Catching up

It's been almost exactly 2 months since I last wrote. After skimming my last blog post, though, it feels like that was more than 2 months ago. So much has happened since then! Everyone talked about how school vacation is boring and long but mine has surprisingly been busy and is going by super fast (it's pretty much over after this month). So, I finally went home and experienced the luxuries and fast-paced lifestyle of America for a few weeks. I don't want to dwell on my trip home but I'll sum it up in a few words: family, new nephew, friends, delicious food, yoga, meditation, beach runs, parties, Halloween, reunions, shopping, Autumn. It was a good recharge and I definitely ate too much, but it was also terribly sad and difficult to leave behind my adorable little nephew. I miss him tons.

After getting back from the States I got to spend a little time with my friend Allison (another PCV) and her family that was down visiting Guatemala. It was a nice way to ease back into Guatemala's lifestyle and pace, since I had been gone for 3 weeks after all and it is surprising how fast one can fall back into a routine. Her family rented an amazing house in Antigua with a pool and a hot tub. So even though I had recently returned to Guatemala I didn't quite feel like I was totally in Guatemala yet. I had the opportunity to hike the Pacaya volcano with them which was surprisingly really amazing. It's one of the easier hikes so I guess I didn't anticipate it being as good but I was proven wrong. Once you get about 300 m from the top (total height is about 2,600 m) there are no more trees and just all black volcanic rock everywhere. I honestly felt like I was taken back into the movie The Land Before Time (awesome childhood movie!). There were areas where geothermal vents formed and you could just see the steam coming out (it's an active volcano). There was one hole that you could drop down and stand in. The steam and heat form a natural sauna that feels good but also pretty hot. We also went down into a nearby cave by the top that was big and was like a giant sauna. Our guide even brought tortillas and chile rellenos to cook in one of the thermal vents. We also had marshmallows that we roasted in the vent. Delicious and fun. Also, the view up there was incredible! You could see so far out that you could even spot Guatemala City in the distance. 

The Land Before Time

Allison cooking tortillas and roasting marshmallows 

So after that fun-filled weekend I went back to site where I had to resettle, finish unpacking, and get my life back in order. First of all, I was greeted by some dear little mice hiding out in my bedroom and kitchen. UGH. They are super cute for sure but that doesn't mean I want to share my space with them. So I had to deal with that and get rid of them. I guess the bright side of that problem is that i have decided to get a kitten but am going to wait until January. So I was home for about a week and then I was off again to leave for a Thanksgiving vacation.  I went to the town of Rio Dulce and then Livingston for some Thanksgiving relaxation and fun. Rio Dulce was a cute little town on the river. It's a pretty chill and low-key place. The highlight was definitely a waterfall we went to called Finca Paraiso. Supposedly, it is the only waterfall in the world in which the river it falls into is cold but the waterfall itself is hot, hot water. I've never been to anything like it and it was not only beautiful but so nice to swim in. We walked up to the hot spring where the waterfall originates from and, once there, a local guide showed us an area of where natural clay forms under the hot spring. He told us the clay is used for medicinal purposes on the skin. We then took some of the clay and rubbed it all over our bodies and looked like awesome jungle women. Once you washed it off, your skin was oh so smooth. From Rio Dulce we took a boat down the river to a little town called Livingston on the Caribbean coast of Guatemala. It is a different world from the rest of Guatemala. It has a very chill, laid back, Caribbean vibe where the locals speak Garifuna and are of African and Carib descent. We were there precisely for the weekend that celebrates Garifuna culture and so it involved lots of dancing and street festivities. We also had great seafood. The typical dish there is called tapado, which is a seafood stew comprised of fish, shrimp, and crab cooked in coconut milk with curry. So delicious! A different Thanksgiving from what I was used to for sure, but regardless a great one.

The hot waterfall into the cold river

Livingston

The thing that amazes me the most after visiting other places like this in Guatemala is how unique and different each department here can be. I have been in such totally different and opposing climates and landscapes here in Guatemala that it sometimes is hard to believe you are still in the same country! You go from a tropical beach town with a Caribbean feel to a high altitude-residing town that is cold and mountainous but both equally as beautiful. I've heard that Guatemala has 40 different micro-climates. It is amazing that one little country could have so much diversity and beauty in so many different shapes and forms. 

After much traveling, I have finally settled back home for at least a few more weeks. This past week I had the opportunity to help out with a medical mission from the US as a translator. The organization is called Partners for Surgery. They are doing a week long mission in which they stop at a bunch of different towns in the Verapaz departments and host medical clinics and do screenings for patients that will need surgery. It was an amazing and unique experience. I was paired with a female doctor that coincidentally is from my hometown - I could not believe that! So I translated for her with the patients for an entire day. Seeing these patients and hearing their problems made me feel sad and grateful at the same time. So many of these patients had been suffering with their ailments for years and years with no resource or outlet to get help from. It made me realize even more than I already have that Guatemalans are such strong people that persevere through the toughest conditions because there is no other choice at times. It also made me realize how fortunate I have been to have grown up in a country where I am offered top of the line medical services with specialists of every kind. Yet, that also made me sad because these patients don't have those same services offered to them and it's unfair that they don't. However, when a patient did get approved for surgery it made me happy to know that someone was doing something for them to get medical attention and help. I left feeling inspired and excited to pursue my own career in helping and healing others. To be able to offer someone something that no one else can or will give, is a gift and an honor. I know that's still some time away for me but it definitely is a feeling of excitement to imagine it all one day. I'd like to think that my job here in Peace Corps is a small step towards doing that though. With the days and weeks to come I'll be preparing more workshops with my women's group and will be putting the finishing touches on my girls' camp plans, which should be happening next week! Phew, now I feel caught up on everthing that's been going on. Oh, and happy December :)