Happy Day!

I'm back safely in Xela! This weekend was amazing....Chichicastenango rocked!

But more importantly, It's my lovely mother's and handsome father's birthday today! They're 30!......

I love you, parental unit. Have a great day and know that I'm thinking of you.

Lake Atitlan

On Friday I went to school, had an oral presentation, a final paper, and an exam. After class I went home to grab my stuff, was bombarded by my family with hugs and kisses, and then headed out to Lake Atitlan. On the way here we had to stop in a small village to change the tire, and we also witnessed many areas that had experienced landslides and are now being cleaned up. 

Today we woke up to a breathtaking view outside of our hotel room.

Natalie, Josh, Miguel and I began today  with a delicious breakfast at a lakeside restaurant. I had the most fluffy pancakes I have ever eaten with honey, fruit with yogurt and granola, and a little scoop of ice cream on the side. We then headed out in a little boat crammed full of humans to cross the river from Panajachel to Santiago. 

Upon arrival in Santiago we jumped in a taxi to Moshiman…we weren't really sure what it was, but we went. The little motor taxi whipped through small streets and stopped by a small dirt hallway that went to who-knows-where. We thanked him, gave him his money, and began wearily walking to Moshiman. We came to a shack with a shrine to Moshiman, a Mayan god. The smell of incense was heavy and men in the room were chanting and praying to Moshiman. Afterward, we walked around, watched a church procession, Natalie and I bought beautiful blankets (I haven't really figured out how I'm going to get it back to the states, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there), and we got on a larger boat to head to San Pedro. Miguel and I sat on the very tip of the bow and watched small children play in the water for nearly an hour.

At San Pedro we had a some amazing fresh fish…

We then ventured through the town's obscure back allies until we decided to head back to Panajachel. 

This post does absolutely no justice to the day we had, but I don't even know how to describe the culture and atmosphere we experienced. The streets were tiny, the people mostly indigenous, there were tiny entrances of the streets with long, dark, stone or dirt hallways to a cluster of doorways that I assume were houses. It was a labyrinth. The atmosphere was so rich, colorful, and different from anything I have seen thus far.

Tomorrow, we are going to the market at Chichicastenango and then back to Xela.  

The other day when I was sick and went home from school I couldn't find Margarita at the house and I needed to let her know that I was there and that one of my directors would call in a few hours to check on me. I wrote her a note and left it in the kitchen, then went to my room to take a nap. When I woke up she asked if the paper was from me and acted kind of weird about it, but I didn't think anything of it. Today, I asked her what the ingredients were in a drink she gave me and she looked at the box then handed it to me. That is when I realized she cannot read. I was overcome with a horrible feeling. I am in a country where it often takes me a minute to understand things that people are trying to communicate to me. Margarita lives a very comfortably routine life, but she probably experiences a similar feeling of frustration when students like me live in that home and assume that she is capable of doing something that we had the privilege of learning when we were children.

We attended a meeting today with Eduardo, a teacher at our school. He gave us a civilian's perspective of the war. In part of his lecture he mentioned that many indigenous people here maybe make it through a few years of school if they're lucky…this is very possibly the case for Margarita. I am absolutely amazed and humbled by these realizations I make almost every day. I take so many things for granted that are an absolute luxury and privilege for the people here.

Eduardo also said that Guatemalans have suffered, but that makes them so much more thankful for what they have and makes them more determined to change and look toward the future. Foreigners, including myself, often get frustrated with the social and economic situations in Guatemala, but while I was in my first years of school learning math and reading, children my age in Guatemala were helping their families pick up the pieces of their lives at the end of 36 years of war. Guatemala is now like a baby taking its very first steps towards freedom and stability.

.......................................................................................................................

I've been writing a paper and doing homework in Spanish for the past few hours and now its hard writing in English…

Anyway….last night several people from our group attended a salsa class. I can now use a combination of three salsa moves when I go to the club. That, plus a few choice zumba dances will ensure that I heat up the dance floor…or a least I hope so. It is very possible that I will just make a fool of myself, but I'm ok with that.

This weekend we are going to Lake Atitlan, which is apparently a beautiful place. I'm pretty excited to go and get out of Xela for a weekend!

And the winner is...

You may have read about my unfortunate experience at the Xela APROFAM Clinic today. If you haven't then let me tell you that I had to do #2 in a tiny little cup (there is no way to cleanly get everything in there). The entire time I was struggling with this, some impatient woman was banging on the door. This made me nervous and made the whole situation even harder. Luckily, however, my teacher, Doris (who came with me to the clinic), had suggested I bring toilet paper along…they didn't have that or soap in the bathroom at APROFAM. I walked back to school with my hands in front of me like a barbie.

I have found that the majority of my pain comes right after I eat…and by right after I mean for a few hours after. So, when I went home for lunch I walked into the kitchen to find Margarita making stuffed and fried peppers. It looked SO good, but I knew if I ate it I would be hurtin' real bad afterward. I asked her if I could just have rice and a tortilla…she wouldn't hear of it. I argued with her for a good two or three minutes explaining and re-explaining that my stomach didn't feel well and that I should only eat very basic and bland foods. Finally she gave in and I ate a very unsatisfying lunch.

After lunch I went back to APROFAM to get my results and I have….drum roll please…..

AMOEBAS!!!!

The particular type is Entamoeba Histolytica....which is apparently transferred through loose fecal matter...I love thinking about how I got these little friends in my tum tum!!

I have to take medication every 8 hours for 5 days, drink a lot of liquids, and drink a lot of the nasty rehydration solution…fun times! At least I know what is wrong and there is a possible end in sight.

Tummy Troubles

I have made it widely known that I have been battling stomach problems the past few days. I definitely spent a good portion of my weekend in the bathroom. Today I went to school and was immediately sent home by my teacher who told me that the sharp, stabbing type pain was probably dehydration. She sent me off with a tiny bit of homework and instructions to buy "solucion para rehidratacion oral" which is a pretty nasty rehydration formula. I walked home and bought the formula and Gatorade on the way. When I got home, Margarita fussed over me making me tea to settle my stomach and making sure I didn't need anything. She sent me to my room with a thermos of my tummy tea and a freshly made bed (she says that a remade bed makes you feel better when you're sick).

I have been laying in bed since then with my 4 types of liquid...

 …watching movies that I bought yesterday, doing homework, writing, and singing with an occasional interruption of searing abdominal pain. The pain seems to be subsiding little by little. I hope that I continue getting better today. I'm tired of feeling like this!

Pain, pain go away...

On Friday, my friends and I went to the weekly graduation at our language school. Everyone was to bring a food to share and the administration provided the beverages (rum, wine, and beer…not something you would experience at a school in the states). There was a lot of singing, dancing, and lively conversation. It was great.

Yesterday I got my second tummy bug. I woke up and spent a lot of time in the bathroom…and no, it wasn't because of the festivities from the night before. I felt horrible! When you're sick and see things or dream of things that are less than pleasant, you tend feel that much worse. For example, I woke up feeling awful and walked to the school to get some work done. On the way I saw two dogs doing the dirty in the most beastly and grotesque way. I thought I was going to blow chunks on the spot. Then later I returned home to nap and had a dream about having a miscarriage. I woke up feeling worse than before. My friend Robyn had a dream about a baby as well and a few of my friends pointed out that dreams about babies are about new beginnings…but my new beginning died….what does that mean?

I spent most of yesterday in abdominal agony. The group ate together at Cafe R.E.D., then Miguel and I walked home while everyone else went out. We are the two unfortunate ones with intestinal problems. When I got home, Margarita made me tea with herbs from the garden that are supposed to make me feel better. I took my tea to the roof so I could observe the city at night. It was a pretty amazing sight and the raging party at my neighbor's house made it even more interesting. Afterwards, I went downstairs and talked to Margarita about economical differences between Guatemala and the United States…I think I can officially say that my Spanish is improving. Margarita made me drink 4 cups of the tea she made and forced me to eat potatoes she prepared for desert. They were pink, which made me a little skeptical, especially since I had just eaten for the first time that day only a few hours earlier. They were potatoes with berries and a tiny bit of sugar in them…they rocked! After talking for about an hour, I thanked Margarita for the tea, took a hot shower, and returned to my room to get some work done. I think I had a better night than if I had gone out.

Today, I did my laundry, went to the market, went to the cemetery, did homework, and tried to not think about my stomach. The market was bumpin' on Sunday! 

There were all kinds of people buying and selling. It was quite an experience. The cemetery was just as wonderful, but in a different way. The difference was made clear between the upper class and lower class in the cemetery. The upper class had large mausoleums, while the lower class had small graves in the ground very close to one another with no sense of organization.

I probably should not have been running around today because of my sickness, but I am determined to soak up the culture as much as possible. I will, however, be going to a doctor tomorrow.

Rainy Day

Today our trip to Chichicastenango was cancelled and it's raining and I'm procrastinating and I don't have anything super exciting to talk about…SO I'm going to take you through a typical day in the life of Cassidy Miller, Xela style and also give you a little list of cultural differences I have noticed here.

I. DAY IN XELA:

Every morning I wake up at 6:45am to one of two alarms. The first alarm is the one on my sweet Casio wrist watch, the other is the man next door who sings very loudly and off pitch every morning at about the same time. After I lay in bed for an extra minute while giving myself a pep talk, I get out from under my covers and the cold punches me in the chest. I then grab my clothes and head to the bathroom where I put in my contacts in and undress as the water in the shower reaches a nearly luke warm temperature. I quickly wash as the water becomes warmer and warmer, so I end on a good note. I dress myself, run my fingers through my hair, throw on some mascara and head into the main house.

As soon as I step in the door, Margarita's face lights up and I sit at the counter and talk with her as she prepares my breakfast. I eat (cereal and warm milk, pancakes, or eggs and salsa with a cup of mush and a cup of tea). I eat and study in the kitchen until about 7:30 when I return to my room to study a bit more before I head to school.

At 7:45 I walk to the corner to meet up with Ryan and Chelsea, and we walk the three blocks to school. At school I grab a cup of tea and then get my brain pummeled by Doris for 5 hours. During these five hours I drink about 6 mugs of tea/coffee and relieve myself after every one.

After school, I walk home with Chelsea and Ryan. I throw my bad down in my room, and go to the bathroom again (that's how I spend 50% of my time…the other 50% is drinking liquids). I sit in the kitchen while Margarita makes my lunch and talks to me about my day. After lunch (usually chicken with rice, beans, and/ or some type of potatoes) I grab my stuff and head back to school to study. During the afternoon I either participate in some sort of group activity or do a ton of homework.

I usually go home at 6:30ish…unless we're going out. I eat dinner in the kitchen while I study. Usually my host parents eat with me. After dinner I put on my warm jammies and curl up in bed where I study and do homework until I pass out.

II. CULTURAL ACTIVITY (we had these in my high school Spanish books…they weren't activities)

Here are some cultural differences I have noticed during my time in Guatemala thus far:

-The people use the bare minimum of everything. Even my rich host family uses very little water, electricity, toilet paper, etc. In the US we have the mentality that everything is indefinite, so we can use whatever and however much we want to.

-You throw your toilet paper in the trash, but the bathrooms don't smell. I don't know if it is the food or what, but I know my BMs don't smell and the bathrooms don't smell either, so I'm assuming the BMs of others don't smell. I feel like they would reek after people have left behind wads of soiled toilet paper…sorry if that was too much information.

-There aren't many trashcans. In fact, the only trashcans I have seen are in the bathroom, and that is for the toilet paper wads. They seriously use everything and don't buy the things they can't use.

-Everyone says hello to everyone else. I was under the impression that this culture was more like New York in that people would mind their own business and pretend other people don't exist. This is definitely not the case. It's "buenos dias", "buenos tardes", "buenas noches", and/or "hola" todo el tiempo.

-Being a minority is strange. Everyone always stares at the gringos. Some try to take pictures very discretely, some yell "GRINGOS!"…the one constant is the staring. I don't really like it, but I am appreciating the rarity of the situation.

-The people are very blunt. You don't have to try to guess anything. It's all out in the open. If you do something wrong be assured that someone will let you know.

-Punctuality is essentially non existent. If you are given a time to be somewhere, you should be at least 5 minutes late and never expect someone on time….basically, the Carney's would fit in here.

In general, the guatemalan people don't live behind facades like US Americans. They have no shell. They are who they are; real, raw, and beautiful. I love it and I've found that it is a lot easier to be myself as well.

Well, back to the homework.