I’ve seen a volcano erupt!

Hola hola!

First off, I apologize that the videos did not work in the first post! To make up for it, here is a picture of me roasting a marshmallow over a hot spot at Pacaya. There is a picture of Carlo below.

A lot has happened since I last posted. I am learning so much in my classes and am very grateful that my teachers address my specific weaknesses and confusions. I am especially grateful that much of class time is spent in conversation, which is exactly what I need. For example, my classmates and I had an interesting conversation with my teacher about the different cultures of the United States and Guatemala. My teacher told us that one thing that surprises her about our culture is how casual we are when we talk to our parents or grandparents. Considering that my teacher is extremely progressive, this comment came as a surprise and was therefore more impactful for me. Even though she wants to get rid of many aspects of traditional Guatemalan culture, she is still shocked that Americans can be so casual and even disrespectful to their elders. Our conversation has made me think about how I treat my parents, grandparents, professors, and other adults in my life.

I wish that I talked more in Spanish outside of class, but it is difficult to talk in Spanish with the other English-speaking students and volunteers. However, a few new people have joined my host family–a med student from the Netherlands and a couple from northern California–and they are encouraging those of us living together to speak in Spanish at dinner. I am excited to have a chance to practice at home not just with my host family but with the other students as well. 

I went kayaking two Sundays ago in lake Atitlan, and I do believe that it was one of the best days of my life. It was a beautiful day, and the views were stunning. I may have ingested some bacteria from the lake, but the trip was worth the stomachache. I went with some incredible and very different people from me, and I was very sad to see them leave this past weekend. One thing that has already been wonderful and difficult about this trip is that I am meeting so many amazing people for such a brief period of time. Perhaps its the nature of being in a foreign country and traveling together, but everyone here quickly becomes close. 

Speaking of people I love and may not ever again see in my life, my friend Manu and I hiked the dormant volcano Acetanango this past weekend. Manu left early this morning, and though we have made several plans to visit each other and travel together, I simply do not know if I will ever see her again. I am so thankful for the time I have had with her.

Although many people said beforehand that the hike was extremely difficult, I did not find it all that hard. I was always at the front of our group of 23 hikers, 16 porters hired to carry the backpacks of 16 hikers, and 3 guides. There were some challenging sections, but they were not as difficult as some hikes I have been on in Colorado. The hike, like lake Atitlan, was also stunning. Even though it was foggy as we climbed up on Saturday, the scenery we could see was lush and bright green, completely different from my Rockies. At 4:30 on Sunday morning, I left our campsite and hiked to the summit of Acetanango with three other hikers and one guide. It was breathtaking. The wind was strong and cold and the sunrise was incredible, all of which added to the epic feeling of reaching the top of a volcano. From the summit and from the campsite, we were able to see the very active volcano Fuego, which erupted multiple times while we were there. To top it all off, I met some amazing and slightly crazy people on the hike. There was a group of 10 from New York who brought with them a ton of alcohol and drugs, so they made the hike and the overnight stay interesting. None of them could remember my name, so they all called me Colorado instead. I was quite proud of my nickname. 

My hike up Acetanango made me grateful for the little but noticeable progress I have made in my Spanish. I was sometimes called on to speak to our Guatemalan guides when hikers had different questions, and I was even able to carry small conversations with the guides. The little conversations I had made me even more desirous and determined to learn Spanish, because I would have liked to have had more substantial conversations with our guides.

I did not attend cooking class or salsa dancing class last week, but I did go to the soccer game Thursday afternoon. I was really looking to forward to it, but it was a disappointment. I think I will have words with whoever allowed all the guys who know how to play soccer to form their own teams and subsequently monopolize the playing time and field. Next time I go, I will be sure to allow the girls, myself included, to have more playing time. However, I went salsa dancing at a salsa bar that night, and that made up for it. I am pretty bad at salsa, but when I dance with someone who knows what he is doing, it is really enjoyable. I love the culture of salsa dancing here and hope that I can continue to learn once I return to the States. Sadly, I do not have a great picture of the salsa bar. If I am ever able to post videos, I will post one that I have of the live band and the dancing.

I do have an update on the Guatemalan novio, surprisingly enough. Carlo is convinced that I am in love with his older brother, Adriano, and he and the entire family make fun of us. Here’s the story: Adriano went to a party two Saturday nights ago and wore a suit, and so I and the rest of the people at the table may I add said that he looked very handsome. I guess Carlo only heard–or only wanted to hear–me say that Adriano looked good in a suit, and from then on he’s said that I am Adriano’s novio and am going to marry Adriano in three years. (Don’t ask about the timeline. I also don’t know why it will happen in three years.) Carlo has also said that he wants me to be his cuñada, which means sister-in-law, and stay with his family. I am taking this situation as a compliment, even though I am sometimes very flustered because I cannot always understand what my host family is saying. I do know for sure that my host mom and dad are always laughing at me, and the fact that I blush very easily makes it worse. What’s more, Adriano may actually have a crush on me and has even asked me to go out with him. This is quite an uncomfortable situation for me, especially since I have to live six more weeks with them. I’m happy, however, that I have been placed with a family that has accepted me so completely that they joke (or maybe don’t joke?) about me literally joining the family. 

Here’s a fun fact about Guatemala: there are 25 languages total spoken here. Of these, 22 are Mayan, 1 is Xinca, 1 is Garifuna, and 1 is Spanish. With stats like these, it’s not surprising that 40% of the population in Guatemala is indigenous Mayan. Moreover, as part of the school curriculums here, students must study a Mayan language.

I’ll end my post with some pictures of the food I have eaten.

Enchilada Guatemalteca: also known as the tostada, this is the second street food I have bought here. It was both delicious and very difficult to eat. The tostada is a typical Guatemalan food that consists of a fried tortilla (it looks like a big tortilla chip) as its base and is topped with guacamole, lettuce, and a variety of salads and sauces. I chose to get a vegetarian one (I’m not yet brave enough to buy meat from a street vendor), which consisted of a beet salad, another mystery salad, onions, cilantro, cojita cheese, and an amazing sauce. 

Typical Guatemalan breakfast: this consists of beans, eggs, fried plantains, tortillas, and–if you’re lucky–avocado. My host mom often makes us a simplified version (just frijoles y huevos, the two staples of the Guatemalan diet) for dinner. At nearly every restaurant I have been to that serves breakfast, desayuno tipico is offered. It has yet to disappoint.

There is so much more I could say, but this is already getting long, and I also promised Carlo that I would play with him after I finished writing this post. I hope you are all doing well! Remember to be respectful to your parents.

Juliet