Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

Not too much has happened since my last blog. The teachers are still on strike and this week is Semana Santa so there is no school. Last week I visited one of my schools with my counterpart. The school is about a 25 minute walk from my house in an aldea (village) of San Miguel.  None of the teachers or kids were there but it was nice to finally see one of my schools and chat with the director. My counterpart said that we’ll probably be able to start working next Monday which is good because I’m getting a little antsy. It has been good spending time in my community though and good things come to those who wait J Waiting around for work to start has brought about some life-changing experiences.

Last week I was out walking Suki (like always) and the kids that I had met the previous week were out playing soccer in the field and started yelling my name so Suki and I went and played soccer with them for a while. We had an awesome time… we couldn’t stop laughing! Especially when I went to kick the soccer ball and tripped and fell in cow poop J The kids thought it was the funniest thing in the world, and I have to admit it was pretty funny but you can bet I went home and bucket bathed after that. Ever since, these 4 little boys – Jorge, Miguel, Luis, and Ernesto- have not left me alone. It’s a small town so they know where I live and the next day they came knocking at my door at 8am to see if I would come out and play with them. I told them I was busy and couldn’t play but that later I would come play soccer with them.  But sure enough 20 minutes later they’re knocking on my door again asking if I can come out and play. This happened a few different times. They kept bringing their other siblings over to meet me and asking if Suki could come out and play. Finally I had to stop answering the door or else they would have kept coming back but it definitely put a smile on my face knowing that I had made an impression on these kids and that they had so quickly invited me into their lives. There’s also a group of kids that tend sheep in a field near my house and every time I walk passed them they just scream out my name but then when I try to talk to them they get really shy and run away. It’s the cutest thing! At least I have some friends in my town… even if they are all less than 10 years old. But like I’ve said before, these kids are the reason why I’m here. I hope just by playing with them and loving them and being a role model for them that somehow maybe their lives will go down a healthier path. I know I’m not here to change the world, but if I could change the life of even just one child I would be so happy!

Last Saturday I climbed Volcán Santa María. It was definitely the hardest hike I’ve ever done! I went with a group of about 10 people and it took us a little over 3 hours to climb up and 2 hours to come down. It took an hour to hike just to the base of the volcano. The hike was pretty much straight up the entire time and at some points I was basically climbing on all fours. The view going up was amazing though and when we got to the top the view was definitely worth the 3 hour hike. The volcano is about 12,300 feet and so from the top you could see everything and then the clouds started rolling in so all we could see was just a sea of clouds. It literally felt like we were floating on clouds. It was incredible! The air was so fresh up there and it was sunny, but a little chilly because it was so high up and really windy. There were a lot of people up there that day, and I was surprised at some of the people who made the hike up. There were women in their traje, or typical Guatemalan dress, and sandals who hiked all the way up the mountain to attend a religious ceremony at the very top. Good thing I made it to the top or else I would have been really embarrassed that those women made it up and I didn’t. But I did it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat! Even though I could barely breath and my heart rate was through the roof it was relaxing to be out in the woods hiking and reflecting on my life here in Guatemala. I’m a mountain girl… I always have been, so there’s nothing I love more than a good, challenging, peaceful hike up a mountain. I guess it’s the Colorado in me J

 We ate lunch at the top and just enjoyed the view for a while before heading back down. Going down was the hardest part! The trail was super dusty so basically we were just in a cloud of dust slipping and sliding for 2 hours all the way down. I wiped out a few times that’s for sure! When I got to the bottom I looked like I had gotten into a fight or had been rolling around in dirt for a while. I was so dirty and covered in dust from head to toe! It was the sign of a good hike J When I got home I realized that I didn’t have any water so I had to borrow a bucket of water from the family below me and try and scrub off all the dirt with just that one bucket of water. What bad luck! But I made it work. The next day I wasn’t as sore as I thought I’d be which is impressive because I am definitely out of shape. I felt bad for not taking Suki on the hike so we went for a long walk to make up for it. He wouldn’t have been able to make it up the volcano… he’s tough but not quite big enough yet. So we went walking on our favorite path up above the cemetery. Sometimes I get scared walking up there by myself because there’s no one up there and it’s so isolated and quiet, but I’ve asked around and everyone has told me that it’s completely safe so we still walk up there. This time we went farther than usual and for the first time I let Suki run around off his leash for an extended period of time. I feel like an overprotective mom and was scared to let him go but he did awesome! He would run ahead of me and then look back to make sure I was still there and then wait for me to catch up. He didn’t even stray from the path too much. There were some families up there planting milpa or corn and I came across one family of 4 women and the dad and so I stopped and chatted with them for a while. I always love talking to random people…. You learn so much that way! They invited me over for lunch but I already had a lunch date with a family in my town.

My little friend Miguel had knocked on my door Sunday morning and asked if I wanted to come have lunch with him and his family. What a great opportunity! I bought some pan dulce to take to the family, and they fixed a really nice lunch for me. The mom was super nice and welcoming. Miguel has an older sister, a younger sister, and a younger brother and they were all so excited to have a visitor. The mom, Johanna, told me that all the kids wanted to do was hang out with Ela and that they had been talking about it for days. They showed me all around their house and introduced me to all of their animals. It made my day! They were so willing to invite a stranger into their house, and we had a great time! They were easy to talk to, and they made me feel welcomed and comfortable in their home. They even complimented me on my Spanish J After lunch we watched The Little Mermaid in Spanish. I mean what a great day! I was just so touched at how excited they were to have me over and how willing they were to open up their arms and home to me. I feel like this is the first of many experiences I’m going to have like this, and it makes me so happy to be here and it gives me something to look forward to. It’s hard being far away from my family, so it’s always nice to have people who make me feel at home and who make me feel like I’m a part of their family. It was an amazing experience and I thank God for bringing them into my life. I can’t wait to build more into my relationship with them J Miguel is in a procession on Friday for Easter and he asked me to go watch, so I can’t wait to be there and support him!

Yesterday I climbed another volcano called Volcán Chicabal. It has a laguna at the top and is a sacred place of worship in the Mayan culture. Once again I was blown away by the beauty of it. It amazes me that parts of Guatemala are so dirty and struck by poverty but then other places are so clean and peaceful and treated respectfully. This hike was not nearly as bad as Santa Maria, but it was still a decent hike. I took Suki along this time! He loved it! He did the whole hike off his leash. He was the happiest puppy in the world! The volcano is in my friend Joey’s site so he showed us around. The laguna is supposed to be the center of the Mayan cosmovision and no one is allowed to swim in it because it is sacred. There’s a path all around the lake with Mayan altars and places to worship. It was really neat. Pictures are on Facebook because words just cannot do it justice. Definitely a place I would take visitors! On the way down we got stuck in a down pour. I love rain! The rainy season has begun here in Guatemala and this was my first rain experience. Suki looked like a wet little rat and it was interesting going back on the bus drenched with a muddy dog. In my apartment I have stairs leading up to the roof and usually there’s no door closing off the roof so it’s just open to the outside. So I’ve been wondering what I’m going to do when the rainy season starts….. well last night I found out.

There’s a metal door I can slide over the opening but let’s just say that did not keep the rain out. Here I was on my roof in the pouring rain trying to move this huge, heavy, metal door over the opening in my roof to keep my house from flooding, and I guess I semi- succeeded. I got the door over the opening but rain was still pouring in from the roof so I had pots and pans everywhere to catch the water. It was a disaster. I’ll have to perfect my rain-proofing skills for next time unless I want my house to flood every time it rains. I’m excited that the rainy season is here though. It will take some getting used to because it pours for a couple hours every day but I love being curled up in my bed listening to the rain with a good book or a good movie. Last night I had a Harry Potter marathon J Let’s just pray that I can get my rain door situation figured out or it’s going to be a long rainy season.

The rest of this week I’m just going to be hanging out in my town watching the processions and enjoying my last week of complete freedom before I start work. Hopefully this weekend I can make it to an Easter Sunday church service. I found out that the services at the church in my town are in the indigenous language of Mam so I don’t think that would go over so well…. Or it could be a very interesting experience. Maybe I’ll check it out sometime! I hope everyone has a blessed Easter, and hopefully next week I’ll be able update you guys on what I’m doing in the schools. Hasta luego!

xoxo Maddie