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!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
¡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!
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!
Friday, September 16, 2011
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.
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.
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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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