FINAL HOURS

Here I am down to my final hours for this trip to Guatemala. It has been a good trip in many different ways. It's funny how much being here feels like home to me and at the same time I miss everyone and my home in the States.
It was a beautiful morning here with blue sky and perfect temperature but now it has been pouring rain for the past few hours. We were going to go into Antigua for Soul Patrol that would be the last time for me but now with all this rain we just stayed home. I was looking forward to seeing my friend Lea one last time also, she was going to be in Antigua but she called and said because of the weather she would not be going in.  Susy and I talked to her yesterday on the phone to ask how she was doing since she went in on Wednesday and had her tooth pulled and she said that it had gone well and I Praise The Lord for that.
Olga came to the Base last night after she got done with school and spent the night and then she had to get up this morning and go to school because of a test they were having but she came back when she got done. Susy, Olga, and I went into Antigua and had lunch this afternoon. Susy had heard of a restaurant that serves food from Israel and we wanted to try something new so we ended up going to the Israeli restaurant which was interesting to have a restaurant in Antigua that serves Israeli food. We ordered a bunch of different things and it all ended up tasting good but we had way more food than we could Possibly eat and had leftovers that we brought back and had for dinner which was good the second time around.
Olga helped me pack so I am about ready to leave here at 4 in the morning. It's about an hour drive to the airport and my flight leaves at 7 so that should be good timing and hopefully I will be tired and can sleep some in the plane.
Yesterday was my last day of Spanish Lessons so now I have to make an effort to keep learning after I get home. Eloise was a good teacher, an intelligent woman, and she who really loved God. She seemed sad I was going but wished me well in my return home and continued learning.
I suppose that wraps up my overall expierences this trip.

TODAY

Today I find myself at McDonalds today, an unplanned trip. I haven't been here for a while now I am staying at the base and not going to school here in Antigua. Alicia called me this morning and said she was on her way to Antigua so I have come into town to meet her. I braved the bus by myself coming into town but if I return before 5 this afternoon before the road is opened for the evening taking the bus is trickey so I am still in town. We have been hanging out here at McDonalds and so far I have had lunch, then coffee, and now I am having water and we are leaving soon to go wander in the market.
I will update some more of my week. On Tuesday afternoon Susy and I took the bus and went to San Antonio Aguas Calientes to go to Lea's house and visit her. She had invited us which is interesting and unusual that a local person here would invite us to their house. We met her husband and three of her daughters were there that we have met before and then her two teenage daughters were at school. It was interesting to me to go to their house.
Wednesday it was kid's ministry at the market and after we were done with that Susy and I did some errands in town. I saw my Friend Maria who sells near the park and talked to her. Told her I would be leaving Sunday and probably wouldn't see her again. She gave me a gift of one of the things she sells which to me is very special.
Off to the market, more later.

WAITED TOO LONG

Now I have waited too long to update my blog and it is going to be difficult to remember everything I have been doing. Monday was a very big day. I didn't have my Spanish lesson because Susy and I went into town at 8:30 a.m. To meet Lea who is a friend of mine who sells things near Central Park. She has has a toothache but she has never been to a dentist and was afraid to go and also she didn't have the money to go.  Now going to the dentist here is not like in the states. You just show up at the office and wait your turn. When everybody who was there before you goes in it's your turn. As it turned out her tooth had cavities and needed to be pulled but she had infection and the dentist wanted her to start taking antibiotics before the tooth was pulled. So we then went to the pharmacy and got her prescriptions.
After that Susy had some other errands and I went to meet Joe Bedford who is friends with Olga's family and he brought them to Camino Church to look at these wood burning cooking stoves that are more efficient and are piped up through the roof so the smoke goes outside (there are three different models) to see if there was one they liked and would work for them in their house because they currently cook on an open fire in their house which is dangerous and very unhealthy because of the smoke they have to breath all the time.  They picked one out and we bought it and We got it loaded into Joe's car to get it back to their house.
After that I met Susy at Cafe Barista. I also saw my friend Clara Luz in the park and invited her to have lunch with us. I thought she needed to try something different in life. She had never eaten at this place and she had never had Crepes so she ordered kind of a crepe sandwich with a strawberry smoothie. It was fun sharing a new experience with someone.
After that Susy had to go to the doctors because of some sinus, allergy, cough, stuff she has going on. The doctor did find she had some problems and then she had to go to the pharmacy for medication he Perscribed.
Near the doctor's office I found this bakery that is apparently real well known in Antigua and they have great breads and things. They also have this really good yogurt they make and I bought some of it and have really liked it.
I was pretty exhausted after all that but we just got back to the base and ate dinner and it was time to go back to Antigua for Monday night service.
Now I have said all that it is getting late and I need to do my Spanish homework so I will have to finish catching up on the rest of this weeks activities tomorrow.

BACK TO ANTIGUA

Well we just made it back to Antigua from Lake Atitlan. We had a pleasant evening there last night. The weather was pleasant, the temperature perfect. We went to a little coffee shop just up the street from the hotel which is on the main market street. We sat outside and watched the people and listened to the music in the coffee shop. My coffee was really good.
This morning the weather was really nice and it was beautiful out but then it got real cloudy and rained a little which wasn't bad. It just makes it so you can't see the volcanoes as well. We had a good breakfast at the hotel this morning. After breakfast there is a small musuem at the hotel that has really old Mayan pots that were found down in the lake and excavated. They are all really interesting to me but some are even more interesting with the Mayan stuff on them.
Now we are back in Antigua and since we really haven't eaten since breakfast Susy and I have stopped at McDonalds to get something to eat before catching the Chicken Bus back to the base. We aren't in the regular McDonalds side but the McCafe side and I am having a crossant with cream cheese and jelly which is pretty good along with coffee and corn cake.  Got to finish my food so we can catch the bus.

PANAJACHEL & HAMMOCK

I finished out the week of  having a Spanish tutor come to the base for my lessons this week. It was not easy but it was good. Thursday and Friday I pretty much stayed at the base except walking over to the tienda. I love the tiendas. Last night I got ready for my departure to Lake Atitlan and our stay in Panajachel.
Susy and I took the chicken bus into Antigua about 6:45 this morning and stopped at the Bagel Barn for breakfast. Then we walked over to where we were to catch our shuttle to Panajachel. It was a pretty good drive and we arrived here a little before 11:00. This hotel the Posada de Rodrigo is really nice. It's right by the lake and our room has a view of the lake which is beautiful. The grounds are really nice and they have a row of hammocks along a walk way. Susy and I have come out and are laying in the hammocks. This is a first for me, I don't think I have ever got in a hammock when I have been someplace where there has been hammocks. It's not the most comfortable because my body makes it sink down too much in the middle but it's kind of fun for something different.
After we got here we rested a while in the room and then headed out the Main Street to find someplace to eat. Someone told us there is a restaurant called the CasaBlanca and that Bill Clinton had come to Guatemala and eaten there. We found the place and we decided to eat there but I don't think Bill Clinton was ever there. Naturally walking up the street with all the things for sell I couldn't resist buying. I had decided I was not going to buy anything here because I didn't need anything else but that did not happen.
It has been a nice day, the weather has been good. I think we will just chill the rest of the day. I want to go for a coffee and some ice cream later. They have a small museum here where they have a collection of different pots and things that are really old from the Mayans that I am looking forward to going to probably tomorrow after breakfast.

LOTS OF RAIN

Yesterday was the rainiest day we have had so far. It started raining about 10:30 in the morning and for a few hours it would rain and then stop and then it started to thunder and pour down. It was rainy until late last night.
I started having my Spanish lessons here at the base. My teacher's name is Eloise and she lives up the street and around the corner. She has been a good teacher but she moves along pretty quick and at times I become overwhelmed. I can't believe how difficult learning Spanish has been for me. But as the natives here keep saying "a poco a poco" and that is what I am doing.
Here is something else new I did here. Saturday when I moved to the base Susy and I watched the
Movie "Frozen". I hadn't seen it but Susy had but she likes it and wanted to watch it.  She had it down loaded on her computer so we hooked that into the TV. It was pretty good.
I have had a pretty busy week. Monday Olga's family invited me and a missionary couple, Joe and Karin Bedford that both I and they know, for lunch. It was really nice to meet Olga's family and see where she lives. It is on the other side of Ciudad Vieja from where the YWAM base is. I had a good time.
Tuesday was kids club at the market. Susy had to go into town early so I went with her because she had to get her paperwork to a business in town that has a courier service that will take your passport to Guatemala City to get your visa renewed. Just before we were headed to the market I saw Clara Luz in the park and invited her to get a fruit smoothie with us.
Yesterday I thought I would not go anywhere but last night Susy was going into Antigua for Soup Run and I decided to ride in with her and hang out at Cafe Barista. I wasn't going to go because it was raining so much but then it let up so I went. There was hardly anyone around Central Park and only a very few of the ladies who sell stuff were there. I was just going to get a coffee and spend the time updating my blog when across the street I saw one of the ladies I wanted to see. Her name is Faoastina. I don't know why she hadn't gone home because there was no one at all to sell to because of the weather. We stood on the street and talked for a while and then I asked her if she wanted to come in the cafe and have coffee with me which she did. We had a dessert also. It is difficult for me to have conversation with people because it's difficult for me to follow all of what they are saying and it stresses me out but I tried and we did have a pretty good conversation. I find it interesting to learn a little about the people and their lives.
Everyday I have homework which after class I don't want to do, I just want to rest my brain. It is a strain when I have to communicate in Spanish and it is a relief when I can just go back to my native tongue.  But I am thankful for the opportunity to be here learning more Spanish. I am forced into using it many times which is good for me and it's what I need. If I were home I would just be lazy about it and think Mañana.
I got a load of wash done the other night which was good. It's awesome to be where I can use a washer and dryer when I want.
That about sums it up for the week so far. Hasta luego.

NEW EXPERIENCES

Yesterday it was moving to the base in the morning and Olga came and spent the day and stayed overnight. We did Soul Patrol last night and that was good. It was good to stay at the base. I have a big room all to myself and my own bathroom which is more in my comfort zone.
Susy has been busy with some friends of hers who are missionary's in El Salvador who have come to Antigua for a mini vacation so I have had time alone with Olga and I have to speak Spanish so it has been good practice for me. I have improved my Spanish so far this trip but there is so much more to learn.
So here is my new experience so far today. Olga and I took the bus into Antigua and came to McDonalds because the Internet is still out at the base. I asked Olga if she wanted something to eat which she did and they were still serving breakfast. As I have said I won't eat hamburgers here but I  thought maybe an Egg McMuffin would be something I might like so that is what I ordered. I ate it and it was pretty good, pretty much like one at home.
As Olga and I were walking into town after getting off the bus we ran into Karin and Joe and their family who are the ones who are friends with Olga's family and they are the ones who are going to take me to Olga's house tomorrow.  I have been invited to meet her family and am looking forward to that.
Olga and I are going to walk down to Central Park and see if we can find Clara Luz. Then walk through the market and return to the base.

NO INTERNET

This morning I moved from my home stay in Antigua to the YWAM base. Susy came and got me at 9 this morning. My home stay was good but I am glad to move to the base. It feels much more like home, since I lived there for over three months last year.  There is lots of room, there are only 4 of us there now. And I thought how nice it was going to be to have Internet available all the time and then. . . . I find out the Internet has stopped working as of this morning. We don't know what is wrong, whether it's the company who needs to do something or our equipment that isn't working.  So now I am back at my favorite place, McDonalds having a cappuccino and using the Internet. Olga came to the base today to hang out with Susy and I which is good.

LAST DAY OF CLASS

Today was my last day of class at Maximo Nivel. I am moving to the YWAM base tomorrow morning and then I am going to have a private tutor for my Spanish the next couple of weeks. I am looking forward to moving to the base. My home stay has been good but I will be more comfortable at the base and only Susy and a couple of teenage girls who are here volunteering for a month are at the base right now so it should be really nice. I was planning on going to Maximo Nivel the whole time I was here but with the road under construction and the buses running different it is hard to commute to town every day and then I found out about having a private tutor and think that will work well for me.
After class today I came to the park to see Clara Luz but couldn't find her so I have come over to Cafe Barista for lunch. I like it here, they have free wi-fi and good food. I just finished eating a delicious vegetarian panini sandwich that had lots of mushrooms, some zucchini, peppers, and I don't know what else execep it was good. Now I am having a Crepe with berries and cream cheese and a cup of coffee.
I do like life here in Antigua. While I was in the park a lady started talking to me in Spanish and for the most part I didn't understand anything she was saying but I would nod my head up and down and say "si" and she seemed to enjoy our conversation and went away happy.
Today during class my teacher and I walked over to the Textile Museum. My teacher said it was pretty close but I think it was a little far, I would say close to a mile walk but I am glad we went. I found it very interesting. The weaving the people do here to make the fabrics they do are really works of art and the more I learn about it the more I appreciate their ability and the work they do.
Yesterday after school Susy called and said she had come into town and asked if I wanted to ride the bus back to the base with her. Because of the construction I am afraid I would get lost on the bus just going by myself  because it goes different places so I took Susy up on her offer. Then after about 5 the road opens up and I can take the bus back to my place by myself with no problem which I did. They were having a special program at the base yesterday for the mothers who bring their kids to Kids Club at the base on Thursdays. It a program they have where they let the neighborhood kids come and play for about an hour then they sing Christian songs and do a Bible story and then the kids color and have a drink of some kind when they are done. Anyway I thought it was nice they honored the mothers and had a special event for them yesterday.  The mothers seemed to really like it also.
I guess it's about time to head back to the little room and relax and also start to pack.

POLLO CAMPERO

Okay, besides going to school, yesterday I went with Susy on the chicken bus to San Antonio Aguascalientes. That is the town that many of the women who sell stuff around town here live and do weaving on a backstap loom to make much of the stuff they sell.  They had a place there with many of them selling their stuff and some of them doing weaving with the blackstrap loom. It is a very interesting process and very labor intensive for the women who do it. Upstairs in the building they had a room with the different type clothes the people wear from different areas around Guatemala. It was interesting also. The bus ride there took about half and hour. The women who sell around town I think have a hard life. They have to make that trek every day from where they live to here in Antigua carrying with them whatever they are going to sell and them they spend hours and hours around town trying to sell stuff being rejected and turned down probably hundreds of times every day. It's not what I would like to do to survive.
Today after class I went to the Central Park area to meet Clara Luz. I had bought some things from her on Sunday but didn't have enough to pay her all I needed to so she just said to meet her one day this week and give her the money. I find that pretty crazy and humorous to owe a lady that is selling  stuff on the streets of Antigua money.  Also I bought a purse from her and the strap needed to be longer so Clara took it with her and made it longer for me.
Today while I was talking to Clara I asked if she needed to go sell some things and she said it was time for her to have lunch. I asked her where she eats
And she said her Aunt brings food. I asked if she ever ate at any of the restaurants around town and she said no that it was too expensive. I invited her and a friend she was with to go to lunch with me and she accepted. On the way her niece was passing by so she came with us. Clara wanted to eat at Pollo Compero which is a chicken place that the locals really like. So we ate at Pollo Campero. It was kind of fun to go to lunch with them.
Now I am having my coffee at McDonalds in order to use the Internet and update my Blog. Susy and I don't know who else are going to be at the market at 4 to do kid's Club so I suppose I will walk over and meet them there. After that it will be back to my room to rest and do homework.

MY FAVORITE LUNCH

Here I am at McDonalds have my favorite lunch, coleslaw, soda crackers, liquid yogurt, and a cappuccino.  For breakfast today I was served a lunch meat and cheese sandwich with mayo and ketchup. In all my traveling in Latin America I have never eaten a lunch meat sandwich, very deliberately in my part. If I have had to have a sandwich with lunch meat and cheese I will ALWAYS leave the meat off and only have cheese. But this morning I go in to have breakfast and there on my plate is a sandwich with meat and not only that but ketchup.  I always try and eat what I am served sooooo I just ate it. It wasn't too bad but it still is not a choice I would make to have in the future.
Tonight is the Monday night YWAM English church service which I will go to. It is nice to have fellowship with the YWAMers while I am here.
When I leave here and head back to my room I will make a detour to pick up laundry which I will be glad to have clean clothes.
That's it for today.

FULL WEEKEND

Well it has been a full weekend. Yesterday I left my house about 9:15 and got a ride in a Tuk Tuk to the base because the road was closed and I don't know how to get around on the buses with the road closed and don't want to find myself left somewhere I have no idea where I am which is most anywhere here. Olga came to the base to spend the day with Susy and I. Kalissa was taking the DTS students to a town called Chimaltanango, which is a town I haven't been to so we joined them for the day. They were going to a Mega Paca which is a second hand store to find last minute clothes they might need for their travels as they left this morning for their outreach.  Olga, Susy, and I walked over to a small mall that is in town and ate at a Taco Bell. Then when when we were coming back Kalissa stopped in Antigua for about an hour. Susy, Olfa and I went to a couple of tourist agency places to find out about taking a shuttle and going to Panajachel and Lake Atitlan for a weekend.  When we got back to the base I rested for a while and then Olga and I stayed and had dinner. Susy was driving into Antigua for Soul Patrol and Olga and I went with her. It was a good day and evening. My problem is I get too many of the ladies who sell things in the market trying to sell me things and I like some if them and buy things from them. They do have nice stuff they sell but you can only buy so much. I am learning a little more about some things around here. I've learned that most of the ladies that sell stuff around Central Park love in a town called San Antonio Agua Calientes and people in that town so a lot of the back strap loom weaving of the things they sell.
This morning I walked down and left my dirty clothes at the laundry. I like having my laundry done. Then I met Susy and the two Canadian girls who are staying and volunteering at the YWAM base at Iglesias Del Camino church. We had lunch and parted ways. I went to find a market Clara Luz told me about that is a couple of blocks from Central Square and they sell in the streets there only in Saturday and Sunday. I found Clara, sat with her and talked with her for a while. I bought a couple of nice pieces from her she said she had made.
It's a nice day, cloudy but very pleasant weather. I am going head back to my room and do some studying and of course resting and then later I will go with Susy to Soul Patrol. I continue to stay busy doing and learning new things which has been good.

Mi Lugare Favorita - McDonalds

At home, McDonalds is not one of my favorite places so it does seem odd I am at McDonalds so often in Central America but it's not the food that draws me but the Internet number one and then here the coffee is great!  Since I don't like McDonalds food I stopped at a little bakery I like and bought a sweet bread to eat with my coffee here and then since I like the coleslaw here I also stopped at the store and bought some soda crackers to eat with my coleslaw. Kind of a different lunch but it works for me. At school today I learned that tomorrow on Saturday is Mother's Day. My teacher said it is whatever the actual day is for Mother's Day so the day it is celebrated on changes each year. Yesterday after class Susy was in town picking up Florecita from the market so I rode with them back to the base and spent the afternoon. I got to talk with Bruce for a while. He is leaving tomorrow for the states for about a month to help raise funds to build a permanent YWAM base here in Guatemala. I caught a bus to go back to my house and the bus was pretty full when I got on and after a few stops it was 'Full' at least by my standards and anyone I know would have said the same but not by Guatemalan standards. The driver kept stopping and picking up more people which I couldn't believe and finally he stopped and picked up about 8 guys who could not even fit in. Some were literally  hanging onto the outside of the bus. I could barely squeeze off but was glad when I did.
The rest of the day I don't have any plans so my plan is to rest a little, read a little, and study a little.

ANOTHER DAY

Another day here in beautiful Guatemala. Yesterday was a restful day. I caught up in writing emails and my blog, went back to my room and rested for a while then read the Bible and did my homework.  I have really enjoyed having friends here and things to do but it was nice to have a down day.
The weather have been very nice but that is no surprise. We did have a couple afternoons of rain last week but other than that it is pretty much perfect weather.
Susy and I found a bike for Olga on Monday and Bruce was kind enough to stop by my place afterWednesday  night service and tie it to the top of the van to take back to te base. Susy called me this morning and said Olga got the bike and she really likes it. I pray it is a blessing for her and all the walking she has to do. There are two new girls at the base from Canada that came here to volunteer and she is going to drive them into Antigua to show them around so I am going to meet up with them this afternoon. So for today I have plans this afternoon. I will head back to my room and rest for a while before I go.

McDonalds

Class is over for the day. The place where I am staying only provides breakfast and dinner so I am on my own for lunch. There is a McDonalds here that I like, not because of the food but the view and the coffee are both great.  I am not a fast food eater but I found they have pretty good coleslaw so I am eating that with some soda crackers and having a delicious cappuccino. They also have free wi-fi here which makes it a good place to come.  Last night I went to the YWAM Monday night service at la Inglesia del Camino. Bruce played a video from a guy who was speaking about world missions. He was very good and interesting and I enjoyed it.
Traveling in places like Guatemala are not for the faint hearted or those not looking for adventure. It's a place where walking is not for exercise but a necessity if you want to get anywhere and drinking bottled water is not a luxury but a necessity if you don't want to become sick. A place where you don't know what you might be fed for your next meal or once you do have your food in front of you you still might not know what it is. For all the differences that are strange, difficult, or weird there are  many more differences that are interesting, fun, challenging, and rewarding. I want to embrace the differences and pray God uses me to build His Kingdom with those of different cultures.

SECOND WEEK

This is the beginning of the second week. I changed my class hours from 4 hours a day to 3. It was too much to sit one on one with my teacher Evelyn. It was a busy weekend. The road was open so we could take the bus as normal which was good so I didn't have to pay for tuk tuk's or taxi's. Susy and I went to Joe and Karin Bedford's to visit and play cards Friday night and it was good. They know Olga's family and have been to her house so it was good to know a little more about Olga. Saturday morning was the Macadamia nut farm and then that evening I met Bruce and Susy at Central Park for Soul Patrol. It was a good evening. Sunday morning I walked over and picked up my laundry and then met Kalissa at Camino Church. After we stopped at Subway for a sandwich and then went to the base. Kalissa and I visited for a while when we were waiting for Susy and I enjoyed talking with her and then we watched the DVD 'The Bema Seat'. I went to my house for dinner and then Susy stopped and picked me up when they were headed into town for Sunday Soul Patrol. It was another good evening and a very good weekend overall.
Susy is headed into town now and we are going to meet at the market to try and find a bike for Olga.

SATURDAY

So this morning I caught a bus by myself and headed down the road where I met up with Kalissa and Susy where we continued in the bus a little further and met up with Olga and then went further and got off the bus at the macadamia farm. We had great macadamia nut pancakes for breakfast and then had a good time of fellowship and relaxing. I went back to the base and then rode into town with Susy when she was coming to pick up
Florecita. Susy stopped at my place and let me gather up my laundry and dropped me off at the laundry place which was good. They said it was suppose to be ready tonight at 8 so I will have to figure out how I am going to get it because I was going to me them at 7 tonight for Soul Patrol at Central Park.
By the way school has been good so far. I like the school I am going to this time, Maximo Nivel. They are open from like 8 in the morning until 8 at night and you can go there and hang out and use their wi-fi and they have a little snack bar place.
All is well so far Praise The Lord.

UNA SEMANA BEHIND ME ALREADY

Wow I can't believe I have been here one week already. It has been the same as last time in that I go to school in the morning (although a different kind of school) and then I seem to be very busy the rest of the day. The difference being all the things I stay busy doing now are what I want to do not what someone else has planned for me to do. Susy has been a real blessing to me and helped me with lots of different things getting oriented to being here again and then not only that but being here by myself. I have been doing a "home stay" with a family in Antigua. I have a small room and then I eat breakfast and dinner there. It has been fine but certainly not fancy. My two favorite classmates from the DTS were Alicia and Olga and I have been able to spend time with both of them. Alicia came to Antigua for a couple of days so we met last Wednesday after u got done with class and went to the base and was able to see several people we know which was good. Then again on Thursday it was a holiday here so no school so Alicia and I met in the morning and went to the base. Olga goes to school in the afternoon but she had no school that day so she met us at the base and it was so good to finally see her again. We are lunch at the base then the three of us came back to Antigua and went to McDonalds for coffee which was great. Then they
Both took buses and went their seperate ways and I went back to my room.