San Marcos La Laguna

Hola from Guate! Made it to my homestay in San Marcos La Laguna on Sunday around noon. It's picturesque and lovely when you pull up to the dock. Banana trees, avocado trees and beautiful tropical flowers line a narrow stone path up the hill to the village. My host dad, Francisco, and host brother, Mario met me at the dock and the boat left me, alone, in a strange place with people I didn't know, speaking a language I didn't speak, for seven weeks. Okay. What had I gotten myself into now?

Guatemalans are very small people - I tower over my entire family, including Francisco who is about 5'4. However, he took my 63-pound suitcase and threw it on his back and walked steeply uphill for about 1/3 of a mile. That bag was so heavy I could barely lift it onto a step and could never put it in the trunk of a car. (Note to self: pack more lightly in the future). Mario carried my backpack and his friend carried my pillow (it was recommended that we buy a pillow in Guate City because they often don't have them in the homes. Glad I did!!)

When we got to the house I met my host mom, Sebastiana, and several of the other kids. There are nine in total, plus a son-in-law and grandson, living in the house. Fortunately, the house is surprisingly big and looks like they just added on however they could whenever they outgrew it. I have my own room and it's nice. Bed is comfy, have a desk and shelves, and everything is clean. There is only one bathroom and it is in the living room. And when I say bathroom, I mean the living room and bathroom are essentially the same room. The shower is to the side of the living room, with a curtain. The toilet is under the stairs, behind a wall but there is no door. That has taken some adjustment but you do what you have to do.

To break the ice I went into the kitchen and in my broken Spanish said that I was interested in learning how to make tortillas and other Guatemalan food. That's all it took and I was put to work making tamales with Sandra, one of the girls who is about 13. She was laughing at my pathetic attempts but I got the hang of it and they looked pretty good after a while. We did that for about an hour - cooking for 12 people is a full-time job.

The food in my host home has been fantastic. Lots of beans, eggs, some chicken, and of course tortillas. However, everything is flavorful and satisfying. Part of this program is the host family is paid to host and in turn must provide all meals and laundry. Today my host mom is doing my laundry. She doesn't have a washer and dryer so they do laundry in a large cement tub, scrubbing against the side of the tub, then hang everything up on lines all over the house.

I had my first Spanish tutoring session and I had two teachers: Lucas and Luis. They are hilarious. We had a good time and they really push me, helping me see that I know a lot more than I thought I did. They made me explain my political philosophy in Spanish, and we had a long discussion about U.S. power in the world. It was great and I already have a lot more confidence in speaking. I'll be heading back for another 4-hour session in about 15 minutes. It's exhausting but I think I'll really see a difference in my ability to speak.

I have already made some pals, which makes everything so much better. There is a former Duke Hospital administrator who is in the MSW program at UNC-Charlotte who is staying in my town and he's great. We're older than everyone else so we have a different perspective. Everyone else is great and I think I'll have many longtime friends from this experience. I may have been a little snarky in my previous post about the provincialism of the younger folks. I was in their shoes once and I really admire them stepping out of their comfort zone to go on an adventure like this. They will definitely be better people as a result.

Later soon!
kf

¡Guatemala!

Made it to Guatemala City, or Guate as it is known here. Looks pretty much like any large city in a developing country. Lots of traffic, crazy driving, a little dirty. Hooked up with my group, which includes students working in social work and anthropology students. It's true that I am by far the oldest participant but it's all good. Just have to try to get back into the swing of being a college student. You know, like being afraid of foreign food, squealing because they put lime on the salad, fearing the locals. Stuff like that.

First challenge was realizing we had to share rooms for the night in Guate. Fortunately, I had made friends with two young women, Elyse and Linesy. We got a triple room so at least I wasn't left with no one wanting to be my roomie. No matter how old you get, you never get over that dread of being picked last. I truly feared being the Jerri Blank on this trip. So far, I've managed to avoid that fate.

One thing I've noticed is if you boldly say "Hola!" people assume you can speak Spanish, which I cannot, at least not very well. Hopefully my Spanish tutoring, which starts on Monday, will remove some of the terror of not having any idea what someone is saying.

The group - there's about 40 of us - went out for pizza last night. It was delicious. I met some people who will be staying in my town - San Marcos La Laguna. We've agreed to all go together to daily yoga at 7:15 a.m. once we get there. Awesome!

I'll get some pictures posted once we leave Guate and head up into the mountains.

More later.
KF