El Diablo being whisked away to the “burn site”
December 7th in Guatemala is “La Quema del Diablo” or “The burning of the devil”. When my teacher told me about this holiday I was excited to participate. Guatemalans believe that the devil lives in the junk that we leave stored in our homes and in our person. The actual burning of a statue of the devil symbolizes a cleansing of evil and misfortune. Continue reading
I’ve used about 482304982309832 ATM’s around the world with no issues. Today, I get an email from a representative at one of my banks notifying me that the ATM that I had just used one hour prior was Continue reading
I can’t stress enough how beautiful and welcoming it is here. I honestly feel like I’m at home which can be a good and bad thing for someone who is accustomed to being on the go. For now I am truly appreciating the tranquility and breath of fresh air. Continue reading
I started to write this entire post in Spanish to celebrate my one week anniversary of taking classes here in Antigua but I figured that would be kinda corny. Corniness doesn’t usually stop me, but I will spare you all this one time. Continue reading
I’ve mentioned before that I am staying with a host family so I can practice my Spanish all day long. A lot of tourists who opt to live in homestays are able to choose the family size, area they prefer to live in, and amenities in the home (i.e. private or shared bathroom…etc). I requested a small family because I didn’t think I’d be comfortable with a house full of 200 strangers. Well, small in Guatemala is a family of 5 plus the 20 family members that come to visit everyday. I was thinking more like a single mother with one mute and well-mannered child. Continue reading
Gratitude – the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful –dictionary.com
If it had not been for the thousands of Facebook posts from friends and family I swear I would have forgotten that today was Thanksgiving. I am in a country outside of the US so it is obvious that no one here celebrates this holiday.
This time last year I was a few weeks in to my much needed therapy sessions and I was a huge ball filled to the rim with every emotion you could think of…..with the exception of anger. Although I felt as thought the weight of the world was on my shoulder I didn’t want to sulk and complain. So instead of wallowing in own mess on my couch with a sad chick flick and two bags of hot fries and an entire ice cream cake from Dairy Queen Continue reading
The airport is filled with photos showing the diversity in Guatemala. Love it!
With the exception of a disgruntled old brawd who worked for United Airlines at Dallas Forth Worth airport and who clearly drank a whole gallon of stank juice this morning everyone I came in contact with today was exceptionally nice. To include the TSA workers who are more often than not rude as hell. It was almost like I was in the twilight zone or something. Continue reading