o o o a o a o a o AAA oooAAAA

I am thrilled to announce that it is Saturday morning, I'm sitting on the floor of my apartment in my pajamas, and WE HAVE INTERNET.

I have to admit that I sort of liked being cut off from the technological world; I finished more books in the past three weeks (3) than I did outside class all of fall semester. I'm currently working my way through "The Audacity of Hope," but I'm worried that my resolve will die out now that I'm able to access email, facebook and skype whenever I want.

Oh, not to mention YouTube, where you can find this gem of a song Alex has been torturing us with for the second half of this week:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r0n9Dv6XnY

You should probably hang in until the chorus, but then free yourself from the ropes of "Tarzan Boy" while you still can.

Last night I went to a despedida for my roommate Jo and her fiance, along with two other couples. Despedidas are basically like wedding showers, and I've been told that I'll be attending plenty over the next few months leading up to Jo's wedding. They're quite fun, although it may get expensive as you're expected to contribute a set amount at each despedida (instead of presents). Whatever, it makes sense and the money goes to buy bigger appliances, etc., which apparently don't come standard with the houses here. You also get to dress up; last night's party was themed "carnival" (I made quite a stretch with my bright purple t-shirt and orange sweater).

Weddings are front and center lately. I'm getting SO excited to head back to Michigan in two weeks for my best college friend/longtime roommate's wedding in Minnesota. I cant believe it's already here - I mean, I've known it's been coming for four years (right from the first time I saw him in the dining hall and rudely called him ugly - my opinion has since changed dramatically) but it's now HERE, and he's replacing me as her roommate for good. I'm so happy, though, and so excited that I'm going to be able to be part of their day.

I'm also ready for the dancing. Maybe I can talk them into Tarzan Boy?

Mail = Happiness (as do trips to UNESCO world heritage sites and trashy TV)

I got my first letter today! Thanks, [anti-]valentine. Yeah, I'll be yours. I may or may not have skipped through the office holding it to deliver the other piece of mail (a letter for my roommate, who was also quite happy for the delivery).

I've been finding happiness in more and more locations lately. One place was Antigua, the prettiest town I think I've ever been in. A couple interns from here in Guatemala picked me up Sunday and we drove down the winding curvy road to Antigua to walk around, sample some platanos fritos and traditional Guatemalan candies (mmm. So good.) and just to see something other than the big sprawling city of Guate.

Antigua is so pretty, surrounded by volcanoes and hills. All the shops, hotels and houses lining the cobblestone streets are painted in gorgeous colors, and the purple jacaranda trees are in full bloom right now. Everyone's walking around so happily... you can almost forget you have a care in the world.

I'm so excited to explore this country. I'm chomping at the bit for my dear friends to come visit in April (although I'm growing weary of the planning, unfortunately). We're going to take C.A. by storm.

A quick note about the grace I've been given lately. The interns who took me to Antigua were so sweet and join the rather large list of people who have bent over backwards to make my transition into Guatemalan life so easy. Between my roommate's fiance cooking for me when I was sick, my roommate letting me tag everywhere with her, and the people in the office just smiling or laughing when I say the dumbest things (or nothing at all) in Spanish, no one has been anything but lovely toward me. I really appreciate them.

On a much less important note, I can't get enough S, B and Chuck Bass and was able to spend several mindless hours watching them Sunday. Pure bliss.

A ode to my favorite restaurant

Oh Rey Sol

you fill the hole

in my belly

with your vegetarian food

and bright sunny mood

I live for lunchtime.



Admittedly, that's one of the dumbest things I've ever written. But what can Is ay? I'm infatuated with this pretty yellow vegetarian restaurant where we often walk to eat for lunch. I can honestly say I wasn't expecting the best spinach tacos I've ever eaten to be found in Guatemala City, but here they are, along with a little happiness every day around 12:30 p.m.

Ok, time to head home... here's hoping for a beautiful volcano sunset on the way.

Switchfoot and monkey bonding

Yesterday marked two weeks in Guatemala; I know pretty soon I'll lose track of how long I've been here but when I remembered that this morning it lifted a huge load off my shoulders.

If you know me, you know I'm kind of a perfectionist and also a bit of a control freak. So the fact that I'm barely able to communicate here, I'm still struggling to get the feel of the office and spend 85 percent of my time feeling like an idiot is a little tough for me to take. Inadequacy is pretty much the worst feeling in the world, if you ask me.

BUT. I have so much time to try a little harder to reach perfection (and to relearn for the 317th time that I'll never get there).

Last weekend was great. A fellow intern found out that Switchfoot was playing a show in Guate Friday evening and to make a long, Myspace-laden story short, we ended up meeting Jon Foreman and the band manager before the show.

I have a lot of entries in my list of dream jobs, but that list got a teense longer after standing backstage during the concert. Watching Jon climb up on the drum set and, along with the rest of the band holding some ridiculous(ly cool) pose for about a minute with smoke and lights and all the fixins made me realize I could totally be a rock star.

Afterwards we went with the band to this funky restaurant in a new mall in town. It was sort of built around this huge aquarium, complete with sharks and fish and fake coral and a scuba instructor. Yup, a scuba instructor. I woke up the next morning pretty sure I dreamed that I sat down to eat and talk with members of the band and their staff while Jon Foreman and his brother swam around the tank, but I have pictures to prove it.

After attempting to sleep in Satuday (ahem, thank you Mr. Construction Guy next door and your dear friend Sir Chopping Wood at 7 a.m.) Victor came and took Alex and I to the zoo!! Wrestling bears and scary Hippos aside, my favorite part was hanging out with the Spider monkeys. So much personality, so cute.

One of the little ones and I stared at each other for a while, and then it reached out its hand through the cage toward me. So precious.

Now if only my Spanish was as great as the weekend. Onward in my march toward competency.

Watch out for those crazy bus drivers.

Today I conquered. Today I gained a tiny bit of independence. Today I drove into work from my apartment on the crazy streets of Guate. Alone.

The soundtrack was a mix cd in the car I found of fantastically awful American music. I sang along at the top of my lungs, in part to drown out the people beeping at me for driving too slow. (Just kidding, who knows what they were honking at.)

Oh, sweet freedom.

fijate

I’ve decided to keep this blog going, seeing as I can’t send support letters out every week and you’d probably like to hear from me more than once a month. (Yes, I’m choosing to believe that you care deeply about what’s going on in my life and eagerly await any communication from me. I don’t care if it’s not true.)

I have an apartment! Well it’s not exactly mine, it’s an apartment that my current roommate (or flatmate, as she would say in her rad Australian accent) will live in with her future husband after their wedding in a few months. But for now, I have a lovely room with big sliding doors out onto a little tiny patio, a view of the hills painted by the sun when I wake up, and a really happy place to come home to after work every day.

We’re still working on finding a refrigerator and a stove so it can also be a happy place to come home to and grab a bite to eat. I love peanut butter and banana sandwiches, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think I’ll be able to sustain my love for them more than a couple weeks more.

Everything is going remarkably well, except my Spanish. I’m getting by, but talking to myself in Spanish in my head all day long is different than actually greeting people, understanding what they’re saying or getting any sort of point across. I’ll get there, I feel it; I already understand a ton more than I did the first days I was here, but I’m still frustrated because I feel like I should know more, should have practiced more and should have studied more before I came so that I could be as effective as possible in my new surroundings. I guess patience, huh? I’m not so good at that, either.

Whoa, how did I get here?

So here I am in Guatemala. Months of waiting, prepping and worrying over the moment I stepped off the plane. Too late to turn back now, huh?

It's a little early to be posting anything since my experiences in Guatemala so far have been pretty much limited to the airport (not that busy at 10 p.m.) and the lovely apartment a fellow intern is letting me stay in until I move into my new place this weekend. I've spent the morning more or less lounging around; it's totally justified, since I start work tomorrow and probably won't have many more Wednesday mornings to spend reading outside in the sun. (A little chilly, but I'll take 65 degree weather over the sub-zero temps people home in Michigan are experiencing any day.)

But I wanted to take a moment to jot down how excited I am about this adventure, how anxious I am to take in and be overwhelmed by a new place, and how I feel a sadness deep down being away from my family and friends but a peace surrounding it knowing that I'll be better after this, and therefore so will all my relationships. I've always wanted to do something that matters. I think this matters.

More soon.