Only A Few Days Left

And a whole lotta memories to make...

Anyone know this song? Anyone?
Jason Aldean- Laughed Until We Cried
Love his music!
Some other lyrics:
Man we were living; didn't waste one minute
Talked, drank, danced and said good-bye

Every emotion rolled into one
Kind of happy; kind of sad

Yep, that pretty much sums me up right now. I only have basically 4 more days left and I am trying to not waste one minute. I want so many more memories. I'm living my "normal" life here by talking, drinking, and laughing with friends but I've also planned dinners and drinks with friends to say good-bye.
So right now I am kind of happy and kind of sad. I am ready to go home and be with my husband. But I am sad because every year I don't know if I will return and this makes me sad.
Anyway that's how I feel right now and apparently Jason Aldean had a song about it.

How could you not miss this sight?


Or this food?



Or these friends?






Matt and Daphne always went out to smoke so this was usually my view of them and why we sat at the window.

-- Post From My iPhone

Who Knew? There Was A Coup!

Rita and I went to Copan, Honduras this weekend. While there we saw, the Mayan Ruins but I didn't get a pic for the blog. I wasn't feeling well and almost fainted twice so blog pics were not at the top of my priority list.

Later, I was feeling better so we had drinks on the balcony of a bar.




Don't worry we didn't drink that much. I posed for the pic to send to Tim since he was having a pool party at our house without me. The only "rule" when I left was, the house had to be clean if anyone came over. Husbands don't care about this as much as wives.

Then we had a three course dinner and drinks for $8! I forgot to take a pic of the entrée but here is the drink, soup and dessert:














Isn't this place fun?








Then we went back to the hotel and sat on the balcony with a bottle wine. It was such a crazy night, we were home by 7:00 and asleep by 9:30!

Funny thing is we didn't change enough money to Limperas so at the end of the night we literally had less than a dollar left in Honduran money. No problem, breakfast was free the next day (fruit and bread or eggs Benedict, or eggs, beans, cheese, and plantains) and we only needed to buy snacks for the trip home. I would pull out some money in the morning.

Yeah, not so much. Who knew there was a coup? Not us! I tried to get money out of the ATM and I was told there was a problem at my bank. Okay, I'll just use dollars then. (I use local currency but carry American cash for emergencies) At the store I notice there are no lights and I hear them talking about the Honduran president but it still doesn't register. Back at the hotel, we have no electricity and the maid tells us it is because of the "government."

Seriously, not until we are on the shuttle back to Guatemala do we understand there was a military coup. Craziness!

What is true and what isn't, we will never know, but I assume this is why I couldn't get any money. Back in Antigua I had no problem and never had to contact the bank. We were told the electricity was out so no one could watch the news and then know what was happening to both prevent riots and panic. Who knows?

We saw tons of military transport on the way back to Antigua and it was three hours into Guatemala before we saw electricity again. Rita had already decided on plan B and was getting the next plane out of here if there was no electricity in Antigua. I was staying. I just needed a flashlight.

Upon arriving back home, Rita was able to text with her husband. Good thing because he was worried. Mine on the other hand, not so much worried. He was more concerned with our friends emailing me to say the house was clean when they arrived for the pool party.*

Silvia told us she heard about the coup but realized we were fare away from the Honduran capital and would be home soon. So she wasn't worried either.

I still loved Honduras and am actually considering going there to study next summer.

Look at these pics of our hotel, beautiful:








Basically we had mo idea when we left that we were "fleeing" a military coup and ignorance is bliss.

*Tim did ask me to email him as soon as I got back to Guatemala and then he wanted to Skype to fond out the details so he was a little worried. However he was more jealous that I one-upped him in travel. he has never been to a country during political unrest. Plus, I did receive emails stating the house was VERY clean.

-- Post From My iPhone

Fuego! Fire!

So I was back at Kafka's talking with T using gtalk last night. I couldn't believe the news about Micahael Jackson and then noticed a group of Guatemalans lifting their glasses of beer to honor him. I missed them toasting but here is a pic just so you have a visual:



T told me to buy their next round so I could take my pic with them doing the same thing. Boy oh boy! I had no idea what was coming next!
Before I have chance to order a round, I hear what sounds like fire crackers, not an unusual sound here. The group runs to the terrace and the immediately down stairs. Well, of course I run to the terrace to see what is going on too. All I see is smoke so I run down stairs to see the show, still thinking it is fire crackers. I run outside the side door and stop because I am under sparks streaming down the roof. I run back in and out the front door. The electrical box seemed to have shorted. Once the sparks finish, we all go back inside. Blair, one of the bartenders, sits with me and we talk about all of the excitement.


Then we hear fire truck sirens and she asks, "What should we do?" Fire being my biggest fear in life, I yell "RUN!" She and I take off and the Michael Jackson mourners are right behind us. There was still an electrical fire on the roof. We just didn't realize when we came back in.
Here the firefighters are getting the fire hose ready:



I was freaking out because even I know not to put water on an electrical fire. Luckily they couldn't get the water out of the hose because, I kid you not, it was all draining from the bottom. Hard to see in this pic but I promise the water is gushing out the bottom:




Then finally another truck showed up with a fire extinguisher. I guess neither the restaurant or fire truck had one?



Ah, we are finally safe so everyone is just invited back inside. I opted to go in quickly enough to pay my bill and leave. Remember, I am seriuosly scared of fire. Crazy thing is, not once during this ordeal did they clear the restaurant. Some people stayed in the entire time!
Want to see who saved the day by bringing the fire extinguisher?



Look closely...It was the Rotary Club?!?!




-- Post From My iPhone

Travel Friendships

I have noticed while traveling you develop strong friendships that usually only last as long as your travel or that of your new friend. Seems to me, the friendships are based more on the amount of time you both will be spending in a place than age, interests (travel is already the common bound), or anything else. Here you quickly assess if you are going to become "friends" with someone or just hang out with them for the day. I've had my share of people I have met at cafes that I enjoyed, even drank and had meals with just to say, "see you around." And then Antigua is so small, you actually do. These people usually only have a week left here when I meet them, so not as much time is invested in them. With others, you take time to exchange phone numbers or emails and plan to see them again while you are here. These are usually the people you meet when you first arrive and will be here about the same amount of time as you or longer. Funny thing is -- both of these types of "friendships" start with the same conversations and you have a million while here. Common questions:

How long are you here?
Are you studying Spanish?
What school?
Where else have you traveled?
Are you traveling anywhere after this? (because many are doing this for 3-6 months)
Where are you from?
Do you know what bars or restaurants are cool here?
What you going to do after dinner tonight? (because the friendship has now been established)

Whether or not you try to see this person again was determined by the first question. Notice age or profession are not asked and sometimes it never is and sometimes you only find these things out after you have known someone for a couple of weeks.

Then eventually your friends start leaving. Sometimes, your "group" will go out the night before to say good-bye as if you are some mini-family. But for most you will never see them again. It is kind of strange; experiencing so much with someone just to say "bye" and "good luck." But then again the friendship wouldn't be the same back home anyway because this isn't real life. At least in my real life, I don't have someone cooking and cleaning for me. I can't just take a nap every afternoon to wake up in time to meet friends for happy hour. And I definitely don't go out 3-4 times during the week nights. Does sound a lot like college though minus the cooking and cleaning. I loved college so maybe that is why I keep coming back here...trying to relive maybe? Anyway...

I am now officially one of those people that if someone just arriving meets, they will not invest too much time in because I am leaving in a week. The time is flying by much faster than last year. And this makes me sad.*





*I am sad because I love this place but I will be extremely happy to go home and see T. And yes, I am aware how horrible this picture is, and I blame the lighting.

-- Post From My iPhone

Evil Cat

Don't be fooled by the cute innocent face, this is one evil kitty!

Hall and I were eating dinner, pulled pork sandwich with fries. When all of a sudden this devil-cat grabs a fry literally out of Hall's hand. We sat there staring jaw-dropped as the cat sat staring bewildered at his paw. Then this little ball of craziness pulled his paw back and flung the fry at me! I was covered in catsup! Then it ran off and licked the catsup off his paw and I promise I think he was smirking at me.






-- Post From My iPhone

Celebration and Food

Since I couldn't celebrate with Tim yesterday, I had tres leches cake with the familia. You'll have to ask Rita about "quatro leches" cake!




I had to sit down because I am a giant compared to everyone else. This is Silvia, her three sons, Marvin, Carlos, and Diego, as well as her nephew, Pepe.

Here are some more random food shots.

Watermelon, pineapple, banana, and papaya covered in yogurt and granola, my fave breakfast here:





Pancakes and papaya. Silvia's pancakes are thin and almost crepe like




Dinner one day last week




Chips, guacamole, cheese, beans, and salsa-lunch on Sunday at a restaurant. Notice the chips are like Doritos.




Double chocolate cake from Cafe Condessa




Watermelon smoothie made with water. I get this when I go to the Bagel Barn to use their wifi




Yeah, I'm going to need to go the gym when I get home.

-- Post From My iPhone

Long Distance Anniversary -- A Guest Post

If you are a regular to this blog, then you realize that we are spending our second anniversary in different countries. It’s not the ideal way to spend your second anniversary, but it’s not “bad” either. Wait, did he just say that? Yes. Now let me explain.

A lot of friends -- and even acquaintances -- have told us they really admired Alicia’s decision to go to Guatemala last year. And after she fell in love with her host family and the public special needs school, her decision to return this summer. While they admired it, they also asked, me mainly, how can you stand to be apart that long? Are you okay with letting her do this? Again? And this year, but you won’t even be around each other on your anniversary?!?!!

Yes, it can be hard (for me at least). And -- NO -- you cannot truly regain your “bachelorhood,” for one month out of the year, no matter how many times your friends tease you about it (or admire you for it?).

And that is the point of this post. I am glad we have had our times apart. Marriage, as most of us know, is A LOT OF HARD WORK -- all the time. And sometimes you quit seeing the forest for the trees. You get too caught up in the trials and tribulations of making it -- and trying to make it work -- from day-to-day that it’s easy to lose sight of WHY you committed yourself to this person; how wonderful, caring, insightful, and, yes, challenging (in a good way) she is. And most importantly how much you are better off because you met her and then somehow managed to convince her to marry you.

Absence reminds the married heart how truly lucky you are.

To the person who has taught me more about life, what is important, and myself than you realize: I love you. And I look forward to the opportunity to share a truly extended sojourn in that part of the world we have grown to love together!

2 Year Wedding Anniversary

Tim beat me to the punch with a surprise post but I still want to post my thoughts on today also. I drafted last might before reading his thoughts nut there are definite similarities.

March 12, 2005 (I think)-started talking on e-harmony with the Tim (gasp! Yes I admitted that on the blog)

April 3, 2005-met the man of my "dreams" at the Dream Cafe (oh gag! Did I really just write that?)

April 14, 2006-Said "YES" even though there was not a camera in the case and he was not there to run a race (funny but this is what I remember of the proposal. I was over come with emotion for everything else)

June 23, 2007-said "Sure, why not?" (um, I mean "I do") and then honeymooned in Costa Rica and Guatemala. this began the obsession with this country.

June 23, 2008-went back to the Dream Cafe because we were still living the dream (gag! Did I write that again?) and then went on vacation to Nicaragua because who doesn't think romance when they hear "Nicaragua".

June 23, 2009-thousands of miles away from my husband, planning to go to class, celebrating with my Guatemalan family since I can't be with him with cake at lunch, going for coffee with a mom of one of the kiddos I volunteered with last year, and then going to a lecture about the current state of Guatemala. Great 2 year anniversary huh?

How can I do this you ask? Because I promised my husband I would. Two years ago today we promised to always learn more about ourselves, God, and the world. And you know what he holds me to that and I absolutely love him for it. He's secure enough to let me grow. We learned last year from some random couple in Nicaragua, that sometimes you have to get on a boat and sometimes you have to join the circus, but both of you may not be able to do both of these things at the same time and that is okay. Best marriage advice we ever received!

He challenges me and accepts me when I am challenging. He ignites a thirst of adventure in me while providing a secure gentle refuge when the unknown is scary. He laughs with me and at me. He cries with me and for me. His eyes hold an emotion, I don't think I have ever seen before. And he makes mistakes! And I love him for it because that means I don't have to be perfect either. He has allowed me to love him completely. He is true to himself. No matter how many times I say no to taking a year off work to travel he keeps asking and he has worn me down to maybe six months. I love him because he is the man I started praying for when I was 12 years old until I was 26. I knew without a doubt this was my husband two months after meeting. I love him because sometimes he is on the boat and sometimes I am in the circus.

Thousands of miles away from each other and celebrating our anniversary separately, I feel as close to my husband as I possibly can because he is a part of me.

And seriously? Look at these pics, how could you not love him?












































-- Post From My iPhone

Mass

Saturday night, I was having dinner with Hall, a grad student from KU when his friend, Aoifa (pronounced-Eefah-figure that one out SLPs) from Ireland joined us. She was taking a day trip the next day and asked us to join. After running around like chickens with our heads cut off since the tour agencies were closing soon, we accepted defeat and decided to stay in Antigua. Hall suggested we go to church the next day. He is Catholic and really wanted to go to mass. I jumped on the chance. Despite not being Catholic, I thought I would regret not going with him. Well I was right. I barely understood a word other than verses from the bible that are so imprinted in me from my VBS and church camp days that I would recognize them in almost any language. However, I felt so connected to the people of Antigua and Guatemala. Religion is such a part of culture that I think no matter if you believe in the same God, a different God, or no God, to truly appreciate the culture as a whole you need to open yourself up to these experiences. Granted, going to mass didn't pull me very far out of my comfort zone but it is something I had never done while here before. Plus, I needed to feel more connected to the Guatemalans. Not volunteering has put me more on the student/gringo trail than I would like. Dadgum swine flu closing the schools! But I digress...
After mass, there was a procession celebrating Corpus Christi (the body of Christ) and it was interesting but Hall and I didn't stay long because it was rainy and we were FREEZING! So we headed to breakfast at one of my favorite places, Khafka's. I'll have to post about the crazy kitty there later.
Here is the church, La Merced:



I love this church and always think of Becky when I pass it. Yellow always makes me think of her and I think this church is so pretty just like my Aunt. But maybe I only think she's pretty because everyone says I look just like her.

Here are people waiting on the processional:



Looks like a funeral huh? I promise it isn't. Lots of topics to discuss in upcoming posts!

Shrimp

Remember when I couldn't believe I ate the shrimp? Well, I was at it again today! Silvia has to be one of the sweetest ladies I know. After eating it at the restaurant, she and I talked about how she loves it but doesn't have it much because it is expensive. Then today, I go down to lunch and she is grinning ear to ear and announced we are having shrimp because she knows I like it! I sat at the table with Silvia and her three sons and had the most fun I've had while eating here. We talked and laughed especially after she told us we didn't need manners today and could use our hands. Unfortunately, Rita is sick and didn't have lunch today.
Doesn't Silvia just look sweet?




Tomorrow she and the boys are going to help me celebrate my anniversary since I am away from my husband.


-- Post From My iPhone

Happy Father's Day

Daddy,

Sorry I can't be there to celebrate with you today. I have thought about you a lot today though. Thank you for walking me to the bus stop, making me bacon sandwiches on Mondays, and for countless hours playing outside. Thanks for giving me my goods looks minus the beard (remember that joke?) Thanks for driving me to church and spprts practices. Thanks for touring all over Texas to look at schools for me to decide I couldn't leave "home" yet and wanted to go to UNT. Thanks for being the pitcher at ADPi father/daughter days and making sure everyone hit the ball at least once. Thanks for Friday night pizza and Funniest Home Videos when I didn't want to go out during college because of the heart monitor. Thanks for telling me if I decided to get the mechanical heart and needed to adopt someday, that you would love those babies no differently. Thanks for helping me find a formal dress that hid the scar. Thanks for moving me from apartment to apartment. Thanks for taking dance lessons before my wedding. Thanks for all you have done to help with our house...I could go on and on, but I really want to say thank you for being supportive and encouraging, making me believe I could do anything and giving me the confidence to try. You have always been my strength and inspiration. I love you and wish I could be there with you today but because you gave me a curious spirit, I'm out exploring the world and continuing to grow as a person. Thanks for that too. You taught me to always impeove myself. You're the greatest dad...but of course I am a bit biased!

Love you, Daddy!!!


-- Post From My iPhone

Obama Nation

*Before I get started, I know not all of you will agree with this post but I am just writing about my experience here based on questions provided to me before I left. That being said enjoy and feel free to leave comments or email.

Someone I met here last year, but is now living in Texas, asked before I left to comment on the feelings toward Obama now that he has been elected.

Well, to put it bluntly, they LOVE him. As I've written already, my teacher likes him and really thinks he is going to help all people with brown skin. She always wants to discuss his thoughts on credit card companies, health care, his experience and his family. Almost every day she brings me an article from the newspaper about him to read and discuss. That should say something too, he's in the newspaper constantly. Anyway she thinks he is an inspiration to everyone and really wants her kids to know about him so that they will try hard at school. Another teacher at the school was quick to tell us how much she likes Obama and how she didn't like George W. However she is still a Bill Clinton fan at heart.

Here are some quotes from local magazines written mainly by ex-pats:

"Our former president crapped on the carpet of American history for Obama to clean up."

"At least Van Buren stood against the idea of allowing Texas to become a state...might have saved us all much subsequent political grief."

I guess they are more quotes about our last president. But this time last year everything was about the election and, I am paraphrasing, how Obama would have to prove he slept with a white woman to win the presidency because the writers felt we weren't ready for a president that wasn't a white male. Their words may have been crude but you got their feelings loud and clear.



Not sure if you can read that but one of the drinks/shots is called "Obama Nation, it's a democratic party for 2" at one of my favorite bars here. I haven't had this yet but a new friend tried it and liked it. I think it has Kahlua in it so doubt I will be drinking it any time soon, but still find it crazy that our politics influence such things in other countries.

I've seen plenty of people wearing Obama shirts and have also met one person here that told me, once again paraphrasing, that he is so far right he circled back around. There is always more than one opinion no matter the topic or where in the world you are.

This an old pic of Tim and me. I know those of you that really know us will appreciate seeing this pic again:





I've had horrible allergies and just got some zyrtec so I'm off to bed at 9:00 my time after a 2 1/2 hour nap today and sleeping for 9 1/2 hours last night. Craziness!

Chicky

Chicky is my teacher. I spend 4 hours a day just me and her 5 days a week. So far I have learned quite a bit from my teacher. She has taught me the conditional and present/past/future progressive tenses, while giving me ample time to practice conversing in Spanish. I have enjoyed my classes much more than last year. I think our conversations are what I enjoy the most. We have discussed everything from divorce to taking your husbands last name, my open heart surgery to Obama's plan for health care (she loves Obama because he has skin like her), and credit card debt to which restaurant/stores have the best deals in Antigua. The discussions are much deeper than last year with my other teacher. I love talking about the similarities and differences in our two cultures. However, I am always a little afraid to bring up certain cultural topics as to not offend. For example, I would really like to discuss women's professional dress in the two countries. Apparently, wearing a bra to work is an option here and this just baffles me!




At first I thought I must be mistaken but a friend confirmed, "the girls could use some help!"

BTW-I really do love my teacher so don't get mad at me for writing this. She is a great teacher and truly one of the most sincere open people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. And I probably could bring this topic up with her. She normally smiles and laughs a lot but thought it better to be serious in the pic so all of you will think I am actually learning something from her.
On that note let me also clarify that Rita only had 2-3 drinks when she "drank me under the table" and I think I now have to report on this blog every time some one asks if she is my mama or even better yet...my sister!

Here are some gratuitous food pics.

Baked Cheetos:








They had zero taste.

Lunch-chicken, carrot, cabbage, a form of squash, and some vegetable I had never heard of before visiting Guatemala, and soup:




Lunch is the biggest meal and dinner is a smaller portion similar to our lunch.

Under The Table

That's where you'll find me because Rita definitely drank me under the table on our excursion trip! Okay maybe just one more drink but who's counting? Here she is with her first drink (I won't show pics after her last drink-ha!)




For those that don't know, she and I are in a sorority alumnae group together...Alpha Delta Pi.
Here was our view while having drinks:




Then we had dinner:



For those that really know me, can you believe I actually ate this shrimp? I hate stuff that looks like it did alive but oh man it was good!

We then listened to some live music and then called it a night. On Sunday we took a boat to the surrounding pueblos. I loved San Pedro and Santiago was nice but we really only got to eat lunch there. We were lucky enough to have an indigenous woman show us how she put on her head dress. Then she put it on us for our pictures.







We didn't care for one of the towns because the men were a little forward with me and kept trying to grab at our stuff but we had a fabulous private guide and he took care of things, all 4 foot 8 inches of him! Seriously, the people were just an annoyance and there was no serious threat. Here is a pic of the last pueblo from the boat:




It was good to go to some less touristy places than Antigua. Without volunteering, it's easy to get trapped on the gringo trail (even though we were still on it) and forget how much worse it is in some other cities in this country. It put things back into perspective for me. I am here to learn Spanish but I also want truly to see what is out there, to understand the world better. I am a truly fortunate person and must give back to this world the best I can.

All in all it was great especially when I was asked if Rita was my grandma!!! In her defense, this was the first time it was asked and we have been asked many more times if she was my mama.