Touchdown

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Wow that was one crazy day and a half of travel. I arrived at the airport in Guatemala City and was met by the Medical Teams International Guatemala Country director. From there we started the long drive of winding roads to Coban. Somehow in my head it was going to be a two-hour drive. Not bad, I go the hour and a half back and froth to Seattle all the time. Well this was kind of like going a back and forth and back again ☺.
The sun had set and we were driving in and out of clouds in the mountainous region. (Not really mountains for those of you from the west coast, more like large hills) It started to rain as we entered the small valley that will be my home for the next year. Coban is a fairly good-sized city that has experienced a lot of development in the last few years. We speed through town and arrived at the Casa D’Acuna. It blends in from the street. Melding with the faces of the storefronts on either side. There is a very two-dimensional feel from the streets as is true with most Latin American cities that I have visited. However, once inside places seem to unfold like a pop up book. The Casa D’Acuna is a lovely hostel with a slightly European feel. Medical Teams so wonderfully reserved a room for me here while I figure out what will be the best living situation for me while I am here. I was so exhausted from my travels that I landed in bed the first moment that I could. The pitter-patter of rain on the roof lulled me to straight to sleep.
This morning I had a wonderful Guatemalan breakfast at the café inside the hostel. The light of day shows a beautiful garden and courtyard area with many tropical trees. The walls are painted with bright lively colors while classical music plays in the background.
I will be going to the Medical Teams office today to meet the rest of the staff and to begin my orientation. They will be showing me around town and introducing me to some of the communities that we will be working in along with the various projects that are in progress. It will be a full week because our first work group from the U.S. will be arriving on Sunday. I am very excited to get started.

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