Jet Leg

I am suffering from the common traveler’s ailment. Mis piernas están cansadas! My legs are tired! The day of sitting still on a plane made my legs as tired as a day of walking. The great thing was that yesterday we hiked to the Ecological Park at the top of the mountain Magdalena is at the base of. It took about an hour and a half to get to the top. There were some pretty steep parts that were made more difficult by the loose footing and altitude. My lazy legs were promptly pushed to the limit. Today I can feel all my leg muscles quite distinctly:) Nevertheless, the view and the rope swing at the top made the work worth it! As it is with most hikes. The Park was a Peace Corps project a while back. They made the trail up to the top and built some playground elements and places to sit at the summit.

Last night I slept with three pairs of pants, a tank top, a long sleeve shirt, a sweatshirt, a zip up fleece, and socks! I would have worn a winter hat if I had one! I was still pretty cold, but warmer than the night before. Greta and I woke up to breakfast of eggs scrambled with tomatoes, red peppers, and some other unknown spice or sauce of sorts, bread, and coffee. Everyone drinks coffee here, from my five-year-old brother Justin to my dad José! They make their coffee significantly weaker than we do in the US and it has a lot of sugar in it.

Today was the first day at ministry sites in El Gorrión for us all. El Gorrión is a more rural impoverished village about a 20 min walk from Magdalena. I think we were all a bit unsure of what to expect but excited to get started. SI built a brand new Community Center for El Gorrión called Centro de Capacitación Integral where the clinic is located. They also have a new doctor, Doctora Sara Romero. Today was a new experience for us all at the clinic site as it was the very first day in the new clinic and with the new doctor. It went perfectly – except for spending the entire day on my feet. Doctora Sara let me listen to heart and lung sounds and palpate a stomach for amoebas. In the words of Doctora Sara, amoebas make the intestines “feel like a bag of rice.” No amoebas found today:) My site leader is a wonderful woman named Maureen. She’s a nurse originally from California. She and her husband Nick are on staff with SI. Nick works at the school in El Gorrión. They live in Antigua and work mostly in El Gorrión.

 Here is the clinic! The closed door is where the clinic is. The hallway leads to meeting rooms and storage and the roof and the bathrooms. There is also a kitchen to the right of the hallway.

A day of sitting followed by a day of hiking followed by a day of standing…I think the worst of the jet leg is passed.

Home Sweet Home

     Here I am in Guatemala! It's a crazy thought that I live here now. When we landed we were all commenting about how we left home and arrived at home. It doesn't seem quite real yet. The flight went smoothly as did immigration and customs. Yay!

     Arriving at Magdalena was an adventure. We rode on a bus through Guatemala city and up into the mountainous area where the town of Magdalena lays. Will informed me that starting a manual on a hill is difficult. This is true. At one point we were halfway up a steep hill and had to stop. We then had to roll back down the hill in neutral (apparently there is no reverse on the bus...) and try again from the bottom of the hill. We also had to stop for a herd of cattle. Eventually we did make it :)

The cows :)

     We are definitely at high altitude here and breathing is difficult and not made easier by the steep roads! There are virtually no flat roads in Magdalena. You are always going either steeply uphill or down. Our house is really nice. Greta and I have a room with two beds and a table. There is a kitchen, two bathrooms (one for us and one for the family), a living room, the parents bedroom and a roof with a cooking school on it! The center hallway of the house where the stairs to the roof are is open to the sky - a design you wouldn't find in MN or WI!

Open ceiling with stairs to the roof. The bathroom is by the sink.

The black door straight ahead is our room. The kitchen is to the left of our room and the living room is to the right.

     My host family is great. I have four little brothers instead of four little sisters! The dad is Jose, the mom is Antonieta, and the boys are Wilmar, Kevin, Jeffrey, and Justin. The boys like sports (especially soccer) and playing cops and robbers. Antonieta teaches women how to bake cakes so they can help support their families. Jose works in agriculture. All the vegetables he grows are purchased by Wal-Mart and sold in the US. They are all really nice and welcoming. They ask Greta and I a lot of questions about home and school and our families!

     We had breakfast with our host families this morning - pancakes, bread, watermelon, and hot chocolate. We then went to church where we sang a lot (our group sang three songs in front of the congregation!) and attempted to follow a message in Spanish. Later today we are taking hike to the ecological park to see some of the beautiful nature in the area. I've heard it's a strenuous hike but worth it! Apparently there is a rope swing at the top! I'm excited to experience more of Magdalena!

1...Hour of Resting

     The moving out is done thanks to all the help from my loving family. The packing is done thanks to Will's master packing skills. The cleaning is done thanks to the floor vacuum. Everything is done. Except for the leaving...and that is coming next! Being my last night here, I don't feel like just going to bed! That seems like a waste of my last few hours. Some sleep might be a good idea so that I can function at the airport but I'm planning on sleeping on the plane. Well Bethel, well frozen tundra, well friends and family, goodbye for now. Love.

     Itinerary
3:45am - Meet at MSP International Airport and assemble group.
4:05am - Check-in.
4:30am - Security.
5:20am - Assemble at gate.
6:05am - Depart MSP.
10:50am - Arrive in Miami.
12:35pm - Depart Miami.
2:20pm - Arrive in Guatemala!!!!
4:00pm - Arrive in Magdalena/Settle into host families
5:00pm - Intro to Magdalena with Mario
6:00pm - Dinner at Cafe Mi Cafecito
7:00pm - Pre-program survey/Praise and Worship/Prayer
8:30pm - Curfew/Time with host families
Rest and Relax


"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door," he used to say. "You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to." - Bilbo Baggins

BLAST OFF!!!!!

2...Nights of Cleaning

     Cleaning...fun. No, but really, I do enjoy cleaning on occasion. Blast the music, make some tea, and go at it. The results, a nice organized space where it's easier to think and relax. In Guatemala most families will have a lady who comes and cleans the house. It's likely that I will come home to an "arranged" room in the evenings - bed made, things organized. This will be different! I'll still clean up after myself, but it won't be the music and tea type of cleaning :)
     In Guatemala someone else will clean my clothes as well. I will take them to a laundry service where someone will wash, dry, and fold them and charge me by the pound! Something I will clean in Guate: my fruit! Precautionary washing of fruit and veggies includes "fruit cleaner" or bleach. Maybe I'll just eat fruit I can peel - like mangoes! 
     Speaking of cleaning, I have to get everything cleaned up, packed up, and moved out of Bethel tomorrow! Tonight will be a night of cleaning. As will tomorrow night as I get my room ready for Allie to move back in for Spring. I better get busy!

3...Days of Packing

     Countdown to Travel! I leave on the 29th...so soon. I have started packing - my warm weather clothes that is. My cool weather clothes I need to wash first because I'm still wearing them. I can bring one 50 pound suitcase, one 40 pound carry on, and one "personal item" - my trusty backpack with my purse inside. I will also be responsible for a "Bethel Bag" full of supplies for our ministry sites and language classes.

     Packing for a whole semester in one suitcase is an interesting task. As an American I am used to having plenty of options for clothes and shoes. In Guatemala it is not unusual to wear the same couple outfits to church or school all the time. Actually, this is the most common situation. We have been encouraged to "lay out what we think we will need for the semester and then only pack half." This idea is a little scary to me. Four shirts for four months?? I don't think so. Needless to say, I have modified the packing instructions a little. I'm going to be pretty conservative on the number of things I bring, but I am bringing things that mix and match to create more outfits out of the same number of clothes.

     Besides clothes, I am packing gifts for my host family, shampoo etc., and a "self care kit". This is the stuff that fills my suitcase and seems unnecessary. Well, the personal care kit, that is. Beano? PeptoBismol? Immodium? I don't use these things normally, but Guatemala is not my normal! I've been told I'll need them...I kinda hope not.

    The state of my room during packing! Yikes!

        Partially packed!

     Items of the "self care kit."

     I don't feel quite ready, but I'm ready to be there!