Guatemalan Time...

Life is busy, even on Guatemalan time. I come to school, have classes, have break, have classes, eat lunch, have classes, and return home. On weekends there is always one activity or another, and I am running once again. Life has been hectic, but for me it is a good hectic... I thrive with routines and the expected. But I am learning to adjust to the unexpected, to Guatemalan time, to the importance of relationships over schedules.
Time is flying by due to the busyness of routines, and in 2 weeks we will be halfway finished with this adventure.
So... what can I write about that will be of any interest?
Tomorrow we leave at 6 am for the beach, where we will spend the day and return in the evening. The beach in February! And I hear that the water is almost insanely warm :) I can barely wait.
Tonight was one of those unexpected times that I am learning to adjust to. A member of our group was invited to a Discoteca by her family, and wanted some fellow group members as company. A few of us decided to go along, and called a taxi to pick us up at CASAS at 8:20. All spruced up and ready to leave, we were walking out to meet the taxi when we were informed by Rigoberto (the gatekeeper/general maintance guy at CASAS) that the gate is locked at 10, and we couldn´t get back in after that... welllll that seemed to change our plans a little. The taxi was there with the meter running, though, and the discoteca was in zone 10, which we all assumed was al lado (next to) zone 11, where we are staying. So we got in the taxi and decided that we would just go for a little over an hour, and then come back. Well... it turns out that zone 10 is no where near zone 11... we went through zone 12 and 13... maybe even 9 before we got there... at 9 pm. We decided that paying an entrance fee for 30 minutes was a little foolish, and didn´t even get out of the cab. It was interesting to explain to the driver that we just needed to turn around and go back home.
Good news though... we laughed a lot and made friends with a cab driver. And we are all safe and will get more sleep tonight than we would have otherwise. Win-win... right?
Maybe my time here is also teaching me the power of positive thinking ;)... or maybe thats just the relief talking... discotecas aren´t really my thing.

Every Wednesday afternoon the group meets to have class with Byron and Deanna. This week we talked about group dynamics, confrontation styles, and how we are feeling at this point in the trip, we also had a worship time as a group. During this time Audrey shared about her faith experience so far on the trip, she shared about consciously searching for God every day. This reminded me of a habit that I used to have... during my struggles junior year I was challenged by a friend to find God at least once a day in everyday life. I was amazed at how easily God could be found when I was actively searching for him. I have since forgotten that habit, and here I sometimes struggle to see God... of course I am often not actually looking. Where is God in the faces of dirty, hungry children begging for food? Where is God in the discrimination and racism that is so prevelent here in Guatemala? Where is God when I am overwhelmed by strange culture and strange language and loneliness?

Where is God here in Guatemala?

I was challenged by Audrey´s words... I need to start actively searching for God, in the smiles of the ladies here who cook for us, in the hugs I recieve at my church here, in the patience every has with me and my silly mistakes.
God is so many places... there is loneliness, and there is pain and discrimination... but there are also every day angels- and I have been forgetting to see them. So there... it is publicly stated as my challenge to myself - find God tomorrow, and every other day of this trip.

Next week we have our final exam for Spanish class... before (hopefully) moving up to the next level. Exams here are hard... really hard. Especially because they involve a spoken section... where we each have to talk for 10 minutes, mas o menos to our teacher... alone... in Spanish. Knowing that we are being evaluated and graded. Intimidating to say the least. They haven´t gone entirely well so far.... so the thought of a final exam is terrfying because we have double the amount of work... more than that actually because we have to talk for 15 minutes to 2 different maestras. I don´t know if I can do it, but I´ll have to.

What else, what else... It has been a long time since I updated, and it´s tough to remember everything.
Last weekend we drove a ridiculously mountainous trail to the small  Mayan town of Chichicastenango. There we visited a women´s cooperative called The Ruth and Noehmi project. These indigenous women had been victims of discrimination and survivors of civil war and violent murders. They have not allowed themselves to be victimized though, they have taken initiative and fought for their rights. They were inspiring; not only do they care for their families, and work, but they weave and create beautiful handmade crafts; scarves, blankets, skirts, purses, wallets... so many things, all beautiful and brightly colored. These women were full of smiles and laughter, and when they giggled over a joke, even though we needed 2 translators to understand them... it felt as though we weren´t separated by language or culture or age or circumstance. In that moment I could understand them perfectly... And let me tell you, I want to be like those women when I am old. I want to surround myself with friends, and have deep laugh lines, and not let my past or my problems define me. I want to be strong and laughing, just like those women.
We also went to the Chichi market - which is huge, and filled with tourists. All the tourists stuck out like sore thumbs, dressed as if they were on safari, and screaming slow english phrases... as though the wall separating them from the venders was a hearing imparement rather than a language. I cringed with every person we passed... and I hated it. I didn´t like being in a place with tourists, and I didn´t like sticking out and looking like a tourist, I just waned to fit in.
It was in Chichi that I realized... I am a tourist here. I stick out, people assume things about me because of my nationality, because of my clothes, because of my skin, because of my accent and lack of spanish. I am a tourist, and I hate it.
This blog post could go on forever, but no one wants that. I´ll try to update more often rather than trying to fit it all into one post.
I had an interesting morning on the bus yesterday, even more so than the normal ¨strange man´s hand on butt¨scenario. I´m not gonna write about it here though, it would take far too long. But! feel free to ask me about it in 10 weeks when I´m back home :p... that´s right, only 10 weeks!
I finally got some mail that was sent to me in January :) Thank you mama and Rose, you guys make me smile.
I miss you all!
much love,
-Jenn

Today is the start of week two with my host family here in Guatemala. Every day we have Spanish class from 8:30 until 12:30, then lunch followed by afternoon activities, which are different every day.
I am relieved to finally be getting into a routine, life seems easier when the events of each day are slightly predictable.
So- where can I start? We flew into Guatemala city last Tuesday and spent the night at CASAS. Wednesday morning was greeted bright and early by the sounds of children screaming, dogs barking, and bus/car horns honking. What a noisy city this is. Wednesday we had a Spanish diagnostic exam followed by classes until lunch. My maestra is a woman, my guess is that she is in her mid 50´s, named Edna. She is small and seemed stern at first, but turns out to be a hilarious, feisty woman. She is always making jokes, and laughing at silly mistakes made in class.
Thursday we continued our spanish classes, and in the afternoon we were pìcked up by host families. Everyone else´s name was called, and they hugged and kissed their family members before leaving Semilla to their new homes. Everyone except for me. As I stood awkwardly to the side of these greetings, I was informed that... no, my family hadn´t forgotten me, they were only running late - which is understandable seeing that my father is a pediatric doctor, and my mom stays at home with their 2 babies, a 20 month old and a 3 month old - both girls.
My mom finally showed up, about an hour late, and I gratefully followed behind her as we went to my new home.
Living with a host family is a valuable experience - though at times I struggle with loneliness. Each day I struggle to think bilingualy - and let me tell you, it is exhausting. By the time I have formulated an answer to the question... the conversation has changed twice... and I no longer have any idea what we are talking about.
I sleep well each night because my brain is so tired of running in circles - so in that way it is a blessing.
Last weekend our group visited the Palacio Nacional, which was built to house the president, but now is only used for official business, a cathedral, and the central market. Seeing the grandeur of the Palacio directly next to the market and beggars made it so obvious to me the economic discrepancies in this country, which we continue to learn about in our history/cultural studies.
Yesterday, then, we visited the public cemetary and the dump. The cemetary is huge, with mosoleums the size of houses, each ornately decorated and left with flowers. There were also stretches of walls, at least 20 feet tall stretching for what seemed like miles. The wall was filled with ¨niches¨, where people could rent a place to keep their relative´s body for up to 14 years. After 14 years, though, they had to move the remains and make space for others.
The dump was, to say the least, a sobering experience. It was massive, we were on a ledge far far above it, and still the smell was putrid. Inside the dump people scrambled, looking through bags for recyclable material, metal, food, anything they could sell or use in their lives. And they have to pay to do so. Here in Guate we don´t flush toilet paper... it all goes into the trash - and these people were PAYING to dig through it, in hopes of finding something of value. The thought is overwhelmingly sad.... but apparently it works out well for them - because so many people were there.
Well... I have hogged the internet for long enough, and afternoon classes are going to start soon.
I would welcome any emails or comments, its always great to hear from home.
-jenn