Happy Birthday Donna! When we spoke with Donna on Wednesday evening she had plans to have lunch at Chuck-E-Cheese with Nic. I hope she enjoyed her birthday. tee! hee! Patty actually wrote the words to happy birthday in Spanish but we didn't get to use it. It is hard to sing in Spanish by the way.
Breakfast was fast and easy. If you make a large batch of frijoles (refried beans) you can feed 'gringos' for a weak or more-- you just change the egg, boiled, scrambled etc.! After eating we walked the couple of blocks to school. The roads are narrow and cobblestone and therefore difficult to walk on. The sidewalks are unique! They are at all levels, made of a variety of materials, broken is spots and most have a hugh lamp post parked in the middle. I have to watch my feet as I walk and to 'see' the sights it is necessary to stop moving and look up. It is a challenge to either walk in the street or try the sidewalks.
The activity after class was a typical Guatemala lunch prepared at school. We had already had two versions of the chicken with sauce over rice with our host family who were Mayan. The food was tasty cooked by Marlo as she used more spices than our host family does. It was later that day that I began to feel bad. No one else who ate at the school got sick. Soon after lunch I began to have cold chills so bad my teeth chattered and all the muscles in my body were soon tired from the shivering. I did have some diarrhea but not like we had read was a reaction to food poisoning. I stayed home from school and stay upstairs in my room in bed. Hortensia came up later in the morning and brought me a bowl of freshly peeled fruit. I had no fever and no vomiting and at that point no headache.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Aug 22 Running for trash pickup
Trash Day --- I had to laugh because nearly missing the trash truck is a mad dash here just like at home. Hortensia was carring a bag in each hand and making a run for the front door. She went one way around the car, which is parked next to the sofa, and I ran around the other way to throw open the door! Don dashed upstairs to collect our bit of trash and had to run down the street to pitch it into the truck! Some things are the same the world over.
After our class time our afternoon activity was to a hot spring a short distance away. It did mean we had to take a 'chicken bus' and when we arrived Juan, our guide and Don's teacher, arranged for transport up the mountain in a small pick up truck. I was given a choice of riding inside the cab of the truck or in the back. I selected the back because we would be able to see more. It was a good thing to get pictures while going up the mountain because the clouds dropped down and turned off the view.
The hot swim was wonderful! We have so little hot water to enjoy that this was pure heaven. The water is heated by volcano but was not as hot as one would expect because of a hydroelectric plant drawing off some of the water (so they said). Juan set outside and did not get into the water so he was freezing. It was just heaven to be able to soak in hot water. We met a young couple from Australia, Derek and Melissa, & gave them space in our truck to go back down the mountain. They were fun to talk do and had only be in GUA for a couple of days and were moving on the next day. Don gave them directions to a good bus for the trip they wanted to take. The trip down the mountain was very cold because my head was still wet. I was glad that I had my ugly hat to put on to help hold in some heat.
We managed to catch Donna Joy on the phone late in the day. We wished her a happy birthday just in case we would not be able to find her on her birthday August 23. She had plans to spend her birthday at Chuck-E-Cheese for lunch with Nic.
After our class time our afternoon activity was to a hot spring a short distance away. It did mean we had to take a 'chicken bus' and when we arrived Juan, our guide and Don's teacher, arranged for transport up the mountain in a small pick up truck. I was given a choice of riding inside the cab of the truck or in the back. I selected the back because we would be able to see more. It was a good thing to get pictures while going up the mountain because the clouds dropped down and turned off the view.
The hot swim was wonderful! We have so little hot water to enjoy that this was pure heaven. The water is heated by volcano but was not as hot as one would expect because of a hydroelectric plant drawing off some of the water (so they said). Juan set outside and did not get into the water so he was freezing. It was just heaven to be able to soak in hot water. We met a young couple from Australia, Derek and Melissa, & gave them space in our truck to go back down the mountain. They were fun to talk do and had only be in GUA for a couple of days and were moving on the next day. Don gave them directions to a good bus for the trip they wanted to take. The trip down the mountain was very cold because my head was still wet. I was glad that I had my ugly hat to put on to help hold in some heat.
We managed to catch Donna Joy on the phone late in the day. We wished her a happy birthday just in case we would not be able to find her on her birthday August 23. She had plans to spend her birthday at Chuck-E-Cheese for lunch with Nic.
The Shower
This is a side trip.
I have to tell you about the fancy shower facilities we had in our home stay. One of the requirements to be a host for a Spanish student from outside of Guatemala is that you have hot water for showers. Let me tell you that both Don and I are grateful for the really hot showers we can take at home in the good old USA!
First, the bathroom has all the usual stuff in it, sink, toilet, and a shower stall. There is nothing in the room to set your DRY clothes on and here is where the story starts. The shower stall is about 6 feet long with about a one foot 'lip' with a drain at the bottom. I guess we should not have been surprised at the amount of water that was always on the floor because the FLOOR had a drain set in it also! It is designed to be just a shower, no chance of a tub bath. The shower head is a large gizmo and out of the top of it are several wires that it is wise NOT to touch that are connected to a fuse box. When you are ready to shower you turn on the water and flip the switch on the fuse box. If the shower is working properly you should get a nice spray of warm to hot water. Our shower did not work properly! By the time we had turned the water down far enough to have warm/hot water we had a trickle of water to shower under.
Second, there is a window at ceiling level that cannot be closed! There is no window on the bottom half and the top was also open to the outdoors. Most of the time there was a nifty breeze coming in -- which is okay if you are dry-- but when wet all over and the temperature outside is 58 to 63 degrees dressing is a really chilly thing to be doing at the end of the day.
The 15 year old and the other English/Spanish student both were extremely talented in getting the floor wet all the way to the door (about 6 feet) and the toilet seat wet. Now I have to be honest and say that there was a lot of splash from the shower but not enough to reach the door!
So showers were done in not quite freezing water and there was no heater in the bathroom! There was no place to put your towel or anything else for that matter. We brushed our teeth with bottled water. We also had to supply our own toilet paper which could not be flushed because the pluming system in ALL of Guatemala cannot handle any paper. There are trash cans provided but not always toilet paper. We quickly learned to carry Kleenex with us always.
We did experience a similar shower head that did work. We got a hot shower in Antigua with the same type of shower head. We felt like we had been cheated for 4 weeks.
I have to tell you about the fancy shower facilities we had in our home stay. One of the requirements to be a host for a Spanish student from outside of Guatemala is that you have hot water for showers. Let me tell you that both Don and I are grateful for the really hot showers we can take at home in the good old USA!
First, the bathroom has all the usual stuff in it, sink, toilet, and a shower stall. There is nothing in the room to set your DRY clothes on and here is where the story starts. The shower stall is about 6 feet long with about a one foot 'lip' with a drain at the bottom. I guess we should not have been surprised at the amount of water that was always on the floor because the FLOOR had a drain set in it also! It is designed to be just a shower, no chance of a tub bath. The shower head is a large gizmo and out of the top of it are several wires that it is wise NOT to touch that are connected to a fuse box. When you are ready to shower you turn on the water and flip the switch on the fuse box. If the shower is working properly you should get a nice spray of warm to hot water. Our shower did not work properly! By the time we had turned the water down far enough to have warm/hot water we had a trickle of water to shower under.
Second, there is a window at ceiling level that cannot be closed! There is no window on the bottom half and the top was also open to the outdoors. Most of the time there was a nifty breeze coming in -- which is okay if you are dry-- but when wet all over and the temperature outside is 58 to 63 degrees dressing is a really chilly thing to be doing at the end of the day.
The 15 year old and the other English/Spanish student both were extremely talented in getting the floor wet all the way to the door (about 6 feet) and the toilet seat wet. Now I have to be honest and say that there was a lot of splash from the shower but not enough to reach the door!
So showers were done in not quite freezing water and there was no heater in the bathroom! There was no place to put your towel or anything else for that matter. We brushed our teeth with bottled water. We also had to supply our own toilet paper which could not be flushed because the pluming system in ALL of Guatemala cannot handle any paper. There are trash cans provided but not always toilet paper. We quickly learned to carry Kleenex with us always.
We did experience a similar shower head that did work. We got a hot shower in Antigua with the same type of shower head. We felt like we had been cheated for 4 weeks.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Aug 21 Tuesday Orphanage field trip
This day began with a choice for breakfast of fruit or eggs. I would have loved only the fruit but egg is protein so we were served scrambled eggs and sausage Xela style, with tortillas, and at the end, a cup of tea. We walk so much that fruit just does not last till our next meal which is served to the whole family around 2 or 2:30 pm. Then we headed for class. We began working on verbs in the present tense. I think Marlo stuck her head into the room today because Patty was making a bigger effort to stay with Spanish only in class. I think it is a fine idea; particularly if I had enough words (polabras) to use to say what I need to say. I will do my best not to get her into trouble since I know she needs the money from teaching. We took a small field trip to an Internet cage to print a report in color that Patty needed for school. On our field trips we converse in Spanish and identify objects, people, things, etc. as we walk. That is why the guys -- Don and Juan -- give us a hard time about our "Spanish for women." We had to extend our field trip because the first cafe could not print in color.
Don and Juan took a field trip to a Mennonite operated bread store. They are only open 2 days a week. They came back with raisin bread, yogurt for me, and cheese. It was a good snack. The afternoon activity scheduled by the school is a trip to a local orphanage.
It must be tough to live with 11 boys from age 9 to 12!!! They all looked healthy and a far as we could tell happy. Before we could take them to the park they all had to have a bath which was done with a great deal of gusto!! I was glad not to be the next in line for a bath.
In the kitchen there was a great long dinning table with benches which would be the easiest way to feed that many boys. The living room had a sofa & TV. The room in the front had a fireplace and a love seat. When all were clean we hiked to a pitiful park. It was full of trash & overgrown grass with way to many pieces of equipment and many in need of repair or trashed. The lost boys still enjoyed the outing. Don bought everybody a chocolate covered banana which is a sweet everyone seems to love here.
Back at the house we setteled in to do some homework. We ended up staying in for the night and not walking to the Internet cafe. It was nice to be still for a bit. I rested well and the nap did not disturb bed time.
Don and Juan took a field trip to a Mennonite operated bread store. They are only open 2 days a week. They came back with raisin bread, yogurt for me, and cheese. It was a good snack. The afternoon activity scheduled by the school is a trip to a local orphanage.
It must be tough to live with 11 boys from age 9 to 12!!! They all looked healthy and a far as we could tell happy. Before we could take them to the park they all had to have a bath which was done with a great deal of gusto!! I was glad not to be the next in line for a bath.
In the kitchen there was a great long dinning table with benches which would be the easiest way to feed that many boys. The living room had a sofa & TV. The room in the front had a fireplace and a love seat. When all were clean we hiked to a pitiful park. It was full of trash & overgrown grass with way to many pieces of equipment and many in need of repair or trashed. The lost boys still enjoyed the outing. Don bought everybody a chocolate covered banana which is a sweet everyone seems to love here.
Back at the house we setteled in to do some homework. We ended up staying in for the night and not walking to the Internet cafe. It was nice to be still for a bit. I rested well and the nap did not disturb bed time.
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