Just got back from Guatemala yesterday, I had a great time and was sad to leave. My luggage finally arrived on what I think was Wednesday and was relieved just to finally have it. I spent the week pretty relaxed, mainly just hanging out, visited a few places, went to Antigua for a day which was the old capital of Guatemala and also spent one day climbing a volcano. It was cool to get to know some of Ariel's family (roommate from college whose family is from there) and I was just blown away by their hospitality and generosity to a complete stranger. I think my time here in Mexico has really helped me to learn to be flexible and to be able to fit in families or situations. I just feel really blessed for the chance I had to go there for a few days and hope to go back again sometime. It was cool to catch up with Ariel and get to know his parents and one of his brothers better as well as get to know a bunch of cousins and aunts and uncles. It is definitely way better to travel somewhere when you have personal connections and can stay with people and not in hotels. Ariel's parents had gone down to Guatemala not just to visit family but also for a church retreat that I went to as well one day and there were a lot of people there well into the thousands. During the week I slowly learned to speak with vos instead of tú, tried to stop saying no manches and other mexican phrases, celebrated my "birthday" at McDonalds where they all came and sang to me and gave me a little cake (thanks to Ariel and company who said it was my birthday and I was surprised to be serenaded by McDonald's workers) and generally just enjoyed myself. I got up at about 4 am on Sunday morning and Ariel's Aunt and Uncle (whom we had been staying with) took me to the airport where I flew to Mexico City where I didn't count on the fact it would be hard to switch my Quetzales into pesos seeing as they are neighbors, I ended up being stuck with like $35 worth of Quetzales bc the exchange rate at the only back that switched them was highway robbery. In this I realized the power of the passport I carry and the country I was born in, I didn't need a visa to go to either country and never have to worry about things like switching money or language, even on the flight from Guatemala to Mexico on a mexican airline they said everything in both english and spanish. I just continue to realize the spread of the US empire throughout the world and wrestle with what that means for me. From the Mexico City airport I decided to go for the cheaper and more adventurous return home as the bus direct from the airport to Puebla is twice the price as the one from the bus depot I walked about a half mile to the metro station took the metro to the bus station, then took the bus to Puebla before going home on another bus to my house. I felt like I had grown up being able to use so many forms of transportation and being able to get home. Also a cool thing was that on my flight home was Rigoberta Menchu (Nobel peace prize winner from Guatemala), I got a chance to talk to her for a few seconds and even got a picture.
to see all my pics you can click on these two links
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2248281&l=25a99&id=5706269
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2247536&l=30558&id=5706269Ariel and I at Antigua
Ariel's Aunt and cousins (we stayed there for over half the time)
Nobel Peace prize winner Rigoberta Menchu and I
after climbing the volcano made it all the way to the lava
Ariel's Aunt and cousins (we stayed there for over half the time)
Nobel Peace prize winner Rigoberta Menchu and I
after climbing the volcano made it all the way to the lava
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