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The Adventures & Discoveries Continue... Hello all, Today my thighs hurt from yesterday's adventure up a mountain to an aldea whose people had never met American's except for the American monks. April, Keeler, Matt, and I went with Padre Pedro and another priest. After rock/mountain/farm climbing in the rain for an hour we were welcomed by smiling faces and "chicken soup"... at 9 in the morning. We then sat through mass where numerous babies were being baptized outside as we, different looking Americans, distracted the misbehaving children inside. Since it was the day of the Blessed Mary, Padre Pedro asked us to speak in front of all the Qe'che members and say what our futures looked like as women in the USA. As we spoke in English, Matt translated in Spanish and Padre then spoke of it to the Qe'che people. April said she teaches... and they laughed since "teach" means "spoon" in their language and I said I wanted as many kids as I can afford, and they laughed at that too since to them that means about 50 kids. :). Before we left we were given "whole chicken" soup again (at 11 in the morning)... Nothing like two chickens before noon via their amazing hospitality. After we made it down the gorgeous, God-filled-beauty mountain range, we met up with the Katie's again and went to a Rosary reading with brother Juan Jose and his youth group. It was awesome! We did every other scene in Spanish and English and shared many songs and laughs. YAY to people of different ages, genders, and nationalities all being children of God. ~Monica
Things That Don't Bother Me... Sitting in the back of a 1970's Isuzu pickup with a topper that gives us just enough room to sit up straight doesn't bother me. Even roads that are steep, muddy, and really bumpy with an old truck that makes many strange noises doesn't bother me. Blum saying, "he got his drivers license yesterday," and the constant jerking and killing of the truck doesn't bother me. The black exhaust pouring into the back of the pickup and us holding our shirts over our faces doesn't bother me. It doesn't bother me because it is great to have transportation when most people don't have it in Guatemala. - Bryan Relentless Rain & the Welcoming People of the Misty Hills Hola from Guatemala! We had one of the most interesting and exciting days today that I have ever had. This morning we left for an Aldea in a Toyota from 1970. It rained the whole way there, which made us all increasingly nervous as we made our way up a "road" leading into the mountains. Once we got to the Aldea, we unloaded the water filters and an eager group of people carried them even further up into the misty hills. We followed their lead and began climbing as well. Before long, we could hear the sound of welcoming music and their community church and gathering area came into view. The people at the Aldea spoke their own language, but they still showed us so much gratitude for the water filters. I hope that we were able to show them the same gratitude and respect for the hospitality that they showed us. After an afternoon of music, laughs, and soup and tortillas for lunch, we were on our way back to Coban. We all experienced a certain level of anxiety as we piled back into the Toyota in the relentless rain. The drive up was treacherous, and no doubt the way down would be the same. The landscape was so beautiful and foreign to us, but I personally couldn't take my eyes off of the very large and nerve-wracking cliffs that we were hugging by a dangerously close margin. Matt did an absolutely incredible job getting us all down safely, and for that I am truly thankful. It was a beautiful day in Guatemala and I am anxious to see what the next few days will bring. - Katie
The Biggest Emotional Turnaround Ever Yesterday was possibly the worst day of travel I've ever encountered. I don't necessarily think I'm a sissy, but maybe I am. That bus ride was HARD. By the end of the day I was hungry, tired, and physically worn out. Today, after 2 showers, lots of food, and even more sleep, I'm starting to really enjoy myself. This has to be the biggest emotional turnaround I've ever had in a 24 hour period. Yesterday I was so completely filled with regret for deciding to come here. Today I think it's going to be a great week. So far my favorite part is praying with the monks. It's been a while since I've done any organized Liturgy of the Hours, so even though it's in Spanish and I don't know more than 3 words (though the monks are trying like hell to teach me during the meals!), the rhythm is comforting and the silence is calming. Last night when we went to Vespers, it was probably the first time I'd felt comfortable all day. I'm also really loving the meals. Like I said, it's an opportunity to learn some Spanish, and last night's dinner was like a comedy of international language. We were all laughing our heads off trying to communicate- which was a welcome relief after a long day. Also, the food is nothing to ignore... it's wonderful. Today we took a walking tour of Coban, guided by Gerardo. Last night he claimed to know very little English, today he gave the walking tour. And it was so great and so fun! The city has so much to see, and it just added to the feeling that it's going to be a great week. April says I have to go, because we're going on a tour of a coffee plantation... I think that's going to be awesome. - Cristen We've Arrived! I'm writing the first blog from the trip. Please excuse my typing... I'm writing from a laptop in a room only lit by one small lamp. Currently, we are drinking orange Fantas while Matt is playing the guitar and and we are all singing. The monks are teaching us Guatemalan songs while we are teaching them songs such as "Light the Fire" (I insisted after being shot down a couple times), "Piano Man" and "Brown Eyed Girl." I've never felt so out of place yet so welcome at the same time. It is only the first day but I feel somewhat overwhelmed, uncomfortable and lost. Yet all of those emotions do not bother me. The people here are so eager, loving and just want to be around you. And we all feel the same way. Tonight at dinner, there was a constant roar of laughter coming from the dining room. Although, not many of the monks speak English and only one person in our group is fluent in Spanish, we did not let the language barrier stop us from having a great night. I have no expectations for this trip other than to step outside of my box and try to fully submerge myself in the Guatemalan culture. I look forward to seeing what we can bring to this monastery and for all that they can teach us. - Katie
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