life and travelling...

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i feel strange writing about this in my travel blog but it would feel even stranger to not include it since it is a big part of my experience right now. yesterday i learned that my grandmother, ruth persia, has passed away on sunday, june 9th. our family was very blessed to have had her in our lives for so many years....so warm, pure, loving, friendly and a great sense of humor. my dad was telling me how brave and good spirited she was, right up to the end. i will never forget her big, curious, warm eyes. and her chew...which my sister has inherited! she insisted to my parents that i not come home from my trip...and just to make sure of it, i think she stole my passport! my passport has gone missing and without it i can't leave guatemala....so she must have pulled some strings ;) love you grandmom.

it is strange to get this news while travelling...knowing that i will not be able to with my family. it feels important that i be there but at the same time i realize that it is just my ego that is telling me this. it's amazing the amount of support i have, here in antigua. after i got off the phone with my dad i went to meet a woman, toni from los angeles, that i had met the day before (in coban, guatemala), for dinner. we had travelled to semuc champey together and made our way back to antigua together. she accompanied me, for moral support, to the US embassy in guatemala city (where i had to go because of my lost passport). when i met her i told her the news about my grandmom and she hugged me and we cried together. it was really sweet and reconfirming that no matter where we are, we are supported. after i returned to the hostel i met a woman from manchester, UK named Jo. we talked for an hour in the garden at the hostel and then decided to go out for beers. we stayed out for a few hours and shared beers and wonderful conversation.

i had a difficult time sleeping last night...thoughts of my grandmom...my dad...my family....thoughts of how much more at "home" i feel when i am travelling....contemplating what to do next.....life and relationships, in general. the people i meet when i am travelling feel so much more comfortable to me than most of the people i meet at home....they feel like my brothers and sisters. we are similar in spirit and openness and confusion on what to do next...how to keep travelling or how to balance travel with a career and relationship, etc. of course there are fears, frustrations, some jerks and other negative aspects that go along with travelling but they are so small compared to the joy i get out of it.

anyway...back to my trip:

i am now back in antigua, guatemala. the yellow house (casa amarilla) it feels like home now....clean, warm showers...comfy bed...familiar faces that are happy to see me when i return....i know the streets, places to eat, where to see movies. i arrived here yesterday after a day stop in tikal and another in semuc champey. i am heading back to san pedro tomorrow where i will stay for a few weeks (maybe??) and continue my studies. looking forward to staying still for a little while.

the passport situation: i lost it while crossing the border from belize into guatemala. i met a man in belize whose bus was robbed right before crossing the belize border. they stole his bag which had his passport inside. so i decided to take my passport and my other valuables out of my bag and stuff them in places in the seat...just in case. but i put my passport in my lonely planet book and it must have fell out at some point. fortunately i lost it after the border crossing into guatemala...where i plan on staying for a few weeks to study spanish. my passport should be here in 10 days....plenty of time!

my last stop in belize was tobacco caye. AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!! there are no more than 20 people on the island at any given time. you can walk the entire (circumference and parts in-between) island in 10 minutes. the reef runs right up to the island, so you can stand on the shore and see the reef and all the tropical fish and rays that inhabit the reef. i did two more dives while i was there. i'm getting more confident and skilled with my diving ability, so the level of fun that i'm having during my dives is increasing. we saw sting rays and barracudas...very cool!!!! i had a cabana on the beach...slept with my door open so the breeze would blow in. it was paradise. very hard to leave but i was anxious to get back to studying spanish...and to guatemalan prices ;)

side note to rachel: two days ago i had lunch, dinner, a snickers bar, a beer and my room...all for $9. hehehe.... hugs!

i have decided to stay in central america instead of going to peru. there is so much more that i want to see here. it will be interesting to see how the next few months unfold. so much uncertainty...so many options.

hope you are all well! sending you lots of love.

thanks esteban for the suggestion re: my photos. i bought a memory card reader in belize city and am trying to get it to work. hopefully i will have some new pics up soon!

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