The past few days

I apologize that I haven't been on top of blogging for the past few days...there is a lot to tell! I will start with some random happenings in the past three to four days.

Wednesday: After Spanish class we went to an organization just outside of Antigua called "Nuestros Ahijados." This organization is really awesome and does a lot for the people in need in the outskirts of Antigua. They do everything from schooling to feeding to human trafficking to domestic violence to free health care for those who are a part of their organization. The children who go to school there get accepted based on two things: 1) They have to be of very low socioeconomic status, and 2) they have to be able to get to school on their own. The girl who gave us our tour was an American and was very passionate about what their organization does. One of the really spectacular things that stood out to me was their "open door policy." Every office has an "open door" policy, unless there are private meetings going on. This means that the kids can come into their offices and learn how to answer phones or use the computer...a skill they would probably never learn otherwise. During our tour, a little boy came up to Megan (our guide) and she carried him around for the entire tour. They don't want to reject the kids when they want attention because they may not be getting any other attention at home. Their goal is to show those kids love and affection. I don't know what God has in store for me in the area of volunteering, but this is definitely an option. It was a really neat place and I can see the impact they have on the people involved.

Moving on to Thursday: After Spanish class and lunch, Kylie and I decided that we wanted to explore the city a little bit instead of sit around for the afternoon. So, we headed for the market with our hearts set on buying some movies. [Don't tell, but several vendors here sell pirated movies...and they're SO cheap]. We found the one that Paul recommended to us and I bought two movies for Q.25 which ends up being about $1.55 per movie! I bought Larry Crowne and Morning Glory. Kylie and I also splurged and went to Yogen Frus (a frozen yogurt place) and invested in some delicious smoothies. That evening, after studying for Spanish, we watched Morning Glory with our housemate, Allison who left on Saturday. It was a great little noche de chicas. :)

Friday: During Spanish class, I had my second test. It was hard. It was all about the irregular verbs in the present and preterite tense and I had to conjugate...A LOT! I was rather frustrated because my mind just couldn't function and I eventually left some things blank...my teacher got frustrated that I did that...oh well. After my test, I got to play Scrabble with my friend and his teacher. It was definitely a challenge, but really fun trying to think of words in Spanish...but I did use a dictionary for help! :) Rather soon after class, we packed up and headed out of Antigua for Guatemala City. We started out at the Archeological Museum in the city...it was really cool to see some of the really detailed stuff that the indigenous people made a looong time ago. I would put some cool pictures up, but it takes way too long...so check out my Facebook page for some neat pictures! Friday evening we were able to check out a mall near our hotel...it was an interesting experience because their malls a fairly different than ours - definitely not as packed with things and people. That night our entire group went to a REALLY cool restaurant called Kacao that was fairly close to our hotel. IT WAS SO COOL! Again, check out the pictures on Facebook.

Saturday: Saturday could have been a really awesome and exciting day...except, I felt like I was dying. I woke up in the middle of the night with horrible stomach cramps and was having stomach issues throughout the night (you can figure that out on your own). For breakfast that morning, I missed out on an awesome buffet at the hotel and stuck to toast, a banana, and tea. As we headed out for the day, I felt tired, and just plain "yucky." Our first stop was the National Palace which was incredibly beautiful: constructed over a four year period from 1939 to 1943. I would have enjoyed this experience ten times more if I had not been experiencing the WORST headache of my life. I can honestly say that I thought I was going to pass out. Thankfully, a friend gave me a bottle of water in hopes that I wasn't dehydrated. We made our way to the National Cathedral where a mass was going on, but it was also really beautiful. One of the most interesting things about it were the posts that held up the fences outside of the church. These posts were engraved with the names of over 200,000 people who died in the civil war that ended just fifteen short years ago. And those names were only the people who were actually recovered. We went to lunch at Pollo Campero, but I didn't eat anything because I felt so awful. But I tried to stay hydrated with water and 7Up. We headed to the mercado (market) and I was feeling really bad, trying not to puke the entire way there. Paul was nice enough to take me to a nearby cafe and bought me some tea. I tried to talk with him and keep my mind off of it, but it was rough. Once we left Guatemala City, it ended up taking us two hours to get back...and I tried not to toss my cookies the entire way back. I felt really weak and tired the rest of the afternoon and not feeling well made me want home more than anything else. It was a really rough evening. I have never wanted so badly to be at home in my own bed, with my mom taking care of me. I needed to sleep so badly, but I didn't want to sleep all evening and then not sleep through the night. I did some journaling to keep my mind off things and continuously prayed for God's presence and peace when I felt so horribly. We eventually watched a movie (Larry Crowne) and that was nice because I was able to keep my mind off of how I was feeling physically and emotionally. To be sure that I would sleep well, I took two Benadryl and was in bed by 9:00pm.

Sunday: I awoke this morning praising God for ten hours of solid sleep. I also awoke with a bit more appetite! Mom always taught me that this was a good sign after having the stomach flu. I ate some crackers and drank some water to see how that set in my gut. I was able to be productive and do some journaling again this morning and really reflect on what I am doing here in Guatemala. I decided to start a "read through the Bible in 6 months" plan and have a goal to actually have it done before I get home in December. I think this will be a really good challenge for me and keep me focused on my God instead of the daily frustrations I may feel from living here.
We met up as a group for lunch today at Las Palmas (a really neat restaurant here in Antigua...one of many) and I was actually feeling hungry, but a bit nervous to eat too. I decided I would order what sounded good to me and eat a little bit and save the rest. I ordered Spinach Lasagna and didn't eat half of it. My stomach has seemed to be doing alright this afternoon/evening, but I'm trying to take it slow. I definitely know what my body needs and I am not going to risk anything...if you know what I mean.

I am realizing that this semester is not going to be all fun and games. Yes, there are going to be some really cool experiences. But yes, there are going to be some days that are much harder than others. I am learning to lift my eyes to the hills, to my God, because from there, my help is going to come.

We have been here 19 days already...81 days left.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me <3

Sorry for being long-winded,
-J