Home?

Today I was asked (for about the 10^th time) “are you glad to be home?” Not only does that question have me pondering where I would rather be at this time, but it also make me think a lot about the word “home.” Where is that exactly? Is it where you live? Is it where you grew up? Is it where your family is? Hard to know. If I always refer to Colorado Springs as home, I feel as though I am not investing in my time in Guatemala. It is as if I am just visiting for a while while keeping my heart and all that is important back in Colorado. But at the same time I would never question that Colorado is my home. It is where my family is, it is where I grew up, it is a large part of who I am today. As I was getting ready to head back here for Christmas, I keep saying that I was going home. But when the immigration officer asked if I was going home to stay, I said “No, I live in Guatemala.” So now I wonder: is it possible to have more than one home?

My first day in the US in four months felt strange. I didn't have to think about how to say things when I went to the store, I can read the menus, I can have conversations with strangers. It is great and yet strange. Is it possible to get so comfortable in a place in less than four months, that the place you lived for 31 years feel strange? At the airports, I found myself surprised when I heard people speaking english (even though I speak english every day) and keep catching myself saying “con permiso,” “gracias,” etc.

A few weeks ago I was talking to one of the other teachers from the US and he was complimenting me on a 21K race I ran (I was the third female overall!). He has been in Guate for four years and told me that he thinks it is great that I am finding a way to do things outside of school and meeting other people. In his four years he does not believe he has done that. Although I like the idea of becoming a part of Guate and not just a part of CAG, that was not my intention. My intention was to get involved in the things I was doing back in the US. For my sanity I need to hike, I need to run, I need to dance. As it turns out, doing those things not only makes me feel more at home in Guate, it gives me a chance to be meet and spend time with locals. At the race (Desafio de Lava) I saw a number of people who I had met when climbing Acatenango. It was exciting to be able to say hi, good luck, etc to others at the race as I had always done in Colorado. But, during the race, I did miss chatting with other runners. During races like the Ascent and Barr Trail Mountain Race (steady uphills where non-superhumans are speed hiking rather than running), I tend to talk to others. I know enough Spanish to where I was able to ask to pass and cheer others on, but rarely understood what they told me in return. Despite that it was still a ton of fun, I really felt “at home” during that race.

There have been many instances where I really felt comfortable and completely happy doing what I was doing; I did not want to be back in CO, I did not miss the safety and convenience of the US.  And, I love telling people at the market “no soy un torista, yo vivo aqui en Guatemala.” But there are also times where I miss Colorado and think “I can not wait to get home." And right now, I am thoroughly enjoying being in Colorado and with my family. Does that mean I am not fully invested in my time in Guate? Or does it simply mean that I have more than one home?  

Country #13

Okay, so technically Honduras is the 14^th country I have been in, but my time in Germany was less than 12 hours (plane landing and train into Austria) so I don't count it. And this past weekend's experience in Honduras fits with it being good old unlucky #13.

So, we had a four day weekend (All Saint's Day) and I was joining the Staggers/Grob family for an adventure in Honduras. The plan was to drive to Graicas on Saturday, hike Cerro Las Minas (tallest mountain in Honduras) on Sunday, drive to Rio Hondo (part of the way back) on Monday, and a mini water park and home on Tuesday. Pretty awesome adventure if you ask me. Well, that is not what happened.

We took some of the less traveled roads because it was more direct, unfortunately they were mostly unpaved and washed out (Melissa, think wrong turn road in Costa Rica). Initially the roads just took longer and caused Ken (the driver) stress, and it was a beautiful way through the countries. But the back roads and potholed main roads ended up causing a flat tire. No big deal, unless you break two of the bolts while changing it. So, rather than hiking a mountain and enjoying a water park, we spent the weekend reading and playing games in hotel rooms (weather was crummy), waiting for mechanics to open (all are closed Sunday) and fixing the tire and replacing the breaks (need was discovered when fixing the tire). The mechanics were great and I had a good book with me, but it just felt like such a waste of a weekend; dumb is the best word for it.

Despite everything, I actually managed to, initially, be thankful for some extra sleep and no major car damage, but that all went out the window when I saw photos of the Mayan ruins and kite festivals that filled the weekends of many other people. It would probably help to not compare my experience to anyone else's; I have a hard time doing that in general (I'm working on it) and it was extra hard in this case. I think part of it was that I was really wanting/needing a break from city life in Guatemala and just did not get it.

In three weeks I am planning to head back to Honduras to spend Thanksgiving on the island of Roatan. Hopefully the country will treat me better the second time around, I am sure I will really need it by then!

BTW, if you are curious of my other 12 countries (in order): US (yes it counts), Canada, Mexico, England, Scotland, Ireland, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.

Happiness on a volcano

This post was going to be written the night I came home from the hike. That was the plan. But I have not been able to put what this trip did for me into words. Something changed, or I did. I don't know what it is or how significant it is, but I definitely feel different after coming back. It is not just the dead quads or the people I met. I wish I was more elequant. Oh well, here goes:

To spend the weekend away was a very last minute decision. On Thursday, Ken Grob (7^th grade science teacher, husband of my classroom's neighbor, adventure seeker, nice guy) casually asked me if I was interested in going with a group from a local climbing gym to hike a volcano (Acatenango). My initial response was that I already had plans (I had signed up to help at a CAG service day), but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to go. So I made it work. I found someone (thanks Brian) to watch Sidney, informed the person in charge that I would not be attending the service day, and called Diego who was in charge of the trip (thank goodness he speaks English). At this point I just thought it would be a fun weekend away from the city.

At about 12:30 on Saturday, Ken and I walked from my condo to the climbing gym. I was a little nervous about walking there with a big backpack, which felt like a “please rob me” sign, but we make it with no issues. We hung out for a while waiting for everyone to arrive, and I found a magazine in their shop that had an article about the Colorado Running Company store in C/S. Crazy! I took it as a good sign :) We loaded on the bus about 1:30 and headed out to the hostel. Much of the ride involved us talking to a guy who was a graduate of CAG. He is now working for the UN as an interpreter (Spanish/French) for the Guatemalan army stationed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A very interesting guy.

We arrived at the hostel around 4 and spent time throwing a frisbee, attempting a slack-line (I managed three steps!), and getting to know people (at least the ones who spoke English). We had a pre-hike meeting around a camp fire where I managed to understand all the key points; thankfully their Spanish was slower than most :) After the meeting we ate a “tipica” dinner (eggs, refried black beans, toast, fried plantains) before we headed to bed. Bed was in a room of 10 bunk beds. It felt and smelled a lot like camp and was perfect!

Our wake-up call came at 3:15 and we were on the road by 4. Our transportation was a “chicken bus.” I do not know why they are called that, but they are these crazily decorated busses usually covered in playboy symbols and naked ladies. This particular bus also had flashy lights that came on when the driver used the breaks. At 4am, on a windy, dirt road, such lights are absurd and hilarious. We arrived at the trailhead about 5:00 am. At the trailhead I realized that my camera was missing (I had hooked it to my bag at the hostel and it was no longer there). This is a new camera I was given as a gift before I came. I am annoyed that I did not take better care of it :/

The "lead" group

We started hiking and split into three main groups. The entire group had 35 people and there was a wide range of fitness levels. I hiked in the front group with Ken, another guy we know from ultimate named Vince (he works for the UN), a number of Guatemalan men, and one other female. The morning was beautiful and I was soaking it all in. I spent a lot of the hike listening in on conversations and figure out what was being said. Whether or not I was successful was mostly dependent on who was talking and how steep the trail was.

At about 11:00 Ken, Diego, Vince, and I reached a false summit. We caught a glimpse of the true summit, and took a few photos before the clouds arrived. We did not see the sun again until near the bottom. In fear of worse weather arriving, we headed for the summit. The last part was steep with little to no trail, but our group of seven made it to the 3,976m (13,045 ft) summit with few issues. We enjoyed the “cumbre”, walking around the caldera, eating some snacks, waiting for everyone else to arrive, and hoping for the clouds to clear. Everyone that started, made it to the top, including two eight year olds. One eight year old was a guide's son; he has hiked Acatenango over 20 times, the first time at age 6. I was impressed.

One of the 8yr olds

The whole group on the cloudy cumbre

A break during the decent

After about an hour, we headed down. Towards the top, the ground is covered in a thick layer of soft, volcanic rock. It is sand like, and the best way to descend is to run and ride the slides. It was a blast and when I starting realizing how great this trip was. For some reason, when the ground got harder, the running didn't stop and it became the way to descent the entire volcano (I blame Ken). I was not wearing running shoes and had a decent sized pack, but was not about to let the boys have all the fun. So I just kept running. It was amazing. I spent most of the decent chatting with a guy named Julioandre who is another CAG graduate and the manager of the local North Face store (they were a sponsor of the trip). He is a very interesting guy who has been involved in trying to get more trail running and adventure races in Guatemala. It was a fun way down. We then headed back to the hostel, ate some soup and headed back to the City.

So, the trip/hike was really not unlike ones I have done back in CO, but it felt so different. Maybe it just meant something different. It has made me more confident in the fact that I can do what I want to here. It makes me more excited about being here and the adventures that my time here could hold. I have made some good friends at CAG, but I really wanted to find people that love what I love.; people who want to explore the area outside of the city, who want to sleep on old uncomfortable mattresses in a room with 20 other people, who will get up at 3am to climb a mountain. Maybe it is just the possibility that I have found these people. Whatever happened, it is now up to me to keep it going. I need to go outside my comfort zone and find more adventures even if I don't know anyone else going. It is not easy for me. I worry too much, and jump too rarely. I guess it is about time I fix that... :)

EARTHQUAKE!!

Woo Hoo, another post. Well, today was a special day so I could not resist. Today was the first day I felt an earthquake. It was not only the first time I felt one while in Guatemala, but the first of my life. Crazy I know. 

Here's how it went down:

I was with the students in a class called X-Block. X-Block is this fantastic 30 mins twice a week where we get to teach whatever we want. All of the teachers picked a topic and the students signed up for what they wanted. I am doing no-bake cooking! Some of the other teachers are doing broadcasting, knitting, crafts, and card games. So this is another class that would never go over in the US, but we think is fantastic!  And today was our first day. I was having the students sign up for the day when they are in charge of bringing the ingredients, recipe, etc when my projector starting swinging like crazy. I recall a few students pointing at the projector and hearing a number of “whoas” before I felt anything. What I felt was mostly dizzy, sort of like the feeling you get when you are back on land after being on a boat for a while. My students asked me if it was a real earthquake (not sure why as I am sure they have all felt many more than me). I told them “yes, now get under your desks.” They did so quickly and then counted to 60 as we practiced a few weeks ago. After the 60 seconds, we evacuated to the baseball field. After waiting out there for 10 or so minutes, the students were dismissed to lunch.

I went back to my classroom and looked up the earthquake (www.usgs.gov) to see what magnitude we just experienced. It was a 4.8. I am sure it is not the appropriate response, but I found the whole thing exciting and was quick to tell the teacher next door everything I had read. A minute or two after entering her classroom, she exclaimed “oh shit, here we go again” as we started shaking again. Not only did this one shake a lot harder (5.8), but it lasted longer. It probably only lasted 20 seconds rather than 10, but it felt a significantly longer. As the students were still at lunch, we only had to evacuate ourselves (much easier). We met and lined up our students and then waited somewhat patiently for the administration to give us instructions. While waiting my students told me that if there is a third it is usually really big and called a terremoto. I thought I was learning some cool Guatemalan lingo or at least a legend that had a great back story. Nope, terremoto is just the Spanish word for earthquake, whereas most of what happens they just call tremors!

In the end the administration decided to dismiss the students at 2 rather than 3, mostly because there were already a number of parents waiting outside the school to pick up their children. So that left an hour in which I was supposed to teach class. Well, lucky for me, I teach earth science! It was a great teachable moment. So we looked at maps, talked about why earthquakes happen, etc. About 20 mins into class, the students claimed there was another tremor. Well, I did not feel it, thought they were just making it up, and at this point it was pouring outside. So we did not get under our desks and we did not evacuate. Turns out the students were correct, there was another quake (4.8 again) and I am a bad teacher.

There have been two more since (4.5 at 2:30 and 4.3 at 6:30) that I did not feel, but my house is pretty solid and low to the ground. So, it is interesting that my post from yesterday was about routine and then I have a very un-routine day. I do find the whole thing interesting which I know is probably not the best reaction. Maybe it is the scientist in me, maybe it is that it is a brand new experience, maybe there is some human nature in the excitement. It does make a great story after all :)

The USGS map of today's tremors and "terremoto"

Routine

As expected, I am not very good at keeping this up. I am not sure why, but I will work on it as some of you have asked (that makes me happy because it means people are reading!). So I have been here in Guatemala for almost six weeks! That is crazy. Generally it does not feel like I left Colorado all that long ago. And yet I feel like I have a found a routine that you can only get in after being in a place for a while, and, somehow, it does not feel all that different from what things looked like for me in CO (minus the dance which I miss so desperately). 

My weekdays usually start with a short (20 mins) run with Sidney around my gated area. I usually do five laps which I think is about a mile and a half, but I don't really know (see green circle on map below). I then shower, eat breakfast, etc. I leave for school at 6:30 and walk up the hill with a first grade teacher that lives in the same condo complex (it is called La Hoya). It takes us about 10 mins to walk (the school campus is outlined in white, I hear it is huge for an international school!). I then get all my stuff ready for the students who come at 7:30. After school I always have something. Mondays are volleyball practice, Tuesdays are professional development days, Wednesdays I run, Thursdays I have volleyball games against the other international school in Guate (InerAmericano and Colegio Americano Maya), and Fridays are also running days. Exciting huh?? I would like to fit some sort of fitness into my Mondays or Tuesdays. We have a pool on campus so I could swim when it is not raining, or there are some people that do a Jillian Michael's work-out video on Mondays at 4. I'll figure it out.

Even my weekends have become routine-ish. Saturdays usually involve shopping at the market (they have great fruits, veggies, tortillas, etc for really cheap) and then the grocery store for everything else. Food is generally good here, I am just adjusting to not having all my fake meats :) But that is probably good for me, I just need to watch my protein intake a little more carefully. I will then often meet up with friends for dinner or hanging out on Saturday night. Then Sunday is a lazy morning followed by ultimate frisbee at 11. We play anywhere from 2-3 hours and then I will often stay at school to get some work done.

There you have it; my Guatemala life in a nut shell. It is nice, comfortable, predictable, and pretty good. I guess that is the problem. Things are not supposed to be comfortable here, I am supposed to be challenging myself, I am supposed to be having amazing new experiences, I am supposed to be growing every day, I am supposed to be learning Spanish! When I first arrived I was told that it is easy to get in routine. That really is the truth! And routine is nice! I guess my next goal will be to get past that routine. I like the comfort and predictability of it, and who doesn't? I think it is human nature to like knowing what is coming, what to expect.  But that is not what I came here for, and I don't want to leave wondering where the time went. I don't even want to go home for Christmas wondering that. So that is what I am going to do, and you all are going to be there to hold me accountable. I am going to explore more; I am not going to not take a taxi somewhere because they seem like the only people here who don't understand my Spanish; I am going to find someone to watch Sidney so I can go away for the weekend (should probably be high on the priority list); and I am going to come home with amazing stories, pictures, adventures, and minimal regrets. At least that is the goal :)

Green circle - the large area around my house.  White circle - the even larger area of the school

A little bit of this and that...

I feel like moving to a new country and starting a new job should lead to things so exciting that I have great things to tell people every day. I am not sure if that is not the case or if I am just failing to see the novelty in what I am doing. Maybe it is a little of each. Tomorrow the students come and I should be moving out of the hotel and into my condo; both of those will bring novelty that I don't think I will be able to overlook. I will let you know. In the meantime, here is a little about what has been going on:

Food

In one word – difficult. There are not a lot of vegetarians in Guatemala and the restaurants show that. As I am living in a hotel, I am eating out almost every day. This has made my diet pretty crummy. 

Problems:

 #1 → restaurants rarely have more than two veggie options. 

#2 → These two options usually involve tortillas, beans, and cheese (not bad, just not good every night). #3 → I don't know all the spanish words for different kinds of meat (I have had to ignored my rule of not eating “contaminated” food). 

#4 → for Guatemalans carne = beef so a meal “sin carne” could have chicken, bacon, fish, etc. 

All of these problems could easily be solved if I just decided to eat meat, but after 9 years that is a little hard to do. I am hoping it will all be better once I am cooking my own food and not eating out every day. All that said, I did have an amazing meal this evening at a Mayan restaurant: roasted eggplant with pine nuts.

Fitness

Before I left I was doing something active almost every day. I would run with the Attack Pack twice (sometimes three times) a week, dace three-four days a week, yoga usually once a week, and a number of bike rides and hikes mixed in for good measure. In the 17 days I have been here, three have involved working out. I used the treadmill one (I would rather not run, than run on a treadmill), played soccer (that was humerus), and today I ended up walked around for over four hours (not a planned workout, but I'll take it). Running is quite difficult as there are rarely quality sidewalks and it is not always safe for me as a female to be running alone. I could run at the school (the campus is huge) and may start doing so, it is just hard after being so spoiled in C/S. I am hoping to wrangle some other teachers into running so I don't lose what I have.

School

Front of my classroom (we fixed the Mrs)

The inside when I 1st walked in

The view from my classroom

Amazing. I am so spoiled at this school. Teachers in the US, you may want to stop reading because I guarantee you will be jealous. We have a "day 1/day 2" schedule that rotates from one to the other. On day 1, I teach three 70 minute science classes, have a 10 minute advisory, and 140 mins of plan time (not including the 45 mins for lunch and recess). On day 2, I teach two 70 minute science classes and a 30 minute exploratory (I get to pick the topic), have a 10 min advisory, and 210 mins of plan time (again, not counting the 45 mins for lunch and recess). So, in two days, I teach 380 mins and have 350 mins of plan (plus 90 mins for lunch and recess). In addition to all that plan time,I have helpers to make all my copies and a science lab teacher who sets up and cleans up after all labs. All of this in a place that has no inside hallways and enormous windows in every classroom, an amazing administration, and great, positive, fun teachers from both the US and Guatemala. There will probably be a point where school will be stressful and I will want to complain. I hope you all give me a hard time if I ever do.

Wistfulness

Current events in Colorado have caused me a lot of longing. First was the Pikes Peak Ascent. My favorite race. I missed it and so many of my friends were involved. I know it will be there in the future, but I had a hard time reading of others experiences and successes when I am stuck in a lack of fitness routine. Second is the Pro Cycling Challenge. I really got into the Tour de France this year, and to have the opportunity to see them all riding through my hometown would be amazing. But while they are all there, I am here. I keep trying to remind myself that my experience here will be much more than what I could get from a few days of watching (and probably stalking) professional cyclists. I am not being as successful as I would like but I know I will make it through :)

So, that is all for now. Guess it was not such a positive post, regardless, I am enjoying myself.  Students start tomorrow and I am sure I will have a lot to share in that regard. If nothing else, the fact that I am going from teaching low income students to kids wealthy and powerful enough to own helicopters and have their own body guards could be an interesting adjustment... 

Culture

In one of our PD sessions today, we were presented with the question "what is culture?"  Not an easy question; probably as difficult for me to answer as "What is your culture?"  It is not that I don't have a culture, I just feel it all depends on the situation.  So, does that mean that culture is always changing and each of us has a unique culture?  I know that who I am and some of my beliefs have changed in the five days I have been here.  Does that mean my culture has changed?   Would it have changed if I had stayed back home?  Will it change as much in the next five days?  It is hard to know.  


I like experiencing other cultures.  It makes me really understand what I am all about.  I have discovered that I may not be as open to all pieces of cultures as I would like to think I am.  Specifically, there is a part of the culture here in Guate that I am having a hard time grasping.  It is the idea of class division, specifically how it plays out at the school.   


The two gentleman that helped me get my dog from the airport are drivers at the school.  The job of a driver is to drive the school buses, but also to drive teachers and staff around for school related trips; they are "lower" than teachers and administration.  I spent over 9 hours with these two drivers and, to me, that forms a bond.  From later interactions with them, I get the impression they felt they were just doing their job.  Yesterday, two other gentlemen drove me to look at a house.  They also opened all doors for me and held an umbrella over my head when it started raining (barely).  Again, it is their job.  I am struggling with being the "upper" person that accepts help doing something I don't need help with, and still being called Ms. Renaud after spending 9 frustrating hours working towards a common goal.  And yet, if I offer to let them walk in the door first or open the door myself, it is considered rude.   I feel wrong having them do all these things for me, but the only way I know to show my respect is to let them.  It's a struggle for me.    


I talked to a teacher who is returning to CAG (Colegio Americana de Guatemala) after a few years away.  She feels the same way, but has accepted it as part of the culture.  Nevertheless, she learns the workers names, calls them by name, says hello to them, etc.  This allows the to do their job yet helps them to feel appreciated and acknowledged.  I guess that is a start; it is just difficult to do when all I know are their first names and they won't call me by mine.  

Welcome To Guatemala...

So, many people asked me if I was going to blog my experience teaching in Guatemala. I thought about it, but kept coming to the conclusion that most people will see what I am up to on facebook and those that don't can find out through e-mail. Well, my first 72 hours in Guate (what the cool local people call Guatemala City) have made me change my mind. I have realized that there is no way the experience can all be fully understood through facebook, and if I am sending out the same e-mail to everyone, I might just write it in one place for everyone to read. I don't claim to be eloquent, many of the stories may be much more interesting to me than they are to you and I am not sure that all of my time here will be as interesting at the first 72 hours and may not end up being very good about keeping this up, but those of you that choose to follow my adventures, I hope you enjoy it. BTW, I tend to be long winded; here goes...

My arrival in Guate was simple and easy: flights were all on time, baggage was right at or underweight and they all arrived intact. I even left things blank on my entrance documentation (I was unsure about the answers) and they let me right through. The middle school principal and assistant principal as well as the high school principal were there to pick up me and two other teachers; we were the last to arrive. Checking into the hotel was easy and I was even brave enough to use some Spanish (I am often embarrassed that I will get it wrong and don't even try). 

 The next morning the new teachers headed to the school. I am super excited about it; the campus is huge, green, and beautiful! I saw my classroom (full walls of windows on two sides) and the science lab which I get to use twice a week (I have an aid that will set up and take down all labs – spoiled, I know!). My class size will not be as small as I hoped (~25), but that I can deal with. Apparently the biggest classroom management issues are talking and tardies, again, I can deal with that! So, you may be thinking that this is all pretty simple and nothing that would make a person say “I really need to start a blog.” Well, that all came in when trying to pick up my dog Sidney from the airport...

Initially, Sidney was supposed to be on the same flight as I was, but because I did not have a recent enough health certificate she came the following day. Sidney's flight arrived at 9:30 pm (it was delayed) so that is when we headed to the airport. The assist principal had talked to the airline and they said all I needed was my passport and money for taxes and we would be good to go. Well, four hours, four trips between cargo and the airport, and five different people telling us they knew how to get her released, we left without her. At this point she had been in her kennel from 6 am to 12 midnight (poor Sidney). They did allow me to see her and give her some water. She, surprisingly, acted and looked fine. That made me feel better although she would be there overnight :(

The airport.  Most of my time was spent in cargo (not shown)

The next morning two of the drivers from the school and I headed back to airport thinking we knew what we needed to do and would be out of there quickly. Boy were we wrong! It turned out being quite a process. One of the drivers did most of the work as my Spanish is not great. He kept running around doing whatever it was they told him they needed done while I mostly sat and waited for him to return.  I often had no clue what step of the process we were in because his attempt to explain it to me added more time. There was one point where I did not see him for almost two hours! While sitting there, I received a lot of interesting stares from the workers in the cargo area. I'm pretty sure they don't see a lot of blond “gringa” hanging out there. Some would smile and say “buenas” (apparently you don't always need the dias part – and “dias” alone is also acceptable) but most would just look. The whole process was frustrating and stressful. There were a few things that made it harder: 1) My Spanish is rusty at best and no one that we dealt with (including the drivers) spoke English; 2) it was Saturday so fewer things were open and fewer workers were around; and 3) my dad (trying to be helpful – not his fault) sent heartworm medication with her and as we had no prescription for it, were not supposed to have it (they ended up keeping the meds and charged me 118q (~$20) to destroy it, otherwise we would have had to wait until Monday to get Sidney).

The window we stared at for hours on end waiting for someone's help

So, in the end it took us nine hours, numerous trips from the airport to cargo, a 30 min drive around the city to find a hole in the wall (literally) copy place to make a copy of my passport (still a little concerned about that one), and about 1800 quetzales (~$250) to get her home. By this time she had been kenneled for almost 40 hours with only water (I know that is terrible, but don't hate me, I was trying!). Amazingly, within about 15 mins of letting her run around the yard (she is staying with the ms principal until I find a place) she was acting like her normal self. The two gentlemen who spent the whole day with me, the principal, and I then sat down for some dinner and a few beers. It was a nice way to spend the end of a stressful, long, crazy day. I even managed to be a part of most of the conversation and use more of my Spanish. And Sidney is now known as “El Perro de Oro” :)

In the whole process I learned a lot, her are a few:

1. There are some really kind people here who will help a “gringo” get a dog when they have no personal investment in either.
2. People at the airport in Guate work on their own time and are willing to help you, but not in a hurry to do so
3. The people at the school are great (principal and assist principal kept calling to check on and help with the progress) and amazingly helpful
4. “El Perro de Oro” is one tough dog!

Today, on the other hand, has been very pleasant and calm (late breakfast, deck sitting, writing this blog, hanging with Sidney) which I am excited about. I hope that I have more days like today and less like yesterday.

(I will add more photos, but can't currently find the cord that attaches the camera to the computer...)