En Guatemala hablas similar la Guatemaletecas

The title is translated as, "In Guatemala speak like the Guatemalans." It has been the theme of my life lately as I study Spanish for four hours each morning and am now living in a host home where my survival is dependent on my ability to speak Spanish. For having had only seven Spanish classes so far, I feel I am doing rather well. I don't typically get a headache until I am finishing my homework late in the evening. I can say many awkward things about girls, such as, "Yo busco muchas chicas." And more depressing things like, "Mi no tengo una novia." Paula (my Spanish school partner) keep our teacher Mollie entertained by such statements as, "Corazion de Paula esta' negro."

Host homes are a grand adventure. David and I are staying in a home with a set of grandparents, parents, and two kids. The grandpa, Oscar, is an awesome hippy type, who used to have a huge beard in the 70's until he started working in a Nestle' factory, around ten years ago he quit working in the factory and has regrown an epic gray beard about a foot and a half long. He now makes jewelry in his shop above the house, which he can show us being worn on the cover of some of the premier Central American fashion magazines...yeah, he's pretty much total beast.

*I kinda got bogged down and haven't touched this for a week or two, so I'm just gonna try to finish it up*

Host homes involved different, but downright delicious food, some simple conversations that managed to touch on things such as the corruption of the Antiguan mayor...did you know that the best crack in Antigua is sold by the police? ...yeah, it made the drug dealer offering us pot everyday five feet from an officer make a bit more sense.

We stayed there for a week and half and finished up Spanish school. We just arrived at Seminario Biblio Guatemalteco...it's one of the main Bible schools in Guatemala, located in the center of the bustling and slightly sketch town of Chimaltenango...the college occupies a strip of about four city blocks. My dorm window happens to over look one of the main streets, which is wandered each morning around six o'clock by the milkman yelling "LECHE!!!" ...someday I may find some spoiled old leche to toss out the window on him. Anyways this week we are simply living on campus while doing ministry at a local school each day, a combination of teaching English, doing a VBS style presentation, and playing with the kids each day. Next week involves intensive classes and Michael jumping in front of a passing chicken bus after hearing all the school we're cramming into one week. Anyways, that's a quick update, adios.

Guatemala!

So on Wednesday morning I flew from SeaTac, back to Calgary where I caught a ride into Three Hills, Alberta...flat land of cold, dry snow and little college called Prairie Bible Institute  We spent Wednesday doing orientation for the classes we are doing in Guatemala and also a final Discover session prepping for Guatemala. That night we packed up and certain people stayed up to watch the World Junior Hockey Championships...in Canada it really matters to them that they beat the U.S. in this Championship...and as it so happened we sent those Canucks home crying!

Early...like two forty-five in the morning early, we loaded a couple vans and drove to the airport...as it turns out we had a surprise stop at Eric's house where we got to eat a breakfast of incredible egg sandwiches and coffee. We had two three hour flights the first to Dallas-Fortworth and the second to Guatemala City. We finally arrived in Guatemala around nine in the evening, stopping for a bite of dinner at Pollo Comparo...equivalent to Chick-fil-a except in price. After around an hour on the bus, we found ourselves at CEMI a compound in the mountains outside of Antigua.

In the evening as we arrived there was an incredible smell of flowers, smoke (some from woodstoves, some from cigarettes, and probably a little weed in the mix), and trees. I had a feeling it was going to be pretty amazing in the light of day...the next morning my expectations were validated as I could see three volcanoes looming around the compound, which had a luscious lawn and a wide variety of flowering bushes and trees. Suffice to say a humid seventy-five degrees at 5,000 ft. and this scenery is pretty close to paradise.

The next day was mostly spent touring Antigua and becoming oriented to the town where we'll be staying for the next couple weeks. During our stay we will be doing four hours of language school each morning, ministry during many of the afternoon, and staying in host homes for the end of our stay.

Today we took the bus into Antigua to visit a bi-lingual church in downtown, which is attended by a variety of tourists and locals. After church we ate at a crepe restaurant run by a French couple where we were able to sit on the roof and hangout for a while, before we split into groups who went shopping at the grocery store, the market, or simply returned to CEMI. I'm currently sitting in a hammock writing this and contemplating a nap.

A Little Set of Random Thoughts

It's late at night, when anyone sensible would be asleep...but I lost touch with sensibility a long time ago. I just finished packing a 48 pound duffel bag of clothes and such to be checked, another 48 pound suitcase full of books and food for my carry on, and a backpack with a computer, a couple cameras, and sunglasses. I'm packed to fly out early tomorrow morning, to Canada where I'll do class, briefings, and pack to fly south to Guatemala on Friday. I'm desperately in need of sleep, but it's not really wanting to come by right now.

My mind is a whirlwind of disjointed emotions, eclectic memos to myself, and the occasional deep thought. Leaving people I haven't seen much lately, returning to people I've been missing, and then realizing how long it may be before I see others again. Remember as I type this that I forgot to pack my toothpaste...and then remember a bunch of miniature tubes that my dentist has given me just for travelling. Oh yeah, and as I was passionately describing to my friend the key principle from the "Early Church" that we need to apply better today in the North American body of Christ is the concept of building honest caring relationships with other members and really loving our neighbors.

Yeah, that's good enough...'night ya'll.