Since I have been back

There have been a lot of things that have happened since I have been back.  I took my three years.  I have applied to be a big brother.  I have taken a greater role in my church.  Having fun and living life.

I have no time for anything anymore and it is amazing.  I am learning to rollerblade.  I have fallen a few times and I look like an idiot.

I listen to Metric, get to hang out with my fantastic friends.

Work is easier.  No frustrations, except regular ones, no anger and it is strange.  Life is good.

All because of God.

Life is amazing.

I am at home

I have been at home for two three whole days.  I am unsure of my ability to process all of this.  I am not overly keen on going to my Church and being asked a lot of questions.  It just seems like I don’t know.  I had intended on just learning.  I wasn’t intending on being a teacher. 

Now that I am back.  Now that I am back it can mean so many things.  We shall see.

Tomorrow.  Post church.  We shall see how it goes.  In the mean time…

I will post a link to more pictures.

more Guatemala

Guatemala is over, now home.

Okay, so now I am going home.  It has been an enjoyable time, filled with fun, entertainment and a number of rather American things done.  Maybe I should say Canadian.  No matter.

There is still so much to say and I wanted to go and do so much more but there is always next time.  I think that I will have to bring my Dad with me the next time I go.  Scratch that.  I think I will have to bring someone else when I come back.  That way I am not so bored when I have to travel by myself.

Ugh. I hate waiting with no Internet.

My Dad would love this even more than I

I am sitting in a cafe, eating chocolate bread.  A nice pastry thing that is so unhealthy for me that my arteries hardened just that little bit more as I ate.  Hopefully the juice will counteract it. 

Yesterday I went to an earthquake destroyed Iglesias Catolica.  It was amazing.  Part of the Church was still working.  I went out and bought some candles to light for my continuous prayer.  It was kind of cool.  There is something to be said for all of the symbolism that the Catholic Church has.  It felt really good to think that my prayers would continue even after I may have forgotten them.

Wow! Pineapple here is intense.

Yesterday was a day of ups and downs.  I ate cow tongue and tripe.  I thought they were something else.  It was probably one of the most expensive meals I have had while here.  I only ended up eating a small portion of it.  Even thinking about it makes me feel a little sick.

The up bit was walking up Pacaya.  Seeing magma for myself was amazing.

Right when we started Pacaya there were these kids selling sticks.  For three Quetzals a piece.  Crazy.  The whole journey was impressive.  It was a steep rough climb with a lot of breaks needed to be taken as we waited for the few who were holding us up.

The waiting part was a bit brutal but there was an option to rent a horse to get you over the difficult beginning bits.

It was not too expensive yet no one, initially went for it.  About a quarter of the way up the first stretch the oldest lady of our group, of about sixty, decided to utilize the option given.

The views up the mountain were amazing.  The mountain in the background of this picture is Agua.  I think I may be spelling it incorrectly.

Whoa.  I just realized that we are listening to an English speaking radio station.  Mind you it is only playing muzak but still.   It is still an English speaking station.

Further up the mountain the views became even better.  The closer and closer we got to the summit of Pacaya the more intense things became.  We began to cross lava rock that was only from Pacaya’s last eruption, two years ago.  

There were a lot of people climbing the mountain that day.  Still though, there were moments where our group, the Panteras, were all alone just lost in the view.

There was a lot of walking for a lot of barrenness.  It was beautiful and just a little strange.  I had no concept of what a desert might actually look like.  It was amazing.

On the only occasion where I actually did see life it was this.  A plant in the middle of nowhere.  No friends just growth amid a lot of molten death.  Kind of odd and out of place, just like all of the human being walking on the volcano itself.

Kind of eerie, really.

Due to the falling molten rocks around us we were unable to get to the summit.  Where we were the rock was hot.  You could smell the rubber burning off of our shoes.  In my attempt to be a stupid tourist I went as close as possible to some vents, that way I could have a good picture./  You know, for the look of the thing.

The walk down was quick and felt very fast.  I twisted my ankle, and thought I may have broken it.  Turns out it was only a slight sprain, with little to no swelling.  So I am good.

Lots more to say, but my computer is dying and I have been here for too many hours, time to go.

More later.

Another beautiful day

I went to Pacaya today, more on that tomorrow.

I hope everyone is going to be awake for the comet tonight. 3 in the AM EST. It will be naked eye visible.

I unfortunateky will miss it.

Ugh. That is the suck.

Today With Pictures!

I have found wireless internet.   Of course I have to eat at the restaurant that has it, but it is a small price to pay to have delicious food and internet to boot.

Yesterday was a whirlwind day.  Just wait!  I have pictures to show first.

On the left is a picture of the orphanage.  This was taken yesterday.  I thought it a bit strange as there were a ton of people there helping out.  Some thirty odd nursing students arrived a little bit after I did.  Making me redundant.  A veritable plethora of cute nursing students.  It was enough to make me want to go and do something else that day.

Now I want to be clear.  We are not supposed to take photos at all while we are at the orphanage.  So All of the photos I have were taken in secret or by one of the kids.  That way I would not be asked to leave.

The previous day I let Moses take my camera for a bit.   This is he and I.  I think Moses has Cerebral Palsy.   To be honest I am not altogether sure.  Moses is one of the most mobile kids at the orphanage able to move and communicate fairly well.

This is one of the photos Moses took.  Irwin is on the right and Elmer is on the left.  Now, please note, I am terrible with names, so…I am unsure of whether or not I am correct.  I know Irwin is correct, but the other…not so much.

Both of these boys are fairly mobile.  A bit of mobility at the orphanage is key.  If the kids do not have a lot of personal mobility then they end up spending a lot of time in their cribs.  It is amazing the difference it makes to their personalities as well.  Do not misunderstand, though.  The reason why a lot of the kids do not have a lot of personal mobility is due to their disability.  Not because of the lack of concern of the orphanage to get them the type of mobility assistance they need.

The boys in this photo are all in the older kid group.  They are all adults or older teenagers.  I have not spent much time with them as they are largely self sufficient.  A bit older they have been assisted to use the skills they have to make them more self sufficient.  A rather impressive bunch.

This is another photo taken by Moses.  Elmer on the right and his little brother on the left.  I have forgotten his little brothers name.  We were all sitting on these little psuedo-benches that were near each other at some steps.  These boys are so energetic.  All they want to do is play, like any other boys their age.  These kids are just filled with so much love it is amazing.  They wrestled with each other for about an hour under my supervision.  It was great.  Lots of fun.

I have to say this.  The one thing that I am terrible at is feeding time.  I often have to turn to the nurses with the words: “(insert childs name here) no quiere más.” 

The nurses than tut tut at me showing their disapproval.  Laugh at my poor Spanish and proceed to finish feeding the child.  Regardless, the whole experience is worth it.

Post orphanage experiences.  Last night, instead of going to the  orphanage, I went to a festival evening which showcased a bunch of dancers from Peru.   It was very cool.  I sat up on a wall with some kids.  Just sitting and watching.  It was interesting.  A lot of things I didn’t understand.  But I think I also have a bit of video from there as well. 

This was a pretty intense piece.  It was showing the devil and how much control he has.  The whole thrust of the routines that they were showing talked about how with the introduction of Satan into the Mayans lives their whole way of life was forced to change.  It was as beautiful as it was telling.

My whole day was filled with fun and interesting things.  I was able to walk around, go to the Central market, which is much the same as the one in Chimatanengo, just bigger.  Oh and more people spoke English.

Oh.  I made myself some guacamole for dinner.  Another fantastic thing.  There is nothing like guacamole home made, with fresh avocados, freshly picked.

Life is good.  I have been here for a little over an hour.  I guess I better go. 

Blessings.

Oh!  Should I go to Pacaya?  It is super cold here.  I mean cold compared to the other days I have been here.