Good Memories del mi viaje de Guatemala......

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It is a little bit over a month since I got back my Guatemala. I am writing this note because I do not want to forget the great experience I had there, the fabulous people I met and to encourage people to travel and experience a culture different than the one they are accustom to.

I always wanted to learn Spanish and going to Guatemala for me was killing multiple birds with one stone - improve my Spanish, gain more confidence in myself, challenge myself, experience a different culture and rewarding myself with a gift for graduating from college in 4 years with a double major and with honors - magma cum laude.

Unforgettable moments
My first week from very scary and my brain was blank from the little Spanish I understood. Without the help of Maria, surviving my first week would have been terrible - Maria was the translator between myself and our host-family, she was the one that told me how not to flush the tissue paper in the toilet, always to say thank you at the end of every meal. She took me to the store to buy a winter coat when the weather was freezing and together with Noah picked me up at the Spanish school so I would not get lost on my way home. Then, I met mi Samantha - it was a pleasure meeting you and walking to school with you. Meeting up with you, Alexis, Ken, Scott, Ed and Michaela at the top of hills to your house to go drink or watch the games was awesome. I missed you when you changed houses and hanging out with Scott, Ed, Michaela, Christina, Kristin, Betty, Maria, and Charissa at Lago de Atitlan is unforgettable. Oh, watching my first capoiera show was awesome with me thinking damn I wish I could do that and Oerito is talented dancer.

Raquelita - you are one of the coolest Naijas I have ever met and I admire your gracefulness. Anytime I think of Tikal, Flores, Livingston, La Rumba, La Parranda, Fuentes Georginas, Ojala and almost anything I did in Guatemala - you will always be remembered automatically because I shared those moments with you. Te extrano mi amor. Necesitamos hacer algo como este otra vez porque tu eres una persona fabulosa.Gracias por tu amistad.

Lizzie (mi amiga boracha)- I dnt know if you are aware of this - but the every first day I saw you at Parque Central, I said to myself that ah we would make good friends and I was delighted when Josephina walked up to you because it gave the opportunity to talk to you. That same night, we partied at Ojala (in my opinion, the best party so far in Xela) and you were simply awesome.

Katherine - mi chica de Dinamarca. Siempre, contigo hay mucho divertido. Gracias a Dios que tuve la oportunidad a te conozce. It was fun partying with you at La Parranda - that was the first time we hung out and it was amazing. Champerico con Kylie y Maria - la maestra fue bien tambien.

Kylie, Kylie, Kylie and Amael (the best housemates ever) - i remember the first time i met you and Amael - it was lunch on Sunday and I came home a little bit late and i remember saying to myself that i hope este skinny chica blanca es cool. Gosh, am glad Oscar assigned both of you to our house. Is it the trying to study at café Baviera or the partying from Wednesday night or the walking home drunk at 1.30am in the morning or my first “salsa” dance with Amael? Oh, Amael - you are so Fine and charming and you just have that thing about you (para mi, tu novia tiene mucho suerte - tengo un poco cielo). Kylie, I know you can never forget the bumpy chicken bus ride to chichistatenango.

El Calvinito - you are just awesome- I love you and your dancing skills especially after a couple of drinks, without you partying would have been less fun and definitely going to work muy abburido. Hanging out with You, Celia, Catie and Lindsey was fun.

La Anzea - just to let you know, am jealous of your Spanish (I just like the way you speak it). I am glad we met - it felt good meeting otra chica negra porque no hay mucha persona con colore café en Xela. Tu medicina para motion sickness fue helpful.

Brie - I’m sure you were thinking that this girl es loca when I told you what quere hacer con mi maestro, the first time we hung out (pretend you never heard me say that - it was the cuba libres talking, not me). It was always fun anytime we all hung out…

Kings and Queens - I just love this bar - great memories - we (Kylie, Lizzie, Katherine, Ken, Brie, Raquel, Amael, Jessica, Jason, ) drinking and having intellectual, honest and open-minded discussions on the wacky educational system in the U.S, the elections, health care system, racial issue and all sort of important issues over drinks of Gallos, Cuba Libres, Mojitos, Pina Coladas, Ruso Blancos. !Que bueno! All conservations usually end up in us saying, “Crap, the U.S is so depressing - that’s why after my masters or after paying off my student loans, am getting out of there”.

It was a pleasure meeting the girls from California - Chelsea, Rebecca, Savvy and Tonya. I remember my perspective of atheists changing (like most people, I associate atheism as something wrong without having knowledge on what their beliefs are). Thank you Tonya for educating me, our discussion on environmental issues and morality was an eye-opener.

I experienced new things, from wonderful hospitality my host family showered me with to going to a Latino baby shower, having a crush on mi maestro, walking up those hills, eating beans, eggs & tortillas frequently, riding the chicken bus, going to Tikal, getting used to the unusual hot water crisis & lack of basic conveniences that we in the developed countries take for granted, visiting Livingston, the Garifuna people among other things.

So much happened on this trip that I cannot write but I’m glad I was there. Seriously, you have to be here to experience the beauty of XELAJU……it was amazing - es la verdad. Ahora, mi espanol no es perfecto pero es major que antes.

This trip inspired me that i decided to do it again next year, I will be traveling/backpacking for a year across South and Central America and Spanish speaking countries in the Caribbean. So, if anyone will be in any of those countries next year or have an advise on what part of these countries is worth visiting(Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Paragua, Panama, Nicaragua, Mexico, Dominica Republic, Honduras) let me know so we can hook up….

And I have to shout out everybody I met in Xela from Dorit, Jochen (he gave me his claro sim card and took me around La capital on my very day en Guatemala), Angel, Anna, Emily, Andy, Luis M, Luis T, Rebecca (from Italy), Erik, Alicia, Sharon, Alejandra, Ruchi………..


Estoy cansado ahora, entonces no mas escribiendo…..

Kunbi or Cumbia (mi nombre en espanol)

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Photos

Guate
Livingston