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I am in my second week of Guatemala; currently experiencing many highs and lows. Initially when I arrived in Guatemala, I was so relieved to have made it into Xela safe and sound. Meaning, no robberies or getting lost. I have been doing quite a bit of exploring with various amigas from my school. When I am in a new place, I study a map of the city and figure out where I am and where various cafes, restaurants and parks are located in the city. I also strategize where the safe and unsafe areas are.
So, making it into Xela safely and figuring out the layout of the city kept my spirits high for a couple of days. Then reality set in. The language barrier is difficult at times. I now understand what it is like to be in a foreign country, and essentially give up a part of oneself. It´s very difficult not being able to converse freely with someone. Having a relatively simple exchange with someone can be difficult. So, I have good days and bad days.
This week I have morning classes, which is a lot better on my schedule. I have 1:1 instruction with
Mis Amigas
Andrea, Dawn, Me, and Aoife my instructor from 8am until 1pm. Then I run home and eat lunch, and I have the rest of the afternoon and evening free. On average, I am studying three hours a day. I have a stack of cards with vocabulary words written on them, and I go through various worksheets. I also practice my spanish with my family and friends from school. On Monday, I was experiencing a great deal of frusturation. I was having difficulty grasping the language, but today has been a better day for me. I am starting to see some progress, and I think my instructor is seeing it as well. Even now, at this internet cafe, I had to ask for assistance in downloading my pictures to a CD. The guy actually understood me. It´s the small goals that make the difference.
In terms of my living situation, I live in a 3 bedroom house with a mother (60ish) and her mother (80 years). The daughter (30ish) lives in the house directly behind us. I say directly, because she has to walk through our house to get to hers. Literally, her front door is at the end of our hallway. The daughter has
Lety and I
My first week instructor Lety. She is just three years older than me! She was a good instructor, and I had a lot of fun with her. And I learned a lot too! a baby (6 months old). The daughter works during the day, so her mother watches the baby during the day. We are a 4 generation household. I believe the mother and grandmother´s husband are both deceased. The daughter´s husband seems to be nice and he works during the day.
My family is very sweet; they have hosted students for 15 years. They try their best to speak to me and include me. I often feel frusturated because I have difficulty carrying my end of the conversation, and I sometimes feel inefficient. However, the last two days have been better. Being that I am a nurse, both the mother and grandmother have indulged me in their various medical problems. I enjoy conversing with them on any level,, and I am glad to offer my assistance. The other day, the grandmother was telling me about her left wrist. Apparently last November she had fallen, (I will take a picture of where she had fallen, and you will see why) and has had severe swelling of the wrist area since then. I asked her if she had fractured it, and she said that it was not a complete fracture. Anyway, she has her left wrist wrapped with a ace wrap and keeps her arm in a sling. She still experiences a great deal of pain and the hand area has +3 edema. I asked her if she had medicine for pain, and she didn´t. So, I gave her two of my extra strength tylenol and told her to take one now, and the other in the evening. Later on that evening, I found out that after we had spoken, she went to the doctor. He prescribed her Toradol intramuscular for pain (it´s like liquid motrin). The mother came into my room asking for my assistance with preparing and injecting the medication for the grandmother. I did so. I felt glad that I could help.
In future entries I will describe more of the socio-political situation here in Guatemala. Guatemala had a civil war that lasted from 1960-1996. There is still a great deal of pain and angst from the war (putting it mildly).
In my next entry, I will address your questions.
I really appreciate your feedback, thoughts, and prayers. Thank you. Your words help keep my spirits high.
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Hollygirl
non-member comment
aloha
Becky, Its great to hear that you are getting along in guatamala. What a unique experience. I wish very much aloha for you on your travels!!! I look forward to hearing from you in your journal. How much of a grasp of the language did you posess prior to your trip? Do you have much interaction with the locals... how do they respond to "the foreigner"? lots of love, holly