How do I only have two weeks left here!? This experience is one of the most amazing of my life, no question. I've met some truly wonderful people, both Guatemalan and American. The staff at the house are the sweetest! Lily, our amazing cook, already knows everyone's name and always asks us individually how the food was. MUY BIEN OBVS.
Yesterday was another awesome day. One lady actually made me cry a little bit at the nursing home. She was going on and on about how Ann and I are beautiful, and have corazones lindas y grandes (big and beautiful hearts). Then she started crying, twice, and I just couldn't help but cry myself. Those are the moments that you know that being here is truly worthwhile. I love that I can offer some much needed company to these women. I loaded a bunch of pictures onto my ipod to show the ladies. Unfortunately, the aerial google maps shot of my house makes me want to die. Thanks for the wonderful home mom and dad, but seriously it looks like we belong in Beverly Hills from above. cool.
Anyways, after placement and lunch of hamburguesas, we piled into two vans and drove to a coffee plantation right outside of Antigua (the touristy old capital of Guatemala). The drive there offered the most culture shock I've felt so far, as well as the most magnificent scenes ever. As we exited the city, we drove past some of the poorer areas of la ciudad. These are the things I wish that everyone could see. There are literally hundred of shacks made of metal sheets all kind of piled on top of each other all over the sides of mountains. I can only imagine the disastrous effects of mudslides. The whole scene was something I couldn't really comprehend. It's so hard to believe people actually live in these conditions. I have honestly never felt so grateful for my home and country. It's one thing to see pictures and hear about the poverty of the world, but it's a whole other situation to actually see it with your own eyes. It's so crazy. I know that sadly, I will return to my first world life and therefore my first world complaints, but I for realsss encourage everybody to do something like this. I'm so happy I did. It's so eye opening and just amazingly wonderful to experience such a different culture. Don't pass up the chance, yo.
Antigua and the small puebla where the coffee plantation was ended up being super pretty. I can't wait to go back to the Antigua area in a week! The coffee plantation was really cool and had amazing views of the surrounding mountains. I wish the pictures really did the views justice. Our group went pretty picture crazy since we've all been hesitant about taking pictures around Guate City. Now I can actually prove I was here. Actually, it's all a lie, Kat and I stayed in Miami. Livin' large.
Just kidding, we are legit chilling in Guate. And you should all be proud, we have been decently social. Check us out. People probably also think we are a couple, but eh, small details. We are just really presh without even trying. It just comes naturally, obvz. But everyone is super friendly so it hasn't been to difficult to be social. We only had one night of isolation in our room. Whatevs.
After the coffee plantation tour we roamed around the gift shop. I opted for chocolate instead of coffee since I don't know anyone with a regular coffee maker anymore. Way to go guys. I only really wanted the coffee because it comes in a beautiful woven bag, but I plan on purchasing some hand made gems later. I did get to sample some free coffee though! It was way too strong black, but once I put coffeemate in it, I actually really enjoyed it.
We were then brought to a small market outside Antigua which was very Central American like. Virginia bought us all some corn type drink, but I only sipped some of Kat's before realizing that I don't enjoy corn in liquid form. There was also a woman making homemade tortillas filled with cheese and meats. I skipped out and just watched Ann and Kat obsess over their purchase. Yum. Now I'm exhausted.
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