Livin' La Vida Loca!

First off, oh how I hope my title song gets stuck in your head all day!Well, I made it! Whew! After meeting the kindest group of Texans before getting on the airplane in Dallas (who also thought my driver to Antigua wasn't going to show up) my nerves began to subside. They were on a mission trip with their church and had been visiting Guatemala for the past 7 years. They assured me I was going to LOVE it and that if my driver didn't show up I could catch a ride with them. But my trusty Guatemalan drivers did not let me down and as I proceeded out of customs at 11pm I saw my name (well, close enough, spelled 'Linday Killer') being held by a perky young gentlemen. I fell in love with these two brothers who recently opened up an airport taxi company (they also do tours to the volcanoes on the side). They were the perfect welcoming committee as they told me about their beautiful country in humorous fashion, bantering back and forth. I, on the other hand, sat in the back seat with my seat belt buckled tight as we weaved in and out of traffic at an incredible speed passing some of the dingiest zones in Guatemala City. To make the ride even more of an adventure we got pulled over by the police (for no reason but because it was late Friday night and apparently there are drunk drivers out on the road) and got our car searched. I was just waiting for them to plant drugs in my luggage then pull us over a few minutes later demanding an answer and money for them. But forty minutes later we pulled on to the cobblestone streets of Antigua and parked in front of my host family's house.

After saying goodbye to my new Guatemalan buddies I was greeted by a petite lady named Janet. What a wonderful host mother. She knew the only thing I needed after a long day of travel was a hug and a warm bed to sleep in. So I hunkered in my bed and looked around my plain yet cozy 7ft by 7ft room. I was relieved and delighted to call it home for the next 6 weeks.

There are some definite perks when it comes to living with a host family. Besides the fact that you get to become totally immersed in the language and culture, you also get 3 cooked meals per day! By the end of my first breakfast I was already exhausted from listening intently to the two other students and my host mom speak in Spanish. In addition, trying to tell them my life story summed up in the only Spanish words and verbs I knew was difficult. So pretty much I could only tell them my name, where I had come from, and that I liked cats (okay, I'm not that bad...). I know, deep conversations on the first day.

Once breakfast was finished it was time to hit the streets and explore the town. Janet handed me a map, pointed out some must-sees, and I was on my way into the unknown. My first impressions of Antigua...colorful colonial-style buildings with barred windows, streets that look so similar I wasn't sure if I had just completed a u-turn and walked back onto the same street again, vivid green mountains and volcanoes surrounding the city, loud rickety cars driving up and down the cobblestone streets, and tons of people walking or standing about (some balancing baskets of goods on top of their heads). This place felt good, I thought. I made my way around the main part of the city not straying too far from the parque central, changed my money into the Guatemalan Quetzals, and caught up with two Australians, Kate and Nath, that we had met while traveling through Turkey. They happen to also be in Antigua to learn Spanish at one of the local schools. Given that I hadn't traveled solo in a long time outside the US it felt good to see a familiar face. We made plans to meet up the following morning (at 6am!) to embark on one of the surrounding volcano hikes. We parted ways and I was home in time for dinner with the new family that consisted of my host mom (Janet), Erne (mom and Spanish teacher from Indiana), and Ava (Erne's daughter who is 14 years old and kicks my butt in Spanish). Still a bit overwhelmed, I did a lot of listening.

Six in the morning came quick the following day and the four of us (Kate, Nath, Elizabeth from Denmark, and I) jumped on a ghetto looking van that held 12 and made our way up and over the mountains to Pacaya Volcano. This specific volcano in Guatemala is very active and last erupted in May 2010 which is exactly why I didn't tell my mother I was going. An hour and 15 minutes went by and we had made it to the trail head where we were greeted (aka bombarded) by little kids asking us if we wanted food, walking sticks or a "nature taxi ride" on their horse. We, of course, chose none of the above although the nature taxi sounded lovely. The first portion of the hike was among the trees but we came popping above treeline and close to the cone of the volcano near the end. A few years ago, prior to the last eruption, guides led their groups over flowing lava rivers but sadly there are none today. We were able to see steam rising from the volcanic chambers however and we were even able to climb in one to warm up. But the best was yet to come...just when we thought it was time to head back down our guide pulled out a bag of marshmallows. Ah yes, of course, let's cook marshmallows in the volcanic chamber! I love these tours and what a tasty treat.
To move things along I'm going to skip straight to my first day of school which was on Monday. Finally, the moment I had been waiting for. If you're curious, I'm taking classes from Antiguena Spanish Academy, very highly rated, and similar to the other schools in Antigua, it is cheap! For 1 week of classes at 5 hours per day plus living with a host family (own room, 3 meals per day, (luke)warm shower, internet) it costs $185/week. I met my teacher, Judith, at 8 am on Monday and we walked to the garden to commence my lesson. I'm probably a little biased but my teacher rocks! She just sat there encouraging me while I stumbled through sentences saying 'come se dice...' every other word. As much as I hated that first lesson because it was so difficult, I also loved it because I knew I was finally speaking the language and learning new words. I realized I was most afraid to speak it in front of people but thankfully I think I can put that fear aside. Five hours went by quick and I was left with a head full of new vocab and homework.

*An hour outside of Antigua. Here is a view from our hike up the Pacaya Volcano, two other volcanoes in the distance*

Well, there you have it. My first few days in Guatemala...done! Classes have turned out to be more fun than I anticipated and I'm enjoying the city a lot. It's alive with street vendors, shops, restaurants, and fireworks daily (the first 24 hours I thought there were gun shootings outside of our house until my host mom explained they use fireworks for any celebration, you name it).

This weekend Nath, Kate, Elizabeth and I are heading to the Lago de Atitlan (remember I mentioned it in my last post) to relax and enjoy the scenery! Just in time for my birthday - whoop whoop!

Love to all,
Lindsay

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