Guat?

Feels slightly strange being back. Specially yesterday when I saw a bunch of people from town that I am kind of close with. Complete social awkwardness. Slight language barrier. Road blocks of different understandings. And also small talk. But today I feel better. Took the bus into town and everything feels good. I found out that the three classrooms that were going to be built at one of my Institutos are going to be used for more students unfortunately. Its great that they are sending more students our way because the majority of the teachers are pretty great here. A lot us were hoping that we could use those classrooms for special purposes, like a library or a Home Ec class. The walls are up though. And the schools being painted a bright yellow color. Next week is a camp at one of my schools. Im excited about it but feel no way prepared. Hard work the next couple of days. My host brother, Cristian, and I will be working away. More random thoughts... I made Mac and Cheese today over an open flame and it was amazing. I also made some black beans in a clay pot, took a nap with Jellyto, took a cold shower because the electricity went out and cleaned my house . I miss you guys.

Otown pwnt

Survey

1. Where were you at 3:02 AM this morning? sleeping with Mom but she kept telling me to move over because I was too close. I need warmth. Perla, you understand.
2. What was the first thing you thought this morning? I need some Fiber 1 and Honey Chex in a big bowl, STAT.
3. Is the person you like older or younger than you? I don't know if I even like this person but if I do, then he's older.
4. What did you do last night? watched the Biggest Loser and Dancing with the Stars with Mom, Dad, and Perla, then passed out on the couch until Mom made me go up to my bed
5. What do you hope to do this weekend? have fun with my family, with Phillip as part of it
6. Do you think you will be in a relationship 3 months from now? its possible, but that'd be totally unprofessional
7. Do you own a stereo that costs more than $100? not sure, Roy, how much was that little boombox?
8. Have you ever told someone of the opposite sex you loved them and meant it? yes I have and will continue to do so, but always with extreme hesitation to even like them at first: baby, that's how I roll
9. How's your heart lately? strange, I kind of feel weird here and also in some kind of limbo for my brother, sad because I know he has to go back but then this other feeling I can't quite describe because I find myself trying to believe that he isn't going back
10. What were you doing this morning at 7am? still sleeping, trying to keep warm
11. What will you be doing this afternoon at 12 pm? stuffing my face with delicious food
12. Are there any previous relationships you wish could have lasted longer? no, probably would have been better if they would have been shorter then I wouldn't have gotten attached as I did
14. What was the reason you last cried? seeing Phillip after so many months
15.Have you ever talked to someone that was high? jajajajajajaja...
20. How many red lights have you ran? not too many, never on purpose
21. Have you ever cried in the shower? yea, how confusing
22. What was your favorite grade(s)? 4th grade or 5th
23. What were you doing at 12am last night? sleeping
24. Whats a sure way to catch your attention? beauty, humor, violence
25. Have you ever, in any way, been betrayed by someone you trusted? I'm sure
26. When was the last time you were given flowers? I don't know, it was that long ago
27. Is there anything that you are craving for right now? maybe some sushi and a delicious mojito
28. Where did your last hug take place? Perla possibly last night before she left
29. Do people ever make stupid mistakes when spelling or saying your name? in Guatemala they spell it with only one N and they dont even try saying the last name; they say "dejemolo asi no mas"
30. Have you ever started a sentence with "No offense, but..."? more like, "all im saying is..."
31. Do you drink tea? mmhmm, I'm somewhat chilean
32. When was the last time you saw a cop? yesterday on Douglas
33. Did you ride in someone else's car today? my old car, apparently GarBears's car now!
34. When was the last time you ran? I ran to the car the other day

Home-y

Te estaria mintiendo si te diria que esto no se siente extraNo (for example, where is my n with a tilde on the keyboard). Its about 4am right now and yes, I passed out on Perla's couch like old times, way too early, leaving Perla, Alberto and Roy awake and maybe slightly disappointed that I didnt make it past 11. But I was tired. I had to wake up at 3:30 yesterday to be able to take a shower and be picked up in time to make it to the airport. Lying on this couch feels natural because maybe it really hasn't been that long since I've left. Six months. Maybe it's not enough time to make you forget specific feelings things and places give you (obviously not feelings you have towards people; those would never go away with certain people in my life) but the feeling you get from going down to the Fox River or from driving on Farnsworth. Or driving down Lehnertz Circle during Christmas. These next two weeks or so, I imagine I'll look at everything kind of like its new and make a comment about how it looks the same. I wonder if I will get the feeling I got in Huehue of being somewhere back in the states and actually feeling and seeing it as I moved through life. Will I imagine a Maxi Bodega instead of a Wal-Mart or the down-town with a bunch of one-ways no one cares to respect. Will I see Guatemala here in Illinois? Like everytime the camioneta passes by the terminal. Or every time I walk by the clinic and prepare myself to say hi to Don Polo. Or everytime I have to greet every teacher at my school with a kiss. Am I going to be trying to kiss everyone here? Maybe. Be prepared.

Blogspot is a rogue

I've been trying to post my clausura (graduation) pictures several ways and days now and no luck. What the hell does javascript void mean? Someone explain please. So its about 5:30am here and I'm up with my friend, another volunteer because last night was too damn cold. I spoke to my friend on the phone for about an hour, after coming back from getting Thai food, took a shower then tried going to sleep. But it is/was quite impossible. One, it is freezing in this place. There are a million windows, just like at Perla's house. There aren't enough blankets. And I'm sleeping on a couch that I am way too big for (even though I've lost 20 pounds...oh shit!) Numbero dos, my comrades (or maybe I should call them uno de los mios as my Guatemalan friends tell me to say when I see another American walking around Huehue, mainly Mormons)...the birds outside are insanely gossiping about me, or who knows what? They are mad snitching though because they have been comadriando the whole night. Don't they know that O-town has been telling me that I've been looking rough lately and need to fix myself up or no man will love me? I need my beauty sleep! Don't they get the same pep talk from their mama birds? Any who, today we all have informal presentations on the NEEDS, LOCAL RESOURCES, LESSONS LEARNED/SUCCESSFUL EXPERIENCES, and ACTIVITIES FOR 2009. This should be interesting. Then I'm hopefully going to go visit my host family for an hour or two. That is today but going back to last night. So my friend and I were walking, went to buy shampoo from a little tienda and decided since we were done we'd keep going and get something to drink or eat since we hadn't had dinner. We ended up at this Thai place with good Pad Thai but horrible Thai Iced Teas. It was about 19Q which is almost three dollars. It was basically a lot of milk with a few drops of peach flavoring. I was thinking, can I complain and return this or am I being culturally insensitive? I wasn't going to pay three dollars for something that tasted nothing like the goodness of a Thai Iced Tea, so I asked the girl, is this REALLY a Thai Iced Tea.?"Uh, yes, we, uh, mix it with a little bit of this and that." "BULLSHIT LADY! I know what a Thai Iced Tea tastes like." Ok, those words were never exchanged except for the initial question. I was going to take it and sadly sip on my milk in the corner but decided nah. I took it back and got something else. That, my friends, is what we call being assertive.