Lago de Panajachel

Soooooo, this weekend we went to the most beautiful place that I have ever been, Panajachel, GT. Okay, okay, waking up at 4:30 to pack & leave was excruciating, and the 2 hour CURVY bus ride got to some people, but when we pulled up at the Jardines de Lago it was all worth it. Walking into the plaza of the open-aired hotel lobby, I began to see some flowers and some water... the closer I got, the more picturesque the landscape became. It was stunning! There were three volcanoes resting along the banks of the most ginormous lake I have ever seen. To frame the landscape, there were thousand of beautiful flowers in archways, along rails, and just dancing in the breeze.


Then, we boarded a boat and cruised on the azure blue lake. Locals waved and said that the loved us from the shore, meanwhile we salsa-ed to classics like Michael Jackson and Shakira. As we were about to come ashore a small town along the lake, rain began assailing our sweet boat. We made the executive decision to cruise more and not visit the cute little coastal town.


Upon returning, we had the option of eating at the hotel or somewhere else. Doctora V, Jorgito, Marvin, 3 chicas, y yo decided to dine there. Listen to this deal: for 83Q (approximately $11), we got a four course meal (with steak!). It was crafted to perfection, the presentation and the taste. Then included in the meal deal, we got 1 hour of kayaking on the bellisimo lago.


SO, Laura, Rachel, Sam, and I strapped on our floation devices and hopped in the 2 person kayaks and sailed away. Being fluid with the water, out on the lake, was breathtaking: volcanoes and mountains enveloped the water. All we could see was mile of lake and greenery. It was remarkable. After switching boats in the middle of the water, it started to thunder, so we sailed back to shore and got mister guatemaguapo to help us out of the water. (It has GOT to be a SIN to be that GUATEMAGUAPO :) ) [Guapo=Goodlookin')


Then, then we went around Panajachel and bought some goodies. We also dined at this cute little pizzeria. While we were there most beautiful 4 year old little girl cam and sat at our table trying to sell up little bolsas. When we said, "no," she continued to sit there and watch us eat. I wondered if she was hungry. After asking her a series of questions, we found out that she is 4, she has 4 brother/sisters, and her mother was standing against the wall in the restaurant. The pobresita (poor little thing) was four having to sell things. There was another little boy who had sold me something saying he need the money for school. When I bought it, I said "buena suerte en escuela" and he was like "huh"... ha they know how to play on the emotions of Americans. Then, we began hearing the most strange music of our life. It was an American couple singing their debut solo, "Walk the Dog."


There were hippies playing their recorders, well not playing...squeeking their recorders all along the streets. People begged for your money, and people pleaded for your purchase. It was just a strange world (the city, that is).


The lake, however, was out-of-this world. Apparently, Walt Disney used to vacation there... No wonder his films were so great, he has incredible inspiration. For 3 people in a room, with 3 beds, it was $90. In the states, that is amazing, but here that is like 700Q which is more than some people make in a month. It is wild. It is humbling.


All in all, you have to visit Panajachel. Es bellisimo!

For the Record...

1. Everyone got sick this week
2. The children here are the cutest in the world
3. Walmart does not carry powdered sugar
4. Taco bell serves french fries (deluxe fries, too)
5. The Lucky One is called Cuando Te Encuentre, and it is good
6. You can see a movie for $3 dollars
7. They have stores called "fashion Elegance" that carry Hollister, Tommy Hilfiger, Abercrombie, Aero, and more
8. When your taxi man Miguel says that he will be there to pick you up in 20 minutes, he actually means he will be there in 1 hour 15 minutes.... don't be deceived. 20 minutes does not equal 20 minutes.
9. If you are a woman, meaning you have XX chromosomes, then you will get whistled and stared at frequently. When I say frequently, I mean 24 hours a day.
10. There are loners that creep around at night
11. You need your passport to exchange money at a bank (which is the least likely to gyp you & has the best exchange rate)
12. Natives will ask to get a picture with you, and then their friends will hoot & cheer for their victory afterwards
13. There is a dog breed called "doggo guatemalteco" that is PRESH.
14. NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES EAT SEAFOOD OR FOOD AT THE BEACH.
15. A man that can salsa is a man that can "conquistadar la mujer" ;)

When Marimba Rhythms Start to Play...

Whoever wrote the lyrics "when marimba rhythms start to play, dance with me, make me sway" was literally writing the soundtrack to my soul. Tonight was incredible. I have never heard so much beautiful music. It was vivacious, colorful, and smooth. It was the marimba, which is native to Guatemala. Tonight, at our Guatemalan school, there was a performance by about 12 teenagers: they were playing the marimba. It was raw. The music that resonated in that little school plaza was crystal clear. It was beautiful. I could not help but sway and dance to the song. The songs, the marimbas, and the talent of those young people made me come alive. And the young guys that were playing were spectacular. Apparently, this program that they are apart of is trying to preserve the marimba-goodness. Before graduating from the program, each student must not only be able to play the marimba fluidly, but must build a marimba. Now let me just tell you, these were no Fisher Price marimbas, these were the size of economy-sized cars, which means that is quite a task for these "pobresitos." At the end of the night and many sambas and cumbias, one of the little guys that was playing wanted to get a picture with me and Laura. Then I got a group picture with them. And then a got another picture with my favorite little marimba show-stopper Kevin. It was fabulous :) What a remarkable night!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYorZEdoaPU

Pollo Campero

Soooo, we officially made it to Guatemala on Monday. After 6 hours on the plane and 6 in the van, we made it to Xela. We went to the school first, where we met our host moms (guatemama as I call her). She took me back to her casa, which is a very large house, and gave me my first cena which consisted of "frijoles" y "huevos" or black beans and eggs. She also introduced me to abuelita who was watching Joyce Meyer in Spanish. Thank you God! I have to admit, at first it was kind of awkward, with a lot of smiling and (fake) nodding. Then, (praise Jesus) I met another girl that lives here and teaches at an English school. Turns out she is from Texas and speaks fabulous, Southern English! So, I was definitely thanksful for her. I also found out that my guatemama and I have the same name...Rachel Elizabeth and Raquel Elizabet. She also is madly in love with Jesus and is an active Christian (Protestant, too). Truly the first day was a little intimidating, but everything got better!

The second day all of the students met our one-on-one teachers. My teacher is Edwin. We just talked (in Spanish, of course). Come to find out, he is actually a youth pastor. He used to be the youth pastor at Lakewood (AKA Joel Osteen's church). He pulled out his bilingual bible, and we got to talk abut Christ's goodness. Fue fantastico!

There is a huge difference between Guatemala city and Xela. Guate City is a lot like America. Then driving through the country, we saw the extreme poverty. Xela is in between kind of in the middle. Still, all the people that I met have been so sweet! I even got lost twice and went to a fellow classmates house, and his guatemama walked me home, twice! The people here greet you with a kiss on the cheek. The city is very tranquil and cozy. I have never seen so many laborious people: everyone seems to do manual labor. Also, they have fast food places just like us: KFC, McDonalds, Taco Bell, and , oh yeah, Pollo Campero (translation: Wild Chicken). This was our first stop after leaving the airport as we headed to Xela. They served fried chicken.... ha.

I already feel like I am learning a ton. I am so thankful for this experience that God has given me :) It has been such an encouraging adventure so far!

Mission

I just found this personal mission I wrote during my freshman year of college. I hope I can fulfill this as I go to Central America..."I desire to passionately dance with life while tenderly embracing the individuals that paint their way onto my canvas and while joyfully serving my Creator and Savior who cherished me enough to redeem my life"

2 Timoteo 1:7

In a few days, I will be embarking on the most exotic adventure of my life so far... Packing and preparing has been a lot more work than I thought it would be, and truly, completely overwhelming. Hopefully, everything will come together before we leave!

I pray that my mind will be a sponge while I am there, soaking up the Spanish language and Guatemalan culture. This is an opportunity that the Lord has blessed me with, and I believe He will cultivate my heart on this journey. I'm so excited :)

"Porque no nos ha dado Dios el espíritu de temor, sino el de fortaleza, y de amor, y de templanza." 2 Timoteo 1:7

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a Spirit of power." 2 Timothy 1:7

17 Minutes of HA

Wow, oh wow. Tonight was interesting, exciting, and frustrating all at the same time. See, one of the assignment was to call our host mom in Guatemala. After finding the calling code for Guatemala--it's 502 if you need to know--, I anxiously dialed the 8 digit phone number for Señora Raquel. Then instead of the traditional ring, ring, ring, I heard a beeeeep, click, beeeep. HA, Hola? Hello? After asking for Señora Raquel and having this lady ramble in Spanish, I realized that I am not quite the master of Spanish that I thought I was. Maybe one sentence of what I wrote down to say was actually said. Let's just say that improvised-Spanish is not my forte. Ha. She sent her daughter who spoke some English to the phone; her name was Gabriela. We tried to switch email addresses so we could find each other on Facebook. Somehow, some of the Spanish alphabet just went -poof- out of my brain, making it difficult to write down the bay, erre, and effes, she was saying. Finally, after 17 minutes and a lot of lo sientos and no comprendos, Señora Raquel gave me a good night. I can tell already that she and her family are going to be a hoot to live with. Ojalá ella pueda aydudarme con mi español. Lo necesito. :) Fingers-crossed!