. I was thinking, sure I´m moderately fit. I can walk a long time. I do a bit of hiking in Texas. And then I was faced with reality. Mountains. I don´t believe there was one section of flat terrain for the entire trek. We were either going up or down, often quite steeply. With my pack of course.

Hard to photograph, but the cloud forests were my favorite. Sometimes you couldn´t see more than 8 feet in front.

On the second day of mostly downhill, we played a game where you get points for each time you hit the ground, depending on the seriousness of the fall. A two-hand catch earns you two points, ass on ground scores you four, etc. Most points wins. And as the game was being fleshed out, I was thinking in my head, ¨That sounds fun, but I´m not that clumsy.¨ Well, I ended up taking the win. My prize: first shower of the night. Totally worth it.

lots and lots of corn - some twice my size!

 So, long story short, we hiked about 7-8 hours each day, through some incredibly beautiful landscapes. At the end of the second day, I could barely move. Srsly. My body was so sore, and mostly my right knee was strained, and popping like crazy. For a moment, I was honestly concerned I might be temporarily paralyzed come morning. So, I stretched a whole bunch that night, and made my bed at 7:00pm. We arose at 3:30 in the morning, hiked about an hour in the dark, and then reached the Mirador, an amazing private overlook onto the Lake, high in the mountains. We unfurled our sleeping bags, and patiently watched the sky illuminate. It was really cool arriving when it was dark, and having no idea what lay below us.

See the smoke emitting on the right?

And as the sun rose & the clouds rolled in, I kept wanting each moment to last. But then would find the next one even more captivating.

The only thing is: you can´t really photograph the experience

I´ve decided I´m a big fan of sunrises. One night in the desert this summer, I stayed awake all night, and then crawled on top of a semi-trailer to watch the sun rise. The sky is really beautiful when it´s only partially illuminated, and then as soon as the sun peaks out, it all happens so fast. Definitely a lesson in enjoying each moment.

Yeah. Dreamy. 

Anyway, we basked in the sun rise for about four hours, eating granola & drinking hot chocolate. So nice. Afterwards, we had our final descent. About two hours straight down to San Juan, neighbor of San Pedro. Every sight coming down was uniquely appealing, but the path was also quite narrow, so I had to be careful not to get too distracted.

My knee was really pissed at me by this point, but I couldn´t dare forfeit that late in the game. So, Kait wrapped it up in a brace, Santi prepared me a decent walking stick, and I was on my way. Really, it was a wonderfully gratifying experience overall.

Old lady

That´s San Pedro behind us

I honestly can´t believe I´ve been here one week exactly. It´s amazing how time can seem to pass at varying intervals, but ultimately the experiences are always fleeting. Not to be pessimistic.

It´s very interesting here. Basically, all the pueblos around the Lake are indigenous Mayan villages. Tz´utujil is the name for the people and the language. But more recently, there has been an influx of foreigners coming to visit and staying on indefinitely, especially in San Pedro. So, there are quite a variety of folks wandering around town. Still the women in traditional dress, effortlessly & impressively carrying very large baskets atop their heads. Men standing outside their places of business or homes, watching the world go by. And children. Lots & lots of children. I love it when the tiniest little chicas have their traditional dress on. So precious. And then, there are gringos. Which I´ve learned from some Guatemalan friends is basically anyone else without significant skin pigmentation. So, it´s a large, diverse group.

So, you wander the streets and encounter so many different people without any preconceived notions about them. It´s pretty cool. Also interesting is when I encounter locals on the street and greet them (as most people do - it´s my favorite!) in Spanish, both of us are speaking our second language. But regardless, the greetings are still genuine and common.

So, I´ve been here one week and have explored quite a lot despite the rain. Not sure you if you knew (I´ve barely been keeping up), but a hurricane hit Mexico last week, and there is a residual tropical storm that has engulfed Central America. Heavy rains, landslides, and flooded roads led to a number of deaths and displacement.

Literally building infrastructure as the water quickly floods the Lake

Disappointments aside, I´ve honestly really enjoyed the rain! It´s quite contrary to Texas, and that´s exciting. It´s amazing the human capacity to adapt. Anyway, technically I was unable to leave this place up until Sunday due to weather conditions. This was fine with me because I was enjoying myself, and now I feel like I could stay much longer. My friend Jess and I got a hotel room for 20 quetzales each ($2.50/night). She´s moved on now, so I relocated into a single room today, set up all my belongings on shelves, opened my windows that look out onto the Lake, and felt wonderfully at home. It was a strange feeling. How could I feel so comfortable in such a dingy hotel room? I guess being still is really nice sometimes. Moving around is great fun, but taking root can be equally gratifying. It kind of reminded me of my level of complacency in Austin. I´ve literally been there forever, and the fact that I´m still provided with comfort and enjoyment speaks a lot to my human desires.

I had this conversation with my Maestra in Xela a number of times.

She thinks it´s crazy that members of my family reside all the way from California to Florida. And the fact that my ancestry is Mexican and French and Norwegian, et al. For Miriam, her family has resided in Xela for many generations, all Guatemaltecos. People don´t just leave their homes and start up anew somewhere else. What´s more, the family members see each other almost everyday. Either for a meal or a chat or to watch each other´s kids, etc. It´s a very strong support system. I feel very fortunate to have close relationships with my family, despite our geographical differences.

Well, I suppose that´s enough for now. I´ll probably be heading on from San Pedro this weekend, which will once again be bittersweet. But, there are so many amazing things to see in this country, and I only have about three weeks left!

Bueno. Que les vaya bien.

Leaving Xela

Well, today is my last day in Xela. It´s hard to believe I´ve been here three weeks! I´ve definitely enjoyed my time here, but am equally ready to move on. Out of the city.

Here´s a brief recap for the visually inclined:

Pretty great view of Xela from my front yard --

I will say I have seen some amazing cloud formations in this city

 

 Also a cool view from my school... Mercado Las Flores with lots of local produce.

And great people-watching.

Fuentes Georginas -- hot & awesome

Xela is very quiet on Sunday mornings...

... which is crazy because it seems like there is a parade or festival in the streets every day of the week!

This is Dia de los Niños (children get their own day in Guatemala, Christopher Columbus gets his in the US).

Look! I learned how to make a rug. Sort of. This is Momostenango, and the 9-person family living here was crazy generous. They taught us their (very particular & all-by-hand) process, then fed us fresh tortillas with queso fresco & salsa. Happiness.

Futbol games are tons of fun! Xela beat Reu (a small coastal town) 1-0. A big celebration with lots of people, lots of band music, Super Chivos (wild fans who sing along to all the songs), and... of course beer!

One LITER of Gallo for 25 Quetzales (just about three dollars!). An irresistable deal for a Sunday afternoon.



I couldn´t resist this guy. He had a megaphone for an amp and his prosthetic leg by his side.

In Parque Central, there was a fair (one of the many - I really can´t keep track with which Saint is celebrated when). We ate tacos de cerdo, with fried pig skin to boot. The woman was seriously cutting off the rear of this charred beast, grilling up the shredded bits, and then tossing it with cabbage into a tortilla. SO GOOD. Eating street food can be highly questionable, but I survived. I think my stomach is stronger after the epic illness.

San Andres Xecul -- This thing (said church) was vibrantly colorful! Kate & I took a bike ride out of town (a good distance on some seriously bumpy roads - no bueno for mi culo).

Well, we rode almost the whole way there. Some of the hills were ridiculously steep (even though I realize it doesn´t look too serious in this photo...)

Once we got to the top though, the view was amazing. And of course that yellow church stood out brilliantly.

This was the first Christian church built in Central America (c. 1524). We got to go inside too, and though the outside has naturally aged, the inside is pristinely maintained. Located in Salcaja, and part of our bike journey.

Wow, uploading those photos took for-e-ver. Certainly the internet connection is slow, but I also started the process two nights ago, right before the power went out. It´s fascinating when the power goes out because the outage encompasses most of the city, so the streets are pitch black, with candles in all the windows. It´s quite common and usually lasts about 2-3 hours. Usually it happens after a heavy rain, which also happens frequently, almost every afternoon at least a little. But, starting in November, it will be verano (summer). No rain, but extreme cold. Not disappointed to miss that...

... And THIS is why I´m so very ready to get out of the city. My time here has been spent wisely I think. I´ve definitely learned a lot of Spanish (but also have been speaking more English than anticipated), and now I´m ready to continue my sojourn.

Tomorrow I´m headed to San Pedro La Laguna, a small(ish) pueblo on Lake Atitlan. I´m very excited to see the lake, as it´s supposed to be quite spectacular. Aldous Huxley deemed it the most beautiful lake in the world. Well, a lot of people have said that I suppose, but they didn´t all write Brave New World.

Anyway, I´m very excited for a new place! I´m actually hiking there with a group of folks from Xela. It´s about 30 miles, in two days. Volcanoes and farmlands and pueblos, oh my!

Hope all is well with you lovely people.

I´m alive!

Well, after what was one of the worst illnesses I´ve ever had, I´m well on the road the recovery. Last Wednesday, about halfway through my class day, I started feeling a headache. This is very unusual (& consequently very uncomfortable) for me. I decided to leave a couple hours early to rest for the afternoon. What I didn´t realize is that I was about to sleep for roughly 40 of the next 48 hours. Every break from sleep was accompanied by a splitting headache & general body discomfort, so I´m glad I was able to sleep so much. (Imagine the fever dreams I had - they were epic!) Apparently, it´s very common for students to have an adjustment period due to: alititude, change in food, different water, etc. Unfortunately, it appears I dealt with all the symptoms at once. So, I´ll let you use your imagination, and not take anymore time describing this horrid experience. Suffice it to say, I do hope this was an adjustment period and I don´t deal with it again. Just today, I finally have my full appetite back.
Anyway, otherwise, everything´s really great! I had a fun weekend. On Friday, I walked to the Bake Shop, a world famous, Mennonite-run bakery in Xela. I had to bring something for our weekly graduation dinner at the school, and I certainly wasn´t feeling like cooking (or eating for that matter). This place was great. In retrospect, it´s probably good that I was ill, as otherwise, I may have well purchased the lot. They have donuts, cinnamon rolls, pies, cakes, cookies, all these bread-based guilty pleasures of mine. It´s also in my best interest that they´re only open two days of the week. I´ll definitely be back.
On Saturday, we went to Fuentes Georginas (www.lasfuentesgeorginas.com/history.htm), a collection of three pools of hot water, fed by the Zunil Volcano. The largest is also the hottest, and that shit was HOT! I seriously couldn´t enter past my feet, and even that was only in small doses. Meanwhile, this emaciated man, probably in his 80s, sat on the steps next to me while his daughter bathed him in it from head to toe. He has arthritis, she told me, and the water helps cure him. Well whatever his ailments, he still showed me up for sure. I spent most of my time in the third, coolest pool, which was about the temperature of a good hot tub. The drive up was nice too. It was nice to get out of the city.
On Sunday, my friend, Kate, and I walked to El Mercado Minerva. She kept talking it up so I agreed to go. Somehow, I failed to remember that I really despise shopping. And if there´s any place to solidify that sensation even more, it was this place. Basically, it´s an outdoor market with lots of stalls, but they all basically sell the same stuff. Clothes, shoes, and housewares that don´t sell in the United States and are sent all around the world. I saw a documentary about it once. So, now the clothes are like 30 cents each. It almost felt unethical buying this stuff, but god, there was so much! So, I participated politely, and bought three things that I actually do need since I packed pretty poorly turns out :) Kate really stocked up of course. She´s been like 4 times too! We also talked a ton of English together, but it honestly felt nice. Kate actually didn´t speak any Spanish when she arrived, so it´s particularly hard for her. But, for me, I don´t feel very interesting in Spanish. I can carry a conversation just fine, but it´s so basic & simple. So, it´s nice to actually be able to express myself and talk about more complex topics. I realize this with the local people I´ve met, but most of them actually don´t speak English, so it´s more incentive to practice. Oh, except I did meet this hombre at my salsa lesson, and after a while of Spanish, I inquired about his English. He leaned in and said (imagine an accompanying Spanish accent), ´´Mah English ees not bery good-looking.´´ Which made me laugh. But then, ´´I am bery good-looking. Jah?´´ I think I was tricked. It´s been my experience that some of the younger people put on that they know less English than they actually do. Probably much like I do with Spanish around Spanish speakers...
Anyway, now I´m just super glad to be feeling well, I can´t even tell you. We´re about to go to La fabrica de Chocolate, and I would totally buy you all edible souvenirs (the best kind of souvenirs), but I still won´t be home for a while...
Hope all is well, and more again soon!
Love.

P.S. Sorry, I tried to do photos, but can´t get it to work right now. Soon, I promise!

¡Buenas Tardes!

Hola mis amigos y la familia. I´ve already heard from people who wanted to know if I made it safely, so here you go.
I arrived in Guatemala City on Saturday and was swiftly taken in a taxi to the bus station. In the waiting room, I watched Spanish television and wondered just what in the hell I thought I was doing. The bus ride was just over four hours to Xela. My neck hurt when I arrived from looking out the window the entire time (intensified by a couple of cat naps no doubt). The terrain in Guatemala really is stunning. Lots of lush vegetation, mountains, and trees. And tons of farm land too. One of the first observations I made was the constant push of sales. People are selling stuff everywhere! The bus even allowed people to jump on when we entered their town, hawk their goods, and then disembark soon after. A lot of it was junk, some of it was handmade stuff, and my personal interest was the food. I ate something really delicious, and I have no idea what it was. All I know was that my choices were ¨pollo¨or ¨chile¨and I opted for the chile. It was some corn based fried patty with lots of chiles and other vegetables wrapped in two fresh tortillas. Que delicioso! And only 5 quetzales (about 65c).
Finally I arrived in Xela, but unfortunately the school was closed because they took a trip to Lake Atitlan for the weekend. So, as suggested, I went around the corner to Casa Argentina, the hostel. I stayed in my own room with a private bathroom, and it was honestly kind of a nice way to unwind. Alone & quietly. Yesterday, I was introduced to my host family, and I really like them already. Carmen is the mother, and she is very sweet. And patient. And a great cook! It´s weird still not preparing food for myself, but I really like the food she makes. Daniel is the father, and he is also very interesting. Very friendly, and he works at a local factory that makes Gallo, the local & very popular cerveza, and juice, two of my favorite beverages, so I think we´re going to get along just great! They´re young too, about 35. Y tambien, Daniela is their 8-year-old daughter. She´s very enthusiastic to have me around, and we get along great. She´s very cute, and also very patient with my Spanish. No one in my family speaks a lick of English, so currently our conversations are quite basic, but it´s great incentive to practice a lot. I want to know them better.
Man, it´s been crazy speaking Spanish exclusively. Honestly, writing this thing is kind of fun. It makes me feel calm because I don´t have to think about (& translate) every single word I say. Plus, it doesn´t make my brain tired. I kind of feel like I´m cheating to be perfectly honest.
And today was also my first day of school. My maestro´s name is Miriam, and she´s very sweet. It´s cool because we´re the same age, so I think it helps us communicate better. Plus, she laughs at me, which makes me feel better.
Anyway, I feel very comfortable here, and I´m glad for that. In general, the people on the streets are very calm and welcoming. And also there are a number of other gringos (because there are lots of other Spanish schools), so I don´t feel like I´m totally the odd, tall lady out.
I hope all is well with everyone, and I look forward to hearing about your adventures too!

here and there and somewhere else.

I made it back from the desert safe and sound. And tan and dusty. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't ready to leave just yet. I felt like I was leaving the process prematurely. Indeed I was. There will be people still cleaning up for another month! It absolutely amazes me. The whole process. Almost three months of work for a one week festival. Albeit a strangely unique and resource-exhaustive event. But it takes a lot of effort to make a 53,000+ person event the largest Leave No Trace event in the world.
Anyway, I found this entry on the Burning Man blog about my work department, the Yellow Bike Project: http://blog.burningman.com/2011/08/building-brc/need-wheels-you-got-em/ and in case you can't tell, that's Yours Truly in the first photo. Apparently there are more pictures somewhere, but I don't have the time to search for them at this moment. I did take a few of my own, however.

comfortable rv ride to the desert, complete with jesus bobblehead

some older art pieces stored at the ranch -- the bone tree is sweet

kt painting bikes in the shop

art

this is my trailer -- and the desert is so nice with no one else there yet

epic sunsets every night

it's nice to have friends who will take you away from the playa sometimes

man base construction -- total height of base + man = 104 feet

jamie is bad ass & so was this chopper bike

view of our shop & some of our bikes

this is the bike crew in our camp

pyramid lake reservation -- goodbye nevada

So, that's basically all the photos I took. And if you're really interested, you can find plenty of other stories and pictures about Burning Man (.com), especially on the Burning Blog.

But now, the gears are being shifted. I've been in Austin one week, and I am ready to go again. Being here was interesting. It obviously didn't help that I was already reluctant to leave the desert, but I think I also just wasn't mentally prepared to come back. It's quite a transition. I'd been living such an idealistic life, I felt less connected with this reality. I know that sounds ridiculous, but it's true. I can't imagine how it is to be there for the entire DPW season. Don't get me wrong, there are some lovely people & things here, and I feel very grateful to have them in my life.

Anyway, tomorrow I leave for Guatemala at 7am. I fly straight from Houston to Guatemala City, and then take a 4.5-hour bus ride to Xela. I'm not exactly sure how to articulate my emotions. I'm excited, no doubt. Curious. And a little bit nervous too. Mostly because I'll be speaking Spanish almost exclusively, and right from the start. But challenges are great. And of course, I'm always hungry for new experiences.

So, here I go. Gracias y adios.

Quetzaltenango (Xela) farming highlands