Dance Break!

Guatemala City

 Here is a link of me dancing with a clown in Guatemala City. 

We drew quite a crowd! It's probably one of my favorite dance adventures to date!

 (It's also on my facebook page if this doesn't work)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150920287488473&set=vb.508258472&type=2&theater 

That crowd in the background wasn't even close to the one that surrounded us while we were dancing!

Antigua

 I went to Las Palmas-a salsa club in town- and used some pretty sweet salsa moves. Our friend from our volunteer placement-Belen-was going back to Spain, so she invited me to come dancing! The salsa band was amazing, and a very nice man with a mullet and tucked in polo shirt asked me to dance. I think he was slightly frustrated with my lack of salsa ability. The other guy who asked me was a little more my speed! We had fun.  Belen's friends were really awesome, and I definitely wanted to go to Spain after hanging out with them! I also won a shirt! Lucky #31:) 

We also met a new friend..Fabian..who met us at Reilly's Pub. (His idea) We thought it was for dancing, but we were the only ones getting our groove on..until some drunk girls got on the bar when it was closing. I would have, but the logistics weren't exactly ideal. We were the first Mormons Fabian had ever met. When we told him we didn't have sex before marriage, he was shocked! (And pretended to leave..haha!) Myra said, "But we can kiss!" and he thought that was the most hilarious thing he'd ever heard. It was a good experience..and once again..we danced! (I'd like to think more people danced because of us, but I think they were just more drunk.) Fabian said he needed at least 7 beers before he would dance, but we got a couple of minutes of dancing out of him with just 2! 

One day, I was going to be late for the bus, so I took a tuc tuc. He got me all turned around and ended up dropping me at the last bus stop in Antigua on the way to San Mateo. (My friends were relieved to see me!) And of course there were no seats! I entertained the ladies in front with my dance moves, since I had to stand up. They were actually talking about me, but once I started talking to them in Spanish,

 we became friends. 

I danced for them-and pretty much the whole bus! 

 So fun!

 (This picture was obviously taken by Christina! So cute!)

 We also may or may not have had a bonding lyrical dance break in our hotel room one night, but it's probably better that it was behind closed doors..for all our sakes!

San Mateo

We danced with the kids at PRODESENH, our Volunteer Placement. 

I taught them the game Freeze Dance, but everything ended up in a big conga/limbo line!

I think we are introducing line dancing to the Spaniards in these pictures..

"The Cupid Shuffle" It was so much fun!

 One day we missed the bus back to Antigua, but we made the best of the situation by

 (you know..)

DANCING!

(I love having an iPhone!) 

We ended up having an audience across the street. 

It was tons of fun.

 We also used our sweet dance moves to some Beyonce ('Single Ladies', anyone?) and a few other songs. 

Then there was some local music playing and we danced to that too!  

The kids and adults  laughed and laughed. 

They thought we were hilarious.

(I could be  mixing up multiple dance events..

now it's all just one giant lump of dancing awesomeness in my brain) 

Wasn't expecting this! Loved it!

 Then, when the bus finally DID show up, we had to wait some more, so we danced on the bus! 

(These are a big mix of a bunch of Julian's and Christina's photos..I'm not that talented with action shots!)

 (This was probably after Julian picked me up. Literally. 

He's probably one of the strongest people I've ever met. 

Maybe I should have accepted that marriage proposal! ;)

BEST. DAY. EVER.

Another Lovely Day in San Mateo Milpas Altas.... 

 This picture was a surprise!  Such a sweet moment captured on camera. (Thanks, Julian!) There was some local music playing and he and I danced. He has Down Syndrome, and a smile that lit up that bus stop.  Julian, unfortunately, was turned down by the local women for a dance. 

They should have said yes. 

He is a good dancer!

San Salvador

 (Or the Day Dan Almost Showed Us How to Booty Pop)

Myra's friend Dan lives in El Salvador, so he showed us around San Salvador one night. He was a lot of fun. What he DIDN'T show us, unfortunately, was his amazing gift for "Booty Popping."  He said he needed some more practice because he was a little rusty. And that he was in his neighborhood and people he knows could possibly see him. We did get our groove on at the street fair, and that was pretty fun. There's a video, but it's turned sideways. Maybe I'll figure out how to fix it and post it one day. 

We also turned on my trusty iPhone and did some dancing at the papusa place! 

Well..most of us did!

Tikal, Rio Dulce and Livingston

On the way to Tikal there may have been some car dancing in the back row. 

From me. 

Possibly with my arms in the air. 

Sometimes with headphones, sometimes without. 

It may or may not have been to this song.

(And if it was, I probably won't admit it.)

In fact, this is a fairly good representation of what was happening in the van...

with less synchronized movements. 

I did run up and down the stairwells of Castillo de San Felipe

pretending I was a pirate,with music to "Pirates of the Carribean" in my head. 

That's pretty close to dancing. 

Resting my twinkle toes on our tour boat of the Rio Dulce.. :)

I love to dance! I literally danced my way through Guatemala and El Salvador.

 My blog would not be complete without a post dedicated entirely to my dancing adventures! 

I am glad my trip buddies loved to dance as much as I do.

 It was fun to connect with so many people in such a universal way. 

 I think these memories will be my favorites from this trip.

Me gusta la vida buena!

We left el Salvador and headed back to Antigua. I finally played in the waves, jumping onto them and letting them carry me on to the shore. The water was warm and I got more than a few grains of sand in my bathing suit. I also got a sunburn, but if it turns into a tan it's worth it.

Yesterday I also killed the biggest cockroach I've ever seen on the wall of our hotel room, thanks to Myra's shoe, and finally watched 'meet joe black' which was really long, by the way. Yay for movies in English! ( with Spanish subtitles if course.) I've also been reading an
Autobiography by Sidney
Poitier ' the measure if a man'.. It's pretty good. Im amazed by his strength to be true to himself and what He believes. He also refuses to let others dictate his life for him. I'm impressed with his courage, and it's his family's example that's helped shape so much of that conviction.

We also had lunch at Punta Roca where I had the cheeseburger I was craving and a
Handmade cookies and cream Popsicle which completely changed my bad mood. Jonathan, our server, didn't steer me wrong.. They are his favorite too. ( it's been a long trip and I'm feeling it. I'm missing home. It was more than a burger and Popsicle..it was home for a little while) after that we took pictures along the shore and I may have drooled a little over those wicked hot surfers. I love all the colors of central America. Definite mood changers. Who could be sad around hot pink and teal? No one I know!


I've been sheltered by the clean streets of Antigua, and La Libertad's raw feeling was new for me. I knew I'd be exposed to what third world was like, but part of me wasn't ready to see it. Garbage everywhere,
crumbling buildings, tired faces with carefully watching eyes. people fanning themselves from the heat, the laundry drying on the line. Dogs in the street, cows on the side of the road, and always the women carrying baskets on their heads. I wish I could capture it the way I see it in my mind.. This struggling tourist town. I wonder what they think of me... A tall, blond American. They struggle with not having enough, I struggle with having too much. All of this against a background of incredible ocean waves and the surfing community that plays here. Coming from a town built on tourism, I understand the love/hate relationship. Is my life necessarily better? It's certainly easier in a lot of ways, it's true. Part of me questions if progress is really progress at all.

As we left la libertad, we stopped in a town called 'cara sucia'..dirty face. Apparently it rains so much there, everything was covered in dirt, so that's how te town got its name. Again, the dirty streets, animals everywhere, a little girl begging for money, and the fumes from busses. I am a stranger here. As we drove, I saw the tropical come out.. Simple huts from grass and palm leaves, many variants of greenery, lots of cows. People waiting on steps, talking and laughing. The smell of fried corn tortillas and diesel mingling with livestock and the sweltering heat. ( i got an ice cream cone and i could see the cold radiating
Off if it. Crazy!)

At the border there were Little stores selling everything from salda..money for the prepaid phones.. Coconut milk , sodas and chips to using the bathroom. (it was three quetzals if anyone is interested. I got my money's worth.. They had real liquid soap!)

Things definitely go a lot slower here.. From waiting for our passports at immigration to waiting to drive down the street. This is definitely not the first class bus we came in when we arrived in el salvador! We were stuck in traffic trying to leave, and we waited for at least half an hour.. No air conditioning and very few people who seemed to know what was going on. They best part was watching the semi drivers hanging out on hammocks under their trucks at the border.. Apparently they were very familiar with the wait! There's something to be said for acceptance and finding positive alternatives to the situation!

Along with the 3 of us, we have two teachers from germany teaching at international german schools in egypt(Anita-music) and el Salvador
(Katherine-art). It's been fun to chat on the drive and get to know them better..especially since we talked about politics, music and teaching. I wish I knew more in these situations. Most Europeans I meet seem to have a grasp on American politics, but I know little about their country's. Did you know Germany's president was impeached on an ethics violation? Now I do!

It's also interesting to note the lack of restrictions for many things. For example: in the van I'm riding in right now, I would feel safer with a seatbelt on. But there aren't any. It's been a weird but common practice. No seatbelts. It's all part of the adventure!

As I was reading my book by the pool, ( because thats the most strenuous thing ive done today) a Younger woman came out in a dress and big, floppy hat. In her hand she carried a cup of roses. When she saw the waves and the pool, she smiled and said: "me gusta la vida buena" I like the good life. It is a good life. I have a good life. I couldn't agree more:)

Antigua

Antigua is beautiful. It's definitely a town. I never would have known it existed if it wasn't for this program. I've fallen in love with cobblestone streets, the architecture, and the secret garden courtyards that seem to magically appear behind every open door as we walk to our various destinations.

The town at night is breathtaking, and I could literally eat at a new restaurant every night and never repeat one. The food is sooo good and so cheap. Our favorite restaurant so far is called 'Epicure'. Everything we try is fantastic and it had one of those secret courtyards I was talking about. We stumbled upon it taking pictures of an old convent and at first it looked like a deli, but when I looked further in, I saw plants, so we decided to eat there. Am I glad I did! The atmosphere is delightful, the service is attentive but not overly so, and we've fallen in love with the French orange truffles they give us with our check.

I had visions of rice and beans and tortillas for our whole trip (which I was honestly looking forward to..), but because of the tourist town that it is, there's been very little of that. I'm a little sad about that, but it's been fun to live the high life for so cheap. It's definitely given me cause to want to retire abroad! Living like a queen on a teachers retirement? Yes please.

That also brings up the fact that there's a sad side to Antigua. Poverty lurks around every corner. It doesn't take very long to see third world elements. I feel like we're shielded from a lot of it, but it becomes more and more apparent as I drive to different areas. The Guatemalan people are proud and clean.. As clean as they can be. But their circumstances are very humble in many situations, and I understand more and more about the people I served with in Boston.

I was walking in the square late on Friday night and noticed many homeless people in the doorways sleeping. This was nothing compared to the city I'm sure, but it was a reality I wasn't expecting at the time. It reminds me over and over how grateful I am for the blessings I've been given.

I love the mists across the mountains. I love the smiles of the people and the more than occasional gold tooth. I love riding on the chicken bus and seeing an actual chicken. I love that sometimes I'm afraid for my life driving on the chicken bus down the mountain from San Mateo. I love talking with the people at the bus stop. Francisco being my favorite. I love flirting with the waiters at 'Luna de Miel' the crepe place. I love that it starts out sunny and rains by 1 pm which works out great because we go to placement. I love the creativity and resourcefulness of the people. I love the little family that run 'bicicleta de juancho,' their metal box cash register, and that they have amazing chocolate cake and pizza for 10Q. I love that my Spanish reminds me I have a long way to go, but I know enough to sometimes connect with the people. This trip hasn't been what I thought, but then again, I didn't know what to expect. I've just appreciated things for what they were and it's been in my favor. I'm literally just happy to be here. I think 2 weeks will be enough time to see everything, although part of me wants to stay forever and never go back to real life again.

It's been interesting that the service element hasn't been what I was expecting. The kids are adorable.. But kids are always adorable. Judith, the woman who runs PRODESENH, and her husband Juan, are amazing. They are doing incredible things with their program. She is really focused on empowering women in her community, and I am constantly inspired by her. We also have some other volunteers from Spain that have been a lot of fun too at our placement, and their accents are adorable. They love the kids too. They think I'm full of genius ideas.. We'll see how long that lasts! They will soon know the truth I think!
I'm trying to get Elmer and a couple of other kids to memorize their multiplication tables. If they do, I promised them a cake. I need to go buy some notecards for flash cards tomorrow. Kids are kids in every part of the world. I love them all.. Even when there are turdy fifth grade boys. What is it about that age? Something happens at 11..What to do with them? I have no idea.