Bye Bye Belize

Oh man... what a trip! We arrived to beautiful weather in Belize city a week ago that stayed with us the whole trip. I don´t remember it raining even once which was a very nice change from winter in Guatemala. We headed strait for Caye Caulker for five days of diving and laying in the sun. That was one of the most beautiful coral reefs I´ve ever dove, wish so bad I had pictures to share. We saw reef sharks, turtles, beautiful sting rays, dolphins, and absolutely amazing coral. Brett is now a certified diver, WHOOOO! and he´s just like a fish down there. ( : Our cabin was perfect and when I wasn´t cooking yummy pasta or fresh ceviche, we enjoyed tons of delicious BBQ lobster and fresh caught fish creole style on the beach. I definitely learned a few seasoning and marinading tips!! We took a sunset sailboat cruise that was gorgeous, I can´t wait to share pictures!
For the last few days of the trip Brett had to pry me off the Caye (seriously) and we headed inland to San Ignacio. I´m glad he did because we had an incredible experience visiting the Actun Tunichil Muknal cave there. I don´t think I had any idea what we were in for. After a 45 minute hike, three river crossings, and a short swim through the cave´s entrance dodging wolf spiders that can walk on water, we found ourselves surrounded by an ancient Mayan world. The cave is over two miles deep but we made it in about a half mile. Most of the time was spent wading through some very chilly mountain run off that was about chest deep at times. Burrrr. We did a little rock climbing on very slippery lime stone and found ourselves in the middle of a sacrificial tomb complete with ancient pottery and human remains. One female sacrifice was actually completely intact, it was incredible to see. Our guide was amazing and I wish our pictures could begin to describe the beauty of what we saw. And since I can´t get my pictures to upload on this computer, check out this website to believe what we saw.

http://www.google.com.gt/images?hl=es&q=atm+cave&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=c2SFTIq6LcG88gaAnfBM&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CDwQsAQwAw&biw=1003&bih=565

The food in San Ignacio was incredible as well and we even got a little shopping in. (I´m assuming more than Brett ever hoped for). On the way to the airport we stopped by the Belize zoo to see all the big cats close up as well as some very pretty birds and crazy monkeys. Sadly, our trip came to an end yesterday and I was no where near ready to leave.
Speaking of, I now have less than two weeks left here in Antigua. I have no idea what happened to the last three months. When I arrived from the airport last night my mom Veronica met me with a big hug and a kiss and I almost started to cry. I know it is going to be really hard to leave. But... enough talk about that. I still have my sister Veronica´s wedding to look forward to this weekend!! I recently found out that they are not planning on a honey moon because they don´t have money to pay for one. In Guatemala it is tradition for the groom´s family to pay for the wedding. (Wishin you lived in Guatemala Dad??) However, the William´s parents passed away a few years ago so they are paying for the wedding themselves. Well.... I decided that not going on a honeymoon is crazy talk so me and my friends here are tracking down everyone we can that knows the family via facebook and are collecting a honeymoon fund. Hoooray!!! Now just to prepare my speech.... Love and miss you all!!! I will see many of you very soon.

Time for the beach!!

I know it´s been a while, but just wanted everybody to know that I am still doing great and learning every day. Today I took care of a little girl (on the women´s unit yes) that had parasites. Tape worms I´m pretty sure. I know this because I helped her to throw up into the same trash can that had one in it. Not entirely sure how it got there. So yes, some of the reasons for admission around here are a bit different. Snake bites and spider bites for instance are more common here than in the states. And you would not believe the raging diabetic ulcers I´ve seen. By the time they come to the hospital their limps are headed right for amputation. Its pretty incredible.
I am feeling very comfortable in my role now, just in time to leave in a few weeks. Communication is much better now, I actually understand most all of report instead of just a few words here and there. Its very helpful really. And.... drum roll please... I am getting good at starting IVs, even really hard ones! I am actually the one they send to help the student learn. Its a Christmas Miracle! But most importantly, I don´t think I have ever been happier doing anything in my whole entire life. There is absolutely nothing better than taking care of people, I´m in heaven. I caught a pretty bad cold this week and was too sick to go to work on Monday. On Tuesday the other nurses told me that the patients were asking ¨¿Donde está la enfermera extrañera?¨... where is the foreign nurse? It was so good to hear it! Made my day. Sometimes when I make my rounds I just sit and chat with the patients, and they are so appreciative for the extra time. I of course love talking to them but they just think I´m being extra nice.
Well the most important detail of the day is that me and Brett will be in Belize in one day!! We are both so excited. Our first stop will be Caye Caulker for the beach and some fun diving. We may or may not ever leave. ( : We will be staying at a sweet little house on the beach with a full kitchen, pool, and hammocks. Not going to tell you how much were NOT paying for the place but it´s cheaper than motel 8 for sure. The gringo that owns it already loves Brett and has arranged a private taxi from the airport and a boat to the Caye. It has been raining for three straight weeks here so I am definitely looking forward to some sun. Lots of pictures and stories to come. I look so forward to seeing you all again soon. Muah!

Boo for job aplications

Hi,
So after I promised everyone a blog, I spent the entire weekend applying to nursing jobs. I´m feeling a little hungry and tired right now, so I think I am going to give up on my day at the computer. However, I think I will be able to find some time this week to fill everybody in a little better than this.
As far as the job hunt goes, I have applied to tons of positions at Denver Health where I did my senior internship, and all of the new grad positions being offered at University Hospital. I really have my hopes set on University because I have heard it is a great learning experience since it´s such a big teaching hospital. They will interview all through September so that will work out pretty good for me too. I am also going to apply to Rose, PSL, and Children´s if anything opens up.
I am still in love with being here, working, and learning. I had an amazing experience last night that I just have to share. I was hanging out sharing a few drinks with my mom, sister, and new Coloradoan friend Alex. We were joking and laughing, not entirely sure what happened to all the wine and how quickly it became midnight. All of a sudden I realized that I was speaking Spanish, and not even trying too hard. I had held a four hour conversation with people I love, as if it was the most natural in thing in the world. I SPEAK SPANISH! I have been working so hard that I forgot to notice how far I have come. I am going to finish up the classes that I have already purchased and then spend the rest of my Spanish money on Salsa lessons. I had my first one yesterday and now I´m hooked. Good thing I saved this till the end of the trip right?
The hospital continues to be an amazing experience. One fun thing I will share is the incredible number of shots in the butt I give. Doctor, la paciente in cama numero dos tiene un fevre. (The patient in bed number 2 has a fever). Shoot her in the butt! Same goes for pain, even for patients with IV´s. I haven´t entirely figured this one out yet, but I´m getting really good at those IM injections!
Sorry this doesn´t include all I have to share. Here are a couple of pics, hope they make you smile. Miss you tons!!

People waiting in line for the clinic at 8am

The ¨pyxis¨ Guatemala style

New friend at work

Workin hard! (Sweet hat)

I´m alive I swear!!

Hi!
Sorry I haven´t blogged in a while but I want everyone to know I´m still doing great. I´m am absolutely loving my job. I stay so busy I don´t even know what happens to the day. And it´s all 100% nursing, the real stuff! I´ve even gotten used to my 5am wake up. I guess you can get used to everything if you do it every day. I´m still taking a few Spanish classes each week but it´s coming along so much faster now that I have to speak all day. I even started answering the phone this week at work!!! Yay! I have so much to share about my experience at the hospital. I am going to dedicate this weekend to blogging and job searching. If anybody has any suggestions about which hospital in Denver wants to hire a fun, smart, (really cute) new graduate nurse I would really appreciate them! Hope all is well on your end. I miss you all!

Lorell

p.s. I booked my flight to Belize so I officially have a new adventure to look forward too. So excited Brett gets to share it with me!!

Primer día

Wow, what an interesting first day. I was almost late though, even though I left my house at six am. The bus took almost 40 minutes because they had to pack it full of all the clinic patients. I was the only nurse on board so I felt kinda special. Maybe I´ll walk tomorrow? Any how I have been placed on the ¨area medicina de mujers¨ or the women´s medical floor. The floor has three private rooms and two group rooms, each with six beds lined up side to side. There are no curtains here, privacy doesn´t really exist. We made our morning rounds stopping at each bedside and talking about the patient´s diagnosis, condition, meds, I´s & O´s all right in front of them. This will take some getting used to I think. The hospital is difficult to describe. It is a public hospital, and serves much of the poverty stricken group that can´t afford the private hospital. There were over one hundred people waiting to be seen at the clinic when I arrived, most will have to come back tomorrow.
Everything in the hospital including beds, wheelchairs, desks, bed pans... everything was manufactured sometime before 1970. All the medicine, including narcs are just kept in drawers or bins. It is such a different world it´s difficult to explain. However I think the Surgical Clinic I participated in last fall prepared me some. Generally, there is one RN on the floor and two LPNs that work together each shift. The work together to care for all of the patients and are not assigned to any number of them. Med pass is a whirlwind of mixing meds, hanging antibiotics, and passing pills. There are just little cards with the patient´s meds written on them and then you initial the chart later. (yikes). If med errors occur here, and I´m sure they do, there would be no real record.

WARNING: If you are not comfortable with death or dying, do not read the following...

On a sad note, I actually lost a patient today. The other RN and I were talking to a patient´s family today when some ladies quietly came up beside us. They were patently waiting but seemed anxious. So I asked what they needed and they asked me to come check on a patient. Ummmmm... yes, the patient´s color was terrible and she didn´t have a pulse. So I called a CORE (yelled down the hall), or as much of one that exists here. We´re not really sure what happened, or how long she had been gone. The resuscitation seemed to me more like practice for the medical students, and no one really seemed to know exactly what to do. Maybe I´m just used to the well oiled machine that works in the PVH NICU. But I was the one that grabbed the CORE cart, was heaving ET tubes, and showing them how to work the defibrillator. (It wan´t plugged in and they couldn´t put the leads on because they got caught in the cart wheel). So after three rounds of epi, and five minutes of CPR we gave up. Quite an end to the day. I think I was most saddened that the patient didn´t have any family around and it was visiting hours. She was very old, and I was okay with her death but I wanted her to have some family there, someone to cry for her.

I wan´t sure if I should include all that, and certainly wouldn´t if I was working in the states. But I wanted to share the experience. Love and miss you all. I´ll try to keep my morbid stories to myself in the future.

Listo! Ready!

For those who don´t know I officially got my job at the National Hospital and it starts on Monday. I had to take a spoken Spanish competency exam last week that was lots of fun. Somehow I passed and now I´m all ready! Or as ready as I´m going to be that is. Today I bought white undies, socks, and shoes to accompany my uniform. The nursing director made it very clear that white undies were especially important. I don´t think I´ve owned a pair of tighty whities since elementary school so I had to head to the market today in search.

My only issue is that my uniform arrived today and it´s a bit tight. I was afraid of this, and was hoping it would travel a little faster than Guatemala time to get here. Unfortunately, I wasn´t so lucky. The pants are pretty dang sexy so luckily I have another pair to wear on Monday if I can´t change them before then. Don´t get me wrong, I think the uniform would make an excellent halloween costume but might not be so appropriate for work. Oh well. I´m very excited for Monday! Not too sure what floor I´m working on yet but I will report back when I find out. Have a great weekend!!

Spectacular Tikal!!!

It will be difficult to fit all of the adventures I had in Tikal into one blog but I am going to try! As I said before, the bus ride there was a bit eventful, but aside from that the trip was wonderful!! I stayed at a hostel called ¨Los Amigos¨ on the Island of Flores in the middle of a lake. The place is set up like a little indoor jungle with roofs only covering part of the building and open air to the rest. There are tons of trees and vegetation inside, a few (very sweet) resident pups, and some parrots too. I stayed in a shared dorm room for less than $4 a night but also spent some time lounging one of the many hammocks. I can´t believe I forgot to take pictures! I spent lots of time with the local kids and other guys from the hostel lounging on the nearby dock and practicing ¨flippies¨. In fact I became the go to girl for learning how to master the back flip. Will I ever outgrow this? Doubtful.

After a day of rest I set off bright and early at 4am for Tikal. I can´t begin to describe how amazing this experience was! I opted out of the big, loud, expensive tour group and decided to buy a map and explore on my own. This was such a great decision for me! With a few tips from a guide I was able to avoid the sight of a single person for the first three hours of my morning. I was able to wake up on a nice private hike through the jungle with the monkeys (howler and spider), toucans, birds, cicadas, and one not so welcome snake. At least I didn´t step on him right? After this I began slowly working my way around all of the massive monuments, palaces, and temples. The large groups were great because if I only waited a few minutes they were off to the next spot and I had the entire place to myself. I can´t describe how surreal the feeling is to sit on something so massive that was built so long ago. And to try to grasp the concept that a mere 25% of the ruins are visible above ground? What!!! How massive were they before they sunk down and the jungle grew up?? It was like being in the middle of an Indiana Jones movie!! I climbed everything I was permitted to despite my extreme fear of heights. I only had one near panic attack climbing off one monument (temple VI, I believe?) that had a ladder of sorts up its massive 70 meters in the sky. I took tons of pictures that I am attempting to post on facebook including many views of the jungle from the tops! So far I haven´t been successful so please enjoy the ones below. It was bitter sweet enjoying this alone. I enjoyed the peaceful experience but I so wanted to share it with you all!

The second day I confronted my other fear, a fear of the dark, in the snake caves ¨las cuavas kan actun¨. No worries Aunt Cacky… there were no snakes, just bats. So again, I went alone and had a very unique experience in my solitude. That of trying not to pee my pants. You see, the caves are massive, and mostly well lit by bright lights. However, I decided to visit the caves in the middle of a thunder storm. Just as I was entering the caves the man handed me a flashlight informing me that there was a good chance that the lights would go out from the storm when I was deep inside. But not to worry! He would just come find me. I got some idea of how that would have gone for me when I got a little turned around in an area of the cave that wasn´t well lit and proceeded to freak out until I found my way back out. In retrospect it’s funny… then not so much. But in all seriousness the cave was spectacular especially considering I have never explored one before. What beauty! And I actually consider bats to be quite cute now though they are a little camera shy.
Well I think that is it for my adventures for now. Brett and I are planning a trip to Belize at the end of the month so I need to save up for that one. Plus I start full time work at the hospital next week and I anticipate that being enough of an adventure to last me for a while. I get to wear all white so pictures to come! Love and miss you all still!!

Island in the sun!!

Hi! I made it to Flores! The bus only broke down one time. My seat on the second bus was broken to my advantage in a reclined position and I slept quite well. It was pretty awesome too that I chose the bus full of some local 13 year olds on a school band trip. When the bus broke down some guy on the street sold them all beer so that added to my entertainment. I´ve had worse traveling experiences, really.

The little city of Flores is so sweet, it´s on a little island in the middle of a lake. I have a trip booked into the jungle tomorrow for 4am so lets just hope I wake up! I am looking so forward to seeing the ruins, not to mention the monkeys. Today has been pretty lazy, took a hammock nap for a few hours this morning and then had a nice swim off the dock. It´s incredibly hot and humid here, you mostly have a swampy butt all the time. I love the jungle!!

Well this post is mostly to inform you that I am safe and happy. My hostel is nice with lots of good people from all over the world. It´s a beautiful sunny evening right now and I am about to go have some dinner with a lake view. Can´t wait for the Tikal trip tomorrow, pictures to come!! Hope all is well at home!

Dorotea

I´ve been meaning to tell you that I now go by ¨Dorotea¨. I bet Mammy finds this comical because we forever lament not being able to go by our first name and how confusing this makes things. Lorell is nearly impossible for Guatemalans to say so from day one, I introduced myself as ¨Dorotea¨, my Spanish class name from high school. It has to be ¨Dorotea¨ as opposed to Dorothea because ¨th¨ is equally as difficult for people to say as a hard American ¨r¨. But what´s really funny is that my Danish friends call me something different all together. They say ¨Dortia¨, not sure how that developed. So when I get home I might answer to just about anything!

Ha, well I´m off to Tikal on the night bus tonight. This is a very secure, very private tourist bus so no worrying! I anticipate this being one of the most amazing experiences of my trip and promise to take lots of great pictures!! Miss you all!

Lorell

Lago Atitlán!

Hi all!
The lake was fun but just a bit rainy. In fact, the only sun I saw was on the bus ride down. But that didn´t stop me from having fun! We were only there for one night, but that was plenty of time to get some serious Christmas shopping done. We stayed in Panajachel which is one of many little Pueblos that surround the lake. There were tons of hand made crafts for sale at the market there. With a little bartering I got some really great prices on beautiful textiles. On Sunday we visited Santa Catarina by boat. The women were weaving and selling the textiles that are typical of the people in their Pueblo. The lady in the photo below did especially amazing work. I´m trying not to feel bad about what I paid for her beautiful art. It was so fun to talk to the ladies and get pictures of them weaving before I bought the textiles. I want to include more details but I don´t want to spoil any surprises! But, if anyone has any requests for Christmas presents or something you would like me to bring back for you I would be more than happy! Pretty much anything that can be made by hand here is available including purses, bags, quilts, blankets, table cloths, place settings, tapestries, skirts, blouses, paintings, sheep wool ponchos, pottery, sweaters, knit hats, gloves, etc.

There was an opportunity to dive in the lake to see some geological formations made by the volcano. I really wish I was there for longer and I definitely would have gone! I was kind of disappointed it wasn´t nice enough for a hike too, but next time. Next weekend I am off to Tikal to see the Mayan Ruins. I have heard that they are spectacular so I am really looking forward to it. Only two weeks left of Spanish class before my job at the hospital starts. (Yikes!!) But I am proficient enough by now to get by so I´m trying not to worry too much. More pictures posted on facebook. Love and miss you all!

Still alive I swear!

Sorry... It´s been a while.

Most of my days are consumed with studying Spanish and I haven´t been spending a lot of time in the Internet cafes. I love my new housemates from Denmark. They are so kind, silly, and fun... the only kind of girls I really like to hang around. We are taking a trip to lake Atitlan this weekend. I have heard it is very beautiful and and am really looking forward to the fun. Plus it will be my first experience on what is called a ¨chicken bus¨ around here. Loads of sweaty people crammed on top of each other, their merchandise and produce to be sold at the market tied on top of the bus. I´m sure it will be an experience! Photos to come.

Other than Spanish School I joined a local gym. It offers the basics of most American clubs: free weights, weight machines, exercise machines, and a few exercise classes. Some of the machines are a bit geriatric but they work. Surprisingly, they have quite a few nice stationary bikes for cycling class. I took the class last night and holy smokes, what a workout. Only me and 2 other people were able to complete the entire hour and a half of intervals but I definitely had tunnel vision towards the end. So I am defiantly enjoying getting into a shape my body hasn´t seen since high school/ early college!

That´s all for now but I´m sure I will have some fun tales from the weekend. Thanks for keeping me posted with emails, texts, and facebook. I love and miss you all!

Oh but I forgot!!! Me and Leña (Bella´s sister for those who don´t know her) officially have an apartment together in Denver!! It´s a sweet little basement apartment right across from city park in downtown Denver. Mally and Beans will be in heaven. It´s a really great area, safe and close to everything. I´m so excited and relieved to have living arrangements taken care of for when I get back. To Carrie: I´m no longer trying to find a place to live (in a fake Spanish accent) Hurray!!!

Not so flattering pic of the results of a downpour.


Flash floods on the way home from the Gym, had to swim across the street!

New friends AND salsa!

The house is full again! Four girls from Denmark arrived yesterday and a Swedish boy moved into the house too. The girls are a blast! Most of the time they remember I don´t speak Danish, but I might end up learning some of that as well. We went out salsa dancing last night, one of my most favorite things to do. There´s nothing like Latino dancing. I got spun around so much I was dizzy. The basic moves are really easy and fun, and as long as you don´t think too hard so are all the turns and changes. But I am considering taking some lessons so I can learn the fancy elaborate moves too. Spanish is coming along really well. I was sitting talking with my teacher this morning and realized that I was comprehending without translating in my head. I knew what all of the words were and didn´t have to think about it! So exciting. As my passive vocabulary grows, I find that I am also able to use lots of words in conversations that I´ve worked so hard to memorize. So its starting to click. I´m so happy! This weekend is going to be more studying because I only have three more weeks of intensive Spanish before my new job at the Hospital starts. Gotta keep learnin! There might be a little time for more salsa on Saturday though... Miss you all!

Yo tengo un trabajo en el Hospital National!!!

I have a job at the National Hospital of Guatemala! Chela didn´t tell me before my interview that this is a very difficult volunteer position to come by. They only take registered nurses and most new graduates are turned away. In fact, they don´t really take volunteers at all except for special circumstances. So I´m pretty darn blessed to have this opportunity. I will finish up my intensive Spanish program this month and may even add a few extra hours a day. My start date at the hospital is the first of August. I assume I will work on many different floors however I told them of my experience in neonates and geriatrics. So I get to practice Spanish, specifically medical Spanish for 40 hours a week pretty much for free. I will probably still take a few extra hours a week at the school in August and September but anticipate learning a ton at the hospital. I will work 7:30a to 3:00p Monday through Friday and will have the weekends off. This should be an amazing experience and will really strengthen my resume as a new grad. I´m so excited. I should definitely be fluent by the time I get home. Now, to find a paying job in Denver this fall....

I finally got around to baking my ¨4th of July¨ cakes last night. They were a big hit at the school especially since cake is not very typical for many of the world´s cultures around here. They turned out pretty darn good considering I had to light the gas oven myself (yikes) and there were only 5 settings on the oven: 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. I naturally chose 3.5 assuming it was kinda close to 350? Wrong, it was so stinkin hot it almost burnt my first cake! I will have to remember that 2 is the perfect setting for cakes. But with a little sweet cream icing and fresh fruit from the market... Yum! Muy delicioso!!





And on a more important note, I no longer have a bed bug issue. I had to move to a new room in the end but I actually like it even more. I woke up with no new bites today so all is well on the bug front!
Miss you all! Hugs your way!

Bed Bugs

Yes, what you are thinking is exactly right. I have been fighting some very elusive mosquitoes this past week. I have purchased bug sprays, creams, even a little bug repellent deal that plugs into the wall. However I though it very strange that I had yet to see one or two the whole week though I continued to wake up with more and more bites. This morning at breakfast I was wearing a tank top. My Mom took one look at me and said, Aye! Tienes insectos en su cama!! You have bugs in your bed! How did this happen you wonder? My Guatemala mother keeps a very clean house and our sweet perrito (doggie) Osa does not have fleas. Well, as it turns out, many students that stay at the house also participate in various volunteer activities. Some of these activities include helping and living with rural families that often have insect problems. And so, alas, the mystery is solved. The previous occupant of my bed brought some unwanted friends home with him. The bad news: I am covered in very itchy bug bites that make practicing yoga and studying Spanish a bit difficult. The good news: These bugs are only the kind that bite and do not make their home in people´s skin or their hair, thank you very much. After some heavy duty Raid usage (note the picture below) as well as some serious de-bugging of my linens, I should be able to sleep soundly tonight. Hooray!! Crisis averted. I only kind of look like I have the Chicken Pox however, within a week I should be back to normal!

Hace mucho calor!

It´s been a gorgeous and sunny weekend. Until the clouds fill up with more water than they can hold and it all comes flooding down. But for the most part, as long as I hide during the afternoon storm, I´ve been drying out. My German friends left on Friday so now I´m alone in the house with my family. Which means I haven´t spoken any English to anyone for a few days now so that´s good right? Yesterday was a big day for the market. It can be a little overwhelming because everyone just yells and shoves their merchandise at you. But you get used to it. I bought some fruit and veggies for the week and a little washcloth for trenta quetzales which equals about 4 dollars. I also tried some treats, not really sure what they were. Coconut something perhaps? Yum.
I started the morning with pictures on the Panza Verde rooftop where my Yoga class is held because the lighting was so nice. You can check out the pics on facebook. Then I had a pretty nice yoga class and made some yummy breakfast. This afternoon is more studying and maybe a trip to the market for some fresh strawberries. I need them for the 4th of July cake I´m baking to take to class tomorrow. Not many 4th of July celebrations around here... not too sure why not?
I am definitely looking forward to starting work at the hospital. I am used to leading a slightly faster paced life than this and its starting to get to me. I do love having the time to sit in the park and practice Spanish. It´s not too hard to make friends there who want to help you. Below is a picture of a woman and her daughters that were selling jewelry. Chatted me up for a while. I miss you all. Please send me updates of life back home. Lots of hugs.

First week

Phew! This week has been kinda nuts. I have decided that learning Spanish is much more difficult than I ever imagined. I am learning a ton, but its amazing how much concentration it takes to understand and respond in a new language all day. My teacher only speaks in Spanish to me. If I don´t understand a word she tells me in English or explains it to me in Spanish. I pretty much just decode the entire lesson and write everything new down in a notebook. So far I have learned/ reviewed about 50 verbs and tons of vocab. Every day I come home from school, eat lunch, and crash for an hour. Then I try to do something fun, and back to studying before and after dinner.

So far for fun I´ve had a Salsa lesson and visited a macadamia nut farm. Pictures are posted on facebook. I tried to share them with the group email but we´ll see if that worked. Ha, even as I write this email I´m writing half Spanish words and having to delete. You thought I spelled poorly before! The salsa lesson was fun but I already knew how to do everything they taught. I pretty much spent the entire time laughing with the instructor at the gringos trying to catch the Latino beat. Most of them failed to do so. They tried to sell me lessons but I prefer to learn from the locals at the bar for free. The farm was beautiful. We got to try some yummy nuts and I even got a free facial with the nut oil! The trip ended in a torrential downpour and we all got soaked. I have since learned to put my things in a plastic bag inside my purse to save them from the rain.

Well gotta run, Mom´s about to call the house. Don´t think the photos were sent to the email group, not sure why not. Here is the facebook link and a few I posted here. The connection was bad so after three attempts I ended up with about 50 photos. Most were repeats. Can someone help mom get a facebook account? Bussy? Miss you all!!

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?cropsuccess&id=19220234#!/album.php?aid=2369325&id=19220234&ref=mf

How to find me... for reals

Here is some updated info about how to get a hold of me. You can still text my cell. I have included the CORRECT country code if you need to call. The best bet is getting an international calling card. I am usually home and finished with dinner between 830p and 930p Colorado time, but just email ahead to make plans for a different time during the day. The best mailing address for me is the p.o. box at the school I have included below. I LOVE the emails I have been getting from everybody. They have made the adjustment to a new place much easier. Miss you!

email: gowerlo@gmail.com
cell: 970-402-6806
home phone: (011) 502 7832-5507
address: 5a. Calle Poniente No. 6
P.O. Box #372
Antigua, Guatemala

Rain, rain, you can stay...

School starts tomorrow! I hope the other kids like me. I am all paid up for the next month of room, board, and Spanish lessons. Only took a little bartering to get the price I was promised six months ago. See dad, all those years of ¨like arguing to a brick wall¨ finally paid off! And if I study more, I get a bigger discount! Gotta love Guatemalans.

So I woke up to a thunder storm this morning and ran to yoga class in the rain. My yoga studio is held on a roof top art gallery at a beautiful hotel. Talk about zen. You can see the roof tops of all of Guatemala not to mention a beautiful view of the volcano. The building is ancient and covered in 100 year old foliage. I took lots of pictures but the lighting was bad and Bella just wouldn´t approve. So I shall try again on a sunny day and share. Yoga was lovely, an hour and a half of gentle restorative poses to calm my nerves about the hard work and excitement ahead.

It pretty much drizzled here all day, but it´s not really a sad rain. It is warm and smells wonderful, and is pretty much the reason there are 500 different shades of green here. I would not advise walking on the wet cobble stones in flip flops however. I know from personal experience that can be very hazardous.

So tomorrow I am starting off with four hours of Spanish lessons in the morning and salsa dancing lessons in the afternoon. I´m so excited, can´t wait to meet my teacher. Oh yes! And other good news, as soon as I receive my nursing license in the mail I can begin working at the big hospital 5 minutes outside of Antigua. So when I get back to the states, technically I won´t be a new grad anymore right??? Well maybe that´s a stretch but a girl can hope right?

Love and miss you all. Sorry this ones a bit lengthy!

Lazy Saturday

My new neighborhood

I woke up this morning only moderatly confused as to where I was. My room is small and modest with a bed, table, and corner shelf. Just what I was hoping for. My house mom (can´t remember her name but I think I will just call her Madre anyways) has promised me the big room as soon as the other students move out today. She is so sweet and has one of biggest, kindest smiles I have ever seen. My sister Veronica seems very outgoing and fun. She gave me a big hug when I got there and showed me all around the house. It is set up sort of like a dorm that houses about 8 students. A tiny woman (forgot her name too dangit) does all of the cooking, cleaning, and laundry for us and insists that I don´t help. I think she is convinced that I speak fluent Spanish and talks very quickly to me all the time weather I understand everything or not. Gotta learn some time right?

Mi Casa #24

The house has a full kitchen for us to use and a fridge and cupboard for snacks. But the food is so yummy I don´t think I will need to use it much! Last night we had Guatemalan style spagetti, fresh bread, and sweet plantains for dessert. Yum!! I´m sure the students will come and go as most people stay in Antigua for weeks as opposed to months. Right now my house mates consist of an English girl, a Canadian girl, and three Germans. I look forword to making a few more friends from around the world!

The road to Antigua!

A wild start... wouldn´t have it any other way!!

Hola mi familia y amigos! Yo estoy en la Antigua Guatemala!! So most of you should have received the travel update from my Pops but here´s a little recap of my journey if you missed it:

Door to airplane won´t close, delay taking off in Denver, doesn´t really matter because there is a storm in Dallas Fort Worth that prevents landing, airplane circles for an hour, we give up land in Abieen, TX (where is that you wonder? I don´t know either). Proceed to sit on the runway there for 2 hours because the ity bitty airport doesn´t have enough security to let us off, finally take off again and land in Dallas, my AA flight to Guatemala is officially cancelled so I re-route myself to Miami, 20 minute connection accross three concources in Dallas, made it by the grace of God, end up in Miami at one in the morning. Phew! I am promised a discounted hotel in Miama by the lovely employees of American Airlines... slight problem, no one is home at the AA office. Good thing I left the comfort of my morning departure gate. Oh well, no taxi to be found in this ghost town they call Miami International Airport. I finally give up and try to sleep next to the ticket counter. Good thing they play really loud elevator style jazz music and make security announcements all night to me and the 2 other people hangin out! Jump on the first flight to Guatemala City bright and early and alas! I made it! Where is my bag? Well, again, the lovely employees of AA are unable to locate it but perhaps it will show up over the next few days?

But I am here!!!! And my family is lovely! And I love it here so much. I have so much more to tell but I am about to be late for my first family dinner so I have to run. I´m sure it will be smooth sailing from here. Love and miss you all!!

p.s. I don´t know how to turn on the english spell check yet so please disregard all of the misspelled words.

And I'm off!

Well I've been running around a little crazy the last few days but I think I'm finally ready to go. Or as ready as I will ever be. It's been a few years since I've lived in another country, and I'm pretty sure I was a little more young and wild back then. I somehow managed to shove three months worth of clothes into a somewhat smallish pack. Dad aren't you proud?? I'm only bringing four pairs of shoes!!! And don't forget the yoga mat. How am I supposed to study a foreign language if my Chi isn't centered?

I hope everyone stays in touch. I make friends pretty easy but I anticipate being a little lonely at first. If you don't want to write to the whole group, please email me at gowerlo@gmail.com. Love and miss you all already!!

I'm a real nurse!!! Time to start pack'n

Phew... got my NCLEX results today and I am now "unofficially" a registered nurse in the state of Colorado. So obviously it is now time to begin preparing to leave the country! I am filled with a mixture of both excitement and anxiety about what lies ahead. What will my host family be like? What if the kids at school don't like me?? Three months is a very long time!!! Okay... I know it is going to be wonderful. Besides I'm getting ahead of myself. First things first, tonight it's off to the Rio to celebrate my small victory with Margaritas. Anyone from the Fort please join in, friends and fam from afar, please come in spirit!

More to come on Thursday when my adventure begins!

Hooray for a game plan!!

Well just as I was about ready to pull my hair out, alas, the state board of nursing sent me a test code for my board exam today! I will be taking my exam next week and then I'm off to Guatemala. I am leaving on Thursday, June 24th and will tentatively return in mid-September, pending no dream job offers that mandate an earlier return. That is a long time, but it is very important to me to be bilingual as a nurse. I will be studying Spanish in Antugua at a Cabaguil Spanish School. My host family is ready and waiting for me, I can't wait to meet them! Here is the address and website if you want to check it out. Wish me luck!!

Cabaguil Spanish School

5a. Calle Poniente No. 6

Antigua Guatemala

P.O. Box 372

http://www.cabaguil.dana11.dk/

I'm a blogger!!

So I guess I'm going to join the 21st century and try out this blogging thing. I will be spending the summer in Antigua, Guatemala to study Spanish and figure that this is the best way to keep friends and family posted on my adventures. I'm not entirely sure how to add people yet, or if friends can add themselves... but I'm sure I will learn as I go. I still don't have a departure date, but I predict that it will be mid to late June. Until then....