Santa Rosa

I started anticipating the weekend a little early last week. On Monday, to be precise. I was really intent on not being alone, partially because I was jealous that my roommate's boyfriend was coming to visit and wanted a distraction from missing mine, and partially because I really didn't want to study all weekend long.

So when Saturday finally rolled around and I got a text message from Jo asking if I wanted to go to the family farm, I was so ready to go. Plus, I've been excited about visiting the farm for a long time. Jo's husband and his parents grow pineapples on land south of the city that they inherited. Aunts and uncles own adjoining plots. I've heard a lot about visiting the farm and how wonderful it is, and from experience I knew the pineapples were extra tasty.

I guess it's just my Midwestern upbringing, but my mental picture of the farm was flat land, corn and a barn. I was pretty wrong, thankfully: as we drove up the rolling hills, rivers and spiky pineapple plants greeted me with all their Guatemalan beauty.

The yard of the farmhouse was full of chickens and ducks, there was a large front porch to sit on and, most importantly, the air was clean. After chasing a rooster around for a little while, we went to see the pineapple fields (the next harvest will be in November, but we managed to find one ripe out of season to eat for breakfast the next morning) and came back to eat the corn tamalitos the neighbors brough over, make dinner and play Rummikub. It rained and got REALLY dark (I braved the trek to the bathroom by singing "It's ok, there's nothing here, it's ok, there's nothing here" over and over again) and a rooster woke us up at 4 a.m. and oh my it was so wonderful.

And then it just got better! After a delicious and fun breakfast of crepes, we went to swim in a river which turned out not just to be a river but this giant lovely waterfall behind a cave with a smaller waterfall. I've seen some really beautiful water here in Guatemala, but so far it's all been touristy. This won best water award from me because there was no one there but us, and we never would have found the spot if Victor hadn't played in the water there when he was growing up.

Oh, and the walk there... literally hundreds of butterflies everywere, bright orange and yellow and green and white.

I think I've gushed enough now, but the trip was so good for me. I've been down lately but by the end I was so happy and refreshed. It was exactly what I needed: good friends, good food, nature and the opportunity to chase after birds to scare them and make them squawk.