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
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
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