Siete Altares y Topado...mmm...

I never realized how much I can worry over things. We needed to find an internet café to clear my camera memory onto a CD again, and even though I don't voice my thoughts, I very often find myself preoccupied with the details of how things are going to work out, and wondering IF they are going to work out. Of course they will! But how often I doubt it.

After walking all around town looking for an open internet cafe, we found a place which charged a little bit more than we wanted (and whose attitude was less than desirable about serving us). We kept walking around, and met a Garifuna woman (that's the name for the locals in Livingston. They have very black skin, and speak Spanish and sometimes English) who offered to braid my hair for a good price. Como no! (Why not!) It was a painful ordeal, but I had fun having my appearance transformed, and chatting with our new friend. Since the power was still out in the city, going to the major business shops for the internet seemed our only option. As we continued to walk around town, Anghel motioned me to enter a Tigo shop with him, where a young woman sat at the desk with a laptop. What a clever guy. He struck up a conversation with her and asked her simply if we might use her computer to burn a CD. She was very kind and accommodating, and I had a pretty good conversation with her as well while Anghel went out to buy a blank CDR. I am constantly amazed and the trust and friendliness of this people, and especially in Livingston. Because it is so far removed from civilization and difficult, (an hour boat ride one way), there is an atmosphere of peace and safety there. Perhaps this contributes to the renown gaiety of the people. The Tigo woman and I spoke a little about my volunteering at the school in Guatemala City, and she commented on the great need for education in Livingston. Again, the distance from civilization makes it difficult to access higher learning. Our new friend at the Tigo store wouldn't take payment for helping us (even though it took about an hour to get everything done), so Anghel and I went and bought her some fruit since she hadn't had breakfast yet. By the time we took a taxi towards our next destination (which I had only a vague idea about), it was about 9am. We walked about an hour after the taxi ride, but it was a pleasant walk along the palmy beach of Livingston. I still felt a little tired, and very thirsty, but the ocean breeze was refreshing (though still humid), and the change of scenery gave me new energy. We crossed little rivulets running into the ocean, and saw boats close to the shore casting nets for fish. There were lopsided palm trees filled with fresh coconuts, as well as mango trees which dotted the shore. I stopped Angel to try to get a coconut down (I was really thirsty!), but even when we got it by knocking it over and over with a huge bamboo pole, we had no way to cut it open. Doh! We decided to stash it under a little ledge of sand and tree-roots until our return. Not much later, we found a man with a machete who we paid 5 quetzales for one of the coconuts of his tree. He let me try to hack mine open before he did the rest. It was great! I felt like a real native of the land. Hehehe. And MAN, was that coconut milk GOOD. So refreshing, and mildly sweet. So fresh! Once we cut the coconut open for the meat, our new friend sliced me my own spoon out of the shell of the coconut, which was perfect for scooping the soft white flesh out of the small crater of the core. By the end of our trek, after having a refreshing drink from a natural spring coming from the rocks of the beach jungle, we paid admission at the little restaurant/rest-stop and hiked into the forest, home of Siete Altares. Here, again, the pictures must do the talking. This was by far my favorite tourist spot of the trip, having all my favorite qualities of nature. It was cool under the canopy of trees, picking our way over rocks and across the stream. There were little plateaus of water leading up to a quaint fall, which is probably why the place is named "Seven Alters." I only wish we could have stayed longer at the waterfall, but we had to get back in time to meet the taxi and continue the rest of our journey. I felt higher in spirits going back than coming in, and for once, Anghel was the one trying to keep up with me. I had also made a decision to appreciate my trip and my tour-guide more, since earlier I felt a bit plaintive and reserved, and that and a prayer made all the difference. I was really enjoying myself, now. On the way back down the beach, we met some Guatemalan youth knocking mangoes out of a tree with a slingshot. They shared one with us, since we couldn't reach (thanks, Anghel, for asking for me), and continued happily on our way. I commented frequently how beautiful the landscape (paisaje) was "¡Que hermoso!", to which Anghel always replied "Thank you," as if I had been referring to him. What a clown! (¡Payaso!) I met the same group of guys again on the way back into town, when Anghel and I hitched a ride on a pickup truck. I rode in the back with them, and had a stilted conversation, which led them to recommending a nearby restaurant for my first taste of "Tapado." Anghel and I got off and went into the something Gato (I forgot the name), one of the three famous restaurants in Livingston for great Tapado. It cost 56 quetzales, pretty steep compared to everything else (Anghel got his lunch for 12), but worth every bit! That soup...was...SO...GOOOD! I don't usually make a habit of eating food that still has head and eyes attached, but for this I was willing to make an exception. One taste of that creamy, tantalizing coconut broth made my spirits dance and my mouth come alive. There's no way to describe it other than, "Will you marry me?" One huge bowl was quite satisfying, though, and you can see the before and after photos. It took me about 30 minutes to eat, because I had to peel the shell off of the crabs and shrimp, and carefully remove the bones as I ate the fish, but it was quite the experience, and working to get the meat off my food only made me appreciate each bite that much more. After lunch, we walked back to the hotel, (me lugging the two coconuts we'd found on the beach all the way), and cleaned up. We got to a lancha just in time, and as we waited for it, met a funny boy who had randomly wandered up to me to talk. He was fascinated by my camera, I think, and showed me some coins he had. I gave him a couple of 25 centavo coins, and he pocketed them quick enough. Anghel and I had to laugh as his older sister came and hauled him away by the arm with a strong rebuke from mother for wandering off. His chin was stuck proudly in the air as he allowed himself to be scuffled gruffly away. It reminded me of a comical scene from "The Little Rascals." After a half-hour boat ride to Porta Barrios, we met with a disciple named José and met his family. His wife's name is Evelyn, and they are the Corranado family. They are so sweet and giving! They moved to this poor city to help start a church, and are extremely poor themselves, with 3 or 4 children (I believe...yo creo), and only two bedrooms. There are already two other families whose lives have changed because of them, and I've never met such faithful, content, and generous people with so very little. We went out shopping with Evelyn and José, and Anghel and I bought them groceries as well as food for dinner. Evelyn made some delicious Argentinian food for us (since that's where she's originally from), and I ate more than my share of Platanos. She had made some kind of runny egg with a really tasty salsa, frijoles (of course, por supuesto), and ham on bread. Good breakfast sandwich, and a special treat at 8 pm at night. While we ate, Anghel shared a scriptures and well all talked about God according to his word in the Bible. I was asked to share, so I read Romans 8:1-17 and talked about what I had recently been learning about my selfishness and ungratefulness. The whole night made me very aware of our need for God as human beings, and sharing in the truth of what Jesus taught, which is love, and forgiveness, and a way out of all the mess inside of us as people. Time for bed...see you at 1am when we wake up to catch our bus back to Guatemala city!

To the Canopy Tour, and Beyond!

Once again, I’m learning how much more I need to trust God one day at a time. Today, I had a 100 quetzale bill left (worth about $13), with an extra 6 quetzales in change. We got to our first destination that morning after a 30 minute van-ride into the countryside of Peten: the Mono Canopy Tour. Unfortunately, (communication again), they didn’t take credit card as we had believed. The cost normally was 150 quetzales, and we were about 30 minutes or more from any ATM, plus the cost of the taxi (80 quetzales). We wouldn't have time to go pull out more cash from an ATM, so the manager of the tour graciously offered to give me the ride for only 100 quetzales, seeing as how it was early, and I was the only customer. The only problem with that offer was that it left Anghel and me without money for transportation. We'd be stuck out in the middle of farmland with only my 4 quetzales and Anghel's 6. "You take the ride," Anghel urged me with a grin. "We can make it with 10 quetzales." "Are you sure?" I'm sure he heard the skepticism in my voice. I understood enough Spanish to know that the man had told him it would cost about 40 quetzales each to get to the city we needed to go afterwards. "Sure, sure, go have fun!" Just trust. "Okay...thanks, Anghel. Here we go!" I got to zip-line through the forest of Peten on this great canopy tour! I love this sort of thing. Nature and the beauty of God’s creation always make me feel awe and wonder. I'm so grateful for Anghel's confidence as a tour-guide. I couldn't have done all this without him. So, you're probably wondering what happened after my tour. Well, the first van that passed us on the road was willing to take us into the city we needed, so we could pull out money from an ATM and pay him. Great! Easier than pie...or pan. We waited a couple hours for the next long bus-ride (about 3 and a half hours) into our next destination. Surprisingly, we were late again, arriving in Rio Dulce at about 4pm. Not to worry: we were able to find a final boat heading for Livingston (which one can only reach by water), and enjoyed our own private lancha ride through the peaceful river waters of... Wait a minute...what's that? Hay tormenta! A storm's a'comin'! Thank goodness I had my water-proof clothes handy. And not a moment too soon. That thing came up quick! I wish you could have been there to hear how loud the thunder was, and how bright the streaks of lightning stabbing from the heavens into the water below. What an experience! Those water drops were fat and heavy, too. Okay, we're through the storm, and are now enjoying a smooth ride across the scenic shores of the river. Oooh...ahh... After the storm broke, we saw an incredible feat of fishing! Check it out! If you thought the surprises were over, you haven't learned your lesson yet. ;) Once we got to Livingston, the storm we had escaped following close on our heels, we discovered that there was absolutely, positively no electricity. We arrived just as the sun was setting, at about 6pm. I hear the nightlife in Livingston is completely different than in waking hours. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I never got to confirm this rumor. After an impromptu dinner of frijoles, eggs, and bread we were able to cook over a gas stove, Anghel, Diana (our gracious host and local hotel owner, who incidentally is studying the Bible to become a disciple), and I strolled the black streets of Livingston to accompanying peals of thunder and lightening. Thanks to the humidity here, as was in Peten, I enjoyed the enchanting sparkle of fireflies along our walk, which will continue to be a special memory for me. Once we got to the main street, there were shops with power (thanks to their back-up generators), and one restaurant had a live band playing a typical kind of island music, though with a distinct latin flavor. I guess that's a piece of the night life I've heard about. We walked another half hour back to the hotel once we finished meandering, and I gratefully took a shower (cold, of course), and plopped into bed. Sweet dreams!

Another Toursist at Tikal

It was about 8am when we finally reached our destination, which meant we were a few hours behind schedule. Still, it all worked out. We checked into the hotel that Gelion’s cousin owned, thinking we would have two rooms waiting for us, but discovered only one made for us. There’s that Guatemalan communication again, hehehe. I’m learning to expect it, which is helping my heart take everything in stride.

We left our stuff in the room of Jardina Maya and headed to Tikal, leaving the details of the hotel to work out when we got back.

As for Tikal, well, if a picture is worth a thousand words, I’d better let the camera do the talking:

After our full day trekking across the Mayan ruins of Tikal, we took a few trips back and forth from our hotel to the internet café, in order to transfer my pictures from camera to CD. On the way, and walking with a friend we had made on the street that same morning (supposedly a local drunk, but he hardly seemed drunk to Anghel and me), I saw a flash out of the corner of my eye. Thinking it was nothing but those things that always float in our vision, I ignored it. Then I saw it again. And again. Was I seeing stars? Maybe I had done a little too much walking today... But no, there it was again, and this time I could center my vision on it. "Anghel, what are those? Are those...FIREFLIES?" The realization hit me as I turned my head to look at the field of grass standing just before the shore of the river. There were hundreds of sparkles flashing at different intervals, like little sparks from a flint, only silver instead of gold. I had always imagined fireflies as tiny lightbulbs, glowing and bobbing in swarms through the air. But these...these were random, tiny flashes of starlight, equally magical, but hardly noticeable if you weren't watching carefully. I was enchanted. "Me encantan!" I exclaimed in girlish delight. So I have a childlike heart...¿Sí, y qué? When we finally sorted things out at the hotel, it was 9pm, and Anghel had to find a different hotel since there were no more rooms available. The wife of Gelion's cousin relented and let us have the room for 50 Quetzales, as we were led to believe the cost would be (instead of 150 that they were going to charge us). We just had to promise not to tell anyone else that we got it so cheap...whoops. ;) Well, anyone in Guatemala. Finally, after a 9 hour bus ride to Tikal, and another 9 or 10 hours of walking, hiking, high-stepping, and climbing, I enjoyed a niiice, cold shower. Of course, I had to share it with a few spiders, but they were probably as hot as I was. Honestly, I was feeling a little spooked about being all alone in the dark room, and draping masquito netting over my bed didn't help my claustrophobic feeling. Once the lights were off, it was black, and I mean pitch. Who knows what lurks in the beds of Peten? My hostess told me to always check under the sheets before I get in. Very comforting. Once in bed and protected by netting, I read some scriptures by LED light, and felt better about the fear in my heart. I spent the night well enough, despite a fitful rest. With only sheets for covers, even though it was humid, I found myself chilled. Still, I'm grateful for a bed. Buenas noches.

Back in Business!

At last, I’m back to work with the HOPE school teachers! It’s been two weeks, and it feels like forever. We had a great class of sensitivity and characterization, mostly different variations of the mirror exercises, and I could see the growth from the beginning of class to the end. These methods really do work. I have to keep reassuring myself that there is value in what I’m doing here.

Later that night, I got my things together for my trip to Tikal, and Quincho and Anghel picked me up to go to the bus-station, where we took a bus at 9pm. Now, this bus-stop was in a very dangerous part of the center of the city, so I was having feelings of fear and faithlessness. Someone earlier had expressed some concern that it was only Angel and I going, but I didn’t see anything wrong with it, since Anghel is like an older brother to me. I ignored the false guilt threatening to dampen my spirits, and tried to think positively. Honestly, though, my attitude was less than hopeful. My fears were only aggravated more when our bus broke down one hour into our trip, and we had to wait over an hour for another bus to come pick us up and continue the rest of the journey.

Our seats felt smaller in the second bus, but we got a partial refund on the tickets, and I was so tired that I slept through most of the trip well enough. Poor Anghel wasn’t so lucky, being the big man that he is.

Frustrated Feelings

Sunday service at 9am again. I hitched a ride with Quincho, since Evelyn G. was with the disciples from N.C. in Antigua. I was bummed I didn’t get to go with them, but I just didn’t know the plans in time. Oh well! I’ve had great experiences with the natives of Guatemala these last few days. And next week, I’ll get to do my own tourist trip to Tikal with Anghel! Woohoo!

I’m writing this very late (it’s the 26^th), but I remember the past few days being very hard emotionally. I think I’ve just been frustrated by all the spoiled plans I had, and not knowing what’s going on. I’ve put so much effort into planning this trip, but haven’t had near the time I wanted with the HOPE School teachers. I’ve been wondering if I’ve made any kind of lasting difference or change, and that thought has not only been discouraging, but upsetting as well. I’m trying to pray, but God feels far away again, and I see myself eating mindlessly to numb the pain. Ugh, I’m digging my own grave like this. I need to stop the cycle! It’s a vicious cycle…

I got to pray on the roof tonight, but things really turned around in my heart when I shared all my feelings with Evelyn once she got home. The disciples from N.C. had left earlier that morning, and things were promising to settle back down again. I was getting in touch with my feelings from this past week, and it felt good to know they were being heard and understood by someone who knew my heart and my language. Relationships are so important, I’m realizing more and more.

Otra Cita con Quincho

Saturday, I went shopping with Elizabeth (we took a taxi both ways) in the afternoon, then got ready for another date with Quincho, and Gelion was our double. They were encouraging another sister for her birthday today, and we ate some Salvadorian food at his brother’s house, then watched a really good film named “Hotel Rowanda,” or something like that. Very good movie. Dramatic.

The area that Gelion’s brother lived was absolutely gorgeous. I think it was the Beverly Hills of Guatemala City. It was out of all the pollution and traffic, and more in the countryside. There was such a beautiful sky. I’m going to really miss the skies in Guatemala. So many beautiful clouds, and thunderstorms almost every other night. We had one later that evening, on the way back home after the movie.

Office Work--Another missed lesson.

Since Edgar was still in Antigua, Estuardo came and picked me up in his dad’s car, and I had a productive day of work in the church office. I was still a little bummed that we didn’t get to teach a lesson for the teachers, who weren’t ready for a lesson today because of the work they needed to catch up on from all the construction this week. Hopefully I’ll be back to work with them next week, but for now, I’ll just enjoy whatever the day brings.