!Estamos aqui!

We made it!

 

            Big thank you to Bev and Jon for taking us to Chicago and also to Thea and Lindsay. You all saved us from so much stress not having to bus or train there; thank you.

And the flights were very smooth and safe, so no worries Mom. While I do feel liberated having left my jobs and home to see to more of the world, it is a step into the unknown. 

Our descent into Guatemala City was interesting, watching from the plane, it looked as if everything were built around, through, and on top of mountains. There are many places where if you weren’t careful you’d fall to your death. And as we moved closer it was easy to tell that things here are very different. Most of the buildings are very brightly colored and look to be constructed mostly of concrete or concrete blocks. The winding roads make you wonder if their blueprints might have been mixed up with pages torn from a child’s coloring book. However it’s beautiful here, and there is something wonderful about exiting a plane into 75-degree weather as the temperature plummets in the winter of your hometown.    

There is much poverty here. In many place there are neighborhoods constructed almost completely out off thin random sheets of metal.  In other areas houses were built very close to each other scaling the side of a mountain, and they all seem to be on top of each other.  Some people brave living in the valleys, however, many have died in mud/rock slides. Driving around and seeing people struggle brings me sadness. It is good to know that there are people that care enough to try and make a difference. I am anxious to help those people, and to learn what we can from them.

 Then there is the traffic. The traffic is crazy to the point where using your car horn is essential for your survival. It’s mind boggling that I have yet to see a collision. I saw a man trying to load a bag of salt he could barely lift onto the seat of his motorbike and attempt to drive off. Later I saw a bus on the highway stuffed well beyond it’s capacity, they were hanging from the windows, out of the back door,  and a few were holding onto each other and the sides of the entry still merged from the side door. Maybe there is a method to the madness that I just can’t understand yet. What I am understanding much faster than I thought I would is espanol…well at least the comprehension of the language. I still have a very long way to go. 

Angie and I are having a lot of fun. She has some wonderful contacts here in the Lopez Lopez family.  They are the nicest people ever, and such gracious hosts. They are letting us use one of the units in the apartments they rent out, and they share their meals with us. Today they drove us to see an old town called Antigua, there were many tourists there but once there you understand why. It’s in the valley of three volcanoes, has many historic museums, beautiful parks, and many excellent restaurants for all to see. We then returned to have my Latin American favorite, Platanos fritos. That’s all for now! 

Hasta pronto