shortest blog ever for the longest day ever.

Goodbye Jacal!

I didn’t realize how many people I had made friends with in my site until I started to say my goodbyes.

Weird.

This morning I left my house on a mission (not the fantasy one in my head where I go next door to the mechanic shop with a baseball bat to smash in their speakers), this was a real mission.

I had to say goodbye to people, buy some ropa tipica, clean my house and pack my bags.

So here I am, at 9:30PM with HEAVY eyelids and even heavier limbs, wondering HOW in the hell I did everything…and WHY on earth I left it to the last minute.
As for the how: I had about 14 cups of coffee today.
As for the why…I think it could have something to do with the fact that I don’t really like saying goodbye.

Apart from that one time when I was a kid in grade school and my friend moved away, I’m not much of a crier when it comes to saying, “nice to meet you…see you maybe never.”

I tend to stammer uncomfortably and throw in a, “well…maybe I’ll be back; yeah, we’ll probably see each other soon…” when in reality…the chances of that happening are pretty slim. I know it and they know it.

Only till just now, upon arriving home from my rounds am I feeling that familiar twinge of sadness. I have been so excited to get out of here that I had forgotten about all of the things that I would miss.

I will miss the old woman in the market who always says, “hasta cuando te miro!” (it’s been so long since I’ve seen you!) even if it’s only really been a day since I saw her last.
I will miss feeling like a “big deal.” As much as I have hated the attention that I sometimes attract, I will definitely miss being asked what I am doing and having people actually listen to the answer.
I will miss the weather, It was incredible out today.
I will miss talking about nothing with strangers.
I will miss the crazy woman in town who wears high heels in the park and sprays people with a hose and yells “I hate pigs!” if they litter…it’s colorful people like this that make me able to laugh at the stuff that gets me down.
I will miss people asking me if I’ve eaten, not listening to my answer and then giving me food anyways.
I will miss the simplicity of life. If all I do in one day is my laundry then I’ve accomplished something major.

I have 9 days left in Guatemala as of today. Yes, we’re in the single-digits now.

When I got to my site I was thinking two years was going to be a really long time and now that I’m about to leave I’m wondering where all the time went.

I am ready to go home but it’s definitely bitter-sweet.

There are things that I won’t miss…but I feel we should avoid that worm-hole. We may end up somewhere weird.

More to come…
Must sleep. Dead pocket.

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

A new picture blog...blog.

I have fast internet again! let's celebrate with some pictures!

try to contain your excitement...

This is a Marimba. It's name is "Popti" which is the Mayan Language spoken where I live and, to answer your (no-doubt) lingering question, YES the acoustics in the room adjacent to mine are EXCELLENT.



2pm on a Tuesday...

The beginning of the photo shoot we wanted to go for a classic pose... 

We wanted to get some close-ups to showcase bunny's versatility. The camera loves her.

and finally, an up-do for that formal night out on the town.

I'm just saying...the teacher strike was 2 months long...

My friends sent me a package, this was one of the cards in it. you guys get me...

This is the starting picture of the project that i translated for. We installed a system to purify water with ozone and filters to then be bottled by the school.

  

The finished product. The water comes in through the left hand lower pipe and then passes through the filters and the ozonater which pulls air through these light-bulb like things, charging the air and then injecting it into the water to give it that fantastic spring-rain smell, then it is pushed into a tank outside where it hangs out until someone wants to bottle the water when it is circulated back through the pipes one last time and then goes to the faucet on the other side of the room, where the bottle station is. pretty neat actually.



Claire brought a mini polaroid camera...and we had lots of fun with it.



Just three Oregon gals lathering up with some SPF...conditioned to fear the sun and it's harmful rays. Me, Alicia and Mari.

A pretty sunset from our patio. Happy Thankgiving!

Mari and my Christmas dish. Chicken rolls with tomato, red bell pepper, cheese, spinach and cilantro. Taken in front of my christmas tree for obvious reasons...

an aerial view of our incredible meal. brown rice, chicken rolls, salad and red wine. we did good things.



my landlord's christmas tree kind of killed mine...yes that is a nativity scene at the foot of the tree.



I came home and they had put this adorable little wreath on my door.

and finally my christmas packages arrived from bri!

and KP! I have the best friends in the world!

So that's what's been going on... you know...for me... in Guatemala.

I'll probably have another post up soon to tell of the awesome that was christmas and new years but for now, I love you all.

LOVE.LOVE.LOVE