We've realized through receiving many questions about language school that we haven't said much about it. I guess since it was day to day routine, we never really thought writing about it. Oops. Since it is the primary reason we came to Guatemala, we thought we should fill you in. We attended school for a total of 15 weeks for 25 hours a week, and graduated the last weekend of November. People around here are usually shocked to hear that, as language school is so intense, and the normal span for a student is between 2 and 6 weeks. The classes [View Full Entry]

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Finally, another funny blog. Man, some of the last ones have been sleepers, so here is one that should put your knickers in a knot. When we left Belize we took a boat to Guatemala, landing in Livingston. Man, Guatemala is so cool. We landed in Livingston and were promptly met by several guys happy to bring us to "the best hotel in Livingston." Of course, they all worked for different "best hotels in Livingston" which makes it so much harder to decide. I think a few of them also wanted to sell us the best ganga in Livingston too. From [View Full Entry]

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It was the weirdest thing in the world to cross the boarder into Belize and all the sudden be reading signs in English. We had to adjust to speaking English, although the local language is Garifuna, the people also speak using a sing-song English that is a blast to listen to. The bottom line is that we don't know which language to use. While here in Belize we plan to spend copious amounts of time on the beach. I am also having a drum handmade by a drum maker here in Dangriga, the town we are at. The drum maker's name [View Full Entry]

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Belize is just so laid back that we really didn't do much once we got to our next destination. We enjoyed walking around this small town of Punta Gorda, talking to some kids that were swimming off a dock, and just sitting and looking at the ocean. Yep, life is hard here. [View Full Entry]

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We finally made it! After our failed attempt to visit Tikal back in July, we spent over four months regrouping so we could make the journey to the jungle. We went with John and Mel to Guatemala City last Friday. They flew out on Saturday afternoon, and that evening we boarded an overnight bus that took us 8 hours to the north of the City to Flores, an island town in the middle of a lake. WOW! We were greeted at 6:00 am by several guys more than willing to take us the rest of the way to Tikal...for a price. [View Full Entry]

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We just spent a wonderful week with my (Sarah) Dad, John, and his wife, Meleny! What a blessing it was to have them down here and to be able to spend time with family after months in a foreign country. We enjoyed a fun-filled week of traveling and seeing sights. Drew and I came down to Guatemala city from Xela to meet them. The plan was to go to Antigua the very next morning, but their luggage didn't come in, so we spent an extra day in Guatemala City. It turned out to be a fun day of seeing the city, [View Full Entry]

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Happy belated Turkey Day! What a fun time we had during Thanksgiving week. Our good friend, Phil, came to visit us, and we lived it up. First, some backgroung on our friend, Phil. To begin with, we will no longer refer to him in this blog as Phil, but as Philip Johnny Bob. Why you may ask? Because we are huge fans of a children's book series called Junie B. Jones. Junie B. Jones is a hysterical first grader who has a pet stuffed elephant named Philip Johnny Bob. They are great friends, and because we are great friends with our [View Full Entry]

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We recently had the opportunity to see some of the religious activites that take place in and around Xela. One was in a little town called Zunil where the resident saint is called San Simon. He is essentially a manequin that is dressed in an assortment of clothing including a ties, a bandana, and sunglasses. Some refer to him as the evil saint, perhaps because you can visit him and wish ill on people. Or maybe it is because of the insane amounts of cigarettes and rum he consumes on a daily basis thanks to those who visit him. The way [View Full Entry]

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We just found out recently that Sarah's dad, John, and his wife Meleny are going to be able to come down and visit us for a week in December! To prepare them for the cultural change, we wrote out a little list of things to do to help get them ready. We hope that you enjoy, and if you ever come to Guatemala, you'll be ready! Disclaimer: The intention of this list is in no way to make fun of Guatemalan culture or people. These are merely differences that we have noticed between two different countries. We have had many opportunities [View Full Entry]

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I added updated information below this first blog.... Wednesday, Oct. 24 I thought I should update everyone on why Drew is doing such a fantastic job with the 'in sickness' part of our vows. If you remember reading the blog about our almost-trip to Tikal that ended up in Guatemala City at the Dr., this is somewhat of an extension, though nowhere near as traumatic. Since that trip to the Dr. at the end of July, I haven't gotten nearly as sick, but I've had many many days where I've woken up and just felt bad, and the symptoms were almost [View Full Entry]

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