Things have been going well for me recently, I just thought I'd write up a few tidbits.

• On Sunday, I went with all the female volunteers to Marisol's birthday party. Marisol is a local girl who works in the kitchen and just turned 17. Her house is a 15 minute walk from the lodge and even though it had been pouring down rain, we put on our jackets and trekked uphill. It cleared up shortly after. At the house, Marisol sat behind a table and her friends lined the walls sitting on plastic stools. The boys all congregated in one corner, acting too cool for school, & the girls giggled and whispered secrets on the other side of the room. Marisol's guy friend made a speech and then asked her to close her eyes. I thought he was trying to steal a kiss but instead he blew flour into her face. It covered her nose, entered her eyes and dyed her hair gray. She ran out mortified. Reggaeton music played and no one danced. One of my coworkers, LeeLee, started dancing with a local boy. The other gringas from the lodge joined in and I took to dancing with a toddler. Eventually, I was dancing with 4 little kids playing follow the leader. When Marisol returned, she had changed her outfit and styled her hair with little blue flowers. She re-entered the house with a bang (literally, they set off fireworks as she walked in) and then she danced with her boyfriend. The immature friends chanted "Beso! Beso!" (Kiss! Kiss!) and her boyfriend went in for the kill as she rolled her head to the side and avoided it all together. She giggled and they just kept dancing.
• The girls that work in the kitchen all live in the nearby town like Marisol. Most are in their late teens although a few are in their 20's or 30's. They all wear traditional dress, meaning a long skirt and colorful, conservative tops. I have become good friends with them, often joking around. They are fascinated by my clothes and accessories because they have never tried on anything like it. Yesterday they all begged to try on my jeans. We stood side by side trying to gauge whether my pants would fit them. I postponed the fashion show to another day, but in the meanwhile I let Marisol try on my glasses. She was immediately dizzy, although I confess my prescription isn't all that strong, so she looked in the mirror, giggled & took them off. This whole interaction provoked a conversation with another coworker, Justin, who remarked how unfair it is that local men can wear jeans and t-shirts while the women are limited to the traditional dress. While it is a beautiful element of their culture, it is clear that women do not have the same freedom of expression as their male counterparts.
• I went to craft club the other day at the local school. Kids are currently on vacation but are encouraged to come work on art projects for a few hours during the week. I taught a boy named Mario how to knit and he caught on quickly. The girls made friendship bracelets and the boys knit scarves, while I made childish jokes about stinky feet. When I saw Mario later that week, he was walking around town, knitting needles in hand.
• The volcano Fuego has been spouting and smoking recently, allowing for some really breathtaking moments shared with guests and staff and cool photo-ops to share with the folks back home.
• Recently, I have been having really weird, vivid dreams. I don't know if it's the change in location or the recent visit from the exterminator, but something has been altering my brain activity at night. It is really interesting and often fun, but last night, for example, it just led to restless sleep. I woke up with all my sheets, pillow cases and comforters in a ball, laying on top of a bare mattress. Additionally, I have a frequent visitor in the morning: a yellow-backed oriole. It appears he is either trying to wake me up by colliding into my window or attempting to mate with his reflection. Either way, I am annoyed and wish he would find another window to tap at 6AM. To his credit, he is a very beautiful bird and if I were him I'd be obsessed with my reflection, too.
• In addition to the birds, there are an insane amount of creepy crawlers. Whenever I encounter a new creature I feel like I am in the Lion King: the scene where Timon & Pumba devour colorful bugs and teach Simba the meaning of Hakuna Matata. It is quite often that I imagine my life as a Disney film. Another example is when our dogs, Rufus and Lola, begin to howl and bark, communicating with dogs around town and throughout the valley. It feels like 101 Dalmations when all the dogs are conspiring across the city.
• The other day, Rufus and Lola followed a guest uphill and disappeared. As I left around 12PM, I told the driver what had happened and just shrugged, hoping they would come back soon. At 3PM, we were driving uphill from Antigua (a 20 min drive, a 90+ min hike) when I spotted a woman walking with the two pups. Their tongues practically reached the ground and Lola looked like she could collapse at any moment (she's a bit overweight and has really bad hips). The woman planned to walk the dogs all the way back to the lodge, giving Lola frequent breaks. We hauled the dogs into the van and drove them home. At the top of our hill, two stray dogs tried to attack Lola. Some local women were doing laundry and threw a bucket of water on the dogs, who quickly ran away. I led our dogs back to the lodge and they spent the rest of the day recovering from their ambitious adventure.

Coming up, we have a busy weekend, live music and a barbeque. More stories and pictures to come.

Shout out to my newest readers, Jamie & Kyano, two of my former students!

(The photos are in no particular order. Apologies for the ones that are blurry or have bad lighting.)

So a few of my readers have complained that my posts are a bit verbose and perhaps confusing. Now that I am settled at Earth Lodge, my blogs wont be nearly as long as I am slowly but surely getting into a routine.

I came back up to the Earth Lodge on Sunday just in time for live music and a barbeque. It was a beautiful day and a lot of people came up just for the afternoon. Upon arrival I was informed my first shift would start at 5PM. My responsibilities generally include:

-making drinks

-serving food

-answering phone calls and emails

-picking up after guests

-feeding a mule

The last task was very unexpected. Sophie, a veteran staff member, walked me through all the nitty gritty details. Around 10PM, she took me to meet Tuna (full name Fortuna) & showed me where to find pellets or hay. Big animals generally scare me so the next day when I went to feed Tuna by myself I didn't bother shmoozing. I dumped the food and shouted '¡buen provecho!' (the Spanish equivelant of bon appetite) as I ran away. As I mentioned previously, there are two dogs, Lola & Rufus, and a cat called Crunchie.

The other morning I was in the staff bathroom casually scanning the contents of the shelves from bottom to top. Shampoo, soap, books, toilet paper... all normal. The top shelf really freaked me out. All I saw was fur. Until I stood up and realized Crunchie was enjoying a cat nap. The windows of the bathroom are wide open allowing both a fresh breeze and a cat to come through.

I have been trained for all three shifts and will have my first solo shift tomorrow. I quite like having a lot of different tasks to do. After my first night of work it was hard for me to unwind because I was so excited for the weeks to come.

The guests generally vary in age. I have seen families, young couples and solo travelers come through; however most visitors seem to be in their 20's. They also come from a variety of countries: Spain, Argentina, Luxembourg, Sweden, and most often the US.

On my first day, a former volunteer named Emma looked at me and said "I want to give you a big responsibility because I feel confident you can handle it." I got kind of nervous trying to figure out what she was asking me to do. "When I used to work here, we had hat parties every night. I want you to revive the tradition. I can tell you have the energy to make it happen." I popped up from my hammock and went in search of the two dozen hats Emma helped to collect. I walked around the lodge putting hats on everyone's head. Although some resisted, I was quite successful in initiating la fiesta del sombrero. Emma clapped and cheered "I knew you could do it!!" Today a guest asked when the next hat party would be so he could bring his own. It seems silly but when you live up in the mountains, you gotta get creative.

In my free time I have been playing a lot of games with the guests and staff (including Lotería, kind of like a Guatemalan bingo), reading, writing, playing with the animals and just enjoying the view and the sounds of nature (all the while trying not to scratch my bug bites... I have yet to succeed in this endeavor).

My day off is Saturday and Sunday one of the locals who works in the kitchen is having her 17th birthday party. She chased after me this morning to invite me to her house. I am so excited to meet some people from the nearby town El Hato and take part in a local celebration.

That's all for now! I apologize if I wrote too much again... There's just so much to share.

Paz y amor

After 5 days at Lake Atitlán, I am back in Antigua. I didn't anticipate staying at the lake for as long as I did but once you see a few photos you'll understand why it was so hard to leave. 

My journey started with a 2.5 hour shuttle from Antigua to a town called Panajachel. I didn't have a very solid plan but I figured I would visit a small town called San Marcos. The night before I left for the lake I met a man who referred to himself as Guatemalan Jesus and wouldn't reveal his real name. In my journal he drew a map of the country and identified cities and towns that I shouldn't miss. For each place on the map he gave me the name of a hostel and knew most of their owners. Turns out "Jesus" runs a hostel of his own in Guatemala City and is very well-connected.  He told me to go to San Marcos and stay at a hippie dippy place called Del Lago. I was told that at each hostel I visit I should let the owner know that Guatemalan Jesus sent me. 

Anyway, in the shuttle I met a French man who has been living at the lake for 20+ years and runs a hotel in San Marcos. When we arrived to Panajachel, I asked if I could follow him to San Marcos. So we got on a boat with as many passengers as it could possibly hold and stopped at towns all around the lake. On the boat were three American kids, two boys with their father & a little girl on her own, all of them returning from school. Instead of a car or a bus, they took a boat. Instead of seat belts, they wore life vests. What a life!

When the boat arrived in San Marcos, the French man pointed me towards Del Lago. I followed the dirt/gravel road until I arrived at the hostel. It was a very simple place but had the most magnificent view. I was given a key to the door of my dorm but there was no need... Of the two window panes in the door, one was missing. My roommates, two girls from Colorado, decided to forgo the door and simply entered through the open window. 

While I was down at the lake front writing I met a group of three: Sawy from England, Anne from Brazil & Dahab from Mexico. All of them had come from Vera Cruz, Mexico to explore Guatemala. We became instant friends and I spent the next three days with them laughing uncontrollably and learning how to speak Mexican Spanish. I also practiced a little bit of Portuguese with Anne and Sawy, whose father is from Portugal. 

That night we watched an Australian film called Red Dog which I highly recommend. It was a knee slapper and a heart warmer. At one point I took a break from the film to go lay in a hammock by the water. Being surrounded my mountains, the clouds felt so close. I watched the lights twinkle on the adjacent hill and felt the breeze gently rock my hammock. I thought how amazing it would be to watch a storm over the lake and in that very moment a bolt of lightening lit up the other side of the lake! Later that night I was able to capture the distant lightening with my phone. 

The next morning I met a local named Pablo who had come to enjoy the view. He asked me if I felt the earthquake at 3AM that morning. What earthquake?! Well, I guess that explains my weird dreams...

In the afternoon I went for a swim. The water was perfect: calm, clear & cool; however, I was really cold when I got out (I left my towel at Earth Lodge... Oops). While I dried off in the sun, a German named Marta sat down next to me. She immediately opened up and told me of her struggles. She also showed me her tattoo, a recycling symbol on her chest. Marta's grandmother passed away while she was in Mexico & on that day she went and got her tattoo. She paid with three beers which she then helped to drink.  I went to go buy something from the shop and when I got back she was gone. 

Dahab and I chatted by the lake & were soon joined by a man from California. He spoke soft and slow & wore a hat with lots of feathers in it ( did he call it macaroni?). For the past three days he had been on a salt water diet. He planned to continue for two weeks. His belief is that we all came from the water (possibly even different planets) so why not sustain ourselves on just that. Also, he listed off 101 things he is allergic to. It wasn't until he was on his way out that he introduced himself as Gourmet. 

A bit later I put on some salsa music and Dahab insisted we dance. He plays in a salsa orchestra and also gives dance lessons so naturally he is a great dancer. We both sang along bits and pieces of the song and I followed his lead. It was the most fun I've ever had dancing salsa!

When my friends left for the store, I heard someone call my name. It was Pablo from earlier that day. He invited me up to the balcony and introduced me to his Japanese friend Taito. Together we took in the view: the lake, mountains, volcanoes & stars. All of a sudden, Pablo began to see red off in the distance... A volcano was erupting! Nothing terribly big but enough for us to see from across the lake. The volcano Fuego (Spanish for fire) spewed out the top as well as out the side. It was so remarkable! 

The next day we (Anne, Sawy, Dahab & I) traveled to another town called San Pedro. It is much more developed than San Marcos and therefore has more tourists. I wasn't nearly as enchanted although our hostel offered a really nice view from the roof. 

The next day I debated what to do over coffee. I went with my friends for breakfast and then Dahab & I went to a town called Santiago. It took us awhile to find the dock and when we finally arrived the boat had just left. We walked around for a while and came back an hour later to catch the next ferry. Santiago attracts tourists because of its Mayan saint Maximón (Ma-shee-mon). It is a wooden statue dressed in a cap and dozens of ties to whom locals make offerings of money, clothing, cigarettes & alcohol in exchange for health, crops, love, business, success, etc. Maximón has been around for over 500 years & each October is taken around the lake as part of a Holy Week procession. He changes houses from year to year. Because of his relocation, the locals pointed us in a few different directions. 

While we walked we saw a never-ending line of local indigenous people.  I made Dahab ask someone what wad going on because he is more personable and assertive than I am. The ice cream man told us that once a year the government comes and gives each person 40 Quetzales ($5). It doesn't matter if someone has 10 children or a disability, everyone gets the same amount. We also came across a second line where the government was giving out one bag of fertilizer to each person. 

Eventually a local boy, Adan, showed us the way to Maximón. We went down a tiny alleyway to a private house. There was Maximón in the center of the room and a man lighting candles to start his own ceremony. I was fascinated by the whole idea but felt a little uncomfortable. Dahab snapped a few pictures and we were on our way. 

Dahab and I walked back to the dock and said goodbye, promising to stay in touch and hoping to some day visit each other.  Dahab got on a boat to go back to San Pedro while I headed to a new town: Santa Cruz. 

Santa Cruz was even smaller than the first town I visited and had practically the same view. However, it lacked the serenity of San Marcos. 

Why? Because a group of 25 people from Kentucky had taken over the hostel. I ate dinner with a group of people my age but failed to find a place on the property where their presence didn't disrupt my peace. Regardless, I enjoyed the clear night sky and the chirping of the bugs. I felt like I was at summer camp although it turned out I was the only guest in my cabin. 

In the morning I packed my bag, ate breakfast & headed over to Panajachel to catch my shuttle. I was early so I walked around, bought some trinkets, and chatted with the man at the tourist agency. 

The shuttle took a little over two hours and I spent about half of the time playing peek-a-boo and making silly noises with the driver's son. 

Tomorrow I go back up to the Earth Lodge for a barbecue and live music. Oh yeah, and to start working.  :)




And to end this blog with a fun fact: Guatemala comes from the word cuauhtemallan which means land of the trees. Although Guatemalan Jesus told me it meant land of the captive eagles. Maybe someone needs to check his facts...

Upon arriving in Guatemala, I felt as if I was in a mini-Quito. Immediately I felt at home with the wretched smell of diesel and the winding highways through the bright green mountains and volcanoes in the distance. My driver took me through Guatemala City, then by Antigua, and finally up the mountain to a small town called El Hato. We were held up a bit when the locals wouldn't budge from their festival in the middle of the road. Mario, the driver, dropped me at the head of a dirt trail and wished me luck as I headed 300 meters downhill.

I arrived at Earth Lodge and couldn't believe my eyes. I had seen plenty of photos but nothing compares to real life. The property is majestic with a view of the city down below and volcanoes in plain sight. The staff gave me a warm welcome, complete with a special drink they call a New Mexican Wildcat: pineapple juice, ginger ale & (drum roll please...) jalapeño infused vodka. The first few sips were rough but after a few more my sinuses cleared and I began to enjoy this outrageous beverage. It was a very appropriate induction to a hostel that runs its reception from behind the bar.

There are two dogs on the property who are very handsome/beautiful. A cat roams around too but steers clear of the German Shepherd who is quite intimidating. He sits and stares a lot; either at the cat or a deflated soccer ball. The other pup sleeps on her back, just like my Stewie, with her paws in the air and belly bare, just begging to be rubbed.

The staff is from all over: Holland, France, Canada, Scotland & various parts in the US. They're a lovely bunch but a lot of them are at the end of their volunteer stint & are heading home in the next week or two.

Dinner was pasta with capers, garbanzo beans, garlic bread and salad... ¡Qué rico! My pasta had ham in it but it didn't taste quite like the ham I'm used to. This morning my bacon had the same taste which led me to believe I might be a vegetarian on this trip (Just kidding! I had chicken in town today and it was delicious).

After breakfast I took the shuttle into town, checked into a hostel cleverly named El Hostal, and then began to explore. I went to the local market and was amazed by the range of products sold. From underwear to raw meat, the market offered everything. The main product sold is fresh fruit which fills the market with vibrant colors.

I continued to walk aimlessly for a few hours and found myself in the park a couple of times. At one point I was offered coffee and when I responded "No gracias", the vendor stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around and asked if I was Cuban... That was a first! He then introduced himself as Cutie and sat down to tell me his life story. Cutie moved to Miami, converted to Judaism & then moved to Israel to enlist in the army. We talked quite a bit about Israel before I said "Hasta luego" and moved to the shade.

I've spent the afternoon lounging in the hostel, waiting for the rain and clouds to pass. Tomorrow I'm going to Lake Atitlán for a few days before I start my work at Earth Lodge. Many more stories to come... Stay tuned!