Halloween Day

Not much going on today. Tired from the hike, but there is a huge parade going on at Parque de Central. Apparently it has nothing to do with Halloween or Day of the Dead, but some religious ceremony. I couldn't quite get the full details, but the parade was pretty impressive.

They blocked off the streets around the Park and in the streets they would lay square blocks of sawdust. They would then spend most of the day painting the sawdust into elaborate pictures with what I am assuming religious pictures and meanings.

When they finished up, the parade started which consisted of a lot of people from the Catholic church in their robes carrying incense, flags and other religious pieces. The end of the parade was a group of men carrying this huge platform with Mary on it. It looked quite heavy and there were about 30 or more men trying to carry it on their shoulders. It looked very painful, but beautiful at the same time.

They would carry Mary over the pictures stepping on them and once they crossed there were people to scrape them up and throw the sawdust away. There was nothing left of the paintings and the parade ended in the church. Again, pictures will help out here, so my goal is to get them published. A very beautiful ceremony steeped in years of tradition. I feel very grateful for being able to share it with them this year.

Tajumulco volcano

Today was a fun but exhausting day. One of the activities that the school put together is to climb Tajumulco volcano about two hours away from Xela. The summit of Tajumulco is the highest point in Central America and is 4220 m high (over 12,000 ft).

We left yesterday in a private van and checked into what supposedly was a hotel in San Marcos. I can't remember the name, but there were chains locking the front door, no mirrors, toilet paper, or waste baskets (to put the "used toilet" paper in) in the bathrooms and most of the water wasn't running. The beds were uncomfortable with bed bugs and a lot of light coming in from the streets. We all had a good laugh, but not the kind of night that you want to have before a huge climb.

The next morning we got up at 4:00 am (nothing should be happening at that time in the morning), put on our clothes and traveled another half hour to hour to the volcano. We had three guides Martin and Carlos from the school and Carlos' brother Tony plus 13 students. Two Andy's, David, Bill, Merrilee, Lisa, Rachel, Lee, two Megan's, Lindsey, Stephen and I.

The hike up was amazing. I took some great pictures and I will hopefully be able to put some up. There are some great shots of the scenery which changes drastically from one part of the volcano to the next. It was one of the hardest hikes that I have been on, mostly due to the elevation. Towards the top most of us were suffering from "high altitude sickness" which is basically nausea and dizziness. Scary when you are climbing up a mountain straight up with the cliff behind you.

It took us 3 1/2 hours to climb up and about the same to come down. We took a lot of breaks and had lunch at the summit. Glad that I had a chance to experience this, but extremely tired.

Saying Goodbye

Today is beautiful out. This is the end of the rainy season here in Xela and the days have been sunny. It does get really cold here though and I am looking forward to some hot, sunny beach weather.

Today is a little sad for me because both Sally and Jenn left today. Celas Maya has a graduation party for everyone that completes a week or more worth of schooling so I went to that and we all went out afterwards to Coco Loco (fitting name huh) and Hectis.

We all had a great time and I now realize that meeting people and saying goodbye are going to have to be a part of my time here in Xela. John and David are leaving next weekend and that will be even harder. They are going to go to Tikal which I totally want/will go to and I am thinking about going with them. The only problem with that is I will have to take a week off of school and I am not sure if now is the best time. We will see.

Take care!

Lake Atitlan

Words can't describe how beautiful this place was. There is this huge lake, that is heated by the volcanoes near certain shores and completed surrounded by huge mountains or volcanoes. A very beautiful place.

The five of us (John, David, Sally, Jenn and I) left last Friday on a "chicken bus" for Panajachel a city on Lake Atitlan. The bus ride was quite an experience in and of it's self with people getting on and off, people coming on to sell us stuff. We had our own fun and brought a couple of bottles or rum with us to drink during the 4+ hour bus ride.

Upon arrival in Panajachel, we found a place to sleep and went out to dinner, then out that night. Jenn and I went off on our own to find food and ended up at this pizza shop. There were about six guys there drinking and they asked us to join them. We ended up staying there for about 3 hours, even though the place was closed. We all drank, laughed and listened to American music. It was an amazing experience of connecting with people from another place that I won't forget.

The next morning we had breakfast and walked about Panajachel. It is a very beautiful little town, clean and friendly. We took a private boat tour that took us to Santa Catarina, San Antonio (somewhere between these two towns is where we went swimming in water so hot that it felt like it could burn you), and then Santiago. I have never quite seen poverty like this before, especially in San Antonio. A lot of people there were living in mud houses and had very poor living conditions.

We stayed the night in Santiago, but didn't get to see much because of a rain storm that came in that lasted all day and into the night. We ended up eating at "Posada de Santiago" where we were staying, playing games and trying to get a good night's sleep.

The next time I go there I plan on doing the San Pedro/San Marcos trip which I hear is supposed to be amazing.

Hope all is well!

My New Family, Friends and School

Hello Friends and Family!

I first want to start off by saying "thank you" to everyone who has been so supportive. Both before I left and now since I have been gone with the kind emails. Your thoughts and support mean a lot to me.

Okay, so a quick update and a few answers to some of your questions. Like I stated earlier my home stay is with a mother (Doris) and her son (Mario). Doris will turn 46 this November 3rd and Mario is 24. Doris has two older children, one son (not sure where he is at or what he is doing) and one daughter Andrea who is teaching Spanish in San Pedro, a city on Lake Atitlan. Doris is divorced and I am not sure what her ex-husband is doing now.

Currently I live with two other housemates John and David. They are from England and are 28 years old. Both have decided to travel for about a year and a half starting in the States and then going around the world. John and David are also studying Spanish at Celas Maya and we are having a great time. There is also one other guy Richard living at the house, who is about 37, and teaching computer applications to a private school for younger Guatemalan childern.

A typical day for me here in Xela: I get up at 7:00 am (and you all know how I like to get up early), take a shower, have breakfast with the family and then off to school. School starts at 8:00 am and goes until 1:00 pm with a break at 11. My current teacher Karol is 29 and recently graduated from college. She is amazing, doesn't speak much English and assigns me a ton of homework.

At 1:00 pm we all walk home which is about 3 minutes away and have lunch again with the whole family. There is an older lady Liz in her 50's that joins us everyday for lunch. Her and her husband moved down here about a year ago and are doing missionary work. Lunch in Xela is by far the biggest meal.

After lunch is usually followed by a nap, some activity (gym, walk, computer lab) and then homework. Dinner is at 7:00 pm consisting of two eggs and some bread. Other times it can be black beans and fried plaintains. Dinner is not my favorite at all and we have all learned to buy extra snacks and keep them in our rooms. Sometimes we will go out or just stay at home. I am constantly tired due to the constant noise here I am not getting much sleep. Plus the total immersion program has my mind racing with Spanish words.

My family here is absolutely amazing. They are kind, patient, fun and lovable. I feel totally at home here and they are a big part of why I am enjoying myself so much. They constantly tell me to say hello to you all, so "Hello" from Doris and Mario. Generally the people here in Guatemala have been great. They have suffered a lot, appreciate life, and have big hearts.

The school is also amazing. They are organized, efficent, and helpful. Great teachers and a ton of students. Currently 32 students and we all get our own teacher. It has also been a great way to meet a lot of people from all over the world.

Jenn and Sally (new friends from school) both around 27 from Calgary, Canada, John, David and I or going to Lake Atitlan this weekend. I am really looking forward to it.

Xela is a quaint town, filled with old buildings and people bustling about their day. I find the city cute with a ton of things to do and all the things that I could want in the States. I have even been to the English speaking movie theatre, done yoga, and bought protien powder at GNC for the gym, and a variety of other things. :-)

Yeah I am going to like it here!

Arrived Safe and Sound

Hello everyone!

Just wanted to drop you all a quick note to let you know that I arrived in Xela, Guatemala safe and sound. Everything so far is surpassing my expectations. The people have been very patient and friendly.

I got picked up from the airport by Gustavo and stayed with him and his family. Rachel, his wife made me an excellent dinner, then took a "warm" shower and then off to bed. The next day I almost missed my bus, but made it just as the bus was driving away. Four hours later I made it to Xela.

Upon arrival, I checked into the school and they called my host family. I am staying with Doris and her son Mario. Both very nice people. Their home is better than I had imagined and there are two other students there from England (Jon and David) who are also studying at the school.

Today I had my first full day of class and I loved it very much. I got all my books, pens, and paper and had five hours of one on one instruction which I can tell is going to be really beneficial. All in all everything is going great and I am so excited to be here. I think that this trip is going to be amazing.

Send my best to all,
Craig