Mission Accomplished

Yes, I made it! It was a grueling day and a half - I honestly can't say it was all fun and lovely - but I did make it to the top - at times fearing for my life - but it was definitely worth it. This picture was taken pretty early on in the hike, which is why I look pretty happy and am not bundled in layer upon layer of clothing. There were ten of us that went - from the US, Canada, Sweden, and Australia - plus our great guide, Juan, from here in Guatemala. Some of us were experienced hikers...and then there was me. No, honestly, I was not the only novice, but they did have to stop and wait for me more than once. (Lo siento!!)
I enjoy hiking quite a bit - even though I haven't been too often in the past - but this was no normal hike. The altitude made it really hard to go very far very fast. I was out of breath about ten steps after each break. It was a bit frustrating, but you kinda get used to it. We climbed for about 5 hours on Saturday and then we camped at about 4000 meters. The remaining 200 meters were climbed the next morning - in the dark. It was rough. There was frost on the ground and the rocks and we couldn't see and it was oh so steep. I was just slightly terrified. When we finally got to the summit, it was about 20 minutes before the sunrise and there were at least 100-150 people already up at the top. Apparently, this is the time of the year when there are big fiestas atop this volcano. And many of these people were prepared with bonfires and blankets - our guide boiled some water for us for coffee and tea, but it didn't help the freezing fingers and toes too much.
When the sunrise finally did come, it was pretty amazing. (understatement!) Here's just one of the many spectacular views we had...

We headed back down 30 minutes or so later , walking around the crater, which was pretty interesting. People have made words out of rocks, which you may or may not be able to see in this picture. There was a circle of people praying down there when we were walking by.

We got back to our campsite for breakfast a little while later and Juan prepared some "mush" for us. Not bad. : ) Here's a couple of mis compadres showing their excitement for the mush.

And then we headed back down, for the part of the hike that made me feel old...my knees, my hips, my feet, you name it - it hurt. And I slipped and fell no less than 5 times. I was told every time how graceful my falls were, though. : )

So, all in all, it was an amazing and satisfying adventure. To be able to see Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador from up there (or at least I'm told - what do I know?!) is pretty cool. It's nice to be able to say that I completed things in which some where along the way I felt like crying and/or giving up. I'm working on this whole fear of heights thing, too - for sure. Not going sky diving anytime soon, but I think I'm making progress.

So, here I am - back in Xela. Only two more days of Spanish classes to go...how sad. I had a great two hour conversation with my teacher this morning about my weekend. I was impressed with myself. Speaking of my teacher, here's a picture of us taken last week. (sidenote - I had not slept or showered in quite a while when this and many of these pictures were taken!)
She and I may go to Chichicastenango on Thursday, which is my last day of classes. If she is able to, we're going to have a little field trip there so I can check out the biggest markets in Guatemala. If not, I will have to make do with some more local souvenirs to bring home. It'll be interesting cramming it all into my luggage...

I can't believe it's New Year's Eve already! We are having a party with a bonfire at the school tonight. Apparently the discotecas are a little too crazy on NYE here, so we're making a party of our own and for that, I am thankful! We have no classes tomorrow, so I'll probably spend a large portion of the morning sleeping and then will do some studying. I'm thinking I will go to Antigua for just Thursday night and then head over to Guatemala City for my flight home Friday night. (The airport is apparently the only place you want to go in Guatemala City)

I hope you all have a safe and happy celebration tonight!

Feliz Ano Nuevo!

Kim : )

Will I make it?

So, apparently, I am hiking and camping the highest volcano in Central America this weekend. This shall be interesting. I have never hiked up anything with the intention of sleeping anywhere near the top. So, we'll see if I survive...

For those of you who have been requesting pictures, here's a few to hopefully appease you for now.



This is a few of us after getting out of the hot springs at Fuentes Georginas. (the first outing I went on after my first day of class) It was pretty steamy while we were in the water, so those pictures didn't really turn out. The guy to my right is Charles - one of the guys who works here at the school. He is from Alabama. The other two are siblings from Australia that were traveling Central America with their dad.



This one is at our school. We made these cheesy "murals" in honor of the Mayan New Year. The people in the picture consist of an ER doctor and nurse, a guy from Southern California who is here learning Ki'che, one of the indigenous languages, a Japanese girl who is currently studying in Hawaii and my friend Eyal and me.



This is me preparing some of the candles and offerings for the ceremony we had to celebrate the Mayan New Year.



And this is well into the ceremony.

Okay, that's about all the patience I have for now - it takes too long!

So, like I said, I am off on an excursion up a volcano this weekend. If I make it back down, I'll be taking just three more days of classes - Mon, Wed and Thurs - and then I head back on Friday. The time has flown by!

I hope you all are doing well!

Hasta Pronto,

Kim : )

Mi estomago es YUCK!

Hola everyone! Well, Xmas in Guatemala was certainly different. I did end up going to church with mi familia de Guatemala and that was pretty cool. The church is beautiful. I'm not at my laptop right now so I cant post any pix, but I will show them to you soon enough. There were a few unique traditions here that I have never seen in a Catholic church in the states. For one, they clapped after Baby Jesus was brought to the alter, after the homily and after the mass ended. There was an insane amount of insense. Everyone rushed the alter after mass to kiss Baby Jesus. And there was no order to the procession for communion. Just a sort of free for all. (Kind of like the driving here) But all in all, it was nice to be there and despite not understanding every word, I got the jist of things. Got my God on.

So, after mass, Lis and Maria (my mom and sister) walked with me back home and we had the traditional Xmas tamales. Now,let me say I LOVE Mexican tamales. Guatemalan tamales,on the otherhand, are not high on my list. And we tend to eat the same food for 2 or 3 meals in a row. So, Kim's stomach has NOT been happy. Actually, I have had the awful traveler's stomach issues that are abundant here for newby foreigners. Not fun. But mi mama gave me some drugs and some tea this morning and although they made me slightly loopy during class, I am happy to say I am feeling better than I have in the past two days. OH! I nearly forgot...another Xmas tradition is to go crazy with fireworks at midnight. Since I wasnt feeling well, I passed on watching the spectacle, but I certainly was awakened by the unbelievable noise. And I hear it was better than Disneyland. And by the look of the streets on Xmas morning, every citizen of Guatemala must have set off about 100 firecrackers each. They still set them off all the time, but Xmas was just especially crazy.

So, Xmas day was really nice - maybe in the 80's - so I spent most of the day writing and studying in Central Park. (You'll see pictures of that soon too!) It was nice, despite my stomach issues. McDonalds was about the only place open, so I spent a few minutes in there, making interesting observations...there is an armed guard, free internet, Bon Jovi tunes playing, beach volleyball on TV. All very random and unlike Guatemala - well, except for the armed guard.

Last night we had a Xmas dinner at the school. We all helped prepare it, so it was interesting. We started around 5 and didnt eat until about 9. My stomach was still a bit queezy, so it wasn't the best Xmas dinner, but at least I got to hang out with some nice people and play some cards.

Today I went to one of the orphanages after class. I really don't know how to describe it yet. Kinda scary. Really sad. Disturbing. Yet, I enjoyed it to a certain degree. I don't know. I can go into more detail with those of you who may be interested later...

So, future plans for this week? Study, study, study. I got a bit frustrated with myself in my class today and my lack of remembering much of anything, so I need to get my butt in gear! Wish me luck!

I hope you all had a great holiday and I'll "talk" to you soon!

Kim : )

El lago es muy bonito!

This is one of the many amazing vistas found at Lake Atitlan. I went there on Friday afternoon with 7 amigos, and we returned last night. It was such an awesome adventure! The lake is surrounded by volcanoes - all of which I wanted to climb. But, after a day of kayaking and horseback riding on Saturday (and a night of "enjoying" the pueblo to the fullest - a la "Full Moon Parties") - my body wasn't quite up for the trekking come Sunday morning. We stayed at a great little hostel/hotel in San Pedro - the whole family of indigenous Mayans were there working and they were lovely.

So, here it is - Christmas Eve - I am hoping to join mi familia for church, dinner and "who knows what" at midnight. Surely, there will be loads of fireworks, some gift exchanging and perhaps some tamale making/eating? Confusion is still a part of my every day, so I'm never quite sure. Tomorrow, there will be no classes, but I do hope to study on my own, and then there will be a dinner that we will all cook together here at the school. I think I am going to take it easy on the activities this week and focus more on my studies. Next weekend, I may either take a trip to Tikal to see the most famous and largest of the Mayan ruins (it's quite a trip) or I may stay a little closer to Xela and climb a more local volcano. We shall see...

I don't think I will be able to contact any of you tomorrow as everything is closed, so I wish you all the merriest Christmas if you are celebrating! Thanks to all of you who have been in touch!

With love and hope!

Kim : )

Lovin It

This is a self portrait taken whilst being flung around the mountainside in the back of a pick-up truck. Awesome.

So...I can say now, with all honesty, that I wasn't so sure about this place in my first day or two. Of course, I didn't want to admit that to anyone, but now that things are turning around, I don't feel so bad saying it. Cold shower, not being understood, awkward meal times, frustrating classes, not being able to walk around at night, etc, etc...there are some less than ideal situations here. BUT...4 days in and I know I want to come back to this place again. I could stay here for much longer than 3 weeks. I love it. Absolutely love it. I have mastered the shower temperature controls. I actually carried on a great conversation with my host mother this afternoon. I attended a traditional Mayan ceremony for the Mayan New Year last night. Incredible. I have salsa lessons in an hour. (SCARY!! I feel embarrassing moment #2 coming on...) (Actually there has already been an embarrassing moment #2 and #3, but I'm not disclosing those at this time.) And probably most exciting - I starting learning the past tense in my Spanish class today. I was like a giddy little kid. I'm such a nerd. OH! I nearly forgot - even more exciting - I went to an orphanage today and asked in my very own broken Spanish all by myself about volunteering there - and she understood me! So, I'll be going there next Wed and Friday. From what I hear, they can use any help they can get. I'm really looking forward to that.

So, I need to go study now. I have salsa lessons, as well as a benefit for the orphanage after that. And then tomorrow after class, I am off with 3 new friends to Lake Atitlan - which I hear is amazing. Regardless of the fact that not too many people seem incredibly interested in my little adventures, I will continue to let you know what's new here. I probably won't get to the computer again until next week, so an early Feliz Navidad to all of you!

: )

Estoy Estudiando Mucho...Adios Mio!

Hola mis compadres y mi familia!

Okay, that's about the extent of my Spanish for now. I have had two days of classes and I continue to feel very sorry for mi maestra. Her name is Rebecca and she is lovely and thankfully, very patient. She speaks only a few words of English, which is actually perfect. I am definitely getting much more practice listening at this point than speaking, but it will come, it will come!

Yesterday, after a little orientation and my first class (each class is one-on-one and 4 & half hours long), we had a little excursion to some hot springs - Fuentes Georginas. It was about 30-40 minutes away - via the coolest transportation ever. We took a "chicken bus" (apparently there are actually chickens on some of them - I did not get so lucky this time) and then after the chicken bus, we took a pick-up truck with an "Oh-Shit bar" in the back for us to hold onto for dear life while the driver sped us up and around the windy mountainside. I took a few pictures while in the back of the truck and even a little 20 second video to give you a taste of what it was like. Of course they do it little justice. You'll all just have to come here some day and try it for yourselves. : ) I am actually downloading pictures to Shutterfly ahora as I type, but it does not seem to be working - I think my pictures may be too big, but I will figure it out eventually.

So, this afternoon, we have some sort of Mayan cultural activity that involves murals. Tomorrow is the Mayan New Year and we will have a ceremony and dinner with everyone. My host family is going to join me, so that will be cool. We barely communicate at all - it is a bit awkward at times, but it will get better I am sure! And now that I figured out how to get a warm shower in our outdoor bathroom, I am so much more comfortable! That first shower was painful...

Other little tidbits from my Guatemalan life...there are firecrackers that go off every single night - into the night and morning sometimes. The city I am in is 64% Indigenous Mayan people. The women wear the traditional clothing - and talk on cell phones. It's awesome. I'll try to get some pictures, but you're really not supposed to take pictures of people. Crazy foreigners like to kidnap kids, I guess.

Well, I better get ready to go learn some cool Mayan stuff. I hope you all are doing well. I should get a chance to check my email at least every other day, so let me know what's new!

Hasta luego!

I made it!

Hey guys! I'm here! It's about 2:40 pm Guatemala time (which I have learned is Central Time). I arrived in Guatemala City at 3:30 am Los Angeles time and have slept a wink or two since. Feeling slightly loopy, but good. 'Twas an interesting past 15 or so hours, to say the least. Let's see if I can recap somewhat briefly...

In typical Kim-procrastination-fashion, I waited until about an hour before it was time for me to leave to start packing. So, in a last minute mad rush, I just started throwing things into my bags and before you know it, I had two suitcases, a duffle bag and a backpack all pretty full. Once I saw it all, I wanted to unpack some stuff, but it was too late. My friend Vernon dropped me off at the Van Nuys Fly Away and I of course missed the bus that I wanted to get on. But, no worries, another came along. When I finally got to LAX, I was told at the baggage counter that only one of my bags would probably get on my flight with me. The other would probably come the next day. Well, seeing that Guatemala City is a four hour bus ride from where I am staying, that was a little less than convenient, so after holding back tears, I stepped away from the counter, took a few deep breaths, and replayed my first Japan flight all over again. I started emptying out bags, putting on more clothes on, throwing away stuff and consolidating my 4 bags to 3. So, now I have the three most stuffed bags ever - but I was able to check just the one, carry on the other two and yes, indeed, I have all of my bags today. Phew. Forget what I said about short.

I arrived in Guatemala City and was greeted by about 500 eager faces - 50 of which had to ask me if I needed a ride, before my ride actually showed up. I was taken to a little bed and breakfast just a few minutes away and ate the most amazing pineapple I've had in my life. Some pretty damn good coffee too. There, I met two students who traveled with me to Xela, where our school is. One of them is starting at my school with me tomorrow. He's an engineering student from Philly and my Spanish speaking saving grace right now. Turns out my Spanish is even worse than I thought. : )

Oh - I nearly forgot. Our bus trip. Here's Kim's embarrassing moment #1 in Guatemala. So, I decide, after about two hours in that I need to use the restroom. I go to the back of the bus and see there that is no toilet paper, so back to my seat - Holly prepared me for this - I got toilet paper - I'm cool. I go back to the bathroom and try to close the door. Hmmm...it doesnt seem to want to close for me. Okay, I can do this. So, I hold the door shut with one hand, do my business with my other hand, pack of tissues being held by my teeth - and, no - it's not what you think - the door did NOT fly open. Mission accomplished. Until...I try to get out of the bathroom. Long story short (HA!) I was stuck in the bathroom for 30 minutes, banging and kicking the door until finally we were stuck in traffic and the bus stopped and quited down enough for my new friend to come rescue me. Needless to say, I'm holding it next time.

Okay, off to get some grub and explore the city a bit.

Nos Vemos!

And...She's Off!

Hey folks -

Here I am, winding down at home - my last night in my apartment for 2007. Today was the last day of school until January 7th. Yahooo!! If I had to hear one more child whine about the flavor candy cane they got this afternoon, I may have had a nervous breakdown.

I'm stoked for my big trip tomorrow. Kinda nervous - the whole inability to speak the language - the fear of cold showers and sleeping on who knows what - but other than that, I'm excited. I'm actually staying with the same family that my friend Holly stayed with a few years back when she went to this same school. And speaking of my school, here is the link for those of you who may be curious - http://www.celasmaya.edu.gt/ It is in Quetzaltenango - otherwise known as Xela (pronounced "Shayla").

I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and post some (what I hope will be) interesting anecdotes for you all. I take off at 10:55 tomorrow night from LAX and arrive early Sunday morning in Guatemala City before my 4 hour bus ride to Xela.

Be sure to bookmark my blog and check back regularly for updates! And leave me comments!

I hope you all have a great weekend and are enjoying your holiday season!

Off to sushi now - (don't think I'll get much of that in Guatemala)

Peace and Love!

Kim : )