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.