My blog has slowed because I’ve gotten busier.
Translation: I’ve now made friends and I do stuff other than
blog.
But I owe you a blog about my Christmas and my New
Years.
First… Christmas….
Guatemala is like 99.99% Catholic. I think. And
the other 00.01% are just Catholics in hiding. Or something.
So needless to say – Christmas is a big deal here.
I
thought it was a big deal in the US but the US ain’t got nothin’ on
Guatemala.
Truth be told I don’t even feel like I’ve had Christmas yet. Even though it was nuts.
So..this is how it went down.
Since I don’t speak excellent Spanish I’m never really sure
where we are going when I get in a vehicle with my family… or for how
long. Christmas was no exception.
On Christmas Eve I quickly went to Wal-Mart [don’t judge
Dad] with Montana Gentlemen at about 3pm.
CRAY. Bad idea
to save all of your Christmas shopping until then. The store was packed and maneuvering a cart through the
store was like trying to swim upstream.
Finally, I had picked out gifts for my host family. I got the little guy (he is 5) shorts
and a tee with “Cars” on them (he is obsessed), a race track with cars, and a
spiderman mask (he now wears this mask everywhere! I will post pics). I got the sweet girl (8 years old) a
baby doll with a stroller, a Barbie that came with a little pet shop, and a
coloring book with new crayons. I
got the cool kid (he is 11) a lego set, shorts and a tee with superheros (I’m
jealous of these), and a spiderman mask (he likes masks too). I also got them all candy. I got the mom and dad a new
stainless steel pots set, Christmas cookies, and …grapes.
Grapes are a big Christmas “staple” here in Guatemala. Its odd, but true.
All of that stuff in Merica’ would have probably cost me …
oh I don’t know $300? Maybe? Maybe $400?... Not in Guatemala. In Guatemala all of that stuff cost me
about $150 USD … maybe.
So Montana Gentlemen and I get back, he helps me put the
stuff away and I wrap it all.
My family is gone so I’m thinking maybe I get a rest
now. I am tired after all of that
shoppin’ adventure.
Nope. My host
mom comes and picks me up, and off we go!
First house:
family, hugs, kisses, tamales, candy, me trying to talk Spanish, me trying to
listen to Spanish conversation…oh and of course, fireworks.
Let me mention something now, I do not like tamales (NO ME
GUSTA)… It’s just a personal thing.
They are so weird. And they
have weird things like raisins in them and other things that you are unsure of
what they are but they resemble the look and feel [and smell] of a wrinkly,
soggy toe.
Second house: more
family, gifts, hugs, kisses, MORE TAMALES (me trying to swallow the vomit that
rises in my throat), more trying to speak and listen to Spanish….more fireworks.
Third house:
REPEAT
Fourth house:
REPEAT
Fifth house:
REPEAT….and this time add in Just Dance 3!... That was a fun surprise. It was fun indeed.
Sixth house: Not
really sure what was happening at this point. But I think it was a repeat.
Church.. at 3 in the morning…
PASSED OUT by 4 I think.
Crazy Christmas.
Christmas day we didn’t do too much, but the family opened
my presents and the kids went CRAZY! They loved them J it was fun to see the smiles
on their faces.
They gave me a shirt!
And the mom loved the pots!
#WIN
The days between Christmas and New Years are somewhat
foggy. I know I volunteered during
the day and hung out with friends during the night - but this is about all I know.
The two ladies I volunteer with, their last day was December
27th so we make a special trip to this café today and have a pitcher
of mojitos together. These ladies
CRACK ME UP!... They are hilarious.
I wish we could hangout more.
I tell them good-bye.
New Years Eve…
New Years Eve I walk over to Montana Gentlemen’s house. This is his last day staying at his
“host familys” so we take a cab with all of his stuff to my friend “Diva’s” (as
his nickname is) house.
We pack up and take a micro bus (which is like a van stuffed
with people) to the bus station.
We then get on a chicken bus.
Chicken buses are INSANE.
It’s like taking a school bus, making the seats a little wider an the
isles smaller, then stuffing 3 people per seat with people also standing in the
isle.
So this is how we sit for 2.5 hours or so. I’m basically holding on to Montana
Gentlemen so I don’t fall all over the place.
Then we get on another bus. More crammy.
Finally, we arrive in ANTIGUA GUATEMALA.
We meet up with 6 of our other friends in the central park
area of Antigua.
Let – it – begin
We check in at our hostel. I’ve never stayed at a hostel before but this seems like the
way to go. Cheap and fun.
We meet people from Texas, Scottland, New York, Germany, and
other places all over the world.
We go to this amazing café for lunch at like 3pm that looks
over the entire city of Antigua.
I get lazanga with salad and another lady gets chicken with
potatoes and we split. Perfect
combo!
I nap after this.
Then we go find me some heels to rock with my blue dress.
Diva picks out bright red heels for me. I like.
BUT…. The cobble stone does not like heels…
I can hardly walk on smooth ground with heels.
So this night becomes rather interesting and a little messy
with me trying to walk in these things.
About 5 new blisters the next day. Sweet.
We go to a lot of places. At midnight there is fireworks (of course). They are pretty legit.
I end up salsa dancing for the better part of the
evening.
Bed feels so good…and finally, at 5am, I sleep.
We wake up around 11am or so, and go have the best breakfast
I’ve had yet in Guatemala. Eggs
with bacon, potatoes, a huge bagel with cream cheese, fresh orange juice… so,
so delicious. And all for $5 USD
or so.
We spend the rest of the day just relaxing.
I’m supposed to take the bus back to Antigua with Diva and
Montana Gentleman, but they decide to leave Antigua without me.
So… they are going to wait in the next town over.
We take one of our friends BMW from Antigua to the next
town. So we rode with SEVEN of us
in the car… Seven people is not comfortable in a car, not even in a BMW.
Get to the next town.
Call Diva and Montana Gentlemen. They say they are on another bus. A green bus. We
are supposed to find said bus.
Finally it pulls up, I literally run out of the car and onto
the bus. NO sitting room. I’m going to stand for 2.5 hours!? My legs go numb.
I am standing right next to this large, sweaty, stinky
man.
Great.
People need to pass me so that means I’m literally right on
top of him. Practically.
Finally, some people get off. I get to sit, on a lap, so sort of.
This bus ends up dropping us off but not in Xela where I
live.
In some random other town.
Another bus.
Then another bus.
Finally I think we’re back.
Freezing.
Tired. Hungry.
We go to this little restaurant that Diva knows.
Food tastes sooo soooo good.
Take a cab back.
Grab my stuff, take the cab to my house.
The ride usually would take maybe 15minutes MAX… tonight it
takes an hour or more because of this parade thing.
The cab driver and I talk. He is 20 years old.
He is just going to work from here on out. So different then the US. We chat more.
He’s nice. He gives me his
number incase I need another cab sometime.
I watch The Big Bang Theory and sleep.
