Life in Antigua: Part V

Dearest family and friends,

I'm cursed, I'm convinced. Last week Thursday I was ALMOST finished with "Life in Antigua - Part V" when, everybody say it with me, the electricity went out. Yes... there's not much else to say about that except that I've only today gained the courage to try again and am saving a new draft every five minutes. Thanks for hanging in there with me through this technology nightmare. Let's get right to it...

First of all, I forgot to tell you about the "hooded figures" who ask people for money, the same ones Nikki was ripping on in my last e-mail. They are actually college students from the University in the capital. They say that they are raising money for a Holy Week parade that makes fun of the government. They don't want anyone to know who they are (maybe they're ashamed, maybe they don't want the government to mess with them) which is why they wear the colorful hoods. In reality, everyone knows they use the money to throw a huge party and drink themselves into oblivion. They just look like Klansmen with a particular fetish for bright Latin American colors to me.

Speaking of bright Latin American colors, the buses used for public transportation here, called chicken buses, are really just old, old elementary school buses from the States that are painted every color of the rainbow and named for good luck. Some of the "new" ones are still in traditional black and yellow form with their district of origin written on the side. I saw an old Bluebird from Philadelphia the other day. José and I took a chicken bus to Guatemala City two weekends ago to go to the mall and see a movie. It was a kick, but I'd never want to make the journey alone. My dad, when he was in Guatemala back in the day, was in a serious accident in one of those things and it completely fell over. I can totally see that happening. The drivers are crazy and the roads aren't in the best condition.

And now for the "random funny things" section...

The McDonald's here has all of the normal selections offered in the States in addition to, get this people, McInternet. There are four or five computers on one side of the restaurant for customers to use if they purchase time. What's McNext?

Condiments like mayonaise, mustard, and ketchup are sold in plastic bags. It makes my distaste for mayonaise even more intense. I've seen easy cheese and even soda pop sold in plastic bags with a twisty tie keeping it closed. I'm sure it tastes just the same, but the packaging really throws me off.

The Communications Studies major in me is really into analyzing Guatemalan nonverbal signals (miss you Al and Emmy and Ellie!). To get someone's attention, they make a really hard "shh" sound a few times that could be written kind of like "Cht, cht, cht!" When they're hot or embarrassed or think something is funny or weird, they make a loud snapping sound with their fingers, but it's not a snap. The closest way I can think of to describe it is this: it's like what my high school friends who played baseball did when they packed their tobacco. I can't do it, and they laugh at me when I try.

I went to an art museum with the school a couple of weeks ago. We sat outside for a lecture about Guatemalan knitting techniques for about an hour and a half. Huge gusts of wind, foliage, and the day's worth of volcanic ash falling on us distracted our attention from the speaker. The speaker, and I'm not kidding, reminded me of a Spanish-speaking Ms. Hannigan from the movie "Annie." Instead of describing her further, I'll let you use your imagination. :)

Now exiting the "random funny things" section...

Last weekend the TAYLOR crowd was here!!! It was SO good to see them and to speak English with people who already know me the whole day. We visted some ruins, had our own little church service, went to lunch, went to the outdoor market, went to dessert, walked around the park... It was GREAT! I had my chance to finally ask what was REALLY happening with the war, what the latest was at Taylor, etc. God really used each of them to bless me. The fellowship was just amazing! I went to bed that night with a smile on my face and filled up with encouragement and comfort.

This past weekend I went to Tikal to see some ancient Mayan ruins. I took advantage of a group discount by secretly tagging along with some not-so-friendly Norweigan journalists from my language school. However, I found some really, really interesting people to hang out with the whole weekend. On the shuttle ride from the airport (you have to fly there) to our hotel, I met two soon-to-be doctors from Yale (what's with all of these Yale people?) and a 40-something couple from Boston. They were all so fascinating to talk to. We ate every meal together and had long conversations about everything from our earlier travels to books and movies to politics. Despite the fact that I was the only conservative and the only Christian, and therefore the only conservative Christian, they made me feel welcomed and accepted. They're here for a few more weeks, so I think we'll get together again for dinner and a little salsa dancing later on this week.

Oh yeah... the ruins were fabulous too! The jungle was so beautiful and our very knowledgable guide, 22 year-old Marvin (who immediately took to calling me Nick), showed us everything around the park. In addition to learning more than I ever thought I would about the Mayans, I got to see cool things like Spider Monkeys and Toucans and ants as big as my thumbs. When we first got there it was swelteringly humid and the sun was strong. However, it rained in the afternoon and the whole night, so the next day was cooler and overcast. The whole trip was so fascinating. I missed you Daddy!

Well... I've made it through my to-say list without any power failures. It's a miracle! Now I'd better send this pup before I jinx myself.

Love and miss you all!

Nicole

Tikal

Chicken bus