Readers Digest Version of My Catch Up!

Well I’ve been playing catch up…and not by a little either.

Here’s the readers’ digest version of my life post-Guatemala.
-Moved everything in my house off the floor
-Had to get new tires for my car
-Got new flooring through the entire top floor (carpet and vinyl)
-Mel, the roommate, moved in (Dog still to come)
-Rock the River with URL radio

-Champion of 1 round of Trivia, only one other team can say that.
-Girls' Trip to Bismarck, complete with police report (Sorry Amy Jo)
-Kiwanis banquet
-Confirmed my Kansas trip for July 16
-Work trip to Wibaux, Montana. Second time ever to Montana
-Bonding with roommate Mel, which eliminated most of my white wines
-Booking my flight to Moline, Illinois, for work panel discussions
-Mom and Dad’s 30 anniversary
-Leaking through my ceiling
-Meeting with the President regarding additional Bush Funding for my job

That gives a nice sample of where I’m at…It’s been crazy catching up. I’ve had a lot going on and a lot on my mind but I’m in a good space. I’ve had my tarot cards read again in the past week and I think the universe says I’m in a good spot and will continue to be there while I develop my relationships. I think I’m in for a good summer….here’s hoping!

Big Ol Jet Airliner....I've been thinking about my home!

May 8: Saturday…home again, home again.

So at 3:30 IN THE MORNING….we were ready to go back to Guatemala City to the Airport. We had slight issues going through security, we didn’t speak the language, Stacy had to lose her Ik seasoning, which was said to make food come alive. I said I want my food not alive! Nic and I also were heavily frisked, so much so, that I wanted to demand a steak dinner.

We flew to Houston, it was a pretty empty flight and the movie was “the Frog Princess” so we enjoyed the crappy breakfast snack. When we got to Houston, it was nice to be state side…something reassuring about the whole thing to be back. The flight ended with me sitting in the cockpit, my grandma picking me up, and Sheri surprising me at the airport.

Viernas = Que Va!

May 7: Soaking up the moments

The last full day in Guatemala, boo, double boo when we found out that we had to be up and ready to go to the airport at 3:30 on Saturday morning. So we spent the morning at the Dreamer Center. It was vegetable handout day. Since the children get great meals for the entire week, they want to make sure that the proper nourishment is held through the weekend. They were also celebrating Mother’s Day so there was a program to honor the mothers.
While mothers were getting vegetables and fruit, Stacy and I decided to specialize in organized chaos and give temporary tattoos and giant bubbles. However halfway through me trying to help kids with giant bubbles, Stacy looked at me “Amanda, I am soaked”…I guess the bubbles were getting a little too close to Stacy!

In the afternoon we went to the market. I got to barter in the artisans market. In their market, you can’t really barter…in fact there is no haggling of the price. I bought a couple of shirts, the problem is that the people are so small that their medium is not a medium and they don’t have tags in the shirts. My favorite was the artisan market. I bought a few things for me including a couple bracelets and a hand sewn Mayan calendar. It is beautiful and I’m hoping to get it framed later on. I also bought a beautiful black jade necklace and earring set. They are good barters and are great a guilt trip when you want to purchase. My hardest bargain was my Mayan Sun Gold. I wanted a little one, but when I saw him, I didn’t want him that bad so I offered Q50, He said no, Q120. I didn’t want him that bad so I stuck to Q50. He came down to Q100 then Q85, then Q75, then Q65…before finally agreeing to Q50. When I thought of it afterward, he started at 15.00 and I started at $6.25.

That night we hit the local market that is close to Dora’s neighborhood called Nim Pot. Oh my…we laughed so hard. It’s comparable to the Walmart Flea Market of Guatemala. They have things that are all fixed price and range from jewelry, to t-shirts, to crafts, etc. We found a chest of finger puppets…and the giggling began!

The night ended with a stop at Reilly’s, an Irish Pub in Guatemala. That was one of my favorite places, the atmosphere, the music, the food, it was so relaxed. I could have hung out there for hours and relaxed. I did find it appropriate that I could find a place that united my 2 foreign visits together.

We went back home and Stacy DID NOT want to pack at all! She decided to wear her clothes and everything else back versus pack it. I giggled so much I could barely take a picture of her. Oh my….I felt bad leaving her to situate her stuff!

Climbing into the Culture

May 6: Thursday

We broadcasted from the Scheels Center on Thursday morning. I got the experience of typing on a Spanish Keyboard while Nic and Stacy broadcasted the morning show.

From there we started the hike up Buena Vista. WOW…it was almost a 45 degree incline starting that eventually ended up to some places being 90 degrees and crappy roads that were mostly unpaved. WOW. We were so exhausted when we got halfway there!

The first place we stopped there was over 20 people living in a 16x20 “house”. She makes tortillas and wanted to teach us how to make them. We were horrible, her children actually laughed at us. She made and cooked 10 in the time that we were still working on our one. She actually held Stacy’s up and showed it to one of the other women and they both giggled at her! This is also where I cut my head open…they just don’t have tall people in Guatemala…I hit my head on so many things. When we were going to leave, she gave us a packet of tortillas to take. She makes 500 of them, hauls them down the mountain, and sells them. It takes about 40 tortillas to equal one American dollar, yet she wanted to give them to us.

We went further up the mountain, and the idea is that the further you get up the mountain, the poorer the people are and the less likely they are to have electricity. The reason we stopped and visited this family is because one of the little girls was sick(with a kidney infection) and they wanted to check on her. We found out from the mother that she had given the little girl 2 pills, instead of half, like she was prescribed. They also fitted everyone for new shoes. They take a notebook and trace the girls feet and go back, find the ones that would fit and take the shoes to the family. I was amazed to watch the men interact with these little girls and the mother. So attentive and caring, they loved picking the little girls up and talking to them, complimenting them, and laughing with them. It was such a thing to admire as many men don’t show these characteristics.

We went further up the mountain to tell a little girl that she is getting a god mother, which means that their house will now get electricity. I took some time to reflect and look at the view and take in the city. When you look it is so bleak and dingy. I was amazed at the congestion and population. However as I sat looking at this view I noticed one rose on the top of Buena Vista, just inside my grasp. This was a constant reminder that this country is one of contrasts. Here among the poor of the poor, you can find an obvious beauty.

We came back down the mountain, which isn’t as easy because of the uneasiness and the shifting of the path. It’s a good thing that everyone is short, because that means that they have little feet. When we got back down, we hosted the Scheel’s Center radio class. Nic and Stacy were so happy to have students that were egger to learn and ask questions.

That night we went to the homeless shelter. It is the only one in Central America. When people walk in, they divide into 2 groups: families or men with alcohol or drug addictions. The evening starts with a group discussion and then this bean soup is passed out with a glass of water(that looks like milk). The men then help sweep the floor, lay out the mats, and then spread out to go to sleep. We were censored again as group started out with a joke and when we asked what the joke was we were told “it’s not good for you.” So, when we asked the person that told the joke, he said “today, I’m losing my English, but the joke does not transfer well from Guatemalan.” Yeah, right. The man pictured here saw me taking a picture and told me to take one of him...but to ensure that I got his "good side"....I admired their sense of humors. I also was nervous because one of the men became infatuated with me, Nic was sure to point this out and I was worried that I was going to be married off AGAIN. These girls get something in their heads and are relentless.

We were pretty tired when we got home that night, it was pretty easy to crash and stay in that night.

Cinco De Mayo in Guatemala...Yeah, Who else can say that?

May 5: What? This week CAN NOT be half over!

We woke up again at 6:30 ugh. This whole week I woke up at 6:30ish…brushed my teeth out of the shower (which I hated!), crawled into the shower (made sure not to expose my mouth to the water), put minimal make up on (eye linear and powder), and made it to breakfast at 7:00 so we could get to the Dreamer Center by 8:00.

This morning we went to Casa Jackson, the home for malnourished babies. These are not orphans but instead product of neglect or uneducated circumstances. The mothers are encouraged to come and visit the babies and are taught what malnourishment is and how to avoid it in the future. That’s a pattern we kept seeing was that education was a problem solver, but one line we heard was “If you want to talk to them about deodorant, you might as well explain to them where Neptune is.”

So the volunteers at Casa Jackson hold and care for the babies. I thought of Kim the entire time I was there as it was hard for me. I’m not a good baby person and she would love to hold all these little ones. The one I held was named Marvin. He was an aggressive eater, hard to imagine at one time he was unable to reach for the bottle or smile, laugh, or cry. These are all actions/emotions that they cannot perform when they first arrive at Casa Jackson. He loved playing with the soccer ball…I was amazed how tough this little guy was.

When we got back to the Dreamer Center, Patrick was there to make a dream come true. He told Stacy and I that he would take us to the gun range, which is one of the things on my wishlist. We first had drive through at Pollo Campero (chicken strips, fries, and a bun—this place is not for people thinking about no carbs, between the bread and the tortillas, FORGET IT!), went to his house (which is in a double gated community, amazing place!), and headed out to the gun range!

I shot a 9mm rocksmasher. I was so nervous but at one time I thought I might actually cry. I got to thinking about Patrick actually taking the time to take me, because he knew that I wanted to do this. It is really a simplistic thought but the feeling overwhelmed me. This man is the CEO of a 7 nation nonprofit and he took the afternoon off to make me feel special. So there I was shooting an automatic handgun….and actually not doing too bad. The first round I got 8 out of 15 on the target. The second round I got 12 out of 15 on the target. Patrick said that both my and Stacy’s shot would “get the point across”. I did think it was interesting once when a couple guys walked by us and said (in spanish), “Look at the Gringitas shooting.” They wouldn’t be so smug if they saw how well I shot! HA!

As we were heading back into town Patrick and I must have been thinking the same thing, I didn’t want the afternoon to end. He took us to the Welden, a restaurant which opened up into a patio with a pool filled with rose petals and ordered Spanish wine, salmon and crackers, and bread with a butter cheese spread. WOW…are you serious! When we finished off that bottle to some great discussion and then Patrick ordered Lemmon Frappes for us. Right now I can still feel the sun and taste how wonderful they were! This was one of the best afternoons that I’ve had in a long time…amazing.

That night we went to a Cuban club and listened to salsa dancing. I was maybe getting too ambitious because I tried to knock “play tambourine with a band” off my list, well when I was called up to play with the band, we looked at each other and said, “where’s your tambourine.” They thought I was a professional and obviously carried one in my purse. OH my! I did a little salsa dancing, good thing I had gone to a class only the Friday night before—my partner wasn’t as good as my Friday night partner but you get what you get!

I don’t know if any other Cinco de Mayo can hold a candle to this one!

Martes...en ingles es Tuesday!

May 4: Antigua Adventures!

Tuesday was an official tour day of the God’s Child Project. We toured the Dreamer Center Tuesday morning with Luke Armstrong. We saw their medical center, the offices, the bibliotechia (library), their playgrounds, the original chicken car, the model house that the dreamer house is built off, the kitchen, etc. It was amazing to see what has all been done in 15 or so years.

In the afternoon, we toured the Scheels’ Center and got a preview of Buena Vista (Good view), we would get a much closer view of this “neighborhood” when we went for social work visits on Thursday. The Scheels’ Center is different in that it specializes in the very poor underprivileged children who have very adverse conditions such as being a human traffic victims, these circumstances have resulted in children that are 10 or older not having any schooling. So you will see a 10 year old in kindergarten. The school also teaches them trades and skills that they can make careers from.

This day I had another unique experience with the children. Guatemalan children love cameras. However, they are very much “if you give a mouse a cookie” in this aspect. They want their picture taken, then they want to see it, then they want to take a picture of you, then they want to tell you how to pose! Ha. We had our pic taken with a little boy and then someone else took the camera and pretty soon I had 7 sets of hands on me. It was not overwhelming, it was this feeling of love. I was completely swarmed and I think back now and just smile! The pictures that they take aren’t the best but they make me laugh!

We also went and visited Radio Metropolis. Stacy and Nic enjoyed it much more than I did, but I was able to experience the one linears that they cut for the station to promote and identify their station. Two things happened here that I did not catch on. Stacy sold me to a Chilean DJ…I was the only one he kissed (which is a typical tradition, to kiss on the cheek) and then he said a bunch of things. Stacy and I looked at each other and she said to me, “I think you are now his bride” and then to him “Come pick her up on Saturday”. Thanks Stacy, your first set-up was much better, let's stay there for now!
Then Radio Metropolis wanted us to cut on linears with them. Stacy went through the first take and then the radio man said something to our translator, Miguel. However, Miguel wouldn’t repeat it but did say they wanted it smoother. I thought they didn’t want the heavy enunciation but come to find out they wanted a sex-talk one linear. Stacy and Nic figured it out but I’m so dumb! I just made it quieter! WOW!

That night, the God’s Child staff took us out to La Canoe, this hotel sports bar. What a night…I laughed so much. We ordered a bit of food, a quesadilla, a snitzel, and a coffee iced chocolate cake, but my favorite things that I ordered were in glasses! I had the best pina coladas in my life! WOW! We also ordered a round of shots called la cucaracha…they were sambuca, cafeta, and flaming…at least that’s how the menu described them! HA! They came and Stacy jumped in full force, Nic wasn’t so sure. These pics make me laugh. They tell a story that brought back the whole experience! I’m also proud to admit that I’ve now played pool in 4 countries: Ireland, Canada, America, and now Guatemala! One of the guys began to play with me and I said to him “Como si dice Rock Star?” so now I’m estario de Roc! HA!

The walk home was a huge gigglefest for all of us. We had to walk like 45 miles back to Dora’s house but the best part is when I was trying to ask how to say scared and one of the guys would keep laughing at me and finally after the third or fourth time he said, you are trying to say scared but it keeps coming out shit!

I yiyi!

Just a Guatemalan Monday!

May 3: Monday
We went down to the dreamer center after having pancakes for breakfast. Talk about amazed. You are walking down the street and it’s a nicer Guatemalan neighborhood, but it’s still a third world, you turn the corner to walk into the God’s Child Dreamer Center and it opens up to this gorgeous garden. It’s like walking into another place. Come to find out, the place used to be a landfill.

We(meaning Nic and Stacy) set up the radio station. Our studio was amazing, it was mostly glass windows with a fountain right outside. The fountain we found out created white noise because of the intensity of some of the conversation and the closeness to the major road, there needs to be a sound buffer.
We did some interviews immediately including Patrick Atkinson, the CEO, he was down to host us as well as another camera crew that was highlighting God’s Child. While Nic and Stacy where interviewing him, Carlos a boy that had been human trafficked came to check on Patrick. He and I became friends and he taught me, through Spanish, how to count in Mayan. It was amazing that this was one thing he could give me. This event was only the start to show me the depths of how people give anything they can.

In the afternoon, we went out to the Mayan Ruins. It was completely surreal to be in a place with so much history. These people were so before their time with construction and astrology, it is amazing. We were so high that the clouds were hitting our face which didn’t freak me out but when I was walking to the sacrificial idol, and these feelings became so intense it amazed me. The weird part was that it was not a bad, upsetting feeling, it was so peaceful and serene. I could have spent all day there in reflection or thought…whatever you want to call it.

We did so see the new addition alter, which was constructed about 600 years ago. When we walked up to it, the fire was still burning. I’m not sure what was burning but the smoke rising from the center circle was amazing. Miguel, our translator, came with and explained a few things. However after he imitated the sacrificial action and dance a Mayan groundskeeper came. We saw this as an opportunity to ask about the 2012 question and in the midst of this we found out that we were too far. We were on sacred Mayan ground and this was only for Mayans and those that Mayans invite….and we were not invited! Oops.

The amazing part was that this was not a tourist trap. This was such an amazing part of history but there were maybe 10 people, including us there to take it in. There wasn’t shot glasses to buy or t-shirts made in china…it was so pure.

That night, we went down to the local tienda with our in-house nun. She took us for yucca chips and rooster beer(Gallo). It was fun to feel local while we drank beer and watched the local football game.

Catching Up and Catching My Breath

I’m back…life has been crazy and I can’t seem to catch my breath but I’m back!

This month has been so busy, I can’t seem to catch my breath.

May 1: Alaina’s prom
She looked so stunning and grown up. Candy did her hair and it looked fabulous. It was nice to see her look so professional and cleaned up. We had a few hiccups that night but everything was fixed with a Paradiso Marquarita!

May 2: Big Ol’ Jet Airliner
Stacy, Nic, and I took off for Guatemala. We first flew to Denver, then to Houston, and then Guatemala. They had some radio/server problems with the station when we were in Houston but we made it safe to Central America. I did laugh that Stacy was hauling the WHOLE radio station around the airports! They can travel!

The first impressions of the country were not favorable…humidity that could choke you and 16 year old police officers with sawed off shotguns.

It was hard to adjust to the language barrier. I did not have these problems when I went to the United Kingdom and I did not realize that not have a firm grasp on Spanish would prove to be so frustrating. We were so relieved to see Miguel, our tour guide holding a sign with our names on it! He took our stuff and loaded it into the 19 person van and hauled us off to Antiqua.
On the way through Guatemala City, which is a very dangerous town, we saw McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Dominoes, and Shell Gas Stations. We got into our host house at about 11:00ish. At the time, I couldn’t believe what we were going to be living in. But it’s amazing when you begin to change your perspective what become okay and you begin to feel lucky.

Stay tuned. I will keep filling in the details and give you peeks of the trip!

May 1 and All is Well!

I’m sitting in my mother’s kitchen watching my baby sister get make-up for her first prom. Seems like yesterday when she was wearing snowboots on the wrong feet in July just yesterday. She’s taken a friend as her boyfriend of the week isn’t able to attend. I know the dress will look gorgeous on her. I will post some pictures when I have them.

This past week has been a blur; I’ve been prepping for Guatemala. I leave on Sunday…as in tomorrow! I don’t know if I have enough things but we’ll see in a one! It’s the start of the rainy season, so we’ll have great temperatures, but it might rain everyday! Boo. We will talk with people that have been sex trafficked, homeless people, orphanages, poor people, our host family…and we’ll start the week off with the Mayan Ruins. Heee!

If you are interested in listening OR watching my Guatemala footage, listen to www.urlradio.net. Stacy and Nicole will be packing up their whole station and going international. I’m along for the ride, will help them out but they are running the show!

Stacy and Nicole are so good to me. Nicole does telegram’s for birthdays…so for Aunt Grace’s 29th, again, birthday…I had her celebrate with Grace at work…check out the video! Ha! Stacy also has been good to me…she’s looking out for me…I think! Stay tuned! Ha!

I also found out that I’m getting a roommate. She’s moving in while I’m out of the country. She’s got a little dachshund, Dudley….Lola and TonyDanza will have to make nice. I’m not worried about Lola!

I also received a huge compliment, one of our project consultant sent me a save the date invitation to talk at an expert partners gathering. They only invited 15 people and want my opinion. They will give me a stipend to travel and pay for my meals and lodging. I’ll spend 2 nights in Moline, Illinois, talking with other people. It felt so nice to receive this!