Games to Play on a Chicken Bus

I'm now in the process of shifting my Guatemala posts over to this blog. Here are but a few of the fun ideas for games to play on a chicken bus, the omnipresent ancient school buses jam-packed with people and assorted livestock.
1) Buy two newspapers. Race to find the most horrifying story. Double points for catastrophic accidents that recently occurred on your route.
2) Try to cram more foreigners in a seat than deemed humanly possible. First one to get a dropped jaw from blase Guatemalans wins.
3) Convince your seatmate you only speak Chinese. Try to hold a conversation.
4) Persuade the ayudante to let you ride on the roof, as a cure for bus sickness.
5) Speak only in a Texan accent.
6) Pretend to be hard of hearing when your married seatmate hits on you. Break out your fake wedding ring and picture of your "son."

Return to Guatemala

After a five thirty a.m. flight, a five hour bus ride on winding, pot-hole filled roads, and an awful taxi ride, I am finally in Xela. Wandering down the hill in search of purified water, I have to pause in wonderment at the sunset over the Santa Maria volcano. The sky has this reddish tint that I have seen nowhere else. Walking down the rough cobblestone streets, I contemplate how lucky I am to be back in Guatemala.

The taxi driver might have tried to rip me off because I am, and I quote, "an American"; I may be facing three months of rain and mudslides preventing travel, and I might be working for $2 an hour, but I´m back. I´m back in the land of chicken buses, traditional Mayan dress, and tamalitos. I´m back to a land I can´t even pretend to understand, and it feels great. Every day is a surprise: just why are the sidewalks two feet off the ground? Will there be an earthquake today? Will the neighborhood children set off fireworks at 3 a.m.? What in the world are they celebrating?

I have my nine month supply of Duncan Hines brownie mix, Skippy peanut butter, and a whole shelf of books to pull me through.

Happy trails!

I'm On My Way

I just bought my airline ticket yesterday, and am still in shock. June 22nd, just past five a.m., I will be on my way back to Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. I'll be renting a room in the two story home of a sweet Mayan family. I'll be living with a Mayan priest, his kind wife, their twenty-four year old daughter, and her baby girl.

I now have a working ATM card, a luxury I didn't have on my last trip. Four months and two wire transfers later, I now fully understand the little indulgences that Western society provides us.

I will be volunteering part-time in a daycare for at-risk children. We primarily serve single, working mothers with children between 18 months and five years of age.

To fund my stay, I will be teaching English in a language school, and working in a bookstore. I found this tiny, high-shelved bookstore during my four month study abroad trip, and knew that it was the place for me. I had found my dream job.

I am well stocked with malaria medication, and now just need to leave my travel plans with the US embassy in case of natural disaster or political unrest. Hurricane season lasts through August, so I won't be doing much travelling for a while. The chicken buses are adventure enough on their own; landslides are not needed to throw a little more excitement into the midst.

What I love about Guatemala

1) 25 cent fresh baked bread from Xelapan
2) My adorable little Parvulos (Pre-K) class---even when they're freaking out about spiders and swiping each other's chairs, they´re just so cute!
3) My baby sister in her new miniature huipil (traditional Mayan dress)
4) Cobblestone streets
5) "I love you!" calls from random guys
6) 45 cents a pound raspberries

Showerless in Guatemala

If you have a traditional Mayan family in Guatemala, don´t expect to shower when you´re sick. Or at night. Or very often at all.

I´m actually very okay with this. I never really liked to shower all that much, and I like it even less when the water is splashing all over the bathroom and the water is heated with an electric coil above my head. So now I shower about twice a week, and call it getting used to Guatemalan culture.

I have learned the strangest things in Guatemala. Like how drug dealers are now putting LSD in temporary tattoos, and flea powder can be used not just on your dog, but also on yourself. Also, bug spray helps keep the fleas at bay. Tiny things that the guidebook never tells you.

Vegan Foods I Can´t Live Without

This is a very varied list. I guess I really have to thank my parents for introducing me to a wide range of flavors and cooking styles!

Chocolate Peppermint Soymilk from Vitasoy
Falafel
Curly Fries
Mezon Escondido´s Guacamole Tofu Sandwich
Taco Bell´s Bean Burritos
Breadsticks with Marinara Sauce
Bean Curd Family Style from Great Wall
Guacamole
Tofu Vegetable Stir-fry

The Grand Guatemala Guacamole Hunt

My grand goal for the next two months of travel is to find the best guacamole in all of Guatemala. I have scoured the country over for the creamiest, the spiciest, and the most lime-filled guacamole that can be found. I have willingly downed guacamole drenched tortillas at nine AM in this noble quest.

So far, the highest ranking guacamole comes creamy cold with limey tomato chunks. Too often, guacamole is treated as just smushed up avocadoes, with maybe a squirt of lemon or lime. This, my friends, is not right. The perfect guacamole is salty and spicy, sitting regally on a enormous tofu sandwich. It is draped with stir-fried onions and garlic, and a few slices of tomato round out the dish. A side of spicy tortilla chips and a tall glass of icy cold lemonade make this the ideal Guatemalan meal.

Eating Good in Guatemala

I'm going on Month Four in Guatemala, and have now become accustomed to beans for breakfast with a spicy salsa. Tamales are a filling and tasty complement, or a few corn tortillas. I was initially quite scared of the blue corn tortillas (my fridge at home has some like that, but they've been there a while), but now I devour them gleefully.

Guatemala is a veritable Vegetarian's Paradise. The beans are warm and plentiful, and the meat substitutes are very realistic. I had to have three of my omnivore friends try my Orale vegetarian tacos in Panajachel before I would taste them, because it looked so beef-like.

$48,000 in Student Loan Debt

It's so easy to forget to tally up the tuition bills when you have loans. Repayment is a thing far off in the future. Three years and $36,000 in scholarships later, I'm still facing a huge debt.

So, I spent the last year selling plasma, taking extra classes through Louisiana State University distance learning, and exceeding my work award at school. As a result, I will graduate a year early, saving myself from another $2,000 tuition hike and $15,000 in fees.

It's hard to think that I could scrimp so much on the little things, but forget the bigger expenses. I managed to keep my grocery budget at $15 per week, but I spent $13,000 in tuition. I think the school I attended was really good for me, but the stress I feel at imminent loan repayments is too much.

Now I'm spending my time researching loan payment options. My best bet right now is seeking a deferment, or at the very least, graduated repayment.

Fleas

You may have noticed the curious lack of posts. I, my friends, am in Guatemala.

And I have fleas.

This malady is not so rare as the developed world would have you believe. In fact, twelve out of the sixteen students on this study abroad adventure have had fleas in the past month and a half.

The cure? Common flea powder. Instead of sprinkling it on your trusty canine friend, generously cover all body parts, bedding, and clothes. I'm currently using the ever-popular Fido brand, available at any community store.

My Backpack, My World

Rifling through my backpack for a Women's Theological Perspectives paper earlier today, I came across not one, but two, saucepans. A thick Norton's Anthology of American Literature weighed down the bag mightily, and an extra top rounded out my collection of strange items that I could not possibly go to class without.

Literary Life

In order to procrastinate about a Film Studies paper that I should write, I've decided to post a short book list.

I'm a self-proclaimed book addict, and will while away many hours poring over the latest Jodi Picoult or Sophie Kinsella novel. Hence, anything by these two authors is a sure-fire success. Try one of the following:

Shopaholic and Baby
The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic
Can You Keep a Secret?
The Undomestic Goddess

A few favorites by Jodi Picoult are My Sister's Keeper and Songs of the Humpback Whale. Keeping Faith is also a great book. Dan Brown's works are also great, and I loved Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code.

What are a few of your favorites?

Ferocious Frugality

You know that you're a college student when:
Selling blood products seems like a justifiable way to earn money
Sleep becomes more important than food or showers
Finding a small selection of change becomes a cause for celebration

Desk Toppings

What's on my desk right now:

Spelt noodles from a Natural Foods Expo
Lemert's Social Theory and Criticism
Two Dilbert books from the library
Reference forms for the Peace Corp