Hola from Antigua, Guatemala!   

I can hardly believe I’ve been here almost 2 weeks.  Time has certainly been flying by, and with so much to do and see and experience, this is the first time I am sitting down to actually write a blog post!  So in case any of you are thinking “Guatemala? I thought she was going to Honduras?!”, I’ll remind you that I’m here for two months of Spanish language school in preparation for my mission at the Farm of the Child.  I’m studying at La Union Language school, where I have one-on-one classes for 6 hours every day.  The school, like many other buildings in Antigua, in made up of an outdoor courtyard, surrounded by a few offices and rooms, so that means that we have classes outside! Mi maestra, Brenda, is a great teacher and also full of life and fun, and I feel like I am learning more quickly than I had thought I would, thanks to her.  In the beginning I always joked that the only things I knew how to talk about were parts of the body (thanks to a few basic medical Spanish classes) and food (thanks to, um, Mexican restaurants?!), but I am happy to report that my vocabulary has lately been increasing.  Of course we devote a large portion of time everyday to grammar, and this week I am tackling the past tense…those irregular verbs can definitely be challenging! My favorite part of class is the conversations that my teacher and I share about our lives, families, and the culture in Guatemala.  It’s actually quite amazing how many things we have in common as well! (For example, she comes from a Catholic family with 6 siblings, she loved to swim in high school, and she enjoys adventures too:)

I’m living with a host family in Antigua, about a 10 minute walk from the school.  My host mother takes good care of me and seems to be always cooking up a storm.  Chiqui has 3 grown daughters who all live with their families in the houses right next door to our house, so that means that her 6 grandchildren, ages 4 to 15, are constantly in and out.  The three little boys (4, 5, and 6 years old) are hilarious, but I think I have bonded most with the youngest, Diego, who is always pretending to be a tiger or some sort of wild animal.  He was shy towards me at first, but while he was running through the house growling the other day I told him that I was a bear, and then we got along just fine! All of Chiqui’s family have dinner together at least once a week and are such a part of each other’s lives…the closeness of the Guatemalan families is really very beautiful.

When I’m not in class, I am loving getting to know my fellow missionaries who are taking classes at the same school and living with different families.  It’s been interesting to hear everyone’s different stories about how they came to know about and ultimately commit to the Farm of the Child.  We’ve already had some amazing weekend adventures, and although this is getting long, I’ll share a few with you.  On our first weekend here we traveled to Montericco beach, about 2 hours away from Antigua.  “La playa” (somehow calling it “the beach” now just doesn’t seem right) is famous for its tortugas—sea turtles—which can be sighted on the beach late at night.  We weren’t lucky enough to see any turtles, but the beach was absolutely breathtaking, with black sand and huge waves.  We stayed at a hotel right on the beach and only paid $8 per night.  Some of the highlights of the weekend included running on the beach with some local kids while the sun set ahead of us, taking an early morning boat ride on a nearby river through mangroves surrounded by gorgeous views of the mountains , and eating and drinking my first whole coconut.  Everyone at the beach hotel (and everyone I’ve met in Guatemala for that matter!) was so friendly and welcoming.  When I told one of the waiters at the little restaurant there that it was my brother Stephen’s birthday that day and I had really wanted to call him, he insisted I use his cell phone to call all the way to the US.  We also became friends with a few med students who were preparing for volunteer work in El Salvador, and it was great to talk to them about what the upcoming months in rural clinics might hold for us.

This past weekend we stayed in Antigua and experienced one of the local adventures- climbing the Volcan de Pacaya.  This volcano erupted last in May of 2010 and has been one of the most active volcanoes in Central America over the past 500 years.  Climbing a volcano was definitely on my bucket list, and this experience was certainly no disappointment!  The surrounding areas and mountains were green and beautiful, but once we got to the crater, suddenly all the vegetation and even normal dirt were replaced by dark ash and old lava.  (If you remember the elephant graveyard scene in the Lion King, it looked like that!)  The morning of our climb happened to be very overcast, so at the top we found ourselves surrounded by clouds and mist, a very cool experience.  Occasionally our guide pointed out small vents through which we could feel the heat coming from deep inside the earth.  I got a picture crouching inside one of them, nicknamed “the sauna”, and sure enough it was very warm and moist in there!  We roasted marshmallows over another hot spot! 

All in all it has been an action-packed and learning-filled 2 weeks for me in Guatemala.  I keep thinking of more things to share, but they will just have to wait for next time.  I feel so blessed to be here—to have this chance to learn Spanish and prepare for the two years ahead—and am so incredibly grateful for the support and prayers and encouragement of you all, my family and friends!  I miss you all—don’t forget to keep me updated on what’s new in your lives!

Praise God!   

- Laura :)