I Hate 8!

What do all those food labels mean? How do you keep it straight what's good/bad/who knows for you?!

I came across some websites and thought I should share them....you are what you eat, people...don't be a chemical-head! 

Avoid these snacks as they contain GMOs!

http://todayyesterdayandtomorrow.wordpress.com/2007/05/28/snacks-to-avoid/

A simple way to tell if food is genetically-modified or organic. 

If the label starts with 8--it's a GMO (think, I HATE 8!)
If is starts with a 9, it's fine (organic)!
If it starts with a 3 or 4, it's conventionally grown and may or may not have chemicals but is not genetically modified.
http://elingreso.com/2011/05/22/is-that-food-organic-lables-tell-you-3-4-8-9/

Semana Santa

March 23-31, 2013

Semana Santa, or Holy Week, was this past week.  The National Holidays in Guatemala are Thursday and Friday, but I was lucky to have the entire week off.  I decided to take advantage of it and visit some sights of Guatemala since when I arrived in January, I began work the following day and hadn't visited anywhere yet.

Although I could have extended the trip, I decided to make it a quick one.  For one, I'm actually quite the "homebody" and wanted to have some downtime at home for a few days as well.  And, two, I didn't want to leave my Loki-love for too long.  I'm so fortunate to have lovely neighbors and friends who volunteered to care for him so he was well-looked after.

San Marcos, my town, is a big destination spot for many during Semana Santa, and as such, crime goes up LOTS during this week.  I was really worried about leaving my house so in preparation, my landalord built me a "safe", we installed extra locks on the door and windows, and I had my friend's teenage sons come spend the night at the house while I was away.  This helped keep the house safe, care for Loki, and gave the teenage boys a little escape from home for a few nights.  It was a win-win!

So, come Saturday morning, Loki and I went for a quick walk around the lake and to buy a few stock items for the trip.  Then, I grabbed my new e-bags backpack (a life-send, really. My favorite new bag ever.  And combined with my new "bag in a bag", it's even better!) and set off to the town plaza to wait for my shuttle.  It was set to arrive at 8 and I figured it would arrive around 9 or 9:30, typical Guatemalan time.  But, to my surprise, it arrived around 8:10, just in time to save me from some black dog that decided I was prime meat.  He kept humping my leg and was so strong I couldn't get the damn thing off me.  Loki was freaking out trying to protect me and I was laughing so hard I didn't know what to do.  Some guy finally helped get him off me and we had a joint effort, mainly Loki, trying to shoo him away.

I had considered buying a "package" bus deal to have all of my "bus" tickets ahead of time since it was Semana Santa and I was afraid the prices would go up.  In the end, I decided not to since anything can happen here to delay and if I were sick, it rained, or the bus broke-down, etc. I would not have been able to change my ticket.  It also worked out cheaper in the end for me not to buy the package.

Day 1:  San Marcos to Flores (335 Q shuttle--should have been 70 to Guate and 160 to Flores)

So around 8, I piled into the van with a million other people and we drove to Guatemala City, arriving around 12.  During that time, I changed shuttles twice, avoided a meltdown when I lost my chapstick at a rest stop and realized I would have none for the entire week but some Aussie chick had found it and gave it back, witnessed a road bike race, and confirmed my decision that moving to San Marcos was the best for me.  Being amongst cars, traffic, noise, city-life is not for me.  In fact, cities cause me lots of anxiety.  I much prefer my pedestrian-only, lakeshore town of San Marcos.

 I was dropped off at the bus station and had about 2 hours to kill before my bus took off to Flores.  I was nervous when the shuttle driver just left me since I had no ticket in hand (but had paid for it) since you hear stories of people being ripped off like this.  Luckily, the woman did have my ticket, although the price on the ticket was 160 Q and I paid 335 Q ($43)  : ( Oh well, you live and learn.  During my bus-station stay I met a couple from El Savlvador who were moving to Belize to look for work and a boy from Flores who has a chronic illness and comes to "Guate" (what we locals call the capital city) monthly for treatment.  He was on his way home for Semana Santa and on my bus.  We looked out for each other's bags during bathroom and food breaks.  I had lunch at a very underwelcoming place across the street where they tried to serve me rotten mango-juice.  I asked them to try it to see if the taste was right.  They swore up and down that it was okay, never actually tasting it.  Later, as I was eating (and not drinking the juice) I saw one of the workers sneak over, taste it, and then casually carry the bucket of juice (yes, bucket) to the back where I suspect they tossed it.

I was on the golden line of buses in Guatemala but still didn't have high expectations.  It's a good thing since the double-decker bus I started on was comfortable, I had an entire row to myself and, there was a movie playing, all this with one minor hiccup---the air conditioning was broken and the windows did not open.  So, about an hour into the ride, we changed buses to a broken-down, single-story, shitty-ass bus.  The bathroom was disgusting, but I was just glad it existed at all.  I had a row to myself for a good part of the ride, then was smooshed in for a good chunk as well.  At least the windows opened on this one.  I overheard another passenger say it was a 50Q bus (about $7).

We left Guate at 2pm and arrived to Flores around 12:30 am.  We only stopped once and there weren't many options for food.  Luckily, I had packed a small bag of just food so I was able to munch all day and buy water and fruit from the vendors on the bus.  At one point, some officials got on the bus to search for fruit.  I flat-out lied to the woman as she squeezed an entire bag of apples through my bag.  Lucky for me, she sucks at her job and my expensive, yummy apples were saved.

Lakeside sunset in Flores

Flores is a little island town in northern Guatemala.  While nice in its own right, most people go there to visit the Mayan Ruins in the next town, Tikal.  My first impressions of Flores as we drove in at night were of big shopping malls with pizza hut and payless, but as we crossed the bridge to Flores proper, I was pleasantly surprised.  I had a reservation at a hotel and had called, several times to confirm that they wouldn't give away my room since I would be arriving late.  Sure enough, when I arrived at nearly 1am, I was greeted with a "Oh, sorry, we had to give away your room because there was a big group."  Fortunately, she walked me next door to Hotel La Jungla and they gave me a room and could not have been more accommodating throughout my stay.

They gave me a room close to the reception so I didn't have to go far so late but mentioned that I'd have to change the next day when a big group came.  At that point, all I wanted was a bed so I didn't care.  The room also had a tv so I fell asleep to Extreme-Couponers and A League of Their Own.  The hot water and pressure in the shower were great--it was so nice to shower! In the morning, I changed to another room.  It was on the 3rd floor, bigger, and had a balcony...but no tv.  While I'm normally not a tv fan, this was a vacation for me and I wanted the option.   I asked about another room but they were all full and they wouldn't be able to confirm until the afternoon.  Lo and behold, when I got back from touring all day, they found me a room with a tv, better view, and my stuff was all there and waiting for me!

Day 2: Tikal Ruins (Shuttle from Flores to Tikal 80Q RT; Park 150Q)

The hotel helped me arrange a shuttle to get to Tikal Ruins (film site of Apocalypto), even buying the ticket for me when the guy never showed up (80Q RT).  I rode the 1.5 hours in the van listening to the guide say very different things in Spanish and English.  In Spanish, it seemed as though he would just drop us off and in English it sounded like he'd be a guide.  I asked him about it and he told me that one family had paid for a private tour but if I wanted to join I could...so I did! I regretted this decision a few times as we walked around in the HEAT for FIVE hours, but glad I did : )  I was also lucky to pay the "local" price as the entrance fee to the park (25Q) versus the 150 Q tourist price.

Me and a ruin.

The tour of the ruins was great.  It was fascinating to learn about the history of the Mayans and to interact with the lovely family from Norway.  Guatemala has over 20 indigenous languages, and according to my guide, Guarani (the native language in Paraguay) is derived from Guatemala...I'll have to look into that one.  Also according to him, Guatemala was originally "Coat' malan" which meant land of many colors.  

I arrived back at the hotel around 5, bought my ticket for travels the next day, had a fantastic shower, and then wandered the streets of Flores a bit, watching locals swim in the lake.  I stopped for dinner at a water-front place and had an excellent seafood meal while watching the sunset. The entire town reminded me of Luang Prabang, Laos.  I was back in my room by 7pm and watched Mtvs "Catfish" until I fell asleep.

Day 3: Flores to Semuc Champey (Shuttle 125 Q to Lanquin, free to hotel--should have been 80Q to Lanquin)

I woke up early and went for a run around the lake.  As I started, I saw 3 guys running so I joined up with them.  They were from Flores and one worked for the Board of Ed.  I would have liked to run longer and talk more, but I had to rush back to catch my shuttle to Semuc Champey.  I was happy to at least have my body move a little since it was another long travel day.  As I got ready, I tried to unplug my ipod charger and got shocked! It was a bit unnerving and I called the hotel staff to unplug it for me after that.

The shuttle van was over an hour and a half late.  At one point, I saw a van drive by, really full, and thought to myself, "gee, I'm glad that wasn't mine."  One minute later, a girl walked up to get me and, sure enough, it was mine.  I had to climb over 5 rows of seats to get to the very back row where they smooshed 6 of us in.  This was really fun for both my sciatica and claustrophobia.  There was absolutely no inch of space left in the van when they stopped to pick up 4 more people.  At that point, 5 people decided to get off and take a "chicken bus" instead.  In the end, there were 26 of us in the van and I only had to share the back row with 3 other people.  By that point, it felt luxurious big--it's all relative!  On a side note, for those of you concerned about traveling alone as a female, out of 26 people on the shuttle, only 4 were guys!

Views from the back of the van. There's still another half of the van to the right you can't see...

Right before my trip, I had posted about missing my Dutch boys.  The Universe listened and sent me some lovely Dutch people on this shuttle :)  It was a good thing too because during the journey, we were hit with a rainstorm and the driver had to climb on the roof to tie a tarp on the bags.  The Dutch boys climbed up and helped while we girls stayed inside nice and dry.  I was lucky because my lovely new eBag is smaller than a normal backpacking pack so I was the only person with their bag inside the bus and with dry clothes upon arrival!

Rain storm en route

Dutch boy saving the day by tying a tarp over the bags on the roof.

The trip lasted a long time.  Along the way, I saw many sights.  One thing that stood out was the dress of the women in this region.  In my area, the women's "skirts" are literally just a piece of fabric wrapped around and tied with a sash (much like the dress in Cambodia).  But in the northern region, they use similar fabric and patterns but it's sewn into an actual skirt.  Anyway, we were supposed to leave at 8 but didn't actually leave until 10:30.  They said we'd arrive by 2...we got to Lanquin around 5:30pm.  We arrived to the center or town in Lanquin and a bunch of pickup trucks, jeeps, etc. from all the hotels were waiting to drive everyone to their hostels.  There were only 3 of us going to mine and I was anxious to arrive to the hostel.  But, the girl had to stop at the health center so I had to wait another 1.5 hours before arriving.  During that time, I grabbed dinner and met some Brits who were in country for a wedding.

I stayed at Utopia Eco Lodge and enjoyed it a lot.  We arrived after dark and were pleased to learn that the "no electricity after 10pm" rule is no longer in effect.  I had booked a dorm bed but was starting to feel a bit sick so I splurged for a private room and was glad I did since I ended up waking up not feeling well several times.  I also had to pee about 6 times during the night and was able to do so in a bottle in the room instead of having to disrupt everyone and venture downstairs and outside in the dark.

In the daylight of the morning, I was able to see the true beauty of the hotel as it's set in the rainforest, along the river.  The hotel reminded me of Bamboo Island in Cambodia as it also had a system where each person gets a tab for food, drinks, etc. and pays at the end, had a limited USB stick of internet usage, and one communal area where everyone comes to eat, relax.  All the food is vegetarian and one set meal (no menu).  Since I wasn't feeling well, I only had 2 meals there, but they were both really good.

At breakfast, I met a few people, including a guy from Malta and a couple from Canada and we all decided to hike to Semuc Champey National Park together.  It was a bit rainy still but we set off anyway.  It was about a 40 minute walk along the river to the park.  Along the way, several trucks full of people passed, including one with a family from my school! I later ran into them at the park, along with my new Dutch friends.  Once at the park, I was able to sweet-talk my way into the local entrance price again (25Q vs. 75Q) and we enjoyed an hour hike to the top to see the views of the waterfalls below.  It was quite beautiful, but took all my energy out of me and I really started to feel sick.  So, after dipping my feet a bit in the water, I decided to call it a day while the others stayed to swim.  Again, the park reminded me of the Kuang Si falls outside of Luang Prabang--almost eerily so.

Semuc Champey, Guatemala

Kuang Si Falls, Laos

I decided to splurge for a ride back since I wasn't feeling up to the 40 minute hike back.  And, of course, couldn't find any rides.  I started to walk back and only made it a few minutes before calling the hotel to see if they could pick me up.  As I sat (laid down, actually) on the side of the road, I saw the same family from Norway from Tikal.  Also, a guy pulled up who I had seen at the Tikal ruins and offered me both a ride and/or to sit in his car while I waited for the hotel.  I love the trust and comradery amongst ex-pats.

Remi, the French co-owner of the hotel, showed up a few minutes later and drove me back in the pickup.  Back at the hotel, I had lunch and then a 2 hour nap.  In the evening, I watched movies in the lounge (40 Days and 40 Nights and Y Tu Mama Tambien), ate dinner, bought my shuttle ticket for the next day and paid my tab, and then called it a night.  I was joined in my room by a Russian guy who grew up in Colorado and works as a Forest Ranger.  He had been camping but was camped out from the rain and didn't have anywhere to stay.  He shared the room with me (no funny business) and split the cost so it helped us both out.  Turns out he knew a guy in my town too...small world!

Day4: Semuc Champey to San Marcos (Shuttle--I paid 280Q and I'm sure it should be MUCH cheaper)

I was up at 4:30 am to get ready for a 5am shuttle.  I wasn't sure if it would be on time since it's Guatemala, and it was raining.  At 5 am, I sat at the bottom of the hill and saw a truck pull up and honk it's horn.  I began the climb up the hill, which turned into more of a slip-and-slide and fight to stay afoot in the muddy rain. My flip-flops kept sliding and sticking at the same time and I almost fell several times.  I was trying to hurry as I saw the truck turn and then there was silence.  No lights, no sounds.  I thought for sure the truck had just left me and I almost gave up and headed back down the hill.  Luckily, I continued and made it to the top to find the truck still there.  We stopped to pick up about 16 more people (I was the first one on and secured a seat inside the cab while the others were in the back, in the rain) and arrived to Lanquin around 6:30 am.  As we huddled ourselves into the shuttle there, I was again fortunate for my eBag since I was able to grab and go and get a good window seat in the shuttle while the others had to wait for their bags.  I had time for a quick bathroom stop and to buy water.  As I got in the van, I noticed my favorite Norwegian family yet again!

We left Lanquin around 7am and made it to Antigua around 2pm.  We only stopped once around 8:30 am at a McDonald's.  There was a mall next door so I ran in there and found a grocery store so got some nuts and fruit.  It was a good thing because we didn't stop the entire rest of the day.  I was supposed to have an hour in Antigua to grab lunch but since we arrived late, there was no time.  We arrived, I hopped off (small eBag in hand) and literally ran to pee and then catch the shuttle.  And then I watched as we left behind the 6 other Dutch who were supposed to come but were getting their bags off the roof of the first shuttle.  I told the driver, but he didn't care and kept going. 

Women walking in the Good Friday Procession

"Carpets" made from sawdust. Others from fruit, veggies, grass, etc.

Making the sawdust carpet for the parade.

We only stopped once at a gas station and I ordered a quesadilla since I was about to die (it was now almost 5pm and all I had eaten all day was a banana, chips, and a few nuts).  By the time we arrived in San Marcos, it was almost 7pm.  I was SOOO excited to be home.  It was a great feeling to really have it feel like "home" after only 2 months.  And, the best part of all was my Loki-love greeting me as I stepped out of the shuttle.  He was down in the plaza chilling with his friends and had impeccable timing.  He barely let me walk home he was so excited to see me.  The feeling was mutual.

2 of these 3 cuties go to my school

 Back in town, the next day, I gathered my laptop, money and passport from Josh' safe, met his parents,  went to San Pedro to see the "Alfombras" and spent the rest of the day lounging at the lake, joined by a local family at my school, kayaking, and enjoying being home.  It was beautiful and a great Holy Week experience in Guatemala. 

Living with Anxiety in a Foreign Country

I'm happy to report that I haven’t had a full-blown panic attack since around June and my anxiety has been under control for months now as well!  It’s been nice not to think about it.  Why worry about something if it’s not happening? The trouble with this mentality is that, like with anything in life, it’s easy to forget the (coping) skills I did learn if I’m not practicing them.  So now, if/when an attack comes on, I might not remember how to handle it.  It’s difficult at times to find the balance between remembering just enough how scary it is that I want to practice my skills, and not worrying too much that I create more anxiety.

One of the strategies that is great for anxiety, and most other things in life, is to have outlets for stress.  For me, the things that help me are running and working out, talking with friends, eating right (and without gluten) and living a healthy lifestyle, reading about different strategies and meeting with my therapist, blogging, and spending time with loved ones.   Before coming to Guatemala, I was worried that my anxiety would burst through the roof.  Not only was I moving to a foreign land, away from family and friends, but I was also closing the door on almost all of my stress-relieving strategies.  I had lived through a similar situation in Paraguay and it was quite a challenge.  There, I could not run because every other house had an attack dog that would run after you, ready to kill, I couldn’t eat properly because I was so remote that my meals consisted primarily on what I grew myself and thus were not always balanced (since things don’t sprout at the same time) and I was literally poisoning my body every time I ate pasta (one of the few items I could buy in town---this was before I discovered my intolerance but explains a lot of my illness while there).  Obviously, I was far from family and friends, and it was tough at times.  I had to discover a whole new way of dealing with stress. 

As I prepared to come to Guatemala, I feared that the stresses might be too much.  While I usually welcome the challenges and adventure that come with situations like these as growing opportunities, I worried that it was all too soon.  I had JUST returned home to loved ones after a year away, JUST started working on skills with a therapist to overcome anxiety, JUST started blogging, JUST become able to fly on a plane again, JUST started just about everything on my way to recovery!  Worst of all, the memory of my panic attack on my Indonesia flight and the feeling of being so completely isolated and far away from home when my panic attacks began in Singapore were still very new and raw.  What if I got to Guatemala and immediately felt trapped, like I couldn’t get away and to help? Josh had even warned me that some people feel that way in this small bubble of a town, where landslides and poor road conditions often lead to you literally being trapped in town. 

But, I’m ecstatic to report that all of those were just that…..fears! And, as my therapist, Elise, taught me, fears are just thoughts and you don’t have to be controlled by them.  My desire to live the life I want, where I want, in the way I want (aka overseas) is stronger than the power that fears TRY to have over me.  So, thanks for the thoughts, fears, you can float on your way ‘cause there’s no room for you here…I’m too busy living and loving life!

Luckily, I’ve been able to adjust my thinking on things and find new ways of dealing with stress.  I’m fortunate to live less remotely than Paraguay and can buy food and remain well-nourished and gluten-free.  While I can’t go to the gym or go for long runs, I can play soccer, work out to clips on my computer, and run with my new dog, Loki (not to mention get unconditional love from the little bugger).  While I can’t be with my friends and family, I can splurge and buy internet so that I can stay connected with them and I can make new friends here.  Internet also allows me to “meet” with Elise on Skype, write my blog, and read up on new strategies.  And, maybe the most important stress-relieving strategy of all that the internet has afforded me is staying connected to my guilty-pleasure shows from home like Modern Family and Parks and Rec.  I love you Leslie Nope! :)

My Little Loki-Love!

Now, it hasn’t all been easy, and I have felt anxiety from time to time.  Like the first time I had to take a boat trip to Pana.  Or the other day when I was riding the boat over to San Pedro, with Savannah, and the boat died in the middle of the lake.  I’m not talking some big, safe-feeling boat, but a tiny, easily-sinkable dingy over-packed with cargo and people (who can’t swim and would take me down in a second).  It didn’t help matters that I had just learned a few days prior that the lake is actually on top of a volcano, which means it’s THOUSANDS of feet deep.  Combine this with my witnessing a drowning in my last days in Ohio and experiencing panic attacks while swimming in triathlons (also in Ohio) and I started to panic.  Savannah was a good sport and distracted me with conversation until the boat started up again and we made it safely to shore.  There’s not much I can do to avoid situations like this.  It doesn’t matter whether I’m here and in the middle of a lake, at home and driving over a bridge, or sitting in my own bed, relaxing.  Anxiety can strike anywhere, at anytime, and is unavoidable, so it’s best to just learn to live with it!

I'd be Scared if they DIDN'T Have a Machete

Life here is different.  I was hiking the other day with my friend Courtney and couldn't help but laugh at our conversation.  As we hiked further and further into the mountain, it became more and more remote.  When we finally reached the top we stopped to have a picnic snack, at which point Lassa began barking at something over the hill.  We glanced over to see 3 men walking towards us.  We were uneasy for a second, until we saw their machetes....and then we breathed a sigh of relief.  "I'd be worried if they DIDN'T have machetes!" We both agreed and continued eating our snack like it was a totally normal conversation.

I couldn't help but remember having similar scenarios play out in my mind in Paraguay.  At the end of my service, the other volunteers and I remarked on things that were only normal in Paraguay and we would miss once gone---things that had seemed so odd at first but were now commonplace.    Seeing people walking down the street with a machete and not even thinking twice about it was one of them. See, anywhere else in the world, someone walking down the street carrying a machete might be cause for alarm.  But here, it means they are up to good, chopping wood or other things that are menat to be chopped with a machete.  I love how things are all relative and must be taken in context...I would for sure freak out if I were sitting in a Target parking lot and saw someone with a machete approaching.  Ah, life in the campo.  : ) 

Typical Weekend

Sunday, March 17th,  2013

It's been a great weekend.  Friday I had to go to Pana for work and was able to do lots of shopping that I both needed and didn't.  Saturday I went for an early morning run with Loki (and a few other of his dog buds that tag along with us. We also ran into his brother {and owner} along the way) and then stopped by the store just to get some eggs.  As life goes in San Marcos, that 5 minute-errand turned into an entire event.  I went to La Marquencita, one of only a handful of stores in town.  Since it also happens to be the one that I most frequent (and belongs to the fiance of Maria, who I spent 2 hours naked with in a hot sauna this week), we're pretty tight.  While paying for my eggs, I asked where I could buy tortillas.  That somehow turned into a 30-minute conversation about how he could have Under Armor workout pants, like the ones I was wearing, sent here for his wife.  I was beyond starving at this point and watching the 2 brothers eat their yogurt while I withered away to nothing was not great.

With food on my mind, I walked to town on the hunt for an avocado to eat with my eggs. Why didn't I buy that at the store, you ask? Because you can't get fruits or veggies there, only canned goods and such.  It was early so there was only one vendor open and I lucked out to buy my avocado.  As I was purchasing it, Johnny, a father at the school and his son, Yago, walked up to open up his cafe.  They invited me for tea and fresh-baked goods and we sat in the patio enjoying the food and conversation.  At one point, the woman from next door popped over to tell us they had robbed her restaurant (again) last night.  All this was next to a house I considered renting.  Glad I didn't!

By now, my one errand had turned into an hour and a half ordeal.  But, with a little fuel in my belly, I set off for tortillas.  There are always kids and women selling them on the streets, but not now, when I wanted them.  I had to ask around where I could get some and on my way, I stopped to buy a coconut (I'm now friends with the guy, another Don Jose (the 3rd in town that I know of) and he gives me the water in a container and the meat scraped out in another bag so I can do as I please with it).  Last weekend I made coconut ice-cream, whipped cream, milk, shredded coconut for a home-made granola mix, and a sauce...all from one little coconut!

I finally made my way to buy some fresh tortillas.  Turns out it's a little house up in the next barrio from mine.  Only about a 2-minute walk and where all the locals go so it's good stuff and cheap!  I had a nice breakfast of eggs, veggies, tortillas and avocado and then cooked up a storm of home-made pasta sauce and a natural flea remedy for Loki of rosemary and limes.  I was going to bathe him in it yesterday but it rained on and off all day so it was too muddy and gross to do so.  Hoping to get to it today. *Update, I did "bathe" him, but it was more like a comedic routine trying to get him into the bathroom since he knew what was coming and laid down, deadweight so I couldn't move him.  I spent the rest of the day working on projects, including making a lamp, Macgyvering a way to make my shower a bathtub, and chiseling the wood for my sofa. Yup, used a hammer and chisel. Good way to get out aggression!

Loki, the guard dog

In the evening, we ordered our pizza that is delivered on tuk-tuk and had a nice candlelit dinner (the electricity was out) of pizza and salad with good friends. As I left my house to get the pizza, I heard the door shut and my heart immediately sank as I realized that my new lock I had just installed now meant I actually had to carry a key with me as the door automatically locks.  Luckily, I had my phone with me and had already given Elder (my friend and "cleaning boy") a key so he came running (literally) to open the house for me.  We had planned to watch a movie after dinner but the power was out.  Two of my friends, Cle (German) and Yarden (Israeli) left and as Kimberly and Daniel were getting ready to leave the lights came back on.  So Kim and I played with their adorable baby, Luminar, for awhile and chatted girl talk until late.  They are my neighbors and really nice to have next door!

Today I woke up early again (to the church loud-speaker) and finalized my upcoming trip details, confirming and changing hotels and such. Later in the day, I baked a honey-dijon mustard fish and made a mango chutney sauce for it.  Had no idea what I was doing, but it turned out good! I'm really enjoying experimenting with cooking. I also hung a mirror, hooks for my purses, packed for my trip, finished reading a book, suntanned, did an avocado face and hear treatment, made a rice-neck pillow, Skyped my family, painted another mirror, and made recycled-paper all while hanging out with Loki and any given amount of random dogs that appear now.  He is like the dog mayor of the town and brings all sorts of them around.  I'm like a crazy cat lady, except with dogs now.

My bamboo/yarn lamp

Also, used that sauce and tortillas from yesterday to make some mini pizzas--did I mention I splurged and bought myself a toaster oven last week? Great purchase on my part!It's been a nice day at home.  Oh, my "basket guy" also popped by the house to confirm my custom-order and take a down-payment.  He also offered to bring me some patio furniture since a neighbor of mine is ordering some and he could get me a set on the same delivery, much cheaper.  I've been wanting a set since I got here, didn't know he could get them, but the universe supplied...I love how it works here--Just lay out suntanning and the goods come to you.  It was a typical, great, San Marcos weekend!

Hungarian Times (a little late)

So I realize I'm about 3 months behind on this post....but better late than never! As you know, I spent the winter holidays in Europe.  My first stop was the Netherlands (not Holland--that's like calling the entire US, South Dakota, as explained here, THANKS, Steven! :)  After a nice stay there, I ventured on to Hungary to visit Budapest, Szekszard (Peter's home town), and a few other villages as day trips that I'll get to.  Since I'm a few months late on this post, I'll do my best to piece it together from notes I took and pictures posted.

Day 1:

Peter and I had a super early flight from Amsterdam to Budapest so we cabbed it to the airport and tried to find breakfast but most everything was closed.  We took turns watching the bags while the other person went to eat.  I found something and came back.  Peter left, and never returned....giving me a heart attack and making me look like a crazy woman calling out into the men's bathroom looking for him while I watched our flight board, fearful we would miss it.  With 2 minutes to spare, he showed up and we caught the flight.  He was lucky; I would have killed him :)  We were flying the Dutch budget airline, Transavia (equivalent to Southwest when it comes to the cattle-call fight to get a seat), so we were lucky to get seats together and were both able to sleep a bit on the short 1.5 hr or so flight.

Upon arriving in Budapest, we caught a cab and set off for the apartment.  It was fun to hear Peter speak Hungarian since he's usually to shy (or dumb?) to speak it around me, claiming he can't remember it...he didn't have a choice this time and it was cute! :)  My first sights of the city were of KFC on every corner.  It was about a 45 minute drive to the apartment that his family owns, where he and his brother lived during college.  His parents live a few hours away but were kind enough to prepare the place for us a few days prior so that there were clean sheets, towels, water, etc.  We were exhausted and starving and weren't sure which sensation to satisfy first.  In the end, sleep won (as well as cold since we had to wait for the heat to kick in) and we napped and bit before heading to town for food.  We walked to a local market, his old stomping grounds,  and happened to catch the last day of the Christmas market, which was fun to see.  We ate lunch--Peter sausage and such, and me a fried fish with potatoes.  I was craving mashed potatoes but had no such luck.  Peter had to order it all.  It was a new dynamic for us with him having to handle all transactions because of the language barrier, but I think we handled it well.  I, at least, found it fun, not sure how he felt about it.

Eating my first local meal in Hungary.

After lunch, despite the FREEZING temperatures, we decided to see a few sights since we were only in Budapest for a few days.  We grabbed the tram and rode to see the infamous bridge on the Danube river that connects Buda and Pest (we were staying on the Buda side, most tourists go to Pest).  We were able to ride for free that day, and all week after, since Peter had 2 tickets for us and we "forgot" to validate them.  His kind plan was to blame it all on me and have me play the dumb tourist who didn't understand.  I was completely on board with this plan.  It was a cloudy and, did I mention, COLD day so we hopped of the tram, took a photo, and then hopped back on to head home.   That night we were too cold and lazy to head out for dinner so we ordered a pizza.  It wasn't the greatest, but it was nice to order it and stay warm.

Views of Pest from Buda.

The next day, we had a lazy morning watching movies before meeting one of his old college buddies. for lunch.  We tried to go back to the same market to try some more traditional food, but it was Sunday and it closed early.  So, we went to the mall instead and ate at the food court.  I had a soup, I think it was broccoli or asparagus, can't remember.  After that, we went to Best Byte, the Hungarian version of Best Buy, so Peter could get some Christmas presents for his family.  I called it an early night while Peter had a boys night with some more college buddies.

Day2:
The next day, we left for his hometown, Szekszard.  We caught a cab to the train station and had to SPRINT to catch the train.  I think I broke a world record that day, including carrying my suitcases.  Luckily, we had pre-purchased our tickets online and only had to print it and run to the train.  I'm still not sure how we made it; I honestly almost gave up at one point I was so out of breath.  But, we made it and then spent a good 10 minutes trying to catch our breath in the doorway before venturing into the train to find our seats.  Everyone was headed home for the holidays so it was packed.  We had seats across from each other but Peter asked someone to trade and we were able to sit next to each other and watch a movie on the computer for the ride.  We had to change trains once and while waiting to board the 2nd train, Peter ran into 2 girls from his high school who were also heading home.

When we arrived to this town, we waited in the cold for his Dad to come pick us up.  Luckily, his town is small so we didn't have to wait long.  Before the trip, I wasn't sure how communicating with his family would go since I speak about 10 words in Hungarian and I was unclear about their English abilities.  Thank goodness for me, their English is much better than my Hungarian and we had no problems communicating throughout the trip.  They were SO kind and welcoming to me and I am so grateful....I'll get to that.

We were greeted at home by his mother and a delicious home-cooked meal she had made--vegetarian and gluten-free just for me! As it turned out, she and his grandmother cooked 3 meals a day, EVERY DAY like this for our entire stay.  And, they cooked separate just for me and had researched recipes and stocked the house full of gluten-free items just for me---so sweet!  I can't remember what we did that night.  I'm assuming not much of anything since we were tired from traveling.

Rest of the days:

Okay, at this point, I'm just gonna type what I do remember, with the disclaimer that it may or may not be in exact order.  But you'll get the gist of it all the same.  His family's apartment if very nice.  It's up on a hill, with a large balcony to take in some gorgeous views below.  I love the European efficiency with all of the built-in storage and utility of every inch of space.  I especially liked how all the appliances have the same wood finishing as the cabinets so that they all blend in and you have to know where the fridge and dishwasher are or you'll have to open each cabinet searching for them.

We had planned to drive to pick up his Grandmother the next day but we woke up to find his mother had already gone since it was snowing a bit and she was worried about the road conditions.  His grandma is just what you would expect from a grandma--sweet, huggable, and an amazing cook! She showed up with about 7 bags of food, both cooked and uncooked, including batches and batches of gluten-free cookies, bread, and other goodies for me! My favorite were these little breadstick things (I can't remember their name) that Peter kept trying to steal from me. We both gained about 500 pounds on that visit since she and his mom cooked amazing meals for use each day and wouldn't let me lift a finger, literally.  We would wake up, eat, nap, wake up, eat, rest, eat, and then sleep. Oh, and I can't forget the wine, wine, palinka (a traditional moon-shine liquor with an alcohol content between 38-86%--I think ours was more like 200%), and more wine served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the Biczo house :) Wasn't half bad.

A few of the nights we met up with his childhood friends in the center of town for drinks.  They were all really nice and it was fun to get a glimpse into his "previous life." His town is really cute.  We could walk to the center and home in a few minutes, and although hilly and cold, I didn't mind it.  We walked because we wanted to, but also because there's a really strict drinking and driving law--you can't even have one drink in your system.   When asked about the differences between American and Hungary, the best I could come up with was that the bathrooms at home have the toilet, sink, and shower all combined.  Here, the toilet and shower are in separate rooms.  They couldn't fathom why we would still call a bathroom a bathroom if it didn't actually have a bath/shower.  Peter made fun of me that this was all I could think of until he helped me out by offering a difference in size of cars, buildings, everything. Oh yeah, those are different too.

Peter's friend playing foosball.

While I enjoyed hanging out with all of his friends (except for a few overwhelming moments when everyone was speaking Hungarian and I was left clueless), my favorite night was when he and I went to his favorite Italian restaurant in town.  He had been raving about their pizza since I met him and I'm happy to announce it lived up to the bragging rights.  They also had a delicious pasta and dessert.  (This night was followed up with some good old-fashioned ice-skating, also fun. We arrived just before closing time and only had 20 minutes, which we thought might suck...but turned out to be plenty. Those things are not comfortable)!

With all the drinking and eating, I was happy to go to an exercise class one day with his mom. It was at his old elementary school and was a good workout--both for my body and my brain since it was all in Hungarian.  It was fun to figure out what she was saying and I was quite impressed with my ability to figure it all out.  I think I may have even followed her instructions better than some English-speaking instructors.  It's amazing how much communication really is non-verbal.

Since it was Christmas time, I was able to learn about many Magyar (Hungarian) traditions, which I loved! For starters, they don't put the tree up until the 24th.  In Hungary, you decorate the tree and open presents on the 24th. They believe Jesus was born on the 24th and the tradition is for the grandparents to take the kids on a walk while the parents put up and decorate the tree. When the kids come back, baby Jesus has brought the tree and presents for them.  Since we are "big kids" we stayed to help decorate, which in Hungary, includes making and hanging ornaments from Szaloncukor, a traditional hard candy.  Once decorated, they attach sparklers to the tree, light them, and sing a traditional song while they burn. It was really nice.  It was also nice to learn a new board game (although it's American) and kick their butts playing it :)  Best of all was seeing all the photos from Peter's childhood, including all of his summers in various European countries, which I suppose to them is no different than spending a summer in Florida or North Carolina to us.  Still, I was jealous.

Szaloncukor candy for hanging on the tree

I had smuggled a 60 lb. Gingerbread house kit from the states into the country so I was also able to share some American traditions (although we never did that at my house growing up. Shhh....don't tell them that). We all had a blast doing it, especially his dad! :)  His family went above and beyond to spoil me on Christmas.  I got lots of lovely gifts, including traditional Hungarian clothes, linens, and a famous book, The Pastor Boys.  I finished reading it a few weeks ago in Guatemala, and although good, I wish someone had warned me it was quite sad.  On a happier note, it was fun to practice my Hungarian pronunciation with all the names in the book! I also got some hand-made jewelry from Peter, which, of course, I loved.

Not half bad!

Since his family is all spread out, including some cousins in Germany, we had the big family "dinner" (also eaten around 2pm like at my house), a few days later.  It was really nice to eat all the traditional foods and meet all of his cousins and extended family.  I loved the fact that at dinner, there were 3 languages going on the whole time--Magyar, English, and German!

Although our time was short and packed with family and holiday time, we managed to make a few side trips for sightseeing as well.  One day, we went around his own town and saw the vineyards (it's a famous wine area) and sites, including his old hanging spots.  We also took a day trip to Tapolca, a small village a few hours away.  It's where his dad grew up (I think), and it has a beautiful lake in town and caves that we had all to ourselves to explore in small canoes.  After a good picnic lunch in the car (it was raining), we continued on to Abrahamhegy, a small lake town where Peter's grandparents had a cabin and Peter spent his summers here growing up.  We visited their grave sites and their house that his Dad and Granddad built.  On the way home, we jammed out to Beyonce and Pink (both of which were on Peter's playlist).

Canoeing in the caves at Tapolca.

As with all good things, our time in Szekszard, had to come to an end.  Peter and I drove his grandma home to her town about an hour away (can't remember the name) and I enjoyed amazing stories about her youth under the Soviet rule, including a few years where she was separated from all her family in another country! Her house also contains a picture with bullet holes and a glued-together sofa from a bomb.  She and her house were walking history and fascinating! The next day, his parents drove us back to Budapest.  We took advantage of having a vehicle and stopped at the grocery store to stock up on food.  We said a sad goodbye to his parents and then cooked a delicious meal.  It's our own invention and our favorite one to make and has shrimp and cashews. Yum. Now I'm hungary (pun intended, sorry, but I had to throw it in here at least once)!  

Back in Budapest, we met more of Peter's college friends and explored the city some.  They were great tour guides.  We climbed to the top of the Citadella to see views of Pest, saw more Christmas markets, and ate more yummy things like kurtos kalacs (kind of like a churro & not at all gluten-free but worth the headache), and warm wine (gluhwein) .  When I couldn't stand the cold any longer, we ventured over to Pest to see some sights there and then find a warm pub to defrost in.  We visited several that night in order to see different vibes.  We also met up with one of my buddies, Kriztian (aka "chief"), who I met while in New Zealand--it was a great mini-reunion!

Peter with a kurtos kalacs.

New Year's Eve was a blast in Budapest, although bittersweet since it was my last day of the trip.  We spent the majority of the cold day inside watching movies and then headed out to meet up with his friends.  We pub-hopped a bit and played foosball (they are crazy about the "sport" here!). I think I was the only one who noticed when it was close to midnight.  There was not ball dropping or countdown like at home, which made it seem a bit anti-climatic and chaotic to me since we were all basing it off of different clocks.  Nonetheless, when someone's watch said 12, we all cheered, hugged and kissed, and they sang the national anthem.   We had to end the night kind of early since I had a red-eye flight the next day.  

Hope I remembered most things--how's I do, Peter?!

A GIANT THANK YOU TO HIS FAMILY FOR THEIR
 FABULOUS HOSPITALITY!!!!

Random things I learned about/while in Hungary:

*Buy bottled water with PINK lids---this is the non-carbonated kind

*Buda and Pest were two different cities, now combined to one.  Pest is the flat, more touristy side and Pest is the hillier, more local side. (Did I get that right?)

*Tesco is their version of Target and T-mobile is a German company

*Hungarian men are useful. More than most countries, I saw them shopping, cooking, cleaning, watching kids, etc. 

*Hungarians are misunderstood by most of the world, and about themselves as a miserable, Eastern-Europe style.  In fact, they are quite friendly, happy, and completely Western-European.  Don't hate me Peter, but even I thought it was more Eastern-European before I got there.  I stand corrected.  To be fair, the part I just wrote was quoted from our Magyar friends so it's not just me. 

*Hungarians are very affectionate people. They love to laugh, have fun, and are not PDA-phobic.

*Almost all of the younger generation speaks English, and much of the older generation as well.

*Hungarian teenagers went through the same terrible Nirvana grunge, rebellious stage as Americans (I saw the proof in Peter's photos--it was classily horrible)

*They re-use their plastic bags at the grocery store and shop every day for food (do this is the Netherlands too)

*I observed many young people helping older people on public transportation and admired that

Weirdest things about Hungary:

     *They are one of the only countries who kiss cheeks on the left first when greeting. It can be dangerous if you go the wrong way!

    *Kindergarten is actually what we call preschool (because of those Germans, technically it is their word so I suppose maybe they are right)

    *Their knives are upside down! Peter doesn't believe me and thinks I'm an idiot and can't use a knife. But, at home (and anywhere else in the world I've every seen for that matter) the sharp part is always the curved part. Here, the sharp part was the straight part so I kept trying to cut things with an upside-down knife.  I do know what I'm talking about, Peter.  Here's Proof!

See? Round side is the cutting side!

****On a semi-related note, Heathrow airport SUCKS! ON my way home, I had a layover there and it was the longest, worst travel time ever! I had to take a bus, then another bus (like not just in the airport, but on a highway), then a tram just to get to my new gate.  All of which I believe took almost an hour. Then, security was the worst I have ever been through, they searched almost every single person's back and hand-searched mine for so long I thought I was going to pee in my pants.  It was not fun. If at all possible, don't go there. 

  

Day 22: Beating them at Their Own Game!

Sunday, February 10th, 2013

It’s hard to believe that today marks exactly 3 weeks ago that I arrived in Guatemala.  I’ve already made such good friends and in many ways, it already feels like home and like I’ve been here for quite awhile.  I had considered going out of town this weekend but had a pretty hectic week and was feeling a bit disheveled so I opted for a lazy weekend at home instead---I’m quite happy with that decision!

I’ve got some pretty good routines down.  Since I tend to go to bed quite early, I also wake up at a nice ungodly hour.  I quite like it, actually, since I have nice leisurely morning before work to workout, drink tea, shower, and/or clean my house.  I usually get to work around 7:45 and I don’t have to worry about leaving ahead of time since it’s a 1-minute walk and no chance of traffic along the way.  We start each morning at the morning circle to sing a song and recite a poem amongst all the staff.  It’s a nice way to start the day and to regroup as a team since otherwise we might go days without seeing each other.

I’m mostly in my office but have the flexibility to set my own schedule a bit.  Usually, once a week I work away from the office, and almost once a week I have to travel to another down to run errands for the school.  I enjoy both of these days as it allows me to also get done some of my own errands and means riding on and enjoying the fresh air and views of the lake.  I’ve also perfected my techniques of not getting ripped off on the boat fare when they try to charge me the tourist price.  Every driver is different so you have to study him during the ride and them cross your fingers when you get off to pay, but the 2 best techniques I’ve found are to have exact change for the correct fare, hand it to him, and walk away quickly.  When he starts yelling at you, either a) ignore him and keep walking, or b) politely state that you know the correct fare since you are a resident and will not pay more. They don’t always work, but most of the time they do.**UPDATE: After a particularly lengthy incident in which I was surrounded by 3 boat guys, the “encargado”, and a policeman with them arguing with me for more money and telling me that I had to arrive at a meeting in another town on a Friday night to register myself as a local in order to pay a lower fare (complete BS, btw), I held my ground for 20 minutes, won, and paid the lower fare.  It was quite annoying at the time, but thanks to that lovely incident and, I now have a 3^rd technique which is to state that I registered with the “encargado” for the lower fare. So far it’s worked--dare I say that I've figured out a way to beat them at their own game?!

We have 2 full-time cooks on staff at the school, Teresa and Amarilis and they are super sweet and good cooks.  We eat a mid-morning snack around 10:30 and then lunch around 1pm.  The meals are vegetarian, mostly gluten-free (and they watch out for me), and really well-balanced with vegetables, fruits, etc.  I could not be happier with the meals and it’s such a big help financially and to not have to worry about packing a lunch ever day.  Plus, I’m usually full enough to get away with just snacks for dinner.

I usually get home around 4:30 and enjoy relaxing on my patio and talking to my neighbors and the homeowners and his son and dogs.  It’s the perfect combination of people around if I want to be social, but I don’t have to be if not in the mood.  Most nights I venture to the plaza to buy some snacks and always run into people I know.  I enjoy it because every night turns into something I hadn’t planned when I run into someone and then end up doing something together.

*****SORRY, I tried to upload photos into this entry but it was taking too long so I gave up.  Hope you can get over it.  

Day 21: Settling In

Monday, Feb. 11, 2013

I know it sounds impossible with today being a Monday and all, but it was a good day!  Well, besides the fact that they decided to turn off the water in all of the town so when I returned home dirty and sweaty from a great game of soccer I couldn’t shower, wash my hands, or wash dishes. This was yet another time I was grateful for packing baby wipes since at least I could wash my hands a bit.  And of course, I had filled a pot with water last night and dumped it this morning when the water was on for a few minutes---dope! Oh well, such is life!

Back to the good parts of today.  Work is finally starting to become manageable.  It’s less overwhelming and I’ve established routines and systems so I can at least fake like I know what I’m doing J The food today was good. Mid-morning snack was tostadas with pasta, tomato and carrot sauce (sounds gross but was actually pretty good). Lunch was a bean soup with tamales and watermelon.  I also had an afternoon snack of a fresh banana, right from the school grounds.  

Some of my colleagues at morning circle time at work.

In the morning, the guy selling baskets came back with a big one that I had asked him about last week.  Of course, I felt guilty and bad that he came all the way back (from out of town), carrying a big one for me so I felt kind of obligated to buy it.  I wasn’t sure it would fit in my house so he left it for me to try and pay when he came back later…except he didn’t come back while I was still there.  I hope he will come back so I haven’t just stolen a hamper basket. Then I’d really feel guilty.

So, after lunch, I went home to try the hamper, and coincidentally, to bring all my dirty clothes back to school for Sabela, the housekeeper at school, to wash them for me.  Normally I do them on my own, but my back was hurting and I thought I’d splurge the $3 for her to do it this once. 

I actually left school on time, at 3:30, and had some downtime in the hammock before heading to soccer at 4pm.  I met Lilly and Nicki at the field and later Mel and Aneke came to join us.  All are moms from the school except Aneke.  It was a fun game of 3 v 2. Was not very competitive but nice just to move around a bit and be social.   On the way back, I cut through the plaza and ran into several families playing in the park.  I also delivered a message to Dave from Nicki so she could sneak home and cook dinner without her kids seeing her.  I love the small-town and seeing everyone wherever you go.

Back at home, my favorite little 5-year-old Guatemalan, Fabio, was waiting for me.  He’s Aniceto’s son and as cute as can be.  I won him over with the free Angry Bird coins that come in my chips bags and now we’re best buds.  Today he hung out with me eating pineapple and I introduced him to peanut butter, for which his dad thanked me after he requested they buy it now.  He also made sure to tell me that the other “gringos” were also eating pineapple in the yard. J

I ate my leftovers, pineapple, and some hot chocolate…but still had to run out for some last-minute chips.  On my way, I ran into one of the construction workers from next door.   He’s a young 15 year old boy (I’m totally guessing here, but around that) and remembered my name.  It was yet another reminder that poco a poco, I’m becoming a member of the community and I need to have patience with myself.

So, now I’m lying down, packed and ready for the night.  Still no water in the house and I don’t really have matching clothes since I gave them all away to be washed (I hope she has water to wash them) so I’m wearing a lovely combo of an Orioles t-shirt, multi-colored leggings, and a wool sweater. Hot.