The flight to Guatemala and Day 1

After my kids were done con natacion fundidas (swim meet), we went to Genghis Grill for lunch and met a lady with an accent. It was ironic since I am traveling out of the country and will be encountering all kinds of accents. I explained to them that it is how I sound when I try to speak Spanish. Connor actually asked her where she was from and we found out that she has a Russian accent. After packing, we went to the store to buy me an umbrella since it is rainy season in Guatemala. When I got to the car, I saw that Lola had eaten my chocolate bar, but it wasn't enough to hurt her. I said goodbye to the family and was able to get through the airport and to my gate in 30 minutes. A new record! I arrived in Houston at 12am and my flight to Guatemala didn't leave until 9am. So, I took a sleeping pill and slept in the airport. At about 5am, it got really loud and I could no longer sleep. There were all kinds of fat people at the Houston airport. Texas really lives up to their reputation! When I woke up, I finished my homework and grabbed some breakfast. It took 45 minutes to get a sausage sandwich and I almost missed my flight. I got in line for the plane behind a native Guatemalan that loved to talk. He told me that he bought a house in Antigua. He told me what a great city it is because there is such a huge police force and told me about a great coffee shop in Central park.

(One of the many parks)

It was very hot when I arrived in Guatemala City. There were police everywhere but I got through customs really quickly. When I walked outside, there was a huge crowd of poor people. There was no driver holding up a sign. A man came up to me and I asked for help. He found my driver for me. My driver didn't speak English but I understood that he was telling me to go sit at the café while he waited for the other people to show up. I walked into the café and ordered a coffee that only cost me less than a dollar. There was a little girl walking around trying to sell me stuff. The poverty here is really sad. There was even a midget rolling around on a skateboard trying to get money. 3 more students showed up that were all doing volunteer work, not studying Spanish. They were working with special needs, photography, and childcare.

(Old historic buildings)

We started driving to Antigua and Guatemala City is really dirty with lots of people piled in the back of trucks and lots of traffic. I heard the driver get a call that we needed to head back to the airport to get 5 more people. I translated the info to everyone. This trip back to the airport cost us about another hour and I fell asleep. We got to the school and got a bit of a tour and then we dropped off everyone at the host homes and went back to the school. All of the people were really crabby and tired, including me.

(This is what the tops of the expensive homes look like, very sharp glass so people cannot trespass)

My host family is on the edge of Antigua and I got lost getting there. Thankfully, there is another lady staying here from Louisiana and she helped me find my way. As we were walking back home, we saw them pull their car into the home. The garaje (garage) is part of the home, which is interesting. It is a little dark and creepy on the street. My host family is very nice and they have a parrot that says, "Hola!" when I walk in. I am not totally sure, but I think this is the same family I stayed with when I traveled here in 2005. Everything looks exactly the same.

(The parrot that says, "Hola")

The parrot sound just like a human and it always scares me. My host family don't speak much English, which is helpful for me when I am learning. They also have a little dog that likes to sleep on the couch.

(One of the little doggies in my home)

(My room is very simple. Just a bed with a few paintings on the wall.)