We are still here for a couple more days, but I´d like to share a few thoughts about Barcelona.
1. Catalan is a very intriguing language. It is a mix of Spanish and French, both of which I can understand (well, my French isn´t so great, but I get the gist when I read), but when mixed together it can be a little tricky. They also like to leave the last letters off of words, such as -o, -a, and -n. Examples: informacio, turistic, pa
2. Mullets are cool. We have seen so many!! More than I´ve seen in my entire life previous to this Tuesday. And the best ones are the dreaklock mullets, which are quite interesting. I´m considering growing one myself.
3. Man capris are hott! I am loving the man capris, and I wish that American men would get over their ¨manliness¨and not be afraid of the capri.
4. Midriffs and bras were designed to be shown. It doesn´t matter if you are hugely overweight and unattractive, if you´ve got it, show it!!!
5. Everything costs lots of dinero.
6. There are so many international people here!! We have only actually talked to one other American the whole time we´ve been here. There are tons of French people and I like them.
7. If you get hot, just take your shirt off.
8. Armpits are smelly. You don´t need deodorant, just a little sweat and you´re good to go! It´s most important to stand really close to other people on the subway.
9. Baguettes are very common here. Something that we have noticed is that if you buy one, you shouldn´t cover it or wrap it up, just stick it halfway into your bag and walk home. This is very unlike our need to cover up food to protect it from the unknown environment, but I like the ease of just tossing your bread into an open-air bag and carrying it home. We have also seen a huge head of lettuce sticking out of a bag.
10. This city is amazing. The scenery and the buildings, and the people. Don´t get the wrong impression from my previous notings, I love it here!! There are things that are very different from my culture and things that I am familiar with, but I love getting to observe the differences and realize certain things about myself and the place that I come from that tend to go unnoticed. Although we laugh and kid about certain differences in cultures and places, I think that the most important thing is to notice the differences and appreciate that they exist. I love this place and can´t wait to come back!!
jueves, julio 23, 2009
lunes, julio 13, 2009
Happy Birthday, Val
Today is Val's birthday - she's 18 and she's all grown up.
There are many reasons why I love my little sister, but here are just a few....
She loves to be hugged.
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She loves Spanish music...well, maybe not love, but she went to a concert with me!
She runs into tree branches...or did once.
She'll let you know if she smells something.
She is always ready for a good time..jpg)
She loves to sing very loudly.
.JPG)
She loves animals, especially her dog, Bella.
She lets me come into her bedroom unannounced.
She always listens.
.JPG)
She lets me and Jess try to drown her.
She is always happy...unless she's mad or pouty.
She isn't afraid to try new things...like my bra
She can impersonate statues.
She always tries to look her best.
She loves to match me.
.jpg)
There are many reasons why I love my little sister, but here are just a few....
She loves to be hugged.
.JPG)
She loves Spanish music...well, maybe not love, but she went to a concert with me!
She runs into tree branches...or did once.
She'll let you know if she smells something.
She is always ready for a good time.
.jpg)
She loves to sing very loudly.
.JPG)
She loves animals, especially her dog, Bella.
She lets me come into her bedroom unannounced.
She always listens.
.JPG)
She lets me and Jess try to drown her.
She is always happy...unless she's mad or pouty.
She isn't afraid to try new things...like my bra
She can impersonate statues.
She always tries to look her best.
She loves to match me.
She is good at taking naps.
No matter where we travel she never brings enough clothes and always gets really cold.
.jpg)
sábado, julio 11, 2009
Rest of the days in Antigua
I don't really remember where I left off, but we left the hotel with free internet so I kinda gave up on the blogging, but I figured I'd splurge for five minutes this last night.
We started work with the clinic on Sunday - I again translated for the optometrist and gave people sight, or so I like to think. We didn't see a whole lot of out of the ordinary things.
Monday we went to a rural school in a pueblo about 10 minutes outside of Antigua, it was a Monday, which is market day in Antigua, so the place was deserted. We were literally sitting around twiddling our thumbs for most of the day. My favorite part of that day was the ladies grilling chicken off to the side, it was yum!! Too bad most of our people were too scared to eat it, but I loved it!!!
Tuesday was a LOT more eventful, our line was forever long!!! Even longer than the line for the dentist, which never happens! We saw a lot of people and gave out a lot of glasses, it is so cool to see a person's face light up when you put a pair of glasses on them and they are able distinguish faces and figures for the first time. That happened a lot that day, we also got a lot of people complaining of not being able to read in the dark and their eyes burning when they look at the sun. We laugh and make fun of them a little, but it is really eye-opening to realize that things that we consider common sense are so foreign to these people.
Wednesday was free day - Becky and I went to an old convent, the best cathedral in town, and a boring museum (we only went to the museum because my book said they let you hold guns, but it lied). After that we went to the market then had lunch at Pollo Campero. I spent my last night at Bill's this day.
Thursday I was sick....so I took some Benadryl and Fenagran(sp?) and slept the entire day. I was sad to miss out on the clinic, but I felt way better when I woke up.
Today was our last day and we spent it in Chimaltenango...it was pretty busy, but not as crazy as I had thought it might be. We did more glasses stuff, and overall it was a pretty good day. We just ate dinner and are about to just chill before hitting the sack and heading home tomorrow.
BYe.
We started work with the clinic on Sunday - I again translated for the optometrist and gave people sight, or so I like to think. We didn't see a whole lot of out of the ordinary things.
Monday we went to a rural school in a pueblo about 10 minutes outside of Antigua, it was a Monday, which is market day in Antigua, so the place was deserted. We were literally sitting around twiddling our thumbs for most of the day. My favorite part of that day was the ladies grilling chicken off to the side, it was yum!! Too bad most of our people were too scared to eat it, but I loved it!!!
Tuesday was a LOT more eventful, our line was forever long!!! Even longer than the line for the dentist, which never happens! We saw a lot of people and gave out a lot of glasses, it is so cool to see a person's face light up when you put a pair of glasses on them and they are able distinguish faces and figures for the first time. That happened a lot that day, we also got a lot of people complaining of not being able to read in the dark and their eyes burning when they look at the sun. We laugh and make fun of them a little, but it is really eye-opening to realize that things that we consider common sense are so foreign to these people.
Wednesday was free day - Becky and I went to an old convent, the best cathedral in town, and a boring museum (we only went to the museum because my book said they let you hold guns, but it lied). After that we went to the market then had lunch at Pollo Campero. I spent my last night at Bill's this day.
Thursday I was sick....so I took some Benadryl and Fenagran(sp?) and slept the entire day. I was sad to miss out on the clinic, but I felt way better when I woke up.
Today was our last day and we spent it in Chimaltenango...it was pretty busy, but not as crazy as I had thought it might be. We did more glasses stuff, and overall it was a pretty good day. We just ate dinner and are about to just chill before hitting the sack and heading home tomorrow.
BYe.
viernes, julio 03, 2009
Day 2: Antigua, Guatemala
Today was way exciting!!!
Luckily I was feeling all better when I got up (which was way early) so we headed to the volcano. Since our key broke last night, we were having issues and couldn't get out the front door, so our van almost left us, but luckily I ran up to it fast enough once it started moving that we could get on. The hour or so drive to the volcano was pretty uneventful, I ate some granola and fruit snacks. We started the hike up, which was really hard!! I climbed this same volcano a few years ago, and it was way easier. I blame the difficulty on my ever increasing age. Anyway, pretty soon Becky and I decided that we needed help, so we paid these guys to ride their horses up. That was a very smart decision, and fun, since I like to ride horses. I had to pop some pills pretty quick, though, since I am allergic to them. So we rode and rode, and the views were spectacular!! It was really cool to see the other 3 volcanoes in the distance, and we even saw one of them erupt! Once we had ridden the horses as far up as they could go, we got off of them. Becky didn't wanna go all the way to the top, but I did.... I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The climb was extremely steep, and it wasn't a normal path either. It was all the little lava rocks piled up together, and you just had to climb up them. It was hard because every rock that I touched moved, and all the rocks touched by people ahead of me also moved. It was fun trying to maneuver and not sink into the lava, but it was hard, and I got tired and sore pretty quick. As we got higher, we started to be able to feel the heat from underneath, it was such a cool feeling! When we got to the top and I could see the lava it was unbelievable! There it was, right in front of me, red lava actually flowing out of a volcano. It was extremely hot up there, and it smelled sulphury and little ashes and things were blowing in my eyes. As awesome as it was, I didn't linger long because my body just couldn't handle the temperature, smell, and ashy eyes. So began the descent....which was a lot like the ascent, except 100% harder. It is very difficult to climb down a steep mountain of little lava rocks that move and start to roll down as soon as you touch them. When I could I just scooted down on my butt, for a few minutes I tried going down backwards like it was a ladder but that was too hard because I couldn't really see below me, so I mostly just climbed down like a normal person. I slipped and fell several times, and ended up with a pretty big scratch on my wrist, and it hurt, but I didn't really mind because I at least had a battlewound. When I was about halfway down, I heard cries from up above yelling "Watch out!", in both Spanish and English, and I looked back, and a huge boulder, about half my size was rolling down the mountain straight towards me. I didn't know what to do, there was no way I was going to beat it down, so I did the only thing I could do and caught it. Yes, I caught the boulder, and used my body weight to hold this giant rock. And so I was just standing there, because I couldn't really move or it would crush me and push me down the volcano. Eventually a few strong guys caught up to me and held onto the boulder from above, and said that I had to move over to the side as fast as I could because they wouldn't be able to hold onto it from above for very long, so I let go and jumped to the side as fast as I could. The boulder rolled on down and I was saved. A few more slides and I made it down. And so we hiked back down and arrived back in Antigua.
We went to Pollo Campero for lunch and ate fried chicken and mashed potatoes, and had an amazing dessert that Krispy Kreme needs to get...it was a glazed donut with ice cream on top. Talk about delicious. Yum. Next we came back to the hotel and rested for a couple hours because we were very tired.
We headed back out and went to see an old Guatemalan movie about the Cold War and stuff. It wasn't very good, but I'm glad that we saw it.
Next was very fun. We went to this restaurant that had live Andean music - we LOVED it!! Not only was the music cool, but the food was delicious - we had a brownie with ice cream for dessert. This is also where I met my Guatemalan crush, Bill. Bill is 70 years old, originally from Nashville, but moved here to Guatemala to open the restaurant and play the drum in the band. He is awesome, and so cute when he's dancing, singing, and playing his drum all at the same time.
I can't wait to see what adventures await us tomorrow!!
Luckily I was feeling all better when I got up (which was way early) so we headed to the volcano. Since our key broke last night, we were having issues and couldn't get out the front door, so our van almost left us, but luckily I ran up to it fast enough once it started moving that we could get on. The hour or so drive to the volcano was pretty uneventful, I ate some granola and fruit snacks. We started the hike up, which was really hard!! I climbed this same volcano a few years ago, and it was way easier. I blame the difficulty on my ever increasing age. Anyway, pretty soon Becky and I decided that we needed help, so we paid these guys to ride their horses up. That was a very smart decision, and fun, since I like to ride horses. I had to pop some pills pretty quick, though, since I am allergic to them. So we rode and rode, and the views were spectacular!! It was really cool to see the other 3 volcanoes in the distance, and we even saw one of them erupt! Once we had ridden the horses as far up as they could go, we got off of them. Becky didn't wanna go all the way to the top, but I did.... I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The climb was extremely steep, and it wasn't a normal path either. It was all the little lava rocks piled up together, and you just had to climb up them. It was hard because every rock that I touched moved, and all the rocks touched by people ahead of me also moved. It was fun trying to maneuver and not sink into the lava, but it was hard, and I got tired and sore pretty quick. As we got higher, we started to be able to feel the heat from underneath, it was such a cool feeling! When we got to the top and I could see the lava it was unbelievable! There it was, right in front of me, red lava actually flowing out of a volcano. It was extremely hot up there, and it smelled sulphury and little ashes and things were blowing in my eyes. As awesome as it was, I didn't linger long because my body just couldn't handle the temperature, smell, and ashy eyes. So began the descent....which was a lot like the ascent, except 100% harder. It is very difficult to climb down a steep mountain of little lava rocks that move and start to roll down as soon as you touch them. When I could I just scooted down on my butt, for a few minutes I tried going down backwards like it was a ladder but that was too hard because I couldn't really see below me, so I mostly just climbed down like a normal person. I slipped and fell several times, and ended up with a pretty big scratch on my wrist, and it hurt, but I didn't really mind because I at least had a battlewound. When I was about halfway down, I heard cries from up above yelling "Watch out!", in both Spanish and English, and I looked back, and a huge boulder, about half my size was rolling down the mountain straight towards me. I didn't know what to do, there was no way I was going to beat it down, so I did the only thing I could do and caught it. Yes, I caught the boulder, and used my body weight to hold this giant rock. And so I was just standing there, because I couldn't really move or it would crush me and push me down the volcano. Eventually a few strong guys caught up to me and held onto the boulder from above, and said that I had to move over to the side as fast as I could because they wouldn't be able to hold onto it from above for very long, so I let go and jumped to the side as fast as I could. The boulder rolled on down and I was saved. A few more slides and I made it down. And so we hiked back down and arrived back in Antigua.
We went to Pollo Campero for lunch and ate fried chicken and mashed potatoes, and had an amazing dessert that Krispy Kreme needs to get...it was a glazed donut with ice cream on top. Talk about delicious. Yum. Next we came back to the hotel and rested for a couple hours because we were very tired.
We headed back out and went to see an old Guatemalan movie about the Cold War and stuff. It wasn't very good, but I'm glad that we saw it.
Next was very fun. We went to this restaurant that had live Andean music - we LOVED it!! Not only was the music cool, but the food was delicious - we had a brownie with ice cream for dessert. This is also where I met my Guatemalan crush, Bill. Bill is 70 years old, originally from Nashville, but moved here to Guatemala to open the restaurant and play the drum in the band. He is awesome, and so cute when he's dancing, singing, and playing his drum all at the same time.
I can't wait to see what adventures await us tomorrow!!
miércoles, julio 01, 2009
Day 1: Antigua, Guatemala
I know, I didn't finish the South American trip yet, but maybe later.
Becky and I left this morning, and the flights were pretty uneventful, but at the airport in Houston and drunk man found us and wanted us to carry his bag, but we said no and got away as fast as we could.
We landed around 1, and got a taxi to take us from Guatemala City to Antigua. Again, uneventful transport. We were a little unsure when we arrived at our hotel, because there wasn't a sign on the outside, and the door was locked, but our nice taxi driver rang the bell and asked, and yes we were at the right place. As soon as we walked inside, we fell in love. The lady greeted me by name, and they took us right to our room, before we even signed anything! It is a beautiful hotel, with a nice courtyard and a splendid view of one of the volcanoes. And the room is great too - and it has the hugest bathroom that I've ever seen!! Another cool thing is that there is a journal in the room that all the people write in that stay here and write about all the things that they did here in Antigua. It was really cool to read about all the trips that different people from around the world have had in the same room that we are staying in.
After relaxing a bit at the hotel, we set off for the main square in Antigua. We stopped to peruse and shop a little bit on our way, got some money, and booked our tour for the volcano tomorrow. By that time we were pretty hungry so we stopped for dinner at Frida's and had some yummy Mexican food. We did a little more shopping, then stopped at an ice cream shop that we had passed earlier.
We then headed back to the hotel...we made a couple wrong turns, but we finally made it! As guests at our hotel we have 3 keys: one to the front door, one to our room, and one to the big gate in the back that is only for emergency use. So, when we got to the hotel, I stuck in the key for the front door, turned it, and the key broke in the door. Yes, it broke. Fortunately I was able to pull it out so that the door isn't ruined for everyone. We tried knocking and ringing the bell, but no one answered. So, we then considered our situation an emergency, so we used the big gate in the back. Success! We made it in. Becky is now in charge of keys.
At this point I am already sick, and I'm mad because we just got here!! I'm not surprised to be sick, it happens at least once every trip, but really, on the first day?!? I am drinking manzanilla tea right now, Becky says that's the Mexican cure, so we'll see.
We depart at 6am tomorrow to climb an active volcano - Volcan Pacaya. I am so excited - I went a few years ago and loved it, so I can't wait to do it again.
Yay Guatemala.
Becky and I left this morning, and the flights were pretty uneventful, but at the airport in Houston and drunk man found us and wanted us to carry his bag, but we said no and got away as fast as we could.
We landed around 1, and got a taxi to take us from Guatemala City to Antigua. Again, uneventful transport. We were a little unsure when we arrived at our hotel, because there wasn't a sign on the outside, and the door was locked, but our nice taxi driver rang the bell and asked, and yes we were at the right place. As soon as we walked inside, we fell in love. The lady greeted me by name, and they took us right to our room, before we even signed anything! It is a beautiful hotel, with a nice courtyard and a splendid view of one of the volcanoes. And the room is great too - and it has the hugest bathroom that I've ever seen!! Another cool thing is that there is a journal in the room that all the people write in that stay here and write about all the things that they did here in Antigua. It was really cool to read about all the trips that different people from around the world have had in the same room that we are staying in.
After relaxing a bit at the hotel, we set off for the main square in Antigua. We stopped to peruse and shop a little bit on our way, got some money, and booked our tour for the volcano tomorrow. By that time we were pretty hungry so we stopped for dinner at Frida's and had some yummy Mexican food. We did a little more shopping, then stopped at an ice cream shop that we had passed earlier.
We then headed back to the hotel...we made a couple wrong turns, but we finally made it! As guests at our hotel we have 3 keys: one to the front door, one to our room, and one to the big gate in the back that is only for emergency use. So, when we got to the hotel, I stuck in the key for the front door, turned it, and the key broke in the door. Yes, it broke. Fortunately I was able to pull it out so that the door isn't ruined for everyone. We tried knocking and ringing the bell, but no one answered. So, we then considered our situation an emergency, so we used the big gate in the back. Success! We made it in. Becky is now in charge of keys.
At this point I am already sick, and I'm mad because we just got here!! I'm not surprised to be sick, it happens at least once every trip, but really, on the first day?!? I am drinking manzanilla tea right now, Becky says that's the Mexican cure, so we'll see.
We depart at 6am tomorrow to climb an active volcano - Volcan Pacaya. I am so excited - I went a few years ago and loved it, so I can't wait to do it again.
Yay Guatemala.
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